::Dyrsin's Legacy::

[Gemini Ty]

After many months, Dyrsin's Legacy has returned! This is my first major fanfic, set in the Shadow Realm and starring mainly characters from my booster sets. Some of you may have read the first six parts of this story already, but guess what: This time it's different! I'm totally rewriting the story based on new information and a newer perspective of the characters. So please, read on...this time I will try my hardest to not to stop writing it!
Note: Each part might take more than one post to get in.

Part One

Sunlight streamed down upon the restless village. The sky was a clear, perfect blue over the country of Talenterin; a few scattered clouds drifted wistfully in the slightest of breezes. It made for great flying conditions, and Velith wanted nothing more than to spread his wings and leave the ground behind for the last part of his journey…but the pain such an action would cause would hardly be worth it.

Velith opened his wings gingerly. A sharp pain shot down through his left side, causing him to snap them back against his body. He could always have woven a spell to ease the pain and allowing him to fly, but that could cause him to tear the muscle if the wounded wing was overexerted. Too much of a risk, he told himself. So instead of flying, he made his way slowly through the crowded village common, bumping into numerous other dragons with strained cries of "Excuse me!" and "Pardon me!" and "Let me pass!" He held his left arm close against his chest in hopes that its injury wouldn’t increase due to being jostled.

Not very big for a dragon, and not very muscular either, Velith could squeeze through some of the small spaces between the villagers and even sometimes under a dragon’s legs. He was two-legged, with a rather humanoid torso that caused some dragons discomfort around him (not that he minded), and a head that was covered by a gleaming metal helmet.

The helmet itself was a rather curious attraction, and many of the villagers avoided him because of it. Metal was a rare oddity in Talenterin, and the draconum that the helmet was made of was the rarest of all. It was a special steel alloy only dragons could make, forged in secret so that most of the dragon population didn’t even know how it was created, and it had the special property of molding itself to whatever it was around even when cooled. Velith's helmet had been special-made for him, supposedly as a gift from the Darkflare Dragon (although no one was sure), and it had molded itself to his head and was by this time impossible to remove. It covered his head all the way back around and to the tip of his snout, but stopped where his upper jaw ended and did not cover the lower. There were metal "teeth" sticking from the bottom around his jaw, but they didn’t appear all that sharp, and there was a pair of flat spikes sticking from the back to represent horns.

Velith finally managed to break free of the crowd, bruises beginning to form on his dark tan scales—but not from the crowd. I went through enough to get this message back home, he thought, gazing up at the imposing black fortress that was Darkflare Keep. He made his way toward it, lost in his thoughts and not really watching as he entered the keep. Had he, he might have noticed the eyes watching him enter…

-----

A loud booming sound startled Sirla out of her almost-asleep state. She glanced up and saw Velith enter the antechamber. Seeing his weariness and, worse, his injuries, Sirla got up to help him, but he shook her off.

"The Darkflare Dragon wants to see you and Shrir immediately," he told her. "I need to go tend to my…injuries…"

Sirla tried again. "Let me help you!" she offered, but Velith held up his good hand.

"No, no, go get Shrir and meet with the Darkflare Dragon…not a good idea to keep him waiting you know."

Nodding resignedly, Sirla stalked off to find Shrir. Velith watched her go. Being of medium size for a dragon, although four-legged, Sirla Ya was bigger than Velith mass-wise but not a whole lot taller. Her pearly-white scales, spikes, and the single horn that grew from her forehead all gleamed in the dim light of the keep. And her eyes…so beautiful…the irises perfectly gray, and even her pupils were gray… Velith shook his head. Time to stop thinking such thoughts. He turned and walked down an adjoining hallway, opposite to the way Sirla had gone.

-----

"What’s this all about?" Shrir demanded as he barged through the doors into the Darkflare Dragon’s throne room.

A dark shape turned toward him. Even though he was their king, the dragons of Talenterin didn't know much about the Darkflare Dragon… He always concealed himself in a shadow that seemed to absorb the light around it, and then shine it back out through his eyes, which no one could really see through the glow. The only real color about him was his bright green cape, which no one was sure why he wore either. Strangest of all—or perhaps not strange from certain points of view—the Darkflare Dragon's body looked remarkably like Velith's and his sister's: tall, somewhat humanoid. He was much more heavily muscled than Velith, though. Rumor had it that Velith was somehow related to the Darkflare Dragon, but they were discounted more often than not.

Those piercing white eyes were now looking into Shrir's. Shrir himself was a Tyrant Dragon, and easily the largest dragon in Darkflare Keep. His head had a bad tendency to hit the ceiling in some places, which put Shrir in a bad mood whenever it happened, and nobody wanted to be around Shrir when he was angry.

"I trust you have good reason to call me away, Your Highness?" Shrir asked sarcastically. "I’ve been quite busy training our troops you know!"

The Darkflare Dragon turned completely around to face his General. "I am aware of your duties, Shrir," he responded, "but it is time we put you and your army to the test. Sirla, you look lovely as always," he added as Sirla walked into the chamber.

"Thank you, Your Highness," she replied, bowing daintily.

The Darkflare Dragon walked quietly up the steps to his dais, then turned back to face his two head advisors. "You may have noticed that Velith has gained some minor injuries. He just returned today from a trip to Ictheria. Ictheria is under attack by forces from Dyrsin’s Territory."

At this news, Shrir seemed to make no response, but Sirla appeared alarmed.

"It gets worse. On his way back, Velith encountered forces moving into Talenterin. Invading groups have already taken towns and villages on our northern border. However, through my network of spies I have learned who is now in command of Dyrsin’s Territory…and it is none other than Dyrsin himself."

Sirla gasped and took a step backward. Shrir's eyes narrowed but he made no other motion.

"But…but it can't be!" Sirla cried. "Dyrsin should be dead!"

"I thought the same thing, my dear," the Darkflare Dragon replied. "But my spies have confirmed it. Shrir, you will prepare the army for battle. When the Ictherian forces arrive, you and they will be—"

"The Ictherians?" Shrir shouted. "There are going to be humans HERE?!"

"Our forces will join with Ictheria's to combat this enemy," the Darkflare Dragon replied, cool as ever. "We will—"

Shrir was visibly shaking with rage. "I will not go anywhere near those filthy humans!" he cut in again. "They are completely barbaric and disrespectful—"

Now it was the Darkflare Dragon's turn to cut Shrir off. "You will do as your king bids," was all he said, then turned away from them. "Sirla, return to your studies. I will call upon you when you are needed." Then he was gone.

Left with a fuming Shrir at her side, Sirla decided it best to leave before he could turn his anger on her as he had in the past. She slipped under his wing and was just about to leave when…

"Good work, princess," Shrir's voice commented from above her. "I'm sure you'll be so much help to the Darkflare Dragon's cause." The last word was practically spat out.

"I do not doubt His Highness's wisdom," she replied as calmly as she could. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do." She pushed past Shrir and vanished up a nearby flight of stairs.

"Darkness shall consume your soul before the end, my dear," Shrir told the darkness acidly.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[YamiMarik]

This is a gonna be a cool Fan Fic.Make more it sounds interesting.So far 9.5/10

[Michizure]

excellent Gemini. I am very impressed with this. It has all the elements of a good story- mystery, suspense, intrigue, foreshadowing. I very much look forward to the next installment.

[Gemini Ty]

Thank you all for your comments. :)

Aaaand here's part two! ^_^ Don't expect them all to come out this fast though. :p

Part Two

Shrir passed through Darkflare Keep like a thunderstorm. He was furious about what the Darkflare Dragon had told him. Humans! Here in the keep! Shrir considered the various options running through his head on how to get rid of the humans when and if they arrived, but none would work without exposing his ultimate desire…and no one must know of that.

A passing dragon ducked low to avoid Shrir's wildly swinging tail. Anyone who knew their worth stayed away from Shrir when he was in a mood like this. The usually green jewel embedded in his forehead now shone with a sickly orange light, which meant he was really worked up about something, and it made the various servants and villagers in the keep frightened to see that alone.

There was an open door in Shrir's way. He slammed it closed with enough force to shatter the heavy wooden frame it was set in. The sound reverberated throughout the keep. Smashing the door seemed to lessen Shrir's anger though; he slowed down and visibly calmed down.

There is a way for me to accomplish it, Shrir mused contentedly, and it involves Sirla… Yes, it involves her dying…

-----

Velith turned back. He'd been right around the corner when Shrir had slammed that door shut, and his ears still rang. "He's angry, as I predicted," he thought aloud, "but for how long? He must have thought of something to calm him down like that…the only question is, what? He's up to no good, we need to get him out of the castle as soon as possible."

His mind made up, Velith set off for another destination inside the keep. Had anyone been watching him, they might've seen him slip through what appeared to be a solid stone wall and vanish.

-----

A few days later, Shrir all but forgot about Sirla; a newcomer to the keep caught his gaze and held it there. That day was, of course, overcast and rainy, and thunder could be heard rumbling in the distance. The wind was blowing fiercely and sending massive sheets of rain against the magically-protected windows and walls of the fortress.

A hard knock was almost drowned out by the sound of the wind and rain. Velith, near the top of the main stairs, glanced around to see where it was coming from, and another loud knock told him that it came from behind the front doors. Running to the door, Velith nearly tripped over himself trying to get down the stairs and rescue whatever soaking-wet and windswept person was out there, but the aches and pains his body gave him slowed him down and he caught himself on the banister.

Sirla reached the door first. She pried it open and peered outside. The one standing outside surprised them all. He stepped in quickly, indigo armor rattling, and lightly brushed himself off with his free hand—the other held a massive green staff.

"My name is Kasil," the Dark Magician said. "I heard your kingdom was in trouble so I decided to come along and see if I could be of assistance."

Velith bounded down the last step and tried to run up to Kasil without falling over. "Um…welcome, welcome!" he called. "I'm the Darkflare Dragon’s head servant, I’ll take you to him right away!"

Kasil brushed a strand of blonde hair out of his eyes. "You're his head servant? Don’t look like much. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers…"

Velith glared at Kasil for a moment, but shrugged it off. He'd faced far worse insults before. "This way," he said, gesturing for the Dark Magician to follow him.

-----

Needless to say, Shrir was furious. "We can't have a human living inside the keep!" he screamed after Kasil had been sent to a room downstairs. "It's unheard of! Unsanitary! Who knows what sort of diseases he carries?!"

"He seems like a good magician though!" Sirla protested. "He wasn’t even wet when he came in, like the rain just bounced off of him!"

The Darkflare Dragon nodded. "It probably did bounce off. Dark Magicians are known for their power. We could certainly use his help, for the time being."

"I won't stand for it!" Shrir protested. "He's…he's…"

"Then stay away from him!" Sirla suggested. "Out of sight, out of mind, right?" Shrir just glared at her.

"You'd better get used to having humans around, Shrir," the Darkflare Dragon said. "There will be many more before this is done. Don't forget, this is Ictheria's war too."

Shrir's jewel flared up brightly, and Shrir drew himself up to his full—and impressive—height. "I will tolerate them for a short while, but mark my words, I will not tolerate them for long." This last part was barely a whisper, a threatening one at that.

The Darkflare Dragon pretended not to notice. "Get your army ready Shrir…St. Joan will be arriving any day now."

But Shrir was already leaving.

-----

The sound of the door closing snapped Kasil out of his thoughts. He looked and saw Velith coming into his room. He hesitated a moment before speaking. "Don’t mind Shrir, he—"

"Doesn’t like humans, I can tell," Kasil interrupted, then shrugged. "He doesn't bother me much."

"How long—"

"Will I stay?" Kasil finished again. "Until this war is over, probably…"

Velith appeared uncomfortable for a moment. "How are you—"

"Finishing your sentences for you? Intuition, I suppose…a gift passed down from my grandmother." Kasil brushed more hair out of his eyes, it wouldn’t seem to stay in place.

"Wow, that’s—"

"Amazing, I know. Most people think so, at first—they get annoyed later."

The dragon seemed brimming with questions, but Kasil made as though to go to sleep, which he hoped would make Velith leave. Velith wasn’t quite done yet, however.

"Why are you helping us?" he asked. "There must be some reason behind it…we're dragons, after all, not even of your kind…"

Kasil sat through this question silently, thinking. "There are many things in the Shadow Realm that need protecting," he said after some time. "My grandmother told me that when I was young. This is a magnificent kingdom you live in…nobody, especially not Dyrsin, should be allowed to destroy it."

Velith nodded and stood still for a few moments. He turned to leave, then stopped and turned his head back toward Kasil. "I just want you to know, whatever may happen here, that I do trust you, and I hope in time that the same can be said of me."

Kasil said nothing. He sat in the darkness for a while, thinking about the conversation he'd just had. But even the Dark Magicians need sleep, and soon enough Kasil extinguished his candle and dozed off.

-----

The Darkflare Dragon sat in what he believed to be his empty throne room, meditating, when a feminine voice broke his thoughts.

"Something is amiss in the kingdom, sir."

He turned to his right, where his most trusted spy stood standing in the moonlight falling through a nearby window. "Ah, Perfectionist Drake, what a pleasant surprise. What news do you bring me?"

Perfectionist Drake was in no mood for pleasantries. "Dragons are being assassinated all over Talenterin. We suspect that the unknown killer is one of Dyrsin’s henchmen, trying to strike fear into the hearts of our citizens."

"Certainly something Dyrsin would do," the Darkflare Dragon agreed.

"And there is something else…the Legacy has been found."

Perfectionist Drake noticed the Darkflare Dragon visibly stiffen at this news. "Who has found it?" he asked coldly.

"Who else? Dyrsin did. He managed to break through the defenses and reach it. Apparently he hasn't taken it out of the Caverns of Destiny just yet, but he’s set up his own set of guards and magical enchantments."

"Dyrsin knows exactly how to use it…odd that he hasn't taken it into his castle…"

Perfectionist Drake sighed. "I can go back and attempt to get more information, sir, if you wish."

"Yes, please do," the Darkflare Dragon agreed, nodding slowly. "Your expertise could be invaluable."

Nodding back, Perfectionist Drake slipped smoothly back into the darkness and disappeared, leaving the Darkflare Dragon to his own thoughts. And they were dark thoughts indeed.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[Michizure]

ooh, this is shaping up good. you have got me interested, so you better be quick with part three. you don't want me to get cranky, now do you, lol.

[Newzfoxjr]

Nice, I like it. Keep it up. :p

[Gemini Ty]

*Bows* Part three done in record time! Beware, for here's where the killing begins...

Part Three

A gentle breeze bent the near-dead grass over as the sun turned the horizon a brilliant orange in the last moments before it disappeared. Commander Azril turned his back on both the sunset and the numerous troops of his king’s army below him. It had been an exhausting day; as infantry commander, it was Azril's job to keep the troops disciplined and ready for combat, and with war approaching his work had first doubled, then tripled. Azril was certain it was ready to double again.

Stifling a yawn, he turned headed into the furnished cave he called home. He was high enough in rank to live in Darkflare Keep, of course, but he preferred it out here. Besides, the iron armor was enough to keep him happy for a while.

"Perhaps the war will be far into the future anyway," Azril commented to the darkness around him, closing the wooden door. "I'll have plenty of time to finish training these Troop Dragons, I think."

"You will do no such thing," the shadows replied.

Startled, Azril spun toward the source of the voice, combat instincts kicking into action, but it was too late. A powerful hand shot out of the darkness, clutching Azril's throat with four strong fingers. The hand's claws cut deep gashes in his neck.

"You won't be doing any training, I'm afraid," the voice continued ominously, and in the dim light Azril saw the glint of sharp teeth. He managed to briefly wonder just who it was that had the nerve to attack him in his own home before the hand began squeezing with ruthless force. "Now," the assassin announced, "you die."

Commander Azril of the Darkflare Dragon's army had no choice but to comply.

-----

Shrir burst through the throne room doors, the jewel in his forehead blazing. "He's gone!" Shrir roared. "Azril's dead! Murdered!"

"How?" the Darkflare Dragon asked.

"He was found in his home with his throat cut out, but nothing else was found." Shrir took a deep breath to steady himself. "The dinosaurs are obviously at fault. I demand that we take immediate action against them."

The Darkflare Dragon nodded in agreement. "I had already planned to send you out to battle. Dyrsin's army is advancing. With Azril gone, the troops will need a strong leader."

"Very well," Shrir replied, obviously annoyed. "I will get my armor and go at once."

The general left, his jewel still glowing, but he seemed too preoccupied to remember to slam the doors shut. A tiny rustle of sound, barely noticeable, caught the Darkflare Dragon's attention.

"I thought you left already," he said.

"I had planned to," Perfectionist Drake replied, "but I've been caught up in…another matter." She paused a moment before continuing. "It was good of you to send Shrir away. He could become our downfall."

"What have I told you about eavesdropping?" the Darkflare Dragon asked her coolly.

"Not to, sir," she replied with a bow. "Many times. But it is my nature, as you know."

The Darkflare Dragon grimaced under his shadowy veil. She always gave him that same answer. He began to make a reply, but Perfectionist Drake was already gone.

-----

No matter how fast he ran, they were always faster…he couldn't escape them through speed alone. He needed a plan. Dinosaurs were supposed to be dumb, right? Maybe he could outsmart them…

He ran around the corner of the house a bit too fast and ran straight into his grandmother, who was ready to catch him. She held him close to her body and murmured words of reassurance in his ear. The raptors that had been following him sped around the corner, narrowly missing his grandmother—she'd seemed to know they were about to appear, as she always had, and had stepped out of the way. He held his breath for a moment, hoping they would miss the pair in the shadows, but they turned back. Their sense of smell was too keen.

"Stay back," his grandmother warned them. "I do not wish to harm you, but I will also not let you harm the boy."

The lead raptor hissed in a way that sounded like laughter to the boy's ears. "Our master will be glad to hear that at least one of you puny humans dares stand up to us," it said, grinning. "Perhaps we will capture you and torture you instead. You seem like a fun one."

"Stay behind me, no matter what," she whispered to the boy. He nodded fearfully. Looking back up at the raptors, she said, "Nothing your master does can overcome the power of love. That is something he will never understand. Take me if you will, but you will not harm the boy!"

The lead raptor sneered. Was I wrong? the boy wondered. Are these dinosaurs really smart after all? But there was no time to find out. The raptors had apparently changed their mind, because they pounced on the boy's grandmother, digging their claws deep into her flesh…

"I'm sorry," she gasped to the boy. "Remember! Remember the power of…the power of…love…"

Her final words spoken, she wove a short spell with her hands and then grabbed the boy close to her once again. Her blood streamed down his face as the raptors began biting bits of her flesh off… The spell complete, a sharp light erupted and blinded the boy for the time being. When his vision cleared, she was gone…she and the raptors alike. Only the boy was left, the lone survivor of the attack in a now burning village…

Kasil bolted upright, his body drenched with sweat. He swung his legs over the bedside and stood up. It was still dark inside the keep; sunrise was a few hours away. Kasil walked over to the windowsill and tried to regain his composure.

It was that dream again…the dream that was more than a dream. It was like a worm, living in his memory, that would surface to torture him when it felt he was most vulnerable. It was his constant reminder that the dinosaurs deserved the revenge he wanted for his grandmother's death. It was why he'd become a magician in the first place, not only because his grandmother had been one but also to avenge her…

"Even without Dyrsin they were cruel," he told himself. They need to be punished…and this war is the perfect excuse to do it! Or at least, that was what he told himself.

-----

Outside Kasil's door, Velith stepped back. So that's why he’s in this war, he thought. He wants revenge for actions they made in the past. It seems like there are many hidden agendas in this keep, and not only mine…

-----

That left only one person left awake in the keep. As Velith walked back down the hallway to his own room, he was being watched. Wheels spin within wheels, Perfectionist Drake thought, and vanished from sight.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[YamiMarik]

Very Awsome!10/10 its cool!

[Nak44]

10/10 very cool keep making more

[Michizure]

0/10. Very bad Gemini. First it ends to fast, and second you keep me from my homework. I might give you a 1/10 if you make part 4 fast enough ;)

[Gemini Ty]

XD *Slaps Michizure*

At the rate I'm going, I'll probably have Part Four done tomorrow morning, unless I get lucky and finish it tonight. ^_^

[Wani]

o.o If I wrote as fast as you, I'd be done with all of Ashura's Blade.

Not bad!

[Gemini Ty]

Heh...you're going to start seeing how much I like cliffhanger endings! ^_^
And I apologize if these seem to be getting shorter each time...I just don't want them to be too long without losing too much information!

Part Four

"How is the prisoner?" Dyrsin asked idly.

The current guard for that section of the dungeon looked over his shoulder. "Same as usual, master," he replied gruffly. "All play and no talk."

Dyrsin walked past the guard, his blue cape fluttering around his ankles. "He will be made to talk, soon enough… Do we have a name for him yet?"

"He calls himself Broken Chain, but—"

"It doesn't really matter, of course," Dyrsin interrupted. "All I want from him is information on the dragons' current behavior patterns and lifestyle. His name doesn't really matter."

The heavy iron doors to the dungeon flew open and one of Dyrsin's advisors rushed in. Dyrsin looked annoyed at the interruption. "Master Dyrsin," the advisor said breathlessly, "your assassin has reported in…Commander Azril is dead. We're also taking heavy losses because the Darkflare Dragon replaced Azril with a Tyrant Dragon!"

"A pity," Dyrsin replied without any indication that he meant it. "The dragons have retaliated long before I expected. And now they are setting up defenses to keep us from advancing, yes?"

Bewildered, the advisor nodded. "Yes, but—"

"Demolish their defenses with a group of Black Tyrannos. See to it now, Advisor." He turned back to the guard. "Now, as you were saying?"

"But…but Master Dyrsin!" the advisor protested.

One acid-green eye swiveled back to the advisor. "Unless you'd like to meet the same fate as our late friend Azril, I'd suggest you get to it now, Advisor."

The advisor turned and fled from the dungeon. Returning his attention to his master, the guard saw that Dyrsin was looking at him questioningly. "Um…yes," the guard sputtered, "shall I extend Broken Chain's torture to make him talk?"

Dyrsin didn’t hesitate to find an answer. "No," he replied. "He'll talk eventually. Keep me posted." With that, Dyrsin swept out of the dungeon like a windstorm.

-----

For as long as anyone could remember, raptors had led Dyrsin's Territory's assault groups. Raptors were fast and smart, quick thinkers, and very bossy at times. Black Tyrannos, and bigger dinosaurs in general, were stronger but not as smart. The two generally did not get along well, yet now they were cooperating extremely well. Shrir and his army were being beaten back to the ridge where they had set up a temporary camp. Viewing the battle from the air where he knew he’d be safe, Shrir could tell this battle was lost. The dragons could breathe fire for the most part, and were burning the dinosaurs into ash, but Black Tyrannos were resilient to fire and thus unaffected. The Troop Dragons used physical weapons to fight, which left taking down the Tyrannos in their hands…so it was a lost cause.

"Break off!" Shrir called. "Fall back to the ridge!"

Pumping his wings, Shrir led his forces back to their temporary base. The sheer cliff wall would stop most of the dinosaurs, but the ones with stronger arms could scale it…these were small though, and easily picked off by Shrir’s troops as they neared the top.

Shrir had larger problems to deal with though…one of which being how he would tell the Darkflare Dragon about this loss. After all, for the first move in Shrir's campaign to be such a major defeat was not a good thing—to him, at least.

-----

Farther south, back near Darkflare Keep, another person was also thinking about what he would tell his master, although his wasn't due to defeat. Talenterin was not a big kingdom and reaching Darkflare Keep hadn’t taken him that long…although he'd had quite a lot of fun along the way.

Now is the time for action, his master had told him. We must strike them fast and hard. Expect company, but use them to your advantage…catch him off-guard.

Alira planned to do just that. He flexed his powerful arm muscles until they bulged and forced his claws out to their full length. Grinning, he moved through the village silently, getting steadily closer to Darkflare Keep and his target.

-----

The army of Ictheria arrived early the next morning. A cloud of dust signaled their arrival, which caused much apprehension among the populace of Darkflare Keep. Velith came down from wherever it was he came from at such times, moving through the Grand Dining Hall swiftly and snatching up Sirla from where she was milling around near Kasil—who was watching the commotion with a bemused expression on his face—and took her off to see the Darkflare Dragon.

"We must hurry and prepare!" Velith told her. "The Ictherians are almost here—"

"So they are the Ictherians?" Sirla asked thoughtfully. "Good thing Shrir's not here."

Velith was thinking the same thing, but said nothing. There were other things to worry about…

-----

It was a hot, cloudless day, and the sun's merciless rays were taking a toll on the welcoming party as the first wagon arrived. Sirla and the Darkflare Dragon were standing at the end of the keep's stone bridge, where they'd been waiting for what seemed an eternity. Kasil remained in the shadow of the doors.

"Nervous?" the Darkflare Dragon asked Sirla.

"A little," she replied. "I haven't been around humans since…since I was little. But where's Velith? Shouldn't he be here too?"

"I sent him on an errand," the Darkflare Dragon replied simply.

That answer didn’t satisfy Sirla’s question very well, but at that time the wagon pulled up to them and stopped. Unseen hands opened the door, and a tall woman jumped down from it, armor rattling in the still air.

The Darkflare Dragon stepped forward. "St. Joan, my dear, you look lovely as always," he said, taking her hand.

"Likewise," Joan replied, a faint smile touching her lips.

St. Joan was the warrior queen of Ictheria. Wearing silvery-white armor and short red hair that gleamed in the sunlight, she certainly looked powerful…but it was the fire burning in her eyes that gave her appearance real power. Those eyes were now looking into the Darkflare Dragon's eyes—what little of them there was. "I trust you have been well?" she asked.

"Very," he replied. "Please, come in. My knights will escort the rest of your company around to where they can park their wagons."

Joan nodded, and silently she, the Darkflare Dragon, Sirla, and a young girl they assumed was Joan's assistant—she had come from Joan's wagon—went inside the keep. The villagers, seeing that the fun was over, went back to their day-to-day duties. Had they paid a little more attention, been watching for a few more seconds perhaps, they might’ve seen a black shape streak into the keep seemingly unnoticed just as the doors were closing.

-----

As a spy, Perfectionist Drake knew how to hide, how to blend in with the crowd. She was smaller than most dragons, and had long, blonde hair and bright purple scales, but that never seemed to matter. They simply didn’t notice her. But she noticed them…and she noticed the shadowy figure enter the castle when no one else did.

Now who might that be? she wondered. Best to follow him and find out before reporting anything to the Darkflare Dragon.

Soon enough, she'd come to wish she hadn't.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[Michizure]

"Demolish their defenses with a group of Black Tyrannos."

Haha, Genius! I'm thinking that I might make a fanfic, what do you think? Something to do with the elements maybe...

[Gemini Ty]

I'd probably read it! ^_^

By the way, I'll bet you'll be glad to know that the scene in part five with Perfectionist Drake, which in the original part five was only a few lines, has been extended to the whole part five that I've written so far. More fun with the assassin and Shrir! :D

[Gaara Of The Desert]

Verry good GT i finaly got time to read them all XD well verry good and put out at a nice speed not to fast not to slow good job

(I could write a Fan Fic i dont got the imagination to make one)

[YamiMarik]

This is a cool fan fic.

[Gemini Ty]

Yes...part five is finally here! Took me two days to complete it, so you'd better like this one! ^_^

Part Five

Perfectionist Drake was swift and silent. The one she was following was just as skilled. She followed the other what felt like all around the keep, but the other kept to the shadows and she could not see well. From quick glimpses of the body, she concluded that her quarry must be a heavily-muscled male something…just what that was, she didn’t know. She heard the sound of claws on stone every so often, so she knew it must be a reptile of some sort, probably a dinosaur spy sent by Dyrsin. If so, she would take extreme pleasure in capturing him.

She rounded a corner, and found herself in an empty room. She walked forward slowly, alert. There was only one door in and out of the room, and no windows. Where did he go? she wondered, confused.

A click of claw on stone sounded from behind her. Perfectionist Drake spun around, hands raising into combat position, but the other was too fast. His hand was around her throat before she could react. She grabbed his wrists, but it was mostly reflexive. She was no match for his strength, and she had no weapons; a birth defect had left her without claws, a trait that had helped her move silently but was a disadvantage in fights.

"You followed me," Alira said, his eyes gleaming coldly in the dim torchlight. It wasn't a question. Perfectionist Drake couldn't draw enough breath into her lungs to answer, and wouldn't have had she been able to. "You are a nuisance," the assassin continued. "I don't like nuisances." The voice was deep, with no hint of emotion. The lack of emotion scared Perfectionist Drake. Just what was he?

Pain shot through Perfectionist Drake's body. The assassin had stopped holding back—he'd probably been waiting to finish his little speech—and had started digging his claws into her neck. She tried to cry out for help, but her breath was even harder to catch now than it had been before.

The sound of large, clawed feet coming down the corridor seemed to startle the assassin. His grip on Perfectionist Drake's throat loosened, and with a sudden twist of her body she kicked him in the stomach as hard as she could. But her oxygen-deprived body had about as much effect on Alira as it would've had on a brick wall. However, the kick startled Alira even more than the footsteps had. He redoubled his hold on the spy's throat, digging his claws in deep, but the footsteps were already too close and getting closer by the second. He couldn't allow his presence to be known yet. Besides, the wounds were deep enough to kill her within the hour. Releasing his grip, he threw his cloak back around his shoulders and slipped out of the room. Her body already shutting down due to lack of air, Perfectionist Drake collapsed and lay on the ground, barely conscious, barely even alive…

-----

A soft thud and muffled wet splat caught Shrir's attention. One eye flicked towards the door it had come from. He was mildly curious, but whatever it was sounded wet and he didn't want to soil his precious steel chestplate, even though it was emblazoned with the Darkflare Dragon's symbol (a crude representation of a Sinister Serpent). Still… Sighing, Shrir turned and walked through the doorway. What he found both shocked and amused him: Perfectionist Drake lying in a pool of her own blood, her throat cut apart. "Heh…someone finally got what they deserved," Shrir commented quietly. He turned to leave, and then heard someone else coming down the hallway. I can't be found here! Shrir cried out silently. Unless… He glanced out into the hallway quickly, then almost jumped back in. It was Velith! This is my chance! he exclaimed in his mind. I can bring down Velith here and now!

Velith was running, as well as he could with his injuries, and he didn't even notice the door until Shrir stepped through it. He tried to skid to a stop but Shrir reached out, grabbed Velith with both forepaws, and lifted him off the floor.

"Guess what?" Shrir asked nonchalantly. He shoved Velith into the room in front of him where he could easily see Perfectionist Drake. "She's dead!" Shrir continued. "Killed by something with four fingers, one of which is a thumb, and claws on each! You match, and you were right here!"

"Shrir," Velith cried, "she's not—"

Spinning around, Shrir slammed Velith into the wall. "I'm throwing the blame on you!" he screamed, glowing with delight. "You might be the Darkflare Dragon's favorite servant, but he can't pardon you from murder!"

"Shrir, please!" Velith tried again.

But Shrir was beyond listening. He pulled Velith back and slammed him into the wall again. Sparks flew from where the draconum helmet scraped the stone, and Velith cried out in pain. "I'll bring you down!" Shrir roared. "You and your pathetic master! And then I shall replace him as the rightful king of Talenterin!"

"She's alive, Shrir!" Velith shouted. "Perfectionist Drake is still alive!"

Shrir faltered for a moment, steam escaping his mouth, and through the Tyrant Dragon's deep breathing Velith could hear…humming. He craned his neck but it wasn’t long enough to see very much past Shrir's bulk. Moving easily back and forth to avoid Shrir's wildly thrashing tail was a small, green dragon. The humming was emanating from this dragon, and now it increased in pitch. When Velith looked back at his captor, he found that Shrir's eyes were glazed over, the jewel that had been glowing malevolently moments before now dim and lifeless. With no will to prevent it, Shrir's grip loosened and Velith fell to the floor.

"Macuya!" Velith shouted joyfully. "You saved me!"

Abruptly, Macuya stepped forward and slapped Velith hard where the helmet wasn't protecting him. "What were you thinking?" he demanded angrily. "Do you have any idea how much magical energy it takes me to subdue a creature as large as Shrir? Especially when you could knock him out 1-2-3 without using up hardly any energy at all, big brother!"

Velith rolled his eyes. "You know as well as I do that I can't reveal my power, especially not to Shr—"

"He would’ve killed you!" Macuya protested. "Is our tradition worth more than your life?" Velith looked away. He knew Macuya was right, but… "Oh, big brother!" Macuya cried, leaping into Velith's arms with tears in his eyes. "I was so worried! Shrir's so big and my magic is so hard to channel!"

"I know, I know," Velith replied, stroking the top of his little brother's head. "But it's all right, we're both all right, and our secret's safe."

Carrying Perfectionist Drake between them, they walked out of the room. Shrir remained behind, mouth hanging open and eyes staring listlessly forward. Macuya's magic had worked, but it was weak and the spell was already unraveling. No more than ten minutes after the brothers left the room, Shrir snapped awake, his mind returning from whatever reverie it had been sent on. He tried to remember where he was and what he had been doing, but in that regard at least Macuya's magic had been effective. He vaguely recalled Perfectionist Drake's lifeless body, but when he looked for it, he found that it had disappeared and left the room empty, save for a pool of blood and a very confused Tyrant Dragon. Muttering incoherently under his breath, Shrir stalked from the room, his jewel beginning to glow softly once again. Had anyone been around, they might've heard Shrir mutter something about Velith and the Darkflare Dragon as he turned up a flight of stairs and vanished into the darkness. But this time, for once, there was no one.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[YamiMarik]

This is cool its awsome!I like this fan fic..

[Michizure]

not bad, it was a good episode. I've always had a bad feeling about that Shrir character, lol. he's pretty sketchy if you ask me, ^.^

[Wani]

*stabs Shrir in the face*

<_< >_> Nice!

[Malice]

2 words:
POST MORE!

[Gemini Ty]

Heh...sorry for being slow with Part Six... I'll warn you now though, it's pretty slow. It goes more into the history of Talenterin and Dyrsin's Territory, and the war they fought in the past, though, so it's at least informative if not active.

[YamiMarik]

This is getting to be an awsome fan fic!

[Gemini Ty]

And now for the long-awaited--but pretty dull overall--part six! ;)

Part Six

The Darkflare Dragon sat at the head of the table, directly across from a very uncomfortable-looking Shrir. Being so big and unable to sit properly, Shrir was forced into a sort of hunched over position that resembled sitting—the way you'd sit while being tortured. Sirla was near Shrir, and Joan (as well as her assistant) was next to the Darkflare Dragon. The circular table wasn’t too big, but it was big enough to accommodate their needs.

Where's Velith? Sirla wondered. Ever since he found Perfectionist Drake's body he's been even more secretive than usual!

Cera, Velith's sister and another of the Darkflare Dragon's servants, walked into the room and handed out water to everyone present, including Kasil, who was lurking near the doorway. She, while very much like her brother, was more powerfully built, with gray-green scales and a pair of horns arching off the back of her head, a trait both Velith and Macuya lacked.

The Darkflare Dragon cleared his throat. "We've already heard of Shrir's defeat," he said, "which I'm sure was a fluke." Shrir looked annoyed but didn't respond. "So I won't bother you with that. There is something more important I must tell you. Perfectionist Drake told me that Dyrsin has discovered an item that I had thought he couldn't reach: the mythical Legacy." He paused a moment to let that sink in. "General Shrir, you and St. Joan will take the two armies and confront Dyrsin's army. Meanwhile, a small group will go to the Caverns of Destiny and retrieve the Legacy so that Dyrsin cannot use its power. Sirla—" He turned to her. "What do you know of Dyrsin's Territory?"

Sirla blinked quickly. "It's a desolate wasteland…the war Dyrsin waged on Talenterin three thousand years ago was a result of that, because he wanted fertile land in his kingdom. It’s also right on the Boundary between the Shadow Realm and Other-Realm… Dyrsin's castle is in the Black Wing Mountains, which is a bit more fertile but still not much for growing anything. There are hills and mountains and rocks in various parts of Dyrsin's Territory but otherwise it's pretty barren.”

The Darkflare Dragon nodded. "You've been studying well, I see. Sirla, I know it may be dangerous, but I'm sending you as part of the group to retrieve the Legacy. Darkflare Keep is too dangerous now to allow you to remain here."

"I…I understand, Your Highness," Sirla replied uneasily. The Caverns of Destiny was not her choice for ideal vacation spot.

St. Joan finally spoke up. "I will send my assistant, Rhea, with you," she said. "I would go myself, but I'm tied up in military matters."

"And two should be plenty," the Darkflare Dragon added.

"As my king commands," Sirla replied. "I'll start getting ready for my journey."

"There will be a banquet in the Grand Dining Hall tonight," the Darkflare Dragon told them all. "I expect you all to be there. In the meantime, I have other business to attend to."

The meeting apparently over, each went his or her own way. Sirla went up to her tower, where her books were. She needed to review the layout of Dyrsin's Territory, because if she remembered correctly, the Caverns of Destiny were located right next to Dyrsin's castle…

-----

"Something is bothering you," Kasil said quietly, sitting down next to Sirla at the long dining table.

Sirla twisted her neck around to look at him, then sighed and turned back to her meal. "It's just…this whole thing doesn't seem possible," she replied. "How can Dyrsin still be alive? He'd have to be over three thousand years old, because he was the leader of the dinosaurs in the war three thousand years ago! Dinosaurs don't even live very long on average," she added after a moment.

"Only a hundred years, usually less," Kasil agreed, "which is nothing compared to a dragon's average of four to five hundred. But," he continued with a sharp undertone, "what about the Darkflare Dragon? He's been around as long, if not longer, than Dyrsin."

"Before the first war, the dragons were not united," Sirla replied, her voice barely a whisper. "They had no political system to support them; all that was left of the old system from before the Great Purge was a name, Talenterin, and nothing to go with it." She shook her head solemnly. "When Dyrsin started trying to take Talenterin into his own Territory, it was the Darkflare Dragon that took control of the militia and threw off Dyrsin's forces. He later proclaimed first that Talenterin was a sovereign country, then declared himself king. He's been the king ever since…for over three thousand years." Sirla frowned. "You're right, he's been around far too long to be a normal dragon, but unlike Dyrsin we have no leads to follow…the Darkflare Dragon just popped up seemingly out of nowhere and saved us."

"And you never questioned it?" Kasil asked, surprised. "He's been around for who knows how many years and you never once thought to search his past?"

"He doesn't have a past! That's the problem! He mysteriously appears to save the dragons, but nobody knows anything about what happened to him before then, or anything!" Sirla squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated. "Dyrsin hatched in a remote part of the Black Wing Mountains, and was pretty regular for a dinosaur until he disappeared past the mountains for three years…it's rumored that he went into Other-Realm, but no one knows for sure. When he came back, he had totally changed…physically, his body had shrank and become more humanoid—how he is now, you know; before he was more like a Black Tyranno only not black—and he was also a lot smarter than before. He managed to unite the dinosaurs under his rule and claimed the region to be his own Territory. Not long after, he made war on Talenterin to take that land and add it to his Territory. He's probably doing the same with Ictheria now.”

"How do you know so much about Dyrsin, then?" Kasil asked.

"Books," Sirla replied…a little too quickly. "Records, things like that. I read them all the time, you see, so I manage to pick out little details. I—"

Sirla stopped then. The Darkflare Dragon was about to make his little "going-away" speech. Kasil decided that he would have to resume this conversation sometime…if Sirla returned from her little adventure alive, that was.

-----

"Feeling alright?" Rhea asked Sirla, startling the dragon.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in…" Sirla replied. "I…I'm fine. This is just my first time into the countryside in a long time."

"We'll be fine," Rhea assured her with a smile. "I'll have us stop at a tavern that I know of on the way…we can hire a mercenary there to help us on our journey. They're useful, you know…mercenaries. Do anything for money. Anyway," she said, turning briskly on her heel, "we must be going. The sun is rising and we need an early start."

Sirla nodded, but did not follow immediately. Darkflare Keep had been her home for so many years now…by the time she came back, it might be gone. No, she told herself, shaking the thought from her head. The Darkflare Dragon will keep it safe. He's too powerful to let it fall now. Thus assured, she started on her way.

-----

"You know what to do," Dyrsin said quietly.

"Yes, master," the two at his feet replied in unison. "We will not fail you."

"Very good, dismissed. And," he added with a grin, "good luck."

TO BE CONTINUED…

[Michizure]

boring? what are you talking about Gemini? I won't hear any more of these insinuations! lol, it was good. I expect part 7 by supper time, lol

[YamiMarik]

Very cool Gemini!

[Wani]

Interesting...

Don't complain about boring bits! Everything fic needs boring bits! And it's not boring it's "plot/character development".

But still good. Except why can't Kasil read Sirla's mind...? I hope I don't smell a plot hole. :o

[Gemini Ty]

XD
I'd thought about that actually...and I guess it's mostly because he doesn't know their history too well! Or maybe there's something more...

[Michizure]

Interesting...

Don't complain about boring bits! Everything fic needs boring bits! And it's not boring it's "plot/character development".

But still good. Except why can't Kasil read Sirla's mind...? I hope I don't smell a plot hole. :o

haha, you misunderstood me wani. I meant it wasn't boring to me at all. Even if it was, I agree, it is necessary.

[Gemini Ty]

Part seven is here! We're getting deeper into the storyline, and it's going faster than I thought! Expect the story to be roughly twelve parts long, or less...depends on how much I can throw in! ^_^

Part Seven

Sirla Ya woke slowly. She stretched her dew-covered body out to its full length, digging her claws into the soft dirt, and yawned loudly. She shook the moisture off of her body and walked over to where Rhea was standing near the edge of the clearing they’d spent the night in; the young human was already prepared to leave.

"You sleep strangely," Rhea observed quietly. "Usually during sleep, one's breathing deepens and the body relaxes, but your breathing becomes shallow—almost gone—and your body tenses. It was as if you were frozen." When Sirla refused to respond, Rhea changed the subject. "Anyway, the tavern I spoke of is nearby. We should reach it by midmorning."

Sirla nodded. It would be faster if we could fly, she thought, but Velith told me not to…it's not like an order, but he's right nevertheless. We don't want Dyrsin to know we're coming, after all.

The skies were dark and cloudy. A storm was coming, and the pair didn't plan to be caught in it. Rain began to fall within an hour, however, and after a half hour of trudging through the muddy road they reached the tavern. It was not big, by dragon standards, but large enough to be cozy, and a welcome relief from the storm. Inside, the tavern was not well-lit, but neither was it very crowded. When asked, the barkeep pointed them to what he called a "merthenawry" (he had a terribly accent). The person he pointed to was cloaked and hooded, giving him or her an ominous look, but Rhea insisted that they investigate.

What they found surprised them. "Took long enough," the cloaked figure grumbled as they arrived. "This is supposed to be the best place in Talenterin to get a job, but this place is lifeless!" He threw back his hood, revealing what appeared to be a dragon's head: he had a long, green snout covered with rough scales, and three horns running down it, plus two horns growing from the back of his head, a pair of bony plates that extended his jaw line back past his head in a sweeping curve, and yellow snake eyes that were a bit menacing in the dim light. "The name's Garoozis," he continued, introducing himself and extending a clawed hand which Rhea took in formal greeting, "mercenary for hire. You pay me well enough and I'll do whatever you need."

"That's good," Rhea replied, "because we have all the money you'll ever need." She dropped a bag of silver coins on the table. "I suppose this will be sufficient to enlist your services?"

Garoozis eyed the bag greedily. "Important, I see. What needs to be done so badly?" Rhea explained it to him. Garoozis sat back and listened to it quietly, arms crossed over his chest, then nodded when she was done. "Sounds like fun," he said. "When do we leave?"

"Now would be nice," Rhea responded.

"Now? In this storm?" Garoozis eyed the money bag again. "Aww, whatever. Let's go then." He stood up, and the bag disappeared into his cloak.

For what remained of the day, rain poured down on the travelers, but around noon Sirla stretched her wings over the others and managed to keep them at least semi-dry. By nightfall they were all weary and soaked through, so when they came across a huge willow tree that kept the ground underneath it dry, no one protested against stopping. They made camp there, and were soon fast asleep under the tree's protective eaves.

-----

Shrir had business of his own to attend to. The combined armies had begun moving north towards Dyrsin's Territory, leaving Darkflare Keep rather empty and virtually unguarded. Of course, the Darkflare Dragon had his elite Shadow Dragon Knights to defend him, those few that had remained behind anyway, but Shrir would've felt perfectly all right leaving the place all but deserted.

Too bad the Darkflare Dragon's smarter than that, he thought grimly. He's no tactician, but he won't leave the castle totally undefended.

The armies were advancing rapidly. St. Joan's army had their wagons; Shrir's could move quickly both through the air and over land. It would still be another day or so until they got close enough to Dyrsin's castle to do much of anything, but with good luck Dyrsin would send out an army to meet them, or better yet surrender. Or perhaps he would go right around them and march right up to Darkflare Keep unimpeded… The thought sent a shiver of pleasure up Shrir's spine. The Darkflare Dragon and his Knights couldn't stand up to a whole army of dinosaurs!

Shrir looked up at the horizon suddenly. There was a streak of dust rising up on the sky, coming from directly in front of them… Too small to be an enemy force, he thought. A scout? Might as well find out. He flew up to the front of the army and landed. Like it or not, he had to tell Joan…

The armies were now standing still. Shrir and Joan stood next to each other, waiting for whatever was coming to arrive. It was getting closer at an astonishing rate. A few more minutes passed, and it came close enough to be seen—

"A raptor," Shrir almost spat. "I should've known. This had better be important."

The raptor began to skid to a stop. The sand it was traveling on flew up in front of it, and was about to blow right into the armies when Shrir flapped his wings and blew it right back at the raptor. Coughing and hissing, the raptor managed to get the sand out of his mouth. "Okay, that was unnecessary," he said, coughing again. He pulled a pair of goggles off of his eyes and left them resting on top of his head. "You are the armies of Talenterin and Ictheria no doubt. I have a message for you from my master, Dyrsin."

"Out with it, then, raptor," Shrir growled in reply.

"First of all, my name is Kalrish," the raptor answered back. "You can address me as such."

"I'll address you however I wish. Now give me the message."

Kalrish began to look nervous, and no one could blame him—it took a lot of courage to stand up to a dragon like Shrir. "Yes, well… Master Dyrsin advises you to turn back now. A large force is on its way to Darkflare Keep as we speak. Even if you make it to my master's castle, you would return to find your home destroyed, your king dead—"

"Really?" Shrir interrupted, a little too hopefully. "That's…um…bad news…"

Looking confused, Kalrish continued. "Master Dyrsin is also assembling a larger force to meet you in the plains if you really wish to confront him…he says it will be larger than you can fight off…"

Grinning, Shrir bent down until his head was level with Kalrish’s body. "Well, now, you tell your master that we'll be glad to meet his little army on the plains. And that we intend to win."

Joan took a step forward. "Shouldn't we think about this first, Shrir? Your country's capital could be in danger!"

"The capital doesn’t matter, Joan my dear. There's only one thing in this country that matters, and that’s me!" Shrir stalked off, leaving behind a very annoyed warrior queen and a very confused raptor.

-----

Garoozis felt a slight tug on his lower body armor, and almost ignored it. Still groggy, he opened one eye and looked over. A thorny vine was apparently hooked in his iron belt, and stuck on the vine was a black shape: his money bag! The vine pulled again softly, and dislodged itself. Not moving, Garoozis watched it pull up into the high boughs of the tree. Looking to his left, he saw that Rhea was watching the vine as well. It disappeared for what seemed like an eternity, long enough that Garoozis was afraid it wouldn't come back, but it lashed back down again, quick as lightning. Even faster, Garoozis was on his feet, cloak thrown aside, his iron armor gleaming in the early morning sunshine. He stepped into the vine's path and held up his arm. The vine wrapped around the iron armband and stuck there, and Garoozis pulled on it hard. With a startled cry, a human woman fell to the ground.

She looked barely eighteen years old, with long brown hair and clothes of the same color. A red bandana was tied around her neck. The "vine" was actually a thorn whip, which now lay on the ground at Garoozis's feet. She stood and brushed herself off, an unhappy look on her face.

"Meanae, so good to see you again," Garoozis said, not hiding the sarcasm in his voice.

"Please, Garoozis, the pleasure's all mine," Meanae replied with equal disdain.

Garoozis picked up the whip and walked over to her. "You have something of mine," he said, and held out the whip. She took it, and threw the money bag at him wordlessly. He caught it easily and spirited it back to wherever it had been before.

"Now that the introductions are over, can we get going?" Rhea asked. She and Sirla were standing near the edge of the tree. "Remember that we're in Dyrsin's Territory now. We can't afford to stay in one place for too long."

With silent agreement, they left the sanctity of the tree behind them. The storm had blown over during the night, but the ground was still fairly wet; the grass and mud only went on for a few more miles before the desert wasteland began, however. Meanae remained standing under the tree, staring after them, her eyes a turmoil of emotions.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[YamiMarik]

Yeah this getting good...

[Gemini Ty]

Whee...moving too quickly for you? Here's part eight! And it may surprise you as well! ^_^

Part Eight

"What are you doing here?" Garoozis asked Meanae quietly.

"You owe me," she replied. "I saved your life during that heist in the Fiend's Sanctuary, if you’ll remember."

"That was a fluke and you know it."

Meanae shrugged. "Don didn't seem to think so."

"You know what I think about Don Zaloog!" Garoozis snapped, then shook his head. "This is highly dangerous, Meanae. You don't even know what we're doing."

"Only because they refuse to tell me," she said hotly, gesturing to the pair in front of them, "and you're no better. I can take care of myself, you know. I may never find you again, and if I ever want that debt you owe me repaid then I won’t let you out of my sight until you do!"

Garoozis rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just don't get in my way."

The Black Wing Mountains loomed ahead. Now that they were in the desert, Garoozis had stowed his cloak away in what was apparently a magic bottomless bag whose history he wouldn't give out, and let his expensive iron armor show. Rhea had full-body armor, unlike Garoozis—who had much of his body bare despite the armor—and was probably rather hot inside of it, but had nowhere to put it if she had taken it off.

Dyrsin's Territory was not a large country. Stretching in a think ark from east to west, it went from the Boundary of Other-Realm, past Talenterin's west border and most of the way across Ictheria, but from its southern border up to its northern border at the Boundary again, it was very thin, and the time it took to walk from the south to the north was barely two days. Of course, camping in Dyrsin's Territory was no fun, but there were few sandstorms unlike the other desert countries because the Boundary absorbed most of the energy from the air currents.

"We should be there by tomorrow afternoon," Sirla said, "as long as my maps were correct."

As the sun rode high in the sky, Sirla began to wonder for the first time just what they would find in the Caverns of Destiny…

-----

The same sun shone down on a battle field. A few hours after Kalrish had left them, one of Shrir's scouts had found an abandoned fortress that the armies had decided to use as a temporary base of operations, but they had been set up. The fortress had been abandoned on purpose to draw them into it, where they couldn't defend themselves well, and Shrir's and Joan's forces had found themselves surrounded by a huge army of dinosaurs. The armies had clashed almost at once, but instead of leading the battle, Shrir had grabbed Joan and dragged her up into the fortress.

"Shrir," Joan protested, "I really must go lead my forces—"

"Now you listen here," Shrir said acidly. "This is our first battle, and I'm going to call all the shots. You can stand back and look pretty, or swing your sword around if you wish, but leave the commanding to me!"

Joan could hear the battle raging outside. "Please, Shrir, I really must…" She trailed off as a shrill whistling sound rose over the noise. "Get down!" she cried, ducking slightly.

Shrir instead drew himself up to his full height. "I could kill you now, you know," he continued, paying no heed to Joan's words. "I'm surprised that I've been generous enough to let you live this long!"

"Shrir! You are so blinded by your self-centeredness and lust for power that you have no idea what is going on around you! Now get down!"

"No," Shrir replied calmly. "I can see perfectly fine."

With a screech of metal scraping over rock, the wall behind Shrir exploded inward, sending fragments everywhere. Only barely slowed by the rock, the iron ball continued on its path of destruction, slowing only slightly as it encountered something soft before plowing through the next wall.

"Cannons," Joan said softly. "Dyrsin's discovered gunpowder."

Then all other sounds were drowned out by a howl of pain and fury that shook the fortress's foundations and stopped the battle in its tracks before being cut short, leaving the plains in shocked silence.

-----

Velith looked up as a sudden, sharp noise from outside caught his attention. He moved over to the window, already dreading what he knew he would see. And he was right: Scaling the wall were dinosaur shock troops, hundreds of them. They were invading, and there was nothing they could do to stop it with so few dragons…

Turning away from the window, Velith ran over to the wall and activated a hidden switch. A door slid open, and Velith ran down the passageway that lay behind it, vanishing into the darkness. There was no time to lose; he had to find Macuya and Cera immediately.

-----

Kalrish bounded into the room, and then knelt down as Dyrsin turned to face him. "The General, the big dragon General is dead, Master!" the raptor exclaimed. "I saw him with my own eyes! He had a big hole through his chest from the cannon shot!"

"Very good, Kalrish," Dyrsin responded softly. "Without Shrir their army will fall apart. What about that Ictherian queen?"

"We have not seen her, we only know she was with the General when he was shot. She probably wants to save him!"

"How foolish of her. He obviously hates her and the rest of her kind. Ah, well, humans are known to be foolish." Dyrsin turned and looked out the small window in the wall. "You are dismissed. Oh, and…tell Guraaru to expect company soon."

"Yes, Master, yes," Kalrish replied, bowing as he exited the room.

All is going according to plan, Dyrsin thought smugly. Soon enough, all of this land will be mine…and the dinosaurs can prosper once again.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[Newzfoxjr]

Niiiiiiiice, good chapter Gemini.

[Wani]

Ooh... Looks good.

Dumb question. Why'd you call Grarl Guraaru, apart from that being his Japanese name? <_< >_>

[Gemini Ty]

Mostly because I can't stand the name Grarl. -_-
And Guraaru sounds better! ;D

[YamiMarik]

Very Awsome Gemini!

[Gemini Ty]

Sorry it took longer than usual, but this is getting much harder to write! Part nine is finished, though. The story is getting closer and closer to being over!

Part Nine

A burst of purple light filled the corridor. The shock troops disintegrated, but more took their place. Kasil raised his staff and blasted another group of dinosaurs into dust, and yet more came. There's too many! he cried silently. He released another energy blast and ran around the corner.

Cera was faring no better. She was easily faster than the shock troops, and knew all the secret passages through the keep, but wherever she went the shock troops were as well. She needed to find Velith; he would know what to do. Emerging from a spiral staircase, she joined Macuya, who was running the same direction. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something strange—but then, everything seemed strange now.

-----

The area around Velith was calm, quiet. The shock troops didn't—perhaps couldn't—come near him. Perfectionist Drake lay on a bed in front of him; her throat was wrapped in bandages which were hopefully helping her heal. She should’ve been sleeping, but her eyes were open and watching Velith as he approached.

"It's here, isn't it?" Perfectionist Drake asked weakly. "Doom…has come to Talenterin, hasn't it?" Velith nodded silently. "Forget me…go…your people need you…"

"Do they?" Velith replied, giving nothing away.

"I know…who you are…I spied on…you… Please, leave me. Do…your duty…to your people… Save your…sister…"

"You will be safe from them," Velith promised, barely whispering.

"There is another who holds your heart." Perfectionist Drake's voice was fading rapidly. "When she returns…stop hiding your feelings for her…and stop hiding yourself from them…all of them…"

"When this is over, you will still be here. Wait for me, Perfectionist Drake. You must stay strong!"

But the spy had already passed out, too fatigued by her injuries to remain conscious. Slowly, reluctantly, Velith left the room. Perfectionist Drake had been right, there was someone else who held Velith's heart. He only hoped she was all right now, wherever she was…

-----

The Caverns of Destiny, despite the fancy name, was no more than a roughly-hewn tunnel that led under the Black Wing Mountains and, supposedly, under the Boundary as well. Ancient myths abut the Caverns spoke of a magic that could change one's fate, a magic that was held at the very end of the tunnel—a magic that was, of course, the Legacy.

The four travelers had reached the Caverns at noon. By the time they got to the end of the first cavern, it was almost pitch black inside, and they almost feared they would have to turn back. However, the second cavern's walls were coated with fluorescent fungi, which allowed them to see quite well. So well, in fact, that what they didn't see caught them totally off-guard.

Meanae stopped suddenly; a sword had seemingly materialized from thin air and was now resting against her throat. "That's as far as you go," the person who was holding the sword said aloud. He stood right behind Meanae, a rather average-looking human with brown hair and a blue and yellow outfit. There was another sword in his other hand. "I'm afraid Master Dyrsin commanded me to stop you from getting any deeper into the Caverns, and that's just what I plan to do."

Garoozis pulled his axe out of the magic bag, but he didn’t have many options—none of the travelers did. The human's sword was too long, and they couldn't hope to reach him faster than the sword could cut Meanae's throat. But Meanae herself had a trick up her sleeve. The thorn whip lashed up and around her, faster than the eye could see. The human, startled, took a step back, and the whip wrapped around his wrists and began cutting into his skin. The swords fell to the ground, and he dropped to his knees.

Meanae pulled the whip tighter, and the human cried out in pain. "Never sneak up on a Dark Scorpion," she told him. "It's not productive to a long life."

"Please, don't kill me!" the human exclaimed. "My name is Tryce, I was hired by Dyrsin to protect this cavern… But there are others waiting for you ahead, you should focus on them!"

"Well, Tryce," Rhea said, stepping forward, a disdainful expression on her face, "thank you for the warning. I'll keep an eye on him, you three go on ahead."

Sirla nodded. "Thank you, Rhea. Shall we?"

Meanae unwound her whip and followed Garoozis and Sirla as they made their way across the cavern and into the next. The third cavern was not as brightly lit as the second. The fungi were still there, but not in so great of numbers, and there were many shadowy spots. Stalagmites and stalactites protruded from the floor and ceiling, giving the cavern an ominous feeling. And unlike Tryce, the person in the third cavern was standing in the very center were everyone could see him.

"Guraaru!" Garoozis shouted in surprise, recognizing who it was right away.

The second guardian of the Legacy was big, to say the least. He was a dinosaur, but very humanoid, with bulging muscles, yellow armor covered with what appeared to be runes, and holding a monstrous axe that had the same armor built into it.

"Garoozis, who would've thought I'd meet you here?" Guraaru replied in a deep voice, grinning with malevolent intent in his eyes. He hefted his axe and pointed the it at the travelers. "So, which of you gets to be my first victim?"

Sirla backed up slightly. "Garoozis," she whispered, "I'm no good at fighting! Can you defeat him?"

"I can, but it won't be easy," he replied, also whispering. "That axe of his looks nasty. Don't worry, Sirla, I'll take care of him."

Guraaru stepped forward. "What's this, a committee? Let's get this fight started!"

The guardian leaped forward, slashing at Garoozis with his axe. Garoozis jumped backwards, narrowly missing Meanae, and started to slash back. Guraaru's axe began to glow with green energy, and Garoozis suddenly felt heavy, too heavy to stand. He fell to one knee, using his own axe to hold himself up, and tried to raise his head to look at Guraaru. The dinosaur was grinning wider than he had been before, holding his axe steadily pointing at Garoozis.

"Like it?" he asked. "It's called the Gravity Axe. It has the magical power to increase the gravity around an area. I’m no stranger to its power, which is why I'm so handsomely strong! You, on the other hand, are weak, and its magic is forcing you to bow at my feet—as you should have been from the start!" Meanae, using this distraction to her advantage, began moving stealthily around Guraaru and toward the fourth cavern's entrance. "We've known each other for a long time, Garoozis, and you've always thought you were better than me. Now I'll show you who's really better!" The glow around the Gravity Axe intensified, and Garoozis sank lower to the ground.

"Guraaru, stop this!" Garoozis exclaimed, his voice strangling itself in the immense gravity. "What's come over you?"

"This is the end, Garoozis," Guraaru replied, glancing up at Sirla. "Your little friend is scared stiff. Too bad she can't save you now. Old friend."

TO BE CONTINUED…

[Wani]

Ooh, the plot thickens.

And as I just said in chat, Guraaru looks silly. ^_^

[Anti Cide]

Ok I've caught up and I really got into it on chapter seven, and it had gotten way better, and as Wani said the plot wow, it sure did thicken, I can't wait for more, awesome job Ty.

[Michizure]

yup, its getting good. Sounds like its not too far from being over. Do you have intentions of posting the sequels to this as well?

[Gemini Ty]

Yes, I do. But don't expect The Stars of Chaos for some time, I'll be doing it a bit differently than Dyrsin's Legacy...

[YamiMarik]

I like this fan fic.Its cool!

[Gemini Ty]

As the story nears its close, it's becoming harder to write...writer's block is so mean! :(
Anyway, as of now I expect the story to be anywhere from 12 to 15 parts long. And now, without further ado...part ten!

Part Ten

Alira threw a shock troop out of his way. They were becoming pests; he needed to find the Darkflare Dragon, but the shock troops had apparently scared him off! Growling, he stalked down the hallway. There must be something here I can kill! he thought angrily. A flash of light from ahead caught his eye. As silently as possible, he ran up to the corner of the hallway and peered around it. It's that magician! Alira exclaimed silently, eyes widening in recognition. Physically I'm powerful but magically I'm not…I probably wouldn't stand a chance against him. But if I can get that staff of his… His mind made up, Alira threw his cloak around him and stepped into the shadows where he couldn't be seen.

-----

Kasil's retreat continued. He couldn't fight off the dinosaur shock troops quickly enough to escape them, and neither could he find an alternate route. At the rate he was going, he would end up backed up against a wall in the Darkflare Dragon's throne room… He could continue using his magic in there to defend himself, but only for a small amount of time before it wore him out and he'd have to stop.

"This way!" a voice called, and Kasil turned down a side corridor to follow it. He recognized the voice's owner as the keep's head cook, a rather nondescript dragon. There were a few more dragons around him, whom he assumed were the kitchen staff, and with them was none other than the Darkflare Dragon himself.

"Quickly," the Darkflare Dragon said, beckoning Kasil to him with one hand. "My magic will protect us."

"What can your magic do that mine cannot?" Kasil asked incredulously.

"Look around you." The Darkflare Dragon gestured to what Kasil now realized was an area devoid of shock troops. In fact, there were shock troops marching down the hallway adjoining this one, but it was as if they couldn't see Kasil and the dragons at all!

"H-How?" Kasil asked, wide-eyed.

"They see an illusion," the Darkflare Dragon explained. "To them, we are a solid wall. They are weak-minded, and thus easily influenced by my—"

"But I'm not!"

Alira stood within the circle of the illusion. His cloak slid to the floor, revealing a powerfully-built body underneath, now clothed only in a thin black vest. The torchlight gleamed on his brown scales, accenting a tattoo on his right shoulder in the shape of a black dragon's skull.

He stepped forward, raising one clawed hand with the palm facing up in a symbol of entreaty. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, Darkflare Dragon," Alira said, grinning. "Your time…is up."

-----

"Sirla help me please!"

Garoozis's mangled cry rang throughout the cavern. He was suffocating, choking on oxygen that was now too heavy to leave his lungs. Cracks radiated out along the stone floor from where he was amazingly still on one knee. He wouldn’t be for much longer, though; his body's increased weight felt like an invisible hand attempting to drag him into the depths of their world.

Sirla, on the other hand, was frozen in terror. She could no longer back up; the wall was directly behind her, one of the cavern’s many stalactites pushed up against her flank. But she couldn't feel it, or anything else for that matter. Visions from her past swam before her eyes, called forth by her terror, reminding her of the many horrible things she'd done all those years ago before leaving her behind forever…

Movement to her left caught Sirla's attention, and curiosity broke through her fear for a moment. Rhea, realizing there was a problem, had come running to the third cavern, but had come up short against a transparent wall that had suddenly interposed itself between the second and third caverns. She was pounding her fists on the wall and shouting loudly, but Sirla couldn't hear her…the wall was magically soundproof.

"Ready to give up yet, Garoozis?" Guraaru asked, grinning widely. The Gravity Axe in his hands continued to grow brightly as its energy focused on the body before it.

"She's…the…one…you…want!" Garoozis shouted, running out of strength.

"Master Dyrsin told me not to trust you, just in case," Guraaru responded grimly. "And since she's no danger to me, I doubt Master Dyrsin would care if you died!"

Garoozis tried to make a reply, but at that moment his last reserve of strength gave out. He collapsed to the floor, eyes shut tightly against what he knew would inevitably come. A knife flashed out of the darkness and sank into Guraaru's shoulder. He cried out in pain, and the magic around the Gravity Axe flared and died. Guraaru turned toward Meanae, with her arm still extended in a throwing position.

"I expect that knife back," the Dark Scorpion said solemnly.

"Oh, you’ll get it back," Guraaru replied, his cheery disposition gone. "After I shove it through your heart!"

Guraaru felt a sudden searing pain in the back of his neck, then felt nothing at all…

TO BE CONTINUED…

[Michizure]

ooh suspense. I'm surprised you'd let someone get the better of Garoozis! he's your favorite!

[Gemini Ty]

Heh...well, part eleven has the conclusion to that battle, so you'll just have to see what happens! ^_^

[Wani]

Hmm... Interesting... Gimme more!

*gives GT the Writer-Block-Removing-Dynamite* It's evil, isn't it...

[Gemini Ty]

Part eleven is finished now, on paper, I just need to type it up! Since I'm stuck on dial-up for a day or two, expect it tomorrow morning or afternoon.

[Wani]

<_< Don't post in here if you don't have more Dyrsin's Legacy for me to read! You get my hopes up and then let me down... ;.;

Nah, just being stupid. Just stop building this suspense! *dies from suspense*

[Gemini Ty]

Heh...well, here's part eleven! And just to make you people anxious, part twelve is also done! See what having no stable internet connection can do? I won't post part twelve for a little while though.
(And I didn't get the quotation marks and such replaced this time, not enough time to do it!)

Part Eleven

The Darkflare Dragon stepped forward. "Your hand says you wish to speak," he told Alira, "yet your eyes say you wish to kill. Now tell me, assassin, which is it?"

Alira burst out laughing. "It is both, dragon! I will boast to you as your blood streams down my arm!"

"If you're so confident of yourself, then attack me. Kasil, stand down," he said as the Dark Magician raised his staff. Kasil, looking confused, lowered it.

"How foolish," Alira replied. "Do you really think I'd attack you outright?"

"Yes," was the stern response.

Growling, Alira turned as if to go, his arms lowering to his sides. His tail thrashed once, then his body grew still. He was breathing deeply and slowly, head down. Kasil held his breath, waiting to see what would happen. And then Alira struck.

Or tried to. The assembled dragons and Kasil gasped in astonishment as Alira struck a wall that seemed to be formed of liquid white light. The assassin roared in anger, pushing his claws into the wall, straining his muscles against it, with little effect.

“Do not trifle with me, assassin,” the Darkflare Dragon warned coldly. “You are an intruder here in my castle, and I do not take lightly to intruders.” He paused for a moment. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a song to listen to.”

“A song?” Kasil asked, a curious glint in his eyes. “Your Majesty, what—?”

The Darkflare Dragon silenced him with one hand, then turned and began walking away. Faintly, low but slowly growing in intensity, Kasil heard a voice, singing. “Ignore the singing as though your life depended on it,” the Darkflare Dragon instructed Kasil and the dragons, “because it just may. As long as that assassin has his killer intent focused on me, my barrier will hold him back. But if he targets you when I’m not close by, if the song affects you and you fall behind…there will be nothing I can do to help you.”

“If the song affects…?”

But then Kasil understood. The song had continued increasing in pitch, and now Alira was fully still. His eyes were wide open but not seeing; his arms lay limply at his sides. His mouth was partly open as well, revealing the twin rows of deadly sharp teeth.

“Just what kind of sick magic is this?” the Dark Magician demanded, turning back to the Darkflare Dragon.

“Kasil, you’ve told me the story of why you are here. Tell it to me again, with as much detail as possible.”

Kasil had no idea what was going on, but did as he was told while the Darkflare Dragon led them through the keep. Everywhere they looked, dinosaur shock troops either stood around in seemingly—and ironically—a state of shock, or lying on the floor, fast asleep. Throughout the time they were walking, the song continued getting louder, until they entered the throne room. By that time, Kasil was getting hoarse from shouting over the song. The Darkflare Dragon paused for a minute, his glowing white eyes shut, and abruptly the singing died out.

“Go and collect their bodies,” the Darkflare Dragon said, turning towards the kitchen staff. “Put them in the courtyard and bar the gates, before they awaken. If you find the assassin, lock him in the dungeon. Otherwise, be on your guard, for the assassin will almost definitely break the spell long before the shock troops do, and he will be very angry when he does.”

As the servants left to carry out this task, Kasil noticed for the first time that Velith, Cera, and Macuya were not with them, nor had they been the whole time. Now where could those three be after all this? he wondered.

“A great disaster has been averted,” the Darkflare Dragon said, breaking into his thoughts. “But we still have another before us—“

“If the Legacy is not taken from Dyrsin successfully,” Kasil finished for him. “I know, I know, but I’m sure they’ll be fine. After all, what could go wrong?”

-----

“It’s not fair!” Garoozis shouted, pounding one fist into the ground, and instantly regretting it as pain shot up his arm. “He was my best friend, and now he’s…and I…”

“There was nothing more that could be done,” Meanae said, massaging his thick shoulders in an attempt to calm him down. “He would’ve killed you, he would’ve killed us all!”

They no longer had anything to fear from Guraaru, unless he managed to return from the dead. After letting his concentration slip, and this withdrawing the Gravity Axe’s power, Guraaru had turned his back on what he’d deemed to be the defeated Garoozis and gone after Meanae. Despite the damage he’d taken from the Gravity Axe’s magic, with that magic gone, Garoozis had found the strength he’d needed to pick up his own axe and swing it at Guraaru. Mostly a self-defensive move that normally would be nowhere near working, Guraaru was nevertheless so distracted by Meanae that the attack had hit home, driving deep into the back of the dinosaur’s neck and severing his spinal cord. Soon thereafter, Guraaru had died.

Even though the threat of Guraaru was gone, there was still one more cavern remaining in the Caverns of Destiny, and for all they knew there could be something even worse waiting for them in there. Besides, they all needed the rest. Sirla was still trembling, an after-effect of her earlier terror; Garoozis was, of course, quite sore after having his body weight suddenly quintupled (or more). Meanae had been quite sure she’d die after hitting Guraaru with her knife, and Rhea was still trapped behind the transparent wall.

Three hours passed before they thought themselves ready to move on. Entering the fourth cavern was no fun, as they soon found out. The way between was a small, round tunnel, filled with stalactites and stalagmites that stuck out at odd angles. On their way through it, Meanae tripped and narrowly missed skewering herself on a rather sharp stalagmite, but Garoozis reached out and caught the back of her shirt, halting her fall.

Though he’d saved Meanae, Garoozis seemed to be half-dead. His movements, even while catching her, seemed mechanical, as though he was sleep walking. Sirla watched him worriedly, hoping he’d snap out of it soon, because otherwise, if they ran into trouble it would be up to Meanae to save them… But what if we run into something worse than Guraaru? Will I just sit back and watch it kill them both?

“Oh!” Meanae suddenly shouted. “In all the excitement, I forgot my knife!” She turned and ran back to get it.

Sirla willed Garoozis to complain, as he should’ve, but he seemed oblivious to what was happening. He kept walking toward the fourth cavern, and Sirla followed him after a moment’s hesitation. The tunnel did not go on for much longer anyway, before opening on the fourth cavern. It was not well-lit, like the first cavern, but unlike that one there was what appeared to be a glowing ring on the far end of the cavern, which was so bright that it lit up the middle “walkway” between the stalactites and stalagmites that also inhabited most of this cavern, except for a portion across the middle that was almost like a road leading straight to the ring. The sides of the cavern remained dark, and out of that darkness came a scratching sound that echoed around the cavern, as though something was crawling around on the walls.

An arrow whistled between two stalagmites to their left and planted itself firmly in Garoozis’s shoulder, what little of it wasn’t protected by the iron shoulder pad. Garoozis stopped short; other than stopping, he didn’t cry out or make any other motion to indicate that he knew that he’d been struck.

He’s still in shock! Sirla realized. An arrow like that could kill him if I don’t do something! Another arrow slammed into Garoozis’s chest. He took a hissing breath but didn’t move. But what can I do? Without…without revealing… I can’t keep standing around while others get hurt for me! I can’t! Besides, no one will see…no one will know…

TO BE CONTINUED…

[Michizure]

oh no! Garoozis! this won't do at all gemini, lol. Can you post part 12 tonight? it would be nice if you did...

[Malice]

It would be very nice!
Please
*whimpers*

[Gemini Ty]

Ha ha, yes, if this blasted dial-up time limit will allow me to!

[Newzfoxjr]

XD Dial up stinks :eek:

Nice Gemini, Keep it up. :D

[Gemini Ty]

Meh...later than I had hoped, but here is part twelve! Perhaps soon I'll be off dial-up and won't have this problem anymore! >_>

Part Twelve

I can’t keep standing around while others get hurt for me! I can’t!

Sirla Ya strode forward and planted herself between Garoozis and the mystery archer. “Show yourself!” she called defiantly into the darkness.

“Are you finally brave, star-dragon?” a mocking voice responded.

Sirla growled back. A nimbus of white light flowed up around her body and began illuminating the cavern. An arrow whizzed out of the receding darkness, aimed for Sirla’s left flank, but it never hit. It struck the nimbus and hung there a moment, then disintegrated. The shadows fled as Sirla’s light brightened, and finally revealed the archer: a gray dragon!

“Just who do you think you are?” Sirla shouted angrily. “You are a dragon! You should be helping us, not hindering us!”

“My name be Ceal, star-dragon,” he responded, bowing slightly. “I be a master archer and final guardian of the Legacy, that which you seek.” He gestured with one tip of his bow to the glowing ring suspended in midair at the end of the cavern. “To reach it, get past me you must!”

Sirla smiled unpleasantly. “If it must be so, then so be it.” The nimbus around her body continued to get brighter. Glancing to her left, she checked to see if Garoozis’s eyes were closed. They were, and she turned back to Ceal. “Master archer or not, you will not be permitted to harm me or my companions.”

Faster than the eye could see, Ceal loaded an arrow onto his bow and launched it. Instead of aiming it at Sirla as she’d expected, he’d aimed it between her wings and at Garoozis’s head…but again, it never hit. The nimbus around Sirla’s body reached out and consumed it as it tried to pass her.

“Your arrows are as addled as your mind, dragon,” Sirla said, her voice becoming terrible to hear as the nimbus grew even brighter.

Ceal closed one eye and fired another arrow, but by that time it was too bright around Sirla to see what happened to it. He took a few short steps back, trying to get far enough from the light to get a clear shot, but suddenly the nimbus exploded outward, engulfing the whole cavern, and there was no escape from it…

-----

The armies of Talenterin and Ictheria were being herded into groups. When the cannons had attacked the fortress and they’d all heard Shrir’s death cry, and, if they were close enough, seen the hole through his back and chest, they’d known it was over… Their General was the heart and soul of the dragons’ army; without him, they had no more will to fight. As for the Ictherians, their queen was in there as well…what hope could they possibly have?

Not all of them were defeated though. A small band of humans and dragons, led by Lizard Soldier, who was neither—he’d joined Talenterin’s army for the benefits—was putting up a resistance against the dinosaurs still. They were too few, though. Lizard Soldier himself was small and fast, making a difficult target for the mostly slow dinosaurs, especially the Black Tyrannos that kept interfering in the battle with the hopes of crushing the opposition underfoot. A Mystical Elf among the resistance fighters was helping by creating shields to block the dinosaurs’ attacks, while the other human and dragon warriors attacked from behind them. It still wasn’t enough though, there were simply too many dinosaurs!

“Come on!” Lizard Soldier shouted above the noise. “Let’s show all of these blasted dinosaurs a lesson they’ll never for…get…”

He broke off as a new sound rose above the din. All heads turned towards the fortress. The roof, mostly undamaged from the cannon attacks, was now cracking and slowly expanding outwards from an unseen force underneath. With a sudden roar that was not the sound of the wood shingles splintering, the roof exploded and from it emerged none other than General Shrir, trumpeting a battle cry that was, if at all possible, even louder than his previous death cry. Most miraculously, other than the fact that the horn on the left side of his head was now broken in two, Shrir was unharmed. Even stranger, Joan was astride his neck, holding on as if for dear life. The Tyrant Dragon furled his wings and dove at the dinosaur army, spewing fire across the plain.

The tide of the battle had swiftly and sharply turned. The dinosaurs, unsure of what to do now that so great a threat was upon them, scattered and fled. But Shrir noted that all of the dinosaurs fled in the same direction, towards Dyrsin’s castle. They will return with reinforcements, he thought smugly. Unless, of course, we advance on them and take them at their front gates!

Joan smiled. “Then what are we waiting for?” she yelled over the wind coming from Shrir’s wingbeats, as though reading his mind. “Let’s go get them!”

Shrir smiled in excitement, then flapped his wings harder and flew after the retreating dinosaurs. The gathered humans and dragons followed the General, just as excited. They were about to win the war!

-----

“Your plans have been foiled yet again.”

Dyrsin snorted contemptuously at Broken Chain’s comment. “What makes you think that, dragon?” he asked, sneering.

“A feeling in my bones, Highness,” the prisoner replied. “Soon, I shall be rescued, and you will be put to rest for good.”

“Humph,” was Dyrsin’s response to that. He turned and left the dungeon chamber, cape fluttering idly in the still air. “He’s a fool,” he told himself. “Me, defeated? Never. All I need is the Legacy, and I will be undefeat…able…”

He paused for a moment and considered that. What if the Darkflare Dragon’s team had gotten the Legacy? No, he assured himself. The Guardians would’ve stopped them. Guraaru is very strong, much stronger than Garoozis, and Sirla Ya is no threat. That other one, Joan’s little girl, she’s pretty average for an Ictherian, not much to worry about from her. He nodded, convinced that he would get nothing but a good report from the Guardians once those three were dispensed with. Besides, Garoozis would turn his back on his current employers to save himself, Dyrsin knew. Nothing if not self-preserving, those mercenaries, he told himself. Once again satisfied, he stalked off to the upper levels of the castle, above ground level anyway. Standing around in the darkness was not fitting for a king anyway.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[Malice]

O_O
Unexpected Indeed
Exactly how a story should be

KEEP IT THAT WAY!

[Wani]

When do we get the next bit?

[Anti Cide]

Wow, this just gets better and better, you should post more soon ;D!

[Gemini Ty]

Hee, keep expecting surprises! Because I plan to dish them out. Part thirteen isn't done yet, and because of dial-up, I may have it up tomorrow morning to afternoon-ish.

[Newzfoxjr]

Afternoon-ish? XD

Good Chapter Gemini.

Surprises own! Keep 'em up! ^_^

[Gemini Ty]

Part thirteen is here...and in my opinion, it has the biggest surprise yet! Subject to personal opinion of course. Anyway, enjoy! :)

Part Thirteen

The shock troops were all gone by the time Sirla returned to Darkflare Keep. No sign of the assassin had been found, but two of the kitchen servants were discovered dead during the hunt, so they knew he was still in the castle, and the lesser servants were worried. Those that had been invited to the Darkflare Dragon’s throne room had all but forgotten in the excitement brought with Sirla’s arrival.

"Sirla Ya," the Darkflare Dragon said from his throne on its dais, "do you have the Legacy?"

The mercenary, Garoozis, stepped forward. He reached into a small bag at his side and pulled out an off-white ball that was clearly much larger than the bag itself; it was about the size of Garoozis's head. "Here, Your Majesty, is the Legacy."

"It should be glowing," the Darkflare Dragon commented, tilting his head slightly to one side.

"It appears to be damaged," Rhea spoke up. "When we found it, we noticed a small crack on it. It may…have lost its power."

The Darkflare Dragon was silent. This development seemed to disturb him, although it was impossible to tell behind his glowing white eyes. "Sirla," he said finally, "tell us what happened."

So Sirla told the gathered dragons and Kasil about hiring Garoozis and finding Meanae, about capturing Tryce, and the battles with Guraaru and Ceal. Garoozis closed his eyes and turned his head while she spoke of Guraaru’s death. "Using a light spell I learned in a book, I managed to blind Ceal. Needless to say, without being able to see, Ceal's weapon was pretty useless, so he surrendered."

"However," Garoozis broke in, "Meanae was unknowingly caught in the spell and blinded as well." He looked at her, and saw that her head was down, her now murky blue eyes full of tears.

"Even blinded," Sirla went on, “Meanae was invaluable to the mission. The Legacy was protected by a ring that seemed to be formed of lightning. It was in an alcove in the rock wall, you see, and the ring—which we called the Destiny Ring, since it's in the Caverns of Destiny—was blocking our way. Both Garoozis and I tried to get through the Destiny Ring but it was like a wall. Meanae, on the other hand, walked through it like it wasn’t even there, and got the Legacy for us, without even being able to see. It was pretty amazing," she admitted.

"Once we had the Legacy," Rhea finished, "the magic walls blocking the way between caverns went down and we were able to escape. Then we flew here on Sirla's back and, well, here we are. Has St. Joan returned yet?"

"Not yet," the Darkflare Dragon replied. "Now, if you would—"

"Majesty," Garoozis interrupted, "is there anything that can be done about Meanae's vision? She only followed us so that I could pay off a debt I owed to her, and I feel responsible."

"We shall see," he responded, sounding a little annoyed. "In the meantime, give me the Legacy so I can examine it. Something supposedly indestructible that is cracking ought to be looked at."

Garoozis turned to Sirla and held out the white ball. "You do the honors," he said. Nodding, she took it from him, and began moving toward the dais.

"No!" Alira landed heavily on the floor after jumping from a balcony above, his cloak flying off behind him. With a roar he leaped forward, claws outstretched before him, and slammed into Sirla. She was bigger than him, but there was enough force in his jump that she lost her balance. He began digging his claws into her neck, but as she fell backwards she kicked her legs out and sent Alira flying over her head. The Legacy dropped from her forepaw, bounced, then rolled over to where Alira had landed.

The assassin staggered to his feet. "That belongs to my master," he said, picking it up. "I will return it to him."

Garoozis pulled out his axe and took a step forward. "Alira, end this madness now!"

"You’re such a softie, Garoozis," he replied, grinning, then rolled to his left and grabbed Cera. "Allow me to leave and she won’t get hurt," he demanded, pushing one claw against her neck.

"Sirla!" the Darkflare Dragon cried out in alarm. "Cera!" This was simply too much… Sirla lay on the ground, her strength exhausted as blood leaked from her wounds, and Cera, trapped in the assassin’s clutches as a hostage… He had to decide now, whether to be a king, a lover, or a brother…

As though that thought had been some sort of magic, the Darkflare Dragon's greatest illusion—his own appearance—finally snapped. The glow that hid his eyes vanished, revealing yellow ones beneath. The black "skin" that covered his body wavered, dissipated, vanished entirely, leaving only light brown scales and a body much thinner than the illusion had made it seem. Only the green cape remained; it, at least, was real.

"Velith!" three voices shouted at once.

"My brother, your illusion!" Cera shouted. Alira was already dragging her off into the darkness.

Velith shook his head to clear it. "Halt, assassin!" he called out. "Bring her back!"

"Come and get her if you want her!" he replied. "At my master's castle! Ha! Allow me free passage and I give you my word, she will not be harmed."

The former Darkflare Dragon was trembling. "Can…can I trust your word?"

"I am honorable, if nothing else. She will not be harmed if I am unhindered. But she is coming with me the whole way."

Velith sighed in resignation. "Let him pass," he said, waving the assassin on weakly with one hand.

"But…but Your Ma…Velith…whoever you are," Kasil objected, "we can't let him escape with the Legacy!"

"It's powerless," he replied, sinking to his knees. "As powerless as I was to stop the assassin."

"There is always hope, sir," a feminine voice said from across the room.

"You should be in bed!" Velith cried, alarmed once again.

Perfectionist Drake smiled. It was a sad smile. "There is always hope," she repeated. "Sometimes, to fix something, it must first be broken. And there are wheels within wheels. If you can find the inner wheels, you can solve the mystery."

Her eyes are clouded! Velith realized. She can't see! Something is terribly wrong here. "I will go after the assassin," he said weakly. "I must save Cera. Please, all of you, watch over the keep while I am gone. I shall return…I hope."

"There is always hope," Perfectionist Drake repeated once more, almost inaudibly, then collapsed to the floor in a heap.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[Newzfoxjr]

O_O!!!


13 is a lucky number :D

Great Job Gemini. I enjoy this very much ^_^

[Michizure]

good work ty. good trick, I liked it.

[Wani]

#13 always seems to come out good.

That explains Velith's effect though. o.o

Very good!

[Malice]

O_O
Nice, I like it

[SKaiba]

I read them all. :) Very well written.
Though I already knew Velith was Darkflare Dragon.

[YamiMarik]

I like it!This is awsome!

[Gemini Ty]

Part fourteen has arrived! As I've told some people, it's all one big conversation, but still good! :)

Part Fourteen

"Dyrsin."

"Velith."

"You know why I'm here," Velith said coldly, stepping forward. "Give me my sister back."

Dyrsin shrugged. "I never commanded Alira to take her. I have no use for her. Come, she is in my throne room."

He turned on one foot, light blue cape swirling around his feet, and walked through a pair of gigantic doors. Velith followed, his own blue cape fluttering out behind in as a slight breeze came through the open doorway. Once through, he stopped and stared in shock. This was not just a throne room; the thing was the size of a cathedral! Golden light filtered through enormous windows aligned in rows along each of the side walls, and at the very end was a huge flower-shaped window whose light illuminated a throne set up on a high dais.

"Like it?" Dyrsin asked conversationally as they walked toward the throne. "I'm sure it seems odd, because I know you consider me evil, and yourself good. Yet here I am, basking in radiant sunlight, while you hide in the darkness like a frightened child." Velith shot him an acidic glance but Dyrsin didn't appear to notice. "It's no wonder you're always in a bad mood though; after all, who couldn't enjoy this?" Dyrsin spread his arms to emphasize his statement.

"All of this is unimportant!" Velith shouted. "Where is my sister?"

Dyrsin pointed to the throne. From the door, he hadn't been able to see her, but now that he was closer, Velith could make out a vague shape sprawled on one of the dias' huge steps. He ran to her and sat her limp body up.

"She is asleep only," Dyrsin assured him. "I have no business with her, at least not yet. So tell me, why is it that you took so long to show yourself to your people?"

"What do you mean," Velith replied, his eyes narrowing beneath the draconum helmet.

"Don't give me that 'what do you mean' nonsense. You know what I mean. It takes three thousand years for the secret to finally come out? How absurd! You might as well have shown them all who you really are instead of hiding behind your shadowy disguise, especially since you're not the first Darkflare Dragon."

"I'm not about to play your little game," Velith returned, standing up. "I know that all your power lies in your words. That's the only way you managed to convince the dinosaurs to join forces and attack Talenterin three thousand years ago, and it’s all you have now, and I'm not about to fall to it."

Dyrsin smiled. "Very well. I shall simply use another method to control you." He snapped his fingers, and from up in the rafters of the throne room a steel cage dropped and trapped Velith and Cera beneath it. The sound of metal clanging on stone awoke Cera with a start. She sat up and rubbed her head.

"Let us out of here!" Velith cried angrily.

"I see no reason to," Dyrsin replied calmly. "You are now under my power. And I'm going to enjoy every bit of it."

The doors on the other end of the throne room opened suddenly, and a raptor wearing goggles on top of its head ran in and up to Dyrsin.

"What is the meaning of this interruption, Kalrish?" Dyrsin asked.

Kalrish bowed at his king's feet. "Master Dyrsin, the Talenterin and Ictherian armies have advanced upon the castle! They are nearly at our doorstep!"

"You told me they were defeated," Dyrsin replied tersely.

"T-The big dragon General is back from the dead, Master Dyrsin! I saw him die with my own eyes, I did sir! But he's back and whole again!"

"It's a trick. Get my army back together and fend them off. The next thing I hear about those two armies had better be news of their final destruction."

"You sound worried," Velith said as Kalrish sped out of the room. "Afraid of my army, are we?"

"I wouldn't taunt me if I was in your position," Dyrsin responded, turning his head to look at Velith with one eye. "Now that you’re my captive, I'll be able to take your land with ease."

"Didn't it ever occur to you to ask for land?" Velith retorted angrily.

"Yes, it did. But you won't give it to me. You're too selfish and greedy, just like your grandfather."

"I'm… My grandfather was a great king!"

"Mmm, and incredibly selfish. He had to maintain a good image to remain king, so he didn’t let his faults show through too much." Dyrsin sighed. "When my forces came to inhabit the then unclaimed lands of Talenterin, your grandfather led a rebellion to drive my people out, but we fought back. My people needed that land, and still need it today. You know all about our living conditions; my Territory has one of the lowest standards of living in the whole Shadow Realm!"

"And you assumed I wouldn't give you land because of the actions of my grandfather three thousand years ago? Which brings me to another good question: How are you still alive after three thousand years?"

"How did the Darkflare Dragon survive for three thousand years?" Dyrsin shot back.

"You know he didn't, as well as I do! My grandfather died, and his wife took his place until she died, then my father, then me. All lived under the illusion of the Darkflare Dragon's body, which never really existed."

"In other words, the Darkflare Dragon survived through a heritage passed down from your grandfather to you through others, but most importantly through magic. I also survived through magic, but not of my own doing. After I was defeated by your grandfather's army, I retreated into the Boundary to do some hard thinking. I wanted a better life for my people, but how would I accomplish that? Well, as I soon found out, time runs differently inside the Boundary, and when I emerged from it once again three thousand years had passed."

"You still haven’t answered my earlier question," Velith said. "Why did you judge me to be just like my grandfather?"

"To tell you the truth, Velith, I thought you were your grandfather for some time, until careful study revealed your true nature." Dyrsin circled around to the other side of the cage and leaned against a window frame, staring out as his army assembled in front of the castle. "It's almost sad, really, how badly I'm about to beat you. Your forces are nothing compared to mine, even with Ictheria's help. All this for a bit of land that you’re too selfish to give up. And don't start trying to offer peace treaties and all that nonsense, partaking in that would ruin my good image."

He really believes what he's saying, Velith realized. Dyrsin actually believes he's fighting for the overall good of the dinosaurs! If I can just show him how wrong he is…perhaps he can be sa—

"All of this light, and yet I can still hide in shadows?"

The voice startled them all. Dyrsin wheeled around, eyes wide not in shock but anger. "How dare you hide from me!"

"I apologize, Master," Garoozis said, stepping out from behind the massive dais. "The conversation was just so interesting, I couldn't resist."

TO BE CONTINUED…

[YamiMarik]

Wow,this is awsome!I like this fan fic..

[Wani]

Whoa! Garoozis is back!

But how come people read YOUR fanfics and not mine? ;.;

[Gemini Ty]

XD Look at Michizure's! He gets like eight posts per part. I get around two. Go complain to him! :p

[Wani]

<_< True. And what did I tell you about posting in here if you don't have a new part... I want more! *breaks down*

[Gemini Ty]

Ha ha, well part fifteen is taking me longer than usual, it's a hard one to write. @_@

Expect it later today or tomorrow.

[Gemini Ty]

AND part fifteen is now here! Took me longer than usual, but it was hard to write. -_-
Anywhoo, enjoy! :)

Part Fifteen

"I apologize, Master Dyrsin," Garoozis said, bowing slightly, "but the conversation was just so interesting, I couldn't resist."

Dyrsin turned back to the window. "So you heard everything… Well, I must apologize also, Garoozis. I wanted Guraaru to test you so I told him you were no longer loyal to me. I'm surprised at how well you did against him."

"You traitor!" Velith shouted, rattling the bars of the cage. "You helped us! You helped us get the Legacy! You saved Sirla's life, more than once!"

"You're right," Garoozis replied quietly—too quietly. "I am a traitor."

Dyrsin stiffened as he felt the touch of a cold iron blade against this throat. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked crossly.

"I have some issues to settle with you, Dyrsin. I killed my best friend, because he was under your control. But it wasn't just your words that swayed him, and all the other dinosaurs, was it?"

"How perceptive. And here I was thinking you were all brawn and no brains, Garoozis. Yes, I can control dinosaurs with my thoughts. How unfortunate for you."

Garoozis was about to ask what that last line meant when a yellowish streak shot seemingly out of nowhere and slammed him to the ground. His axe clattered away, and he instinctively kicked out with his feet. Kalrish flew backwards, but landed on his feet and raced back into the fight, his eyes pulsing with an unnatural red glow.

"And here I was thinking you might have some shred of good left in you, Dyrsin," Velith said. "You don't really care about the dinosaurs at all, do you?"

"Not a whit," Dyrsin admitted nonchalantly. "They are mere pawns in my overall plan to take control of the Shadow Realm."

Garoozis leapt to his feet and caught Kalrish's hands in his as the raptor attempted to slash him. The pair stood locked that way for a moment, Garoozis's muscular arms struggling against Kalrish's powerful legs, before jumping apart and then at one another again. Kalrish leaped up and attempted to use his teeth instead of his claws, and Garoozis raised his left arm to block the attack with his left iron bracer—before realizing that the bracer was gone, a victim of Guraaru's Gravity Axe. Kalrish clamped his jaws onto Garoozis's arm, but Garoozis curled his free hand into a fist and hit the raptor with a punch that sent him flying backward. Kalrish slammed into Dyrsin's throne, and the Legacy—which had been resting on it—bounced off and rolled over to a new resting place near where Garoozis now stood panting.

"Excellent, excellent!" Dyrsin exclaimed, clapping softly. He kicked Garoozis's axe across the floor to its owner. "Now go ahead, finish him off."

Garoozis picked up the axe, a strange gleam in his eye. "Alira was always your right-hand man. Kalrish was your left hand, but he's grown weak when compared to Guraaru and I, hasn't he? If I finish him off now, you'll have no need to dismiss him to a lower level. But I have a better idea." Without further warning, Garoozis swung his axe and struck the Legacy right on the thin crack in its side. Like glass, it exploded into thousands of tiny fragments.

Dyrsin burst out laughing as liquid golden light shot from the remains of the Legacy and wrapped around the axe. "You fool!" he cried mockingly. "You've unleashed the Legacy's holy magic! No one but me and my heir can touch it without being destroyed!"

Garoozis attempted to release his grip on the already-encompassed axe, but the magic snaked around his arm faster than he could let go. He screamed in pain and fell to his knees as the glowing energy covered his body and blocked him from view.

"It's over, Velith," Dyrsin told his captive. "In a few minutes he'll be ash in the wind. And then…then nothing will keep me from taking over Talenterin! Not you, not your army or your fake reincarnated General…nothing!"

-----

Shrir furled his wings and went into a steep dive as another cannonball barely missed his left flank. He unleashed a burst of flame, incinerating yet more of the dinosaur army, as he spread his wings and rode a thermal back above the battle. This time it seemed like the whole population of Dyrsin's Territory was there—no matter how many they killed, there were always more!

"Cannonball, fifteen degrees left!" Joan shouted over the rushing winds, holding on to Shrir's neck as if her life depended on it—and with all of the Tyrant Dragon's sudden maneuvers, it probably did.

Shrir banked to the right and down, narrowly missing a hit yet again. He swooped down upon the cannon and incinerated it in a massive fireball. "Still too close, queenie!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Give me more time to avoid them or we're both going down!"

-----

Lizard Soldier ducked, slashed, and disemboweled a raptor that had attempted to claw him. He jumped aside as another one rushed past him. Raptors were fast and smart, but so was Lizard Soldier, and as of yet he was unharmed. Ducking again, he raised his shield and the raptor that had run past him seconds before—or perhaps another one, they all looked alike to him—rammed it with a metallic clang and sent both of them sprawling on the ground. He jerked his head to one side and avoided having his head impaled by a trio of claws that dug viciously into the ground where his head had been. He rolled to one side and skewered the raptor with his sword.

Looking around him, Lizard Soldier saw that the battle was actually turning out pretty badly for the armies of Talenterin and Ictheria. Despite General Shrir's constant sweeping attacks and the combined strengths of the two armies, there always seemed to be more dinosaurs waiting to replace those that fell. The shock troops were small as well, much smaller than most of the other dinosaurs, and were able to get through the dragons' forces quickly, mostly by going under their legs.

If this keeps up, we will not last much longer, Lizard Soldier thought to himself. Curse my loyalty to this country! I am not even a dragon. Oh well, it cannot be helped.

The harsh sunlight momentarily darkened as a cloud passed over it. Lizard Soldier passed it off as nothing, and then it happened again. He looked up and froze in a strange combination of fright and curiosity. Dark clouds were spinning in a tight spiral over Dyrsin’s castle, but not tight enough. The clouds were extending over the battlefield, the swirling outer arms of the spiral creating strange light flashes as they cut off the sun for a second at a time. The battle slowed to a halt around Lizard Soldier as the troops watched the strange phenomenon blanket them in darkness.

"Dragons! Humans! Attack now as one!" Shrir was heard calling through the silence. But the response was sluggish, painfully so. Lizard Soldier realized that regardless of what the clouds were doing, the dinosaurs were becoming disinterested. He raised his shield and prepared to resume the battle.

The dinosaur army followed Shrir's orders even better than the dragons and humans did, attacking all at once with overwhelming force and ferocity.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[YamiMarik]

Wow!This is very awsome!

[Wani]

Stop ending it on cliffhangers!

>_<

[Gemini Ty]

Ha ha, I'm sorry Wani, but the only way I could prevent it from ending on a cliffhanger here was by extending the part from two and an eighth of a page to four or five pages! Or maybe three and a half. In any case, that probably wouldn't fit in one post! :p

[Michizure]

XD Look at Michizure's! He gets like eight posts per part. I get around two. Go complain to him! :p


aww, thanks Gemini, I didn't know you cared, but I'm only averaging around 5 posts per chapter :happywink . Excellent Gemini, I can't wait to see how it ends. When do you expect it to be up? What, you say, 10 minutes from now? Oh gemini, your so kind ^.^

[Gemini Ty]

Ha ha, probably tomorrow evening my time. To think...Dyrsin's Legacy is one (and possibly two, but probably not) parts from completion...then I can get going with The Stars of Chaos! ^_^

[Gemini Ty]

And so it is...all things must eventually come to an end. Part sixteen is super-long, almost twice as long as a normal part, so be prepared to READ! ^_^

Part Sixteen

Cera clung to her brother for support. "What are we going to do, Velith?" she asked fearfully. "He's going to take over our kingdom!"

"I'm not sure," Velith replied uncertainly, stroking his sister's head.

Garoozis's cry of pain peaked and faded as the light magic of the Legacy continued to brighten. It was nearly blinding now; the swiftly darkening windows were blocked out by the radiance as the afternoon sunlight was finally, totally covered by the spiraling clouds hovering miles over the castle.

Dyrsin smiled and covered his eyes with one hand. "It's over now. Garoozis is gone. Your army is defeated. Talenterin is mine!"

Cera's eyes widened in surprise. She could feel it, like a thick scent in the air… Dyrsin wasn't paying attention to them. He was raptly watching the light through half-lidded eyes, waiting for it to vanish and show Garoozis to be gone. Cera closed her own eyes and concentrated, focusing her mind on the life force pulsing through the Legacy's magic.

The light faded.

Garoozis stood there on one knee, leaning heavily on the raised leg and panting. His eyes were nearly closed, and he seemed unaware of his body now rising slowly into the air. His iron armor appeared to have absorbed the magical energy; as the light faded into nothingness, the armor and axe continued to glow with a bright golden aura. Garoozis's body straightened out as he continued to rise, but still he did not open his eyes. With a bright flash, his left bracer reappeared whole once again on his arm—albeit the cracks where it had broken were still visible in a starburst pattern—and Garoozis's axe lost its short handle, extending into an axe-staff with the two blades now ending in wicked spikes. The cuts and bruises on his body healed before their eyes.

Dyrsin stepped back, his face a mask of horror. "No…this cannot be! You should be dead!"

Garoozis's eyes shot open, his nostrils flaring as he took a deep breath. "Dyrsin…you should listen to yourself more," he said, turning toward the dinosaur king. "You said only you and your heir could touch the Legacy's magic."

"Yes, yes," Dyrsin replied quickly, "the Legacy's purpose is to…to find the heir to my…to my throne…" This time it was disgust that twisted Dyrsin's expression as Garoozis smiled slightly. "How dare you even suggest that!" he almost screamed in contempt. "I will not allow my kingdom to fall under the rule of some half-dragon freak!"

"Dyrsin, I think that for once you knew what you were doing when you created this Legacy of yours. I can feel power flowing through me! And for my first order of business…"

Utilizing a magical binocular effect on his vision, Garoozis observed the battle raging outside the window. The dragons and humans were losing, badly. But not for much longer. He lifted his staff, and four bright beams of golden light shot out of it and moved with amazing speed toward the battle below.

"This is unacceptable!" Dyrsin shouted, a tinge of insanity touching his voice. "My kingdom will not be taken over by the freak son of a thief and a whore!"

-----

Lizard Soldier landed hard on the dirt and slid a few feet before coming to a halt. The dinosaur stood above him, drool sliding from its lips and splashing on the ground near Lizard Soldier's feet. He touched his left shoulder tenderly. His hand came away bloody from the stab wound where the dinosaur's claws had penetrated his scales. That arm now hung limply at his side, the shield it had been holding somewhere nearby but now useless.

Groaning with the effort, Lizard Soldier staggered to his feet and lifted his sword until it pointed at his enemy's heart—or tried to. Before he could finish the move, a beam of light slammed into the ground between them. Lizard Soldier jumped backwards to avoid it, and then realized that there had been no impact. The light had simply passed through the dirt and sand, leaving no trace behind. Blinking the spots out of his eyes, he raised his sword again and prepared to resume the battle, but the action was as useless as his left arm. The ground began to shake and heave under Lizard Soldier's feet.

Seemingly in concert with the earthquake, the center of the spiraling cloud burst open and a massive ray of light enveloped Dyrsin's castle. Similar rays shot out of random points in the clouds and caused the dark battlefield to be bright again. It wasn't sunshine though, Lizard Soldier could tell it was too pure white for that. Something was about to happen…but what?

The unspoken question was answered immediately. The ground heaved massively, and with a roar like grating stone a huge beetle-like head shot up out of the ground where each of the four beams had landed. The head was followed by a sinuous neck, a pill-shaped body, and a whip-like tail, as each of the creatures emerged from underneath the dirt. Lizard Soldier leaped back as a chunk of dirt the size of a chair smashed on the ground where he had been standing.

The four Blue-Eyes White Dragons shook the remaining dirt off of their shining bodies, and then as a unified force of destruction they unleashed their power on the dinosaur army that was helpless to stop it.

-----

The silence in the room was almost tangible. "What did you say," Garoozis said icily.

"That’s right!" Dyrsin replied excitedly. "Your father was a common thief and your mother was a prostitute! Why else do you think they would leave Ictheria and hide out in—"

"How DARE YOU insult my parents!" Garoozis shouted with such force that Velith felt the castle floor shake. Garoozis swung his axe-staff in a broad arc, and a pair of ropes made from golden light shot out and rammed Dyrsin back into a wall, then bound him there. "You speak lies!" Garoozis continued, his voice dripping with rage. "I will not allow you to insult my parents like that!"

Dyrsin struggled against the magical energy ropes but they wouldn't budge. "You only deny it because you know it's true! Or can’t prove that it's not. You never knew your parents!"

Velith realized with a start that the floor hadn't stopped shaking. Something was wrong! He looked at Cera to see if she was still all right, and was surprised to find her deep in concentration, her hands forming the sacred Seal of Silence in front of her face. The triangular symbol, formed with her fingers, was the most powerful part of seal magic and it was the only seal Cera could use to channel her magic. But where was she channeling it to? Unless…

"You've had enough fun in this world, Dyrsin," Garoozis observed in a low voice. "It's time I put an end to it." He pointed the blade end of his axe-staff at the dinosaur king. "Any last words?"

"Garoozis!" Velith cried. "If you kill him here you'll be no better than a common murderer!" His power is out of control! If this doesn't work…I don't know what could happen! And why is Cera increasing his power through her magic?

Garoozis glared at Velith for a moment, then turned his attention back to Dyrsin. "Very well then," he said resignedly. "You wandered the mists of the Boundary for three thousand years. I think it's only fitting to condemn you to three thousand more!"

The axe-staff glowed brightly. A burning hole opened in the air in front of Dyrsin, and with a short motion of his axe-staff, Garoozis commanded the energy ropes binding him to drag a kicking and screaming Dyrsin into the rip in space-time. Through it Velith could just barely see a wisp of dark purple mist before it shrank beyond sight.

Dyrsin was gone. The castle still rocked as random blasts from the Blue-Eyes White Dragons shook it, but the real threat was gone. Velith felt as though a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Dyrsin was gone! Cera collapsed into his arms as sunlight once again filtered through the throne room's many windows, her energy exhausted by the spell she'd woven.

The glow left Garoozis's armor and axe-staff, but they remained golden. He floated gently to the floor and touched down, claws clicking softly on the stone floor. Kalrish was still sitting by the throne. Garoozis turned to him, and the raptor shrank back against the stone.

"Please do not hurt me it was not my fault I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" The raptor’s words came out in a rush as Garoozis moved closer to him.

"Be quiet now, Kalrish," Garoozis told the raptor over his constant repeat of "I'm sorry I’m sorry." "I won't hurt you now. You were under Dyrsin's control." He held out one hand to help Kalrish up, and tentatively Kalrish took it.

Despite Garoozis's words, Kalrish still backed away fearfully after Garoozis pulled him to his feet. "If there is anything," Kalrish said, "you wish for me to do…ask me! I must pay off what I have done." Garoozis nodded, and Kalrish bounded out of the room.

"Garoozis," Velith began as the new king of Dyrsin's Territory cut down the bars of the cage, "were your parents really—"

"Dyrsin lied!" Garoozis replied defensively. "I know he was wrong!"

Velith held up one hand. "What I was trying to say was, were your parents really Ictherians? Only humans can become registered citizens of Ictheria."

"Oh. That." Garoozis looked away. Slowly, he pulled a small glass vial from the bag at his side. It was half full of greenish-brown liquid. "Yes, my parents were Ictherian humans before they ran away from something there. They never told us what they ran from before…before they died. Anyway, after arriving in Talenterin they managed to get some of this." He held up the vial. "Dracoserum. Powerful substance that can turn whoever drinks it into a dragon. They each drank a quarter of the vial and became like me…part dragon. The effect should've worn off after a few years, but they didn't last long enough for it to. During that time, they had children. Two boys and a girl. The dracoserum in their blood was passed on to us by accident, and we became like that permanently. Now my brother and sister are gone, so I'm the only one left of my family… If I drink the rest of the dracoserum, I'll be fully a dragon, permanently…" He twisted the vial around between his fingers and smiled weakly. "It would be the ultimate spite to Dyrsin…to have his kingdom taken over by a dragon, and he hates dragons to the deepest degree…"

That seemed to make up his mind. Quicker than Velith could react, Garoozis pulled the stopper out of the vial and downed its meager contents in one drink. "I think my parents would want this," Garoozis said quietly. For a moment nothing seemed to happen. Then, with a strange ripping noise and a sound like paper being pulled across paper, a pair of dragon wings sprouted from Garoozis's back. And that was it.

Garoozis looked annoyed for a moment. "That's dramatic," he said dispassionately.

"At least it's something!" Velith replied, laughing. "Come on, let's get you ready to become the king of Dyrsin's Territory!"

THE END

Also, this story will get an epilogue, which I'll probably make tomorrow. And I'll also be nice and give you a sneak peek at The Stars of Chaos! ^_^

[Newzfoxjr]

O_O

Wow, I love it. As always, nice Job Gemini Ty.

[Gemini Ty]

And, finally, the epilogue. I declare Dyrsin's Legacy, complete!

Epilogue

Velith leaned on the balcony's railing, basking in the evening breeze and listening to the sounds of the dragon village far below him. It was the first time he'd been on this balcony in almost two hundred years. But he'd needed a place to think about all that had happened in the past week, and this was as good a place as any. It hardly seemed possibly that the war with Dyrsin had lasted only a week. After all that had happened…it felt like years had passed.

Meanae's eyes had been healed, by Garoozis. His new power seemed especially adept at healing. Not long after, Don Zaloog had shown up and taken her away, much to Garoozis's chagrin. He claimed that Don had done something to him during a heist at Fiend's Sanctuary…but wouldn't tell what. Sirla's and Perfectionist Drake's wounds had also been healed. Sirla's hadn't been deep to start with, but it was almost as though they had begun healing on their own at an extremely rapid pace before Garoozis got to them…

Dyrsin's castle had been damaged in last battle by the Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and had to be repaired. Despite the major search party, no trace could be found of Alira. It was assumed that he had either fled or been crushed under falling rubble. The Caverns of Destiny had also collapsed, taking the secret of the Destiny Ring with them. Velith had a hunch that the magic barrier had prevented anyone with ties to Talenterin through, however, which is why Meanae had been able to get through and not Sirla or Garoozis.

It's been two months, Velith thought, and already Garoozis is becoming a better king than I've been for the past two hundred years! He's setting up a peace force to prevent conflicts, and he's re-establishing the Council of Kings after all this time. Plus, he managed to pull the dinosaurs out of the chaos Dyrsin left them in and return order to his kingdom. His new power has definitely helped him with more than defeating Dyrsin! Which reminds me…I wonder how long it will be before he changes the name of Dyrsin's Territory? Can't be too much longer now, I know how much he hates it. And that makes me think of Shrir…I wonder what happened to him…

Shrir had returned from the battle visibly changed. He no longer expressed his hate for humans aloud. In fact, he seemed to deflate whenever one came near to him. Except for St. Joan. Everyone knew something had happened between them; the question was, what? The two were silent on the subject.

Velith sighed. It won't be much longer until the Council of Kings meets for the first time. Perhaps I'll be able to ask Joan there, where I can corner her. In the meantime, I ought to just enjoy the night…

A chill wind blew across Talenterin briefly, as though in opposition to Velith's thought. He passed it off as nothing. Just another small inconvenience in a world full of them. For now, not even cold air could ruin Velith's cheery disposition. After all, Dyrsin was gone! And he and his sister were safe. Velith smiled as the wind died down and returned to a cool breeze. Below him, the dragons of Darkflare Keep settled in for the night as the first stars appeared in the sky far above them.

[Wani]

Aww... Who said you could finish it without me to be here to see it?

Sad to see it ended, but still, a very nice fic! Can't wait for the sequel!

btw, did Garoozis become Alni-Garoozis?

[Gemini Ty]

Mmm, technically when he gained the Legacy's power he became Alni-Garoozis, but he hadn't named himself that by the end of the story. He'll be Alni-Garoozis when The Stars of Chaos begins.

[Dark_Metal_Magician]

cool story gt

[Malice]

Great job, I loved every moment
But what does Alni mean!

[Gemini Ty]

It's a nonsense word that I made up. Basically, it's a title that Garoozis created to signify which creatures were part of the Alnis that had been blessed with some of the Legacy's magic. When The Stars of Chaos comes out, it'll be discussed a little more, although the Alnis don't really show up until Dimensions of Darkness.

[Anti Cide]

Wow, Ty, I can't believe that you've ended it! Anyways it was awesome and I really enjoyed it. I look foward to more :O!

[Michizure]

Well, it wasn't that bad... :p

nah, great job gemini, I hope you start the Stars of Chaos soon! But at the pace I'm going, you'll prolly be done that before I finish mine. ^.^

[LoneFenix]

egads, took me... *looks at clock* 2 1/2 hours to read. geez.... (very quick reader usually) or not a very simple story... i was hooke after like.. the first 3 paragraphs, its a very good thing, i didnt read it before i would have been such a pest about getting it done... :P

[Newzfoxjr]

Nice GT. I love it. I'll be looking foward to The Stars of Chaos :D

[YamiMarik]

10/10 this fan fic was soo awsome can't wait for the next one! :D :happy: