The Dragon's Bounty II:Rising Shadow

Chapter 4

         Elliot admired his new tattoo, a crooked diamond shape with various symbols and lines running through it, centered on his back to be directly across from the one on his chest. After a few seconds, it began to glow.
         Elliot smiled. "This isn't so bad. I'll get there in no time." He said.
         Huey nodded. "Explain again to me why you chose the back?"
         Elliot nodded. "The goddess of nature is a big fan of revenge, so I put it on my back to represent a stab in the back by someone else."
         Huey nodded slowly. "Whatever works, I guess."
         Elliot laughed. "Well, I guess we'd better get going." Huey nodded. The two exited the city and began walking down the road.
         "How many cities over is the next one we need to go to?" Elliot asked.
         Huey pulled out a map of the west side of Tritanus. "Well, these two just happened to be near each other, while the other four on the west side are pretty spread out. If we keep on this road we will have to pass through three more cities until we get to the next goal." He looked over to Elliot, who slumped over.
          "Maybe this won't be as easy as I had planned.
          "Not to mention the other four on the south side." Huey said.
          "How come no whole cities worship gods on the north and east sides?" Elliot asked.
          "Oh, they do, were just targeting the big ones of each god, the ones who can most likely properly handle the runes."
          Elliot nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Who does the capital worship?"
         Huey laughed. "Actually, there are plenty of every different worshiper in the capital, making it completely inoperable to get any of the runes there."
         Elliot nodded. "Right." He said. The two carried on into the setting sun.

         Andrew looked around as the walls began to move.
         "It's gonna eat us!" He shouted.
         Khan smacked him. "Come on, be positive!" He shouted, putting on a nervous face himself.
         "Ok, I'm positive we're gonna get eaten!" Andrew shouted. Everyone glared at him. "What?" He asked. A rumbling roar shook the ground. The worm began coming out of the ground. The inside of the worm began shifting, tipping them toward the acid.
          "Hold on!" Khan shouted.
          "To what?!" Andrew responded. Lance grabbed his arm and pulled him up, Destiny in his other arm. Khan jumped and grabbed his leg, Ekpen grabbed on to Khan, who pulled him up to Lance's other leg. Lance flew toward the now open mouth and shot out of it, the worm attempting to chomp on them as Lance flew around.
          "Fight or run?!" He shouted.
          Khan shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."
          "I'm in." Ekpen said.
          "No, we should run!" Andrew shouted.
          "Fight it is!" Lance said, bringing them down to the ground. He dropped everyone off and hovered in the air above them. Andrew strummed a tune, his clothes stretching as he bulked out. Lance began firing bolts of energy at the worm, which began thrashing around.
          "Guess we're doing this." Andrew said, rushing forward and slamming his fist into the worm, sending it sliding across the snow. Ekpen raced forward on all fours and put a few slices into the worm's stomach. The worm roared into the air. After rolling up her sleeves, Destiny's forearms opened up, two curved, sharp leaves emerging from them, like a blade running down her arm. She rushed forward and began slashing at the worm as well.
          "That's a handy trick." Lance said.
          Destiny smiled. "Dryad powers." She replied. Lance smiled and nodded, blasting back into the air to get the worm's attention. Khan launched lightning bolt after lightning bolt, dealing heavy damage due to the worm's lack of heat protection. Lance barraged its face with red lasers, drawing its attention away from its now bleeding stomach. Andrew drew one of his blades and embedded it in the worm's stomach. Using his strength, he launched the sword upward, allowing it to continue to cut through the worm's outer layer. Everyone who was close up backed away as the worm rained down onto the ground, Andrew retrieving his sword and wiping it and his glove off in the snow. The worm let out a final screech and fell to the ground, rapidly turning the snow around it red. Lance landed beside the rest of the group and simply looked at the beast.
          "Now that is a monster." Khan said, putting his gloves back on. Everyone nodded.
          "They sometimes attack our villages, so we have guards patrolling each one." Ekpen said. "Now, we must get to the capital before it's too late!" He trudged off through the snow, everyone else behind him.
          "I think the storm is getting worse!" Andrew shouted.
          Khan nodded. "I think we're almost there. The villages have magic barriers that keep the snow out. We should be safe there!" Andrew nodded.
          "There's a village not too far from here!" Ekpen shouted, continuing to trudge through the snow. Finally, lights were able to be seen through the thick falling snow.
          "There it is!" Lance shouted, firing a glowing red beam into the air.
          "Maybe they'll come get us." Destiny said, huddled in close to Lance, who had one arm around her.
          Lance nodded. "That would be nice, no way I can fly in these conditions. Too windy and I'd probably get snow piled all over me." Suddenly, in a small bubble, the storm around them stopped. They all looked forward to see another M'Feles standing in front of them with a glowing blue staff.
          "Come with me, my friends. To our village." Everyone nodded and followed him as he took the bubble of safety with him. The bubble was exactly centered on his location, or more precisely, the staff's location. Once to the village, everyone warmed up at a fireplace. "What brings you here?" The man asked.
          "We heard you intend to attack our country of Tritanus." Khan said.
          "Yes, I have yet to know why our leaders would do such a thing. You have been nothing but kind to us. You are here to stop it, I presume?"
          "Try to at least." Khan replied. He extended his hand. "I'm Khan. This is Lance, Destiny, Andrew, and Ekpen."
          The man smiled and nodded, shaking Khan's hand. "I am Cratenus, magic man of this village." He bowed to Khan, who returned the gesture.
           "How far is it from here to the capital?" Lance asked.
          Cratenus thought for a moment. "It is around a three day's journey on foot, but on days unlike this, it could be cut in half by wagon travel."
         Khan nodded. "Thank you."
         "Which direction should we head?" Andrew asked.
         "You head northeast from here. But do not leave tonight. The storm is raging. Stay here for the night. See what the weather is in the morning."
         Khan nodded. "We were hoping to do just that."
         Cratenus nodded with a smile. "I can take you to the inn where you will stay. Follow me." Everyone followed him to the inn, where Khan payed the man at the counter and they all slept the night.