Desert Dragon

by Michael Rogers

  Rachael: "The Voice of On?"

  Trevour: "It's an unknown force, or power, that happens when the quality of your Neurons or Astragons changes. The most notable changes is a sickly feeling in the throat."

  Rachael: "Why is that?"

  Trevour: "That's where Neurons and Astragons first mix together in the body, or so they say."

  Rachael: "So, people know about this Voice of On, but don't know much about it?"

  Trevour: "Yes, boss. There's also elemental upgrades.."

  Rachael: "What do you mean?"

  Trevour: "For example, if you have a water affinity, excel and master it, it could grant you access to ice."

  Rachael: "Wow! What is ground?"

  Trevour: ".. Lava."

  Rachael: "Oh?" (Trev's voice suddenly sounds different-) "You okay?"

  Trevour: "I'm fine, boss, heh heh." *He coughed to clear his throat.* "There has also been cases where several Hi-Ougis have given users new abilities to different Rostical."

  Rachael: "Wow."

  Trevour: "All of us spent a great deal of time honing our abilities and Rostical, maybe before things get too hectic, you check out the database?"

  Rachael: "I've never been interested in the paperwork, always been a hands-on kind of girl, but I guess I could." *She smiled, glancing at Trevour, watching the light glimmer off his armour and on to Karol's face.*

  Luna: (That lightning.. I learnt how to use wind.. Maybe I can control lightning too? This fucking sucks.. I don't have anyone to help me out-)

  Destiny: "Yeup?" *She looked at Luna in concern, as if she knew her mood suddenly changed.*

  Luna: (I don't have anyone to tell me where to go, what path to take..) *She frowned to herself in thought, unintentionally rubbing the faint scars on her wrists.* (Who can teach me? Who would teach me-?)

  Nathan: "Lightning? Not bad." *He spoke with his deep voice and walked ahead of Lezard, trying to catch up to Luna.*

  Luna: "Aye?" *She sniffed in shock and glanced at Nathan, pretending nothing was wrong.*

  Destiny: "Yeup?" *She meowed in confusion and worry.*

  Nathan: "When could you control lightning too?"

  Luna: "I don't know? It just happened."

  Nathan: "Not bad.."

  Luna: "I just don't know-"

  Lezard: *He skipped past Luna and Nathan, pointing in front of him with a smile.* "And, as the delightfully delicious guild walks into the distance-"

  Nathan: "Lezard, shut up."

  Luna: "Fuck up, Lizard."

  Trevour: "Please, Lezard."

  Lezard: "Naww.. Okies." *He looked down and started to drag his feet, sarcastically emphasising his sudden sadness.*

  Chapter 2: Yellow-Eyed Disease

  *Different types of Scoldrants grazed inside a beautiful forest filled with pink leaves, which rained down, littering the ground with their vibrant colour.*

  Scoldrant: *A wolf-like Scoldrant trotted through the forest, watching the pink leaves sway around its feet.* "Geroo."

  *A large parrot-like Scoldrant looked down from a nearby branch and stared at the scattered wolf pack, tilting its head to one side.*

  Parrot: "Mother Scoldrant back, rarck, mother Scoldrant back, rarck."

  *The wolf-like Scoldrant howled in a friendly manner, catching its pack member's attention.*

  Scoldrant: *It suddenly lowered its head and growled in pain, as its eyes slowly turned into an eerie yellow colour.* "Geroo." *Its growl sounded more menacing, causing the pack members to suddenly flee.*

  Parrot: "Mother Scoldrant corrupted, rarck, corrupted! Rarck!"

  Scoldrant: "Gerroooh!" *It suddenly scrunched its face and pounced towards an unsuspecting wolf-like Scoldrant, opening its jaw of razor sharp teeth.*

  *A woman with long black hair ran through the forest at incredible speeds with her arms flapping behind her.*

  Parrot: "Ginger is here, rarck, Ginger is here, rarck-"

  --

  Ginger: *She elegantly swayed her arms to her sides and straightened them, watching flashes of sparks splinter around two large silver shurikens.* "Flash forward, Shuriken Strike."

  *Ginger swayed her arm to the side and threw one of the shurikens, watching it spiral ahead into the forest.*

  --

  Scoldrant: *It jumped on top of the other Scoldrant and pinned it down with its front paws, readying to bite into its neck.* "Geroo-"

  *A silver shuriken spiralled through the air and suddenly pierced into the wolf-like Scoldrant's head, causing it to slowly collapse to the side.*

  Ginger: *She ran into the area and flicked her arm back, causing the shuriken to violently rip itself out of the Scoldrant's head and spiral back towards her.* "Brother, what have you done?"

  *Ginger whispered to herself and caught the shuriken before sprinting into another section of the forest.*

  Parrot: "Corruption spreading, rarck, spreading!"

  Ginger: *She glanced to each side with an emotionless face and quickly spun around, throwing the shurikens around her.* "Shuriken Blaze."

  *Ginger shouted with an echoing voice and watched the shurikens spiral towards the bushes, stabbing two wolf-like Scoldrants which pounced towards her from different parts of the forest.*

  Parrot: *It watched the wolf-like Scoldrants slide along the ground, instantly reacting to the skurikens which just stabbed them.* "Direct hit from blind spots, rarck, direct hit, rarck!"

  Scoldrant: "Gerroo!" *It growled and tried to bite the shuriken which was poking out of its side.*

  Ginger: "Foul beasts, controlled by the corruption that flows through your brains." *She clicked her fingers, causing the shurikens to burst into flames, exploding the two Scoldrants around her.*

  Parrot: "Something wrong, rarck, wrong!-" *It's eyes suddenly glowed an eerie yellow colour.*

  *Ginger quickly spun around and pulled the sleeve to her robes up, revealing a multi-coloured tattoo covered arm.*

  Ginger: "I can sense the aura of the corrupted.. They are all around me-" *She swayed to the side, closely avoiding an aerial attack by the large parrot-like Scoldrant.*

  Parrot: "Your death- rarck, is soon, rarck-"

  Ginger: *She raised her arm and aimed, causing a spiralling white glyph to materialise in front of her.* "Neurons draw, Astragons repel, ETHEREAL BANDAGES"

  *Ginger pushed forward, causing ribbon-like strings of white light to burst out of the glyph and towards the flying parrot.*

  Parrot: "Rarck, closing in, closing in, rarck!-"

  Ginger: *She swayed her wrist, causing the strings to spiral around the parrot.* "Perish." *She suddenly closed her hand, causing the strings to tighten and burst the Scoldrant out of the air.*

  Parrot: "Kay-Oh, rarck, kay-oh-" *It screeched its last breath and collapsed onto the ground, bursting into white orbs.*

  Ginger: *She flicked her hair over her shoulder and turned around, facing a large bear-like Scoldrant with an emotionless face.* "Are you also-?"

  Bear: *Its eyes glowed an eerie yellow colour, causing Ginger to raise her arm.* "Hrrrgh!"

  Ginger: "And so you are-"

  Bear: "Hrrrgh!" *It extended its claws and watched a blue glyph form underneath it.*

  Ginger: "Remenistal? I too possess the power of Remenistal! Winds, gentle and agile, gallop with pride and take on your natural prowess-" *She pushed herself back and spun around, dropping her risen arm towards the bear-like Scoldrant.*

  Bear: "AQUA TALONS" *It scratched the air towards Ginger, watching strings of water splash out of its claws.*

  Ginger: "PIERCING CLOUDS" *Two streams of puffy cloud-like smog swirled towards the bear and hit the strings of water, exploding half way.*

  Bear: *A ripple of water and smog waved past its head, knocking it off its feet.* "Hrr-"

  Ginger: *She suddenly dived out of the fading smog cloud and placed her hand on a blue glyph on her arm.* "Target aimed, ICE STREAM DIVIDER"

  Bear: "H-?!" *Before it touched the ground a cannon-like shard of ice suddenly blasted
into its skull, causing it to burst into tiny white orbs.*

  Ginger: *She elegantly landed on the ground and stood up with an emotionless face, watching a pulse of mist blow around her feet.* "How illogical, Niklauseh."

  *Ginger placed two fingers on a brown glyph on her arm and swiped them forward, causing a brown glyph to zigzag in front of her.*

  Ginger: "COMET'S VEIL" *She pushed forward, blasting an instant comet-like boulder towards a tree, exploding a hidden chameleon-like Scoldrants with yellow eyes into pieces.*

  *Dozens of squirrel-like Scoldrants ran across the trees with ease, circling around Ginger.*

  Ginger: *She noticed the squirrel's eerie yellow eyes, causing her to sigh with boredom.* "A scurry? Or a dray? Or perhaps a herd? Regardless-"

  *Ginger clicked her fingers and shook her wrists, waiting for the squirrels to scurry into striking distance.*

  Ginger: "Storms flash and swirl, instantly spark and wrap your energy around me, ELECTRIC TORNADO" *She straightened her arms and spun around, causing swirls of lightning to string around her.*

  Squirrel: *It pounced off a nearby tree and unnaturally opened its jaw causing it to break, allowing it to widen its bite.* "Skt!-" *A string of lightning flashed into its body, exploding it into two pieces.*

  Ginger: *She watched the lightning electrocute the squirrels, causing them to suddenly collapse onto the ground.* "Such a waste."

  *Ginger started to walk away and stopped, as her body glowed a shade of blue.*

  Ginger: "Shuriken Burst."

  *The two silver shurikens which stuck out of the burnt corpses suddenly exploded, blasting shards of steel across the clearing.*

  Ginger: *She continued to walk away, ignoring a large monkey-like Scoldrant which fell from the treetops and landed heavily on the ground.* "You are now dead, please respond?" *She smirked with an emotionless face and slowly walked out of the blood covered area.*

  *Ginger stepped through a hidden ripple in the air and suddenly found herself in a large traditional garden.*

  Ginger: "Why, Niklauseh? Why?" *She dropped to her knees and placed her hands on the ground, noticing the different coloured blood on them.* "What was this about Aurorions? Who are you seeking? Why did the life drain out of the hidden chambers? What is your agenda? Please respond!"

  ----------

  *Klaus and a young boy with dark brown eyes and black hair sat in a flowery meadow, giggling amongst themselves.*

  Boy: "Doet a-a-geen." *He squealed and clapped his hands, looking up at Klaus with anticipation.*

  Klaus: "Yohoho, one more, okay, Sasuke?"

  Sasuke: "Whun moar! Yohoho."

  Klaus: "NIGHT SPHERE" *A sphere-like pulse of darkness blew across the meadow, blowing all the flower petals into the air.*

  Sasuke: "Yohohoho." *He squealed with excitement, watching the petals blow into the wind.*

  Klaus: *He smiled and stared at Sasuke with fatherly love.* "That's it-"

  Sasuke: "But papa-"

  Klaus: "No buts." *He smiled and stood up, reaching down to grab Sasuke's hand.*

  Sasuke: "Ohkay." *He sucked in his lips, as he focused on standing back up onto his feet.*

  Klaus: *He looked up to the sky and down to the ground, as if he was measuring the time through the sun and shadows.* "I have enough time to drop you back at Silver Wind Island, go to The Elemental Tower to check up on things and be back before dinner."

  Sasuke: *He looked down and pouted.* "Does thees mean we can't play, papa?"

  Klaus: "Just for today." *He started to walk across the meadow while holding onto Sasuke's hand.*

  Sasuke: "..."

  Klaus: "You better put a smile on that grumpy face of yours."

  Sasuke: "Why?"

  Klaus: "Because the belly eating, sour face-Scoldrant-consumer will get you."

  Sasuke: *He pulled a face, as if he never heard of such a thing.* "A bewry eating-?"

  Klaus: "Oh no, it's here!" *He suddenly dropped to his knees and pushed Sasuke off his feet and started to tickle his stomach.*

  Sasuke: "Yohohoho! Storhp!" *He screamed his giggles and kicked his legs.*

  Klaus: "Rawrr!" *He pretended to growl like an animal as he continued to tickle Sasuke's stomach with one hand.*

  Sasuke: "Ohkay, ohkay!" *He faked a massive smile, causing Klaus to chuckle.*

  Klaus: "Yohoho, was that so hard?"

  Sasuke: *He smiled and sighed in satisfaction.* "Pwomise you'll be back befour yumyums?"

  Klaus: "Promise."

  Sasuke: "Yoho-" *He stopped in mid laughter and stared out into the open in shock.*

  Klaus: *He looked into the direction Sasuke stared into with a curious expression on his face.* "What is it?"

  Sasuke: "A yellow stweem." *He watched a yellow aura-like mist sway in the breeze towards him.*

  Klaus: "I don't see anything?"

  Sasuke: "Nhmph." *He shook his head and pointed at the yellow mist.*

  Klaus: "Your ability." *He smiled in happiness.* "It's getting better."

  Sasuke: "How I kan see Newungs?"

  Klaus: "Yes. Your ability to see the different colours of people's Roharnia." *He scanned across the meadow and looked confused.* "Are you joking, Sasuke?"

  Sasuke: "Nope."

  Klaus: "Sasuke?" *He spoke in an annoyed fatherly-like manner.*

  Sasuke: "Pwomise!"

  Klaus: "It's odd.. I don't see anyone for there to be Roharnia?"

  Sasuke: "It's-" *A sudden gust of wind blew the yellow mist past him.* "Yicky! Smells funny."

  Klaus: "You probably just farted, you grotty kid." *He spoke with a smile and stood up, pulling Sasuke by his hand.*

  Sasuke: *He suddenly shook his head with a loss of balance.* "Ah?"

  Klaus: "Did I pull you up too fast?" *He spoke in concern.*

  Sasuke: "I-... Maybee?"

  Klaus: "So what is it?"

  Sasuke: *He shook his head and regained his composure.* "It was like Rayd, Rayd-...?"

  Klaus: "Radiatons?"

  Sasuke: "Yerh!" *He shouted with a smile, as if he was excited Klaus was right.*

  Klaus: "Radiatons are usually gold, not yellow." *He violently brushed his fingers through Sasuke's hair.* "Caught you out!"

  Sasuke: "Maybee Shadytons?"

  Klaus: "Sasuke? Shadiatons now?"

  Sasuke: "Naw." *He shook his head, tightening his grip on Klaus' hand.* "It was!"

  Klaus: "Okay, okay, smarty." *He sighed in defeat and continued to walk across the meadow.*

  Sasuke: *He purposely swayed their arms, as he looked up with an innocent face.* "It came from a man."

  Klaus: *He observed Sasuke's facial expressions.* (My baby boy has the ability to not only see the different types of Roharnia's, but also to pinpoint their origins or latent potential. I can't wait to have him by my side, fighting for the city-)

  Sasuke: "It feels stolen?"

  Klaus: "Please respond?"

  Sasuke: *He quickly shook his head with an innocent smile.* "I hungary! Can I have yumyums?"

  Klaus: "Yohoho, no!"

  Sasuke: "But papa?!"

  Klaus: "No means no." *He tried to hide his love filled smile.*

  --

  Klaus: *He suddenly gasped out of his daydream and found himself standing next to a pitch black lake.* "Sasuke..."

  *Klaus formed fists and suddenly walked on the lake, causing the surface to ripple around his feet.*

  Klaus: "It was a normal day." *He mumbled to himself with gritted teeth and started to walk across the pitch black lake, triggering another flashback.*

  --

  *Klaus and Sasuke entered Silver Wind Island and were greeted by Grey and a slightly younger version of Ginger.*

  Grey: "Niklauseh! My son!"

  Klaus: "Father." *He smiled.*

  Sasuke: "Grand papa!" *He giggled with excitement.*

  Ginger: "Niklauseh-" *She spoke with an emotionless face and looked down to Sasuke.* "And Saucy-Sama!" *She suddenly spoke in a casual, out of character-
like manner and quickly bent down to pick him up.*

  Sasuke: "Ginger-" *He kicked his legs, as Ginger spun him around.*

  Klaus: "Your attitude completely changes, Ginger. Where is your logic in that? Please respond."

  Ginger: "I decline your invitation to respond."

  Grey: "Yohohoho!"

  Sasuke: *He leant back with a bright red face of happiness and embarrassment.* "Yumyums?"

  Ginger: "Don't you ever feed him, Niklauseh?"

  Klaus: "Wait until dinner, Sasuke."

  Sasuke: "Awe..." *He sighed and hugged Ginger, emphasising his disagreement with Klaus.*

  Grey: "Have you checked The Elemental Tower?"

  Klaus: "I'm heading there now."

  Ginger: "The Elemental Tower is already guarded by powerful Remenistal Users, and you're there every day, why not only go once? It's illogical to go every day when there's no immediate threat."

  Grey: "Something as important..." *He mumbled to himself, ensuring no passing citizens could hear him.* "It's a chance us Susanoo's cannot take."

  Klaus: *He nodded his head in agreement and turned around.* "I'll be back shortly!"

  Grey: "Keep well, my son."

  Ginger: "I will see you soon, Niklauseh."

  Sasuke: "Come for yumyums, papa!"

  Klaus: *He smiled and stepped through the wall, finding himself on an aura made path above the ocean.* "The true advantage over Radiatons and Shadiatons is not their elemental prowess, but the fact of instant teleportation without the need of forbidden or lost Remenistal."

  *Klaus smiled to himself and focused, causing him to disappear in a puff of shadow-like smoke.*

  --

  *Klaus stopped at a certain point on the lake and stamped his foot, causing the water to suddenly fall in a circular manner around him, as if an underwater hatch opened up.*

  Klaus: *He looked down and slowly sunk into the darkness, watching the black water sway around him.* "Everything was normal.. A normal day with my family.."

  *Klaus reached the bottom and turned around, noticing a cave entrance.*

  Klaus: "The Shadiatons-" *He walked across the mushy dirt and placed his hand on the cave entrance, causing his entire body to turn into smoke-like shadow.*

  *The smoke of Klaus' body suddenly swirled into the cave entrance, queuing the water to suddenly crash where he stood, as the water filled in the hole he created.*