1
Author's Note 1: Warning! Some drug references are in this chapter. Also the start of some Roger bashing! Reader's discretion is advised. Other than that, there's nothing much.
Part 12.1: Operation: Copper Retriever
In a few hours from the glittering city of Aquios, Nel, Cyrus, Fayt, Roger and Cliff had returned to the war-torn village of Arias. The group split up at to find Clair. During their search, a fervent man came up to Cyrus and said, "Leave the village's defense to me. You must get to Aquios as soon as you can and help build a new weapon that will change the tide of the war."
"I'll do what I can, sir," Cyrus said. "But the war can't be won by a weapon alone, no matter how powerful it may be. Don't forget that ultimately, it's the ability of common soldiers like you that really matters."
"Ho ho ho... Well said!" the man exclaimed. "Some people focus only on impressive things such as runology and dragons, but in the end it's the efforts of we common soldiers that really matter."
"That's right. The best my comrades and I hope to do is give your kingdom a little more leeway in fighting this war."
"I understand. We shall do what we can. And we'll do it as best we can. That means you can't fail to do your part, too. After all, we're gonna need all the leeway we can get!"
"Don't worry, like I just said, we got you covered." With that being said, the fervent man gave a salute to Cyrus. Cyrus returned the gesture by bowing down.
Afterwards, Roger came to report to him. "Hey Cyrus," he said.
"Rog, what's up?"
"Everyone's waiting for you near entrance to the mountains."
"Thanks for the heads up. Let's go." The two young "men" hurried up toward the northwest entrance where they met up with their companions.
"There you are," Nel said. "What took you?"
"Oh, the soldier. I tell you, he's a pretty loyal man that takes his work seriously."
They walked up the hill and saw Clair, Tynave and Farleen waiting at the gate with a wagon set up. "There you are, Nel," Clair said.
"Hello, Clair," Nel said.
"The wagon is ready!" Farleen reported. "We can leave whenever you want."
"Everything that we might need is already on board," Tynave added.
"Nice work," Nel replied.
"Here," Clair said as she handed Nel a small sack with contents inside it.
"What's this?" she asked as she received the item.
"It's a talisman. You are heading into a den of dragons, after all. Better safe than sorry, right?" There was a brief pause. "Be careful."
"I will."
"Fayt, Cliff, Cyrus, I expect to see you again soon."
"You can count on us," Cliff said. "We'll take care of Nel."
"We'll get you that copper; don't worry," Fayt said.
"Exactly. Them oversized winged lizards got nothin' on us," Cyrus said.
"You know miss," Roger said, "I could stay here with you if you want."
"C'mon Rog," Cyrus said. "I thought you were a 'real man?'"
"I am! I was just concerned." Cyrus shook his head with folded arms and a brim over his face to show the embarrassment for Roger and what the little Menodix tried to do.
"May good fortune in battle smile upon you," Clair said. With that said, the group went inside the wagon. Farleen, who was driver, took hold of the reins of the lum and they left for the Bequerel Mountain Path. Clair stood at the entrance, hoping to see her comrades again.
By the time the group got to the entrance to the mine, the made a heinous discovery. Two soldiers from the Dragon Brigade guarded the passageway. The wagon was forced to hide behind a mountain. "Oh great, if it isn't the Panzer Dragoon wannabees," Cyrus said.
"Just our luck," Nel said. "What's the Dragon Brigade doing here? This is not where they're usually stationed."
"Well, it looks like we'll have to take 'em on," Cliff said. "They're blocking our way into the mines."
"They're probably here after air dragons to beef up their army," Fayt figured.
"Yes, it's likely you're right," Nel said. "Tynave…"
"Yes?"
"You two wait here. We'll take care of them."
"Yes, ma'am," said both Tynave and Farleen in unison.
"Cliff, Nel, Roger, Cyrus, let's go!"
As the crew ran over to confront the Dragon Brigade soldiers, one of the enemies spotted them rushing toward them. "Who are you?" asked the other soldier.
"I'm Lapis... uh Lapis Lazuli," Cyrus said. "My companions and I were wondering if you would kindly let us through." His comrades shocked faces in the background. Back in Aquios, the group didn't know he was seriously going to ask the enemy for clearance. Boy were they surprised.
"Wait..." said the soldier that first spotted them. "You're those prisoners that escaped from the dungeon! And you're the Crimson Blade spy that help in their departure!"
"What about me?" Roger yelped.
"What about you?" the other soldier asked flatly.
"Whoops..." was the only response from Cyrus.
"Busted," Cliff said.
"So, what's you're plan now?" Fayt asked sarcastically.
"Since Plan A was just slaughtered," Cyrus explained, "let's proceed with Plan B."
"Which is..." Nel said.
"Bring on the pain to these douche bags. After all, actions always spoke louder than words." Cyrus tightened the grip of his sword. "A lot louder."
"Now you're talking!" Roger shouted. The battle started as both Legion Dragons swooped down at the team, but missed as everyone dodged from their attack. Nel, Cyrus and Fayt ganged up on one of the dragons. Fayt struck underhandedly which caused the dragon to be hurled into the air. Fayt then juggled the airborne reptile again, this time with a back flip. It was then Nel and Cyrus' turn as they launched themselves into the sky and somersaulted to their opponent. The overall damage was major and the dragon slammed to the ground with a loud THUD! Amazingly, the dragon picked itself up, but did something that Cyrus didn't expect. Instead of lifting its massive form in the air, the beast stayed on the ground, wings folded, and began to attack. The rider used his large lance and began attacking its opponents on the side of the beast, which were Fayt and Nel. The dragon itself was focused on Cyrus by lunging at him with its its sharp toothed mouth or using its Searing Fire Breath. Cyrus defended himself by either blocking the attacks with his sword or by dodging. Cyrus back flipped a couple of feet from the creature's range and charged up his Blazing Sword technique. Nel jumped up and catapulted herself at the rider and Fayt began to slash at the dragon, overwhelming both enemies. In seconds, the blade was lit and Cyrus charged at the Legion Dragon, screaming at the top of his lungs. The dragon lifted itself from the ground and flew directly at its would be target. Both the shizznit and the aerial reptile had met. Cyrus slashed the creature on its left flank while the dragon had its sharp talons drawn out. Cyrus and the dragon kept going their parallel paths for ten feet until Cyrus halted with his burning sword sticking out. The dragon also stopped, but not as successful. It suffered from the slash made by the weapon and crashed to the ground. Unable to move, it was now clear. The victor was Cyrus, Fayt and Nel.
Cliff and Roger dealt with the second soldier and his Legion Dragon that created a wall of flames with its Searing Fire Breath. Luckily, the obnoxious duo were able to leap out of the fire breathing beast's attack. Then the dragon and its rider performed their Master Combo. Here, the beast swooped down on Cliff and launched back into the air with its victim falling. The punishment continued when the knight slashed with his large lance. Cliff suffered from the attack as he slammed to the ground. Roger retaliated with his Whirling Heat. He pulled out an electromagnetic rope and lashed it at the dragon. On contact, the rope caused the dragon to spin. When it stopped revolving, the dragon was dazed and confused, unable to fly steadily. As an extra bonus, the rider was also swirly eyed. Cliff picked himself up and when he saw the reptile flying all over the place and the knight still unfocused (and perhaps ready to barf), he saw this as a chance for redemption. He ran to the dragon and unleashed his large energy ball called Sphere of Might, which delivered a considerable amount of damage. Roger also brung on the pain by using his Fiery Ax. He lit up his ax to a high temperature, ran jumped high into the air and slammed down at the creature. The impact caused a small explosion that juggled the dragon up in the air and added more damage and also resulted to its downfall as well. The battle was over.
"Oh yeah!" Cyrus said.
"Excellent work, gentlemen," Roger said. "And you m'Lady, you're techniques are flawless. Maybe, you could give me some lessons."
Nel had an embarrassed look on his face. "Nice try Romeo," Cyrus said as he pull Roger back by the tail, "but not nice enough."
Suddenly, another Dragon Brigade knight appeared from over the mountain and saw his fallen comrades on the ground. The group looked up and saw the enemy. "You're next," Cliff said.
"Any last words?" Nel asked.
The rider growled deeply. "You won't get away with this!" threatened the knight. He flew high into the sky and headed West, back to Airyglyph Castle.
"Pathetic ass coward," Cyrus yelled.
Cliff showed a thumbs down sign. "Damn," he said "there he goes."
"I'm sure he'll be back…with reinforcements," Nel warned. "We shouldn't have let him escape."
"Then we better hurry," Fayt advised.
"Right. Tynave, Farleen!"
"Right here!" Farleen said.
"Yes!" Tynave said.
"We're gonna clear a path through the dragons. You two follow a little ways behind us."
"Okay," Tynave said.
"Please be careful," Farleen said.
"You can count on that," Cyrus said.
"You, drive the wagon," Nel instructed the driver.
"Yes, m'Lady!"
"Let's go."
"Okay." Fayt said.
"You know, maybe I should go with them," Roger suggested. "You know, to make sure they're alright." Just as he was about to leave, Cliff pulled Roger back by the tail. "Hey! Let me go, ya big lummox!"
"You really don't understand women, don't you."
"I understand them more than you do, dummy."
"Yeah right, small fry."
"Yo Romeo, Casanova!" Cyrus called with his arms folded. Cliff and Roger turned their attention to him, Fayt and Nel as they stood at the entrance. Roger was still being held upside-down by Cliff. "Hate to interrupt, but we got a schedule to keep," he said while taping his watch.
"Well what are we standing around here for?" Cliff said as he dropped Roger and walked over. Roger was on the ground; face in the dirt and his back bent with his tail laying on his helmet.
The group walked into the cave, leaving Roger who quickly kicked back up to see his comrades abandoning him. "Hey! Wait for me, guys!" he yelled as he rushed in after them.
The party entered the mine. Inside the group could hardly see where they were going. "It's pretty dark in here..." Fayt said.
Cliff looks around the path. He spotted a small torch on the rocky wall that was still burning. "I wonder if that torch over there will…?" He check the torch by putting using a flint and scraping it with a rock. Sparks from the chipping of the rock set the wood on fire. "Hey it lit. Looks like we'll have to light them as we go along."
"Heh, it don't really matter to me," Cyrus replied.
"What do you mean?" Roger said.
"Don't you remember? I have the powers of darkness and flames. My vision isn't really affected, no matter how dim it may be. Besides, if it's too dark, I'm my own match." Cyrus pulled up his index finger and a small flame sat at the tip. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Rog." Roger froze in surprise to Cyrus' order even though he was behind him and out of his view..
"Right," Cliff said still not believing him.
"I guess."
Nel shrugged. "Alright, how about we find the copper and get out of here."
"I'm right ahead of ya," Cyrus said as he took the right path with his comrades not far behind. By the end of the route, the group was stopped by a barred gate. "Oh man. How do we keep goin'?"
Roger looked around and saw a switch. "Hey guys, over here!" he called. The group walked over to see what the commotion was about. Cliff saw another torch that was still in embers. He took his flint and chiseled away. As soon as the torch lit, a small switch was shown. "I think this opens that," Roger said as he pointed to the gate.
"We won't know unless we try," Nel said. She went over to the switch and the bars lowered. As they opened, two large, strange creatures entered the group's mist. Both looked like dinosaurs with wings on their backs.
"M'lady," Roger began asking, "are those dragons?"
"I'm afraid so."
Cyrus scoffed. "Dragons? Those aren't dragons! They're a couple Ornitholestes with wings... on steroids!"
"Ornitho- what whats?" Cliff asked.
"I'll school you later. Right now, I think it's time for some Brass Dragon ass whoopin'!"
The group charged into battle to take on the two lizards. The dragons didn't put up much of a fight. They breathed gas that caused a small amount of gas that paralyzed Roger and Cliff a few times. Luckily, they didn't stay paralyzed for long seeing that Cyrus bought some Basil earlier. In moments, the battle ended.
"Well," Roger began saying, "that wasn't too hard."
"Yeah," Cyrus said. "It would've been longer if I didn't bring the herb with us." Cyrus held up a stalk of Basil and put it back in the supply bag.
Fayt noticed a small, Lightstone that laid on the ground. "Hey you guys," he called. The group walked over to see what Fayt found.
"What do you have there?" Nel asked.
Fayt held up the luminescent stone as it glowed with a bright light. "I bet I could use this to light our way. That would make it much easier to explore."
"Sounds like a plan," Roger said.
"Hate to rush," Cliff interrupted, "but need to make tracks."
"Right," Fayt said. Fayt wore the glowing rock on his belt and led the rest of the group through the passageway. There were a few torches that were still lit, but not enough, the path was still pretty dark, but nonetheless, they had to proceed. It wasn't long until they made it to a fork in the road. That's when it happened. A loud roar echoed through the cave followed by more. Everyone looked around the cave and saw nothing yet.
"I don't wanna get attacked in the dark," Roger said.
"We need some light to check for enemies." Fayt enquired.
"I know just what to do," Cyrus said. "Fayt give me the stone." Fayt handed the Lightstone to Cyrus. Holding the stone in his hands, Cyrus concentrated on the rock and shrouded it in darkness. The footsteps of something non human was heard.
"Whatever you're doing," Roger said, "hurry up!" In a matter of seconds, Cyrus' eyed opened widely and the darkness disappeared, and a huge ray of light filled the cave. What the light revealed were six Brass Dragons on all three paths, two on each side. They were temporarily blinded, but as the light dimmed a bit, the dragons's vision returned and the dragons began hissing at their intruders.
"Oh man," Cliff said. "We're surrounded."
"Gee, ya think?" Roger asked sarcastically.
"How do we get out of this mess?" Fayt asked.
Cyrus began counting the creatures. "Okay, there are five of us, and six of them. Nel and Fayt, you take the two on the west path. Roger and Cliff, you take the two in back. The guys in front are mine."
"Let's go!" Nel said.
The group separated and attacked their assigned opponents. Cyrus rushed at the two dragons in front of him, jumping on one back to the other. One of the dragons used its long tail as a whip, delivering considerable damage to Cyrus as he skid back from the blow. Another started to use its horn, but Cyrus dodged the attack by a few inches. He launched himself up in the air, and with his sword in front of his body, hurled himself at the dragon that just attacked, spinning like a sharp edged disk. The attack gave the dragon a nasty amount of damage. Suddenly, Cyrus' blade was glowing red and blue. He knew that a new move was ready to be unlocked. He unleashed his energy, and in the palm of his hand, a ball of darkness appeared. "Darkness Blade!" he hollered as he added the dark energy to his sword. Cyrus ran to the dragons, slashing one and kicking another in the face. Both dragons used their paralyzing gas, but the attacks missed when Cyrus jumped in the air, landed in between them and slashed them both when he spun around with his blade. Both dragons fell but pushed themselves back up to their feet. One of the dragons again breathed gas, but Cyrus held his coat to his face, keeping him from inhaling the fumes. He was covered in the gas and the dragons slowly crept toward him, ready to finish him off, but they were in for a surprise. Like a missile fired from a bazooka going at high speeds, Cyrus charged out of the mass of gas and, with the dark power emanating from his sword, delivered the finishing blow to both of the large, bipedal reptiles. Cyrus' fight was over and the dragons quickly rushed away as quickly as possible. When he looked around, he saw that everyone else had finished their opponents as well. The last dragon pack picked themselves up and, with a few snarls, made a hasty retreat.
"Phew... Seems they're gone," Fayt said.
"Yeah, I guess they knew better than to mess with OGC and his crew," Cyrus said as he pulled his coat collar in pride. The group looked at him with whimsical stares and Cyrus noticed their bewilderment. "Sorry, couldn't help it."
"'OGC?'" Nel asked in confusion.
"We'll get back to that later," Cyrus quickly said. "Alright everyone! Let's move out!"
"One problem," Cliff said. "Where to?"
Cyrus looked at each path carefully. Then he remembered where he saw the last gate. "Yo Fayt," he said.
"Yeah."
"I think the left fork is where we should go. It seems like that route curves a bit, meaning it's a shorter path. Plus there's a few more torches"
"That may be so. If we take the other path, we would be facing more Brass Dragons or whatever else in this cave."
"Yeah. To tell you the truth, it won't really bother me, but you heard Nel, we shouldn't cause any unnecessary battles. "
"Alright. Everybody, this way." Fayt led the group down the route while Cyrus stood to see if everyone was accounted for. He saw that everyone, including the wagon group (consisting of Tynave, Farleen and the wagon driver) were alright. With that in mind, Cyrus quickly rushed back to the front. Deeper in the cave they went, lighting up torches as they went. They stopped when they saw a small panel next to a passageway written in strange font. "Are these some sort of characters?" Fayt asked. "What language is it?"
"It's known as Dragon Runes. It's the ancient tongue of dragons," Nel said. "It reads... 'Weave the two into a single line of darkness.'"
"What cryptic words." Cliff said.
"Okay," Roger said. "Being able to fly is one thing, but writing words?"
"It's rare," Nel said. "Only a few individuals of certain ages are able to do so."
"So let me get this straight," Cyrus said. "By the time they're what... three hundred years, they start going to kindergarten? I find that hard to believable."
"Yeah, but the proof is right in front of us, Cyrus," Fayt said.
"I guess, but I still ain't buying." The group began moving into the next area. "Then again, the lizards in my yard don't breathe gas or fly either unless some guy's called Dr. Chiba."
Inside the large room, there stood to tall torches a few feet apart. "Cyrus, care to do the honors?" Cliff asked.
"Gladly," he responed with his sword's blade risen up and a small flame that set on the tip. He walked over to both torches and lit them. On each side, Cyrus saw his double shadow. "Now I would like a volunteer from the audience to help assist me.
"Oh, me, me, me!" Roger yelped frantically. "Oh pleeeease, Cyrus!" he whined.
"How about... You, the woman in the light armor." Nel walked over to Cyrus.
"Oh, that's okay. I guess the lady deserves the honor than any of you two," Roger said.
"Or you, for that matter," Cliff sneered.
"Watch it, you dult!" Roger snapped. Fayt shook his head lightly out of embarrassment for the both of them.
"Hey kids, over here," Cyrus said waving for attention. "Now for a magic trick. I will have my assistant cause that door over there to open," he said pointing to the door covered with a dragon carving. "Now Nel, please step to the left." Nel stepped lightly to her left side. "No my left." She changed her direction. "Now move up toward us a few feet." Nel took two steps forward. "A little more..." Nel continued. "Alright stop." Suddenly, a door right behind Nel slowly opened. "Ta da! The single line of darkness."
"Come on you guys!" Roger rushed. "Follow me!" he said running west. The rest of the group followed the eager young Menodix out the room. The group followed the long trail through the cave with Cyrus listening to "Thuggish Ruggish Bone," by Bone Thugs N' Harmony. It was a long trail that had them ending up North once more to a new room. In the room, the group saw another Brass Dragon in their path. Not too surprising, but when they saw what was on it's horn, they knew there was something different about it.
"Are those what I think they are?" Cliff asked, fixated on the item on the horn.
"They look like keys to some kinda door," Cyrus said. The reptile was trying to take the keys off the horn, but to no avail. Then it noticed the group and stared at them.
"So what do we do?" Cyrus asked.
"Do you have to ask?" Roger questioned with a cocky attitude. "Come on, already." Roger hastily ran toward the reptile.
"Roger wait!" Cyrus said in an attempt to stop him, but the eager young boy was focused on the dragon.
The reptile broke into a stride, but as it turned around, Roger grabbed its tail. Unfortunately, his strength wasn't enough to slow the beast down and the child was being whipped around, holding on to the tip, screaming for dear life. "Help me!" Roger yelped. "Get me off of this thing!"
The rest of the group was pretty embarrassed with seeing their "comrade" in the predicament he was in. In some way, they were also feeling sorry for the Brass Dragon as it bucked around trying to both take the keys off its horn and thrashing around to take the kid off its tail. "Well you gotta admit," Cyrus stated, "you won't see this everyday."
"He has a point," Cliff said.
"Do you think we should help him?" Fayt asked Nel.
"It seems we have no choice," Nel replied reluctantly. "If there's an area closed off by some kind of door like the one we saw earlier, we'll need those keys."
"So I guess saving him is just an unwanted bonus," Cliff said.
"I'll show you... unwanted bonus." Nel sighed while Cyrus had his hand on his forehead and Fayt having shaking his head. Just then, a roar echoed throughout the cave. In a few seconds, another Brass Dragon appeared around a bend and spotted its comrade bucking in distress. It hissed loudly at the trespassers, sharp teeth blaring with strings of spit attached to both jaws when it opened its mouth. The monsters sharp claws were sharpened and its tail was stiffened. This creature was ready to defend its territory and aid its companion.
"It looks like our friend invited an unwanted guest," Nel said.
"That's fine," Cyrus said. "This shindig is for any party animal." The dragon charged at the group with full speed.
"I get ya, now," Cliff said. "What's a little party without... punch!" As soon as he said that, Cliff fist made impact under the dragon's lower jaw, sending the creature flying backward. In no time, Fayt rushed in to help Cliff defeat the monster while Nel and Cyrus started to rescue Roger. The dragon was moving all over the place, roaring in agony while jumping and kicking. Roger was yelling at the top of his lungs and holding his grip on the dragons tail. Cyrus used his new attack called the 187. He jumped up and kicked the dragon in the head with both legs and then flipped vertically, grabbing it's neck and slamming it down. After the chaos, Cyrus back flipped from the creature and back flipped again to show a fighting stance. As the dragon landed hard on the ground, Roger to had slammed on the hard terra firma as well. Still on the end of the dragon's tail, he was swirly eyed from the impact. Other than that, he was fine. Knowing that the dragon was down, Roger shook his head and ran from the grounded beast. After Roger was out of distance, the Brass Dragon got back up and roared ferociously at Cyrus. It was so pissed that it forgot the key ring jingling on its horn. The dragon rushed at Cyrus as he clenched his grip, but the reptile was stopped in its tracks by one direct swipe from Nel's daggers. The dragon turned its attention toward her and whipped the Crimson Blade spy away with its tail, but Nel ducked under it and jumped up while spinning around. Each spin she made caused damage to the creature. After she spun, while she still was in the air, she kicked the dragon right on the side of its head. The dragon was flung quite a distance from her. Cyrus ran to Nel's side and they both charged up their symbology. As they dragon got back on its two legs, it saw the their hands glowing. It quickly ran at its opponents, but as it lunged, Nel unleashed Ice Needles as Cyrus launched Fire Bolt. The dragon screamed in pain and slammed hard to the ground, KO'd. The key ring hanging by the tip of the defeated monster's horn. Cyrus crept to the creature's body and slowly took the keys off. Cliff and Fayt ran over as soon as their battle ended.
"Score!" Cyrus said casually as he spun the keys around his finger.
"That's good," Cliff said.
"What about Roger?" Fayt asked.
"Over there," Nel said.
Roger sat on the ground, worn out from his experience with the bipedal reptile. Roger came over to the group, panting heavily. "Are you okay?" Fayt asked.
"Well besides being shaken around like a rag doll, I'm fine," Roger said. The group left the scene and took the southeast path. At the end of the path, the group found another barred door in their way.
"Well, I guess it's the moment of truth," Cyrus said as he pulled the keys. "Cross your fingers, guys."
"Just hurry up already!" Roger rushed.
"I think we should've left him with the dragon." Cliff said.
Cyrus inserted the key in the lock and turned it. Cyrus pulled the key out of the slot and the bars lowered. "Alright, we're in." Without any hesitation, the group went inside the unlocked room. Inside, the area was abandoned. It was a large space with no signs of light. "Fayt, take off the rock."
"Huh? Why is that?"
"I just read something that said the guards cannot stop what they cannot see."
"So?" Cliff asked.
"So... if we go over there to that door with Fayt's light shining, those statues will close us in here."
"I don't know how Cyrus, but you've been right so far. There's always a chance..."
"Hey don't worry, yo. If you forgot, I didn't pilot a vehicle that crash-landed in a city."
"Wha-? Hey, come on! You didn't have to bring that up!" Cliff snapped in embarrassment. Cyrus shrugged his shoulders with a small grin in his face.
"Ha. Looks like he got your number, lummox," Roger replied, taunting Cliff.
"Shut up, vermin," Cliff hissed.
"Alright," said Fayt. He became resisted at first, but the blue haired swordsman put the rock in his pocket. Fayt looked back at Cyrus to see him nod. The group walked across the room and were at the door. They continued walking, watching the dragon heads on each side. When everyone, including the wagon exited.
"Now we could use the stone," Cyrus said. Fayt shook his head and reattached the stone to his belt. The group took the northwest passage until they saw another large decorated door.
"Man, what is it with this place and doors?" Cliff said.
"Tell me about it," Cyrus said. Then he noticed another small panel just like the ones before. "Hey look..." The group walked over and saw the Dragon Runes.
"Well, what does it say?" Roger asked, eager as always.
Nel scanned the text carefully. "Let's see... It says... 'Race ahead of thyself, but not when alone.'"
"What does that mean?" Fayt asked.
"We'll just have to go and find out," Cyrus said. The group looked around a large platform in the center of the room. "Let's check that thing out over there."
As the rest of the group walked over to the strange object, Roger ran over to it and stood on top. Suddenly, lights in the mouths of three dragon statues flashed on. "Wow, look at the magic show I made," Roger said. The group looked around and saw two doors on the west and north side, each open. "So, which way?"
"We should go north," Fayt said. "It seems that if we go that way, we'll be going deeper in the mine."
"Fine by me, homes," Cyrus said. The group walked over to the north passageway, until the door closed in their faces. "What's going on?"
"It seems something triggered the door to seal itself again," Nel said.
"Like what?" Roger asked.
"Hey wait, look at the door." The group looked and only saw their shadows.
"It's our shadows," Roger said. "So what."
"Don't you remember the riddle? 'Race ahead of thyself, but not when alone.'"
Cyrus thought for a moment and then remembered how he solved the puzzle. "Of course!"
"Of course what?" Fayt asked.
"Don't you see? When we first got here, our shadow touched the door, which made it close. And if you look carefully at which direction our shadow is going, they're representing the sources of lights."
"I get it. All we have to do is turn off which light that touches the door."
Cyrus looked down at his shadows. "Alright. Cliff turn off the one behind us."
"Sure thing," Cliff replied as he ran to the back.
"Rog, take out the one on the left near the other door."
"Sure thing." Roger ran to the light and shut it off. Most of the room was now dark again. The only light that stayed on was the one on the left side of the door.
As the two came back, Cyrus inhaled and exhaled heavily. "Ahh... I love the smell of success in the afternoon."
"What about in the morning?" Nel asked.
"Well, yeah that too." As Cliff and Roger returned, the group went out the door and felt that there mission was almost over. They went through a few smaller room and stopped at a small abandoned area where mining operations took place.
"This seems to be the deepest part of the mine," Fayt said.
"I think you're right. We still have some time before Tynave and Farleen return, so we should explore the area a bit," Nel said.
"I'm down with that," Cyrus said.
Cliff was looking a bit edgy. He felt the presence of something else in the room besides him and his partners. "Wait. Don't you hear that?" Small tremors occurred as the large hole in front of the group blew out a strong gale of wind with incredible force. In seconds, a large form shot out of the abyss.
"What is it?" Fayt asked in a freaked out tone.
"It's something big and ugly, I'll tell you that," Roger said. The creature dropped down in front of the group. It was large as Roger pointed out. It looked like a large rooster with a long tail feathers of a bird and a long tail like a dragon's.
"Holy shit!" Cyrus shouted slowly. "Who ordered the extra large from KFC?"
"Be on your guard everyone," Nel said. "This beast is infamous for turning its enemies into stone."
The battle began as Cockatrice shrieked and ran toward the group. Cyrus set his MP3 Player to "Poppa Large (East Coast Remix)," by Ultramagnetic MC The monster tried to use Stone Bite, but the group dodged from the paranoid poultry just before the attack connected. Fayt, with Cyrus' assistance, slashed mercilessly at the creature. Seeing it was overwhelmed, Cockatrice flew up in the air, flipped and slammed to the ground, causing a cave in from the ceiling above them. Most of the group, except for Nel, received some damage from the attack. Nel charged at the monster and attacked it with Shadow Wave. The bird bounced a couple of times from the waves until it crashed to the ground. When it got up, the bird ran over to Cliff. As Cliff was about to unleash his Hammer of Might, Cockatrice cancelled his attack with a swift Stone Bite. In an instant, Cliff was petrified. The group stood in shock as they saw their partner become a rock statue. The giant chicken looked back at the rest of the group and shrieked.
"Oh no!" Cyrus said in horror. "Cliff!"
"Any ideas you guys?" Fayt asked.
"I have one," Cyrus said. "In order to do this, Cockatrice will have to set his attention on Roger."
"What! Why me?" Roger replied.
"Because our attacks are the ones that will have more of an effect." Roger moaned, upset about being bait. "Alright. As Roger distracts Chicken Tenders over there, we'll assault up front with our Blazing Sword. Nel will come in from behind and attack with Shadow Wave."
"We don't have any choice in the matter," Nel said. "Let's get going."
Roger hustled to Cockatrice, mumbling about how stupid the plan was. When he was in its shadow, Roger was intimidated, seeing how large the fowl was up close. "Hey bird brain," Roger yelled. The bird looked down and cocked its head. "Yeah, you. Come and get me ya corn-eating feather duster." Out of pure rage, Cockatrice screeched loudly and chased after the little Menodix. "Anytime now?" he said as he was running from the creature.
"Alright, let's go," Fayt said. At the same time, he and Cyrus performed their Blazing Sword Nel rushed past the monster. The two swordsmen ran into the feathered foe with the tip of their inferno covered blades. Cyrus slid under it to the other side and attacked from there. Seeing that it was cornered, Cockatrice pecked rapidly at the trio. Seeing her time to attack, Nel ran up and used her Shadow Wave. Now the creature showed signs of weakness. All four attacked it at the same time. The bird knew that the end was near as it screamed its last scream. Both swords, the ax and the daggers made contact with the enemy causing it to fly into the wall over the bottomless pit. Cockatrice bounced off the wall and tried to hover, but no avail as it fell down into the abyss.
"Yippie! That was great!"
"Yeah," Cyrus said in agreement. "So, anyone up for some fried chicken?" The only reply that he received from his teammates were silent, cold stares. Cyrus chuckled nervously. "Then again, maybe not."
"How about we help out Cliff," Nel advised.
"Aw..." Roger moaned. "I liked him like in this shape."
"Cyrus, the basil?"
"Got ya covered, Nel." He handed the plant to the red headed spy and she concocted a potion that turned Cliff back to flesh.
"Whoa!" Cliff said after he turned to normal. "What happened?"
"You were turned to stone," Fayt said.
"Huh? No wonder I felt a bit rough."
"Now are you glad that I bought the plant, homes?" Cyrus said.
"Alright, thanks."
"We could think of ways on how you'll pay me back later."
"Let's continue exploring," Fayt said. The group walked around the room looking for copper for twenty minutes. They looked high and low and walked back to Fayt, who was studying an area near a hauler.
"There you are," Nel said as Tynave, Farleen and the driver arrived.
"This area shows little sign of being mined and the purity looks quite high," Fayt said in astonishment. "Let's search around here, Nel."
"All right. Everyone, start digging around here."
"Yes, ma'am," Farleen said as she, Tynave and the wagon driver excavated a large amount of copper.
"I think this should be enough," Fayt said as he inspected the supply.
"All right, let's take it to the refinery," Nel said. "You go ahead on hauler."
"Yes, Lady Nel," Tynave said. "Please be careful." The three left the cave with the copper as Nel, Fayt, Cliff, Roger and Cyrus followed close behind.
"Oh yeah, mission accomplished!" Roger said.
"Don't be too sure," Cyrus said. "We may have the metal, but we're not out of the woods yet."
"What are you talking about?" Cliff said.
"I have a feeling that somethin's gonna go down, know what I mean?" Cyrus wasn't too far from the truth. As they speak, a large horde of soldiers and a few Dragon Brigade dragon riders were heading towards the Bequerel Mines. Headed by the Black Brigade's captain, Albel Nox; it was only a matter of time until they reach them.
Author's Note 1: Ornitholestes: A dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period of North America. This small, nimble hunter was about 10 feet long and as tall as a small child. Its mouth was filled with small, razor sharp teeth. This carnivore exhibits features of primitive carnivores from such groups as Ceratosauria and may have even show the small nose horn. Due to its small and light weight body, it may have been fast, as well as deadly, and also would show some bird like features such as feathers.
Author's Note 2: Your patience has finally paid off as the battle you've been waiting for is finally underway in this scene. It's Cyrus Splicer, shizznit extraordinare, versus Albel Nox, master of the Airyglyph's pride. Will Cyrus be able to "Keep it Real?" Will his training and skills be enough? Or will he get shanked upon the edge of Albel's katana? We shall soon find out, YA HEARD?
Part 12.2: The Legion Menace
For about a few hours, the group trained at the area in between the mine and the refinery. Cyrus, who didn't forget about his duties as an inventor, signed a man named Grats, an old soldier from the refinery. As they completed their training (and in Cyrus' case, business negotiations), the group left the building by hauler and ended up back to the first room of the mine where two runologists looked frightened. "What's wrong?" Nel asked. "Hurry up and load the copper."
"Lady Nel, there's..." said the frightened words of one runologist.
"Outside..." said another.
"Did you see something?" The Crimson Blade asked.
"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Cliff said.
"Let's check it out," Roger said. The team of five rushed outside to find an unwanted ambush set just for them. "Yikes!" Roger said in surprise.
"The Dragon Brigade!" Cliff said.
"Good job getting this far, but I'm afraid it was all in vain," said the commanding officer and second in command named Demetrio. He rode on a large grey dragon that hovered above four Airyglyph Soldiers.
"Reinforcements?" Fayt said in disbelief.
"Looks like we took too long…" Nel said.
"Now this just sucks right here!" Cyrus said.
"Argh! You guys load the copper! Leave the fighting to us!" Cliff said to Tynave and Farleen behind them.
"Yes, right away!" Farleen said. "Hurry everyone! Let's get that copper loaded!" The two rushed out to help get the copper on board.
"Lay them to waste," Demetrio ordered his troops.
"In your dreams."
"Hey, I know that fool!" Cyrus said pointing to one of the Airyglyph Soldiers. The third soldier pointed to himself to make sure he was the one Cyrus was talking about. "Yeah, you. You're that chump that poked kept poking my ass back in Airyglyph."
"Don't worry, boy. Being poked and this 'police brutality' is the last thing you need to worry about."
"You think you can beat me. I'll shank yo' ass, son!"
The battle started as both side rushed at one another. Cyrus collided with his target with his sword striking his armor. The knight retaliated by jabbing him with his spear, but Cyrus blocked the move. Instead, he shouted "Raptor's Revenge!" Cyrus jumped at the soldier and began kicking rapidly at his chest. He then had both feet on the knight and back flipped off him, landing on his feet. The knight, on the other hand, laid on the ground from the damage and the force of the blow. Somehow, the knight picked himself up and struck Cyrus with a sweeping slash. He was about to slash downward, but Cyrus countered and kicked him in the face. The night staggered but he regained his balance to run at him again. "This is it, weakling!" he yelled.
"I don't think so," Cyrus said confidently. As the warrior tried to hit Cyrus at an upper right corner angle, the young swordsman held up his blade. The pole of the spear bounced off the sword and hit the soldier in his helmet. Even though his face was concealed, Cyrus knew that the enemy was dazed and disoriented. Cyrus saw his opportunity to use Time's Up, a move that is associated with Drunken Boxing. He moved in a wobbly fashion toward the knight and pulled up his face guard. Cyrus spun his opponent. Then he punched with the back of his face which made him have to hold it. Afterwards, he slams the soldier to his knee, causing him to hold his face some more. Last, but not least, the soldier was flown backwards as he punched him in the face with an opened palm. The soldier was not moving, which meant the winner was none other than Cyrus. "Yeah! Don't wanna mess with me again. Are do ya, chump?" The battle was over as the last soldier that was still standing was defeated by Nel's Ice Daggers.
"The copper's loaded!" Tynave said.
"Get on, quick!" Farleen rushed.
"No! Someone has to deal with the Dragon Brigade. You go on ahead! We'll hold them off!" Nel explained.
"What?" Farleen said in disbelief.
"Just go, hurry!" Cliff said.
"Don't worry, we'll catch up with you later, I promise," Fayt said.
"That's right," Cyrus said. "These clowns are just a bag of hot air."
"Now, get that copper to Dion!"
"…Good luck!" Tynave said. "Farleen, let's go!" Tynave and Farleen drove the wagon out of the area at full speed.
"Don't even think about it!" Cliff hollered at Demetrio.
"I think we avoided the worst-case scenario," Nel said.
"If only that was true," Cyrus thought.
"Bah. What could you possibly accomplish by looting some copper?" Demetrio question. Then, a thought of its purpose had crossed his mind. "Or…maybe it's for that new weapon of yours?"
"How do you know about that?" a pissed and skeptical Nel asked.
" Don't underestimate us. We've known about it for quite some time now. You don't have a monopoly on spies, you see."
"Why you..."
Suddenly, two blue Legion Dragons flew down behind Demetrio. "Whatever this runological wonder of yours turns out to be, it won't help you win the war. The weak will always fall to the strong. But enough with this pointless posturing. Surrender!"
"Don't make me laugh!"
"So these two are Fayt, Cyrus and Cliff, huh? You three are quite impressive. It's not too late, you know. Join with us. If you refuse, you'll die."
"Wait, join you or die?" Cliff said. "I can't decide which is worse."
"Do the words 'kiss my black ass' mean anything to you?" Cyrus said.
"We'll never join you!" Fayt said. "And I don't intend to die, either!"
"Yeah, so why don't you just leave already," Roger advised.
"I thought you'd have a little more sense… What a pity."
Demetrio and his lackeys rushed into battle. Cyrus turned his radio on to "Sneakman," by Hideki Naganuma Jet Grind Radio. Fayt struck at Demetrio with his Side Kick. Cyrus also attacked Demetrio by using Raptor's Revenge, causing them to fall on the ground. As if they weren't hurt, The dragon got back up and started using its Searing Fire Breath. Luckily, both Fayt and Cyrus jumped out of the way from the blast. The commander saw his chance and used his Master's Combo. He dived at Cyrus and swooped up into the sky. Cyrus was thrown into the air with the dragon and was plummeting down fast. Demetrio used his large lance, to finish Cyrus off, but Cyrus anticipated this. He opened his eyes and grabbed the cone as it came at him. He jumped behind Demetrio who began to start punching. Cyrus blocked a few of the attacks and punched him in the jaw. Then he stood up and as his foe was holding his mouth, back flipped to the ground below him with his long coat wrapped around him and landed gracefully on his feet. Unfortunately, he still felt sore after the assault from the overgrown lizard. Demetrio returned after he regained control of the dragon, even more determined. In a fit of rage, Demetrio swooped down in between Cyrus and Fayt, but they side stepped from his attack. They turned around and saw Demetrio preparing to use his dragon's Searing Fire Breath, when all of a sudden, they heard someone shout "Flashing Blade." Three streams of ice came from the duo's right side that hit Demetrio hard enough to knock his dragon to near a cliff. When they turned around, they saw the form of Nel. Fayt gave a thumbs up. The battle was over and the trio walked over to the weakened rider and his reptile.
Cliff and Roger were already there. "I- I don't believe it...," the tired Demetrio said. Then he began snickered malevolently and softly. "Still… Your fate shall be…" Without warning, the cliff gave way. The dragon tried to fly, but it was too exhausted. Demetrio yelled as both him and his dragon plunged into the chasm's abyss.
"Were you gonna say sealed?" Cyrus yelled down the deep pit.
"We better get back to Aquios, fast," Nel advised. "Now that Airyglyph knows we are working on a new weapon, we don't have much time."
"You're right," Fayt said.
"There's no time to loose!" Roger replied. The group went down the trail, rushing pass the mine and on the path to Arias. In between the mountains, the group were in shock as they made a grizzly discovery. Tynave and Farleen were on the ground in pain. With the wagon next to them. Two Black Brigade soldiers and their captain, Albel, stood over their wounded bodies. Albel noticed they had company and simply turned his back to them.
"Tynave! Farleen!" Fayt yelled in horror.
"Damn, they didn't get away?" Cliff asked himself in angst.
Albel turned his head. "I thought something intriguing might be afoot," he said nonchalantly. "And now we meet again. I'm glad I came out to play today."
"Albel!" Cyrus yelled.
"What a pity. We had to seize your precious cargo."
"... I'm sorry," Farleen said, as Tynave moaned in pain.
Albel walked up to Farleen's body and kicked her in the stomach. "Silence maggot," Albel ordered.
"You sick ass bastard!" Cyrus said.
"Albel Nox!" Nel yelled. "How dare you do this to my people!"
"Huh? You mean these two? They resisted when we tried to seize the goods. They didn't put up much of a fight… They…dropped like flies!" Albel began cackling loudly. Cyrus usually liked how he laughed back in his universe when this was just a game. Now, he found it unsettling as he's experienced his malicious acts first hand.
"You..." Fayt said.
"You won't get away with this," Nel threatened.
Albel then turned his attention to Cyrus, who gave him a glare. "No getting off the hook for free today, ladies, I'm not through playing. Besides, this time you might even give me a little sport."
"Oh yeah?" Cliff mocked. "Try us! We have a way of taking the fun out of things for our enemies."
"Hah! I'll be the judge of that! And worm," he said. Cyrus scowled harder at his rival. "I haven't forgotten our match."
"Don't worry," Cyrus reassured. "I've been training my ass off for this moment," he said as he tightened his grip.
"You better say good-bye, maggot. It will be the last time you'll see them again."
"I'm staying, bitch! I'm gonna win or my name isn't Cyrus M. Splicer. And it is."
"That's what you think. Now, let's see what you've got!"
Cyrus turned his player to "Sneakman (Toronto remix)," from Jet Set Radio Future. The battle began as the group ganged up on the knights. Cyrus hopped up and quickly rushed at Albel, who just stood there. As Cyrus struck at Albel, the foe raised his sword and both began pushing on their blades to test one another's strength. Albel shoved on his blade hard, causing Cyrus leaped back. Seeing that Cyrus was in his sights, Albel performed Air Slash. A large shockwave was cutting to the ground, and coming toward the youth a high speeds. Cyrus jumped up away from the stream, literally cutting it close. As he landed, Albel emerged from the dust made by the trail and before Cyrus could react, he struck. Cyrus fell down with tremendous force. "Oh man," Cyrus thought. "This guy doesn't play around. I have a feeling he likes his job a little too much."
"I can't believe it," Albel said. Cyrus leaned up and set his attention to the man. "You're the one who had defeated most of a number of my squadron, pathetic. How my men were defeated by your hands is a mystery, but from what I'm seeing, you're nothing more than a weakling."
"What was that, B?"
"I wanted a fight and this is what I get? You're wasting my time. I guess the weak like yourself will always bow down to the strong." Cyrus started chuckling. "What's so funny maggot?"
"You call me weak, son? At least I don't kick my victims when there down or go attack without a plan. What I have been doing right now," Cyrus snickered, "I was studying you. See there's no point in trying to defeat a foe without proper k-nowledge, know what I'm saying. And then torturing your adversary when they can no longer battle. I may be 'weak' as you call it, but at least I a shred of honor and more resilience then you'll have, chump."
"Are you done, maggot. It's time to die now."
"Like I said before," Cyrus gave a nasty scowl, "I don't die for no one. If you want to see how strong I am, shut the mouth and take action, biyatch!" Albel charged at his kneeling foe and jumped. In moments, his blade was descending quickly toward Cyrus for the final blow. It appeared that it was over until... CLANG. Albel's blade was stopped. As he looked down, he saw a familiar sword that blocked. It was Cyrus who was still kneeling, but held off Albel's sword in less than a few inches away from his face. Cyrus gave off a simple smirk and kicked him in the stomach. Albel staggered back as the young swordsman kicked back up to his feet.
Albel smiled and thought to himself, "Now the fun begins." He charged at Cyrus and slashed, but missed as Cyrus leapt over. As soon as he landed, Cyrus struck to the left, but Albel blocked. Cyrus again tried to strike, but the attack was blocked again. Albel used his metal and struck down. Cyrus stopped the claw, but Albel also used his katana and struck at Cyrus' right flank. Cyrus knew that he would probably use a trick like that and adjusted his sword at an angle to also block the long blade. Now he had to contend with Albel pushing with both his arm and his sword. Cyrus concentrated his powers heavily on the sword. In no time, a dark aura surrounded the blade. Both warriors leapt back. Albel, was zig-zagging across the land. Cyrus studied the distance that attack put out. Cyrus ran to toward Albel as quickly as he could, and stopped. It looked like both warriors were about to clash, until Albel's strike had missed. Cyrus still stood unscathed and only felt the wind. Albel turned around as did Cyrus and eyed each other down. The aura around Cyrus' blade was growing thicker. Albel used his Air Slash. Cyrus dodged the first, but a second one came right at him as he landed. At the right time, Cyrus slammed his blade down on the ground and the wave split in half and both sides went around Cyrus in both directions. Albel's face was painted in shock as he saw his attack chopped in half. Cyrus was ready to deliver his finishing move and Albel charged at the swordsman. The dark aura surrounded Cyrus' body and at the same speed as Albel, he charged. Both dark colored streaks approached each other at high speeds until the slash of a both swords had echoed through the landscape. Fayt, Cliff, Nel and Roger, who finished their adversaries, watched stunned. The bodies of the two swordsmen stood perfectly still. Both held their blades out. Cyrus flinched first, showing that the fight took its tole, but it was Albel who knelt on his sword. The battle was over.
Cyrus ate some blueberries. They didn't help relieve him of the pain, but they were enough to help him move. Cyrus walked up to a defeated Albel who was badly wounded and still kneeling. "You…put up a better fight than…I…" the captain coughed violently. "This… This cannot be!"
"Told you... I was resilient... homes," Cyrus said in a rasping and tired voice.
"Want some more?" Cliff said, very much eager to finish him off.
"Gladly! I…won't be defeated by the likes…of… Gaah!" Albel gagged and slipped off his katana.
"Leave him, G," Cyrus said.
Cliff was pretty skeptical. "We gotta get Tynave and Farleen to a doctor, fast," Fayt said. "And we got the copper. No reason to stick around here."
"…Yeah, you're right," Nel agreed.
"But shouldn't we take care of this little problem first?" Cliff asked.
"Yeah, well, it's just like he said: Easy wins have never been my style," Fayt replied. Albel looked up in astonishment.
"Hehe, yeah, I gotta agree with you there. I've no interest in trouncin' weaklings either!" Cliff commented.
"I'm not interested in fighting a tired fool, myself," Cyrus said.
"Let's go," Fayt said. The group left as they laid the injured bodies of Tynave and Farleen in the back with the copper ore and rode the wagon back to Arias.
Cyrus stayed behind and looked at Albel. "Did you change your mind, worm?"
Cyrus pulled out some blueberries and handed them to Albel. "Don't think it's pity, homes. I don't work like that."
"Then why...?"
"I would like to fight you again. I've defeated many adversaries where I'm from, but you were a challenge to behold. I know we'll meet again, and I have a feeling it will be on friendlier terms." Albel snatched the berries and Cyrus rushed back to the group. Still furious after his battle, Albel roared. His yell echoed throughout the mountain path.