Oof. . .FINALLY done. . .This fic becomes more difficult to write by the
chapter Reviewreviewreview! I won't have nearly as much time to write
this when school starts tomorrow, by the way *sniffle*
-
Liam stared at her incredulously. "How do you know that?"
The Summoner's gaze was fixed on the table, avoiding his. "I was once a part of them, back when they were first forming-you know, they began in my home town, Cadoan. Anyway, I was in agreement with their intentions until I learned that they intended not just to destroy the crystal, but also to uproot the king and queen and form a new monarchy. While I agreed that the present rulers are flawed, the system itself is soundly built, so I left them. They swore me to never reveal their base, and I haven't up until now; but when they took Ayame, I knew I had to tell you."
Liam stood, his chair falling back to the floor with a resounding crash that turned heads. "Then by all means, lead the way."
*
Ayame was jerked out of her restless sleep by a cold hand on her shoulder. The blue shield was gone, as were the chains on her ankles, though her wrists were still chafed by the metal cuffs. Madi's face swam into view above hers, startling her into sitting upright. The prince straightened up, smirking down at her as he took a step back. "Finally joined us again, I see." He was missing the cloak she was so accustomed to seeing draped over his shoulders, wearing simply a royal blue shirt and black breeches; only subtle hints of his wealth and power were visible, such as a fine silver chain with ruby pendant around his neck and several gold rings on his right hand.
He helped her to stand, balancing her when she could not reach out with her hand to steady herself, far too close to her for comfort. As soon as she was able she moved several feet away from him, eyeing him warily from under few strands of black hair. Madi chuckled. "I suppose you've figured out by now why I'm here." She nodded slowly, eyes darting around to evaluate any plans of escape. The walls were hard-packed earth, not soft enough to tunnel through; the place where she stood was a small hollow in the side of a long and narrow tunnel. To the right, the tunnel stretched off into indefinite darkness; to the left, it ended fifty feet away in a solid iron door guarded by an armed Bangaa.
"There's no use in even trying to run." The prince's voice cut through her thoughts, as though he'd read her mind. "You'd never get through that door, and if you went the other way. . ." He chuckled. "I'll show you what would happen."
Grabbing a torch off the wall-such a primitive form of light source, Ayame observed silently-Madi led the way down the tunnel. The darkness pressed in on all sides, only a few feet illuminated in a radius around them by the weak firelight; so it was an unexpected shock when they emerged into an enormous, well-lit cavern. Ayame halted sharply, gasping in wonder.
They stood on a broad ledge that overlooked the entire cavern, inducing a sickening sense of vertigo. The majority of the gargantuan space was occupied by hordes of all manner of creatures; of course the five main breeds, but also hybrids between Viera and Bangaa, human and Nu Mou, and countless other combinations. And then, shockingly, there were creatures that seemed part-cyborg, made partly of blood and flesh and partly of electricity and metal. All were being equipped with protective armor and fearsome weaponry. The vast numbers alone would have been enough to stun her naïve mind, but there was more.
"Look, Ayame!" Madi's face was flushed with excitement, his voice shrill. "Our greatest triumph to date!" When she did look, her awe was so great that she nearly tumbled from the rocky ledge.
Roaring deafening bellows and spewing jets of flame into the air, two massive Firedrakes stood in the corner of the cavern. Great iron chains, each link at least as wide as Ayame's own body, shackled them to the walls, keeping them at the mercy of their captors. Tiny figures, made even less prominent in front of the enormous creatures, stood on a ridge behind them with massive weapons at the ready. By drawing blood with vicious stabs, they managed to keep the Firedrakes subdued as they warily fitted harnesses and saddles.
The prince's breath was hot on her ear as he whispered to her. "No one in history has managed to capture one of these magnificent creatures. They will be our crowning glory in our war against the palace."
Ayame could barely breathe, dazzled by all she saw. She'd never dreamed that the Elddir were such a force to be reckoned with.
Both of them turned around at a voice from behind. A tall, sinewy human, with an enormous metal claw in place of her right arm, bowed to the prince with a sly smile. "Your guest has arrived, sir, with a full company."
A broad smirk spread across Madi's face. "Send Liam in."
-
Liam stared at her incredulously. "How do you know that?"
The Summoner's gaze was fixed on the table, avoiding his. "I was once a part of them, back when they were first forming-you know, they began in my home town, Cadoan. Anyway, I was in agreement with their intentions until I learned that they intended not just to destroy the crystal, but also to uproot the king and queen and form a new monarchy. While I agreed that the present rulers are flawed, the system itself is soundly built, so I left them. They swore me to never reveal their base, and I haven't up until now; but when they took Ayame, I knew I had to tell you."
Liam stood, his chair falling back to the floor with a resounding crash that turned heads. "Then by all means, lead the way."
*
Ayame was jerked out of her restless sleep by a cold hand on her shoulder. The blue shield was gone, as were the chains on her ankles, though her wrists were still chafed by the metal cuffs. Madi's face swam into view above hers, startling her into sitting upright. The prince straightened up, smirking down at her as he took a step back. "Finally joined us again, I see." He was missing the cloak she was so accustomed to seeing draped over his shoulders, wearing simply a royal blue shirt and black breeches; only subtle hints of his wealth and power were visible, such as a fine silver chain with ruby pendant around his neck and several gold rings on his right hand.
He helped her to stand, balancing her when she could not reach out with her hand to steady herself, far too close to her for comfort. As soon as she was able she moved several feet away from him, eyeing him warily from under few strands of black hair. Madi chuckled. "I suppose you've figured out by now why I'm here." She nodded slowly, eyes darting around to evaluate any plans of escape. The walls were hard-packed earth, not soft enough to tunnel through; the place where she stood was a small hollow in the side of a long and narrow tunnel. To the right, the tunnel stretched off into indefinite darkness; to the left, it ended fifty feet away in a solid iron door guarded by an armed Bangaa.
"There's no use in even trying to run." The prince's voice cut through her thoughts, as though he'd read her mind. "You'd never get through that door, and if you went the other way. . ." He chuckled. "I'll show you what would happen."
Grabbing a torch off the wall-such a primitive form of light source, Ayame observed silently-Madi led the way down the tunnel. The darkness pressed in on all sides, only a few feet illuminated in a radius around them by the weak firelight; so it was an unexpected shock when they emerged into an enormous, well-lit cavern. Ayame halted sharply, gasping in wonder.
They stood on a broad ledge that overlooked the entire cavern, inducing a sickening sense of vertigo. The majority of the gargantuan space was occupied by hordes of all manner of creatures; of course the five main breeds, but also hybrids between Viera and Bangaa, human and Nu Mou, and countless other combinations. And then, shockingly, there were creatures that seemed part-cyborg, made partly of blood and flesh and partly of electricity and metal. All were being equipped with protective armor and fearsome weaponry. The vast numbers alone would have been enough to stun her naïve mind, but there was more.
"Look, Ayame!" Madi's face was flushed with excitement, his voice shrill. "Our greatest triumph to date!" When she did look, her awe was so great that she nearly tumbled from the rocky ledge.
Roaring deafening bellows and spewing jets of flame into the air, two massive Firedrakes stood in the corner of the cavern. Great iron chains, each link at least as wide as Ayame's own body, shackled them to the walls, keeping them at the mercy of their captors. Tiny figures, made even less prominent in front of the enormous creatures, stood on a ridge behind them with massive weapons at the ready. By drawing blood with vicious stabs, they managed to keep the Firedrakes subdued as they warily fitted harnesses and saddles.
The prince's breath was hot on her ear as he whispered to her. "No one in history has managed to capture one of these magnificent creatures. They will be our crowning glory in our war against the palace."
Ayame could barely breathe, dazzled by all she saw. She'd never dreamed that the Elddir were such a force to be reckoned with.
Both of them turned around at a voice from behind. A tall, sinewy human, with an enormous metal claw in place of her right arm, bowed to the prince with a sly smile. "Your guest has arrived, sir, with a full company."
A broad smirk spread across Madi's face. "Send Liam in."