"So, the Wingly refuge war camp is still there," Erisi whispered as she stared out into the desert. She rested her chin on her knees as her keen eyesight picked up slight movement. Winglies. Winglies have always been early-risers on average, and they were heading towards them.
Erisi quickly slid off her rock, lest she be seen. Crouching behind the boulder, she watched the Winglies fly overhead. They headed west, and Erisi knew exactly where their destination would be.
"The Valley of Corupted Gravity," she said. "That's where they're headed."
Erisi stood, and froze when she heard a low, high-pitched cry.
She spotted a dark spot on the ground and headed for it. The dark spot turned out to be a wounded animal. Erisi bent over and scooped it up in her arms. It was a creature just like Phoenix.
"Oh, it's a Manoo," Erisi whispered. The Manoo, female, had dark brown fur with a golden colored streak down her back.
The Manoo opened her eyes. She had silver eyes. "Who are...?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, you must be..."
"Shh," Erisi said. "Don't talk."
"It's my wing," the Manoo said. "I think it's broken."
Erisi sat down on a boulder again and gently set the Manoo on her lap. She gently rubbed the Manoo's wing and the pain receded and seemed to mend itself.
The Manoo stood and experimently flapped her wings. "Thank you very much! My name is Sun Raye."
"Well, Sun Raye, my name is Erisi, and I know another Manoo. He has light brown fur from head to tail." Erisi said.
"He?" Sun Raye asked. "What's his name?"
"Phoenix," Erisi answered. "And you, how'd you get a name like Sun Raye?"
"My mother," Sun Raye answered. "She was a rather smart Manoo for a wild one. She liked the sun-like streak down the middle of my back."
Erisi held Sun Raye in her arms. "You're so soft."
Sun Raye purred happily.
Claira woke up. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she walked over to Erisi.
"You're up early," Claira muttered.
Erisi looked over at her. "Claira, time to wake up. Not too long ago, a whole fleet of Winglies passed overhead from that village. They're headed for the Valley of Corrupted Gravity."
Claira blinked her eyes several times. "They Valley of Corrupted Gravity?" She saw Sun Raye. "Oh! She's so cute! She looks like my Phoenix!"
"I would like to meet this Phoenix," Sun Raye said. "Seeing that my kind are endangered and rare."
"What's her name?" Claira asked.
"Sun Raye," Erisi replied. "She's a very pretty Manoo."
The others started waking up.
Erisi rushed over to them. "Albert! Dart! The Winglies, they have left for the Valley of Corrupted Gravity!"
"What?" Dart asked.
"The Valley of Corrupted Gravity?" Albert said. "How do you know?"
"I saw them leave in that direction," Erisi said.
"Great," Dart muttered.
"Are you sure?" Haschel asked.
Erisi was beginning to get slightly annoyed. She pointed west. "The only thing in that direction besides Mille Seseau is the Valley of Corrupted Gravity and the Home of Giganto. And in order to get to the Home of Giganto, one would need to pass through the Valley of Corrupted Gravity."
"Ok, whatever," Meru said, sitting up. "Let's go."
"Wait a second," Dart said. "Don't we need permission from Albert's father-in-law to go there?"
"Albert's father-in-law?" Claira asked.
Erisi looked at her. "King Zior of Tiberoa."
"Why don't we go check it out?" Deirdre suggested. "Maybe they went through the Valley of Corrupted Gravity. If that's the case, we could just go to Fletz and get permission. I mean, with Albert, that shouldn't be too hard."
"Where would they go if they went through the Valley of Corrupted Gravity?" Claira asked.
Before anyone else could answer, Sun Raye piped up. She sat on Erisi's shoulder.
"The Home of Giganto. Two years ago, it was used as a thieves' hideout." Sun Raye said.
"Kongol is from there," Kongol said.
"That's obvious, big guy," Sun Raye replied. "You're a Giganto."
Dart and co. came up to the gate that separated them from the Valley of Corrupted Gravity. Someone powerful blew a large, gaping hole into the gate.
Dart had only one thing to say. "Winglies."
"I agree," Albert said. "No creature is this physically strong. Maybe Kongol, but he's the last Gigantos and he's been with us the whole time."
Lavitz walked up to the hole and inspected the ragged edges around it.
"Where are the guards?" Meru asked.
"Good question," Lavitz replied.
Sun Raye sniffed the air and flew up to the abandoned guard posts. She sniffed the wooden planked scaffold.
Blood. Sun Raye thought, inspecting the darkened stains on the wood.
She flew back down to Erisi. "There are blood stains on the flooring up there."
"Really?" Erisi asked.
"Blood from whom?" Dart asked.
"Winglies, I hope," Haschel commented.
Sun Raye shook her head. "No. It was Human blood."
"How can you tell?" Lavitz asked.
Sun Raye sat on Erisi's shoulder. "Wingly blood as a different odor to it than Human blood. It's hardly noticable, but there's a difference. We Manoos have evolved to have the ability to speak, have 'advanced' intelligence, and a great sense of smell."
"So, this means that the Tiberoan guards are dead?" Claira asked.
"Maybe, maybe not," Sun Raye said. "The Winglies may be killed them and disposed of their bodies, but by the looks of it, they probably wounded them and took them hostage."
The Valley of Corrupted Gravity fascinated Claira. She looked around, watching chunks of rock free-floating up and down. "How did this happen? I mean it does seem kinda obvious that this wasn't caused by some bizarre natural phenomenon."
"It was the clash between Wingly and Dragoon magic that caused this deformed gravity," Erisi explained. "Winglies can't fly through here. So, since we're trailing Winglies, we know they're on foot."
"Why can't they fly?" Claira asked.
Erisi held Sun Raye in her arms. "Flying creatures like Winglies can't fly through here because of the disrupted gravity. The gravitational pull is now equal up and down instead of the gravitational pull being more prominent downward. So flying creatures can't cope with that, and they are normally just thrown sideways."
Meru looked over at Sun Raye, whom looked sick to her stomach. "What's wrong, Sun Raye?"
"It's this gravity, I think. My body isn't used to this awkward gravitational pull, and it's making me feel sick." Sun Raye answered.
Claira patted Sun Raye on the head. "You'll feel better soon."
They soon exited the Valley of Corrupted Gravity.
"What's that?" Claira asked, squinting her eyes to see the vast ruins in the distance.
"The Home of Giganto," Dart answered.
"Wait!" Meru said.
Dart, Albert, Lavitz, and Haschel froze and turned around.
"What?" Dart asked.
"Isn't it at all possible that the Winglies could be using the Home of Giganto as a hideout?" Meru asked.
Dart shrugged.
"Yes, I suppose it is possible," Albert said.
"Well, a group of..." Meru paused, taking a head count, "nine people would be rather noticable to a sentry, wouldn't it?"
Dart exchaned glances with Albert, Lavitz, and Haschel.
"Wow, I don't believe it," Haschel said suddenly, breaking the silence. "I'm actually siding with Meru What she says has sense."
"What are you suggesting, Meru?" Lavitz asked.
"Well, isn't it obvious?" Meru put her hands on her hips. "You guys used me as a spy once before. Why not again?"
"Why not?" Lavitz said.
Dart jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Go ahead. Just don't get yourself in trouble."
Meru shot up into the air.
Sun Raye looked over at Erisi. "Can I follow her?"
"Be my guest," Erisi said.
Sun Raye rose up into the sky, flapping her feathery wings, and let out a loud squeak about five feet up.
"What's wrong?" Erisi called.
"Look! Meru!" Sun Raye answered.
Meru had run into another Wingly who had black hair. It was obvious that they were having a heated argument. However, it seemed as if Meru was just yelling at the stranger, and he was keeping quiet. He smiled, and flew past her. As he did so, he grabbed hold of Meru's wrist and dragged her along. They landed atop a high wall, and crouched behind a large stone statue, hidden from sight.
"Now what?" Meru whispered.
"We wait," the stranger said. He looked at Meru. "Is today special, or are you always yelling at strangers?"
Meru blushed. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm not used to strange Winglies."
"I know how that feels," he said. He offered his hand to her. "I'm Matthias."
"Meru." Meru grinned.
"Look!" Matthias whispered urgently. Two figures appeared below. Meru slunk behind an adjacent stone statue.
Meru gasped as she saw the two figures. "That-that's him!"
"Who?" Matthias asked.
"It's Repard!" Meru answered. "He led an attack on Bale."
"He makes me sick," Matthias said. Meru looked at him with a curious look on her face. He wore an expression of disgust. "You were right, Rose. Winglies who hold onto the glory of the past are disgusting."
"You knew Rose?" Meru asked.
"Yeah," Matthias answered. "You too?"
Meru nodded. "We fought against Melbu Frahma together in the Moon That Never Sets two years ago. Even though I'm a Wingly, I can still be a Dragoon!"
"A Dragoon, huh?" Matthias said, turning his head back towards the pair below them. "A Dragon Master..."
"Yep!" Meru said, smiling. Her smile quickly faded away. "Yeah, I, um..."
Matthias turned his head towards her. "What?"
She was staring behind him with a frightened look on her face. He whirled around.
"Well, well, well..." a Wingly guard walked up. "What do we have here? A couple of spies, no doubt."
Meru gulped. They had been caught.
"Looks to me as if she's cooperating with that other Wingly pretty well," Claira said.
"Let's hope," Dart said, looking up towards the ruins, with his right hand up, shielding his eyes.
A scream suddenly tore though the peace of the countryside.
"Run Meru!" Matthias yelled.
A second Wingly guard snuck up behind Meru, but she saw his shadow, whirled around, screamed, and knocked him upside the head with her hammer. The blow knocked the guard clean off the wall, and he fell to the ground with a dull thud.
She jumped up on top of a large stone statue. "Matthias!"
Matthias shoved the first guard to the floor of the wall ramparts. "Don't worry about me, just go, Meru!"
Winglies flew in from everywhere. Many of which were wielding swords. As they closed in on her, she flew upwards from her perch, into the air.
"She's a Wingly!" One of the Wingly soldiers exclaimed.
Boy, hadn't she heard that too many times.
Below, Matthias shot upwards into the air out of a pile of Winglies. He carried with him a long javelin. He didn't bring out his wings until he was up to Meru's altitude.
"Wow," Meru said, looking impressed. "Don't tell me. You're a lancer, right?"
Matthias shrugged. "You could say that."
"Both of them are Winglies!" Another soldier said.
"What are you waiting for, get them!" A familiar voice called.
"Uh-oh, looks like trouble," Lavitz said, observing the ruins.
Dart made a sound that sounded like half a laugh. "'Uh-oh'?"
"What?" Lavitz asked.
"I never thought 'uh-oh' would ever be in your vocabulary, Lavitz," Dart said, smiling.
"Why not?"
Dart put his hands on his hips and tried to impersonate Lavitz. "'Tut, such a trifle wound.'" He blew a raspberry. "What was that? Never in my life had I heard someone use words like 'tut' until I met you."
"And your meaning would be...?" Lavitz smiled. "Stop teasing me."
Dart placed a hand on his forehead in fake exasperation. "Must you rhyme?"
Lavitz laughed.
"Um, guys," Deirdre called. "I think you two should be watching this."
Meru caught a glimpse of the man who'd given the order to attack. She gritted her teeth together.
"Blian, I shoulda known," Meru said through clenched teeth.
The fight for survival had begun. Meru turned her head to check on Matthias; she didn't need to. He seemed to be holding his own...far better than his opponenets were. Meru was impressed by his physical strength and stamina. As she did so, however, a Wingly soldier swung his sword at her head. He missed her head, but sliced clean through the ribbon she wore to hold her hair in the ponytail. Meru froze; the severed ribbon's two pieces fell from her hair and drifted slowly to the ground as her long platinum hair hit her shoulders. Meru's surprised expression suddenly melted away to reveal anger.
"You...CREEP!!" Meru yelled. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID!!"
Matthias stood safely on the sidelines; he'd seen a female Dragoon pissed once before, and didn't want to be caught in the middle of it...again.
"YOU ALMOST DECAPITATED ME!" Meru yelled. All the Wingly soldiers had backed away from her except the culprit; he stood rooted to the spot, fifty feet above ground.
This would've hilarious if it weren't for the serious tone of events.
"YOU'LL PAY!!" Meru screamed.
No one, not even Meru, expected what was to happen next.
A sudden supernova of bright blue light temporary blinded Dart and co. as they raced towards the Home of Giganto.
"God, what is that?" Dart said, shielding his eyes with his arms.
"I think the question is," Haschel said, his hand up to his face. "Who is it?"
When the intense blue light subsided, a platinum-haired Blue Sea Dragoon stood in mid-air, holding in immense hammer.
"Oh." Matthias said. "She really is a Dragoon. The Blue Sea Dragoon."
The Winglies scattered. "She's a Dragoon!"
"QUIET!"
The Winglies congregated swiftly into a group. General Repard raised into the air, flanked by Captain Blian, his second-in-command.
"Repard..." Meru growled.
"Repard, huh?" Matthias said suddenly. He flew over next to Meru. "I know the name. There was a General Repard during the Dragon Campaign, correct?"
General Repard nodded. "Yes. I am his descendant."
Dart and co. ran into the ruins. They halted, looked up, and heard every word spoken.
"But...how do you know about General Bied Repard?" General Repard asked.
Matthias grinned rather nastily. "Because...I was the one who killed him."
"What?" Repard said.
Meru gasped. "Matthias...what...?"
A jet-black light began to resonate at his chest. When the resonating stopped, Matthias spoke. "Yes, I came from the time of the Dragon Campaign. I fought on the side of the Humans, for I believed in their struggle to survive."
"Who are you?" Blian asked.
Matthias glanced at him. "I was called the Dragoon of Death, but was more commonly known as Matthias, the Divine Son."
There was a silence.
"Matthias!"
Matthias glanced downward. "No..." His eyes grew wide as he knew the danger that had befallen her. "No, Erisi! Run!" Many Winglies suddenly tackled him.
"Leave him alone!"
Matthias froze. That voice...no...
Blian turned and looked down. He sneered. "A small girl. Go home to mommy before you scrape your knees, little girl."
"I am not a little girl," Deirdre said, the coldness of her voice echoed around. "Leave him be."
Matthias looked back down. That's not Erisi...who is that? Could that be...?
Blian stretched a hand out towards Deirdre. A red ball of magic formed in the palm of his hand.
"Deirdre!" Lavitz called.
The red ball shot from Blian's hand and at Deirdre. In response to this, Deirdre put her right hand up, angled at Blian. The ball of magic right on her hand and exploded. Clouds of dust and smoke flew into the air.
Coughs rang through the air.
"I--*cough*--I don't believe it," Dart said, nearly choking on the dust. "She caught it!"
When the dust receded, Deirdre wasn't there.
"Deirdre?" Lavitz said. "Where is she?"
"Look!" Albert pointed upwards.
Deirdre stood up in the air, in the same pose as before, not a scratch on her...except...transparent blue dagger-shaped wings had sprouted from her back.
"My god..." Lavitz muttered.
"I can't believe it," Dart said. "She's a Wingly."
Meru stared at Deirdre. "I don't believe what I'm seeing..."
Deirdre fell suddenly from her pose, doubling over, and clutching her chest. She was breathing heavily.
Blian's shocked look fell into an immense grin of relief. "Well, it seems that our little heroine bit off more than she could chew."
"Now that we have seen what she can do," Repard said, moving forward. "Secure her. She may be valuable to our cause. For all we know, she could be the Divine Daughter."
Deirdre the Divine Daughter? This was too much for Lavitz.
"Leave her be!" He yelled as a burly Wingly male came up behind Deirdre and trapped her arms to her sides with his own strength.
"Let her go!" Meru snarled as she zipped over, swinging her immense hammer. She caught Blian on the side of the head with it, and he fell from the sky like a rock.
Landing on the stone ground, he pulled himself up with a groan. He held the side of his bleeding head. "You'll pay for that, brat." He powered up a strong magic blast.
Before he could really do anything else, Claira came out of nowhere and slammed a fist into his stomach, then into his chin in a swift uppercut, and then flipped over, driving her toes into his face.
"Somersault!" Claira cried.
Blian was knocked clear off his feet, and before Claira could do anyting but stand, another burly male Wingly caught her from behind. She struggled to get out of his grasp, but he took flight before she could.
A Wingly soldier snuck up behind Meru and hammered her hard on the back of the head with the flat of a blade. This caused Meru to fall from her Dragoon state and to unconsciousness. Two small stout Wingly men caught her.
"Enough of this!" Repard called. "Take them to HQ. And be quick about it." As the others Winglies left, Repard flew over to Blian, who was nursing his wounds. He dealt his subordinate a hefty blow to the back of the head. "How could you be harmed by those weaklings?"
"Forgive me General!" Blian begged, cowering in the glare of his superior officer.
"Follow the others, and get out of my sight," Repard said, a threatening edge to his voice. Blian slunk away, tailing the rest of the Winglies.
Repard turned to face his opponents. "Let you be warned, Humans. A war is coming. And this time, you won't be on the winning side." With that, he turned and left.
"How would we know where to find them?" Dart asked suddenly.
Albert sat down on a chunk of rock that appeared to have once been an arm to an enormous eroded statue. He propped his chin up on the heels of his hands as his elbows rested on his knees.
Lavitz leaned up against a fallen statue. He glanced up at a silhoetted figure on the wall top. "Looks as if he thinks all this doesn't concern him. Why does he keep hanging around?"
"No. To him, this event does concern him," Erisi said, standing in the shadows of a statue.
Lavitz turned his head to look at her. "What do you mean?"
Erisi emerged out into the blazing sunlight. "He's blaming himself for what happened."
Lavitz snapped his back around to his front. "Why should he?"
Erisi placed a hand on Lavitz's arm. "Please don't feel contempt for Matthias. I thought he had grown out of that. Listen, he feels remorse because he couldn't stop what happened to them."
Matthias walked up.
Erisi removed her hand from Lavitz's arm and dropped it to her side. "Matthias..."
"Erisi," Matthias said. "I believe I know where they are."
Lavitz looked taken back. "You do."
Matthias glanced over at Lavitz. "I realize you must be displeased with my earlier acitons. But, if you consent," he motioned to the whole group, "if all of you consent to forgive me for my mishaps, it would make the atmosphere more friendly for our journey."
"Journey?" Erisi asked.
"Like I said, I believe I know where the Winglies are based." His expression turned serious. "And it's not a friendly place either."
Erisi looked shocked. "It's-it's not where I think it is is it?"
"Depends on what you're thinking of," Matthias said. "To me, however, it's like home."
"Matthias, they're just...children!" Erisi exclaimed. "They can't be taken to a place like that!"
"Deirdre's not a child," Lavitz piped up.
Erisi glanced at him briefly. I was referring to Claira and Meru."
"What kind of place would be almost like home to you?" Dart asked.
Erisi whirled around. "Just think about it, Dart! Matthias is the 'Omega', the end. He represents death! They've been taken to the Death City Mayfil!"
"Mayfil? That's no place for them! Deirdre's far too fragile for an enviroment like that!" Lavitz exclaimed. "I should know I've been there!"
"Of course," Matthias snapped. "Where do you think the Princess rose you from?"
Lavitz opened his mouth the argue, but was forestalled by Albert.
"Enough bickering. That won't get us anywhere," Albert chided.
Lavitz turned around. "Yes, King Albert."
Haschel turned to Matthias. "Question."
"Yes?" Matthias asked.
"How could you tell that they're in Mayfil?" Haschel asked.
"I sensed what felt like a twinge through my magical connection with this planet," Matthias tapped the side of his head as he explained. "Winglies such as myself who have survived since the Dragon Campaign still have the ability to sense other Winglies by their magic component. Nowadays, since Wingly magic is declining, I can no longer sense many other Winglies."
"But," Dart interjected, but was held off by Matthias' look.
"The twinge I felt was not of Wingly descent," Matthias continued. "I felt that twinge many times during the Dragon Campaign. Not too long ago, a Dragoon spirit resonated from the dark depths of Mayfil."
There was a momentary silence.
Finally, Dart broke the silence. "We won't get far on foot. Let's head to Fletz, and talk to King Zior about it. Then, if we can, hitch a ride on the Queen Fury, and get to Deningrad in Mille Seseau to pick up Miranda."
"That's not a bad idea, Dart," Albert said. "We'll have no trouble getting to our destination."
Haschel grinned. "That's only because King Zior's rather fond of you, Albert."
"That's an advantage," Lavitz added.
"Let's go," Dart said, taking one last look around.