Author's Note: *a series of loud bangs is heard from inside the safe, and
the Barney music abruptly stops* *coughs* Good thing I brought my
sledgehammer in here with me just in case.
I knew you would have this sort of reaction, Aer. But don't worry, it will remain a fairly minor part of the story. , Besides, Kyra would probably rather kill Rayen than admit anything, and of course he's totally oblivious anyway. So that element probably won't develop much... unless someone else decides to meddle. *glares accusingly at a certain member of the group*
Phil: *does his best to look innocent, but of course fails miserably* Who, me?
*punts him towards Fifi* He's yours.
Phil: Whoo!
You have no idea what you're getting into, but whatever floats your boat. Six more days until I get Lost Age!
Chapter 76
Oraeus's voice reached Rayen's ears. "Are you all right?"
His head bowed, Rayen sat against one of the cold stone walls of the citadel of the fort. "No, but I'm going to have to live with it. What do you need?"
"Well, we need to figure out what we're doing next."
Rayen sighed. Fighting again was the last thing on his mind. He was still having trouble getting over the last battle. To think, he would have to go through that countless more times before this damn war was over. Or until he snapped and brought the entire world crashing down around their ears, whichever came first. "I don't know. We need to know about the region. Abrian and Selari know best, go..."
Abrian's voice cut him off. "We're here."
Rayen glanced up for the first time, for he had been keeping his gaze firmly on the granite roof of the fort even while speaking to the half- Giganto. Abrian and Selari stood next to Oraeus, staring down at him. Rayen sighed again, and began to speak almost reluctantly. "Fine, what's our situation geographically?"
Selari looked as though she was about to speak, but Abrian got there first. "Well, we're right in the middle of a mountain range that separates the two valleys on either side that the humans settle in. As I said before, this fort was originally placed here to prevent humans on both sides from communicating. We've taken care of the attack from the east, which if my guess is correct, was dispatched shortly after your troops arrived in this dimension. I seriously doubt that there is another attack coming from the west, if for no other reason than the scouts almost certainly would have seen them by now. So we can either split into two groups and go through both valleys simultaneously, or we can split into two and have one group explore one valley while the other stays behind at the fort in case the second attack does come."
Rayen nodded thoughtfully. "The second option makes more sense to me. If we go in two groups, we'll have to split the Spirits too. What use is a bag of Dragoon Spirits if all of their owners are on the other side of a mountain range? It would be a colossal waste of time. But if we keep all the Spirits on one side while we visit all the human settlements, then we're certain that all the Dragoons in that area are accounted for. Plus, we'll have someone defending home base just to be on the safe side."
He turned his eyes towards Oraeus, who spoke in his usual gravelly rumbling voice. "My sentiments exactly."
Rayen nodded again. "Very well then. Selari, you and Sean should stay here, just in case we need a good dose of firepower back at the home front. Kyra should come with us so that we can get back quickly. Otherwise, divide them up as you see fit, and we'll leave tomorrow. We should let everyone get some rest."
Selari and Abrian left, but Oraeus stayed where he was. Rayen knew what he was about to say and suddenly regained his acute interest in the granite blocks of the roof. But the half-Giganto did not leave, as Rayen had hoped he would. When he spoke, his words were much softer than usual.
"It's not your fault."
Rayen scoffed, but his eyes remained firmly locked on the stone beneath him. "Which particular catastrophe are we talking about?"
"Any of them. There was nothing that you could have done for Shade, and that's what set off your transformation."
"What about the other seven? They didn't just drop dead all of a sudden, did they?"
"You lost control."
This time Rayen's stare snapped upwards, and it gained that familiar icy look, burrowing deep into Oraeus's own dark brown eyes. "Are you so convinced?"
"Yes, I am. I know you, Rayen, and I know what a man looks like when he's lost control. You are not to blame for this."
Despite the reassurance, Rayen's tone remained acidic. "Then who else can we blame?"
"The enemy. Things went beyond your control, and the enemy took advantage of that. Remember that the next time you face them. Shade is gone, but his legacy remains to help us fight on without him."
In the aged warrior's words, Rayen heard an undertone of the Gigantos' ancient reverence for the dead. Somehow, that comforted him, and he felt his tensions ease. But the empty feeling he felt in the absence of the swooping anger that had released the Apocalypse Dragoon stayed, tugging at him. "But what if..."
A new voice cut in. "If you go into 'what ifs', we're all already dead."
Oraeus and Rayen turned, for it appeared that the Earth Dragon Knight had no better idea of this newcomer's identity than he did. Victor leaned casually against the battlement opposite the pair, freshly lit cigarette in hand, seemingly undaunted by the lethal drop that awaited him should he go too far back. Rayen was astonished, and speechless for a moment. Finally, he managed to find his voice. "Did you hear?"
The Red-Eye Dragoon paused to exhale a cloud of smoke that lingered in front of his face until dissipating before he responded. "Every word, and I do so hope you don't mind. Oh wait, scratch that, I can't really say that I give a damn."
Despite himself, Rayen laughed. There was something oddly relaxing about the grizzled highlander's presence and manner, although one would hardly guess it from looking at him. "Do you have any words of wisdom to add, then?"
Victor took another long drag on his cigarette before answering. "Shade's dead, like it or not, and you're too important to question what you did, and besides which, it wouldn't do anything but waste your time. That's about as far as my opinion goes on the matter."
Rayen laughed again, although a part of him could not understand how he could feel any real mirth, however fleeting, when he was in such a dire situation. "Fair enough."
Yet another voice imposed itself on the three. "Does this mean you're finally done moping?"
Phil's shoes clicked on the stone, and he leaned on his spear, a half-smirk on his face.
"No, I'm going to wallow in self-pity for a little while longer, then I'll get back to you."
"Damn. Oh well." Phil began to leave.
"Wait for me, you moron." Rayen stood up and followed the Jade Dragoon.
Watching as the pair left, Oraeus sighed heavily. "Seems to have gotten over it rather quickly, hasn't he?"
Victor grunted in reply. Despite the situation, or perhaps because of it, Oraeus couldn't resist cracking a joke. "And to think people called me a primitive brute."
Victor ignored the half-Giganto and spat out his cigarette, grinding it against the stone with his shoe to put it out while drawing a new one from his pocket. "For now, at least. He'll stew over it later, no doubt."
"Better than the alternatives. I was afraid he'd hole himself up for days."
"Nah, I would have smacked some sense into him by then."
Oraeus chuckled quietly. As it had for Rayen, the lightening mood had picked his spirits up with it. Perhaps it was a sign of good things to come. Oraeus didn't truly believe in premonitions, but maybe he would be surprised.
************************************************************************
The shadowy wings continued to undulate in their endless cycles. The mysterious beast continued to plow through the air, its precious cargo clenched firmly in its teeth. The journey was drawing to a close. It would reach its destination soon. The winged shape sped up almost imperceptibly, yet that slight change betrayed its anticipation.
Then the bundle stirred in its jaws. The creature started in surprise, and nearly lost control of his flight, only barely avoiding collision with one of the gigantic violet diamonds that hung in the air, suspended by some unknown yet powerful force. Its eyes and its attention slid down to the object in its fangs. The bundle twisted, and two folds of torn black cloth parted. Eyelids fluttered open, and a pair of brown eyes stared up at the creature. The expression in the eyes remained blank and confused for a moment, and then recognition flickered in the gaze. "Raze...roth..."
The word was weak, and sounded as if it were spoken with a great deal of effort, but it was there. The Dark Dragon bowed his head once in reply, a reptilian grin crossing the intelligent face, but it was not a smirk of cunning that one usually associated with snakes or crocodiles. So the magic he had worked on the Dark Dragoon had been enough to sustain his life. He was unsure at the time, but what choice did he have. Razeroth glanced down once more in fond satisfaction at his master, then returned to his flight. He circled above the fort twice, then gently glided to a halt atop the roof.
Ironically, Oraeus had been prophetic in his musings, for he was indeed greatly surprised and even more pleased to find what was in the Dark Dragon's strange bundle. Rayen turned around at the half-Giganto's cry, and saw Shade's curled-up body being lain on the stone battlement. Shade saw Rayen's face split into the look of someone who has seen an old friend after a long journey through a cold, heartless wasteland, and he instantly knew that it was all worth it, every moment of it. Shade watched as the crowd gathered around him with an inner smile, for he could not move a muscle without having a spasm of pain shoot through him. He had cheated death once again. One last thought passed through Shade's mind before he sunk back into unconsciousness.
He was one lucky son of a bitch.
Author's Note: HA! *bursts from the safe* Shade LIIIIVES! I fooled some of you, but others of you weren't convinced. If you people had followed Striker's insanely twisted and complex thought process, at the end of last chapter you would have thought that Shade was dead, and that the bundle the winged creature was carrying was actually the orb from the Dragon Block Staff, and that Mr. Mean and Nasty, as Fifi calls him, would be using it to rebuild the staff and use its anti-Dragoon powers and stuff. But obviously, you people don't think the way Striker does, which probably makes you better off. Shade WOULD have died, but his Dragon saved him. *pats Razeroth* Good boy. Anyway, did you people really think something as simple as falling off a cliff and being buried by boulders (hey, that's four b words in a row) could kill the Almighty Shade? Silly you. Of course not.
As for updates, I'm going to update a comedy fic next, finally (it'll probably be Valley, but I'm not sure yet), and then I'm going to get up Chapter 3 of Like Father, Like Son, even though I updated it two days ago. I just can't leave you people hanging without that huge duel scene. Besides, I want to write it anyway.
I knew you would have this sort of reaction, Aer. But don't worry, it will remain a fairly minor part of the story. , Besides, Kyra would probably rather kill Rayen than admit anything, and of course he's totally oblivious anyway. So that element probably won't develop much... unless someone else decides to meddle. *glares accusingly at a certain member of the group*
Phil: *does his best to look innocent, but of course fails miserably* Who, me?
*punts him towards Fifi* He's yours.
Phil: Whoo!
You have no idea what you're getting into, but whatever floats your boat. Six more days until I get Lost Age!
Chapter 76
Oraeus's voice reached Rayen's ears. "Are you all right?"
His head bowed, Rayen sat against one of the cold stone walls of the citadel of the fort. "No, but I'm going to have to live with it. What do you need?"
"Well, we need to figure out what we're doing next."
Rayen sighed. Fighting again was the last thing on his mind. He was still having trouble getting over the last battle. To think, he would have to go through that countless more times before this damn war was over. Or until he snapped and brought the entire world crashing down around their ears, whichever came first. "I don't know. We need to know about the region. Abrian and Selari know best, go..."
Abrian's voice cut him off. "We're here."
Rayen glanced up for the first time, for he had been keeping his gaze firmly on the granite roof of the fort even while speaking to the half- Giganto. Abrian and Selari stood next to Oraeus, staring down at him. Rayen sighed again, and began to speak almost reluctantly. "Fine, what's our situation geographically?"
Selari looked as though she was about to speak, but Abrian got there first. "Well, we're right in the middle of a mountain range that separates the two valleys on either side that the humans settle in. As I said before, this fort was originally placed here to prevent humans on both sides from communicating. We've taken care of the attack from the east, which if my guess is correct, was dispatched shortly after your troops arrived in this dimension. I seriously doubt that there is another attack coming from the west, if for no other reason than the scouts almost certainly would have seen them by now. So we can either split into two groups and go through both valleys simultaneously, or we can split into two and have one group explore one valley while the other stays behind at the fort in case the second attack does come."
Rayen nodded thoughtfully. "The second option makes more sense to me. If we go in two groups, we'll have to split the Spirits too. What use is a bag of Dragoon Spirits if all of their owners are on the other side of a mountain range? It would be a colossal waste of time. But if we keep all the Spirits on one side while we visit all the human settlements, then we're certain that all the Dragoons in that area are accounted for. Plus, we'll have someone defending home base just to be on the safe side."
He turned his eyes towards Oraeus, who spoke in his usual gravelly rumbling voice. "My sentiments exactly."
Rayen nodded again. "Very well then. Selari, you and Sean should stay here, just in case we need a good dose of firepower back at the home front. Kyra should come with us so that we can get back quickly. Otherwise, divide them up as you see fit, and we'll leave tomorrow. We should let everyone get some rest."
Selari and Abrian left, but Oraeus stayed where he was. Rayen knew what he was about to say and suddenly regained his acute interest in the granite blocks of the roof. But the half-Giganto did not leave, as Rayen had hoped he would. When he spoke, his words were much softer than usual.
"It's not your fault."
Rayen scoffed, but his eyes remained firmly locked on the stone beneath him. "Which particular catastrophe are we talking about?"
"Any of them. There was nothing that you could have done for Shade, and that's what set off your transformation."
"What about the other seven? They didn't just drop dead all of a sudden, did they?"
"You lost control."
This time Rayen's stare snapped upwards, and it gained that familiar icy look, burrowing deep into Oraeus's own dark brown eyes. "Are you so convinced?"
"Yes, I am. I know you, Rayen, and I know what a man looks like when he's lost control. You are not to blame for this."
Despite the reassurance, Rayen's tone remained acidic. "Then who else can we blame?"
"The enemy. Things went beyond your control, and the enemy took advantage of that. Remember that the next time you face them. Shade is gone, but his legacy remains to help us fight on without him."
In the aged warrior's words, Rayen heard an undertone of the Gigantos' ancient reverence for the dead. Somehow, that comforted him, and he felt his tensions ease. But the empty feeling he felt in the absence of the swooping anger that had released the Apocalypse Dragoon stayed, tugging at him. "But what if..."
A new voice cut in. "If you go into 'what ifs', we're all already dead."
Oraeus and Rayen turned, for it appeared that the Earth Dragon Knight had no better idea of this newcomer's identity than he did. Victor leaned casually against the battlement opposite the pair, freshly lit cigarette in hand, seemingly undaunted by the lethal drop that awaited him should he go too far back. Rayen was astonished, and speechless for a moment. Finally, he managed to find his voice. "Did you hear?"
The Red-Eye Dragoon paused to exhale a cloud of smoke that lingered in front of his face until dissipating before he responded. "Every word, and I do so hope you don't mind. Oh wait, scratch that, I can't really say that I give a damn."
Despite himself, Rayen laughed. There was something oddly relaxing about the grizzled highlander's presence and manner, although one would hardly guess it from looking at him. "Do you have any words of wisdom to add, then?"
Victor took another long drag on his cigarette before answering. "Shade's dead, like it or not, and you're too important to question what you did, and besides which, it wouldn't do anything but waste your time. That's about as far as my opinion goes on the matter."
Rayen laughed again, although a part of him could not understand how he could feel any real mirth, however fleeting, when he was in such a dire situation. "Fair enough."
Yet another voice imposed itself on the three. "Does this mean you're finally done moping?"
Phil's shoes clicked on the stone, and he leaned on his spear, a half-smirk on his face.
"No, I'm going to wallow in self-pity for a little while longer, then I'll get back to you."
"Damn. Oh well." Phil began to leave.
"Wait for me, you moron." Rayen stood up and followed the Jade Dragoon.
Watching as the pair left, Oraeus sighed heavily. "Seems to have gotten over it rather quickly, hasn't he?"
Victor grunted in reply. Despite the situation, or perhaps because of it, Oraeus couldn't resist cracking a joke. "And to think people called me a primitive brute."
Victor ignored the half-Giganto and spat out his cigarette, grinding it against the stone with his shoe to put it out while drawing a new one from his pocket. "For now, at least. He'll stew over it later, no doubt."
"Better than the alternatives. I was afraid he'd hole himself up for days."
"Nah, I would have smacked some sense into him by then."
Oraeus chuckled quietly. As it had for Rayen, the lightening mood had picked his spirits up with it. Perhaps it was a sign of good things to come. Oraeus didn't truly believe in premonitions, but maybe he would be surprised.
************************************************************************
The shadowy wings continued to undulate in their endless cycles. The mysterious beast continued to plow through the air, its precious cargo clenched firmly in its teeth. The journey was drawing to a close. It would reach its destination soon. The winged shape sped up almost imperceptibly, yet that slight change betrayed its anticipation.
Then the bundle stirred in its jaws. The creature started in surprise, and nearly lost control of his flight, only barely avoiding collision with one of the gigantic violet diamonds that hung in the air, suspended by some unknown yet powerful force. Its eyes and its attention slid down to the object in its fangs. The bundle twisted, and two folds of torn black cloth parted. Eyelids fluttered open, and a pair of brown eyes stared up at the creature. The expression in the eyes remained blank and confused for a moment, and then recognition flickered in the gaze. "Raze...roth..."
The word was weak, and sounded as if it were spoken with a great deal of effort, but it was there. The Dark Dragon bowed his head once in reply, a reptilian grin crossing the intelligent face, but it was not a smirk of cunning that one usually associated with snakes or crocodiles. So the magic he had worked on the Dark Dragoon had been enough to sustain his life. He was unsure at the time, but what choice did he have. Razeroth glanced down once more in fond satisfaction at his master, then returned to his flight. He circled above the fort twice, then gently glided to a halt atop the roof.
Ironically, Oraeus had been prophetic in his musings, for he was indeed greatly surprised and even more pleased to find what was in the Dark Dragon's strange bundle. Rayen turned around at the half-Giganto's cry, and saw Shade's curled-up body being lain on the stone battlement. Shade saw Rayen's face split into the look of someone who has seen an old friend after a long journey through a cold, heartless wasteland, and he instantly knew that it was all worth it, every moment of it. Shade watched as the crowd gathered around him with an inner smile, for he could not move a muscle without having a spasm of pain shoot through him. He had cheated death once again. One last thought passed through Shade's mind before he sunk back into unconsciousness.
He was one lucky son of a bitch.
Author's Note: HA! *bursts from the safe* Shade LIIIIVES! I fooled some of you, but others of you weren't convinced. If you people had followed Striker's insanely twisted and complex thought process, at the end of last chapter you would have thought that Shade was dead, and that the bundle the winged creature was carrying was actually the orb from the Dragon Block Staff, and that Mr. Mean and Nasty, as Fifi calls him, would be using it to rebuild the staff and use its anti-Dragoon powers and stuff. But obviously, you people don't think the way Striker does, which probably makes you better off. Shade WOULD have died, but his Dragon saved him. *pats Razeroth* Good boy. Anyway, did you people really think something as simple as falling off a cliff and being buried by boulders (hey, that's four b words in a row) could kill the Almighty Shade? Silly you. Of course not.
As for updates, I'm going to update a comedy fic next, finally (it'll probably be Valley, but I'm not sure yet), and then I'm going to get up Chapter 3 of Like Father, Like Son, even though I updated it two days ago. I just can't leave you people hanging without that huge duel scene. Besides, I want to write it anyway.