The Nine Dragons The Dragon Of The Ground Part Seven

 The Time With Doomed Men

“Good afternoon.”

Loc frowned.

“Afternoon?”

“Yes.”

That was when she felt her stomach rumble.

“Have you eaten lately?”

She shook her head.

“Not since early this morning.”

“But that was eight hours ago!”

“What?”

Then she looked up at the man. He was well built with green eyes and blue hair.

“Well in that case you better have some of ours!” He declared as he picked up her hammers.

“Hold on, you can lift these hammers?” Remarked another.

“Yes.” Loc said, looking at a man with pink eyes and shocking white hair. He too was well built.

“Hold on! She has dots in her eyes!”

“Yes.”

“What! No one in this world has dots in their eyes. Nor can they lift two hammers like that!”

“Well, I’m not from this world!” 

“Really?”

“Yes. So who are you?” She asked, slipping to her behind and rested her wrist on her kneecap.

“I’m Ryu.” Said the first then he gestures to one with grey eyes and hair.

“This is Gin.”

He gestured to one with gold hair and eyes.

“Kin.”

He gestured to one with green hair and blue eyes.

“Gyo.”

He gestured to one with long cream hair and deep brown eyes. He was well built but had a feminine face.

“Yuno.”

Then to the one with the pink eyes and white hair.

“Kyo.

Then one with black hair and eyes.

“Yami.”

Then to one to one that was identical to him.

“Kuro. His twin-”

That was when she saw another pair of twins with snow white hair and eyes.

“Yuki and Shiro.”

“And what are you doing down here?”

“Well, I am the leader of a rebellion against the dragons.”

She let out a groan.

They’re going to die. They’re going to die like my team and rebellion!

“What?”

“Nothing. Tell me, are you the only one?”

“No. But I heard all of them were killed by Pendragon. The king of the dragons.”

She nodded.

“And what spurred this rebellion? I mean the lot upstairs seems to be made up of nothing but cowards!”

“Yes. Well, I was a loving husband and father three years ago. That was until they killed my wife and son. However, they did this while I was doing my job as a black smith. Yet the worst part of it was I made the weapons that they used to butcher my wife and son.”

She nodded.

“Gin. What's your story?”

“Well, I was in the weapons shop and I had a younger brother. He was eight. Then, while I was working, they took him and butchered my mum and dad. I knew all the weapons they used I sold to them and as I know their work I knew that they were mine. I know all the weapons that I sold were capable of and it did not hit me until that day.”

“Kin?”

“I used to work on the castle where the rock dragon lived. I used to clean there. Yet I heard that there was someone that killed the serpent dragon. Something that he did not want me to know. So he tried to kill me. I barely escaped and I found Ryuand Gin in a secret place that he could never get to, who saw to my injuries.”

“Gyo?”

“Same as Kin but I was the one that declared messages. I was the one that declared it and I too would have been killed if I did not know of the secret passages of old. Back when the human king used to live there.”

“What happened to him?”

“He hid his children and grandchildren in the secret gardens and chambers shortly before he was killed by the dragon made of rock. That was where we met Yami, Kuro, Yuki and Shiro. Once we escaped from there we met Ryu, Gin and Kin.”

“Yuno?”

“I’m a healer. I had a wife and many children.” He said, trying not to show any emotion. “I was the best in the land. Yet I noticed that children and men kept disappearing day after day. I started to investigate only to discover that the rock giants were taking them from all the levels of Undermount Kingdom. Yet then I spotted that the rock men were taking the fathers of most of them and killing them.”

“Ot oh!”

“‘Ot oh’ indeed.”

He let out a long and deep breath. Then wiped away a tear.

“They-they turned the corpse into-into rock men or rock giants or-or-or rock animals! And then-and then-and then!”

“They killed their own children?”

He nodded, breaking down in tears. Loc placed a hand on him. She raised her eyebrows, something told her that he needed to do more than cry. He had to do one thing. The one thing that, she suspected, he had never done.

“Say it.” She spoke like it seemed something else was speaking through her.

“Yes! They got the fathers to kill the children!”

She nodded as she bit her lip. She could not help but try to pull back some tears of their own as she felt sickened as she thought about her parent’s deaths.

“And you decided to be here because?”

“I want to stop it! I don’t want what I have seen to happen again!”

She nodded.

“And are all of you alright with dying?”

“Yes.” Yuki spoke.

“Down right!” Spoke Shiro.

“We all are tired of hiding.” Said Kuro.

“Yes, we don’t want to live in the dark anymore. We don’t want to hide and wait to die!”

She nodded.

“Then count me in!”

“What?”

“I have killed three dragons and their armies and I know that you need my help!”

They all looked at her stunned and then burst out laughing.

“Really?”

“You?”

She huffed.

“Where are the children being held?” She sighed.

“Not in these chambers!”

“Then let’s go!”

She raised her body and charged on and walked with a strut. She travelled with them until nightfall. They all set up camp and soon went to sleep. The next morning Loc smelt food. She looked up to see them all eating. She walked to them.

“When do we set off?”

“When you get looked over by Yuno.” Ryu said, giving her a portion of stew.

She took a spoonful and ate it. Her eyes glowed with delight. She could not remember the last time she had tasted something so good p and filled with flavour. After eating those cubes, she found it strange eating normal food. Even when she entered this world, she still found it odd. Well, normal for her.

“Blimey! Whoever made this can really cook!”

“Thank you!” Gin sang.

She smiled as she noticed just how handsome he was. Him and Ryu and Kin.

She ate on. As she did, Yuno looked at every part of her body.

“That’s amazing!”

“What!”

“She’s all healed up!”

They all looked at her in amazement.

“Then let’s go!”

They all nodded as they all finished.

“Here we go!

Here we go!

What we know,

Is what we sow!

One strike, two strike,

One more if you like!

Strike three, strike four,

Shape the very core!

Swords aren’t made easy,

Or in the air dreezy!

Melt the stone,

Melt the stone,

Not for one second do you sare moan,

Remove the gold from it’s thrown!

Strike five, strike six,

Does the little tricks,

Strike seven, strike eight,

Make it for it’s fate,

Swords aren’t made easy,

Or in the air dreezy!

Put it in it’s past,

Coalfire and it will last!

Put it in it’s guard,

You have to grip hard!

Strike nine, strike ten,

Here’s you sword then!”

“What’s that?”

“An old blacksmith song. ‘Swords aren’t made easy.”

She nodded.

“Anymore?”

That was when she caught sight of a small rock dog.

“Is this one?”

“Yes.”

“Get the head.” She told them. “It’s the only way to kill them.”

“What?”

“But-”

“No need to tell her about Gio!”

Ignoring this, Loc pulled out her hammers and hit the head. It let out a whine as it died. Then they heard the sound of barking. Then she saw more and more coming towards them. She ran on and thrust the hammer into the head one after the other.

Ryu and Gin ran to the ones near them. They hit on the head with the guards or their blades. They did this again and again and again and again.

Meanwhile she returned to several more. She saw one coming at her and as it pounced she hit the head. Then the rubble hit several more behind it. She saw another and whacked it away. She was about to be hit by one when Ryu hit one and it smashed behind her. She then saw Ryu looking at her.

“Good work Loc!”

She nodded as she one and thrust the hammer up and this hit the last one.

“Wow!”

“That’s fast!”

“Yuno! You’re up!”