Dart's POV:
The jagged peaks of the Forgotten Land flashed beneath me, an endless landscape of bleak gray stone and scraggly looking shrubbery. Every so often the monotony was broken by a fast running river, the white water crashing over rocks and rapids to spill over falls into deep black crevasses that gaped in the rock like great hungry mouths. From the air the land looked dead; the only signs of life were mice scurrying about in the sparse yellowed grass and the wicked looking birds in the sky above that hunted them.
/Why did the dragons decide to come here?/
//It's not all like this. There's actually forests further inland with enough wildlife to support them//
/Wouldn't guess it from here/ Gaining altitude and sheering away from the slopes of the desolate mountain range, I increased my speed and headed inland. /Just keep heading east?/
//Yes. Sooner or later someone's bound to notice us//
/And then?/
//We'll do as the situation dictates// He fell silent.
As promised, the land changed gradually as we flew away from the mountain range. The soil became less rocky and long waving grass began to cover the hills. Occasionally low bluffs of trees would dot the landscape, their gnarled gray trunks twisting into awkward shapes and casting strange shadows on the yellowed grass. On the horizon could be seen a long dark green smudge, which I presumed to be the forest. Rivers, streams, and ponds dotted the landscape, becoming more and more frequent as we neared the dark forest. But I still hadn't seen any dragons. In fact, we were almost to the forest before we saw anyone at all.
//We've been spotted// Ragnarok warned. //Down by that tree near the pile of rocks. There's a pseudo dragon down there//
I struggled through my memory for a moment before I recalled Rose telling me that baby dragons were often referred to as 'pseudo dragons'. /Should I do anything about him?/
//Why bother? We want to be seen, and all you'd do would be to agitate his mother// He fell silent, watching with me as the little dragon struggled over the rocks and began a sort of shuffling little run towards the forest. The dragon had no noticeable wings, and he ran on six narrow legs, giving him a distinctly insect appearance. I was vaguely reminded of the dragon Fyerbrand. //Land here. The dragons will come out shortly//
/You done this before/
//I've seen it done before. When I had my old body, no one really questioned my identity//
/I can see why/ I landed in the shadows of the tree, letting the clawed feet of my armor sink into the earth. With a flash my armor de-activated, my spiritual power spent. Even though it was midday a thin layer of frost still crackled underfoot within the shadow of the tree. I was still a little disoriented from my stay in Ulara, and I wasn't quite sure whether winter had just ended here or whether it was getting ready to start.
//It's just getting ready to start// Ragnarok's voice echoed through my mind. //The seasons here pass the same as they do in Millie Seasue// He was silent a moment, and then I felt him tense. //They're coming//
I heard the dragons long before I saw them. From deep in the woods came thunderous crashes and heavy footsteps; occasionally one of the approaching dragons would roar. When they finally did appear I was astounded by the variety of species before me. Here and there I could see types that I could identify: there at the edge of the woods loomed a green tusked dragon and there, resting with the tip of its tail in a river, was a dragon that reminded me strongly of Regole. But the rest were a mystery to me.
/Where are the dragons that the dragoon stones came from?/
//Rythl, Kaze, Acrrea, and the others were unique. They were the only ones of their kind// Ragnarok said shortly.
/How can they still be summoned?/
//Their bodies still exist on the spirit plane. They may be summoned to this world if need be//
From the midst of the hoard of dragons before us, one taller than the rest pushed forward. He had a long reptilian face with swept back horns that arched over the length of his short neck to tickle his heavy set shoulders. He had four legs, but he carried most of his weight over the front end of his body. The forelegs reminded me of tree stumps; short and thick, ending in gnarled and broken talons. Even with the weak and shriveled hindquarters, this dragon was a formidable sight.
Within my mind, Ragnarok sighed. //That one is named Eire. A disease about twelve struck him thousand years ago that crippled him permanently in his hind legs. At one time he was the most powerful of the mountain breed. Now he wanders about forests, crippled and blind//
/How does he survive?/
//He is wise, and there are few dragons of his age and knowledge left in the world// Ragnarok said almost sadly. //He relies on the protection of the other dragons for survival. But, even though he is blind, his other senses are still sharp. He should recognize my mind//
Eire halted in front of me and lowered his massive head. Now that he was so close I could see that he had no eyes; it seemed that he'd lost them in a fight long ago. Sniffing me once, he snorted and the blast of foul air almost knocked me off my feet. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. It took me a moment to realize that Eire had spoken: the language he used was harsh sounding in my ears, hardly discernable from a growl.
/How the.?/ I started, but Ragnarok cut me off.
//A little favor// He told me. //Call it a bit of instant translation//
"What is the meaning of this?" Eire repeated. "What is a human doing in the realm of the dragons?"
//Move over// Ragnarok commanded, probably more abruptly than he'd meant to. I was all too happy to oblige: One wrong move on my part and I was dragon chow. At least Ragnarok had some idea of what he was supposed to be doing. Letting my mind drift from control, I slipped to one side to watch. Ragnarok shuddered slightly as he took control, like a dog shaking away water from its fur. When he seemed sure he was completely in control, he spoke. "Your senses must have eroded away more than I had thought, old one. Try using your mind once in a while. You'll know who I am."
Eire grunted, and I felt a mind brushing my own. It touched only briefly, then moved on to Ragnarok's. It paused for a moment, then snapped back to its owner. "Ragnarok," Eire stated the name as a fact rather than a question. "We thought you passed this world by a century or so ago."
"It seems Soa isn't done with me yet."
"Obviously," Eire swayed slightly as one of his hind legs buckled underneath him. "Is the other one with you the supposed 'partner' you tried so desperately to avoid?"
"It would seem so," Ragnarok said, his tone betraying no hint of embarrassment.
"Then fate has finally caught up with you, Divine One."
"It happens to all of us from time to time. But I'm not here to discuss my current indisposition." He took a breath, then straightened. "I've come to enlist your aid, Eire. Or, more specifically, the aid of four dragons."
"That sounded like a command, Ragnarok."
"That's because it was one. I'm not giving you any other options." I wasn't surprised. Ragnarok may have been stuck in my human body, but that had never diminished his need for authority in any way. To the dragons, however, I thought that it must look ludicrous. I mean, by all appearances a human was trying to order them around. Never mind that the human was also a dragoon and the vessel for the Divine Dragon. All most of them would see was one tiny human.
Apparently I was right. "YOU are not giving us any other options?" The speaker's tone was incredulous. "Listen Divine One, I hardly think you're in a position to be giving any of us orders."
//Damn it// Ragnarok muttered. //This is what I was afraid of. The dragons are ruled over by the most powerful of their kind. The dragon that said that is probably trying to make a name for himself. He must think that if he defeats me he'll gain a reputation of power to make a bid at the position of the dragon lord//
/Are we going to have to fight him?/
//He'll bluster and yell insults for a bit, but that'll be the eventual product//
/Why not just cut to the chase?/
//I was hoping you'd suggest that// Ragnarok turned to face the speaker, a young bluish dragon that was surprisingly birdlike in appearance. "Is that a challenge?" he asked coolly.
The dragon seemed surprised at Ragnarok's bluntness, and he fumbled to come up with a response. "I-I guess." he started, then he shook himself. "Yes." He stated firmly. "Your power is diminished, Divine One. You no longer even have a body to call your own. Defeated by humans! What kind of dragon lord were you supposed to be? You are unfit to rule over us, therefore I declare your order void."
I swear, if it was possible to kill someone with a look, that dragon would have died three times over. The dragons nearby actually took a step or two away from us, glancing at each other uneasily. The bird-like dragon wavered, but held his ground. I have to hand it to him; that guy had guts. If Ragnarok had been looking at me like that I would have run screaming for the hills. "What's your name?" Ragnarok asked. His voice was hardly more than a whisper, but I was quite sure that every dragon in the clearing heard him. I'm not even sure if they were even breathing anymore, so total was the silence.
"Ty-tygris," came the shaken reply.
"Well Tygris, I'm going to do you a little service. Your comprehension of the words 'diminished' and 'power' when applied to myself seems a little shaky. Let me help you to redefine that." Ragnarok pulled his sword from my belt. "I'm going to give you a little demonstration of what I can do with my 'diminished power'. Just to teach you that you should find out more about your opponent before you start hurling around challenges." Ragnarok's tone was like ice.
I had always thought that the only way to activate a dragoon stone was through spiritual power. In Ragnarok's case, extreme rage seemed to serve the same purpose. The cold stone burst into life, its glow clearly visible despite the fact that it rested within my chest. A low murmur that sounded more like a growl to my ears passed through the crowd as the image of the divine armor appeared, shimmering briefly in a myriad of shifting colors, before consolidating into the graven wings, cannon, and body of the Divine Dragoon. I was fairly sure they'd expected this, but their response was still gratifying.
Flaring his wings, Tygris opened his narrow mouth to reveal several rows of short, needle-like teeth. Hissing loudly he kicked off hard against the ground, propelling himself into the air. He struggled for altitude for a moment, then leveled off about thirty or forty feet above the ground. Tygris wasn't a very large dragon, but he looked confidant once he was in the air. I hoped silently that Ragnarok knew what he was doing.
//Of course I do// He snapped. //Do you think would I do this if I didn't?//
I chose not to answer that.
In spite of my initial reaction, it was clear that Ragnarok had the fight won before it really started. He had experience on his side and used it to his advantage every chance he got. And while he was smaller and less graceful looking than the bird-dragon, he managed to make Tygris seem slow and clumsy by comparison. I don't think he actually used a weapon on Tygris once. After slamming into him a few times at full speed, Ragnarok had managed to crack or break a fair amount of the dragon's ribcage. Tygris tried to keep up with the attacks, but the effort was wasted. Each time he struck he found only empty air where his target had been a split second before. And as the blows kept coming, the pain in his ribcage became too much to bear. Spiraling downward, Tygris landed heavily near the edge of the forest and slumped to the ground.
Twenty feet above him, Ragnarok raised his cannon and leveled it at his fallen opponent. Drawing in energy with deliberate slowness, he cocked it and prepared to fire. One the ground below, Tygris, unable to move, closed his eyes and flattened his head against the ground.
/Ragnarok! Don't-/
At the last moment Ragnarok adjusted his aim. When the smoke and dust finally cleared Tygris was lying greatly shaken next to a crater that was large enough to hold a small house. Wings beating the air slowly, Ragnarok descended to the ground, landing a short distance away from the broken bird- dragon. Lifting the cannon, he touched the tip between Tygris's eyes and made as if to fire.
/Ark, you're heartless you know that?/
//Actually, if we're speaking in literal terms, we're both heartless// I detected no change in his mind, but he did lower the cannon.
/You'll let him live?/
//I'm going to see if he will survive// He replied in an emotionless tone. //Dragons who are injured this bad do not always live long enough to recover. Unless someone decides to help him, he'll have to fend for himself//
/That's really low, you know that?/ I told him bluntly. /You know damn well that he won't survive on his own/
//Maybe someone will help him//
/Ark, you know no one will help him. That's why you're doing this/
//Perhaps// He started to raise the cannon again.
With a tremendous effort, I pushed him out of the way and took control again. /You're impossible when you're like this, you know that?/ I told him. Not waiting for an answer, I deactivated the armor and put up my sword. Walking over to Tygris, I reached down and tapped him lightly on the forehead. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He stared at me for a moment, then seemed to notice the change of control. A shudder passed through his body. "Is he going to kill me?" he asked.
"Not today at least. He'd like to, but he's not going to." Aware that the dragons around the clearing where still watching us, I stepped over Tygris's head and walked around to his rib cage. I reached out to touch it, then paused. His side was a mess of bruises and broken scales, sagging inward in some areas and jutting out on awkward angles in others. The pain must have been incredible. Stepping in as close as I dared, I pulled a bottle of healing fog from the pouch on the side of my jacket and uncorked it. As I poured it carefully over the dragon's side, an idea slowly began to form in my mind. I almost discarded it at first, but I soon found the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.
//You're not serious!// Ragnarok exclaimed, catching hold of the idea.
/Of course I am. It's better than killing him/
//He's hurt! Those injuries will take months to heal, assuming he lives past the first week. Evengil was the only dragon healer, Dart. He isn't going to get treated by them// /What do you think I'm doing now?/ I asked, pouring the remainder of the bottle onto Tygris's side. Even as I watched, the bruises began to disappear as the rib bones began to knit themselves back together.
There was an incredulous silence, then Ragnarok began to swear sulfurously. His choices of words were wide ranging, and he often resorted to other languages when the obscenities of the common languages failed to completely express his feelings. I listened to his ranting calmly, ministering first to one of Tygris's broken hind legs, then to his other side. By the time Ragnarok had begun to repeat himself, I was finished and Tygris was gingerly getting to his feet.
/Are you finished yet?/
My question was greeted with a frosty silence.
/I thought so/ I turned back to Tygris, who was stretching his wings experimentally. "I don't advise trying to piss him off again any time soon. He's quite put out with me for not letting him blast your carcass halfway to Serdio." I turned to face Eire. "He'll be coming with us."
Eire looked at me gravely. "Are you sure of this?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't." I looked around. We still needed three more dragons. "Who else could you spare?"
Eire slumped to the ground, his legs unable to support him any longer. "What attributes do you have need of?"
"Preferably water, fire, and earth, if there are any about."
Eire paused to consider this for a moment. "Rasqul, Niern, and Maydalsk. They all should be serviceable. May I ask what they are needed for?"
"We had to create new cygnets. We thought that it would be better if we had guardians for them this time. I really don't want to have to make any more of them. Using dragon magic in a human body is like being dragged through hell." I shook my head, remembering Aglis. "I definitely want to avoid having to do that again."
This seemed to pique Eire's interest. "You were able to channel Ragnarok's power?"
"Yeah. But like I said, hurts like hell."
Eire paused to think a moment. "Tell me," He asked. "Did it hurt to actually channel the power, or might have it been another power that caused you harm?"
I shrugged. "It might have been the wingly portal, but I'm not sure. I wasn't aware of much at the time."
"I see," Eire said. "You're an interesting case, dragoon. If I happen to be alive the next time we meet, I hope you'll allow me to talk to you further."
"I'll be sure to place myself at your connivance," I told him. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed three dragons gathered near Tygris. "If you'll excuse us, we had better get moving. We have a lot of ground to cover, and I'd like to get this over with as quickly as possible."
**Pats Arkie on the head** He's such a nice boy when he's pissed, isn't he? I'd keep him in my closet, but I don't think he'd appreciate that. Sorry it took so long. I know I said I'd have it up faster, but I didn't account for the fact that my main computer would crash repeatedly over Christmas. Oh well.
R!E!V!I!E!W! P!L!E!A!S!E!
The jagged peaks of the Forgotten Land flashed beneath me, an endless landscape of bleak gray stone and scraggly looking shrubbery. Every so often the monotony was broken by a fast running river, the white water crashing over rocks and rapids to spill over falls into deep black crevasses that gaped in the rock like great hungry mouths. From the air the land looked dead; the only signs of life were mice scurrying about in the sparse yellowed grass and the wicked looking birds in the sky above that hunted them.
/Why did the dragons decide to come here?/
//It's not all like this. There's actually forests further inland with enough wildlife to support them//
/Wouldn't guess it from here/ Gaining altitude and sheering away from the slopes of the desolate mountain range, I increased my speed and headed inland. /Just keep heading east?/
//Yes. Sooner or later someone's bound to notice us//
/And then?/
//We'll do as the situation dictates// He fell silent.
As promised, the land changed gradually as we flew away from the mountain range. The soil became less rocky and long waving grass began to cover the hills. Occasionally low bluffs of trees would dot the landscape, their gnarled gray trunks twisting into awkward shapes and casting strange shadows on the yellowed grass. On the horizon could be seen a long dark green smudge, which I presumed to be the forest. Rivers, streams, and ponds dotted the landscape, becoming more and more frequent as we neared the dark forest. But I still hadn't seen any dragons. In fact, we were almost to the forest before we saw anyone at all.
//We've been spotted// Ragnarok warned. //Down by that tree near the pile of rocks. There's a pseudo dragon down there//
I struggled through my memory for a moment before I recalled Rose telling me that baby dragons were often referred to as 'pseudo dragons'. /Should I do anything about him?/
//Why bother? We want to be seen, and all you'd do would be to agitate his mother// He fell silent, watching with me as the little dragon struggled over the rocks and began a sort of shuffling little run towards the forest. The dragon had no noticeable wings, and he ran on six narrow legs, giving him a distinctly insect appearance. I was vaguely reminded of the dragon Fyerbrand. //Land here. The dragons will come out shortly//
/You done this before/
//I've seen it done before. When I had my old body, no one really questioned my identity//
/I can see why/ I landed in the shadows of the tree, letting the clawed feet of my armor sink into the earth. With a flash my armor de-activated, my spiritual power spent. Even though it was midday a thin layer of frost still crackled underfoot within the shadow of the tree. I was still a little disoriented from my stay in Ulara, and I wasn't quite sure whether winter had just ended here or whether it was getting ready to start.
//It's just getting ready to start// Ragnarok's voice echoed through my mind. //The seasons here pass the same as they do in Millie Seasue// He was silent a moment, and then I felt him tense. //They're coming//
I heard the dragons long before I saw them. From deep in the woods came thunderous crashes and heavy footsteps; occasionally one of the approaching dragons would roar. When they finally did appear I was astounded by the variety of species before me. Here and there I could see types that I could identify: there at the edge of the woods loomed a green tusked dragon and there, resting with the tip of its tail in a river, was a dragon that reminded me strongly of Regole. But the rest were a mystery to me.
/Where are the dragons that the dragoon stones came from?/
//Rythl, Kaze, Acrrea, and the others were unique. They were the only ones of their kind// Ragnarok said shortly.
/How can they still be summoned?/
//Their bodies still exist on the spirit plane. They may be summoned to this world if need be//
From the midst of the hoard of dragons before us, one taller than the rest pushed forward. He had a long reptilian face with swept back horns that arched over the length of his short neck to tickle his heavy set shoulders. He had four legs, but he carried most of his weight over the front end of his body. The forelegs reminded me of tree stumps; short and thick, ending in gnarled and broken talons. Even with the weak and shriveled hindquarters, this dragon was a formidable sight.
Within my mind, Ragnarok sighed. //That one is named Eire. A disease about twelve struck him thousand years ago that crippled him permanently in his hind legs. At one time he was the most powerful of the mountain breed. Now he wanders about forests, crippled and blind//
/How does he survive?/
//He is wise, and there are few dragons of his age and knowledge left in the world// Ragnarok said almost sadly. //He relies on the protection of the other dragons for survival. But, even though he is blind, his other senses are still sharp. He should recognize my mind//
Eire halted in front of me and lowered his massive head. Now that he was so close I could see that he had no eyes; it seemed that he'd lost them in a fight long ago. Sniffing me once, he snorted and the blast of foul air almost knocked me off my feet. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. It took me a moment to realize that Eire had spoken: the language he used was harsh sounding in my ears, hardly discernable from a growl.
/How the.?/ I started, but Ragnarok cut me off.
//A little favor// He told me. //Call it a bit of instant translation//
"What is the meaning of this?" Eire repeated. "What is a human doing in the realm of the dragons?"
//Move over// Ragnarok commanded, probably more abruptly than he'd meant to. I was all too happy to oblige: One wrong move on my part and I was dragon chow. At least Ragnarok had some idea of what he was supposed to be doing. Letting my mind drift from control, I slipped to one side to watch. Ragnarok shuddered slightly as he took control, like a dog shaking away water from its fur. When he seemed sure he was completely in control, he spoke. "Your senses must have eroded away more than I had thought, old one. Try using your mind once in a while. You'll know who I am."
Eire grunted, and I felt a mind brushing my own. It touched only briefly, then moved on to Ragnarok's. It paused for a moment, then snapped back to its owner. "Ragnarok," Eire stated the name as a fact rather than a question. "We thought you passed this world by a century or so ago."
"It seems Soa isn't done with me yet."
"Obviously," Eire swayed slightly as one of his hind legs buckled underneath him. "Is the other one with you the supposed 'partner' you tried so desperately to avoid?"
"It would seem so," Ragnarok said, his tone betraying no hint of embarrassment.
"Then fate has finally caught up with you, Divine One."
"It happens to all of us from time to time. But I'm not here to discuss my current indisposition." He took a breath, then straightened. "I've come to enlist your aid, Eire. Or, more specifically, the aid of four dragons."
"That sounded like a command, Ragnarok."
"That's because it was one. I'm not giving you any other options." I wasn't surprised. Ragnarok may have been stuck in my human body, but that had never diminished his need for authority in any way. To the dragons, however, I thought that it must look ludicrous. I mean, by all appearances a human was trying to order them around. Never mind that the human was also a dragoon and the vessel for the Divine Dragon. All most of them would see was one tiny human.
Apparently I was right. "YOU are not giving us any other options?" The speaker's tone was incredulous. "Listen Divine One, I hardly think you're in a position to be giving any of us orders."
//Damn it// Ragnarok muttered. //This is what I was afraid of. The dragons are ruled over by the most powerful of their kind. The dragon that said that is probably trying to make a name for himself. He must think that if he defeats me he'll gain a reputation of power to make a bid at the position of the dragon lord//
/Are we going to have to fight him?/
//He'll bluster and yell insults for a bit, but that'll be the eventual product//
/Why not just cut to the chase?/
//I was hoping you'd suggest that// Ragnarok turned to face the speaker, a young bluish dragon that was surprisingly birdlike in appearance. "Is that a challenge?" he asked coolly.
The dragon seemed surprised at Ragnarok's bluntness, and he fumbled to come up with a response. "I-I guess." he started, then he shook himself. "Yes." He stated firmly. "Your power is diminished, Divine One. You no longer even have a body to call your own. Defeated by humans! What kind of dragon lord were you supposed to be? You are unfit to rule over us, therefore I declare your order void."
I swear, if it was possible to kill someone with a look, that dragon would have died three times over. The dragons nearby actually took a step or two away from us, glancing at each other uneasily. The bird-like dragon wavered, but held his ground. I have to hand it to him; that guy had guts. If Ragnarok had been looking at me like that I would have run screaming for the hills. "What's your name?" Ragnarok asked. His voice was hardly more than a whisper, but I was quite sure that every dragon in the clearing heard him. I'm not even sure if they were even breathing anymore, so total was the silence.
"Ty-tygris," came the shaken reply.
"Well Tygris, I'm going to do you a little service. Your comprehension of the words 'diminished' and 'power' when applied to myself seems a little shaky. Let me help you to redefine that." Ragnarok pulled his sword from my belt. "I'm going to give you a little demonstration of what I can do with my 'diminished power'. Just to teach you that you should find out more about your opponent before you start hurling around challenges." Ragnarok's tone was like ice.
I had always thought that the only way to activate a dragoon stone was through spiritual power. In Ragnarok's case, extreme rage seemed to serve the same purpose. The cold stone burst into life, its glow clearly visible despite the fact that it rested within my chest. A low murmur that sounded more like a growl to my ears passed through the crowd as the image of the divine armor appeared, shimmering briefly in a myriad of shifting colors, before consolidating into the graven wings, cannon, and body of the Divine Dragoon. I was fairly sure they'd expected this, but their response was still gratifying.
Flaring his wings, Tygris opened his narrow mouth to reveal several rows of short, needle-like teeth. Hissing loudly he kicked off hard against the ground, propelling himself into the air. He struggled for altitude for a moment, then leveled off about thirty or forty feet above the ground. Tygris wasn't a very large dragon, but he looked confidant once he was in the air. I hoped silently that Ragnarok knew what he was doing.
//Of course I do// He snapped. //Do you think would I do this if I didn't?//
I chose not to answer that.
In spite of my initial reaction, it was clear that Ragnarok had the fight won before it really started. He had experience on his side and used it to his advantage every chance he got. And while he was smaller and less graceful looking than the bird-dragon, he managed to make Tygris seem slow and clumsy by comparison. I don't think he actually used a weapon on Tygris once. After slamming into him a few times at full speed, Ragnarok had managed to crack or break a fair amount of the dragon's ribcage. Tygris tried to keep up with the attacks, but the effort was wasted. Each time he struck he found only empty air where his target had been a split second before. And as the blows kept coming, the pain in his ribcage became too much to bear. Spiraling downward, Tygris landed heavily near the edge of the forest and slumped to the ground.
Twenty feet above him, Ragnarok raised his cannon and leveled it at his fallen opponent. Drawing in energy with deliberate slowness, he cocked it and prepared to fire. One the ground below, Tygris, unable to move, closed his eyes and flattened his head against the ground.
/Ragnarok! Don't-/
At the last moment Ragnarok adjusted his aim. When the smoke and dust finally cleared Tygris was lying greatly shaken next to a crater that was large enough to hold a small house. Wings beating the air slowly, Ragnarok descended to the ground, landing a short distance away from the broken bird- dragon. Lifting the cannon, he touched the tip between Tygris's eyes and made as if to fire.
/Ark, you're heartless you know that?/
//Actually, if we're speaking in literal terms, we're both heartless// I detected no change in his mind, but he did lower the cannon.
/You'll let him live?/
//I'm going to see if he will survive// He replied in an emotionless tone. //Dragons who are injured this bad do not always live long enough to recover. Unless someone decides to help him, he'll have to fend for himself//
/That's really low, you know that?/ I told him bluntly. /You know damn well that he won't survive on his own/
//Maybe someone will help him//
/Ark, you know no one will help him. That's why you're doing this/
//Perhaps// He started to raise the cannon again.
With a tremendous effort, I pushed him out of the way and took control again. /You're impossible when you're like this, you know that?/ I told him. Not waiting for an answer, I deactivated the armor and put up my sword. Walking over to Tygris, I reached down and tapped him lightly on the forehead. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He stared at me for a moment, then seemed to notice the change of control. A shudder passed through his body. "Is he going to kill me?" he asked.
"Not today at least. He'd like to, but he's not going to." Aware that the dragons around the clearing where still watching us, I stepped over Tygris's head and walked around to his rib cage. I reached out to touch it, then paused. His side was a mess of bruises and broken scales, sagging inward in some areas and jutting out on awkward angles in others. The pain must have been incredible. Stepping in as close as I dared, I pulled a bottle of healing fog from the pouch on the side of my jacket and uncorked it. As I poured it carefully over the dragon's side, an idea slowly began to form in my mind. I almost discarded it at first, but I soon found the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.
//You're not serious!// Ragnarok exclaimed, catching hold of the idea.
/Of course I am. It's better than killing him/
//He's hurt! Those injuries will take months to heal, assuming he lives past the first week. Evengil was the only dragon healer, Dart. He isn't going to get treated by them// /What do you think I'm doing now?/ I asked, pouring the remainder of the bottle onto Tygris's side. Even as I watched, the bruises began to disappear as the rib bones began to knit themselves back together.
There was an incredulous silence, then Ragnarok began to swear sulfurously. His choices of words were wide ranging, and he often resorted to other languages when the obscenities of the common languages failed to completely express his feelings. I listened to his ranting calmly, ministering first to one of Tygris's broken hind legs, then to his other side. By the time Ragnarok had begun to repeat himself, I was finished and Tygris was gingerly getting to his feet.
/Are you finished yet?/
My question was greeted with a frosty silence.
/I thought so/ I turned back to Tygris, who was stretching his wings experimentally. "I don't advise trying to piss him off again any time soon. He's quite put out with me for not letting him blast your carcass halfway to Serdio." I turned to face Eire. "He'll be coming with us."
Eire looked at me gravely. "Are you sure of this?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't." I looked around. We still needed three more dragons. "Who else could you spare?"
Eire slumped to the ground, his legs unable to support him any longer. "What attributes do you have need of?"
"Preferably water, fire, and earth, if there are any about."
Eire paused to consider this for a moment. "Rasqul, Niern, and Maydalsk. They all should be serviceable. May I ask what they are needed for?"
"We had to create new cygnets. We thought that it would be better if we had guardians for them this time. I really don't want to have to make any more of them. Using dragon magic in a human body is like being dragged through hell." I shook my head, remembering Aglis. "I definitely want to avoid having to do that again."
This seemed to pique Eire's interest. "You were able to channel Ragnarok's power?"
"Yeah. But like I said, hurts like hell."
Eire paused to think a moment. "Tell me," He asked. "Did it hurt to actually channel the power, or might have it been another power that caused you harm?"
I shrugged. "It might have been the wingly portal, but I'm not sure. I wasn't aware of much at the time."
"I see," Eire said. "You're an interesting case, dragoon. If I happen to be alive the next time we meet, I hope you'll allow me to talk to you further."
"I'll be sure to place myself at your connivance," I told him. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed three dragons gathered near Tygris. "If you'll excuse us, we had better get moving. We have a lot of ground to cover, and I'd like to get this over with as quickly as possible."
**Pats Arkie on the head** He's such a nice boy when he's pissed, isn't he? I'd keep him in my closet, but I don't think he'd appreciate that. Sorry it took so long. I know I said I'd have it up faster, but I didn't account for the fact that my main computer would crash repeatedly over Christmas. Oh well.
R!E!V!I!E!W! P!L!E!A!S!E!