I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

We were two days out from Fletz when the village of Rouge came into view. It wasn't even on land, except for a small portion, so Commodore Puller decided not to risk bringing the Queen Fury too close, lest we run aground and destroy the entire village. Instead, we took a small launch over to Rouge's docks.

Haschel was in high spirits when we arrived; this was his home, and he hadn't been back in over twenty years. Not since his daughter had run away and he'd left to find her. I was unhappily certain that his quest was in vain; from what I had pieced together, his daughter Claire was Dart's mother, and that meant she'd died eighteen years ago, when Rose attacked Neet. There had only been three survivors, and Claire wasn't among them.

We quickly found out just how much of a backwater Rouge was: when asked about Winglies, the mayor looked puzzled. "What's a Wingly?" was all he asked.

Well, Mr. Mayor, my friend there with the platinum hair is one. So is the other fellow with platinum hair, the one in black. But I guess I can't expect you to notice such things; I mean, you don't even recognize the master of your local martial art?

The mayor was of some help. He mentioned a "stick" that had recently turned up in the waters off Rouge's coast. It hadn't been there before, and he thought it might something to do with what we were looking for.

From the village's observation platform, we were able to determine that the object was considerably larger than a stick. "What do you think it is?" I asked Rose.

She frowned, thinking. "The only Wingly city near the water was the Magical City, Aglis. That 'stick' is probably it."

"But how do we get to it?" Albert asked. "The launch would never make it, and the Queen Fury is too large."

As if in answer, the ground began to shake. It was so abrupt and unexpected that I was thrown over the railing; only the quick use of my grappling hook stopped me falling all the way.

When I finally climbed back up, the others were staring at the sea. I turned to see what was up, then stared as well. The sea had parted, forming a shallow area that a launch would be able to pass through. Reminds me of Moses parting the Red Sea. Only this is parting an ocean. And if that's not Aglis beyond it, I'll eat my sword. Only a place like that could have sufficient magical power to accomplish such a feat.

As we headed back to Rouge's dock, I glanced around. I had the odd feeling I was being watched, yet I sensed nothing. As my senses were more acute than ordinary humans, and my training with kuji and Dragoon Spirits had given me a high sensitivity to magic and energy fields. If someone was watching me, I should have been able to sense them.

* * *

It was indeed Aglis that we entered, after leaving Rouge. Rose recognized it, and there was unlikely to be any other place in Endiness with that much raw magical power. It was intense enough that I had to close my mind to input other than from my normal senses. Prolonged exposure to the energy fields that gave power both to the Dragoons and the kuji-using ninja, from what I had been taught, could lead to madness to those with high enough sensitivity. Too long without filtering it, and I could die. Magic was a double-edged sword.

"So this really is Aglis?" I asked Rose.

She nodded. "Yes. The Magical City, where there greatest magic users lived. Their power permeates the city now."

"I can feel it. In fact, it's enough to be dangerous to me. As both the sensei of the Gekido Oni Art of Ninjutsu and the Diamond Dragoon, amounts of magic this large can pose a serious threat to my health if I'm not careful. High magic ability is useful in battle, but leaves me more vulnerable to it."

About then a small creature came over to us. "Ruff is to show you to Savan, ruff. He wants to talk to you, ruff."

I looked at the others, perplexed. "'Ruff'? And who is this Savan?"

Miranda reacted with less restraint. "Just give us the message or I'll rough you up!"

The magical creature looked up at her. "'Rough you up'? Ruff hasn't seen it, so Ruff doesn't know, ruff."

I glared at Miranda. My first impression of her hadn't been very good, and her temper continued to irritate me. A warrior was supposed to be calm, not constantly ready to tear someone's head off in a fit of rage. "Forget it, Miranda. This thing obviously wasn't designed with much intelligence in mind. It's enough that we know where to go to find this Savan. Presumably, he's a Wingly, though what he would want with Dragoons is beyond me."

Rose nodded. "Ian's right; we need to get moving. We must reach the Signet Sphere before Zieg." Miranda continued to look murderous, but made no comment.

We came across several more of the creatures along the way, none of them much brighter than Ruff, all of them spouting their messages in the same irritating speech patterns. We also encountered a fairly sizable monster population along the way; whoever Savan was, he apparently wasn't much as a housekeeper. I'd seen thousand-year-old ruins with less dust and animal life.

Eventually, we came to an odd room with some sort of cylindrical mirror in the center of the floor. "What's this?" I glanced at Rose, but she appeared to be just as puzzled.

"I don't know, but it appears to be a Wingly artifact. Quite powerful, in terms of magic use."

Not another Wingly artifact, I thought. I've had way too much trouble with those things. First the mirror that brought me here, then the thing von Schneider cloned me with. So what's this?

Without warning, an image appeared in the mirror. It was us, replicating our movements in real time. So that's it, I realized. That's why I felt like I was being watched. I was.

In the next room, Savan appeared. Clearly a very old Wingly, he looked as if he were already dead, and had simply failed to notice. He was also entirely bald, unusual for a Wingly.

"Welcome, Dragoons," he said. "I have been waiting for you, for seven thousand years."

"You're Savan?" Dart asked.

"Yes. And you are the son of Zieg, here to defend the Signet Sphere from your father. But I fear we have little time for introductions. We must begin work immediately."

"Ikko shunji. What kind of work? Mind telling us what's up?" My hand strayed unobtrusively to the pistol holstered at my right hip. I didn't trust Savan; of course, I didn't trust anyone else until they'd proved themselves, either.

Savan nodded. "Of course. At the end of the Dragon Campaign, eleven thousand years ago, I used magic to make my body immortal, and sealed myself here in Aglis. And for four thousand years, my existence served no purpose."

I raised my eyebrows. This wasn't the sort of thing you expected to hear from a Wingly; at least not if you believed the tales calling them arrogant enslavers, one and all.

"Then, seven thousand years ago, Rose saved me."

I glanced at her. She seemed as puzzled as the rest of us. "I don't recall ever meeting you before."

The old Wingly nodded. "True. But it was at that time that I saw you in the mirror, saw you working to protect the world. It was then that I acquired a cause, and I began my research to help you. It has taken thousands of years, but it is nearly ready."

"What?" Albert asked.

"The new Signet Sphere, Moot, and the Psychedelic Bomb. With one, the God of Destruction will forever be barred from its birth, and with the other, you will be able to defeat Zieg. Moot is ready; it will be activated shortly."

"So what do you need us for?" Meru asked.

Savan looked at her. "It takes courage to activate the Psychedelic Bomb, and mine was not sufficient. Yours, however, should be more than enough. To draw it out, you will all be put through trials, to test your courage."

Dart nodded slowly. "Alright. What do we do?"

"Follow me." Savan lead us into another room, with several circles on the floor, resembling teleport pads, with colors corresponding to our Dragoon armor. "Step on those."

The other Dragoons stepped onto the pads. I hung back; none of them matched my black diamond armor. I glanced at Savan. "What about me?"

"You need no trial," he replied. "You have already been through more difficult tests of courage than I could devise. It takes a great deal of courage to face your enemies, the vampires, when a single wound could doom you."

I shrugged. "Perhaps. The banpaia can be frightening. But it is what I was born and bred for."

Distantly, the clash of swords echoed. "I suggest you ready your blade," Savan said. "It would appear you will be tested after all."

My hand went to Arashi-Jisan's hilt. "What are you talking about?"

I was answered when Ryan came sailing into view. His flight was uncontrolled, and he landed on the floor in front of me, hard. "Ryan! What happened!?"

"Do you really need to ask?" A voice, with a German accent. Only one creature I knew had that foul voice.

I drew my katana as I spotted the source of the voice. "Draco," I breathed. And he was wielding Soul Slayer.

"Yes, me. But then you already knew I would be back, didn't you?" The vampire smiled. "You can put away your weapon, by the way. I'm just here to show you what I've acquired. Goodbye, Takahari. Until next time." He turned, transforming into a bat swarm.

"Von Schneider! Wait, you kakushigo!" I hate that bat. It was clear that von Schneider was getting away, so I went over and helped Ryan to his feet. "You okay, ototo?"

He groaned, rolled over, and stood. "Yeah, mostly. Ki genni kega."

"I bet it did. Von Schneider and Soul Slayer are bad enough separately. Together, we've got problems."

Ryan finally looked around. "What is this place, anyway? And where's everybody else?"

Savan answered for me. "This is the Wingly city Aglis, and your friends are undergoing tests of their courage, to activate the weapon that can stop Zieg. Like the Diamond Dragoon, your courage has already been amply tested."

At Ryan's look of incomprehension, I quietly explained. He nodded slowly when I finished. "I see. So we just wait here for the others to get back?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't be too long. Now answer me this: how did that abominable bastard get the Soul Slayer? In the first place, he should still have been recuperating from losing his head, and in the second, it should have taken a lot longer to get very far from Ulara. Where did you encounter him?"

Ryan shrugged. "I was checking some rumors near the remains of Neet. I found the sword there, damaged but still powerful, thrust into the head of grave. That was when your old buddy Draco showed up and took it. He said something about getting his revenge against you by killing me, and came at me. I ran like a bat out of hell, and ended up running from there all the way back to Fletz, where I was told where you guys had gone. I took a ship to Rouge, and then von Schneider caught up with me on the way over here. The rest you know."

"You're really lucky, you know that? At least you had the good sense to run; you were never trained in vampire hunting and he would have torn you to pieces." I glared at him. "But did you have to lead him here? Draco didn't want you; he wanted you to lead him to us. Me, if you want to be specific. And I don't have time to deal with that maniac right now."

"Sorry, niisan. But like you said, I don't have any vampire killing experience. You and Kenji are the only people in Endiness that do."

I nodded sadly. "I guess you're right. But make that only people anywhere. The Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi were the only ninja in the hunt, and we've been all but wiped out."

* * *

Silence reigned until the rest of the group returned from their trials. Rose came back first; it appeared she had also not been tested. The others weren't far behind.

"Ryan? You're back?" Karen was the first to notice his presence.

"Yeah. Thanks to Ian's old enemy." Ryan winced. Apparently, he'd been slightly injured.

"It's worse," I said grimly. "The Count has Soul Slayer."

"Nothing we can do about it right now," Dart said. "Right now, we have to get to the Signet Sphere."

"This way," Savan said. "It is time to activate Moot."

He lead us deeper into Aglis's labyrinth of corridors, eventually coming to a large room containing the first Signet Sphere I had actually seen. Near it was a grotesque, squid-like creature. "That," Savan said proudly, "is the Last Kraken. It guards Moot, and nothing will be able to get past it."

I felt a cold wind go through me. Something was amiss; I could feel it. I drew my katana, spinning to face the Last Kraken. "Zieg! Show yourself!"

I could feel the others staring at me. "Ian? Have you gone nuts?" Ryan asked, with his usual lack of tact.

I ignored him. "Come on, Zieg. I know you're here."

The Last Kraken began moving out of control. Then we heard Zieg's voice. "So, you are a sensitive, Takahari. Unfortunate, but hardly catastrophic. You will die here, all of you, and the Signet Sphere will be destroyed."

"Dad! Stop!" Dart shouted.

"The Last Kraken is out of control!" Savan said worriedly. "It must be stopped!"

"Un, hon'in nou." I tensed, preparing to jump. "Dart?"

"Right. Let's go!" Dart was engulfed in flames for a moment, then emerged as the Red-Eyed Dragoon. "Final Burst!"

"Rose Storm!"

"Supernova!"

I screamed a battle cry, something that my ancestors would have uttered in a battle like this, then leapt into the fray. "Imasara temae saikoro, kaibutsu! Biribiri Ken!" Riding the wings of a Dragoon, I swept down on the abomination, slashing at its tentacles.

A hit sent me slamming into the ground, then another tentacle wrapped around me, picked me up, and flung me headlong into a wall. I fell, dazed. Once more I heard Zieg, taunting me. "You see? You can't protect anyone! Not even yourself!"

Another body fell beside me. Rose. Slowly, painfully, I raised my head. "That's… where you're wrong, Zieg. You'll wish… you never made me angry." I climbed to my feet, leaving Arashi-Jisan where it lay, and returned to human form. Standing there unarmored, I flung away the short cape I normally wore, and reached for my belt. Despite the hits I'd taken, my pistols were still there, and I quickly drew them, flicked the safeties off, and opened fire. The fourteen .50 caliber bullets (seven from each gun) ripped into the Last Kraken, inflicting grievous wounds.

When the magazines were exhausted, I used the moment of breathing they'd bought to help Rose to her feet. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yes. Thank you." Rose glared at the creature. "I don't understand how Zieg got the power to control the Last Kraken. That's beyond even Dragoons."

"Yeah. And I think it's time to end this." I retrieved my katana and began to focus. Arashi-Jisan took on a red glow. I must give Arashi-Jisan everything I've got. When the glow turned to a corona of fire, engulfing the blade, I hurled it into the Last Kraken.

The results were dramatic. It was evidently water-based, and when the fiery sword struck it, it made an inhuman howl of pain and rage, then slumped, dead.

The room began to shake even as I pulled the sword from the corpse. "Savan! What's going on!?" I heard Dart yell.

"The energy from the Dragoons and the Last Kraken have destabilized Moot. It's going to explode!" Savan sounded broken. The work of thousands of years, wiped out in an instant. "I'll teleport you to safety."

"Savan! Wait!" But the room was already wavering. When my sight cleared, we were outside the Signet Chamber.

Dart ran to the door. "Savan! Get out of there!"

His voice came to us, faintly. "No. I'll stay here to the end. Hurry to Zenebatos! I will give you wings to fly. Goodbye…"

There was a tremendous explosion, then silence. Savan, and the Signet Sphere, were gone.

* * *

We made our way back to the chamber where we had arrived. Before his death, Savan had mentioned that the teleporter to Zenebatos was near there.

We gathered in the chamber. Along the way, we had found Savan's magical creatures dying, and with their last power, they had opened the way. "Is everyone ready?" Dart asked softly.

"Yes."

"Then let's go." We stepped onto the pad, and the world went away.

Author's note: Chapter 26 complete. Looks like the story will be wrapped up soon. Next chapter, Ian and Rose return alone to Vellweb, to free the lost Dragoons. Surprises await them, there in the dead city.

Not much to translate this time; it took me 45 minutes to write the author's notes last chapter, so I decided to cut down on it. Here they are: "ototo" is "younger brother"; "ki genni kega" means "that really hurt"; "niisan" translates as "older brother"; "kaibutsu" is "monster"; and "Biribiri Ken" means "Ripping Blade". "Banpaia" is another word for vampire.

That should about cover everything. Read it and let me know what you think of it. ~Solid Shark