Chapter 2
A crimson eagle was perched high upon the top of a giant, burning tree. It cocked its head, and swooped down on mighty wings, glaring down at the lands it guarded as it flew through the blazing air; another blast of its wings, and it disappeared into the clouds soaked in red. Below the tree, a young girl sat daydreaming, sticking her feet in a pool of lava. She lifted a hand to part away her cherry hair blowing in the hot winds.
Flares swirled up and down everywhere in its thousands. Within innumerable workshops peppered among the land, the blacksmiths slammed burning hammers upon razor-sharp, obsidian blades. There were also the factories – factories where the ones of lower ranks labored all day and turned around the gears of the heavy machines that laved the white-hot magma from the depths of the raging volcanoes, and carried them to the lakes and rivers of lava stretching to the orange horizon. The sounds of swords and other weapons clashing everywhere never ceased. The warriors were fighting and practicing endlessly in the training hall, one of the largest buildings in the area – a colossal structure of well-carved bricks. Similar buildings were spread across the landscape, preparing the countless soldiers for upcoming warfare against the other tribes.
Everything was red, a bloody, inky red. That was what the Laval Terrenes were, and the only thing it was. Perhaps long ago, other colors existed here. But now none remained, save for on the bodies of several tribesmen carrying special blood lines. Perhaps the most famed of them was a particular leader of the clan known by the name of The Greater, second in command, now in complete control of the tribe now that the Judgment Lord had gone off to battles in other regions.
Now he, The Greater, the general in command of countless warriors, was sitting high upon a granite slab he called his throne, crossing his rocky arms blazing with flames of red and blue. Glowering down at his talking minions, he nodded slowly several times, tapping his armrests with stony fingers.
"But surely, Prominence," he muttered, "I don't think they'd last for another month. No one can."
Below him, Prominence nodded at his master.
"That would be true for anyone except them, sir," the master swordsman said. "The Gem-Knights are peaceful. A bit too peaceful, in my opinion. I haven't seen a single record of them fighting."
"Too timid?" a muscular warrior said on the right of The Greater. Flames licked across the two giant swords strapped to his arms. "If they're worth fighting, they would fight back sooner or later. If they don't, why not simply go for the others?"
"You think the Gem-Knights are weak, Dual?" a girl giggled on the other side of the room, left of The Greater. She sipped some redberry juice from a glass as if savoring the taste with a dreamy look on her face. "Oh you're so cute."
"What do you mean-" Dual stood up from his seat. The air around him hissed. "…If I were you, I'd watch your mouth. You're nothing but a Handmaiden of the Volcanoes. If I wished to, I could always–"
"Oh please," The Greater muttered. "Stop it, Dual. You know you wouldn't. You know who Cerise is."
Dual glared intensely at Cerise, who simply went on sipping the juice. She giggled again innocently like the little girl she was. "Thank you, my lord," she winked at The Greater. "And my future darling."
"…Fine," Dual muttered, and sat down again grudgingly, grumbling something about The Greater and his choice of women.
"Anyhow, Dual," The Greater raised an eyebrow at his double-blade warrior, "I suppose I should answer your previous statement on the Gem-Knights. While there is no data of them ever fighting, there IS data on what they can do. They excel at the arts of fusion, and are quite worth the fight, I say. They probably harbor forces just as strong as the other tribes – they just don't use it."
"I can never understand them," Dual grumbled. "Power is valuable because you use it. If you don't…it's just worthless."
"The Gem-Knights use power as a tool of self-defense," The Greater said. "[i]They[/i] believe it is worth it."
"It isn't," Dual hissed.
"Anyhow," Cerise sipped some more from her glass, "So – are we going to go on with the attacks? Or are we going to stop it as this genius here suggests?" She sent a crafty glance at Dual, and grinned.
Dual tried to stand up again, but stopped. The Greater was glaring at him with eyes of lava. In his case, it was quite literal.
"I say go on," The Greater said. Then, he looked at Prominence, who had been standing like a statue without a single movement for several minutes. "Say, Prominence," he leaned down towards him on his throne, "What do you think?"
Prominence looked up, his face still an expressionless mask. "I think we should wait another week, my lord. If they start their attacks, we should go on as originally planned."
Then, after a moment, he added, "But I doubt they would."
That was when a servant of The Greater came dashing into the room, panting heavily. "Sir!" he cried. "Sir! Amazing news. Finally–"
"Holy Sophia," Prominence whispered. "Impossible."
The Greater blinked at his servant. "What, Gunner?"
"The Gem-Knights have been spotted," the servant yelped, flailing his giant arms mounting ablaze cannons, "On the outskirts of our territory! They have drawn their swords – and look ready to fight!"
The Greater widened his eyes. "…Fine. Finally, it is. Thank you, truly." With a grin of satisfaction, he banged a hand upon his table.
"So matters have been set!" He roared. "The Gem-Knights have started their attacks. Dual, Prominence, inform this to the others. We will start our attack."
"Sure, lord," Dual stood up from his seat. "I…I always knew they would fight back. I will go inform this to the others. We will start our attack." He lumbered out the door.
"Parrot!" Cerise called after him. "Liar!"
"…Oh shut – …whatever." The sound of more lumbering through the corridor out.
Cerise giggled. "He's so funny. He's the easiest to fool and make fun of."
Prominence's face, normally a death math, held utter shock. The Greater was quite surprised to see him like that – it was the first time he had seen him like that – but didn't point it out. Prominence wasn't someone who enjoys talking. He decided to leave his silent warrior alone.
Prominence, mumbling something, left the room after Dual. The servant called Gunner saluted and left as well.
Only Cerise and The Greater were left in the room. Exchanging looks, they smiled to each other.
Not long from then.
Dual was walking through the Laval Terrenes, looking for others to inform the news to. Strangely, he saw no one. The warriors were all gone.
Cocking his head and wondering what had happened, he looked around. There was only red, nothing else – and despite his relatively good vision, he couldn't distinguish the difference between his allies and the lava. He was quite sure he was simply not seeing them, but something was wrong.
That was when he heard a high scream from his left.
Whirling around, honing his fighting senses, the twin-bladed swordsman glanced at the direction of the scream. And he gasped.
There they were – at least a hundred warriors with blades drawn, cannons and shields ready, in the middle of a gigantic fight. For a second, Dual thought it was just a fight among them – it sometimes happened when they were irritated and hungry for battle. If The Greater knew, he wouldn't be pleased. Dual knew that The Greater wasn't amused at his words against Cerise, and he didn't want to irritate his lord any more. He had to do him a favor.
"Hey," he called. "Laval comrades! This is order of The Greater. Immediately–"
He stopped. He had seen something that definitely WASN'T a Laval warrior.
It was a black, armored, humanoid insect. Hissing, snapping jaws filled with jagged teeth, it slashed down with its sharp scythes. One hit the armor plates of a Laval. Dual thought it must be some new type of wild beast that had come here in a pack by accident, and that they would be no match for his forces.
Then, to Dual's horror, the armor split as though it were made of jelly, and the Laval warrior was as well. The others cursed, and kept on fighting, slashing and thrashing. None of the attacks had any effect on the beast.
And, it wasn't only that one. There were eight of these creatures, relentlessly striking down the warriors as though they were domino blocks. Dual was dazed for several seconds, but realized: These weren't normal beasts. And he had to stop them. For The Greater, for the Laval Tribe, and for himself.
"Hey, you ugly insects!" Dual roared as he marched towards them. "You think you can beat us! NEVER!"
He dashed towards the rampaging chaos.
The other warriors, upon seeing his arrival, roared with joy and kept on fighting even harder. Swords jabbed. Cannons flared. Dual jumped into the battle, and his blades flared up. He slashed.
His blades hit the armor of a beast, which screeched and foamed its mouth. Hard armor – way, way harder than Dual thought. Harder than any shield he had ever fought. But there was a reason he was called the best warrior of his tribe. Dual focused all of his power on his arms, and the black armor on the creature melted away with the heat. With white-hot arms blazing with power, Dual ripped apart the creatures one by one. Whenever one of them fell, a black, thick mist flowed up from the kerfs, flying up into the crimson clouds and disappearing.
He had killed six – half of the invaders – when he lost it.
Dual had chopped apart the sixth of these insects, and was looking around to demolish the seventh.
None seemed to be there. The other Lavals were looking around too. That was when one of them screamed, and shot a finger up.
"Master Dual! Watch! Above!"
Dual realized the weak sound of something buzzing. With a start he jolted and glanced up.
The seventh creature was right above him. Gaping open its jaw, green saliva foaming, scythes ready, it dropped down for the kill.
Apparing Cards:
Soaring Eagle above the Searing Lands
Laval Forest Sprite
Sweltering Heat Conduction Field
Laval Miller
Laval Judgment Lord
Laval the Greater
Prominence, Molten Swordsman
Laval Dual Slasher
Laval Volcano Handmaiden
Laval Gunner
Steelswarm Mantis