Author's Note: Nah, this guy isn't Zieg. If you go back, I said the army
began to appear after Melbu was defeated, and Zieg and Rose both died
fighting Melbu. Therefore, they have no demonic counterparts. Sorry.
Scimitars are pretty common weapons, DDX. They're just curved swords.
Besides, I have this strange obsession with obscure medieval weaponry.
Yes, I'm sorry it took so long, AGAIN, but I had a huge science project due two days ago and I've been working on it for most of the past week. For some reason, my updates for Rebirth are slowing down. probably because I'm becoming obsessed with updating Crimson Wings. I STILL haven't gotten Chapter 2 of the Zieg fic out yet, shame on me. I have been having the BUSIEST month... ugh. Luckily it's over after this weekend.
Still two weeks and five days until Golden Sun: Lost Age comes out. *head has imploded because he's banged it against the wall so many times in impatience*
Chapter 74
Birathion came down hard against the long scimitar, but the Dragoon opposite Rayen was unfazed. Rayen thrust inward, still berating himself for not thinking of this possibility before. The demon that had possessed the man who had opened the portal was the Divine Dragoon, for crying out loud. And yet he had not even considered the idea of the enemy having Dragoons. Their one true edge was lost.
But perhaps they had a limited amount, and the more they got rid of, the more Spirits they would gain. The trouble was that their magical power was their strongest advantage over the enemy's practically limitless numbers. If the enemy could match their strength, what hope did they have left? They must have a considerable amount, if they are willing to just throw one away like this, for there was no hope that one Dragoon could hold out against three hundred. But then again, perhaps they were attempting to trick them, to crush what remained of their slipping dream on a bold gamble.
It was certainly working, Rayen thought grimly. All of the Dragoons kept staring back at them, sometimes in the middle of a fight, risking decapitation for a single backward glance. It merely illustrated how serious this problem was. Rayen could not ignore it. He hoped he could get this over with quickly, so as to minimize the mental effect of the incident. But he could feel it eating away at him as well.
As he thrust in with Birathion again, Rayen's free hand itched for the ornate silver hilt of the Dragon Buster, but he willed it to stay at his side. The Dragon Buster was his secret weapon, for he doubted that his enemy had learned of it in the short time it had been since his battle with the Sea Dragon. If he drew it now, his opponent would be on guard for the weapon that was so lethal to Dragons and Dragoons alike. No, it was better wait for an opening.
The wicked scimitar cut through the air, aiming to slice open his throat. Rayen brought the Protector up to parry, but the curved blade caused his weapon to slide out from underneath the stroke, and he was forced to duck to avoid losing his head. He slashed to the right, taking the chance that his foe would be able to recover in time to block. Rayen was correct, as the demon Dragoon recovered from the rash offensive move to defensive position with surprising agility. It was certainly a good thing he hadn't used the Dragon Buster there.
Despite the original misconception that the enemy mass they were facing was the shadow of a mountain, they were actually fighting on a mountainside, a barren plateau covered in snow overlooking a harsh drop to the snowy ground below. Why someone would lead an army across such an outcropping was impossible for Rayen to fathom. But it was very flat, which was actually a disadvantage for the Dragoons, for because they could fly, terrain bothered them little. Perhaps that had been the enemy's reasoning for choosing such a route.
Rayen was so caught up in his own musings he almost didn't his foe's movements in time. He brought Birathion hastily up to block, berating himself mentally for not paying attention to the matter at hand. He turned, grim and determined, to his foe, the Protector held steady in his hand. The spidery golden runes seemed to gleam in the weak light of the sun, or perhaps by some inner light of their own. Judging by the fact that the sun was almost obscured by an oppressive gray curtain of clouds, Rayen suspected it was the latter.
Rayen then launched into a fierce yet steady series of attacks. Darting in, he sliced to the left. When he found his blade blocked, he slashed upwards, knowing that the blow would do nothing even if it connected, but also keeping the flow of the battle firmly in his own hands. To avoid the blow, his opponent powered himself backward with a push off the ground, while Rayen lunged and thrust in with Birathion for the demon's gut. His adversary turned his weapon aside and hastily fired a blazing projectile at the Guardian Dragoon.
Rayen ducked beneath the fireball, hardly concerned by it. In fact, he actually welcomed it, for it was a sign his foe was growing uneasy, which only made his job easier. Just keep pushing him back, until he can go no further, then strike. His own armor shifted to violet, and eerie tendrils of lightning crackled between his fingertips. The bolt that followed would have knocked the demon Dragoon off his feet had he not already been airborne, so it sent him flying backward instead.
Rayen wasted no time in charging back into the fray, the Protector held high above his head. Even as he swung downward, his opponent had already managed to regain control and to block the stroke. This mattered little to Rayen; indeed, he had expected such a course of action. He was biding his time, pushing his foe to the limits. Soon he would be unable to fight back.
The Red-Eye Dragoon was apparently finding that out for himself, and began to hurl himself at Rayen in what appeared to be a last ditch attempt, initiated out of pure desperation. Rayen blocked the first stroke, ducked beneath the one meant to sever his neck, brought up his blade to parry the slash for his gut, and let a fourth blow bounce off the heavy plates that covered his arm. Finally, the demon raised the scimitar high above his head, swinging it downward in an attempt to cleave Rayen in two. This was obviously the last gasp of a man who knows he is dead, for the curved, relatively thin blade of his weapon was hardly meant for such a task.
However, it did provide Rayen with the exact opportunity he needed to finish this battle. The Guardian Dragoon interposed his weapon between the scimitar and his own head and, planting his feet firmly, put all his weight behind the Protector and shoved forward. His plan worked. The demon, either without knowledge of Rayen's intentions, or without the force required to stop them, or possibly both, was forced back, his arms flung over his head where it would be virtually impossible for him to bring his weapon back to block the killing stroke in time. Rayen's hand instantly snatched up the silver hilt of the Dragon Buster, the surreal flaming blue blade flickering into existence at his touch. He felt the weapon slice through the incredibly hard Dragoon armor like it was nothing more than a flimsy shell of paper. The hellish crimson irises bulged in pain and shock as he felt the ancient Wingly relic weaving the magic that would obliterate him from existence.
With that obstacle dealt with, Rayen turned to see how the rest of his army was faring. He did not like what he saw. By sheer force of numbers, the enemy had managed to separate the Dragoons and would soon begin the process of wiping them out individually. Not only that, but the incredible amount of troops pressing in on them from all sides prevented the Dragoons from taking to the air. Rayen was glad that all the hand-to-hand combat in the last battle had given him enough spirit energy to transform again, albeit for a shorter span of time. Something had to be done, or this war would be over before it had hardly begun.
But what Rayen didn't know was, someone was already doing something to prevent such an outcome. Shade, who had quickly realized the turn the battle was taking, had decided to divert the outcome back to where they wanted it. Clearly, the best way to achieve such a goal was to destroy as much of the enemy as possible, as quickly as possible. With Rayen's attention focused on the enemy Dragoon, Shade decided to use his secret weapon. He had no idea if his theory would even work, but it surely couldn't hurt their chances.
The turquoise gem made no sign of being magical in nature at all when Shade pulled it out, but the Dark Dragoon was undaunted by that. It was not like a Dragoon Spirit, which burst into a dazzling spectacle at a mere touch. This object was much subtler, but Shade wasn't positive that this fact made it any less powerful. But there was only one way to find out. He felt the magic tingle in his fingertips, and focused his mind on transmitting it through the gem.
Whatever Shade was expecting, it certainly wasn't the gigantic bolt of darkness that was emitted from the gem, for the force nearly lifted him off his feet. He stared in awe as the magical projectile plowed through a full rank of the demons and kept going. He had hoped that it would assist his magic, but he had never even hoped to dream it would be this effective. But would it make any difference? The Dragoons were separated, and the first were beginning to fall. More would follow if there wasn't a single masterstroke, one that, even with the power of this new artifact, he didn't have the means to provide.
Unless...
He turned, gazed at the precipice of the cliff upon which they fought. He made up his mind quickly, as he always had done. He never wasted valuable time second-guessing himself, and this instance was hardly an exception. He glanced back at the enemy, many of whom had turned to him after the first devastating magical assault. Good, then he wouldn't have to waste magical energy diverting them from their individual conflicts. Just to make sure he had established himself as their most dangerous adversary, he channeled his magic through the orb once again.
The jagged bolt of shadowy lightning ripped through another few hundred demons, reducing them to wisps of darkness. Almost all of the remaining troops charged after Shade, completely oblivious to their other opponents in light of this new threat. Satisfied, he began backing up, making it seem as though they had him retreating. Then, he reached the edge of the cliff. He halted, then looked beyond the tide of the enemy, searching for a glimpse of Rayen amongst the chaos.
He soon found the Guardian Dragoon staring back at him. Rayen had the Prism Spirit clenched firmly in hand, just about to activate it once more. But he suddenly couldn't bring himself to focus his mind upon the stone, for he was overcome by paralyzing shock at the sight of what Shade did next. The Dark Dragoon lifted his shorter, serrated blade to his brow in what was unmistakably a final salute. Rayen's numbing mind finally grasped the full extent of what Shade was about to do.
"No..."
Then Shade thrust his longer blade into the ground beneath him. The magic from his armor was amplified through the magical gem, and spread through the rock face until it reached where the entire enemy army stood.
Then the cliff split asunder beneath them, and several thousand demons and a single Dark Dragoon were sent tumbling down an unfathomable distance to the unforgiving earth below.
"NO!"
Both of Rayen's hands clenched the crystal so hard his knuckles turned white from the force. Unbelievable agony seeped from the Spirit, rushing through his veins like a delighted fiend let loose from its prison deep in the tortured lands of some hellish realm. A swirling tempest of darkness enveloped him, and he felt it harden into armor... and wings. Too late, he knew he had let his anger take hold of him, and he was releasing the something he feared most. Shade felt the winds rip about him as he fell down, amidst a cloud of his enemies. He knew that the heavier rocks would fall to the ground before he did, and it would actually be the impact that killed him, his spine cracking against the stones beneath him, his back breaking. He would be buried by some of the smaller boulders, ones that were smaller than he and therefore gaining more resistance from the air. Occasionally, a small stone, sharpened to a deadly point by the magic that had blasted a good chunk of the cliff from the side of the mountain, would slice across his body, leaving a trail of crimson in its wake. This was a momentary discomfort, however, and it would be soon silenced. Death was inescapable this time; he had just gotten lucky several times in the past.
He felt no remorse about the thought of death; as was already stated, he never bothered to second-guess his actions. Besides, his life had run afoul through his own choice; it was only fitting that his death would be the thing that set it on track. A tiny glimmer of light showed through both the blankets of clouds and the shower of boulders, the last light he would ever see. Shade reached his hand up as if to grasp it and he could have sworn his fingers caught hold of something before the darkness of his element overtook him.
Author's Note: Fifi, THIS is why I wouldn't tell you what I had planned for the next couple chapters. Baddies have Dragoons, Shade fell off a cliff, and to top it all off, Rayen's going Apocalypse Dragoon again! How's that for pessimistic?
Anyway, just so nobody gets confused, the beginning of next chapter will be told from Rayen's POV, but then it will shift back to third person perspective. I know this update took forever, but I made it extra long to compensate. Rejoice.
With all that being said... *locks self inside of a safe* DON'T KILL ME! *hides from all the other authors who will be after his hide for dropping a rock slide on Shade*
Yes, I'm sorry it took so long, AGAIN, but I had a huge science project due two days ago and I've been working on it for most of the past week. For some reason, my updates for Rebirth are slowing down. probably because I'm becoming obsessed with updating Crimson Wings. I STILL haven't gotten Chapter 2 of the Zieg fic out yet, shame on me. I have been having the BUSIEST month... ugh. Luckily it's over after this weekend.
Still two weeks and five days until Golden Sun: Lost Age comes out. *head has imploded because he's banged it against the wall so many times in impatience*
Chapter 74
Birathion came down hard against the long scimitar, but the Dragoon opposite Rayen was unfazed. Rayen thrust inward, still berating himself for not thinking of this possibility before. The demon that had possessed the man who had opened the portal was the Divine Dragoon, for crying out loud. And yet he had not even considered the idea of the enemy having Dragoons. Their one true edge was lost.
But perhaps they had a limited amount, and the more they got rid of, the more Spirits they would gain. The trouble was that their magical power was their strongest advantage over the enemy's practically limitless numbers. If the enemy could match their strength, what hope did they have left? They must have a considerable amount, if they are willing to just throw one away like this, for there was no hope that one Dragoon could hold out against three hundred. But then again, perhaps they were attempting to trick them, to crush what remained of their slipping dream on a bold gamble.
It was certainly working, Rayen thought grimly. All of the Dragoons kept staring back at them, sometimes in the middle of a fight, risking decapitation for a single backward glance. It merely illustrated how serious this problem was. Rayen could not ignore it. He hoped he could get this over with quickly, so as to minimize the mental effect of the incident. But he could feel it eating away at him as well.
As he thrust in with Birathion again, Rayen's free hand itched for the ornate silver hilt of the Dragon Buster, but he willed it to stay at his side. The Dragon Buster was his secret weapon, for he doubted that his enemy had learned of it in the short time it had been since his battle with the Sea Dragon. If he drew it now, his opponent would be on guard for the weapon that was so lethal to Dragons and Dragoons alike. No, it was better wait for an opening.
The wicked scimitar cut through the air, aiming to slice open his throat. Rayen brought the Protector up to parry, but the curved blade caused his weapon to slide out from underneath the stroke, and he was forced to duck to avoid losing his head. He slashed to the right, taking the chance that his foe would be able to recover in time to block. Rayen was correct, as the demon Dragoon recovered from the rash offensive move to defensive position with surprising agility. It was certainly a good thing he hadn't used the Dragon Buster there.
Despite the original misconception that the enemy mass they were facing was the shadow of a mountain, they were actually fighting on a mountainside, a barren plateau covered in snow overlooking a harsh drop to the snowy ground below. Why someone would lead an army across such an outcropping was impossible for Rayen to fathom. But it was very flat, which was actually a disadvantage for the Dragoons, for because they could fly, terrain bothered them little. Perhaps that had been the enemy's reasoning for choosing such a route.
Rayen was so caught up in his own musings he almost didn't his foe's movements in time. He brought Birathion hastily up to block, berating himself mentally for not paying attention to the matter at hand. He turned, grim and determined, to his foe, the Protector held steady in his hand. The spidery golden runes seemed to gleam in the weak light of the sun, or perhaps by some inner light of their own. Judging by the fact that the sun was almost obscured by an oppressive gray curtain of clouds, Rayen suspected it was the latter.
Rayen then launched into a fierce yet steady series of attacks. Darting in, he sliced to the left. When he found his blade blocked, he slashed upwards, knowing that the blow would do nothing even if it connected, but also keeping the flow of the battle firmly in his own hands. To avoid the blow, his opponent powered himself backward with a push off the ground, while Rayen lunged and thrust in with Birathion for the demon's gut. His adversary turned his weapon aside and hastily fired a blazing projectile at the Guardian Dragoon.
Rayen ducked beneath the fireball, hardly concerned by it. In fact, he actually welcomed it, for it was a sign his foe was growing uneasy, which only made his job easier. Just keep pushing him back, until he can go no further, then strike. His own armor shifted to violet, and eerie tendrils of lightning crackled between his fingertips. The bolt that followed would have knocked the demon Dragoon off his feet had he not already been airborne, so it sent him flying backward instead.
Rayen wasted no time in charging back into the fray, the Protector held high above his head. Even as he swung downward, his opponent had already managed to regain control and to block the stroke. This mattered little to Rayen; indeed, he had expected such a course of action. He was biding his time, pushing his foe to the limits. Soon he would be unable to fight back.
The Red-Eye Dragoon was apparently finding that out for himself, and began to hurl himself at Rayen in what appeared to be a last ditch attempt, initiated out of pure desperation. Rayen blocked the first stroke, ducked beneath the one meant to sever his neck, brought up his blade to parry the slash for his gut, and let a fourth blow bounce off the heavy plates that covered his arm. Finally, the demon raised the scimitar high above his head, swinging it downward in an attempt to cleave Rayen in two. This was obviously the last gasp of a man who knows he is dead, for the curved, relatively thin blade of his weapon was hardly meant for such a task.
However, it did provide Rayen with the exact opportunity he needed to finish this battle. The Guardian Dragoon interposed his weapon between the scimitar and his own head and, planting his feet firmly, put all his weight behind the Protector and shoved forward. His plan worked. The demon, either without knowledge of Rayen's intentions, or without the force required to stop them, or possibly both, was forced back, his arms flung over his head where it would be virtually impossible for him to bring his weapon back to block the killing stroke in time. Rayen's hand instantly snatched up the silver hilt of the Dragon Buster, the surreal flaming blue blade flickering into existence at his touch. He felt the weapon slice through the incredibly hard Dragoon armor like it was nothing more than a flimsy shell of paper. The hellish crimson irises bulged in pain and shock as he felt the ancient Wingly relic weaving the magic that would obliterate him from existence.
With that obstacle dealt with, Rayen turned to see how the rest of his army was faring. He did not like what he saw. By sheer force of numbers, the enemy had managed to separate the Dragoons and would soon begin the process of wiping them out individually. Not only that, but the incredible amount of troops pressing in on them from all sides prevented the Dragoons from taking to the air. Rayen was glad that all the hand-to-hand combat in the last battle had given him enough spirit energy to transform again, albeit for a shorter span of time. Something had to be done, or this war would be over before it had hardly begun.
But what Rayen didn't know was, someone was already doing something to prevent such an outcome. Shade, who had quickly realized the turn the battle was taking, had decided to divert the outcome back to where they wanted it. Clearly, the best way to achieve such a goal was to destroy as much of the enemy as possible, as quickly as possible. With Rayen's attention focused on the enemy Dragoon, Shade decided to use his secret weapon. He had no idea if his theory would even work, but it surely couldn't hurt their chances.
The turquoise gem made no sign of being magical in nature at all when Shade pulled it out, but the Dark Dragoon was undaunted by that. It was not like a Dragoon Spirit, which burst into a dazzling spectacle at a mere touch. This object was much subtler, but Shade wasn't positive that this fact made it any less powerful. But there was only one way to find out. He felt the magic tingle in his fingertips, and focused his mind on transmitting it through the gem.
Whatever Shade was expecting, it certainly wasn't the gigantic bolt of darkness that was emitted from the gem, for the force nearly lifted him off his feet. He stared in awe as the magical projectile plowed through a full rank of the demons and kept going. He had hoped that it would assist his magic, but he had never even hoped to dream it would be this effective. But would it make any difference? The Dragoons were separated, and the first were beginning to fall. More would follow if there wasn't a single masterstroke, one that, even with the power of this new artifact, he didn't have the means to provide.
Unless...
He turned, gazed at the precipice of the cliff upon which they fought. He made up his mind quickly, as he always had done. He never wasted valuable time second-guessing himself, and this instance was hardly an exception. He glanced back at the enemy, many of whom had turned to him after the first devastating magical assault. Good, then he wouldn't have to waste magical energy diverting them from their individual conflicts. Just to make sure he had established himself as their most dangerous adversary, he channeled his magic through the orb once again.
The jagged bolt of shadowy lightning ripped through another few hundred demons, reducing them to wisps of darkness. Almost all of the remaining troops charged after Shade, completely oblivious to their other opponents in light of this new threat. Satisfied, he began backing up, making it seem as though they had him retreating. Then, he reached the edge of the cliff. He halted, then looked beyond the tide of the enemy, searching for a glimpse of Rayen amongst the chaos.
He soon found the Guardian Dragoon staring back at him. Rayen had the Prism Spirit clenched firmly in hand, just about to activate it once more. But he suddenly couldn't bring himself to focus his mind upon the stone, for he was overcome by paralyzing shock at the sight of what Shade did next. The Dark Dragoon lifted his shorter, serrated blade to his brow in what was unmistakably a final salute. Rayen's numbing mind finally grasped the full extent of what Shade was about to do.
"No..."
Then Shade thrust his longer blade into the ground beneath him. The magic from his armor was amplified through the magical gem, and spread through the rock face until it reached where the entire enemy army stood.
Then the cliff split asunder beneath them, and several thousand demons and a single Dark Dragoon were sent tumbling down an unfathomable distance to the unforgiving earth below.
"NO!"
Both of Rayen's hands clenched the crystal so hard his knuckles turned white from the force. Unbelievable agony seeped from the Spirit, rushing through his veins like a delighted fiend let loose from its prison deep in the tortured lands of some hellish realm. A swirling tempest of darkness enveloped him, and he felt it harden into armor... and wings. Too late, he knew he had let his anger take hold of him, and he was releasing the something he feared most. Shade felt the winds rip about him as he fell down, amidst a cloud of his enemies. He knew that the heavier rocks would fall to the ground before he did, and it would actually be the impact that killed him, his spine cracking against the stones beneath him, his back breaking. He would be buried by some of the smaller boulders, ones that were smaller than he and therefore gaining more resistance from the air. Occasionally, a small stone, sharpened to a deadly point by the magic that had blasted a good chunk of the cliff from the side of the mountain, would slice across his body, leaving a trail of crimson in its wake. This was a momentary discomfort, however, and it would be soon silenced. Death was inescapable this time; he had just gotten lucky several times in the past.
He felt no remorse about the thought of death; as was already stated, he never bothered to second-guess his actions. Besides, his life had run afoul through his own choice; it was only fitting that his death would be the thing that set it on track. A tiny glimmer of light showed through both the blankets of clouds and the shower of boulders, the last light he would ever see. Shade reached his hand up as if to grasp it and he could have sworn his fingers caught hold of something before the darkness of his element overtook him.
Author's Note: Fifi, THIS is why I wouldn't tell you what I had planned for the next couple chapters. Baddies have Dragoons, Shade fell off a cliff, and to top it all off, Rayen's going Apocalypse Dragoon again! How's that for pessimistic?
Anyway, just so nobody gets confused, the beginning of next chapter will be told from Rayen's POV, but then it will shift back to third person perspective. I know this update took forever, but I made it extra long to compensate. Rejoice.
With all that being said... *locks self inside of a safe* DON'T KILL ME! *hides from all the other authors who will be after his hide for dropping a rock slide on Shade*