No More Chains

The aftermath of the deadliest battle ever faced by Dragons and Riders. Now that Patrick has lost against the Mind Poison, it is up to Furia to deal with the consequences.

No More Chains

 

Elvis approached below Patrick and received him as Furia started to lower her head. At a moment Elvis said “I got him, Furia” and Furia opened her jaws, allowing Elvis to carry his little brother. Furia stepped back and looked at Elvis as he lowered Patrick to lay on the floor and placed a hand over Patrick’s bitten leg, to then heal him with a flow of grey smoke. When the agent was done, he handcuffed Patrick with specialized rider-handcuffs that forced a rider’s hands closed into fists, which would prevent said rider from using Vital Energy.

 

Standing back up, Elvis looked at Furia, awfully worried. She was shivering so noticeably he feared she would collapse to the ground at any moment… which wasn’t very far from being a possibility. How much will this dragon have to endure?... He thought as he neared her left side, looking up to her eye and patted her shoulder while saying…

 

-He didn’t mean that, Furia. I’m sure he didn’t.

 

Suddenly, a familiar hard voice born behind Elvis, making him turn to see Unit Commander Rainer approaching him…

 

-If there’s anything I or my men can do for you and Wings of Liberty, don’t be afraid to call out for it.

 

-You already helped us the most we could accept your help with, Unit Commander Rainer. We have to continue on our own from this point.

 

U.C. Rainer then nodded and offered a handshake to Elvis, who answered it firmly, the way that separates sissies from true men. When the salute ended, the Missourian looked up at Furia, who stared at her unconscious rider, and told her…

 

-I’m sorry Wings of Liberty… -He then did that military salute, getting his whole body to a straight stance, and continued-… It was an honor to fight and serve for you… -Then he directed himself toward Elvis and continued-… Don’t worry about paperwork; we’ll take it from here. Just leave behind the equipment we lend you and have a safe trip back home.

 

Elvis then answered…

 

-Thanks, Unit Commander, for everything.

 

-Till the next fight, Unit Commander Darst.

 

Saying no more to Elvis, Unit Commander Rainer made a gesture with his hand and a small group of his agents proceeded to help the Texan dragons and riders taking off their torn, scratched and burned, heavy Kevlar armors. Just as he finished taking off Pyro’s, he noticed no one had gone near Furia. He then called a couple of his agents and with them he took off Furia’s Kevlar armor. All through the process, Furia kept the same emotionless, shocked expression as Pyro walked near her and told her…

 

Don’t let this get into you, Furia. It’s the Mind Poison, it has always been. Patrick would never say something like this.

Once done with the crimson dragon, Elvis turned to his men and exclaimed…

 

-Alright everyone… -His tone strong and immediately the rest of Texas Unit was paying attention to him-... head back to Texas and report everything to the Commander in Chief. We can call this mission accomplished. Great job to you all.

 

-Yes Sir!... -Answered the agents and then they proceeded to take off the Kevlar armor from their dragons, to then climb to their saddles and take off... all of them but one.

 

-Unit Commander... -Snapped the remaining agent-... What of The Double Scarred Rider and Wings of Liberty? What was that just now?

 

-That matter is classified. Now get going.

 

-Yes Sir.

 

The agent proceeded to climb to his dragon's saddle and not much later he was up in the air, rushing to catch up with his comrades.

 

Elvis turned again to Patrick, the blood-bathed rider lying on the ground face up, handcuffed and unconscious. Elvis pressed his hands to fists as rage started to show in his face. Gray smoke began to emanate from his fists as he looked at his unconscious younger brother with eyes sharpened by anger. At a moment, he quickly turned away from his brother and generated some kind of not-very-well-shaped spear, with irregularities all over the body and a curved tip. Letting out a loud cry, Elvis threw the spear at the death-filled building next to them and hit a wall. The projectile dug itself to the half of its length and then slowly dissipated to a puff of gray smoke.  Elvis then yelled, his voice hard and solid...

 

-As if this was f*****g bound to happen! Not a single time our plans worked!!

 

Furia lowered her sight and forced shut her eyes. She showed her fangs, expressing her anger toward what was just said. Then she roared at Elvis, who turned and looked straight at the eye of an awfully angry dragon.

 

Shut the f**k up, Elvis! Just shut the f**k up and keep that nonsense to yourself. Now hurry up and get Patrick onto my saddle. You’ll call Francesco and get the port our ship is at. I want to see Tyranis before going.

 

Pyro was nearby and intervened…

 

I’ll carry Patrick, Furia. It’s better if I get him as soon as possible to the ship.

 

Thanks, Pyro.

 

Elvis then proceeded to strap Patrick on the gray dragon’s saddle while Furia turned around and walked toward the Missourian agents and dragons. Once he was done, Elvis got his phone and dialed Francesco’s number.

 

As Furia neared the Missourians, the ones that were looking her way just stared and the rest then followed their comrades’ looks and later noticed Furia, who roared lowly…

 

Preacher?

 

The large Missourian dragon walked away from her comrades and approached Furia as all eyes, dragon and human, stared at them.

 

Wings of Liberty.

 

I need to know where the paramedics took my friends, Oliver Barton and Tyranis, the Bounty Hunters. I need to see them.

 

Preacher turned her head and did a gesture signaling a direction as she said with her gravely toned, harmonic voice…

 

Two minutes in that direction.

 

Thank you, Preacher.

 

Whatever you need, Wings of Liberty.

 

Furia then turned around and fast paced before unfolding upward her wings and flap them down with swift movements that got her onto the air in no time. Not much longer she found the hospital; a tall white building with a large near-empty parking lot. There Furia saw Tyranis, the grass-green dragon had her whole torso and abdomen bandaged and rested on the asphalt, guarded by D.D.I. dragons and riders.

 

As Furia landed, the D.D.I. agents guarded up, the dragons got between Furia and Tyranis and roared…

 

Who are you!? Why are you not wearing an ID collar!?

 

While the riders surrounded Furia and readied Vital Energy weapons in pose to attack at the first notice of something suspicious. But in no time a low roar born…

 

Furia?

 

Noticing their high-valued-individual knew the newcomer, the D.D.I. backed away and returned to their earlier positions as Tyranis arched up her neck from the ground, lifted her head and looked cheerfully at Furia. But her excitement didn’t last for even greeting Furia as Tyranis noticed there was no one on Furia’s saddle and the still fresh, small, strangely-unhealed cut on Furia’s neck… without mentioning her grim face…

 

Furia, your neck… was it… Patrick?

 

Furia nodded and said, her voice still bitter and weak…

 

He was so raged I had to bite him and he cut my neck… threatening to kill me if I didn’t let him go.

 

That means you’ll…

 

Leave… yes. This is goodbye, Tyranis.

 

Furia said as she neared Tyranis and the sides of their heads made contact, a sign of affection.

 

D****t, Furia. If there was something I…

 

Breaking the contact, Furia stepped back and said…

 

You’ve done enough, sis. Besides, you are going to be the dragon of a Double Scarred Rider in a couple of days.

 

Tyranis sighed and answered…

 

So much to cheer for. I have no idea how to do this, Furia. I’m not even sure if I’m actually ready for this responsibility. I always thought you’d kind of teach me or something. I haven’t actually even been on my own; Helios is the one who…

 

To hear the name made Furia harden her expression, showing her fangs and looking away from Tyranis, who was struck by Furia’s reaction and shook her head as she continued saying…

 

Wait… Furia, wait… Helios isn’t dead, is he?

 

Humming gravely and lowering her sights, Furia turned back to Tyranis and said…

 

Shawver’s dragon attacked and injured me, I was unable to fight and… Helios saved my life… then he… he fought Shawver’s dragon and… Shawver’s dragon was stronger and… Furia lifted her sight and looked at Tyranis straight in the eyes as she continued… he killed Helios, Tyranis.

 

Tyranis lowered her sight and didn’t notice herself flashing her fangs, expressing her anger. Still, if there was time to suffer this loss, to cry and curse the whole world for this… it wasn’t in front of Furia. She took another deep breath before lifting up her sights and looking at Furia as she asked her, her voice beginning to tremble…

 

What about Alan, where was he that he couldn’t heal Helios?

 

He was out of energy… Shawver’s dragon tried to burn him, but I got in the way and that’s when he killed Helios. I then allowed… Furia took a deep breath before saying… I allowed the Mind Poison to infect me… That’s how I found out how to kill Shawver’s dragon… It became stronger and suddenly I found myself on my way to kill Alan too… I didn’t want to, but… there I was… about to kill our friend, but he quickly shot himself with a pistol. I’m sorry, Tyranis. This… everything that had happened, it’s been my fault… If I hadn’t…

 

The green dragon suddenly roared shortly at Furia as she told her…

 

No… Furia, no. It is not your fault. Come here…

 

Tyranis then laboriously pushed herself up and embraced Furia’s neck with hers, turning her head behind Furia in what seemed to be dragons’ version of a hug. Furia answered in the same manner as she howled-like and continued her mumbling for a moment… I can’t deal with this, Tyranis… I can’t continue knowing that I killed them. Taking Furia’s following empty howl as a chance to say something, Tyranis takes the word…

 

It’s not your fault, Furia. They were my friends too and I’m going to miss them… By this moment Tyranis lost the composure she was trying to keep, humming gravely and tightening her embrace on her also decomposed friend’s neck as she continued… But I’ll never blame you, Furia! I’ll blame Gedeon… I’ll blame the whole state of Missouri, but never you.

 

Furia suddenly roared aloud…

 

I don’t want to go, Tyranis! I’ll have nothing in the island! I’ll be alone and stranded forever!

 

At what Tyranis answered with a gentle hum…

 

We’ll see each other again, sis. Promise me you won’t do something stupid like crashing head first on purpose or something.

 

Furia then paced back, slowly terminating the hug with Tyranis, getting face to face with her friend, looking at her eyes as she asked her…

 

How can you still think this will have some kind of happy ending?

 

There will never be a happy ending at this point, Furia. I just don’t want it to end with me losing every single one of my best friends. And you and Patrick are the only ones left.

 

Furia didn’t want to stop looking at Tyranis’s dark red eyes. This dragon and her rider were the last of the group of revolutionaries with which she changed the world… and the last she would speak to… There were too the ship owners in Corpus Cristy, but she had lost contact with them… so…

 

I won’t do anything stupid, Tyranis. I’ll hang on… somehow. But you’ll have to promise me something too.

 

What… what kind of promise?

 

Promise me you won’t worry about me… that you are going to be focused on yourself and Oliver, Tyranis. Your rider is going to turn to a Double Scarred and things will change a lot for you and Oliver, even more now that Patrick and I are going away. This is my end… Not yours. Promise me you’ll carry on.

 

I promise, Furia. And… can’t you wait for Oliver to wake up? Do you really have to go today?

 

Patrick can’t be in the continent when recovering his full energy. Like Oliver himself said: no one is capable of containing him here, and I fear not even the rider-handcuffs. I have to go because the Mind Poison is in my mind now that I allowed it to become active.

 

Tyranis intervened and said…

 

You aren’t seeking mindless slaughtering, Furia. Patrick is the sick one, not you.

 

Well, who says it can’t overtake me all of a sudden? Patrick is the only one who can end this, I don’t know how or if he even cares about that anymore. All I know is that no more innocent blood is going to be spilled on my behalf.

 

The green dragon then lowered her sight and sighed, then looked back at Furia and said after a moment…

 

I’m going to miss you, sis.

 

Furia got nearer to Tyranis and touched the side of her head with hers as she said…

 

I’ll miss you too. You are the greatest friend a dragon can ask for and I’m proud you are the one taking my place. I know you are going to do a much better job than I did. Tell that to Oliver too.

 

I will.

 

That said, Furia stepped back and turned around, still looking at Tyranis with the edge of her left eye when she unfolded her wings and got ready to take off. Furia flapped down her wings, sending a rush of wind at Tyranis, who continued watching her friend get further away into the horizon.

 

Back at Hotel Frederick, the white plastic-suit wearing individuals in charge of cleaning the scene, bagging corpses and such, just stood at the beginning of a room hallway like bowling pins, some taller, some fatter than the rest. They also wore biohazard masks that covered their mouths and noses, allowing only their eyes to express their astonishment toward the scene. One of them quickly takes off the mask, revealing to be a young male, bends forward and throws up whatever he had had for lunch and another one just turns around and throws the body-bags up and yells outraged as he walked away…

 

-Nope! I didn’t sign for this s**t!!

 

Before them stood their usual line of work… just that this time it wasn’t anywhere near what they were used to. This scenario wasn’t filled with the usual complete bodies stabbed or shot to death with their guts inside and no missing body parts… The hallway’s floor in front of them was covered by a dark red carpet of coagulated blood and a never ending line-up of torn apart, gutted out, limb-missing corpses. Even the walls had blood stains all along the way until the staircase at the other side of the building.

 

Outside, the situation was the same but at a much bigger scale. Dragon corpses smashed against the ground were found up to a kilometer away from the hotel… at that state they didn’t even look like dragons at all… just a meaty and bloody pile of guts and limbs and a faraway-staring head being flashed by the cameras of investigative photographers and filmed by the news’ people, who had constant expressions of awe and disgust. Some of them could be seen throwing up right after taking the shot. One photographer took the camera from in front of his face, pulled out a cigarette and looked at the black coagulated blood for a moment. He cursed lowly and put the cigarette in his mouth to then light it immediately. He exhaled a puff of smoke and muttered…

 

-This is… this is how dragon riders fight…

 

Another one heard him and exclaimed…

 

-Imagine a f*****g war!

 

Random limbs could also be found on their own, wings, legs, claws, a few clean-cut heads… not only dragon, human too. There was blood on the streets, on the roofs of the buildings… simply everywhere… as if there took place an actual blood rain.

 

Among the coming and going photographers, camera-men, whatever are called the cleaning crews… Elvis was in front of the hotel, walking a couple of steps on and then back and then on and then back… when Furia landed and fast paced toward him. Immediately stopping, the rider stood still for a couple of seconds, his sight locked in eye contact with the crimson dragon. At a moment, Furia sighed and lowered herself to the ground. The rider reluctantly climbed onto Furia’s saddle as he said…

 

-We must now fly to the east, Port Authority in South Carolina.

 

Furia suddenly stood up and shook herself like a wet dog, making Elvis fall to the ground. At the moment Elvis hit the asphalt, he exclaimed…

 

-Ah! Furia! What’s got into you, now!?

 

The dark red, half discolored dragon back-stepped and arched back her neck as she raised and shook her head five meters from the ground while her tail snaked around vividly. Elvis stood up and his sight connected once again with the one bright yellow working eye of Furia’s.

 

-Furia, we have to go!... �"Elvis said strongly. At what Furia answered with a short roar and shook her head lightly for a moment-… No? Furia, this isn’t easy for me either! I saw you grow up, Pyro will miss his sister, and I’ll miss my brother! Do you think this won’t hurt all the people and dragons both of you know?

 

Furia stood firmly and nodded, never breaking eye contact with her rider’s big brother as this one then continued…

 

-Then what is it? You said goodbye to Tyranis and… -Elvis’s eyes widened open as he was struck by the key of this puzzle. Then he stayed silent for a second before gently and kindly saying-… Goodbye… you want to say goodbye.

 

Furia lowered her head and hummed, but Elvis shook his head momentarily and gestured with his arms as he said…

 

-No, no, no, no, no, Furia, we can’t go back to Texas. All the trips would mean us to arrive at the port by afternoon, and Patrick might be awaken by then; anything could happen in your mind as well… -Furia started to do some kind of long howl-like roar and didn’t allow Elvis to talk. He grunted and tried to say something a couple of times until he had enough of this and shouted-… You must understand, Furia!! The lives of many innocents count on getting you and Patrick away as soon as possible!!!

 

Furia then cut her roar and remained silent as Elvis continued…

 

-You are too dangerous to be around, Furia!! It’s not your fault, maybe you can fight it, but it’s still too risky!! You made Alan kill himself!! No one can be safe around you anymore!! That’s just how things are!! You have no idea of how hurtful saying these things is for me, Furia, so please don’t force me to be “that guy”, because I’ll be it until you understand!!

 

Furia then let out a sigh and dropped herself to the ground, turning her sight away from Elvis as this one slowly approached her chest and started to climb the saddle. When he was up and finished strapping himself, Furia stood up so lifelessly and reluctantly, as if her movements were controlled by a puppeteer, and turned to the east, unfolding up her wings and getting ready for takeoff. But the dragon stopped there and stayed still and quiet for a couple of seconds. Everything that Furia was going to abandon started to drift in her mind… people and dragons she wasn’t going to see again, the places she hadn’t seen and now will never do… all that she was going to exchange for a life of confinement in a tiny island with just one action… take off.

 

The half discolored crimson dragon then closed her eyes and fast paced forward, flapping down her wings and taking herself to the air, a constant expression of fury on her face… fangs visible, sharp sight fixed ahead… but it wasn’t going to last more than a couple of seconds before she let out a loud and sorrowful roar.

 

 

It was fun while it lasted

 

The ship started to appear before me. It was a lot smaller than the one owned by my friends; a light cargo ship with barely enough space for me to lay down. I landed at the port, where Pyro waited for mine and Elvis’s arrival. The gray dragon stood up and looked at me, along with the apparent members of the ship’s crew, who stopped what they were doing to look at me as I paced the energy I carried away.

 

Furia…

 

My rider-related big brother said as he shortened my way to him by taking a couple of steps toward me. Elvis jumped down from the saddle and took a few steps away from us.

 

Pyro…

 

He suddenly embraced my neck in a hug and hummed gravely as he continued…

 

I’ll miss you, little sis.

 

I answered the gesture and in the same emotive mood I told him…

 

I’ll miss you too, big bro. Tell John and Sahara I’m sorry for all this…

 

Pyro tried then to interrupt me… Furia, this isn’t…

 

But I hissed loudly and he shut it and I continued…

 

… And tell them “thank you”… thank them for everything… I terminated the hug and looked at the gray dragon straight into his black eyes, saying… Thank you, Pyro… for being a great brother.

 

It should be I who’d be thanking you, Furia.

 

Too many goodbyes before even midday arrived… but the most hurtful were the ones unable to be said. If I could at least see my friends and family one last time… but there was simply nothing else I would accomplish by delaying my departure.

 

Goodbye, Pyro.

 

Goodbye, Furia.

 

I then turned to Elvis and lowered my head, allowing him to pat the left side of my maw, in front of my eye. He started to say…

 

-I’m sorry, Furia. I should have been more sensitive with you and…

 

Now that his dragon was around and Elvis would hear my voice, I interrupted him and said…

 

You are the greatest rider I know, Elvis. You share Patrick’s sense of duty and can do whatever is necessary to be done regardless the circumstances, but in a strange healthier way… Don’t let it consume you, Elvis… Don’t let your mission become your only goal in life.

 

-I won’t.

 

I lifted my head and Elvis took a couple of steps back, never breaking eye contact.

 

Goodbye, Elvis.

 

-Goodbye, Furia.

 

I slowly paced away from my brothers and headed toward the ship, the crew rushing inside. I unfolded up my wings and felt the chains of reluctance keeping me from taking the small leap onto the ship’s deck.

 

I wanted hard to look back… my life was calling me… all the things I was chained to were calling me… I couldn’t hold myself from remembering every single day I have spent alive, a brainstorm of events, a mash up of feelings I wouldn’t have again. Just like I had said, this was my end… so it was time to cut the chains.

 

I took a deep breath and flapped down my wings as I jumped onto the ship. The whole thing shook and lost some stability at the second I touched the deck and sent waves away in the water. After a little while, it was again settled and calmly resting on the water. The engines started to roar and the ship slowly made its way away from the harbor.

 

This time I did look back, I walked to the border of the deck and looked past the structures where the captain drove the ship or whatever is that called, like sticking my head out of the ship and watching Pyro and Elvis getting smaller and smaller, the harbor widening in my half sight as the light cargo ship gained speed.

 

I stayed there, looking back at my brothers until it was impossible for even a dragon to look at something so far, around twenty minutes later. I sighed and my sight dropped to the waves that crashed at the ship with a continuous and loud roar. So many memories I could see in the white foamy water.

 

If I had one wish… just one thing that I could ask for and it would result in its realization… It would be to travel back in time… further than Helios’s death… further than when I abandoned Patrick and activated the Mind Poison in his head… I would go without a second to waste, without second thoughts to the day Patrick and I were called to help the dragon that was about to be lynched in Miami, the first stolen dragon to rebel against his wrongful abusive rider… As shameful as it is to regret having done something good because the consequences turned out harder than expected… I still would straight up… Just say “I’m sorry for that to happen to an innocent dragon, but no.”… Why was that so hard? Why didn’t it cross my mind? That was the rational thing to do! But it wasn’t on me to put myself before others, now was it? No… I remember my excitement… I remember how I felt my heart rush with energy to the thought of going on a quest again… the purpose… the thrill… I was blinded by a meaningless thirst for glory and praise… I guess I was as stupid as… No… He didn’t want to go… I remember that… Patrick was glad everything was over and that he had gone back to college to have a regular boring life… He looked at my eyes and accepted the mission because of me… Patrick did say some truth a little while back… Everything he did was for me… He would have turned away the mission if it wasn’t because of me… meaning I said some truth too… All this happened because of me.

 

Lifeless… broken… defeated… purposelessly… I got to the center of the deck and curled up, sighing and looking down…

 

I thought some things would last forever… My achievements… My life… My friends… My rider… Now I’ve lost all of them. What else do I have but my promise to continue going on? If there was at least somewhere, something or someone to hold on to…

 

I then proceeded to close my eyes and allow my mind one last thought before fading away into unconsciousness…

 

I’m sorry.