The New Threat:
Part II: Darkness & Wind
They stood gathered in the throne room of Indels Castle in Bale. Albert was seated on his throne speaking with Minister Noish, Meru and Kongol stood in one corner talking in hushed voices. Haschel sat on a cushy chair meditating, and Miranda, Shana, and Dart were speaking about the new threat that Lloyd had said was coming. Lloyd leaned casually against the wall at one end of the chamber. He was no stranger to the Castle. He'd served a brief period there a few months ago as the King's advisor. After awhile, Albert got up and addressed his friends and the generals gathered in the room.
"My dear friends and," here he looked at Lloyd, "colleagues. It has been brought to my attention, that a new threat is arising, one that only the Dragoons can hope to defeat. And my esteemed Minister Noish, has just brought it to my attention, that as of a few days ago, there is a new menace razing villages to the south. I believe they may be one and the same. So I want you generals to send three regiments of troops with the Dragoons to get rid of it."
"Whoa, wait a second," Dart cut in, "You aren't coming with us?"
"I'm afraid not, my duties as king will stop me. I have been gone far too long as it is." came the reply.
"We're going to need all the power we can get if the threat is the one Lloyd speaks of." Haschel said suddenly.
"I know my friend, that's why I'm stepping down as a Dragoon. You will have to find someone to take my place." He said solemnly.
He reached into his armor and pulled out the Dragoon Stone. Slowly, he walked up to Dart and put it into his hand, closing his fingers around it. Lloyd watched, amused. He pushed away from the wall and spoke up.
"You're giving up the Dragoon Spirit to run your country huh? Guess what? If we don't find it another bearer, you won't have a country." He said; his voice full of irony.
"I know that," Albert growled, "but my country comes first. I'll run it as long as it exists."
"Fool." Lloyd said as he turned away.
"Where are you going?" Dart demanded.
"Out."
"Stop him!" Albert barked. "You will not leave the castle." The soldiers moved into a ring around the Wingly and drew their weapons. Lloyd raised his hand to the hilt of his sword.
"You try it," said Lloyd, glaring at the soldiers. "You won't land one blow." He punctuated the remark by reaching his arm out, palm facing them and generating a small energy ball. With a wave of his hand Albert dismissed the soldiers and stormed out of the chamber. Lloyd smirked and walked out another door. Dart shook his head and walked out after him.
"Kongol think white-hair man is good now." Kongol said suddenly.
"You know what? I do to." Shana replied.
Kayla had finally found the power. Just a few days ago, she'd been walking in the forest when a group of bandits had surrounded her. She'd fought most of them off with her daggers, but they'd called in reinforcements. Then she'd lost it, something snapped inside of her and her rage took over. The next thing she knew, the stone she'd picked up from the river had started pulsing and glowing, then, in a flash, she'd changed, and was wearing some strange kind of armor. And she had wings! She never knew what made her say it, but she'd screamed the words, "Demon's Gate" and when the spell was over, the bandits were nowhere in sight.
Since then, she'd sacked three bandit camps, and they were becoming increasingly afraid of her. Good, they'll pay for what they did to my family. She thought. Now, she was camped out near the next bandit village. She'd start the attack at night.
Night fell, and she readied for the attack. Drawing her daggers and jumped into the air. In a flash of purple, she transformed and winged away towards the village. When she was over the village she stopped and hovered far above its' twinkling lights. She closed her eyes and spoke two words. "Darkness Dragon!" Out of nowhere a huge figure appeared and flew with amazing speed straight towards the village. In a burst of energy it fired a gigantic beam of power at the group of houses. Flames engulfed them, and Kayla watched, the firelight reflecting off her deep violet eyes. A few bandits looked up and saw her, high above the inferno. They grabbed bows and started firing at her. She didn't move, just hovered there and let the arrows bounce harmlessly off her armor. Finally, when it started to get annoying, she hurled one of her daggers at a running bandit and laughed when he fell, the dagger through his throat. She held out a hand and recalled her dagger, and that's when she heard them, just the soft rustle of their wings at first, then, an angry thrumming. And then they were upon her, the seven Dragoons.
Dart saw her first from a distance, that armor, it couldn't be! Rose! She was alive! Then he got closer and saw her features. She was too young, and her face was too innocent. He shook his head and gripped his sword tighter. No, Rose had died that day, with his father.
So the dead knight was right, thought Lloyd, as he hovered behind Dart. There really was a new Darkness Dragoon. Intriguing. Now all they need is the Wind Dragoon and I'll be able to do what I was sent back to do.
Kayla saw them as well and raised her daggers, ready to repel them if they attacked.
"What do you want?" she called out. A man with spiky blond hair moved to speak, but was beaten to the punch by another, strikingly handsome man with shorter, platinum hair.
"We want to know why you've been sacking villages up and down the south side of the mountains" he said.
"Those, so-called villages are camps for bandits. And I've been punishing them for the atrocities they've committed on the innocent people in this valley." She replied calmly.
The man smirked.
"To the people? Or just to you?"
The bastard! She'd kill him! Rip his vile throat out.
"I'll kill you!" she screamed.
"You can sure try," he said, that aggravating smirk still on his lips. With a bloodcurdling shriek, she gathered all her strength and flew straight for him, daggers ready to tear into his flesh.
Dart moved to intercept her, but Lloyd held him back with one hand.
"I'll take care of her. You concentrate on the people and finding out if her story checks out."
"Just, try not to kill her." Dart retorted.
"Yeah, yeah. Now get moving." With a nod, Dart signaled the others and they all dropped down towards the burning village. He took a deep breath and focused on the girl hurtling towards him. Then he blinked and flashed upwards out of her line of sight. Kayla stopped suddenly; she looked all around, no sign of him. Just like those bloody bandits, coward.
"Looking for me?" he called from high above her. Arrogant bastard, she thought as she unleashed the 'Astral Drain' spell at him. Lloyd effortlessly dodged the flying blade and kept hovering.
"You should really work on your aim you know that?" he taunted.
"Shut up! You'll see my aim when my dagger rams through your throat!" she screamed at him.
"Mmm-hmm, that's what they all say. Why don't you join my group instead?" She stopped short.
"Join you? What are you people?" He smirked.
"We are the legendary Dragoons. Come back to save the Earth from another great threat."
"What's the threat?"
"I don't know yet."
She laughed.
"And you expect me to join you?"
"Either that; or you could fight me and die right here." He replied, with a swish of his blade. There was something about his calm demeanor, his detached cool, that made her think he could do it. She lowered her weapons and dropped down to the ground. He followed suit.
"Alright," she said after a long pause, "I'm in." He smiled; he truly was a handsome man.
"I thought you'd say that." He said as he reverted back to normal.
On the ground the other five Dragon Knights walked across the ravaged town. Meru used her ice magic to stifle the fires. And Kongol held up the buildings long enough for the inhabitants to escape. They were just finishing, when Miranda pitched forwards and landed face first in the dirt. They all feared the worst, until she sprang up, anger in every line of her face. She swung up her bow and let loose a barrage of arrows at a fallen in wall. The others thought she had gone mad, until a body slumped over the wall.
"The worthless idiot shot at me!" she fumed. Suddenly they were surrounded by scruffy, unwashed, men; all wielded long bladed knives and dressed in dark, leather armor. Their leader stepped forward, he wielded a large, two handed sword, and wore jet black armor trimmed with gold. The Dragoons drew their weapons.
"What do you people want?" he asked. Dart stepped forward and spoke to him. Things seemed to be going well, but suddenly, the chief jumped back and drew his sword. Dart blasted him through a wall, and he lay still. Turning, the Fire Dragoon looked around the circle of bandits.
"Surrender, or you will surely all die." He commanded. The bandits took one look at the Dragon Knights and fled, only to be cut down by a potent spell. "Death Dimension!" The familiar words echoed through the smashed village and Lloyd walked casually up to the group, Kayla following behind him.
"Hey! Look what I found." He called cheerily. "Her name's Kayla Dorn; and she's our new Darkness Dragoon." Kayla powered down and bowed before the legendary Dragon Knights.
Albert stood on the balcony and stared out over Bale. What he wouldn't give to have been out there, winging across the sky with his friends. But his time was up. He had to concentrate on being the king of his country now. It hurt, but he knew he had made the right choice. Besides, in a couple of days, he'd be happily married to the woman of his dreams. Life could not have been more perfect.
Miles away, a young man dressed all in green walked slowly along the dirt road. His armor was caked with mud and his scythe hung on his back. He kept his head down as he walked dejectedly through the wood. Furion Meltz thought back on the wife he'd just lost to the creatures that roamed the woods where he lived. He'd tracked them and killed them all, but it didn't give him any satisfaction. He was still hollow inside. As he stumbled along, he heard a slight noise. It was barely audible, but it didn't fit in with the woodland sounds. Un-strapping his scythe, he readied himself and continued walking. After about a hundred and fifty feet, a group of bandits jumped from behind the trees and surrounded him. "Give us all your money!" demanded their leader, a squat, ratty faced creature.
"Come get it." He said simply. The bandits charged him knives ready to shred his soft flesh. He swung his scythe once, knocking the heads of three with that one swipe. With another swing he gutted two more, before a knife slashed his thigh. He gasped at the pain, then he saw them closing in about him, their menacing faces masks of hate. One hit him on the temple with the haft of his knife, and stars exploded in front of him, then, blackness crept in around the edges of his vision. Before it all went dark, he saw what looked like and Angel dropping out of the sky. Then a door slammed shut in his skull and he pitched forwards onto the ground.
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