Flights of Fancy
Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.
Chapter Seventeen – Travel Preparations.
Tira came up to the group and Gimod turned to face her ' So where are we going?' The dragon asked curiously.
" Near as we have found out Shanza's son Shaman is being held in the pit of Volcano Valley" Tira replied her brow furrowed ever so slightly with concern and her voice was serious.
" Volcano Valley? None of them active I hope?" Raph cut in uneasily.
' Of course they are active. You will not find a place that is hotter, more desolate or dangerous then there.' Gimod cut in, ' But then again what can you expect for it is the birth place of Tilamat who gave birth to all dragons. It is said the fire and brimstone of all those volcanoes along with the intense heat caused the volcanoes to all erupt at once, when the lava and fire died down there was Tilamat curled in the pit of the valley guarding a large clutch of eggs.'
Shanza squealed stomping a fore hoof in agitation ' What is it with the enemies that they always hold forces of light in such places?' she snorted.
Gimod smiled ' We know those of the light are afraid to walk in such places, therefore it is the best place.'
Shanza curled her lip in disgust as her hindquarters shifted ' I don't care if I have to walk the depth of the netherworld itself to find Shaman I would do so.'
Gimod bowed his head ' And I assure you that you won't have to walk alone.' He crooned in a comforting way.
Tira nodded " More then that we can not say but we know he is there, you may as well teleport as close to Volcano Valley as soon as you are ready."
Leo who had been listening in to the conversation now spoke up " So what is the closest and safest location to that area?" He inquired.
Shanza flicked an ear ' The closest we can get is near Griffin rock next to the sea's coast line. We will have to travel over the rocks and across the desert to Volcano Valley.'
Leo considered these words for a moment in silence " Griffin? As in the mythical half eagle half lion cross?"
Lobo barked a reply " That's the one and if we survive that we have to travel the desert of the dead."
Marina fuzzed up a little as she whispered into Don's ear " We cataflys are distantly related to Griffins they come in different sizes, some Griffins are quite small but the ones around Griffin Rock are the size of a full grown lion or larger." Marina wrinkled her nose and fluttered her wings " It is just as well I'm going with you Griffins only listen to other cats you know, and you best keep those dogs away they'll be torn to shreds."
Don scowled at her words wondering how trust worthy this information was.
Tira gave a slow shake of her head " I wish we could learn more that might be of greater use to all of you, but you can't afford to wait here much longer."
' Of course it is dangerous to wait and we must go, but if you learn of something later on you can' Shanza paused, 'Send a message if you feel it is of utmost importance. However we must wait here until Demon Wing returns, and the Dwarf Florian returns with the sword he is giving to Leonardo.'
Symbia the centaur pranced " We ought to leave soon, no matter what. Demon Wing can catch up to us quickly."
Shanza balked laying back her ears in an obstinate way ' I wait for my mate!' She declared.
Gimod rumbled ' Shanza he may have fallen into trouble, the dark ones may have caught him. If we wait we may loose your son and the battle.' Gimod was aware how stubborn unicorns could be but he also knew what was at stake and while Shanza might not like the choice of picking her son over her mate, they all had to make sacrifices and think of the better good for all.
Shanza bowed her head, nickering a bit forlornly pawing the ground a bit as she considered.
Mike came up and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, he knew how hard it was at times to make those crucial decisions when others were relying on you.
Shanza turned and nuzzled Mike before heaving a sigh ' Very well, I know you are right. I just don't care to think of such things.'
Gimod bunted the unicorn ever so gently ' There is still time' he replied cryptically.
' We will leave in the morning that will give us time to prepare and also to get in one last night of rest in before we head out.' Shanza decided, with that said she turned and left the group behind galloping towards the other unicorns, she skidded to a halt near the other corns and reared letting out a shrill call to the sky above.
Raph grinned, " Morning can't come soon enough for me. I want to get this mission over with and get home." He announced.
Leo smiled, he knew Raph was, typically, anxious for some action and sitting around the meadow wasn't providing his head strong brother with enough to keep him interested.
" Patience Raph I'm sure we will see plenty of action where we are going."
Raph smirked as he twirled a sai deftly in his hands " Bring it on, as far as I'm concerned it is time to get the party started."
There was a loud neigh from overhead as a reddish brown Pegasian circled and came in for a landing, this Pegasian had agreed to take the dwarf Florian to fetch the sword, and now the Pegasian was coming in for a landing near Leo.
Raph chuckled and rested a hand on Leo's shoulder " Look like your new toy has arrived Leo."
" You are enjoying this aren't you?" Leo accused.
" You better believe it" Raph agreed,a wide smile on his face.
Leo gave his brother a half amused half disparaging look before going to see Florian who was slipping off the Pegasians sturdy back.
The dwarf seeing Leo approached bowed low and offered the sword in its scabbard across open hands " The finest sword we have ever forged."
Leo plucked the scabbard up from Florian's hands and saw that the scabbard was made of soft fine leather, with a gold design embossed on it. He tried not to scowl as he realized that the weapon seemed very light even housed as it was in the scabbard. The ninja turtle did his best to hide his displeasure and doubt where the weapon was concerned, knowing that it would probably insult the dwarf, but the weapon seemed to have as much substance as a feather.
The Dwarf looked up " Pull it free and feel its power and strength. Housed in the scabbard the sword is less then what you might expect" he coaxed.
Leo grabbed the hilt of the sword, knowing the hilt was just as important as the blade, but the blade had its own use and it was this that Leo desired to see. He pulled it free from it's home and heard a soft sound that told him the blade was well made though it was thin like a rapier's blade, or at least that was Leo's first observation, light and thin like what was found in small swords.
However the sword almost shivered in his hands as if it was alive.
It grew heavier in weight and substance, the blade thickening almost before Leo's eyes, as if it was shifting to his requirements and preference. Leo gasped as he saw the weapon he now held, for it was now similar in style to a katana.
Leo lowered his arm gazing down the blade and saw no sign of warping, or buckling in the metal.
Florian chuckled " It was forged with rare blue steel, folded over many times, pounded to perfection by our hammers and our most skilled craftsman and after each time in the fire it was cooled in unicorn water."
" Unicorn water?" Leo repeated absently as he further admired the sword he held.
" Unicorn water makes swords strong and helps give them special magic. The magic varies from weapon to weapon because each unicorn has special elements that they give to the water they purify" Florian explained, " Also the conditions and elements that each weapon is forged under often gives it added magic, but those things are rarely repeated so no two weapons ever have the same magic."
Leo knew the edge of the blade was sharp, he didn't need to test it he could see the glint in the soft blue metal. " What can you tell me about the magic this weapon holds?" Leo asked curiously.
Florian smiled, he knew that Leo respected the weapon he now held " I can tell you that it would take a great deal of pressure or strain to break that blade and it can withstand the heat of dragon fire."
' Really?' Gimod cut in, suddenly belching loose a large burst of flame that enveloped the blade. When the fire and heat died down the blade still stood straight as before. ' This is going come in useful where we are going for if it can withstand flame it ought to pierce dragon hide as well.'
Florian coughed " It does kill wyrms of that I can assure you, but it may also have a few other properties that we are not aware of as of yet." He confessed a bit uneasily. " As we have not been able to test it under many situations. It could be most the magic is in shifting but it may have more that isn't known."
" I guess we may find that out as we travel" Leo muttered as his gaze fell to the hilt of the weapon. The hilt was made of a dark strong wood, a rearing unicorn carving done in gold with a ruby eye decorated it.
Leo took a few practice swings before stepping away from the others as he moved through a few katas feeling the balance, the power that he seemed to get with each move, listening to the faint singing noise of the metal cutting air as it moved. This was an expert weapon and Leo knew he had never had a chance to hold or handle a weapon of this caliber before. It was not going be a punishment packing it into battle on such an unfamiliar world, rather Leo found himself looking forward to it.
He turned to Florian " I should not have been so hasty when you first offered the weapon, I could have done you the service of at least looking at it before making a decision. I apologize for being so abrupt for this is truly the finest weapon I have ever seen or handled your people have done a superb job of crafting it" He complimented sincerely.
' Nicely done. Such a compliment will ease any lasting hurt feelings, you have made a friend.' Gimod rumbled softly.
Florian beamed widely well pleased at Leo's kind words.
" Hey Leo can I see it for a second please?" Mike begged eager to hold a real magic sword.
Leo handed it over with ease wondering what sword Mike would favour.
The weapon shivered then continued to do so, until it began to glow with a faint blue light. Leo scowled not knowing if this was natural or not, and not wanting the borrowed weapon to become damaged he snatched it quickly from Mike's hands.
" What are you doing Mike?" Leo demanded.
" Oh sorry Leo I just couldn't decide what sort of sword I wanted" Mike confessed.
" That is it Mike you are not touching this weapon again" Leo ordered sharply as he gave his brother a baleful look. He then turned to Tira, " I do prefer to have two swords on me, so could you keep one of my katana here?"
Tira accepted the one sword from Leo "I promise it will be safe here until your return."
Mike gave an indifferent shrug to his brother's comment but a gleam in his eye said that he just might try to touch the weapon at some point if only to prove that he could.
Tira tried to hide a smile " Come it is late, let us get something to eat and we will help pack some supplies for the trip."
" Food! Aw great I am starving!" Mike cheered.
Don groaned, " Mike you are always starving."
It was important that the travelers didn't take too much with them to be a burden, or slow them down but a few essentials were necessary. Shanza would be able to find or supply water for all of them, Gimod and the toshe could assist in bringing food to the travelers over the journey.
It was after dinner that Shanza's mate Demon Wing finally arrived in the meadow. Demon Wing was a solid black over his body, but he had a white mane and tail, while his wings were black with just the tips of each feather bearing white.
Shanza ran to meet him and they greeted one another with gentle knickers and nips, before the two walked off side by side their tails flicking in unison. Once in a while Demon Wing, who stood taller then Shanza would raise his head and nip Shanza ever so gently on the neck.
Leo seeing the Pegasian smiled " Looks like we leave here full force after all."
Gimod nodded ' We may need all the help that we can get for we have a long way to go and it won't be easy.'
Leo sighed a bit reflectively as he glanced up at the dragon " I don't know about you but that is nothing new to my brothers and I" he claimed.
Gimod thumped his tail and blew some smoke ' Perhaps so, but you are on a world of magic now and that might mean all the difference to all of us, especially as you have never dealt with such things before.' He retorted.
Leo didn't reply to that for the turtle leader knew the dragon could be right, but he was also aware of all the things they had survived in to get to this point and he felt pretty confident in the skills they had to offer in this mission. He knew in the end only time would tell just how difficult things were going to be.
TBC