Author's Note: Curses... I had not thought of that. Bah, my parents have a
serious case of paranoia, which is why my email isn't posted on the
profile... do you have a website you could post it on or send it to so I
could download it onto my personal files?
Yes, I did enjoy writing Phil's line in that chapter. It amused me in some twisted sense. Oraeus's son is Artaeris.
DDX, your parents keep parental controls on your internet access, but they get you Grand Theft Auto for Christmas? O_o That seems a little inconsistant to me, but whatever.
Chapter 54
One person was not present during Artaeris's tale. Nieva stood on the top of the citadel of the Crystal Palace, maintaining a constant lookout on the portal as assigned. It was mostly a precaution, as they all knew the next wave would not be arriving for several more days. Therefore, although the Sacred Sister's watch was constant and dutiful, it was not incredibly attentive.
There had been another forty-three arrivals that day, and the new recruits were recovering many more Spirits. The next step was to find the owners of the abandoned Spirits, which would take more time, but was necessary to achieve the maximum amount of Dragoons possible. The populace was responding to the war a great deal better than Nieva had expected. Perhaps the people of Endiness actually believed there was a chance of victory. Nieva supposed she should follow their lead, because if the people of Endiness lost hope, the darkness would overwhelm them.
The Red-Eye Dragoon heard a distant rumble, and out of pure instinct she glanced to the portal. The Sacred Sister's eyes widened. It was impossible. To amass a force to replace the one they had lost would have taken much longer than this. But there was undoubtedly something coming out of that portal.
Nieva wasted no more time pondering this turn of events. The Fire Dragon Knight took off to warn the others of imminent assault. The Sacred Sister ran down the battlement, her mailed boots clinking against the crystal. She burst through the door; her breath coming in short gasps due to anxiousness and the laborious task of running through a castle in full armor. "They're coming!"
Before any of the others could so much as make an exclamation of surprise, Rayen was on his feet and sprinting towards the entryway. "Lead on."
The others still seemed bewildered, but they followed. They reached the citadel looking out on the snowy plain below, and the dark gateway looming in the clouded sky above. Sure enough, a portion of the horde was emerging. But something was not quite right.
Phil peered at the attack force. "Is it just me, or is that group really, really small?"
The Jade Dragoon was correct. The legion that appeared could not exceed more than a few thousand in number, enough for Rayen to dispatch easily in one spell. Nieva turned to Rayen. "What do you think? Decoy?"
The Guardian Dragoon nodded. "I would guess so."
Oraeus folded his arms. "If it's a decoy, it's a poorly executed one. A child would pick up on that strategy. I believe it is some sort of trick. Possibly they wish to have a small group wreak as much havoc as possible to demoralize the populace before we pick up on the fact that there is no larger group arriving."
"That might be what they expect us to think," Kyra pointed out.
Rayen examined his Spirit. The light of the sun pierced through the oppressive blanket of clouds. Rayen lifted the crystal to the sunbeam, and the light struck the Spirit, and a dazzling rainbow sprouted from the stone. Odd, Rayen had never seen it do that before. He wondered what if it was trying to tell him something.
Shade's voice jerked Rayen from his reverie. "The best solution would probably be to split into two small groups. One would go after that group, while the others stay behind and wait for a surprise attack. The question is how we assemble the two parties. Obviously Rayen will be in the force that stays behind..."
Rayen interrupted. "No. Kyra and I will go two others after that group. That way if there is no second group we'll have my firepower, but if this really is a decoy that Kyra will be able to take us to the larger force as soon as it arrives."
Shade nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. Aquaria and I will accompany you two. The others will stay behind, just in case."
Kyra made a gesture, and in a flash of Wingly magic they were whisked away. They hovered above the advancing troops below, only to discover something very surprising, About two hundred humans stood against the onrushing darkness, guns blazing, Shade narrowed his eyes. "They appear to be fighting back."
Kyra gazed down in something half between admiration and disdain. "Are they insane? They can't hope to beat all of them on their own."
"Maybe they're trying to stall until we get here," Aquaria piped up.
As if on cue, several of the human soldiers glanced up at the Dragoons and pointed. Instead of rejoicing, however, about half of the resistance turned their weapons on the Dragon Knights, and a hail of bullets came rushing up at the group of warriors.
Rayen veered to his right, marveling that Kyra's magic could allow them to move in the air and still remain aloft. "What the hell do they think we're doing? We're here to help!"
Shade did not appear nearly as surprised as the others did; it almost seemed like he was waiting for something to go wrong. "It appears that they either don't want our help, or they don't trust us. Considering the amount they've already lost, I'd say it would be the latter."
Rayen felt anger surge through him, and he whipped out his crystal Spirit, which glinted eagerly, although he couldn't help but think there was something odd about that gleam. But it was probably just a trick of the light. Besides, it was too late to stop the transformation anyway. The rush of magic burst forth from the crystal, consuming him.
Then unimaginable pain overtook him. He felt as though his blood were being set aflame. He glanced downwards, seeing the ground rushing upwards to beat him senseless. But the Dragoon Spirit appeared to have other plans for him. He felt the wings sprout from his back, catching the pockets of air, keeping him airborne. But how was that possible? The Spirit wasn't working... was it?
His feet touched the snowy earth below, and he examined himself. He was reminded strongly of the armor of the Guardian Dragoon, but something was perversely different. The colors of the armor both shifted constantly, but while the Guardian Dragoon's armor contained the colors of all the elements, this new armor contained none of those colors. Black reigned supreme over this armor, from the lightest gray of a shadow in a summer's midday, to the deepest black of the oblivion, and every shade in between. Rayen had become the Dragon Knight of the Apocalypse.
The blade that formed in his fist was not Birathion the Protector. The core of the blade was just like the armor, a shifting maelstrom of black. The spidery runes were different from the ones inscribed on Birathion, and they were also written in silver, not gold. The hilt remained the same, but its image was profoundly different. The twin dragons of the Protector's hilt appeared to be embracing, rejoicing in their union, while these dragons looked as if they were strangling each other, locked in a contest of strength that was ultimately killing them both. The ruby eyes glinted with unlimited malevolence. The sword he now held in his hand was Azmerak, the Destroyer.
Rayen relished in the power that flowed through him. "I'll tear them apart."
"No!" There was a pulsing flash of blue, and Aquaria stood before him, arms spread wide. "You'll kill all of them with a spell now!"
Rayen's cold eyes narrowed. "Get out of my way."
The Sea Dragoon shook her ponytailed head defiantly. "You'll kill the humans too!"
Rayen sneered. "Death shows no mercy. Why should I? Pity does not stay my blade. They will receive no better than they deserve. Now, I won't ask again. Move aside."
Aquaria still did not move. Rayen drew his free left hand back and lashed out, sending the Sea Dragoon sprawling. Shade and Kyra stared, thunderstruck. Rayen had never acted this violent; hitting another Dragoon was so unlike him that even Shade was taken off guard. Aquaria felt the mark of Rayen's fist burned into the flesh of her face.
Rayen paid no more attention to Aquaria, however, and he raised Azmerak into the air, spinning it between his fingers. As the hilt danced through his knuckles, he began a spell. "Black winds, blowing forth from the pit of oblivion, smite my foes! Dark Cyclone!"
An evil wind swirled through the air, gathering speed until it rushed down on the struggling soldiers below. The black legion was swept up into the air, disintegrated, but the fate of the few remaining humans was far worse. Their flesh, muscles, and organs were torn from their bodies, leaving nothing behind but heaps of bloodstained bones. The malicious gale carried its carnage back into the sky and disappeared.
As the armor faded, reason flooded back into Rayen's mind. He stared at the devastation he had caused, then gazed at Aquaria, with the burnt imprint of his hand scarred into her face. "By Soa and the Divine Creator... what have I done?"
************************************************************************
A few moments later, the Dragoons and Artaeris stood back in the Crystal Palace. They had managed to explain it away as some sort of freak accident, but lying to the public was making matters even worse for Rayen. The thought of killing innocent humans appeared to be causing him intense pain. Aquaria's wound was healed instantly by Dawn's magic, but the tension between the two lingered, poisoning the air. Rayen couldn't bring himself to look at her.
Phil attempted to maintain an optimistic outlook. "Most of the humans were dead by the time you cast that spell anyway. You probably only killed a couple dozen at most."
Rayen's reply was bitter, sarcastic, and acidic, all at once. "Oh yes, let's thank the Creator I wasn't a few minutes earlier so I could have killed more people! I'm going to bed. Wake me when the end of the world decides to get a move on."
Shade watched the despairing Rayen pensively. He knew things were going far too smoothly before this had happened. Irony had a way of punishing those who became so too confident in their good luck. It had been the first time the unexpected had thrown a wrench in their plans. It wouldn't be the last.
Author's Note: I realize that took me much longer than it usually does, but that's because we got a new computer two days ago, and we've been spending a lot of time figuring it out and transferring files from the old one to the new one. But now I get the old one in my room so I can type chapters without having to get off for other people! Yay!
OK, I realize the whole Apocalypse Dragoon thing is extremely cliché, but the only other name I could think of was Death, and that's even worse, so just bear with me. Anyway, next chapter Rayen has a visitor who explains the whole Apocalypse Dragoon thing. In the meantime, please review!
By the way, for some reason I like the whole 'Pity does not stay my blade' line. It's all evil and stuff. *drools over the evil pointy sword* *makes severl hundred copies of Azmerak and hides them* Mwahahahaha...
Yes, I did enjoy writing Phil's line in that chapter. It amused me in some twisted sense. Oraeus's son is Artaeris.
DDX, your parents keep parental controls on your internet access, but they get you Grand Theft Auto for Christmas? O_o That seems a little inconsistant to me, but whatever.
Chapter 54
One person was not present during Artaeris's tale. Nieva stood on the top of the citadel of the Crystal Palace, maintaining a constant lookout on the portal as assigned. It was mostly a precaution, as they all knew the next wave would not be arriving for several more days. Therefore, although the Sacred Sister's watch was constant and dutiful, it was not incredibly attentive.
There had been another forty-three arrivals that day, and the new recruits were recovering many more Spirits. The next step was to find the owners of the abandoned Spirits, which would take more time, but was necessary to achieve the maximum amount of Dragoons possible. The populace was responding to the war a great deal better than Nieva had expected. Perhaps the people of Endiness actually believed there was a chance of victory. Nieva supposed she should follow their lead, because if the people of Endiness lost hope, the darkness would overwhelm them.
The Red-Eye Dragoon heard a distant rumble, and out of pure instinct she glanced to the portal. The Sacred Sister's eyes widened. It was impossible. To amass a force to replace the one they had lost would have taken much longer than this. But there was undoubtedly something coming out of that portal.
Nieva wasted no more time pondering this turn of events. The Fire Dragon Knight took off to warn the others of imminent assault. The Sacred Sister ran down the battlement, her mailed boots clinking against the crystal. She burst through the door; her breath coming in short gasps due to anxiousness and the laborious task of running through a castle in full armor. "They're coming!"
Before any of the others could so much as make an exclamation of surprise, Rayen was on his feet and sprinting towards the entryway. "Lead on."
The others still seemed bewildered, but they followed. They reached the citadel looking out on the snowy plain below, and the dark gateway looming in the clouded sky above. Sure enough, a portion of the horde was emerging. But something was not quite right.
Phil peered at the attack force. "Is it just me, or is that group really, really small?"
The Jade Dragoon was correct. The legion that appeared could not exceed more than a few thousand in number, enough for Rayen to dispatch easily in one spell. Nieva turned to Rayen. "What do you think? Decoy?"
The Guardian Dragoon nodded. "I would guess so."
Oraeus folded his arms. "If it's a decoy, it's a poorly executed one. A child would pick up on that strategy. I believe it is some sort of trick. Possibly they wish to have a small group wreak as much havoc as possible to demoralize the populace before we pick up on the fact that there is no larger group arriving."
"That might be what they expect us to think," Kyra pointed out.
Rayen examined his Spirit. The light of the sun pierced through the oppressive blanket of clouds. Rayen lifted the crystal to the sunbeam, and the light struck the Spirit, and a dazzling rainbow sprouted from the stone. Odd, Rayen had never seen it do that before. He wondered what if it was trying to tell him something.
Shade's voice jerked Rayen from his reverie. "The best solution would probably be to split into two small groups. One would go after that group, while the others stay behind and wait for a surprise attack. The question is how we assemble the two parties. Obviously Rayen will be in the force that stays behind..."
Rayen interrupted. "No. Kyra and I will go two others after that group. That way if there is no second group we'll have my firepower, but if this really is a decoy that Kyra will be able to take us to the larger force as soon as it arrives."
Shade nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. Aquaria and I will accompany you two. The others will stay behind, just in case."
Kyra made a gesture, and in a flash of Wingly magic they were whisked away. They hovered above the advancing troops below, only to discover something very surprising, About two hundred humans stood against the onrushing darkness, guns blazing, Shade narrowed his eyes. "They appear to be fighting back."
Kyra gazed down in something half between admiration and disdain. "Are they insane? They can't hope to beat all of them on their own."
"Maybe they're trying to stall until we get here," Aquaria piped up.
As if on cue, several of the human soldiers glanced up at the Dragoons and pointed. Instead of rejoicing, however, about half of the resistance turned their weapons on the Dragon Knights, and a hail of bullets came rushing up at the group of warriors.
Rayen veered to his right, marveling that Kyra's magic could allow them to move in the air and still remain aloft. "What the hell do they think we're doing? We're here to help!"
Shade did not appear nearly as surprised as the others did; it almost seemed like he was waiting for something to go wrong. "It appears that they either don't want our help, or they don't trust us. Considering the amount they've already lost, I'd say it would be the latter."
Rayen felt anger surge through him, and he whipped out his crystal Spirit, which glinted eagerly, although he couldn't help but think there was something odd about that gleam. But it was probably just a trick of the light. Besides, it was too late to stop the transformation anyway. The rush of magic burst forth from the crystal, consuming him.
Then unimaginable pain overtook him. He felt as though his blood were being set aflame. He glanced downwards, seeing the ground rushing upwards to beat him senseless. But the Dragoon Spirit appeared to have other plans for him. He felt the wings sprout from his back, catching the pockets of air, keeping him airborne. But how was that possible? The Spirit wasn't working... was it?
His feet touched the snowy earth below, and he examined himself. He was reminded strongly of the armor of the Guardian Dragoon, but something was perversely different. The colors of the armor both shifted constantly, but while the Guardian Dragoon's armor contained the colors of all the elements, this new armor contained none of those colors. Black reigned supreme over this armor, from the lightest gray of a shadow in a summer's midday, to the deepest black of the oblivion, and every shade in between. Rayen had become the Dragon Knight of the Apocalypse.
The blade that formed in his fist was not Birathion the Protector. The core of the blade was just like the armor, a shifting maelstrom of black. The spidery runes were different from the ones inscribed on Birathion, and they were also written in silver, not gold. The hilt remained the same, but its image was profoundly different. The twin dragons of the Protector's hilt appeared to be embracing, rejoicing in their union, while these dragons looked as if they were strangling each other, locked in a contest of strength that was ultimately killing them both. The ruby eyes glinted with unlimited malevolence. The sword he now held in his hand was Azmerak, the Destroyer.
Rayen relished in the power that flowed through him. "I'll tear them apart."
"No!" There was a pulsing flash of blue, and Aquaria stood before him, arms spread wide. "You'll kill all of them with a spell now!"
Rayen's cold eyes narrowed. "Get out of my way."
The Sea Dragoon shook her ponytailed head defiantly. "You'll kill the humans too!"
Rayen sneered. "Death shows no mercy. Why should I? Pity does not stay my blade. They will receive no better than they deserve. Now, I won't ask again. Move aside."
Aquaria still did not move. Rayen drew his free left hand back and lashed out, sending the Sea Dragoon sprawling. Shade and Kyra stared, thunderstruck. Rayen had never acted this violent; hitting another Dragoon was so unlike him that even Shade was taken off guard. Aquaria felt the mark of Rayen's fist burned into the flesh of her face.
Rayen paid no more attention to Aquaria, however, and he raised Azmerak into the air, spinning it between his fingers. As the hilt danced through his knuckles, he began a spell. "Black winds, blowing forth from the pit of oblivion, smite my foes! Dark Cyclone!"
An evil wind swirled through the air, gathering speed until it rushed down on the struggling soldiers below. The black legion was swept up into the air, disintegrated, but the fate of the few remaining humans was far worse. Their flesh, muscles, and organs were torn from their bodies, leaving nothing behind but heaps of bloodstained bones. The malicious gale carried its carnage back into the sky and disappeared.
As the armor faded, reason flooded back into Rayen's mind. He stared at the devastation he had caused, then gazed at Aquaria, with the burnt imprint of his hand scarred into her face. "By Soa and the Divine Creator... what have I done?"
************************************************************************
A few moments later, the Dragoons and Artaeris stood back in the Crystal Palace. They had managed to explain it away as some sort of freak accident, but lying to the public was making matters even worse for Rayen. The thought of killing innocent humans appeared to be causing him intense pain. Aquaria's wound was healed instantly by Dawn's magic, but the tension between the two lingered, poisoning the air. Rayen couldn't bring himself to look at her.
Phil attempted to maintain an optimistic outlook. "Most of the humans were dead by the time you cast that spell anyway. You probably only killed a couple dozen at most."
Rayen's reply was bitter, sarcastic, and acidic, all at once. "Oh yes, let's thank the Creator I wasn't a few minutes earlier so I could have killed more people! I'm going to bed. Wake me when the end of the world decides to get a move on."
Shade watched the despairing Rayen pensively. He knew things were going far too smoothly before this had happened. Irony had a way of punishing those who became so too confident in their good luck. It had been the first time the unexpected had thrown a wrench in their plans. It wouldn't be the last.
Author's Note: I realize that took me much longer than it usually does, but that's because we got a new computer two days ago, and we've been spending a lot of time figuring it out and transferring files from the old one to the new one. But now I get the old one in my room so I can type chapters without having to get off for other people! Yay!
OK, I realize the whole Apocalypse Dragoon thing is extremely cliché, but the only other name I could think of was Death, and that's even worse, so just bear with me. Anyway, next chapter Rayen has a visitor who explains the whole Apocalypse Dragoon thing. In the meantime, please review!
By the way, for some reason I like the whole 'Pity does not stay my blade' line. It's all evil and stuff. *drools over the evil pointy sword* *makes severl hundred copies of Azmerak and hides them* Mwahahahaha...