The Forgotten Zodiac

Instantly, pandemonium erupted. Something was happening in the room; the crystal started glowing, and the magic in the room and tunnels flowed into the center of the room. "Wh-what have you done? You've summoned the demon to eat us all!" One of them wailed. With a flash and a crash, someone materialized where the magic had been gathering.

Lennon. Or, as Zephyr knew him, Obelisk. The ancient being stumbled back a step, and looked around in bewilderment. "Kill it!" One of the drakelings snarled, and another darted forward, swinging his claws down. Darkness brought itself up, easily blocking the crude attack. The Drakeling was thrown into the wall with a loud screech.

"Get away from me!" He snarled. He was hiding something behind him, something that Firestorm and Vuker were able to see. A human woman, shorter and much smaller than Lennon, and obviously terrified. She spotted the Dragon and Drakeling and immediately hid under Obelisk's dark cloak.

"Stop, stop!" Zephyr called, whipping his tail lightly. "Be still or we'll all be found out and killed! Don't you want to see your children again? Or would you leave them parentless?!"

Silence.

Zephyr snorted, then turned his head to face Obelisk. "You..." he said softly. "I remember you. Obelisk. What happened? Why are you here? What is going on?"

"Tch," Obelisk looked around, then spoke. "This is my old room. You've activated it again. I..." He paused for a moment, then said, "I can't move." He jerked his legs, but it was as though his feet had been glued to the floor. He tried to remain calm, but nothing could keep him from rounding on Zephyr. "What possessed you to do such a thing? Were you not aware of what your new magicks might possibly do to a room with such intense fairy magics? Shut it off, quickly, before I'm turned to stone or something ridiculous!"

Zephyr tilted his head in confusion, then close his head and concentrated, trying to control the powers Naybrin had given him when he had been made king. It wasn't just a title, after all; he really did have power, and some even he himself wasn't aware of. But he managed to lock-on to the magic in the room and shut it off, masking it with his own. "There," he said, shaking his head. "Is everyone okay?"

Obelisk visibly relaxed. He lifted his feet, one after another, then turned and pulled the woman into his embrace. She was beautiful, but the dragon king only got a short glimpse at her before she buried her face into Obelisk's tunic, terrified. "We're fine here, albeit a little startled. What have I been dragged into, Zephyr? This is my wife, my delicate flower, if you think for a second that I'll let anything--"

"Aren't you..." Vuker approached swiftly, peering suspiciously at Obelisk. "Y-you are! You're that man from before, the one that brought that Demigod to us! He and I had some interesting discussions..." He murmured, then shook his head. "You...you can do anything, right? Cyprus was dead, but you brought him back. Y-you...you could bring my mom back.."

"Demigods never truly die," Obelisk pushed Vuker back, for the sake of the woman in his arms. "Their spirit lingers and wanders. Your mother was mortal, seeing how you're no part god, yourself. Even I cannot truly reverse the flows of life, small one."

"Oh..." Vuker's ears dropped. He turned and walked away a bit, but he was quick to perk back up again and try to talk to the Drakelings.

"It was not my intention to bring you here, Obelisk," Zephyr said, watching as Firestorm sniffed the two warily. "And to tell the truth, we're in the middle of a war. It started as merely dragons versus drakelings, but...it has changed much since the beginning. We are now trying desperately to save these innocents from Du'uru, who we believe has gone mad. He's been murdering them...warriors, females...children..." He shook his head, then an idea popped into his head. "If you lend us your help, Sharp-Spirit, I would gladly take you and your wife back home on my own back."

Obelisk paused. He debated it in his mind for awhile, then slowly nodded. "You are a dragon of your word. I know this from past experience. But you must also realize that there's more at work here than just mental insanity...I fear that a certain Demigod may be toying with the mind of the one you wish for me to help with. Out of the short list of Demigods, I'll give you a guess. Hmm, perhaps a hint. It isn't Cyprus. I brought him back, certainly, but I didn't expect him to run off and get captured by his mortal enemy..." He pulled away from his dearest and smiled down at her. "Fawn, I need you to calm down. You're safe. You will always be safe." He said, firmly but gently. She slowly nodded, resigning to clinging onto his arm. She still hid her face from the dragons, scared of them still. Obelisk looked back up at Zephyr. "I'll help you, with the expectancy to be repaid in our safe return home."

Zephyr nodded at once, saying "You have my word. As you said, I am a dragon of it. I will not forget that I have promise you and your love's return." He turned to the drakelings, saying "Alright, we've wasted enough time here. We must leave, and now. Come on. Make sure to help each other. Once we get to the surface, don't run unless we're spotted or unless I tell you to. Okay?"

They nodded, eager to listen to the one risking his royal life so earnestly for them.

"Good," he said, then gently began nudging drakelings towards the exit, while Firestorm and Vuker did the same. Firestorm even let one of the smallest drakelings up onto his back, so she wouldn't further strain the injury she had with walking.

((Ha, I've always liked Rainymood. o3o

Yay hugs~ And yay for friends. : D

You're quite right, Trin. I actually stopped and thought about your present. Candy's present was an afterthought (don't tell her that), and Jecl's present is a cute joke. xD But I actually stopped and thought about your present for several long minutes before deciding that it really was the thing I would be sending you. Your present was and is special not because it's big, but because I sent it with purpose and intent. That is for my Trinny, and my Trinny alone~

Also, I hope you did not write 'Bun' on my present, because my mom is running interference on the mail and she might pick up your box and put it under the tree to make sure I don't open it early. xDD

Oh, and I forgot to mention...there are three Demigods. :3))

Vuker made sure all of them were there before scurrying out. A lot of the Drakelings were unlike what Vuker had seen them before as; many of them looked scared, desperate, or angry. Not like their normal selves at all. The one with bleeding claws looked the most terrified. But no matter what state they were in, all of them moved out of the way when Obelisk walked past them towards the exit. He stepped out into the temple, breathing the stiff air easily.

Something caught his eye. Something incredibly tempting. The guantlets. Ancient artifacts older than even he was; one with the power to destroy, the other with the power to create anything from nothing. He instinctively walked towards them, and he almost got his hands around them before a roar from outside stopped him short.

"What happened here?!" It was Mystal, a female Drakeling. "Wake up, you big oaf! Sleeping on the job..." There was quiet for a moment, then something dropped into the tunnel. Mystal was definitely smaller than most; the females were a lot smaller than males, in comparison. Regardless of even that, though, she was still big enough to fill about a fourth of the Temple. Obelisk waved a hand towards his room, warning Zephyr to stay for now. Mystal didn't see the gesture.

"Humans...how entertaining. You probably can't even hear me." She chortled. Obelisk remained silent, but he held his ground. "Two little lovebirds out for a stroll? What on earth possessed you to come here?"

"It wasn't much of a choice," Obelisk said quietly.

"Oh, so you CAN understand me! Even better! I was just about to explain how much fun I'm going to have, tearing you two apart...you shouldn't have come here. Not in the slightest." She smirked. Obelisk turned his head to glance back at the Gauntlets; one of the Drakeling's coils smashed down between him and the powerful magicks. Obelisk looked back in time to see the massive claws reach out. He held still as she poked his nose, then prodded his stomach, trying to get a response. "Huh...can you not feel anything?" She blinked at him, frowning. She then turned her claws towards Fawn.

"I would advise against that," Obelisk murmured, staring at the Dragonian with his powerful gaze.

"Oh? And who's going to stop me? A foolish human like yourself?" She snorted, touching a claw to the woman's cheek. Fawn trembled and backed up until her back was pressed against the coils, her hands still clasping Obelisk's one.

"It would be foolish of you--"

"You're the fool."

"I really don't suggest--"

"Too late~!" Mystal raised her claws to attack, swiping Obelisk aside. With her other hand, she swung down at Fawn. "What are you going to do, little man?! What can--"

Four spikes. One through the hand; one through the skull; one through the neck; and the fourth, Mystal's heart. Her massive claws were frozen only an inch away from Fawn's head. Obelisk stood, his eyes flashing dangerously. He ignored the blood already pooling around him; Mystal's claws had caught him in the chest. His wife whimpered softly, reaching up and feeling the veil of darkness that had shielded her eyes. Obelisk turned back to her, quick to pull her back into his embrace. She ignored the blood, knowing that he was fine. "I did warn her," Obelisk said with a glance in Zephyr's direction. Then, to his wife, "See? What did I tell you? Safe."

((Awww, you make me so happy~

I'm pretty certain we didn't put Bun on anything. n_n

Three? Oh dear. I sense...craziness. Yes I do.))

Zephyr shuddered, looking sickened, then said "Well...let's just...keep going, then." He shook his head, continuing to guide the drakelings up out of the tunnels. Once they were outside, he made sure they walked slowly, steadily, so they didn't attract attention from any other drakelings that might've been nearby.

Zephyr stayed in the back, making sure they weren't being followed.

((Nah, s/he would be the Demigod of Order or something like that. xD))

Vuker let out a small wail at the sight of the corpse, but he was quick to stifle it. He followed along with the others, although there was a lot of muttering from the Drakelings. After all...Obelisk had just slain one of their own within a matter of instants. Good heart or not, Mystal had been one of their own...

Obelisk followed the line, darkness forming around his chest and stitching up the wound at the same time. It was painful, yes, and there would be a bad scar later, but he didn't care.

((Oh, okay.))

Zephyr walked quietly, then glanced behind himself, just to make sure they weren't being followed.

It happened in an instant.

A large drakeling plunged out of the sky, slamming into Zephyr with boneshattering force. "They're escaping!" he cried, clawing down Zephyr's flanks. "Escaping!"

Zephyr immediately shouted "Run! Run, now!"

The drakelings immediately leapt forward, running for their lives. Firestorm moved to go back to Zephyr, who was being attacked by three large drakelings now, and the king roared him off. "Make sure they are protected!" he snarled. "Don't hesitate! GO!"

Firestorm tensed, then turned and ran with the drakelings, making sure they stuck together as they raced over the hills. Firestorm threw flames up behind them, cutting off the pursuing drakelings, as dragon fire was too hot even for their study scales.

Zephyr fought and roared and snapped and ground his sharp teeth down through drakeling scales, but with three large drakelings all attacking at the same time, he had hardly a chance.

"Stay here," Obelisk told Fawn gently. She immediately sat down and curled up as tight as she could, and he pulled darkness over her as thought it was a blanket. Which to her, it was. A blanket that - while not warm - was a great comfort to the timid woman whom Obelisk called his wife.

Obelisk approached the writhing mass of scales and teeth, calmly but surely. One of the drakelings saw his approach and sneered, flicking his tail out to crush the human. Obelisk raised his hand, stopping the flick short in his palm. "Leave now, and you'll live to fight another day," The dark one demanded, softly at first, then louder.

"Shut up!" Another of them snarled, swinging down in a manuever that would have cut Obelisk in half if he had been normal. But Obelisk caught the claw, and took a deep breath in. "I really don't want to take more lives here..." He muttered, pushing the claws away. "Zephyr, must I?"

The dragon king was once again a bloody mass of withering scales, clearly fighting for his very life. One drakeling was biting and tearing on his front left leg, which Zephyr had gotten up just in time to prevent those sharp teeth from tearing his throat open. He kicked the drakeling off powerfully, then scrambled up and nabbed Obelisk and his wife with his tail, running as fast as he could, since his wings were too damaged to let him fly. The drakelings charged after him, easily gaining ground on the wounded dragon. Blood dripped heavily from Zephyr's mouth, and from the wounds on his abdomen and sides.

Obelisk watched them follow for a bit, then threw up a wall of darkness to stop them. They were quick to scramble around it, running at full speed towards their prey. He thought for a moment, then flicked his hands towards them; they roared and slowed, finding it difficult to walk with what felt like grinding teeth in their paws. One of them took to flying, but soon after found his wings broken. Obelisk...his power had clearly grown. He had fewer reserves. Thankfully, though, he seemed less inclined to actually kill things; as though he had found a value in the lives of others that he hadn't known before. The Drakelings were forced to fall back. Obelisk let Zephyr run a bit further, then put a wall down in front of the dragon king, trying to force the great dragon to stop. "Stop, you'll kill yourself. Let me help you,"

Zephyr slowed to a halt, panting heavily. He glanced wearily behind himself, then gently let go of Obelisk and Fawn and collapsed, heaving for breath. He felt faint; nearing the border of unconsciousness. His crimson eyes flickered, threatening to close, but he forced them to stay open. Rain was falling steadily, washing the blood from his wounds and staining the ground red.

Obelisk walked his wife around the blood towards Zephyr's front. He then got to work on Zephyr's wounds, easily stitching the cuts and scratches together. He searched Zephyr's insides freely; he was able to repair a broken artery or two, and apply pressure on the bleeding and broken muscle and other tissues. "I'll fix you. Don't worry." He sighed. "I'm not about to let you die, Zephyr..."

Fawn stood where Zephyr could see her, though it was too dark to see her face clearly. She patted Zephyr's cheek, smiling faintly. "Don't get too close, Fawn, dearest." Obelisk warned. "He's an injured creature. They can be violent sometimes..."

"How much of an animal do you take me for?" Zephyr said quietly, though he snarled sharply as Obelisk healed a particulary nasty wound. He showed no violence towards Fawn or Obelisk, of course. The snarl was his way to relieve his own pain without hurting anyone. Not to say that Fawn wasn't startled by it, but he pushed his voice into her mind and soothed her with an apology.

The dragon exhaled softly, then said "I am sorry. I will keep my distance from now on." He rested his head on the ground, releasing a soft groan of pain. Once he felt better, he let the two up onto his back and set off at a rusty dragon trot, which was similar to a horse's trot, but more bulky and bouncy. But he was able to keep up a steady movement as they neared the Sacred Plains, where Vaira and Boko were waiting. Firestorm had arrived with Vuker and the rescued drakelings, but when they had told of what had become of Zephyr, everyone had waited in stunned silence for his return. Needless to say, when they saw him coming in the distance, they raced out to meet him.