MIKE'S GALLERY

Show us your creative side! Everything from graphics to poetry is welcome!

Moderator: Magyk

User avatar
Turquoise Dragon
The Scaled One
Posts: 2042
Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 12:11 am
Reputation: 8
Location: Looking in your window. Hi.

Re: MIKE'S GALLERY

Post by Turquoise Dragon »

I've got about 100 more pages, on the follow-up, with roughly half of it finished. I've been toying with the idea of illustrating it into a manga-style comic.

The only problems are copyright if I try to publish. The follow-up has:
Dark Link
the Master Sword (as well as backstory as how it ended up in Hyrule)
1 reborn boss
the enmies are the Vong (1 planet) and the Galactic Empire (other 2 planets)
Image

User avatar
j3rk
A nub is In Ur Memories
Posts: 772
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:20 pm
Reputation: 2

Re: MIKE'S GALLERY

Post by j3rk »

i hear the Raptorian Empire is crazy arrogant. *pendant btw :-) (in before trk).

User avatar
Turquoise Dragon
The Scaled One
Posts: 2042
Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 12:11 am
Reputation: 8
Location: Looking in your window. Hi.

Re: MIKE'S GALLERY

Post by Turquoise Dragon »

Extra-Galactic War Part I: Invasion and Retaking Raptorsis I

Note: This is a bit of a longer one, clocking in at 63 pages (45 more than my last one). Unless you can skim real well or read real fast, it'll take a decent while to read.

Chapter 1: Regroup | +
“We must build up our strength if we are to defeat this new threat.”
Dirah was speaking. She was in the throne room of the palace. Gathered with her were General Leucra, myself, a few high-ranking officers, White Knights, War Lords, and a few Eurians. There was a distinct lack of Elders, as I slaughtered all of them forty-one years ago, and their spellbooks remained locked to others.
The Eurians present were Kami Zernix, Kami Chelsea, Kami Aaron, and Lieutenant Mike. They stayed on Raptorsis I to aid in the defense of the planet. Invader fleets began to be sighted across Eurian and Raptorian space. Though none began to attack, they slowly positioned themselves at strategic locations.
“We must ready any and all defenses immediately. Every citizen shall do their part to ensure that we will survive.” continued Dirah.
“I agree.” said Leucra. “Empress, if you and Klestanis shall take care of the defenses here, the rest of us can split up, spreading the word and helping out across the planet.” several others nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, there was a beeping noise. Lieutenant Mike looked at his wrist.
“I’ve got an incoming call.” he announced. “If you will excuse me...” He left the room.
“In addition, we must prepare to evacuate the major cities, including this one.” continued Dirah. “We must prevent civilian casualties at all costs.
Lieutenant Mike walked back into the room. “I have regretful news. The Kami and I have been summoned back to the senate.” Leucra gave a slight cringe at the word, which Mike overlooked. “We must take our leave of you now. May the Powers aid you.” They bowed and left.
“Dirah, have we any energy weapons?” I asked.
“Yes, we do. They are in the armory. The army is already using them.” She guessed my next question. “No, Klestanis. If I die, do not bring me back. It is too strange to be alive after you have died.”
“Are you sure? I could easily…”
“No. No reviving at any time for anybody.”
I nodded and once again fell silent. I was worried that the upcoming war would separate us a final time.
“Empress, shall we split up?” asked Leucra.
“Yes, Leucra. Divide your forces amongst yourselves. I wish you all godspeed.”
As such, Dirah and I began to prepare the city for battle. Along with a team of technicians, I activated the perimeter turrets that stood on the city’s walls. We also optimized the targeting programming of the turrets.
In the meantime, Dirah assembled the commanding officers of the Raptorian Army. She told them if the impending threat. They agreed to be on full alert at all times. She then spoke to the commando units, addressing them such that they might be called upon at any time to put their lives at risk for the Empire. They agreed, pledging their utmost loyalty.


Chapter 2: Attack | +
After two days, Raptoris City was ready for war. Most of the civilians had been evacuated to compounds hidden in forests, in caves, and underground. Four days later, our messengers had returned. They reported that the many fortresses that lay scattered across Raptorsis I were warned, and evacuation procedures were underway in the major cities.
We were gathered at the entrance to the palace. The sun was in the phase of setting. An Invader fleet was dimly visible in orbit.

“How long do you reckon they’re gonna stay up there?” I asked.
“I have a feeling that they will soon attack.” replied Dirah.
As if in response, portions of the fleet began to descend towards the planet’s surface. They touched down just within vision of the palace, but out of the range of our turrets. They spewed forth beings, which soon formed up into ranks.
Suddenly, there was a blaring of horns from the opposite side of the city. There, a large cloud of mist was stationed with a lone Raptorian in front of it. He then led the cloud into the city, and up to the palace. At this range, I could see a strange, familiar weapon glinting in the hands of the Raptorian: a sword with an axe head forged into the blade.
“What brings you here, Sy?” asked Dirah.
Sy gently knelt. “Empress, the spirits will not tolerate this invasion. Though we ran free and uncontrolled after the death of the Council of Elders, we now turn from that path. We pledge our undying allegiance to the Empire.”
At this, spirits formed from the mist. Each animated a sword, shield, and a suit of chain mail armor. Following their leader’s example, they each knelt. They began to speak in unison.
“We, the spirits of the dead, pledge our support to the Raptorian Empire of our living descendents. We will do all that is in our power to ensure their survival. We will hold ourselves to this pledge; else we shall be banished to a state of limbo. We hold all present to this oath, and any of the living present as witnesses.”
They slowly rose after this.
“Your orders, Empress?” asked Sy.
“Help defend this city by any means necessary.” She then turned to the rest of us. “If the walls are breached, we shall fall back here. If we still cannot hold them, we will yews the emergency transports that are stationed here. Try to reach one of the other fortresses. We will regroup and attempt to take back the city. Let us go to the walls and meet our enemy head-on.”
“Why not stay here, where it is safer?” I asked.
“Such is not the Raptorian way.” replied Dirah as she walked out of the palace courtyard. We followed shortly behind her.

We positioned ourselves at the section of the wall nearest to the army of Invaders. The spirits drifted through the walls, forming up on their outside edge with Sy at the front of all of them. Many Raptorian soldiers stood on the walls, their laser rifles at the ready. Also stationed upon the walls were many White Knights and A few War Lords. They readied themselves for the upcoming battle.
“Send out the commando teams to sabotage anything that could be of yews to the enemy.” said Dirah. A runner descended from the wall to relay her message. She then turned to us. “If the wall is breached, the city is lost. We must hold them here.”
The Raptorian army was outfitted with cloth armor, laser rifles, and energy blades. The White Knights had cloth armor over chain mail, composite bows, and Knightblades. Behind the wall, a few White Knights sat astride dragons. The few War Lords each had a serrated sword and standard recurve bow. Three also held a doomblade. Dirah, as well as the generals, had a sword, energy blade, and composite bow. In addition, Leucra carried his ubiquitous dagger. I was equipped with a sword, my energy blade, two Knightblades (strapped across my back), a composite bow, and a shield (on my back over my blades).

The Invaders advanced slowly, yet steadily. Their uniform marching made the walls tremble slightly. I looked around. On many faces, I saw a peculiar mix of emotions-fear and determination. It was due to a curious Raptorian trait, which turned their fear of death into a determination to live at all costs. It is what spurred them onwards in battle. Instead of hiding from death, they faced it squarely and unfalteringly. It was what gave them their fierce reputation.
They halted, just out of range, and encircled the city. Some of the nearby Raptorians shifted nervously in anticipation. The tension was thick in the air, though neither side had made any attempt to attack.
“When will this break?” asked Leucra.
“Soon, I hope.” I replied.
The Invader army quickly stopped moving. By then, they had completely surrounded the city. After a period of silence, they began to chant. A terrifying sound it was, shaking the very core of my body. This continued, but it only seemed to strengthen the resolve of the Raptorian defenders. Led by a few War Lords, several began to chant back at them at the top of their lungs, whipping themselves into a frenzy. Some even fired a few shots in the air. At this point I knew - they would not take this city without a fight. We would give this defense our all.
In response to this, the Invaders slowly advanced upon the city. When they came into range, the automated turrets began to fire at them. They hurled elongate weapons, likely spears, at the turrets, and soon had them disabled. They steadily continued their advance.
Leucra raised his bow, an arrow knocked in the string. Dirah pushed it down.
“Not yet.” she told him.
The Invaders continued to advance. They were soon well within range of the rifles. I readied my bow.
“Attack!” called Dirah.
The spirits rushed at the Invaders. At the same time, we let loose a volley of combined laser fire and arrows.
Strangely, the laser bolts deflected off of the Invaders, while the arrows ran clear through them. They broke their organized march, and charged at the spirits. Noticing the effects of the laser fire, many of the nearby soldiers dropped their rifles, drawing their energy blades in preparation. Those armed with bows advanced to the edge of the walls so as to gain a better shot.
The spirits met with the Invaders. They began to fight. They quickly cut down any Invaders they came across. Interestingly, when they got hit by whatever weapon the Invaders used, they dissipated, and their animated weapons and armor fell to the ground. Noticing this, Dirah gave command for the Sky Knights to deploy themselves. They took to the air, and began to fire arrows at the Invaders, while their mounts spewed fire and swooped down to rake the army with their sharp talons.
The Invader army withdrew from this onslaught. As they ran back towards their ships, a victorious cry came from the walls.
“Looks like we’ve held off the first wave.” I said.
“For now, yes.” replied Dirah. “but I don’t think they’re done yet.”
Larger ships came down from the fleet, and there was a great deal of commotion around them. Suddenly, I saw bright flares from their landed ships. Large, flaming stones arced through the air. Soldiers dove from the impact sites, where the fiery masses began to melt the stone walls. Soon, a gap had formed next to my position. At the same time, the spirits were all but destroyed. The Invaders began to charge the opening.
“Fall back!” cried Dirah. “We will hold them at the citadel!”
Raptorians fled the walls, moving towards the palace, situated above the rest of the city. I jumped from my section of the wall directly into the gap. As I did so, I drew my shield and energy blade. I crashed down in then midst of the first Invader wave, swinging my blade around me. They were slightly larger than I was, and similar in form, though their faces were all disfigured, covered with scars and appearing like skulls. My blade simply bounced off of their bony armor. Remembering the arrows, I quickly deactivated the blade and drew my sword. This worked better, easily cleaving through their armor, darkening as it was stained by their black blood. Even my sword, however, could not slice through their weapons. They appeared to be staffs and swords realistically carved to resembled snakes. “Curious weapons.” I thought.
In such a way, I attempted to hold off the army in order to give the Raptorians time to flee. I was soon overwhelmed, but I had served my purpose. I ran backwards, into the city. Here, soldiers had set up temporary barricades to slow down the snowtroopering forces. I leapt over one as something small tore through the air next to me, raking the exposed skin of my neck. I saw it turn ahead, and fly back towards me. I raised my sword, cutting through the object. It exploded with a flare of light and heat.
I stumbled through this, hearing the cries of the Invaders behind me. I pulled a small, metal sphere from a pocket. I had stolen it from some Eurian soldiers back during the Eurian-Raptorian War a few days ago. Half turning, I lobbed it directly into the group of soldiers pursuing me. I ran faster as I heard it explode.
“That should slow them down a bit.” I thought to myself.
I continued running. A large molten mass crashed through the house to my left. It instantly burst into flame. Remembering part of my early training, I turned to it. “Energy, gather and spread at my command. Smite my enemy with your burst. Concussive blast.” I recited. A bluish bolt flew from the tip of my finger, exploding on the corner of the building. The bottom corner of the house blew away, and the side of the building began to fall. Flaming timbers crashed down, blocking the street.
“And thus finishes the job.” I grinned as I continued towards the citadel.

I reached the cliff the citadel was situated upon. Running to the side, I followed a ramp upwards. At the top, a gate sat before me. A small door opened in the side. A solitary Raptorian stood there, beckoning. “Dirah is in the courtyard. She is waiting.”
“Thanks.” I responded, rushing off towards the palace. As I moved inside, a bluish glow enveloped the citadel.

I ran into the open courtyard the palace surrounded. Dirah was there, with several military leaders. She looked up as I approached.
“Klestanis...” she stood up, walking towards me. “You’re injured.”
I touched my neck, slick with blood. “A bit, but I’ll pull through. There’re greater things to worry about now.”
“This is the last place to stand here. If the wall is breached, we’ll have no choice but to abandon the city.” she answered.
“We will do our best to hold them here.” added General Leucra. “However, if we do fail, we should make all haste towards the few emergency transports we have here. We will evacuate to our various other fortresses to regroup and prepare the troops there.”
A technician rushed into the courtyard. He briefly saluted, a gesture returned by both Dirah and Leucra. “Empress, the deflector shields are online and functioning at 150% capacity, as we cut off power to the city. The thermal shielding unit has also been activated in light of their unusual choice of artillery.”
“And our power reserves?” Dirah asked.
The technician took a deep breath. “Halfway.” came the grim reply. “We’re still charging them from having to take the system down yesterday for repairs. As of right now, we still have a link to the power generators, but as they lie outside the citadel, there is no telling how long we will have that connection. We may lose it now, in an hour, or never. We are running completely off external power right now so as to give our reserves the maximum time to charge back up. We’ve also rigged the system so that if the power does go out, the reserves are already wired up, so the deflector shield will not fall.”
“So now we sit and wait for them to come to us.” I added.
“It’s all we can do.” answered Leucra.
“We shall await their arrival at the walls.” stated Dirah. She began to walk out of the courtyard. Leucra and I followed.

We stood ready at the walls, with what remained of the Raptorian defenders. Many had safely reached the citadel, but many more were slaughtered during the retreat. We were all cast in shadows and glows of orange as the city burned around us. The fire was bright enough to obscure all but the brightest of stars overhead. Only the thermal shielding around the citadel kept the inferno at bay.
“You were a fool, Klestanis.” Dirah said quietly.
I was taken aback by this statement. “What do you mean?”
“Those many years ago, you killed off all of the Elders. The entire order was gathered in the city for an annual ritual. When the call for battle came, all responded.” She then looked directly at me. “And you killed all of those who stood before you. If even one had lived, they could have instructed more. If we had the Elders, our magic would have surely defeated these creatures. But we didn’t.”
“Why didn’t you just read their spellbooks or something?” I asked.
“Their books will only open to the touch of an Elder, unless they are purposefully unlocked.” she responded. “And now, the Empire is in ruins.” she once again looked out at the city. “This was once a beautiful place, the gem of the Empire.”
“Which is why we’ll fight for it.” I answered, also watching the city. The bombardment was growing closer to the citadel.
There was the crackle of static. Dirah pulled a small communicator from her belt. “We’ve lost the generator.” came a voice.
“How long will power last?” she nervously asked.
“At the present rate, a few hours.” came the reply. “If they hit us with heavy bombardment, less than that.”
Dirah closed her eyes, clenching the communicator.
“Don’t worry. We’ll give ‘em hell before they take this place.”
With that, a flaming stone hit the deflector above us. It burst, molten rock flowing down the shield. Several more followed. Another crackle of static.
“We’re not sure how long the thermal shield unit will last. It had to absorb a lot of heat just now, and it doesn’t look too stable.”
“And the deflector?” Dirah asked.
“Not much better.” came the reply. “If that was just a burst of fire, it would be okay, the thermal absorbing it all. Because it was also a physical object, the shield took quite a beating.”
There was already a second barrage flying through the air. Dirah noticed this.
“Everyone, off the wall!” she cried.
We rushed down the stairs built into the back of the wall. Above us, the glow of the shield wavered in intensity. With a brief, final effort, they vanished. Partially molten rock fell down upon our section of the wall.
“Both shields have reached their limit.” came a call from the communicator. Dirah ignored this, drawing her Knightblade.
Stepping through the melting walls was the Invader army, weapons at the ready. They broke from an organized march, and charged at us. Several of us drew our weapons, charging their forces.
“Flee!” came Dirah’s voice. “Get to the transports! The city is lost now.”
Many soldiers began to fall back. Several of us stayed to hold off the army as long as we could. Though I cut down many, they simply kept coming at us. I saw objects flying through the air at us. Some appeared like large insects, flying directly at us. Numerous blobs were also arcing towards us. One struck a soldier in front of me. He screamed in pain as it began to digest his armor and flesh, growing to cover his body.
Our numbers dwindling, we were pushed back. I heard a roar overhead and glanced up. The transports were taking off, abandoning the citadel. We had done our job.
“Let’s get back to the last transport.” I called. The few soldiers remaining broke off into a run towards the transport. We outpaced the army, but could not escape their weapons. Soon, I was the only one left, the only one able to see a flaming stone smash into the last transport. I felt something grab me by the back, picking me up off the ground.
“You’re the last of them. I couldn’t leave you down there.”
I looked up. I was in the talons of a larger dragon. On its back were a Sky Knight and a Doomblade. I sheathed my weapons, and used my powers to flip myself onto the creature’s back.
“Let’s get out of here.” I said above the wind.
The Sky Knight guided the dragon away from the city towards another of the fortresses, though it was not visible yet. Suddenly, there was a cry of pain from the dragon. I looked at it. Globs of a jelly-like substance clung to its body, digesting it as I watched. With a lurch, we dropped into a thick bank of fog. My shield was ripped off of my back, clipping the release to my energy blade as it went. This, too, fell.
Suddenly, we hit water. The force of the impact snapped the dragon’s neck in half, and flung the three of us off of its back. I fell into the water on my back. The force of the impact snapped my bow in two. My weapons began to drag me down into the black depths. I struggled upwards, though this was futile.
I tore off my weapon harness. This lightened my body, and I shot upwards to the surface, lungs screaming in pain. I surfaced, gasping for breath. I sighted a small island nearby, and struck out for it. There was no sign of the injured dragon, or of its other two riders. The black waters had swallowed them without hesitation.
I dragged myself ashore. The ground was soft and waterlogged. I simply laid at the water’s edge for an unknown amount of time, recovering my strength. Finally, I slowly got up and looked about me.
The island, though small, was larger than it had appeared. A few trees resided upon it, as well as a group of large stones. Fog covered all of the area like a shroud. I could not see very far around the island.
Defenseless, I was on the verge of giving myself over to despair. My adoptive species was scattered and broken, routed by the enemy. I was unsure if Dirah had escaped the city alive. On top of all of this, I was lost and trapped, unable to lend my aid in the planet’s defense. I began to panic. With control, I managed to calm myself. I sat down among the rocks.



Chapter 3: Lost | +
I leaned back upon one of the rocks. I heard a scrape, and felt it move. I soon toppled backwards into a cave of some sort. Aching, I slowly stood up. The cave was a tunnel, lit by some sort of glowing crystal. I followed it, as I could not climb out of the hole I fell through. Strangely, the more I walked on, the more I felt drawn onwards.
The tunnel ended abruptly in a wooden door. I pushed on this, and it swung inwards. Inside was a small chamber. In the center lay ten swords arranged in a nearly complete circle with their sheaths embedded in the rock. Nine of the hilts were golden in color, while one was a deep blue. In the center of them, three triangles were etched into the stone. I walked into this center.
Grasping the hilt of one sword, I pulled. It slid gently out of its sheath. The hilt was golden in color, and the blade had the three triangles etched on both sides. I pulled a second out. It was identical. Their sheaths floated out of their stone prisons and fell at my feet.
“So, one had claimed our blades.”
Startled, I turned around. Standing in front of the door was a spirit. He was dressed in ornate chain mail. On his shoulders were highly decorated armor plates, with three golden triangles on them. He appeared to be battle-ready, aside from a lack of weapons.
“Who are you?” I asked.
The spirit turned aside for a few seconds, as if it was thinking. He then turned back to face me.
“Once, very long ago, I was the leader of the Raptorian Crusaders. I was called Valictris then. We were the best, back then.”
“Who were these Crusaders?”
Valictris appeared to be surprised at this. “You know not of us? After all that we had done?”
“I am sorry. I am not accustomed to your history. I was not taught much.”
“Then I shall tell you. Long ago, we were nothing more than rival nations, all fighting for power. Under the venerable emperor Fonlia, we were finally united under one cause.” Valictris’ look became distant, and a grin played upon his lips. “Those were glorious days. I was just a hatchling then. Eventually, a small group of people became rather…discontent with his rule. They made several attempts at his life. Their movement gained many followers. After several violent revolts, it was discovered that they were heavily dominated by the Dark Way. We commenced war against them.”
Valictris paused for a short time. “They fought back, fiercely. They corrupted even more of us, swelling their ranks. Myself and nine of my friends banded together after we were trapped deep within their territory. We decided to form the Crusaders. We forged new swords, those that you hold now, infusing them with the power of the light. Our symbol, those three triangles, represents the three portions of the Way. We faced danger many times over, always emerging victorious. The ten of us were the only ones able to draw them, until you. They respond only to those dedicated to the light, and cause terrible damage to beings of darkness. They will serve you well.”
“That’s all well and good, but I am trapped here, and I have no idea as to where to go.”
“Yes, you do.” Valictris corrected me.
“I do?”
“Yes. Open your mind. The correct way shall lead you onwards.”
“Have you no other guidance?”
Valictris shook his head. “I have but one thing: let your feelings guide your actions. I wish you luck, Crusader.”
He dissipated silently. My pendant began to emit a bright, white light. When it diminished, the symbol on it had changed. The blue sword was replaced by three golden triangles.
I picked up the sheaths for the blades, and attached them to my belt. I sheathed both of the blades. I walked out of the cave, and through the tunnel. As I came to the entrance, there was a wooden door, similar to the one in the sword cavern. This I pushed open.
I climbed a flight of white stone steps. I stepped out of a small stone structure back onto the island in the swamp. I felt myself being drawn in one direction. I waded out into the water and began swimming.


Chapter 4: A NEw Role | +
Soon, I reached land once more. Though the ground was still rather soft, this mass was much larger, possibly part of the mainland. It was late in the afternoon now, and the fog was beginning to lift. In places, sunlight shined through.
As I trudged onwards, I noticed that the ground was growing firmer under my feet. I must have been nearing the edge of the swamp. From behind me, I began to hear the rumbling of engines. I paused in the middle of a field. Grasping the hilts of my swords, I readied myself. From behind me, an all-too-familiar starfighter tore through the air. It quickly passed above me, and headed onwards on my path of travel. I quickened my pace, half hoping, half fearing that the ship was the one I thought it was.

I soon came to the edge of the swamp, and a vast plain stretched in front of me. On the edge of my forward vision was the outline of a city. There was no sign of the starfighter. A wisp of smoke rose from near the city. I began to run.
I reached the source of the smoke quickly: the crashed starfighter. I began to search the wreckage for signs of life. Debris was scattered all over the area. I found a cylinder-hilted energy blade nearby. I hooked it onto my belt. A trail of multiple sets of footprints led away towards the city.
With determination, I began to follow the trail. The sun began to set, aiding my ability to move unseen. I soon reached the city’s walls. They showed much damage, being totally melted away in places, patched with a different stony material. I scrambled through one of these gaps that was not yet closed up. The city was half demolished. Something approached, and I quickly hid among rubble and shadows. A group of five Invaders slowly walked past my position, speaking in a foreign language. I quietly shifted my weight, waiting for them to pass.
They moved on, and I climbed out of hiding. It was obvious that I was in a captured city. I moved off down the street, my senses alert for any sign of danger. Peering around a corner, I saw a lone Raptorian prisoner being escorted by a group of armed Invaders. I decided to trail them, hoping to find a prison or similar structure.
After five blocks, a band of three Raptorians, armed with swords, leapt out of hiding and began to combat the Invaders. I leapt from hiding, cutting down the nearest of the Invaders. After a quick skirmish, we stood victorious.
Just then, my allies took notice of my blades. They fell unnaturally silent. One came forwards.
“Are you a spirit?” he asked.
“I am not.” I replied.
“Then how is it that you wield the blades of the Crusaders?”
“I found them in the swamp. The spirit of their leader allowed me to take them.” I paused. “Why are you here?”
“We are here in an attempt to rescue the Empress. I am General Leucra.”
This put me on edge. “Dirah has been captured?”
“Yes, five days ago.”
“Five days?” I was distinctly alarmed now.
“Yes. Why do you sound surprised?”
“She and I just fled from Raptoris City yesterday after the invasion.”
The band let out a quiet snicker.
“That’s a good one.” they jested.
“Is it not true?” I asked.
They suddenly became serious.
“Raptoris City was taken one year ago.” replied Leucra. “Since then, the Invaders have spread across the planet. We have established a few bases from which we conduct hit-and-run raids against them. Occasionally, they discover and attack our bases. It was during one such recent attack when the Empress was captured.”
I closed my eyes and held my head with my right hand. Leucra spoke once more.
“Wait…Are you not Klestanis?”
Opening my eyes again, “Indeed I am.”
“Dirah had given you up for dead. What happened?”
“After being picked up by a dragon, I crashed into a swamp. Once there, I found a cave that enshrined the ten Crusader blades. I took two, and then left. Now I am here.” I gave a slight shrug of my shoulders. “I guess I’ll join up with you. Where are we heading?”
“To the palace dungeon. We must reach it before they kill the Empress, or worse.” was the reply.
“What could be worse?”
“They implant fragments of a coralline substance. They basically turn the victims into mindless slaves.”
“That’s certainly a bad way to go.” I remarked “Let’s get moving.”
We moved off through the ruins with Leucra in the lead. Many stony buildings now stood in the city. Some had unfamiliar plants growing on them.
“What is this?” I asked, in reference to the plants.
“They brought them with them. They yews them to terraform the planet’s surface. I guess it makes it more suitable to their needs.” one of the soldiers remarked.
We moved on through the forest. Soon, there was a rather large structure visible. This, too, was overgrown.
We quietly approached a door. This was slowly pushed open. We filed in, and closed it behind us. Rows of cells stretched away in front of us.
“We’ll split up” announced Leucra. “That way, we’ll cover more ground.”
We each moved off in separate directions. Most of the cells were ajar and empty. I moved past these. I quickly came upon a closed door. Leucra was behind me, sword drawn. I rammed the door down. Inside was a large room, with some sort of device inside. A being was strapped into this. Three Invaders were clustered around this. I charged them, cutting them all down in two broad sword strokes. I then sliced through the restraints, and the occupant slid down into my arms.
She was about my height. Short silver fur covered her body. Long black hair draped over her shoulders. Her ears were pointed. Her face was feline in appearance. She wore a short robe covered by a longer, almost floor-length one.
“Are you alright, Katrya?”
She looked up at me with her bright green eyes. “How do you know…?” She looked at me for a second. “Michael? Is that you?”
“Yes, though I have taken a new name, it is still me.”
She embraced me tightly. “I am so glad to see you again.”
“Me too, but we have more pressing matters at hand. We must locate and free my wife, the Empress. Here, take your energy blade. Can you stand?”
“Yes. That device causes terrible pain. I am so glad you came when you did. When I was almost here, I sensed that something terrible had happened back home. I landed, hoping to find you to help me.”
“We’ve got plenty of problems here, as you may have seen.”
Leucra interrupted us. “Klestanis, they found her.”
I looked up. “Where?”
“Follow us.”
Leucra, Katrya, and I went outside of the cell. There, another Raptorian led us through the prison to another cell. Inside was another of the devices. Five Invader bodies lay on the floor. A Raptorian body lay propped up against a wall. I ran over to this, and cradled it in my arms.
“Dirah?”
She slowly looked up at me. She spoke, though her voice was barely a whisper. I brought my head close to hers. “You have returned.”
“I have. Are you okay?”
She gave a nearly imperceptible shake of her head. “I am nearly dead, though it is not any wound that could be healed. You can not save me.”
“Can’t I just try?”
“It would do you no good. I feel my energy leaving me. You must carry on after I go. Give our people their land back. You must do this.”
I felt her body relax, and she closed her eyes. I brought her close to me, and then she died. I felt a wave of sadness sweep over me. At the same time, her body simply vanished. I felt energy surge throughout my body. As I stood up, I let loose a guttural cry, attempting to release my pain. The very stones of the prison trembled in resonation.
Without a word, I began to walk out of the cell. I knew what I had to do. Without any warning, Leucra stepped in front of me.
“Don’t try to stop me.” I said, attempting to move around him.
“What are you doing?”
“What I must. They will all die for what they have done. I have been given my orders as the dying words of a loved one. I will drive the Invaders off of this planet.” The conviction rang strong in my voice.
“How? You command no army. We would follow you, but that is not enough.”
“I need no followers.” I replied. “I can take them on myself.”
“You can not. You will surely die if you try.”
“I will not. They will be the ones who face death.”
“Please, listen to reason.” said Katrya. “I don’t want to lose you, either to death or to the prevalent darkness.”
“You will not. Now Leucra, move out of my way.” I was beginning to feel annoyance. I raised my hand between us.
Leucra hesitated for a moment, but slowly stepped to the side. I walked out of the cell. As I did so, I heard a noise from behind me. Both Katrya and Leucra had followed me out of the cell.
“You will not go on alone.’ said Katrya.
“Indeed.” seconded Leucra. “We will follow you to the end.”
“Then let’s get going.” I started moving off to the left.
Leucra interrupted me. “The entrance is in the other direction.”
I paused, then started moving in the direction he was pointing in. “You should lead, then.”
Leucra assumed the lead, and we soon exited the dungeon. At that point, I looked around at the city. Strange plants had overgrown the buildings.
“What happened here?” asked Katrya.
“We were attacked.” I replied.
“We put up our best defense, but they overwhelmed us.” added Leucra. “We fled from here, our capital, to other fortresses we have scattered about the planet. Those fell systematically. This was due to a lack of effective weapons and training. The only weapons that could penetrate their armor were removed from military service roughly thirty years ago. All of our energy-based weapons failed. Only our adamantite weapons were of any yews. A few of us still used them, and we survived, but most of the rest died. Most of our dragon mounts were also destroyed. As a result, we are forced to hide out wherever it is safe, while the Invaders slowly terraform our planet. Our raids slow their progress, but we cannot muster enough strength to take anything back from them. Most of the civilians still alive have given themselves over to despair. Many soldiers have followed them, performing their jobs without much effort.”
“That’s why I am willing to fight.” I said. “The Invaders must and can be stopped. I do not care if I must take them on by myself. I will fight back.”
Suddenly, I heard slow clapping in front of me. I looked, but saw nobody there. I then heard a voice following it.
“Congratulations. I admire your dedication.”
“Who are you?” Leucra asked, drawing his Knightblade. “Where are you?”
In response to this, a Raptorian materialized in front of us. She was dressed completely in black. There was a piece of cloth over her face, and combined with the hood on her cloak, made only her eyes visible. At her belt hung a slightly curved short sword. A solid black pendant hung around her neck.
“Greetings, I am Inclessia, leader of the Shadow Warriors. I have witnessed your strength and bravery, and have decided to pledge my support to you.”
Leucra cut her off. “Why should we trust you? You stalk us without assisting us. I have never even heard of the Shadow Warriors. How do I know you are not some illusion?”
“I sense no deceit in her, General.” said Katrya.
“I am as real as you are, General Leucra.” replied Inclessia. “Have you not heard rumors of disappearing Raptorians, cloaked figures that fade into blackness, and unstoppable assassins?”
“I have heard them, yes.” replied Leucra. “However, they are no more than rumors.”
“On the contrary. They are some of our less…careful members being spotted by citizens. Now, Emperor Klestanis, do you accept my aid?”
“Emperor?” I replied, shocked.
“Yes. After the passing of your life-mate, the title falls to you. Now do you accept the support of my order?”
“I guess so. We need all the help we can get.”
“Yes. We do. Come, we shall travel to our stronghold.”
“You have taken a stronghold?” asked Leucra.
“Taken? No. We never lost it.”
“How could I have not known of this?” asked Leucra, becoming visibly angry.
“Outside of our order, you three are the only living ones who know of us. We reside in the Darklands, and it is because of us that the area has its reputation.”
“What are the Darklands?” Katrya and I asked in unison.
“They are an area of tainted land covered in everlasting darkness. Due to the taint, it is a very harsh place to live. There is little in the way of living plants there, and the creatures there are aggressive and strong. We formed our order in order for us to survive there. We approached one of the Emperors of old and pledged ourselves to the Empire. We act in the shadows, eliminating any individuals that threaten the stability of the Empire. That is why it has lasted so long.”
“So why did you not stop Riem and the War Lords?” asked Leucra, still untrusting.
“We did not expect for him to seize power. Even our foresight is limited. Later, to eliminate him would have caused a huge civil war greater than the one that was started. Thus, we remained hidden. We did not offer our services to Riem or Nirahalas. Dirah knew of us, though she had no need to call on us for help until the siege of Raptoris City. Even then, we arrived too late to do anything. We have acted in much the same way as your military has, as we do not have the strength or numbers for a direct attack. They are very resilient.”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit exposed here? I mean, we are talking in front of a prison entrance when we could be attacked at any time.” Katrya pointed out.
“I agree.” I replied. “We should either find someplace more covert to hide, or we should get going.”
“Then let’s go.” said Inclessia. “Follow me, but keep low.”
Leucra motioned to his two soldiers. “We will go back to base and report this.” He then turned to the rest of us. “You three go on. Contact me on the secure channel if you need me.” With this, they moved away through the streets of Raptoris City.
Inclessia got down into a crouch and began to creep away. Katrya and I followed her lead. We crawled through Raptoris City in this manner, eventually reaching a demolished section of wall. We climbed through this, and began to scramble across the battle-torn field that surrounded the city. On the way, I picked up a spear, as well as giving Katrya a sword and a spear. Though she was unaccustomed to using them, her energy blade, her only weapon, would be ineffective against Invader armor.
When we were a decent distance from the city, we stood upright, and continued onwards.
“We should reach the edge of the Darklands in a few days.” stated Inclessia. “After that, we should reach our stronghold in another day or two.”
We continued onwards. As Inclessia had said, halfway through the fourth day, the sky was rapidly darkening. Soon, it was pitch-black, though it was not yet night.
“Careful now.” warned Inclessia. “There are some particularly nasty creatures around here. Be on your guard.”
We moved onwards through the darkness. Suddenly, there was a loud screeching noise from above us. I felt something hit me in the head, and I went out.


Chapter 5: Unexpected Aid | +
I slowly awoke, my head throbbing. I was vaguely aware of being held by something rather strong. I moaned as pain shot across my scalp. I then heard a strange, comforting voice from nearby.
“Well, I am glad you have awakened.”
I was slowly able to force open my eyes. Out of focus, I could only make out something large holding me illuminated by a flickering orange light. I closed my eyes once more. Whatever was holding me shifted, and I felt like I was being laid out upon a flat, cold stone.
When I slowly opened my eyes again, I was peering into a brilliant pair of blue eyes. This startled me slightly, and their owner backed away. At this range, I could see that it was a rather beautiful dragoness. She appeared to be roughly my size, with blue-green scales, and a small, light, anthropomorphic figure. Long, electric blue hair was draped over her naked body. A tattoo of green lightning ran up her right side. She appeared to be rather excited that I was awake.
As I slowly regained consciousness, I became aware that all of my garments had been removed. This naturally caused a few questions to cross my mind.
The dragoness smiled. “Hello.” she gently said.
I struggled to form words. “Um.....hello?” I eventually was able to reply.
The dragoness stretched out on the floor directly next to me. “Are you okay?” she asked, still in the same calm, gentle tone. I was starting to become a bit nervous.
“Well, I’m laying here not knowing how I got here or where my clothes are. In addition, my head feels like it’s ready to split in two. On top of all that, my wife died four days ago. Other than that, I’m fine.” I replied.
“Oh. Well, I think I may be able to help in some of those areas.” She shifted a bit closer to me. “Your clothes are over in the corner there, next to your weapons. One of our landos found you alone in the Darklands, knocked out. My sister and I took you in. I will take you to the healer. He may be able to help your head. You should probably dress, as my sister is due back soon.”
She slowly helped me to my feet. I looked around. I was in a stone cave, roughly twenty or so feet square. A solid wood door was set into one of the walls. Multiple lit torches were hung along the walls and illuminated the room. In one corner, in a neat pile, were my clothes, swords, and spear. Various pieces of wooden furniture adorned the room. Propped up against one of these were a large sword and a spear. The sword had a golden yellow hilt, and the grip was wrapped with a light turquoise cloth. A gleaming, bright green gemstone was set in the pommel. Its blade was thick at the base, then narrowed until the spear-like tip. The spear was around six feet long. Beneath the foot-long head were a pair of diagonal blades, one on each side of the head. I quickly donned my clothes, and attached my sword belt. I let my spear stay where it was.
I turned around to find the dragon now wearing loose, revealing clothing. Her hair was tied back with a blue ribbon. “Who are you?” I asked her.
“I am Rastalei, a dragon knight. My sister is also.” She pointed to the sword and spear. “Those are our weapons. Anyhow, who are you?”
“I am Klestanis. I guess I am the Emperor of the Raptorians, though I have no clue as to what to do with the title.”
Rastalei turned to supposedly busy herself with something on one of the furnishings, though I overheard her mutter to herself “Interesting. I have never slept with royalty before.” I let this slide past, not wanting to alarm her, though it made me wonder exactly what had happened while I was unconscious.
She turned back to me, now with a golden chain around her neck. “As you can probably see, I am a sky dragon, and one of the smaller species.”
“I can see that, but I was unaware of any different dragon species.”
“There are three divisions: sky, ground, and cave dragons. They all have numerous species in the groups. Sky dragons, like me, have two legs and wings capable of flight. Ground and cave dragons are flightless. Ground dragons have four legs, while cave dragons have two. Cave dragons also lack eyes. A rare species of ground dragon is more intelligent and bipedal. Outsiders also wrongfully group two other creatures with us. One is the winged Raptorian, which is basically a Raptorian sub-species with dragon-like wings. The second is an abomination. It is the torso of a winged Raptorian combined with the body of a ground dragon. They were created during your Dark Rebellion.” she remarked, expressing disgust at the last creature.
At that moment, the door slowly opened, and a second dragon entered. She was a few inches taller than Rastalei. In contrast to her, the second dragon had gleaming silver scales, but same, brilliant, blue eyes, and flowing, golden-brown hair. She was built more solidly, and was slightly more muscular. She wore a simple, reddish-maroon dress. She seemed to be very familiar.
“Ah, here is my sister…”
“Pyrana!” I interrupted. I immediately ran over to her, embracing her tightly. “You are alive! But how?”
“I did indeed die, but I was resurrected a few years ago by the dragons here. I see you are acquainted with my sister already.” she then paused, and looked at me. “Interesting. You have not aged one bit since I last saw you.”
“You know him, sister?” asked Rastalei.
“Yes, from long ago. We were...very close friends.”
“Indeed.” I said. “You are a knight now, Pyrana. Has your technique become more graceful?”
“Yes. My sister has taught me much.”
“Good. I may need some support in the future.”
“Why?” asked Rastalei.
“We need to rid this planet of the Invaders. Otherwise, they will slowly transform this planet into theirs. Many Raptorians have perished already. Many more were captured and transformed into mindless slaves. At each passing day, they terraform our planet to suit their needs. At this cost, all of our species are threatened. We need to band together if we are to survive.”
“You should seek an audience with the queen, then.” said Rastalei. “She gives the final word of the support of our species. However, and I believe Pyrana will back me up on this, I will join your cause, even if the queen forbids it.”
“We’ve been through too much together for me to abandon you.” said Pyrana. “I would gladly fight alongside you again.”
“Thanks, both of you. Anyhow, how would I be granted an audience?” I replied.
“Leave that to me.” said Rastalei. “Our family has a bit of pull here, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ll be back soon.”
With that, Rastalei left the room. Pyrana then got up and went to the door. She looked out in all directions, then closed it.
“I have a question for you that may be a bit on the probing side.” she said to me.
“Okay. What is it?” I replied.
“Let’s see how to word this…” Pyrana gave a slight pause. “Did my sister…come on to you in any way?”
“Not while I was awake, no. However, when I awoke she was holding me close to her. In addition, we were both without clothing.”
Pyrana closed her eyes and slowly shook her head.
“Something wrong?” I asked her.
“Not really. My sister is a little crazy. She is rather…”
“Horny?” I added. “No pun intended.”
“Yeah...It’s as if her pyromania is not enough to satisfy her. She is a perfectly good dragoness, but her ways tend to cause others to look down upon her at most times. For her sake, I wish she would calm down a bit.”
“She may, in time.” I replied. “I’m curious, though. How did you get off of this planet?”
“I was told that my mother was experimenting with magic while I was younger. Somehow, she conjured a time-space portal, which I wandered into many years later. It closed after me. I arrived on your planet, and then met up with you a few years after.”
“Interesting. We may need this magic.”
“No. You do not. It cannot be controlled, even by the strongest amongst us.”
“Oh, well.”
There was a slight pause. “If you are allowed to see the Queen, you must be calm and polite.” warned Pyrana. “She is rather intolerant of disrespect, and has her guards rigidly enforce various courtesy rules. The King, though only a figurehead, is even more intolerant. You must speak your mind carefully in their presence. Otherwise, we may be facing an army.”
“It won’t be the first time, Pyrana.” I reminded her.
“And from what you say, it won’t be the last.” she boasted. There was another pause. “So, what has happened to you since the last I saw of you?”
“Many things. I was tricked into killing Dirah. After avenging her, I was able to resurrect her. I then left in self-exile to curb my anger. During that time, I found a whole other galaxy teeming with sentient beings. They joked at my references to here. Eventually, I found an order similar to the White Knights. They took me in, and helped me. I also made some friends there, one of which has recently tracked me here. Upon return from my exile, I wandered into the middle of a war. My spacecraft was hit, and I was taken prisoner. Worst of all, I was rendered unconscious and an amnesiac. I actually was placed in the same prison camp as Dirah, and we were able to escape. Upon learning of my state, she gave me a new name that I usually yews now: Klestanis. It is Raptorian for lost soul. We were able to forge peace when the Invaders came. After Raptoris City fell, I was lost in a swamp and a time warp. I retrieved two swords, these on my belt. They belonged to a group of elite warriors. I then returned to Raptoris City, where I found a small band of soldiers. We freed my friend from the other galaxy, and found Dirah at the verge of death. She died in my arms. With that, I have reluctantly become Emperor. Now I am here. That’s about it.”
The door opened, and Rastalei came into the room. “Good news.” she said. “You can be seen immediately. Follow me.”
I levitated my spear to me, then followed Rastalei out of the door. Pyrana also came, carrying the other weapons. She attached the sword across her back, and gave the spear to her sister. We weaved through a series of tunnels, occasionally coming across other dragons. They paid little attention to us. We then came to a larger set of double doors. This was opened by a pair of armored guards at its sides. We entered into a vast cavern, and the doors were closed behind us. In front of us was a series of curtains that blocked our view.
“Who has come before us?” asked a loud voice that resonated within the cavern.
“I am the new Emperor of the Raptorians.” I started. “I have come to humbly ask for your aid.”
“Then proceed.” said the voice.
We did as we were told, walking through the curtains. On the other side was an extension of the cavern. On the sides were armed guards. At the far end were two thrones. Each was occupied by a dragon easily five times my size. I now realized what Rastalei meant by her being “small.” They both wore clothing that appeared to have golden fibers running through them. At the waist of the one to the right was a huge dagger, about the same size as I was.
The one on the left, the queen, spoke. “Why have the Raptorians come crawling to the dragons for help?”
“We have helped you enough by allowing you to yews our lesser ones as war-mounts.” said the right one. At the mention of “lesser ones”, I noticed Rastalei tighten her grip on her spear.
“The Raptorians have attempted to hold off an invasion. This has failed, and we are scattered. The threat that we faced is a threat felt by all of the species of the planet, as they are transforming it into a world not fit for us.”
“And so, you come crawling to us, as your ancestors did many decades ago.” said the queen. “We feel that we have helped you enough already. We will give you no aid save safe passage through our lands.”
At this, Rastalei stepped out of line. “How can you say that?” she asked. “If we do not fight together, we will all die!”
“Silence, unworthy one!” was the reply. “The dragons have shown their superiority over these beings time and again. No matter what their strength and technology, they cannot best our strength and magic.
“She is right.” Now Pyrana was speaking. “You will not listen to reason, any of you.”
“We will not stand for this…indecency.” said the king. “Guards, dispose of the two dragonesses with him. I will deal with the emperor myself.”
As the guards drew their weapons, I extended my hand. “You will not harm them.” I blasted back them all against the walls, their weapons scattered.
Suddenly, the king conjured up a blast of electricity. We leapt away, attempting to escape from the cavern. The floor shook as he got to his feet. We ran through the curtain. Though the door was closed, Pyrana opened it with a single hit from her sword. We ran out into the tunnels.
“How do we get out?” I asked.
“Follow me.” said Pyrana. She ran down one of the tunnels, with Rastalei and I close behind her. Eventually, we reached an opening with darkness pouring in.
“This way.” commanded Pyrana. She leapt through the opening. Rastalei followed, then I jumped. I felt myself falling, but I willed myself to slow down. I was soon levitating in mid-air. From nearby, I saw a burst of fire followed by a small, flickering flame. This illuminated both Pyrana and Rastalei. I maneuvered over to them.
“Where to now?” I asked.
“We land, but that’s a few hundred feet below us.”
“Okay.”
As Pyrana and Rastalei began to dive, I let myself fall. After a while, sensing ground below me, I slowed my fall, and lightly touched down. Pyrana and Rastalei landed next to me. Both had their weapons drawn, with a flame a few inches off of Pyrana’s outstretched hand. I held my spear at the ready.
“Something approaches.” said Rastalei.
I looked around, vainly attempting to pierce the darkness. Suddenly, a ring of cloaked figures materialized around us. They each held rifles painted flat black. After a pause, one motioned for the others to lower their weapons. This one then spoke.
“We have finally found you, Klestanis. Lady Inclessia has ordered us to return you to the Fortress of Shadows.”
Rastalei spoke to me in a low voice. “They are Shadow Warriors. Be on your guard.”
“Then I shall.” I replied. We moved off into the darkness, surrounded by Shadow Warriors.

Within a day, we came upon a fortress of some sort. We passed through a gate, which was slammed closed behind us. We were directed through the quasi-city into a tower complex. There, we were ushered into a large room. The Shadow Warriors then left. We appeared to be alone in the room.
Without warning, three cloaked figures materialized in front of us. I instinctively moved my hand to the hilt of my sword.
“You have powerful allies, it seems, in the dragons.” one said.
“I have but two.” I replied. I sensed that I knew them.
“Then they shall aid in our revolt?” asked a second.
“We shall.” replied Pyrana.
“They will not be enough. I know this enemy. I have faced it in battle.” I added
“So have I.” replied the third. “I have fought them multiple times over.”
“And so we shall again, General.”
“How do you know that?” he asked, apparently quite astonished.
“I do. I also know your companions.”
At this, they all removed their hoods. One was indeed General Leucra. The second was Katrya. Though I did not recognize the face of the third, I sensed she was Inclessia. A scar ran down the right half of her face, across her eye.
“We still need more support if we are to take back the planet.” she pointed out. “We have enough to perform heavy raids, but that will not do.”
I thought for a moment. “I have an idea, but I would need a ship.”
“And what is that?” asked Katrya.
“I return to my homeworld, and raise an army there, which could be transported here.”
“A simple plan. We indeed have a ship in orbit.” replied Inclessia. “The Vengeance is more of a large transport than a battle cruiser, though it should suit your needs perfectly.”
“You’ll let me yews it?” I asked.
“On one condition.” she replied. “The bodies of two White Knights are buried on your planet. I would like you to bring these remains back with you.”
“Of course. When can I leave?”
“As soon as you desire to.” replied Inclessia.
“Wait.” Katrya spoke up. “You’re not going alone. I will accompany you.”
“Us, too.” said Pyrana, motioning to her sister.
“And I.” said Leucra. “I have yet to honor the graves of my parents.”
I seemed to have developed a following. “All that I ask is that you get us to the ship.”
“Follow me.” said Inclessia. She led us through the fortress to a small hanger. Inside sat a shuttle craft. “I am sure you are familiar with the controls, General. I will send word to the Vengeance of your arrival. Good luck.” She turned to me, and produced an energy blade from her cloak. She handed it to me. “A gift, Emperor. You may have need of it.” With that, she left us.
“Well,” said Leucra. “There’s no reason for us to just stand around. Let’s get this ship going.”


Chapter 6: Return | +
“Greetings. I am the captain of the Vengeance.”
We were stationed on the bridge of the Vengeance. In front of us stood the captain, dressed as a Shadow Warrior. We were led there after docking with the ship. As Inclessia had said, it was a transport modified into a makeshift light cruiser.
“Lady Inclessia told us of your mission. However, she did not tell me where to send this vessel.”
Rotate two hundred and thirty-one degrees left and ten degrees up.” I instructed. “Keep going for about two days, and we should be there.”

The next day, I was alone in my quarters, simply thinking over how Dirah was now dead. There was a knock on the door. “Come in.” I said.
General Leucra swiftly moved through the door, with a rather odd look on his face. He closed the door behind him.
“You don’t look too good.” I commented.
“Do my thoughts show that clearly on my face?” he asked.
“You bet.” I replied.
“That turquoise dragoness, how well do you know her?”
“A little bit. I am far more familiar with her sister. Why?”
“She made a few, shall we say, suggestive comments directed towards me. They were about…mating. With her. Did you have any similar…experiences?”
“She never said anything to me, but from what I gather, she did mate with me when I was unconscious.”
“She’s mentally unstable.”’
“Yeah. Even Pyrana admits that she is.”
“Well, at least I’m not the only one.” he remarked. “I’ll see you around.” He then left.
“Don’t get caught with her alone.” I called after him.

Another day later, the ship was in orbit above my planet. Leucra, Katrya, Pyrana, Rastalei, and I boarded the shuttle. I guided Leucra as to where to set the ship down.
The ship touched down in a clearing. It was night out. On the other side of the clearing was a familiar house. Lights were on inside of it. Pyrana, Leucra, and Rastalei stayed in the shuttle. Katrya and I silently walked over to the house. I knocked on the front door.
There was a short pause, and the door slowly opened. We were greeted by a man in his early sixties. When he saw Katrya, he was startled, and proceeded to draw a blue energy blade.
He leapt at us. Katrya and I each drew our blades, hers green, and mine white.
“I need help here, Eddie.”
At this, a second man came out, wielding another blue energy blade. Inside, I heard the sounds of children being hushed. This second man attacked me, while the first dueled Katrya. Though I was younger and faster, the man’s skill with his blade kept me wary.
Suddenly, he was tackled from the side. Leucra had knocked him down, dagger in hand. Pyrana and Rastalei both joined the fray. Overwhelmed, both men surrendered. I had to pull Leucra off of one of them.
“You have defeated us.” said the first. “Do as you will.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
The one who answered the door answered first. “The name’s Anthony.”
The second followed. “Mine’s Edward.”
“Just the two I was looking for.” I said. They showed surprise at this. “What? You two don’t recognize, or should I say remember, me anymore?”
There was a slow moment of their dawning comprehension. “Mike?” was the eventual and unsure question.
“In the flesh. I have returned, and I need your help.”
“Come inside, then. Our families are here for a little get-together.”
We obeyed, and were led inside. In the first room were two families. One of them spoke to Eddie. “We’ll go elsewhere and leave you all alone.” Eddie nodded, and they left.
“So, Mike. It’s been a long time, and you have some explaining to do.”
“Explanations will come” I replied. “For now, we have more pressing matters to attend to. We need an army. Fast.”
“Why?” Eddie replied. “Are the Nazis to go on the march with you again?”
I noticed Leucra grow a little annoyed at this. “Because the fate of the galaxy may hinge upon it.” he curtly said. “Will you aid us or not?”
“Sure, I guess.” replied Anthony. “The major problem will be to convince the king to do so, though.”
“I will convince him.” I replied. “When can we see him?” I asked, remembering my recent meeting with royalty.

“What happened to you?” asked Eddie. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
I gave a slight laugh at this. “The transformation process that I underwent twice stops one from aging. I first underwent it when I needed to become a Raptorian to bring about the reformation of the Empire. I transformed back when I…exiled…myself until I was able to curb my anger. I returned forty-one years later to the day. Two years later, I have come here to search for aid.”
“And your…companions?”
“You should recognize Pyrana, at least. The other dragon is her sister, Rastalei. Leucra is the head Raptorian General. Katrya here is a reborn boss I met during my exile.

The next day, we arrived at the castle. Katrya had her hood raised, so as to hide her face. The castle was repaired quite nicely since I had last laid my eyes upon it.
“Are the graves intact?” asked Leucra.
“They are.” replied Eddie. “Why?”
“We are tasked with returning the bodies of his parents to Raptorsis I.” I replied.
At this point, we were at the entrance, where a guard admitted us into the main hall. Inside was seated the king. Guards were standing at regular intervals along the walls.
“What is it that you have brought to my attention?” asked the king, as if our presence bored him.
“Our mission here is two-fold.” said Leucra. “First, we will retrieve the bodies of both Kras and Hadra. Secondly, we must discuss a grave matter with you. Our Empire, as long with our allies, was attacked by beings from a separate galaxy. We have fought back, but our numbers dwindle. We have come here to seek your aid against them. Will you help us?”
“On the first account, I believe I could allow you to take the remains. As for the second, I must think it over for a while. Come back later.”
We then left, and went to the graveyard. Splitting up, we searched for the two graves. Fittingly, Leucra was the first to find them, side by side. When the rest of us reached there, he was kneeling, head bowed. None of us moved closer, until he stood again.
“Let’s do this.” he said. From his cloak, he pulled two cloth bags. Katrya used her powers to gently unearth the skeletons. Leucra gently placed each one in a separate bag. He then placed the bags back in his cloak. “Once the king makes up his mind, we can leave.”
We decided to return to the front of the castle until we were called for. We waited around for a long time. Finally, around sundown, we were called back inside.
“I have made my decision.” said the king, still in the same bored voice.
“Well?” asked Leucra, crossing his arms. “Out with it.”
“Your plea is tantalizing, but I must decline it. Prior involvement with your species has brought us nothing but ill. As such, I will not authorize aid to you. You are free to leave, along with the two bodies you requested. However, do not return here. You are dismissed.”
In a burst of anger, Leucra’s hand shot to his dagger. Before he could draw it, however, I clamped down upon his arm.
“Now is not the time.” I warned. “Let’s go.”
We left the castle with Leucra barely under control. Once we were outside, he tore his arm from my grasp.
“Why did you do that?” he demanded.
“The less blood we spill, the better.” I replied.
“Now we are on our own again, and will slowly die out.” he remarked.
“I still have one plan left.” I replied. “It involves much risk, so I have left it as a last-resort plan. However, I need general consent of more than we have here to execute it.”
“Why? Does it involve more of us?” asked Katrya.
“Yes and no.” I replied. “With clearance, I will transform back into my Raptorian form. My powers are greatly augmented by it. However, if I would be set off in some way, my wrath would make me unstoppable, but I would also go berserk. I could cause much more destruction than intended. I can control it, but not when my anger reaches that level.”
“But your anger would be directed towards…them, correct?” asked Rastalei.
“Indeed, it would be, but I could potentially turn on anyone while in that state.”
“Is there any way to stop you while you are enraged?” asked Pyrana.
“I can only come out of that state through some sort of extreme emotional stress.”
“Is it really that terrible?” asked Leucra.
“You should know that already, General.” He expressed confusion at this, so I further explained myself. “You have already seen me in that state, long ago. Have you forgotten what happened that day in the arena?”
“That was you?” he asked.
“Yes, it was. I am not exactly proud of what happened then, but it serves as a mark of what could happen again. I am willing to yews my powers again, but I want to get a general consensus of others’ views on it.”
“And this will occur…?” asked Pyrana.
“When we return to Raptorsis I.”
“So you’re going back soon?” asked Eddie.
“As soon as possible.” replied Leucra.
“Could we join your ranks?” asked Anthony.
“Sure.” I replied.
We made our way back to the shuttle with two allies, but not an army. Eddie and Anthony left our company to gather their belongings. The rest of us waited outside of the ship. I then addressed the four of them.
“Katrya, Rastalei, and Pyrana, I hold the three of you to be my witnesses. Leucra, if you are willing, I am ready to transfer the title of emperor, along wit h its powers and responsibilities, to you. Do you accept?” I knew the mantle of emperor was too heavy for me to bear effectively.
Leucra hesitated for a moment, pondering the opportunity that now lay before him. He then replied “I…I accept.”
“As you will, Emperor.” I replied, hoping that I had made the right decision.
We then waited for Anthony and Eddie to return a short while later. We all boarded the shuttle. Leucra fired up the ship, and we took off. We soon docked with the Vengeance, and headed back towards Raptorsis I. I meditated the entire trip, storing my power for later.


Chapter 7: Rebirth | +
Two days later, we were in orbit above Raptorsis I. The group of us boarded the shuttle, and rode it to the Fortress of Shadows. Disembarking, we were brought before Lady Inclessia.
“Greetings. I hope your mission went well.”
“Yes and no, Inclessia.” I replied.
“That’s Lady Inclessia.” she corrected.
“Sure, fine.” I replied.
“We have recovered the remains of my parents.” said Leucra.
“Good.” replied Inclessia. “You know what is to be done, correct?”
Leucra nodded and ran off.
“However, the hopes of raising an army are dashed.” I said. “We have only two with us. However, I have a last-resort plan. I will transform back into my Raptorian form. I would become nearly unstoppable, but it carries a high risk if I were to enter a rage. I am asking the permission of your organization, as they are the only ones I have yet to consult. In addition, I have transferred the title of emperor to Leucra. I feel that he is better qualified for it.”
Suddenly, there was a tearing sound. To my left appeared a black disk ringed by a bluish glow. A dark figure fell through this, then the disk disappeared. The figure stood up. He appeared human in form, save for longer, pointed ears. He was a little bit shorter than I was. His skin and hair were grey. His clothes were almost black. He wore leather boots and gloves of the same color. His eyes were not just red, but appeared to glow with an inner light. A black sword and shield were crossed across his back. The sword was of the exact same design as the ones on my belt, only with a black hilt.
Noticing me, he began to speak. “Hello. I guess you’re the other half he was talking about.”
This statement awoke something hiding in my memory. “Yes, I am.”
“What is he talking about?” asked Rastalei.
“Long ago, during the Great Civil War, I split my body in half.” I explained. “The half he knows went through a portal of similar design. I remained on my planet.” I then addressed the figure. “Who are you and why are you here?”
“Me? I’m just a shadow that freed itself. I accidentally stumbled into a portal just now. I guess that I am nowhere near where I was, as your other half did not sense your presence.”
“Do you not have a name?” asked Inclessia.
“Nope. As I said, I am just a shadow.”
“Then you shall be called Lesinil, the Ancient Raptorian word for shadow.” said Lady Inclessia.
“Okay.” replied Lesinil. “I guess I should let you finish whatever I interrupted.” He folded his arms and became silent.
“Would you allow me to transform?” I asked of Inclessia.
“Yes.” she replied.
I began to focus my strength. A familiar glow enveloped my body. When it dissipated, I once again felt my power rippling though my body, felt the strength of my adopted body.
“Now I’m ready to split some heads.” I stated.
Lesinil perked up at this. A grin played on his face. “So, there’s some fighting in order? It’s been too long since I’ve racked up some kills.”
“One last thing.” said Inclessia. “Since you left, we have been undertaking an ambitious project. Follow me. I will show you all the results.”
I followed, wary of what may lay ahead of me. Katrya, Pyrana, Rastalei, and Lesinil also followed. Inclessia opened a door, and I was shocked by what was in the room beyond.

Standing next to a window was Nirahalas, whom I had slain years ago. Also in the room was Lord Fline. There was also a group of ten Raptorians in chain mail. They each had three golden triangles on their shoulder plates. Perhaps most shocking was that Nijliha and Dirah were also there.
Responding immediately, I uttered a dispel incantation. This failed, and I drew my swords, much to the interest of the Raptorians in chain mail. I began to advance, when Lady Inclessia appeared in front of me, stopping me.
“They are not an illusion, nor are they hostile.” she said. “They have been resurrected, so as to aid us.”
I stopped my advance, but did not sheath my blades. Another door opened, and Leucra entered, conversing with his parents.
“Why was I not told of this?” I asked, feeling my anger rise inside of me. The blades in my hands were of great temptation.
“You did not ask.” replied Lady Inclessia.
I could not argue with the logic that lay behind that statement.
I then focused my attention on Dirah. “I am surprised at you.” I said to her.
“Why?” was her answer.
“You said that you would not want to be revived, yet here you are.”
“I see what you mean, but recent events have caused me to overlook that.” She drew me close to her. She then slapped me clear across the face. “And that’s for not being any bit thankful I’m back.”
“Believe me, I am” I replied, caressing the right side of her face. “I’m just a bit...shocked, that’s all.”
“Indeed.” said Nijliha. “We have come back to aid in the reclamation of our planet.”
“You need the help.” remarked Nirahalas, still looking out of the window, her arms crossed.
“Not quite.” I replied. “However, any help given is appreciated.”
“You had better take it.” she replied curtly. “Can I have my blade back now?”
“It is lost.” I told her.
“Failure.” was her reply
There was a short pause of silence.
“It is good to be alive again.” remarked one of the soldiers. “It is an honor to be called back from beyond the grave to serve our people once more.” He then addressed me directly. “You wield two of our blades. We may have need of them. Could you take us to them?”
“Sure. Here, take these.” I took the sheaths off of my belts, and gave it to the Crusader. He took one for himself, and gave another to one of his comrades.
“I’m going to lead the crusaders to their weapons.” I announced.
“Than go and do.” replied Leucra.
“Wait.” said Lesinil. “I’m coming.”
“Okay.” I replied
Everyone else elected to stay at the Fortress. The twelve of us left, torches lit, for the swamp where the blades were entombed.
When we reached where the blades were, I was stunned. There was a large crater sunk into the ground. Six of the blades were scattered about. As the Crusaders climbed down into the crater to retrieve their swords, I began to extend my senses. I felt the presence of one blade on another planet, far away. The other was beyond my sensory capabilities.
The Crusaders came out of the crater, each with a sword, save two. We began to head back towards the Fortress of Shadows. In the middle of the journey, I suddenly collapsed, sensing that something terrible had just occurred. I soon recovered, though the feeling had shaken me quite a bit.


Chapter 8: Retaking Raptoris City | +
We arrived in the Darklands, but something was not quite right. Pinpoints of starlight shone through darkness, allowing for slight illumination of the ground. We reached the Fortress, but it was in ruins.
We split up, searching the ruins for survivors. Though there were many bodies, there were not as many as there were occupants of the Fortress. Many were horribly mutilated. Blood soaked the ground, making it slick. Suddenly, I heard Lesinil call out roughly.
“What did you do here?”
I ran over to where he was standing, sword drawn. At his feet was an Invader, barely clinging to life. Lesinil was beginning to interrogate him.
“I will ask you once more: What did you do here?”
When the Invader did not reply, Lesinil jabbed his leg through with his blade, almost separating it from the rest of its body. The blade remained stuck in the ground. The Invader screamed in pain. A slight grin appeared on Lesinil’s face.
“Answer me.”
“We…destroyed this place.” he choked.
“Where are the others?”
The Invader was silent again.
Lesinil planted his right foot squarely on the Invader’s chest. He gripped the Invader’s left arm. He yanked on this, and the arm was ripped clear off of the body. Blood began to pour from the stump. He then dropped the arm.
“We…took…them…” said the Invader in between gasps of pain.
“That is all I needed to know.” replied Lesinil
Lesinil lifted his foot, and bent down. Drawing his knife, he began to cut into the Invader’s chest. Above the screams, I could hear him crushing through bone. He soon reached in, and yanked out his heart. He stood up, staring at the beating mass of flesh in his hand, as it oozed black blood down his arm. Suddenly, he bit into the heart, tearing off a chunk. He slowly chewed as blood ran from the corners of his mouth.
“You’re nuts.” I commented.
“It’s tradition.” he said, blood still pouring from his mouth, darkening his ashen grey skin.
“Well, we at least know what has happened.” I said.
“Agreed.”
I called out to the Crusaders. “We must make haste to Raptoris City. The others have been taken captive, and need to be rescued.” I shuddered as I remembered what Leucra had said the Invaders did to their prisoners.
“Then let us do so.” replied Valictris as he picked up a sword from the ground.

We arrived at Raptoris City, overgrown with various organic forms. The twelve of us stood together, contemplating our next move.
“I could lead the Crusaders in a direct attack of the city.” said Valictris. “We could generate a diversion, allowing the two of you to gain entrance to the city.”
“Once inside, we could hunt down the captives.” added Lesinil. “We would free them, then join up with the rest of you.”
“Agreed.” I added.
“Then it is settled.” replied Valictris. He then addressed the others. “Move out.”
“Best of luck.” I called after them.
The Crusaders advanced towards the city. Lesinil and I trailed behind them. Soon, the Crusaders drew their swords, Valictris and another with standard blades, unlike the others. They charged at the patched walls. Soon, numerous Invaders came into view. While the Crusaders battled them, Lesinil and I quickly ran into the city.
We ran through the streets. I was guiding us through them to where I sensed the others were located. We kept moving onwards, through the city. We soon came to where the prison once was located. A massive growth now covered it. Lesinil and I entered it. In places, the stone of the prison was still revealed. The deeper we went, the less overgrown the structure was.
Most of the cells were empty. A few had the skeletons of the dead inside. From behind, I heard voices. We turned. Rushing towards us were a trio of Invaders.
Lesinil drew his sword and shield. “Keep moving. I’ll catch up with you shortly.” I nodded, then ran off. I could hear him shouting as he charged at the Invaders.
I ran down the corridor, glancing into empty cells as I passed. I would my way around several corners, penetrating deeper into the structure. Finally, I turned a corner, only to have the hallway blocked by a collapsed roof. Searching around, I noticed a small tunnel dug into one side. Using my spearhead, I ripped a strip of cloth from the bottom of my robe. I used this to tie my spear across my back. Drawing my sword, I crouched and slipped into the tunnel.
I crawled onwards, only a small orb of magic lighting my way. Eventually, I began to hear voices. There was another light ahead. The tunnel ended, opening up above a large room. Creeping out onto the rafters, I peered downwards.
There were four Invaders around a large device, two to the side, two in front. One of the front ones wore no armor. Strapped into the device was Nirahalas, a twisted grin etched on her lips.
“Like you’ll get anything outta me.” she laughed.
“We have ways of making anyone talk.” announced the unarmored one, in a rough approximation of the Raptorian language. He raised his right hand. Unlike all the others, his was tentacled, each one tipped differently.
“Yeah, right.” Nirahalas scoffed back.
The unarmored Invader motioned for the other one at the front to step back. He extended his left hand, reaching up towards her face. With a strong grip, he restrained her head. She tried to push it away in vain. He held open the eyelids on her right eye. He looked deeply into it with his own right eye. Suddenly, I barely discerned a jet of liquid leave his eye, striking Nirahalas’ iris. She blinked rapidly and jerked away. The Invader stepped back.
“Now I will ask you again.” he said. “Where are the other fortresses?”
“I’ll see you in the afterlife.” she replied. “And there, I’ll kill you again.”
All four of the Invaders leapt backwards as a bolt of electricity was launched from the palm of Nirahalas’ hand. The armorless Invader motioned to one of the guards on the side. He hastily went over to the back of the device Nirahalas was strapped into. The bindings restricted slightly. Nirahalas let out a slight cry before clenching her teeth. The Invader grinned.
“Now, if you can understand me right now, What I have dosed you with is a toxin.” He raised his tentacled hand. Out of one came a small needle. “This is the only antidote. Without it, you will certainly die. Now, I am willing to make a trade – the antidote for information on the location of the other fortresses.”
Nirahalas forced a grin. “I’d rather die than even reveal my name to the likes of you.”
The Invaders conversed amongst themselves in their tongue. After a brief conversation, the unarmored Invader once again addressed Nirahalas.
“Very well then.” The four then began to move towards the door. I jumped down on top of them, quickly slaying them. I ran to the device, cutting through the restraints. Nirahalas fell out into my arms.
“Last person I expected to see.” She replied, quickly standing upright.
“I’ll try to find which of that guy’s hands held that antidote, so you...”
Nirahalas laughed. I paused for a moment.
“You laugh at death?”
“I have been trained in the yews of poison for many years.” She stated. “In learning how they work, I have developed...techniques with magic that can defeat any poison. Though it was indeed powerful, their poison was very simple, and therefore quick and easy to neutralize. Now, let’s get moving.”
“Adamantite or energy?” I asked, holding out both hilts.
“Both, I’m better that way.” was her reply.
I nodded, handing them to her. I pulled my spear off my back. “Ready?”
“Long before you.” she replied.
We moved out the door, conveniently left open by the guards.
“You know where the others are?” I asked.
“You think me an idiot?” she replied. “Of course I do.”
“Then lead the way.” I answered.
She took lead, moving down a series of corridors. There was a sound of metal scraping on rock coming from ahead. Nirahalas pressed herself against a wall, while I hid in a doorway. Out of a hole in the ceiling fell Lesinil.
“Welcome back.” I stated.
“Some welcome.” he replied. “Well, at least we found one.” he said, motioning towards Nirahalas. “Though I doubt one will help much.”
In a flash, Nirahalas was behind Lesinil, her sword across his throat. “I happen to be the best fighter the Raptorians have. None can best me when it comes to sheer ability. My magic, while nowhere near as strong as an Elder’s, adds to this.” She lowered her sword. “I have been defeated only once, by Klestanis here, and only because he was heavily reliant on magic.”
I was tempted to correct her last statement, as I didn’t yews magic in my fight with her, but for the sake of avoiding a fight, I let it slip. Instead I focused us back on our mission. “Well, since you’re here, we just have to look for the prisoners, and not them and you.”
“Yeah.” came his answer. “Let’s go, then.”
The three of us continued through the deserted prison. Eventually, I began to see roots growing along the hallway, some breaking through the stone of the walls and ceiling. As we continued on, the hallway became increasingly overgrown, until it was so thick that we couldn’t go any further without stepping on plant matter.
I tentatively stepped on this. “Is it...safe?” I asked.
“Yeah.” replied Nirahalas. “They marched me over it when they were going to ‘interrogate’ me. It’s perfectly safe. It’s what’s on the other end of these roots that worries me.”
“Why?” asked Lesinil, mirroring my own question.
“You’ll see.” came Nirahalas’ response. “We’ll likely pass it when we make our escape.”
Not long afterwards, the roots gave way to a stony material.
“This is of their own creation.” stated Nirahalas. “This is an underground tunnel that connects to various locations, such as the palace and the power generators. Everything technological has been completely destroyed by the Invaders.”
“And where are we taking this to?” I asked.
“The palace.” She answered. “Or rather, beneath it. Beneath the Halls of the War Lords constructed beneath the palace. They are digging there for a reason. What that is, I’m not sure.”
“Well, let’s throw a major wreck into their plan.” commented Lesinil.
“You got that right.” Nirahalas answered.
We came to a branch in the corridor. Nirahalas motioned towards the right. “This is towards the palace. I’m not sure what the other way is, as I wasn’t taken there.”
We continued moving cautiously through the tunnel. Eventually, we hit a broken wall of cut stone. The Invader tunnel continued onwards past this. We cautiously entered.
We were on the upper level of a large chamber, lit by torches burning with enchanted fire. A large, arched colonnade supported the roof. A ladder ran down the wall from where the break was almost thirty feet to the floor. We quickly descended. At this level, I could closely examine the intricately tiled floor. Strange runes were carved into the walls.
“What is this place?” I asked.
“The Halls of the War Lords.” came Nirahalas’ answer. “It is an underground complex they constructed under the palace, to hold training and ceremonies in secret. I’m pretty certain that, aside from the Invaders and their prisoners, we are the first non-War Lords to enter this place.”
“And they’re below this?” asked Lesinil.
Nirahalas gave a brief nod, before moving on through the chamber. Lesinil and I followed behind her. Moving across the chamber, she eased open a door set into the opposite wall. The floor sloped downwards as we traveled on, twisting left and right as we went. It eventually opened to a small, dimly lit chamber. There was a breach in one of the lower walls, and another tunnel stretched away. Nirahalas led us into it, carefully treading its steeper slope.
“How much further?” I asked.
“Not much.” came her reply. “We are already far below the palace.”
Within short order, the tunnel ended in a vast chamber. I could hear the distant sound of metal striking rock. Edging out from the tunnel, I looked down. Far below us was a contingent of guards, as well as a number of prisoners. The prisoners were manually chipping stone from the walls.
“Let’s do this.” came a voice.
Next to us, Lady Inclessia and a pair of Shadow Warriors materialized. Inclessia held a black rifle. One Shadow Warrior held a double-headed axe. The other had a pair of large sickles. All three had a curved shortsword on their belts.
“I’ve still to get used to that.” I said.
“That’s your problem.” Nirahalas answered.
Inclessia nodded in response. “Kanihil, Zelonce, spread out and surround. Leave none alive.” With a quiet “Yes, m’lady.” The two Shadow Warriors nodded, creeping off along the edge of the cavern.
“Let’s do the same.” said Nirahalas. She ,moved left, and I right. With the six of us ringing the cavern, we moved downwards. Within short order, the Invaders had noticed us, moving to counter our advance.
Trailing back, Inclessia began to fire. With the quiet discharging of air, she sent a barrage of adamantite needles down at her foes. The rest of us broke into a charge, half running, half sliding down the steepening rock walls. As we readied our initial strikes, I heard three distinct calls of “For the Empire!” We ducked and weaved so as to avoid the projectiles launched at us by the Invaders. I flipped sideways out of the reach of a blob of digestive slime, to be faced with several bugs flying at me. I quickly countered with a weak chain lightning spell. They fell from the air, and I crashed down amongst the Invaders. At this range, they dared not yews any more projectiles, instead resorting to their staves. I countered with my spear, parrying and thrusting. One of the Invader staves loosened, entwining around my spear. He then swung his free hand around, a claw erupting from the back of his hand with a spray of black blood. I spun away from this, extending my own set. I jumped back, only to have the claw extend, raking my torso. I still clung to the end of my spear.
Using my spear as a lever point, I launched myself at the Invader, slipping past his claw and sinking my own into his throat, tearing through arteries and trachea alike. Without its master’s guide, the Invader staff loosened around my spear, allowing me to spin it outwards, the tip slashing another Invader across his chest. I turned as another leapt at me, only to have a needle plunge through his head, barely missing my shoulder as it exited.
We continued fighting, drawing more of the guards away from the prisoners. In short order, we had eliminated the last of the guards. The Shadow Warrior with the axe walked slowly over to join the rest of us, his left arm amputated shortly below the shoulder. Blue blood steadily ran from the stump. He was in the process of tightly wrapping it with a cloth strip.
“Permission to fall back, Lady Inclessia.” he said. Despite his wound, his voice was level, and he barely winced as he tightened his bandage.
“Permission granted.” she replied. She raised her left arm. “Rear guard, this is Lead. We have one moderately wounded evacuating; send in a replacement.’
“Well, if maybe you were more skilled, you wouldn’t have had your arm chopped off.” Lesinil stated.
The Shadow Warrior turned. “Maybe if you had one of those blobs eating off your arm, you would gladly amputate it before it could spread across your body. Go step in one and find out.” He kept walking and faded from sight.
“Well someone’s having a bad day.” Lesinil muttered.
“Be glad he’s still in a good mood.” replied Inclessia. “He may have cut yours off as well.”
“I can outfight that.” Lesinil countered.
“I highly doubt that.” Inclessia shot back.
As the two argued back and forth over who was a better combatant, I walked towards the prisoners, who were simply standing where they had been digging, looking at us. All of them had numerous spiked protrusions coming from their bodies. Walking among them, I was greeted by nothing but blank stares. After a few minutes, I found who I was looking for. The same blank look was in Dirah’s eyes.
“Are you alright?” I asked, holding onto my own chest, my wound burning with each breath. She answered me with a wordless stare. I gently placed my hand on the forehead. Concentrating, I was able to heal her, reversing the effects of the Invader implants. Her eyes refocused, looking into mine.
“Klestanis?” she asked.
I gently nodded.
She glanced down at my chest, and the slash that ran across it. “Why is it almost every time I see you, you have another wound?”
I grinned. “I’ll be okay. First, I need to get the rest of them healed.” I sat down, touched each individual in the room with my powers. I felt a sudden surge of raw energy as Dirah placed her hand over mine. I felt it again as a hand held down on each of my shoulders. I concentrated once again, focusing on healing the rest of the prisoners. In a few minutes I sensed they had all returned to normal. I opened my eyes, slowly standing up, Dirah supporting me.
“Careful now.” she said to me. “You’ve used up a lot of power right now. Just take it easy.”
“We’ll take it from here.” came Pyrana’s voice. She hefted a pick onto her shoulders.
“I will take lead, if you will allow...Empress.” said Nirahalas reluctantly.
Dirah nodded.
“Let’s get moving!” Nirahalas called out, marching up out of the cavern. I limped behind the rest of the group, leaning against Dirah. We traveled out of the cavern, back into the Halls of the War Lords. We wandered through this, reaching another tunnel, this one ending up inside the palace. At this point, my vision began to blur slightly from loss of blood.
Exiting the palace, we were confronted by a rather large contingent of Invader soldiers. We readied our weapons.
As we charged, there was a sudden burst of movement directed at the Invaders. A silver-white blur followed by a blue glow darted in and out of their formation. The entire group soon fell, and the blur came to a halt in front of us.
It was a Raptorian in full body armor, except for their hands and feet. It held a large scythe with a red blade in its hands. On its back were two large, wing-like vanes with repulsors under them. Crossed over those was a sword sheath. On top of the forearms appeared to be grapples. On the sides of the forearms were shorter blades. On the end of the tail was an axe head. The top half of the armor was silver, while the lower half was dark grey. A large red wedge was painted across the chest. A green triangle was under this, on the belt line. The kneepads were red and blue. The tail had golden patterns on it. It reached up, and removed its helmet. A green streak ran through its long hair.
“I am Trethia.” it said. “I am here to give you my support.”
Leucra slowly made his way to the front of the crowd.
“I am glad to receive it.” he said.
“What sort of armor is that?” asked Lesinil.
“I call it flight armor, for obvious reasons.” replied Trethia. “I made it myself.”
“You are quite a mechanical young female, are you not?” asked Leucra. I had no clue how he could tell she was a female under her armor, which gave no visual cues. “We could yews you in our army.”
“Good.” was her reply.
Before we could make a move to leave, we were attacked again.
“Now we retake the city.” I said.
Trethia launched off, wielding her scythe. Leucra charged, followed by his small army. Realizing the need for a quick victory, I gathered what power I had left.
“Pyrana!” I called. “Cover me.”
While she fended off the Invaders with her pick, I began a somewhat familiar enchantment: “Energy of the planet, lend me your strength, rise forth and destroy all in your path: Tide of Destruction.” I drove my spear into the ground, and a wave of energy burst forth from the impact site. It swept through the city and the surrounding lands, tearing its way through every Invader it hit. As the wave swept onward, I felt myself rapidly losing energy. I collapsed on the ground, and soon slipped into unconsciousness.
Image

User avatar
Turquoise Dragon
The Scaled One
Posts: 2042
Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 12:11 am
Reputation: 8
Location: Looking in your window. Hi.

Re: MIKE'S GALLERY

Post by Turquoise Dragon »

And here's the last two chapters, posted seperately because I overran the character limit by a good 20,000

Chapter 9: A New Old Ally | +
“I see you have finally awoken.”
I opened my eyes. I was laying upon a bed, in what appeared to be a cave. Sitting up, I noticed Dirah sitting next to the bed. It was she who had spoken.
“I guess I have.” I replied.
“Good.” She appeared to be relived.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
“Well, we were all quite worried about you.”
“Why?”
“You have been laying here for ten days. You had over-exerted yourself to a great extent, exhausting literally all of your energy. I had to infuse you with some of my energy in order to keep you clinging to life. Your recovery was slow, and I sense that all of your energy has yet to return.”
She was right. I felt extremely weak, and required her assistance to get out of the bed. She helped me out of the door.
“You should not have done that.” she remarked.
“Why not? I did it before.”
“You nearly killed yourself, and we could have handled ourselves perfectly fine. It was a completely unnecessary risk.”
“True, but it seemed rational at the time.”
“Regardless of whether it seemed rational or not, it wasn’t”
I decided to swallow my pride in order to spare myself of her lecture. “It wasn’t. I won’t do it again.”
We came out of the cave into a large, sunlit courtyard. It seemed to be built into the side of a mountain. A few Raptorians were milling around. She helped me sit down on a bench.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“This is Base 035.” she replied. “It’s the nearest of our bases to Raptoris City. The treatment you required was not available there. We are preparing for another attack on one of the other forts.”
I tried to get up. “I’ll help.”
Dirah pulled me back down. “You can help by staying here and resting.” she instructed. “There is no place for the weak on a battlefield.”
Thus, she convinced me to stay. Pyrana and Rastalei also stayed, while the others went off to battle. Over the next few days, I slowly regained my strength. I soon felt better, though I was able to yews little of my powers. Soon, General Leucra sent word. They had taken another fortress. We were on the rise. The more we took back, the more civilians we freed, the larger our army grew. I was confident we would regain the planet in a few months.
It was then that we received some rather interesting visitors. I was seated at the edge of one of the outcroppings. I heard a reptilian cry floating upon the wind. Looking in the direction it had come from, I noticed a trail of bodies moving toward the base. I pointed this out to Dirah. She got up.
“Let’s go.” she said.
“Where?” I asked.
“The entrance.” she replied.
We traveled through the base. We encountered Rastalei and Pyrana along the way, and they followed us. We soon came upon the entrance.
Approaching the base was a formation of Sky Dragons. At the head of the formation were two Great Sky Dragons – the King and Queen. They soon broke off, with a contingent of guards, and approached us.
“We have come to give our aid.” said the Queen.
“Why now?” I asked, remembering how they acted when I had proposed an alliance.
“This is why.” replied the King.
They parted slightly, and revealed a figure behind them. It was a male human. His darkened clothes were similar to Raptorian ones, but distinct. Crossed across his back were two swords and a composite bow. His lower arms were exposed, and he wore a pair of bracers over them. He approached me.
“Long time, no see, Mike.” he said.
I could not believe it. It was my other half! The one I had split into and separated from long ago.
“Very true, Mike. I have a new name now: Klestanis. That should avoid any confusion. What have you done here?”
“Well, I stumbled into another one of those portals. I ended up amongst the dragons. They were initially quite hostile towards me, mistaking me for you, which is understandable. Eventually, they saw that we, while the same, are distinct. So, I was allowed to live with them. We were attacked by these weird dudes with snake staffs, then we came here.”
“Cool.” I replied.
“What will you have us do?” asked the Queen.
“Wait here. The main portion of our army should return soon.”
Thus, they entered the base. Later that day, while Dirah and I were in one of the open caverns, Mike joined us.
“How did you know who I was?” I asked of Mike.
“Easy. I can recognize people by their mental signatures, remember? Yours is so similar to mine that it was simple to recognize.
“So how do you like it here?” I asked him.
Well, planet-wise, it seems pretty nice. Even better, though, I currently have three dragonesses vying for my attention. It’s great.” He replied.
“You still have that thing for dragons?” I asked.
“First it’s dragonesses, y’know, the females? And yep, never left me.”
“So this is like…” asked Dirah.
“Paradise? You bet. And who may you be, mistress?”
“I am Dirah, Klestanis’ life-mate.”
“Cool.” he replied. “Is he treating you right?”
“Yes.” she replied.
“Good. I’d hate to have to beat my other self up.”
“Maybe in my currently weakened state. When I’m fully rested, you would never be able to handle me.” I replied.
“Maybe. I have grown pretty strong, myself. I don’t like to fight, but don’t push me.”
“So who are these three dragons?” I asked.
“Dragonesses.” came the reply.
“Whatever; who are they.”
“Well, one you’ll know: Pyrana. The second one is actually her sister…”
“Rastalei.” I finished.
“You know her?” he asked, surprised.
“All too well…” I replied.
“The third is a different species, without wings. Her name is Serity. I think that I like her the best.”
“Why?” asked Dirah. During the conversation, a light green greater Ground Dragon had silently crept up on Mike.
“I don’t know. I just do.” He then noticed the dragoness behind him. “Heh. Speak of the devil, and he shall appeareth.”
Both the dragoness and Dirah did not seem to understand.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked the dragoness.
“I’ve already told you, Serity.” replied Mike. “Someone tends to show up as they are being spoken about, like the devil, a mythological being from my culture. It’s not a proven fact, just a common coincidence.”
Serity sat down next to Mike, her head resting lightly on his shoulder. He put his arm around her.
“Anything interesting happen since we last saw each other?” I asked.
“Check these out.” he said, pointing to one of his ears with his free hand.
I looked. They were pointed, and extended slightly.
“How did you do that?”
“I have become able to change my body at will. I can temporarily change very fast, but then must revert back after a short while. For a permanent change, It takes usually a few days to weeks, depending on the extent of the changes. I generally keep my human body for first impressions. Since there are dragons here, I’ll probably take their form soon. I have also been traveling through those portals as I find them. I’ve gotten to some pretty cool places.”
“Really?” said Dirah.
“Yep.” he replied. “All over the place, through both space and time.” There was a short pause. “Hey, what’s that?”
We all turned and looked in the direction he was pointing in. There was the returning army.
“It’s our army.” replied Dirah.
“Let’s go meet ‘em” Mike said.
The four of us went through the base back to the main entrance. The army came through the gates. Emperor Leucra was called aside by a messenger. He left. The rest of our usual group met up with us, and we returned to the open cavern. We had basically taken over the entire wing of the cave complex. Pyrana was there. Mike stuck close to her for the most part.
“How’d it go?” I asked.
“Pretty well.” replied Katrya. “We suffered a few casualties, but nothing major. Many prisoners were brought back for treatment.”
“Treatment?” asked Mike.
“Yes.” replied Dirah. “They implant something in our bodies, subjecting us to their will. We remove these from any of their prisoners we find.”
“Hey, Mike.” said Lesinil. “I’ve got myself a name.”
“Awesome.” he replied.
“Lesinil. It means shadow.”
“Quite appropriate, from what I understand.”
“Remember that I had split myself?” I said. “Well, here’s my other half.” I presented Mike to them. I then introduced him to all of them. For some reason, Nirahalas was ‘gracing’ us with her presence. I then noticed that she was staying rather close to Lesinil. Odd, from what I knew of her personality. She was generally cold, antisocial, and uncaring, not open and friendly. I concluded something must have happened to her. As we broke up, I saw Mike follow Pyrana into her room. She closed the door quietly behind him.

Later that evening, Rastalei wanted to talk to me alone. I was on guard, remembering the last time we were alone together. I would not want to dishonor my marriage by choice.
“What is it?” I asked her. She seemed rather disturbed over something.
“It’s Mike.” was her reply.
“What about him?” I asked, not fully comprehending.
“Well, it’s less about him than about the dragoness he is with.”
“Serity? She seems okay to me.”
“She is. She’s very nice, loving, and gentle, but…she is a user…and a heartbreaker. I’ve seen her in action. It is very sad to see another doing all of her bidding, only to eventually be abandoned for no reason.”
“That’s interesting.”
“Please tell him for me.”
“Why me?”
“I feel…strange asking him in person.” she replied, averting her eyes.
“Sure, I’ll tell him.”
I hunted him down. He was sitting alone in one of the open caverns. I told him what Rastalei had told me.
“Curious. I sensed that there was a hidden side to her, but I never thought it could be like that.” He replied.
“Well, that’s what she said.”
He seemed to think for a moment. “Let’s go find her.” he said.
We moved off in search of Serity. We soon found her, accompanied by Pyrana, Dirah and Katrya. They were moving through one of the hallways. I began to probe into Serity’s mind, and could sense Mike doing it as well. He then turned to me.
“It’s true. I can feel it inside of her. She’s gonna do it to me.”
“What do we do now?” I asked.
He hesitated for a moment. “I…I will confront her.”
We joined up with them, for they had not noticed us.
“Hello.”
Mike addressed Serity directly.
“Serity, I was told by an anonymous person that you have certain…traits that show up in the end, harmful ones. I sensed as such just now, as well as what you have in the works. Please leave me alone.”
“Who told you of this?” she asked.
“Rastalei.” I said.
“Rastalei? That little slut’s going to be hurting later.” she replied.
No sooner had she finished this statement, when she was roughly grabbed by the throat and slammed up against a nearby pillar.
“Don’t you ever, ever, talk that way about my sister.” said Pyrana. She lifted Serity off her feet with ease. She had extended the claws on her free right hand, and they were twitching menacingly. “If you so much as touch her, I swear I will tear you to shreds with these very claws. Understand?” she threatened. Serity nodded, likely out of fear, as Pyrana was a bit larger and far stronger than she was. Pyrana opened her left hand, and let Serity fall. She lay on the ground holding her throat with one hand and breathing deeply.
Pyrana sheathed her claws and moved away. “I don’t care what you say or do, but leave anyone I care about alone.”
Mike helped Serity up. “We can still act friendly towards each other, but let’s just keep it at that.”
Serity did not respond, as she was still rather shaken up. She quietly left us.
“Wasn’t that a bit…harsh?” Mike asked of Pyrana.
“Not at all.” she replied. “Though I do not approve of Rastalei’s ways, she’s my sister. In my society, at least, family is of the utmost importance. Even if your only family member is a disgrace to your lineage, you stand by them.”
“Your lineage?” he asked.
“Yeah. We’re the only living descendants of a renowned line of Knights. Each one was at least just as skilled as their predecessor. Our family is generally held in very high regard. She has tainted our name, in a way.”
“It’s just you two left?” I asked.
“Yes. Our father was killed when one of our settlements were attacked. Our brother is presumed dead, as he was never seen again after that attack. Shortly afterward, our mother also went missing, leaving the two of us on our own.”
“Wow.” said Katrya.
“Let’s not dwell on that.” Pyrana replied. “I prefer to focus on matters at hand.”
“Speaking of which,” said Mike. “what’s next?”
“Due to the skill of this exact group, we will be dispatched as a single unit to take over one base, while the combined Dragon-Raptorian army takes over another.” said Nirahalas. “From what I see, we should have little difficulty, especially if Klestanis is able to join us.”
The next day, we were given our mission. The fortress in question was located in the middle of a desert. We dressed appropriately, wearing tan cloaks that had a cooling effect on their wearer. I had also lain down my spear in favor for a sword. We boarded a ground transport, and headed off.
We subdivided our group into pairs. Each would work independently, and have separate tasks. Dirah and I were together. We were to secure the main keep. Nirahalas and Lesinil were to secure the residential area. Pyrana and Rastalei were to provide the initial diversion with their agile flying that would allow us entrance. They were then to land on the walls, and clear them off. Mike, Katrya, and Trethia were to locate and free any prisoners. It was a challenging assignment, but I believed we could pull it off.
We disembarked the transport just within sight of the fortress. It was late afternoon, and we would reach the fortress after dark. We started off.
Once we were close enough, Rastalei and Pyrana took to the sky. As the Invader guards attempted to bring them down, we rushed the main gate. First up was the residential area. We quickly slaughtered the guards there. Leaving Nirahalas and Lesinil behind, we continued fighting our way to the keep. I killed any Invader I came across. Mike stayed behind us, firing arrows in all directions. When we reached the keep, we separated. Dirah and I headed upwards, while the other three went down into the dungeons.
We fought through each level. We both were covered by blood by the time we reached the open top. Dirah unfurled a flag from her cloak, and proceeded to raise it over the fortress. We had taken it. From this vantage point, I could see that all of the Invaders were lying dead on the ground. We then proceeded down the keep to the outside of it. Pyrana and Rastalei were already there.
“Success.” said Rastalei.
There was a noise from behind us. Katrya emerged from the keep, followed by Mike and Trethia supporting a dark grey dragon between them. A large reddish-orange sword hilt hung from his belt. He was still infected.
“We found many prisoners down there, but this is the only one that was yet alive.” said Katrya.
“Could it be…?” I heard Rastalei mumble to herself.
I healed the dragon, and he came to his senses.
“Thank you.” he said.
“Cetaln?” asked Rastalei.
“Who?” asked the dragon.
“Are you Cetaln?” she asked.
“I have no idea who you are talking about.” the dragon replied. “I am Ren, a Knight.”
Rastalei fell silent, but kept stealing glances at him.
“I came to consciousness in a destroyed village, with no memory of what had happened.” he continued. “There were so many dragon bodies, and a trail of an army of strange footprints leading away. I followed them to their source, a base of some sort. I attacked, but was badly wounded, and barely escaped. From that day forth, I vowed I would avenge the death of the village. I have traveled about, attacking groups of these beings, until I was captured and brought here.”
Then, a sad sight came up the road. Nirahalas, soaked in black and blue blood, came stumbling towards us. She was supporting Lesinil, who had even more blood on him, though most of it was red. He seemed to be alive.
“Help.” she uttered, then collapsed on the ground.
We ran over to them, gently lifting them. Pyrana flew off to get the transport. We slowly worked our way back to the gate, where Pyrana met us. We filed into the transport, and sped off back to the main Raptorian base. I would have helped, but I was unable to mend cuts and gashes. I merely held in what blood they had remaining.
We rushed the two of them to the medical wing back at the base. They soon stabilized, but their wounds would not heal quickly. Nirahalas has only small wounds, but had lost much blood. Lesinil had a deep slash across his chest, and had not yet awoken. Nirahalas was strangely concerned about him. She must have developed some affection towards him. I left them alone.
I passed Pyrana and Rastalei in one of the hallways.
“I’m sure it’s him.” said Rastalei.
“Who?” I asked.
“That dragon we found. I am almost certain he is our brother, no matter what he says.”
“How do you know he is Cetaln?” asked Pyrana.
“His mannerisms, his features, his nature, his voice, all are almost exactly as I remember him.” Rastalei replied.
“Could he simply be very similar?” I asked.
“That is an extreme rarity amongst our species.” said Pyrana.
“In addition, he has a few scars that are identical to my brother’s.” said Rastalei. “He had a long scar along his left forearm. A branch raked across his face, and left a slight mark under his right eye. His left horn was broken during his Ritual Hunt. This Ren appears exactly like my brother. He even has Cetaln’s golden four-point star under his left eye.”
The army returned later that day. Again, they were victorious. Emperor Leucra was rather pleased with their success. By now our numbers had grown so that we had enough soldiers for two armies. Thus, we were able to double our effectiveness.


Chapter 10: Combat | +
After a few days of rest, we were once again sent out to battle. Though the army would normally tire at this rate, they were driven onwards by the fact that they were slowly reclaiming their planet.
We were sent with the army under Fline’s command. We were to lay siege to a rather fortified city – Lezvirna. Since the dead spirits were gone from the city, the Invaders were able to take it easily. Our group was essentially turned into a rather large commando team. Fline himself instructed us.
“We need a diversion while our army advances on the city.” he said. “There is a tunnel leading inside a short distance to the south of here. yews it.” He then pointed to Mike. “You, with the bow. When you get inside, fire a single flaming arrow into the air. Find a secure position, and hold it until we arrive. Dismissed.”
We moved off, Dirah in the lead. I was right behind her. Trethia and Ren were beside me. Pyrana, Rastalei, and Katrya were behind me. Anthony and Eddie had joined us, and were behind them. Each wielded an adamantite short sword. Mike was in the rear, bow ready.
“I don’t like him.” remarked Katrya.
“Who, Fline?” I replied.
“Yeah. There is a strong dark side aura around him. It makes me uneasy.”
“I though it was just me.” said Mike.
“You could sense it, too?” she asked.
“Sure. I’ve had as much training as any of your order, reborn boss.”
“How did you know that?” She seemed to be surprised.
He held up one finger. “One. That cylindrical weapon thing at your belt. I’ve forgotten what it’s called.” He held up a second finger. “Two. I can sense your power in you.” He held up a third finger. “Three. I get that general feeling about you.” He held up a fourth finger. “Four. Your robes are standard reborn boss robes.” He held up a fifth finger. “Five. Most of the pretty chicks seem to be reborn boss – therefore, you can never get close to ‘em. At least, the old order ones.” I thought I saw Katrya blush slightly under her silver fur. “That’s how I know.”
By now, we had come to a cave opening, the same one Dirah and I had crawled out of forty-three years ago. We filed into the darkness.
“Allow me.” said Ren. He drew his sword hilt. A large flame erupted from it, forming into a blade. It soon illuminated the entire area ahead of us. We continued through the caves, with Dirah leading the way. We soon came upon a dead end.
“Great. We’re lost.” complained Eddie.
“Wait. If this is where I think it is….” I said
“It is.” said Dirah.
“So then…” I concentrated on the stone in front of us. It slid to the side. Light poured in. We advanced through the hole, and out into the ruins of the city. Mike raised his bow, a flaming arrow at the ready. It was fired into the air. We drew our swords, and proceeded to secure the area around the hole. Doing such, we lasted the entire battle without taking any casualties. I assumed we had done our job correctly, as Fline did not complain about our operation.
When we returned to the base, both Nirahalas and Lesinil were healed almost completely. Within days, we were given yet another assignment. This was to capture an island fortress. To do so would require a vessel of some sort to get us there. We were sent off to search for a ship. Ground transport soon brought us to a rocky coastline. As we set up camp, Trethia flew off to search for a ship.
A day passed with no sign of Trethia. Around midday, Mike pointed towards the horizon.
“We’ve got company.”
We all turned to look in the direction he was pointing in. Something was barely visible on the water, growing larger as we watched.
“Battle positions.” I called.
We scattered, hiding amongst the stones. Soon, I could distantly hear shouting. Dirt flew around me. Trethia landed next to me.
“Got a ship.” she said.
“Alright, let’s go.” I called.
We emerged from the rocks. Two small rowboats were beached near us. A Raptorian was in each of them. Further offshore was a wooden warship. Its sails glowed with a light blue light. We boarded the rowboats, and were taken to the warship. We climbed up the side and over the rail. We were approached by a Raptorian. I noticed his right hand was entirely mechanical.
“Welcome to me ship. We were told the Empire needed our aid. What exactly do ya need?”
“Transportation.” I replied. “There’s an island fortress by the name of Kirnalsid. We were tasked with taking it over.”
“Kirnalsid?” he asked. “I’d be staying away from there if you know what’s good fer ya.”
“Why?” asked Katrya.
“You see, pretty lady, there be a large reef around it. Add to that the defenses around there. They fire rocks at any who get near, and their beasts can wreck a ship in no time.”
“Still, we much reach it, Captain.” said Trethia.
“If you insist on goin to yer graves, I’d be glad to oblige ya. However, you’d be on yer own. I’m not risking my sailors or my ship. Agreed?”
“Absolutely.” I replied, extending my hand. He took it with a slight shake, then moved off.
We all stationed ourselves along one of the railings. The ship had altered course, heading towards Kirnalsid. Suddenly, Pyrana pointed towards the water.
“Look.” she said, almost in a daze.
We all turned. There in the water was a dragon of sorts. Instead of wings, stiff fins sprouted from its back. The dragoness was deep blue in color, her hair silvery. At her waist hung a sword that appeared to be made of white coral. Her clothing appeared to be made of sea grasses. A fin tipped her tail, which gave her motion. She kept pace with the ship with ease.
“She’s beautiful.” slowly remarked Ren.
“You can sure say that again.” said Mike.
“So the tales are true, after all.” said Rastalei.
We watched the aquatic dragoness, captivated by her grace. After a while, a serpentine creature appeared behind her. Long tentacles extended from it. It started to come after the dragoness. It soon had ensnared her, drawing her arms tight against her body.
Without hesitation, Mike jumped over the side. Landing in the water, he drew his swords. He attempted to free the dragoness, while fending off the attacking creature. Not wanting to risk a fight, the serpent let go of its quarry and swam away.
Mike grabbed onto the side of the ship, holding his head above the water. The dragoness hung onto him, and lifted her head above the water as well. They seemed to exchange a few words drowned out by the ocean. Lesinil threw a rope over the side of the hull. Both took hold of the rope. Lesinil and Ren managed to haul both of them on board.
She introduced herself as Nepturia, one of the last water dragons.
“I hope you will allow me to join your quest. I was going to Kirnalsid to try to free some of my friends.”
“Sure.” I said. The statement was echoed throughout our group.
“You sure like those dragonesses, Mike.” Anthony said, addressing Mike.
“You bet. They move my heart like no human ever did. Don’t know why, they just do.”
“You always were the quirkier one.” I remarked.
“Hey, you’re married to a Raptorian, and they’re actually pretty similar externally.” He retorted. “I may be quirky, but I still think I inherited most of the brains.”
Pyrana stepped between us. “Will you two knock it off? We need to work together here.”
“Hey, I’m willing to work together. This guy keeps provoking me.” claimed Mike.
“I don’t care who’s provoking who, just stop.” said Pyrana.
Dirah then spoke to me. “Knock it off.” There was not a hint of her usual, playful attitude in her voice.
“But…” I started.
“I said knock it off. You’re worse than a hatchling.”
Forcefully, the issue was brought to rest.
The rest of the trip went without incident. Soon, a fortress could be seen ahead. It seemed to rise directly out of the water. The captain came over to us.
“This be as far as I’ll take ya.” he said. “You can take rowboats from here on out. I’ll wait here fer a short while, just in case you decide to turn back.”
“Or if we’re successful.” replied Nirahalas.
“I highly doubt that, m’lady.” the captain shot back.
Nirahalas was getting ready to answer, so I spoke quickly. “Fine. Let’s go.”
We were led over the side as two rowboats were deployed. We climbed into them, and left the ship where it was. I could see coral heads poking up through the waves.
“On your guard.” called Nirahalas from the other boat. “There are more dangers than coral in these waters.”
We began to maneuver through the reefs. It was difficult, as the currents were swift and unpredictable. It took all of our skill to prevent the boats from being broken apart by the coral. Despite these troubles, we successfully navigated through the ring of coral.
“That wasn’t too bad.” said Mike, directly in front of me.
Rastalei jumped back from the side of the boat. I looked into the water. Barely visible in the depths, dark shapes were moving. Mike drew his bow.
“It’s okay, Rastalei. I won’t let anything harm you.” he said.
Suddenly, a serpent burst upwards from the waters between the boats. It towered over us, almost daring us to attack. It seemed to be deformed, its body held at awkward angles, spiked protrusions coming from its body.
Mike let fly an arrow, and the creature dissipated with a burst of white light. The arrow promptly returned to his quiver. He now stood up in the boat, a second arrow knocked.
“Who wants more?” he cried.
Numerous other beasts had emerged from the water, and he began to fire his enchanted arrows at them. Ren had taken off, cutting others through with his fiery sword. We continued to advance on the fortress. Soon, the beasts either lay dead, or had submerged once again.
“Trial number two, check.” said Mike. He sat back down. “You alright?” he asked of Rastalei. She nodded her head in response.
“Good.” he replied, putting his arm around her. “Is everyone else here?” he asked me.
“Yes. No casualties.” I replied.
Suddenly, Mike cried out. “Whoa. Why did you just lick my cheek?”
Rastalei has a confused look on her face.
From the other boat, Pyrana called out. “It’s a common sign of affection amongst dragons. Don’t worry about it.”
“You didn’t try that with me.” he said. “Umm…I won’t lie...that really turned me on, but it also really freaked me out.”
“Sorry.” said Rastalei. She then fell silent.
We continued on to the fortress. We were almost close enough to hit it with an arrow. From atop the walls, flaming stones came hurling towards us. I saw Nepturia stand in the other boat. At her command, a wall of water was raised, cooling and stopping the fireballs. Under this shield, we finally reached the base of the walls. Dirah, Nirahalas, and I leapt at the walls, digging our claws in. Trethia, Ren, Pyrana, and Rastalei took to the sky. Mike concentrated, and managed to levitate himself, Lesinil, Eddie, Anthony, Nepturia, and Katrya upwards. When we each, in turn reached the top of the walls, we drew our weapons and attacked. By the time I arrived, we had already cleared out an entire section of the walls.
We proceeded through the fortress, cleansing it of its Invader presence. We stood victorious once again. There were a few prisoners there. They thanked us for freeing them. As Trethia flew off to recover the ship, we managed to open the immense gates. Soon, we were sailing back towards our home base.
In such a way, we slowly regained control of Raptorsis I. We began to plan for the reclamation of Raptorsis II and X-15. Then, it would be time to reclaim the galaxy.
Image

User avatar
lorax
That one guy.
Posts: 144
Joined: Wed Dec 23, 2009 5:14 pm
Reputation: 0

Re: MIKE'S GALLERY

Post by lorax »

Turquoise Dragon wrote:the Master Sword (as well as backstory as how it ended up in Hyrule)

That's skyward sword's job.
Image <----- Like a boss!!!

User avatar
Turquoise Dragon
The Scaled One
Posts: 2042
Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 12:11 am
Reputation: 8
Location: Looking in your window. Hi.

Re: MIKE'S GALLERY

Post by Turquoise Dragon »

lorax wrote:
Turquoise Dragon wrote:the Master Sword (as well as backstory as how it ended up in Hyrule)

That's skyward sword's job.


It was forged during the Raptorian Dark Rebellion, and later (2000 years later) blasted off-planet. Form there, it drifted through space, and by chance landed on the planet Hyrule is on.
Image

User avatar
Turquoise Dragon
The Scaled One
Posts: 2042
Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 12:11 am
Reputation: 8
Location: Looking in your window. Hi.

Re: MIKE'S GALLERY

Post by Turquoise Dragon »

Updated/ reworked face page (in case people wondered why this randomly got necro'd).
Image

User avatar
Turquoise Dragon
The Scaled One
Posts: 2042
Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 12:11 am
Reputation: 8
Location: Looking in your window. Hi.

Re: MIKE'S GALLERY

Post by Turquoise Dragon »

Since I haven't posted anything here in a while, I figure I should show a bit of what I've been doing.

First off, one of my model trains I photoshopped to make it look like an old pic of a real train. The original pic is in the lower-right corner.
| +
train2fnal.jpg


Second, a pic I'm still working on. Drew it out by hand, colored a bit using photoshop, and added a background of a pic I took. Gonna finish off the parts where I went off the page, and then shade it.
| +
Selithia 3 final.jpg


And, finally, something to remind y'all why you hate me :twisted: A pic I drew for my school's marine bio club.
| +
Shira_color.jpg
Image

zusurun40

Re: MIKE'S GALLERY

Post by zusurun40 »

what a story mike. where ??

User avatar
Ramshi
Posts: 1604
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2011 1:13 am
Reputation: 4
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: MIKE'S GALLERY

Post by Ramshi »

up your asshole, botbutt
Image

Post Reply