DDX- Nope, I didn't die. Here's the next chapter.
Chapter 6: Unclear Visions
Lavitz threw the winds of the river into the current. Alex stood in the water, trying his best to redirect the swift flow of the raging river. Nimbulo's job was already done. Dart, Mike, himself, and Dragoness started to walk across the ice bridge. When they had pretty much reached the end, from the fog came a strong blast of wind and rocks that shattered the bridge to pieces, taking in the four warriors with them.
Lavitz and Alex lost all concentration and jumped out of the water to avoid being carried away. They conveniently landed on the good side of the river.
"Where'd they go?" Lavitz asked.
"Down the river. Hopefully there's a port at Edirose in the north up in the mountains. But this river empties north of Bale and Edirose is way north of there. They would drown before they ever reached land. Unless if we give chase" Alex explained.
They gave each other sly looks. Then Alex shook his head "Mike knows the waters and the piers. They know to meet us in Nissel"
Lavitz sighed, and they kept on trudging. They were silent for a while, hoping the four warriors didn't drown to death. Lavitz and Alex tried to dismiss the thought from their minds while they approached a small pier and port town. This wasn't Nissel, but it was a small resting-place.
--
Water engulfed the mouths and bodies of Nimbulo, Mike, Dart, and Dragoness. They all stayed buoyant, until they hit the rapids. The water took them down, and then threw them up again like toys. Then came the rocks. Dart had never seen rocks quite as sharp or as jagged as these.
Each of them tried to stop themselves from the oncoming danger. But none of their powers could halt themselves from the rapids. They started to brace themselves.
--
Shana stopped in Lohan. The place looked like a mess. But then she laughed, this place was so commercial, it always looked like a dump, she didn't know any better. Somebody spotted her.
"Hey! No unauthorized visitors for the next week. Didn't Bale send anything out to you?" the guard asked.
"Nope. I've been travelling from Seles" Shana replied.
"Seles? That's too far away for me. I don't trust you"
Shana gave him a look, then walked away. She gave herself a hundred yards, then rushed him with one of her curved masamunes drawn. When she connected with him, she basically clotheslined the guy. Satisfied, she started her search.
Upon an hour searching and finding nothing, she did notice an odd blacksmith shop that was obviously newly established. She walked in to check the place out, her weapon still drawn just in case.
"Welcome" a shaky, old voice said.
"Hi, I'm here about my weapons" she looked around while saying. She didn't spot the blacksmith at once, so she didn't know where to look.
"Oh yes! I see"
He finally revealed himself to be a short old man. He had a worn, tired look to his face. But he looked wise and tough. His muscles were large for an old man, but whatever would do for her.
"I'd like you to make my masamunes more durable for action" Shana requested.
"I can do it, hand me your blades please"
She handed over her blades and sensed odd warmth from this man. He was almost as old as Nimbulo. Shana saw a glimmer from her pack and glanced at the Star Dragoon Spirit. She thought for a moment if he could be a possible Dragoon. But she kept it in the back of her head as the blacksmith worked on her blades.
--
Rayne woke up, groggily. She had no idea what was going on. The last thing she remembered was a bright orange light and then she was asleep. Suddenly, she collapsed onto the bed again, sleeping.
--
Lavitz and Alex kept trekking to Nissel. The land they walked on was barren and mountainous. The path they took was infact between a range of mountains on the left and the cliff leading down to the river. They had been travelling uphill so the cliffs started to form. The walls were rocky and loose.
"Time to go find them?" Alex asked, obviously sick of the walking.
"We can try, but I think they're in great danger" Lavitz explained.
--
Dart and the group in the water had passed the rapids with all limbs intact. They were still floating and going downriver, but they were in good health. Suddenly, Dart noticed a limb coming from the canyon they were now in. It didn't look sturdy, but it would do.
"Everyone, make a chain! I see a limb!" Dart exclaimed.
They all held on together and Dart grabbed the limb, it stopped them with a whiplash. Dart started chuckling in thankfulness.
"Did you just feel that?" Dragoness asked.
Dart stopped laughing and put on a serious face "Feel what?"
"Something, I felt something move past my feet" Dragoness continued.
They all put on serious faces. Even underwater, Dart's hand flirted with his handle of his sword.
From the surface emerged a smooth hump of creature that appeared only for seconds at a time. It looked glossy blue with a line of spikes down the center. The top half was blue while the bottom half was pasty white. The size itself was about the same as that of two men's bodies laid side by side.
As if on cue, the creature itself splashed up from under the water. The head was long, sleek, and blue like its back. It rose to show itself as a large serpent. There were no eyes, just smooth skin. It's mouth gleamed a large, sharp set of teeth. It roared, and then rose it's full length, which was about the edge of the canyon they swam in.
"You have to be kidding me" Mike denied.
"I assure you, I'm not" Dart retorted "None of our magic will work, you just have to slash when it attacks with its head"
The creature gave a roar and then whipped its head. They braced themselves for an attack, but the creature instead whipped the branch they had grabbed.
"Shit!" Dart screamed as they went back into the water.
--
"All finished!" the blacksmith said "That will be 1500 gold please"
"Sure thing" Shana handed him the money.
He handed over her new blades. They were quite a sight. The blade was the same, only it was now turned a baby blue color. Instead of the hilt being opposite direction to the blade's path, it went the same way. So if you laid the sword down on a table, it looked somewhat like it was flattened. The real new part though, was the handle. They protruded out from the hilt on the side. In the left blade, it came out on the left side, and vice versa for the right blade.
Shana swung one of them through the air. It made an eerie whistling sound.
"I will call them, the Double Crescent Moon Blades"
There was a pause in speaking as she stared at her new weapons. Suddenly she realized the task at hand.
"I am sorry but I must take my leave! Thank you so very much" she called out as she left the store.
Shana thought for a moment for turning Dragoon. This place already looked like a wreck, what harm would seeing a Dragoon do? She pulled out the gem and a radiant rainbow glow appeared. She heard gasps around her as she took flight and from her path she threw buildings from the ground.
"Oops" she giggled.
--
Dart and the others were failing miserably. There was absolutely no hope in them winning the battle against the serpent. On top of that, the river's current was picking up, as were the waves. This made it hard for the warriors to stay afloat. None of their spells would be able to work either. Two fire elements, an electricity, and ice just weren't the mixture needed to defeat the creature.
"This is next to impossible," Dart called out, his voice full of water.
"Don't ask me, one attack and we'll all be fried," Dragoness stated.
Nimbulo was suddenly struck with an idea "Wait a second...Dart, if you and I turn Dragoon, we can carry Mike out of the water, then Dragoness as soon as he fires his attack"
"The currents are too high for our wings to get over. We'll be back in as soon as we're out" Dart informed, slashing at the head of the serpent that was now very near to them.
--
Lavitz looked down at the travelling speeds of his comrades from the cliffs above. He sighed, Dart could've done better. A sudden gust of wind hit him, and he jumped from the cliffs, Alex following.
An emerald light shone as he fell to the river below. The light encased Lavitz, his spear changing from good to better. Blades appeared at both sides as he fell down with it in his right hand. The armour of the Dragoon hardened around his body, and wings with mystical and mysterious energy sprouted from his back. He quickly halted his fall and then flew in behind the serpent.
His spear was positioned in front of him. Suddenly the metal on scale contact rushed through the creature. Crimson blood poured from the wound. Alex, seeing all of this, used his power to walk along the currents. He picked up Dragoness and Nimbulo and then threw them to the cliffs, hoping they would hang on. Lavitz did the same to Mike, seeing that Dart had already turned Dragoon and was flying toward the cliffs.
Once the group had reunited, they continued the silent trek to Nissel. Mike and Alex led the way, their mage powers emitting onto the group. These two were not the ones to argue with. Even Dragoness knew not to reckon with them.
Silence plagued them as they continued to trek across the unknown lands thick with sand and soil mixtures. The place was course, and the fog was the color of a dust storm. By now they had their arms covering their faces, the winds even picking up against them. They had to find shelter for the night, for the dust storm was coming. Although the place wasn't exactly a desert, it resembled one (because of the river to the east).
"There! A cave. We can sleep there for the night," Alex shouted over the coarse winds.
They could only barely make it into the cave, let alone see it. The space was cramped but there was enough for the warriors. Mike had started a fire with Dart, and Lavitz created a barrier to keep the sandstorm out. They all relaxed silently, thinking of what was to come, as the Lost Lands were only a few days away. --
Passing Seles in a quick minute, Shana had no idea where to go now. But something told her to go east, past everything she knew. Quickly, a strong fog had picked up on her. She descended from the stronger part and placed her feet on the ground gracefully. A bright flash illuminated the mist around her and she appeared surrounded completely in her regular clothing. Shana continued walking through the thick bog, making sure to travel forward only.
--
"So Lavitz. . . you never really told me how you got revived" Dart commented, breaking the silence.
"It was pretty simple really, one day a spirit visited me and told me that every pure spirit that was killed by the Dragon Buster had been granted life. Then, a light came over me and I was back in Bale" Lavitz explained.
"Dragon Buster?" Alex asked, puzzled.
"Don't be stupid Alex you know the story" Mike snapped.
"Just trying to get them to tell the story"
"That's an old one" Nimbulo laughed "I'll tell 'em the better story"
The men proceeded on listening in to Nimbulo's explanation of the Shadow War and the Shadow Campaign, which they had come to call it.
"Nimbulo, we never fought a whole army of republic army men, what are you talking about?" Dart questioned.
"Thought I'd put that in for laughs"
--
A/N: Wow. . . it's been almost a year since I've updated this. Hopefully some of you ancient folks like me are still here. Anyway, please review.
Chapter 6: Unclear Visions
Lavitz threw the winds of the river into the current. Alex stood in the water, trying his best to redirect the swift flow of the raging river. Nimbulo's job was already done. Dart, Mike, himself, and Dragoness started to walk across the ice bridge. When they had pretty much reached the end, from the fog came a strong blast of wind and rocks that shattered the bridge to pieces, taking in the four warriors with them.
Lavitz and Alex lost all concentration and jumped out of the water to avoid being carried away. They conveniently landed on the good side of the river.
"Where'd they go?" Lavitz asked.
"Down the river. Hopefully there's a port at Edirose in the north up in the mountains. But this river empties north of Bale and Edirose is way north of there. They would drown before they ever reached land. Unless if we give chase" Alex explained.
They gave each other sly looks. Then Alex shook his head "Mike knows the waters and the piers. They know to meet us in Nissel"
Lavitz sighed, and they kept on trudging. They were silent for a while, hoping the four warriors didn't drown to death. Lavitz and Alex tried to dismiss the thought from their minds while they approached a small pier and port town. This wasn't Nissel, but it was a small resting-place.
--
Water engulfed the mouths and bodies of Nimbulo, Mike, Dart, and Dragoness. They all stayed buoyant, until they hit the rapids. The water took them down, and then threw them up again like toys. Then came the rocks. Dart had never seen rocks quite as sharp or as jagged as these.
Each of them tried to stop themselves from the oncoming danger. But none of their powers could halt themselves from the rapids. They started to brace themselves.
--
Shana stopped in Lohan. The place looked like a mess. But then she laughed, this place was so commercial, it always looked like a dump, she didn't know any better. Somebody spotted her.
"Hey! No unauthorized visitors for the next week. Didn't Bale send anything out to you?" the guard asked.
"Nope. I've been travelling from Seles" Shana replied.
"Seles? That's too far away for me. I don't trust you"
Shana gave him a look, then walked away. She gave herself a hundred yards, then rushed him with one of her curved masamunes drawn. When she connected with him, she basically clotheslined the guy. Satisfied, she started her search.
Upon an hour searching and finding nothing, she did notice an odd blacksmith shop that was obviously newly established. She walked in to check the place out, her weapon still drawn just in case.
"Welcome" a shaky, old voice said.
"Hi, I'm here about my weapons" she looked around while saying. She didn't spot the blacksmith at once, so she didn't know where to look.
"Oh yes! I see"
He finally revealed himself to be a short old man. He had a worn, tired look to his face. But he looked wise and tough. His muscles were large for an old man, but whatever would do for her.
"I'd like you to make my masamunes more durable for action" Shana requested.
"I can do it, hand me your blades please"
She handed over her blades and sensed odd warmth from this man. He was almost as old as Nimbulo. Shana saw a glimmer from her pack and glanced at the Star Dragoon Spirit. She thought for a moment if he could be a possible Dragoon. But she kept it in the back of her head as the blacksmith worked on her blades.
--
Rayne woke up, groggily. She had no idea what was going on. The last thing she remembered was a bright orange light and then she was asleep. Suddenly, she collapsed onto the bed again, sleeping.
--
Lavitz and Alex kept trekking to Nissel. The land they walked on was barren and mountainous. The path they took was infact between a range of mountains on the left and the cliff leading down to the river. They had been travelling uphill so the cliffs started to form. The walls were rocky and loose.
"Time to go find them?" Alex asked, obviously sick of the walking.
"We can try, but I think they're in great danger" Lavitz explained.
--
Dart and the group in the water had passed the rapids with all limbs intact. They were still floating and going downriver, but they were in good health. Suddenly, Dart noticed a limb coming from the canyon they were now in. It didn't look sturdy, but it would do.
"Everyone, make a chain! I see a limb!" Dart exclaimed.
They all held on together and Dart grabbed the limb, it stopped them with a whiplash. Dart started chuckling in thankfulness.
"Did you just feel that?" Dragoness asked.
Dart stopped laughing and put on a serious face "Feel what?"
"Something, I felt something move past my feet" Dragoness continued.
They all put on serious faces. Even underwater, Dart's hand flirted with his handle of his sword.
From the surface emerged a smooth hump of creature that appeared only for seconds at a time. It looked glossy blue with a line of spikes down the center. The top half was blue while the bottom half was pasty white. The size itself was about the same as that of two men's bodies laid side by side.
As if on cue, the creature itself splashed up from under the water. The head was long, sleek, and blue like its back. It rose to show itself as a large serpent. There were no eyes, just smooth skin. It's mouth gleamed a large, sharp set of teeth. It roared, and then rose it's full length, which was about the edge of the canyon they swam in.
"You have to be kidding me" Mike denied.
"I assure you, I'm not" Dart retorted "None of our magic will work, you just have to slash when it attacks with its head"
The creature gave a roar and then whipped its head. They braced themselves for an attack, but the creature instead whipped the branch they had grabbed.
"Shit!" Dart screamed as they went back into the water.
--
"All finished!" the blacksmith said "That will be 1500 gold please"
"Sure thing" Shana handed him the money.
He handed over her new blades. They were quite a sight. The blade was the same, only it was now turned a baby blue color. Instead of the hilt being opposite direction to the blade's path, it went the same way. So if you laid the sword down on a table, it looked somewhat like it was flattened. The real new part though, was the handle. They protruded out from the hilt on the side. In the left blade, it came out on the left side, and vice versa for the right blade.
Shana swung one of them through the air. It made an eerie whistling sound.
"I will call them, the Double Crescent Moon Blades"
There was a pause in speaking as she stared at her new weapons. Suddenly she realized the task at hand.
"I am sorry but I must take my leave! Thank you so very much" she called out as she left the store.
Shana thought for a moment for turning Dragoon. This place already looked like a wreck, what harm would seeing a Dragoon do? She pulled out the gem and a radiant rainbow glow appeared. She heard gasps around her as she took flight and from her path she threw buildings from the ground.
"Oops" she giggled.
--
Dart and the others were failing miserably. There was absolutely no hope in them winning the battle against the serpent. On top of that, the river's current was picking up, as were the waves. This made it hard for the warriors to stay afloat. None of their spells would be able to work either. Two fire elements, an electricity, and ice just weren't the mixture needed to defeat the creature.
"This is next to impossible," Dart called out, his voice full of water.
"Don't ask me, one attack and we'll all be fried," Dragoness stated.
Nimbulo was suddenly struck with an idea "Wait a second...Dart, if you and I turn Dragoon, we can carry Mike out of the water, then Dragoness as soon as he fires his attack"
"The currents are too high for our wings to get over. We'll be back in as soon as we're out" Dart informed, slashing at the head of the serpent that was now very near to them.
--
Lavitz looked down at the travelling speeds of his comrades from the cliffs above. He sighed, Dart could've done better. A sudden gust of wind hit him, and he jumped from the cliffs, Alex following.
An emerald light shone as he fell to the river below. The light encased Lavitz, his spear changing from good to better. Blades appeared at both sides as he fell down with it in his right hand. The armour of the Dragoon hardened around his body, and wings with mystical and mysterious energy sprouted from his back. He quickly halted his fall and then flew in behind the serpent.
His spear was positioned in front of him. Suddenly the metal on scale contact rushed through the creature. Crimson blood poured from the wound. Alex, seeing all of this, used his power to walk along the currents. He picked up Dragoness and Nimbulo and then threw them to the cliffs, hoping they would hang on. Lavitz did the same to Mike, seeing that Dart had already turned Dragoon and was flying toward the cliffs.
Once the group had reunited, they continued the silent trek to Nissel. Mike and Alex led the way, their mage powers emitting onto the group. These two were not the ones to argue with. Even Dragoness knew not to reckon with them.
Silence plagued them as they continued to trek across the unknown lands thick with sand and soil mixtures. The place was course, and the fog was the color of a dust storm. By now they had their arms covering their faces, the winds even picking up against them. They had to find shelter for the night, for the dust storm was coming. Although the place wasn't exactly a desert, it resembled one (because of the river to the east).
"There! A cave. We can sleep there for the night," Alex shouted over the coarse winds.
They could only barely make it into the cave, let alone see it. The space was cramped but there was enough for the warriors. Mike had started a fire with Dart, and Lavitz created a barrier to keep the sandstorm out. They all relaxed silently, thinking of what was to come, as the Lost Lands were only a few days away. --
Passing Seles in a quick minute, Shana had no idea where to go now. But something told her to go east, past everything she knew. Quickly, a strong fog had picked up on her. She descended from the stronger part and placed her feet on the ground gracefully. A bright flash illuminated the mist around her and she appeared surrounded completely in her regular clothing. Shana continued walking through the thick bog, making sure to travel forward only.
--
"So Lavitz. . . you never really told me how you got revived" Dart commented, breaking the silence.
"It was pretty simple really, one day a spirit visited me and told me that every pure spirit that was killed by the Dragon Buster had been granted life. Then, a light came over me and I was back in Bale" Lavitz explained.
"Dragon Buster?" Alex asked, puzzled.
"Don't be stupid Alex you know the story" Mike snapped.
"Just trying to get them to tell the story"
"That's an old one" Nimbulo laughed "I'll tell 'em the better story"
The men proceeded on listening in to Nimbulo's explanation of the Shadow War and the Shadow Campaign, which they had come to call it.
"Nimbulo, we never fought a whole army of republic army men, what are you talking about?" Dart questioned.
"Thought I'd put that in for laughs"
--
A/N: Wow. . . it's been almost a year since I've updated this. Hopefully some of you ancient folks like me are still here. Anyway, please review.