Prologue
Prologue
Lightning flashes across the sky; followed by the deafening sound of thunder. The rain begins to fall as well, slowly at first, but then gradually began to pick up until the simple storm transforms into a downpour. Another bolt of lightning illuminates the sky, as it does it reveals a tower. Sitting in a nest of mountains is a giant stone tower standing two miles high, reaching towards the sky like a finger pointing to the heavens. On top of the tower is a spire, and at the top of the spire is a statue of a dragon standing proudly, wings full spread in majestic beauty, its tail runs the entire length of the tower as it wraps around all the way to the base. This tower is the home of the Dragon Knights, the guardians of the continent of Zymeria. In the Hall of Gathering, events are nervously unfolding.
The hall is lavishly decorated with luscious red carpets, pictures of Dragon Knights of past decorate the walls along with a map of the continent of Zymeria that covers the entire back wall, and in the center of the room above is a giant chandelier that provides light along with the torches along the wall. In an almost complete circle are seven beautifully crafted marble chairs, they form a circle around a wooden podium where those who wish to address the council would stand. On normal days the Dragon Knights would gather in their dining hall where they would discuss the day’s events, however, on this night they are discussing matters of grave importance, matters that could very well reshape the whole continent.
The Dragon Knights are each sitting in their seats calmly discussing the matter at hand, each Dragon Knight is wearing similar clothes with the men wearing robes made of luxurious silk and the women wearing elegant dresses of the same material. The mood of the room is one worry, and something that would worry the Dragon Knights would terrify any other person.
“How long has Nicholas been gone?” Nixie asks.
“It has been nearly fifteen days since we last heard from him,” Barrett says as he idly strokes his bearded chin.
“Should we begin to go out and search for him?” Karla asks as she laces her fingers together in nervousness with her chin resting on them.
“I’m afraid that is not possible, many situations are arising at the capital of Isra that requires our full attention,” Ehren says
This statement catches everyone’s attention; the first one to speak is the youngest Dragon Knight Jarvis, “What exactly are you referring to? The temper tantrums of the Senate are usually best ignored until they feel like actually talking, instead of their usual whining.” This statement causes the hall to fill with laughter.
Ehren chants several short words, he then points to the map of Zymeria, a spot on the map begins to glow brightly so the other could see it, the place that is glowing in the small country of Ironoe, the continent’s single most exporter of raw ore, the most important being iron. If the trouble is brewing with Ironoe being at the center of the conflict, it could very well destabilize the fragile balance between the three great countries as they seek to gain control of the precious resources in Ironoe.
“What has happened in Ironoe to cause a situation?” Alphonse asks.
Ehren let out a sigh of frustration, never a good sign before he begins speaking as he posses the most patience out of all of them. “I am not sure exactly what events have transpired that lead up to this, but we have recently learned that there has been a regime change in Ironoe. The new leader of the country, a man by the name of Brandon Braeden, has overthrown the previous government. From what the Senate has been able to gather it seems he is still working towards solidifying his position, however, at the current moment, he is in control of the capital, the mines, as well as every major city, though a few villages refuse to accept his rule. While they are hardly a threat to Brandon’s regime directly, they are causing him much grief as the villagers have become nests for rebels that are raiding other villages loyal to Brandon, as well as harrying his troops as they try to bring what he is calling a rebellion under control. And on top of that, the strong-arm tactics of his soldiers are creating more sympathizers by the day.”
“Well, now I understand why you have been returning from the Senate meeting looking more ragged than usual, so tell us, what does the Senate plan to do? While I am sure they would like the situation to resolve itself, I imagine some pockets in the Senate are getting a bit lighter each day this conflict is unresolved” Jarvis said while pulling out his pipe in preparation for a much-needed smoke break.
The laughter returns for a second before the mood dampens once more as the weight of the situation begins to be felt by all those in the room, though they all generally avoid the world of politics they are from ignorant of it. They are all aware of how deep corruption in the Senate ran, of the one-hundred senators who make up the Senate there is only a handful whose hands are completely clean, the corruption in the rest of the Senate ranges from small things such as simply taking bribes in return for favors, to the ones who go as far as to kill their rivals to keep their power. Despite attempts by many of the past king they have never been able to either entirely purge the Senate entirely of the corruption, or keep it away when new senators assume the positions. Over the centuries the Dragon Knights have done what they can to help with the ever-festering problem, but the most that any king has been able to be done is pass a law that allows a member of the Dragon Knights to attend Senate meetings. Many of the common folk wonder why the Dragon Knights don’t take a more active role, but their pledge to remain out of the internal affairs of countries prevents them from doing anything more direct.
Barret loudly claps his hands startling everyone, as well as breaking the ever-depressing chain of thoughts. “So, how is the Senate proposing to respond to the situation?” Barret asks as he once again begins stroking his beard, a nervous habit he has developed over the many years he has been a Dragon Knight.
Ehren swallows hard. “There are three motions on the table, the first being obvious of sending an envoy to assess the situation and take action based on the envoy’s report. The second is a little more extreme, it suggests that we align ourselves with one of the two factions, in exchange for a higher quantity of raw ore, as well as reducing amounts sent to other countries. As bad as this suggestion is the third is by far even worse, it suggests that they ignore the treaty of Licame, and simply occupy Ironoe.” Ehren says sadly, his eyes dropping to the floor.
The room is quiet, so quiet that a needle would probably have sounded as if a suit of armor had fallen. This move that some of the senators are proposing is not just dangerous, it is simply ludicrous. The treaty of Licame, a treaty signed by all countries both big, as well as small, states that Ironoe is to remain neutral in all conflicts, in return Ironoe agrees to have trading contracts with each country equally based on the countries needs and how much they’re willing to buy. The treaty has kept Ironoe safely out of wars for the last two centuries, the biggest reason being the fear that if one were to attack them, then every other country on Zymeria would go to war against them. The fact that the Senate is willing to risk disregarding that fact is a terrible sign, if they were to do it, the wrath of every country would be brought down upon Isra.
Alphonse turns towards Ehren with fire in his eyes. “And does the Senate expect us to assist them in this madness? Well, they have another thing coming if they do, especially since no one, not even the king himself has the power to command us even though we live near the capital!” Alphonse shouts.
Others nod their heads in agreement, although the Dragon Knights live in Isra, which they have since long before Isra was formed, neither the king nor the Senate has any power to command them to do anything since the Dragon Knights have pledged to support any country in need. It is because of this safety guard that has prevented countries from either rushing to war, or allowing Isra to bully other countries with the threat of releasing the Dragon Knights on them.
Ehren rubs his temples slightly before he begins to channel his unique power into the room. The reason Ehren is the one chosen attend the Senate meetings is because of his unique power of empathy, which comes in handy for subduing the wild emotions of his fellow Dragon Knights when they begin to lose it, or when he is in a room full of vipers and needs to try to figure out which is the most dangerous.
After only a few moments each of the Dragon Knights begins to feel Ehren’s power working on them, as the tension leaves both the room and their bodies. With the atmosphere brought back to the calm state, they need Ehren retracts his powers, with his task now done he returns to the matter at hand, “Now that we are all calm, let us get back to the matter at hand. Even with Nicholas missing he would not want us to neglect our duties. With the situation in Ironoe beginning to spiral out of control, we must get ahead of it, and stop it quickly. Jarvis, tomorrow you will head to Ironoe, we need you to assess the situation, and see if there are options to end it peacefully. The rest of us will keep an eye on things here at the capital, as well as do what we can to stop this path of madness. It is getting late, let us adjourn this meeting.”
As one they all agree, and one by one they each leave the hall. After Nixie made her way out of the chamber Ehren slumps in his chair. The day has left him emotionally drained, and during the meeting in the Senate his power showed him so much malice and greed for power that it seems to fill the entire rotunda. He stays in the same position for a long while before he says, “I know my friend, there will be many dark days ahead if we can’t fix this.” he lets out another weary sigh before leaving the hall to go to his chambers for some much needed and well-earned rest.
The night pass with little incident and morning came faster than anyone would want it to. On top of the Dragon Knights tower, Jarvis waits patiently with his arms crossed looking out towards the horizon as the sun rises over it. He stands there wearing a full-body gold color steel Lamellar amour, on the ground next to him is an open face helmet with a long braid of black horsehair at the very top of his helmet that reaches the base of his back. Strapped to his back is his massive war hammer with two spikes protruding out of it.
“You are procrastinating, you know this correct?” says a voice, Jarvis smiles.
“I know Ryuu, but you know I really don’t want to make this trip. Ironoe is many leagues from here. I will be spending today, all of tomorrow, as well as the day after flying.” Jarvis says.
“Just get going already, the more time you stand here whining, the more days you will spend flying. Ehren will not be please if by the end of the week you are not even in Ironoe.”
Jarvis smiles at the usual banter between himself, and his best friend is always fun. But now, it was time for work. Closing his eyes, he concentrates on changing, his muscles suddenly began to bulge, his canines become elongated, and from his back, two web wings fluidly sprout out. Jarvis opens his eyes, the pupils are now slits. With the transformation now complete Jarvis steps off the tower, his free falls for a couple of seconds before flapping his wings, his descent slows and then stops as he begins to gain altitude. Eventually, Jarvis is high above the tower, as he enters the clouds above he begins to orients himself in the right direction before chanting a spell. When he reaches the end of it Jarvis suddenly begins to shoot across the sky at high speed.
For the first couple of days, nothing eventful happened. Jarvis at several points to stops to simply rest his wings and hunt a small game of rabbit and some local vegetables that he turns into a stew. Although he doesn’t eat it all at once it’s of no concern; a few magic words and the stew are preserved until he’s ready to eat it again. It is nearing mid-afternoon of the third day when everything changes.
After finishing the remains of his stew for lunch, as well as resting for a bit he takes to the sky once more. Suddenly he begins to feel a bit dizzy, he begins shaking his head furiously to shake the mental cobwebs, then the whole world begins to spin as a wave of vertigo overtakes him causing him to begin to fall from the sky. He tries to correct himself but he cannot tell which way is up or down. He is not sure of what to do; he is falling fast with no way of knowing which direction to start flying in. Suddenly he feels Ryuu chanting a spell, vertigo begins to lift allowing him to see where he is falling, he begins to desperately flap his wings and can avoid death from the fall, but not crashing in the hard ground of the woods he was passing over.
Picking himself up and leaving the small crater he leans against a nearby tree for support while he gathers his wits. “Ryuu, what the hell happened?” Jarvis shouts, he is just now starting to feel well enough to move away from the tree.
“We were hit with a spell, a damn good one at that. The spell that hit you, did not trigger any of the wards I keep up, that takes a mastery very few can achieve even if they train for an entire lifetime.” From the tone of his voice, Jarvis could tell Ryuu is worried, and whatever could worry Ryuu definitely has Jarvis worry. He nearly has all back when he senses a presence behind him, whoever it was suddenly appears out of nowhere as he did not sense this person’s presence before. Turning around to see who it was that managed to get this close to him; what he sees makes him gasp in surprise. The person is well over six feet tall making him a few inches taller than Jarvis, nothing else about the man features could be seen as he is wearing a black skull looking helmet that covers his entire face like a mask, the rest of the man’s body is cover by heavy-looking black plate armor, with spikes on his spaulders, giving him much protection, and an intimidating look. However it is not the armor that is the cause of Jarvis’s gasp, rather it is the two web wings attach to his back. Whoever this man is, he is definitely a Dragon Knight, and his stance tells Jarvis he is looking for a fight.
“Who are you?” Jarvis shouts
Jarvis’s assumption about the fight is confirmed when the man summons a fireball. “Not that it matters to you since you will be dead, but if it will help you move on to the afterlife, my name is Jaeger.”
Jaeger throws the fireball faster than any arrow could hope to match. Jarvis sidesteps easily to his right while extending his right arm forward, several lightning bolts shoots at Jaeger in quick succession, but they hit an invisible wall before any hit him.
“He is protected by a very powerful ward. I will attempt to break it, but while I am attempting to do so you should use your hammer to see if you can cause any physical damage.”
Not one to be ignoring Ryuu’s advice Jarvis un-straps his hammer and turns sideways assuming his fighting stance. Jaeger raises his right hand; it begins to glow brightly with fire as it spreads until it encases his entire fist. With a leap both warriors begin sprinting towards each other, they are almost on top of each other when Jaeger thrusts his hand forward attempting to grab Jarvis’s face. Jarvis bends his knee while leaning forward; he easily dodges Jaeger’s attack and pushes his hammer forward to strike him in his abdomen. Jarvis assumes the attack would score a solid hit, however, his assumption is very wrong.
Jarvis’s attack is blocked by Jaeger’s left gauntlet; with fluid motion like water moving around a rock in the stream, he spins his body around like a top moving around Jarvis, before Jarvis can react Jaeger elbows him in the back of the head pushing him forward as he tumbles to the ground off balance. He then begins to feel a burning sensation in his back as Jaeger tries to drive his flame engulfed hand through the spot between his wings. Jarvis feels the searing heat like a sword in a blacksmith's as it attempts to burn through his armor. Thinking quickly Jarvis puts his hand on his chest; he quickly channels his lightning through his armor forcing Jaeger to pull his hand back to avoid being seriously hurt. Jarvis quickly picks up his hammer and turns around bringing his hammer around in a low swinging motion, however, Jaeger is already jumping backward out of his range and the attack hits nothing but air.
The hand is still on fire as Jaeger pushes it forward, suddenly a stream of fire shoots towards Jarvis. The attack catches Jarvis off guard forcing him to enclose his wings around him for protection. Despite the wards that he uses to protect himself he can feel the fire begin to burn his wings, it won’t be long before his wings are burnt to the point of uselessness like a chicken staying on the roasting fire for too long. Acting on instinct he chants a spell, the ground
begins to rumble for a quick minute before a water geyser shoots out of the ground like a whale shooting water out of its blowhole blocking the flames. Despite the flames being block by the geyser Jaeger presses on with his attack wanting to simply burn the water away, suddenly the ground begins to rumble again, however this time it is under his feet as a second water geyser burst from the ground engulfing Jaeger in a column of water. With the fire attack now over Jarvis uses his power over water to shape the water, it soon forms into a giant ball, pushing his hands towards each other he forces the ball of water to begin to constrict and make Jaeger feel as though he is on the bottom of the ocean from the extreme pressure he is feeling.
Jarvis continues to squeeze more and more wondering if the extreme pressure is crushing him like a writer crushes a sheet of paper in frustration suddenly feels a surge of power from the top of the water ball and something shot out the top at high velocity like an arrow being let go. High above the forest, a blue fireball floated, eventually the fireball faded revealing Jaeger. Jarvis stood rooted to the ground in complete shock. “Ryuu, what is that? Have you ever seen a blue fire like that?” Jarvis asks.
Ryuu mentally shakes his head.“No, I have never seen a fire so powerful that it can withstand that much water. The only conclusion I can think of is that this blue flame is a unique power, much like your lightning power.” Ryuu says.
Jaeger remains in the same spot above Jarvis as if he is waiting for something to happen, he waves his right hand left to right. Jarvis is confused by the gesture until he hears explosions to his right; he turns to see an unsettling sight. A wave of blue fire like a wave in the ocean is making its way towards him at a very fast speed, faster than one would expect. Jarvis quickly leaps into the air, as the fire passes underneath him some of it shoots out of the ground towards him, but he can roll to his left, and easily dodge it.
Jarvis begins to reorient himself when the Jaeger appears right in front of him, acting solely on instinct Jarvis swings his hammer in an overhead attack, one that will cave his skull in if he hits however, Jaeger seems to anticipate this, Jarvis hears him chant a quick spell, with a puff of black smoke, a round shield appears on his left forearm. Jarvis’s hammer hits the shield hard causing a brief spark as the two objects collide with each other. Jaeger again repeats the previous spell, only this time he summons a wicked looking scimitar in his right hand. Using all of his might Jaeger shoves Jarvis backward, as he is falling backward, slightly off balance. Jaeger dashes forward attacking, Jarvis is unable to respond as Jaeger easily scores two hits on his torso, he is going for a third hit in the form of a
stab, but Jarvis can deflect this with his hammer, and hits him across his face with a haymaker. While Jaeger reels back from the left hook Jarvis assess the damage, the two successful attacks struck his torso from shoulder to opposite hip forming an x pattern on his chest. The attack not only pierced his breastplate but also just light grazing his skin. The wound stung quite a bit, but is nothing he could not ignore; his partner was a different story.
“Let me out, whoever this man is he is far too powerful for you to handle. I know you do not enjoy relinquishing control to me, but please we must hurry before it is too late.”
Jarvis hates many things; one of them is when Ryuu is right. Relinquishing control of his body even to whom he trusts the most is not something he enjoys, but no other alternatives are presenting themselves. Reaching deep into his himself Jarvis once more began to transform. His body begins to expand, surprisingly instead of destroying his armor, as well as his clothes they seem to simply disappear within the expanding flesh. his body steadily expands, as it does his face becomes longer as it stretches into a strong muzzle, his skin changes from smooth flesh into scales, a long slithery tail sprouts out from the base of his back, lastly his feet, and hands change into claws.
With the transformation now complete Jaeger can see what Ryuu looks like. Ryuu is over a hundred feet in length with a wingspan to match; his scales are almost pure silver save for the tinges of blue in them. Ryuu’s face is the grim visage of anger, smoke drifts ominously from his nostrils as he snorts before taking a deep breath, as he exhales he lets loose a stream of fire that could scorch whole armies.
Jaeger simply waves his right arm, and a wall of blue fire appears in his defense. Ryuu watches as his attack slams into the blue wall, when his attack fades the wall is still standing. Although it is possible to break through his defense with the correct spell he has lost all patience for that kind subtly, instead he gathers in his mouth a ball of raw magical energy when it is as big as his mouth can hold he shoots it towards the blue fire, the ball crashes in the wall, scattering the flames easily like a crowd of people before their king. When it fully spreads it reveals Jaeger chanting a spell. Ryuu attempts to listen so he can devise a counterspell, however, he does not recognize the language, it like none he has ever heard of.
Suddenly he shouts, “Let my master’s power flow through me!” From his hand a tendril of black energy shoots out, it wraps itself around Ryuu’s neck digging its fanged suckers into his scales. Ryuu screams in pain, but not from the bite, but rather from the feeling of his life force being forcibly taken from his body.
‘We must get out of here!’ Ryuu shouts in his mind.
“I know, but how? I can use my transport spell but we’ll probably just take the bloodsucker with us, plus I don’t know if we have the power to make it back to the tower.” Jarvis responds
’Whether or not we have the power is simply a risk we will have to take, and do not worry about this monstrosity on our neck, I should be able to pry it off for a few seconds.’
While Jarvis begins chanting the spell Ryuu begins to build his own power. Much like with his earlier attack this one will simply be raw magic, neither fancy nor subtle. Jarvis is nearing the end of his spell, Ryuu releases the magic, his entire body begins to shimmer brightly, from Ryuu’s body a pulse begins to emit like sparks off two clashing swords, and it works in repelling the foul creature from his neck. The creature is pushed back several inches as Jarvis finished his spell. Ryuu's whole body begins to glow brightly and then vanishes in a blink of an eye.
The creature seems to not realize that Ryuu is gone as it moves around trying to find its target. Jaeger lets out a twisted version of a laugh before sucking the creature back into his hand; he turns and stares in the direction he needs to go now.
“Why did you allow them to leave Jaeger? They could cause us trouble down the road.” a voice said.
Jaeger laughs again. “I know Dracul, but it cannot be helped. I thought the weakling had exhausted too much of his power to try that, guess they were more desperate than I anticipated. Either way, I will get them eventually. Now let us leave this place, and continue with our mission.”
Without waiting for a response Jaeger flies in the direction of his target, the target is one of high importance. The target is the capital city of Virote, the best place to plant his seeds of evil and watch them bloom into plants of destruction.
