Adventure One, Chapter Three.
#6 of The Legacy Cycle
Sorry this took so long. Not only is this part of the story long, i've been busy. puh-leeeze Forgive meee!
I've decided to do this form of the story i've done before: It's labeling the stories in adventures and chapters. If i do it right, it will compliment the prequel to this entire story. So... with out any further wait:- Oh wait. I'm going to name this adventure One because in the story, for us, it's our first. For Ian, however, it's a bit up there.
Adventure One: The rift within the towm
Chapter 3: A bad start.
The Lobby was not as Ian last remembered. It was no longer bloody or messy; it was in almost pristine condition. The front entrances were glass doors that slid open to motion. Water flowed freely through passages throughout the floor. Glass covered the symmetrical design that centered on the ruined statue. Within the circular design of the statue were brand new benches facing it. Further pass that was the reception desks. This afternoon was in full swing. People were running two and from the base, in a hurry to conclude whatever business they had. Ian was impressed with their work. He spotted Terror standing still as if a replacement for the statue, at the center. We can start over on a new leaf with him, right? Ian asked himself. I doubt it. Why? He might not be a bad guy. Why is no one walking near him? Indeed, no one would go in the center now, they were avoiding the black dragon. Ian pieced together that he could possibly have a reputation for his temper. Then he felt his own surge for a second. Think you can hold me back? What? Our anger, Ian. He explained to himself. As I said before: Isolated incident. We'll be okay. He assured himself confidently as he strode toward Terror. "Heeeey Partner!" Ian greeted over enthusiastically The only reply he got was a sideways glance. So much for that approach. He taunted himself. "Who is coming with us?" Ian asked, trying to start a subject. No reply Ian made a long drawn sigh "Look. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me that day. It won't happen again. Can we start over?" Terror grunted seeing the boy wanted some sort of response. Ian huffed and sat down nearby. He decided to enjoy watching people go by. It was after all a good day. After a few moments of Ian's head looking back and forth, he noticed a white body and instantly knew who it was Oh, my god, no. Ian noticed two things. The first was the gator spotted Ian and was headed right toward him. The second was that Gore seemed to have a travel pack. Ian started to put the picture together. He's coming with us! Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it! Too late. Gore stopped in front of Terror for good long moment. The two held a steely gaze at one another, trying to out glare the other. Gore lost interest after a while and casually strode to Ian "Heyo Newbie." Gore cheerfully greeted sitting next to the human. "I'm gonna accompany you and lead this mission." Gore explained I knew it! Something is off. Do you feel it? Ian asked himself. Duh, of course. Shut up. "It's going to be me, you, Him," Gore gave a slight glare to Terror "And a great guy I know called Senisis. Call him Seni." Ian couldn't read Gore. The gator's vibe was casual, as opposed to an hour ago. What happened? He asked himself. "The four of us are basically on an assist mission. We're going through a slightly dangerous mountain opening called Bronze pass. To a town named... I know this!" Gore got in his bag and retrieved a paper and read it thoroughly. Then he examined a map, crumbled the papers, and chucked them. "Won't we need that?" Ian asked. "Nah!" Gore waved a hand casually. "We're going to a town called Nonin. They have a zombie problem there. They're not dangerous from what I hear, but its cause enough for alarm." Gore seemed to be focused on the mission. "Nonin is a desert town on the other side of the pass. Remember, though we're going for the mission, this is about you. Seni and I will be watching how you act, react, and perform." Gore explained. "What about him?" Ian asked about the dragon. Gore just grunted and adjusted himself to lay down on the bench, with his head resting on Ian's lap. "Uh... Gore..." "Don't worry. You're safe for now." The alligator assured, closing his eyes. "Seni is never one to be on time. I'm just relaxin'." "Why does no one like Terror?" Ian blurted. Gore was quiet for a long moment before he replied. "We like him just fine." Gore explained "It's a problem before your time. If you two stay partners, it'll pop-up sooner or later" Ian fell into silence, seeing that was all he was going to get. His mind drifted to a training session to when he and Calino were almost even Ian was learning his second style while Calino was proficient in his first. He remembered yelling in frustration when his teacher promptly smacked the sheath of a sword across the back of his head "You must be patient!" Teacher Crow scolded smacking the boy again, who stumbled forward and cried out. "Everything has its moments. They key is to wait patiently and if the elements willing, you will receive." That caused his mind to drift to the more negative parts of his past. He dragged himself to the present and watched the people cross once more. True to Gore's word: a small mouse in unkempt dress clothes with his own bag made his way to them. "Sorry, Sorry. I overslept."The mouse apologized. "Getting' up at the crack of noon I see." Gore teased without turning or opening his eyes. "I'm not happy about that." The mouse flattened his ears and got to his knees. He then started rubbing Gore's belly and muttered a few words. Gore Shuddered on Ian's lap, enjoying the treatment. "You know how to apologize" Gore said. Ian began to notice a rise in gore's pants. After a few seconds Gore stopped the mouse. "Not now, I have to lead this mission." He sat up and patted Seni on the head. "Sure, sure." The mouse looked to Ian as Gore got up. "I guess you're- No, wait. You're the only human here." Seni cleared his throat. "Hello Ian, I am Senisis but, everyone calls me Seni. " He extended a hand to the human, which Ian firmly received. "That reminds me." Gore started. "We have swords if you want to-" "I've sharpened my blade, it will not fail." Ian eyes suddenly got fierce. Gore impassively shrugged. "To each his own." Gore started to lead the way to the exit. "C'mon hollow dragon." Gore teased Terror. Gore picked up Senisis and carried the mouse on his shoulders. The mouse cheered loudly, like a kid again. Ian picked up his bag and followed after. Terror grinned for a moment. Almost lost in the careless moment. Then Ian crossed in his vision, and his frown returned. The Fields of Beta were grassy fields covered with rows of wild flowers. Some other members were having a picnic and waved to the departing group as they passed by. Ian noticed an older wolf under a tree with a sketch pad. The wolf looked up and waved as well. As they traveled further there were less people and Ian's eyes began to explore. These types of trees and flowers were new to him. The environment was carefree and Ian ran though plains. "I walked all of this?!" Ian asked, catching up to the group. "Not around here, Through the north side" Gore explained "We're going to break off the road soon, guys." "Off the beaten path! The way of an explorer!" Seni cheered and threw his arms up. "Hey! Hey! Cut it out up there or I'll make you walk too." Gore warned. As they traveled and turned off the road, the mountain rose in the distance. There was a small forest up ahead as they marched on. The sun has begun to set. "Camp is in the woods" Gore explained, and he begun an abstract whistle. It took them a half-day to reach the forest, considering they left at lunch, it was dark now. Camp was little more than a clearing in the forest. Ash and bones were remains of a previous group. They cleaned up and began to set up for the night. "Right." Gore grabbed everyone's attention "I don't think there is no real danger but from the recent trolls and in the spirit of the trial and training, we should sleep in shifts. "I'll watch." Ian offered himself. He was preparing the fire "Alright E, How long can you last?" Gore asked with an evil grin. "All night." Ian replied casually, not knowing what gore was hinting at. Gore's smile left. He was unsure if Ian was being serious or is he replied to the joke. "You're staying up all night?" the gator asked. "Uh-huh." Ian turned to retrieve the tinder "That's today, all night, and tomorrow, you know." Senisis explained. " Are you sure?" Ian looked from Seni to Gore for a moment and looked down. "I'm not like normal people. " Ian explained, his voice shrinking a bit "I don't sleep much." Seni was beside him in a instant, rubbing his back. "its fine here!" Seneisis told the human "We're a big mixed bag at Beta, you're as normal as the rest of us." Seni lightly punched Ian's arm and went back setting up his tent. Ian felt a bit better "I'll be fine keeping watch." "I will watch..." Terror declared. The black dragon was waiting against the tree. It was clear that he gave himself the duty to spite Ian. "You're going to rest." Ian stated, without looking up. "I'm not placing my life in the hands of a weak human." "Why are you fighting me on this?" Ian asked, Irritated "Leave, Boy." Terror spoke, acid dripping from the word. Ian dropped the tinder, lighting the flame. He got up and walked to Terror. The dragon was more than a head taller than him and the human strained his neck looking him in the eye. "What's your deal?!" Ian growled. "You are." Terror admitted "After that, nothing." His dark voice to a normal person would have been stuck with fear. Ian was adamant to see things through, and establish a partnership with Terror. Liking it or not, they were partners. "I'm not moving until you sleep." Ian declared, readjusting his stance for comfort. Terror leaned into Ian's face. Ian caught of Terror's scent and for a small moment he was intoxicated. He remained focused though. "Do you know how many of your kind I slaughtered? Most of them so much better than you?" the Midnight dragon asked There was a tug at the back of his mind, but Ian ignored the second distraction. 'Back down, Ian. It's not worth it. Screw you, screw him. What do you want out of this?! A happy go lucky partnership? It's not going to happen. Maybe you forgot what Commander Leo taught us but I haven't. 'As a whole, we need to work together; else we're the weakest link in a chain that will break.' Besides, I think Faust put us together for a reason. I don't want to betray that trust. "I don't care. That's your past. Where you are from isn't important, it's where you're going: What you decide to do with yourself. I won't let you just sit there and let a partnership go to waste." Terror grinned. The gleaming white sharp teeth against his black form made his eyes look wild. Terror and Ian were now locked by forehead. "Humans taste good, Ian" the first time Terror spoke his name "You should try it. We're a little short on humans though. That's my fault. Most humans are a little salty but you look like you'll taste sweet." Terror licked his long tongue along the side of Ian's face. Ian now shrunk back a little. He was unsure if Terror was kidding or serious. "That's enough." Gore almost yelled. "We won't have you two knocking each other out. Stop acting like your brother, Terror." Terror shrugged and leaned up against the tree. "Do you know how many humans it takes to knock you out?" Ian asked. "Just one." Gore chimed and Senisis laughed. "Yeah!" Ian punched the air, not know who they were talking about. Terror shot gore a glare. Gore merely grinned back. "It won't be you." Terror growled, already angered by Gore. "Let's just drop it, guys" Seneisis pleaded."You both don't sleep, you both keep watch. I'm hungry!" Seni added the last part as if it was part of the argument. Ian huffed and realized he was not going to make progress with the dragon today. Gore didn't want a fight breaking out between the two. He knew what Terror could do and Ian was an unknown factor. He heard part of the boy's story. Gore admired his courage: He was able to stand up to the dragon just for the sake of the mission and partnership. His interest toward the human grew. He wondered what Ian might try in bed and he didn't realize he was grinning now. Senisis looked up at the gator "What's up?" Gore snapped out of a fantasy and looked at the mouse "Oh.. Er Noth-" "I know that look; it's when you're thinking about something sexual." Gore grinned, seeing no reason to hide it. The night was uneventful. They ate, and then Seni and Gore went to sleep. Terror remained as a statue, like earlier. And Ian, feeling the night giving him energy, walked deeper in the wood to train. When Ian returned the sun was starting to rise and the pair was up. They were packing up and making breakfast: Some kinds of stew in a pot. "Go-" Ian started Gore's head turned to Ian, His face fierce. He saw it was Ian and relaxed "Good morning." Ian repeated. "Thought you were something else" Gore mumbled, and then went back to packing. Ian shrugged and started to help pack.
Bronze pass was a mountain, split down the middle. The middle was a path. Bronze used to be traded though it between the Desert town of Nonin and flourishing city of Crazidis. "Yeah, it's a direct route to town." Gore explained as they were crossing a small bridge over a free flowing river. "But over the years bandits have taken refuge in the mountain, pilfering bronze and any other trading materials that may go through. Eventually the trading went around but, because it was such a long journey, it eventually stopped. The town was on the verge of becoming quite the city. Without the flow of money or easy transportation it was eventually forgotten. Then a mine was discovered closer to crazidis and whatever whisper the town had, it was forgotten." "How do you know all this?" Ian asked "I read it. You watched me." He replied in a 'dumb question' tone. "Wait, you memorized its history in a glance?" "That and the map." Gore admitted "Whoa, that's some memory." Ian was impressed "I know: Brains, brawn, and-"Gore leaned in close to Ian, almost dropping Senisis "Fun." For a brief moment Ian felt the energy Gore usually gave off. Gore was back to normal again, leading the group with Seni on his shoulders "Most people don't go this way anymore, even if it's a direct route." "But we're not most people." Senisis added "I doubt people are crazy enough to attack a Midnight Dragon anyway" Gore said. "So they do have a reputation" Ian concluded, remembering the previous night. "Yeah, it's bad. Horrible, scary, dangerous, pai-" "Shut up." Terror growled. Senisis shrugged it off. Ian gasped as they entered the Bronze pass. It indeed was like two halves of a whole. Ian almost broke his neck looking all the way up to the top that came up to a arch but didn't meet. Ian was impressed with the mountain. The ground below them was covered with dirt, rocks and the occasional boulder. The pass was pretty narrow, and they were forced into single file. Gore put the mouse down in case they were attacked. Ian was forced to focus on the road ahead. The four of them walked in grim silence, as if they were expecting an attack. "What was your life like, Ian?" Seni asked casually. "Before us. Back at home." Ian's eyes glazed over for a moment, he was lost In thought. "Uh... I don't want to get into it." Ian explained "I'm not going home anyway." "That's fine."Seni said. "I was a stage hand for a circus for a few years, I was a runaway. When they discovered my talents, they put me in the show. I met Gore, and some people who were in the town we were performing in." "Yeah, the kid was nosy. He followed us after we had a problem with the ringleader. Turned out the ringleader was a slave trader and didn't want us around. Seni here saved Sabel's life." Gore recounted the tale. "What kind of act did you do?" Ian asked. "Acrobatics, element changes. I discovered a couple of skills doing that." "That's cool." Ian was interested. "What about you, Gore?" Gore grinned but no one could see it. "I came from a small family of ab-" "Shut up." Terror said "I guess the murderous dragon wants a turn to talk about his race." "I said Quiet!" The dragon roared. Hearts stop beating for a few seconds at how commanding the tone was. "Can't take the fact that your face wiped out th-" There was a muffled moving sound, which set Seni into silence. The sounds reflecting off the walls made it hard to pinpoint. Gore figured Terror's outburst almost started a rock slide. "What the hell?!" Gore growled walking past Seni, and Ian. Gore stopped short as a trail of rocks trickled between them. Then there were several loud crashes. They all looked up and saw boulders on both sides being forced down. "We need to go!" Gore yelled, running and picking up Seni. Ian followed after. "Rock slide!" "They planned this!" Seni wailed. Ian stopped for a second as a rock crashed in front of him. He turned around and saw Terror taking a stance, as if ready to fight the boulders. Ian rolled out of the way of a boulder. Two boulders were on both sides of the dragon, and one in the center, trapping the dragon. "Terror! " Ian yelled as his side was pelted with a rock. He started to back track to the dragon. With a loud grunt and a buckle of his knees, The dragon caught the boulder and tossed it aside. "Look out!" Ian yelled seeing another huge rock tipping over a far up ledge. Now trapped with boulders on each side, Terror was forced to take on the next one coming down. He drew his great sword and with a mighty roar, He cut the rock in half, to match bronze pass. Ian was almost to Terror when he was forced backwards by a series of rocks. He turned to run and fell over a newly fallen rock. He cried out as a rock hit the back of his head. He tried to get up but his head and back were attacked with rocks. "Help..." Ian croaked out to terror as a rock hit the back of his head and knocked him out. Gore and Senisis were completely blocked off from inside the pass. The rocks piled up and prevented entry. Gore was attacking feverishly at the wall, knocking down a few rocks at a time. Gore felt responsible and wanted to make sure his team was safe. Senisis was helping as well; he applied his hands to the rocks, allowing the earth to absorb them.
Terror was already surrounded with rocks on each side and he couldn't break out. It was like they melded together. To top it off, one more came to rest on top, preventing escape. Vargo emerged from the mountain wall. He took casual steps down the face of bronze pass, the earth forming just before each step. He spotted he waited for the chaos to settle and he casually navigated the mess. He knew the situation entirely. Vargo knelt down and cleared some rocks out of the way, revealing a human arm. He picked the boy up by the arm and exaimed him. The human's hair, not draped across his face was still, but alive. "We have one!" Vargo yelled and heard several cheers from both sides of Bronze Pass. With a knocked out human on one shoulder, and his bag on the other, he walked casually back up the stairs, which were no more as his feet left each one. He walked into the cave opening, and looking back at the damage his did, the mountain entrance closed, cutting off Ian from his friends. Gore, with Seni's help, finally tore through the wall. He ripped some of the rocks away to climb over easier. He didn't stop to help Seni who got over just fine. He saw the pile of rocks then stopped as he caught a familiar scent. The gator knelt down and found a small pool of blood and knew what happened. "They have Ian." Gore said after a long silence. Gore had a huge bruise on his face and his back, earned from almost being trapped within the slide Seni saw the huge pile of boulders and felt them "Earth with me." He spoke. Focusing for a second, he learned the what the rocks contained "Terror is okay, but he's trapped. I'll get him out."he told Gore after touching the rocks for a moment. He then frowned. "Strange. they've merged together" With a roar of triumph, Terror shattered the rock, knocking Seni back. He looked back and forth, looking for a foe to satisfy his lust for blood. seeing only Gore and Seni, he frowned but inwardly smiled that the boy was gone. "Now that that's settled."Seni turned to Gore. "Wha-happened earlier when you smelled Ian?" The mouse asked. "We'll need to rescure Ian." Gore said, ignoring the question. "I think they took him up the pass." "Good riddence." Terror said walking past them Gore felt a growth of anger. "He was only captured trying to help you!" Gore yelled. "Then the human was stupid." Terror growled. "My kind does not need help." "You didn't say that crying before Azden." Gore struck a nerve. With a roar, Terror turned, blade drawn. Gore anticipated this and pushed Seni out of the way. Holding his axes in a cross, he intercepted the Dragon's blades. Gore was quick to react, He used Terror's saw-like edges against him and hooked the blade and Kicked Terror square in the chest. Seni Was already behind terror. He made the earth absorb Terror's feet, forcing him to fall from Gore's kick. the earth began to swallow the dragon. Terror thrashed in an attempt to get out of the earth but it was no use. "Do whatever you want." Gore said, nostrals flaring with anger. " But i won't let you trash-talk the greatest man i ever met!" Gore stalked off to climb up the pass with Senisis following behind. Gore calmed a bit while climbing before he spoke. "It was weird." "What was?" Seni asked, confused "A scent, it was familiar. " "Oh, what's it's from?" "A monster." "Ian isn't a monster, and that's such a horrible term." "I mean a real monster." Gore explained.