Chapter 11: Can't help but know. . . . so do what I say.
I don't own any of the said characters. Only Mary Rose, Zeek, Ella, Aron, and Raymond so far. I am truly grateful to those who have been reading. Please review after each chapter, please if you don't mind. I want to hear everything from the "oh it's perfect"'s to the "you're literary elements are shit"'s. I need your opinion, please. Also, I have decided to make these chapters longer, which means more going through my stupid computer and cleaning up discs. I might take up to two days((gasp)) to do a chapter, depending on how good of a mood my parents are in. I went story browsing today so I feel like I'm a kindergartner. Yeah. Man, do I need to write a lot more. Practice works wonders.
---------------------
The morning light was gray and shrouded in mist. Dew clung to the trees as we traveled through the marshes, the mist giving it an old Louisiana type look. Like we were at the marshes and swamps there. But we weren't. Our journey hadn't really been that much of one. We idn't even know who our enemy was. I shook my head as I followed in line. The horses snorted a few times, but never really made a sound. The moss hang form the trees and fish jumped out of the water. I could see alligators coming in and out of the leafy water tops. I eyes them carefully, my left hand guiding the reigns and my right on the hilt of my sword. Ella was attentive as well, but she guided her horse with her leg movements while having her bow ready to aim and fire. Wow, she had style. Aron didn't mind the marshes. Zeek looked at the map continuously. When we reached a fork in the road, he chose the north-most path. My mind did a computer search for our location and destination.
Results . . . Marshlands . . . destination fortress of Basil. I sighed a little as we trotted through the murky waters. No one had dared to cultivate this land and use it for a city. It was good, I guess. The remains of the fortress were now covered in ivy and moss, which gave it a more romantic accent. Not the love type romance. The artistic type. A few birds sang, but they seemed to mostly caw. Dreary place. But lovely. Rose had once come here. Had she felt as I did now? Some how burdened? We walked into the old fortress, and dismounted. We let the horses drink their fill as we explored a little bit. No one really left the small circle, everyone just stayed within sight of each other.
"Why did we stop here?" I asked Zeek.
"The tree trunk that the fortress was built on sort of excludes most beasts." he replied as we unbridled our horses. They dipped their heads into the murky waters as they did I watched them, not saying anything. Zeek sighed before talking.
"I'm sorry about what I said. It wasn't right. Will you forgive and forget?" Zeek asked. I looked behind me first, to see Ella and Aron looking for monsters while flirting.
"I will forgive. I won't forget though. I don't think I ever will." I replied, looking back to the murky waters. We could hear some birds chirp and bugs make noises. The trunk did provide a lot of shelter. I started to wonder in my mind whether or not Zeek really loved me.
He started to get the reigns from our horses. I helped him bridle them up. Some birds flew away and the bugs stopped making the noises. We finished bridling before we noticed. Ella and Aron were halfway back to us. Zeek and I looked to each other.
"It's quiet." he said.
"Too quiet." I replied.
My eyes did a quick scan of our area. Leaves lined the water at the edges. The trunk was still and unchanged. The fortress remains laid old and desolate. Then I heard the horses whine. I looked to the water and saw two large eyes staring up at me. A felt a sense of dread as the chill ran down my spine and debated at my toes and finger tips. I took a quick gulp . The large eyes blinked. I slowly moved my hand to my hilt. It went under the water. Zeek and I stood till. Waiting, breathing hard, and not breathing at all. Then Ella ran up to us with a big smile.
"Look, Zeek! I found this really cool flower!" she yelled.
Then the two large eyes reappeared while taking down a horse. The water became blood stained. Zeek and I took Ella and rushed to the tree trunk. Aron was already there, examining an old chest. I looked behind me as I heard the sound of slithering. Well, more like really dry skin on wood and then a small splash. I breathed in deep. Aron had now gotten his staff/spear. Ella had dropped a bright blue flower in the gray marshes. The three horses still stood. Their eyes were rolling around. Each of them slowly backing away. And then I saw those big eyes come up. Right next to a horse.
"Shit!" I said, taking out my sword and running.
We would never get out of here if we didn't kill whatever was killing our horses. Zeek slowly unleashed his bastard sword. We crept forward. Ella was an archer and stayed at a high point as we headed back into the marshes. I didn't know what the hell I was up against, but I'd kill it nonetheless. Zeek walked quietly along the trunk until we stepped into the water. I did the same. The horses heard us and ran, and two more got taken down. Ella sent her arrows flying. Aron kept guard over her for no apparent reason. And then I saw those big eyes glare up at me. My heart stopped. I felt a scream start to tear through my throat. The big eyes lunged at me, but Zeek held his sword up at the right time. Our last horse whined in horror as the head of a salamander fell. And damn was it ugly. Its eyes were the size of human head and it's skin had pocks and was the color of the water. I sighed unevenly and flet myself blush. Damn that was stupid. And then I saw more eyes appear. And Ella screamed. A salamander had come from behind. And Aron fought it off while she shot at it.
Zeek and I were back to back. His warmth spread through our connection and gave me energy to no extent.
"How many do you think there are?" I asked.
"Twenty. Ten. I'm not sure." he replied. I took in a breath and smiled.
"Let's use this as a practice run for a future battle, okay? That means we're gonna live, okay?" I asked. I felt him nod.
Then the salamanders launched.
I felt the hairs on my neck stand up as I was filled with a strange clam. I swung my sword in Rose's old additions. Two at once. They came with speed and deadly intentions. I moved my feet in the bloody water to slice clean through in three slices.
"Whip smack!" I yelled.
More came. Fine. I twirled once more. The wind lifted my body and I landed with three falling. They gasped with the gashes and soon they stopped moving. Zeek was doing many additions behind me. I smelled the salamanders' blood fill the air. The sudden wave of death excited my senses. My eyes became sharper. I could see the heat sources; the salamanders move through the water. I felt them move like they were fingers playing along the skin of my back. I couldn't fly, but my senses had just kicked up a notch. Thanks to the dragoon spirit within me. I smiled as one tried to get me, followed by two more. I slashed my sword through the air and lifted it. It sort of created the sign in Japanese for Sora.
"Blue sky." I said in a dark voice.
It felt marvelous to be this dark. To feel the darkness pierce my soul. I loved it. The water was now dark gray red. Zeek and I stood back to back again as the remaining Salamanders retreated. I started to return to normal when I felt another presence coming from behind. I threw my sword and hit the target in the heart. The pulse. The alligator was dead now and pinned to the tree trunk. I let out a breath as I dislodged the weapon.
Zeek had laughed at the other salamander's status. Apparently after Aron had harpooned it, Ella had repetitively stabbed it with an arrow. I smiled at that and sheathed the Demon Stiletto. The poor horse was frightened all right. Those salamanders had been about the size of two horses. I tried to calm it as Zeek and Aron calmed the woman down. I whispered words of encouragement to the horse, but it only backed away from me. I glanced at myself and then looked at my reflection in the water. My eyes were still like a dragon's. I rubbed them, but they remained the same. Great.
"Ella, ride the horse. Either Aron or Zeek should walk with me." I said. Ella nodded and mounted.
"Why don't you and Ella both ride?" Aron asked.
"I think I'd be better in fighting on foot." I replied. Aron shrugged as Zeek motioned for Aron to mount. I smiled as we continued our march through the marshes. My flesh was screaming from that battle. Sweat had given it a gleam you only saw in comic books. But still, we walked through the marshes and on the banks. And it started to get hotter. Zeek stopped as we reached large tree stems.
"Where are we headed?" I asked. He shot me a look and then went back to his map.
"A place where the horse would be stupid to keep around. Volcano Villude." he replied. My heart sank for the animal.
"What are we gonna do with the horse? We can't just leave it here!" said Ella. I agreed. I wasn't really an animal freak, but no one just left it out in danger's way! It made me get really pissed. He nodded and put the map away.
"When my Dad and I were going to Lohan, we met some workers that were building a large bridge over the top of the volcano. It was made out of metal that could withstand the heat from the volcano. The main support is built already. We could give him the horse." Zeek said.
Aron looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Look, why don't we just go over the bridge?" Aron asked.
"Because Virage is there. . ." I said, my eyes wide and shining. They might have 'killed' it in the game, but with our luck, it'd be where the fire Dragoon would be as well as a reborn Virage. Or something worse. I ran ahead and waved my hands for the rest to come on. They followed but some had questions.
"Wouldn't the Virage be dead?" Aron asked. He was smart! He asked the right questions!
"Yeah but the green dragon Feybrand was supposed to be dead as well." I replied.
"So, the Winglie weapon might as well be alive?" Ella asked.
"Basically." I replied. "All of the Virages were killed by the second generation dragoons. Dart, Lavitz, Albert, Shana, Miranda, Kongol, Meru, and . . . Rose." I was silent for a moment and then I picked back up. "Zeek, are you okay?" okay, maybe I strayed away from the past and knowing too much.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Is it getting a little warmer?" he asked. Well, it should have been. We were scaling the side of a volcano, right?
When we reached the mouth of the volcano, there were large black bars of metal running along it in a curved way. They were building it along the sides and through the middle of the volcano. Smart people. We encountered many men who wore protective gear. One of them Zeek seemed to know.
"Dabas! Have you found that ever so rare metal that you sought for?" Zeek asked with a smile. The old man in purple smiled.
"Nope. But I think it's here. In this volcano. What are you doing here?" he asked. I noticed he looked at me with a strange expression and then back to Zeek.
"We need someone to take this horse to the other side. The women won't leave me alone about just leaving him in the Marshes.
"Which you shouldn't! I'll take him across as I go back to Lohan. Why don't you come? You can see my shop . . ." Dabas said.
"We're going in the volcano." Ella piped up. Aron and I nodded.
"Right! I'll just give this to the men and I'll go with you!" Dabas said. He walked ahead and into the mouth. Zeek sighed.
"Guess we gotta keep him safe." Zeek said. I shrugged as I went ahead to meet up with Dabas.
"Did you know, girl, that people have been disappearing lately?" he said. I grew serious.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes! They say a red beast comes out and kills all the men for its babies!" Dabas said. "And that's why you should buy my products!" he said. I rolled my eyes and laughed as the rest caught up.
The volcano smelled like brimstone and was really hot. Duh. My clothes were sticking to my skin. The only one who seemed to be unaffected by the heat was Zeek. The lucky bastard. He was the fire Dragoon. Dammit. We walked through fiery caverns and into secluded rooms where red stalactites hung and glistened. Lava flowed on the sides of rooms at times. We soon came to a big chamber wehere there was a water fall of Lava. Or magma. I could never tell the difference. Zeek looked around him.
"Hey, don't you hear it?" he asked. I watched him while everyone else went forward. There was a huge lump in the lava. I watched it with calm. I could feel my dragon eyes twitch at the slightest movement. Zeek sniffed at the air and then turned to leave. My eyes widened as I felt the movement. Zeek looked at me and the others kept walking. They couldn't feel anything. Dabas was waiting at the exit of the chamber.
"Zeek, meet your Red Eyed Dragon." I said. He turned and saw it.
Ella started to get her bow to help but I shouted at her. Zeek was to fight this battle alone. I knew it. The dragon was a Legend of Dragoon game Dragon. It was slender and almost like a red praying mantis except for its eyes. It stared at Zeek for a moment. I waited patiently for the dragon to attack. Zeek looked at me for an answer. I pointed to the dragon. He got his D-stone out. He held the item in his palm and watched it cracked and glow. The dragon squealed and snapped at Zeek. Zeek held the dragoon stone up in automatic defense. He yelled. He felt pain. I felt his pain. It mounted and swilred like mine had except that it didn't hurt as badly. And slowly the bright red light went away. The cloth he wore for his shirt had an even darker red on it. But he looked at his chest with amazement. He wasn't bleeding. And the D-stone had broken. He looked to me and we spoke without words.
You've become the Dragoon of Fire.
I still have distrust.
I know.
That's how it would have went. Or how it did in my mind. I walked over to him and jerked his shirt up in a fluid motion. No, I was not obsessed with Zeek's chest . . . that much. He gasped as I touched the red markings along his skin. I turned him around but saw no silver markings like I had on my back. I nodded and fit his shoulder armor back in place and patted his back.
"Welcome to the third genre!" I said, and lead the way out. I dreaded the day that he transformed. He'd probably pass out. Big time. We walked deeper into the volcano. I wanted to see the Virage. We started to come up to a statue and wouldn't ya know it. It was Virage.
Yes, how original. I gasped at the size. I hadn't expected it to be so big! I studied the crusting of hardened lava. I could barely feel a pulse. Through that time, I had felt something run through me.
You're letting time pass for yourself. You never change.
I know.
Rose, don't become a killing machine. Don't loose your heart.
As long as I have you, Zeig, I have my heart.
I woke up next to Virage., my head laying against it. The heartbeat had stopped. It had finally died. Zeek was staring at me while Dabas dug wildly.
"You've been asleep for about two hours. During that time, Dabas has found that precious metal he talked about." Zeek said.
I smiled and stretched, but I felt hollow. Zeek helped me up. As our hands connected, the statue of Virage sunk and revealed shining metal, but had moved the earth and made it shake. I had fallen into Zeek's arms and that void was suddenly filled. I let my head rest there, on his heart for a moment. He breathed in and out, even. But his heat beat went out of control. I smiled and pulled away. He was a little shocked but gave me the cold shoulder. Damn. So close, yet so far away! I smiled still. We helped Dabas collect some samples for his metal and then exited the volcano's belly. It was nearly nightfall when we reached the surface.
We made camp on the black road on the volcano. Dabas smiled and examined the metal.
"What are you gonna call it?" I asked.
"I . . . don't know. I've been searching for it for five years now. It is the lightest metal yet can take any force and remain unchanged. Only magic could melt it as well." he said.
"Mythril." I said. Everyone glanced at me.
Mortification gauge . . . . 50%
"How do you know that?" Ella asked. 60%
"A legend in my hometown! Yeah! Sir Frodo had used it against the troll!" 70%
They were staring!
"Who?" Zeek asked. 80%
"Uh, a half-ling!" I replied. 85%
And before my gauge could go any higher, we heard a shriek up above. Feybrand flew across the sky. Aron watched it move, his eyes longing. A glowing green orb fell from our traveling pack and floated to Aron. The Wind Dragoon. Aron clutched it into his hands. I felt the spirit soar within his hands as the dragon fell into the Nest of Dragon Forest. Looks like we knew where we were going next.
Aron glared at the forest and ran for it.