[DragonSphere]

Here's the long overdue Chapter 2, Part I:

(Sorry for the dialogue being all crunched up together. I just can't seem to space them apart in this post.)


The long path ahead was scattered with both the dead and the living. Lethal fumes left by the weapons of Chryo enveloped the area, making it almost impossible to breathe. The soldiers of the opposing side had to tie pieces of cloth around their mouth and nose as to prevent the inhaling of the poison. But even with this strategy, they were still no match for the impressive technology of their enemy. If they had possessed such military power, their chances of winning the war might have increased. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

The wooden cart squeaked and rattled as it moved across the battlefield. Its old, worn out wheels were richly crafted with both the barks and thick branches of oak trees; but due to its extensive use, the wheels tarnished at an exhilarating speed. Its rotation would often stop after encountering gravel on the ground, causing manual labor to get it going again; with the help of two restrained yellow birds dubbed "chocobos". Other than the wheels though, the vehicle was in decent condition, despite its decade-old age.

After the two-hour journey, the cart pulled to a stop in front of a dimly lit cavern. The three conductors got off their seats and carefully carried their prisoner to a door hidden with shrubs. They knocked. "The bird flies above the graves of fallen kings…"one of them said; obviously hinting at a password of some sort. The entrance opened with a squeaky sound, but before they came in, the soldiers hid their cart with many leaves and branches to conceal its whereabouts. After closing the door, they came upon an empty space. "Good evening gentlemen." said a voice hidden by the darkness; "The Commander has been anxiously waiting for your arrival." The populace nodded.

Positioned above their heads was a torch lit with radiant flames. They grabbed it and started to walk down a narrow corridor, using their torch as a guide. The unconscious Drake was being carried by two of the three, with the third one leading the way. Each step was taken to caution for the walkway was littered with little nooks and cracks that one could trip over, often leading into careless mistakes and perhaps even alerting the outside world of their presence underground. Once the officers reached the end of the pathway, another door stood in their presence. The one bearing the torch knocked 4 times.

"Enter." cried a loud and roaring voice. The trio came inside and locked the door. " 'Tis good to see you again Commander Cain." they greeted. "Enough with the reception," Cain answered, "Biggs, Wedge, Dyne, what do you have to report?"
"Well Commander, we have caught a rare find indeed. We believe it to be from the enemy, sir." Biggs reported.
"Yes, we found him during our daily rounds within the Grand Forest." added Wedge.
"We considered him hostile, sir. So we bagged him and thought that this catch would help us get more information on Chryo." followed Dyne.
"Hmm…I see. Bring the prisoner to me."

Biggs and Wedge unscrambled the net around Drake and laid him on the floor. Cain crouched down and examined him. He carefully thought about his clothes and features. "He does not appear to be a soldier, but nevertheless I shall question him later. But for now, bring him to the dungeon." The trio got up and escorted Drake down a long staircase, which was the only way to continue down the hideout except for the door. Cain soon followed.

At the end of the descent, they came upon 3 pathways. The one in front of them led to the Circa Dor castle, the left to the main living quarters of soldiers and officers, and the right to the prison cells. "If you need me, I shall be in my room. And alert me if you discover any new information on this lad." Cain commented as he departed to the leftward trail. "Understood." Biggs replied, "Wedge, Dyne, let's stick him with the other of his kind." They nodded in unison and headed for the dungeon.

The trio encountered a lengthy hall filled with prison units on each side. They walked on and immediately halted in front of a dark and chilly cell. "Here, with the other one." Drake was shoved in. Biggs locked the cell door and left, with Wedge and Dyne following.


"Hey kid…wake up!" A foot nudged on Drake's back. "Come on, you've been lying there for the past hour." An exhausted Drake slowly lifted himself up. "Oh man, where am I? Last I remember, some idiot hit me in the head from behind, and I was knocked out cold." He feels his forehead with his right palm. "Well at least they treated you better than me when I first arrived here." The stranger lifted up his garment; a massive wound had been afflicted onto the lower half of his chest, still bleeding. "Man, what happened to you?" Drake queried.

"Well, I was with my infantry in an ambush operation which took place just outside the main castle. Turned out to be a failure, so many of us split up and ran. But I unfortunately was not as fast as them. I was caught by the soldiers here and they decided to make an example of me by nearly beating me to death."
"That's pretty harsh, but what about your other comrades?"
"Heh…those damn bastards could care less, they never came back for me. Even after being stranded here for 3 weeks… By the way, name's Rick."
"Drake, Drake Jishad."
"Seems like we'll have to be prison mates for a while Drake. The war looks as if it's not going to stop anytime soon…Quiet, I hear someone coming."

A soldier walked down the hall, humming at a certain tune. He came into Drake and Rick's sight as he slid two, wrapped up trays under their cell. "Eat up you pesticides, your gonna need it once we get through with you!" he remarked as he left the dungeon. "What did he mean by that Rick?" asked Drake. "Don't worry about that, just eat your meal. They only feed prisoners once a day, you know." As they feasted unto their less-elaborate meals, a spark of curiosity lit up in Drake's mind.

"I was wondering, how did this great conflict come about?"
"Yes, good question. I heard back in Chryo that the Militia Alliance is trying to cover up these battles since day one. Due to the fact that the High Council thinks will enrage the citizens. Such a pity that less than 5% of the population actually know what is going on."
"Enrage, why?"
"Well, for one thing is the isolation of this ancient kingdom, along with its many wonders. For thousands of years, the main ruling kingdom, Circa Dor, this realm, has separated from all contact with our own continent, Chryosia. Along with our home, Circa Dor is the only other super-continent on this planet, respectfully called Ura. The reason for doing so was because of some 'Species' war our ancestors fought against them. And, if the present situations continue, history would seem to have repeat itself."
"Hmm…I see. But then, who started it?"
"Whoa, slow down there buddy, one question at a time. So anyway, as damn-luck would have it, our President, Triton Roen, was assassinated; which I'm sure you heard of. His vice-president, Septa Gotashi, was then sworn into office. There have been rumors on how he and Triton have had occasional contradictions between their ideals of society and government, leading onto many vigorous arguments. It may be a speculation, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out Septa's true intentions: putting his previous rejected ideas to action. Thus began this invasion."
"What about the High Council? How did they approve of such a treacherous act? And, why does Septa want these lands?"
"I'm sorry, I don't really know the answers to those questions. I, myself, would like to be knowledgeable of the answers. I told you everything I ever knew Drake."
"Then just answer one more inquiry: Why do you continue to fight for Septa if you resent him so much?"
"That my friend, is a paradox that I can't even understand. Fighting for evil, yet having faith in the goodness of mankind's heart, I'll leave it to you to figure it out…Now then, the clock strikes midnight, 'tis best for us to get some sleep."



Part II will be posted a bit later.