I do not own Legend of Dragoon or any of the characters.
Corrupted
Cade watched as the massive gate filling the canyon ahead of them slowly rumbled open. They all stared into the Valley of Corrupted Gravity as they got their first look. There was a long trail of floating stones leading away from the cliff they were on, the ground below them so far down Cade couldn't even make out what was down there for ground. Boulders and massive chunks of land floated around the path they were going to be following. it looked like the ground below them had exploded, then the explosion had just stopped partway through. What was more was that the air here was thick with magic. So thick, in fact, that the air visibly shimmered with it, purple, blue, and white light drifting through the air in waves. Cade shook his head. Gravity wasn't corrupted. It was broken. They all walked along the path, reaching a break in it after a ways and using several floating boulders to jump across like stepping stones. As they reached the next stretch of floating pathway, Meru kicked a rock off the edge, watching it fall away.
"This is not so bad at all!" Meru smiled, folding her hands behind her head. "I was expecting to have some fun!"
"Give it a second," Cade said, seeing the rock hit a larger one, which drifted away slightly before suddenly beginning to fall up toward them as its gravity shifted.
"Meru, watch out!" Dart warned.
She spun just in time for the rock to crash down in front of her harmlessly as it reached the tunnel of normal gravity they were in. She fell onto her butt as it landed, staring at it, wide-eyed, but, it hit hard enough to bounce off the path again and drifted away on the other side.
"It still has the backwash from the Dragon Campaign," Rose said. "The collision of the magic power of the Dragoons and Winglies can distort nature quite a bit." She knelt and picked up a rock, then tossed it out to the side, the rock drifting away slowly. "I don't think you're gonna have much fun from now on."
"I don't even want to know how this battle looked," Cade said, looking around. "It must have been Hell."
Everyone but Rose nodded in agreement, Rose staring off into the distance in the direction they were heading.
"Come on, guys!" Meru finally said. "We gotta find the Gehrichs!"
They all nodded and began to follow the path, only to stop as a loud, high-pitched shriek echoed from somewhere above them. They all looked up, seeing half a dozen massive blue creatures with long tails tipped with a stinger, two arms with clawed fingers, draconic wings, and disfigured, fang-filled faces streaking down at them. They had black bodies on their back, sides, and the top edges of their wings, then red along their front and the webbing of their wings. Cade swore, drawing his sword, as the others all did the same, Cade noticing that the ring Meru's hammer was in simply allowed her hammer to pass through it with a soft clink as it left, obviously using magic. He smirked. Not bad. He looked back up as Shana sent an arrow into one of the creatures' faces just as its gravity shifted, sending its body spinning away. The rest slowed slightly, then beat their wings harder, speeding back up. They reached them a moment later, several of them jabbing their tails at them, others slashing with their claws. Cade jumped back from a stinger, then lunged forward, slashing upward along the creature's tail, splitting it almost completely in half. To his left, Rose stepped past a pair, slashing both in the blink of an eye as they tried to slash him. Haschel punched one as Meru hit another with her hammer, both streaking directly away from them and crashed into a boulder, which then spun away with the creatures. Dart and Albert worked together to kill three, and Cade turned to the last, which had several arrows in it, but which was charging her. He stepped forward, shoving Shana into Haschel just in time for the creature's claws to stab into his upper arm, the creature shrieking victoriously as it streaked away from the path. Cade yelped in surprise as he felt his gravity shift and suddenly fell upward, slamming into the creature and knocking it off course. It crashed into a boulder face first, killing itself, and Cade bounced off the boulder, spinning upward to another and landing hard, groaning. He pushed himself up, pulling out a healing potion and drank it, then looked around.
"Are you okay?" Meru called up at him.
"Yeah!" Cade called back. "Keep going! I'll catch up!"
The others all nodded and continued along the path. Cade looked around, seeing a boulder ahead of himself and jumped off his toward it, only to begin falling toward the ground again. He flipped himself, stepping off a floating boulder and shot forward, picking up speed before beginning to drift left. He rotated his body again, landing at a sprint on one boulder and leapt off of it again in time to flip himself, narrowly avoiding a torso-sized boulder, then stepped off of three before feeling his gravity shift to the way he had come. He landed on a boulder and leapt off with all of his strength as a Wingly, launching himself, and suddenly he was falling forward again. He sprinted along a boulder below his feet, then leapt off of it as his gravity began to corkscrew suddenly, making his body follow suit. He grit his teeth, trying to hold his lunch before suddenly feeling his gravity return to normal, including orientation, and began to fall, landing on his feet on the path ahead of Dart and the others and dropped into a roll, continuing to roll along for nearly a hundred feet before finally slowing to a stop, sighing. A moment later, a massive bird with a white head, gold feathers around its neck, brown for most of its back, and white for its stomach and legs swooped down toward him, crying out loudly.
Just before it could reach him, an arrow stabbed into its side and it flapped its wings madly to get out of the way and Cade shoved himself up, splitting it in half before tipping the other way and flopping back to the ground, his head resuming its spin. He groaned as the others all gathered around him, looking down at him.
"Hey guys," Cade said. "What kept you?"
Meru and Shana laughed, Rose shaking her head, and Dart offered Cade a hand, helping him up and steadying him.
"I don't recommend jumping from boulder to boulder," Cade said. "It's horrifying."
The others all nodded in agreement and they continued along the path, Dart continuing to support Cade until his head had stopped spinning and he could walk on his own again. After a ways, they reached a section where they had to use boulders drifting from one massive chunk of stone to the next to travel, then after that, a section where they had to use the distorted gravity to travel from one boulder to the next. Finally, they reached the path again only to stop. There, blocking the path up ahead, was a Virage. A complete one, this time. Cade swallowed hard. That was going to severely complicate matters.
"Virage!" Dart breathed.
"Huh?" Meru asked. "What the heck is that?"
"Dangerous," Cade said. "Extremely dangerous. I knew things were going a little too smoothly."
"This one's even a complete Virage," Rose said.
"We have more Dragoons this time," Cade said. "It shouldn't be impossible, right?"
"We also have you," Dart said.
"Yeah, I wouldn't consider myself an asset right now," Cade said.
"Guys!" Meru snapped. "I asked you what that is!"
"It might be the real cause of the distortion in the valley," Dart said.
"It's a living weapon used by the Winglies during the Dragon Campaign in order to battle Dragons," Cade said.
"Wow!" Meru said. "That's scary!"
Just then, Shana fell to her knees, staring at the Virage with wide, terrified eyes.
"Shana!?" Dart said worriedly, kneeling beside her.
"Here it comes," Shana said. "I hear the voice again." She turned to Dart, grabbing his right arm tightly. "Don't go! It's too dangerous to go!"
"We've gotta go!" Meru said. "We're not going to make it to the Gehrichs without going over this thingamajig."
"We're going to be going through this thing," Cade corrected her. "That's why Shana's afraid."
Dart and Shana looked to Meru.
"What?" Meru asked.
"Is there no way around?" Dart asked.
"I could fly you all," Cade said. "One at a time. But...there's no guarantee, and it'd definitely not be easy."
"Would it be safer?" Dart asked.
"Probably not," Cade admitted. "If I had to guess, if that thing's going to wake up from use walking up to it, it'd wake up from me flying around it. Then I'd have to fly you guys while also trying to avoid its laser."
"Good point," Dart said. "We have no choice, then. We'll have to advance."
Cade nodded, drawing his sword again, the others also arming themselves. Then, they stepped on the floating boulder that would take them to the chunk of stone the Virage was on. However, before they could walk toward it, Shana suddenly caught Dart around the waist, stopping him.
"I can't!" Shana said, almost crying. "I can't let you go! If we go, we'll have to fight again!"
"Hey, nothing can be done without meeting the Gehrichs, right?" Meru said as Dart turned to Shana, pushing her back enough to look at her properly. "What about Lynn, Dart's memento, and this Lloyd that you're looking for?"
"Worrying won't help," Dart said, lifting Shana's head to make her look up at him. "Besides, it might not start to move this time."
As if on cue, the chunk of ground began to tremble, the stone half-burying the Virage beginning to crack and shift as the Virage began to stir.
"Everyone, run!" Shana shouted, only for everyone to prepare to fight as a light began to shine from the Virage's central eye.
Then, the light shone blindingly and there was a deafening series of crashes and the shaking grew violent before subsiding as the light faded, the Virage rising before them in all its horrifying glory. Its bone-like body had been uncovered, its digitigrade legs holding it more than double the wounded Virage's height. Its clawed feet rested on the ground, then a spike reached upward off of the back of its legs' reverse bends. Its torso had a green crystal-like spot taking up most of it, it had both arms, both flat but wide, starting about torso-height at the elbow then growing taller as it reached toward the end, then ended with a small spike on the bottom and four curved claws. Its head was the same as the wounded one, except that the spikes on the back, which concealed folded-up wings, if Cade remembered what his mother taught him about Virage correctly, were intact this time.
"Oh my God!" Meru breathed, backing away. "It's...It's huge!"
"Scatter!" Rose shouted as the Virage raised its right arm, shining blue spheres of magic energy beginning to flood into the end of its arm.
Everyone with a Dragoon Spirit transformed instantly and Cade extended his wings, grabbing Meru by her free arm on the way past, yanking her up into the air as Haschel took Dart. As they scattered, the Virage held its arm out, a flood of massive, shining, white-blue spheres of energy spraying from his arm as he whipped it around and around at them, filling the air with the attack, which they all struggled to avoid. Albert began to focus instantly, a strong wing beginning to blow from him, along with roses, beginning to form magic barriers for everyone.
"I'm going to throw you at it!" Cade warned Meru.
"Do it!" Meru said.
Cade flew up higher and spun before releasing Meru, sending her streaking at the Virage. As she reached it, she smashed her hammer into its face, sending it staggering backward a step, then leapt off of it, landing in a roll on the ground as Cade shot down in front of the Virage, slashing down the length of its body. It shrieked in pain, then lifted its leg, stomping at him, only barely missing. He rolled to his feet beside Meru just in time for the six smaller eyes around its central one to extend, beginning to shine as it charged its laser. Then, Rose shot past its head, slashing it and making it turn slightly, its laser blasting through the chunks of stone around them, missing Cade and Meru. As the laser ended, Rose and Albert both began to tear into the Virage, sending it staggering back again and again. Then, finally, Albert stabbed his spear into its head just as Rose slashed it down the front, an explosion of Wind and Darkness magic exploding from their weapons and sending it staggering away.
Cade shot forward as Dart landed at a sprint beside him. They both shot forward, slashing its legs out from under it, then shot back the other way, slashing its arms off just above the elbow. Just as they did, Meru's hammer crashed down on the back of its head, blasting it into the ground. Cade instantly grabbed both, flying them out of the way before Haschel fired a massive beam of Lightning magic he'd been charging at the Virage, a massive explosion of electricity going off when it hit. The Virage flipped backward, then caught itself on its feet before Shana fired several arrows into its head. It shrieked in pain just before both arms suddenly regrew in sprays of green fluid that might have been blood. As soon as its arms were regrown, it shrieked, leaning forward and sending a laser flashing toward Cade without any warning. Cade dropped Dart and Meru instantly, roaring with effort and forming a barrier to protect himself, only for the laser to explode against it, sending him exploding into a chunk of stone, cratering it.
"Cade!" Rose shouted, then spun toward the Virage, streaking forward.
As she passed it, she slashed it across the face. It roared, swiping at her, but missed and Albert slashed it across the back with his spearhead. It staggered forward and Haschel's fist exploded into the underside of its jaw, sending it staggering backward several steps. Dart sprinted forward from behind, slashing the back of the foot it was moving to step back with at the same time as Cade reached them and once again hurled Meru into its face, hammer first. The Virage crashed to the ground and Cade pulled Meru out of the way just as Shana began to send spheres of Light magic raining on the Virage.
"Star Children!" Shana shouted as explosions blanketed the entire stone mass that the Virage had been on, Albert holding Dart in the air now.
As the last of the explosions faded, the same bonfire of Light magic as had hit Doel erupted from below the Virage's head, the Virage thrashing and shrieking in agony as it did. Then, as it faded, the Virage began to stand, its eye beginning to glow again, only for Cade to hurl Meru at Haschel, then drop, driving his sword hilt-deep into the Virage's eye. The Virage shrieked in agony, the light beginning to shine blindingly. He grit his teeth, twisting sharply and shoving the hilt away from himself, then yanked it back. Then, he shot into the air and backward, bringing his sword with him as the light began to grow unbearable. Then, the energy of the laser exploded against the Virage's head, its blinded eye unable to fire its laser, and the Virage sailed backward into the massive stone cliff beside where the Virage had been lying when they found it, smashing the mountain. The Virage continued to shriek, now near constantly, and began to stagger forward Haschel dropped Meru to the ground, Albert likewise dropping Dart, and all of the close-range Dragoons streaking forward with Cade for another round of attacks. The Virage shrieked in rage as it sensed them approaching, its right arm beginning to spray the same spheres of energy at them, only for a shining energy arrow to stab into the top of its arm, forcing it down so that they only had to dodge the first wave of spheres before they were clear. Albert went first, spinning in front of it ands slashing it across the front of its head before spinning his spear and stabbing backward into its head before ripping it out and flying out of the way as Haschel smashed his fists down into the top of its head, blasting it into the ground, then dropped and smashed an uppercut into its head, throwing it into the air. As it rose, Cade and Rose both slashed it down the front together, the flipped and shot sideways toward each other, Rose passing over Cade as they both slashed it across the stomach. It shrieked, falling to its knees forearms and Shana used three arrows per side to stick its arms down as Meru moved to smash her hammer into the underside of its head, only for Haschel to punch the back of the mallet's head, tripling its speed and force. The resulting impact launched the Virage back to its feet, its forearms tearing free and remaining on the ground. The Virage shrieked deafeningly in pain as Dart charged it.
He leapt into the air, slashing the Virage from the head down the body and right leg, the leg being shoved backward off the edge of the chunk of stone they were on. The Virage shrieked, crashing to the ground and drove its left hand's claws into the ground to try and keep from falling, only to begin slowly sliding backward. As it did, the others all landed, transforming back just as the Virage began to reach for Shana, who seemed frozen suddenly.
"Shana!" Dart shouted, he and Rose charging, only to stop as a blue light began to shine from Shana's forehead.
The Virage stopped, remaining motionless for a moment before pitching backward as Shana held her hands to her head. Cade stepped over to the edge, watching as the Virage fell lifelessly, smashing through a massive boulder even bigger than it was, then disappearing into a thick cloud of dust below them. He looked back over at Shana, seeing the light had faded and Rose and Dart were at her sides, now.
"Shana," Rose said. "What on Earth are you...to Virage?"
"I don't know!" Shana sobbed. "I don't know anything!"
"There is no more Virage," Dart said, stepping in front of Shana and resting his hands on her shoulders, giving her a worried look. "Are you okay?"
"Dart," Shana breathed, then shook her head as though to clear her thoughts. "It's okay now."
Dart sighed, nodding, and stepped back. Cade looked to Rose, seeing her deep in thought, and sighed.
"We might as well rest here," Cade said. "Any monsters in the area probably got scared off by the magic power released during our battle. This is probably the safest place to rest, now."
Dart nodded in agreement and everyone found a place to sit down, besides Rose, who leaned against the one mostly-intact cliff face where the Virage had been. Cade watched her, seeing her frown deepening the longer she was absorbed in her thoughts. He sighed, deciding to leave her to her thoughts. Instead, he leaned back against the boulder behind him and allowed himself to drift off to sleep, allowing his magic to flow more freely, a technique to speed up healing he'd learned when he was young.
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