Author's Note: Actually, Demon, he doesn't combine the blades. He uses them
both seperately. Yeah. O_o For once, I don't have any questions to answer.
Which means you people don't have to read 200 words of mindless blather.
You should feel privledged.
Chapter 69
Rayen stood in the snowy fields of Millie Seaseu, oblivious to the winter chill. He gazed up into the winter sky; his azure eyes fixed on a single point. The portal hung there, same as it always was, with the lightning crackling and dancing along its edges. It had been there for two weeks now, Rayen almost thought of it as part of the sky by this time. He had considered what they were about to do for a long time now, almost as soon as the portal had opened. But now, actually doing it, it seemed almost unreal.
The support had been overwhelming, so much so that it surprised even Rayen. It hadn't even dimmed in the slightest when the first two casualties were announced. Rayen supposed that they believed that if they had made it this far with only two dead, then they could easily win the war. They were fooling themselves, and Rayen knew it. Things would be different on enemy ground. Their foes would have the home turf. Two was far too many to lose when your army numbered little more than three hundred. If they lost enough, they would have to retreat back through the portal and find new owners for the Spirits, which would leave the enemy with a golden opportunity to come rushing through the gateway and finish the last of the planet's hope off for good. No, the leader of the Dragoons was far less optimistic than the people who rallied behind him.
A voice sounded from behind him. "You ready for this?"
It was Phil, looking more somber than Rayen had ever seen him, even more so than at his mother's funeral two years ago... or would it be three now? In the rush of everything, Rayen had stopped keeping track of the date. With a sudden jolt of a sort of melancholy amusement, Rayen realized he would be turning eighteen within a couple of months. It all seemed so trivial compared to what he was facing now. He sighed. "As I'll ever be, I suppose."
"A wise answer. No one can truly be prepared for the unknown." The deep rumbling baritone signaled the presence of Oraeus beside them.
"Somehow, that doesn't comfort me much."
Shade's voice caused all three to jump slightly. The Dark Dragoon had approached silently, as usual. "There's no turning back anyway. Any discomfort you have, you're going to have to deal with."
Rayen smiled, if for no reason other than to spite himself. Good old Shade. There was nothing like a bit of the Darkness Dragon Knight's blunt cynicism to boost spirits. He turned around to see the shining saviors of Endiness moving towards them. They didn't look nearly as glamorous in this scenario. They were merely a swarm of people trudging through the snow, and the only thing that betrayed their abnormality were the seven Dragons at the rear, laden down with supplies. They all reached the clearing where Rayen stood, and there was suddenly a dazzling light display with a myriad of colors, including red, green, black, white, violet, gold, blue, and a single streak of gray. Then the collective Dragoons took wing, soaring through the gateway into the unexpected.
However, there was a single person among the group who was not a Dragoon. Artaeris sat astride Jineraq, hitching a ride on the Golden Dragon because he couldn't fly. This fact ate at the young half-Giganto. He had tried all of the ownerless Spirits, even the two that had belonged to the first warriors to die in battle, but he had not gotten a sudden stroke of luck. Not one of the Spirits had so much as glinted at his touch.
The sheer frustration made Artaeris want to bellow. He considered himself riding on the Dragon because he was part of the luggage, a necessary burden that had to be dealt with. He was riding on his father's Dragon because it was only because of Oraeus that he was here at all. He had considered giving up and going home several times, but he did not. He had no real home to go back to, and besides, Artaeris still got a strange feeling that he was supposed to be here, although he had no idea where that instinct came from. So he remained, continuing to feel out of place among the Dragon Knights.
Rayen tensed as he passed through the portal, but there was no agonizing shock or anything of that sort. When he looked up, he suddenly became very confused. At first, he thought their foes had managed to do something to the gateway. They must have come out somewhere in Endiness, because this certainly wasn't the demons' world. Or was it?
They had arrived in a landscape that reminded Rayen strongly of the scene they had just left. A snowfield stretched out before them, except for a large evergreen forest to the west. The only anomaly was in the sky, in the form of hulking purple diamonds that hung in the sky. Occasionally a thunderbolt would burst from one, bouncing off the others in a succession of brilliant flashes. Like Endiness, it appeared to be winter, with the slightest hint of spring peeping forth from the cover of ice. He looked back, but his companions had no more answers than he did. Phil merely shook his head and shrugged, while Shade's eyes wore a bemused look. Oraeus spoke, but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than anyone else. "It looks as though the Murderer merely picked a world to build his army in."
Rayen's uncertainty was further increased when he saw a flock of geese fly by in arrowhead formation, squawking and honking noisily at each other. This just didn't make sense. The Murderer was waging this war to eradicate all life, why build his army on a world with snow and trees and BIRDS, for Soa's sake? A brief suspicion flashed through the Guardian Dragoon's mind. Perhaps this was all just one giant mind game, a deception to keep them off guard. But why go through all this trouble?
However, something slightly more pressing diverted their attention. There was a loud rumble, and all of the Dragoons turned around. The portal was shrinking, right before their eyes. Some rushed forward to attempt to stop it, but as Rayen watched in dismay, he knew it was useless. The enemy had played yet another underhanded trick, but this one, unlike the others, presented a serious problem. If there was animal life here, food could be hunted for, but what about finding new Dragoons for the Spirits of the deceased? Those reinforcements wouldn't appear out of thin air.
The army collectively turned to him, waiting for his orders, something Rayen seriously didn't want to deal with at this particular moment. He buried his face in his hand and sighed deeply. "Well, cut off or not, we need to keep moving. This means we need a suitable place to camp even more."
There were nods of assent from the crowd, and the warriors resumed their slow trek across the snow. When they reached the top of the hill and looked down, however, they all stopped dead. The hills gradually faded into a small valley, but what sat in the center was the most unnerving. A gaggle of houses sat nestled in the snow, smoke curling from the brick chimney. Houses, here? Things kept getting more bizarre by the moment.
The Dragoons all whipped around in a single collective mass when they heard a voice.
"Um, excuse me? Hello there, who are you?"
Standing there, in living color with a politely puzzled expression on his face, was a young Human.
Author's Note: Yep, things just keep getting weirder and weirder. Mwaha.
Chapter 69
Rayen stood in the snowy fields of Millie Seaseu, oblivious to the winter chill. He gazed up into the winter sky; his azure eyes fixed on a single point. The portal hung there, same as it always was, with the lightning crackling and dancing along its edges. It had been there for two weeks now, Rayen almost thought of it as part of the sky by this time. He had considered what they were about to do for a long time now, almost as soon as the portal had opened. But now, actually doing it, it seemed almost unreal.
The support had been overwhelming, so much so that it surprised even Rayen. It hadn't even dimmed in the slightest when the first two casualties were announced. Rayen supposed that they believed that if they had made it this far with only two dead, then they could easily win the war. They were fooling themselves, and Rayen knew it. Things would be different on enemy ground. Their foes would have the home turf. Two was far too many to lose when your army numbered little more than three hundred. If they lost enough, they would have to retreat back through the portal and find new owners for the Spirits, which would leave the enemy with a golden opportunity to come rushing through the gateway and finish the last of the planet's hope off for good. No, the leader of the Dragoons was far less optimistic than the people who rallied behind him.
A voice sounded from behind him. "You ready for this?"
It was Phil, looking more somber than Rayen had ever seen him, even more so than at his mother's funeral two years ago... or would it be three now? In the rush of everything, Rayen had stopped keeping track of the date. With a sudden jolt of a sort of melancholy amusement, Rayen realized he would be turning eighteen within a couple of months. It all seemed so trivial compared to what he was facing now. He sighed. "As I'll ever be, I suppose."
"A wise answer. No one can truly be prepared for the unknown." The deep rumbling baritone signaled the presence of Oraeus beside them.
"Somehow, that doesn't comfort me much."
Shade's voice caused all three to jump slightly. The Dark Dragoon had approached silently, as usual. "There's no turning back anyway. Any discomfort you have, you're going to have to deal with."
Rayen smiled, if for no reason other than to spite himself. Good old Shade. There was nothing like a bit of the Darkness Dragon Knight's blunt cynicism to boost spirits. He turned around to see the shining saviors of Endiness moving towards them. They didn't look nearly as glamorous in this scenario. They were merely a swarm of people trudging through the snow, and the only thing that betrayed their abnormality were the seven Dragons at the rear, laden down with supplies. They all reached the clearing where Rayen stood, and there was suddenly a dazzling light display with a myriad of colors, including red, green, black, white, violet, gold, blue, and a single streak of gray. Then the collective Dragoons took wing, soaring through the gateway into the unexpected.
However, there was a single person among the group who was not a Dragoon. Artaeris sat astride Jineraq, hitching a ride on the Golden Dragon because he couldn't fly. This fact ate at the young half-Giganto. He had tried all of the ownerless Spirits, even the two that had belonged to the first warriors to die in battle, but he had not gotten a sudden stroke of luck. Not one of the Spirits had so much as glinted at his touch.
The sheer frustration made Artaeris want to bellow. He considered himself riding on the Dragon because he was part of the luggage, a necessary burden that had to be dealt with. He was riding on his father's Dragon because it was only because of Oraeus that he was here at all. He had considered giving up and going home several times, but he did not. He had no real home to go back to, and besides, Artaeris still got a strange feeling that he was supposed to be here, although he had no idea where that instinct came from. So he remained, continuing to feel out of place among the Dragon Knights.
Rayen tensed as he passed through the portal, but there was no agonizing shock or anything of that sort. When he looked up, he suddenly became very confused. At first, he thought their foes had managed to do something to the gateway. They must have come out somewhere in Endiness, because this certainly wasn't the demons' world. Or was it?
They had arrived in a landscape that reminded Rayen strongly of the scene they had just left. A snowfield stretched out before them, except for a large evergreen forest to the west. The only anomaly was in the sky, in the form of hulking purple diamonds that hung in the sky. Occasionally a thunderbolt would burst from one, bouncing off the others in a succession of brilliant flashes. Like Endiness, it appeared to be winter, with the slightest hint of spring peeping forth from the cover of ice. He looked back, but his companions had no more answers than he did. Phil merely shook his head and shrugged, while Shade's eyes wore a bemused look. Oraeus spoke, but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than anyone else. "It looks as though the Murderer merely picked a world to build his army in."
Rayen's uncertainty was further increased when he saw a flock of geese fly by in arrowhead formation, squawking and honking noisily at each other. This just didn't make sense. The Murderer was waging this war to eradicate all life, why build his army on a world with snow and trees and BIRDS, for Soa's sake? A brief suspicion flashed through the Guardian Dragoon's mind. Perhaps this was all just one giant mind game, a deception to keep them off guard. But why go through all this trouble?
However, something slightly more pressing diverted their attention. There was a loud rumble, and all of the Dragoons turned around. The portal was shrinking, right before their eyes. Some rushed forward to attempt to stop it, but as Rayen watched in dismay, he knew it was useless. The enemy had played yet another underhanded trick, but this one, unlike the others, presented a serious problem. If there was animal life here, food could be hunted for, but what about finding new Dragoons for the Spirits of the deceased? Those reinforcements wouldn't appear out of thin air.
The army collectively turned to him, waiting for his orders, something Rayen seriously didn't want to deal with at this particular moment. He buried his face in his hand and sighed deeply. "Well, cut off or not, we need to keep moving. This means we need a suitable place to camp even more."
There were nods of assent from the crowd, and the warriors resumed their slow trek across the snow. When they reached the top of the hill and looked down, however, they all stopped dead. The hills gradually faded into a small valley, but what sat in the center was the most unnerving. A gaggle of houses sat nestled in the snow, smoke curling from the brick chimney. Houses, here? Things kept getting more bizarre by the moment.
The Dragoons all whipped around in a single collective mass when they heard a voice.
"Um, excuse me? Hello there, who are you?"
Standing there, in living color with a politely puzzled expression on his face, was a young Human.
Author's Note: Yep, things just keep getting weirder and weirder. Mwaha.