It was still night when the four figures started from the town of Dermyo. Wearing a patched pair of pants, and one of her father's old shirts, Onyl trudged along behind her brother and the two Dragon Knights. She made a slight face at that last thought. Rayn wasn't really her brother at least not in a blood sense. According to what Argile and Mirage had told her, she and Rayn were part of the fabled Dragon Tribe. Great creatures who served the Goddess of Song and Love, Althena. She kicked up a chunk of dirt as she continued to walk. The woods around them moved as an invisable breeze passed by. Onyl looked around, but the forest surrounding them was shrouded in the night. She could hear the trees rustling, the crickets chirping, and the night birds singing, but she couldn't see any of it. The thought of that kind of blindness kind of unnerved her. She opened her eyes as wide as they could go, but she could only see as far as the Blue Star's light would let her. She kicked up another chunk of dirt as her frustration mounted.
A large form suddenly blocked out the Blue Star's pale light. Onyl looked up and saw Argile walking beside her. "It will do no good to be angry, Onyl. One cannot hide from what they are."
She squinted her eyes at him. Her thoughts were quickly pulled back to the source of her anger. "Well, what if I don't want to be this Goddess' Dragon or whatever you called it."
Argile waited a moment before speaking. After Onyl stopped kicking up more chunks of dirt he spoke. "Onyl, I want to explain to you just how important you really are. When you awoke for the second time this morning, you did not give me a chance to finish telling you the whole story." He waited to see if she would argue. Onyl finally put a check on her anger and let the man speak.
He reached into his gray tunic and pulled out a crest in the shape of a black dragon. "This is the Black Dragon's Crest. It is symbol and artifact directly related to the Black Dragon." She tensed for what she knew he was going to say next. "It is a part of you, Onyl. You are to become the next Black Dragon of Althena. I know this is hard for you to accept because you have lived as a normal human being for so long, but the times are desperate. We, the forces that follow Althena and all that she stands for, are in a dire struggle against an enemy that knows us better than we even know ourselves. In order to battle this evil, we need to be our strongest. That is why we need the Dragons of Althena."
The large man pulled the golden chain attached to the Crest over his head and held the artifact in his right hand. "Your real father, Shan, lost his life in battle with the Green Dragon Ziatoch just over a year ago."
"Who was that?" asked Onyl before she could stop herself. She was trying awfully hard not to be interested in what Argile was saying.
"That is quite a long story," said Argile with a sigh. "To help you understand, let me just say that the Green Dragon also tried to undo all that humanity strived for, and Shan gave his life to help try and stop Ziatoch. Ask me another time, and I will tell you the entire story." He reached out and placed the Dragon Crest in her hands. It felt warm to the touch. "Do you feel that?"
She nodded. "It feels warm with life."
Argile smiled down at her. "It thrives with the energy that you give it, or that your Aura gives it."
"My Aura?" she asked. "What's that?" By now she had forgotten all of her anger.
"The Dragon's of Althena each have their own Aura," he answered. "This is where they get the majority of their powers. This is also their connection to the Goddess, to whom they are sworn to protect along with the Dragonmaster."
"Oh, I know all about that kind of stuff," said Onyl with a laugh. "There are stories everywhere about Dragonmasters." She waited a moment before asking her next question. "Argile, is there a Dragonmaster now?"
The big man's face grew dark. "Yes," he said finally.
"Do you know him? Where is he?"
He carefully took the Black Crest from her hands and returned it to around his neck. "His name is Cole, and he is a dear friend of mine. Unfortunately, he has recently suffered a great tragedy, and as a result he has disappeared."
She stopped walking and crossed her arms in anger. "That doesn't seem right," she cried. "If he is the protector of the Goddess and all her creations, then why has he just up and left us to do all the work?"
Argile halted and looked back at her in the dim light. "It's not like that at all, Onyl," said Argile quickly. "You see, Cole lost someone very dear to his heart." He sniffed and rubbed his nose. "She was dear to all of us, but she was more than that to him. Cole hasn't left us to fight the war on our own. He has gone to reclaim the love he has lost."
Tears were now free falling down Onyl's cheeks. Her young heart had been swept up in the words of the large man. "That is so romantic," she squeaked.
"Argile? What did you say now?" called Mirage from up ahead. "Why is she crying?"
"It's not important, Mirage," called back the big man. "Why don't we stop nearby until sun up. Then we can find out where to go next." The other man agreed and started for a small clearing not far from the road. The small party started a fire and sat down to rest until sun rise.
The four of them sat cross legged around the fire and continued to chat. Onyl listened as Argile and Mirage went on to explain to Rayn and herself about the Dragon Tribe and its responsibilities. "How do you two know so much about the Dragon Tribe," asked Rayn finally. He pulled his knees up to use as a chin rest.
Mirage tossed another twig into the fire as he answered the question. "The current and only full Dragon of Althena, the Red Dragon Ruby, gave us a list of things to explain to you guys when we found you. We've add libbed about a few other things, but she says that once you get your Auras, you will inherit the knowledge of all the Dragons before you." He gave them both one of his now familiar smooth smiles. "What you do with the knowledge is your own problem."
"So where are these Auras?" asked Rayn. Onyl realized that she was going to have to teach him not to be so inquisitive to the point of being obnoxious.
"Ruby gave us a set of instructions to read after we found you," said Argile. "Once the sun is up, we will open the scroll she gave us."
Onyl sighed and laid back to stare at the sky. The stars glittered in the sky and the half full Blue Star hung there motionless. Her fear about being a Dragon of Althena was slowly turning into excitement. Her life was suddenly filled with a meaning other than waiting on drunks all day and night. She suddenly tuned into an argument between Rayn and Mirage. Rayn was saying that because Mirage was the Blue Knight, that the Pirate Lord should be taking his orders. Mirage was having none of that and was repeatedly threatening to draw his Scimitar. Onyl suddenly realized that Argile was her Knight. Just as she began to ponder that thought a light to the west caught her attention.
She turned her head and looked west to see the sky light up in a brilliant tapestry of red, orange, and yellow. "Rayn?" she asked with some concern.
Rayn halted his argument with Mirage at the sound of her voice. "Yeah, On. What is it?"
"The sun rises in the east, right?" She was now on her feet and staring westward.
"Last time I checked," answered Mirage before Rayn could. He gave the boy a triumphant smile.
"And which way were we coming from?" she asked the entire group.
"West," said Argile. "Why?"
She pointed to the west, and the three men were on their feet. "Dermyo!" shouted Rayn.
Onyl suddenly felt a rush of power. She looked around and realized that Argile had activated the magic of the Black Crest. Mirage had summoned his armor as well. Both Knights drew their weapons and started running westward. "You two stay here!" shouted back Argile. "It will be safer!"
Onyl waited thirty seconds until the Knights were out of sight. "Like hell we will." Her eyes met with Rayn's who nodded to her. The two future Dragons of Althena sprinted down the dirt road in the direction of Dermyo without any second thoughts.
Flames were writhing around stone and wood alike. Thiss stood in the middle of the burning town with a smile on his pale face. Every building around him was a flame. He watched with glee as the flames swarmed all over building after building. One home caught his attention as the wooden foundation was quickly turned to ash, and then how the stone walls of the house sunk into the ground. A woman ran from the burning home, but the Shadow Dragon stopped her escape instantly. A stream of black fire spewed from his outstretched left hand and incinerated the poor mortal. Her death cries made his smile grow even larger.
Several shouts brought the Demon Dragon quickly out of his reverie. He turned to see several of the male locals lining up to attack him. Thiss' smile became thin as he turned completely too meet them. Their clothing was hanging off of their bodies like rags. All their heads were bare and burned from the fires, and their bodies were stained black from the smoke and ash. Thiss set his feet firmly on the ground and waited for the humans to make the first move. One of the younger males charged him first. He threw a wild punch which the Shadow Dragon easily side stepped. Thiss grabbed the man's right arm and squeezed, snapping the bones with ease. The man started to cry out, but a quick chop to the throat silenced him for good. Two more locals charged Thiss in rage.
Thiss ducked under the first one's attack and brought his right knee up into the attackers stomach. The man doubled over, and the Thiss drove an elbow into the back and snapped the spinal cord. The second man lunged, and the Demon Dragon merely reached out, caught the man by the throat, and snapped his neck. Thiss dropped the corpse and met the next three men who charged him. He laughed at their pointless attacks. As if an increase in numbers would save their miserable lives. Although, the Shadow Dragon admitted that he was enjoy the slaughter. A quick side kick dropped the first attacker. Thiss shifted his weight and made an inside, crescent kick to the next man and followed with a round house that generated audible breaking of bones. The Demon regained his balance just as the third mortal attacked. Thiss barely had to move his head and torso to avoid the man's punches. Finally, he caught the man's right hand with his left. In one swift move, he twisted the man's arm, spun around, and brought it down over his left shoulder. Thiss smiled again as the bone tore through the skin. He let the useless arm drop and grabbed the dying mortal's head with his left hand. Next he lowered it slightly and began to repeatedly back kick it with his right foot.
Feeling bored battling the local mortals, Thiss finally decided to call out to his true prey. He let the corpse drop from his left hand and continued walking through the burning town. The dirt beneath his feet was covered in ash and blood alike. He hadn't caused such destruction since the attack on Meribia over a month ago. The Shadow Dragon began laughing out loud as death surrounded him and filled his nose with its unmistakable aroma. Another building collapsed with a thunderous crash, and Thiss stopped his movement. "DRAGON KNIGHTS!!!!!"
Mirage stopped short and leveled his Scimitar. It's blue blade gleamed in the fire as though it were anticipating the battle to come. Argile stood beside him with the Black Dragon's Axe in hand. The stranger in the black clothing stopped screaming their names and began scanning the carnage for them. Mirage took a deep breath and answered the challenge. "Over here, you son of a bitch!"
The pale skinned man turned around and stared the two Dragon Knights down with eyes that seemed more pupil than white. He smiled and moved towards them. As he walked, the flickering shadows of the dancing flames seemed to follow him. "I think I have an idea of who our opponent is, Mirage."
Mirage nodded to his friend without taking his eyes off of the approaching enemy. "Stop right there, Thiss." The Shadow Dragon stopped fifteen feet from the Dragon Knights.
"Very perceptive, gentlemen," he hissed. "How long do you wish to banter before we actually battle?" He broke into laughter at his own sarcasm.
The Dragon Knights let the humor go over their heads and assumed fighting positions. "I think we'll let the customary speeches and taunts go for once and just get to the point," answered Mirage, who could not help but smile at his own humor.
"How droll," replied the Demon Dragon. He opened his left hand, and suddenly drew what could only be called a stream of shadows into it. Thiss took hold of the shadows with his other hand and proceeded to stretch them into the shape of a staff. Blades of shadow appeared on both ends of the shadow staff. The Shadow Dragon began to twirl the weapon made from shadows with deadly precision. "Let it begin."
The Shadow Dragon lunged at Mirage staff first. The Blue Knight batted the bladed end away and slashed at Thiss' head. Thiss quickly parried with the other end of his staff, pulled the Scimitar down, and knocked Mirage down with a roundhouse kick using his left leg. Mirage hit the ground hard and slid several feet. Argile charged Thiss instantly with a roar. The Shadow Dragon twirled his staff several times to keep the Black Knight back. Argile waited and attacked with a heavy downward chop. Thiss was able to parry the powerful blow, but Argile hooked the Axe blade on the staff and pulled down. There was a hollow thunk as the Black Knight head butt the Demon Dragon.
Stunned, Thiss staggered back several feet and tried to regain his balance. Taking advantage of Thiss' state, Argile quickly shook off the pain on the top of his head and pressed the attack. Thiss somehow blocked his next slash, but paid for it with Argile's left knee in his chest. The Demon Dragon doubled over, and Argile brought his steel arm down on the back of his opponent's neck. There was no crack, but Thiss dropped to the ground and ceased to move. The Black Knight prepared to finish the monster off, when Thiss' legs were suddenly around his neck. Thiss pulled and threw Argile to the ground.
Mirage was on his feet again and running. Thiss, too, was up and raising his shadow staff to finish Argile. The Blue Knight Slip Streamed past Thiss and left a horizontal gash in the Demon Dragon's back. Thiss cried out in pain and spun around to face Mirage. He charged the Blue Knight in a blind rage. It took all the speed Mirage could muster to parry each of Thiss' attacks. A shadow blade aimed at his groin was deflected, but its partner was quickly slicing air towards his head. Mirage side stepped Thiss' counter and got his Blade behind the attacking end of the shadow staff. He trapped the shadow blade on the ground, but the other blade was parting air towards his stomach. With unparalleled speed, Mirage parried the third counter and thrust his elbow at Thiss' head. Suddenly, the elbow was driving itself into nothing. Mirage dropped back into a defensive position and scanned for Thiss. "That's a nice little trick," he muttered.
A small breeze blew across Mirage's neck just before the pain erupted in his back. A shadow blade on Thiss' staff easily tore through the Blue Crest's aqua colored leather armor. Mirage could feel the blood running down his back, but he ignored the pain and turned to continue fighting. He ducked the second shadow blade and answered with a quick jab to the Shadow Dragon's side. The Dragon Scimitar struck home and drew black blood from Thiss' left flank. There was a battle cry and Argile charged Thiss from behind. The Dragon batted Mirage's Scimitar away just in time to parry one of the Black Dragon's Axe's gleaming, crescent moon blades. He countered with a slash towards Argile's left side, but the Black Knight parried the attack with the shaft of the Axe. Mirage seized the chance and slashed at Thiss' head. The Dragon took the momentum from Argile's parry and brought his own weapon back to deflect the Blue Dragon's Scimitar.
In a fluid motion, Thiss brought the side of his shadow staff directly into the right side of Mirage's head. The Blue Knight grunted and fell to his left. Seeing Thiss focused on Mirage, Argile went with the downward chop attack again. Thiss easily parried the attack, again, and prepared to counter should another head butt follow. His eyes went wide when he saw the end of the Axe he had parried. The smooth, black, half sphere pommel winked at him in the fire lit night. Argile smiled and brought the other end of the Axe right up into Thiss' stomach. The Shadow Dragon screamed as the silver lined Axe blade embedded itself in his body. His cry of pain increased as Argile lifted him up into the air, over his head, and down onto the ground. The Black Knight withdrew the Axe and lifted it to give the final blow.
But Thiss was not done yet. The shadow staff slammed into Argile's left knee, forcing the Black Knight to drop to a kneeling position. As Argile pitched forward, Thiss raised the center of his staff and rammed it right between Argile's eyes. The Knight groaned and fell onto his back. Mirage made his way over to both fallen combatants. Thiss was on his feet again, but the Demon Dragon was backing away from the two Knights while clutching the wound on his stomach with both hands. The shadow staff had disappeared. Using Mirage for balance, Argile slowly got to his feet. They both raised their weapons and moved towards Thiss. "It's over Thiss!" shouted Mirage. "You've lost!"
Blood dripped down his chin as the Shadow Dragon laughed. "No, Dragon Knight. The fun has just begun."
Mirage and Argile looked at each other and frowned. "I so hate it when enemies talk that way," said Argile.
"I am through playing warrior dueling games!" shouted the Demon Dragon. "Now I will battle using my real power!" He removed his hands from his stomach wound and raised them above his head. The fire raging behind him made Thiss look like a living shadow. Suddenly, his pale skin began to take on a grayer shade. His limbs began to grow, and a pair of wings sprouted from his back. Gray skin turned to misty black scales. The thin black hair on Thiss' head dropped away as his head grew. Mouth became maw, and hands became claws. His ears grew long and pointed as did his teeth. Mirage and Argile stared up dumbfounded at the hundred and fifty foot Shadow Dragon before them.
"Damn," hissed Mirage.
Onyl and Rayn arrived at the scene of the battle just in time to see Thiss' transformation. The Shadow Dragon's immense form was highlighted by the flame engulfed town. Flames reaching almost as high as the Dragon seemed to lash out against the night sky. Onyl was brought to tears at the sight before her. Her home was nothing but a pile of ashes. She saw The Watering Hole , or to be exact the remains of the Hole. Corpses were littered around its burning foundation. It looked as if they had been slaughtered while trying to escape the inferno. Onyl had no doubts that her father and mother were among the corpses. Tears were running down her cheeks, but she did nothing to wipe them away. Two sets of cries came from near the monster sitting in the middle of the city.
Rayn stood beside her and held her hand tightly. He looked at her and smiled. "It'll be okay, On. Don't worry. The Dragon Knights will make it right." Hand in hand, the two of them ran to the source of the battle cries bellow.
It didn't take too long before they saw Mirage and Argile standing like two toy soldiers before the massive Dragon. They stood roughly a hundred yards away, but the Dragon seemed oh so much closer. Both Knights released battle cries as they charged the beast. The Dragon dropped to all fours and clawed at its foes. Mirage seemed to disappear as he dodged the giant claws. The Dragon's right claw came down on the Knight. Mirage looked as if he was about to be crushed, but there was a blur as he back flipped away just before the claw landed. The nimble man landed and cried out, "Blue Dragon Leap!" The Blue Dragon Knight was suddenly surrounded in a blue aura. Scimitar raised high, Mirage launched himself into the air and came down on the Dragon's right claw. The glowing Scimitar sliced the claw nearly in half. The monster roared in pain and threw Mirage away as he retracted his wounded claw.
Argile, mean while, had been standing by waiting for his chance. With the Dragon wounded he charged forward. He burst into ebony flames as he shouted, "Black Dragon Rage!" The now berserk Knight leaped into the air towards the Dragon. The beast saw Argile coming and opened his maw to roar. Instead of roaring, to Onyl's surprise, the monster released column of black fire that in turn engulfed Argile. The column of fire drove the Black Knight hard into the ground. Onyl almost shouted in glee as Argile jumped right back to his feet. Still surrounded by ebony flames, he charged again. Shadows suddenly sprang up around him. Onyl was shocked as the shadows began to try and stab Argile. The enraged Knight had no choice but to halt his charge and battle with the living shadows.
Then Mirage appeared again. Onyl could barely see him as he dashed past the Dragon's hind legs leaving very visible gashes in his wake. The beast cried out and snapped his tail at the retreating Mirage. The serpentine tail caught the Blue Knight off guard and sent him flying through the air. Mirage regained his balance in mid air and landed just shy of one of the fires. By this time Argile had dealt with the shadows and was charging the Dragon again. The Dragon must have seen him coming because he suddenly seemed to melt into the shadows given off by the multiple fires. The ground near Onyl and Rayn shook with a sudden jolt. Onyl turned and looked up behind her. The Dragon towered above her and Rayn like the night come to life. She only knew it was there by its glowing white eyes.
Onyl screamed for Rayn to run, but it was too late. The monster batted Rayn away with his uninjured claw. Rayn cried out as he was knocked back into the forest behind them. Onyl tried to run after him, but a claw the size of several cows slammed down in front of her. She stopped cold and tried desperately not to faint. She knew that act would most likely mean her death. Someone shouted her name, and she turned her head to see Argile and Mirage not twenty yards from her and the Dragon.
"Let the girl go, Thiss!" shouted the Black Knight. "She has nothing to do with this! Your battle is with us!"
"You think me blind, Dragon Knight!" replied the monster in a hissing rumble. "I know who and what ssshe isss! Ssshe must die, just asss you will!" Onyl froze as the Dragon took a deep breath to release its breath weapon.
"Onyl!" shouted Argile. The shout broke her from the frozen state. She looked and saw him tap his chest with his steel hand. There was a flash, and he was dressed in his gray tunic and brown pants again. In his steel hand was the Black Dragon's Crest. "Catch and embrace the warmth!"
He threw the Crest. Without thinking, Onyl reached out and caught the Crest with both hands. She felt the warmth in her hands and on instinct alone let it flow from her palms into the rest of her body. Then something happened that she would never forget. There was a change not only in her body but in her mind as well. All at once memories flooded into her mind. She embraced the memories of all the Black Dragons before her and let the change take complete affect. She closed her eyes eyes and formed a specific image in her mind. There was a surge of power and Onyl opened her eyes. The burning town was no longer just a hundred yards in front of her, but it was at least two hundred feet below her. She swiveled her long neck to look at her true form.
Sleek black fur stretched down her neck and all across her back. Under the fur were layers of onyx black scales stronger than the strongest steel. A long tail was swaying behind her and knocking down nearby trees. She opened her mouth only to realize that it was now a maw filled with razor sharp teeth the size of a small man. Onyl reached up and felt the two yellow horns on her head with her own massive, black claw. The new Black Dragon of Althena turned to Thiss and roared a challenge. Onyl almost stopped when she heard her own roar. She quickly checked her emotions and mentally promised to deal with them later. Now, she had a fight on her hands.
Thiss had backed away a good distance. The Dragon was clutching his wounded claw to his chest. "Why don't you try killing me now, Thiss," growled Onyl. Her eyes began to glow a bright yellow as if too back up her threat.
The other Dragon seemed to melt into the shadows as she spoke. "Another time, Black Dragon." His voice hissed from somewhere. "Aaannootthheeerrr tttiiimmmeee." And he was gone into the darkness.
The threat had disappeared. Onyl took a deep breath and released the power she had cultivated from the Crest. There was another surge of energy, and Onyl found herself they way she had been before the transformation. Argile and Mirage came over to her with large smiles on their faces. Rayn had also climbed out of wherever Thiss had thrown him and was making his way over to her. She placed the Crest into Argile's steel hand and smiled up at the large man. As she let go of the Crest, any power it had given her disappeared. "Thank you, Argile."
"It is us who should thank you, Onyl," he replied. "It was you who scared off, Thiss the Shadow Dragon."
Onyl made it a point to remember that. Thiss. The Shadow Dragon. She looked past the two Knights at the remains of her home. The two Knights stood by her side and each put an arm around her. Rayn was standing not too far, now, and staring at the devastation before him. Having nothing left to keep her emotions at bay, Onyl thrust her head into Argile's stomach and began to sob. No one said anything, and his only response was a soft pat on her back.