Thanks to Shadow-Ragna for favoriting and following this fic. I'm in the process of a massive update for Chronicles of Eos, and it'll have more of a connection to this fic.
-miano53
Chronicles Four: The "Quest"
"So, the dragon managed to get to Lestallum when it just…stopped?"
Lunafreya, returning to the secondary hideout of the resistance in Saxham Outpost, nodded, seeing her three children among the group. Sitting down at a table in one of the few remaining cabins, the former Oracle said, "Yes. It did."
Ignis, the former Hand of the King, asked, "Did…Was there anything left of…?"
"No. There's nothing left. Just as with the Mad One, there's nothing left of our beloved friend and king. So, if confronted, you must flee as it recognizes no one and sees everything and everyone as a potential enemy," Lunafreya explained.
Regina, her eldest daughter who survived the attack on her by the Mad King, looked at the floor, seemingly ashamed. Cato was silent and Stella asked aloud, "So, that means…?"
Signing at her, Lunafreya explained, "If you are to see the black dragon, you are to run as there's nothing left of your father there. Whatever Etro did to him…she succeeded."
"But if it stopped before it could attack Lestallum, I would think that Noct is still in there somewhere," Iris said.
Gladio and Prompto said nothing. Ignis turned away and Luna shook her head. Iris then said, "Right? Right?!"
"We need to focus on ridding ourselves of Mad King and his 'goddess' Etro," Ignis said, not answering Iris' question.
Tuesday, July 11th, Sophiar Labs…
"Breaking news out of Perpetouss Keep: officials reported an incident at the fortress and locals are urged to keep away from the area. The Imperial Safety Bureau and National Police have garrisoned the roads leading to the fortress…"
Nero, while watching the news, munched on his breakfast in the kitchen. Apparently, there was something going on at one of the keeps and everyone was told to stay away. As he ate his incredibly sugary cereal of "Meteos", Dr. Callum entered, seeing his son eating it. Pietro came in seconds later and had a bowl ready. Just as the blonde sat down, Dr. Callum swiped both bowls and the box and Nero shouted, "Hey!"
"What was that for?" Pietro asked.
"You need to eat cereal, real cereal," Dr. Callum said, looking ready to throw the cereal into the trash.
"But, but, but…!" Pietro said, tears in his eyes.
Without batting an eye, the man tossed the cereal in the garbage and Nero's half-eaten bowl in the sink. The boys looked ready to cry as the good doctor slammed another cereal box onto the table, "Mama Edea's Bran Flakes". Pietro stared and said, "Uh, Dr. Callum, this cereal's so bleak, if it was a movie, it would be from Tenebrae…"
"Yes, but if I had let you continue to eat such things, the both of you would have reached 300 pounds by the time you turned 18," Dr. Callum said.
Miffed as he was a husky child, Pietro stood up and said, "Hey! That's not fat! That's 'fluffy'!"
Nero sighed and thought of something brilliant. He, wiping his eyes that had no tears and sniffling, said, "Thank you, Father, for seeing the future and being proactive about our health. When I get older, I'll tell everyone that I had a good father."
Dr. Callum was taken aback but immediately caught himself. He then said, "Alright. I know you stored extra Meteos boxes in the Arminger. C'mon. Out with it."
Nero scoffed and summoned a box. Then another. And then another.
Pietro's eyes widened as his friend summoned about 25 boxes of their favorite cereal. Dr. Callum looked and asked, "How did you…?"
"That's all of it," Nero said.
His father stared and said, "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Nero replied.
The man continued to stare as if he knew the boy was lying. Seconds later, Nero shouted, "Alright!"
He summoned another ten and Pietro asked, "How…?"
"And I'm sure you've stored other sugary treats…" Dr. Callum said.
Nero sighed and said, "C'mon! Those are the snacks I stored for batting practice! Let me have something since you took me off the team!"
Twenty minutes later, the kitchen was full of sugary cereals, cookies, cakes, candies, and drinks that Nero had taken from the various stores, break rooms, and even vending machines from the school year. According to him, he ordered most from online stores or brought from the vending machines at school, while others he stole from the lab's break room. Dr. Callum, disappointed, said, "Please don't do such a thing. Lest you become a kleptomaniac."
"But why not? If it's there, why can't I take it? This place is our house, right?" Nero asked.
"It's stealing," Dr. Callum told him.
The man announced that he was donating most of it to the local food bank and Pietro whined. Using what he called the "Arminger", Dr. Callum took the items in a shower of light and left. Saddened, the blonde said, "I guess we won't see Meteos again…"
"You sure?" Nero said, a smirk on his face.
He summoned one final box and the boys cheered. Pietro brought out new bowls and spoons, along with a large jug of milk. Nero poured the contents into both bowls and said, "Okay, I'm sure Dad's probably not gonna let us have Meteos or anything with sugar ever again, so we need to savor what we got!"
"How?" Pietro said.
"Maybe by eating fast? We need to get a sugar high," Nero said.
Pietro, getting an idea, went to the cabinets. Nero figured he was looking for the sugar jar. Opening up the bottom cabinets, Pietro couldn't find anything but junk and storage items. Nero pointed at the upper cabinet and they opened. He saw plates, cups, other cooking utensils and machines, spices, and pantry items. He saw the sugar container on the top shelf in one of the cabinets and said, "C'mon down, sugar bowl."
A blue aura appeared around Nero and the container and it floated down to the table. Pietro didn't question it, figuring that it was among Nero's many powers that Dr. Callum didn't want him to know about way back when. As long as he didn't tell anyone outside of the labs about it, Pietro was sure that he wouldn't get…
"Dad's not going to kick you out if you accidentally tell anyone outside the lab about our powers. Maybe he'll make them forget or something," Nero said, pouring sugar onto his cereal.
"Yeah, but I thought he wanted to keep…" Pietro said, sitting down and taking some sugar.
"Well, you living here…You were bound to find out sooner or later. And you found out when we were seven, right?" Nero said, munching on his extremely sugary cereal.
Pietro remembered the day he saw Nero turn on the TV with a wave of his hand. At first, he thought it was due to some odd tech the labs had. But after it happened several times and Dr. Callum seemed to have given up keeping Nero's powers a secret recently, Pietro figured his buddy was like the heroes in the comics. Like Dr. Magneto, but stronger.
"Um…I think I'd be more like Franklin Richardson, the guy who can practically do anything," Nero said.
"You sure? I was thinking of Azure Marvel, the dark-skinned dude with the cool blue aura powers! Like General Marvel, but stronger!" Pietro said, munching on his cereal which was covered by a mountain of sugar.
"Either way, you, like those science dudes, are bound by secrecy! Like the Templar Knights from Wyvern Quest!" Nero said.
"Okay! I'll be a Knight of Azure!" Pietro said, the sugar kicking in.
"A what?" Nero asked.
"A 'Knight of the Azure Light', I mean! Let's go on a quest!" Pietro said, standing in his chair and raising his spoon like he was wielding the Master Sword.
Nero stared, wondering if he had accidentally made the sugar stronger by using his powers. If that was the case…It will be the most awesome sugar high ever!
"Okay, let's do it!" Nero said, rapidly eating his cereal and suddenly thought he could see sound due to the flood of sugar.
The two now-sugar-fueled kids finished their "breakfast" and rushed to their room, getting items for their "quest". Dr. Callum reentered the kitchen and saw the mess the two left behind. The sugar bowl was open and nearly empty and a box of Meteos was lying on its side, with the few remaining contents of sugar-covered oats and mini marshmallows on the table. With a sigh, he said, "I have to find a better hiding spot for the sugar…And where did Nero get that box?"
"Dr. Callum, phone!" an assistant said, peeking inside.
Reginald looked at them and said, "Can you take a message?"
"No, I was told it's urgent," she said, shaking her head.
"Fine. Tell them I'll be a minute, Refia," Reginald said, cleaning up after the boys.
"So, why are we out here again? In the open? Risking our lives like this?" Cato asked.
The trio of Crownsguard-dressed royals, Regina, Stella, and he, headed for the plains near Taelpar Crag. According to their mother and the hunters, the dragon they encountered in the Nebulawood and flew towards Lestallum, but stopped before it could attack. It then flew off, heading for Focaugh Hollow. The eldest of the trio, Regina, wanted to see if what her mother said was true. If that dragon was indeed all that was left of their father, then she had to see it for herself.
"Mom really didn't want us leaving the hideout…" Cato said.
Stella agreed and Regina told them, "I…I just need to know. If he really isn't there, then…"
"Okay, okay. We get it. Let's just see if we can find him and get out of here," Cato told her.
Outside…
"The world is in shambles as an evil presence has taken over the planet! The winds die. The earth decays. The waters grow tepid and the fires grow cold. All of this is because of the Mad King. Only brave warriors can defeat him and two brave warriors, Nero and Pietro, are questing to find the…."
"Uh, so can I join?" Iolanda asked, seeing the oddly clad preteens.
Armed with baseball bats and wearing pseudo armor made of aluminum foil over their clothes, Nero and Pietro stopped with the intro after running into Giovanni's little sister. Due to the team resting for the week, as they had batting practice all next week, the girl had nothing to do and spotted the pair rushing from the labs toward the Weaverwilds. Just as they stepped out of the town limits, she slid in front of the two and the two nearly crashed into her.
With a grin, she said, "Are you guys playing 'Temples and Fighting Wyverns' again?"
"Yes, but you can't come with us," Pietro told her.
"Why not? You're not supposed to go to the 'Beaverwilds' either," Iolanda said.
Pietro couldn't say much of anything as she had a point. But they were on an adventure! And there was nothing to fear in the Weaverwilds! They could take on anything! A pack of sabertusks! A family of Garulas or even the legendary Bandersnatch! They could take on the world!
"Uh…Pete, why are you posing like that?" Nero asked, joining Iolanda in staring at the oddly-acting blonde.
Pietro posed like he was Rinku from The Fables of Delta and looked even more nerdy than usual. Before Iolanda could ask, the trio heard, "What are you three doing?"
They jumped, hearing Giovanni. He was joined by Ignacio and…
"Cece?!" Pietro said, shocked that Cynthia had found them.
Apparently, some of the kids saw Nero and Pietro charging towards the outskirts of town and wondered what was up. Nero sighed as all he wanted to do was to explore the wilds and have an adventure or something. Staying in Sophiar outside of playing baseball was boring.
"Hey, y'all…Why are y'all dressed like that?" Cece asked, the blonde in a yellow summer dress asked.
"They look as if they're going to slay a dragon or something…but with baseball bats," Ignacio, the disappointed kid in glasses and dressed rather formally for summer, said while shaking his head.
"C'mon! We're supposed to be having an adventure! And adventures are about having fun!" Pietro said.
Ignacio sighed, asking, "So if you were to go on this adventure, who's to say what you'd do if you got lost."
"Easy! We use the GPS on our phones to get back," Nero said.
"And if you suddenly lost power while trying to get back here?" Ignacio asked.
Nero said nothing and Pietro said, "Uh, we got backup power!"
"And if you got ambushed by sabertusks? I'm sure they'd see ya as food, Tubbs," Giovanni said.
Pietro was miffed and was about to shout when a loud roar cut the conversation. Something sailed in the skies above, darkening the area and the youths looked up. Something large with wings was coming from the south and was quickly headed for the town. It was coming pretty fast and Nero could've sworn what he saw was a dragon. But dragons were extinct, right?
"Get down," Giovanni yelled, knocking Nero's chair over as everyone hit the ground.
Whatever it was zoomed past them, bringing storm clouds and a gale that knocked several cars, trash cans, and power lines down, and crashed into a nearby crater pond. Gio, recovering, looked around and said to Cythina, "Can you take my sister back home?"
"Wait, what about you?" Cece said, holding onto Iolanda, who had started crying while clutching Mr. Moggie.
"You're not seriously thinking about heading over there?" Ignacio asked.
"We need to see what we're dealing with before calling the police, right?" Gio said.
Nero, with Pietro helping him up, steadied himself in his chair and said, "I thought you said the Weaverwilds were dangerous."
"As I said, we need to know what we're dealing with. We'll see what it is and get outta there," Gio said.
He took off and Ignacio yelled, "Gio, wait!"
"C'mon, let's go!" Nero said, looking at Pietro.
"Are you mad?" Ignacio asked, pointing at the wheelchair.
"Kinda. But this is a part of our quest. And we can't let Gio go over there and get killed," Nero said.
Ignacio grumbled and said, "Fine. But we're leaving the instant we see what it is."
"Well, no one asked you to join," Pietro muttered.
The boys left, heading into the Weaverwilds, leaving Cece and the still-crying Iolanda.
"Oh…my…god…" Stella muttered, staring at the strange sight.
In the foggy forest near Fociaugh Hollow, the royal trio saw the dead trees, remains of mutated fauna, and the large stones that led to the cave where Ramuh's runestone was said to be. In front of it was a large black dragon, sleeping while surrounded by bones and other animal remains. It didn't stir, even when Regina foolishly approached.
She looked it over, trying to see anything that would suggest the massive flying lizard was her father. There wasn't much of anything as the beast looked like a feral version of Bahamut if the Draconian ever walked on all fours. Its black scales had a sheen to them and the underbelly that was visible was reddish in color. The beast looked to be over 300 feet long…or tall, depending on whether the monster would stand on its hind legs or crawl. Sharp talons looked ready to shred anything it came across and an odd wave of heat came from the beast. That would explain the odd fog as Duscae was always a rather wet and muggy place due to the abundant rainfall even after the hostile takeover by the Mad King and his "Etro".
"Um…We found him. So, aren't we supposed to run, Reg?" Cato asked, the glasses-wearing young man staring at the creature.
"If it's him, then I can see about trying to bring him back," Regina said.
Stella protested, signing her displeasure. The blonde wanted to get out of there and not look back. Cato agreed and said, "But what if it wakes up? I don't wanna be turned into ashes. Seriously, that would be a crappy way to go."
Regina ignored them and placed a hand on the beast's snout. The twins gasped, thinking the monster would wake up any second. So, Cato rushed behind a rock and Stella dove behind a dead bush, thinking the branches would hide her.
Fire red light surrounded Regina's hand and she said, "Please, still be here."
Just as Cato predicted, the dragon woke up, saw Regina, and belched blue flames in her direction. The young woman held up both hands, creating a barrier and the dragon took to the air. Cato, sighing, got out of his hiding spot and began shooting at it. Stella summoned dark purple orbs and fired them off, trying to use Graviga to bring the beast to the ground.
The dragon summoned its own barrier, blocking the bullets and the gravity spells. It then spotted Cato and Stella and dove towards them. Regina, running towards the two, pushed them down as they narrowly dodged the monster's talons. As if angered, the monster spewed out more flames, evaporating the fog and any moisture in the air, and setting the entire forest on fire.
Regina, using her power, made a slam motion with her arms, sending a wave of energy that dispersed the flames. The dragon was struck and seemed surprised at what happened. With a snarl, it flew off, heading in the direction of Galdin Quay.
"Uh…W-What is that…?" Pietro said, staring at the terrifying sight.
The group of Nero, Pietro, Giovanni, and Ignacio hid behind rocks, arriving at the crater pool in the Weaverwilds after following Gio. The older youth muttered, "Pipe down before you wake it up."
Before them was a large winged lizard…a dragon…Or wyvern. Nero couldn't really tell as the black beast was curled up in a ball. The creature was massive compared to the tiny humans and it slept rather soundly for being out in the sunshine. Maybe it was taking a nap?
"I didn't think we'd be playing 'Temples and Fighting Wyverns' in real life…" Pietro said, trembling in fear.
Giovanni shushed him a second time and Ignacio told him, "I doubt the police could do anything about this."
A third shush towards him and the glass-wearing youth was offended. The dragon stirred and opened its eyes, revealing fire-red orbs that locked onto the four hiding boys. Pietro gasped and could barely scream when the dragon roared violently, creating dark clouds above.
"Uh…Uh…Uh…conquer your fear. Um, conquer! Char…!" Pietro said, about to charge in with a baseball bat.
Giovanni grabbed him before he foolishly rushed to his doom and yelled, "What is WRONG with you?!"
"Run!" Ignacio shouted.
The four took off, leaving the crater pond area, but Nero's chair immediately became stuck. He looked down, trying to figure out why, and saw that the left tire was out of air. That wasn't possible as the wheels were almost as sturdy as the ones on the Regalia. He screamed as the dragon was barreling towards him, teeth bared and looking ready to gobble him up for a post-nap meal.
"Go away! Go away! Go away! Go away!" Nero shouted ten times fast.
He held up a hand, in a futile attempt to defend himself, when a bright light flashed from it. The dragon was blinded, stopped in its tracks, and shut its eyes, trying to clear its vision. Immediately remembering his abilities, Nero shouted, "Go away, you…giant lizard you!"
The dragon opened its eyes again, revealing sky-blue ones, and it made a sound that was akin to a whine. It tilted its head, almost confused, and looked around. Nero stared and said, "Uh…you…You're not gonna eat me? I'm not dinner?"
The dragon reared back, almost as if offended and Nero could hear, "N-no. Why would I do that?"
That was…That was the voice of that kid. The white-haired kid who appeared like a ghost a few days ago.
The black-scaled dragon looked at itself and a sigh came from its mind. A roar and a blast of wind knocked Nero over. He nearly hit his head and saw the dragon wrap its large wings around itself and lightning shot out, nearly striking the boy. Light engulfed the dragon's body and it slowly shrank, morphing into a humanoid shape. Another flash of light and Nero covered his face.
"Are you alright? Let me."
Nero found himself sitting upright back in his chair and he gasped, seeing the white-haired kid. He was dressed in grey and white clothes, but it was tattered as if he had traveled and gotten into a fight with a pack of sabertusks. Before Nero could ask, a group of police officers arrived with Gio, Ignacio, and Pietro.
The boys were shocked and Pietro asked, "Where's the dragon thingy!?"
"You dragged us out here for one of your fantasies, kid?" one of the officers yelled.
"No, really! There was this large dragon here! That was the thing that knocked over all the cars and trash bins in town!" Pietro shouted.
"You're lying," a second officer said.
"You know making prank calls to the police is punishable with jail time," a third said.
"Ma'am, we're not lying. There was this black dragon in the pond down there and…" Ignacio tried to say.
"Alright, that's it. We're taking you three to the…" a fourth officer said, ready to transport the boys to jail.
"Wait!"
Dr. Callum and the other parents arrived just in time. The boys explained what happened and Reginald's attention was turned to Nero and the newcomer. The white-haired boy looked ready to take off running, but Nero telepathically said, "Don't worry. I don't think anyone else caught on."
The boy kept silent and Dr. Callum told the officers, "I'm sure that the winds from that storm are what scared the children into thinking they saw a giant dragon. They didn't mean any harm, I'm sure."
"Uh, yeah," Nero added.
The officers seemed annoyed, but they luckily let them go. After they departed, Ignacio's mother, Imelda, snatched him by the ear and yelled, "What were you doing out in the Weaverwilds?!"
She then shouted in an odd language and practically dragged him back home. Gio was berated by his father for leaving Iolanda alone and going out into the wilderness without permission. Carlo grabbed him by the arm and said, "Don't expect that Gamestation 5 for Winter Fest."
"Oh, come…I was just…" Gio stammered, sighing moments later as his father's mind wasn't easily changed.
After the others left, Pietro, Nero, and the newcomer were left. Dr. Callum glowered and looked at the white-haired boy.
"It is safe to assume that you were the cause of the trouble, correct?" Reginald asked.
The boy looked away and telepathically said, "I…I didn't mean…I don't know how I got out here. But…"
He grabbed Reginald's arm and pleaded, "Please don't take me back to Perpetouss! I hate that place! Please!"
"Uh did anyone else hear that?" Pietro asked.
The newcomer's telepathy apparently could be heard by others. Something Nero would probably have to teach him to use carefully. But…why? The thought was odd as Nero didn't know if the boy was staying. If he was the cause of whatever happened at that fort, he was sure his dad keeping him around wouldn't be good.
"Please, don't take me back there. I…I can't…" the newcomer said.
His eyes flashed red and Nero said, "He-Hey, calm down! Calm down!"
Dr. Callum sighed and said, "Fine. But I will have to put you under observation as you have…abilities that can put this town in danger. And if the empire was to come to my home to find you, you would have to flee and be on your own. Understood?"
The newcomer nodded.
Pietro went to Nero and muttered, "He can't possibly be…"
"Yeah, he is…Um…we're not slaying him like the heroes in Flying Wyverns," Nero whispered.
Pietro's skin went pale and he stared at the newcomer. That kid…was the dragon that tried to eat them? How? Why?
Dr. Callum quickly called the labs and began setting up whatever he needed for the newcomer's stay. After a few moments, he said, "We're heading home. But first…what happened to your chair, Nero?"
Nero, remembering that the wheel was deflated, explained and his father sighed. Another call and he hoisted his son into his arms. Reginald motioned for the other two boys to follow and Pietro did his best in pushing the chair to the Regalia.
And there's chapter four. Review?
-miano53