Enter the Moon Dragoon: Chapter Four
By: Star Dragonmaiden
Disclaimer: ...Must I repeat myself...? R+R please!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"This is Hoax? It looks like a fortress," Shana said as the group walked through the gates. Abigail made a face. 'Looks more like a boot camp to me.' Lavitz sighed slightly.
"Not by choice. We need to speak with Kaiser, first." He muttered, pointing toward the central building. The others nodded and followed him inside and walked to the back of the building. Once there, the group spotted Kaiser and two knights in blue, who looked up as they approached the table. Kaiser smiled slightly.
"Ah, good. You've arrived, Lavitz," he said, and then looked curiously at Lavitz's companions, "Who might they be?"
"These three warriors are here to help. Dart, Shana, and Abigail. They can be trusted, I assure you," he said, smiling. Kaiser smiled in return.
"Any help we can get is appreciated. Dart, Lavitz, and Abigail will watch the front gate. Shana, could you cook meals for the soldiers?" Shana smiled and nodded while Lavitz gave Kaiser a doubtful look.
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Kaiser?" Shana stared at him in utter disbelief while Abigail gave him a look and slapped her hand to her forehead. 'Oh brother...'
"What? How can you say that?! I'll have you know that Mrs. Slambert gave me a nice compliment," Shana huffed. Lavitz smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I don't know..." Dart decided to come to Shana's aid.
"I don't care what the food tastes like. Just make a lot." Shana frowned.
"I don't like what Dart said too much..." Kaiser offered his two cents. (...Or should I say two gold?)
"Edible is fine. Just salt is enough for taste." If at all possible, Shana's frown grew.
"Mr. Kaiser too." Lavitz frowned and looked at Kaiser.
"Kaiser! Why do you have to stir things up even more?" he asked. Abigail laughed shortly. Everyone looked at her.
"Well Lavitz, if you hadn't started this, we wouldn't be debating on Shana's cooking skills," Abigail shook her head with a chuckle, "Since we know what we're supposed to do, I'm going outside to walk around. Later," That said, she waved to them and walked out the door. Dart looked at Lavitz.
"...For once, I agree with Abigail. You did start this, Lavitz."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'Since I already know where everything is around here, I'll relax for a while,' Abigail thought, leaning against the wall and shutting her eyes. She was just dozing off when someone cleared his or her throat, causing her to look up. Standing in front of her was a Basil knight, or so it seemed. His tunic was rumpled and his armor wasn't on straight. Abigail turned her gaze toward the ground to hide her suspicious frown. Looking back up, she pasted a fake grin on her face.
"Something you need...?"
"Good day, m'lady. I apologize for troubling you, but I bring a message from Albert for Lavitz and Kaiser. Could you direct me to them?" he asked, courteously, bowing slightly to her. 'Hmm... If this guy is one of the lower-ranking grunts of Basil, wouldn't he refer to Albert has His Majesty...? Wouldn't he also call Lavitz and Kaiser 'Sir?'' She pretended to look thoughtful.
"Uhhhh... They're both inside the building behind me, but they are a little busy right now. Why don't you tell me the message and I'll relay it to them?" Abigail asked. The "knight" frowned and walked toward the door that Abigail indicated, only to have her block it.
"M'lady, this message is 'very' important. It is imperative that I see them now," he stated, looking rather menacing. Abigail smirked mischievously.
"Trust me, 'friend'. That message can wait a few minutes. It's strange, though. I always thought that knights like you referred to King Albert has His Majesty. Lavitz does and he is Albert's best friend. Why is it that the other knights refer to Lavitz and Kaiser as 'Sir' while you don't, hmmm? What is it that makes you so special?" she paused when the "knight" reached out to shove her out of the way, "Touch me and you'll lose that hand." He scowled again.
"It seems, 'm'lady', that you are becoming quite a nuisance. In the name of His Majesty, Emperor Doel, I'll put an end to your meddling once and for all! And after I take care of you, I shall dispose of Kaiser and Lavitz as well," he drew his sword and charged. Abigail sidestepped the initial slash, but was sliced across her forehead by a backslash. Abigail's hand shot to her head as she stumbled backwards, blood seeping through her fingers. Midnight, whose head was peeking out of Abigail's jacket, hissed at her owner's assailant. As the assassin lunged at Abigail to finish her off, the door swung open and Lavitz, along with Dart, stepped out. The fake knight stopped in his lunge and attacked Lavitz. Abigail, ignoring her dizziness as best she could, swung her arm around the assassin's throat and choked him until he passed out. As two knights hauled the unconscious killer away, Shana and Kaiser walked out to see what all the commotion was. Shana took one look at Abigail and gasped.
"Abigail, what happened to your head?!" Shana shrieked. Abigail smirked weakly as Shana and the others looked at her in alarm.
"I was... wondering... when you'd... notice me... bleeding... all over... the place... but I'm... just fine... Couldn't... be... better... Aw hell... Who am... I... kidding...?" she muttered before losing consciousness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Abigail opened her eyes, only to see a familiar black void. 'Aw damn it... Not this again...' she growled in her thoughts. The darkness faded to show what looked like a forest. Abigail was about to walk around when she heard a glass-shattering scream, causing her to cringe. She looked behind her to see a young red-haired girl in a white tunic, a sky-blue vest, and tan pants running from a humongous white dragon with turquoise eyes. The child looked like she was going to get away, until she tripped on a rock and fell. She gazed at the dragon fearfully and made a feeble attempt to defend herself. Before the dragon could attack, a mighty yell rang through the trees.
"FINAL BURST!" A streak of fire flew through the air and hit the dragon square in the head. The dragon screeched and would have fallen on the girl if she hadn't disappeared in a flash of indigo light. Hovering a few feet from where Abigail was standing was Rose, decked out in her Dragoon Armor, with the child clinging to her neck. Zieg, also wearing Dragoon Armor, flew toward them.
"That was a little too close. Are you all right?" he asked. The girl looked at Zieg and nodded mutely. Zieg smiled gently.
"What's your name?" The girl shifted timidly before answering. The answer left Abigail speechless.
"...Razzia..." Zieg was about to question the child further when the dragon's corpse emitted a multi-colored light. Zieg and Rose watched in amazement as the light rose from the carcass and floated toward the young Razzia. The light died to reveal a small white stone resting in the palm of Razzia's hand. The young girl gazed at the stone in bewilderment while Zieg and Rose conversed in private. They nodded in agreement and walked toward her.
"It seems that the Moon Dragoon Spirit has chosen you as its master, Razzia. If you come with us, we can teach you to use your new power. I am Zieg, the Red-Eyed Dragoon, and this is Rose, the Darkness Dragoon. We'll escort you to Vellweb," Zieg said, taking Razzia's hand. As they flew off, the forest faded into darkness once more. 'How much longer do I have to put up with this shit?!' Melbu Frahma appeared again, disrupting Abigail's thoughts. Before she could react, Melbu attacked, Dragon Buster poised to skewer her...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Abigail's eyes shot open and she sat up. Groaning, she rubbed at her eyes, grumbling mild curses the whole time. She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone spoke up.
"You're finally awake. I was starting to worry." Abigail looked up to see Lavitz sitting on the steps nearby, watching her intently. She sighed and sat beside him.
"Everything all right, Abigail? Did you have another nightmare?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, it's nothing serious," she shrugged his hand off and looked around. It was dusk and Abigail could hear owls hooting in the distance.
"Where's Dart? For that matter, where's Midnight?" she asked. Lavitz ran his fingers through his hair and nodded his head toward the town.
"Midnight is with Shana in town and Dart went into town to get something. He said that we can tell when the Sandora soldiers are in the forest by listening to the forest creatures." As Lavitz spoke, Abigail heard the faint sound of wings flapping in panic.
"So, we're supposed to listen for the owls to fly away or something, right?" she asked, looking toward the forest.
"Yes..." he paused, "Why do you ask?" he looked at Abigail, puzzled.
"Because there they go," she answered, pointing at a bunch of owls flying in every direction. Lavitz nodded slowly, grabbed his spear, and scanned the forest for the enemy. Abigail stood behind him, listening. Suddenly, sharp whistling filled the air as flaming arrows rained down from behind. She glanced back as Lavitz spun around.
"It figures that they'd use the back entrance," Abigail sighed. Lavitz stood beside her and saw Dart fighting off Sandoras. Without thinking twice, he ran to the center of town, leaving Abigail at the gate. She sighed tiredly.
"Well, well, well... What have we here? The Knights of Basil left a little girl to watch the front gate all by herself? That's wasn't a good move..." Abigail turned around, only to stand face-to-face with a ninja-like Sandora knight. She hopped back a step and raised her fists. The knight laughed as Abigail growled.
"You're going to regret calling me 'little girl' you asshole! Wipe that smirk off your face before I do it for you!" she hissed. When the knight continued laughing, Abigail uppercut him in the jaw, knocking him backwards. Then, she grabbed the collar of his tunic and heaved him over the wall.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"VOLCANO!"
"SPINNING CANE!" Lavitz looked up toward the front gate, remembering that he left Abigail standing there. 'Oh no...' He was shocked to see an Elite Sandora knight standing nearby. Lavitz turned to Dart.
"Dart! They're coming over the wall! I'll handle the knights down here. You help Abigail!" he hollered over the shouts of the other knights. Dart looked up in time to see Abigail throw the knight over the side.
"Abigail can handle the gate!" Dart shouted. Suddenly, there were screams followed heavy footsteps coming from the back gate. He turned around and saw a gigantic man carrying a huge ax and a young brown-haired man with aquamarine eyes about Abigail's age standing behind him, smirking. The man wore a white sleeveless shirt; green pants with a skull patch sewn on one knee, black boots, a silver choker, and black, fingerless gloves. He also had a heart tattoo on his left arm.
"You mentioned a girl named Abigail. Might you know where I can find her?" the man asked, stepping forward.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Have a nice trip, Sandora freaks!" Abigail taunted as she threw another soldier over the side. She turned her attention to the screams coming from town.
"I-It's a Giganto!" Abigail cursed mentally as she noticed the giant. 'Damn! I forgot all about Kongol! Wait a sec... Who is that standing beside him?' she gasped in surprise, 'No, it can't be him! How can he be here?! Just when I thought I wouldn't have to put up with him!' She cursed foully and leaped onto the roof beneath her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Oh, forgive me. Where are my manners? Permit me to introduce myself. My name is..." the man began but was interrupted.
"GALE!" Dart and Lavitz looked up to see Abigail leap from the roof to the ground and run up to the group. She came to a halt beside them and glared menacingly at the man she addressed as 'Gale'.
"Ah, Abby. It's so good to see you..."
"Cut the crap, Gale! And don't call me 'Abby'! What the hell are you doing here?!" she growled. Dart and Lavitz looked warily at the two teenagers as 'Gale' chuckled softly.
"Always the straight forward one, eh, Abby? You never were one to 'beat- around-the-bush'. I'll cut right to the chase. As you can see, I'm fighting on Emperor Doel's side. I hate to break it to you, but since you fight for Basil, I have to kill you. Isn't that a shame?" he smirked.
"Abigail, do you know him?" Lavitz asked as he watched the boy, but received no answer.
"You must like getting your ass kicked if you're challenging me to a fight! Alright then, one-on-one, Gale!" Abigail hollered as she raised her fists. Gale laughed again.
"As it should be. Kongol, take care of those other two, but leave Abigail to me!" he said. Kongol nodded and started toward Dart and Lavitz. Without warning, Gale charged at Abigail and punched her in the jaw, knocking her backwards. Abigail regained her balance quickly; wiped away a bit of blood from her lip, and punched Gale in the nose, effectively breaking it. Gale glared at Abigail and threw another punch at her jaw, only to have her grab his arm and throw him off balance. She glanced toward her friends only to see Lavitz had been thrown into a pile of crates and Kongol advancing on Dart, who was on the ground. 'Shit! Where's Rose?! She should be here by now!' Abigail searched the sky anxiously. When she turned to face her opponent, Abigail was knocked off her feet by a surprise tackle from Gale. An idea came to Abigail as she fell and she acted as soon as she hit the ground, planting her foot in Gale's stomach and flipping him up and off her. He crashed into Kongol, causing the Giganto to miss his mark. Abigail sighed in relief. 'That was close... Wait a sec! Now I'M open to...' She jumped backwards just as Kongol's ax sliced the ground and backed away slowly. 'Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit! NOW what?! I just HAD to tell Master Txing that I was never going to be in a situation where I would need to know how to spot weak points!' Just then, a dark shadow flew over her head and knocked the giant back. The figure turned toward Dart. (Err...a bit lengthy, yes? -_-')
"Wake up! Dragoon of the Red-Eyed Dragon!" Abigail watched as brilliant flashes of light surrounded Dart. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain shoot up her spine. Gasping in pain, she turned her head enough to see Gale smirking maliciously has he pulled his pocketknife out of her back.
"That's...dirty...pool...Gale," she hissed before collapsing into unconsciousness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
With a slight groan, Abigail opened her eyes to find herself staring at the ceiling. Abigail continued staring for a few minutes, trying to figure out how she got there when she heard someone sigh in relief. She sat up and spotted Lavitz sitting in a chair beside her. He smiled slightly.
"We were starting to wonder if you were ever going to wake up. How are you feeling? Did you have any strange nightmares? Who was...?" he started questioning her, but Abigail cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"Lavitz! Relax! I'm all right!" she sighed and looked around, "Never thought I would ask this, but, where's Dart?"
"He lost consciousness shortly after you did. In fact, he's still out cold. I think he's in the bed by the door," said Shana, who standing at the foot of Abigail's bed, cradling Midnight in her arms. Abigail looked at Dart thoughtfully for a moment and grinned impishly.
"I think I can wake him up." With that said, Abigail hopped off her bed and stood at Dart's bedside. She stared at him for a moment, stilling grinning playfully. Then she reached down and pinched his nose shut. After a few seconds, Dart's eyes shoot open and he sat up, coughing and gasping for air. Abigail laughed as Dart gave her a look.
"The quickest way to wake someone up. I do it to my little brother whenever he tries to oversleep," she smirked and sat down next to Dart, still grinning, "Okay, I'll try to answer any questions you want to ask me about last night." Lavitz looked at her.
"Who was that boy you were fighting?" Abigail frowned and stared hard at the floor before sighing heavily.
"His name is Gale Peterson and he despises me with a passion. I don't know why. I mean, we used to be inseparable. Then one day he says he hates me. The thing that made me hate him was the fact that if he couldn't find me, Gale would take his anger out on my little brother." Midnight, sensing that her owner was upset, hopped out of Shana's arms and sat on Abigail's lap, purring. Abigail absently scratched the kitten on the head, staring straight ahead.
"I guess that's a rather sensitive subject. Sorry if that upset you..." Lavitz muttered, scratching his head. Abigail, whose attention was currently on Midnight, looked at Lavitz with a grin.
"Don't worry about it. I had a hunch that someone was going to ask about him sooner or later." Before any more questions could be asked, a Basil knight dashed into the room and saluted Lavitz. Abigail gave the knight a mock disapproving frown while Midnight hissed.
"Don't you know how rude it is to barge in without knocking?! Where are your manners?!" The knight shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, mumbling apologies. Abigail watched him, a small grin spreading across her face, and started snickering. Then she burst out laughing, falling back on the bed. The dumbfounded knight stared at her in disbelief as she smirked.
"I was only joking! Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to take me seriously! I'm probably the biggest hypocrite when it comes to manners." Lavitz smiled and looked at the confused knight.
"Was there something you had to tell me?" Realization dawned on the knight's face and he saluted Lavitz again.
"Sir Lavitz, I have been told that the Seventh Fort is under attack by the Dragon!" Lavitz stood up with a start.
"WHAT?! I have to get down there right away!" With that, he started toward the door, but was stopped by Dart.
"Lavitz, wait. We'll come with you," Dart smiled, stepping forward with Shana and a second later, Rose. Lavitz stared at the group, at a loss for words, and then smiled. He paused and looked at Abigail, who was now standing beside Shana.
"Abigail, you should probably stay here. You're still recovering from your injuries..." he protested, but Abigail dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
"Trust me, Lavitz. I'll be fine, although I appreciate your concern for my well-being," she grinned. The knight cleared his throat, causing everyone to look in his direction. He walked toward Abigail and held a slim katana, complete with a leather scabbard, out to her.
"A gift from Sir Kaiser, for discovering the assassin..." he smiled weakly. Abigail smirked and took the sword from him.
"Hey thanks!" The knight nodded, saluting again. When he didn't leave, Abigail gave him a questioning look.
"Err... Did you need something else?"
"Sir Kaiser has asked me to accompany you and Sir Lavitz to wherever it is that you may be going, Miss Abigail." Abigail raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I don't mind, but just one thing; don't call me 'Miss.' I hate formalities." The knight laughed nervously.
"As you wish, M-... err... I mean, Abigail." Lavitz frowned slightly.
"Thomas, I think you should stay here. You were only knighted just recently." Thomas looked positively chest fallen.
"But...but Sir, I..." Abigail gave Lavitz a stern look.
"Now, Lavitz, you wouldn't want Thomas to get in trouble with Sir Kaiser for not following orders, would you?"
"Abigail, Kaiser would understand my reasons for..." Abigail strapped on her scabbard and held up a finger in front of Lavitz's face, stopping him.
"Look, you're not going to get rid of me or Thomas that easily, so forget it!" Thomas nodded quickly.
"That's right!" Lavitz stared at them for another moment before smiling.
"Thank you... everyone." Rose cleared her throat. Everyone's attention was on her.
"To ensure any kind of safety, we must kill the Dragon. It's really the only way," she said, softly.
"Yesterday, I overheard some knights saying that the Dragon was mostly seen flying around the mountains passed the Seventh Fort. Maybe that's where its nest is," Abigail said, shrugging. Dart looked at the ceiling for a moment.
"That's... passed the Volcano Villude. A forest, I think..." Abigail looked at him, grinning impishly.
"You think? I hope you didn't hurt yourself." Dart glared at her as she snickered. Lavitz sighed in annoyance.
"If you two are finished fighting, can we please get going?" he said, impatiently. Abigail gave him a mock pout.
"Hmph. Killjoy... Fine, let's move out." The group gathered the rest of their gear, and began their trek to the stricken Seventh Fort.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Errr... I can explain the lateness of this chapter... School started in August, so I don't have much time to type...
Abigail: Go on, admit it. You were lazy and you had Writer's Block!
Errr... right. The chapter is shorter than I originally wanted it, but I think I made you wait long enough. Rest assure, I do plan to finish this fic! On a different note, while I constantly Abigail and Dart bicker, I have nothing against Dart. I just think it's funny ^_^. I'll TRY to get the next chapter done sooner.
Abigail: Yeah, right...
-_-' ......yeah. Anyway, expect more Dart teasing! Later!
Disclaimer: ...Must I repeat myself...? R+R please!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"This is Hoax? It looks like a fortress," Shana said as the group walked through the gates. Abigail made a face. 'Looks more like a boot camp to me.' Lavitz sighed slightly.
"Not by choice. We need to speak with Kaiser, first." He muttered, pointing toward the central building. The others nodded and followed him inside and walked to the back of the building. Once there, the group spotted Kaiser and two knights in blue, who looked up as they approached the table. Kaiser smiled slightly.
"Ah, good. You've arrived, Lavitz," he said, and then looked curiously at Lavitz's companions, "Who might they be?"
"These three warriors are here to help. Dart, Shana, and Abigail. They can be trusted, I assure you," he said, smiling. Kaiser smiled in return.
"Any help we can get is appreciated. Dart, Lavitz, and Abigail will watch the front gate. Shana, could you cook meals for the soldiers?" Shana smiled and nodded while Lavitz gave Kaiser a doubtful look.
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Kaiser?" Shana stared at him in utter disbelief while Abigail gave him a look and slapped her hand to her forehead. 'Oh brother...'
"What? How can you say that?! I'll have you know that Mrs. Slambert gave me a nice compliment," Shana huffed. Lavitz smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I don't know..." Dart decided to come to Shana's aid.
"I don't care what the food tastes like. Just make a lot." Shana frowned.
"I don't like what Dart said too much..." Kaiser offered his two cents. (...Or should I say two gold?)
"Edible is fine. Just salt is enough for taste." If at all possible, Shana's frown grew.
"Mr. Kaiser too." Lavitz frowned and looked at Kaiser.
"Kaiser! Why do you have to stir things up even more?" he asked. Abigail laughed shortly. Everyone looked at her.
"Well Lavitz, if you hadn't started this, we wouldn't be debating on Shana's cooking skills," Abigail shook her head with a chuckle, "Since we know what we're supposed to do, I'm going outside to walk around. Later," That said, she waved to them and walked out the door. Dart looked at Lavitz.
"...For once, I agree with Abigail. You did start this, Lavitz."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'Since I already know where everything is around here, I'll relax for a while,' Abigail thought, leaning against the wall and shutting her eyes. She was just dozing off when someone cleared his or her throat, causing her to look up. Standing in front of her was a Basil knight, or so it seemed. His tunic was rumpled and his armor wasn't on straight. Abigail turned her gaze toward the ground to hide her suspicious frown. Looking back up, she pasted a fake grin on her face.
"Something you need...?"
"Good day, m'lady. I apologize for troubling you, but I bring a message from Albert for Lavitz and Kaiser. Could you direct me to them?" he asked, courteously, bowing slightly to her. 'Hmm... If this guy is one of the lower-ranking grunts of Basil, wouldn't he refer to Albert has His Majesty...? Wouldn't he also call Lavitz and Kaiser 'Sir?'' She pretended to look thoughtful.
"Uhhhh... They're both inside the building behind me, but they are a little busy right now. Why don't you tell me the message and I'll relay it to them?" Abigail asked. The "knight" frowned and walked toward the door that Abigail indicated, only to have her block it.
"M'lady, this message is 'very' important. It is imperative that I see them now," he stated, looking rather menacing. Abigail smirked mischievously.
"Trust me, 'friend'. That message can wait a few minutes. It's strange, though. I always thought that knights like you referred to King Albert has His Majesty. Lavitz does and he is Albert's best friend. Why is it that the other knights refer to Lavitz and Kaiser as 'Sir' while you don't, hmmm? What is it that makes you so special?" she paused when the "knight" reached out to shove her out of the way, "Touch me and you'll lose that hand." He scowled again.
"It seems, 'm'lady', that you are becoming quite a nuisance. In the name of His Majesty, Emperor Doel, I'll put an end to your meddling once and for all! And after I take care of you, I shall dispose of Kaiser and Lavitz as well," he drew his sword and charged. Abigail sidestepped the initial slash, but was sliced across her forehead by a backslash. Abigail's hand shot to her head as she stumbled backwards, blood seeping through her fingers. Midnight, whose head was peeking out of Abigail's jacket, hissed at her owner's assailant. As the assassin lunged at Abigail to finish her off, the door swung open and Lavitz, along with Dart, stepped out. The fake knight stopped in his lunge and attacked Lavitz. Abigail, ignoring her dizziness as best she could, swung her arm around the assassin's throat and choked him until he passed out. As two knights hauled the unconscious killer away, Shana and Kaiser walked out to see what all the commotion was. Shana took one look at Abigail and gasped.
"Abigail, what happened to your head?!" Shana shrieked. Abigail smirked weakly as Shana and the others looked at her in alarm.
"I was... wondering... when you'd... notice me... bleeding... all over... the place... but I'm... just fine... Couldn't... be... better... Aw hell... Who am... I... kidding...?" she muttered before losing consciousness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Abigail opened her eyes, only to see a familiar black void. 'Aw damn it... Not this again...' she growled in her thoughts. The darkness faded to show what looked like a forest. Abigail was about to walk around when she heard a glass-shattering scream, causing her to cringe. She looked behind her to see a young red-haired girl in a white tunic, a sky-blue vest, and tan pants running from a humongous white dragon with turquoise eyes. The child looked like she was going to get away, until she tripped on a rock and fell. She gazed at the dragon fearfully and made a feeble attempt to defend herself. Before the dragon could attack, a mighty yell rang through the trees.
"FINAL BURST!" A streak of fire flew through the air and hit the dragon square in the head. The dragon screeched and would have fallen on the girl if she hadn't disappeared in a flash of indigo light. Hovering a few feet from where Abigail was standing was Rose, decked out in her Dragoon Armor, with the child clinging to her neck. Zieg, also wearing Dragoon Armor, flew toward them.
"That was a little too close. Are you all right?" he asked. The girl looked at Zieg and nodded mutely. Zieg smiled gently.
"What's your name?" The girl shifted timidly before answering. The answer left Abigail speechless.
"...Razzia..." Zieg was about to question the child further when the dragon's corpse emitted a multi-colored light. Zieg and Rose watched in amazement as the light rose from the carcass and floated toward the young Razzia. The light died to reveal a small white stone resting in the palm of Razzia's hand. The young girl gazed at the stone in bewilderment while Zieg and Rose conversed in private. They nodded in agreement and walked toward her.
"It seems that the Moon Dragoon Spirit has chosen you as its master, Razzia. If you come with us, we can teach you to use your new power. I am Zieg, the Red-Eyed Dragoon, and this is Rose, the Darkness Dragoon. We'll escort you to Vellweb," Zieg said, taking Razzia's hand. As they flew off, the forest faded into darkness once more. 'How much longer do I have to put up with this shit?!' Melbu Frahma appeared again, disrupting Abigail's thoughts. Before she could react, Melbu attacked, Dragon Buster poised to skewer her...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Abigail's eyes shot open and she sat up. Groaning, she rubbed at her eyes, grumbling mild curses the whole time. She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone spoke up.
"You're finally awake. I was starting to worry." Abigail looked up to see Lavitz sitting on the steps nearby, watching her intently. She sighed and sat beside him.
"Everything all right, Abigail? Did you have another nightmare?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, it's nothing serious," she shrugged his hand off and looked around. It was dusk and Abigail could hear owls hooting in the distance.
"Where's Dart? For that matter, where's Midnight?" she asked. Lavitz ran his fingers through his hair and nodded his head toward the town.
"Midnight is with Shana in town and Dart went into town to get something. He said that we can tell when the Sandora soldiers are in the forest by listening to the forest creatures." As Lavitz spoke, Abigail heard the faint sound of wings flapping in panic.
"So, we're supposed to listen for the owls to fly away or something, right?" she asked, looking toward the forest.
"Yes..." he paused, "Why do you ask?" he looked at Abigail, puzzled.
"Because there they go," she answered, pointing at a bunch of owls flying in every direction. Lavitz nodded slowly, grabbed his spear, and scanned the forest for the enemy. Abigail stood behind him, listening. Suddenly, sharp whistling filled the air as flaming arrows rained down from behind. She glanced back as Lavitz spun around.
"It figures that they'd use the back entrance," Abigail sighed. Lavitz stood beside her and saw Dart fighting off Sandoras. Without thinking twice, he ran to the center of town, leaving Abigail at the gate. She sighed tiredly.
"Well, well, well... What have we here? The Knights of Basil left a little girl to watch the front gate all by herself? That's wasn't a good move..." Abigail turned around, only to stand face-to-face with a ninja-like Sandora knight. She hopped back a step and raised her fists. The knight laughed as Abigail growled.
"You're going to regret calling me 'little girl' you asshole! Wipe that smirk off your face before I do it for you!" she hissed. When the knight continued laughing, Abigail uppercut him in the jaw, knocking him backwards. Then, she grabbed the collar of his tunic and heaved him over the wall.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"VOLCANO!"
"SPINNING CANE!" Lavitz looked up toward the front gate, remembering that he left Abigail standing there. 'Oh no...' He was shocked to see an Elite Sandora knight standing nearby. Lavitz turned to Dart.
"Dart! They're coming over the wall! I'll handle the knights down here. You help Abigail!" he hollered over the shouts of the other knights. Dart looked up in time to see Abigail throw the knight over the side.
"Abigail can handle the gate!" Dart shouted. Suddenly, there were screams followed heavy footsteps coming from the back gate. He turned around and saw a gigantic man carrying a huge ax and a young brown-haired man with aquamarine eyes about Abigail's age standing behind him, smirking. The man wore a white sleeveless shirt; green pants with a skull patch sewn on one knee, black boots, a silver choker, and black, fingerless gloves. He also had a heart tattoo on his left arm.
"You mentioned a girl named Abigail. Might you know where I can find her?" the man asked, stepping forward.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Have a nice trip, Sandora freaks!" Abigail taunted as she threw another soldier over the side. She turned her attention to the screams coming from town.
"I-It's a Giganto!" Abigail cursed mentally as she noticed the giant. 'Damn! I forgot all about Kongol! Wait a sec... Who is that standing beside him?' she gasped in surprise, 'No, it can't be him! How can he be here?! Just when I thought I wouldn't have to put up with him!' She cursed foully and leaped onto the roof beneath her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Oh, forgive me. Where are my manners? Permit me to introduce myself. My name is..." the man began but was interrupted.
"GALE!" Dart and Lavitz looked up to see Abigail leap from the roof to the ground and run up to the group. She came to a halt beside them and glared menacingly at the man she addressed as 'Gale'.
"Ah, Abby. It's so good to see you..."
"Cut the crap, Gale! And don't call me 'Abby'! What the hell are you doing here?!" she growled. Dart and Lavitz looked warily at the two teenagers as 'Gale' chuckled softly.
"Always the straight forward one, eh, Abby? You never were one to 'beat- around-the-bush'. I'll cut right to the chase. As you can see, I'm fighting on Emperor Doel's side. I hate to break it to you, but since you fight for Basil, I have to kill you. Isn't that a shame?" he smirked.
"Abigail, do you know him?" Lavitz asked as he watched the boy, but received no answer.
"You must like getting your ass kicked if you're challenging me to a fight! Alright then, one-on-one, Gale!" Abigail hollered as she raised her fists. Gale laughed again.
"As it should be. Kongol, take care of those other two, but leave Abigail to me!" he said. Kongol nodded and started toward Dart and Lavitz. Without warning, Gale charged at Abigail and punched her in the jaw, knocking her backwards. Abigail regained her balance quickly; wiped away a bit of blood from her lip, and punched Gale in the nose, effectively breaking it. Gale glared at Abigail and threw another punch at her jaw, only to have her grab his arm and throw him off balance. She glanced toward her friends only to see Lavitz had been thrown into a pile of crates and Kongol advancing on Dart, who was on the ground. 'Shit! Where's Rose?! She should be here by now!' Abigail searched the sky anxiously. When she turned to face her opponent, Abigail was knocked off her feet by a surprise tackle from Gale. An idea came to Abigail as she fell and she acted as soon as she hit the ground, planting her foot in Gale's stomach and flipping him up and off her. He crashed into Kongol, causing the Giganto to miss his mark. Abigail sighed in relief. 'That was close... Wait a sec! Now I'M open to...' She jumped backwards just as Kongol's ax sliced the ground and backed away slowly. 'Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit! NOW what?! I just HAD to tell Master Txing that I was never going to be in a situation where I would need to know how to spot weak points!' Just then, a dark shadow flew over her head and knocked the giant back. The figure turned toward Dart. (Err...a bit lengthy, yes? -_-')
"Wake up! Dragoon of the Red-Eyed Dragon!" Abigail watched as brilliant flashes of light surrounded Dart. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain shoot up her spine. Gasping in pain, she turned her head enough to see Gale smirking maliciously has he pulled his pocketknife out of her back.
"That's...dirty...pool...Gale," she hissed before collapsing into unconsciousness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
With a slight groan, Abigail opened her eyes to find herself staring at the ceiling. Abigail continued staring for a few minutes, trying to figure out how she got there when she heard someone sigh in relief. She sat up and spotted Lavitz sitting in a chair beside her. He smiled slightly.
"We were starting to wonder if you were ever going to wake up. How are you feeling? Did you have any strange nightmares? Who was...?" he started questioning her, but Abigail cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"Lavitz! Relax! I'm all right!" she sighed and looked around, "Never thought I would ask this, but, where's Dart?"
"He lost consciousness shortly after you did. In fact, he's still out cold. I think he's in the bed by the door," said Shana, who standing at the foot of Abigail's bed, cradling Midnight in her arms. Abigail looked at Dart thoughtfully for a moment and grinned impishly.
"I think I can wake him up." With that said, Abigail hopped off her bed and stood at Dart's bedside. She stared at him for a moment, stilling grinning playfully. Then she reached down and pinched his nose shut. After a few seconds, Dart's eyes shoot open and he sat up, coughing and gasping for air. Abigail laughed as Dart gave her a look.
"The quickest way to wake someone up. I do it to my little brother whenever he tries to oversleep," she smirked and sat down next to Dart, still grinning, "Okay, I'll try to answer any questions you want to ask me about last night." Lavitz looked at her.
"Who was that boy you were fighting?" Abigail frowned and stared hard at the floor before sighing heavily.
"His name is Gale Peterson and he despises me with a passion. I don't know why. I mean, we used to be inseparable. Then one day he says he hates me. The thing that made me hate him was the fact that if he couldn't find me, Gale would take his anger out on my little brother." Midnight, sensing that her owner was upset, hopped out of Shana's arms and sat on Abigail's lap, purring. Abigail absently scratched the kitten on the head, staring straight ahead.
"I guess that's a rather sensitive subject. Sorry if that upset you..." Lavitz muttered, scratching his head. Abigail, whose attention was currently on Midnight, looked at Lavitz with a grin.
"Don't worry about it. I had a hunch that someone was going to ask about him sooner or later." Before any more questions could be asked, a Basil knight dashed into the room and saluted Lavitz. Abigail gave the knight a mock disapproving frown while Midnight hissed.
"Don't you know how rude it is to barge in without knocking?! Where are your manners?!" The knight shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, mumbling apologies. Abigail watched him, a small grin spreading across her face, and started snickering. Then she burst out laughing, falling back on the bed. The dumbfounded knight stared at her in disbelief as she smirked.
"I was only joking! Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to take me seriously! I'm probably the biggest hypocrite when it comes to manners." Lavitz smiled and looked at the confused knight.
"Was there something you had to tell me?" Realization dawned on the knight's face and he saluted Lavitz again.
"Sir Lavitz, I have been told that the Seventh Fort is under attack by the Dragon!" Lavitz stood up with a start.
"WHAT?! I have to get down there right away!" With that, he started toward the door, but was stopped by Dart.
"Lavitz, wait. We'll come with you," Dart smiled, stepping forward with Shana and a second later, Rose. Lavitz stared at the group, at a loss for words, and then smiled. He paused and looked at Abigail, who was now standing beside Shana.
"Abigail, you should probably stay here. You're still recovering from your injuries..." he protested, but Abigail dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
"Trust me, Lavitz. I'll be fine, although I appreciate your concern for my well-being," she grinned. The knight cleared his throat, causing everyone to look in his direction. He walked toward Abigail and held a slim katana, complete with a leather scabbard, out to her.
"A gift from Sir Kaiser, for discovering the assassin..." he smiled weakly. Abigail smirked and took the sword from him.
"Hey thanks!" The knight nodded, saluting again. When he didn't leave, Abigail gave him a questioning look.
"Err... Did you need something else?"
"Sir Kaiser has asked me to accompany you and Sir Lavitz to wherever it is that you may be going, Miss Abigail." Abigail raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I don't mind, but just one thing; don't call me 'Miss.' I hate formalities." The knight laughed nervously.
"As you wish, M-... err... I mean, Abigail." Lavitz frowned slightly.
"Thomas, I think you should stay here. You were only knighted just recently." Thomas looked positively chest fallen.
"But...but Sir, I..." Abigail gave Lavitz a stern look.
"Now, Lavitz, you wouldn't want Thomas to get in trouble with Sir Kaiser for not following orders, would you?"
"Abigail, Kaiser would understand my reasons for..." Abigail strapped on her scabbard and held up a finger in front of Lavitz's face, stopping him.
"Look, you're not going to get rid of me or Thomas that easily, so forget it!" Thomas nodded quickly.
"That's right!" Lavitz stared at them for another moment before smiling.
"Thank you... everyone." Rose cleared her throat. Everyone's attention was on her.
"To ensure any kind of safety, we must kill the Dragon. It's really the only way," she said, softly.
"Yesterday, I overheard some knights saying that the Dragon was mostly seen flying around the mountains passed the Seventh Fort. Maybe that's where its nest is," Abigail said, shrugging. Dart looked at the ceiling for a moment.
"That's... passed the Volcano Villude. A forest, I think..." Abigail looked at him, grinning impishly.
"You think? I hope you didn't hurt yourself." Dart glared at her as she snickered. Lavitz sighed in annoyance.
"If you two are finished fighting, can we please get going?" he said, impatiently. Abigail gave him a mock pout.
"Hmph. Killjoy... Fine, let's move out." The group gathered the rest of their gear, and began their trek to the stricken Seventh Fort.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Errr... I can explain the lateness of this chapter... School started in August, so I don't have much time to type...
Abigail: Go on, admit it. You were lazy and you had Writer's Block!
Errr... right. The chapter is shorter than I originally wanted it, but I think I made you wait long enough. Rest assure, I do plan to finish this fic! On a different note, while I constantly Abigail and Dart bicker, I have nothing against Dart. I just think it's funny ^_^. I'll TRY to get the next chapter done sooner.
Abigail: Yeah, right...
-_-' ......yeah. Anyway, expect more Dart teasing! Later!