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May 25, 2006 19:40:34 GMT -5
Post by AAcid on May 25, 2006 19:40:34 GMT -5
It's Baaaack Nice chapter. I still don't see where Stewart came from, but I still want to see her fried. It doesen't matter by who. Anyway, good chapter and update ASAP.
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May 25, 2006 19:46:02 GMT -5
Post by dragoondart on May 25, 2006 19:46:02 GMT -5
XD I loved it, update soon yes?
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May 29, 2006 7:57:01 GMT -5
Post by yfwe on May 29, 2006 7:57:01 GMT -5
Hehe... Marnie Stewart came from Dragoshine, a member here at the forum. Now, being crazy and such as she is... that was meh. XD
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May 29, 2006 9:06:25 GMT -5
Post by dragoondart on May 29, 2006 9:06:25 GMT -5
Riiiighttttt, did I miss somethin?
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Feb 20, 2007 22:29:31 GMT -5
Post by huntsrose on Feb 20, 2007 22:29:31 GMT -5
OMG! How in the heck did I miss this thread! Update!!!
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Aug 14, 2008 14:30:00 GMT -5
Post by YFWE on Aug 14, 2008 14:30:00 GMT -5
Been a while, hasn't it? =]
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YFWE
Ch. 9: The Plan and the Affirmation
For the first night in what seemed like ages, Rose’s sleep was nightmare-free. Free, most notably, of the thought of what Jake had become. Instead, strangely enough, her dreams were invaded by the vision of herself, as a dragon, soaring amongst the clouds, with a familiar red dragon aside her….
And so she was rather disappointed when her feeling of ecstasy vanished by the hand of Grandpa, who knocked quickly on her door that morning, his voice soft and heartening.
“Breakfast is ready if you would like it,” said he. “We do have guests this morning. Your dragon training shall begin later this morning.”
Rose glanced groggily at the clock near her bed. It was nine o’clock.
She yawned, dressed herself quickly, and began downstairs, the thought of her dream still fresh and real; although now nestled comfortably in the back of her mind.
Around the kitchen table were three people, two of which Rose recognized. Susan Long sat at the head of the table, one hand holding up her head as she stared thoughtfully at the back wall. Her daughter Haley glanced at her mother anxiously, and then to another Asian woman with long black hair.
“Good morning,” said Lao Shi from next to a stove from which the unmistakable aroma of eggs and bacon were wafting enticingly in Rose’s direction. “Susan, Sun, this is Rose, the girl I have been speaking of.”
“I know you…” Haley said. “You’re Jake’s girlfriend, aren’t you?”
“I—er, yes, I guess you could call me that.”
Susan looked up. “So you are—were—the Huntsgirl.”
Rose nodded.
“You realize that you’ve attempted to kill my son a few times, right?”
“You have to understand, I didn’t know it was him. It was my duty, and—”
“Haley, could you step out of the room for a few minutes?” Grandpa interrupted, turning to Haley politely.
Haley sighed and shot a furtive look at her mother that seemed to imply that she would be asking her what had happened later on, and stepped quickly out of the room, closing the door behind her.
“Now, Susan,” said Grandpa as soon as Haley shut the door. “Did we not agree that we would be non-accusational? What is done is done and is in the past.”
“You’re right. I apologize,” Susan said, addressing Rose.
“It’s no problem. Sorry for what I’ve done before.”
“Good, now that that is out of the way,” continued Grandpa, “as I said, Rose will be helping us to find Jake while Fu is off trying to find an antidote.”
“There’s an antidote?” asked Rose quickly.
“We don’t know. In most cases, if one was to use the Crystal of Tilton, to harness its power, one would also be sure that it did not shatter into hundreds of pieces. Undoubtedly, in order for the two switched persons to switch back, they would need to touch the Crystal once more. That is no longer an option here, so thus we must find an alternative… if there is one.”
“What if there isn’t one?”
“…we shall cross that bridge when it presents itself. But for now, we shall go on the assumption that there is one. As I said, Fu is currently researching the existence of such an antidote.”
“Do you have any idea as to where Jake may be?” Susan asked worriedly.
“I would imagine that he would be at the Huntsclan’s base. And of course, Rose would know the base’s location.” He turned to Rose. “Am I correct?”
Rose paused to think for a moment. Well, of course she knew where the base was… but there was one simple problem that could arise.
“Yes, but there are multiple bases, besides the one in New York. They could be anywhere…”
“I have a feeling that they are in the area, though,” said Grandpa. “After all, they turned up last night at the safe house. And considering that we, the dragons, are their main targets, I do not think that, at this time, they would decide to leave the state.”
Rose had not thought of this. She nodded, “Okay, when do you want me to take you there?”
“Not yet. First, I want to see if the Huntsclan seeks us out. I am almost certain that they will—Jake will not be able to keep his mouth shut. The Huntsmaster will ascertain our location from him… it is, in fact, only a matter of time before they visit us here, I would imagine.”
“Do you think you could capture Jake then?” Susan inquired. “I mean… knock him out or something, not really… hurt him.”
“We will make it our top priority. I do not wish to have to venture to their base. It is a mere backup plan.”
Susan nodded. “Well, thanks, dad. I should probably be taking Haley home… especially if the Huntsclan pays a visit. Good luck,” she said to Grandpa and then, turning to Rose, gave an awkward nod and disappeared into a nearby room.
“Now, Rose,” continued Grandpa. “Surely you know of the existence of a World Dragon Council, yes?”
“I think the Huntsmaster mentioned it once,” Rose replied.
“Then allow me to introduce Ms. Sun Park,” he motioned at the long-haired woman, who smiled in recognition. “She is the current Korean Dragon, as well as, more recently, an assistant to the Inner Circle of the Council.”
“Lao called me here for a reason,” said Sun, addressing Rose. “As with all dragons in this world, you are required to be affirmed as the American Dragon by a member of the Council. Unfortunately, the rest of the Council was busy today, so I have been sent in their place.”
“Oh… well, okay,” breathed Rose. “What do I… have to do to be affirmed?”
“It will be your dragon training for today,” Grandpa said. “Show Sun what you can do.”
“That’s… it?”
“Indeed it is,” Sun said. “Granted that it is satisfactory.”
Rose froze. She certainly hoped that her abilities as a dragon were enough… but she had not had much practice, nor much experience, as a dragon. What if it was not enough? What if Sun failed her? What would happen then?
And, as if Sun had read her mind: “Don’t worry, I won’t be too hard on you. I’m aware of these… er, unusual circumstances that have befallen you and the former American Dragon. Believe me, you do not have to worry.”
Rose heaved a sigh of relief. This was good.
And moments later, there they were on the roof of Grandpa’s shop. Grandpa and Sun stood side by side, while Rose stood facing them. Fu was nowhere to be seen—presumably still searching for an antidote.
“Dragon form, please,” said Sun. Rose shut her eyes and concentrated. In moments she found herself standing there in her now-familiar yellow dragon form.
Sun reached into her pocket and pulled out five small objects that looked strikingly like crystals. With one large toss she hoisted them into the air. “Catch these while in midair.”
Rose did not take even a moment of hesitation, launching herself into the air. It was a bright sunny day; the crystals were extremely easy to find as they glinted in the sun’s rays. She found three in basically the same spot and caught them in her left talon. Another she found falling towards the ground… she caught this one in her right talon. The final one, however, was hurtling towards the ground at an incredibly rapid pace. Quickly, she soared towards the ground, pulled up, and caught the final one with her tail, with mere inches to spare.
“Breathe me a stream of fire for five seconds,” said Sun. Rose obliged; this came rather easily to her. And so, following this, Sun grinned. “One last task,” she said. “Fly around that building,” she pointed at a nearby skyscraper, “and back, as quickly as you can.”
Fu stepped from the door leading to the rooftop. Rose’s gaze loitered on him for a second, before she took off into the air, speeding off towards the skyscraper.
“I’ve got a match,” Fu said as Grandpa and Sun watched Rose soar off. “The cave that the Crystal of Tilton came from is mostly made of sandstone. However, deeper in, the cave becomes made of limestone. It opens out into a small pool surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites. There are tiny gemstones at the bottom of this pool. Get the two switched to touch one of the gemstones, and voila!—an antidote.”
“Thank you for the information!”
The Huntsmaster ascended past Grandpa, Fu, and Sun, flying along on his Huntsstaff. “Yo, wait up!” yelled Jake’s voice, as the Huntsboy flew clumsily behind him, without even the slightest look at Grandpa.
They were heading towards Rose.
“No!” cried Grandpa. He changed into his dragon form and took off after the Huntsmaster and Jake. Sun, sensing danger, followed.
Rose had circled around the building and had begun to descend back towards the rooftop when she was suddenly slammed into by a rather brute force—the Huntsmaster. She had not expected this, and started to fall towards the pavement below her—
It had been a critical blow, one that jarred each and every bone and muscle in her body. Consequently, it seemed, she could not move… save for her eyes. She could move her eyes. And all they witnessed was her falling, falling, falling…
A dark shape closed in on her, so that it was inches from her face. She saw it only momentarily, glancing then at the impending ground, which was closer than before.
Two hands clenched her body, encompassing her. And then, finally, her eyesight went.
END CHAPTER
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Sept 10, 2008 14:41:52 GMT -5
Post by YFWE on Sept 10, 2008 14:41:52 GMT -5
Switch Ch. 10: The Escape YFWE
The woman slammed the door behind her as she entered her home, a dejected frown spread across her face. Almost immediately, a short, balding man shuffled to her side, sliding off her coat for her. “How did it go, dear?” came his nasally-whine of a voice, as he stared up at his wife with a hint of concern. “Well, I thought it had gone well, Franz,” replied Marnie Stewart. “And yet… I am not satisfied.” “Will you stop calling me Franz? My name is Robert, and we’ve been married for ten years.” “This isn’t the time for jokes, Franz. I went into that safehouse with the intent of striking fear into my enemies, and instead I came out looking like a crazy woman. This is not what I wanted. Not at all.” “What happened?” Robert asked. “I’ll explain to you later,” said Marnie. “Just leave me be for now.” She stared off toward a nearby room. “I gotta go bake something.” Robert slowly slid his hands around his wife’s waist, to where the strings of her apron came together. “Oh, can’t it wait? How about you tell me what happened…” he began to fumble with the strings, trying to untie the apron. Within seconds, Robert was on the floor, staring up in shock at the otherwise not-so-imposing woman, who had her hand on his forearm. “NEVER,” she said, “touch the apron.” “O-okay, I’m s—“ “Did I ever tell you how my first and second husbands died, Franz?” “N…no…” “Extremely unfortunate accidents,” her eyes narrowed. “And oh, how shattered I was—I do hope that you don’t take the same road as them….” She relinquished her hold on Robert’s arm and walked into the kitchen, leaving her husband to stare at her in disbelief in the front room. “Filthy creatures!” she screamed as she threw a few pots out onto a central table. She added to this a few ingredients—flour, eggs, baking powder among them—and feverishly began to cook. “My revenge will come soon enough…” Minutes passed before it was evident that Marnie Stewart was making more dough. She sat for another minute, however, staring at the mixture, as if contemplating its very existence and makeup. “Needs a bit more weight this time, I’d say,” she said. “We’ll up the ingredients—double the input, double the output. And then, make the portions a bit larger, yes, that will do.” Soon there were bowls of dough scattered all throughout the kitchen. In fact, more, it seemed, than what she had possessed when she last met the dragons and the Huntsclan. And still, still, she did not seem satisfied. “A few more ‘special ingredients’ could be useful,” she said to herself, and reached under the table into a tiny cupboard, from which she pulled a handful of small vials. She poured the contents of each vial into a different bowl. And then, she began to stir the dough once again, kneading it, shaping it, forming it…. Whilst the dough on the table sat unattended, finally finished, Marnie’s attention turned to the window nearest her, a window that was placed in the direction of the battle from which she had just came. “Soon,” she said quietly. “Soon they will know of my power. Soon, dragons, the Huntsclan, and magical creatures alike shall fear the name of Marnie Stewart. I shall see to it myself.”
(end) Rose awoke to the sound of talking—two people, it seemed. She recognized one immediately as the Huntsmaster, her uncle. The other had a deeper voice, one that Rose truly could not pinpoint. She concluded quickly, however, that it was one of her uncle’s colleagues in the Huntsclan, perhaps another huntsmaster from a different regiment of the Huntsclan. At any rate, their words were rushed, as if much needed to be done. And, thought Rose, they seemed to be right outside her door. She was in something resembling a holding cell—yes, that was it. She had seen such a cell before during her tenure with the Huntsclan: she had taken a prisoner there once. But she herself had never been a prisoner by ANY means. “—don’t care how ‘energetic’ he may be, the boy does not belong here!” snapped the voice Rose knew to belong to the Huntsmaster. “Be reasonable, Othello. He is not of their kind anymore!” came the other voice. “But he was. He was.”
Rose slid from the cot that she had been placed in and tiptoed towards the door, listening even more intently than before. She placed her hands on the door and turned her right ear against it, praying silently that no one would decide to open it. “Who’s to say, then, that he cannot revert back to his original form at sometime in the future?” said the Huntsmaster. “Or that he still feels some sympathies towards his former kind? He can’t be trusted, Kaustubh.” “Then what do you plan on doing with him?” Kaustubh asked. “At the very least, tell me this!” “Well, not that it concerns you, but I was fortunate enough to gather some highly useful information from the dragons themselves.” “Oh?” said Kaustubh interestedly. “Why yes, it so happens that further into the cave in which all of this began, there are tiny gemstones, which can act as an antidote to our little ‘problem.’ But of course, I shall have to get there before the dragons do.” “Why is this? I am confused, Othello; do you not desire the gemstones for the same reason as the dragons? The outcome will be the same, regardless of who gets there first!” “Now, that is not entirely true,” said the Huntsman sinisterly. “Do explain, then!” “You see, my brother,” the Huntsmaster started again, “once we possess the gemstones, we shall be able to switch Jake and Rose back. Jake knows this, and I am sure as well that Rose knows this is imminent. “The problem is that the both of them are notably good friends. My fear is that, even when Rose is switched back, she will still be drawn to him, and will oppose me once more.” He’s got that right, thought Rose. “Therefore, I shall make it my immediate priority to dispose of Jake as soon as he has become a dragon again. For then, the true American Dragon will finally be vanquished, and Rose will see no reason to disobey me!” Rose gasped and for a split second thought of opening the door and hurrying off to tell Jake. But the door was likely locked, and to boot, her uncle and Kaustubh were right outside. “So… kill the American Dragon once he has been returned to his right state?” “This is the plan.” “What does Jake know?” asked Kaustubh. “As far as he knows, we are going to the cave to destroy the gemstones. He thinks that we will not be changing him back, that he will be staying as part of the Huntsclan for all of time. He’s quite eager to carry out this plan as well… it almost pains me to have to lie to him.” There were footsteps as the Huntsmaster and Kaustubh walked away. “Almost,” he heard her uncle repeat, followed by laughter from both men.
Once she knew they were a good distance away, Rose reached down and grasped the door handle. She did not figure that it would be open, but it was sure worth a try—she needed to return to Grandpa, and to Fu, and to Sun! They needed to know of the Huntsclan’s plan. And furthermore, if she was unable to open it, there were always her dragon powers…. But to her surprise, the door clicked open without any sort of resistance whatsoever. She had never been locked in to begin with! It had not been two seconds before she was in her dragon form, soaring through the halls of the Huntsclan’s secret base. She was lucky, she thought to herself, that she knew the place—it would be far easier to escape. She rounded a corner, knowing this to be a direct shoot to an exit. Up ahead, she watched as uniformed Huntsclan members flung themselves from rooms, facing the approaching dragon. Apparently, someone had discovered that their ‘captive’ had been freed. But they were no problem for Rose, no problem at all. She had become quite good with breathing fire, and shot an imposing fireball through the hall, scattering the Huntsclan and creating, once more, a clear path. The fireball smashed into the door at the end of the hallway, and clear light shone inside the corridor—she was almost out alive. She folded her wings close to her body so that she could fit within the confines of the doorframe, and, with ease, shot outside into the welcoming fresh air. Immediately she spun to her left, as she knew this to be the direction of Grandpa’s shop. She did hope they would be there… she had plenty to tell them and they would have to act fast. Jake’s life depended on it. She did not look back once—a mistake, as it would turn out. For if she had turned to look back at the base, she would’ve seen, standing in the doorway, a black-haired boy, the boy that she was trying to save. Jake watched the dragon soar amongst the clouds, seeing her outline become fainter and fainter as she moved further away from the base. His mouth curved into a sly grin. He turned from the sight he had beheld and began to go back inside, uttering as he went: “Exactly as we planned.”
END CHAPTER
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Sept 10, 2008 15:38:38 GMT -5
Post by The Italian Dragon on Sept 10, 2008 15:38:38 GMT -5
OMG awesome ! It's a good idea to do this fic. I'm staying tuned ^^
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Sept 11, 2009 21:32:32 GMT -5
Post by isupposeihav2 on Sept 11, 2009 21:32:32 GMT -5
damn you and ur writing! u made me waste like an hr reading this only 4 a cliffhanger! thats it! u must die!!! *pulls outflame thower*burn!! I said bur- oh crap *explosion*
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Apr 15, 2015 23:32:20 GMT -5
Post by YFWE on Apr 15, 2015 23:32:20 GMT -5
Filing this under things I never thought would happen. Here's an update, six years late.
Switch Ch. 11: An Unlikely Partnership YFWE
Rose's greatest triumph as a dragon thus far had come, she felt, in the last hour or so. Not only had she made quick work of the Huntsclan practically as soon as she had met them in midair, flying at them as a yellow blur unable to be stopped by mere warm bodies planted firmly to the ground, regardless of what potent weapons they might be wielding -- she had also made it back to the city in what seemed like record time, though since she had never flown from the base in upstate New York to New York City as a dragon, she admittedly had a limited frame of reference.
Still, that did not mitigate her pride as she burst through the front door of Canal Street Electronics, her chest heaving from exhaustion but with the slightest of grins upon her face. She was back. She had escaped. She was home.
Home?
That she had considered the word troubled her at first -- Lao Shi, Fu Dog, home? -- but she had little time to mull it over, since she had just busted into someone's home and/or place of business (in this case, both) , and most would not take kindly to that sort of thing.
And sure enough -- WOOF! came the loud sound that occasionally emanated from Fu Dog, a rare but potent sign that he was in fact a dog... one that was hundreds of years old, sure, but a dog all the same. The noise rang out from the next room, however muffled, distant and a little hesitant -- Fu was not much of an attack dog, after all.
The shar-pei appeared from around the corner, growling, at which point Rose had already dusted herself off and shut the front door, turning to face him. "No, Fu, it's me! It's me!" Rose exclaimed, waving her claws wildly, having not yet realized that, yes, perhaps it was time to shift out of her dragon form, as such a form can tend to be much more formidable-looking than, say, a teenage girl.
Fu's eyes widened and he clutched his chest, narrowing his gaze. "Ah! Kid!" he shouted. "Almost gave me a heart attack, huh?!"
"Sorry, sorry!" she cried. "I, uh... yeah, let's get out of this dragon form."
By the time she did so, Lao Shi was there, less flustered than Fu but nonetheless noticeably breathing a heavy sigh of relief. "Rose," he gulped, rushing to her side. "You are... you..."
He sighed, reaching a hand to her shoulder. "I am glad you are all right."
Rose smiled a weary smile. "Same, you have no idea."
"Come," Grandpa said. "Into the living room. Fu Dog, make tea. I will call Sun, tell her to call off the search. Then perhaps... we can talk."
The next half hour was a blur. Rose found herself a place on the living room couch, greeted with a cup of tea a few minutes later -- lukewarm, but in hundreds of years, Fu had never quite mastered the art of tea brewing. She felt her muscles relax as she lay on the couch, every ounce of adrenaline that had activated within after her escape from the Huntsclan prison slowly oozing away. Sun was there later, and she had others with her, people Rose had not met -- some seemingly guards of some sort, donning sleek, skintight jumpsuits and carrying weapons of which she did not know the importance. The others were dressed in robes and other regal garb, one a man and the other a woman. Both spoke animatedly to Sun and stole a few glances into the room where Rose lay, deliriously tired and unabashedly unaware of all dealings within the home, while one of the guards, eventually, stood watch.
When she finally came to after a brief rest, she was no longer alone with just the guard. Lao Shi was there, Sun and the two unknowns with him. She awoke in time to see Fu arriving with a fresh cup of tea; the other had since grown cold.
"Hello, Rose," Sun breathed. Her expression was one of warmth, yet motherly concern. "How are you? And please, spare no detail; we must know."
Rose felt fine enough. After all, she was not hurt at the Huntsclan prison -- at least that she recalled. She had been exhausted from the flight, perhaps fatigued given she did not know how long she had been gone and locked away, but above all, neither her body nor her mind felt seemed deeply affected, save for the part about Jake.
Her eyes snapped wide open. Oh, yes, that.
"There's something you need to know," Rose blurted, and Sun, who had leaned in near Rose, was momentarily taken aback.
"Yes? What is it, dear? What did they do to you?"
"Oh, not me," Rose said, rising a bit from the couch, propping herself up with her elbows. "I'm fine. No, really, I am. But it's Jake, Sun, Lao. It's Jake. They have a plan."
"Well, of course," one of the new entrants, a blue-haired woman, spoke. "The Huntsclan always has a plan -- mind you, it's usually the same. I can't imagine Mr. Long, as the new Huntsmaster's apprentice, would not be privy to their plan to rid the world of --"
"Ma'am, you're forgetting I was part of it, too," Rose countered, snapping perhaps a bit too much -- but she did not know the woman, though there was a twinge of familiarity, so what did she care? "No, it's a plan that involves Jake, but I don't think he's in on it."
"...go on," said the blue-haired woman, noticeably irked but attentive.
"They know about the antidote. And once they get it, they're going to kill Jake."
Lao Shi furrowed his brow, shooting a furtive glance at Sun before gazing sternly at his new dragon pupil. "And what about you?"
"I don't know," Rose replied, shaking her head. "Probably return me to my rightful state as the Huntsmaster's apprentice. They said with Jake gone, I would have no need to disobey him."
"Kill the dragon," Fu said, "kill the source of weakness."
"Sure, but I wouldn't want to go back to the Huntsclan," she countered. "I understand everything now. I don't want to hunt magical creatures, especially dragons. And I can't hurt Jake. I just can't."
"It may not matter -- we know what happened when you two switched, after all!"
Lao Shi's words cut through Rose, though she doubted he intended it. It was something that had troubled her ever since her new life began -- why did Jake undergo such a sea change, one that saw him go from the carefree, fun-loving, goofy kid she had known and enjoyed the company of to the mean-spirited, perhaps downright evil boy that saw no issue with turning on his kind and skinning them to please the Huntsmaster? Rose had once been that way, but not at the time of the change. It was as though Jake had taken over the persona the Huntsmaster had always craved in an apprentice, the manifestation of the hellbent-on-domination Huntsboy that Rose could have been but never was.
Eventually, after a few moments of silence, Lao Shi spoke up: "Ah, Rose, I am sorry -- our guests, you do not know them, do you?"
Rose shook her head. There was a familiarity there, but she could not quite pinpoint it.
"These are councilors Andam and Omina of the Dragon Council. Sun had enlisted the Council's help once you went missing. They organized and oversaw the search."
That was where Rose recognized them -- however brief, the Huntsclan and members of the Council had met in combat previously. She nodded to each of them. "Thank you. It's an honor that you came for me."
"The American Dragon was in danger," Andam responded. "No matter your past transgressions, it would not be right of us to abandon one of our own."
Own. The word echoed in Rose's mind. ...Home.
"So," Omina said, "do you know anything more of the plan?"
"I wish I did. All I overheard was that they wanted to switch us back, kill Jake, set me in line."
"And then what?"
"Then... well, then I escaped."
"How?"
"The doors were just open." And as soon as she said it, a wave of realization came over Rose; it was something she had not thought of before then, a choice detail that slipped her mind in the rush to escape. The doors had just been... open. She had walked out free.
"So what you're saying is that right after you overheard the Huntsclan discussing what we assume to be their master plan, you found that the cell that was holding you was actually unlocked the entire time? And you were able to waltz out undetected?"
"There were guards," Rose recalled. "Once I was out, they seemed to discover me pretty quickly. I was shot at, they had weapons, but I took them down before escaping."
"Which is interesting," said Andam. "Because from what I understand, your dragon powers are far from fully realized, though modest in their strength."
"Like the Huntsclan wanted you to escape," Lao Shi said.
And that had been the conclusion to which Rose had not wanted to arrive, but the likelihood was more and more reasonable with every breath. Most importantly: the unlocked door. In no way did that add up; the Huntsclan had always been very thorough with its prisoners and their captivity. No way the Huntsmaster would overlook such a crucial detail.
"I wonder, then," Sun said. She was on the edge of the room, near the window, gazing out of it in a deep thought that had been broken with her speech. "Is the plan imparted to Rose, and then to us, truly real?"
"The million dollar question," added Fu.
"So wait, you don't think Jake is in danger at all?" Rose demanded, her fingers tensing as they clasped the edge of the couch arms. All this time, her chief worry had been Jake and his safety, despite the Huntsboy's obvious intentions to do her harm. But if all along her worry had been misplaced....
"He could be," Lao Shi said, "and he could not. There really is no way of knowing without confronting them ourselves."
xXxXxXx
From where he sat, the Huntmaster could hear the slightest rustling of trees, shaking however rigidly in the fall breeze. Often they mistook this sound for an approaching intruder, given the similarities -- and now was no different, his best guards on high alert outside the rural upstate base on the occasion that the dragons, especially Lao Shi and his new pet, arrived in the vicinity.
And he expected it. His plan, which began with casually informing Rose of his very false plan to fre her from her duties as the American Dragon -- killing Jake in the process -- followed his trickery with a visit to the Huntsclan base rather than the cave where the Crystal of Tilton's antidote resided. The imminent battle between the two groups would not take place in neutral ground; rather, he would have home field advantage. Only Rose would know the place -- of course, this was why it was crucial to kidnap her but set her free, so she could lead the dragons back -- but she was still a child. A mere child. No threat, certainly, to the Huntsmaster.
But he had not expected them to arrive so soon.
The Huntsmaster enjoyed his study at this particular base since it was of course concealed but so close to the surface that any living thing stepping on the ground above him could be heard with minimal effort. Normally there was nothing to worry about, a forest-dwelling animal the culprit. But he was trained by now to distinguish between the two, and what he heard was unmistakably human.
But just one. Interesting.
Nevertheless, it was his immediate order that the perpetrator be met outside, as was customary. A team of guards would intercept the visitor and out would come the Huntsmaster, engulfed in his longest flowing purple robe, his helmet adorning his head as though he was a skeleton-like dragon himself, to meet whomever had traveled to the base. A mere accident that someone had stumbled upon their hiding spot? No matter; a simple mind-erasing potion would do the trick.
Today that was not the case. Instead, greeting the Huntsmaster as he strode into sheltered sunlight was a smirk he recognized, though he had only met it once before. It was confident, yet unhinged; welcoming and upsetting.
"You," he growled. "From the satyr safehouse."
"I hardly think you should forget my name already. Marnie Stewart is the name. And you're the Huntsmaster."
"That's true, I am," the Huntsmaster said curtly. "And this is my territory. What, pray tell, is your business within its bounds?"
"Well," Stewart gingerly attempted to shoulder herself away from the Huntsclan guards who had intercepted her, taking a step toward the Huntsman before a sharp, glinting blade found itself in front of her, daring her to pass. She paused. "...I think you and I may desire the same thing. And against the same party."
"And what's that?"
"Revenge," she seethed, smirking again.
The Huntsmaster did not speak at first, his narrow eyes squinted even further at the revelation before him: the small blond-haired woman, her arms folded, a rolling pin tucked into some kind of holster at her side as though it were a gun. Soon enough, he emitted a brief chuckle. Then another, and another. Soon the patch of forest was filled with the deep, reverberating laughter of the Huntsmaster, booming throughout the small clearing while nearby a flock of bluebirds dashed away.
Stewart's right eye twitched. She had not expected the warmest of interceptions, certainly, but she, Marnie Stewart, made a mockery? It was nearly more than she could handle.
"Listen, y-" she began with a growl, but softened once she saw the Huntsmaster's eye turn toward her, his gaze narrowed menacingly. "I-I mean, I'm sorry, what exactly is so funny?"
The Huntsmaster's voiced dripped with sarcasm as he shrugged. "Certainly. Partners. You make a lot of sense, my dear."
"And why not? Trust me, Huntsmaster, I love to laugh -- but I fail to see what was so funny in this instance."
He stepped forward, sauntering slowly toward Stewart, his eyes not leaving hers. Marnie stood firm, resilient in her offer.
"Because," the Huntsmaster spoke finally, having circled his former opponent like a tiger ready to pounce, "I don't trust you. Just a short time ago, you tried to harm not only our common enemy, but also my soldiers and I. Your motives do not seem aligned with ours."
"Probably an honest assessment."
"So you'll forgive me if I avoid fighting the urge to kill you here, as though you were an irritating, meaningless gnat."
For once Stewart was speechless, her blonde hair matted against her forehead from a combination of stress and having massaged the tender area with her hands, wincing uncomfortably.
But if there was one thing on which she prided herself, it was her quick wit. Her hands lowered to her waist, then clasped together, and she rubbed them as though she were washing them -- cleansing herself of the sudden dreariness that had washed over her when her initial plan had not gone the way she hoped. No, it will not end here, she thought. Draw him in, draw him in....
"It's true, we may have been enemies once, my friend," she said curtly. "But you must know about my own allies."
"Your allies?"
"Yes, indeed, my allies. And they would be your allies, too."
The Huntsmaster said nothing -- not a "go on," not a "get out." Nothing.
And that was all the opening Marnie Stewart needed.
From the apron that was still wound tightly around her waist, she pulled a wad of brown-ish dough. Then another. And another. She gingerly placed the dough in a line before her on the grass, spaced apart evenly, and produced a tiny vial, much like those she had used to knead and shape the dough to begin with in her home.
She shot one last glance at the Huntmaster, who watched intently, yet diffidently. "Watch this," she breathed with a smirk, and poured out part of the small bottle's contents onto the dough -- one drop at a time.
It took a moment, but soon the dough began to emit a slight, yellow glow. And then it began to rise and expand, both upward and outward. Limb-like appendages appeared where they had not been before and the dough's surface teemed, as though alive.
The Huntsmaster could only grin.
END
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Blaise Zebrataur
Young Warrior Dragon
The Best Greeter
Ranked 31st in most posts on the forum
Posts: 1,740
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Apr 16, 2015 18:50:33 GMT -5
Post by Blaise Zebrataur on Apr 16, 2015 18:50:33 GMT -5
Dang....you are a really good writer.
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Apr 17, 2015 16:02:37 GMT -5
Post by YFWE on Apr 17, 2015 16:02:37 GMT -5
Hey, much appreciated, homie! ^_^
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