Rise of the Three Spirits/The Fall of a Nation

[SpanishBulldog63]

Prologue

In a time long gone, when kingdoms flourished around the world, one had truly become a utopia; a place of prosperity, a haven for its people, and a source of good-will to those who venture in and out of its lands. But sadly, not all of its fellow nations had appreciated such things and would strike out against this harmonious nation. Per the King’s request, a new weapon would be needed to fend off such threats. The greatest minds of the land collaborated for many a tiring day and sleepless night, seeking to create the perfect countermeasure to ensure their home’s safety. As the nation had approached war with its attacking rivals, the team had finished their creation. When invading forces bypassed a warring navy, they soon discovered why this new weapon had been named The Shadow. Not only did the beast wipe out the intruders, it had spawned offspring, who killed off the remaining land forces and drove off the enemy fleets.

In no more than a week, the war was won and their foes went submerged or underground for fear of The Shadow. While the rest of the land celebrated their victory, the scientists were worried: they did not intend for it to breed on its own, and the creatures’ buffet of carcasses and flotsam would only last for so long. It would only be a matter of time before the creatures ran out of the pollution the war left behind and turned on their creators. But the King, wise as he was, would not heed their warnings as it would cause nationwide panic; if only he had listened…

Sure enough, it was a matter of weeks before people would become missing, herds of livestock slaughtered, and every city and village cried out for answers and arms. Sure enough, the military was sent out to destroy The Shadows and any eggs they find. With the nation’s fighting force all over the land, the people were relieved, thinking the beasts were being exterminated. They were only half right, as the military was getting shredded while managing to kill many Shadows. When the campaign seemed over, the people could only feel their hearts drop as they watched one surviving monster fly off into the night, likely to strike again. It was then that the King ordered his top scientists to create another weapon, one that would be able to counter the threat of The Shadow, and would hear no arguments against it.

It is here that our story starts, and as records show, we know what happened to this civilization and of its remnant creations. Until recently, however, what history did not tell us is that there was another part of this legendary nation’s final days. There was a failsafe plan, but this one was neither native nor manmade, and was a desperate last-ditch move from a tired ruler. This is about a fellowship of this dying civilization’s best, setting out to find the answer to their prayers that their home will survive.

This is the tale of Atlantis.

[SpanishBulldog63]

Ch.1 In The Beginning

The sound of the gulls flying above stirred Cielot from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes as he checked his clock on the wall in front of him. Surely what felt like an eternity could not have been only a few hours? Hoping that he can finally go back to sleep, he barely closed his eyes when he heard frantic knocking on his door. Cielot was so sore that just to move felt like agony after trekking across Atlantis’ capital to get home upon The Guardian’s final, and hopefully last, completion. As he motioned his hand to the left, the door slid in that direction, revealing his friend and fellow project leader Parthalus.

“What matter is so urgent that you wake me so soon after the Guardian’s completion?” asked Cielot. It was not very often Parthalus stopped by in such a manner, but something seemed…off, even for this situation. Parthalus did not fear much, so whatever spooked him must have been pretty bad. Cielot could not help but notice that his friends’ right hand had been bandaged and wondered if something had gone wrong.

“Something does not seem right, old friend. We ran the main tests while you were out and …something about the Guardian is worrying me to my soul, as I fear…” stopped Parthalus.

“Fear what?”

“I fear…I fear that our creation may be an unpredictable and uncontrollable one. It has not responded to any of the stimuli we used from the Shadow. We have tried scent, sound, and even presented a hatchling to it! All the Guardian did was gaze at it. The lack of so much as a growl has me concerned that it may not fight them…but possibly become a threat itself.” Noticing his friend’s concerned look at its mention, he added, “Don’t worry, the hatchling was killed right after the experiment.”

Worriedly, Cielot asked, “Have you used…?”

“The amulets?” Parthalus interrupted. “Every trial we ran with them, they would shatter and our peers wielding them suffered some sort of backlash from it. That is why my hand is bandaged, because when I tried, it cut halfway to the bone. But it appears that, for the moment, the amulets are a futile way of working with the Guardian.”

Cielot was taken aback at the news. There was no way, after so many times, after so many failures, that their last opportunity to present King Archaeus with a weapon to save Atlantis from any and all threats was for nothing. They did not have the resources to recreate another, nor the King’s patience to sit through anymore trial-and error creations. They have already seen what the Shadow was capable of, and needed an answer fast. If their military was left barely even a shadow of its former self, then they would need something much bigger and stronger then…

Rubbing his temples, Cielot told Parthalus to meet with him in roughly 7 hours at the Palace. He was out of options; there had to be something, anything, that could save Atlantis from destruction, and the idea he just had was sure to have him imprisoned or worse for the endangerment of everything he had been working to protect.

[SpanishBulldog63]

Ch.2 The Proposition

“You want to do WHAT?” Archaeus shouted at his top scientists. “Do you realize the situation of what you seek to do? To not only find a monster, but to bring it back to Atlantis is not only suicide, but genocide! You risk everyone’s life in order to cover up your potential failure should the Guardian turn against us!“ He had enough troubles at hand with rumored sightings of his old enemy’s protector along the northern coastline as well as the blanket of fear Atlantis has been covered in, no thanks to the Shadow. But neither one of those could compare to this new problem at hand.

Rubbing his temples, he added,”Did the amulets even work?”

Cielot swallowed, knowing full well that he had that coming. “No Your Majesty, every trial with the amulets failed. They would flash, shatter, and cause some sort of backlash to the wielder every time. The Guardian must have some sort of spiritual or mental bond to whoever wields the amulet. Unfortunately, since we have yet to find whoever it would be to wield it, the Guardian is a potential threat and should be treated as such. That is why I request your permission to find a monster to protect us should the scenario occur that the Shadow attacks and the Guardian fails to protect us.”

“And what if this plan of yours ends up down the same path, hmm? Have you even thought about what you’re risking should this possibly spin out of control as well? We can not afford anymore death and destruction than we have already suffered!” Archaeus snapped.

Parthalus joined his friend on the matter, “What else do we have to fall back on? If our military could not handle the Shadow, what chance do we have if the Guardian goes rogue? The only thing there is that we can do is organize a party of Atlanteans with skills most suited to finding a monster that can fend off the Guardian, and who are the best at what they do. Your Majesty, we have no other choice.”

Archaeus was troubled by the idea of an unknown monster being brought into his kingdom. They were already in fear of the Shadow’s likely return. But now the Guardian, the only hope they seemed to have now that the military was a quarter of what it used to be, may be as likely to destroy him and his kingdom as the Shadow. Sometimes he hated being King, because decisions like these always had a huge chance to backfire, and right now was the worst time for such a judgment call. He could not risk another series of attacks like when the Shadow escaped, but at the same time could not risk a larger monster to lay waste to Atlantis without a plan stop it. In his travels as a youth, there was only thing he saw that could defeat such a beast… he could not believe what he was about to say…

“Cielot, I can’t believe I am about to say this, but your request has been granted. As much as I would prefer not to have any more living disasters in Atlantis, it is indeed the only possible way to stop the Guardian.” The King sighed heavily as he rubbed his temples. He was going to have a hell of a time explaining to his fellow Atlanteans that they needed to be prepared for a giant monster being brought in should the Guardian fail and go rogue in the process of fighting another rogue monster…oh the irony.

Cielot cast a glance at Parthalus, who breathed a sigh of relief. “I promise you, we shall not fail in our expedition, Your Majesty. You will not regret this!” Turning to his friend, he added, “Start gathering a crew to man the ship, we have not time to spare!”

“For your sake, I hope not.” Archaeus solemnly proclaimed as the only Atlanteans he trusted with such a mission exited his palace.

[SpanishBulldog63]

Ch.3 The Expedition

It had been a little over a day since The King had granted permission to find a monster as a failsafe option should the Guardian go rogue. Parthalus had made plenty effort to gather a crew to man their ship. Some notable members were the weapons expert Rasidios who was also a veteran fighter in the Atlantean forces but was forced to leave due to an injury suffered at the claws of the Shadow. To Cielot’s left was the map-charter Firia, who had been on several expeditions throughout Atlantis to map places not yet ventured. At the bow was a hunter/tracker from the northern plains by the name of Orzaeus. But how Parthalus gathered them up so fast, one can only guess. The map-charter woman especially caught Cielot’s eye, and when she turned to look at him, he quickly turned the other way.

“This journey may have just gotten a tad bit more interesting.” Parthalus said to himself, smirking upon noticing the little interaction. Turning to the main panel, he set the engine for full speed and set course due east-northeast. If his sources were correct, the landmass his friend on the East coast called You-Rup was full of beasts. Well if that was the case, then what better place to start than there?
_____________________________________________________________________________

“Nice weather we have, eh?” Cielot asked in what he thought was a feeble attempt to get Firia’s attention. No sooner did he say it that he wanted to kick himself for using such a cliché line. But to his surprise, she turned and smiled at him. He didn’t know if it was the sunlight reflecting off the water, the wind blowing her black hair, or both, but either way if he didn’t know any better he would have sworn she was an angel.

“It is quite nice, isn’t it? I don’t expect any changes to come for the next few days. I’ve never been on the ocean, but the weather reminds me of those lakes in…Are you alright?” She asked, noticing the smitten look on Cielot’s face before he snapped out of it. Nervously, he says he saw something moving in the waters behind her, but she turned and saw nothing. Firia couldn’t help but giggle a little bit; she had a feeling she knew why he was behaving like that.

On the other side of the boat, Rasidios and Orzaeus were talking like long lost friends about hunting and weapons. When Orzaeus talked about putting the head of the Shadow on his wall, Rasidios humbled him with his experience fighting the beast

“The only problem there is to your goal my friend, is that this is no ordinary winged-beastie. If you find one, another won’t be far and unless you have a weapon like an M/I 6 Photon Cannon, the odds of you taking out one let alone two of these abominations are slim.”

“And no one makes the Infantry version anymore,” sighed Orzaeus. “They stopped making it available to non-military personnel almost 10 years ago after that maniac in one of the Southeastern villages lost his mind and destroyed the entire village of Lorae.”

“Yes, but sadly even our forces have a small amount in use. The sad part is that, even though it was effective, it would take too many shots to really put them down. Damn shame too, considering it was the only non-artillery weapon we had in our arsenal that was effective,” Said Rasidios.

“If that is the case, then may the spirits help us,” Added the hunter. If what Parthalus said was true, plus what he learned about the Mark II, then maybe nothing will be able to stop the Shadow. And after learning about possibility of an even larger beast running amok, now he understood why they wanted him to help on their giant goose-chase: he was the only Atlantean who had ever successfully tracked and caught a giant monster.

But no one knew what really happened on that hunt...

[SpanishBulldog63]

Chapter 4: The Hunt

It had been a typical summer in the northern prairies, or at least would have been had it not been for sudden reports of livestock either missing or found torn to shreds. Not soon afterwards, reports of three different farmers disappearing with nothing left behind but a bloody trail came in. It wasn’t long until they had called in many a hunter to kill whatever it was on-sight, but none would come back alive or well. A younger, brasher Orzaeus had come to a local town meeting that addressed the situation. He had been hunting for years but never caught anything quite like what had been causing this chaos.

“This is the time of year when our crops and livestock bring in people from all over Atlantis, the last thing we need is for this thing to run wild in the middle of the Summer Harvest. I’m looking for anyone willing to capture and kill the creature because we cannot risk it possibly attacking those attending- “

One of the attending hunters had cut him off, “Councilman Orophius, I understand your dilemma, but would it not be a bad idea to tell us what details there are about this monster? There has to be something the locals here can tell us as to its appearance, size, capabilities and whatnot, isn’t there?”

The visiting huntsmen were nodding and muttering in agreement; the only known survivor died shortly after being found a mile outside of the village. It was said he was found in shock, speaking frantically about “a-nightmare-made-flesh.” And considering that forty hunters have already been declared missing or possibly dead, they did not want to make the same mistake of going in blind.

“I understand your concern, gentlemen, but no one knows much about it other than the fact that it appears to be rather large, and holes at the sites of the attacks suggest it’s a burrower…”

“If we find it, can we name it?” a short, older man interrupted. Orzaeus recognized him as the owner of a nearby store. This clown would do anything to make a few extra bucks. “It burrows, and it’s always gone before anyone sees it … I got it! We should call it Burygon, or Baragon, whichever sounds better.

The other hunter snapped at him, “Walterious forget the damn name! So what do we get as a reward for bringing it down? Land? Gems?” Turning his attention to a few women in the crowd, “Women?” he asked smugly.

This guy seemed to have the wrong reasons for wanting to hunt the beast. A lot of the other hunters seemed to have similar thoughts. Orzaeus, brash as he was, was disgusted by this; any hunter here should want to do this for the thrill of the hunt. While he did have his own personal matters to bargain with should he capture it, he felt that asking for things like land, gems, and women was asking for too much from an area already stricken with death and destruction. Grabbing his blade, he decided to make his presence known…

As the crowd began to grow louder and restless over the talk of rewards, they were quickly silenced as an ear-splitting scratching sound filled the vicinity. Everyone turned to look for the source and did not have to look far to see a young man standing by large rock sheathing a large knife. He was of medium-build, couldn’t be more than six feet tall, and seemed to have this air of cocky brazenness. But when he spoke, this air almost seemed to disappear…almost.

“None of you here may know me, but I’m sure you can guess what I do for a living. I’ll catch the creature for you, but it won’t be easy. Not like going to the woodlands and hunting big cats and wolves. This beast, swallow you whole, with maybe a little biting here, some more there. But we’ll have to do this quick if you want this Harvest to bring in the people. Now, I won’t be greedy like that fraud of a hunter over there,-“he said as he nodded toward the one who was asking for gems and land,”-but I still value my life more than free of cost. I’ll find the creature, but I’ll catch it and kill it in exchange for a home. But the choice is yours: you can either ante up, or go cheap and continue to be this things buffet. I don’t want any volunteers or partners, too many leaders here. Remember, just a home. For that you get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing.”

As the town leaders began to discuss about this newcomer, he took the opportunity to rest under the shade of a nearby tree. As he began to doze off, he heard footsteps coming closer and closer, at that same time inching his hand closer to the hilt of his blade. As he felt the presence of a limb inching near him, he drew his blade only to find it was the town leaders as the rest of the crowd dispersed.

“We have taken your request into consideration. You should get some rest though, young man, as the hunt begins tomorrow. We have just one question, however: what is your name?”

With a grin, he answered “My name is Orzaeus, and I’ll be just fine here under this tree for the moment. Don’t worry, I won’t be here long, just long enough to get a feel for the location. And I can see by the looks on your faces you think I’m crazy; well there’s a method to the madness, trust me, so if you may…”

Getting the hint, the town leaders walked behind the rest of the crowd towards their homes, giving Orzaeus the silence and clear air he needed. His head against the tree, he began to breathe steadily, as if he was filtering the smells in the air while his ears tuned out the sound of the summer breeze. That’s when caught a whiff of a very familiar coppery smell from the east, just over the hillside. A fresh kill, couldn’t have been more than thirty-minutes old and it smelled like cattle…that’s when he felt the rumbling.

“There you are, you little bastard!” He muttered under his breath, catching the fly that was buzzing around his head. Refocusing his attention, “And as for you, big guy,” he said with a grin as it got closer and continued on due northeast, “You’re next.”
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The next day, every hunter in the area had gone their separate ways to search for the monster. Orzaeus followed the signs he picked up yesterday and continued that way through the prairies. The smell of another kill caught his attention, bringing him to an opening not far from the woodlands. As he got closer and closer he heard the hurried flapping of birds overhead; that’s never a good sign and sure enough, a deep, menacing warning growl welcomed him. He stood as silent as possible, trying to pinpoint exactly where the growl came from. No sights, sounds, or scents of anything but foliage and the creature’s meal…

As if it meant to surprise him, the monster came out from underneath Orzaeus’ feet, sending him tumbling a few feet before he stood back up and gazed at this monstrosity before him. The beast stood on all fours, at least for the moment as it shook dirt and rocks from its armored hide. The giant reptile couldn’t have been more than 15 meters tall at the hip, and as it turned its head, Orzaeus could see it sported a single nasal horn on top of its short maw and what appeared to be frills by where its ears would be. At first they were floppy like large ears but as it gazed upon him, they flared up and looked solid. Looking at the small animal in front of it, the titan lurched forward to inspect this newcomer.

Seeing it draw closer, Orzaeus began to reach for his blade, ready to strike the second it made a hostile move. But he noticed something: the creature was covered in wounds, some minute, others rather severe, and the smell of its breath had a smell of illness to it. It must be rather old given the scars and sick smell. The monster sniffed Orzaeus and simply groaned in disinterest as it went back to the corpse. Orzaeus felt insulted at the gesture at first, but immediately felt the same. Who wouldn’t take a threat by someone so much smaller than them as a joke?

As the monster went to take a bite, a loud bang resonated through the forest and a spiked cable tore through one of its front legs, earning a roar of agony from the beast. Looking around to find the shooter, he saw none but heard another loud bang as a second cable ripped through its ankle. As Orzaeus went to cut the cables, a hammering blow caught him on the side of the head and sent him stumbling to the ground. He felt a pair of hands restraining each arm, and a familiar voice laughed at him.

“Did you really think I was going to let you get away with insulting me like that at that gathering?” Orzaeus’ mind may be shaken a bit from the blow, but he knew exactly who this was. “I’m going to destroy this monstrosity, and bring whatever remains I can to show that you failed to live up to your word. Speaking of you, you will have probably died at the creature’s hands, just before I could save you.”

As he finished that sentence, the cables jolted to life and began to electrocute the titan. Orzaeus watched as the beast wasn’t just dying…it was being tortured, No matter what damage an animal has done, it did not deserve to die like this. He thrust an elbow into the groin of the captor to his right and threw him into the man on his left before breaking his neck and jamming his blade into the heart of the other. As soon as he was sure they had died, he stealthily crept up to the man in charge of this deed. Luckily his back was turned as he began talking to himself.

“Now I can finally make a name for myself. No longer will I be the laughing stock of the hunters, but my hometown as well. Now people will respect the name of Raloces, and I shall be remembered as...” He had been cut off as an arm wrapped around his neck, and out of the corner of his eye he could see an angry Orzaeus behind him. He threw an elbow but Orzaeus caught it and dragged him to the ground. Before he knew it, his arm was put in a submission hold and Orzaeus held him to the ground.

“You certainly have a compensation issue, don’t you? First three things they always teach in Basic Hunting 101, asshole. Number1: Never take your eyes off the target.” Orzaeus said mockingly as he snapped Raloces’ arm at the elbow, listening to him scream for mercy. “Number 2: Always keep your eyes, ears, and nose open, and your mouth shut.” He mocked again as he slammed Raloces’ face into a rock, breaking his jaw. The screaming almost became silent with the exception of Raloces’ sobbing. “And last but certainly not least, never disrespect your prey.” And with that he stabbed his blade through the base of the neck, killing him.

Without a pause, Orzaeus ran to cut the cables from what was supposed to be his quarry. Turning to look at it, he saw it stop thrashing about and collapse to the ground. Pulling the barbed tips from its body, he couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. Running to its chest, he could feel a heartbeat, but it was fading and as he turned he saw the mouth foaming a bloody red. Picking up a cable-tip, he took a sniff: it was laced with poison. There was nothing he could have done to save what would have been a worthy adversary had he fought it before today. He couldn’t take the claim as the one who killed it in such a state that it was morally wrong to a hunter, but at the same time he needed a home, a permanent home where his ottoman wasn’t an infant lion and the neighbors weren’t its family constantly trying to kill him.

Damn decisions.
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After celebrating the death of the monster, now known as Baragon (Walterious must have really been bugging everyone for the name to stick.), everyone had gone back to the towns to sleep. Only one person remained behind, and he did so in disgust. Orzaeus would rather the creature die by its unavoidable natural causes then it tortured to death. Even worse so, he’d rather say he found it dead than take credit for someone else’s kill, especially in the manner someone like Raloces did.

“So long, Baragon. You deserved a better end than this.” He gravely stated. As he walked out of the forest however, he heard a familiar sound, but yet it was more…numerous. As if on cue, a herd of animals just like Baragon popped out of the ground, as if to say goodbye to one of their own with a symphony of roars and whines. Looking up from the body they locked eyes with Orzaeus, who nodded in respect to them as he walked away.

“Must be nice to have a family,” he thought as he walked into the sunset to his new home.

[SpanishBulldog63]

Chapter 5: Commotion on the Ocean

It had been about a week since the expedition had set sail from Atlantis, and things had been looking up for the team. They had no problems with the ship so far, but the weather had slowly gone from nice and sunny to overcast and windy; Cielot and the rest of the team were hoping this didn’t progress into a storm. Parthalus and Cielot had been discussing where to keep the new monster if they can capture one; while Parthalus had thought about using the large, underground hangar that holds what remains of Atlantean aircraft, Cielot thought otherwise, as he’d rather not risk it losing its sight being stuck in the dark for who-knows how long, as well as some unwitting rookie pilot possibly becoming its next meal.

Cielot had, unfortunately, no clue yet as to where keep it, as his mind had been more focused on something that echoed more beauty than chaos. He had barely known the woman Firia, but could not help but feel love-struck at the very thought of her. He thought back to their conversation on the bow of the ship, and how he was surprised to find out that they grew up in the same city and actually lived just a few blocks away from each other. Then as they talked more and more, getting to know each other better, she closed their faces’ distances, her lips closer to his…

“Hey, wake up lovebird!” exclaimed Cielot as he slapped his friend out of it. “We need to think of where to place a new beast, and I can’t do that with your head up in the clouds!”

Cielot wanted to lash out, but booms of thunder echoed from above. The scientists turned to see jagged bolts of lightning decorating the dark skies from the window. But something seemed…different. Lightning bolts rarely go straight down from the clouds, and never come so quick in succession so close to each other.

“This has to be the weirdest lightning storm I’ve ever seen” said Parthalus, a look of curiosity on his face.

“Maybe it’s normal here” replied Cielot. “Whatever it is, let’s hope it doesn’t begin to rain.”

At that very moment, it started pouring.

Turning to his friend, Parthalus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “I hate you.”
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As night fell, the storm progressed from simple rain to the winds picking up and causing the ship to rock back and forth amongst the waves. Orzaeus and Rasidios went down to the cargo-hold to tie down equipment and prevent any damages.
Once everything was secured, Orzaeus turned to Rasidios, “Do you think this crazy plan of theirs will work?”

“I hope so, my friend, I really do” sighed Rasidios. “There’s not many options to choose from when you consider everything that’s happened with the Shadow and, if what they say about the Guardian project is true, then the options we have really only come down to this.”

“In that case, I hope whatever we tackle can handle the job, because if this fails, we’re doomed. Hell, even if it succeeds we’re doomed.”
With an eyebrow cocked in confusion, the veteran asked, “What makes you say that?”

“Think about it: What happens if the monster we bring back to Atlantis fails? Or worse yet, we can’t control it? Not only are people going to be slaughtered, we’ll be held responsible. If it succeeds, then there will be the view that, since it was able to wipe out the Shadow and possibly the Guardian, it is an even bigger threat than the ones it stopped, not to mention the conspiracy theorists that think we’ll use it as a threat to have things our way,” stated the hunter as he looked up from a crate containing different types of weapons and equipment.

“I hate to say it Orzaeus, those are good points, but I think you’re over-thinking what can happen once we return to Atlantis. We don’t know how the people will react, but I say if it’s for the good of Atlantis, I don’t care. Perhaps you should get some rest, it doesn’t seem like you’ve rested since yesterday” replied Rasidios as he finished tying down a crate of various animal pheromones.

“Yea you’re right, but it’s the curse of being a hunter; you can never let your guard down in uncharted territory, lest you become the hunted.”

As the two of them left the cargo-hold to the deck of the ship, Rasidios took off to the bridge as Orzaeus made way to his room. The former soldier stood by the window as he watched the lighting crash around the skies before seeing large bolts dash down from the heavens to the oceans. That’s unusual, he thought. It was almost like they were…trying to hit something.

“Strange, isn’t it?” came a voice in the corner, startling the soldier. But he put his personal knife back in its slot on his belt when he realized it was Firia.

“You scared the hell out of me!” he replied lightheartedly. “Why are you still up, Firia?”

“Would you rather get there and back ok, or steer this boat in circles and wind up getting us lost?”

Rasidios simply shrugged and responded “Fair Enough” with a chuckle. He expected a similar response from the young woman, but instead saw just a smile that quickly faded. She then stared out the window with a long sigh, and the veteran could see something was up and asked “Is something wrong?”

“Noo….” Then she noticed the look on the older man’s face and looked down, like a child caught in a lie by their parents. And for a moment, all that could be heard were the songs of whales, songs whose lyrics echoed love and sorrow.” I think I might have grown feelings toward Cielot. And it’s just…why is it that of all times I might have found someone, it’s when everything we know is soon to end in bloodshed?

What was this, therapy night? “It could be that, subconsciously, you’re seeking someone or something to hold onto while an end seems to be rapidly approaching you and everything you know after spending your life charting the continent and cataloging its environments or…do you hear that?”

The two stopped talking and listened closely when they could hear what sounded like shouts and chants. Peaking out of the window, Rasidios saw in the clouded moonlight what appeared to be a small boat, and he could make out at least eight to ten people. Six of them appeared to be armed.

Rasidios jested, “Guess Orzaeus won’t get his rest after all,” before bolting to get the others.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“All hands on deck! All hands on deck! We have a situation inbound!” Rasidios barked down at the bunk beds below, earning a not-too-surprising shout of “Damn it!” from Orzaeus as he rushed to the cargo hold and began to untie the weapon boxes.

“What’s going on? Are we about to hit something?” inquired a sleepy Parthalus, a stumbling Cielot behind him. Hurrying to the bridge, they could see the small boat edging near the starboard bow, brandished weapons shining in the lightning flashes.

“Everyone get down to the cargo hold and arm yourselves! We must protect the ship!” Shouted Cielot

“Way ahead of ya, buddy,” barged in Orzaeus, a gauntlet on his right hand armed with blades on the wrist. “Hurry up and grab something, I just heard something land on the starboard deck.”

In the cargo hold, Cielot and Parthalus ran to the nearest container and grabbed what they could. Parthalus settled for a silvery-blue rifle with glowing purple lines running from the muzzle to the handgrip. Clicking off the safety, he smiled while Cielot got his hands on a bow and a quiver of arrows with various tips.

“Anything left for me?” questioned Firia. That’s when Cielot turned and the look of concern could not have been any clearer.

“I don’t want you involved in this. Find a place to hide while it’s still calm.”Seeing her ready to snap at him, he quickly added “Please, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Reluctantly she finally conceded, “Fine.” But before she made her way for a safe place she turned back towards Cielot and worriedly told him “Be careful.”

As she stomped away, both scientists made their way to the deck, Parthalus shaking his head at his friend and his choice of timing a love stricken predicament. Reaching the top step, they were greeted by a hand slowly closing from Rasidios, signaling for them to stop. He then pointed for Parthalus to take the bridge to take out any of the intruders who tried to go around the bridge. Cielot stood at the stairway in case any made it passed Orzaeus and Rasidios.

As the two of them edged near the deck, footsteps ran across the deck, halting them momentarily before three of the intruders entered only to be welcomed with a well landed flurry of punches from the hunter, Rasidios right behind him with a short sword, cracks of electricity sparking off of the hand guard. As slivers of moonlight peaked through the cloudy sky, the Atlanteans could see that the boarders were very much like them, yet not like them; they were lighter skinned, armed with weapons of wood, stone, and iron and, not too surprisingly, spoke a dialect they could not understand. But whatever it was they were saying didn’t matter; they were armed, hostile, and attempting to board the ship. The whirring sounds followed by pops and screams of agony from the bridge told Cielot that Parthalus had his area locked down.

“Έλα σε μένα, αδερφέ!” One of the hostiles shouted as he charged at Cielot, sneaking from behind its comrade who had found himself skewered on Orzaeus’ gauntlet blade. Snatching an arrow from the quiver, Cielot steadied his aim and let the arrow fly into his attacker’s chest, knocking him right off his feet. Seconds later he clawed at himself, screaming as the area the arrow hit smoked and burned a hole right through his chest. Upon closer inspection, the arrow had been tipped with a small, impact-release canister that must have been filled with acid. Whoever tipped these arrows must have been prepared for any…

“μπάσταρδε” Was the only thing he heard as he was tackled to the floor by an unchecked boarder, blocking his knife with the bow. He could smell his attacker’s foul breath, feel it warming the air between them but at the same time sending chills down his spine. Gritting his teeth as the knife drew nearer and nearer, his legs blocked from making any attempt to throw his attacker off…

CRACK

No sooner did he begin thinking it was the end for him did Cielot feel his foe’s body fly into the wall, as well blood splatter across this face. Looking up he could see a bitter Firia wielding what looked like a flanged mace dripping with what was undoubtedly his attacker’s blood.

“The next time I want to help, let me, because apparently you don’t listen when someone says ‘be careful’.” Firia shot with a mix of venom and caring. Before Cielot could retort, he heard Orzaeus shouting in his direction with what sounded like a tone of victory.

“Oy, lovebirds, save your bickering for later and get over here! We’ve got their two ringleaders to surrender and…. For the love of all that is sacred, what’s that smell?”

It smelt like something had been burnt and left to rot. Cielot and Firia joined the others on deck, noting that the remaining two from the boarding party were being kept under watch by Parthalus and his rifle. Hours had passed and the sun had just started to rise; though it was still cloudy and the waves still somewhat rough, the storm had died down to just light winds. Firia let out a gasp that caught the team’s attention and pointed towards the bow. They couldn’t believe their eyes as, through a veil of fog, they could see a beach; they were finally going to make landfall on You-Rup! As Firia ran to grab her map and pen, Parthalus asked her to also go down to the cargo-hold and grab his translator device so that Rasidios could interrogate the intruders.

The veteran turned to his comrades, “It’s odd, isn’t it? They attack us for what appears to be no reason, and come from out of nowhere. Odder yet, they speak different dialects from one another, yet understand each other. It’s just a guess, but I think this might be an expedition party from somewhere on this continent.”

“Maybe that’s how they greet newcomers? Honestly, I say we wipe the floor with them like we did to their friends…which reminds me, we should probably clean that hallway before we get home. Guaranteed the King, or whoever owns the vessel, will skin us if they find the hallways littered with blood and guts.” Orzaeus snorted.

Cielot turned his attention to the coast of the continent. The haze was thick over the beach, accompanied by a frenzied cloud of gulls. The smell of rotting flesh continued to hit his nostrils like a stone to the face, and it dawned on him where it came from. He squinted to try and see what it was, but he didn’t need to…not anymore.

“Orzaeus, go get Firia and tell her to forget the map. She’s going to want to see this, fast. Hell, you all are.”

“Why’s that, old friend?” asked Parthalus.

Pointing to the beach, he responded with a grin, “Because I think our prayers have been answered”. Rasidios and Parthalus, who didn’t stop pointing the gun at their captives, noticed the excitement in Cielot’s voice. Sure they were about to land, but it couldn’t possibly be that incredible. It wasn’t until they saw Orzaeus’ eyes grow wide and rush to get their cartographer that it was clear the situation was more than they thought. Tying up the prisoners,they joined him by the bow. Seconds later, Orzaeus and Firia arrived, and the latter’s jaw dropped as she saw what surely everyone else was seeing as the boat drew nearer: on the misty beach, feasting on a scalded whale carcass, were beasts of myth, creatures of legendary power…

They were Dragons.