(Aida, Ventus, Viribus, Animo. Dragon City)
Each step made their vision grow darker. It didn't help that the space between the cave walls were extremely wide, and that they couldn't touch the walls as they walked. Soon they found themselves walking in pitch darkness. They crept forward, step by step, probing with their feet to make sure that they weren't about to trip over anything. In short, they walked slowly. Really slowly.
"Aida, couldn't you light a fire?" called Animo, her voice echoing through the passageway.
"I'd love to, but if the Dragon King wants it to be this dark, we'd best leave it this dark. Better not irritate him," said Aida.
"A wise decision," hissed a voice that seemed to echo around them. The source of the voice seemed to be above their heads. "After all," the voice seemed to move to the ground, then sweep past them, "Your life is now in MY claws."
"Stay veeeery still," whispered Aida. Then, "My liege! We came to seek aid."
"I am aware," snarled the voice, "They are in front of you."
Suddenly, light filled the cavern. As the four women looked around, blinking on the sudden light, they realized that the light was coming from the Dragon King. The Dragon King was a snake-like dragon, enormous, far larger than Skraine, with a pair of legs at the front of its body, near its head, and another pair near the end of its tail. These legs were lion paws, covered in golden fur. It had three pairs of wings, one pair red as rust, one buttery yellow like gold, and another blue like copper sulphate, and it was from these wings that light poured out. Its entire body was sheathed in silver scales. Two glowing red pupils inside void black eyes fixed themselves upon the four sorceresses. In front of the four sorceresses were statues. Two statues, frozen in expressions of surprise. Nanithell and Dawn.
"What happened to them?" demanded Animo.
"Calm yourself," spat the dragon, "We had to freeze the two, lest they attempt to return to your Headquarters." The last word was spat out with disgust and hatred.
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Aida, sharply.
"Let's say that my ordering an underling to snatch up your friends was a subtle hint for Uro to pay a visit, or send somebody," snarled the Dragon King.
"That's Master Uro to you," called Ventus.
The Dragon King made an amused hissing sound. Aida was worried. Such a blatant disrespect for Uro's position- Uro was in the same rank as the Dragon King- could be a part of something much more dangerous. They would have to tread carefully.
"Could you change them back and return them now?" asked Aida, trying to be civil.
The Dragon King opened his maw, revealing two rows of teeth. Silver mist poured out and sank into the stone statues. They came back to life. Professional as always, Dawn and Aunty Nani backed away from the Dragon King, toward Aida and the others, without asking for an explanation. They recognized a dangerous situation when they saw one.
"Tell Uro, that all he fears is about to come to past. Tell him that the old ways are about to fade away. We are in the end game," the Dragon King lowered his wings. Darkness settled again.
"Begone!"
•~•
Not daring to linger, the party of six left quickly. Skraine had escorted them out of the Dragon City, and they had returned to Headquarters, pondering and mulling over the Dragon King's ominous words.
When they told Uro about how the Dragon King had disrespected Uro's authority, about his message, Uro seemed to wilt.
"What was the Dragon King talking about?" asked Aunty Nani.
"I cannot say," murmured Uro, "It is too distracting. You need to be focused on the current problem first."
"Are we the first to return?" asked Ventus.
"Yes," said Uro, "Go and wait in the lounge for the others to return."
And so the six women sat down in large red couches, not knowing when the friends they were waiting for would arrive, or, indeed, whether they would ever return.
•~•
(Shanae, Mentri, Oracle. The Kraken)
Shanae was a little apprehensive of going of into the ocean to look for a beast that had been alive since anything had ever existed with a pair of sorcerers who had been alive since the Roman Empire, but she knew that she shouldn't complain.
"So... any idea where the Kraken is?" asked Shanae.
"A general area. A place called the Strait of Messina. In Greek Mythology, that was where two beasts, Scylla and Charybdis, lived. Sailors passing through had to choose between either facing Scylla, a hydra like beast, or Charybdis, a beast that used a whirlpool to drag prey into its maw. We will certainly find the Kraken there. We just might not survive," said the Oracle.
"Wait. So... Charybdis and Scylla are real? One of them is the Kraken?" asked Shanae, still confused.
"There is no Scylla or Charybdis. They are one. The Kraken lives in the deep, so vast that if you try to pass the Strait on one side, its tentacles will get you, and if you go on the other side, its mouth will," said Mentri, quietly.
"Exactly!" agreed the Oracle, "Lets go!"
•~•
The Strait of Messina was large. It hadn't looked this big on the map, but now that they were here, Shanae felt worried. How were they going to search all of this?
"Do we need to go over?" asked Shanae. They were moving lazily over the water's surface in a motor engine boat.
"Nope. If I'm right, the Kraken should find us," said the Oracle.
"What's if it's sleeping?" asked Shanae.
"We hope it wakes up,"
They coasted around, Shanae trying to look over the edge to see if there was anything, the Oracle sitting down peacefully, and Mentri shooting the occasional laser beam into the water.
"Whirlpool," said Mentri, suddenly.
And he was right. Directly in front of them, a whirlpool was starting to form. Mentri killed the engine, which guttered out with a whine. Something rose from the water. The creature was white, its hide smooth and unbroken. It was an enormous dome, nearly reaching each end of the Strait. It had an enormous mouth, lipless, at the very top of the dome. All over the smooth body were dozens of small holes, each one large enough to fit their little boat in. These holes opened and closed. The creature had no visible eyes. The water all around the dome began to churn, and tentacles could soon be seen, occasionally breaking the surface of the water. There seemed to be two types of tentacles- normal ones, and tentacles that had a mouth at the end instead of a tip. The mouths were filled with jagged teeth.
"That's the Kraken," whispered the Oracle.
"Can it see us? It doesn't have eyes," whispered Shanae.
All of the holes began to make a hissing noise, though the mouth at the top still didn't open. From feeling which way the air was moving, Shanae guessed that some of the holes were sucking in air, while others were blowing out air.
Slowly, a word began to form.
"IIIIIII SSSSEE EVERYTHING, I HEAR EVERYTHING, I KNOW MUCH. I AM THE WATERS OF A RIVER, THE DEEPS OF THE OCEAN, THE HIGHEST CLOUDS AND THE LOWEST STREAMS. I AM EVERYWHERE, EVERYTHING!" boomed dozens of voices in unison, blown out of the numerous holes, which, Shanae surmised, must be a bunch of blow holes.
"Mighty Kraken, we-"
"SSSSILENCE!" roared the Kraken in its hundred voices, "CURSED BE THOSE FIRSTS FOR ALL ETERNITY! THEY CAST ME FROM MY THRONE, DESTROYED MY NAME, DOOMED ME TO WANDER THE SHALLOWS OF CREATION FOREVER! I CRIED OUT AGAINST THEIR MAKING ETERNITY AGO, WHEN CREATURAE DECIDED THAT SHE WANTED CHILDREN. THOSE FIRSTS AND THEIR MORALS. THEY WERE TOO WEAK-MINDED TO DO WHAT THEY COULD'VE DONE! EXITIUM WAS THE ONLY RESPECTABLE MEMBER OF THEIR RACE, AND NOW HE HAS BEEN REDUCED TO A SHADOW OF HIS FORMER SELF, A NIGHTMARE! I WAS WORSHIPPED AS A GOD, BORN TO RULE THE OCEANS! WITH MY POWER, THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH PROSPERED! ALL WHO STOOD AGAINST ME DIED! THEY WERE SERVED TO ME, OFFERINGS, AND NOT ONE OF THEM, NOT A SINGLE ONE LIVED! THEY SCREAMED, THEY BEGGED, THEY PLEADED, AND WERE ENDED! GOOD FOR THE DRAGONS IS WHAT I SAY! AT LEAST THEY HAVE THE STRENGTH TO TAKE WHAT THEY CAN! YOU SORCERERS ARE EVEN MORE PATHETIC THAN THE FIRSTS! JUST AS WEAK OF MIND, BUT WHERE THE FIRSTS HAD THE STRENGTH TO FORCE THE TRIBES TO MAKE THEIR PACT, YOU SORCERERS ARE TOO WEAK TO IMPLEMENT RULE OVER THE HUMANS!"
That was interesting. The Firsts had forced the tribes to sign the pact. And it seemed that the being who had formed everything from the Dawn of Creation was called Creaturae.
"YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE!" roared the Kraken, "ANY FINAL WORDS?"
