Rage Alone: Part Two by nomad2 |  |
Jyrados knew the skies must be yet another desperate warning
of the planet. Red skies were not normal in the middle of the day, but this seemed
to be a more subtle warning. From the skies, though, he noticed something rather
odd. The land to south was darker than the north. It was his best lead, having
no other leads, so he changed direction from the west to pursue it. He was flying
into territories which were uninhabited by people, so he knew not what to expect.
He saw a cave formation during his flight, and
that was as good a place as any for him to start. He didn’t see anything in
the darkness of the cave, so he broke a branch off a tree to light at the end
like he did before for a torch. It felt like there was a wind blowing from the
cave, nearly blowing out the torch. It didn’t last long, so he began his descent
into the deep caverns.
Moister levels rose as he moved through, and
the caverns seemed like a maze with many loops and dead-ends. After a few hours
passed, he had traveled a great distance in it, being sure to keep a trail of
recognizable rocks laid down so he doesn’t get lost.
At a point, he could see a light shining through
the tunnels not coming from the torch, so he had thought he walked in a circle
towards the entrance. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he was at a large
room of glowing crystals attached to the rock walls. His torch was close to
burnt down to the point of uselessness, so this was a fortunate find for him.
He discarded his torch and picked up a crystal off the ground.
Looking around the room, he saw there were no
other passages attached, but he could also only see majority of the room with
some large crystals in the way. Walking around the chamber, he noticed a giant
beast sleeping behind one of the crystals. Stumbling back in surprise, he tripped
over a small rock and landed on his back with an echoed thump. The sleeping
creature slowly opened one eye, then upon seeing Jyrados, he quickly opened
the other and stood. The large beast turned out to be of the Monocerous’ species.
The Monocerous stomped a hove and snorted at
Jyrados, all awhile lowering its head to ready for a charge. Jyrados’ eyes went
wide and he rolled to the side, just barely dodging the creature. Immediately
after that he jumped up and started running on all fours, speeding away for
his life. Keeping his head down to see the stones he laid, he dashed madly for
freedom while hearing and even feeling the thundering footsteps of the Monocerous
as it charged after him, staying close behind. Jyrados never knew he had the
energy to run so far so fast, but being chased by something much bigger than
you has that effect. When he saw the light at the tunnel opening, he managed
to speed up since he could feel the breath of his pursuer on his tail. Once
he made it clear of the caves, he spread out his wings and shot off into the
sky, the Monocerous stopping and lazily going back into the cave since it couldn’t
follow. An enormous sense of relief fell over him.
While he was in the air, he reach his hand in
front of his mouth and spit out the glowing crystal, having placed it there
for safe keeping during the chase. He wiped his forehead and said, "Well, I
had no luck there, but at least I won’t be needing a torch in the future."
<><><>
Gliding through the skies of the south, he looked around towards the ground
to look or anything else that might be promising. Moving past the forests, he
found himself entering the mountains. Though not the largest mountains, they
were still large enough to make the search around them more difficult. The red
skies made it feel hotter, though it really wasn’t. The red light reflected
off the snow at the top of the mountains, making them look like they were on
fire. It was a beautiful sight, but still unnatural.
Though he could not feel any shaking, he could
tell there was a quake occurring just below him. The rocks began to split open
around the mountains and shoot up highly pressurized air. Following the hot
air came flames bursting forth like pillars, reaching into the sky. Jyrados
had to dart around them, making his way towards the ground. Shooting up nearby,
he had to make curves around the already existing ones as well as keeping away
from the cracks in the ground which had not yet shot fire. If this was the warning
of the planet, the wrath of the legacy must not be pretty.
Nearing the ground, he set down on a ledge relatively
high up and looked at the land. Pillars of fire reached up into the red skies.
A feeling of doom fell over Jyrados, and he could only hope that the rest of
the world isn’t as bad off as this region. It saddened him to think that the
world would end in such a violent manner, and the only haven is a space station
which is already crowded daily with visitors.
He stood up and turned around, looking at the
side of the mountain, some rocks seeming stacked in a way which shows the short
quake alone caused the rock to collapse. He sighed and turned away, getting
ready to spread his wings when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "You are
on the right track, young one, but look harder."
Jyrados turned and saw the old Nimmo he met
in the Faerie city standing at the rocks. Very puzzled, he said, "Who are you,
old Neopet, and how did you get here?"
"I am Trum, and I am also very talented. You
have come far for a runt, but if you think flying around will show you what
you need to know, then you are a fool," said the Nimmo, having a very serious
look on his face.
Jyrados held his arms out to the side, "Look
around us, do you think this is easy? The world is a big place, and looking
for something that was lost centuries ago is very hard. If I try to slowly cover
the entire planet, then it’ll be too late."
Trum just turned around and put his hands to
his forehead. The rocks on the side of the mountain began to shake a bit and
suddenly flew off the sides effortlessly. As the rocks were thrown, the side
of the mountain turned into a rather rough passage, no bigger than to let a
single person through at a time. Trum then turned to Jyrados and said, "That
is all the help I can give you on your path. Enter, and meet your destiny."
Jyrados stood in awe at the way the passage
was just opened up. Looking over to Trum, he said, "I appreciate the way you
just helped me, but why? Who exactly are you?"
"The land is plagued by an evil, and I was once
considered its only friend. His anger at the world which he did not fit into,
however, slowly drove him insane with rage. He wanted more than he had, but
could not get it, so he pushed me away with his insanity. He is truly alone,
and I just want to help him. Although he can no longer be helped to love life,
I hope you can help him not to doom everyone else’s love for life." The Nimmo
then began to off towards a pass in the mountains which would lead him out of
the area.
Jyrados quietly said, just being in ear shot
of Trum, "I’ll do my best..."
As Trum walked off, Jyrados went to the hole
and folded his wings up to fit into it. Pulling out his crystal, he could see
that it went straight into the mountain’s core without descent. The tunnel looked
to be Neopet-made, as the tunneling was smoother than if it were made by nature.
For half an hour, he moved deeper and deeper into the mountain, the temperature
becoming more comfortable, to his amazement. Finally, he reached a point where
the tunnel was large enough to fit several Neopets in, and in front of him were
two large doors, each one having the symbol of Fethva on it, being a dragon
and a gryphon moving in a circular pattern like a yin/yang symbol.
Through these doors is either his victory, or
his demise.
Pushing with all his might on the large doors,
they swing open while making a grinding noise as they brush against the rock.
Through the doors was nothing more than an empty room, torches on the walls
illuminating the cavern. Peering closely, Jyrados saw a figure on the other
side of the room, up against the wall where there wasn't enough light to fully
show him.
Stepping slowly into the light, a green Kacheek
came into vision. A stern look of anger and hatred on his face, he spoke with
a voice that was not meant for delicate ears, "I see someone actually came here
looking for me. I must say, I expected people to have combed the planet weeks
ago. Neopets must avoid me even when their lives are at stake."
Jyrados rose up a fist as he glared at the Kacheek
and said, "You have no right to do this to the world. For everyone you've hurt,
I'm going to see to it you have justice done to you."
"Justice?" the Kacheek said with rage in his
tone. "You dare speak to me of justice? The world is filled with creatures and
evils, most of which go unchecked. Pain is everywhere, Shoyru, and Neopets are
abandoned to run from the pain. Do you think evasion is something anyone wants?
Many are pained, and I shall stop the pain of everyone on the entire planet.
If in my same position, you would do just as I have."
Jyrados leaps forward, stopping just in front
of his face, the Kacheek flinching back a little, "I would never do this, you
psychopath! It is time I end this. If you want to leave the pain of this world,
then do it alone."
The Kacheek just laughed in Jyrados' face, his
laugh being very deep and unsettling. Before he stopped laughing, Jyrados bared
his teeth and threw a punch at the Kacheek, knocking him against the wall with
his forceful blow.
The Kacheek just stands and stares right at
Jyrados, "Now that wasn't nice..." Electricity crackles around the Kacheek and
he charges at Jyrados with great speed, slamming into him and knocking him to
the ground. Jyrados simply jumps back up and slams his arms down on the Kacheek's
shoulders, forcing him down before spinning to hit him with his tail, causing
him to slide back some.
"I wasn't expecting a match," Jyrados said as
he took in a deep breath to steal life from the Kacheek with the dark power
of Life Steal. The Kacheek leaps up like a maniac and swings wildly at Jyrados
to no avail. Jyrados exhales, and a fireball bursts forth from his mouth, burning
and halting the Kacheek Having stopped his advance, Jyrados rushes forward and
pins him to the wall with his arm and says, "Now you won't be able to use Fethva
for your sick purpose. This is over now."
With a weak, tired voice, he Kacheek says something
to Jyrados which worries him more than anything ever has, "You fool, it has
already been done. Why do you think the quakes and disasters even began? You're
too late, Shoyru... the world will fall apart."
Clenching his teeth tight, he threw the Kacheek
all the way across the cavern room, slamming him against the wall. Having rendered
him unconscious, Jyrados looked around the room for anything that he could use
to find the legacy. Seeing only torches, he ran from torch to torch, tearing
them from the wall. After the last torched was removed, it looked as if a section
of the wall vanished into thin air, opening a passage down.
Descending right away, he felt more and more
heat. The passage spiraled and led him to a large chamber with lava all around
the edges. What lit the area up most of all was what was at the center of the
room. A large crystal, one the size of Jyrados, stood floating in the air between
two rock spires. The crystal emitted a dark blue glow and the spires were covered
with red cracks. Occasionally the whole area would shake, but the room remained
intact.
Able to feel the corrupt power within the crystal,
he looked to the two spires which bound it. If he was to save the world, he
only saw one option: destroy the spires. His eyes began to turn dark, shadows
dancing around him. Lightning crackled around him, the shadows jumping up and
entering the electricity, making it darken. Dark light surrounded him, building
up more and more with every second, the build-up rate accelerating. With a loud
roar, the energy burst forth towards the spires, the energy hitting the rocks,
shattering the two. As they crumbled to the ground, the crystal seemed to crack
itself. Blue light shining through it brighter than ever, a loud whistling sound
was heard until the Legacy of Fethva itself shattered, causing an explosion
which filled the area with a bright light which was the last thing Jyrados saw
before he blacked out.
Epilogue
Slowly opening his eyes, Jyrados felt like he was in a pool of water. The
first thing he saw was clouds in the blue skies above. Slowly trying to sit
up, he saw that he was indeed in a pool of water. He had a headache which hurt
worse than any other, and his body had injuries on it. Looking over to the side,
he saw the Water Faerie and the Faerie Queen standing beside the fountain he
was in.
"I see you're finally awake. Try not to move,
for you are still not well," said the Water Faerie in a very sweet and tranquil
voice.
Jyrados said in a soft tone, "Where am I? How
did I get here?"
The Faerie Queen stepped forward and said, "Many
saw the explosion at the mountains to the south. Seeing it, we rushed as fast
as we could and found you very injured on the rocks. You were lucky to survive
that blast."
With a sudden look for worry on his face, he
says, "What happened to the Kacheek? Did you see him? Is he alright?"
The Faerie Queen forms a saddened look on her
face, "We did not see anyone else. Rocks were piled high and either he is gone
or buried."
Jyrados sighed, "After our fight, he must have
been too tired to get anywhere. I guess I couldn't help him, old Nimmo."
The Faerie Queen raises a brow at that last
sentence, "I assume that has something to do with your travels, so I guess I
won't ask until you're well."
"The skies... are blue. Is it over?" Jyrados
said while looking back up at the sky.
The Faerie Queen said, "It is more over than
you know, dear Jyrados. The legacy is destroyed, the pillars that controlled
it were destroyed, and thus, Fethva himself was destroyed."
"But doesn't that mean balance was destroyed?"
Jyrados asked with worry in his weak voice.
The Faerie Queen smiled sweetly, "It was made
to stop evil magics from disrupting the balance. Although it is sad to see it
gone, the people are strong enough these days to keep such magics from tipping
the balance. All will be well, now rest."
Jyrados sighed, "He was right. His pain is a
common one. With other like him around, the world will never be well."
Closing his eyes, Jyrados drifted off to sleep,
his wounds slowly healing in the fountain, and the world once again as it was.
Darkness may yet return, however, and one Neopet's rage alone can plunge all
into utter chaos.
To be continued...
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