by Reiter
The Sister-Princess ran as fast as her legs could carry her and she cursed the size of the tunnels. She could move much faster in her Dragon form, but there simply was not enough room. Blackwynd and Cloudscar were leaping and bounding to catch up. The former strained, his range of agility in human form was limited, preferring fight over flight. Movement, it seemed, came naturally to Cloudscar, no matter which form he held, and it was out of respect that he did not pass the Sister-Princess.
They ran past the lower tunnels where receptions of guests were often made. They whisked by the arsenal, but they were already armed and armoured and did not need to stop there. They had, however, drawn closer in their chase as they began the ascent toward the aviary.
Gexxur-Indaysi smiled, coldly. The one she chased was fast, but she was faster. “I cannot see you, blue one,” she hissed as her eyes changed to fiery orange, the mark of the bloodline. “… but I can smell you! Do you dare to test the endurance of a dragon?!”
“I have already tested your intelligence, dear Princess,” Dungias whispered, throwing the sound of his voice off to the right of the path. “And I have found you… humanly wanting!”
“Aarrrgh!” Gexxur-Indaysi screamed as she jumped off the path and shot a stream of fire out from her mouth in a wide sweeping arc. Her flames struck nothing. Cloudscar came to a stop and Blackwynd jumped after the Sister-Princess, changing to Dragon-Man form.
Dungias dropped his invisibility field, standing not four meters from Cloudscar as they watched her sprout wings in order to glide to the far wall. “As I said… wanting.” Cloudscar turned to see Dungias and his eyes flared wide… not with anger, but with surprise. “You do not want to believe what you have been told… upon the honor gained upon my last visit, grant me twenty seconds and I will show you irrefutable truth!”
“I will give you ten, warrior,” the fledgling dragon replied.
“Then begin your count,” Dungias said as he jumped toward Cloudscar, pushing against his chest. The two of them fell down through the path. Conserving power, Dungias phased them through the stone walkway. The Star Chaser looked over at Gexxur-Indaysi and flashed a very evil grin. The rage that twisted her face was palpable, and Dungias fed off the power behind it.
“This fall will hurt you more than it will hurt me,” Cloudscar warned, looking at the quickly approaching rock floor. He could hear the wings of Blackwynd and Gexxur-Indaysi drawing closer.
“Follow me, if you dare, dragon!” Dungias challenged, creating an energy field along the rock floor, making it intangible. Blackwynd gasped, knowing where they were and what passage through the floor meant. But his charge was not slowing down, and he would not leave her side. Dungias’ body and that of Cloudscar’s passed through the floor, followed by the other two dragons.
“Glide with me,” Dungias commanded as they dropped into the throne room.
“Seven seconds,” Cloudscar notified as he drew his twin swords and sprouted wings.
“Then we have no time for speeches,” Dungias said as he broke form, reaching to the small of his back and dropping toward the floor. “Receive me, my Queen!” he shouted, hurling his form-weapon as it took the shape of a war-star.
“Who dares enter my chambers?!” Gexxur-Hahni said, smacking away the weapon with incredible ease. Dungias landed in a low squat and hopped up as two swords passed under him.
“Your time has expired!” Cloudscar said as he missed with both swords. He received a foot to the face, but it was only so that Dungias could push off and avoid Gexxur-Indaysi who just missed with a swing of her mace.
“Catch, Cloudscar,” Dungias whispered. “… and forgive me.” Blackwynd wrapped his arms around the Traveler as he made a flying tackle. Their bodies rolled once and Blackwynd was able to maintain perfect control of his body. He landed on his feet with his hands against Dungias’ chest as he slammed him into the wall. The Star Chaser breathed in and out simultaneously to protect his torso, but the strength of the fledgling was still incredible.
“Do I lie?” he strained to say.
“It matters not!” Blackwynd screamed. “You will take your truth into the next life!”
“Do I lie?!”
“Who cares, foolish human?!”
“Your brother cares!” Dungias whispered.
“Blackwynd!” Gexxur-Hahni screamed and the Dragon-Man turned to see the Sister-Princess crying over Cloudscar who was lying on his side, convulsing.
“What have you done to him?!” Blackwynd screamed.
“Something I can easily remove,” Dungias replied. Blackwynd pulled him from the wall and threw him toward Cloudscar.
“Heal my brother!” Blackwynd yelled. Dungias rolled and tumbled through the air, landing on his feet. Gexxur-Indaysi glared up at Dungias as light emanated from her eyes.
“If he dies–”
“The condition he suffers from is not fatal,” Dungias stated. “The energy pulse coming from my weapon simply disturbs the flow of MannA. Cloudscar is debilitated because MajiK flows through the blood of Dragons. When he caught my weapon, his very blood was countered. Odd, when your mother deflected the weapon with her naked claw she was not affect at all!” Dungias took the weapon from Cloudscar’s hand. “Let my actions speak for me. My words have never been false.
“And there is more than one veil in this chamber,” Dungias thought, seeing the reaction of the Brood Princess. “Duplicity! Yes, Gexxur-Indaysi, that would answer a number of my questions!”
“Kill him!” the Princess commanded.
“And what of his spoken truth?” Blackwynd inquired. He was not overly fond of the Traveler, but the blue man’s veracity was not to be questioned. Already he had stood before the Queen and changed the ruling of the Brood Mother.
“Do as you have been told!” Gexxur-Hahni’s voice commanded. “Destroy him and remove him from my sight. He is like the Terrans, full of lies and deceit! He escaped our justice when last he was here, but he shall not evade us a second time!”
Dungias closed his eyes, feeling the last of a departed life-force. Even from the grave, she fought for her kind. Dungias decided to assist the Queen in her aims, and opened himself to receive her will. His body convulsed as he gasped in fear and pain. His eyes shot open, turning from gold to gray.
The Star Chaser had very much expected to feel the last of the Queen’s life-force and her KaA, but what entered his body was very different from what he had expected. After so many lifetimes glimpsed, recorded, and shared for his benefit, he had at last engaged in the incidence that would substantiate an unyielding and universal balance: for every push, there was a pull; for every give, a take; and for every light… an equal darkness. It was dark KaA – the faith of the dead – that allowed him to link with Gexxur-Hahni, know her thoughts and her dreams, feel the joys and pains of her life. Never before had he encountered the rage of one wrongfully removed ushered into the Grey Realm.
“Neyeh!” he cried in K’Vo, the language of the Vinthur, the language of his late wife. The pains of the Dragon Queen mixed with his own, and Dungias screamed like a horrified child made to relive his worst nightmare. He revisited the cold stares of his people, the humiliation his existence caused his family, the lack of acceptance from his peers, his brother, and his people… the loss of his kommis, his unborn son and his beloved Saru! The image of Gexxur-Hahni formed over his writhing body.
“Sons-Warriors, Daughters-Princesses, hear me! With the last that is my will I implore thee. Heed the words of the Traveler and know that my heir has betrayed our kind. The form you see upon my throne is only flesh. The Tonnogard are within that carcass. They seek to use my body to reach our homeland. Stop them! Bring Gexxur-Indaysi to the ultimate justice!
“Abettor, hear me! Keep the pact; protect the Eye and the Star-Wing! Name my successor that will rule this Brood Nest. This child of Gemsoul is finished. Live, my children… love!”
“Master!” Alpha called to its creator, but that mind could not be reached by its efforts. Too much
had passed… too much had been taken… with no recompense. The reasoning of Z’Gunok Tel Dungias shattered under the weight of so many lifetimes wronged and not avenged.
“Hear me, Dragons,” Alpha projected at such a power level that its thoughts echoed in their minds. “DO NOT MOVE!” One of the doors on the Osamu opened and a thin beam of light was projected toward the throne. An image of Jorl’Lassor was painted over the body of Gexxur-Hahni and Dungias’ head snapped around to look at it… with black, bleeding eyes.
“You are supposed to be my blood?!” the image scoffed. “Your mother had been unfaithful in our bonding. I should have her put to death alongside you!”
“NOOOOO!!!!!” Dungias wailed as he flew from the floor. The depths of rage seemed to be without limit, but it did not remove from him the skills he had amassed. While in air, he managed to avoid the clawing hand of the Queen Dragon, land in front of her chest, and thrust his hand forward channeling both Chi and his touch with gravity. The skin of the dead dragon lost its form, flying apart as the two lead Tonnogard warriors were pushed into the ten standing behind them.
“Our guise is undone,” Ranmus said as he reached the ground from what was the head. “But we can still find the–” A spinning kick connected with the new King’s face and sent him falling to the ground. Dungias descended toward the ground, touching the front of his weapons belt. He landed, slashing three Tonnogard with the dragonsteel bastard sword he had procured from the arsenal. Once again, he felt the power that came from just holding the weapon. But this time he did not fear it, he welcomed it… he relished it and he allowed its power to join with his. He spoke, but it was not a fixed language he spoke, merely the twisted sounds of a mind lost to chaos and fury.
Gexxur-Indaysi had no love for the Tonnogard and thought their participation was the worst part of the plan. But the throne of her people had been promised to her, and surely such a prize was worth the risk. Blackwynd gave little attention to the Tonnogard despite his contempt for the race. If anything, he felt a sliver of compassion for how they were about to meet their fate. The Traveler was a fury unleashed, and the rage of the Queen could be smelled upon his person. Touching his spear to Cloudscar, the fallen man was able to immediately stave off the effects of the anti-MannA pulse.
“Must be careful to never ask that one to prove himself in the future,” Cloudscar thought as he glared up at Gexxur-Indaysi. Blackwynd slowly advanced as Cloudscar made it to his feet.
“Our Queen asked for the ultimate justice,” Cloudscar reminded his Brood Brother.
The first six of the Traveler’s attacks struck at least one Tonnogard of the score that had taken refuge in the ill-fated Trojan Horse. Some were struck two or three times and when Dungias landed on the ground, twirling the bastard sword, Ranmus had been brought to his lower bend knots. He had never seen a time when the limb of a man could remove bark, but there was naked wood under his mouth and he was bleeding sap.
Had the Star Chaser been possessive of a balanced mind, he would not have let up. The Tonnogard were off balance, and had not been given time to focus their powers. But there was something the Traveler wanted that he had not yet received. He had decided to bait it out of the Tonnogard.
“PsyondaRs, destroy his mind!” Ranmus commanded.
“There it is,” Dungias whispered and his knees buckled as the three of those possessing the capability to wield ThoughtWill lashed out with their thoughts. He staggered back a stride, and one of the three stopped. “Yes!” he said, but too softly to be heard by the two who rushed to take advantage of a staggering opponent.
“Pain!” Dungias gurgled as he set his stance. His blade was inserted up to the hilt into the first attacker who was then slung into the second. The incredible pain had delivered to Dungias nearly the same effect as absorbing energy. He was stronger, faster… better! He could not see, as the attack had made his optic nerves all but useless, but he had been in the throne room before; his tortured mind had already recalled a perfect map of it. He used the footfalls of his opponents to locate their positions, and as they fell to the ground, Dungias moved with the Stride, lunging by both of them as his blade cut through the length of the first Tonnogard and the neck of the second. He faded from sight before his feet touched down on the ground.
“Remove the air from the chamber,” Ranmus directed. “He will choke and die!” The fledgling Dragon took in deep breaths as one particularly gifted Tonnogard used his ElemahntiA to remove the air from the room.
A black-skinned Dungias came into view as his sword came out of the chest of the ElemahntiA-wielding Tonnogard and the maddened Traveler set his bleeding eyes on Ranmus.
The sound of Cloudscar’s cry could be heard in the throne room and Dungias was distracted. He did not know how, but somehow he knew that particular shriek called for a cessation of hostility, which was something he did not want. Dungias glared at the Dragon-Man as the fledgling maneuvered himself between the Traveler and the Tonnogard King. Pulling the sword out of the Tonnogard who was dying from the wound and compounding backlash, Dungias jumped up and punched the ground.
“Infernon!” he cried and fire erupted from where his fist had met the rock. “Let them feel my rage!” Elemental flames rose up and fed into the flesh of the Tonnogard.
A burst of silvery-white light signaled the entry point of Trubble, who had Jocasta on his back.
“Z!” Jocasta whispered, looking at the fire burn into the tree people, her First Mate and friend somehow orchestrating the flames that tore into their barks. “Kot, someone went and really pissed off the Engineer!” Jocasta could feel Trubble trembling. He had teleported from Tween-Space to real space and from that point to Cloud Keep. He had not gathered himself for the second jump, and the fatigue had taken its toll. “Okay, big boy, you gotta put me down.” She had already opened Talon before Trubble reached the ground and quickly climbed out of the suit.
“Captain, be advised,” Satithe warned, “madness has taken his mind. He cannot hear me or Alpha!”
“Wonderful,” Jocasta replied. “Cloudscar, get my friend and your asses out of here. Close and bar the door and don’t open it unless you hear from me.”
“He’s gone insane an–” a quick slap stopped the Dragon-man’s retort.
“Did you see that?” Jocasta asked sharply. “No, you didn’t! And blue boy’s faster than me. Now get out of here!”
“Advice you will find better taken than given, freak!” Dungias growled.
“My sword to your sword, shay-spawn,” Jocasta said, following her instincts. She had just broken a promise, but she had no guarantee that she would even be allowed to turn around, let alone have a chance at fighting her best friend. “Or are you afraid of a little girl mopping this floor with your gold-eyed ass?!” She could feel coldness sweeping over her shoulders, but she didn’t know how close he was to her back. He growled as his grip on the bastard sword tightened. Jocasta was allowed a slight breath of relief when she heard his boots grind against the floor… less than a meter away. He walked away from her and huffed.
“Draw your blade,” he said plainly.
“Right, because that’s your sword that you’re holding,” Jocasta said as she drew her blade cane.
“Tuitonn, tell me you can find my boy in there somewhere,” Jocasta thought.
“Not while he is wearing his necklace,” Vigil stated. “The defenses have been reformatted. The path I took to get around those barriers does not exist on his device.”
“Blue bastard is thorough even when he’s crazy!” Jocasta whispered as Dungias dropped the bastard sword. “Fuck it!” Jocasta said, giving a bow. The scabbard and pommel were in the same hand and when she came up, she threw a throwing knife for the side of his neck. The blade stopped eleven centimeters from its target, and Dungias cast his black eyes on the weapon.
“That is not a sword,” he stated.
“Hey, you’re the fuck-what who’s hung up on that honor garbage,” Jocasta said before she threw her body into a
spin. Several hairs were removed from the back of her head as Dungias, in Stride, blurred by her. He came out of it with his sword in hand, twirling the weapon. Jocasta breathed hard and heavy, not knowing either of them could move that fast and finding good reason to fear. “I suppose ‘I love you’ is just wasted air at this point.”
“Less than a waste,” he replied, taking a stance. “What would one such as you know of love? Motherless… fatherless… lover-less!”
Jocasta’s face twisted as she lunged at her friend with her sword at the ready. “Fuck you, Dungias!”
“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you,” Dungias fired back as he parried her thrust. “Is that the ultimate pinnacle, pirate? With no history, you hope to build a future with me. You, me, and our little blue babies?”
Jocasta yelled as she pressed her attack. She was faster, and her skills had definitely improved, but she lacked form, and Dungias blocked and parried until he saw an opening which he sent his fist through. Jocasta went flying and landed on her back, rolling up to her feet, finding it difficult to see clearly.
“Oh, did I hurt you too, JoJo?!” he ribbed as Jocasta wiped the blood from her mouth.
“Tuitonn,” Alpha projected. “She… cannot… follow him… I cannot… hold his rage!”
“Captain!” Tuitonn projected and her head was immediately cleared. “Z may not be a PsyondaR, but you are open to his thoughts and feelings. He is drawing you into his chaos!” Jocasta shook her head, parrying his thrust, and hopping back out of the way of a spinning kick. Her eyes squinted as she looked into his black eyes.
Their blades flew, dancing like lost kites in the middle of a windstorm, but as Dungias moved all around Jocasta, she never moved from a two-meter diameter circle, even when she had to leave her feet and shoulder roll. Staying on the defensive, she could see the frustration building in his eyes even as she knew wonder built in hers. At one point she made a solid block, but released the blade so that it would flip around Dungias’ weapon. As her cane scabbard passed behind her back to her right hand, her left caught her sword in a reversed grip that she then used to execute a turning block. Dungias staggered by her; no form but plenty of rage, strength, and speed.