"Wa nǐmen kěndìng shì dàle! " The young girl cried up at him as they walked through the dying light of the tiny village.
"What did she say?"
"Dunno."
"She said your big."
"You mean big headed."
"Shut up."
Blaze led the group through the place peering into all the closed shops. Despite there being a war going on, it certainly didn't feel like it, besides the tarnished armor that hung to his muscled frame. The girl kept on going as if they had understood her perfectly fine and they were best friends.
"Wǒ de shèngdà māmā kěnéng huì bèi qì sǐ wǒle, dàn wǒ bùzàihū. Wǒ cónglái méiyǒu jiànguò lóng zhīqián, dàn nǐ yīyàng dà, tāmen shuō nǐ shì! Nǐ suǒyǒu de qìxí huǒzāi, huò zhǐshì nà zuò ma? Wèishéme lánsè de chóuróng, wǒ zài tā de liǎn shàng lùchūle xiàoróng? Wèishéme nǐmen méiyǒu jiǎng zhōngguó ne?"
"What did she say?"
"Do I look like a dictionary to you?"
"No, your mostly a thesaurus Ion."
"Shut up."
"She said a lot of stuff, but the important bit that I got was that we might not get a warm welcome when we meet her grandmother." Hestia was doing the translation. While she wasn't fluent in traditional Chinese, she could get the gist of what the girl was saying.
"Then we best make a good impression. Come here you blather box." And to everyone's great surprise he grabbed the little girl by the tag of her T-shirt and lifted her up and back onto his back, settling her in on top of his armor. The child giggled with glee that she would be so honored as too get a ride from a great warrior.
"Hestia, how do I ask her which way?"
"Nǎ zhǒng fāngshì nǐ jiā? Make sure to pronounce the vowels well."
"Nǎ zhǒng fāngshì nǐ jiā?" The girl giggled and pointed down a side street.
The town, while tiny, had plenty of settlers. It was nestled in the foothills of the Nepal mountains, and all the buildings were of traditional look and build, though some settlers had taken advantage of the little towns charm and had built more modern structures near the center of town. Now however, Blaze felt as if he was a samurai coming back from a raid in the nearby mountains, full of honor, and courage.
Too be honest, the little town reminded him of home.
"Huang! Nǐ zuòle shénme zhè duàn shíjiān? Shuí shì zhèxiē rén? Nǐ kěyǐ gàosu wǒ, nǐ dài péngyǒu huí jiā!" The grandmother screeched as her granddaughter approached the house. She had her back turned, so when she spun around to reprimand her child, she stopped cold.
"Tōngguò wǒ de zǔxiān." She said under her breath.
"What."
"By my ancestors. The young girls name is Akira."
"Can you translate for me Hestia?"
"Course. Just say it and I'll relay as best I can."
"We do not mean you or any of your family harm. We seek shelter and a place too stay. We were separated from our commanders, and must wait for them. We should be out in three days."
"Wǒmen bìng bù yìwèizhe nǐ huò nǐ de jiārén shānghài. Wǒmen xúnqiú bìhù dì dìfāng tài duō tíngliú. Wǒmen fēnkāile, cóng wǒmen de zhǐhuī guān, bìxū děngdài tāmen. Wǒmen yīng zài sān tiān nèi." Hestia intoned. The child held her grandmothers arm and peered up at her. The elderly female seemed almost too stunned too speak.
"Tāmen láizì tiānkōng de hóngwěi māmā!" Hestia chuckled at that.
"Wǒ cónglái méiyǒu xiǎngguò huì kàn dào yītiān. Nín kěnéng huì liú zhǐyào nǐ xiǎng. Wǒ pà wǒ méiyǒu shíwù wèi nǐ de suǒyǒu suīrán." The grandmother replied. Her knees were shaking by now.
"Zhè shì hěn hǎo de, wǒmen yīngdāng cóng tā zhōuwéi de qún shān míngtiān shòuliè wǒmen zìjǐ de shíwù." Hestia said crossing the thresh-hold.
"Well Hes? We good?"
"We're fine Blaze, but we're hunting our own food tomorrow in the mountains." Just as Brooklyn got there though, the old ladies eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she dropped towards the floor. The old earth dragon was able too catch her just in time, and Ion busted out laughing at the look on his face.
"Help!" the electric dragon was able to stop enough too help his older friend out, and he grabbed the womens shirt in his jaws gently, and pulled her over too a recliner too set her in.
"Is she all right?" Blaze asked, glancing at Frost. Frost took one full look at her then nodded. She was tired from her injury and her flight down, but Blaze was impressed she had made it. The child had been shocked at her grandmothers episode at first, but quickly got over it, as the dragons found spots too settle down into for the night. She ran over too Blaze as he laid down on his side, and snuggled in under his chin.
The Fire dragon was surprised at first, but let it slide as she dozed peacefully. Frost smiled at him.
"All big and tough half the time, and a wise ass the other half, but there's a big softy under there, isn't there?"
"Ah hush."
The day after found Blaze crouched in the undergrowth of the forest outside the village, Frost next too him, hunting a large Yak. They were so common around the mountain range that most were wild. The dragons were bunking with the family, and so Blaze had decided that while they were there, they would pull their share, even if the Grandmother hadn't wanted that. He hadn't complained when she had pulled out all the stops for dinner last night, but the group had nearly cleaned the family out in a single night.
It had been three days now, and none of them had seen any signs of either Ezio or Katana. Hestia was extremely worried now, but she had agreed too help. Blaze had sent her out on combat air patrols too keep her mind off of current events.
The locals simply called these mountains hills. He supposed that if you lived in the same mountain range as mount Everest, the area would feel like hill sides. Blaze had seen the monster piece of land from the air. He had marveled at it's height until the little girl had laughed at him, saying that from this distance, you only see half of it, the rest being buried beneath the horizon. Blaze had made a mental note too see the mountain up close sometime before he died.
A small twig snapped beneath his big toe then, and before the animal even had time too look their way, Frost shot the ice spike she had held in her claws at the rhino, driving it through it's head and dropping it instantly. The rest of the herd looked up at them, and backed away nervously as they emerged from their cover.
"Smooth one hot-head. Your not much of a hunter killer type are you?" Frost said, shaking her head at him.
"Psh, you know if I had my way, it'd already be cooked. You just don't like your meat well done." Blaze shot back.
"Blaze, you don't cook. You take your firebreath, with a variable amount of heat, and roast your prey like a marshmallow. It always ends up disturbing too eat." She replied, breathing her frost breath on the carcase too flash-freeze it and preserve the meat. Blaze grabbed the legs and heaved the animal onto his back. The thing must have weighed nearly a ton, but Blaze could lift it. He just didn't think he could fly with it.
"Hush. You fly, I'll run." Frost nodded and leaped into the air, hovering just above the tree canopy. Blaze took off, weaving his way through the trees with a surprising amount of skill despite his bulk.
It took them ten minutes of running before anything of interest happened, Blaze was admiring Frost's slim body from slightly behind her, and yet had a sneaking suspicion that she knew, cause she kept on showing off slightly. He almost ran into the camp when he heard the voices. He slid too a stop about five feet from the edge of the clearing, and when he took a look at the inhabitants, he was gad this jungle was so loud with rain at the moment, otherwise, the around fifteen shadow force lieutenants twenty feet away would have heard him. Overhead, Frost backpedaled with her wings hard, nearly stalling and falling out of the sky. She pulled as tight of an Immelman turn as she could and bolted in the other direction. The task force in front of him seemed not too notice her, probably cause of her light blue color.
Blaze set the rhino down in the shadows, making a soft thump, and then crouched down next too the carcass. Cringing his nose at the smell. And listened too the conversation.
"Ugh, why do the higher ups want us here? There's gotta be forty task forces in this god forsaken country by now, and yet, besides the aircraft we've found, as well as that ruddy female, we've seen hide nor hair of them. Couldn't delta do these patrols?" One of the larger ones growled from the far side.
"You know that they couldn't. We're in the upper tier, so why complain, this is what were good at. Besides, Malefor does take some pride in us, which is why he sent us. Remember our creed?" A smaller one with a general insignia said close by.
"We are the shadow force." The one next too him intoned.
"We hunt from the darkness." The large one replied.
"We bring fear too the courageous." An average one with a Majors insignia intoned, while surveying the trees.
"We bring despair too the hopeful." A smaller one standing almost next too Blaze shouted out.
"And in glorious night, we will cast the lands under Lord Malefor's iron rule." The rest nearly roared towards the sky.
Blaze nearly jumped when Frost hissed next too him, "Arrogant bastards. The general is mine. I'll give you a signal when I'm ready. Follow them when they come after me."
Blaze was about too grab her tail and pin her down when she slipped through his claws and off into the darkness of the surrounding forest. He swore too himself and then watched the group intently.
About five minutes later, the group was about too move on, when a large ice spike screamed out of the trees and into the generals chest, dropping him where he stood. The clearing went nuts then, some of the more experienced scattered, but the younger lesser dragons clumped together, their backs too each other.
That was all Blaze needed. A single superheated plasma spike lanced into one of the shadows heads, killing him, and then exploded, sending black bodies flying. One of the majors had spotted him by then, and was advancing when a hail of clustered ice shards came from his right, plowing into the dragon like shrapnel.
Blaze knew the others were on him then in the next couple of seconds as a stream of shadow flame enveloped him. Covering him in darkness and he felt confusion and pain become his dominating feelings. He knew what it was like, because of his sparing sessions with Eclipse so long ago. He still didn't like it anymore. He breathed flame in the general direction of where he knew it was coming, and despite the pain spreading down his body, he kept up the stream. The disorientation lessened, and finally was dragged off, the pain fading away slowly. He felt a cold paw smacking the side of his face lightly.
"Blaze! You alright Blaze? Come back too me baby!" Blaze grabbed her paw first, before responding. He turned over and half vomited, half spit out a huge chunk of blood. He knew he had bit his tongue.
"Blaze, how are you feeling? Don't lose me blaze, stay with me!"
"I'm fine Frost." He said. He knew he didn't sound as fine as he felt.
"Are you SURE your alright?"
"Why do you keep asking? I'm talking too you." He went too wipe the sweat off his forehead, but felt raw hard skin. Cauterized. It hurt too even touch it. He ran his claw gently along it until he felt the edge.
"You took three shadow flames at once. I'm amazed you emerged with just surface wounds. Your sure alright?" She said, and Blaze could now tell she was genuinely worried.
"I probably look a lot worse than I feel. It was a closer call than I guessed I suppose." Frost backed off, and helped her mate up off the ground, and then drove herself into his chest, rubbing up under his chin.
"Do me a favor. Don't ever scare me like that again." Frost said weakly. She was shivering slightly.
"Frost, you sound worse than I do." Blaze said chuckling. He was still tracing the burn wound, and found it was all over his front right side. He must have turned at the last minute, cause it felt more like a blast wound than a burn wound. Those lieutenants had put some power behind their breath.
"Oye, bastards! I'm still here!" Blaze started suddenly at hearing the harsh voice. He turned too find a fresh lieutenant, whom looked as green as could be, frozen in place, just enough mouth left open too talk, but not enough too breath.
"Shut up, rookie." Frost said turning too him, "Your lucky we even left you alive. Now I want information. That 'Ruddy female' you mentioned, what does she look like? Where is she?"
"I'll not give you information wretch! Kill me for all I care!"
"I won't kill you." Blaze said quietly, "I've got something much worse." He grabbed a nearby stone with his wing claw, and then breathed over it till it grew glowing hot.
"It hurts, this technic, but I've seen it used during the last war. Very effective. It doesn't even kill you, but man, you'll be breathing through a tube when it's done going through. It's just below melting point, see?" Blaze squeezed hard, and the stone squished beneath his claws like a grape, the cooler sections splintering, and the hot core squishing.
"The hot core melts the outside actually, so it gets hotter as it goes further in, and it solidifies somewhere in your lungs. Oh you'll be able too breath, but not without extreme pain. Every second of the rest of your life will be agony."
The dragon clamped his mouth shut then. Blaze nodded at Frost, and she produced a long thin rod of ice, shoving it in between his jaws, and working them open. Blaze trust the stone forwards, and shoved it deep, his claws dropping it at the last second in the back of the throat. The dragon couldn't breath and so couldn't use his element. He held his breath and tried not too swallow even though his eyes watered, and he grunted and groaned. Blaze stroked his neck gently, and at last was rewarded with a gentle swallow, and saw the stone go down.
"Oh god, yousonofabitch!" There was grunting and growling after that, but no words, because the stone was sliding past his vocal cords. Blaze knew Frost was keeping the stone at a steady temperature, so not too cause permanent damage.
"Now then, my female friend here can cool that down in a second, and release you from the pain." The dragon was shivering now, "You just gotta answer my two questions."
He tried for thirty seconds too resist, but eventually, he gave in.
"She's in Beijing, with the piece that you seek. She is white and grey. Bitch took down six generals before we were able too subdue her. She's lucky Malefor doesn't want her dead, otherwise we would have killed her with a lot less casualties." Blaze nodded, and Frost ran her claw along the dragons throat. He shuddered violently once more, and then went still.
"Geeze, you didn't kill him did you?" Blaze said, feeling his neck for a pulse.
"Na, just sent him into a sleep. Slowed his blood stream with an extreme shock of cold." Blaze smiled at her.
"Did I ever tell you how much I'm glad you're on our side?"
"Damnit, were in for a rough ride. Ezio MIA. Katana POW. Spyro and Nova are basically KIA. Cynder has extreme Post-Traumatic stress." Ion counted them off on his claws, "And the rest of our forces are scattered over the countryside with no way of knowing whether they're dead or alive. Out of all of us, your probably the most powerful Hestia. And if that bastard in the back yard is willing too mention the last piece we need, I'll bet it's well guarded."
"There's always a way too get inside. No matter how much protection." Blaze said. He had ice packs made of frozen river-water and gaze all over him, covering the wounds, and numbing the pain. The trip home had been torture, having too carry a rhino on his back, and Frost carrying the captive. It had taken them most of the day.
"Yeah, there's always a way, but what if the way is sheer brute force?" Ion said. Brooklyn pushed him gently.
"Quiet, son. Things could be a lot worse." Ion gapped at him.
"How could things be worse!"
"You could be dead." Frost snapped at him. Ion again gapped.
"You could have burn wounds down your right side." Blaze mentioned.
"Your family could be running for their lives through the hills." Brooklyn muttered, looking away.
"Your brother could be in forced hard labor." Hestia said, nearly snarling.
"Ion, your young, so I'll forgive you for that ignorant remark. But this is war. Things can always get worse." Frost nodded at his statement in agreement.
"But from my experience, if things look bad, you'll either die, which in that point nothing really matters, or things can only go up." Brooklyn said, his voice growing strong again.
"Right, so long as you see the light of another day, you know you can live on. Be thankful for it young one." Ion clamped his mouth shut and nodded.
"And Ion?" Blaze said. The electric dragon raised his eyebrows, "You need too learn too keep your mouth shut."
Even Ion laughed then.
The ngiht air was cold, but Ezio welcomed it, as it kept him awake. He had pushed himself harder than he had ever done before, flying for a solid three days without sleep. His wing joints ached like they were about too fall off with the strain, but the results laid out before him were rewarding.
He was standing on a steep rise, the wind flowing over his back and cooling his aching shoulders, and ruffling his hair up. Below him lay a flowing blanket of lights and sounds, towering structures and smaller neighborhoods which he would have called metropolis's back home. Small communist homes were everywhere.
He had known Beijing would be big. But the size still staggered him. There was enough lights that it was simply blinding. He turned left, and walked along the portion of the great wall which he was using too survey the city, and look for any concentrations of shadow forces. He also helped the homeless the sick and the elderly and the infirm among which he walked now. China was a communist country until Malefor had usurped the leader, and put his own dictator in charge. The man or beast, whichever he was was very vague. Most of the citizens didn't even know his name, only that he ruled with an iron fist, and allowed many more government controlled activities than normal, such as the opium and drug trade, which had flourished, as well as a massive weapons trade. Apparently those two trades didn't mix very well, and innocent bystanders were being cut down in huge swaths. From what he learned, the tourist trade had shut down, and people had simply moved too the great wall because it was strong and secure.
Ezio had a reckoning with these thugs, and he had a feeling he knew whom was running the country now. He had also seen a group haul in a white dragon, whom he would recognize from halfway around the world.
"Good luck Katana. Knowing you, you'll pull something out of your hat that will amaze us all." The local garrison looked as if they were stationed inside the old imperial palace. The place also looked like a fortress, and there was a 24/7 guard on duty. This wasn't going too be easy.
He lunged off the ramparts and towards the city, intending too find an ally among that maze of lights.