The Demon War Chapter 3

When All Else Fails

By Firstborn Dragon

Ione Paula took Rudy into the Guardian’s realm, and lead him to the room where his weapon had been infused with the power to defeat the Forsaken. Their stood Zephyr, Justine, and Raftina. They nodded at Ione Paula as he entered with Rudy. Zephyr looked at the one who’s hope had summoned him before. Yet now, looked around in despair, as if the whole world had turned against him. A fact Zephyr could understand. "Rudy. Rudy, you should listen to me."

Rudy didn’t even look up. "Why? At one time I hoped I’d gain acceptance. But now… Rejected! No one wants me around! I….I wish I had died with the Forsaken! I’m sick of living!"

The four Guardians looked at each other. None suspected that Rudy’s despair had gone so deep. The world would need his aid again, yet if Rudy no longer cared, then how could he aid them?

Zephyr knew what must be done. "Rudy, do you truly believe it was an easy task? Cecilia is upset over what she was forced to do. Many of the people are upset over your exile. And what of those who do understand? Lucid, Boomerang, and Zed all owe you their lives, and you owe them yours. What of them?"

Rudy said nothing. Zephyr shook his head. Their may only be one option left. One that he didn’t want to use. It was risky enough for a Guardian, but it may be fatal for someone like Rudy.

Zephyr looked up at the others. Ione Paula shrugged. He had no idea what to do. Justine shook his head, clearly disappointed that nothing had yet worked. Raftina stood their, studding Rudy. Zephyr sighed. He knew they’d need to do what they’d wanted to avoid. To show Rudy the past…

* * * * *

Boomerang and Zed headed back towards the inn. Both were clean once again, and wearing new, or at least clean, cloths. Lucid found them, midway between the bathhouse, and the inn. She too had cleaned herself off. They didn’t speak on the way back. Zed and Boomerang too busy thinking about the past. A past each though had died centuries ago. Lucid said nothing, having learned the hard way, that it’s a bad idea to interrupt a thinking demon. For any reason. They finally reached the inn, and the two demons returned to the present. Jack, Emilia, and Jane were there waiting.

Jack seemed a little annoyed. "Took ya long enough!"

Zed and Boomerang looked at each other, but said nothing. The fact that Jack was merely annoyed was a good sign for the two. Boomerang took lead, and Zed let him. A fact that didn’t escape the others. "So, who wanted to meet us? Not head hunters…I hope."

Jack shook his head. "Nope. A few of Adlehyde’s warriors. They figured if there’re gonna have to fight demons, they should learn all they can. Guess who got elected."

Boomerang was puzzled. "I didn’t even know we volunteered. Or that most humans could stand us."

Jack shrugged. "They wanted to meet you. Cecilia hopes you’ll help. After all, we do have the disadvantage of numbers at the moment…"

Zed started to count sides. "Let’s see. They have Zeikfried, Alhazad, Belselk, and the Holmcross. That makes fifteen. Then, there’s the possibility of Mother, and the three…"

Boomerang looked puzzled. "You sure about the three? I thought…"

Zed shook his head. "They had a ship. It was identical to the one Mother had when she found it. I saw it before…"

Boomerang nodded. "If the three are here, and if they help Zeikfried…"

Zed nodded "…We’re in big trouble. Very big trouble. Against that, stands you, me, them," pointing at Jack, Jane, and Emilia. "and maybe Cecilia and Rudy. Not good odds. At best, about 2:1, for them. But one-on-one, a demon will beat a human anytime. So it’s gonna be more like 3 or 4 to 1. We’re in big trouble."

Jack hadn’t missed the comment about the three. "Say, who are the three?"

Boomerang shook his head. "The most dangerous warriors of the demon race. I’m the only one who could match them in combat skill… If they work together, it may be impossible to stop them."

Jack was getting very irritated. "Will they, or not?"

Zed shook his head. "We don’t know. The three… The three were the first to fight the Forsaken, back on our home world. But just before the battle began, the rest of our people fled. Even if the three won, our world was destroyed. We could no longer live there. No one knows if the three survived the battle, or if they were destroyed. Or if they managed to make it to the ship. We can’t say. But it was their ship that brought us here. That’s why the Forsaken were here. That’s why, we don’t know."

Jack still didn’t understand, but didn’t bother to argue any more. Instead, he turned towards the entrance to the town, and left. Only to return a few moments latter, followed by about a dozen soldiers. All seemed ready for combat, and all were fully armed.

The soldiers halted in front of the two demons. Jack stood in front of them. "Well, since you said yourself we’ll need help…"

Zed looked at Boomerang, and both shrugged. Boomerang shook his head. "This brings back memories. I haven’t been a teacher in a long, long time. I wonder if I can still remember what I taught…"

Zed laughed. "Given how it was drilled into you as a student, I doubt you could forget. But you know, I wonder what he’d say if he saw what we’d become…"

Boomerang nodded. "The exact opposite of what we were taught. Has time changed us that much? I wonder if he’s still alive..?"

Jack watched amazed, as for the first time since they met, the two demons turned their backs to the humans, and starred into the sky. When the two turned back, all gathered were even more surprised when they noticed the two crying.

The two said nothing to each other, but they both knew. They knew that they’d forgotten something. And now, they’d been given the opportunity to get it back. As long as they were willing to reach out for it. The question was, were they…?

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Author’s note: I’m really getting into Zed and Boomerang’s past. That’s what a lot of this chapter is about. I wanted to show these two as being different from the others. It’s a little cryptic right now, but I will clarify it latter. I just wanted to begin to change the two for now.


Chapter 4

Firstborn Dragon's Fanfiction