Dragon Falls (Indigo Apocalypse Book III)

Chapter Thirty-One: Oh Funness, Time To Meet The Ragni Hybrids

SYDNEY:
We stood on the edge of the mountains, staring out mesmerized at the vast difference in the landscape below. "Wow," said Huntor. "I seriously feel like I'm about to step into Jurassic Park." I threw him an irritated look. "What's Jurassic Park?" Asked Arachne. "It's—"Something that will take too much for him to explain." I said. He gave me a snide grin. I rolled my eyes. Then went back to staring over the edge, and down toward the sprawling jungle shrouded in wafting waves of mist. "It does look like it's archaic." Said Theia from my left. Behind us, sat all our gear. "Well, it's that way." Said Huntor, pointing to the west. Theia nodded. "I know, I feel it too." "What?" Asked Arachne, her eyes widening. They were right, something powerful was there. Something that drew me toward it. It was like a kind of, something not metallic. Not like blood, but, still, something drew me there, drew us both there. All three of us. "Um, guys?" Asked Arachne. "I didn't know we were following something." "Not exactly." Said Huntor. "But now," I murmured, entranced. Theia poked my side. "Out of it girl." I shook myself. The feeling was powerful, puissantly powerful. "It's gotta be it." Said Huntor decisively. He turned to Theia, "Let's hunt." Theia snorted. Theia shifted, spreading her wings as my mate climbed up onto her back. He gestured and I sat in front of him. Arachne looked at Theia timidly before taking Huntor's hand and climbing up on behind him. Theia braced herself, and as she did, I felt Huntor's thigh press against me. Felt, the hard ridge of him. I shivered slightly as the touch of his cock against me made heat boil in me. "Sorry." He thought in the bond, through the inferno between us. "Don't be." I purred back. Sharp teeth bit my earlobe and a moan burst from my mind, hot and loud. Luckily, only a sigh slid from my lips. Huntor's cock jerked against my thigh and I elbowed him back. "Down." I thought, though I wanted him to do so much more than just bite my ear. It felt like forever since we'd last touched, let alone made love. Both of us had, and havve, been too focused on the war effort. On preparing ourselves as much as our people for war, the true war, the true war that could take days, if not weeks. The true war that, if we didn't find the crown, find it and learn how to use it, then everyone would die. Theia flapped her wings, and we soared over the jungle. Arachne, the Dark Queen, would claim both worlds, and destroy everything we all knew and loved. Unless Huntor and I found the crown and brought back the sunlight.
    The jungle wafted steam upward. I stared below, entranced by it, by the pull toward, wherever it was. The trees were huge, almost bigger than the trees in Dodona. But where Dodona was almost magical in it's jungle, this was feral, feral, terrifying, and a different kind of archaic. As if this part of the indigo lands had been separated from the mountains, as if it were an independent island, and was smashed back into this place. I opened my mind to my mate's, then to Arachne, then, Theia. "Uh, Theia." Arachne squealed slightly and almost fell off Theia's back if Huntor hadn't lashed telekinesis around her. "Yes?" Asked Theia. "Are you sure this mainland never experienced any sort of changes before?" "What makes you ask that?" I waved to the landscape below, vastly different to the ones up north, or even the mountains. "Look at the geography we've seen. This is like a, what's it called Huntor?" "Rainforest back on Earth. Only, it's severely hot, I mean look at the steam." As if to emphasize him, stteam billowed up from the trees. Theia's gold eyes stared downward, then back ahead. She thought, "The indigo lands was always as they are, they never went through any drastic changes if not just different geographical changes like that." "Mmm," said Hunttor. "The Earth went through like. Three or. Four major continental drifts. Maybe the indigo land is way overdue." We soared over a rushing river, a river, that looked as if it were hot to the touch. A waft of steam lashed, concealing the river and surrounding trees. "Interesting." I commented.
"Perhaps." Thought Theia. I considered the jungle below us, the sprawling miles upon miles of jungle. The pull that called me to the west. The pull that Theia could feel, the pull that Arachne couldn't feel. Theia flew over a span of jungle, vines waving lazily. As we flew over a tree, the vines waved even more. I remembered what it all looked like from the edge of the mountains, like some great bowl of soupy jungle. As if all the mist was the liquid. After the barren wasteland of the mountains, this place seemed more like a hot deadly rainforest redux than anything else. The thing still pulled us onward to the west. Theia glided over. A tree, and bent, almost lackadaisically over a current of air. I stared down once more at the trees, at the thick vines that still undulated as if they had a mind of their own. The heated air that wafted, continued to waft, and the vines, those haunting vines that continued to move. Theia dropped low over the trees, uncomfortably low. "Theia," said my mate in warning. But Theia couldn't, didn't, seem to hear him. She flapped her wings slowly, as if in a daze. Her golden eyes seemed distant, as if they were transfixed. "Huntor." I muttered. "Theia." He thought. Theia jerked and straightened her flight. "What?" She asked, flapping her wings hard to rise over a tree. Hot mist wafted around us, swirling harshly. Theia barely passed the tree, and I looked just in time. "LOOK OUT." I shouted. Vines lashed out, whipping for her exposed tail. Theia roared as they lashed around her tail. Huntor lashed out, fast, so fast. A whip of water swung out, and wrapped around the base of the vines. He swore, and they were severed. "THERE'S MORE COMING." Shouted Arachne. More vines lashed out for Theia. She dodged and weaved, having to fold herself deeper into the jungle canapés. A thick vine lashed at her wing. Theia screamed as it made contact. Huntor yanked out a sword and cut the vine. I went for my own blade and it glowed golden as I drew it from it's sheath. It pulsated with that golden power, that incandescence, a fulgent blade. Suddenly, an idea came into my mind, but it faded swiftly as I saw a huge tree lim swing for Theia's underbelly. Theia saw it too, and flapped up, straight up, smashing through many treetops to reach open air. Panting, we stared down at the jungle below, where hot air wafted, and vines undulated with ire. 'Well then." Said Arachne. "Is this like Dodona?" Huntor shook his head, sheathing his blade. "No, this place feels like it, like, I don't honestly know." Theia came to a hovering holt, flapping in place. "I've never ventured this far west." Admitted Theia. "Howver, I'd deduce that was what you would call the first wave, I can expect things would be a lot worse." "Oh of course." Thought Huntor. "How could they not be worse?"
Theia didn't reply, instead, flew over the trees,  higher this time. Well out of their reach. For a while, there was nothing but the sound of her wings on the wind, that, and our breathing. "Does anyone else feel like we're being watched?" It was Arachne who'd asked, her high voice sounding scared even in the menttal bond my mate had made. "You mean from the get-go, or at the moment?" Arachne didn't answer for a moment, then said, "Fine, fair point." Then, "But I meat right now." There was a small sound, as if someone was humming, someone, something. "There's something," I started to say, raising the blade I hadn't sheathed. Then out of the trees, a huge fireball came flying from their midst. This time Theia bellowed and returned fire. "Well SHIT." Shouted Huntor as another fireball came from the trees, then another, then another, then, another. Another ball came lashing toward her and telekinesis lashed through the air, blocking the flames. They exploded against our shield and Theia returned fire twice. More fire blasted for Theia's underbelly, her wings, her tail. They exploded against our shields. "STOP." Thought Theia. "Save your powers, we may need them later." I chose to remind her that we were gods, and didn't need to rest. But then a huge ball came lashing out of the trees and into our shield, destroying it. Then another was on it's heels, and exploded against Theia's underbelly. She bellowed in agony, her roar echoing across the jungle. She coiled through the air and we were thrown off her back. Arachne screamed as she went sailing. I breathed and allowed my power to rise, the power of a god, of, the, god, and I hovered over the trees. I saw Arachne sail down, and her instincts lash out. A web shot from her and she swung on to a tree lim. Vines lashed out instantly for her waist. She screamed and lashed out automatically. I watched as Theia fell through the trees several dozen yards away, snarling all the way. Huntor blasted through the trees a few yards away, and swung down with his blade. Vines were severed and he glanced where Arachne was struggling. "Come." Thought Huntor. I flew along side him as Arachne continued to fight a useless battle against the vines. But, as we neared her, I saw figures through the tree lims. Figures in a kind of golden clothing. One pointed his, her, arm at Arachne, Fire coiled around her, his, wrist and lashed up as a ball. "ARACHNE." Bellowed Huntor. She looked around, her black eyes widening in terror at the ball of fire flying for her. She dove, a web lashing out of her wrist and attaching to another tree. She swung high and landed on another tree. Another ball lashed up from the ground. She stared at the ball of fire, her eyes wide with terror, and a kind of understanding. As if she knew she couldn't outrun the balls of fire.
She brought her hands together, and black darkness undulated from them, coiling in her black eyes. Her hair flowed about her as the darkness whirled. The ball neared, but even it's light was swallowed by the darkness Arachne held. Then, she lashed out, the ball bolting right at the fire. The darkness swallowed the flame, leaving nothing behind. The darkness faded and for a moment, even the vines stopped moving. For a moment, everything stopped. "Well now, that was very climactic." Said Huntor. Arachne stared at her hands, her eyes wide in wonder as the warriors, so I presumed them to be, gathered. Another fireball lashed upward for Arachne. Once more, she reacted, and a lash of darkness appeared in her hands, and she threw it below. Once again, the darkness swallowed the ball of fire. For a moment, Huntor and I watched the battle between Arachne and the partially seen warriors. Then, "We should probably intervene." "Probably?" I asked. "Possibly, maybe, ok, yeah, we should." He frowned, "Though it's interesting to see her fight." "You can't see." I commented. "If metaphorically." Answered Huntor absently. "Did you know?" I asked as Arachne lashed out with another ball of darkness. "I don't think the term is know, well, ok fine, it might be actually. But I certainly suspected, Audrey and I using hydro swords, Sarah's ice fans, Kitana's weapons of death, Joy and Luna's weapons of pure indigoism, why not Arachne and weapons of Darkness." "There's a plan in those words." I thought. "There is indeed." Said Huntor. "There was always one ever since I met her." I frowned, still playing catch up. He shrugged. "Well, shall we help?" I looked at Arachne as she let loose another ball of darkness. Huntor flew forward, arrowing ffor Arachne, leaving me to deal with the new threat on the ground. I looked down at the trees, att the vvines in said trees that moved languidly. Giving them a mildly repugnant look, I lashed through the largest gap, dodging the vines as they whipped out for me. A vine lashed around my ankle. Snarling, I ripped my sword into it, severing it. I dove straight down, and at the last moment, flipped. The sound of my boots slamming into the soft earth reverberated through the hot steamy jungle. Ten yards away, five indigo, dressed in gold, turned to face me. Immediately, two held up their hands in unison, and clapped. Fire lashed toward me. I held up my arm, a shield of telekinesis appearing around it, and the fire glanced off the shield, spraying off in different directions. They stared for a moment, then three ran forward. I raised my sword, then thought about it. Sliding it in it's sheath, I held up my hands, then shoved them toward the ground. A quake shook the ground and the warriors went stumbling. The ground was already extremely soft from the access heat, so it wasn't much to liquify it completely. The warriors sank into the ground, and I raised my hands, bringing them toward my body. The ground hardened. Huntor landed beside me, Arachne in his arms. She slid down his body, mumbling, "Fine, fine fine fine, I'm me." Turning, she eyed the warriors as they prepared another attack. "STOP." Shouted a voice. From the jungle behind us, more golden clad warriors appeared.
    They surrounded us, some baring weapons, others holding flames in their hands. One warrior stepped forward. He was dressed in all gold, just like the others, but he also bore a crown atop his head, and wore more gold accessories than the rest. "Who are you?" Asked the warrior. "Always the same questions." Said Huntor. Who are you, what are you doing here, what do you want?" He shrugged, stepping forward slightly. They raised their weapons slightly. "The more imperative question, is what have you done with our dragon?" "Your, dragon, is being detained." "Doesn't answer the question at all." "It is being, detained." A roar bellowed from the distance. "Apparently not well." I said. "He did say, being, detained." Said Huntor. "Who are you?" It didn't sound like he had a sense of humor. "We," said Huntor conversationally. "Are the Ilio Drakous, and this is our friend, and counterpart, Arachne." "BLASPHEMY." Shouted a male warrior before unleashing a powerful fireball. Huntor blocked it with a shield of telekinesis. "Please," he muttered. "Even Wenzi, actually, especially Wenzi, can create better things than throw around fireballs." The male bared his teeth, and raised a hand, a dagger of fire appeared, and he flung it at my mate. At the same time, Arachne moved. Her hand shaped a dagger of darkness and she threw it to intercept the fire blade. "Enough," said the warrrior. "You are no such thing." He said. "The sun dragon hasn't existed for overr a millennia." "Very true." Said Huntor. "But, clearly, we've returned." "Sacrilege," snapped one warrior. "UDDER SACRILEGE." Flames roiled to life over every set of hands. The warriors approached their masked faces showing nothing but gold. "Uh, guys." Said Arachne. "Let's do this." My mate said through the bond between us, his voice coiling through the inferno between us. Daylight began to grow in the bond between us. I breathed, letting the depth of my power undulate, let that other power grow. As the golden warriors approached, daylight grew between my fingers. They froze, and neither of us needed to see the pure shock and disbelief on their faces. "Believe us now?" Asked Huntor as another roar bellowed from the distance. Arachne asked, "So, like, can we have our dragon back?" The warriors stood there for another few minutes, then, "Come with us, milord and lady." He looked at Arachne with mild distain. "Uh no," I snapped. "You treat her with the same respect. She's as much a part of this as we are." "We obey the sun dragon. Dragons it seems." He gave Arachne a repugnant look. "Not spawn of demons." Arachne bared her teeth. "Excuse—"No," said Arachne calmly. Arachne stepped away from us, deeper into their circle. "You wanna know just what I am, just, who, I am?" She looked at Huntor, who nodded. "Guess what, I'm not just a spawn of the Dark Queen, but I'm also one of the last of the Earthen, one of the last of the great earthen dracons." They all took a step away. "Exactly." She said. "Darkness, malice, and venom is the Dark Queen's name, my name is, and, will only ever be, darkness." "Lies." Snapped a male. Butt the warrior held up a hand.
"Be that as it may," said the head warrior. "You've come to our lands for a specific purpose no doubt?" "Yes." I said. "We've come for the Ilio Drakous crown." The male nodded. "You cannot have it." There was a moment of dead silence. "Say what now?" I asked. "You cannot have it." Another silence, then, "And why?" Asked Huntor. "We have been sworn to secrecy, this is a sacred item of absolute power, of such power, that no one can have it." "Wow." Said huntor. "Seriously?" The male nodded. "The crown has been, and will remain guarded. And to protect such secrecy, I'm afraid we're going to have to—"Kill us." Finished Huntor. "What else is new?" I asked. "Honestly, I wonder why can't we ever go anywhere without someone, or something trying to kill us." "Apparently we're just that kind of hot treasure." Said Huntor coolie. He turned to me. "Can you get to it?" He asked. I nodded. "Then I'll buy you and Arachne the time you need." He faced the group and grinned wolfishly. I looked at Arachne and said, "Let's go." She faced me as the males all tensed. "Run." Said Huntor. We dove aside as daylight lashed downward and zapped my mate. Trusting he could really handle himself in a fight like this, hell, knowing he could, I grabbed Arachne's arm and we fled into the tangle of the jungle. Another lash of daylight struck and the warriors scattered. Arachne ran along side me through the underbrush. Vines lashed out like whips. Arachne screamed as a stray vine lashed out, striking her face. Another vine lashed out for my side, I shoved Arachne, sending us sprawling under their reach. We rose and kept running. Theia roared again. A warrior came out of the brush to our left, fire leapt to his hands. I snarled and delivered a flying dragon kick to his chest, sending him, well, flying backward. We flew through the trees, and as we did, another lash of daylight came out of the jungle behind us. Theia roared once more. We arrowed toward her cries and spotted her through the undergrowth, warriors trying to restrain her. One created a whip of fire, and lashed out, slashing Theia's scales. She roared and blasted the warrior with fire. I pulled from deep within, and let daylight grow along my fingers, and as we entered the clearing, I lashed out. Arachne brought up her arm, darkness coiling around it, just like before, at the same time, she lashed out with her own power. Warriors scattered as both our powers lashed through the clearing like twin lightning bolts. Theia shook off her attackers and roared, blasting the sky with fire. She arched her back threateningly before flapping her wings. "GO." Bellowed Huntor. Theia flapped her wings again, but ddidn't flee. She blew flames in a great ark around her. Several warriors backed away, shielding themselves with fire. "GIVE ME SOME BACKUP HERE." One yelled. I heard the crashing of more warriors and another lash of daylight. Then, the leader came through the brush. I saw his eyes through the slits in his mask. Dark and intelligent, he stared at me. "We have been sworn to secrecy, ordered by the first dragon never to relinquish the crown, no matter what." He stared at Arachne, "The fact that you partner yourself with spawn, monsters spawned from darkness, does not give us the ideal you are fighting for the sun." "Fine then." I said. "We'll claim the crown. We know where it is, it calls to us." The warrior nodded. "You can try, there are ancient symbols guarding the crown. Ancient archaic symbols that the likes of you young gods of this time period have no comprehension of."
    "The crown is heavily guarded." Said another. "You know, I'm seriously getting tired of indigo questioning my power and skill. Mine, and my mate's." I turned to Theia. "Go." Her eyes widened, but there was another lash of daylight and warriors yelled as it crashed down. I raised my own arms, calling the power of day, the power of the sun dragons. Arachne too lifted her own arms, determination replacing fear. "Go on." Said the leader. "Show us your power, just how much you've gained." Suddenly, I realized just what, was going on. And how frivolous this was. Like a switch, I changed from daylight, to the other power, the power I was created with. Hot molten rock called to me, begging me to unleash it. Hot molten rock so close to the surface, hence why this jungle was a misty hot bowl. And, and, I felt them, a few dozen miles southwest, tall, as tall as the mountains behind us, a line of volcanoes stood, molten rock ready to burst. My eyes widened. "What?" Asked Arachne. The warriors paused. So did Theia. "Of course." I purred. "Huh," thought Huntor. "I don't know if that's smartness, or predictable, or what." "Go," I ordered Theia. "We'll catch up with you." Nodding slightly, she took off, a fast ascent into the air. "SHOOT HER DOWN." A warrior bellowed. Flames shot upward, hindered by the thick ttree foliage. A calculated move. Bows were drawn off backs and arrows were set alight. A zap of daylight struck, and my mate appeared behind me, his grin in place. I turned to Arachne as the archers took aim and fired. Taking her hand, I stomped. The ground trembled and a maw opened directly under us. Arachne screamed as we sank into the ground. We dropped for a few heartbeats, then landed on soft dirt. "That was scary." Said Arachne as she caught her breath. Above us, the ground trembled again, and I could feel Huntor as he opened a maw into the ground. "Well now," said Huntor. "That was interesting." I frowned. "I may never really understand you. Even if I may, or may not, act like you." "Doesn't really matter." He smirked. "Because you love me either way." "Kinda," I said blandly. "Sorta, maybe, possibly, perhaps." Arachne snorted softly. "So, what now?" Asked Arachne. "We know where the crown is." I answered. Huntor nodded. "Those," he gestured above us. "I believe are the sun warriors." "Clever name." Remarked Arachne. He shrugged. "Set out to guard the crown, but if so, the question is why would they deny us. We proved who we were." "Is it because of present company?" Asked Arachne. Huntor shook his head. "It's very possible that may have been part of it. But, hmm, something tells me that they'd have denied us one way, or another." "Working for the Dark Queen?" I asked. "No," said Arachne. "They abhor her, that wasn't feigned at all. They abhor her and everything she touched. They want the sunlight back, want balance." Arachne closed her eyes, thinking. Huntor shot me a look and thought to me, "Don't say anything, let her think it through." Arachne ran fingers through her hair as she thought. "Maybe, um, maybe it's because, maybe they think they, can, control, it?" She looked at Huntor hopefully, but he said nothing. "They are sun warriors, at least, we think, so, they may believe the sun dragons, are, superfluous?" She sounded the word out, knowing her, it was her first time speaking it. "Maybe they believe they can destroy the Dark Queen without you, and return the sun without you both?" "That," said Huntor. "Is, in my opinion, a fair judgement to make." Arachne stared at him. "Speak English." I remarked. "You may be right Arachne." Said Huntor, shooting me an annoyed look. "No one speaks your language, even I can't always translate it." "Irritant." "Cur." "Bitch." As we argued mentally, Arachne smiled softly to herself.
    "If you two are done." Said Arachne. "We have to go, we kinda left our dragon up there by herself." "As if she can't take care of herself." Said Huntor dryly, walking down the tunnel. We followed. "Can you both still feel it?" "Yes." We answered together. "And no doubt they'll all congregate there too, just to be a nuisance." "Can we destroy them?" "I'm sure we can." I said. "But what's the point?" Said Huntor. "Especially when we can avoid it." I added. "Wow," said Arachne. "Finishing each other's sentences. That's new." I snickered. As time wore on the pull grew and grew as we followed the tunnels. There was no sound from above, meaning we were deep underground. Then again, the steady decline could've told us that. Though when I felt the open air further along, when I felt the arteries I created sync with those already made, I realized that we were, not, alone. I held up a hand as Huntor murmured, "Wait." "You feel it too?" Asked Arachne. We both glanced at her. "What?" She asked. "You feel something?" We asked together. She looked down at her booted feed self-consciously. "It's just that." She paused. "I feel like we're being lead, like something is watching us and we're being lead around." We looked at each other. "Arachne," said Huntor. "We are kinda being lead though." "Yeah, but not in a good way. Like that whole indigo hand on the neck thing. It's just I feel it, kinda like a buzzing in my head. Like we shouldn't be here, going in this direction." Huntor opened his mouth but I held up a hand. "Wait, no one speak." I took a deep breath, and walked a few feet ahead of them. I pressed my right foot into the ground and closed my eyes, breathing hard, and, opening my mouth, clicked with my tongue. The echo lashed forth, and bounced off the walls and down the empty tunnel. But, "There's nothing." I murmured. "Maybe they know how to hide from the sun dragons." Said Huntor. He gestured to Arachne. "Make a dagger." She frowned up at him but did as he asked. "Where do you feel it the most?" Frowning harder now, she turned, and pointed to our left, into solid rock. "There." "Throw it." "What?" Asked Arachne. "Humor me." She flung the dagger. It spun, a lash of darkness that was darker than the norm. It hit the rock wall, but made a kind of boing and there was a lash of power that was all too familiar in the air. "Well now," said Huntor smoothly. "There's the Ragni Di Morte." The rock wall melted as if it were an illusion, and opened into a large chamber where several spiders were standing in a half circle. Except, they weren't normal Ragni Di Morte, as if any of them could be construed as normal. These were clearly half human, half Ragni. Their waists melded grotesquely with their spider lower half. I opened a pit of lava, letting it surge to be a line between us. Their eyes were pitch black, and pincers grew from their cheekbones. "Like The Dark Queen's visage." Murmured Arachne. "Say what now?" Asked Huntor. But she merely shook her head.
    "Daughter of venom." Said one of the humanoid spiders. They approached the lava, the light lashing over their face to reveal a male. He might have been beautiful, handsome, but the pincers and short hair made him look even more sepulchral than usual. Added his spider half. "Daughter of malice and hatred, fear and terror, agony and silk, you have interrupted our ritual, and have betrayed your own, for that, you will die a gruesome death." "The inflectionless voice though." Said Huntor. "Just gives off that vibe." "Silence Ilio Drakous. You and your mate are wanted by the Dark Queen, though she did not specify if you had to be unharmed or not." "Course." I answered. The lava undulated sharply. The humanoid looked down at it in mild distaste. "This will not have any true effect on us." "Anything to slow you down." I said. "Your insolence will be your downfall." "Funny," I said. "I thought she'd bee our downfall." The male snarled and stepped forward. I raised my arms, and the lava boiled in response. He sneered. Then, sprang. He leapt the gap so fast my reflexes kicked in before I truly understood what was happening. My sword sang as I whipped it out of it's sheath. At the same time, a shield of molten rock appeared over my left arm. The spider human landed and I swung, for my blade to clash against the frontmost foreleg, and bounce off. A moment of shocked surprise before the male slammed his fist into my chest. I was sent flying backward into the wall and Huntor lashed out with an ice shard and ran the human spider through the gut.