January 4th 4AOS - 150 Days to Prince Yuri's Return


It was supposed to be the village of Dawnglow's annual Carnival of Lights, the celebration of Entulí's voyage into the void. When she flew into the darkness, her wings created the infinite stars that now glimmer in the night sky. The village was already glowing with paper lanterns and magicians cast spells on the trees to make them glow with shiny orbs since the farmers of Dawnglow did not have access to electricity, even though the towers of Domino City could be seen peeking over the mountains every evening.

But there would be no cause for celebration this night. Mercenaries with guns and advanced tech stormed into their village on trucks and began rounding them all up. Those who ran away were shot. On one side of the village, the mercenaries chased a family into their hut. The family got in just in time, shutting the door in their faces. But the mercs kicked it down and commanded their shock trooper with a flamethrower to end them. He stopped at the door and burned the house down with the family inside. The mercs walked away laughing as the family's screams pierced through the flames.

A little boy led his sister down the street to hide under a wagon to be safe. However, thanks to the drones flying in the air, they were spotted. A merc in a cowboy hat laughed and tossed a grenade under the wagon, walking away with a satisfied grin as it blew up behind him.

"Women in the trucks!" shouted the leader. "Put all the women in the trucks. Children will go on the wagons. Exterminate the men and the elderly."

A mother ran across the street with her little daughter in her arms. She jumped into the bakery, trapping herself. Two men chased her and shot her and her child down with a spray of bullets.

Up the roof of a tavern, another group of mercenaries tied a noose around the owner's neck as his daughters watched from below. They screamed "PAPA! PAPA!" over the infernal laughter of the men coming to capture them and sell them on the market like animals.

"You want your papa?" sneered a merc. "Here he comes!" He and his companion threw the poor man off the roof. He dangled around, flailing violently. A shock trooper arrived and used his flamethrower to burn him before the very eyes of his daughters.

The four girls were then dragged away to be herded with the women deemed beautiful enough to sell. They were forced onto trucks, watching helplessly as their husbands were lined up against the wall of a building to be executed right in front of them. The mercs peered through the wooden truck rails at the girls, whistling and jeering at their catch. Yes, they were all beautiful. But they were not human in their eyes. Just...merchandise. The women could not believe such evil existed in their world. These kinds of things only happened to smaller villages far away. Not here. Not in Dawnglow, the peaceful village under the lights of Domino.

It was time to pack up the raid. The men were forced to face the wall as a line of mercs came up from behind. They changed their near-empty magazines for new ones.

"At the count of three!" said the leader. "One...two...WHAT THE!"

WOOSH!

Something flew right over them. The men stopped and looked around. The Cyber Knight. He landed in front of them, creating a huge crater on the ground. He stood up, the machinations in the joints whirred. The merc with the cowboy hat shot the Cyber Knight with everything he had. The strong, magical armor deflected each and every one of his bullets. The Cyber Knight turned and blasted him through the chest with his ion cannons. He then punched one in the stomach, knocking him into the air. He flipped end over end until his ruin splattered on the mountain overlooking the village.

Zane shot more mercs with his ion cannons. When they were getting close together, his gauntlets formed into twin swords. He dashed across the street, walking straight through a hail of bullets, and slashed each and every one of them down to size.

"HEY! TIN MAN!" shouted a merc on the roof with a rocket launcher. Before he could even pull the trigger, Cyber Dragon swooped down from the night sky and grabbed him with his mouth. The mercenary screamed in horror, legs kicking up and down. Cyber Dragon crushed his body with his jaws, causing the merc to make sickening gurgling sounds before Cyber Dragon threw him into the forest.

The other two Cyber Dragons emerged out of two burning buildings and burned the rest of the mercenaries with their Strident Blasts. They were all gone. The women and children ran out of the trucks to hug the men who were about to be executed. The four girls, now fatherless, walked to the Cyber Knight as he stood there scanning for more enemies.

He suddenly walked away. He stomped towards a building and punched through the wall, dragging out the mercenary leader and tossing him at their feet.

"The King of Eredas has a million gold bounty on this waste of life. Take him to him, and receive your reward," The Cyber Knight said to them and flew off. He stopped and looked down at them. "Dead or alive by the way. I'll let you guys decide." He soared into the night. His three Cyber Dragons followed.

But the villagers encircled the fallen merc leader. They were going to turn him in alright, but they were not going to let him off that easy. They brandished pitchforks, hammers, and anything they could find to make his final moments in this world a living hell.


The Star District, Domino City


Alexis waited at the cafe for a long time. She checked her watch and snorted with displeasure. What was the point of asking a girl to meet you at a specific time if you were just going to be late anyway? Just as she was about to walk away, she heard rockets above her. Zane circled around a building and landed in front of her. His suit de-materialized until it formed into a silver necklace.

"You're late," Alexis said.

Zane laughed and straightened his coat and scarf. "Sorry, there was a village that needed help."

"Another one!" Alexis stood up. "Seriously, Zane?"

"Yeah. I saw their emblems. They're working for The Gremlin."

"Something needs to be done about that guy, I swear. But I have a feeling a little late-night hero work isn't the only thing that kept you busy. Did you speak to Bandit Keith?"

Zane jerked his head to the left to the window of the cafe so they could order their drinks. "Yeah, I spoke to him," he finally answered after he got their refreshments and handed one to Alexis.

"So what did he say?" Alexis asked, walking with Zane towards the back entrance of the Platinum Dome, a stadium that was about to host another one of the Dragon Summoner's concerts. Large holographic images of her were displayed all over the venues closest to the dome.

Zane shrugged and sipped his caramel latte. Holiday lights celebrating the new year still clung to the trees lining the sidewalk, lighting up the night.

"All I got out of him was talk of revenge. For my father killing his family in the Gate Wars. Naturally, he denied anything about Antilles."

"That's to be expected," Alexis sighed. She sipped her own latte with a loud and angry slurp. "What's our next move? Also, why are we all the way out here? You know Avi is about to have a concert, right? We're going to have a hell of a time getting out of here."

"I can fly home. And you. You can't call on your winged steed, Platinum Valkyrie?" Zane said, calling Alexis by her heroic name.

"Not so loud, will you? I'm allowed to have my secret identity, too, you know."

Zane laughed. Of course, she did. He himself could not believe she was the winged knight of platinum with silver/gold wings. Not long after she left Domino for Lorin, she was tasked by the Goddess of Light to find three powerful jewels containing the light of her stars. Alexis had to travel around Termnnia for miles and miles and fight horrible monsters to acquire the gems. Once she did, she placed them in the helmet of her family's ancestral armor and became the Champion of the Light Goddess. After she slew a terrible dragon that threatened to attack her home, a winged horse with armor matching Alexis's was birthed from the dragon's blood and became her steed. Then, at the behest of Yugi Muto, she soared to Domino to aid Zane and Aster clean up the city of crime with her new power.

The corner of Alexis's mouth twitched. It had only been a year since she finished that quest. The fact that she was now fighting evil like a superhero was still surreal to her. But if it was to clean the city of its filth before the Crown Prince of Termnnia's arrival, so be it. She wanted revenge against the city's underworld for what they did to her two years ago.

"We've come a long way, haven't we?" said Zane. "Just being kids at a Dueling School."

"Now we're heroes chosen by the Goddesses saving the world from evil in the name of the High King." Alexis rolled her eyes. "Not exactly what I had planned after graduation."

They finally approached the concert venue, however instead of seeing cheering fans, they saw an angry mob. No, it wasn't Yeyunists. It was Avi's fans.

"What?"

"The concert is canceled?"

A Leogai in colossal white armor and a giant greatsword was standing in front of the door to the back entrance where the winners of a contest could get to meet Avi backstage before the show.

"Lady Avi is not well. If you truly loved her, you'd understand that and leave her be. She will continue the show tomorrow."

"But we wanna see her now!"

"And I've got to catch a train back to Red Diamond City tomorrow. What's her deal? If she cared for her fans, she'd nut up and continue the show."

"Ser Gerhalos?" said Alexis.

"You know him?"

"I met him with Evelyn back in Elleria. He and Avi arrived to help the kingdom get Forrest out of the borders. He's..." Alexis gave such a heavy sigh that a large cloud of her breath formed in the hair. "He's Atticus's favorite knight. Reading stories about him was the sole reason why Atticus even became one before he vanished."

"No kidding?" said Zane. "That's Ser Gerhalos. I thought he was bigger."

"You didn't meet him when you met with her?" Alexis asked.

"No. I was met with Ser Damien. Ser Gerhalos, I think, was patrolling the area around the hotel Avi was staying at. I hope she's not hurt or anything."

"Hurt? Wait? What? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I'll explain when we get inside. Come on."

The angry fans refused to leave. Many of them paid a lot of money to get here. To be sent home because she wasn't feeling well was quite the outrage. However, all they could do was stand there and shout and complain. None of them wanted to cross the ten-foot-tall Leogai with a giant sword and a set of armor that could deflect dragon fire. Zane and Alexis slowly made their way through the crowd until they met with Ser Gerhalos.

The lion-raced warrior held up his hand and shouted: "No one is allowed to see Lady Avi! Step back and go home."

"Ser Gerhalos, it's me."

The crowd gasped and stepped back when they realized it was Alexis and Zane standing in front of them.

"Bless my fur," Ser Gerhalos said. "Alexis? Princess? How are you? It's been months since I've seen you."

"I've been doing well. What's going on? Why has Avi canceled the show?"

Ser Gerhalos sighed. "Perhaps it's best if you ask her yourselves."

"What? They can go in but not us?"

"These two are of Termnnian Nobility!" snapped Ser Gerhalos. "They can pass." He stepped out of the way to let Alexis and Zane through.

Alexis turned around to look at the angry fans. "Don't worry, guys. The Summoner of Dragons is a friend of mine. Maybe I can talk her into starting the show again."

"Please, do!" said a young man. "We came all this way."

"Yeah, we don't want it to be for nothing," said a girl.

"It's alright. Alexis will figure something out," said Zane.

Ser Gerhalos opened the door and let them through. Through the thick concrete walls, the two of them could hear the shouting of the crowd, anxious to see Domino City's newest pop star. They followed a hallway lined with stone water walls and a black marble floor, leading to a red door with a shimmering star on it displaying Avi's name. A handsome knight in jeweled armor was standing in front of it. He was about to shoo them off until he recognized Alexis's face.

"Hey!" he said. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Ser Damien," said Alexis. "It's been ages since I saw you."

"Yeah. I've been through a lot. So many adventures. So many tales. Who would have thought it would lead me to the glitz and glamor of the Eredian megacities? Zane. Good to see you, too."

"What happened?" Zane asked. "I gave Avi the coordinates of a dragon resting in the mountains not far from here. I thought she'd be thrilled."

"She's not thrilled, Zane. The dragon's dead."

"What?"

"They were ambushed by Dragon Hunters. The most notorious ones of them all. The Skaia'tiel. They're now armed with CUIRASS mechs. Avi's dragon didn't stand a chance. She could only watch as they murdered him slowly and butchered his body."

"Damn!" said Zane. "What are Naralian Dragon Hunters doing all the way out here."

"And to kill a True Dragon?" said Alexis. "I've heard stories about those CUIRASS mechs. I knew they were strong but not this strong. This is bad, Zane. If they can kill True Dragons, we've got ourselves a problem."

"Hopefully, it's one you can quickly solve," said Ser Damien. "Avi's been ambushed by CURIASS throughout her journey. I hate to say it, but she's barely survived any of their encounters. With each loss, they get stronger and stronger."

Zane crossed his arms. "Hmm. Then I guess that's the reason why Master Yugi thought it best to put a sabbatical on her journey and keep her here behind the walls of the megacity?"

"That is correct. And now I doubt Avi will even want to leave the city. After what happened to the Burning Blaze Dragon, Avi's become too afraid to summon her dragons. She doesn't want to see them get killed. She hasn't spoken to anyone since she got back."

"Let me talk to her," Alexis said. "I know exactly what she's going through. I know what it feels to be in a pit of despair without hope of escape."

"I know," said Ser Damien. "Just...just be easy with her. She's a little fragile."

Ser Damien opened the door and let them into Avi's dressing room. She was all dressed up for the show and sitting in front of her lit-up vanity mirror. Her head was down on the dressing table. They heard her sniffling and hiccuping in sorrow.

"Avi?" Alexis said softly.

Avi gasped and raised her head up. She saw Zane and Alexis's reflection in the mirror. "Alexis? Zane?" she said. She wiped her tears away, sniffing a few more times before turning to look at them.

"Ser Damien told me what happened," said Zane. "I'm sorry. I should have been there."

"If you had, you'd probably be dead, too," said Avi.

"Hey," Alexis said with a chuckle. She sat on the stool next to Avi's chair. "He's the Cyber Knight. He could have easily taken them on."

"No, he couldn't. Criminal gangs, arms dealers, and drug lords are nothing compared to the Skaia'tiel. They destroyed the dragon I found. And I couldn't do anything to stop them."

"Why didn't you summon your dragons, Avi?" Alexis asked. She took out a red handkerchief from her coat and wiped Avi's tears away.

"I couldn't," Avi sniffled. The oversized bow, shaped to look like an Ancient Fairy Dragon on the back of her head wiggled with each move she made. "They had these strange machines in the air. They were...they were preventing me from summoning them."

Zane felt cold. Alexis looked at him in dismay. "Hold on," said Zane. "Preventing you from summoning? What do you mean by that?"

"It is what it is, Zane. Their machines prevented me from summoning my dragons. I tried and tried but only sparks came out of my palms. It was as though something was choking my connection to the magic in the world."

"Anti-magic tech?" Alexis gasped. "Just like Aster said."

"You seen it before?" Zane asked.

"No. But he told me about how he lost his friend Francesca to the Gremlin. They strapped these cuffs on her that prevented her from using magic. They were made of Aurachalcium [Aura-kal-kee-um]."

"Shit!" said Zane. "Domino's villains have Aurachalcium?"

"Just The Gremlin from what I know."

"But...oh no. The Battle of Akuuda. One of their greatest mines was under attack. Prince Marcel and his friends put a stop to Naralian forces but I heard the man they were after got away. General Baldric. Something tells me he escaped with enough of the precious metal to aid Naralia's development in Anti-Magic technology."

"You think?" said Avi.

"I'll have to look into this a little farther. Something is going on here. Bandit Keith comes in with his Barrel Dragons. Mercenaries working for Domino's worst criminals are raiding villages with advanced military weaponry, and now Dragon Hunters with CUIRASS mechs and Anti-Magic Technology. And the missing General, too. I think they're all connected in some way."

"You think General Baldric is out there selling extra Aurachalcium to thugs like the Gremlin."

"Wouldn't be the first time he sold advanced resources and tech to them. I'll look into this. Alexis, I have a feeling that the Dragon Hunters knew Avi was going to be there. Seems like we've got a rat in our midst. If so, Avi could be in a lot of danger. Can I ask you to keep an eye on her?"

"I'll be more than happy to," said Alexis. "It's the least I can do to thank her for saving the Emerald Marches from King Forrest. And as for you, little lady, don't cancel your show. You have thousands of fans out there waiting for you."

"But I feel awful, Alexis. I let those men kill that True Dragon."

"Hey, that's why you're here in Domino, right? To get stronger. Summoning dragons isn't enough these days, Avi. Our enemies are finding ways to combat them. So you need to increase your strength, too. If you run and hide, then those mercs will win and that dragon's death would have been for nothing. You said he was trying to protect you, right? Well, it's because he knew you can become more powerful than you are now."

"She's right," said Zane. "He gave you a chance to escape. Use that second chance he gave you to become stronger. I know you can. Right now, Naralia's armies fear to march into battle knowing your dragons are in the skies. Imagine how much more they'll fear you when they see that not even those oversized hunks of junk they call mechs won't do anything to stop them."

Avi sniffed one last time and wiped the last tear from her eye. She smiled and balled her fists. "You're right. I need to get stronger. When I go to the temple next week, I'm going to train them extra hard. But…but what about those drones? What use will training my dragons be if I can't even summon them."

"You leave that to me," said Zane. "You get on with the show. Do it for that dragon that sacrificed itself for you."

"I will. Thanks, you guys."

Zane nodded. "Of course. Where are you staying, Avi?"

"I'm currently staying at the Salazar Hotel."

"No, no, no," said Zane. "I'll have my people work something out with Prince Michael. You can stay in the House of Gray during your time here. It's heavily fortified and more secure than any other building in Domino."

"The House of Gray?" Avi gasped. "The royal towers? I wouldn't want to intrude on the Daltons."

"Nonsense. The royal family will be more than happy to give you a place to stay. There's eighty-thousand suites in those towers, Avi. I'm sure they'll take no notice of you. Not to mention they owe me a favor so I'm calling it in right now."

"Thank you, Zane. I'll be sure to head there after the show, once you've made the call, of course."

"Right. Good luck with your show tonight."


Bandit Keith - Silmorok Prison Courtyard


In the dead of night, Bandit Keith was escorted out into the snow across the empty courtyard towards a limo parked behind the steel fences topped with barbed wire.

"It's about time," he said. "Gonna miss you assholes, that's for sure."

"Keep walking!" said one of the guards.

"How much did he pay you to get me out of the joint?"

"Enough for an early retirement. Keep moving!"

The gates of the prison opened. The limo sat under the light of the streetlamps outside the prison, washing it with a dull orange color. Across the road was the massive parking lot, also glowing orange from the double-headed street lights. The snow started falling harder. Even though Bandit Keith was tough, he was starting to get really cold.

The driver of the limo got out and opened the back door to let him in. The guards uncuffed him and then walked back to the prison.

"Come on in!" Veran Jayce said from inside. He had an entourage of girls sitting on either side of him, giggling and taking turns kissing his cheeks. He had a table in front of him with a steak dinner. "You must be freezing." He knocked on the window behind him. "Driver. More heat. And can you have one of the guys in there pass another bottle of wine? We're running out. Want some, Keith Howard. Geeze, you need a blanket or something? You look cold."

"You think?" Bandit Kieth said as the door closed. "It's the Blizzard Dragon's mating season. They're conjuring snowstorms in the mountains to look sexy for their mates. I wish they did that somewhere else. I hate the cold."

"Ha! You and me both," Varan said, cutting into his steak and feeding it to an Akuudan beauty. "Margaritas and sunshine, am I right? Oh, Keith, these are my dates for tonight. I believe you might know who they are."

"Haven't a clue."

"They're Secret Garden models, man. I just picked them up after their shoot for the winter catalog. Want one? How about two?" He sent two girls to sit beside them, one of them he smacked on the derriere for fun. The two models began to massage his thick arms and hooted with glee at how manly he was.

Keith looked at Varen and nodded. "Nice. Very nice."

"HAHA!" Varen laughed. "I knew you were a man with great taste. Let me introduce you to the gang. On your arms are the lovely, Rose and Rika. This is Katya, Nathalia, Vikki, Nikki, and Baby, the triplets." He winked. "And...this is —"

Keith's smile quickly faded. He shoved the girls away from his arms and said: "—Did you need something? I get it, kid, you're rich and famous. And I'll be frank with you. You're making me sick. I would rather sit back in my cell."

"If that's what you want."

Keith peered at Varen from behind his sunglasses. His eyes seemed to radiate with a killer's hostile intent. The models gasped in horror and held onto Varen with all their might.

Varen held up his hands. "Okay, okay, straight to business. I like that." He cut his steak again. "I've got a proposition for you." He pointed the cut at Keith. "Zane Truesdale."

"Uh-huh."

Varen ate the cut. "I just loved the way…(He paused to chew) I just loved the way you walked up to that beach, looked him in the eye, and told him you ain't as hot as you think you are bud. It was amazing! Theatrical! Beautiful. I wish I could have done it."

"So why didn't you?"

Varen laughed. "I have a reputation to uphold, my friend. But you. You've got nothing to lose thanks to him. Your Barrel Dragons were good. But I can make them better."

"How?"

"Well, I've got resources. I've got connections. And many of these guys would love to see Zane Truesdale out of the picture. He's been making their underground deals a little…complicated. My buddies have tried throwing everything at him. Military weaponry. Powerful mages. Summoners. Nothing seems to phase this guy. But you. You came very close to putting an end to him. And with the right sort of push, I think you can get the job done."

"All right, Jayce, I'm in. What do you want me to build to take out Zane Truesdale?"

"I've got the blueprints for it right now. It was purposely made by a…chum of mine who wants to see Zane gone, too."

"What is that?" Keith asked.

Varen smiled. "Cyber…Dark. Dragon."

As the limo drove off into the snowy night, a figure dressed warmly in a trenchcoat watched them through the thermal vision of his high-powered binoculars.

Andre of the House of Martin shook his head. "So that's what he's up to, huh? Why some people won't do for a Star Chip."