Chapter 11
"So, how did you make out during our 'absence', Shade?"
"I got the food. I bought enough to last three people five days, so with four people we should be able to get through three days."
"That should get us to Fletz alright."
"Fletz? You guys are going to Fletz?"
"Yep."
They were driving down a side street late at night, but no one really felt like going to sleep yet. There weren't even other cars on the road. A mountain loomed in the distance, roads spiraling up its rocky face. Phil was at the driver's seat, a styrofoam cup of coffee in the holder by his chair. Dawn was sitting in the front passenger's seat, and Rayen and Shade were sitting in the back, although they were all able to converse at once without difficulty.
"I also did a little monster hunting during the night, which is why I never noticed you were gone until the morning."
"How many?"
"Five."
Shade exhibited a cloth sack. It contained several nuggets of gold, about ten ounces all together, totaling more than three thousand dollars in worth.
"Well, that should last us for a while."
"Yeah, that could get- what the hell?"
He jerked the wheel to the side, and the RV swerved away as a black shape hurtled past them, catching the headlights for just a moment before passing out of their vision.
"Shade, you've got better eyes than we do. What was that thing?"
"A monster. I recognize it."
Shade looked out the passenger side window. He turned around and addressed the group.
"There are about a dozen heading through the trees. They're all headed in the same direction, towards the mountain."
"Almost as if they were rallying or something. Should we check it out?"
"Why not? If nothing else, we'll get some exercise and a chance to make a quick buck."
"I doubt it will be that simple, Phil."
But they all agreed to take a look. Phil pulled onto the road that would take them up the peak. The creatures raced ahead of them, as if following a call. The group gathered their weapons and ammunition. Following the beasts up the winding paths, they eventually reached the summit. Phil stopped the car and they got out.
This mountain was unusual. Both the beasts and the humans stood on a wide shelf of rock that surrounded the actual tip of the mountain. Rayen could not fathom how that could have happened geologically. The beasts were all staring raptly at the peak of the mountain. However, his train of thought was interrupted as all of the monsters (there were fourteen), suddenly snapped around and fixed their malicious gazes on the quartet. They readied their weapons as the abominations pounced.
Dawn launched a rocket at a monster that leapt into the air, and each of the pieces that were sent in all directions by the resulting explosion turned to tiny gold nuggets before dropping to the rock shelf. Rayen beheaded an aberration just as Phil impaled another on the tip of his spear. Shade sawed open the stomach of one as he thrust his other weapon through another's neck. The pattern continued until all the monsters lay dead.
"See, that was easy."
But it was about to get a lot worse. Before their eyes, the summit of the crag began to move! Suddenly, boulders broke loose and fell down the slope, leaving a gigantic creature in their wake. It was the size of a small house, and it looked as if it were carved from the rocks that surrounded it, by an artist plagued with horrible nightmares. It stood erect, but its shoulders were slumped, and its arms, thick as a tree trunk, ended in three fingered hands with long claws. Three bulbous, misshapen eyes stared out at them from the deformed head, and there was no mouth that Rayen could see. He remembered a picture he had once seen in a book, and he knew that he was correct earlier; it wouldn't be that simple.
"Fruit of the Divine Tree... it's a Virage!"
That would explain the strange geology. The real top of this mountain was completely flat, whoever had put the Virage there must have taken off the real summit and imprisoned it in the rock where it had stayed until now, giving the illusion of a mountaintop. The Wingly-made unconformity shifted its appendages; as if surprised it could really use them, and then took a step that shook the ground beneath their feet.
Dawn was the first to react. She launched several rockets in quick succession at various parts of the Virage's body. The beast took little notice of the resulting explosions. Dawn reloaded her weapon and fired all the ammo she had at the creature, and although it was definitely harmed, all the rockets seemed to do was anger it.
Rayen, Phil, and Shade all looked at each other, nodded, and took out their Dragoon Spirits. Rayen was surrounded with flame, Phil with swirling wind, Shade with blots of black lightning. The magic emanating from the gemstones eventually metamorphosed into the winged Dragoon armor. The three Dragon Knights lauched themselves simultaneously at the Virage, and the battle begun.
The three warriors weaved, dodged, slashed, thrusted, and bombarded the monster with magic. The monster endeavored to eliminate these winged aggrivations, attempting to swat them like flies. Phil was hit first. The Virage plucked him out of the air and threw him down onto the ground, where he landed so hard that a crater was made in the solid rock by the sheer force of the impact. Shade was grabbed by the other hand and squeezed until his dragon wings were snapped, and then was dropped to the ground, helpless. Then the beast reared up, and its smallest eye glowed. A blue beam shot forth, slamming into Rayen and forcing him backwards.
The Virage swatted Rayen with its open hand. Pain exploded in his skull. It was like being his by an SUV going 120 miles per hour. He fell to the ground, and lost conciousness. The Virage bent over, and with one of its massive fingers, crushed Rayen's chest. Rayen's broken ribs punctured his lungs and heart.
Rayen lay there, dead, blood seeping from his speared heart.
"So, how did you make out during our 'absence', Shade?"
"I got the food. I bought enough to last three people five days, so with four people we should be able to get through three days."
"That should get us to Fletz alright."
"Fletz? You guys are going to Fletz?"
"Yep."
They were driving down a side street late at night, but no one really felt like going to sleep yet. There weren't even other cars on the road. A mountain loomed in the distance, roads spiraling up its rocky face. Phil was at the driver's seat, a styrofoam cup of coffee in the holder by his chair. Dawn was sitting in the front passenger's seat, and Rayen and Shade were sitting in the back, although they were all able to converse at once without difficulty.
"I also did a little monster hunting during the night, which is why I never noticed you were gone until the morning."
"How many?"
"Five."
Shade exhibited a cloth sack. It contained several nuggets of gold, about ten ounces all together, totaling more than three thousand dollars in worth.
"Well, that should last us for a while."
"Yeah, that could get- what the hell?"
He jerked the wheel to the side, and the RV swerved away as a black shape hurtled past them, catching the headlights for just a moment before passing out of their vision.
"Shade, you've got better eyes than we do. What was that thing?"
"A monster. I recognize it."
Shade looked out the passenger side window. He turned around and addressed the group.
"There are about a dozen heading through the trees. They're all headed in the same direction, towards the mountain."
"Almost as if they were rallying or something. Should we check it out?"
"Why not? If nothing else, we'll get some exercise and a chance to make a quick buck."
"I doubt it will be that simple, Phil."
But they all agreed to take a look. Phil pulled onto the road that would take them up the peak. The creatures raced ahead of them, as if following a call. The group gathered their weapons and ammunition. Following the beasts up the winding paths, they eventually reached the summit. Phil stopped the car and they got out.
This mountain was unusual. Both the beasts and the humans stood on a wide shelf of rock that surrounded the actual tip of the mountain. Rayen could not fathom how that could have happened geologically. The beasts were all staring raptly at the peak of the mountain. However, his train of thought was interrupted as all of the monsters (there were fourteen), suddenly snapped around and fixed their malicious gazes on the quartet. They readied their weapons as the abominations pounced.
Dawn launched a rocket at a monster that leapt into the air, and each of the pieces that were sent in all directions by the resulting explosion turned to tiny gold nuggets before dropping to the rock shelf. Rayen beheaded an aberration just as Phil impaled another on the tip of his spear. Shade sawed open the stomach of one as he thrust his other weapon through another's neck. The pattern continued until all the monsters lay dead.
"See, that was easy."
But it was about to get a lot worse. Before their eyes, the summit of the crag began to move! Suddenly, boulders broke loose and fell down the slope, leaving a gigantic creature in their wake. It was the size of a small house, and it looked as if it were carved from the rocks that surrounded it, by an artist plagued with horrible nightmares. It stood erect, but its shoulders were slumped, and its arms, thick as a tree trunk, ended in three fingered hands with long claws. Three bulbous, misshapen eyes stared out at them from the deformed head, and there was no mouth that Rayen could see. He remembered a picture he had once seen in a book, and he knew that he was correct earlier; it wouldn't be that simple.
"Fruit of the Divine Tree... it's a Virage!"
That would explain the strange geology. The real top of this mountain was completely flat, whoever had put the Virage there must have taken off the real summit and imprisoned it in the rock where it had stayed until now, giving the illusion of a mountaintop. The Wingly-made unconformity shifted its appendages; as if surprised it could really use them, and then took a step that shook the ground beneath their feet.
Dawn was the first to react. She launched several rockets in quick succession at various parts of the Virage's body. The beast took little notice of the resulting explosions. Dawn reloaded her weapon and fired all the ammo she had at the creature, and although it was definitely harmed, all the rockets seemed to do was anger it.
Rayen, Phil, and Shade all looked at each other, nodded, and took out their Dragoon Spirits. Rayen was surrounded with flame, Phil with swirling wind, Shade with blots of black lightning. The magic emanating from the gemstones eventually metamorphosed into the winged Dragoon armor. The three Dragon Knights lauched themselves simultaneously at the Virage, and the battle begun.
The three warriors weaved, dodged, slashed, thrusted, and bombarded the monster with magic. The monster endeavored to eliminate these winged aggrivations, attempting to swat them like flies. Phil was hit first. The Virage plucked him out of the air and threw him down onto the ground, where he landed so hard that a crater was made in the solid rock by the sheer force of the impact. Shade was grabbed by the other hand and squeezed until his dragon wings were snapped, and then was dropped to the ground, helpless. Then the beast reared up, and its smallest eye glowed. A blue beam shot forth, slamming into Rayen and forcing him backwards.
The Virage swatted Rayen with its open hand. Pain exploded in his skull. It was like being his by an SUV going 120 miles per hour. He fell to the ground, and lost conciousness. The Virage bent over, and with one of its massive fingers, crushed Rayen's chest. Rayen's broken ribs punctured his lungs and heart.
Rayen lay there, dead, blood seeping from his speared heart.