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Post by YFWE on Sept 12, 2008 18:30:19 GMT -5
You guys want a teaser for the final part of TDC?
Got one for you right here! The Dragon Chronicles Part 3: The Mystic Fountain Chapter 1: On the Run The walls inside the Stevenson Academy of Excellence shook violently, picture frames dropping off of the nails that had held them. Students threw themselves to the floor, hands over their head, as ceiling fragments rained down upon them. One might have, at first, thought there to be an earthquake… the only problem was that they were in Pennsylvania, not notorious for its earthquakes. No, this was something different. The rumbling lasted but a few seconds, but it was not by any means peaceful. Immediately, the collective attention of the students was shifted to the many windows of the academy. Kate’s cell phone began to ring almost instantly. Not even bothering to check the caller ID, she flipped it open and spoke: “What? Who is this?!” “Kate, it’s Laura. Are you okay?” “I’m fine! Why—“ “Look outside, now.” Kate’s eyes widened, her mouth agape. She turned quickly to her companion, Jake Long, who returned a blank, unknowing stare. Beyond them, Ash, who had previously been speaking to another group of students, stared at her expectantly. She rushed to the nearest window, flinging her hands onto the windowsill, squinting so as to see who—or what—was outside better. All others in that particular hallway, it seemed, followed suit. Outside, on the front lawn, were hundreds of dragons, trolls, giants, and other various other magical creatures. Leading the group was the remaining members of the Dragon Council, Councilors Andam and Omina, plus a few other older dragons that the students perceived to be the newer inductees into the Dragon Council. “Students of the Stevenson Academy of Excellence!” boomed Andam’s voice across the grounds, magnified nearly a hundred times as if being spoken through an incredibly strong megaphone. “This is your only warning. Please vacate the premises. If you do so, you will find that we are merciful. But do not test us, if you wish to survive the night!” Kate whirled around to face Jake. “What are they talking about?!” “I—I don’t know,” the American Dragon responded bemusedly. “Guys!” Ash came running up to them. “You gotta see this.” “What is it, Ash?” asked Kate. “I repeat, this is your only warning! All inside are under arrest—“ roared Andam. Ash pointed a finger at the window. “Check out who’s standing behind Andam and Omina.” Their gazes returned to the attacking mass. There, standing behind the front group of dragons, was none other than Adam Sharp, a.k.a. Atticus Stevenson. Andam finished his sentence: “—for aiding and conniving with the Reich!” END TEASER I am now working on the remainder of this chapter. But until the day comes when I can complete it, I will leave you all to ponder what has happened. And what HAS happened, you may ask?
Well, aside from what was in the teaser, I cannot say much more! :]
Appreciate your feedback!
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Post by ADJLFanatic on Sept 12, 2008 22:13:48 GMT -5
It's so short, even for Kevin. D: But eh, it WAS a preview anyway, so it might as well be considered long... hm, maybe. I'm probably going crazy that's all.
I loved the scene you added in there, though (if that wasn't exactly the beginning or whatever, that is. If it was, then ignore what I just said) and just having a couple of paragraphs already gives me a good feel on what to look forward to. Which is what a preview SHOULD do, if it really is worth "checking out," so good job. That's pretty crazy, though, and the whole Andam thing kinda confused me.
Is he with them? Gasp. I dunno. I'm out of it today, so basically, I can't tell whether he's arresting the people in the academy or Adam Sharp. Really, I wish I could understand right now, but you know how I am. I'm naturally ADD-ish, slow, and now, I'm not in a very good mood either, so you know.
Sorry to be a rain cloud on the parade. BUT, trying to be positive, I really did like it. I hope you didn't "take it seriously" and think that I didn't, cause well, I loved it. I can't exactly say too much more since it wasn't long. Trust me, I would say more, but right now, it's cause of that and cause my friends are dragging me to a food festival fair thing on a Friday night. Whoo, fun.
By the way, I know it just SUCKS how I never update anymore, but I seriously have no motivation anymore. I can't work on fics I've already started cause reading it really did make me feel like I did a terrible job. And well, there's a lot more to it. It's not that I don't have time anymore. That's only half or part of it. Not only is life excruciatingly difficult right when I want to be active with my fan fics, but because well... yeah, I don't think I'll say anymore. I hear a car honking several million times outside, so that's my cue.
Later.
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Post by charles finley. on Sept 13, 2008 1:39:09 GMT -5
omgkevinpostedsomethingshortomg. D: xd; FINISH IT. NAO. God, Kevin. You must not take forever, mkays? Cause ... taking forever is not an excuse. XD It was great, though! Suspenseful. God damn, Kevin. Posting a teaser just makes it worse. You know that, right? You should. Cause it does. Now comes the nagging ... Srsly. Post the real thing soon, kays? kthnkxbai.
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Post by The Italian Dragon on Sept 13, 2008 5:11:04 GMT -5
Really nice fic. I'm waiting for updates
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Post by Chaos on Sept 13, 2008 17:15:42 GMT -5
Hahaha, on the run, eh? As you know, I am liking the thought of that twist and how the whole fugitives thing will work on us. Maybe make us divided and start fights and break-ups!? =0
Either way, I did like that. It was a perfect teaser. Like a commercial! Coming this Fall... XD
I'm not sure what else to say. I'm not in this. =/ XDDD I don't care, cause I will be in the real thing. Right? RIGHT!? DAMNIT KEVIN, ANSWER ME. AHHHHH!!!!
Now, if you could just not kill Popuri, I'd be happy with that. <3
So, there you go, my stupid review. I'm very excited about the rest of the chapter and hope you DO update tonight. =D
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Post by The Italian Dragon on Sept 14, 2008 13:10:02 GMT -5
Chaos said what I was thinking ^^. It seems to be the script of a movie ^^
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Post by YFWE on Sept 14, 2008 14:30:18 GMT -5
I love you all <3
I'm going to try to finish the chapter tonight.
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Post by YFWE on Sept 14, 2008 19:34:29 GMT -5
The Dragon Chronicles
Part 3: The Mystic Fountain
Chapter 1: On the Run
The walls inside the Stevenson Academy of Excellence shook violently, picture frames dropping off of the nails that had held them. Students threw themselves to the floor, hands over their head, as ceiling fragments rained down upon them. One might have, at first, thought there to be an earthquake… the only problem was that they were in Pennsylvania, not notorious for its earthquakes. No, this was something different.
The rumbling lasted but a few seconds, but it was not by any means peaceful. Immediately, the collective attention of the students was shifted to the many windows of the academy.
Kate’s cell phone began to ring almost instantly. Not even bothering to check the caller ID, she flipped it open and spoke: “What? Who is this?!”
“Kate, it’s Laura. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine! Why—“
“Look outside, now.”
Kate’s eyes widened, her mouth agape. She turned quickly to her companion, Jake Long, who returned a blank, unknowing stare. Beyond them, Ash, who had previously been speaking to another group of students, stared at her expectantly.
She rushed to the nearest window, flinging her hands onto the windowsill, squinting so as to see who—or what—was outside better. All others in that particular hallway, it seemed, followed suit.
Outside, on the front lawn, were hundreds of dragons, trolls, giants, and other various other magical creatures. Leading the group was the remaining members of the Dragon Council, Councilors Andam and Omina, plus a few other older dragons that the students perceived to be the newer inductees into the Dragon Council.
“Students of the Stevenson Academy of Excellence!” boomed Andam’s voice across the grounds, magnified nearly a hundred times as if being spoken through an incredibly strong megaphone. “This is your only warning. Please vacate the premises. If you do so, you will find that we are merciful. But do not test us, if you wish to survive the night!”
Kate whirled around to face Jake. “What are they talking about?!”
“I—I don’t know,” the American Dragon responded bemusedly.
“Guys!” Ash came running up to them. “You gotta see this.”
“What is it, Ash?” asked Kate.
“I repeat, this is your only warning! All inside are under arrest—“ roared Andam.
Ash pointed a finger at the window. “Check out who’s standing behind Andam and Omina.”
Their gazes returned to the attacking mass. There, standing behind the front group of dragons, was none other than Adam Sharp, a.k.a. Atticus Stevenson.
Andam finished his sentence: “—for aiding and conniving with the Reich!”
FLASHBACK
Shade’s voice was barely distinguishable over the roar of the crowd inside the packed auditorium. The seven remaining dragons of Master Shi’s Soldiers had gathered together every student in the academy and had diverted them into the largest room they could find, one that could contain not only the students, but a few ‘guests’ as well.
Seated in the front few rows of the room were the ninety dragons that had been discovered in the basement of the academy—Jake Long seated in the very middle, in the front row. Around him, the other dragons were talking quickly, as if happy to see each other again. Beyond them were the other students of the academy, from whom most of the noise was coming from—it was not every day, after all, that one finds that one’s school is run by a group of people trying to kill them. They certainly had a lot to talk about.
Kay dashed up to Shade with a microphone in her hand. “Sorry, it was really hard to find,” she sighed, handing the device to him. “Good luck!”
Before Shade had a chance to respond with his thanks, Kay ran to join the other six of their group, along with Lao Shi and Christian Hoffman. James flashed a quick thumbs-up, and a few of the others gave fleeting nods of extolment, Raffi giving him a radiant grin in addition. Shade smiled back, took a deep breath, and turned to the imposing, raucous crowd that was seated before him.
“Everyone listen up!” Shade shouted into the microphone, and with this, the painful sound of feedback reverberated through the room. The crowd’s shrill conversing swiftly became near-screams of anguish as they held their ears.
“Sorry,” said Shade, much more quiet than before. “Okay, so you’re probably wondering why we brought you all in here….”
At this, a boy towards the back of the room stood up and shouted, “What’s going on? Where’s Atticus? What did you guys do to him?!”
The crowd responded loudly, some murmuring in agreement, others shouting certain words back at the boy. The sound of a gunshot shot through the room, effectively silencing everyone once more.
Christian Hoffman had stood, his hand raised, and strangely enough, there were the faintest traces of smoke emitting from his fingers. He nodded curtly to Shade, and took his seat.
Shade gulped. “Look… I know that many of you want answers, but you’re going to have to remain calm. All of us up here can tell you everything that we know has happened… but you have to understand, we don’t know everything.”
“But we do know this: Atticus Stevenson was going to kill us all!” yelled Ash. “Each and every one of us!”
A slow murmur had resurfaced from the crowd, but for fear of Hoffman silencing them again, it was kept to a minimum. “Why did he bring us here, then?” a girl asked.
“It’s hard to say,” Shade said. “Honestly, I think that he wanted us here so that, when the time came to kill us, they had us all here together. It would be far easier to kill a group of people when they are together rather than when they are spread out.”
“But why would he want to kill us?”
“Because this whole faculty is actually part of the Reich!”
There came a collective roar once more from the entire group. It was evident that they had heard about the Reich; perhaps they had been told about them just as Atticus—rather, Adam— had told the dragons.
“Atticus Stevenson’s real name is Adam Sharp,” continued Shade, not waiting for the crowd to silence themselves. “Adam Sharp is also known as the Sovereign, who is, as we all know, the leader of the Reich. The entire staff of the school was part of the Reich as well—and there are even some guys out there who were not part of the faculty, but are still extremely dangerous. We know—we met them.”
Another boy raised his hand. “So did you guys really succeed in saving the dragons, though? Why would they send you to a place to save them?”
“They weren’t there,” said Shade. “We were sent there so that we could be finished off by the Reich. Luckily, we were obviously able to evade them. Once we got back, Ash and Kate were able to find the dragons… in the basement of the academy!”
“We were able to chase off the Reich, but they could return at any minute,” he continued. “That’s why we are going to have to leave here soon.”
“Where will we go?” asked a few people.
“I… don’t know. I wish I did, but I don’t… but I do know that we can’t stay here.”
“Are we gonna fight them?” another asked.
“Eventually, yes,” sighed Shade. “We’re gonna have to… or at least, we’re gonna have to find someone who can. Jake Long mentioned contacting the Dragon Council. Jake… mind coming up here?”
Jake rose from his seat and leapt up to center stage, taking the microphone from Shade. “Here’s the deal, guys,” he said. “These guys used us, abused us, and imprisoned us for a few months! Until today, none of us had seen the light of day for ages. I hadn’t seen any of my friends or family until just today. The point is,” he continued, “these guys have wronged us, and it’s time for them to pay. The problem is, I don’t know if we can beat them alone… that’s why I’m going to try to get the help of the Dragon Council.”
“We could get the WOPW involved as well, right?” shouted Will.
“We definitely should. Strength in numbers, guys. If we get them on our side, we’ll be unstoppable.”
“Don’t mean to interrupt, Jake,” said Fred Nerk as he stood. “But I’ve been askin’ around the others, and since you seem to be our little leader of sorts, I was just wonderin’: d’you have the tiny scars on your arm as well?”
The dragons muttered in sync, some holding up their own arms, showing the part under the elbow joint. There were tiny holes dotted amongst that part of their arms.
“I do,” Jake replied. “I think we all do.”
Suddenly, Laura leapt up. “I remember! It was in the vision I saw at the labyrinth… they were experimenting on you!”
“Yes, they were,” Fred nodded. “I just wonder what for.”
“It’ll mean something, I’m sure,” Jake said. “I don’t think the Reich would simply experiment on us and have no reasoning behind it… the problem is, I don’t have any idea as to what they might’ve been trying to do.”
Jake turned back to Shade. “Anything else you’d like to say?”
Shade nodded, taking the microphone back from Jake, who leapt once more from the stage and returned to his seat. “Alright, guys, this is it. We’ve gotta get out of here, and soon. I say tomorrow morning at the latest… and then, once we’re out… well, Jake, you can contact the Council, right?”
“I’ll do it tonight,” he replied. “I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to hear from us…”
“Then that’s it,” Shade clasped his hands together. “Thank you all for your time. If you have any more questions, feel free to talk to one us up here.”
He gave a quick wave, and then walked briskly back to his accomplices. “How’d I do?” he asked breathlessly.
“Good!” Raffi smiled. “A little vague, but hopefully they’ll leave us alone now.”
“In the meantime,” James said, “we should probably figure out where the dragons are gonna stay tonight, if we’re not leaving ‘til morning.”
“Yeah, good idea… I’ll get Jake and talk to him about it,” Kate smiled. She jumped down from the stage and headed over to the American Dragon.
“Is it just me,” said Kay as she watched the two, “or is she really into him?”
“Oh, she completely is,” replied Ash. “I’ve noticed since we were able to find him in the basement… she hadn’t left his side until just recently.”
“Man, he’s way out of her league,” said Laura. “I might have to have a talk with her later about that.” She straightened up. “I guess I’ll see you guys later?”
“Yeah,” said Raffi. “I think we could all use a break from all this…”
END FLASHBACK
“They got to the Dragon Council!” shouted Ash. “Sharp got inside their heads. Dammit!”
Kate stared, trembling, out of the window. “There’s hundreds of them!” she cried, turning to Jake. “What should we do?”
“I… I…” stuttered Jake. “…don’t know…”
Kate suddenly seemed to remember that she was on the phone with Laura, and flung her cell phone to her ear. “Laura, still there?!”
“Yeah, I am. Master Shi’s with me now… tell everyone you can to assemble by the entrance, okay?”
“Why the entrance? We’re not going out there, are we? …hello?!”
Laura had ended the call. Growling, Kate turned to Jake, who seemed to have been listening intently to their conversation. “Tell everyone you can—get to the entrance hall.” She repeated this message to Ash, and then took off through the halls, yelling instructions as she went.
Laura, Master Shi, James, and about a hundred other students and dragons were already by the entrance. For the sake of being able to hear instructions and directions, however, many were uncharacteristically quiet, instead making fleeting glances out the windows, at the ever-waiting Dragon Council. Laura had called everyone she could, and slowly but surely, all were finding their way into the large room. Raffi and Shade were the final ones to arrive.
“What are we gonna do, guys?” Kay asked quickly. “I don’t get it, what’s happened?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Hoffman. “Sharp was able to get to the Dragon Council before we could. Somehow made them believe that you children are to blame for everything, that you’ve taken the side of the Reich.”
“Do they know that the dragons are in here?”
“The Reich would not omit that detail, trust me,” Hoffman replied. “More than likely, he’s convinced them that you all are under a mind control spell of some sort… Sharp always liked the idea of mind control.”
“Should someone go out and explain it to them, then?” Shade asked.
“I am afraid,” said Lao Shi, “that the Council shall not listen to reason. I do not know of these new Council members, and they may, on instinct, decide to attack as soon as someone exits the academy.”
The building shook violently once more. Many students ducked for cover, while others were knocked off their feet. A large portion of the ceiling came toppling down, towards the students….
Hoffman threw out his right hand, his teeth gritted. The large piece of plaster froze in midair, hovering there for a few moments. Hoffman threw his arm out in a tossing motion, and the plaster was hurled up the grand staircase, into an upper floor of the academy.
“Get out of here,” Lao Shi told the dragons. “It is your only option.”
“But they’ll see us!” Raffi shouted.
“Not necessarily,” Hoffman said. “Listen closely, everyone!” he shouted. “By the window by the swimming pool, you will find a small tree in a pot up against the wall; I’m sure you know of it. Move the pot to the right, and you will find a small button. Press the button and turn to your rear… the wall will reveal a door that was certainly not there before. I used this passageway whenever I needed to sneak out of the academy; since I created it, I am almost certain that the Reich does not know about it. It will lead into a tunnel, which will seemingly stretch for miles—trust me, it is a long one. But keep going, and soon you will find yourself in the forest. There… well, you will know what to do. Trust me.”
“Can everyone fit in there?” Shade asked.
“They will have to. It’s our only option.”
“What about you two, then?” said Ash.
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Post by YFWE on Sept 14, 2008 19:35:13 GMT -5
Hoffman looked down at Lao Shi. “If I am not mistaken,” he said, “Lao would like me to accompany him outside. Am I correct?”
“If you are up to the task,” Lao Shi whispered, “my friend.”
Hoffman nodded. “Shade, Jake, everyone else—get everyone in that tunnel. We will find you. I promise.”
The seven dragon students nodded to Hoffman, and then to Lao Shi. “I am proud,” Lao Shi said, “to have called myself your dragon master.” He turned to Jake as well. “All of you.”
“I’m not leaving you…” Jake said grimly.
“As your master and as your grandfather, I am telling you, Jake—leave with them. Do not disobey me.”
“But what about you? They’ll kill you!”
The students had begun to shuffle towards the pool area, just about everyone that had resided at the academy knowing what Hoffman had spoken of, the other dragons following along attentively. A mere few people remained in the hall.
“If it comes to that,” said Lao Shi, “then I would say that I have lived a good life. What about you, Christian?”
“By serving you all,” Hoffman said, a bit sadly, “I will have served my kind, and I will have had a hand in saving the magical world. I could not ask for more.”
“That settles it,” Lao Shi turned back to the students. “Go.”
“No…”
Kate grasped Jake’s arm and pulled him towards the others. “C’mon, please… you’re the American Dragon… we need you…”
“Grandpa!” Jake cried out.
Lao Shi gave a sad wave, and whirled around his wheelchair to face the front door of the academy. “Are you ready?” he asked Hoffman.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Hoffman put his hand to the doorknob, turned it, and let the setting sun’s rays fill the hall. He wheeled Lao Shi out of the door, and, not taking another look back, shut the door behind him.
Upon the sight of these two men, many of the trolls waved their clubs, and other creatures let out battle cries of excitement. But they did not move forward, they did not make any attempt to attack. Instead, they watched this amusing sight—a man in a wheelchair, and then another man whose only real purpose, it seemed, was to get the man outside. Only a select few—all dragons, it seemed—appeared to know what was occurring.
“Lao!” shouted Andam. “What are you doing here?”
Andam, Omina, and the other supposed members of the Dragon Council stepped forward, along with Sharp.
“Good evening, Councilors,” said Lao Shi as soon as the two groups met. “To whom do I owe this honor?”
“Atticus here told me…”
“Whatever he told you is a lie,” Hoffman chimed in. He shot a hateful look at Sharp.
“They’ve been taken by the Reich’s mind control!” Sharp exclaimed. “Council, you mustn’t listen to them!”
Andam turned back to Lao Shi. “My friend,” he said, “he has said that the students of this academy have been brainwashed by the Reich… including the dragon children whom we have been searching for. They have run Atticus and his faculty out and have threatened them with death.”
“A lie,” Lao Shi replied. “I can assure you, Councilor, my grandson and his friends are perfectly under their own power.”
“And who is this with you?”
“He’s the one I was telling you about, Councilor,” Sharp said. “He’s a rogue, a spy, a traitor! I think that he is the one that has turned my students against me!”
“Is it true that you were employed by this academy?” Omina asked.
“It is, but—“
“Then there is no question,” spoke a newer Council member, an Asian man with long black hair. “He cannot be trusted. And neither can Lao Shi.”
Andam looked longingly at Lao Shi.
“I shall not deter you from what your fellow Council members have to say,” Lao Shi responded. “I ask only that you do what is right.”
“Can you provide us any evidence that the students have not done what Atticus says they have done?” asked Omina. It was clear that she was having the same internal fight that Andam was.
“I cannot.”
Andam and Omina winced. For a split second, a grin seemed to form at Adam Sharp’s mouth.
“Then you leave me with no choice,” Andam said sadly. He stepped forward, and raised a long staff. “I am sorry…” he said with nearly no volume at all, with what appeared to be a tear sliding down his face, “…my friend.”
Lao Shi did not reply, but merely stared back into Andam’s eyes. Hoffman’s hands slid down to the old man’s shoulders, clutching them tightly.
Two large orbs of yellow light came from Andam’s staff. The orbs floated to both men, encompassing them inside the bubble-like structures.
Slowly, bits and pieces of Hoffman and Lao Shi began to fall away, disintegrating into nothingness. It continued, picking up pace, it seemed. And then, inside the orbs, there was nothing. They were gone.
The crowd of magical creatures began to move slowly towards the academy. Inside, at the window nearest the front door, a hawk left its perch at the windowsill and soared back through the hallways of the academy, turning sharply into the passageway Hoffman had directed them to go to.
Students had already begun to climb out of the tunnel into the fleeting sunlight, as night began to set itself upon the forest. As with before, there was not much talking occurring—many believed that the likelihood of the Council hearing them was present, as they did not know how far, exactly, they had ventured from the academy.
Jake Long and Kate were the final two people inside the tunnel. They saw the light ahead of them, welcoming it after having been in near-pitch-darkness for what seemed like forever. But they paused… a hawk had just landed ahead of them. A few of the other dragon students peered down into the tunnel, wondering what the reason for the holdup was. The hawk’s features melted away as its size expanded greatly, reverting back into its human form. The shape shifter, a boy named Mark, one of Will’s friends, straightened up, took a deep breath, and said, “They killed them. The Council killed Hoffman and Master Shi.”
“NO!”
Jake had freed himself from Kate’s grip and, in a burst of orange flame, had changed into his dragon form and had rocketed back down the tunnel. “Jake!” Mark called back. “They’re coming inside. THEY’RE COMING INSIDE!”
“I’ve got him!” Kay changed into a dragon and bounded after Jake on all fours.
Jake had always been a fast flyer, and he showed it by having navigated the tunnel in almost no time. But Kay was faster on the ground, and she tackled him right at the entrance of the tunnel.
“Get off me!” Jake growled, plunging his claws into Kay’s side. She howled in pain, relinquishing her grip on the dragon and rolling to the side. But before Jake could get up again, a yellow dragon flew out of the darkness and pinned him to the wall.
“Getta hold of y’self, mate!” Fred Nerk screamed into his face.
“They killed him…” stammered Jake. “H-he didn’t even do anything…”
“We can’t change that, Jake,” Fred replied. “What’s done is done. We gotta get the others outta here!”
“Go! I’ll stay.”
“Not today, m’boy,” Fred flung the dragon over his shoulder, which seemed to prove faulty, as almost immediately he buckled under the pressure.
“Jake, they’re right outside!” Kay yelled, having recovered from Jake’s attack. “It’s gonna be one against five hundred!”
Jake glared at the doorway, and then back down the tunnel. “…I want them to pay. I want them to suffer!”
“Then come with us,” Kay said. “Help us beat the Reich! We can do it with your help.”
“Yeah, mate… you’re our leader,” Fred added.
Jake sniffled once, and turned his back on the doorway. “Let’s go, then.”
And so they went—rather quickly, as could be inferred. But, as they would find out, those inside the academy would not be able to ignore the open door for much longer. And when they found it… thus would begin a chase like none any of them had ever experienced.
(end)
They were crowded around the large object, not having known at first what it was they had stumbled upon. It was almost like a mirror, at least in terms of size—except for the fact that no one’s reflection showed up in it. There were small buttons and a touch screen on the side of the mirror-like object, and it was tall enough to fit just about any person’s frame into it.
Kay knelt down beside the object. “What do you think it is?” she asked the others.
“It seems important,” Raffi replied, “whatever it is. Like it was placed here… you know, for a reason.”
Jake stared at the object, trying still to push the thought of his grandfather out of his mind. But just as he tried to do this, another thought entered his mind. It was of Hoffman—and, more distinctively, of what Hoffman had said before they had left.
“But keep going, and soon you will find yourself in the forest. There… well, you will know what to do. Trust me.”
“What did he mean?” Jake whispered to himself. “I don’t know what to do…”
And then, it hit him.
“It’s a teleporter,” he said suddenly. “Fu showed me one once.” He turned to everyone else. “They want us to get out of here by teleporting out.”
Shade rushed over to the teleporter and scrutinized the small touch pad. “He’s right,” he announced. “There’s a place here for your exact location and everything.”
“But where to go?” Ash asked.
“I have an idea,” replied Shade. “Hold on.” He then addressed the entire group. “Everyone, I don’t think we have a lot of time so I’ll have to make this quick.
“I understand that there are a lot of us, and we really can’t keep traveling like this. In that case, I’m giving you all this option: you can either help us, or you can go home to your families. I say this mostly to my classmates here at the academy. I know that none of you asked for this, and I know that many of you are simply glad to be alive. So I say this now: if you do not want to fight, if you do not want to risk your life, go home now. Really, it’s okay.
“Those of you that would like to stay with us, please move off to the left,” Shade directed. “Everyone else, get in a line near the teleporter. Try to move quickly, everyone!” And with this, Shade located Jake, and walked quickly to him. “Anywhere we all can go?”
Jake paused. “Got a cell phone?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I have an idea.”
Shade handed over his phone, and Jake walked deep into the forest, away from the main group. After stopping to think for a moment, he reached down and began to dial a number. To his relief, it began to ring.
“Hi, you’ve reached Canal Street Electronics, we’re closed right now, but maybe—“
“Fu, it’s me,” said Jake
“…Jake?!”
“Fu, I don’t have much time, so I really can’t explain anything. But do you have a place that might hold, say, 150-200 dragons and other magical beings?”
“Er… the Magus Bazaar just opened up a new convention center; I might be able to get you there.”
“How soon?” Jake asked.
“Gimme fifteen minutes. Where you at now?”
“I don’t know, really. But we’ll be teleporting there, and we’ll need to all come at once.”
“I’ll let them know. Is Gramps with you?” asked Fu.
Jake paused. “Just… call them, Fu. I’ll explain later.”
“Alright, kid. Take care of yourself.”
Jake closed the phone and returned to the group. At this point, as Shade had ordered, there were two groups—one that had formed a line in front of the teleporter, and another observing quietly. Already, people were filing into the teleporter at a particularly rapid pace—a good thing, considering that those that were staying would have to meet Fu in just a few minutes.
“Thanks, man,” he said, handing the phone to Shade. “I have a place we can go.”
“Great!” Shade exclaimed. “Where at?”
“New York area…” Jake stared around at the group that they were standing in… “I see most of the students didn’t stay.”
“Can you blame them?” Raffi asked. “If I wasn’t so into this already, I probably wouldn’t’ve stayed either. Will and his friends stayed, though, and so did a few others… plus all the dragons, of course.”
They continued to watch, until the last of the group had left. “Okay, everyone,” Shade stepped out again. “Jake has a place we can go!”
Everyone cheered in response, and Jake, grinning slightly, walked over to the teleporter and entered in the coordinates of Magus Bazaar. From there, he was able to discover the coordinates of the convention center, and the portal opened. “Everyone in!” shouted Jake, and people quickly began to file inside after him.
As everyone was heading to the same place, it would take far less to make it into the teleporter than before, when hundreds of people were going to hundreds of different locations. “Don’t forget to seal the portal once we’re done!” called a voice from inside the portal—most likely Jake’s.
The seven dragon students were the final ones to head inside, having made sure that everyone else made it in first. James looked around at all of them. “You all ready?”
In response there came a voice, but not a voice that had been emitted by any of his colleagues. Rather, it had come from the tunnel. And soon, more voices joined the din—and it was growing louder.
“They found the door!” Kate cried. “Everyone, let’s go!”
Nearly tripping over themselves, they rushed towards the portal, Shade hanging behind, so as to be the one to close the portal. He turned back—to find five trolls and a few humans staring back at him. “Oh no you don’t!” he exclaimed, and, with a swinging motion of his arm, sent a stream of jet-blue ice back at the crowd that had congregated, sending many sprawling backwards. Shade leapt inside the portal, still able to see through to the other side. He bent over at the controls, searching wildly for any button that might close the portal. “There they are!” a troll bellowed. “Get them!”
Shade found a red button that he perceived to be the ‘close’ button. He looked up one more time—Andam, in his dragon form, had emerged from the tunnel and was soaring towards them. “Shade, NOW!” screamed Kay. Shade slammed his hand down on the button, and to their extreme relief, the picture of the tunnel’s exit disappeared, and the portal closed.
END CHAPTER
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Post by Chaos on Sept 14, 2008 19:54:33 GMT -5
I find it quite funny that Shade still has his old ice powers that I got rid of for some reason. Now I'm picturing him in his old look, too. Although, you probably didn't plan on changing any of the characters anyway. XD
Anyway, WOW, great chapter. I was shoccckkkeedddd (like mouth over my hand shocked) over to two deaths. Poor Jakey-wakey. D=
I'm a team leader! And Jake! We're a good team. LOL I GAVE HIM MY BLACKBERRY PEARL. If that's the phone I have in the fic. Not that it matters like... at all. XD I found it very cool how I was a big speaker and what-not, very cool indeed. Flashbacks are awesome.
OMG TOO SHORT I HATE YOU NOW. lol ko. Anyway, it was good to see that character developement (somewhat) from the two original councilors. But now when I imagine that new, Asian councilor, I'll be thinking PING PONG CHONG. XDD
Sorry that this isn't very informative or helpful. =/ lol, please just update soon and me love you long time.
... I told you that councilor was rubbing off on me. And not the good kind of way. D=
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Post by charles finley. on Sept 14, 2008 20:47:16 GMT -5
omg. kevin wrote a decently short chapter. XD;
That was great! The Lao Shi thing reminded me of Harry Potter .. idk, why, but it did. dsljkdsgjk. lol @ the phone. I was like "You can dial a number and then go to that place? ... Oh, no wait, nevermind." xD
Update soon, k? kthkxbai.
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Post by ADJLFanatic on Sept 14, 2008 21:17:59 GMT -5
Oh.
My.
God.
I am completely bewildered haha. But I loved it, man! I would've read and replied earlier, honestly, but I was at church for a five o' clock mass so you have nothing against me for it. =] And I'm being honest. REALLY!
Buuuut, biggest accomplishment today! I completed at least 1000 words of action for ATN (which is a LOT compared to the only few sentences I did throughout the past well over six to seven months) and I really would love to keep going, but I have this stupid Afghanistan Current Events essay for AP World History. And well, you know how AP classes are. They are evil. I regret not taking at least Honors instead. Ugghh!
But anyway, I'm kinda getting off-topic here when I shouldn't be cause this project thing is due on Tuesday and I have to finish it now cause I'll have no time tomorrow. Hah, but nonetheless, it was worth wasting about less than half hour to read TDC, yo. Definitely.
I really, truly admired Jake and Shade's leadership. [: And I especially loved how you expressed Jake's struggle to maintain his composure for some reason. I don't know. It's just, I feel that you really showed how you have to pull yourself together even when the going gets tough. I mean, his grandfather just died.
That must've been incredibly hard on him to realize that at that very moment. It's like, a hard slap in the face. Showing how he almost gave up but didn't due to encouragement from his friends, well, I liked that. And I can't explain why. xD
Poor Lao Shi and Christian. I guess death just HAD to come up at some time. I mean, come on, Laura must still be dying inside to find that her boyfriend was an old man. I would've been emotionally scarred for life, man, seriously.
The chapter was so... how do you call this... spontaneous? Yeahh! Like, it was so "at the moment" and everything; how it was all just immediately coming on to this final plate on the dinner table. Or, something like that. Like, I don't know (I really can't explain stuff today, forgive me) but... I love how it was just so sudden, how there's really been no end to all of this.
It's nice to have it just continue on instead of filling it with breaks and resting and I don't know what else, but I don't know. I always have this adrenaline rush whenever I read TDC now. Simply because it's finally at the point I've been waiting years for and, well, it's just pretty damn sweet.
I mean, thank God! Hallellujah, praise the Lord, everything! We've finally made it to the final battleground... erh, almost. We're at the beginning of the end! YEAH! THAT'S HOW IT IS! The moment everyone's been waiting for is finally here. I bet you feel just as excited as everyone of us to be doing this point of the story now. I know I'm going pretty damn insane about it, myself.
But huh, what else did I love besides basically everything? HAHAHA. Well, I don't know. The chapter, as a whole, was just a complete success. I loved it, I loved it, I loved it. But really, since when HAS one of your chapters EVER disappointed me? Neverrr!
Ilu, Kevin. :D:D:D Keep doing your thangity thanggg! And thanks for putting up with me and my super long reviews. :P BACK TO MY HISTORY REPORT.
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Post by The Italian Dragon on Sept 15, 2008 11:30:02 GMT -5
Oh..
My.
Holy.
God !
Awesome fic ! I want to see more ASAP. And the son of the b*tch whor aliied the Council to his cause I WANT TO SEE HIM DEAD ! I think that Jake will kill him with his own hands, waht do you think about that ? Anyway keep in writting, it's awesome !
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Post by YFWE on Sept 24, 2008 14:28:47 GMT -5
Time for another quick teaser. This excerpt wasn't written with my intention of making it a teaser, so it's not as well-organized as the last, but it should still give a nice little glimpse into the chapter, which I hope to have done by this evening.
Enjoy!Before anyone could answer, there came a yell from the rear of the room. “Hey!” cried a boy of Latin American descent. “Come see this!” He was pointing wildly at the television set. In seconds, everyone was crowded around the TV, some squinting to see what on the screen, as a hundred-plus people crowded around one television set did pose some problems for those seated further back. Onscreen, a red ticker was flashing at the bottom of the screen, one that read ‘Special Alert.’ A goblin woman was speaking rapidly from behind a news desk, although she was muted, so simple subtitles were fleeting across the screen, subtitles that were undeniably delayed. “Turn the volume on!” someone shouted, and almost instantly the sound of the goblin’s voice filled the room. “—are believed to be highly dangerous and should be approached with extreme caution. They are currently traveling in a large group of over a hundred. Dragon Councilors Andam, Omina, Kim, Alton, and Mansard are reported to be currently pursuing the vigilantes, and other correspondents have already captured hundreds of other students thought to be sympathizers of the aggressors…” A picture was shown of many children, all in handcuffs, being led away by various people clad in police-like uniforms, children that looked all too familiar…. “It’s the other students from the academy!” shouted a girl, solidifying everyone’s fears. Thereafter, a large outcry was emitted from all in the room, for they knew what had occurred. Shade spun around to face the rest of the group, and Raffi returned a solemn gaze. “The Reich,” he growled. “Jake, you think the Reich’s behind this?” “Of course. They already got through to the Council; the MBC was destined to fall next,” Jake replied shakily. Although the goblin’s voice was no longer able to be distinguished, more pictures continued to flash across the screen—including those of all the dragons of the world that were there, in a dated group photo. On the ticker at the bottom of the screen, a flashing marquee read: “Missing dragons found; under Reich mind control. “ “Great, now everyone will be looking for us,” lamented Ash. “What should we do, guys?” “I think you’re safe here,” Fu said. “At least for the time being. Just stay calm, whatever you do—“ There was a loud knocking at the doors to the room. Everyone in the room gasped, and a few even screamed.... END TEASER Don't even ask me what the chapter name is yet. I have no clue.
Comments appreciated!!
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Post by Chaos on Sept 24, 2008 17:34:20 GMT -5
CHAPTER NAME PLZ! ?!?!?!?!?!? Anyway. While I play Zelda Oracle of Ages, I shall reply shorty. XD Well, I do like it. You were right, not QUITE as amazing as the previous teaser, but still good. I figured the students who 'returned home' would end up captured. THE FOOLS. I actually can't really say much. Update soon. XD
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