Ascension: Quest For Revenge

Chase (Part 2)

Axel picked the guard from the ground and threw him into the corner of a wall, breaking his spine and killing him immediately. Many guards tried to pounce on Axel from the rooftops. Axel used telekinesis to stop them midair and throw them into a nearby wall. He then lifted himself off the ground into the air and flew out of the slums. The guards shot multiple projectiles and arrows towards him, but he managed to dodge all of them, occasionally deflecting them back towards the sender.

He flew out of the slums and looked around for Belle, but she seemed to have disappeared. He spotted a chariot dead ahead, standing still and searching for Belle. Axel shot towards the chariot incredibly fast. By the time the guards noticed Axel coming from behind, he punched one of them with all that momentum, sending him flying out of the chariot. He shot magical tendrils from his hands and grabbed the other two guards, then hurled them back towards the rest of the army chasing after him. He grabbed the reins and began driving the chariot through Rayfort.

While riding the chariot, he summoned his staff again and created a flurry of magical arrows in front of him, then shot those arrows behind the chariot towards his pursuers. The guards with fast enough reflexes pulled up shields or ducked behind cover. The rest died from the arrows, which slowly disappeared from their bodies, leaving a shimmering glow in their place. This slowed the rest of the guards down long enough for them to lose Axel, at least for some time.

“Where the hell is she?” Axel said out loud. He continued looking around for Belle, but couldn’t spot her.

Many guards up ahead established a roadblock of carriages, carts and other large objects. Axel pointed his staff and created a huge blast in the middle of the roadblock. All objects flew in every direction. The guards nearby ducked for cover.

As Axel passed them by with his chariot, he created a sphere of sparks from his staff. It floated near the guards, then exploded, electrocuting them.

Belle suddenly appeared on the road beside Axel’s chariot. She was sitting on a Volequi, and another one was flying right beside her.

“You looked like you could use the cavalry,” Belle said, smiling. “Hop on.”

Axel jumped off the chariot onto a Volequi.

“For a second there I thought you’d left me behind,” Axel said.

“I considered it. But you’re carrying the keys.”

Together they turned to the direction of the dragons, leaving the guards in the dust.

As they approached the wealthy part of Rayfort, they saw that the entrance to the trials was closed off. And there no dragon.

“Just as I thought,” Axel said. “No dragons in sight. I swear, once I find that coward announcer-”

“We’re not gonna do that,” Belle said. “There’s still hope. While we ran from the arena yesterday and split up, I saw a huge building where many animals were being kept. There’s a good chance we’ll find our dragons in there. What do you say?”

“Well, doesn’t seem like we have any other choice. Lead the way.”

The two went past where the dragons were supposed to be, and headed towards the building.

It took about a minute to reach the building. It was very large and deep inside the district.

“I’d expect there to be a few sentries around,” Belle said. “I’d rather not draw any more attention. You can fly, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, wait here. I can sneak in, free two dragons and you can fly on top of one and then we can proceed to Bluegate.”

“Wait, what? No, I’m coming with you.”

“Two of us will be harder to sneak around, and slower. Besides, I doubt you’re good at sneaking around.”

“You do realise I can turn invisible?” He snapped his fingers and immediately disappeared.

“Oh, wow,” Belle remarked. “Well in that case, maybe you should go alone. I’ll wait.”

“We’ll go together.” Axel pointed his hands at Belle and turned her invisible. “Let’s not waste any more time. We have five more minutes before the spell wears off. This spell doesn’t work in the dark, so stay out of shadows.”

“Wait. How will I be able to see you while you’re invisible?”

Axel took out a very small ruby and tossed it to Belle.

“Press this and it will shine, revealing your location. Use it carefully.”

They both got off their floating Volequi and headed into the district.

They sneaked in, and walked right past people who had no idea they were there. They kept heading towards the building on the brightly lit main road. There were two sentries keeping watch at the gate. Occasionally, sounds of creatures howling came from inside the building.

Belle knew there was no way to time their attacks. She hurled two throwing knives into the two sentries’ throats, and Axel cast the same spell on the two immediately to make them invisible. Axel then lifted them up in the air with telekinesis and threw their bodies into a nearby bush.

He stood at one corner of the building and pressed his ruby. It shone brightly for a second, then dimmed down. From the other corner of the building, Belle’s ruby shone bright.

Axel slowly opened the building and the two snuck inside.

Once they were in, Axel removed the spell. The two then noticed the creatures kept inside the building.

They were all dragons.

“Whoa,” Belle said. “Unbelievable. They only keep dragons here.”

There were fifty dragons stored inside the building; massive creatures of different colours - red, grey, green, blue – all except golden, which is the colour of a royal dragon, the rarest species of dragons. They all had massive wings, but could barely open them due to limited space. They had beautiful scales that shimmered when sunlight fell on them. The red ones had both eyes in front of their heads, like an eagle; while most others had eyes to the sides. Belle and Axel kept their distance from their large extended mouths with razor sharp teeth. The dragons are generally gentle creatures that don’t attack unless provoked or commanded to attack. They are the smartest of all creatures in the world, and while they only communicate in large roars and sounds, they could understand simple human instructions. They are used in battles or to fly long distances.

“Do you know much about dragons?” Axel asked. “Because I don’t.”

“I do. Red ones are aggressive; stay away from them. The orange and blue ones are the most docile. The green ones are the fastest. We don’t have time to properly train them; I suggest we take the orange or blue ones.”

“Alright.” Axel approached a nearby blue dragon. The dragon was curious; it tilted its head and examined Axel. He slowly raised his hand towards the dragon. It lowered its head near him. Axel slowly petted the beast, and it closed its eyes, making a small noise.

“I can mount this dragon now, right?” Axel said. Belle was already on top of her orange dragon.

“Has it tried to bite you?” She asked.

“Not at all.”

“Well then, yeah.”

Axel climbed on top of the dragon’s back. There was a soft furry patch on its back, created through genetic engineering by magical enhancements, which made it more comfortable for riders to sit on the dragons.

“You ready?” Axel asked Belle.

“Absolutely,” she replied.

Axel used telekinesis to open the gate. He then told the dragon: “Walk,” and the dragon began walking out of the building.

The two walked out of the building as the people of the district stared, surprised. Some ran to call the nearby guards, but it was too late.

“Fly,” both Axel and Belle told to their dragons, and they immediately lifted into the air, flapping their wings. Belle snapped her fingers in front of one of the dragon’s eyes and when she had its attention, she pointed upwards and said in a louder voice, “Fly!”

Axel repeated what she did, and his dragon followed Belle’s. They both finally left Rayfort, soaring high into the sky, heading towards Bluegate.