Author's Note: Finally! After ages and ages of writer's block, I've been
able to sit down and write chapter four. I think part of my problem is that
I don't identify well with certain characters of the game, which makes it
difficult for me to write from their point of view. But, I've done it, so,
here we go.
Chapter Four: Eye of the Storm
How long I drifted, I don't know. It seemed to me like an eternity, but I don't think it was more than just a few days. I had begun to worry that I didn't have anyone out there to take my place, and I guess part of me rejoiced at this. I didn't want to send anyone else to their deaths. Shirley beleived in this so much, believed in this war. I found myself questioning whether or not I could so willingly send another in my stead. Could life really be so bad for humans now?
My question was answered as I drifted here and there. If anything, life had only become worse for humans over the years. The smell of blood radiated from the area, so thick on the air you could almost see it. It tore at even my heart, to see such small children beaten and cowed by the whip.
Just when I was about to give up, and return to Vellweb empty handed, things began to blur, images flashing past my eyes until I came to rest, or at least that's what I call it, in a small, drab room, with a small cot serving as the only furniture. The room could have been nonexsitant as far as I was concerned, it was the girl who held my attention.
She couldn't have been more than twelve, with shimmering dark blue hair that fell easily to her waist, tangled and matted. The eyes were amber, sort of hawkish. She sat against the wall, knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, slender shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Pain washed over me, not mine, but hers I think. A slender little thing, to be sure, but just looking at her, you could almost feel her inner strength. She was a fighter this gold eyed child, a fighter through and through, I felt a little surge of disbelief race through me, even more so when her head lifted, amber colored eyes locking right on me.
"Who are you," the voice was soft, like you'd expect a child's voice to be, but yet...not. I was surprised that she could see me, and then I realized that I had been brought to her. I was not only seeing her in my mind, but was truly seeing her before me.
"Kanzas," I looked her over taking in the bumps and bruises, scratches and cuts, one in particular looked bad, right across her right temple, and still oozing blood.
Her next comment took me by surprise, "I know you. You're a Dragoon," my surprise evidently showed, or something, because she went on further, "I've seen you before, you and the others, in dreams. I think I know why you've come here. But I can't leave. They keep the door sealed with magic, and I can't break it, or the walls. And heavily guarded, it would take an army to get me out of here."
"Would you settle for a shade and future Dragoon?"
Her amber eyes narrowed a bit in mild confusion, "Future....Dragoon? You mean..."
"Shirley sent us out to find our successors, she said that we'd know them when we found them. I think you're mine. I can't be sure, none of us can be, not till the dragons make it known...we don't have the spirit stones to serve as guides, so we have to go by instinct," I watched her, silently, as she digested this.
To my utter amazement she seemed completely unafraid, unconcerned by this news. If anything, she seemed...calmer, than she had before. She took a swipe at her tear stained cheeks with a balled up hand and slid off the cot, "Somehow, I don't think you'd be here, if I wasn't. Can we leave now? I don't want to be here anymore."
I nodded silently, and wondered what kind of torture the poor girl had suffered, she was still so very young, and yet, she seemed to possess wisdom that stretched beyond her short years. She was right though, I wouldn't have been there if she wasn't meant to be my successor, "I don't know this place very well...do you know how to get out?"
She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully, "Out the door, down the corridor. There's a doorway there, that opens out into the outside. It'll be a trick to get that far. The Winglies swarm everywhere. The last person who tried to escape, who managed to bust through these walls...well, he didn't make it very far.
"-He- didn't have a Dragoon helping him," I felt a sense of my old pride coming back, that old battle hunger. Finding her in such a deplorable state, and knowing without anyone saying that there were far, far worse places in the world brought back my thirst for blood.
The faint glitter in her amber eyes told me that she had the same hunger, though I was certain her thirst was for revenge, and for freedom, "I think...yes. It must be near noon now. The guards will be switching shifts now, and the hallway all but empty. Fools. They think me a mere child. They don't know that I listen at the door every day, or that I have their routines memorized."
"Smart girl. Can you break the door here?"
A faint smile crept across her lips as she drew herself up to her full height, "Can I break the door? Oh please," her head bowed slightly, eyes closing. Her arms moved in serpentine motions until one hand rested, pale outwards, fingers curled in like claws, against her chest, the other arm stretched out before her, palm inches from the door. As if in slow motion, one leg drew itself up and she suddenly lunged forward. Energy crackled around her, flowed through her, and smashed into the door, shattering it like a piece of glass, "Piece of cake."
An alarm sounded, cutting off my amazed words, "That can't be good. We should get out of here."
She nodded her agreement and was off, pelting down the hallway as fast as her slender legs could carry her, blue hair streaming out behind her. A Wingly appeared around the corner ahead, and began to move in her direction, perhaps intending to subdue her. She launched herself into the air, one bare foot smashed into his nose with a sickening crunch, and she continued to run. At one point, she slid across the stone floor between the legs of three, that was just before we reached the door into the fresh air outside. It was then that I realized just where we were.
The gladiator pit floated miles above the earth, a sort of protection against escaped fighters. We were followed by a swarm of Winglies, but somehow, she ran faster than they could fly. She skidded to a halt at the very edge of the ground that surrounded the fighting arena, staring down in disbelief. Behind us, the Winglies closed in.
"I did not come this far to be taken back again," she murmured, backing up a few paces, and then, before I could stop her, she charged forward and leapt off the edge, arching her body in a glorious swan dive.
Chapter Four: Eye of the Storm
How long I drifted, I don't know. It seemed to me like an eternity, but I don't think it was more than just a few days. I had begun to worry that I didn't have anyone out there to take my place, and I guess part of me rejoiced at this. I didn't want to send anyone else to their deaths. Shirley beleived in this so much, believed in this war. I found myself questioning whether or not I could so willingly send another in my stead. Could life really be so bad for humans now?
My question was answered as I drifted here and there. If anything, life had only become worse for humans over the years. The smell of blood radiated from the area, so thick on the air you could almost see it. It tore at even my heart, to see such small children beaten and cowed by the whip.
Just when I was about to give up, and return to Vellweb empty handed, things began to blur, images flashing past my eyes until I came to rest, or at least that's what I call it, in a small, drab room, with a small cot serving as the only furniture. The room could have been nonexsitant as far as I was concerned, it was the girl who held my attention.
She couldn't have been more than twelve, with shimmering dark blue hair that fell easily to her waist, tangled and matted. The eyes were amber, sort of hawkish. She sat against the wall, knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, slender shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Pain washed over me, not mine, but hers I think. A slender little thing, to be sure, but just looking at her, you could almost feel her inner strength. She was a fighter this gold eyed child, a fighter through and through, I felt a little surge of disbelief race through me, even more so when her head lifted, amber colored eyes locking right on me.
"Who are you," the voice was soft, like you'd expect a child's voice to be, but yet...not. I was surprised that she could see me, and then I realized that I had been brought to her. I was not only seeing her in my mind, but was truly seeing her before me.
"Kanzas," I looked her over taking in the bumps and bruises, scratches and cuts, one in particular looked bad, right across her right temple, and still oozing blood.
Her next comment took me by surprise, "I know you. You're a Dragoon," my surprise evidently showed, or something, because she went on further, "I've seen you before, you and the others, in dreams. I think I know why you've come here. But I can't leave. They keep the door sealed with magic, and I can't break it, or the walls. And heavily guarded, it would take an army to get me out of here."
"Would you settle for a shade and future Dragoon?"
Her amber eyes narrowed a bit in mild confusion, "Future....Dragoon? You mean..."
"Shirley sent us out to find our successors, she said that we'd know them when we found them. I think you're mine. I can't be sure, none of us can be, not till the dragons make it known...we don't have the spirit stones to serve as guides, so we have to go by instinct," I watched her, silently, as she digested this.
To my utter amazement she seemed completely unafraid, unconcerned by this news. If anything, she seemed...calmer, than she had before. She took a swipe at her tear stained cheeks with a balled up hand and slid off the cot, "Somehow, I don't think you'd be here, if I wasn't. Can we leave now? I don't want to be here anymore."
I nodded silently, and wondered what kind of torture the poor girl had suffered, she was still so very young, and yet, she seemed to possess wisdom that stretched beyond her short years. She was right though, I wouldn't have been there if she wasn't meant to be my successor, "I don't know this place very well...do you know how to get out?"
She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully, "Out the door, down the corridor. There's a doorway there, that opens out into the outside. It'll be a trick to get that far. The Winglies swarm everywhere. The last person who tried to escape, who managed to bust through these walls...well, he didn't make it very far.
"-He- didn't have a Dragoon helping him," I felt a sense of my old pride coming back, that old battle hunger. Finding her in such a deplorable state, and knowing without anyone saying that there were far, far worse places in the world brought back my thirst for blood.
The faint glitter in her amber eyes told me that she had the same hunger, though I was certain her thirst was for revenge, and for freedom, "I think...yes. It must be near noon now. The guards will be switching shifts now, and the hallway all but empty. Fools. They think me a mere child. They don't know that I listen at the door every day, or that I have their routines memorized."
"Smart girl. Can you break the door here?"
A faint smile crept across her lips as she drew herself up to her full height, "Can I break the door? Oh please," her head bowed slightly, eyes closing. Her arms moved in serpentine motions until one hand rested, pale outwards, fingers curled in like claws, against her chest, the other arm stretched out before her, palm inches from the door. As if in slow motion, one leg drew itself up and she suddenly lunged forward. Energy crackled around her, flowed through her, and smashed into the door, shattering it like a piece of glass, "Piece of cake."
An alarm sounded, cutting off my amazed words, "That can't be good. We should get out of here."
She nodded her agreement and was off, pelting down the hallway as fast as her slender legs could carry her, blue hair streaming out behind her. A Wingly appeared around the corner ahead, and began to move in her direction, perhaps intending to subdue her. She launched herself into the air, one bare foot smashed into his nose with a sickening crunch, and she continued to run. At one point, she slid across the stone floor between the legs of three, that was just before we reached the door into the fresh air outside. It was then that I realized just where we were.
The gladiator pit floated miles above the earth, a sort of protection against escaped fighters. We were followed by a swarm of Winglies, but somehow, she ran faster than they could fly. She skidded to a halt at the very edge of the ground that surrounded the fighting arena, staring down in disbelief. Behind us, the Winglies closed in.
"I did not come this far to be taken back again," she murmured, backing up a few paces, and then, before I could stop her, she charged forward and leapt off the edge, arching her body in a glorious swan dive.