I met Musaki and Esqueezeme at the entrance, they looked ready for this. I checked my gear as they waited for me. I hoped so, I didn't bother to tell them about my visitor. No one would believe I was visited by a ghostly white bird made of fire. They would have called me insane and lock me up. I needed to lead this fight. My sanity depends on it. "Captain, if we go back up to the Ronso village I can lead us from there." Musaki didn't bother to ask for permission, she started walking ahead of us. Esqueezeme looked at me for a second, her ruby gaze was unnerving, then turned to follow Musaki. I took a deep breath, the cry of that bird still in my head, I followed my men to certain death.
The climb back up to the village was easier than the first time, but it felt like it would be the hardest thing we did. Musaki didn't sink into the snow as much, she seemed to know where to step to avoid being dug out. The fiends were easier with the knowledge we gained firmly in place. My tension mounted as we made short work of each fiend we came across. This was almost too easy and that annoyed me.
"Captain we are nearly to the Ronso village." I nodded to Musaki, her abilities as a scout were getting better. Soon I would never question her choice of paths we took or how she just knew which way to go. "Stay on point, we don't stop until we reach Zanarkand." She saluted me, then continued to walk a few feet ahead of us. "Captain, do you expect to come up against something stronger than the behemoth?"
I looked at Esqueezeme, the image of her smashed into the cliff wall flashed my mind. "I expect to have to. I won't be caught on my ass again. Prince could have died, had Kyet not helped him. You don't die unless I ordered it." She frowned at me, but I got her to nod in agreement. I breathed in the cold air, surprisingly, I wasn't cold anymore. I could feel a furnace burning within me with the heat of the sun. I followed Shani up to a cave. The obvious pathways into the mouth of it told if nothing else that this was a main road through to the ruined city. "Zanarkand is on the other side of the cave, Captain." Musaki spoke up but didn't enter, it was like she waited for me to say something. "Ready your weapons guys." I drew my Great sword the weight of it gave me strength, even though I had the oddest thought that soon I would be replacing it. I walked into the cave prepared not to make off that mountain.
The cave was short, but I could feel something's rage waiting for us. Brilliant colors danced in the pools of water beside the path. I thought it was just gems until I saw the spheres below the surface. They seemed to be apart of the cave so I left them there, no use looking for trouble at this point. I lead our group to the exit, Musaki behind me and Esqueezeme bringing up the rear. I stopped just before the exit. A roar vibrated through the cave. "Captain, what was that?" Musaki's question would remain unanswered for now. I have an idea of what I was going to be doing and they won't like it. I took a steadying breath and checked the grip on my sword. Heat boiled up into my throat from somewhere in the vicinity of my chest. I felt very unprepared for this, but I wasn't going to turn back now. I just got here, might as well say 'Hello' the Darksky way. "The messy. Stay behind me, no one has my permission to interfere. Do you copy?" I didn't move an inch, I needed my men to understand that this was my fight. I heard that mournful cry in my head. So, this is where it died. I nodded to my self, I would take it down and the bird would find it's peace. "Do you Copy Leftenant Musaki, Lieutenant Esqueezeme?" They saluted me. I turned to face them. "I will handle the main fight, focus on support only, do not draw attention to yourselves, do I make myself clear." I wasn't going to watch my men die here, not like in the dream. They would live. If I had to die, so be it, but not them. That was unacceptable.
"Crystal, Sir." Musaki's voice shook slightly. "Whatever happens, do not engage. I mean it Leftenant, Lieutenant. Do not engage." Esqueezeme nodded slowly. Musaki tried not to let the tears fall. But I saw them. Their faith in me was touching. I would not fall here. I walked out to face the beast.
The dragon was greyish blue with yellow and blue tipped wings, he had unrealistic horns that gave me the image of a beetle. He was on all fours, the tips of each toe had razor sharp, two foot long talons. He watched me with eyes that glowed electric blue. His tail, also tipped in blue, whipped around to catch me in the chest. I barely had time to duck. I swung my sword with my left hand, deflecting the blow. I grunted with the effort. I advanced to stay ahead of the girls. I caught his next attack on my sword this time and shoved him back with bone breaking force. The beast staggered back enough to give me time for retaliation. "Stay near the cliff wall! I got this!" I shouted back to the girls as I slashed his left forearm as he tried to swipe at me. Musaki and Esqueezeme jumped back out of range. I kept my focus on the beast, he roared in fury at being denied. The tips of his wings straightened out and light began to emit off of each feathered tip. "Oh Shit!" I used the flat of my blade as a shield. The beast roared and light shot at me from its mouth. Shani and Princessa called my name but I couldn't hear them. I tasted blood on my tongue. The arm holding my sword was numb. The intensity of it's attack pushed me back several feet. "Fuck." The heat inside me pulsed. I could feel the darkness closing in around me. I knew I wouldn't make it, but I was taking that fucker with me. I rolled my shoulders and using my still good right arm I swung my blade around me in a sweeping ark. I connected with it's side, it slammed into the rocks to the left of it. I felt my sword break off from the force of the blow. The blade was embedded in it's side and I still had the hilt clasped tightly in my grip. The beast screamed in agony and rage. I checked my grip on the hilt. Blood dripped down my left side and my body felt numb. "Captain!"
I heard Musaki and whirled to shout at her to stay back. It's wings lit up again. "Shit, Shani!" I ran towards her as the beast roared. I now raced to catch the blast instead of the girls. I didn't think of what I was doing as I stood in front of the blast, Musaki was behind me with Esqueezeme. I spread my arms wide to take as much of the blast as I could. A bird cried in rage, I roared at the beast. The impact of it's attack sent me flying into the cliff wall. I saw the White bird as darkness closed in.
(Shani's POV)
I couldn't move, only watch as Jason was sent smashing into the side of the mountain behind him. I heard Esqueezeme shift position, ready to jump in the fray. I grabbed her as she tried to draw her guns. "No, Captain gave us a direct order, we are not to fight that thing."
"It's going to kill him." She was shaking with fear and fury, I knew then that I wasn't the only one that believed in the Captain. I watched in horror as it advanced towards my best friend and Captain. "We have no choice, Lieutenant, he said not to engage." Just as it reached him, white hot energy blasted out from Darksky like a grenade was set off. I shielded my eyes from light pulsing off of him in waves. His Pearl white hair glowed with golden light, it flowed around him with the intensity of the blast. In his hands was a completely different sword, he no longer held the hilt of his great sword, but a pearl hilt with a wing shaped guard, the blade was engulfed in white flames that seemed to breathe from the golden blade itself. The blade was melted into the shape of a bird like the flames were too hot even for it to handle. It had feathers in the shape of flames, the body had it's wings folded at it's sides, the long graceful neck curved up to the tip and it's beautiful head, ending at the point of the beak. The eyes of it glowed with the same golden light surrounding Jason. The energy seemed to ebb and flow with each breath he took. He opened his eyes and they were no longer silver, they were molten gold that swirled like an endless flame. He rolled his shoulder again and stepped forward. I was pushed back by each wave of heat as he advanced on the beast. His movements were slow, deliberate, like he wanted it to taste fear before it died. The beast roared and whipped it's tail around gain. The Captain smirked, then as the tail neared him, he smoothly slid under it and swung his blade up taking the tail off in a clean swing. I could only watch as my Captain and best friend meticulously decimated the creature. It raised it's wings. Jason didn't give it room, he swiped the blade across one wing then the other. They fell to the ground, removed from the body. "Is that blade actually cauterizing the wounds?" Esqueezeme whispered in awe. "I don't know, but I do know that the Captain is pissed."
He raised the blade over his head pointing it straight up. A cry of fury came from the sky, and a golden bird descended to hover behind Jason. It's massive wings covered in white flames that pulsed with the same heat as Jason. His golden eyes held no mercy or pity, only peace. He swung the blade down over the beasts head. White flames followed the ark of the blade dancing to the pulsing rhythm of his fury. The flames leapt from the blade to spread like a flamible liquid across the beast, it screamed in agony and the flames consumed it slowly. Jason watched it burn hotter than the sun, the brilliant colors caused my eyes to burn from the effort to watch. He stood silhouetted by the light, the sword in his right hand. He held it easily like it weighed nothing. His armor was burned away by the heat. A golden tattoo of the same bird seared into the flesh of his back. The body rested along his spine and the wings were spread out to wrap themselves around his sides and shoulders, taking up the whole back, it's tail feathers spread across his lower back and around his hips. The image was black yet it glowed faintly with gold and white light. Jason looked up to the sky and the golden bird. "Be at peace now. I will never forget your help. Nor your song." The bird spread it's wings wide and cried a mournful song then faded away like smoke on the wind. Jason fell forward on his face, I ran forward to see if he needed my help. "Go back for Khimari, I can't lift him alone."
"What just happened, Shani. He just went nuclear on that thing and we just watched." I stared at the still smoking ashes that was once a dragon. "We only tell what we know, we say nothing about this to anyone not apart of our team. Captain would kill us, if we told anyone what happened here. I will tell him what happened when he comes to, I don't think he was aware of what he did, I think he was on autopilot." Esqueezeme nodded, agreeing that this would stay between us and I would probably have to tell Khimari something, he can't have not seen the pillar of white light. I watcher Esqueezeme run back to the cave and head to the village. I used every ounce of my strength and successfully rolled him over to lay on his back, his hair was back to normal, and I was willing to bet his eyes were silver again. A massive wound on his chest was the only sign that he was mortally wounded in the fight. It was in fact caurtarized by the intense heat he put off. "You just had to play the hero, huh Captain? Couldn't have just told me what was going on, had to play show and tell with the power of a nuclear warhead." I checked his injuries only to find them either gone or no longer bleeding, like they were a week old or more. His body was still hotter than normal, like the soul of that Massive bird was still inside him. His new normal temperature was approximately just below boiling point, I checked his brain to make sure it wasn't cooking from the heat. Surprisingly, his brain was fine, my readings came back normal with a slight raise in blood flow from the heat. The weapon lay at his side, the shape of the blade really was a bird with flames for feathers. I wasn't seeing things, it was real. His power was real. "I guess we really did fall down the rabbit hole, eh Jason. Trillian is going to kill me."
Esqueezeme didn't take long to bring help. Khimari brought a stretcher and two Ronso to carry him back to the village. "When he is stable enough, I need to move him back to our base camp on the Calm Lands, Esqueezeme, hate me later, but we have to continue on to the ship, he said we don't stop until we get to the ship. Once we find it, I'll be able to get a train going to bring it, to the Calm Lands, so we can get it put back together." She frowned. "What about the Captain?"
I glanced down at his sleeping face. He made me second in command, I had to step up. "I will be acting Captain until he wakes up. We keep to the mission. I will adjust as needed to take on new challenges."
"Did he take beast alone?" Khimari spoke as his men loaded Jason on the stretcher. I took a second to think, should I tell him about the bird? "Yes, he did. and it nearly wiped him out in the process, he still lives, but I don't know how he did it. The light was too intense to make out much. I saw ashes when the light died down and he was like this. I won't know more until he wakes up." Khimari turned him on his side and looked at the tattoo. "Phoenix come to his aid, made pact with it. This is soul of Phoenix, pacts form tattoo." That explains the bird and the unreal heat. I didn't say anything to give away that I knew more. No one can know he alone fought that thing. Khimari picked up the blade and layed it along his chest. "Blade is special, has power of Phoenix." The blade glowed softly then vanished like the bird did. A tattoo formed on his right tricep the same shape and style of the sword. "Can summon at will of owner." That was cool. No more bulky weapon to carry.
"Is he going to able to make it back to base camp?"
"I send men to aid in this. I will help you down mountain."
"Thank you Khimari, but I still have to locate the rest of our ship, or this whole mess would be for nothing."
He turned to his men. "Take to Calm Lands, I go with them to Zanarkand." I quickly wrote a message for Hellfire and Newind so they know I will tell them everything after I locate the ship. Then I watched the Ronso take Jason back down the mountain to safety. I took a deep breath, then lead our group to Zanarkand.
{A/N: Sorry for the confusion guys, more edits and adventures for Jason are coming!}