Rise of Resistance

Chapter Two: Drake the Dragon Master

         “By the Dark Ones! I never believed I’d see you again!” Drake laughed as he embraced Creed. Tamara looked a bit embarrassed to have been so rude to God. “You didn’t know.” Creed laughed, the corners of his eyes pulled up slightly as he smiled underneath his skin. “Besides, it was all in good fun. I’m fixing the walls as we speak.”

         Drake took a good look at Shaith and Chase as they stood rigidly behind Creed on either side of him. “Are these the…” He stated astonishingly.

         “Two of them, the other four are back waiting for my signal to head towards the city. If you don’t decide to help us then we’ll just be on our way.”

         “Well, I’m not one to turn my back on old friends of the family, but what exactly do you want me to help you with?” Drake asked warily.

         “We need a way to get to Slithra, we wish to overthrow General Scales.” Creed stated casually. Tamara choked in disbelief.

         “Good luck! Scales has us completely surrounded with platoons. And I’m sure he has many more into Slithra, you’re not gonna get to Scales without an army.” Tamara said.

         “Don’t underestimate the power of gods and deities Tamara, we have more power than any platoon.”

         “Well that’s convenient,” Drake interrupted, “the only way to get to Slithra that isn’t heavily guarded by Scales’ troops is a long underwater cavern, that’s been dubbed Cavern Pass. It’s not exactly the most original name but it’s a very convenient little passageway. Unfortunately, you’ll be unlikely to get there with all of Scales’ troops crawling around the place.”

         “Well that’s what we’re here for. I’ll call the rest of the Overlords to the village, and we’ll talk somewhere a bit more… private.” Creed said as he lifted his hood back and placed his mask on his face.

         “Certainly.” Drake said as the tip of Creation curled around Creed’s side and began to seemingly nuzzle Drake’s leg. The runes that were engraved upon each segment of her body glowed a soft blue color, spelling out her name in God’s Tongue. Chase glanced over at Destruction, noticing some different qualities to him that he had never noticed. His name was also engraved upon each segment, and upon the hilt guard was apparently his motto: “Defeat is not an option.” Chase also noticed that there were jagged, teeth like spikes lining the outside edge of the hilt guard, next to the blade, and with the snake tongue like shape of the blade it made him look like a monster roaring with the tongue flailing outward.

         Drake saying, “Long time no see huh?” as he stroked Creation’s “head” snapped him back from his observation, but he soon looked back at Destruction and thought to himself. You’re the war monger…

         “No.” Destruction echoed as his body glowed scarlet and he began to uncoil from his original position. “Nor am I evil, I simply love combat.” He said raspily, as he coiled over Creed’s shoulder. An eye on the end of the handle flickered open, it looked just like Creed’s left eye. Chase glanced over at Creation, she had one two, just like Creed’s right eye. Chase shivered and tried to ignore the two swords.

         Drake looked as if he had just gotten a brilliant idea, and he looked up at Creed and smiled. “I have a bit of a preposition for you.” He smirked.

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         About a half an hour later the entire Resistance was gathered in the meeting room of “Dragon Hall”; the mansion that was built just next to the square where all of the town meetings were conducted, and where the Village Master resided. The Overlords sat around a green marble table in a room made of some sort of dark stone. Creed and Drake sat at the short ends of the table while the Overlords and Tamara were lined on the long edge.

         “We’re on the edge of the razor blade here. Scales has a knife to our throat, at any moment they can attack us, and burn us into cinders. It’s becoming exceedingly difficult to keep the public calm… I don’t know how much longer we can put up with this. But fortunately, it looks like both of us need some help. So I’m more than willing to make a bit of trade.”

         “I think I see where you’re going here Drake.” Creed smiled as he pulled his mask and hood off once again.

         “Well, the only way to the Cavern Pass is to take care of the platoons around us. So if you and your Overlords take out the platoons around us, quietly, Tamara and I will travel to Slithra with you.” Tamara’s face went pale at the last thought Drake had said.

         “But, that’s too dangerous Drake. They have some of the most formidable armies on Lone Island. They have a stronger presence than the Shadow Smiths!” Tamara argued.

         “But I’ve been to Slithra many times before it was controlled by Shadow and Scales. I know its layout; I can help them infiltrate it.”

         “Your help would be much appreciated. Besides, we’ll be sure that no harm comes to either of you.” Creed assured, “but to do so, we’ll need to ask you one more, small, favor.”

         “And what would that be?” Drake asked, cautiously.

         “We need worshipers. We are strong, but we have next to no followers, so our powers are weak. We need the worship of your people to help fill our mana reservoirs.”

         “Do what you will Creed, you know more about gaining followers than I do.”

         “In that case, call all of your villagers, guards and all, to the square in an hour. And after we’ve finished up there, we’ll fulfill our half of the bargain.” Creed said as he stood up.  “I have a lesson for my Overlords.

         The sound of the villagers filing into the square, and gathering around the fountain of Creed echoed down the alleyways. Creed and the Overlords were crouched down in the corner of an alleyway. Creed was explaining the process of gaining followers.

         “We’re trying to win hearts and minds here. And the best way to do so is to start off with some “magic tricks”, I’ll take care of that. Then we must tell our tales, give a speech, anything to win their hearts. And once we’ve done that we’ll do whatever we can to gain their worship.” Creed whispered. The Overlords nodded in acknowledgement, and as the crowd quieted down and whispers began to arise as the villagers wondered what was going on, so did the Overlords.

         “Time for some magic…” Creed smiled as he began to stretch out his influence. The fountain in the center began to accumulate a sort of aura, light flittering around the statue of Creed. The crowd went utterly silent as the ground began to quake nauseously below them. A clap of thunder sounded, and suddenly the statue of Creed was replaced with Creed himself. His body in the same pose as the statue was, purple smoke wafting out of his eye sockets and palms. The crowd gasped in astonishment, and murmurs began to arise from the perplexed people.

         Creed looked at the crowd, pulling off his mask and hood, and put on a solemn face. “My dear disciples, it has been a long, long time since I have seen you, and I apologize to you for abandoning you in these troubled times. Shadow has over run Lone Island, and now his minions are turning against the innocent, peaceful townsfolk of your. I do not wish to see the people who I have crafted myself, slaughtered do to the foolish greed of Shadow. And so, here I am, and with me I bring you a new hope.” The Overlords reappeared on the lip of the fountain, staring at the crowd. They would’ve appeared surprised if it weren’t for Creed manipulating them so that they appeared strong, noble, and wise. The crowd was utterly surprised.

         “I stand before you with the Devine Overlords, the six gods of the elements; water, ice, flame, life, time, and weather. Together we will thwart the evil that has tainted your life, and the other people all over the world, but our powers have grown weak and thin due to our lack of worshippers. We need your support now, more than ever, so we may crush the opposition, and let peace ring throughout the land once again!” The crowd broke into an uproar, and once they calmed, Creed continued on.

         “We will stand by your sides, whether you can see us or not, we will always be with you. We will rid you of your greatest fears, and we will restore your faith in Creedism. Just believe in us, worship us, expand our power to its former glory, and we will carry you down the path to happiness and enlightenment!” And in the blink of an eye, Creed and the Overlords vanished, and in their place was the statue of Creed, and six more lining the lip of the fountain, one for each Overlord, each in a heroic pose, with a divot at there feet to place offerings.

         The Overlords were placed once again in a new location; atop a building just at the edge of the square. They peered over the edge of the building to see the entire village bowed down before the fountain, chanting. The Overlords could feel the mana within them grow and expand, their bodies felt as if something within them was buzzing. They felt full of energy, empowered, as if they could do a thousand things at once. Creed sat leaned against a chimney, his knees drawn up towards his chest.

         “Knowing how it feels to have worshippers, like in this small village, imagine how it would feel to have an entire world worshipping you. That’s how I once felt, but you must be careful. I’m sure you are all feeling as if you can do anything right now, it’s a false feeling. You are gaining massive amounts of mana, but it can delude you, keep your minds calm and sharp, and don’t use massive amounts of mana and will just to accomplish a small task. Just be careful.” The Overlords were silent for a few moments, then Aeri crawled up in front of Creed and sat down before him, her legs drawn up just like his. “Is that why you made such a mistake as making the Daemons? Were you just so deluded from all of the worship that you didn’t think clearly?” She asked.

         “To some degree, yes. I was… a bit arrogant. I had control over an entire planet, can you blame me?” Aeri laughed uneasily at this, she didn’t want it to happen to her or the other Overlords, who were now, by the way, all gathered with Creed in a circle.

         “Let me tell you something, learn from my mistakes. And remember the past, because if you don’t you’re bound to repeat it…” Silence followed, which was the all popular part of being gods apparently.

         “And one other thing, something about being a god,” Creed stated, “the people are usually more impressed when you hardly appear before them. To them, gods are these amazing, all knowing beings that hardly appear before their followers. So I must warn you, that you’re life may actually revolve around staying hidden, and this will help you more than you think.” Creed stood up, and brushed off his robes. “So let’s have our first lesson right now, the goal is to get to the Dragon Hall without anyone spotting you, and if any of you can beat me there, I’ll teach you all a new 'trick'."

         Creed stepped up to the edge of the building on the end opposite the square and teetered on the edge. “Ready.” The Overlords leaped over next to him. “Set.” They stood ready to jump off the edge. “Go!” All seven of them fell off the edge, their robes swirling together in a multicolored torrent, hit the ground, and ran.


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         You guessed it; Creed was the first to get there. In fact, all of the others thought that he was behind them, because they didn’t see him from the moment he hit the ground. Shaith had run all the way up the stairs, and ripped open the door, panting heavily, while Chase and Geary fought each other up the stairs right behind her. Shaith smiled, thinking she had won, only to look up at Creed sitting at the far end of the table, his feet on the tabletop and his arms crossed in a sort of “what took you so long” sort of way. Drake and Tamara sat next to him, laughing it up.

         Shaith frowned at Creed. “You cheated, didn’t you?”

         “Their were no rules other than ‘get there in one-hundred-twenty seconds and don’t be seen’ and I followed both of those, so I didn’t really cheat.” Creed chuckled.

         Shaith filed into the room with Chase and Geary behind her, she was smiling; laughing at herself. She began to laugh too, which made Chase and Geary look at each other, perplexed. Shaith was holding her gut, laughing with Drake and Tamara, what was so funny they didn’t know. Even Creed didn’t know, who had the same confused look on his face as Geary and Chase.

         Creed simply dismissed it and motioned for the Overlords who had just entered the room to take a seat. “So” Creed started as he leaned forward and tapped his gloved hands on the marble table-top two times, “we have what’s needed to continue our little ‘operation’ so to speak. By tomorrow each and every one of us will have enough mana to destroy a whole village with one blow. So, I’ll send the Overlords out to take care of the camps, while I go and take care of some other matters that need to be seen to.” By the tone of his voice everyone could tell that this “matter” wasn’t to be questioned, and so the room was silent for a moment or so, then Drake spoke up.

         “We’ll prepare the maps and supplies to travel through the pass while you’re out tomorrow. We’ll be ready to go as soon as you’re finished. As for the rest of today, I believe all of us should relax and wait for the mana reserves to fill up.” Creed nodded in agreement.

         “We’ll go and set up camp at the shrine back where we got here and we’ll meet you back here bright and early tomorrow.” Creed said, standing up. The Overlords followed his example, but several of them sat back down from light-headedness. The continually increased increments of mana were hard to get used to.

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         The Shrine in which they had come from was much more brilliant and vivid than the last time they had been there. The engravings on the walls glowed vividly in a riot of colors as the mana from the village of Snake Pit pulsed through the walls. The Plinth at the end of the shrine burned so strong that everyone but Creed, Talon and Aeri were afraid to get too close to it.

         “Being gods we don’t need to sleep.” Creed said as he walked into the shrine, “nor do we really need to eat or drink, although we do those anyway, since they’re pleasurable. But sleep is impossible for us, so for the remainder of the night you will relax, and in the morning you will meet Drake and undergo the operation.”

         “What do you mean ‘you’? Aren’t you coming with?” Havyn asked warily.

         “No. The matter of which I need to attend needs to be started tonight, so I’ll be leaving you soon.”

         “What if Scales’ troops find us?” Havyn asked again, a bit panicked.

         “We’re gods! We can take them.” Geary roared, his fist raised challengingly.

         “Don’t let that get to your head now.” Creed said as he walked across the room to the plinth that burned furiously. He raised his hands high and then lowered them slowly, the flame settled down a bit, as if it were calmed by Creed. “Whatever you do, don’t step outside of this shrine until morning.” Creed said as he headed towards the stairway to above ground. “I don’t want any of you getting caught, forcing us to start our plans early.”  Creed smiled under his mask and walked up the stairway, leaving the Overlords to their own devices.

         Talon sighed and sat down against the wall with Oblivion. “Well,” He sighed, “this is going to be painfully boring.”

         “What are we gonna do?” Chase asked.

         “Anyone up for a spar?” Aerie asked with a half smile on her face. Just about everyone jumped up and drew their weapons. Aerie laughed. “I like the looks of this. Every man and woman for themselves.”

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         Creed walked silently through the forest lining Snake Pit’s walls. He wanted to scout out the area a bit before he headed out, if there was anything that he didn’t think the Overlords could handle he could warn them before hand. Scales’ troops weren’t exactly pushovers either. He found seven camps lining the north-east side of the village, each one containing about twenty or so troops. Whatever the reason they wanted to destroy Snake Pit for, it must’ve been pretty good for such a hefty amount of troops. One-hundred-and-forty troops and a tiny little village that had a population of maybe 200, pretty unfair advantage.

         Scales’ troops were pretty formidable looking too, X5300 Assault Rifles, Pulse Swords, and armor that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Their whole body was covered from head to two with a thick steel armor, painted different colors with different symbols painted on their foreheads, probably indicating rank.

         Creed fell upon a camp that was a bit mismatched and undisciplined. He watched, crouching in a tree, as a bulky looking warrior with jet black armor stepped out of a tent with his helmet under his arm. Creed could see the Elite symbol painted on the helmets visor, and his image fit the rank. His skin was darker than most other lizards, and he had tattoos of war on his crest. Long scars ran down his face, with a sneer resting on his lips. “Looks like a friendly guy.” Creation chuckled.

         “Fifty-seven!” he shouted at one of the lizards that sat on a stump, eating his dinner. The lizard jumped up in alarm, dropping his mess kit on the ground, making loud clattering sounds that echoed off the trees. “Yesir!” The lizard said, slurring his reply into one word.

         “What is this?” The Elite growled, holding up a picture of a young Lizard.

         “I-i-it’s a picture of my son… s-sir.” The Lizard said, scared.

         “What did I say about personal belongings?”

         “But sir!”

         “No!” The Elite threw the picture into the fire, and the other Lizard scurried towards the fire, reaching in desperation for the possibly the last memory of his former life. He managed to snatch it out of the flames with his metal gloves, but by then it was just a smoldering ball of black paper. The Elite laughed at him, and kicked dirt onto the sobbing Lizard. “Listen you sod. If I find any more personal belongings, it’ll be you who gets thrown into the fire.”

         “What an asshole.” Creation muttered as Creed watched the Elite walk back into his tent, the other lizard crying in front of the fire, his hands hiding his shame.

         “Let’s teach that Elite a lesson.” Destruction sneered as he curled around Creed’s underarm.

         “No, we’ll alert the other camps.” Creed argued, even though he really wanted to do something, “besides, we’d have to kill him to.” He added, motioning towards the crying soldier.

         “He’s gonna die anyway.” Destruction said.

         “You can always reincarnate him.” Creation mention, nonchalantly. She obviously wanted to give that Elite a taste of his own medicine.

         “I guess we can always get rid of them… silently.” Creed smiled, convinced. He climbed silently down the tree and scurried with a flash across the other end of the camp until he was behind the tent that the Elite was staying in. He crouched behind a bush, ecstatic. It’d been so long since he’d done this.

         He crawled up to the edge of the tent, he could feel the Elite moving around, stripping off his armor and changing into regular clothing. Perfect. He thought. He slid through the fabric of the tent like a ghost and grabbed the Elites mouth, gagging him. The Elite clutched at Creed’s arm, screaming, which was muffled by Creed’s hand. Creed leaped back out of the tent and landed gracefully on a treetop. The rest of the camp was going on as if nothing had happened, perfect.

         “So, do you take pride in destroying lives?” Creed whispered in his ear. “Would you like to see how it feels?” The Elite shook his head rapidly, panicked. “Well too damn bad.” Creed placed his free hand on the top of the Elite’s head, and sent every single thought and emotion that was running through the other Lizard’s head into his. From the moment he threw the picture in the fire to the exact moment. The Elite shook, cried, and growled in anger, then continued to cry as the visions ceased.

         “Please don’t kill me!” his muffled voice pleaded.

         “You’ve already killed yourself.” Creed sneered, snapping his neck and throwing him onto the tent where he had once been. The whole camp turned in shock as the limp body of their commander landed with a sickening thud on top of the tent. They circled around him, awestruck. Several lizards snapped on their helmets and all of them drew their Assault Rifles and scanned the forests around them. That’s when Creed made his move.

         He leaped from the trees and landed silently behind them. He flicked his wrist, and each lizard flew forward and slammed into a tree. Most of them snapped their neck or died from head force trauma, especially those with out helmets. But about five or so got up, dazed. Creed made another subtle movement and ripped the guns from their hands; and with one final movement he ripped the Pulse Swords from their sheaths and gored stabbed them in the throat. They dropped, lifelessly, to the ground.

         “One less camp for the Overlords to deal with.,” Creed sighed. “I hate cleaning up though.”

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         “I find it a bit hard to believe that we’re actually doing this.” Destruction sighed as Creed approached the shoreline. “I hate the water.”

         “Well, we don’t know where Cavern Pass is, nor is it safe. Right now our best bet is swimming to the mainland.” Creed pointed out.

         “But it’s not like swimming from one end of a swimming pool to the other!”

         “Well you’re not the one who’ll be swimming, will you?” Creed said as he removed all of his armor and clothing and stuffed them into a small bag that he seemingly pulled from thin air. “Besides it’s not that far.”

         Creed’s body was much… different from what one would imagine under the armor. His torso was thick and strong, but his waist line was so thin that his hips were greatly exaggerated. They stretched so far out from his waist that one would assume that he had no organs within his body, which would be extremely accurate.

         His legs were like that of an animal, such as a horse, or a dog. They protruded backwards, then angled forward at a joint, then angled back again at another joint; as if there were two knees, one forward one backwards. His whole body was covered with swirling, spiraling purple tattoos. They curved around his body, curling around his arms like a cuff, and the symbol of life was tattooed upon his chest.

         He appeared no stronger than a thirteen year old boy, his arms were thin and appeared weak, but this was deceiving. He could run faster, lift heavier things, and swim farther than anyone of Droj and Earth put together. He was, to say the slightest, a strange creature.

         Creed walked steadily down the beach, the thick waves lapping gently at the shore. He tossed the bag to his side, which vanished into thin air with a sudden glimmer. His two toed feet made a soft crunch as he walked through the sand. He stopped where the water met the sand and smiled when he looked up at the blue moon that beamed down upon the world he’d made, making the water sparkle gently as it churned ever so gently.

         He continued to walk into the water, and Destruction let out a low “Ugh” which was quickly silenced by Creations criticism, which made Creed smile even wider. When he reached a point where the depth reached his chest, he dove into the water and began to swim so swiftly towards the shoreline of Lone Island that one might mistake him as a creature of the deep.