Dragon Tide Chronicles: Dawn Rising

Chapter 66: Prelude to Descent

Chapter 66: Prelude to Descent

Alexander turns, and his smile melts right off his face, and turns into a look of utter shock.

“Y-y-you? What are you doing here?!” Alexander stammers, and I turn to see a dragonling in grey Redhawk armor. His head is covered by a Redhawk helmet, like all other Redhawk helmets, it has a Crysem visor on the front, and wing-like structures where the ears would be located.

“Well, hi boss. It’s been awhile. I don’t suppose you remember my name? It’s funny, because you never really cared. After all, Noble Team always was your favorite. You know, you never cared about us though.” His voice was sort of artificial, because of his voice filter, but had a very down to earth feel, unlike Alexander’s, tense and suspicious of everyone. Alexander’s face almost makes me want to laugh, but I manage not to.

“Umm… Alexander? Who is this?” I ask, confused by Alexander’s reaction to him.

“D-d-Daniel?! What are you… doing here?!” Alexander’s tone of voice and expression tell me that his world is now clearly being rocked.

“Ha-ha, good question. I’ve been wondering about that myself. You know, I’ve been watching you, Alexander. You know that? I figured you wouldn’t. I was there, watching you and… Danica, is it?” He asks me, turning to me.

I smile nervously, and reply, “Umm… yep, that’s it!” He laughs.

“Don’t sound so nervous, you’ll make ME jittery. Like I was saying, I’ve been watching you two for a while now. When I was a teenager, Alexander, I would always look up to you, you were a sort of role model to me. When I signed up for the military, once I came of age, I always held out hope I’d get to meet you. When Noble Team was founded, I was disappointed. Maybe I’d never get to meet you. When they died, I felt sad, not because I knew them personally, but because I knew that you were no doubt suffering. But, imagine my surprise, when you announced you were looking for a new team. I jumped at the opportunity, now I’d finally fight alongside my hero. After a while, you began to act different then I had heard about. After a while… I realized that something was changing. Noble Team had always described you as a man who genuinely cared for his team, and always supported them, as a friend and commander.” He sighs deeply, his emotions seem to be welling out from him, and I could tell that he had been waiting to talk to Alexander for… a long time.

“You never treated us with such passion. Suddenly, I hated you, you turned into something I couldn’t stand. And after the war, you just left us, without a word. My own hero, he dumped me like garbage. But now, several years later, I see the man I looked up to so long ago. That’s why… I brought everyone with me.” He motions someone to come forth, and then a whole squad, seven other Redhawks come up from behind the hill Daniel is standing on.

“You… brought them all? But why? Why are you here? Why are you telling me this, Daniel?” Daniel and the others seem to be giving him a meaningful look.

“Because, you can’t fight this war on your own. We want to help stop this chaos tearing our country apart.” They say at once, and a tear rolls down Alexander’s left eye.

“You’re… forgiving me? After what I put all of you through? I don’t…” He stutters to a stop when Daniel puts his hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t you remember your own words, boss? ‘Grudges are better left alone.’ Besides, we were tired of obeying Racla’s orders. She’s going to get us all killed.” He laughs.

“Don’t worry about things here. We’ll make sure this war ends while you and the fairy take care of things downstairs with the scaly lizard of death. Come here.” Daniel grabs Alexander in a big bear hug.

“Alright, alright! Let go, Daniel, or I’ll have your leg as chopped liver!” Daniel laughs a rather merry laugh, then motions the others to come forward.

“Go on, we’ll handle it from here, Alexand… errr… I mean, boss.” Alexander gives him a smile.

“Call me boss again and I’ll rip your head off.” Daniel holds up his hands in surrender.

“Alright, man, take a chill pill. Now go on, shoo!” Alexander laughs, then looks at me, who happens to be very confused.

“Ummmm…. Alexander? What’s all of this about? Who are they?” I motion to the Redhawks.

“Why Danica, that’s the second Noble Team. I… sort of forgot about them.” I give him a half glare.

“Well, that’ just nice of you.” He rolls his eyes.

“Come on, Pixie. We’ve got to get going. Ramok’s NOT going to kill himself.” He activates a portal, then motions me to follow. I turn and look at my mom, who only waves me on.

“Just do what you need to do, Danica.” She says, with an edge of emotion, as though she is about to break down.

Deciding that isn’t something I’d like to see, I decide to follow Alexander, and enter the portal right behind him, on our last pit stop before we confront Ramok.

We appear after a minute in the Guardian Temple, always lovely to see the cold stone corridors again. I tap Alexander’s shoulder nervously.

“So… what IS our plan?” Alexander turns around, and looks me in the eye. Which is probably hard for him to do, considering he’s taller than me.

“First, we free the Grandfather Dragon, release the seal on him. Then, we take several sealing stone, and boost the strength of the seal for another thousand years. Hopefully, that will be enough for us to then slay him, and destroy him while he’s weak, and trapped inside the seal.” Something occurs to me.

“But where ARE they sealed? I’d assume somewhere well-guarded and mysterious…” He gives me a rather annoying smirk.

“It is a planet wide seal. To destroy him, we have to go to the realm where the darkest and most sinister of evils are sealed….”

He pauses for dramatic effect.

“The Demon Shaft.” I frown, and then think for a little.

“Umm… just one thing…”

He frowns. “What?”

“What is the Demon Shaft again?”

SMACK! Alexander does a facepalm, and I hold back the urge to giggle.

“Oh, and another thing, Alexander.”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW?!” He yells, irritated.

“Apples!!!” His face registers shock as I smash his face with an apple. He stands there, dumbfounded as applesauce runs down his face. After a minute, he starts laughing like an idiot.

“I should have seen that coming.”

I smile. “Oh yes you should have.” Chuckling, Alexander starts walking off, wiping his face off as he goes. I follow him, in a much more merry mood than before.

Revenge complete!