Chapter 6 - Friend or Foe. The Rise of An Ancient.
#6 of Chains of Destiny
Chapter 6 - Friend or Foe. The Rise of An Ancient.
Morning shined down upon Leo as he slept on what used to be a bench. The platter with the tea on it also vanished along with the building and the rest of the surrounding city. The birds chirped as a light breeze passed through the trees and looped above Leo, sending small waves across his mane. Rays of light caused his streaks of silver and gold mane to glisten with the aid of the dew that stuck to him. A strange thing was that the season was winter but the forest felt like it was only spring approaching summer. The warmth kept Leo asleep until well into the afternoon when his stomach woke him up.
"I'm hungry," murmured Leo with his eyes closed. Forcing his body to get up into the sitting position was quite difficult because he was on a branch that could barely hold his wait if he shifted too much. "Screw this. I'm just going to fall and hope that I don't hurt myself in anyway possible."
Shifting all of his weight at once, the branch snapped and Leo plummeted to the ground thanks to the force of gravity. Three-fourths of the way down, Leo grabbed onto another branch that supported his entire weight and dropped to the ground without a scratch on his body.
"It's amazing how much I was taught back home," thought Leo as he tried to figure out where he was. The sound of a battle can no longer be heard which means that the battle has ended or this is just a brief intermission. Either way, Leo couldn't hear the battle and thought about his wounds he received yesterday but there were no blood traces anywhere. Not even at the base of the tree.
A bird flew down and floated in front of Leo. "Follow me," it said.
Leo was shocked at what he heard but followed the talking bird anyways. The bird flew ahead and stopped to allow Leo to catch up before it flew off again. Slowly, the bird made its way through the forest until it stopped at a clear patch. Leo recognized it as the encampment he saw yesterday. Though, it was deserted to Leo's surprise. The ammunition and food gone but the there was a camp fire roaring in the center. Ryan lied next to it, fast asleep so Leo didn't want to wake him up and moved towards the commander's tent and peered inside. Brian continued to sleep peacefully on his bed but much more at rest than when Leo first saw him.
"The encampment is this way. I'm sure we can take hold of the rebels now that we know where they are and where they are going to move to next," spoke a voice that was barely audible. Leo heard the footsteps before he heard the voices and quickly thought up a plan that wouldn't get them killed on the spot but wouldn't allow an escape either. Sitting down next to the fire, Leo began to hum as if he didn't notice the swift but slightly silent movement of feet.
The movement of feet came closer and closer until Leo felt a presence behind him, mainly because of the light shadow he saw on the ground. To enforce the presence, the person behind him held up a gun to his head, immediately stopping Leo from dying on the spot. Others moved around him, some stopped above Ryan even though he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon and others moved in the commander's tent and secured the tent well. The perimeter around the encampment was secured by military soldiers. The soldiers that Leo saw wore bright blue colors for a shirt and pants. They also had vests of dark green on and a white star attached to the back of the vest and left hand side of the shirt. Each of them carried a hand gun but no spare rounds. The one most distinguished out of the pack was the general who wore a bright red hat and carried a machine gun.
"The area is secure but we only found these two and one sleeping inside that tent over there," said one of the soldiers.
"Hm...Are there any signs of others?" asked the general.
"No sir, all we found were the people I stated. There seemed to be a supply of food and ammunition that was once stored in this camp but those are no longer here either," replied the soldier.
"Seems to me that they knew of our coming and has taken flight and moved else where. Maybe this beast man knows where they are," stated the general looking directly at Leo.
"If you want to know where the people went, I have absolutely no clue. My comrades and I came upon this encampment just recently and found it abandoned. We are just mere travelers, making our way across this forest since there was a battle going on," spoke Leo confidently, not faltering in his words.
"Your words seem...truthful but I doubt you and your comrades are going through this forest just to bypass the war zone. You wear the clothing of the Goliath which makes me question your allegiance," said the general.
Looking at the general more clearly, Leo noticed the sword that hung on his waist. The general was a human like the rest of the soldiers but he was slightly different when Leo looked at him. Something about the general makes Leo believe other wise.
Drawing the sword, the general began a boring speech about his country's honor. To Leo it was not relevant to what was going on and none of the soldiers paid any attention to what the general was saying. To sum up the speech, the general praises the efforts that are made by the military in the Country of Star.
"Okay, listening to that speech was probably the most boring thing I have ever heard aside from a monotone lecture followed by monotone presentations," stated Leo.
"My speeches are not boring. You will learn to respect me or else you and your friends are going to die," snapped the general bringing his face in close to Leo.
"Whew-wee! Your breath smells like molding food. I can't believe your dental hygiene is so horrible. Either that or the bastard that made you a general really loves the way you talk and smell," sneered Leo.
"Oh, you're trying to bad mouth me huh? You and your fucken race can die for all I care because you guys are nothing but a bunch of worthless bitches waiting to make us your masters," stated the general harshly.
"You and what stickin' fucken army? The people around me? I can tell you right now that these guys were drafted against their will," began Leo but the general refused to listen any further and let loose a punch across the Leo's face.
"I'll let you know that the idiot of a leader elected me general cause I kissed up to his shiny ass. As for you though, you can rot in hell with all the other bastards that dare oppose me!" shouted the general as he let his sword swing and taste the first blood as it scrapped across Leo's check.
"Okay, me insulting you is one thing but making me bleed is completely different. You and your fucken patrol is going down!" shouted Leo as he immediately bent off to one side and slipped in a low kick at both the general and the person behind him. Both of them fell hard onto their backs as Leo got up and summoned a spell.
"Raising flames from hells great depths, envelope those who stand in my way. Let loose those flames that is legendary to us all, for I summon thee ancient, Ifrit!"
The symbol of Kanis Falthelom illuminated beneath him as the crystal shards fanned out from over head. The earth began to shake as the ground cracked and created fissures. Soon, a small hill was being formed next to Leo and the crystal shards landed upon the hill allowing a beast of flames to emerge from it. The beast is a demon from hell, its horns crimson red and jagged. Ifrit appeared to be a grotesquely large wolf with fur around his legs, arms and neck. Dangling from each wrist was a tag marked with the ancient symbol of fire.
"This looks like a fine feast," spoke Ifrit as he scanned the scared soldiers. The general looked the most appetizing because he was fat.
"You're not here to eat. I thought ancients are supposed to be able to control themselves and their great desires," said Leo.
"Well you're wrong, not all of us are like Bahamut. Now stand aside because it is going to get very hot here," said Ifrit as he summoned the energy from the ground and trees around him. Ifrit started up a heat wave that only covered the encampment. Leo moved as far as he could away from Ifrit without being killed but that didn't seem possible.
"I'm sure that hell will welcome all of you on so endearingly. Hell Overload!" shouted Ifrit as the ground beneath the soldiers opened up as hot lava shot into the air burning all of the soldiers including the general. All Leo heard were the screams of hot fire, burning the bodies and turning them into ashes and dust. Surprisingly, the encampment didn't catch fire when the lava shot out of the ground.
When it as all over, Leo only saw the encampment, Ifrit right next to him chuckling, Ryan still fast asleep next to the fire, and the encampment still whole and undisturbed as if the small army wasn't even there. "Ah, I just love it when I get to here people scream. Don't you?"
"I don't think they all had to burn no matter how that bastard commanded them," replied Leo.
"Well, I'm only doing my job. I live to serve who ever calls for me. Although, I never expected the guardian to summon me. Usually its people who have gone through great lengths just to obtain great power but that takes years to accomplish," said Ifrit blowing at each pile of ashes he saw.
"Your saying that I'm technically not qualified?" asked Leo.
"No. No one outside of the summoning guild knows those words. In addition, if someone outside of the guild knew those words, they wouldn't be able to summon any ancients to begin with. I mean, that guy right there is an ancient but he doesn't even know it," responded Ifrit.
"Ryan's an ancient? That is unexpected, even for me," said Leo.
"Of course he's an ancient. It runs in his veins. To tell you the truth, he is actually a previous ancient who wanted to experience life in a different perspective. I don't know why he chose a beast man though," stated Ifrit returning to Leo's side.
"Come to think of it, Bahamut told me that I need to gain the respect of the ancients in order to summon them. Is that true?"
"Ba, that's only him. You need to prove yourself to him that you can and will use the ancients properly. That's pretty hard for anyone in the summoning guild to do anyways. A few of us will just let the respect slide and pledge allegiance to anyone. That reminds me, what is the guardian's name if I may ask?"
"It's Leo Lionheart."
"Would you like to make a pact with me Leo Lionheart?"
"I suppose so."
"I'll take that as a yes. Within the powers of the ancients, I, Ifrit, Lord of the flames of hell, servant to great divine, shall and will make a pact with thee, Leo Lionheart. I bestow upon you, the fire fang, as proof that this pact is made. Do you and will you uphold the honor of a summoner for as long as you live and this pact remains in tact?"
"I will."
"Then so be it. Within the ancient scriptures of the ancients, I forge your name into its walls and give you the fire fang.
Ifrit called up the flames of hell and an orb made of magma appeared. The magma gave way and returned to the earth, exposing a fang the size of a dragon's tooth. It was red and on fire. "This here is the sacred fire fang or Fa'til as it is called. This is the proof of our pact." Said Ifrit as the Fa'til floated towards Leo and entered his body.
Upon contact, Leo's body was filled with warm heat which soon escalated to high temperature that caused him to sweat but it quickly subsided. His mind was being filled with a small piece of wisdom of the ancients, mostly its origin and the creation of the Fa'til. A memory surfaced during the transfer of the fire fang.
Within the memory, Leo was running and suddenly fell, crying. Someone wrapped their arms around him and it felt very warm and comforting.
"Don't cry, everything's going to be all right. There's no need to be afraid anymore," said the person.
"I want to go home," cried Leo as tears continued to flow down his face.
"There, there mommy's got you," said the person.
Leo turned around to face the person. The person was a human and so was Leo, yet, Leo wasn't human, Leo was beast man. In his mind, nothing of it made sense.
"I'll take you home Gilbert," spoke the person and memory ended.
Ifrit, who was watching Leo closely, noticed that he was reliving a memory mainly because he was crying out of his right eye and staring into space. The moment Leo blinked he became aware of his surroundings once again. "It seems that you relived a memory Leo," said Ifrit.
"Yeah, I did," said Leo confused as he wiped the tears away.
"People relive some memories after they make a pact with the ancients. You are quite different though, aren't you?" asked Ifrit casually.
"I relived someone else's memory not my own," responded Leo.
"If you want to know more about that, I suggest you get your friends and head to the end of the Sand Ocean. There is a temple on the edge that will help you understand or so to speak," spoke Ifrit. "I think I overstayed my visit."
Ifrit began to fade, similar to what happened to Sakura and Li, but he emitted spirits instead of a particles. "Ancients are formed through thoughts of many people. My majority though, is made up of your thoughts and the past guardians." Ifrit vanished completely and the spirits divided into two groups. One group went off into the sky while the rest returned to the ground.
"Leo?" asked a voice.
Leo quickly turned to see that Ryan had awoken and so did Brian when he stepped out of the tent. "Hello you two," said Leo as he walked towards the fire to sit down.
"Where have you been?" asked Ryan.
"In the forest thinking about what has happened. It sucks like hell that I'm stuck here," responded Leo staring into the flames that licked the air eagerly.
Brain sat down next to Leo and asked, "So, how's life?"
"Why don't we have some tea?" said another voice.
"Hello there Simon. I would like some tea now anyways," said Leo without looking behind him. Ryan and Brian turned towards the voice and saw that it was indeed Simon, even though they don't know who he was.
"Always have tea when you're troubled. That's what I always say, right Leo?" asked Simon as he sat down next to Ryan placing down and platter that contained four mugs of tea. He distributed them out and started to drink his. Leo received the butterfly mug like last time while Ryan received one with words and Brian with bamboo. Simon had a pure white mug but that didn't mind him.
"Drink the tea, its good for you," beckoned Simon when he saw that Brian and Ryan didn't drink the tea. Looking towards Leo, he didn't have to know the color of the tea to understand what was wrong. "I suggest you do what the ancient said. Even I don't know what is going on at all."
"Ancient? What's he talking about Leo?" asked Brian after he drank some tea.
Leo looked at Brian's tea and saw that it was slightly blue but barely noticeable to the plain eye. "An ancient is an ancient being that I am able to summon at will. While you guys were asleep, I summoned one to take care of the soldiers from the Country of Star," responded Leo.
"They are indeed great beings and only a select few can actually summon one," spoke Simon in his happy voice.
"Is there room for one more?" asked a female voice.
Everyone but Leo and Simon turned to see who said that but they couldn't find him. Leo sighed before getting up. He walked towards the edge of the encampment and began a steady rhythm of breathing. Moving only his feet, he is able to locate where the "invisible" person was. "Why don't you step out from behind the tree so the others can see you clearly?"
"Oh! You always spoil the fun Leo," laughed a female as she stepped out from behind a tree. Ryan and Brian saw her perfectly but Brian didn't recognize her at all. She is a tigress only 5 inches shorter than Leo. She wore light colored clothes which were tattered, probably from wear and tear from a previous owner. The shirt covered her whole upper body and her pants went from her waist to the top of her ankles. On her head were goggles with lenses the size of cds under a hat that can be found in Texas. She didn't wear any shoes so they were red on the forest floor.
"Simon, why didn't you tell me I would need shoes?" asked the tigress.
"I didn't think it was that important to some one such as yourself," replied Simon.
"Excuse me but who are you?" asked Ryan.
"I am none other than Leo's friend," responded the tigress.
"That doesn't really help you know," said Leo. "Her name is Fiona Fontel."
"Fiona...Fontel...Where have I heard that name before?" thought Brian.
"Fiona is a family friend of mine so we hang out a lot on the weekends although, she was adopted into the family," continued Leo.
"I should get you for ruining my fun," spoke Fiona as she stomped her way to Leo.
"It's not like its going to make any difference you know!" exclaimed Leo as Fiona was starring into his eyes hard and unblinking. Leo stared back with the same intensity. Each was intent to not give up and hope that the other would lose.
"Are they doing an eye starring contest?" whispered Brian to Ryan.
"I think so," responded Ryan.
Simon kept drinking tea and didn't take any notice in the small contest that was going on. Brian was about to say something when both Fiona and Leo exploded with laughter, rolling on the ground. Ryan and Brian were both confused with what was going on.
"Ha ha ha! Just like old times!" shouted Fiona as she rolled onto her side continuing to laugh.
"Such great days those were. Ow..." said Leo laughing even though his diaphragm hurt like hell.
A strum was heard in the trees which allowed Leo and Fiona to calm down and sit up easily. "Ah, that was fun," said Fiona and Leo simultaneously. Another strum went through the air, only this time it was louder and a muffled voice could be heard. As the voice got closer, so did the strums. Ryan and Brian both decided to stand up and move towards the sound rather than let it come to them. They walked into the forest where a scream was heard followed by the sound of an instrument being broken to pieces.
"Do you think he would really break it?" asked Fiona.
"I don't think so. Then, again...he could just get a new one in a few days," replied Leo looking towards the direction of the sound.
"It seems to me that he did break it. I can here crying," said Fiona. "Do you think Simon is gone yet?"
Turning his head towards the fire, Simon was gone but he left two more cups of tea and the platter behind. "Yeah, he's gone."
Someone broke out of the trees in tears dragging a broken guitar behind him. Brain and Ryan followed right behind him carrying branches and made attempts to attack the poor defenseless guitar holder. "HOLD IT!" shouted Fiona holding out two guns and pointed them at Brain and Ryan who froze at the sight of the weapon.
"Brian, you should know better than that! It's Alan for god sake!" scolded Leo as he helped Alan up from his fetal position. Alan was a brown squirrel who loved to play music where ever he goes. There was barely a day when he didn't have his guitar with him. He wore loose clothing, a shirt that was too big for him and pants that were also too big for him, his shoes were well worn out with holes but he refused to get new ones. His hair was messy but clean and his fur was well groomed and some what glowed in the light.
"Betsey! Betsey! Those bastards killed Betsey!" cried Alan.
"That is the only guitar he had when I saw him. So much for Betsey," said Fiona sarcastically.
"How was I supposed to know it was Alan?!" shouted Brian as Leo confronted him further.
"I can't believe you didn't know it was Alan! He plays his fucken guitar where ever he goes! It can't be that hard to miss!" shouted Leo in return.
"Well, I couldn't help it!" shouted Brian.
"Stop his bickering already! Will someone just tell me what is going on?!" shouted Ryan.
"I'll tell you what's going on! You're all P.O.W's under the name of the Goliath!" shouted someone.
Everyone turned to face the man. It was Colonel Greaves and a handful of soldiers that Ryan has never seen before surrounded them. "You're coming with me Project Time," chucked Colonel Greaves.
"What?!" exclaimed Ryan.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that I know who Project Time is now thanks to First Lieutenant Collins," said Colonel Greaves darkly as one of the soldiers threw Collins onto the ground before them. Collins was badly injured, lined with many cuts and bruises. There were many signs of torture which meant that Colonel Greaves did what ever it took to get the information he wanted.
"I'm...sorry...Ryan...we've been...defeated," said Collins, struggling onto all fours but Colonel Greaves pushed Collins back down using his foot. Collins shouted in pain as the force was like a large rock falling descending on him.
"Now come along nicely and no one is going to get hurt," spoke Colonel Greaves.
"You can't do this Colonel Greaves! It goes against the code of war. You have no proof that we are really apart of the Country of Star," shouted Ryan.
"Of course I don't, I only want Project Time but then I thought, 'why don't I take the rest of his group as well?' which is what I did," stated Colonel Greaves.
"You're name is Greaves, right?" asked Leo passively.
"It's Colonel Greaves you dumb ass," snapped Colonel Greaves.
"Spare the others and I will go without any resistance," stated Leo.
"Hm...spare the others and meet no resistance. That seems mores like an unlikely choice but I'll agree to those terms," said Colonel Greaves.
"Fiona, take the First Lieutenant and take care of him," said Leo as he walked towards the Colonel.
"No, you're not turning yourself in, not without a fight," said Fiona.
"I don't want you guys to die just because of me. Do what I say or else things will get worse than it already is," stated Leo as the soldiers surrounded Leo and tied his hands behind his back.
"Tsk. You're not going to get away with this bitch. You can count on that," shouted Fiona as the group of soldiers and Leo walked into the trees. Colonel Greaves followed suit but the rest of the soldiers didn't move.
"Kill them, they are nothing more than pests from a resistance group," said Colonel Greaves.
Leo heard shooting behind him and tried to turn his head around and look at what was going on the soldiers refused to let him look and kept his head faced forward. The last thing he heard was his name before he was forced into a vehicle. Colonel Greaves followed soon after and had Leo chained and suspended from the ceiling as the vehicle started up and began to move. Leo swung back and forth violently as the ride drove over rocks and exposed tree roots, shaking the ground beneath him.
"You heard the Colonel, fire!" shouted one of the soldiers.
"There's no way I'm going to die here," said Fiona fiercely as she began to fire at the soldiers. "If there is anything that I learned in the desert, it's to be flexible as possible."
Brian's initial reaction was to cower at the thought of death but his body did other wise. He rushed towards the soldiers at remarkable speed, a speed he could never have been able to achieve. The moment he reached one of the soldiers, he let out a strike to the gut before moving to the next soldier and planting a knee in his stomach. Ryan let instinct take over and took Collins as close to Fiona as possible before joining in on the fun along side Brian. Alan still cried over the death of Betsey but used his guitar remains to deal damage to the enemy.
"Leo! We are going to save your fucken ass!" shouted Fiona as she drew out a unique gun. It was long and loaded with many features but surprisingly light. She pointed it to the remaining soldiers that were standing and immediately pulled the trigger letting loose a volley of bullets. It stuck the soldiers, spewing blood as another bullet made contact.
"You can't rid of us that easily," stated one of the fallen soldiers as they all got back up and didn't show any signs of fatigue or injuries.
"What?!" said Fiona in shock. "You guys are supposed to die!"
"Grrr...We will get out of this alive!" shouted Brian as the ground beneath him began to glow. "These bastards won't stand in our way no more than a bug." A seal spread out from beneath him. It was marked with the northern star surrounded by crosses and ankhs.
"All I care about is saving Leo! Betsey can wait until later!" shouted Alan as a seal spread out from underneath him as well. This seal bore music notes that surrounded the border and shapes of crystals made up the center.
"These bastards including that son of a bitch Colonel will pay for going against his words!" shouted Fiona as a seal spread out. Her seal had two guns that crossed each other in the center with wind symbols that flowed around the edge.
Ryan stared at these three and unlocked what stored the most precious memories away. The memories of being an ancient. As a result, the earth enveloped his whole body and he began to take a new form. When the conversion was finished, the earth fell away and revealed an ancient with great power. Ryan became one of the legendary ancients, Canterus, a half human half beast man. He was athletic muscular being covered in knight's armor without the sleeves or helmet. Fox ears protruded from the top of his head and his hair was silver with spike-like ends. His face resembled a human's face but his eyes had the hint of a fox's cunningness in them. A fluffy grey fox's tail was present as well as his great sword that was tied around his belt.
"I've had enough fun for one life time. There are more important matters to attend to," spoke Canterus smoothly.
"You guys better watch out, cause we are going to kill you all right now," said Fiona as she drew in her breath and pointed her finger with her thumb sticking out and said, "Bang!" killing one of the soldiers in an instant.
Alan pretended to play an air guitar and sonic pulses materialized from his right hand, hitting the soldiers square in the chest and sent them reeling into the forest. "Alright! I can now play with Bob!"
Brain took the stance of a martial artist and brought his right hand up to his head at an angle leaving a stream of pure energy to mark his path. "Ninja Crusade!" shouted Brian as he brought his right hand back through the path and let loose ninja stars and kunai which fanned out, instantly killing the attackers in front of him. "Nothing beats the power of the Japanese!"
"Rain that falls from heaven to hell. Acid that rules the sky and below. Mix together and become my weapon. Acid Rain," spoke Canterus. The skies darkened and rain began to fall upon the enemy. Many of them screamed on contact, others dove under the trees for protection but could not save them for the next strike. "Roaring thunders from the heaven, descend to the ground and smite my foes. Lighting Rain." Streaks of lighting struck areas in which the enemy was hiding. Screams could be heard throughout the forest as they all were killed in one way or another. The battle soon ended revealing tainted areas covered with dead bodies, some charred, and blood spatter all across the ground.
"Do you think that what we did was right?" asked Alan as he looked at all the blood shed.
"No, it wasn't right and it wasn't humane but we do what we have to do in order to survive," responded Canterus as he moved towards Collins who was unconscious. Placing his hands above Collins, Canterus healed Collins, restoring him to perfect condition and bringing him out of unconsciousness.
"Collins! Are you ok?" asked Canterus.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine now. The order of the scouts is no more," stated Collins.
"What do you mean?" asked Canterus.
"Colonel...no...Greaves has murdered all of the other scouts. There is only you and me left Ryan," replied Collins.
"That fuckin bitch, they were like family to me when I was Ryan," said Canterus.
"Well, what can we do now? It doesn't seem like there is anything more we can do to help Leo. We don't even know where he is," said Alan.
"You don't, but I do. They are taking him to the Sand Ocean. Deep into it where Greaves has set up a private jail just for himself. That's where we are going," said Collins firmly.
"We are going to save Leo and get our revenge," shouted Fiona as she started to run in the direction of the Sand Ocean. Brain, Alan, and Collins followed immediately. Canterus stayed behind to look at what has happened.
"Peace will never be achieved if this kind of rashness continues. The guardian will receive my help along with the other ancients. I know Bahamut is already fond of him. From here on out, time is changing and so is the history that was meant to be. Time did choose the new guardian and he chose perfectly. Everything now lies in your hands Leo, you have the power to make a new future for everyone," said Canterus before he dashed off after the others.
Simon stepped out into the clearing. "It seems that time is becoming what it is supposed to be. I'll be waiting for you Leo. I will crush you and prevent you from thwarting my plans," said Simon darkly and he melted into the shadows and disappeared.