A/N: ...whoopsie. Ehehe... been a while huh?
Ed: (sleeping) zzzzzzz...
Roy: (watching paint dry, drooling) Blaaaaaahhh...
Kim: (comatose) ...
Link: Yeeeeeaahhh... Maybe.
Sorry, this was a long chappie to type up... And I've been working so much on Keyhole, which only has TWO REVIEWS! GRRR!
Eliwood: Go read it, guys! The more reviews, the happier EVERYONE is!
Hooray! Anyways, better not delay it any longer!
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Chapter 11: Confrontation
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Mine #7 was a large, underground cavern, lit with old discolored lamps hanging from a chain of electrical wires running along the cave's corridors. The air was stale, old as the mine itself. Dusty tables, rusted equipment, and overturned mine carts were left like artifacts of a grand site of ruins. It would've been more wise to leave everything the way it was, but Jasper was way too impulsive to even consider it.
So he stored all his possessions and equipment in the breaker rooms and used the main mining cavern as a conference room for him and his team. As of now, the man sat at one of the tables, gazing out above his large collection of buff hunters, in his own world as he imagined himself a very rich man; well, at least slightly richer than before.
"...um..." one of the hunters, voted by the group to represent them, spoke out hesitantly, "...Jasper?"
"Hmm...? ...Oh, yes! Back to buzinezz!" He sat up eagerly, close to giggling happily. "Az I promeezed, I vill split ze profits ninety-ten..."
"..." The voted leader was most timid. "Um... ahem, sir... shouldn't we worry more about the dragon...?"
Jasper gave him a sharp look. "And vhat exactly are jou zo worried about?"
"Well..." The man's gaze slowly moved upwards to the ceiling. Up high, hanging from a single chain, a cage was built, made of old iron. It was originally meant to hold a large amount of canaries, but now it held an placid olive green dragon. "...First off, I'm not too confident about how we're keeping the dragon held."
"She ez fine!" Jasper barked. "Jou zeem to forget how she ez under my spell! he ez completely harmless! Zat cage ez all we need!"
"Um...okay..." His confidence shattered, he tried to bring up other concerns. "Also... shouldn't we worry more about how we're going to extract each dragon part, and where we'll distribute each part...?"
"Jeez, open your ears!" Jasper was losing his nonexistent patience. "I already explained zat! Ve kill her, zen travel back to Europe to zell zem to manufacturers!" He scowled down at them as they exchanged doubtful looks, ignoring the warm feeling growing behind him. "Argh! Vhat doez et take to get jour attention?"
SNAP.
FWOOM!
"...?" At the odd sound, Jasper paused, then smelled smoke. Alarmed, he turned and squealed like a female as he realized his rear end had been set on fire. A roar of laughter echoed throughout the cavern, with more voices than just the team of hunters, as Jasper hopped about like a caffeined rabbit, trying to put the fire out. When he finally clapped it out, his team cleared the way to expose the corridor that led to the secret entrance outside the city. There stood a group of odd-looking people Jasper did not recognize, all except the young redhead who was leading the bunch.
"You!" he screeched, taking a few stomping steps forward. "Jou are zat dragon sorcerer who tired to get in ze way! Vhat do jou vant now?"
Roy's eyes narrowed. "I 'vant' you to let the 'Half-dragon' go. Now."
Jasper stood defiantly. "Or else vhat?"
Instantly, the Pherean answered, "Or else the professional fighters behind me will beat the snot out of you and your team."
The hunters began to fidget nervously under the stern stare of the Smashers. Unlike Jasper, who was too obsessed with dragons to know of anything outside the topic, the men were aware of who these people were.
Jasper ignored all of this, his smug attention all trained on Roy's unreadable face. "I say jou are bluffing."
To his surprise, Roy's face relaxed as he shrugged indifferently. "Alright, have it your way."
The hunters' eyes bulged in unison as the Smashers held their battle stances and/or drew various weapons. Jasper's smug look vaporized.
"Oh, and by the way... I'm no dragon sorcerer..."
Then, with a mighty flap, his wings unfolded and revealed themselves, scaring Jasper witlessly as he jumped and squealed in surprise.
"I'm the real deal."
And with that said, he leaped into the air, the signal for the Smashers to attack. As he back-flipped and nimbly landed behind the group, they had already met the hunters and began the great battle as planned.
In truth, the fight was only meant to be a distraction while Roy would search for Ryka, if she was still alive. Thankfully, he could see her up by the ceiling, caged, entranced, but alive. Roy sighed regrettably; getting their was possible, but he didn't know if he could snap her out of her taming spell. Regardless, he had to try.
The mamkute began to scaly the rocky wall behind him, the claws of his wings latching on and helping to keep his footing. As he touched the ceiling, he carefully turned and pressed his back against the crevice, trying to calculate whether he could make the jump to Ryka's cage and not fall into the insane brawl below. Stretching his wings, Roy took the unlikely risk and pushed off the wall, gliding through thick subterranean air. Just as he began to drop, he reached out and grasped the bottoms of the vertical bars of the cage, causing it to swing wildly, but barely saving him from one extremely close call. He glanced down with wide eyes and a sweating brow as he was suspended above the wild melee, watching hunters get their faces pummeled and their guns chopped by swords.
A small grumble brought Roy's attention back up to within the cage, where Ryka the dragon seemed to be awakening from a long nap, struggling to recognize her surroundings. Straining the muscles in his arms, Roy pulled himself up, slipping his knees between the bars to get a solid perch on the wearily swinging cage. He poked his head through and began to talk to her.
"Ryka... Ryka, can you hear me...?" he asked softly.
The dragon opened her eyes, foggy orbs of sapphire gazing through him as she gave out another growl.
"Ryka, please..." he pleaded, reaching out and touching her cheek with his hand. "It's me... Wake up, please..."
Ryka seemed to grow tense, her face contorting, but with a soft caress from Roy she seemed to calm down, and gave a soft whine.
Roy was losing his hope, ignoring the sting in his eyes. "...Ryka..."
And then he noticed when she began to sniff that same hand against her face, trying to identify the scent. Then, when it came to her, she gave off a peculiar sound; a small, soft yelp.
Roy inclined his head, trying to interpret this. He knew it was Dragon Tongue, but he couldn't translate what that sound meant. And then it dawned on him. He remembered Ryka explaining to him the process of naming in Dragon Tongue before human names became more practical: a fellow dragon was announced by a particular sound he or she made or was known for making frequently. With this in mind, Roy thought back to when Ryka first came to SSB, when he was still nervous when she was around. Whenever she walked in on him, he made that same exact yelp of surprise.
She was calling to him. She knew it was him!
She gave out another yelp, near desperately, and Roy answered with a soft roll at the back of his throat, meaning "yes," as he caressed her soothingly. And it seemed that was all that was needed to break the spell, for soon after, Ryka groaned in her human voice, awakening as her eyes fluttered open. Realizing this, Roy smiled when she glanced up at him, eyes clear.
"...R-Roy...?"
The boy beamed in happiness, nodding.
Ryka gazed around, and judging by her surroundings, it wasn't hard to figure out her predicament. Looking back up at Roy, she moaned, "Roy... you... you came for me..."
"Of course I did," he assured softly. "We all did."
"...But... w-why...?"
"Because you're a fellow Smasher to them... and a friend to me." He grinned. "And I'm known for taking crazy risks for my friends."
"...Oh, Roy!" Ryka cried out, and she nuzzled against him as he brought his arms through the bars and around her neck in a comforting embrace. Words could not express how grateful she truly was. She never before had a friend like Roy, someone who faced danger for her, someone willing to risk for her safety, someone who truly cared about her. For a moment, she realized the joy within all the dragons she protected and served.
With this gladness, it took her a minute to remember the situation at hand. As she drew away from Roy, her movement caused the cage to swing, and both tensed up.
"...Okay, where are we?" Ryka finally asked.
"We're in an abandoned mine near the city, in a cage hanging from the ceiling above a battle between the Smashers and Jasper's henchmen," Roy answered firmly.
"That's just great..." Ryka mumbled, regaining her old, brisk attitude.
Roy observed the metal of the cage, flicking his finger against it and listening to its sound. "Hmm. Rusted iron alloy. A blast of your breath could probably melt it."
Ryka blinked. "...Are you sure that's smart? You said we were above a battle, right...?"
"Yeah..." He glanced around. "But I think I can manage it. Go on, do it."
Ryka shrugged. "Alright." Her face began to contort as she lit her internal glow. Roy nodded in approval, then glanced over his shoulder, and his confidence evaporated. His wings had melted back into a cape without him realizing it, and now he was flightless.
"N-no, wait, RYKA...!" But he knew it was too late. Once the flame was lit, it was near impossible to put it out.
Ryka threw back her head and released her breath, toasting the old iron bars before her. Roy had just enough time to slip off and duck under, the flames cascading just above him. He watched as the metal glowed a hot orange and melted as easily as ice. He grimaced as the heat traveled and burned his hands where they were still gripping, and when he couldn't take the pain any longer, he let go and began to fall.
Screaming, Roy dropped slowly like a shot bird, below him the massive melee of enraged fighters that would tear him apart if they got the chance, making the ground as dangerous as lava. He braced himself for impact, but then he felt a rush of wind and hit something soft, breaking his fall.
Terrified, Roy's eyes were shut tight and his body was trembling, but then he heard the mighty sound of grand wings flapping against the tight air. His eyes snapped open, and he found himself upon the back of a green dragon in flight.
"Ryka!"
She turned and gave him a wry smirk. "What, you think I'd let you fall? Guess your wings faded without you knowing it, huh?"
"Yeah... w-whoa..." More timid due to that close call, Roy held on to Ryka's neck tightly and thanked the Gods for her watchful eye.
"Hey! Check it out! Look up!" someone called out, a finger pointing upwards. By now, most of the hunters had been taken care of, and nearly all Smashers were free of distractions. In fact, Link punched the jaw of the last one before glancing up himself. He then, with a few others, cheered as the dragon with her rider circled above. As she swept in low, Roy glanced upon the excited Smashers as they jumped about in joy and hollered in victory. This gave him the motivation to sit up and raise a fist in triumph, and the cheers only grew.
Finally, Ryka landed near the entrance of the cavern, crouching down to allow Roy to dismount. He did so shakily, collapsing onto the earth with sudden exhaustion. Understanding, Ryka nuzzled him.
"You stay here, Roy," she told him, soft face hardening as she glanced toward the adversary. "I'm not running away from this monster any longer. He's going down here and now."
"W-wait, Ryka!" Roy cried out helplessly, but she was already off, her sights on Jasper, who stood terrified at all his protectors unconscious on the ground, not to mention the enraged dragon coming his way. The Smashers wisely cleared a pathway as Ryka thundered by, charging straight towards her mortal enemy. But as she did so, Jasper's hand slowly went for his belt, and when she was close enough, he swiveled around and stuck a sharp, silver blur into her tender shoulder.
"RYKA!" Many Smashers called out as she howled in pain, withdrawing in weakness as Jasper smirked and pulled the peculiar weapon out of her flesh. The tiny dagger looked to be a tooth of a mighty beast, curved slightly and sharpened to the extreme. As they all stared at it curiously, Jasper chuckled mockingly towards Ryka, waving the weapon in her face, flinching.
"Aw, vhat's ze matter? Doez ze dragon fang truly hurt ze Half-dragon zo much? Hmm?" He smirked when Ryka cringed deeper in realization. "Zat's right, only dragons can penetrate dragon zkin. Zo, only kin can deztroy kin. Zo zorry to end et zis way for jou, but I 'ave a buzinezz to run back home!" He raised the knife, ready to bring it down for the killing blow...
"STOP!"
At that shriek, all attention snapped back to Roy, who was standing firmly with newly-awakened strength fueled by his fury. The anger in his eyes glared deeply at Jasper, even getting him to stop short, lowering his dragon-fang dagger.
"YOU! You... FREAK!" Roy snarled, fists trembling in rage... or was it deep pain? "You MONSTER! It's people like YOU who are the reason why dragons are disappearing!" He cringed deeply, shutting his eyes tightly. "You... are going.. to PAY!"
With that said, he collapsed to his knees, allowing the process to take over. A few worried Smashers tried to go over to see what was wrong with him, but Link and Marth, who easily guessed what was happening, held them back and told them to simply watch his transformation unfold.
And so they watched with stunned faces as Roy's body grew and curved like a snake, his clothing melting into his skin as it shifted from soft to scaly. Hands and feet shifted into claws and talons, a long tail extending out and majestic wings stretching to their fullest length. After a soft glow, the spectators beheld a cerulean blue dragon, with a golden belly, deep purple and red wings, and a shaggy mop of auburn hair. As he raised his head up, the somewhat cute, round snout was countered by hard, reptilian eyes of sapphire directed at a thundershocked Jasper, who looked about ready to faint.
"WOW!" several Smashers cried out in amazement.
"He... he did it," Marth announced softly, astounded. "He... transformed!"
"WOO! Alright, ROY!" As expected, Link whooped and hollered in excitement. "KICK THE CREEP'S BUTT!"
As others began to join him in cheer, Roy began to slowly move forward, claws and talons scraping against the weak soil as he padded through the path they had cleared for him. His face was unmoving, his focus glued to Jasper, who shakily took a couple steps back until he nearly tripped over a table behind him. When his hand reached back to lean on it for support, it landed on a small bag, and as he remembered what was inside, he regained some of his calmness, even as Roy the dragon came closer and closer.
But even so, Jasper squirmed and yelped as Roy began to swing his claws when he got close enough, intending to slash him into submission. The poacher leaped about, dodging each swing, when he was suddenly knocked off when Roy smashed the table in half. With this distraction, Jasper had just enough time that once he landed with a swift roll, he reached into the bag for a handful of dragon dust. And before Roy could turn and see it coming, the magical dust was tossed into his eyes, and he shrieked in annoyance. Jasper smirked; Roy was already his, he just had to exclaim the spell.
"Ivàhsi yüduin! Enimôr tam inspelz! Boyar ugôner gedit!"
All was silent as everyone seemed to hold their breath, waiting for Roy's reaction as he rubbed his eyes disgruntledly. Jasper waited for him to look up, and when he did, the color drained from his face as the half-dragon's eyes were clear.
"...V-vhat? Et.. didn't vork?"
Roy instantly smirked in response. "You said it wrong."
"I vhat?"
"You mispronounced a word, so the spell didn't work." Roy leaned forward, his snout inches away from Jasper's mortified face. "And it looks to me like you're out of ideas."
"...I-I..."
Roy then sat up and focused, lighting his inner glow. Somehow, the poacher knew what was going to happen next.
"No..."
The half-dragon's face contorted...
"No!"
He threw back his head...
"NOOOOOOOO!"
And he released his fiery breath upon a helpless Jasper, and a scream of agony was his only response. When Roy was done, he stood there in a charred mess, then collapsed into a fetal position, whimpering like a hurt puppy.
With the battle finally over, there was a round of victorious cheering from the Smashers before they began to roam about to gather all the unconscious hunters. Roy plopped back on his hind legs, letting out a tired sigh as he watched a few of them surround a burnt Jasper.
"Ooh, jeez, he looks totally cooked," Fox grunted.
"Nah, I held myself back," Roy replied. "The damage to his skin isn't nearly as bad as it looks."
"What do we do with him?" Mario asked.
"Take him to the authorities, and I'll contact the NDS (1) later to pick him up."
"Alright." They gathered around and picked him up by the scrawny limbs, ignoring his squeals and screams whenever they moved him, which was constant, as they carried him off.
"Roy..." His soft name turned his gaze at Ryka, who looked a little tired, but a smile crossed her snout all the same. "You... you've done it. You not only brought down Jasper, you... transformed."
"Yeah... I finally did do it, huh?"
Ryka smiled, then suddenly hissed and withdrew in pain. Roy was instantly at her side, finding the source of her hurt in the stab wound in her shoulder, draining jade blood at a quick rate. Roy gazed at the injury in thought, wondering if he could be able to do what he had in mind. Then again, it was Ryka, so he had to give it a try.
With that, he reached in to start a different glow, one that was soft and warm, light and comforting. With this, he leaned above the wound and blew softly, and out came an icy blue flame that covered it like an adhesive bandage. One could see the pain in Ryka's face fade away as the wound sealed up, any evidence of it erased by Roy's soft flame. When it was completely gone, Ryka smiled proudly at Roy.
"The Soft Flame (2)... you knew of it?"
Roy shrugged. "I came across it a few times in my readings, so I gave it a shot."
"Wow. That was going to be your last lesson after you learned how to transform, but it looks like you can do it just fine."
Roy grinned. "So that means..."
Ryka nodded. "You pass."
"Alright!" He beamed, his wings flared up in triumph, and he turned down to where Link and Marth were approaching him. "Hey, guys! I passed all my lessons!"
"Awesome! Nice going, Roy!" Marth congratulated.
"Well, of course you passed!" Link exclaimed, hotly but jokingly. "You tracked Jasper down and kicked his butt, AND you fully transformed! And THAT IS SO COOL!" The elf grasped his pal's cheeks with an excited grin, and Roy chuckled in response.
"So, Roy..." Ryka chimed in, entering the conversation and facing Roy as his teacher. "What do you make of all this, relating to the subconscious?"
The blonde and cobalt gave her puzzled looks, but Roy fully understood and carefully considered his answer. When he had it, he smiled confidently and began.
"Well... I think something happened during our last attempt. When our hand met... I think both of our subconscious met too."
Ryka smiled. "And what do you think they decided?"
"Well, my subconscious needed to trust in my beliefs before it felt I was ready. When it met with yours, they must've known Jasper was coming. That's why I was allowed to stop and you weren't."
Ryka nodded, only listening intently. The other two listened simply out of curiosity.
"Yeah, if I truly wanted to protect dragons, I'd not only come for you, but to do something about that creep as well. So... everything happened to their whim, simply for me to... prove myself..." He trailed off as he realized the guilt he was holding for this whole mess.
But Ryka only smiled. "Exactly. And now the subconscious trusts your intentions. It now knows you will not abuse your powers, so now it will allow you to use them whenever you wish."
Roy looked away from her warm eyes shamefully. "But... But I..."
Then, Ryka's green, bony fingers caressed his own, forcing him to glance back up at her. No blame was reflected on her face.
"You... have done a great deed for dragon kind. Do you know how long Jasper has been a threat to our very existence? His name brought terror to us all, but you had the courage to face him and you finally brought him down."
As Roy took this in, he felt her grip his clawed hand tightly, a sign he knew, and without looking up, he too shut his eyes and began his metamorphosis. As the energy stored in his body was slowly being cycled, he felt his tight fibers loosen and uncurl, feeling his body shrink in size and his bones and skin shifting to their original shape. When he felt it was over, he slowly opened his eyes to look up into the face of Human Ryka, and then he realized how pretty she truly was as a human, especially when she smiled.
"You're a true half-dragon now, Roy."
At this, Roy's face beamed, and he threw his tired arms around her in a happy embrace, and she laughed and returned the hug willingly. Ryka knew and understood his feelings of success, as she remembered when her old teacher had told her those same words. Roy had a right to be happy; he could now use his powers to carry out his noble purpose of protecting his dragon-kin. That itself was a great accomplishment.
Though the two were emotionally strong, all the energy used in the mad struggle had taken a toll on them physically. Simultaneously, and still in each others' arms, Roy and Ryka dropped to the ground, exhausted. It was slightly awkward, as Ryka had landed on top of Roy, but both were too tired to care at this point. In response, Link and Marth hurried to their sides.
"Are you two alright?" Marth instantly asked.
Link chuckled. "I think the lovebirds are just fine," he assured with a smile as Ryka used most of her strength left to roll off a poor Roy, who in response to elf's remark glared numbly.
"You... are such an ass, Link," he groaned.
The Hylian grinned. "Yeah, I know."
"WAAAAAHOOOOO!" A voice suddenly cheered and hollered in excitement, causing all attention to swerve towards another doorway. Captain Falcon then darted out, covered in golden chains and jewelry with other precious metals, holding up a clump of treasure in his hands in triumph. "CHECK IT OUT! THERE'S TREASURE GALORE BACK HERE! WE'RE STINKIN' RICH!"
The call of riches attracted many Smashers over to that room, cheering at the piles of gleaming gold and treasure that Jasper had gathered during his 20-year campaign of dragon-slaughtering. Instantly, they began gathering their bounty, excitedly bringing more Smashers over the more the eager ones showed off.
"Link, you jerk! Get back here!" Marth shouted as the fey's love of treasure got the better of him, and he darted away himself to gather his own spoils. The cobalt prince sighed in frustration.
"G-go on ahead, Marth," Roy groaned, and the Alteanian glanced down at the two half-dragons laying contently on the ground, resting. "We're alright here. Go grab yourself something nice."
Marth chuckled and nodded, darting off himself. Roy lazily dropped his head to glance at Ryka, who smiled back tiredly. Roy only grinned back as he faced the ceiling, glad the whole chaos was over.
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(1) National Dragonologists' Society, the US' Dragonologist agency.
(2) Idea inspired by Dragon Rider
A/N: Hooray! One more chappie!
Ed: And then I'm OUTTA HERE! (throws confetti everywhere)
Roy: Aww...
Kim: What're YOU sulking about? You'll BE here for the sequel.
Roy: Oh, yeah... :)
Eliwood: And the sequel's got another new character, from the Super Smash Bros. Brawl trailer! HOORAY!
Link: Considering her fanbase, I can easily guess what character it'll be.
Shh! Just review, please! Oh, and Jen, DON'T TELL ANYONE! ;)