Chapter Fifty-Five: Convergence

Deeth screamed angrily as he sliced through a training dummy with a sword. His body burned with green flames as he hacked it to pieces. He ran down the line and chopped through more of the dummies that were lined up on the deck.

"I'll kill him!" Deeth shouted. "I'll chop his fucking head off!"

"You shouldn't have given him his sword back yet, Golden." Cole said.

"I thought that he'd burned our all the anger." She pouted.

"Clearly he didn't." Dardarax sighed.

Deeth sliced through the last dummy at the end of the line. He then ran back to the start of the line to chop them into more pieces. He had been going at it like this for several hours after Cuya ended his message. The young riders quickly told Kelk and Jombus of Cuya's "offer", and subsequent threat on the Acciais' lives. The dwelf decided that Deeth should burn out any excess anger by battling the training dummies. Kelk, Jombus and Gyza watched from the sidelines as Deeth hacked through the dummies.

"Deeth, don't you think you've done enough 'training'?" Cole asked.

"No!" Deeth snapped as he sliced a dummy's abdomen to pieces.

"It would appear that Deeth has a bottomless wrath." Jombus frowned.

"Clearly this wasn't the best of ideas." Kelk shook his head. "Recruit Acciai, stand down."

"But I'm not done venting yet!" Deeth shouted. "And I'll NEVER be done venting until chop that fucker's DEAD!"

"I know that you want to rescue your foster parents, Deeth." Jombus said calmly. "And believe us; we ALL want to help. We're formulating a plan as to how we can rescue them. But you must be patient."

"Patient?" Deeth repeated. His eye twitched as he put his sword. down. "Right..." He turned around and glared into Jombus's eyes. "I'm getting tired of this, Jombus."

Jombus blinked in surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

"You and Gyza had the chance to behead Kife all that time ago, and you BLEW IT. Now we're all having to suffer the consequences of that 'brilliant' decision. Now I know for a FACT that my parents are in mortal danger! I'm going to succeed where YOU failed; I'm gonna KILL Kife!"

Deeth Irteen! Gyza's voice shouted. Don't speak such ill will to Jombus!

Deeth turned around and sneered at the dragoness. "I can guess that one of you two is going to day 'it's too late now!' and that I should just accept it. Well I'm going to finish what you should have done a long time go!"

I forbid it! Gyza exclaimed.

"Forbid it?! You STILL want Kife to go free?!" Deeth protested. "You want Kife to get away AGAIN, so he can cause more death AGAIN?!"

That is not what I mean, Deeth. Gyza lowered her gaze to him. It is true that I made a mistake in letting Kife live, and it is true that he must pay for his crimes. But I cannot stand idly by and allow you to become a murderer.

"Murderer?!" Deeth exclaimed. "I'm not going to become a murderer?! Kife totally DESERVED to get the axe!"

"Have you ever killed before, Mr. Acciai?" Kelk asked, arms crossed.

"Well... no." Deeth said. The flames around his body died away as his expression weakoned. "I've done plenty of fighting, yes. But I haven't killed a single person during my entire journey. Or ever."

"And do you think that the act of taking another being's life is an easy thing to do?" Jombus asked.

Deeth put his sword down. He wracked his fingers on his chin. "Yes? Even with all the power of the Dragon's Rage, Kife is still a human. A mortal."

"But can you really bring yourself to KILL?" Kelk demanded. "Even in the heat of battle, even if it's justified by your country, the act of taking another living being's life is a difficult hurdle for a man of morals to cross. And once the line is crossed, it's difficult to return with your psyche intact."

"What are you talking about?" Deeth asked.

The dwelf drew his war-hammer from his belt. "Do you see this hammer? I once used it when I fought for the kingdom of Majinchi against foreign invaders many decades ago. During an important skirmish, I had no choice but to smash the skull of an enemy soldier to save the lives of several prisoners."

"Well that's good." Deeth said. "You rescued prisoners from an invader. In that instance, killing an invader was the right thing to do?"

"Was it?" Kelk asked. "That man's blood is forever on my hands. Even if I had to do it, that doesn't make it right."

"Sir, Kife is a MONSTER." Deeth said. "He has to be killed! It's the right thing to do!"

"Kife has to be STOPPED. But that doesn't mean you have to kill him." The dwelf stated. "Take it from someone who knows; It's best to keep your hands clean while they still are. The act of murder is something that will haunt you forever."

Deeth frowned. He looked around at the young riders, who all had worried expressions. The dragons all had the same worry in their eyes, none moreso than Gyza. Deeth dropped his sword and sighed, his head bent low.

"What am I supposed to do, then?" He asked. "I won't forgive him. He doesn't deserve it."

Just do as we advice you, young Deeth. Gyza said  Everything will turn out okay in the end.

"I really don't know about that..." Deeth said. "And I'm sorry for yelling at all of you. I just... I want to save my parents. They've been pawns in Kife's game for too long."

"And we will rescue them, Deeth." Jombus said. "All we have to do is work out a plan..."

~~...~~

The sky was flooded with clouds as four great fleets of airships slowly converged on the endless waters of the Central Sea. The Wengilima fleet approached form the north, Tajirid approached from the east, Majinchi approached from the south, and Malkias approached from the west. Airships of all shapes and sizes could be seen throughout the fleets, ready to do battle. Experienced Riders prepared their dragons upon the wider airships.

Gyza and the Kelvin flew on the outskirts of the battle to swerve in from the southwest. Kelk stood on deck with his war-hammer in his hands. The dwefl was decorated in a suit of white armor, complete with a Peace-Keeper mask. All of the crew-members had suited up in their Peace-Keeper armor, weapons at the ready.

"I had hoped that I would never need this hammer again." Kelk sighed. "But alas, life never turns out the way you would hope." He turned to face the young riders. "Are you ready?"

Dardarax, Golden, Cole and Ozy were outfitted with armor that matched the color of their respective dragons. They each had their primary weapons in hand, while the latter wore thick gauntlets. Barafu, Mojoto and Jabali were decorated in full plate armor. Umeno was stored in a protective casing on Ozy's back.

The four young riders stood at full attention and saluted. "Ready, Sir!"

Their dragons roared in unison to sound their agreement.

"Good. This will be the biggest challenge of your training so far. If war indeed breaks out, you must be STRONG."

"Will do, sir!" Ozy declared.

Kelk turned towards Deeth and Kuvilo. Deeth was dressed in his noble garb, while his dragon was decorated in the finest armor the Peace-Keepers had available. Deeth looked onwards at the foreboding visage of the airship fleets. He gripped the handle of Ace of Spades in his hand while he balled a fist in the other. He inhaled and exhaled slowly and calmly. Kuvilo sat on his haunches beside him

"Are you alright, Mr. Acciai?" Kelk asked.

"I'm calm..." Deeth said, turning to face the dwelf. "You don't have to worry about me Sir."

"Remember what we said, Deeth; we will do whatever we can to save the Acciais from Kife's clutches. Just keep a level head to focus on the battle."

"Will do..." Deeth looked forwards again and sighed. Kuvilo lowered his head down to Deeth's shoulder.

Are you sure you're okay, Deeth? The dragon asked. I can still feel a layer of burning anger deep inside you.

"I'm storing it for later." Deeth said. "I'll call upon it when it's time to fight."

Don't let anger get the better of you, Deeth. It really scares me.

Deeth frowned. He reached up to scratch under Kuvilo's chin. "I don't ever mean to scare you, buddy."

I know... Kuvilo rumbled lowly. But you still do at times.

"If we make it out of this alive..." Deeth looked Kuvilo in the eyes. "I'll make it a point to get in control of my anger."

Do you promise?

Deeth took a deep breath and spoke clearly. "I promise, Kuvilo."

Kuvilo licked the side of Deeth's face. I'll keep a memory of that promise in the back of my head.

"Okay." Deeth nodded. He turned and looked towards the airship fleets.

High up in the sky, something black poked through the cloud layer. Deeth squinted to get a better look. "What's that?"

A great, black airship lowered down through the layer of clouds. It was long and sharp from bow to stern, with six wing-like protrusions on all sides. Eight turbines powered the vessel on the stern. A thick, vulture-like beak crowned the bow, with blazing "eyes" glaring down at the world below.

"What is THAT?" Deeth wondered. He watched as the black airship loomed silently over the war zone.

As the northern and eastern fleets drew closer, The Indomitus turned to approach the Venture. The green, war-ready airship flew with a steady gait as it approached. Many orc magicians stood together on the deck. They chanted in unison to create a giant orb of energy above the Indomitus, which grew into the shape of a giant screen. The screen flickered before presenting the enlarged image of King Elbodin.

"King Deluvan!" Elbodin declared. "Fortune smiles upon you! After careful consideration, I have decided that the orcs of Wengilima shall stand alongside Tajirid!"

A dozen or so dwarf magicians assembled upon the Venture's deck. They duplicated the spell to create an image for the dwarf king to speak from.

"Are you serious, Elbodin?!" Deluvan exclaimed. "Have you come to your senses about Deeth Irteen?"

"First things first, Deluvan." Elbodin said. "For now, let's band together to drive away the elven fiends and their Halfling friends."

"Uh-oh." Dardarax grimaced. "That doesn't sound good."

As the fleets drew closer, elven magicians assembled on the deck of the Daedelus. The Daedelus was a long, white airship with feathery wings on the stern. Meanwhile, Halfling magicians formed on the deck of the Falcon. The red airship was fat around the sides, but powered by three turbines on both sides. It wasn't long before King Santin and King Raithen were speaking through the giant screens.

"Elbodin, Deluvan, this will be your one and only warning." King Raithen declared. "Surrender now, and declare Cuya Irteen as emperor. Then there will be no need for war."

"And I'm giving YOU a final warning!" Deluvan snapped. "Arrest the man named Cuya, and stand behind DEETH Irteen!"

"You're quite mad, Deluvan." Santin said. "Therefore, I have no choice but to send my forces to bring you to justice."

"Not on your life, elf!" Elbodin shouted. Rider, ARISE!"

The Wengilima Riders mounted onto their dragons and prepared for flight. The other kings sent their own riders into battle.

"Now is our time to act!" Jombus shouted. "Fly, Gyza! FLY!"

Gyza flapped her wings as hard as she could to pick up speed.

Deeth mounted upon the new saddle on Kuvilo's neck. The other dragon riders mounted their own dragons, with Ozy sitting behind Cole and holding his waist. The five dragons faced the long end of the deck, while the Peace-Keepers scrambled out of the way. Kuvilo charged at full speed and leaped over the bow of the Kelvin. He swerved downwards, only to swing upwards and into the sky. The other young dragons were behind him moments later.

The eight Malkias Riders broke formation as the dragons neered Santin's fleet. They flew in and came to a hard landing on deck. Santin looked on in amazement as the Malkias Riders drew their weapons.

"What?! What are all of YOU doing here?!" Santin exclaimed. "You're supposed to be guarding Malkias!"

"Riders of Malkias, lay down your arms!" Folen shouted. "Santin has betrayed our trust! I and my brethren speak in the name of Gyza!"

Gyza flew into the wide area between the airship fleets. She released a mighty roar that all the dragons could hear.

"By the gods!" Elbodin exclaimed.

"Gyza lives?!" Raithen shouted.

"Amazing!" Deluvan yelled.

All of the dragons of the four fleets turned their heads towards Gyza as she spoke.

Hear me, my children! Do not take part in this pointless war! Spare yourselves the pain of bloodshed and loss! Rise up, and leave this battlefield! Even if your riders will it otherwise, do not take part in this war!

There was a great moment of silence. Deeth and Kuvilo watched the dragons of the four fleets as they eyed Gyza. And then, one after another, the dragons spread their wings to fly. All of the riders watched in shock as their dragons abandoned them. They flew in a great cloud towards Gyza, who shifted to fly away from the fleets. The sky was filled with red, blue, green and yellow as the dragons follwed the black dragoness.

"NO!" Santin bellowed. He watched in horror as his mighty army of dragons abandoned the elven airships. "Get back here! I command it!"

Folen and the other Malkias Riders pushed by the elven soldiers. "By Gyza's will, we hereby place King Santin under arrest!"

"Treason!" Santin screamed. "Guards, arrest them!"

The elves watched Gyza flying away with the dragons, and then towards Folen. They nodded, drew their weapons, and turned to go below deck. There was banging on Santin's door as elves burst in with their weapons drawn.

"Get off me!" Santin shouted as they grabbed him. "You can't do this! I am your KING!"

"Not anymore." The soldiers tore the mitre from Santin's head.

"Oh my!" King Raithen exclaimed. "I can't say I saw THIS coming!"

"Ha." Deeth smirked. "That's one jerkhead getting his dues."

"What does this mean?" Deluvan asked. "Will Malkias stand beneath Deeth Irteen now?"

The Kelvin flew around the flock of dragons to stay between the airship fleets. Several Peace-Keepers channeled magic to recreate the projection spell above the Kelvin. Kelk spoke through it to the fleets.

"It is by the will of Jombus and Gyza, both very much alive, that the one called Deeth Acciai is the TRUE heir of the Irteens! The one named Cuya is none other than Kife Irteen, very much alive and under a disguise to fool the kingdoms! I, Kelk Ironfist, ask the remaining three kings that you-"

Suddenly a fireball crashed onto the Kelvin's flank, knocking it off-balance. Eveyone on deck nearly fell over as another fireball crashed nearby. Kelk's transmission was cut short.

"Whoa!" Deeth shouted.

"What happened?!" Dardarax exclaimed.

"LOOK!" Golden pointed across the sky.

There were screams of commotion as warriors in black armor emerged from the interior of the airship. The screen above the Daedelus showed the warriors murdering the elves that subdued Santin before the screen violently jerked around until it exploded into nothingness. Dragons of various colors emerged from within all of the elven airships, the crew members either being slaughtered or thrown overboard. The black-clad warriors mounted onto the dragons and took to the skies.

"By the gods!" Elbodin shouted again. "Left and Right flanks! Swoop in to intercept the-" The orc king was cut off as more  black-clad riders broke into the cabin and pointed weapons at his throat. "What?!"

"Daddy!" Golden watched in horror as the king was subdued and the screen was destroyed.

Meanwhile, Raithen and Deluvan were attacked by more of the same black-clad warriors. More dragons emerged from hiding inside various airships in all three fleets. Riders and

"TEKTON!" Deluvan bellowed as he swung his war-hammer. "TEKTON!"

"THULUN, AID YOUR KING!" The Halfling shouted as he was grabbed off the ground.

"What's going on?!" Deeth exclaimed."

Gyza turned her head towards the fleets and bellowed in shock and horror. Jombus's eyes lit up with dread. "No..."

What is going on, children?! Why are you attacking your own fleet?! Stop it at once!

High up in the sky, an aura of green energy surrounded the lurking black ship. A great, wide screen was created under the ship, showing the image of Cuya sitting on a luxurious throne. As he spoke, his voice echoed from the heavens like a god speaking to mortals.

"Did you really think that ALL dragons bent to your will, Mother of Midnight?" He asked.

"KIFE!" Jombus bellowed.

"Long time no see, Jombus." Cuya cackled. "As you can see, I have spent many years collecting dragons from the outer lands. They have never HEARD of you, Gyza. Most of them don't even speak your language."

No... Gyza's eyes widened. She looked about at the flock of dragons around her. Children, fly back to the fleets! Defend your riders!

All at once, the assembled dragons charged back towards the airship fleets. Kelk and the Peace-Keepers drew their weapons to fight back against the rogue dragon-riders that attacked the Kelvin. All across the fleets, the airships that weren't overrun charged forwards to combat the rogues. Before long, the dragons of the islands swarmed into the rogue dragons. Explosions of all four elements rocketed through the sky in a deadly chorus.

"Fight all you want!" Cuya mocked. "You'll all be dealt with soon enough, and I shall claim my rightful place as emperor of the four kingdoms, and Lord of Dragons."

Deeth's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so." He kicked at Kuvilo's sides. "Fly up!"

Kuvilo swerved to fly directly upwards into the sky. Dardarax, Golden, Cole and Ozy soon caught up and flew around his sides. The five young riders flew together towards the black airship as the battle raged on below.