Bk2 Ch.1 Rise of the Champion - part2

The shadow dashed into the light, revealing a cheerful pale green dragon. It got up on its hind legs, almost reaching the height of Ruby, and waved. It started talking in fluent Vampish.

Baby Dragon: Ke! Aara fiy my massar, redde onu? (Hello! Are you my master, red one?)

Midnight: Wait... did the dragon speak-

Baby Dragon:  Antchi Vampi? O' coash! (Ancient Vampish? Of course!)

Ruby: ... It did, yes.

Midnight: But I thought the only ones that remembered that language were the Vampires from IvyWood village...

Baby Dragon: Actually, it belonged to the Dragons, but we taught it to the Vampires a few hundred years before we were driven out

Midnight: ... Heh. The more you know.

Sapphire: Even if you've only been around for a few minutes, I'm impressed at your intelligence

Sunshine: Respect the Dragon champion!

Baby Dragon: No, it's quite alright, white one. No need for respect in a time like this.

Kunzite: If that's the case, how about we give you a name?

Baby Dragon: A name?

Kunzite: Yeah! It's so we won't have to keep calling you "The Dragon champion" and such.

Midnight: What kind of name were you thinking then? Limey? Fruity? Cutey?...-

Grandma: Barak.

The green Dragon wagged his tail at that.

Baby Dragon: Yes! I like that. Barak seems like a good name.

Ruby: Then from now on, we'll call you Barak!

Barak: Do you have a name, master?

Ruby: Why yes. I'm Ruby! But you don't have to keep calling me your master, Barak.

Barak: Do the others have names?

Sapphire: Why wouldn't we? I'm Sapphire. The black cheetah is-

Just then, a loud rumble sounded throughout the island.

Midnight: Introductions for later! Right now, shouldn't we find out what that was?

Barak got back down on all fours and flew out of the door, and high into the night sky. Ruby, Sapphire and Midnight exited the house and watched him circle around the village. After a few seconds, he rocketed back to the ground.

Barak: There seems to be a strange looking building on wheels coming this way.

Ruby: Do you think you could take me up so I can see?

Barak: I could try.

The pale green Dragon gently grabbed Ruby's arms and started to fly up to the clouds. Higher, and higher they got, until Ruby could see past the forest, and most of the island. She spotted a huge wooden machine, which indeed looked like a house on wheels (without the roof).

Ruby: What... in the Vampire Lord's name, is THAT?

Midnight: (from down below) What do you see, oh leader?

Ruby: ... I'm not sure. Some kind of... UnMythic wooden battle horse. But less horse-like!

The strange machine was moving slowly, but surely, closer to the Village. Suddenly, from a large barrel at the front of the wooden device, it shot what looked like a bright beam of light towards the Vampire Village. Barak immediately let go of Ruby, and tried to dive for cover, but got hit by the strange light on his way down.

Ruby, on the other hand, reached the ground with a THUD and rolled on her back just as she landed. She appeared to be fine.

Sapphire: WHAT WAS THAT, BARAK!? Why did you drop Ruby when you were clearly ALMOST CLOUD HEIGHT!

Ruby: Calm down, Sapphire - I'm fine, I'm- OW...

Ruby held her hands close to her chest, obviously in pain.

Barak: It seems that your hands were damaged when I dropped you.

Sapphire: Wow, I would never have guessed!

Barak: I'm sorry, I honestly didn't mean to bring harm upon her.

Midnight: And you did a great job, fruity.

Just then, Kunzite rushed out of Grandma's house and jumped down the old steps towards Ruby.

Kunzite: Ruby! I saw you falling from the sky in the kitchen - are you ok?

Midnight: Shes most likely broken both wrists, so no. Probably not.

Kunzite: Hang on, I'll get something for that.

Before Ruby could say anything, Kunzite rushed back inside. Barak sat down near Ruby, growling apologetically. A few minutes later, Kunzite came back with some bandages, and a strange looking potion.

Ruby: Seriously, Kunzite... I'm fine.

Kunzite: Say that all you want, it's not going to stop me helping a fellow cousin in need.

Kunzite gently pulled Ruby's hands out and she poured the potion over them. After they dried a bit, she wrapped them up in snow white bandages.

Kunzite: Now, the potion should speed up the healing process, but don't do anything rash for a few weeks... at least with your hands, anyway.

Ruby: I'll try to remember.

Sapphire: Last time I checked, you were a fairy girl, not a doctor.

Kunzite: My brothers kept getting themselves hurt, and being the eldest, I had to take responsibility... by learning.

Ruby suddenly turned to Barak, and looked at his wing, which was slightly smoking.

Ruby: That beam of light... What was that?

Sunshine: That probably was the UnMythics secret weapon.

Midnight: And might I ask what it does to Vampires who get... well, into that light?

Sunshine: It should work just like cinnamon - we start coughing until we lose consciousness, lose our sight for a while, and if left with it too long... well, you get the idea.

Sapphire: Ah.

Ruby: Barak, are you ok?

Barak tried to lift off into the air, but landed in a nearby bush. After he recovered, he tried again, but almost crashed into a nearby water well. After a few minutes of failed attempts of flying, Sapphire tried to stop the dragon.

Sapphire: Ok, Barak... you can stop trying - I don't think your getting liftoff.

The Dragon stopped and looked sadly at his wing.

Midnight: I'm still not sure how that ray of light harmed you, to be honest.

Sunshine: The UnMythic's weapon is powered by Moon crystals, and if used in the wrong hands, it can be very dangerous to all Mythic creatures.

Sapphire: So... this weapon is dangerous to Vampires, Sea creatures, Ice giants, and Dragons... am I missing any other freaky monsters on this island?

Ruby: Well, unless you count Winter Fangs and the fire wolf, yeah. That would be all of us.

Kunzite: Come here for a second, Barak... let me look at your wing - I think I can help you.

Barak walked over to Kunzite and she examined his smoking wound. Grandma suddenly came out with the tan kangaroo.

Grandma: Children, I think Topaz has an important announcement to make.

Grandma nodded to the pale brown kangaroo, and she nodded in return. She turned her attention to the team, with a serious look on her face.

Topaz (tan kangaroo): Cousins, cheetahs, and champion Dragon. As you are aware, the war has just started and-

Midnight: SKIP TO THE POINT!!!

Topaz: ... You need to take the Ultimate defense to the tallest mountain to save the entire Vampire race. If you fail, we'll probably get driven or get killed by the entire UnMythic population. No pressure.

A couple of bats suddenly flew in from above, and dropped an ancient looking staff to Sunshine. One of the bats gave Ruby a note, which seemed to have come from the Vampire Lord.

Ruby: (reading) "Ruby and company, do as your cousin says. We are all counting on you!"

Midnight: Ok, you heard out Vampire Lord! Let's go!

Barak (who was patiently for Kunzite to finish inspecting him) leaped up and dashed towards them. He stood up on his hind legs, and wagged his tail in excitement

Barak: Does this mean we'll be going on an adventure?

Sapphire: Not just an adventure, my little Dragon - An EPIC adventure!

Kunzite: Now, Barak... don't fly for a few days and I think you'll be-

But before Kunzite finished her sentence, she noticed Barak's wounded wing started to heal, slowly but surely.

Kunzite: ... Ok, make that a day.

There was a burst of light and the UnMythic's weapon fired again, this time, nearer to the Vampire Village.

Grandma: Now, make sure you don't run into any UnMythics on the way...

Midnight: We wouldn't dream of it. But, y'know... if we happen to come across some, it would be kinda rude not to attack on sight...

Grandma gave Ruby a map and a bag full of potions. Ruby looked at the map, and found the tallest mountain on the island.

Ruby: Looks like we'll be traveling towards Dalin Solin mountain - the place where the Dragons used to live... east from here, by the looks of things.

Sunshine: Then we better move fast - time is of the essence!

Grandma: Good luck to you, kids!

Midnight: Who are you calling kids? And I don't need any stinking luck - I make my own!

Ruby rolled her eyes and charged down the path towards the mountains, with the two cheetahs, her cousin, and the champion Dragon.

 The Adventure, had just begun.