Chapter 17: Long Live The Emperor
"Come on... I know it was somewhere around here..." Ryu growled, searching through the grass on his hands and knees. "I saw him drop SOMETHING intentionally..."
"Are you sure it was this water trough?" Mogu asked. "I've never seen this guy myself, but if what you told me about him is right, his clothes alone could distract you."
"Maybe one of the pigs ate it." Ox suggested. "They do come down here to drink, you know. And we have no idea how big this thing is."
"Ox, we don't have any idea WHAT this thing is." Bo reminded him. "But our fearless leader here's been winning big on his hunches recently, so if he says this thing that cloaked wierdo dropped is probably important... we look."
"Got it!" Nina crowed, raising something. It was a small metal card; the most obvious feature was a drawing of Ryu's face on it with blonde hair. Next to the portrait were words identifying him as a "Sir Ray," a Knight of the Dark Dragon Empire. Nobody seemed able to make any sense of it.
"What is THIS crap?" Karn finally demanded. Deis smiled.
"It's some kind of pass, of course. An ID. Identification. Our friend has supplied us with a method of getting into Scande without anybody knowing it's us."
"Well, that was mighty nice of him." Ox chuckled. "Of course, we'll actually need the armor for you, boss... and for the rest of us, although finding it in my size may prove difficult."
"Don't worry. I've already got that figured out." Ryu assured him. "There are plenty of isolated companies roaming around the Lands of the West. We'll find one with a guy your size and pick it off. First, though... Nina, why don't you show us what you can do now?"
"Thought you'd never ask." Nina grinned. Standing well away from the others, she concentrated, and the air shimmered around her... and then, where she had stood was a beautiful bird the size of a house. Most of its feathers were a pure white, but patterns of vibrant red and blue lined her wings and tail. However, red feathers also slanted her eyes, and the beak and talons were those of a raptor; despite its beauty, only a fool would take the Great Bird for a helpless target.
"Well, now." Bo murmured appreciatively, and the others made similar noises of approval. "That almost makes me forget I hate heights. Almost."
"You too?" Mogu laughed a bit nervously. "I can't stand them myself... don't know what I'm going to do here."
"Tell you what." Bo advised. "What we do, is we grab hold very tight, and then we close our eyes for the entire trip. So, we heading to that Dragon Shrine?"
"That's right." Ryu nodded. "When I was flying with General Cornus back in Winlan, we made the trip from there to Karma in less than ten minutes. If Nina can match that-although I think she'll be faster-we can make that island by tonight, despite that it's almost on the other side of the world."
"Yeah..." Deis nodded. "I could teleport us closer, but hell, we deserve to take the scenic route. Let's try it out." Acting on prior instruction from Nina, they climbed onto her back, choosing spots well clear of her wings and tail. With a musical call, the Great Bird took off. Almost instantly, they were miles above the ground, soaring on the thermals. Below them, the land was like a tiny model; in the distance, they could already see Spring.
"Okay, this is awesome." Ryu commented. "I should have done this with my adult dragon forms. I don't know if I could have gone this far up, but it still would have been awesome. This is great. Man."
"Hey, maybe we should try a dive!" Karn suggested enthusiastically. "Man, I'll bet that would be insane!" Bo groaned, eyes clamped tightly shut.
"Insane is right. No. No dives. Just fly." Nina did so; within an hour, they were east of Spring. Two, and they neared Gust. As the sun was setting, they dropped down on a forested island between Gust and Gramor, seperated by an insanely swift river.
"Hey, I remember this place." Gobi snapped his fingers. "We should have known this was what that thing talked about the moment we saw it. Damn, what's wrong with us."
"Never mind, we're here already." Mogu fell to the ground. "Land... how I missed you so."
"Quit the bad acting, that's Karn's job." Deis rolled her eyes as Nina returned to her normal form, smiling perkily.
"So, what'd you guys think?" A chorus of affirmative responses with a few mumbles from Bo and Mogu answered her.
"It was great." Ryu grinned. "Come on, let's check this place out." The Third Dragon Shrine, while being similar in basics to the other two, was quite different. Surrounded by what had once been a thick, tall marble wall and a moat that remained sparkling blue despite its stagnation, the third Dragon Shrine was three times as large as the former two, with multiple towers. Long ago, eight decorative pillars had surrounded it at even intervals, although now only four were left. They, the wall and the shrine itself were all made of the same aged marble... and above the entrance, Ladon's face smiled down upon them.
"Impressive." Karn whistled. "Wish I could have seen it when it was at its full grandeur..."
"Don't we all, young man..." A voice from inside chuckled. "Don't we all." Like the previous two High Priests, he was an old man wearing snow-white robes and an emerald pendant. He smiled underneath a small walrus mustache as he saw them. "Ryu... you're Ryu, aren't you?"
"And you're Gaspar, High Priest of Ladon... my grandfather's brother." Ryu realized. Gaspar nodded, chuckling as he approached.
"I knew you would come soon... although Melchior, Belthasar and Ladon didn't tell me how much you resembled Theo when he was young. Neither did Sara, although she wouldn't know, back then..." Ryu looked down.
"About Sara... there's something I should tell you, since you're related to her too..." Gaspar nodded sadly.
"I already know... Ladon has told me. I know... more than you do."
"You do!" Ryu exclaimed, grabbing the High Priest by the shoulders. "Is she still alive? What's happened to her? Tell me!"
"I'm sorry, Ryu... but you know I can't do that." Gaspar admitted. "You'll have to wait until you enter Scande to find out yourself... that won't be long now, if you're here. Are you prepared?"
"I am... we are." Ryu nodded grimly. "This is the last thing... once I complete the Pilgrimage here, we assault Scande. It's time to put an end to the Dark Dragon Empire's mad dreams, once and for all. Each and every one of us is totally commited to seeing this come to pass. I am committed to this. Take me to the trial, great-uncle. I'm ready for it here and now."
"As you wish." Gaspar led him inside as the others starting explaining things to Mogu. The interior of the Dragon Shrine was different from the others as well; after the entrance hall, it was only one large room. A Spring of Life was in one corner, and some stairs to a second floor in another... and at the back, on the familiar raised level, was the spirit of Ladon.
"Ryu." Ladon greeted him. "So you have come here, to the third stage of the Pilgrimage, to unlock your true dragon form."
"It'll probably be neccessary." Ryu nodded. "I don't get exhausted after reverting from adult dragon form any more... well, I was after Mote, but that was from doing a double-header of nasty fortresses. And I was fine after Cerl. So I'm ready for the next level."
"That you are..." Ladon nodded in approval. "Very few have made it this far, and fewer still conquered this step." Ryu blinked.
"Huh? But I've seen plenty of Dark Dragon grunts transform..."
"Most of them are only using a second-stage form." Gaspar explained. "Differences between the Light and Dark Dragons... where you recieved the Gold Dragon, they learn a Black Dragon. Most of them are content with that, doubtless not wishing to risk their lives on a third battle. Only a few attempt this step and pass, becoming priests."
"I had forgotten that you get that title from passing this step..." Ryu scratched the back of his head. "Now that I think about it... the priests in all the Temples of the west would be Dark Dragons, wouldn't they?"
"They are, yes." Ladon agreed. Ryu chuckled darkly.
"Heh... just as well I didn't know it at the start. Back when I first came to Gust, I still hated Dark Dragons unquestioningly. Now... well, I shouldn't really say anything that might turn out to be a lie when I actually enter Scande. Shall we get on with the trial, then?"
"We shall." Gaspar raised a hand. "Come, Avian!" The back of the temple emitted a strange, thick mist. From this, a huge form stalked forward, eyes glowing. It was a huge land bird, reminiscent of the GrimFowl, its feathers various shades of blue. Seeing Nina in her Great Bird form for the first time recently only made the monster seem more horrifying by comparison; this Avian was a bird of only one purpose. Screeching, it stood still and lunged its head alone forward. The neck shot out, extending grotesquely, and the beak dug into Ryu's shoulder. Yelling, he hacked at it brutally with his sword, and the bird grudgingly retracted its head. It tried again for his other shoulder, with a similar effect. Stopping, Avian pondered the situation, turning its head on one side in a gross parody of logical thought. Deciding, it bent forward again, but did not extend its neck; instead, its beak opened, lower jaw stretching like the neck, and a huge fireball flew out. Ryu, caught by surprise, took it in his arm which immediately caught fire.
"Ah! Oh, that still hurts!" Yelling, he beat it our against the floor. Avian seemed to smirk as it fired again. Ryu barely managed to avoid this one as he pulled out another weapon, growling. His boomerang. "You're not the only one with a long-range attack, pal!" He threw it, and the wooden projectile smacked Avian right in the side of the head before returning. Furious, the demon bird increased its rate of fire, but Ryu continued the boomerang assault as well. Immediately following a fireball, Avian switched tactics back, neck extending once more as his beak snapped for Ryu's head... and met nothing. It had time for one brief flicker of surprise before the Light Dragon's sword cut through its extended neck, severing the head. With one last caw of disbelief, the head fell silent, and the body pitched forward, lifeless. Wiping his sword on its feathers, Ryu turned to his observers, smiling.
"Does that satisfy the requirements?"
"More or less." Gaspar nodded. "You pass, Ryu. Your Pilgrimage is complete... the true Light Dragon form is now yours." Ladon nodded as well.
"So it was written... let it be so." As he spoke, Ryu began changing... growing. Already, he was larger than even the adult dragon forms. And then the other changes began... scales, tougher than armor, rippling down and overlapping his entire body, the color of the sun. Thick, powerful arms and legs, partially humanlike but so much stronger, with fingers ending in wicked claws. An incredibly long, thrashing tail with a line of deadly spines straight down the center atop it. Two huge batlike wings, spanning fifteen feet. An elongated, curved neck that bent forward. And the head... a snarling, fang-filled maw under glowing green eyes, with spined ridges extending back like a dinosaur. At least twelve feet tall, the Light Dragon roared towards the ceiling, and from his throat came a swarm, clumps of flying, liquid red energy.
"It's a good thing we had that ceiling made extra-strong." Gaspar commented. Ryu lowered his head and grinned at them... he tried to, at least.
"Sorry about that... you know how it goes."
"We do indeed." Ladon smiled. "Gaspar, go and tell the others they may come in now." Gaspar stared at him.
"Milord...?"
"They deserve to see their leader's new form now." Ladon explained. "And he won't exactly fit through the door without reverting. Those are the children of destiny outside... for this, they may enter here." Gaspar nodded and left, soon returning with the others. Upon seeing Ryu, none of them spoke for a few moments; they simply stared, slackjawed.
"...WHOA." Gobi assessed. "Now THAT is what I call a dragon. They should make statues of you like that, boss... if I had one outside my shop, everybody'd be so scared, I'd rip 'em off a new one."
"Trust you to think of that..." Karn shook his head. "But he's right about the first part... you could probably take on Scande all by yourself now."
"I wouldn't go THAT far." Deis smirked. "But this is good... this is very good. I've seen it all before more times than I can count, and I'm still impressed. Good show, boss."
"...Wow." Mogu shook his head in amazement. "I'm just glad you're on our side, is all I'm saying."
"Amen to THAT." Ox agreed emphatically. "If somebody told me I'd have to wrestle this, I think I'd turn in my hammer."
"I'll give you this much, boss." Bo grinned. "When you decide you're going to do something big... you do it WAY big. This is just what we need."
"Well, so much for my position of most awesome recent transformation." Nina sighed, then smiled. "But this deserves it. Now we're definately going to win. I don't think you'd have any trouble flying as high as me in THIS form."
"Yeah..." Ryu scratched his head with a claw that would have impaled any of the others. "So what do I call this thing? Just Light Dragon?"
"Traditionally, it's your name plus 'dragon,' shortened." Gaspar explained. "Ryu Dragon... how does Rudra sound?"
"Perfect." Ryu approved. "You okay with that, your divinityship?"
"Yes, and I thought we agreed you were going to stop calling me that." Ladon joked, then turned serious. "Ryu... soon after this, you will go to Scande, right?"
"That's right." Ryu nodded, all trace of mirth gone from him as well. "It's time to finish this."
"Endgame has already begun, my friend." Ladon informed him. "It began the moment you departed with the intent to come here. Scande, and your remaing foes, await you. Be prepared... and realize that events may not unfold as you expect. But whatever happens, keep moving forward. I'm counting on you... all of you." He faded and was gone, a statue in his place. Ryu sighed.
"Guess I'd better revert..." He transformed back to his normal form and immediately fell over. "Argh... that's the worst... kick yet."
"You okay?" Nina asked, concerned. Ryu nodded, slowly getting to his feet.
"Yeah... but I'll have to be careful using this thing. Well, that's the Pilgrimage completed..."
"Yes, it is." Gaspar nodded, moving forward. In his hands, he had somehow acquired another set of white robes, as well as an emerald pendant. "Ryu... no, PRIEST Ryu... these are yours. Use them well." Ryu gravely accepted them.
"I must regret that I cannot wear them... not now. But perhaps someday..." He shrugged. "Farewell, great-uncle. We must go now." Gaspar clasped his shoulder.
"Ladon himself goes with you, grandnephew... as do we all. May we meet again under more pleasant circumstances."
"Red alert! Red alert!" Soldiers yelled as they ran through the halls of Scande at top speed. Hundreds of them rushed here and there, not doing much but yelling to the eye of the casual observer. To the eye of the Gold Lord, however, it was obvious that they were preparing for an imminet attack. They did not even fearfully move out of his way as he walked down the halls, like they usually did. Even the Knights, Generals and Captains were moving about with unseemly haste. Nearly tripping over a screaming magician, Jade reached the throne room and entered without preamble. Zog was, as usual, sitting on his throne, alone in the room. Jade bowed perfunctorily, and Zog nodded; neither of them was in the mood for formalities at the moment.
"My Emperor, I bear grave news. The White Assassin has fallen as well."
"So I have heard." Zog remarked drily. "I was surprised that the common soldiery knew of this before I did; normally your Unit is not known for gossiping with them." Jade winced ruefully.
"The Black Warrior let it slip... he has been distracted, to say the least, with the death of his brother, as well as Blue and White." Zog frowned in concern.
"Will he still be able to fight?"
"Oh, yes." Jade assured him. "Actually, I think that's one of the only things that keeps him going... the possibility of his fist meeting Ryu the Terrorist's skull at high velocity."
"Don't we all wish..." Zog smiled darkly, then let it drop. "With White dead as well, Ryu the Terrorist now has a straight shot at Scande. He will undoubtably be attacking here shortly."
"No doubt about it." Jade agreed. "Doubtless he will try to make for this room, and you, my emperor... he wishes for nothing more than your life, according to our best sources."
"Is that so." Zog grinned. "Well, while I would be happy to settle it with him directly, there are certain customs that must be followed. How is the palace defense set up?" The Gold Lord thought for a moment.
"We have ten thousand here already, of course. That many are kept here at all times. The first line of defense is at the entrance to the city; there are overwhelming numbers there at all times. There are patrols roaming the entire city at carefully set paths and patterns. We had to pull a lot of our men off of the Mole Clan watching, but that probably won't cause any problems... those slaves are guarded by a redundant amount of our people anyways. Then there's that business with the elevator..."
"Don't remind me." Zog groaned, rolling his eyes. "How that idiot from Spring got here in the first place, I'll never know."
"Actually, that could work out to our advantage." Jade smiled. "Ryu the Terrorist won't be able to use it either... which means his only method into the palace is by flight, which will DEFINATELY get him noticed."
"I hadn't thought of it that way." The Emperor admitted. "Very well... you make a good point, my Gold Lord. Continue."
"Inside the palace, once everybody settles down and shuts up, there will be a guardpost at every corner of every hall. A mouse won't be able to walk around without being noticed. In addition, in..." Jade thought for a moment. "...two days, I suppose, an additional ten thousand will be arriving from the Lands of the West, doubling our garrison. Let Ryu the Terrorist try to get through THAT."
"If he waits that long." Zog said skeptically. "Which I doubt. I think we'll have to count on just our men here. And what of the remaining half of the Tiamat Unit?"
"We will be the last line of defense." Jade decided. "Before the hall leading to this room is a long set of stairs. Black will wait at the bottom of those stairs, Silver at the top, and myself in the hall right outside this room. They may have killed three of us seperately, but all at once? Inconceivable."
"It'll almost be like the Fusion Massacre all over again." Zog chuckled. "Very well. I am confident in the defenses. Oh, and by the way..." Zog's eyes narrowed dangerously, though a smile remained on his face. "Would you, by any chance, happen to know anything about why the Time Key is no longer in our possession, my ever-faithful Gold Lord?" Jade froze.
"Ah... my Emperor, I... may have made a mistake in judgement."
"Do tell." Zog nodded. "I just can not WAIT to hear the reasoning behind this... I am sure it will be convincing."
"White... required it for a successful campaign against Ryu the Terrorist." Jade explained hastily. "Tock, where it was designed to be used, was in the territory of the confrontation... since they had already killed Blue and Red, she reasoned that she wouldn't have much of a chance without it... and I agreed with her. But..."
"But you knew I would never agree with you taking the Time Key." Zog finished. "So you had her steal it... and then she was killed as well, and Ryu acquired that Key from us as well. Six to one now." Jade lowered himself onto a knee.
"My Emperor... I was wrong. Forgive me..."
"Relax, my Gold Lord." Zog waved at him to rise. "Ryu the Terrorist is coming here, is he not? Soon, the Time Key will be returned to us, along with the five others needed to release the Goddess Myria. And then... the world will be ours, and we shall regain what we lost long ago..." He smiled. "However... do try not to make a habit of these things, hm? I trust you more than any other, my faithful Gold Lord... and I would hate to have to change that."
"No need, my Emperor." Jade assured him. "Now and forever, I am your servant. By your leave." Zog nodded.
"Dismissed... inform your Unit, if you have not already. We don't have much time left." Jade departed, shaking. However, as soon as he had left Zog's throne room, he regained his calm. From the shadows, two figures stepped up and joined him silently on either side. One a mighty giant with blood-red skin, the other wrapped in grey robes from head to toe.
"So, how did it go?" Silver asked. Jade shrugged.
"As we expected. It was close for a moment, but I passed."
"And did you tell him that White was dead?" Goda demanded. Jade shot him a look.
"For all intents and purposes, White IS dead, Black. That pitiful remnant is not one of us... she is no business of ours. There's no need to complicate anybody else's judgement of the matter with the details. We know the truth, and Ryu knows. That is enough."
"Very well, then." Silver inclined her head briefly. "Then... are we ready?"
"Almost." Jade smiled. "But the Endgame has begun... it's only a matter of time now. The Emperor is ready, and that should inspire us, should it not?" He began laughing, long and loud. After a moment, Silver joined him, and then Goda did as well. Their combined laughter echoed through the halls of the palace, and even in their panicked state, not a soldier could surpress a shiver; and the few who had been present at the Fusion Clan massacre were worse. They knew, firsthand, what that laughter could mean.
The city of Scande, heart of the Dark Dragon Empire, was structured unlike any other city in the world. The entire city was a single, vast structure, made of blue and silver metal. Surrounded by two fifty-foot walls, a ring of mountains and the Red Swamp, it was virtually impregnable to direct assault. Inside all of that was the city itself. The truly different thing was, Scande was mostly vertical. Each level had, instead of streets, a wide balcony on the foremost edge, with doors along its back leading into individual residences. Sets of stairs led downward to the next level along the vast steel cliff face. The higher your standing in the empire, the closer to the top you lived. On top of the mass of metal was where one entered; here, the only feature was the great tower-palace. The top floor was the only way into Scande; below the lowest part of the structure was a void of hundreds of more feet, stretching down into the depths of the planet itself. Today, at the entrance by the gates of the two defensive walls, a squad of soldiers relaxed. There were no superior officers around, and none of them spotted a danger. Their leader looked up lazily as another group approached from outside.
"All right, hold it." Stretching, he stood up and walked over. There were eight of them; one a Knight. He snapped off a hasty salute, then glanced at the others. Four of them seemed normal enough, although they were all bulked up in full dress, so it was hard to make out details. One of them was almost as large as the feared Black Warrior, however, and another strangely short. And one was wearing what seemed to be the lower half of a dress beneath her armor... a female?
"Equal opportunity policy." The Knight explained upon seeing his frown. "An idea of the White Assassin's before her fall. Here's our pass." The guard glanced at it.
"Sir Ray, eh? Very well, I guess it's okay. Wish we had an equal opportunity policy, or whatever you called it." His men hooted in agreement. "Come on in." He opened the gate, and the squad stepped inside. "Haven't seen you around here before, sir. Been on border patrol for most of your career?"
"You could say that." Sir Ray nodded. "You're right, though; I haven't been in Scande often. Listen, friend, I need a favor. We'd like to spend some time here taking a break. Could you tell a buddy a good place to get a drink or ten?" The soldier grinned; who said officers were all jerks?
"Got just the place, sir. Third level, fifth door on your right. Place called the Swamp Dragon. Tell 'em you're a friend of Johnny's."
"Thanks, Johnny." Sir Ray tipped his helmet. "You ever get in trouble with your superior officer, tell me and I'll take care of it." He led his seven troops away, and the guard returned to his own buddies. Once they were safely away, Ryu let out a breath he had ben holding in. "Whew. Well, that's the first hurdle down..."
"Fast thinking, boss." Gobi grinned. "Thought Deis was gonna buy it for us back there."
"Well, excuse me for having a tail instead of legs." Deis muttered. "Most guys I meet don't mind."
"Mind out of the gutter and back on the subject, please." Nina rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's hit this Swamp Dragon bar-although the name doesn't fill me with optimism-and find out what's what." The stairs down were in front of the tower-palace. It didn't seem to have a door at the bottom; instead, there was a strange raised platform. Near it on the wall was some sort of control panel that was smoking.
"What's THAT?" Karn asked. Deis frowned.
"That's an elevator... type of machine that'll take you to the top of the tower. Looks like it's busted, though."
"Figures." Ryu sighed. "Maybe somebody in the Swamp Dragon'll know what's up." The other soldiers they met on the way down weren't as friendly as Johnny's group had been; they rudely told the group to stay out of their way until they saw Ryu, who they hastily saluted. As they neared the third floor, Deis' face grew grimmer and grimmer.
"Something up?" Bo inquired. She nodded.
"Yeah. I recognize this place, that's what. Maybe they call it Scande now, but that's not it was originally... this is the uppermost portion of Obelisk!"
"Obelisk?" Karn scratched his head. "Wasn't that the floating fortress of the Goddess Myria herself?"
"Correct." Deis agreed. "At the end of the Dragon War, it crashed into here and was almost completely buried. Looks like they're still working on excavating it... wonder how."
"My people, that's how." Mogu growled. "That's what they need us for... they're using us to dig out Obelisk."
"That seems to be it." Ryu nodded. "Didn't you say you put one of the Goddess Keys down here too, Deis?"
"The Queen Key." Deis confirmed. "They have to have it."
"Well, we'll take that one off their hands too in the end, I guess." Ryu frowned. "Something just occured to me. What exactly do we do with the Goddess Keys once WE have all seven? They can't be destroyed, can they?"
"Not in any way WE could figure out, and believe me, we tried." Deis confirmed. "We did everything we could think of, and they survived without a scratch."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Maybe we'll launch them into the sun." Karn suggested, making the Sorceress choke. "Here's the Swamp Dragon, though... and here's a hint. Don't talk about Goddess Keys inside." The Swamp Dragon was a rather dismal, shabby building; soldiers and civilians sat around in small groups, talking quietly to one another. Nobody looked up as they entered.
"See anybody who looks particularly talkative?" Gobi suggested. Ryu's gaze swept the room and lit up.
"I think I've got somebody..." He led the way over to a table in a back corner. A single man was having a quiet drink. It was the mysterious robed man, today wearing clothing of a deep blue. As usual, he was totally concealed. He didn't move an eyelid as they sat down.
"Sir Ray." He greeted them. "I've been expecting you."
"Why I am I not surprised to find you here." Ryu smiled, placing an order with a serving wench in an outfit that made Nina snort with disgust. "So, how are things in Scande today? We've just gotten in from, ah, border patrol."
"Not good." The cloaked man shook his head. "Rumor has it that Ryu the Terrorist will be coming here soon, Sir Ray. Everybody's on guard. If he DID launch an attack, he would have to at least get into the tower-palace without being noticed by outside forces."
"Yeah, well, we noticed something was up with that elevator thingy." Gobi added. The cloaked man nodded.
"Yes... it seems a master climber from Spring came here and scaled the side of the entire tower... and then, while everybody was busy staring, he made off with some vital control parts as a souvenier. He got away with only a broken leg, and everybody's been too busy here to chase him down."
"Barry the Climber?" Mogu blinked. "We met him!"
"Well, there you go." The cloaked man took a sip of his drink, which was bright green. "Find him, and get the parts. Do you have a method of fast transportation?" Ryu glanced at Nina, then nodded.
"Yeah... we can get to Spring and back in a few hours." The cloaked man nodded.
"Do so. In two days, fifteen thousand more soldiers will be arriving here from all over the Lands of the West. I don't need to tell you how bad that would be."
"Ah... no." Ox deadpanned. "Is there any GOOD news?"
"Actually, there is." The cloaked man seemed to smile beneath his hood. "The Mole Clanners have escaped." Mogu spit out his drink.
"What! Escaped!"
"Seems so..." The cloaked man nodded. "I don't know the details, but... apparently, some sympathizer who's high up in the ranks sneaked in, set them free and got them to a place where they could dig to safety. Emperor Zog is Not Happy... if Ryu the Terrorist fails, he'll probably do some very nasty things up in Gramor."
"We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen then, won't we." Ox chuckled darkly. The cloaked man finished his drink and stood up.
"You're close now. The only thing left for you to do is get up that tower. Find this Barry the Climber of yours fast. Good luck." Standing, he paid his bill and left. Ryu and hid friends waited a bit, then did the same. A different set of guards at the entrance to Scande let them out. Once they were out of eyesight, Nina became the Great Bird and flew them to Spring. As they entered, a few people began muttering darkly. Ryu frowned.
"What's... oh." They removed their helmets, and the people smiled, recognizing them. At Barry's, his wife met them.
"Oh, hello Ryu! I thought you had gone to Scande!"
"We did." Ryu explained. "Is Barry here? We need to ask him something..."
"He's inside." Barry's wife showed them to their bed, where the Climber was relazing, his leg in a cast.
"Oh, hey guys!" Barry waved. "What's up?"
"We heard you climbed the Scande Tower recently." Gobi grinned. "Pretty cool."
"Thanks." Barry winced. "Unfortunately, this happened while I was leaving."
"That's why we're here." Ryu admitted. "We heard about how you took the parts from the elevator... I hate to say this, but could we have them? We need to use it."
"Of course! You know I owe you guys big!" Barry assured them. His wife produced a tangle of electronic wiring and mechanisms. "There you go... although I don't know how the thing works myself."
"We'll figure it out." Karn grinned. "Well, we gotta be going... sorry, but we're kinda on a tight time limit."
"I understand." Barry nodded. "Come back here sometime after you've whupped Zog, though! Spring is great all year round!"
"We will." Ryu promised. They raced back to Scande as fast as Nina could take them; fortunately, the Great Bird was built for distance, and she wasn't exhausted. They got back in with little trouble, and made for the tower.
"Okay, now what?" Nina asked the obvious question once they arrived. "Deis, do you...?" The Sorceress shook her head emphatically.
"Nuh-UH. I know what they are; I've got no clue how they work."
"Leave this to me." The cloaked man seemed to materialize out of a shadowy corner. He had changed colors again; now, he was in a dark, almost black violet. "I know how to fix the elevator."
"Do you now." Ryu handed him the parts. "Listen, friend. I admit, I appreciate all the help you've given us... but who the heck are you, anyways?"
"Ah... so you're wondering about that, now." The cloaked man didn't seem surprised. "I can't give you a straight answer... not right now. Let's say... somebody who wants the same thing as you. I want Emperor Zog dead. And you guys are the best way of making that happen."
"Did Zog do something to you?" Bo asked. The cloaked man chuckled.
"Something like that. It's not... shall we say, safe... for anybody to know my identity now. Once Zog's dead, I'll explain everything. For now, though, I'll fix the elevator for you. You made it back here in excellent time... congratulations." He looked at the parts. "Hm... this could be a problem."
"You just said you could fix them!" Mogu protested. The cloaked man nodded.
"And so I shall. However, with them like this, it will take a while. About a day." Ryu sighed.
"Great. Well, just hurry it up then... if you can make it in that time, we can be up there before those reinforcements arrive, but not by much."
"So we just sit back for the day?" Ox frowned. "There's got to be something we can do to help..." The cloaked man started to respond, then stopped, thinking.
"Well... hm. There is a possibility... with your speed of transport. How fast could you get to Tunlan and back?"
"About half a day total." Nina answered. "Why?"
"There's something there." The man rummaged in his cloak and pulled out a bottle with a cork in its top. "This is specially made... it can store sounds-music, in particular-and play it later."
"There's a song in Tunlan you want us to get?" Karn guessed. The man nodded.
"For your own aid. The song is called... Dragonsbane." Ryu hissed. "You've heard of it, I see. Hearing it will cause great pain and severely weaken any member of the Dragon Clan... Light or Dark."
"I get it." Bo's eyes narrowed. "You think we might need this to beat Zog."
"Zog is Emperor for a reason." The cloaked man turned to the control panel. "It's up to you... but if you have nothing else to do until I complete this, I'd suggest it."
"...We need all the help we can get." Ryu decided. "There and back in half a day, Nina? All right... that'll still give us half a day to rest up here. Let's go." Leaving Scande again, they flew off across the ocean to the northeast. After a few hours, Nina touched down on the island of Tunlan. They immediately rushed to the palace.
"Ryu! And all your friends!" Callis greeted them. "What brings you back here?"
"We need help." Ryu told her without preamble. "A song... it's called Dragonsbane. Do you know anybody who knows it?"
"As a matter of fact, I pride myself on playing that song well." Another voice said from behind Callis. It was Princess Archne. She smiled at them. "Greetings... I'm hoping we can forget any differences we've had in the past. Believe me, the experience has made me grow up. I just wish there was some way to get back at Emperor Zog..."
"As a matter of fact..." Bo grinned evilly, holding up the bottle. "This here records music. If you'd be so kind as to play it for us and let us take a recording... we were figuring on playing it for Zog when we met him." Slowly, Archne grinned as well.
"I like the way you think. This way, please." She led them to a large piano. Ryu held up a hand.
"Er... excuse me, but I don't think I should listen. Nothing personal. I'll... wait outside." The Princess waited until he was gone, then began playing. Bo quickly opened the bottle. The Dragonsbane song was loud and echoing, with strange crashes and rumbles; it had a beautiful sound, but strange, ancient... and threatening. As soon as it was over, Bo corked the bottle again.
"Sounded great. You're very good at that, your highness."
"Thank you." Archne smiled. "I hope Emperor Zog appreciates it as much as you did."
"I'm sure he will." Ryu said, reentering. "We owe you one, your highness."
"No... we're even from the incident with the Time Key." Archne told him. "I can see by your faces that you need to be off, but come back when you're done. Tunlan will always be open to you." Promising again to return some day, the group took off once more. Back at Scande, the cloaked man was hard at work.
"Did you get it?" He glanced at Ryu, who nodded. "Good. There's an inn on the second level... first door on your left. Get some rest... you'll likely need it. And be ready... there's no turning back now."
"Excuse me, sir." The innkeeper knocked on Ryu's door. "A… man asked that I take a message to you. He says… everything's ready." A moment later, Ryu opened the door, face grim.
"Thank you." He roused the others, and they paid their bill, then walked towards the elevator. It was completely repaired. Deis did something with the control panel, and the doors of the lift opened. Silently, they crowded onto the elevator and waited as it started to rise. Up and up they went, towards the top of the tower; shucking off their disguises as they went. And then, they waited. The lift went higher and higher, as each thought to themselves. Ryu looked at their faces, one by one. Nina, older but still the princess he had met long ago, with hope for the future… Bo, reliable and resolute, determination stamped on his wolfish features… Karn, changed by his encounters with Cerl but still excited and resolved… Gobi, his true thoughts inscrutable but his grin as cocky as ever… Ox, simultaneously showing quiet anger and worry… Deis, calm and confident, perhaps remembering a similar adventure long ago… Mogu, cautious as always, but ready for anything… and on his own, reassurance. Trust, in all of them. None of them spoke… none of them needed to. They turned towards the tower, as the lift arrived at the top… with a ding, the doors opened. Scattered across the lobby, Dark Dragon soldiers turned at the noise, and stared, motionless. The heroes looked back, and then Gobi shrugged, dropping a bomb he had bought at a shop in Scande onto his foot, then kicking it into the largest cluster of soldiers.
The explosion was like a starting bell; the heroes took off, blasting towards a doorway as one united mass. Shouts and bells of alarm rang through the complex as they blasted into the halls. Ox, Ryu, Mogu and Nina were in front, pounding and hacking and gouging and slashing anything in their path like some mighty engine of destruction. The Wing Clan princess surprised them all; she no longer darted in and out for quick thrusts, but ripped soldiers across their entire bodies with blisteringly fast horizontal swipes. In the center of the mass, Bo and Deis rained destructive spells and deadly arrows over their heads, and behind them, Gobi and Karn guarded the rear, impaling and disemboweling any pursuers who came too near. Reluctant common soldiers, shocked Knights, screaming Generals, furious Captains; all of them were mowed down as the heroes ripped through the tower palace. Behind them, barred gated shot up from the floor, trying to cut them off but always too slow. When one would occasionally catch up and rise in front of them, Ox and Deis would batter and blast it down immediately. They passed a break room full of startled guards… a giant fountain bursting with Water of Life… a weapons storage room, packed full of instruments of war… Ryu searched frantically for anything resembling a prison, but there was nothing. No sign of Sara. Now the worst defenses were being mobilized, and horrible monsters were released into their path. Disembodied suits of armor with no life inside... huge, green crabs similar to the final form of Admiral Cean... all went down. Finally, the heroes reached a long hall filled with decorative pillars.
"We're near the throne room, if the layout's similar to what Obelisk used to be!" Deis shouted, picking off a pursuing General with a fireball. Beyond the hall of pillars was a door, which they smashed down… a long set of stairs… another door fell… a second hall, this one carpeted in red… strangely, there were no guards at all in any of these, but they had no time to ponder the strangeness of this. Rushing down, they battered down one more door at the end of the red-carpeted hallway, and emerged in Emperor Zog's throne room.
"Welcome… Ryu." The Emperor of the Dark Dragons greeted them laconically. He was a large man; not as much as Goda, but still tall and bulky. Clad in black armor that seemed to have been carved out of obsidian, he was a fearsome sight, like some combination of dragon and man. The only thing detracting from the effect was his exposed face, but that was something all by itself, his hair and beard dyed a flaming red. His eyes were the worst, though; they glimmered with madness, with an insane need to have one's wishes carried out no matter the cost. At the moment, however, his face was strange… resigned, almost gloomy. Even stranger was the little girl seated on the arm of his throne. Seeing them look at her, he smiled. "My daughter, Princess Victoria. She is the only joy I have left to me as a man, instead of an Emperor."
"You might want to send her away." Ryu suggested, taking in the rest of the throne room with his eyes as he spoke. Built like an ampitheater, it had various smaller chairs all around, with five colored thrones positioned equally around the room. "This isn't going to be civil for long."
"Understandable." Zog turned to his daughter. "Go outside and tell all the soldiers who are coming here to return to their posts. They are not needed here. Once that's done, go and leave Scande… take somebody in the army you trust with you, and head north. And remember what I told you about the Tiamat Unit." The young girl nodded and walked out of the room behind them calmly.
"Something wrong with the Tiamat Unit?" Bo inquired. "We didn't run into any of them on our way in here…"
"A personal matter… I have made some decisions wrong, it seems." Zog smiled a bit sadly. "Ah well, it matters not. I will admit, I am surprised you made it here. And here I thought the Light Dragons had grown weak… you prove me wrong, Ryu. You make the Dragon Clan proud. If I had known of you and your sister, I would never have ordered Drogen burned… no, I would have invited you and your kind to join us instead."
"Sara?" Ryu demanded. "She's here, then? Where is she? What have you done to her?" Zog stared at him for a moment, then laughed deeply.
"You don't know? I should have guessed… well, that's not my secret to tell. This wasn't the first time we met, you know… it was at the completion of her pilgrimage, that was it. Of course, back then I had no idea what she was capable of… let alone of what her little brother could do. She didn't like me, unfortunately… she still doesn't seem to. Isn't that a shame?"
"Not surprising." Bo growled. "You're not exactly the most popular guy in the world, you know."
"Yes, but I AM the most powerful." Zog grinned. "And that's more than enough for me… I can take or leave popularity, but power… ah, THAT, there's nothing like. You know, don't you, Ryu… you've completed your own pilgrimage. You know what it's like to have power… it feels good, doesn't it?"
"Having power and abusing it are two very different things." Ryu growled. "You received power, Zog… and you misused it. You don't deserve the power of the Dragon."
"On the contrary!" The Emperor wagged a finger. "My goals are altruistic. Look at the world. Before I came along, the Clans were separated… Forest Clanners didn't associate with Wing Clanners, Builder Clanners didn't associate with Mole Clanners… and look at you all now. You know, I don't hate you… quite the opposite, I admire you. You're the living embodiment of my dream. The world… unified. Everybody serving one goal, one common purpose, living together."
"And that world would be ruled by you, of course?" Bo asked drily. Zog shrugged.
"Who else would have the correct mindset to keep it in check? And, of course, I believe the Dragon Clan to be superior. Not just the Dark Dragons… the entire Clan. Light Dragon, Dark Dragon, they're not so different… there was a time when there WAS no difference. And now, look at the world… the Lands of the West are unified under my rule. And the Lands of the East? Not under my rule, but they ARE as one… they are an alliance, one whole. I admire them. My dream is near completion… and this is why I gladly enter battle with you. With you especially, Ryu… for even if I die, you shall finish my dream for me."
"I'm not interested in any dream of yours, Zog." Ryu spat. "All I'm interested in is removing you… from your throne, from your empire, from existence itself. You're through, Zog!"
"Cocky, aren't we…" Zog smiled, standing up. "But I'm afraid I'm not going to go down that easily. You all have power, I will admit, and you MIGHT be able to defeat me… but I am still the most powerful man in the world!"
"I've finished the pilgrimage too, remember?" Ryu told him. "I know what the ultimate power of the Dragon can do!"
"Ryu, Ryu… if you're going to be the mightiest Light Dragon in the world, you must remember the basics." Zog grinned, and his teeth began sharpening and lengthening. "Every Dragon Clanner's final, true form is different. Allow me to show you the difference between that of a hero.. And that of an EMPEROR!" Roaring, he leapt into the air, and grew… and grew, and grew, and grew. Everybody stared, as the Emperor of the Dark Dragons became too large for the room to hold; his body burst through the back wall of the throne room, into the night sky outside. As he continued shifting, he wrapped his body around the palace-tower, digging into it with claws and tail. They could not see him for a moment… and then he plunged his head back inside on an insanely long neck. It was all that would fit; the Dark Dragon Emperor was literally measured in miles. His scales were a dark purple, and three horns protruded, two on the back of his head and one atop his snout. He grinned, exposing teeth almost as large as Ox. Only his eyes were the same; red like a lava flow, and dancing with a terrible madness.
"Ladon…" Bo breathed. "How are we supposed to beat THIS?" Ryu was the first to recover; leaping into the air, he transformed himself into his own Rudra form.
"Come on! He's big, but we're tougher… we know it! Let's take him down!" The others recovered as well, rallying around him to face the Emperor.
"Impressive…" Zog growled. "Much smaller than mine, but I can sense the ferocity… the power. Come, Ryu! Nina, Bo, Karn, Gobi, Ox, Deis, Mogu! All of you, show me what you are! Prove to me your destiny!" His head rushed forward, aiming for Ryu. The mighty jaws closed… and met scales they could not pierce.
"Drop him NOW!" Deis commanded, hitting the Emperor with the same rising pillar of flaming death that Mote had unleashed in his final, crazed moments. Zog recoiled, eyes crossing, and the other followed up, battering at his chin with sledge and knife and pike and claw. Zog's mouth opened, and Ryu scrambled out.
"My turn!" Facing the open maw, he inhaled, then released a molten stream of energy, in the form of hundreds of small flying shapes that clustered around the Dark Dragon Emperor. Growling, he shook them off and lunged forward again, this time going for Nina. The Wing Clan Princess was ready; at the last moment, she dodged to the side and then moved forward, sword in motion.
"Don't underestimate me… any of us, Zog!" She yelled. Unfortunately, what would have been a mighty blow was reduced to only a scratch by Zog's sheer size. Bo fired, aiming for his eyes, but Zog saw the arrows and closed them. The arrows bounced harmlessly off his armored eyelids.
"Damn…" The Forest Clan archer swore. "Can't get through those scales with my stuff… I'm useless!"
"Don't talk like that!" Deis commanded, hitting Zog with another inferno. "Figure out another way of taking him down!"
"You support each other… help each other in battle as well as in peace." Zog observed, moving towards Gobi and succeeding. Before he could chew more than once, however, Ox was there, smashing the upper jaw off with his sledge and pulling the fat Maniro out. "Your strength is not as individuals, though you are formidable, but as a unified team…"
"That's how we took down half the Tiamat Unit!" Karn agreed. "And that's how you're going to fall too! The bigger they are and all that!"
"Keep in mind, little Fusion Clanner, that that bit about falling hard has TWO interpretations!" Zog snickered. "You seem to be defending yourselves well against my first offensive… shall we change tactics, then?" Even as Ryu delivered another blistering breath attack, the Emperor prepared for his own. Out from his maw, a chain of shimmering, golden-white fire curved out, seeking them all and plowing through one after another.
"Augh! Damn, that hurts!" Gobi swore, beating at his clothing to put it out. "You're going to pay for that one!" Pike, claw, sledge and knife lashed out again. Bo shook his head, then smiled at a sudden idea.
"I've got it!" Drawing back his bow, he released arrows again… but even as they flew, they changed. Bo's low-level offensive magic combined with them, and what struck Zog's open mouth were barbed, piercing projectiles of fire. Yowling, the Emperor struggled to spit them out, but they refused to come loose, and were soon added to by arrows of frigidly cold ice and shocking electricity.
"That's the way to do it!" Nina cheered, slicing at the point just below his muzzle horn. Bellowing, Zog released another stream of golden fire, but the heroes ignored it this time, taking the pain in stride as they continued their assault.
"You just don't get it, do you, Zog?" Ryu challenged. "No matter how much power you have… you can't stop us! Anything you do, any attack is futile… we'll never give up! Not until you're nothing but a bad memory for the world!"
"Mistaken again… I 'get it' perfectly." Zog grinned fearlessly. "You forget, I have spent more time than any other man with some who are much like you… my Tiamat Unit. I recognize my own greatest mistake with them… a mistake that none of you make. But as they say… the spirit may be willing, but the flesh… remains MORTAL!" He inhaled deeply, and then released his breath… but it was not the golden fire. It was a million times worse. It was innumerable lances of pure pain, a network of light that danced through the room, ripping through them all like a force of nature. The eight heroes fell to their knees, and Zog gloated. "You see what I mean?"
"No…" Ryu hissed. One by one, the heroes stood back up, defiant. "You're wrong again. We told you… no matter how much you do to us… we'll just keep coming!" Roaring, he charged with Ox, Mogu, Gobi and Karn to attack, fully frontal. Bo continued firing his magic-powered arrows, and Deis pulled yet another spell out of her metaphorical hat; a tightly packed cluster of hundreds, thousands of lightning bolts striking like a thunder god's hammer. Nina started to charge, then stopped, considering what she had done before.
"No… I've got to change too!" She concentrated, shimmered and screeched, becoming the Great Bird. Zog raised a scaly eyebrow, intrigued.
"Ah… the power of the Wing Clan! Nothing compared to that of the Dragon Clan, but marvelous nonetheless." Nina flew up and dived, beak first, slamming into Zog's face and seeking his eyes. "However…" Tossing his head, he caught her with his muzzle horn and slammed her into the ground. "Beautiful and useful though it may be, it is not suitable for fighting… not for this caliber, at least!"
"Damn… he just doesn't quit!" Ox growled. "Boss, what do we do? How are we going to finish this?" For while the heroes had put forth a mighty assault, the fact remained that nothing they had was capable of inflicting a mortal wound. Given time, Zog might perish from blood loss… but it went without saying that despite Ryu's words, they would be unable to hold out that long. Ryu thought frantically, scanning his mind… and he came upon the only choice.
"The Dragonsbane! Use it!"
"What?" Mogu gasped. "But… boss, you're Dragon Clan too! You'll…"
"No choice!" Ryu snapped. "It's our only hope of winning! DO IT!" It was Bo who nodded and pulled out the bottle.
"Your call, boss… as always. We'll do what you say… even this." He removed the cork. For just a moment, there was silence; nobody moved, even Zog, who could tell something was out. And then the Dragonsbane song poured forth, mystical and echoing and lovely. For most of them. But as soon as the first note was heard, Ryu and Zog's faces contorted. Agony… unimaginable pain filled every fiber of their being. Together, as the strangely melodic song filled their ears, the Emperor of the Dark Dragons and the Hero of the Light Dragons writhed in unison, sharing this most base of feelings. The song ended, and both fell; Ryu slammed to the floor, and Zog's head sank much more spectacularly.
"Ryu!" Nina screamed, reverting to her normal form and rushing over. "Thank Ladon… he's still alive!"
"Lo…" Ryu moaned. "Look out…" The heroes turned, realizing that if Ryu still lived… Zog did as well.
"Close, but not enough!" Zog's head slowly rose as he inhaled. "This will finish it… none of you are close enough to strike me first! Goodbye!" He smiled, and his eyes glimmered as he prepared to exhale and destroy them… and then he frowned, as he heard the whistle of something flying through the air. And then… his mad eyes were struck, pierced through, the dancing lights beneath them extinguished.
"Not all of us have you get close to attack." Bo lowered his weapon. "And THAT… was the last you had." Zog looked down at him with blinded eyes that no longer glowed… and nodded in agreement.
"That… it was." Again his head fell to the ground, this time for real, darkening and shrinking. When he was done, the armored Emperor sat on his throne once more. He looked undamaged, his armor was perfect, but they knew differently. As if to confirm it, he bent over and coughed up blood. "Even now… I underestimated you. You have defeated me… but my dream remains."
"Your dream…" Ryu frowned, also reverting. "Your dream of the world united… under you?"
"Not just… me." Zog smiled, despite his impending death. "Under… the Dragon Clan. Once… we were mighty. Once… we were great, feared and respected by all. But when I came to the throne… the Dark Dragons were feared, but not respected… we were loathed, hated. And the Light Dragons… nonentities, hiding from the world. This was not right… this was not what Ladon desired."
"Ladon!" Nina demanded. "Ladon was the one who told you of this dream?"
"That's right…" Zog coughed blood again. "Now… I die, my task close to completion but not fulfilled. You, my slayers… the task is yours now. Rebuild the world… unite it, under your names. You are the saviors… they will obey you. Ryu… return the Dragon Clan to its glory. It is… your destiny." Slowly, he reached up and removed the golden crown from atop his helmet. He tossed it along the ground in Ryu's direction, and saluted him… smiling. He remained smiling even as he sank back into his throne, and the Emperor's mad eyes closed for the last time.
"Zog…" Bo muttered. "You…" Before he could speak again, the room began shaking. In the heat of the battle, none of them had noticed the structural damage cause by Zog's titanic Dragon form. Now, the throne room could not hold out any more. With a final rumble, the floor gave in. Caught by surprise, none of them could escape, and they fell down, down…
"That was a fun day, Sara." Ryu smiled, giving his older sister a gap-toothed grin as he kicked off his sandals. Sara rolled her eyes.
"Fun? Ryu, you came into the Temple ten minutes late, covered in mud. Not only that, but you put frogs in everybody's pockets while they were praying… and after THAT, you waited until everybody had left, then vandalized the Statue of Ladon!"
"Like I said, a fun day!" Ryu laughed. Sara closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, praying to Ladon for strength.
"You… ugh. Never mind. Listen, don't track mud around the house. Get upstairs and take a bath. You don't need me to help, do you?"
"Nah." Ryu shook his head. "I'm ten now, Sara. I can take a bath by myself."
"That's good to know." Sara smiled. "I'm going to be leaving in a few years, after all." The bottom dropped out of Ryu's equilibrium.
"Leaving? Why, Sara?"
"The Pilgrimage, remember?" Sara reminded him. "In a few more years, I'll have to go visit all the Dragon Shrines alone. I have to, if I want to become a priestess. It's the rule."
"Sara…" Ryu rubbed his nose. "You've never gone away for that long before…"
"I know, but you'll be fine." Sara smiled. "You're a big boy now, remember? And grandpa and grandma will still be here… you'll be fine. I know you want to come with me, but you can't… you just can't, Ryu. I'm sorry."
"It's… all right." Ryu made an effort to smile. "I'm tough, you know. But… you will come back, won't you, Sara?"
"Of course I will." Sara lightly bonked him on the head. "I'll always come back to you, Ryu. You know that. Always." Ryu smiled.
"Then I'll be fine. I'll wait for you… until the day you come back." Running upstairs, he took a quick bath, then leaped into bed and fell asleep.
"Ryu…" Sara's voice echoed in his mind. "Wake up, Ryu…"
"Uh…" Ryu stirred. "What is it, Sara…"
"Come on, Ryu. Wake up." Sara's voice was the same as it had always been, calm and soothing. Ryu slowly opened his eyes.
"Sara…" And then, like a lightning bolt, it hit him. "SARA!" He scrambled to his feet. He was in Scande, and they had fallen… he looked around. They had landed in some kind of pit beneath the throne room, with perfectly smooth sides all the way around and no door. The others were all conscious already.
"Ryu!" Nina smiled. "Look who we found down here!" Still not really realizing things, Ryu's eyes roamed some more, settling on a set of manacles in the wall.
"Yeah, she was in those…" Ox nodded. "We got her out, though."
"Ryu, I'm so glad…" Sara whispered, and the Light Dragon looked at her once more. Sara, for everything she had gone through, looked surprisingly healthy; she was still wearing her white priestess' robes, and her hair, as blue as his, flowed down her back.
"Sara…" Ryu ran forward and embraced her. "Sis… you're alive… I found you…"
"I knew…" Sara hugged him. "All the time they kept me locked down here…I knew you would come here. I knew you would find me."
"Sara's told us the whole story." Nina explained. "After she left you to fight the Dark Dragons back in Drogen, Jade thrashed her and brought her back here… they've been keeping her down here to try and torture her into swearing fealty to Zog."
"But now that Zog's dead, I don't see that happening!" Gobi gave Sara his best honest-trustworthy-salesman grin. "Put your mind at rest… you're back among friends now!"
"Friends…" Sara looked at them all. "Thank you… all of you… for helping Ryu." She released her younger brother and looked him over. "Ryu… I can see it. You've become a great warrior… mightier even than Zog." There was a sound of sobbing, and they all glanced over to see Ox, facing the wall. Karn blinked.
"Hey, big guy! Control yourself!"
"I can't help it…" The huge Builder Clanner admitted. "I'm so happy for you both…"
"Happy…" Sara nodded. "Yes… happy. You should be… we all should. The world's been saved… just like always. The next Ryu… little brother, you did it. Only one task remains…"
"And that is?" Bo asked. Sara didn't answer at first; instead, she turned away, towards the back of the cell. Moving aside a loose brick, she pulled something out. Everybody stared. It was a key of solid, glittering gold; its length filled with decorative spines and curls. At the top was a flat circle engraved with a green carving of a queenly woman.
"The Queen Key…?" Deis asked incredulously. Sara nodded.
"They put this down here as well, to taunt me… they never dreamed you would ever rescue me. You have the other six keys?" Ryu nodded. "Good. We must destroy them now… so they may never be sought by those with evil hearts again."
"Destroy them?" Mogu blinked. "You know a way? Deis said it was impossible…"
"Nearly impossible…" Sara agreed. "But I think I can do it. Down here, alone… I haven't had anything to do but practice my powers… those given to me by Ladon, as a priestess. If I bathe all seven Keys in Ladon's holy light, the strongest I can summon, together… I may be able to override the power of Myria. Let me try, at least."
"It's worth a shot." Ryu agreed, digging into his pouch. Earth Key, King Key, Light Key, Dark Key, Sky Key, Time Key… one by one, he held them in his hands. "You're the only one in the world aside from ourselves I trust with these, Sara… remove them from existence." Everybody else smiled and nodded, but Nina frowned inwardly. Something was up. Something was wrong, something looked familiar… and then, too late, she realized.
"RYU! NO!" The Wing Clan Princess yelled, even as the Keys fell into Sara's hands. Instantly, she leaped back against the wall, and before anybody could move, a barrier of silver light sprang up between her and the heroes.
"Ha! Close, but no cigar! Too late, Wing Clan Princess!" Sara laughed. But it was not the clear, happy laugh Ryu remembered… it was dark, malevolent. Before their stunned eyes, two figures appeared by her side. One, a tall, muscle-bound brute with blood-red skin… and the other, the mysterious cloaked man who had aided them, now wearing shimmering gold. And then, he threw the cloak off, revealing himself. White cape… blonde hair… triumphant smirk… it could only be one man, especially since they already recognized his companion, the Black Warrior.
"Jade!" Bo hissed in fury. "The Gold Lord!"
"Sara…?" Ryu whispered. "What are you doing… why are you…?" Sara laughed again, mockingly.
"Don't you realize it yet, little brother? Your girlfriend did… too late, but still faster than you. Does this help?" Her white robes darkened to grey, and she pulled a hood up… and as a final touch, the six-headed dragon insignia appeared on the front of her robes, the same emblem that adorned Goda's and Jade's armor. Ryu's jaw hung open in horror, and his face whitened.
"You're… no! NO!"
"Yes!" Sara dropped the hood again. "Sorry, little bro… but things change. I am Sara, Silver Priestess of the Tiamat Unit. We who have no past and no future… salute you all. And thank you… for the Goddess Keys." She turned to Jade. "Here they are, Lord Jade… all seven, present and accounted for."
"You have done well, Silver." Jade smiled coldly, then turned to Ryu. "Thanks, guys… I owe you one. Not only did you find all the Keys for me… you got rid of Zog."
"You…" Karn's eyes were flat with rage. "That's why you were helping us! All those times... just moving us forward to take out Zog for you?"
"Of course." Jade laughed. "Like I told you, I wanted Zog dead… I never said why, did I?" He sighed, and for a moment, he actually looked regretful. "It wasn't easy… Zog was my oldest friend, ever since we were children. But he stood in the way of fate, of destiny… his mad dreams were unfit for summoning Myria. And so, he had to be removed from the picture. There were... other reasons, too, but those are none of your business. Once that happened, all we had to do was get the Keys from you… a task uniquely suited to our newest, and last member of the Tiamat Unit. Your sister, Ryu." Ryu shook his head.
""But… Sara? How? Why would you…?"
"Like the girl said, people change." Jade reminded him. "Sara's on my side now, Ryu… isn't that right?"
"I am the Silver Priestess now." Sara said simply. "That is all. Once, I may have been something... somebody else..." For a brief moment, her face softened, but then it was gone. "But the past is dead now. Sara of Drogen is long dead, brother. Now... I am your enemy."
"That's my girl." Jade nodded. "You see? Complete trust and servitude to me, like all of my Unit. Face facts, Ryu… she's one of us now, and you can't do a thing about it."
"No…" Ryu crumpled to the floor. "Sara… no…"
"Pull yourself together, Ryu." Jade warned him, still smiling. "After all, if you're a broken-down mess, you won't be able to stop us, will you? All three of us. The game isn't over... there's still a few parts left to play."
"We should leave." Sara suggested. She looked at Ryu. "We're going to Agua, little brother… it's time to release the Goddess Myria. We'll leave you here… if you're inventive enough, you'll find a way out. But be warned… don't come chasing us until you've come to terms with what I am now. Next time… I won't hold back on you." There was a rumbling from above, and a few more pieces of floor fell down, followed by something much heavier; Emperor Zog's dead body. Sara caught it easily and held it in her arms, despite its weight. Jade held out his own hand, and a moment later, something landed there as well. The crown.
"Mustn't forget this… we'll need it. See you all at the end of the world!" As one, the three remaining members of the Tiamat Unit disappeared. The barrier of light Sara had projected vanished as well, and the heroes were alone in the pit. They looked towards Ryu, horror and anger and sadness mixing on their faces. But on Ryu's face, as he crouched silently on the floor… there was no emotion. Not on his face, not in his eyes. Absolutely no emotion at all.
