Author's Note: I don't know why I feel like I have to include an author's note at the beginning of each chapter...but it just feels strange without an author's note. Go figure...
Well, I thought I was getting writer's block, but I got some new ideas after all. Thanks to my adoring readers; without you, these stories would not be possible.
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Jay and Moses stood facing each other in the castle bedroom, breathing heavily, still holding the pillows.
"Whew...that wore me out!" Moses said. "I feel like I could fall asleep."
"Me too," Jay said.
Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on the door. Moses quickly embraced Jay.
"It's those crazy monks!" he cried. "They're gonna kill me! Save me, Jay!"
"Knock it off, you pathetic dolt!" Jay responded. "Your whining could peel paint!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, never mind!"
Jay moved to the door and leaned against the wall. Moses leaned against the wall across from him. The doors flew open, and the monks rushed into the room. Moses and Jay remained well-hidden behind the open doors. As the monks searched the room, Jay emerged from behind the door and checked on Moses on the other side.
"Huh?" Moses asked.
"Shh!" Jay gave a silent signal for Moses to follow him. Together, they snuck out of the room and through the dining room. Then they went through the door to the next room.
"What the hell?" Moses gasped. "What kind of room is this?"
It was an empty stone room above a damp black pit. Looking up, the pair could see the full moon through the skylight. Jay and Moses walked to the center of the stone path.
"All right!" Moses yelled. "Looks like we were too smart for those monks! Yeehaw!"
"Moses, please don't flatter yourself," Jay said. "I don't recall anything smart coming from you."
A soft growling noise came from below. Jay and Moses looked down into the black pit.
"There's something down there," Jay said.
"Ya think?" Moses asked.
Suddenly, a black dragon with a green glow flew up from the pit below, seizing Jay's wrist as it came. Moses was thrown backwards, hitting the floor on his back.
The dragon flew right through the skylight, shattering it. Moses covered his face as the glass rained down on him.
"Jay!" Moses quickly got up, then jumped up, throwing a flaming spear into the ground. The resulting explosion propelled the bandit all the way through the skylight, where he landed on the roof.
Jay looked down at the ground as the dragon carried him through the air. He pulled out his dagger and slashed its talon, freeing himself. Jay cried out as he fell towards the ground, flipping uncontrollably. The dragon quickly corrected itself, as it swerved around. It caught Jay by the ankle this time, then made another U-turn, resuming its flight to its original destination, wherever that might be.
Moses watched as the dragon flew past, carrying Jay by his ankle. "I'm comin', Jay! Yeehaw!"
He leaped into the nearby tree, then slid along the branches on his feet as if he were skateboarding. Then he leaped out of that tree and into the next one in pursuit of the dragon. As Moses reached the end of that tree and leaped out, he realized that there was no other tree to leap into. This meant that he had to make his attack now.
Moses' spear began to glow, forming flames that took the shape of an eagle.
"Eagle Shot!" He threw the flaming spear at the dragon, piercing it through. The dragon let out a roar of pain as it flipped uncontrollably, inadvertently tossing Jay into the air. The dragon then fell, crashing violently onto the ground with a loud boom. Moses began to lose altitude as he began to fall, but he managed to spot Jay falling towards him. Moses reached out, embracing Jay in mid-air. Finally, they both crashed onto the ground, rolling about ten feet, stopping right in front of a door, with Moses on top of Jay.
"Ugh..." Jay trembled as he breathed heavily. He was obviously shaken by the entire experience. "What the...?"
Moses chuckled in between groans. "Whaddaya think of that, huh? I'm pretty good, ain't I?"
"Wh...what did you do that for?" Jay asked.
"I told you that I was goin' to protect you," Moses said. "So that's what I did. I protected you."
Jay sighed. "There was no telling what that dragon would have done with me. Th...thank you."
"This is so touchin'!" Moses began to stroke Jay's face. "My sweet little brother! I don't ever wanna lose you! We're gonna stay together, no matter what!"
Suddenly, the large door creaked open nearby. Moses and Jay both gasped and looked up.
"Moses, Jay!" Senel called as he and the others stood in the doorway.
"Are you two all right?" Will asked.
"Well...I've been better," Jay said.
"Would you look at that!" Norma exclaimed. "Fancy seeing you two like this."
Moses' eyes widened. He quickly grabbed Jay and pulled him to his chest. "Oh Jay, I'm so glad you're all right!"
"Nice try, Red, but you can't fool me," Norma said. "We caught you red-handed! You two were just having some hot, steamy--"
Will quickly bonked her, cutting her off.
"Ow!--coffee?"
"Moses and Jay like each other a lot," Grune said.
Jay and Moses stood up and glared at Norma.
"Take a look!" Jay said. "Does it really look like we're having coffee?"
"Well, no, but...but..." Norma stammered.
"That's enough," Will said.
Moses looked over the entire group. "Hey, what happened to Shirley?"
"She was kidnapped by Solon," Will said. "It happened right after you were knocked off that bridge."
Jay folded his arms. "I see. So the eres stone will have to wait until after we've rescued her."
"Knowing what kind of person Solon is, we can't just leave her in his grasp," Chloe said. "There's no telling what he's done to her already."
"Well, considering his objective is the Nerifes Cannon, I don't think he's going to harm her until he returns to the Legacy," Jay pointed out.
"And he probably won't return to the Legacy until he deals with us," Will added.
"Well, none of that matters," Senel said. "We have to save Shirley."
Jay shot him a look. "I happen to know that this is very important information, Senel. Think about it. If Solon doesn't want to harm Shirley, where would he keep her?"
"In a dungeon."
"Right. And I've never seen a castle without a dungeon."
"Yeah, even Teach has a dungeon in his own home!" Norma threw in.
Will glared at her. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well...nothing."
"Senel, since you're somewhat familiar with the castle's layout, perhaps you could lead us to the dungeon?" Jay asked.
Senel nodded. "Right."
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Senel led the group to a dungeon, which was a poorly lit, dismal room. The group looked around the black stone walls and the dark steel cell doors. Senel looked ahead and spotted a piece of paper on the floor. He went over and picked it up.
"Ooh, another note?" Norma asked. "What's it say?"
Senel opened up the paper and read it out loud.
I clearly underestimated the stupid bandit's ability. I sent a dragon to capture Jay, but Moses managed to rescue him. Moses may not be too smart, but he knows how to use his iron eres.
On top of that, the two have been reunited with Senel's group. Their next priority will be to rescue Shirley. Finding her will be all too easy, but they'll never get her out. I shall keep the key on my person at all times, so they'll have to go through me if they wish to rescue Shirley.
"Senel?" Shirley's voice called. "Is that you?"
Senel looked up. "Shirley?"
"It's coming from over there!" Chloe said, pointing to one of the cells.
The group ran over to the prison cell. Senel peeked through the small window to see Shirley locked inside.
"Shirley, are you all right?" Senel asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Shirley said. "What about you? Are you hurt?"
"We're fine. Hang on, we'll get you out of here."
Senel jerked on the door, then kicked it a few times, but the door wouldn't budge at all.
"That door looks pretty sturdy," Will said. "We won't be able to open it this way. We'll have to get the key from Solon."
"How do we do that?" Norma asked. "We know how quick he is and all..."
"We don't have a choice," Senel said. "We've beaten Solon before, and we can do it again. Let's go."
The group began to leave the dungeon, but Jay stayed put, lowering his head.
"Senel."
Everyone stopped and looked at Jay as he raised his head. His face had an expression of pure ice.
"What is it, Jay?" Senel asked. "You've got that look on your face."
"We cannot afford to fight Solon," Jay said. "Not here on the mainland, anyway."
"Why not?" Senel exploded. "We have to take him out now! If he returns to the Legacy--"
"We'll deal with him then," Jay cut him off. "Listen, you all feel nervous and uneasy in this castle, do you not?"
"Yes, it is uncomfortable," Chloe admitted.
The others nodded in agreement.
"I feel the same way," Jay said. "With these fears, Solon will have the advantage over us. We'll be much more comfortable fighting him on the Legacy."
"I see," Will said. "So you want to wait until we have the home field advantage. That does make sense."
"But what about Shirley?" Senel asked. "If Solon has the key, then we have no choice but to confront him!"
"I have a plan," Jay replied. "I can get the key myself. However, in order to do so, I'm going to have to let Solon catch me."
Everyone gasped.
"Jay...are you sure you want to do this?" Shirley asked. "I can't imagine the horrible things Solon has done to you. I don't want you to get hurt on my account."
"It's all right," Jay told her. "I know what I'm doing. And there's no other way."
He began to walk out of the dungeon, but turned to the others one last time. "Everyone, please wait here until I return."
"Hey, wait!" Norma called. "This is the part where you're supposed to say, 'If I'm not back in five minutes, come get me'!"
Jay looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Wait until I return."
He turned and left the dungeon casually, while the others watched him with great concern.
