Chapter 5 - Dreaming in the Darkness

Kam starred up at the sky the star light had turned it midnight blue in the blue scattered with diamonds dust a spec of darkness was visible.

"What’s that?" Asked Affinity standing up and pointing other genomes stood up and followed her gaze.

"Kam?" Asked Zero

"Could be a griffin the wings’ seem to have feathers."

"Dragons on our world have feathers I believe some still live in the west." Informed Still

"Too small to be a dragon or a griffin to fast to be one of those fat owls…it looks almost man shaped…"

The Genomes froze. The winged man a dream just a dream Kam struggled to shrug off his disbelief there was no denying the shape dropping out of the sky it had stalked the dreams of many for the past months.

"Behind me!" he said. "We’ll see what it wants."

With out a sound the creature folded its wings and fell forty feet to the ground. Kam advanced on the bundle of feathers. Suddenly it sprang to life.

Black pinions which absorbed the blue light and starlight spread revealing a man as pale as alabaster, his clothes as dark as his wings. There were gaps here and there in its clothes to give ease of movement around the arms and abdomen arms shoulders and elbows. The only decoration was a heavy ornate metal collar and straps around its wrists and ankles. Its perfect face topped with black hair was vacant, empty eyes starred through Kam at the genomes.

Its perfection was bewitching; Kam felt a strange glamour entangle him.

It brushed past Kam and grabbed the closest genome Zero by the shoulder with a sickening crunch. The terrified genome screamed in pain and passed out.

This snapped Kam out of it with a single movement he brought his quarterstaff down on the angle man’s arm with bone shattering force.

It dropped Zero in shock and turned to Kam in astonishment. "Why do you oppose me this is not you fight let me finish my task." Its voice poured like water clear and cool.

"You task?" Snarled Kam
"To cleanse this planet of the taint." It explained simply.

"Taint?"

The winged man gestured towards the genomes.

Kam was nearly spiting rage at this creatures callous cruelty he looked back at the genomes Affinity was checking Zeros pulse while another tried to staunch the wound on the child’s shoulder.

"Not my fight!! The hell it is." Kam steeped between the dream angel and its prey.

The creature advanced and Kam swung at its neck a blow that should either take someone down or take the fight out of them. The angel ignored it the blow glancing off harmlessly.

When it reached him it backhanded him across the chest spinning Kam across the clearing.

It loomed over the genomes a few dropped into fighting stances, for the first time an expression played across the angles face malice.

Its fingers became talons and its wings seemed to sharpen. A predatory smile played across it face

Then a look of shock due to the quarterstaff across its neck dragging it back. It twisted back and forward in the distraction Still darted forward and planted a dagger in its ribs.

With a cry the angel flung Kam over its shoulder and leapt in to the air. Kam struggled to rise.

"Run!" He gasped. "Get to safety the cover of the houses!"

Affinity and a few of the taller genomes scooped up the younger ones and made their way to the village Still hooked Kam under his shoulder and started to drag them to safety.

Then the air was filled with a shriek and they fell to the ground the winged man had returned for more.

It swooped down talons out stretched to rend and tear.

Flash

Then they were elsewhere

Ten feet away the angel picked itself up and looking around in confusion.

Somehow they had been transported away from a lethal attack.

"Still was that you?"

"I don’t know." the genome struggled to rise.

There was a loud thump as the angel leapt across the clearing and kicked the fallen genome in the side of the chest with a sickening thump.

Kam snarled again and swung his staff trying to drive the angel off.

It kicked off the ground arrowing upwards then dropped out of the air.

In desperation Kam raised the butt of his staff steadied it on the earth pointing it to the heavens.

The angel was coming in to fast to stop or break off from its plunge.

The staff was ironwood that is almost impossible to damage it doesn’t rot and rarely snaps, it didn’t snap this time.

Kam saw a look of mild surprise on the angels face; half of the staff had passed though its body.

It was over… suddenly the winged man made a noise like an enraged bird loud and raucous thrashing back and forth on the end of the staff. Trails of greasy black smoke oozed around the injury.

Nothing could survive that! But still it screeched in fury. Kam was overcome by despair at his powerlessness.

"Leave them alone! Their innocent" he sobbed. The expression on the angels face seemed to change it became more human. Talons returned to hands the detail on its clothes seem to shift.

"Why?" It seemed to address the world in general.

"Why…must I?"

Then it seemed to shudder and its features had returned to menacing it advanced on the two prone figures.

Until a blow from Hal’s great axe nearly cut it in two.

It now turned to its new opponent Kam had often wondered what Hal fought like he had never seen the Red mage use his axe as anything but a tool. To his surprise Hal was frighteningly good the axe moved in glittering arcs back and forth carving chunks out of the angel.

Any injury did not leave blood but black smoke. The air was thick with it as it increased Hal’s movements became slower and more erratic.

"We can’t just let him fight alone!" To Kam's surprise Crowley was behind him Still was already standing upright holding a dirk in his hand thanks to Crowley’s white magic.

"Yeah lets show it!" As one they charged forward.

The moment they reached the smoke.

Memory

A small room bare and cheerless he has locked the door but the voices will not cease he places both hand over his ears

"The child is a devil"

"Unclean"

"Kill him"

"Kill it!"

-

He is surprised to see his father carrying a cage

"What’s that Papa?"

"It’s a lizard man Kam. Although this is actually a lizard woman. I want to see if I can communicate with it I feel thoughts in it I want to prove to people even monsters can live in peace."

Kam didn’t tell Papa but he could already understand the lizard man’s hissing.

He knew papa didn’t like him to copy him.

Old people did stuff like that not kids.

Stuff like…

Magic.

-

Terra

Mother Terra in flames

What was happening?

An Enhanced and a Gaian running around gathering the others herding them to the Invincible

The stranger had black hair she was heading back to the ship when she saw him.

"Hurry come here."

Why?

"You want to live don’t you?"

Live?

-

Then they were in the circle of smoke facing the enraged angel. Their combined numbers proved too much for it the loss of black smoke seemed to weaken it.

It concentrated on Hal who was by far the most powerful leaving itself open to attack from the others. Its form wavered but the more they fought it the more frantic it became.

In desperation it took to the air

"It’s getting away Kam." Shouted in frustration.

Crowley shook his head and smiled knowingly, the angel was thirty feet off the ground when it hit the newly created wards.

The explosion knocked it out of the air and for the first time Kam saw the sea of Golden eyes around the clearing.

Black mages!

Mages had trapped the angel. The small figure of Vivi and the taller form of Mikoto walked out to the side of the stream where the angel had fallen. Hal and Crowley followed closely. The angel pushed itself onto is hands and regarded them silently.

Kam was shocked it still looked beautiful even when ruined even with its glamour destroyed.

"What are you?" Asked Mikoto warily

"I-I do not know. Such knowledge is forbidden." The angel looked at her its eyes full of pain.

"What is this I am feeling?" It asked plaintively

"Pain." Crowley told it. "I can help you if you promise to play nice from now on."

"Unnecessary I am…I am…" The winged man drooped to the ground and spread out like a mass of smoke, it dissipated quickly despite the lack of wind.

There was no trace of the winged man Hal muttered darkly while around him people talked anxiously. Mikoto spread her hands out for silence.

"Its not over I feel that we only fought a dream." She pointed at Crowley. "You foresaw this will there be another attack tonight."

Crowley shook his head. "The readings said that nothing will happen to the inhabitants of this village even after the dreamer awakes of that I am sure."

People fell into uneasy silence till Mr 288 clapped his hands together.

"Let us examine this in the light of day shall we? Maybe rest will clear things up." There was a chorus of agreement and in a few moments the clearing was empty save for the stream. Shortly the red moon rose to join the blue and the stream ran the purple of amethysts.

The following morning Kam walked out to the clearing save for the scuffled ground and the stain of Zero’s blood there was no trace of the angel’s attack.

"Looking for something?" A voice behind him made him jump.

"I came here too." Still said holding up a sketchbook he was partway through a drawing of the winged man.

"Did you get a look at the tattoos that it had on its left shoulder and abdomen? I can’t seem to recall them."

"You remember all that! Everything is a blur for me." Said Kam starring at the drawing each feather was exquisitely rendered.

"Your friend Crowley asked for it he said that the winged man must be some new creature he wants to put it in his book."

"Ah Crowley’s book he wants to document all planet life." They starred at the disturbed ground.

"Zero?" Asked Kam.

"A little shaken. I think we all got a scare last night." Still’s charcoal snapped in shaking fingers.

"I felt that I was going to die I felt fear last night last time that happened I didn’t care but last night I was worried I was going to miss all the things this world has to show me."

"We all get scared sometimes but we can’t let it stop us, last night you faced the fear that had stalked your dreams and the dreams of your friends." Kam paused something from the blur focused. "And you saved me and yourself, that time we warped across the clearing. That was your power I felt it."

Still stood up uneasy. "We should get back and see what the others have to say."

The village was active already Hssk saw Kam and immediately made a beeline for the captain.

She hissed apologetically, Kam patted the lizard man.

I know that it was too cold for you to wake up and help, but it all worked out so stop worrying." He reassured

Hal watched the captain’s arrival. "It looks as if were going to have some new ship mates." He told Crowley the white mage nodded

"Yeah. A thought Hal how come we ended up working together? Does show a new and cooperative turn.

"Don’t hold your breath."

"Oh! All right it just seems to me that last night you showed skill at fighting that takes years of military training. And that axe, is mythril something only mined in Alexandria."

What are you saying?

Nothing its just that if there are some ghost that need exorcising in Alexandria then you should do it soon…

Or what?

I know you saw them that smoky blood you saw something from your past. So before you make a mistake in one of those black moods of yours, or end up drinking yourself to death."

"What about you what did you see."

"Nothing! I saw nothing."

Mikoto asked for silence.

"Before we say our farewells to our brave friends I want to bring up the problem of last nights attack.

"Which resulted from the ward not being replaced" Mr 288 said with a little sternness a few of the black mages fidgeted nervously.

"No not that it is a presence that I feel is determined to wipe out the genomes." Mikoto said quietly

"If its determined to destroy the genomes why do you feel that it will not attack here again."

"Many reasons the first being that we are dealing with was and still is a dream something that is not consciousness a mindless questing that wont come this way again. Crowley said

"There something I want to say I think that it is influenced by strong emotions. When I was in despair it hesitated, but when we were raging at it it actually changed its form to become more aggressive." Kam told them

"Strong emotions if it was a being of memories then emotions might affect it." Crowley suggested

"What are you suggesting we fight it with kindness or love." Scoffed Hal

"I was making an observation that’s all." Argued Crowley

"What are we going to call them that what I want to know." Asked Vivi

"It said forbidden even if that’s not its real name I suggest that we use it." Kam finished

After fears were overcome and nerves calmed the visitors prepared to leave.

Vivi caught Kam by the sleeve. "Have you really made up your mind?"

Kam smiled. "I think you know I decided back at the cemetery." The little mage made a gesture behind him.

Kam turned to meet his new crewmembers.

He was pleasantly surprised to see the tall mage 111 standing beside a large trunk.

"You want to come?

"I d-do I’m not saying I’m not afraid but I want to see the world and the animals that live there maybe find some new friends."

Affinity for the Light and Dark stood close by looking eager.

"It’ll be good to have someone who can handle themselves in a crisis aboard he told her." A radiant smile lit up her face at the praise.

And finally Still with a pack strapped to his back

You! I thought last night would have knocked the curiosity out of you!"

"Lets just say that it piqued curiosity." Still grinned.

Behind him both Hal and Crowley watched approvingly while Hrssk made her slobbery farewells to the inhabitants of the village.

After an hour of good byes they arrived at the ship a cheer went up from the men at the sight of their captain.

This turned to angry mutterings from some at the sight of Mr111.

"What the hell is that doing here?" Demanded Wreno

"Oh this is one of the new crewmembers. Mr 111 Wreno, Wreno Mr111." Interceded Crowley neatly.

As the sailors advanced threateningly Mr 111 extended a hand Wreno roughly shoved him to the ground.

"What I mean is how can you take a murderous creature like that onto the Cutty Sark."

"Because he promised to work, he is as honest as any of us and I want to help people grow." Kam said moving forwards.

"People grow?" Wreno asked

"Yes. People like you Wreno. People whose fear and paranoia of a threat that no longer exists has stopped their growth and because of the unfounded hate in their hearts they cannot advance in life. Its time to let go. I have faith that you can grow." Sailors looked at their captain and at the fallen mage. Wreno extended a hand to the mage and hauled him onto his feet.

"You really won’t hurt anyone?"

"Off course not!" Affinity interjected. "He would protect any one in danger why last night he help save you captain’s life!"

A few men turned quizzically to Crowley who was enjoying the scene. He nodded.

"Welcome to the crew of the Cutty Sark." said Wreno hauling the black mage to his feet and shaking his hand.

----------------------

Note

This was meant to be one chapter but it balloned out of control (I guess I just like the Mage village)

More real plot so any way hope my own additions aren't to bad

Also I looked at the first chapters and realised the Disclaimer was missing Erk! So...

All original characters are property of Square (I'm just taking them for a walk)

Kam starred up at the sky the star light had turned it midnight blue in the blue scattered with diamonds dust a spec of darkness was visible.