Author's Note: Yeah. I've got two things to say on the events of the last
chapter. First of all, the rating. I rated it PG-13 for a reason. In the
last chapter, it has finally lived up to those reasons. When I said
'possible violence', I meant in the first chapters. From here on, you can
COUNT on violence and a lot more of it too. You also may have noticed that
there is a fair amount of swearing. That contributed to the rating as well.
That will not decrease as the fic goes on either.
Now for thing number 2: for those of you who didn't get the general idea (although I felt I illustrated the point quite well), Phil is the new Jade Dragoon. This means that there will be more funniness (yes, I know that isn't a real word) in the fic from now on, because the two guys will rag on each other. Because that's what friends do. I know humor isn't listed as one of the genres, but I would think it would make the story more enjoyable to read if I dropped some humor into the fic here and there.
OK, author's rant over. No more talking from me. At least until next chapter. (diabolical laughter) OK, enough of that. Moving on...
Chapter 7
Rayen and Phil were done explaining to Mr. and Mrs. Jackson about the events relating to their new occupation (to put it lightly). Although they were undoubtedly shocked at the beginning, Rayen thought they were now taking it quite well. When Rayen related to the previous night's encounter, they did not try to dissuade them from leaving home. They tried to remain in a positive outlook on the matter, happy at least that they would not be alone. Rayen did not share their optimism, but he felt no need to make his comrade's parents worry more than they were already.
As soon as they were done talking, Rayen used the Jackson's phone to call his father.
"Hello?"
"Hey Dad, it's me. Look, I need you to call the school and tell them I'm getting a transfer. Then call the record store and submit my resignation, with my regrets. Phil and I are going to have to skip town. I fought with a hired Dragoon last night. Someone around here wants us dead. Or at least they wanted me dead, but they'll want him now too, because he got the dead man's Dragoon Spirit."
"Right. I'll take care of that. Make sure you come home before you leave, alright?"
"Of course. We're gonna spend the rest of the day here, and leave in the evening."
"Even better."
"Alright then. We'll be there around 5."
Rayen hung up. He motioned to Phil. They went out into the backyard. The Jackson family had a small guesthouse that would serve their purpose. The furniture littered the lawn. They didn't want obstacles getting in their way; they needed an enclosed, open space.
As Rayen had learned at the pivotal moment in Saturday's battle, magic was the one thing that gave them an advantage over their enemies. Rayen pointed out that this advantage would be much greater if both of them had the power at their disposal. The voice of Dart had told him in the dream that commanding magic took months of study for most cases, but Rayen had a feeling it would take much less time with some hands-on experience. Thus, the need for the guesthouse.
Rayen and Phil spent the next few hours exploring the subject of magic. Rayen explained everything he had learned in the dream, and also told Phil what magic should feel like if done correctly. He went over the new process of magic use, and how to bend the magic to your will. He explained that a Dragoon had to reach not inside, but outside oneself to find the magic. Because the magic stemmed from the elements, the magic was everywhere.
When the time limit on their transformations expired, they would take breaks and spar until they had built up enough energy to use the spirits again. After three hours of work, Phil was able to create a small whirlwind that danced across the floor, scattering the dust. Two hours later, this whirlwind evolved into an invisible gust of wind so powerful it caught Rayen's wings and hurled him backwards. He had to flare his wings backwards and dig his heels into the floor to avoid slamming into the wall. They had done it; the barrier was broken.
They had also made another discovery, although this one quite by accident. When Rayen was demonstrating how magic would not work outside of Dragoon form, he found (to his great surprise) that he could use magic without the Dragoon armor! It was much weaker and expended the same amount of mystical energy, but it was still a useful skill to have at their time of need. Rayen reasoned that as their physical strength grew, their magical strength would grow as well. One day, they might be able to cast powerful magic even when not in Dragoon form.
After the work was finally finished, they drove over to Rayen's house as instructed. When they reached the suburban home, they found the driveway was already occupied by a large motorhome. That was odd, Rayen thought. As far as he knew, his father wasn't expecting any visitors. With the driveway taken, they pulled up to the curb.
His father was sitting in the armchair reading the paper. He looked up when they came in the door.
"Welcome back, boys."
"Hey Dad, what's with the RV?"
"Hm? Oh, that. It's yours."
"Ours?"
"Yes. I bought it from a used dealership. It has a stove, an oven, a refrigerator, freezer, a shower, bathroom, and a fire extinguisher."
Rayen and Phil exchanged glances.
"Wow, Dad. This is a big deal."
"Now all we need is a TV!"
"Took care of that too. Got a new set for myself and installed the old one in there. I also moved your computer in there. Got mobile Web access for you, and DSL. I had you uncle install some solar panels, so they supply all the electricity you'll need. You have a water purifier, so all you'll need to get is food and water for the showers, faucets, and bathroom."
"You thought of everything, didn't you?"
"Been planning it ever since Friday night. I knew you'd need to leave home eventually. Make sure you drop me an email occasionally, OK?"
"Thanks, Dad. I guess we'd better be going now."
Rayen wanted to say more, but he couldn't find the words. He went upstairs and packed everything he wanted to take (Phil had already stashed his things in the RV). With one last goodbye, they pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.
"So, where to?"
"Isn't it obvious? Follow the monsters."
They looked darkly at each other, even though Phil should have been paying more attention to his driving. They had both seen the news that morning. Monsters had appeared several miles from their town, wreaking havoc, and evading the authorities. No one had any idea where they came from, but the media had a field day, making a crisis over the incident, which Rayen and Phil both knew that it had a good chance of becoming if something wasn't done. Both believing there was a force behind it, they decided to trace it to the source.
They drove for about an hour before coming to a small, squat, inconspicuous building. They got out of the car and grabbed their weapons. They moved stealthily up to the building. They turned the corner, and suddenly founded the tips of two swords at their throats.
"You move, you die."
Now for thing number 2: for those of you who didn't get the general idea (although I felt I illustrated the point quite well), Phil is the new Jade Dragoon. This means that there will be more funniness (yes, I know that isn't a real word) in the fic from now on, because the two guys will rag on each other. Because that's what friends do. I know humor isn't listed as one of the genres, but I would think it would make the story more enjoyable to read if I dropped some humor into the fic here and there.
OK, author's rant over. No more talking from me. At least until next chapter. (diabolical laughter) OK, enough of that. Moving on...
Chapter 7
Rayen and Phil were done explaining to Mr. and Mrs. Jackson about the events relating to their new occupation (to put it lightly). Although they were undoubtedly shocked at the beginning, Rayen thought they were now taking it quite well. When Rayen related to the previous night's encounter, they did not try to dissuade them from leaving home. They tried to remain in a positive outlook on the matter, happy at least that they would not be alone. Rayen did not share their optimism, but he felt no need to make his comrade's parents worry more than they were already.
As soon as they were done talking, Rayen used the Jackson's phone to call his father.
"Hello?"
"Hey Dad, it's me. Look, I need you to call the school and tell them I'm getting a transfer. Then call the record store and submit my resignation, with my regrets. Phil and I are going to have to skip town. I fought with a hired Dragoon last night. Someone around here wants us dead. Or at least they wanted me dead, but they'll want him now too, because he got the dead man's Dragoon Spirit."
"Right. I'll take care of that. Make sure you come home before you leave, alright?"
"Of course. We're gonna spend the rest of the day here, and leave in the evening."
"Even better."
"Alright then. We'll be there around 5."
Rayen hung up. He motioned to Phil. They went out into the backyard. The Jackson family had a small guesthouse that would serve their purpose. The furniture littered the lawn. They didn't want obstacles getting in their way; they needed an enclosed, open space.
As Rayen had learned at the pivotal moment in Saturday's battle, magic was the one thing that gave them an advantage over their enemies. Rayen pointed out that this advantage would be much greater if both of them had the power at their disposal. The voice of Dart had told him in the dream that commanding magic took months of study for most cases, but Rayen had a feeling it would take much less time with some hands-on experience. Thus, the need for the guesthouse.
Rayen and Phil spent the next few hours exploring the subject of magic. Rayen explained everything he had learned in the dream, and also told Phil what magic should feel like if done correctly. He went over the new process of magic use, and how to bend the magic to your will. He explained that a Dragoon had to reach not inside, but outside oneself to find the magic. Because the magic stemmed from the elements, the magic was everywhere.
When the time limit on their transformations expired, they would take breaks and spar until they had built up enough energy to use the spirits again. After three hours of work, Phil was able to create a small whirlwind that danced across the floor, scattering the dust. Two hours later, this whirlwind evolved into an invisible gust of wind so powerful it caught Rayen's wings and hurled him backwards. He had to flare his wings backwards and dig his heels into the floor to avoid slamming into the wall. They had done it; the barrier was broken.
They had also made another discovery, although this one quite by accident. When Rayen was demonstrating how magic would not work outside of Dragoon form, he found (to his great surprise) that he could use magic without the Dragoon armor! It was much weaker and expended the same amount of mystical energy, but it was still a useful skill to have at their time of need. Rayen reasoned that as their physical strength grew, their magical strength would grow as well. One day, they might be able to cast powerful magic even when not in Dragoon form.
After the work was finally finished, they drove over to Rayen's house as instructed. When they reached the suburban home, they found the driveway was already occupied by a large motorhome. That was odd, Rayen thought. As far as he knew, his father wasn't expecting any visitors. With the driveway taken, they pulled up to the curb.
His father was sitting in the armchair reading the paper. He looked up when they came in the door.
"Welcome back, boys."
"Hey Dad, what's with the RV?"
"Hm? Oh, that. It's yours."
"Ours?"
"Yes. I bought it from a used dealership. It has a stove, an oven, a refrigerator, freezer, a shower, bathroom, and a fire extinguisher."
Rayen and Phil exchanged glances.
"Wow, Dad. This is a big deal."
"Now all we need is a TV!"
"Took care of that too. Got a new set for myself and installed the old one in there. I also moved your computer in there. Got mobile Web access for you, and DSL. I had you uncle install some solar panels, so they supply all the electricity you'll need. You have a water purifier, so all you'll need to get is food and water for the showers, faucets, and bathroom."
"You thought of everything, didn't you?"
"Been planning it ever since Friday night. I knew you'd need to leave home eventually. Make sure you drop me an email occasionally, OK?"
"Thanks, Dad. I guess we'd better be going now."
Rayen wanted to say more, but he couldn't find the words. He went upstairs and packed everything he wanted to take (Phil had already stashed his things in the RV). With one last goodbye, they pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.
"So, where to?"
"Isn't it obvious? Follow the monsters."
They looked darkly at each other, even though Phil should have been paying more attention to his driving. They had both seen the news that morning. Monsters had appeared several miles from their town, wreaking havoc, and evading the authorities. No one had any idea where they came from, but the media had a field day, making a crisis over the incident, which Rayen and Phil both knew that it had a good chance of becoming if something wasn't done. Both believing there was a force behind it, they decided to trace it to the source.
They drove for about an hour before coming to a small, squat, inconspicuous building. They got out of the car and grabbed their weapons. They moved stealthily up to the building. They turned the corner, and suddenly founded the tips of two swords at their throats.
"You move, you die."