Dragon Quest; Search for the Air Dragon (Book One)

[Bratterratt]

Great Ideas! I was thinking about that ignored character thing a couple days ago. I'm trying to fix that, but it's going to take a little time. And about the girl for Coryn, yes, I don't want it just to be Coryn + Girl = Love. I'm trying to think up some details for that... Anyway, almost done with the next chapter y'all!

Bratterratt

[Bratterratt]

I've got some more!

Chapter 15: On the Road Again

A tall, bony form stood in the shadows of the forest, the man’s face hidden from Coryn’s sight. The silent figure stretched out a hand to the boy in the shady moonlight beckoning Coryn forward. The boy stood, frozen in fear, his eyes locked on the outstretched hand, the only visible part of the man. The fingers were long, and thin, covered in a parchment white, papery skin that looked so thin, it could tear with just the smallest of movements. On each finger were long nails, sharp, claw-like and a poisonous, ebony black.

“Come to me, Coryn of Montegrin,” –a soft, hissing voice commanded, slithering through the darkness, reaching boy’s ears.

As if by some invisible force, Coryn’s feet moved to take a step, and then another, slowly approaching the man.

“No!” –Coryn’s mind screamed to him, though it made no difference, as he moved closer to the waiting hand.

Now only a few feet from the menacing form, Coryn’s hand unwillingly stretched forth to meet the other. As quick as lighting, the white hand clasped Coryn’s, its temperature icy cold, and as hard as stone. The boy drew in a sharp inhale as the moonlight suddenly caught on the form’s hard face. The boy opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. After what seemed like forever, the white hand released Coryn’s and the boy jumped back, falling backwards, trying as fast as he could to get away.

An icy hiss slid through the suddenly freezing air as the menacing shadow drew its bony form into a crouch. Coryn froze yet again, a thick lump building up in his throat. The creature brandished its long, black claws, as it gathered itself to spring.

The familiar burning began to scald Coryn’s chest, and the stone glowed, its light shining through the thin, tattered folds of his shirt. The shadow screeched a piercing scream that only made the protecting stone glow brighter. Then with a final, blood curdling screech, the shadow vanished, as if it had never existed, leaving the panicked Coryn alone among the trees.

[SomebodyDude]

*SCREAMS*
*HAS A HEART ATTACK*
GO ON GO ON GO ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wolfgirl159357]

OMG GO ON

[Bratterratt]

Lol, you're both hilarious!

“Coryn, Coryn! Wake up!” –Jacom’s urgent voice called, breaking through the boy’s dreams, as Coryn opened his eyes, utterly confused. Jacom’s hands stopped their shaking in an attempt to awake the boy, and let Coryn’s shoulders fall back down to the forest floor.

“W…what happened?” –Coryn stammered, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up, blinking against the sunlight that streamed through the tree tops.

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” –Jacom muttered as he stood, brushing himself off. Still a bit confused, Coryn looked about the “camp”. The fire was smoldering, and Brion was fastening their sacks of provisions to Gideon’s back, who stood patiently in his bear form. Surprisingly, Tiron stood in his human form, attempting to help as much as he could.

Coryn let out a slow exhale, relieved, though memories of his dream nagging uncomfortably at the edge of his mind. Standing, he looked towards Brion, almost expectantly.

“We should be heading out now,” –Brion said, fastening the last rope onto Gideon, who let out a rumbling breath in agreement. Shindra, Jacom, and Tiron nodded, gathering the rest of the supplies, and the group began on another leg of their journey.

They cut their way through the brush for several hours, trying to find the path that they had started out on, several days ago. It was hard, steady work, and Tiron soon became flustered of tripping after the others on two legs. Finally, midstride, his form trembled and he was back to his original, furry form.

As noon came around, the sweaty, tired travelers broke from the forest and onto the wide, dusty path.

“Finally,” –Jacom murmured between heavy breaths, doubled over, resting his hands on his knees. Coryn gulped in a deep breath, unable to speak at the moment, but agreed whole-heartedly with Jacom.

Shindra stood by Brion’s side, looking disdainfully at the others, standing with perfect posture as always.

“Does she never tire?” –Coryn thought to himself, exasperated, panting. Gideon seemed merely annoyed by the situation, as the path they were on now, was barely wide enough for him to travel on, and not at all comfortably.

Tiron sat by Coryn’s feet, his tail wagging with the normal energy of a puppy, watching each member of the group with a curious eye, and alert, bluish-black ears. Coryn fell to a sitting position on the ground, resting his tired arm on Tiron’s sleek shoulders.

“We need to keep moving,” –Brion announced after what seemed like only a few moments. Jacom groaned, letting his head fall back in disappointment. Coryn sighed heavily, all too comfortable on the dusty ground. Reluctantly, the boy pulled himself to his feet, with help balancing from Tiron.

“If we are where, I think we are, then the Air Dragon is only a day’s journey away,” –Brion recalled, squinting up at the fully risen sun, casting bright rays of light down on the travelers.

With that as all the reassurance they were going to get, the reluctant group began again on their journey. Coryn sighed as his feet dragged along, just as the day seemed to do with every hour. And just when the day seemed as if it would never end, Brion announced the place of their camp ground.

With a deep exhale, his knees buckled, and Coryn fell onto the dusty ground, and everything went black.

Chapter 16: A Traitor

(Will post if wanted!)

[SomebodyDude]

WELL OF COURSE WE WANT YOU TO POST IT!

[Bratterratt]

Well then here it is!

Chapter 16: A Traitor

Another day of traveling began much like each other day, though none expected it to end as it did. The day was dry and the dust was becoming almost too heavy to bear. Tiron’s coat was so thickly coated with the dusty grime, he appeared a dull shade of mixed browns, instead of his usual striking bluish black pelt. Gideon became so frustrated with the small size of the path, he insisted on pausing so he could change to his smaller, though still incredibly large, human form. So the group traveled on, though weary and spitting dust, their pace did not falter.

Finally, when Coryn did not think he could move his feet in one more step, Brion allowed the travelers to stop and rest. The boy fell, tired and relieved, to the ground beside Jacom.

“Let us see the book, Coryn,” –Brion said, standing above Coryn with an outstretched hand. The boy nodded, and pulled the leather bound book from his shirt folds, handing it up to the large man. Brion flipped it open, and examined the map, taking a few steps away, then stopping suddenly.

“What is it, Brion?” –Jacom asked, between breaths, looking up.

The man held out his hand to silence his brother, then, never tearing his gaze from the page, walked to the edge of the path, where a thick patch of thorns coughed up from the dust.

“Brion?” –Shindra asked from where she stood, arms folded around her chest.

Unanswering, Brion hesitated only a moment, before taking a deep breath and plunging his calloused hands into the thorned brambles.

“Brion! Are you daft?!” –Shindra exclaimed stepping swiftly to the man’s side. Brion looked up, a sheepish grin on his bearded face.

“Not quite,” –the man replied, holding up a small folded piece of paper for the others to see.

“Another message!” –Jacom said excitedly, scrambling to his feet. Coryn followed quickly behind, eager to see what wisdom the message would hold this time. Shindra scoffed, as if it had been foolish for Brion to scratch his hand for a meager scrap of paper. Coryn took the leather book from Brion, his eyes searching for the newest X. Sure enough, a dauntingly bold X lay on the map, precisely where the bramble of thorns grew. Brion slowly unfolded the paper’s crisp corners, until the scrawled writing could be read.

Your journey is so soon to end,
So your direction you must tend,
But beware oh weary friends,
For there is one close who pretends,
Heed this warning, do it fast,
If till the end you wish to last.

[SomebodyDude]

POST IT!!!

[Sipphy]

This story is so good! You're a really good writer.
I have some friendly advice, there's a trick I use when I write poems, especially couplets. I read it to myself and put a lot of emphasis on every other syllable.
Your JOUR-ney IS so SOON to END
So YOUR dir-EC-tion YOU must TEND
This couplet flows perfectly, but when they don't, it's a lot easier to tell how to fix it.

[Bratterratt]

Lol, thanks alot Sipphy! Really I suck writing poems, I can never seem to find the right words, so I'm pretty much just winging it on these ones, lol. Thanks for the advice!

The words sent a familiar chill down Coryn’s spine, and he looked quickly away from the parchment, his eyes shut tight. After a moment of fearful silence, Brion cleared his throat. Coryn opened his eyes and let out a deep exhale, watching as Brion folded the fateful message and slipped it inside the leather binding of the book.

“What does this mean Brion?” –Jacom asked softly, looking to his elder brother for an answer.

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing! You are all fools to believe that these hurriedly written messages are anything but farce!” –Shindra snapped unexpectantly, startling the silent Tiron.

“Shindra!” –Brion replied sharply, his tone not only angry but also disapproving, “The messages have always given us guidance and warning where needed, and never once have they been untruthful.”

Shindra glowered, her posture stiff, and her hands balled into fists. For the first time since he had met her, Coryn felt a strange sense of fear for the young Etherian woman.

Brion and Shindra stood across from each other, both with a stubborn, obstinate glare, the tension burdening the air.

Without warning, a strange sound began to fill the air. It seemed like that of a thousand insects, all swarming together. The sound seemed to get louder and louder, while Brion and Shindra stood, continuously facing each other, until to Coryn it was almost unbearable.

Brion’s stubborn gaze faltered, flickering away to the others, wincing as the strange sound became increasingly painful. Coryn’s eyes turned to Shindra’s face, his hands clasped over his ears, as were Jacom’s, and the two guardians’.

Shindra had changed completely, and the creature standing before them was no longer the same. Coryn’s stomach lurched as the sickening sense of déjà vu rolled over him like a wave. This was the scene from his dream, the boy realized, his hand trembling.

Shindra’s skin had turned from its soft olive tone to a chalky, parchment white and appeared almost translucent. Her once attractive, brown, almond-shaped eyes were now a milky yellow and barely more than slits against her pale face. But what frightened Coryn the most was the form Shindra’s long, supple dark locks had taken. A writhing snarl of snakes slithered hauntingly around the gaunt face, which had on it a triumphant sneer. And the creature’s mouth, like a black pit, edged with dagger sharp teeth, uttered a shrill, terrifying laugh.

Coryn froze, just as he had in his dream, unable to think, unable to move. Shindra’s shrieking laugh grew louder, just like the persistent buzzing sound, so heavy that Jacom and Brion had fallen to their knees, gasping for breath on the dusty path.

Suddenly, a strange sense of calm washed over Coryn, drowning out the piercing laugh, until the boy stood perfectly still, and totally aware of nothing but himself and Shindra before him.

“You’re the traitor. The third sister,” –a soft, reasoning voice said, and Coryn realized it was his own. Shindra’s milky eyes widened and she hissed, the snake-like sound slipping threatening between her impossibly sharp fangs.
“You tried to kill your father, but instead, he killed your sisters,” –Coryn said again, this time, his confidence growing, as he took a step forward. Shindra hissed again, but this time the sound was filled with the acidic taste of panic. Coryn merely shook his head and took another step towards Shindra.

“You are weak Shindra. Even with training from the Serpent, you weren’t able to kill a guardian,” –Coryn’s soft, but unmistakably sure voice mocked, as he moved even closer to the sister. The creature hissed louder, skittering back a few steps, crouching her body as if to frighten Coryn.

But it didn’t. Coryn reached inside the folds of his shirt and drew out the small stone. Almost immediately, he felt its power begin to burn the palm of his hand. Realizing her fate, Shindra screamed a shrieking, anguished cry.

“Goodbye Shindra,” –Coryn whispered softly, his hand clasping around the stone. As if on cue, the ground beneath their feet trembled, and the last sister crumbled to the ground, her body turning to the dust, and in a matter of seconds, all was silent.

-----------------------------------------------
I'm curious, who did you guys think would be the "traitor"? Or did you have no idea? Just out of curiosity!

Bratterratt

[Sipphy]

To be honest, I thought Shindra was such an obvious choice I was starting to wonder if she was a red herring.

[Bratterratt]

Lol, that's what I was thinking when I read it over to, but I guess that's ok... lol...

Bratterratt

[Bratterratt]

Here's the rest of the story, well, part of the rest!

Chapter 16: One Left Behind

Coryn stood, his hand trembling, though still clasped around the stone of Illiad. Shindra was gone, the last sister had finally perished. Brion stood, pulling Jacom up along with him, both shocked to the point of being speechless. Gideon growled softly from where he stood, his wide shoulders tense, not quite trusting that the danger was gone. Tiron, who had transformed to his animal form in the midst of the confusion, stepped to Coryn’s side, looking up at the boy with a soft whine.

“She’s not coming back Tiron,” –Coryn replied softly, his free hand falling to rest atop the guardian’s dusty blue head.

The boy’s fingers carefully caressed they stone it held, its burning having subsided. Jacom gently bent down to where Shindra had stood, stroking the dust, a pained expression on his face. Brion stepped beside his younger brother, hesitantly setting his large, burly hand on his shoulder.

“Let us go Jacom. Shindra would have betrayed us to the Serpent, there is no reason to grieve,” –Brion muttered gruffly, staring with a spiteful look at the dusty ground. Jacom merely nodded and slowly stood, brushing his hand across his cheek to hide a lone, forbidden tear. Brion turned sharply on his heel and strode over to where Coryn stood.

“This oughtn’t hold us up, we need to keep moving,” –Brion spoke urgently, his deep voice scratchy.

“Yes Brion,” –Coryn sighed, slipping the stone into his shirt, where the book rested safely, as well.

“What about the Serpent? If he sent his last student after us, I have no doubt he’ll send more to stop our journey,” –Gideon interjected from where he had stood silently in his human form all this time.

“Then will take care of them as they come!” –Brion snapped, turning to glance angrily at the guardian.

“How do you know we can?!” –Gideon growled, his eyes flashing indignantly, “Perhaps we need to change our course.”

“It’s too late for that! The Serpent knows where we are going, he has his spies all over these woods. If we change direction, he’ll just find us yet again. We need to keep moving, if we leave now, then maybe we can reach the Air Dragon before night fall,” –Brion spat, his own eyes shooting an irritated glare towards Gideon, who’s form was beginning to tremble with fury.

“Stop this, both of you,” –Tiron interrupted, stepping between the two, his transformation to the human form having taken place during their brief argument.

“This doesn’t concern you, dog,” –Brion insulted in a low, warning tone. Tiron’s eyes narrowed, and his lip curled up to expose his set of polished, ivory teeth. A feral snarl ripped through Gideon’s chest, as his shoulders began to shake violently, but holding himself back.

“Brion! Gideon! Please, this is the last thing we need!” –Coryn exclaimed, placing a hand on Brion’s arm, beside Tiron’s silent side.

“We don’t have time for an argument now, especially one like this,” –Coryn reasoned, looking from Brion to Gideon, “Let us keep going, the way we had planned. We’ll just keep alert, and move quickly. If we meet one of the Serpent’s followers… then we’ll do what we can when the time comes. For now, it’s too risky to turn around, and find another way. Tilmaria grows closer and closer to death every day, and we can’t waste another.”

Brion let out a deep exhale, his lips pursed, and his expression unhappy, but cooperative. Gideon ceased his shaking, and stood, his teeth clenched.

“As you wish,” –Gideon said shortly, nodding curtly, then turning to gather up the provisions. Tiron sighed softly, giving Coryn an apologetic look. Coryn returned the glance with a weak smile and they began to move again.

[Sipphy]

YAY! More story!

[Bratterratt]

Here's some more!

The dusty path seemed to stretch on and on, the traveler’s feet kicking up clouds of the powdery dirt. Coryn led now, keeping his stride eager as he walked ahead of the others. Trion and Jacom walked closely behind Coryn, the guardian still human, perhaps just in case there was another argument. Gideon and Brion paced as far away from each other as was possible on the small trail, giving each other heated sideways glances from time to time.

After several more hours of walking, the group stopped to rest. While the others gulped thirstily, though sparingly, from the wooly skin canteens, Coryn pulled the leather bound book out where he could examine the map. Carefully, the boy traced his fingers along the path they had taken, until he stopped at the place in which they were resting. The ink line which led the way turned sharply on the map, indicating that the group leave the main path. Coryn’s brow furrowed, as he did not find this a pleasant instruction, but he knew that it could not be ignored. Another marking caught his eye, a small, but distinct X sat beside the path on the map.

Coryn stood, and while looking at the map, strode hesitantly over to a large, over hanging tree. It was a Briak tree, like the one that had sat on Briar Hill where Coryn had tended the woolies, what seemed like so long ago. It’s over hanging branches were dead and dry, reaching high up into the dense sky, looking unsettlingly like a set of bony fingers reaching upwards. The boy bit his lip, then setting the leather bound book softly on the ground, took hold of the lowest branch and swung up into the tree’s outstretched arms.

“Coryn, might I ask what you are doing?” –Jacom asked suddenly from where he sat on the dusty ground.

“One moment, Jacom,” –Coryn answered, grunting slightly, as he pulled himself up higher into the leaf-less tree limbs. Sure enough, nestled tightly between two twigs, was a little roll of white parchment. Coryn leaned carefully to grab the message, and did so, clutching it tightly in his hand. With the message safely in his possession, the boy released his grip from the tree limbs and jumped down.

“Another message?” –Jacom asked eagerly, as he stood, jogging closer to the other boy. Coryn nodded and unrolled the message.

From here your path begins to turn,
The mountain’s secret you must learn,
Death awaits, its right beside you,
Listen now, you’ll wish you knew.