Author's Note: Freefall, I already told you. Take however many you want.
O_o Not like I can actually do anything with 'em. Erm, Aerena, Rayen's
gonna need that knife... *takes it back from her* Sorry.
Chapter 49
Despite his exhaustion, Rayen's sleep was restless. Malevolent visions plagued his subconscious, gripping his dreams with an iron fist.
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Rayen stood alone, in an endless expanse of nothingness. The only existing thing was the floor beneath him, which appeared to be made of clouds that shifted and reshaped themselves constantly. Rayen wondered how the clouds were solid enough to support him. Suddenly, the floor shifted out from underneath him, and he was falling. He landed hard, and shook his head, clearing his vision.
He looked up, and saw a gigantic being hovering in the air, above the shifting curtain of clouds. Whether it was male or female, human, Wingly, or Giganto, Rayen couldn't tell. It was changing so rapidly it was impossible to keep up. Its eyes were closed its legs folded, and its hands positioned around a strange orb that pulsed a clouded yellow color. Rayen got to his feet and glanced around, trying to figure out where he was.
In an instant, the horde was before him, stretching out farther than he could see. The enormous army was far worse than even he had imagined. It appeared to be pure evil, twisted and given living forms. Rayen pulled the newly completed Spirit from his pocket, focusing on its crystalline depths. But something went horribly wrong.
Fiery pain surged through his body, and Rayen gasped. He fell to his knees, trying to remove the Spirit from his grasp. But it was no use. His fingers were melded to the crystal that was slowly, inexorably killing him. He saw his friends fall one by one, crushed beneath the tide of darkness, and he was powerless to help them.
With a supreme strain of effort, Rayen wrenched his head up to the being in the sky. The shifting enigma in the sky was gone, replaced by a black entity of undiluted maliciousness. The hands were twisted and clawed, and the orb had become a flaming red ball in the sky. The dark legion spread forth like a disease, overtaking the meager defenses that rose to halt its approach. Through all of this Rayen knelt on the ground, his hands clasped to the Spirit.
Then all went black.
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Rayen awoke in a cold sweat. He grasped his temples, his pounding heart and haggard breathing gradually return to normal. He slipped a hand into his pocket, pulling out the crystal Spirit. Its rainbow glow had reduced to a half-hearted pulse. Rayen sighed in relief. He had let his worries control him subconsciously, nothing more. A soft knock came from the door. Rayen fell back onto the bed, shoving the Spirit back into his pocket just in case. "Yeah."
An attendant eased the door open. "Your friends have arrived."
Rayen sat up again, placing a hand to his forehead. "My friends? How'd they get to Ulara?"
"Mistress Frahma brought them here. They are waiting for you."
"Must've slept later than I thought. All right, I'm up."
Rayen walked out of his room and to one of the teleporters. He reappeared in the dragon stables. All seven were there, sound asleep. He walked over to Balaeris, who was constantly rolling over in his sleep. "Good morning, dragon breath."
Balaeris opened one eye, yawned widely, then rolled over and went back to sleep. Rayen chuckled. "I see you're not much of a morning person either." He navigated his way through the maze of teleport pads as instructed by Charle, and eventually found the main congregation room. Sure enough, everyone was waiting for him.
Phil spoke first. "The four of us are heading over to the sparring room. Wanna come?"
Rayen sighed. "I'll catch up with you later. There's something I want to take care of."
He risked a sideward glance at Shade, who nodded. They had spoken about this before. Rayen trusted Shade's wisdom, and often came to the Dark Dragoon for his analysis of the situation before making decisions. Oraeus, Shade, Phil, and Sean all left, and the others soon split up and went their separate ways. Rayen waited for a few moments before following the trail of one in particular.
Kyra stood on a balcony overlooking the Ulara gardens. She stared down at the lush green landscape, with an occasional house dotted here and there. The Thunder Dragoon hadn't realized how good she had it until it was gone.
A voice came from behind her. "Must be a blast from the past. Especially since your forest isn't even around anymore."
She whipped around, and saw Rayen walk up from behind her. "What business is it of yours?"
He shrugged. "It isn't, really."
"Why did you follow me?"
"What, am I not allowed to walk in this direction anymore?"
Kyra's burgundy eyes narrowed. "You came here for a reason."
"You're right. I did. I want to know why you're still here."
"What kind of a question is that?"
Rayen leaned against the wall. "I consider it a very legitimate one, considering the circumstances. Chang is dead, along with the Divine Dragon. What you came with us to achieve is finished already. But you haven't left."
So that was it. He was questioning her motives. "You would rather continue your little war without me?"
"You're twisting what I said. We're glad for your help, all of us. But like you said, you must have a reason."
Kyra remained silent, her fists clenched and her head bowed. Rayen waited for a few moments. Then, seeing that no answer was forthcoming, he slowly walked to the green pad on the other end of the balcony. A flash of magic signaled his departure. Kyra looked at the teleporter for a moment then returned her gaze to the gardens below.
Kyra didn't understand why Rayen was worried enough to confront her. She hadn't done anything to deserve suspicion... had she?
************************************************************************
A few minutes later, Rayen and Shade were engaged in a fierce sparring match. Rayen had flatly refused using his new Spirit, and Shade had agreed. It would have given him an unfair advantage. The Dark Dragoon ducked beneath Rayen's blade, then brought the hilt of his own weapon upwards, catching Rayen's sword in one of the forward-swept crosspieces. Before Shade could make use out of his advantage, however, Rayen pulled his sword free from Shade's deadly grasp, and the battle continued.
Shade managed to speak over the clash of steel. "Did you ask her?"
Rayen grunted as he parried a stroke from Shade's shorter blade. "Yeah."
"And?"
Rayen thrusted inwards. "Dead silence."
Shade chuckled as he dodged the thrust. "I hate to say it, but I told you so."
Phil grinned from his seat on the sidelines. "Did you feel a chill wind blow through the air?"
Rayen ducked beneath a swipe from Shade's left blade. "Shut up, Phil."
Shade thrusted inwards with his longer blade. "What did you expect? For Kyra to spill her guts?"
"No. I don't know what I was expecting. I suppose you were right. But she's been acting very weird lately... like she has something to hide."
Shade twisted his left blade back outwards, avoiding the stroke that would have sent it flying from his grip. "Who among us doesn't?"
"True enough..."
Rayen caught Shade's right sword beneath its crosspieces, and tore it from his hands, bringing his blade against the Dark Dragoon's throat. Shade did not seemed fazed, however, and swept Rayen's feet out from under him, holding the tip of his remaining sword against Rayen's chest. "Lesson One. In a real battle the enemy won't care if you have your sword at his throat. They'll drop you every time."
"Yes, but they will care when I do this." Propping himself up on his hands, Rayen lashed out with his feet, catching Shade in the midsection. The Dark Dragoon's other weapon skittered from his grasp as he fell. The match was over.
Now it was Oraeus's turn to chuckle. "It appears that you've taught the boy too much for his own good."
Ignoring the half-Giganto, Shade retrieved his weapons and slid them into their sheaths.
Phil used his spear to push himself to his feet. "So, now that your Spirit's finished, what do we do now? Wait for the horde?"
Rayen nodded. "Yes. Then we address the populace."
Phil halted. "What? What for?"
"Simple. Remember what Samovar told us? 'The amount of Dragoons is only limited by the amount of Dragoon Spirits.' When you think of all the Dragons that must have died, there are probably hundreds of Dragoons out there too afraid to reveal themselves, and many more Spirits without owners. Our chances would be much better with five hundred Dragoons than with nine. But we have to convince them that the danger is real before they will take us seriously. Their army is too enormous for all of it to get through the portal at once. We defeat the first wave, then build our own army."
Shade was skeptical. "Do you think they'll risk death for this?"
Rayen shook his head. "What choice do they have? There won't be any peace treaties in this war."
Author's Note: A Dragoon army... that would be interesting to see, to say the least. But can they manage it? Or will the people of Endiness be a little more reluctant to lay their prejudices aside? Mwahahaha, the plot thickens...
Chapter 49
Despite his exhaustion, Rayen's sleep was restless. Malevolent visions plagued his subconscious, gripping his dreams with an iron fist.
************************************************************************
Rayen stood alone, in an endless expanse of nothingness. The only existing thing was the floor beneath him, which appeared to be made of clouds that shifted and reshaped themselves constantly. Rayen wondered how the clouds were solid enough to support him. Suddenly, the floor shifted out from underneath him, and he was falling. He landed hard, and shook his head, clearing his vision.
He looked up, and saw a gigantic being hovering in the air, above the shifting curtain of clouds. Whether it was male or female, human, Wingly, or Giganto, Rayen couldn't tell. It was changing so rapidly it was impossible to keep up. Its eyes were closed its legs folded, and its hands positioned around a strange orb that pulsed a clouded yellow color. Rayen got to his feet and glanced around, trying to figure out where he was.
In an instant, the horde was before him, stretching out farther than he could see. The enormous army was far worse than even he had imagined. It appeared to be pure evil, twisted and given living forms. Rayen pulled the newly completed Spirit from his pocket, focusing on its crystalline depths. But something went horribly wrong.
Fiery pain surged through his body, and Rayen gasped. He fell to his knees, trying to remove the Spirit from his grasp. But it was no use. His fingers were melded to the crystal that was slowly, inexorably killing him. He saw his friends fall one by one, crushed beneath the tide of darkness, and he was powerless to help them.
With a supreme strain of effort, Rayen wrenched his head up to the being in the sky. The shifting enigma in the sky was gone, replaced by a black entity of undiluted maliciousness. The hands were twisted and clawed, and the orb had become a flaming red ball in the sky. The dark legion spread forth like a disease, overtaking the meager defenses that rose to halt its approach. Through all of this Rayen knelt on the ground, his hands clasped to the Spirit.
Then all went black.
************************************************************************
Rayen awoke in a cold sweat. He grasped his temples, his pounding heart and haggard breathing gradually return to normal. He slipped a hand into his pocket, pulling out the crystal Spirit. Its rainbow glow had reduced to a half-hearted pulse. Rayen sighed in relief. He had let his worries control him subconsciously, nothing more. A soft knock came from the door. Rayen fell back onto the bed, shoving the Spirit back into his pocket just in case. "Yeah."
An attendant eased the door open. "Your friends have arrived."
Rayen sat up again, placing a hand to his forehead. "My friends? How'd they get to Ulara?"
"Mistress Frahma brought them here. They are waiting for you."
"Must've slept later than I thought. All right, I'm up."
Rayen walked out of his room and to one of the teleporters. He reappeared in the dragon stables. All seven were there, sound asleep. He walked over to Balaeris, who was constantly rolling over in his sleep. "Good morning, dragon breath."
Balaeris opened one eye, yawned widely, then rolled over and went back to sleep. Rayen chuckled. "I see you're not much of a morning person either." He navigated his way through the maze of teleport pads as instructed by Charle, and eventually found the main congregation room. Sure enough, everyone was waiting for him.
Phil spoke first. "The four of us are heading over to the sparring room. Wanna come?"
Rayen sighed. "I'll catch up with you later. There's something I want to take care of."
He risked a sideward glance at Shade, who nodded. They had spoken about this before. Rayen trusted Shade's wisdom, and often came to the Dark Dragoon for his analysis of the situation before making decisions. Oraeus, Shade, Phil, and Sean all left, and the others soon split up and went their separate ways. Rayen waited for a few moments before following the trail of one in particular.
Kyra stood on a balcony overlooking the Ulara gardens. She stared down at the lush green landscape, with an occasional house dotted here and there. The Thunder Dragoon hadn't realized how good she had it until it was gone.
A voice came from behind her. "Must be a blast from the past. Especially since your forest isn't even around anymore."
She whipped around, and saw Rayen walk up from behind her. "What business is it of yours?"
He shrugged. "It isn't, really."
"Why did you follow me?"
"What, am I not allowed to walk in this direction anymore?"
Kyra's burgundy eyes narrowed. "You came here for a reason."
"You're right. I did. I want to know why you're still here."
"What kind of a question is that?"
Rayen leaned against the wall. "I consider it a very legitimate one, considering the circumstances. Chang is dead, along with the Divine Dragon. What you came with us to achieve is finished already. But you haven't left."
So that was it. He was questioning her motives. "You would rather continue your little war without me?"
"You're twisting what I said. We're glad for your help, all of us. But like you said, you must have a reason."
Kyra remained silent, her fists clenched and her head bowed. Rayen waited for a few moments. Then, seeing that no answer was forthcoming, he slowly walked to the green pad on the other end of the balcony. A flash of magic signaled his departure. Kyra looked at the teleporter for a moment then returned her gaze to the gardens below.
Kyra didn't understand why Rayen was worried enough to confront her. She hadn't done anything to deserve suspicion... had she?
************************************************************************
A few minutes later, Rayen and Shade were engaged in a fierce sparring match. Rayen had flatly refused using his new Spirit, and Shade had agreed. It would have given him an unfair advantage. The Dark Dragoon ducked beneath Rayen's blade, then brought the hilt of his own weapon upwards, catching Rayen's sword in one of the forward-swept crosspieces. Before Shade could make use out of his advantage, however, Rayen pulled his sword free from Shade's deadly grasp, and the battle continued.
Shade managed to speak over the clash of steel. "Did you ask her?"
Rayen grunted as he parried a stroke from Shade's shorter blade. "Yeah."
"And?"
Rayen thrusted inwards. "Dead silence."
Shade chuckled as he dodged the thrust. "I hate to say it, but I told you so."
Phil grinned from his seat on the sidelines. "Did you feel a chill wind blow through the air?"
Rayen ducked beneath a swipe from Shade's left blade. "Shut up, Phil."
Shade thrusted inwards with his longer blade. "What did you expect? For Kyra to spill her guts?"
"No. I don't know what I was expecting. I suppose you were right. But she's been acting very weird lately... like she has something to hide."
Shade twisted his left blade back outwards, avoiding the stroke that would have sent it flying from his grip. "Who among us doesn't?"
"True enough..."
Rayen caught Shade's right sword beneath its crosspieces, and tore it from his hands, bringing his blade against the Dark Dragoon's throat. Shade did not seemed fazed, however, and swept Rayen's feet out from under him, holding the tip of his remaining sword against Rayen's chest. "Lesson One. In a real battle the enemy won't care if you have your sword at his throat. They'll drop you every time."
"Yes, but they will care when I do this." Propping himself up on his hands, Rayen lashed out with his feet, catching Shade in the midsection. The Dark Dragoon's other weapon skittered from his grasp as he fell. The match was over.
Now it was Oraeus's turn to chuckle. "It appears that you've taught the boy too much for his own good."
Ignoring the half-Giganto, Shade retrieved his weapons and slid them into their sheaths.
Phil used his spear to push himself to his feet. "So, now that your Spirit's finished, what do we do now? Wait for the horde?"
Rayen nodded. "Yes. Then we address the populace."
Phil halted. "What? What for?"
"Simple. Remember what Samovar told us? 'The amount of Dragoons is only limited by the amount of Dragoon Spirits.' When you think of all the Dragons that must have died, there are probably hundreds of Dragoons out there too afraid to reveal themselves, and many more Spirits without owners. Our chances would be much better with five hundred Dragoons than with nine. But we have to convince them that the danger is real before they will take us seriously. Their army is too enormous for all of it to get through the portal at once. We defeat the first wave, then build our own army."
Shade was skeptical. "Do you think they'll risk death for this?"
Rayen shook his head. "What choice do they have? There won't be any peace treaties in this war."
Author's Note: A Dragoon army... that would be interesting to see, to say the least. But can they manage it? Or will the people of Endiness be a little more reluctant to lay their prejudices aside? Mwahahaha, the plot thickens...