Same disclaimer.

"Plague" proved to be all too accurate. Right from the get go, Miranda got on almost everyone's nerves. Dart appeared unaffected, and Rose made a show of ignoring her, but Lavitz…I'd never seen him so close to murderous. For my part, I managed to stay clear of her.

Mac tapped me on the shoulder. "Ray, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure."

We slowed our pace slightly, allowing the others to move ahead. "Ray, you've been a little too free with information. Specifically, our weakness," Mac said.

I cursed inwardly. How could I be so stupid? "You're right, Mac. I've been an idiot."

"How many people here know our true nature?"

I thought briefly. "Outside of our group, nine. King Zior of Tiberoa, his daughters Emille and Lisa, Fester the astronomer, Queen Theresa and the remaining Sacred Sisters, and, of course, Lloyd. Of that group, only Lloyd has both the motivation and the ability to take advantage of that. The others at least know how to keep their mouths shut, so we should be safe."

"I hope so." The Highlander shook his head. "Lloyd. How does he know about us? What in blazes does he want?"

"Back in Tiberoa, he said something about reforming the world. As for how he'd know about us, your guess is as good as mine." As we resumed our trek, I caught sight of Miranda haranguing Rose about something or other. "There's an explosion waiting to happen."

"No kidding," Richie said as we caught up. "That Sacred Sister doesn't seem very sacred."

Richie, as usual, was being flippant, but that didn't invalidate what he'd just said. "Rose, Miranda, would you please knock it of? We've got more important things to do than verbally destroy each other."

The reminder had its intended effect; Rose lapsed into silence, while Miranda spared me one glare and turned away.

"Sheesh," I muttered. "And she's the White Silver Dragoon. Why couldn't the Spirit have stayed with Shana? Everybody likes her."

"If you don't like me, why'd you let me come along?"

I gritted my teeth. "We didn't 'let' you come along, Miranda, you insisted on it. And since you are the Dragoon of the White Silver Dragon, there's no help for it." I pulled my staff and smashed a giant rat out of my way. "Though how you wound up with that Dragoon Spirit is beyond me. You're not exactly the most congenial person I've ever met."

"This from a guy who beheads people for a living?" she sneered.

That almost prompted me to put my katana to her throat. Careful, Belmont. "Miranda, if I thought you had the slightest idea what you were talking about, I'd slap you. If some maniac challenges me, I have to take his head, or he will take mine. I don't like it, but I have no choice. Now buzz off."

Miranda glared a moment longer, then complied. I rubbed my temples wearily, trying to stave off a headache. This is going to be a long trip.

Meru guided us to what appeared, at first, to be a dead end. "This is where the Winglies shut themselves in after the Dragon Campaign."

"A magical barrier?" Rose guessed.

The other nodded. "They wanted to keep away from humans." She looked at the ground. "Maybe I'll get kicked out again."

"Kicked out?" Lavitz repeated carefully.

"Uh-huh. We're not supposed to leave the forest. If we do, we can't come back." Meru raised her head defiantly. "But we can't do that anymore. We have to work together, or we'll all die." Her wings appeared, and the barrier faded. "Let's go."

I stepped through, and immediately had to jump back to dodge a fireball. "What was that!?"

Meru waved her hands. "Stop! It's me!"

Our assailants, three Winglies, stared in disbelief. "Meru! How dare you bring humans here! And a Dragon too!"

"That's my Dragon, and the humans are my friends!" Meru yelled. "We have to see the Ancestor!"

One Wingly flew off, while the other two landed. "Why are you here?"

Dart stepped forward. "The king of Dragons, the Divine Dragon, has awakened. We need to borrow the Dragon Block Staff in order to defeat it."

The third Wingly returned. "The Ancestor says he will meet with the humans!"

His companions relaxed. "All right." One glanced back at us. "Please try not to stir people up. Few of us have ever seen a human, and many hate you. Also, watch out for the Bardel brothers."

"Who are the Bardel brothers, and why do they hate us?" I asked Meru as she led us deeper into the forest.

"The Bardels hate you because of their sister," she replied in subdued tones. "She left the forest, and a human killed her."

"So they hate all humans because of that," I said. "Wonderful."

I found out just how deep-seated this hatred was just after meeting Meru's parents. We took a warp plate up to a sort of hospital room, and were immediately confronted by the elder of the Bardel brothers. He looks like trouble.

"Bardel! What do you want!?" Meru exclaimed.

The other Wingly glared at her. "I'm here to take revenge for my sister!" he snarled.

Dart held up a hand. "Wait. We didn't come to fight. We're here to borrow the Dragon Block Staff."

"We don't need human help!" Bardel snapped. "We're stronger than you will ever be!"

Rose snorted derisively. "Stronger? Haven't you noticed that your power is deteriorating even as you cling to a vanished world?" She waved a hand. "You can barely fly and that's about it, right?"

Enraged, Bardel began charging a fireball. "We'll beat the Dragon ourselves!" He let fly at Dart, and the whole room seemed to explode. When the light faded, Dart was standing there in Dragoon form, having effortlessly deflected the attack. The Wingly fell to his knees. "It can't be! Is this the legendary Dragoon!?"

Rose spared him a disdainful glance. "The ones who flaunt their power disappear when the truly powerful appear."

I followed her out, shaking my head. I hope the Ancestor isn't this hostile.

The Ancestor greeted us in his chamber. "Welcome, humans and Giganto. I am Blano, the Ancestor of the Forest."

Miranda went to one knee. "I am the First Sacred Sister, Miranda. I have come for aid."

Blano nodded. "I understand. The Divine Dragon has awakened. Only by working together can we survive."

"Then you will let us borrow the Dragon Block Staff?" Miranda asked.

"We no longer have the Dragon Buster, so we must use the staff," he replied. "It is in the Forbidden Land, once the royal capital Kadessa. I will send you there."

I hesitated, then spoke. "Sir, Meru has told us about your law regarding access to the Forest. I believe she is right."

Blano frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It is time for the separation to end." I swung one arm. "Humans, Gigantos, Winglies, it doesn't matter. We are all people. We have different abilities, but that doesn't matter, either. And, if I may anticipate your next argument, the Dragon Campaign was over long ago, and the Dragon is no longer the ally of humans alone." I nodded to Meru. "Meru is the Dragoon of the Blue Sea Dragon, the Dragoon of Water. That, incidentally, is why we brought a Dragon of our own."

"Perhaps you are right." He led us to a large teleporter. "This will take you to Kadessa. Good luck."

I felt something very strange the instant we arrived. Kadessa, though a ruin, still held a shadow of its ancient majesty. That, however, was not what drew my attention. It's as though despair has penetrated the very walls. Makes sense; the final battle of the Dragon Campaign was fought here. I glanced at Rose. This place contains powerful memories for her. I think we'll both be very glad to leave.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who felt ill at ease there; Meru was visibly nervous.

Dart noticed, too. "What's wrong, Meru?"

The Wingly shivered. "I hear the cries of those who died here during the Dragon Campaign."

I snapped my fingers. "So that's it."

Meru looked at me in surprise. "You feel it, too?"

"We Immortals are all psychic to a certain extant," Methos explained. "That's how we can sense each other. Some of us are immensely powerful in that regard."

"Like Roland Kantos," Mac muttered, so softly that only I could hear him.

"We don't have time for this," Miranda snapped. "We have to find that staff."

"For once I agree with you," I said. "Let's go."

Kadessa may once have been a splendid capital, but by the time we got there it sure wasn't a vacation spot. The whole place was crumbling, though the warp plates were still working for some odd reason. Aside from that, of course, there were monsters galore.

Our next stop was in what looked suspiciously like a coliseum. Wide central area, tiered seating, add those weird warp plates, yes, I do believe what we have here is a Wingly fighting arena. Probably used for Romanesque gladiatorial games. Ugh.

Meru confirmed it. "This place was used for fights between subject races. Humans, Dragons, and some Gigantos, they would fight to the death for the amusement of the ruling Winglies." She crouched and shivered. "I am the offspring of that kind of Wingly."

"Key word is 'offspring', Meru my friend," I said. "You're no more responsible for this than Albert is for Emperor Doel's lunacy."

"Belmont's right," Methos added. "You are responsible for your own actions, not those of someone who died thousands of years ago."

"Thanks."

Three hours, ten warp plates, and an indeterminate number of monsters later, we came to what appeared at first to be a dead end. The path was blocked by a huge shape, one that, while its appearance was unfamiliar, nevertheless reminded me of something we'd faced before. I have a bad feeling about this.

Dart stared at it, then shrugged. "I guess we'll have to go back."

"Wait!" Rose said. "This is a Virage!"

"What is a Virage?" Mac asked.

"A monster used by the Winglies during the Dragon Campaign," Albert explained. "We've fought two already. They are extremely dangerous."

As if the King's words were a command, the Virage began to move. "Not again," Lavitz moaned, drawing his spear. "I am so tired of Virages."

"Join the club," I said acidly, readying my own weapon. "This will not be fun."

"Be careful," Rose warned as we moved to attack. "This is a Super Virage. They are far more powerful than normal ones."

"Just what I didn't need to hear," Methos muttered.

The ensuing battle was our nastiest up to that point. Rose had understated the Super Virage's power; it was all we could do just to keep up. Handicapped as we were by our inability to fly, we Immortals concentrated on distracting it. That, plus Albert's Rose Storm and Miranda's healing magic was all that kept the Dragoons from being annihilated.

Even then, it was a close call: right before it died, the Super Virage unleashed a HUGE blast of energy, hitting everyone at once, Amanda fatally.

Mac cursed in Gaelic. "That was fun."

"Get used to it," I advised him. "This bunch seems to attract big ugly monsters."

Once Amanda revived, it didn't take long to reach the Dragon Block Staff. What is it with Virages? First Volcano Villude, then the Valley of Corrupted Gravity, and now this. Is it because of Shana, or Dragoons, or humans, or what?

The Staff itself proved to be rather unremarkable. "This can subdue the Divine Dragon?" Miranda snorted, her voice dripping disdain.

Rose glanced at her. "You can't tell an object's magic power by its size."

"And you would know, wouldn't you?" The Sacred Sister retorted.

I kept a firm hold on my temper. "Miranda, shut up. I told you before, we don't have time for this. Or would you rather have the Divine Dragon finish what it started?" I added coldly. What is wrong with her!?

Meru sprouted her wings. "I'll get the Staff."

She should have said "try to get". Meru grabbed the Staff, all right, but in doing so awakened a powerful guardian. Even uglier than the Super Virage, the Grand Jewel was in some respects even more dangerous. Specifically, it used the Dragon Block Staff on us, rendering the Dragoons almost useless.

"No one transform!" Dart snapped. "Hit it with everything you've got!"

The next hour was a blur. Some images still stand out: Kongol's massive axe; Richie's characteristic thrust-and-parry style; Dart, slashing with grim determination; Meru sending an occasional blast of Wingly magic; Miranda pelting it fro afar.

After a long and arduous battle, the Grand Jewel fell, chopped in half by a strike from Kongol. He picked up the Staff. "We have what we came for. Let's get out of here."

Just before we reached the exit, we got the scare of our lives: the Divine Dragon passed low overhead, so low that I had to duck to avoid being nailed. "What's he doing here!?"

Miranda's eyes widened. "He was flying towards…oh no! Deningrad!"

We met Blano as soon as we returned to the forest. "Ancestor Blano," Dart said. "The Divine Dragon-"

"I know," Blano interrupted. "I'm teleporting you to Deningrad!"

At first there wasn't enough power, but then Meru's parents and her fiancé showed up to help. We were on our way soon enough. I just hoped we were in time. Shana, please be safe.

Author's note: Another fairly dull section out of the way. Next up is the encounter with the Divine Dragon, where, as I said, there will be some major changes. I might be mistaken about Richie's fighting style, but this one fits better regardless; a rapier just isn't made for wide slashes. As a side note, Ray and Miranda are not going to hate each other's guts for the whole trip, I just thought it would be an interesting way to start. D.S.