The Return Chapter 12
The Second Encounter
By Firstborn Dragon
When the seven, the five Elw, and two warriors, neared the edge of the forest, they head the sounds of a sword fight. Jack began to draw his normal sword, and didn’t look happy. "Damn…Not again!"
Cecilia and Jack rushed ahead, weapons readied. But as soon as they broke out of the woods, the two combatants stopped, and looked at each other. Jack, and Cecilia stood still, and watched, as Zed, and Rudy circled each other once again. There was a serious feel to their fight, but not the same feeling as a fight to the death…
Zed spoke to Rudy. "You must let your sword become one with you. That’s the way to fight. Feel the sword, the sword is like you, forged steel, strong. That is how you must learn to work with it."
Rudy looked puzzled. "I don’t quite.. Now I see." Zed stood in a defensive stance. "Then try again. Once you master this, you shall be able to understand much about yourself."
The two joined in battle once again. Even Jack had to watch in admiration as the two warriors fought. They were turning the battle, into a dance. Although it was a dace in which either could die, it was a remarkable thing to observe. Suddenly something changed. It was as if Rudy suddenly understood something, and his fighting style was changed as a result. Zed when from fighting an offensive/defensive battle, to fighting an all out defensive one. And Rudy had become far more dangerous with his sword. Had he been using his ARM as well, Zed may not have lived through the experience. The two suddenly stopped again, and Zed let his guard down, and shook his head, in amazement. "I’ve never seen another capable of connecting that way before."
Boomerang started to laugh. "Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe it is the human portion of him that allows such a connection. Not even I could master the blade like that."
"What did I just do?" Rudy looked at his sword in amazement.
Zed looked at his blade. "You have started to understand your other half." He sheathed his swords, and looked at Rudy again. "We were created to fight. A living weapon."
Boomerang looked at Zed, and Rudy. "But it seems as if some of us have evolved beyond that."
Cecilia and Jack came forwards, and this time the three noticed them. Jack had an amazed look on his face. "I never knew you could fight like that, Rudy."
Rudy shook his head. "Neither did I. I have to admit it took me by surprised when it happened. But you two are back early. What happened?"
"Rudy…I’m sorry, but…" Cecilia couldn’t look at Rudy as she spoke. Then the five Elw emerged from the forest. Markus, and the other three who had come with him stopped when they saw Zed, and Boomerang.
Markus shook his head in disbelief. "I though you were kidding."
Mariel shook her head. "No. I couldn’t believe it at first, myself. But I supposed there are things that some see different from us."
Rudy sheathed his sword as well, then turned to face the Elw. The four looked at him, fear and amazement showing on there faces.
Markus, who had become the leader of the four, was the first to speak. "So your brother did hide one after all. No one wanted to admit they existed after…"
Rudy stepped towards them, his hands held at his side. "After what happened during the last war. I know. But Zeikfried is trying to do that again." Markus shook his head. "How? How could he have turned our creations against us…?"
Zed laughed. "Zeikfried could turn anything against anyone. It is the way he is. The only thing he cares about is himself."
Markus looked at Zed. "Strange words coming from a demon." He turned to look at Boomerang, and Rudy. "But then, everything is turning out strange lately."
Jack advance towards Rudy, and put his hand on Rudy’s shoulder. "I’m sorry, but…" Jack took a big breath, and then continued, reluctantly. "But the gate to the Elw’s world has been destroyed. And…Mariel’s brother is…"
But Rudy wasn’t listing. He looked shocked. "Then there’s only one thing to do. You must kill me before Zeikfried takes control again." He said it so seriously. But every one looked at him. "NO! I will not let you do this Rudy. There has got to be another way."
But Rudy looked at Cecilia. "Don’t you see? The Elw were my last hope. If they are beyond reach, then there is no way to stop it from happing again."
Jack was the next to try. "Rudy, you’ve stopped him twice. You can do it again. I know you can. I’m not gonna let you…"
But again, Rudy shook his head. "There’s much trouble here. My staying only makes it worse. Can’t you see that?"
Surprisingly, Zed also had something to say. "Please Rudy, look at me before making this decision." Rudy turned to face him. For only the second time ever, Zed was upset. "I owe you much. My life, Laura’s life, and now, the oppertunity to fit in a little better. If you go, I’ll be the last again. Please, I know this is a selfish reason, but don’t leave me. You’re the only one who truly understands…"
This hit Rudy, like none of the other reasons had. Rudy noded, in shock. He never had guessed that Zed had felt the way he had.
"I understand. You feel the same way I first did, when I found out… I, I can’t do that to another." Rudy looked him strait in the face. "But, I want you to promise me that if Zeikfried ever takes control, you will kill me, if it’s the only way. Please, I don’t want to hurt anyone…"
Zed nodded. And the others finally began to understand how close the two were becoming. But Boomerang interrupted. "Zed, do you remeber how Mother prevented Zeikfried from taking control of us?"
Zed slowly shook his head. "Not really. No one ever trusted me enough to tell me anything, or even what was being done at the time…"
Boomerang nodded. "That I can believe. There was always something about you… I suppose now I know what it was. You were more likely to tell the truth then any other demon. That’s what lead them to distrust you…"
Zed nodded. "That was part of the reason. But why do you ask?"
Boomerang was silent for a moment, then turned to look Zed strait in the face. "Because I know. But make no mistake. The reason I’m telling you this is because I want to live as much as everyone else dose. And if the Forsaken win…" Zed nodded in agrement. He knew how much his life, like Boomerang’s would be worth if the Forgotten were ever to rule. "How she did it was to take some of the ‘blood’, as good a word as any, and mix it with that of another’s. We all recived some from every other demon Mother brought to this planet. That’s why we can ‘feel’ where others of our kind are."
Rudy and Zed nodded their heads. "But I take it there’s a risk involved?"
Boomerang laughed. "There’s a risk involved with everything. But yes there is. Because he’s a hybried, his body may reject the transfer."
Rudy looked at the two. "It’s a risk worth taking…What?"
Rudy suddenly looked up, puzzled. "What is it that I’m feeling. There’s something headed this way… Like what was in the forest earlier."
Every one looked at Rudy puzzled. Jack was the first to try and put things together. "In the forest earlyer…How much earlier?"
Rudy shook his head. "I felt something there as you entered, but it was hard to tell for sure. Then I could feel it moving. Then it vanished…"
Jack looked at Cecilia. "Do you think he felt the Forsaken…?"
Zed looked at the two. "There was a Forgotten in there!?"
Jack and Cecilia nodded. But Boomerang shook his head. "Impossible. None have ever felt the Forgotten before…"
But Rudy looked up, and drew his sword. "Well, whatever it is, it’s almost here!"
Suddenly, the sky darkend as a huge creature flew overhead, and then landed next to the airship. It was almost like a dragon, but with the wings of a bird, and the head of…
"Father! How dare you take such a form!"
The creature had the head of Cecilia’s father.
The creature laughed, then looked at Jack "So you are the mortal who dares to carry Slayer. Ha! One mortal has no change against the three of us!" It started to laugh again, then noticed Zed and Boomerang. "Ah! The last of the Brood. Once you are all reclamed, you shall fulfill your original purpose."
The creature never even looked at Rudy, who was drawing his ARM. "Laugh at this!" He fired his ARM strait at the body of the creature.
And it screamed in pain. "No! The forbinden weapons are here as well! No matter, we shall meet again, and our next meeting shall be our last!" And the creature vanished.
Marcus looked at Jack’s sword, and Rudy’s ARM. "Three weapons forged, to counter three errors made… The ARMs to battle the sky, Slayer and…"
Zed took over from Markus. "…Striker to battle the land. The same as our legend." With that, he witdrew the sword from the sheath at his back. The sword he had carried, and never used…
Boomerang took one look at the sword, and then looked up at Zed’s face in shock. "YOU! But how…?"
Zed took a practice swing with the blade. "It was given to me long ago. By a dying demon. He told me, as I took it that ‘one day, that blade will be used to save a world that is not yours. But Striker, Slayer, and the ARMs are not enough. You must strive to find those who like you dislike, and to acept them as they must acept you…’. It seems that he knew what would happen."
Boomerang looked at Zed once again. "You must have hidden it well to keep is so long."
Zed laughed, as he sheathed Striker. "I had it out in the open the whole time. The sword I carried, but never used. But it seems perhps we have learned an even more valuble lesson…"
The two turned to look at Rudy, who shook his head. "I don’t know how. I just knew they were coming…"
Zed shook his head. "But no demon can track the Forgotten, nor can any human. Not that I know of…"
Rudy just looked at him, and shrugged. "What can I say…?"
But to that, none had an answer.
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