Author's Note: Yeah, Rayen did get a little snappish there, but he was
pissed because the bad guy got the Gem, and then Phil was being sarcastic
while he was trying to take charge. You have to give the guy a break. Oh,
and Regrem Erutaerc, I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. You'll find
out soon.
Chapter 39
The Dragoons stood assembled on the bastions of the Twin Castle, looking out over the city of Fletz, where, in the distance, the Divine Dragoon approached. Rayen estimated that he would reach the castle in twenty minutes. He sighed as he ran his fingers over the smooth bleached bone that was carved into the likeness of a Dragon's skull. Rayen supposed the ancient Winglies would want a sense of irony accompanying their greatest weapon. He placed the Dragon Buster on the granite battlement, and resumed staring at the speck in the distance that was slowly but surely getting larger.
Phil was examining his friend's face with rare concern. When they weren't fighting, Rayen joked almost as much as he did, albeit a bit more cynically. But at the slightest hint of danger, he froze up, becoming the gallant cold-hearted hero. He hated that. Although Phil realized Rayen was doing what needed to be done, the Jade Dragoon thought he worried way too much.
At this point, Rayen was done worrying. He knew what was necessary. It was the only way that they could possibly keep the Moon Dagger safe. He picked up the skull, fingering it once more, and then he turned and tossed it to Shade. Rayen's blue eyes met Shade's brown ones and the Dark Dragoon nodded. He understood.
Rayen shifted back to the cityscape below. He drew his sword, and focused his mind on the ruby he clutched in his hands. The flames surged from the jewel, enveloping him. He relished the power that flowed through him, knowing it may be the last time he experienced the transformation. Once the transformation completed he drew his blade and climbed on top of the battlement.
Dawn watched the Red-Eye in puzzlement. "Rayen, what the hell are you doing?"
Rayen didn't even glance backwards. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to fight him."
The Silver Dragoon could hardly believe her ears. "Alone?"
"Yes."
Kyra clenched her fists. "Without the Dragon Buster? Are you insane? What if he kills you?"
Rayen shook his head. "No. You need the Dragon Buster. It's our last line of defense. Besides, he won't."
Kyra wasn't convinced. "But what if he does?"
"Well then, I'm pretty screwed, aren't I?"
"You can't be seriously considering this!"
But the Wingly's words were lost on the Red-Eye, who was already airborne.
Dawn turned to Shade, who had remained impassive during the exchange, leaning against the stone wall with his arms folded and his brown eyes half- closed. "Is he suicidal?"
"No."
"But he can't win!"
Shade lifted his head to regard the Silver Dragoon. "He's not planning on winning. He's stalling."
Phil had remained unusually quiet during this time. "Why?"
"Because time is the one thing that is not on the Divine Dragoon's side at this point. If Rayen can stall him long enough, it will give the royal family of Tiberoa more time to assemble their forces, which will do no more than irritate him, but it will also slow him down. More importantly, it will give the Tiberoans time to relocate the Moon Dagger. Rayen will also weaken the Divine Dragoon, if he can. It was a wise move."
Kyra shook her head. "But he'll get killed!"
Shade replied in the same calm voice that was driving the anxious Dragoons insane. "I doubt it. The Divine Dragoon won't waste his time. If the Moon Dagger is relocated, he may lose it for a long time, and getting rid of Rayen isn't worth that much to him."
Phil spoke up again. "But won't he find it eventually in the future? Isn't this all just an exercise in futility?"
Shade sighed. "Can't you see? If the world ends in the present, there will be no future. We need to leave this up to him for now, at least until the Divine Dragoon goes after the Dagger."
Rayen's wings plowed through the afternoon air, propelling him towards the advancing figure in the distance. He flew slowly, for there was no need to rush. He would need all the strength he could muster for this battle. The Divine Dragoon, however, did not follow the same philosophy and was closing in fast. Rayen gripped the hilt of his blade. The Divine Dragoon had spotted him.
The Divine Dragoon wasted no time. "Divine Dragon Ball!"
Rayen was prepared for this, however, and he dodged and rolled around in the air to avoid the countless fireballs that sped in his direction. Those he could not dodge, he deflected with his blade. The distance between the warriors closed, and then they clashed. Rayen's weapon slammed against the villain's mailed arm, but did not penetrate. Their paths crossed, but the Divine Dragoon kept going.
Rayen would be bleeding on the ground before he allowed that to happen, so he hurled a fireball at the retreating fighter's back. It connected right between the six wings, detonating and sending the Lord of Dragoons tumbling over in the air. The Divine Dragon Knight made a quick about-face, sizing the Red-Eye up. Rayen had proved himself too much of a nuisance to be left to his own devices. The Divine Dragoon quickly made up his mind to kill this pest as speedily as possible so he could retrieve the Moon Dagger. A black sword appeared in his hands, and he charged at Rayen, holding the massive blade high above his head. The swords clashed. Rayen reversed his blade and struck again, but his opponent blocked the slash easily. His adversary swung his own blade, but Rayen blocked the stroke, turned the weapon aside, and thrust towards the Divine Dragoon's chest. His foe beat his many wings, soaring above the attack. Rayen was not surprised by this, however, and punished his opponent's move by flinging another blazing projectile at his competitor's body.
This only momentarily fazed the Divine Dragoon, however, and he brought his blade down in a vicious slash, meaning to cleave his skull in two. Rayen grabbed the tip of his own sword, and thrust his blade upwards to block. Rayen then flipped over in midair, kicking his armored foot into the Divine Dragoon's jaw. He slammed both his feet into his rival's chest, propelling himself away from the black sword's range. Rayen focused the magical power that ran through his blood, and called it forth.
"Flaming Blitz!"
His crimson armor metamorphosed into the white-hot flames it was formed from during the transformation. Rayen shot forward at a dizzying speed, slashing at his opponent countless times as he weaved around the Divine Dragoon. He slammed his feet into his adversary's chest once again to distance himself, then, concentrating the flames on his sword, he lunged toward the Divine Dragoon, thrusting his blade between two plates of the gray armor and causing a gigantic explosion that engulfed both combatants.
Rayen soared out of the burning orb, his armor returned to its former solid state. That had done some serious damage, he could tell, but he knew the Divine Dragoon wasn't out of the fight yet. His experience was matching the Divine Dragoon's raw power, something he hadn't expected. His thoughts were interrupted by the Divine Dragoon's mailed fist connecting with the side of his face, sending him reeling. The telltale white-blue glow appeared, and Rayen knew what was coming next.
"Divine Dragon Cannon!"
Rayen twisted as best he could, but it was no use. The beam collided with his back, and although the blow was a glancing one, he could feel unbelievable pain shoot through his nerves, and he cried out in agony as he fell to the ground. The Divine Dragoon held the cannon point-blank to his face. "Now you die."
"Big talk." Rayen swept his legs to the side, knocking the Divine Dragoon's legs out from beneath him. In an instant, the Red-Eye was up on his feet, sword in hand.
The Divine Dragoon sneered even as he lay on the earth. "Do you really think you can fight me without your precious Dragoon armor?"
"No. But I think you have more pressing things to worry about at the moment." Rayen pointed to the Twin Castle, where a literal flood of people surged.
"I have no time to waste with you," The Divine Dragoon said as he clenched his fists in fury, and he got to his feet, and swung his fist at Rayen's head. As the Fire Dragoon landed on the earth, he kicked off the ground soaring into the air. He flew as fast as he could toward the citadel, ignoring the shots and explosions that were sailing through the air around him. The Dark Dragoon had the Dagger, he could see that much. He landed on the parapet, knocking the five Dragoons that lunged for him away with one sweep of his cannon arm. He approached the Dark Dragoon, who was leaning against the battlement wall, Moon Dagger in hand. "Give me the knife."
"Certainly." The five Dragoons started in fury, thinking that Shade had betrayed them once again, but the Dark Dragoon hurled the Dagger off of the castle and to the city below.
Shade smirked as the artifact sailed into the sea of people below, even though no one could see through the bindings that masked his face. He turned to the Divine Dragoon. "Fetch."
Author's Note: Whee, chapter over! Will the baddie be able to find the Moon Dagger when any of those people could have it? Will Rayen regain enough strength to finish off the already weakened Divine Dragoon? Read next chapter to find out!
Chapter 39
The Dragoons stood assembled on the bastions of the Twin Castle, looking out over the city of Fletz, where, in the distance, the Divine Dragoon approached. Rayen estimated that he would reach the castle in twenty minutes. He sighed as he ran his fingers over the smooth bleached bone that was carved into the likeness of a Dragon's skull. Rayen supposed the ancient Winglies would want a sense of irony accompanying their greatest weapon. He placed the Dragon Buster on the granite battlement, and resumed staring at the speck in the distance that was slowly but surely getting larger.
Phil was examining his friend's face with rare concern. When they weren't fighting, Rayen joked almost as much as he did, albeit a bit more cynically. But at the slightest hint of danger, he froze up, becoming the gallant cold-hearted hero. He hated that. Although Phil realized Rayen was doing what needed to be done, the Jade Dragoon thought he worried way too much.
At this point, Rayen was done worrying. He knew what was necessary. It was the only way that they could possibly keep the Moon Dagger safe. He picked up the skull, fingering it once more, and then he turned and tossed it to Shade. Rayen's blue eyes met Shade's brown ones and the Dark Dragoon nodded. He understood.
Rayen shifted back to the cityscape below. He drew his sword, and focused his mind on the ruby he clutched in his hands. The flames surged from the jewel, enveloping him. He relished the power that flowed through him, knowing it may be the last time he experienced the transformation. Once the transformation completed he drew his blade and climbed on top of the battlement.
Dawn watched the Red-Eye in puzzlement. "Rayen, what the hell are you doing?"
Rayen didn't even glance backwards. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to fight him."
The Silver Dragoon could hardly believe her ears. "Alone?"
"Yes."
Kyra clenched her fists. "Without the Dragon Buster? Are you insane? What if he kills you?"
Rayen shook his head. "No. You need the Dragon Buster. It's our last line of defense. Besides, he won't."
Kyra wasn't convinced. "But what if he does?"
"Well then, I'm pretty screwed, aren't I?"
"You can't be seriously considering this!"
But the Wingly's words were lost on the Red-Eye, who was already airborne.
Dawn turned to Shade, who had remained impassive during the exchange, leaning against the stone wall with his arms folded and his brown eyes half- closed. "Is he suicidal?"
"No."
"But he can't win!"
Shade lifted his head to regard the Silver Dragoon. "He's not planning on winning. He's stalling."
Phil had remained unusually quiet during this time. "Why?"
"Because time is the one thing that is not on the Divine Dragoon's side at this point. If Rayen can stall him long enough, it will give the royal family of Tiberoa more time to assemble their forces, which will do no more than irritate him, but it will also slow him down. More importantly, it will give the Tiberoans time to relocate the Moon Dagger. Rayen will also weaken the Divine Dragoon, if he can. It was a wise move."
Kyra shook her head. "But he'll get killed!"
Shade replied in the same calm voice that was driving the anxious Dragoons insane. "I doubt it. The Divine Dragoon won't waste his time. If the Moon Dagger is relocated, he may lose it for a long time, and getting rid of Rayen isn't worth that much to him."
Phil spoke up again. "But won't he find it eventually in the future? Isn't this all just an exercise in futility?"
Shade sighed. "Can't you see? If the world ends in the present, there will be no future. We need to leave this up to him for now, at least until the Divine Dragoon goes after the Dagger."
Rayen's wings plowed through the afternoon air, propelling him towards the advancing figure in the distance. He flew slowly, for there was no need to rush. He would need all the strength he could muster for this battle. The Divine Dragoon, however, did not follow the same philosophy and was closing in fast. Rayen gripped the hilt of his blade. The Divine Dragoon had spotted him.
The Divine Dragoon wasted no time. "Divine Dragon Ball!"
Rayen was prepared for this, however, and he dodged and rolled around in the air to avoid the countless fireballs that sped in his direction. Those he could not dodge, he deflected with his blade. The distance between the warriors closed, and then they clashed. Rayen's weapon slammed against the villain's mailed arm, but did not penetrate. Their paths crossed, but the Divine Dragoon kept going.
Rayen would be bleeding on the ground before he allowed that to happen, so he hurled a fireball at the retreating fighter's back. It connected right between the six wings, detonating and sending the Lord of Dragoons tumbling over in the air. The Divine Dragon Knight made a quick about-face, sizing the Red-Eye up. Rayen had proved himself too much of a nuisance to be left to his own devices. The Divine Dragoon quickly made up his mind to kill this pest as speedily as possible so he could retrieve the Moon Dagger. A black sword appeared in his hands, and he charged at Rayen, holding the massive blade high above his head. The swords clashed. Rayen reversed his blade and struck again, but his opponent blocked the slash easily. His adversary swung his own blade, but Rayen blocked the stroke, turned the weapon aside, and thrust towards the Divine Dragoon's chest. His foe beat his many wings, soaring above the attack. Rayen was not surprised by this, however, and punished his opponent's move by flinging another blazing projectile at his competitor's body.
This only momentarily fazed the Divine Dragoon, however, and he brought his blade down in a vicious slash, meaning to cleave his skull in two. Rayen grabbed the tip of his own sword, and thrust his blade upwards to block. Rayen then flipped over in midair, kicking his armored foot into the Divine Dragoon's jaw. He slammed both his feet into his rival's chest, propelling himself away from the black sword's range. Rayen focused the magical power that ran through his blood, and called it forth.
"Flaming Blitz!"
His crimson armor metamorphosed into the white-hot flames it was formed from during the transformation. Rayen shot forward at a dizzying speed, slashing at his opponent countless times as he weaved around the Divine Dragoon. He slammed his feet into his adversary's chest once again to distance himself, then, concentrating the flames on his sword, he lunged toward the Divine Dragoon, thrusting his blade between two plates of the gray armor and causing a gigantic explosion that engulfed both combatants.
Rayen soared out of the burning orb, his armor returned to its former solid state. That had done some serious damage, he could tell, but he knew the Divine Dragoon wasn't out of the fight yet. His experience was matching the Divine Dragoon's raw power, something he hadn't expected. His thoughts were interrupted by the Divine Dragoon's mailed fist connecting with the side of his face, sending him reeling. The telltale white-blue glow appeared, and Rayen knew what was coming next.
"Divine Dragon Cannon!"
Rayen twisted as best he could, but it was no use. The beam collided with his back, and although the blow was a glancing one, he could feel unbelievable pain shoot through his nerves, and he cried out in agony as he fell to the ground. The Divine Dragoon held the cannon point-blank to his face. "Now you die."
"Big talk." Rayen swept his legs to the side, knocking the Divine Dragoon's legs out from beneath him. In an instant, the Red-Eye was up on his feet, sword in hand.
The Divine Dragoon sneered even as he lay on the earth. "Do you really think you can fight me without your precious Dragoon armor?"
"No. But I think you have more pressing things to worry about at the moment." Rayen pointed to the Twin Castle, where a literal flood of people surged.
"I have no time to waste with you," The Divine Dragoon said as he clenched his fists in fury, and he got to his feet, and swung his fist at Rayen's head. As the Fire Dragoon landed on the earth, he kicked off the ground soaring into the air. He flew as fast as he could toward the citadel, ignoring the shots and explosions that were sailing through the air around him. The Dark Dragoon had the Dagger, he could see that much. He landed on the parapet, knocking the five Dragoons that lunged for him away with one sweep of his cannon arm. He approached the Dark Dragoon, who was leaning against the battlement wall, Moon Dagger in hand. "Give me the knife."
"Certainly." The five Dragoons started in fury, thinking that Shade had betrayed them once again, but the Dark Dragoon hurled the Dagger off of the castle and to the city below.
Shade smirked as the artifact sailed into the sea of people below, even though no one could see through the bindings that masked his face. He turned to the Divine Dragoon. "Fetch."
Author's Note: Whee, chapter over! Will the baddie be able to find the Moon Dagger when any of those people could have it? Will Rayen regain enough strength to finish off the already weakened Divine Dragoon? Read next chapter to find out!