Miss.Ecofreak: Hm, funny, I just received an email with the latest review for this fic and the fic says it got 16 reviews but when I press it I find only 15
Zakura: that's because PCs are stupid
Miss.Ecofreak: right. But the important thing is that I GOT a review and so I must update. (And yes I did get to read it in the email)
Before we start I would like to say that I'm sick of the name XD, so I let the dark makers change his name
Zakura: and what an imaginative name it is
Miss.Ecofreak: well dark makers don't have much fantasy… Enjoy!
CHAPTER 17
CONFRONTMENT WIT PYRO
"I don't believe it! How could I have been so stupid?" Buster said and slapped himself on the head several times.
"Is there a problem bro?" Rambo asked.
"Draco-acid! Why didn't I ever think of that? Rose's stomach is full of it so of course that was the missing ingredient!" Buster said hugging Rose. "My girl, you're a genius".
The ottsels and the dragon were still in the living room, Buster had made Balder retell the short story over and over again and before they knew it morning had arrived.
Rambo had already made breakfast.
"Genius? She's just a lizard damn it!" Rambo said before Rose spit a dose of acid right at the fish he was eating.
"The "lizard" just made us the perfect weapon we need to win this war" Balder said. "And don't come tell me it was an accident."
"Oh that's rich. Careful Buster or you little creation might take your job" Rambo said sarcastically. "I still don't believe that this bird-brain can understand ottsel-speak".
"The question weather Rose understands language or not will have to wait, I have to get her to the lab so we can make more Light Eco" Buster said. "Now I kind of wished I made more than one dragon, I doubt the dark makers would just lend us theirs".
"Oh wait a second! What do you mean by that?" Rambo asked.
Buster stopped on his way to the door. Rose, not noticing her creator had stopped, ran straight out and then back in to see where Buster was.
"Well you know, I just thought about what XM said" Buster said.
"What did he say? I was too busy surviving to notice" Rambo said.
"He said the dark makers wanted to take Rose and use her as a mate for their dragon".
"They wanted XD and Rose to mate? That's just disgusting! Buster! As your older brother I refuse you to even think such a thought. Rose might be docile but mix her with that monster and you're going to get your hands full controlling any offspring that may come out".
"I know that, it was just a thought" Buster said, and followed Rose out the door.
Rambo and Balder stayed in the living room, staring at the door.
"You don't think he's gonna do it do you?" Rambo asked.
"What's he supposed to do? Steal XD? In case you haven't noticed he's not just something you can stick in your pocket and walk out with" Balder said.
"I know that, it was just a thought" Rambo said.
"You're hopeless" Balder said shaking his head. "I'll go see what he does".
And with that Balder left for his father's lab.
The lab wasn't nearly as tall as the one in Tunnel Town, but that was only because the cave wasn't big enough. Instead the ottsels had dug a new tunnel far into the mountainside, making the lab almost a cave of its own.
All of Buster's old coworkers who had gotten out of Tunnel Town in the blast, were still working for him, even Jingo's son Spike, who was determined to do whatever it took to defeat his father's empire.
"Hi Balder, Wazzup?" Spike said as he saw the boss' son enter.
"Oh not much, just made a large discovery this morning that's all. Where's dad?" Balder asked.
"In his office with the dragon, I heard about your discovery, well done" Spike said.
"Well it was actually Rose who did most of the work, I only came with the ingredients" Balder said.
"Sounds like a dream-job, lab-assistant for the dragon" Spike said. "But I gotta go! Leo's probably wondering where his coffee is. See yah".
Balder walked into his father's office and found Rose playing with a ball and Buster was busy adding drops of draco-acid into bottles of eco mix that he had placed behind a thick glass, using a robotic hand to add the acid.
"Done already?" Balder asked.
"Rose has extended her supply of draco-acid" Buster replied. "She threw it all out in two seconds all over my floor".
He pointed at a large black spot on the floor. "Spike will not be glad when I ask him to clean that up, not to mention it will take one week before Rose is ready to deliver another dose".
"But you were able to collect some then?" Balder asked.
"Sure. I scooped some of it of the floor before it evaporated. Not enough to supply an army with light eco weapons but… well" Buster said.
"How much eco have you got?"
"Three bottles" Buster sighed. "This is going to take a loooong time".
Before Rose's fourth birthday, Buster had tried every possible way to make her give more acid to his experiments, including changing her diet every day and tempt her with treats, but she only managed to produce one bottle full of acid every week, and that was only enough to make seven bottles of Light Eco.
"There must be an easier way" Buster sighed for the third time in an equal amount of hours.
Once again Rose had spilt half of her acid all over the newly cleaned floor and was now running around in the lab, which was getting a bit small for her.
This behavior didn't seem to bother Buster; he had long since learned to keep anything breakable out of reach for the dragon but Balder was getting worried.
"Rose is getting more and more restless every day" he said. "Something must be wrong".
"She's just sick of being stuck in the tunnels" Buster said without looking up. "Maybe you should take her out for a walk. I'll come too, I can't do much more in here anyway"
The two ottsels brought Rose outside and she immediately took wing and started chasing draco-birds around.
After ignoring her for two weeks, Buster now watched his dragon's behavior with much interest.
"They're males" he said.
"Excuse me?" Balder said confused.
"The draco-birds she's chasing. They're all males" Buster said.
"So? Maybe all the females are busy tending for their chicks" Balder said.
"No, not at this time of year. I see some females in the trees around, but Rose is completely ignoring them"
"Why? Does it matter?"
"You wanted an explanation for her strange behavior her last few weeks didn't you? Well now you see it. She's come in heat".
Balder almost got the berry he was eating in his throat. "She's what?"
"Just looking for a mate. And with no other dragons around she takes is out on the draco-birds. After all they're her closest relatives in these mountains" Buster said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "It would be interesting to see what XD would do if he saw her now."
"Oh no it wouldn't. XD hates her and she hates him, they would just fight again" Balder said.
"I'm not so sure. Don't you remember the hamsters Kiko got for Anny? They had one female and one male who couldn't stand each other. But then the female got in heat and suddenly all she wanted was to stay with him and him with her" Buster said.
"You're not planning to test that theory are you?" Balder asked.
"No. That would be too risky. Rose has outgrown XD by five feet already but he's still got more training" Buster said. "But we really have to find somewhere else to keep her; she's too big for the house".
"What about the Party Hall? I'm sure Niko wouldn't mind" Balder said.
"Good idea. I'll go talk to him right away" Buster said and ran into the tunnel.
Balder stayed out a bit longer with Rose, who after a while got fed up chasing the birds and came down to play with him.
They strayed a bit further away from the tunnel to find a large open field where Rose could run around. For a moment nothing seemed to be able to spoil this happy day.
But soon a rumbling sound made the two friends stop.
"What was that?" Balder asked no one in particular.
Rose twittered and placed herself behind Balder and the source of the sound.
It didn't take long before they found it what the rumbling sound was, a gigantic black robot charged its way up the mountainside and stopped right in front of them.
"What do we have here?" a voice from inside the robot said.
A hatch was opened on the machine's head and a familiar face appeared.
"Balder, and you have your little pet with you too. Thank god, I was afraid something had happened to her as I haven't seen any of you for a while, and we wouldn't want that would we?" the dark maker said.
"What do you want Jingo?" Balder snarled.
"To get my payment of course" Jingo said. "Your father stole my idea, and I'm here to take it back".
He looked at Rose with an evil look in his eye, Rose growled back.
"Rose would never go with you no matter what" Balder said.
"Really? I've put up spy-cams around the mountain just so you know, and I saw how she was acting a few hours ago. Do you miss some more friends of your own kind Pinky?" Jingo said.
"Shut up!" Balder said.
"You know, we seem to have run into the same problem. Pyro's getting restless too, last night he broke out of his cage fourteen times"
"Pyro?"
"We decided to change his name after he burned down Ziko's house, with Ziko inside. I think its pointless that we both have one depressed dragon each, when one of us could have two happy ones and then the other wouldn't have to worry about broken buildings and such ever again. Everyone's happy. So what do you say?"
"No!" Balder yelled.
"I was talking to the dragon fuzzball" Jingo said.
Rose didn't answer, nor did she look at the dark maker, she just stared at something behind him.
It was XD, now Pyro; he had a broken chain around his neck and stood frozen staring at the female.
"Hey! Who let you loose? Go back home!" Jingo said.
Pyro ignored him; he just flew closer to Rose.
Rose however, didn't seem keen on meeting him; she growled a warning at him before charging for his neck.
"Well so much for that theory dad" Balder said.
Pyro didn't fight back this time; he just stood still taking all the beating from Rose.
"What's wrong with you bone-head? Get her!" Jingo said.
Pyro hoped out of the way of Rose's second attack, but still he did nothing to hurt her.
He just stared at her, with a sad look in his eyes before he flew away.
"Hey… Tunnel Town is that way…" Jingo said after him as Pyro flew in the opposite direction, and then the dark maker turned towards Balder. "Don't think this is the end ottsel, I'll get you!"
He closed the hatch on his robot and started following after Pyro, probably to try to get him back.
"What just happened there?" Balder asked.
Rose just looked in the direction where Pyro and Jingo had gone.
"He didn't want to fight you did he?" Balder asked her.
Rose shook her head.
"I don't believe it, but maybe that dark dragon can feel love anyway huh?" Balder said.
Rose looked back at him curiously.
"Just a thought" Balder answered her unsaid question. "Should we go find him and ask?"
Miss.Ecofreak: aw, sweet love
Zakura: (throws up)
Miss.Ecofreak: oh come on! As if you haven't ever had a boyfriend
Fluffy: what about me?
Zakura: (ignores the hamster) Neither have you.
Miss.Ecofreak: (ignores both animals) Before we quit I have some "bad" news. This is the last finished chapter of The Ancient Ones and so it will probably take more time to update next time, but I have already started the next chapter and will get it up as soon as it is finished (and I get a review). Please review