Draimon: Fracture: Erasend- Book 2: Journey's Beginning

Chapter 4: Cut Off

The cold black Wyvern-like Meems flew towards me, their claws outstretched. Not wanting to fight, I sat down and raised my wings to protect myself; it wasn't like I would use them anytime soon. I slowed my breathing, and I felt my body still. Lifting my wings, I saw them shattered on the floor and Chuben sitting in front of me.

"Good to have you back, master Calirun," the small white and fluffy Monster said, fanning his feathered wings, the Human-like four-fingered hands on them a harsh contrast to the rest of his body.

My vision became blurred, and I wiped my eyes, "you recognise me?"

"How can't I, of course, I recognise my lord's son's scent," the Fualow stopped to look at me.

 "Even if your body is different, you're still you."

"O, Chuben, it's been so long," I cried out; I leaned in then stopped, "is it ok if I hold you like this?

"Of course it is; I think it should be ok."

I hugged Chuben, "I'm so glad you're ok with me. I was worried you would attack me or something."

"Of course not. I won't break my service to your family merely because you look different," Chuben stopped for a second, and I pulled back.

"Sorry," I said, rubbing my head, lowering it when my hand bumped into my horns, "it's just hugging you is kinda like hugging a small kid."

"Don't worry about it," Chuben turned over, "you can pet me if you want."

"Ok, ok," I said, doing as he asked, him purring as I did.

"But Cal, I can feel the miergy around us pressing against you, and something is pushing it back. Is this the best place for you?"

"Don't worry, I'll be good," I pulled my wings into view.

"I know what you are thinking..."

Shard was interrupted when I heard noises; Chuben's large ears perked up, "fight," he said excitedly, flying to the window.

I followed him and set the window to show the outside. I saw flashes of light and the Shifters I just met going for each other's throats. That Octopus girl caught my eye as she swung from the walls. I saw ice and snow form on the wings of the Dragon-girl; the material flew with a flap, and sways of her wings formed a blizzard. "Just like a Dragon," I looked at Chuben; he seemed to shiver, though I didn't think it was out of fear.

"Just like a Dagon," Shard said, "you know there is no reason for you to make these mistakes anymore."

I saw a barrier form around the storm, and balls of the same stuff enter. The Dragon-girl breathed fire into an opening, with the barrier shaking as the ice melted into water and exploded. After that, I saw electricity cover her arms and claws, and she released the energy. The fight continued until the other side fled, the Dragon-girl's giving chase. "How do people not notice this? Surely it happens regularly. Shard, that's your cue."

"It only makes sense for Enordial to infiltrate the city he plans to attack," he sighed.

"Yeah, and it only makes sense for me to sever useless limbs," I replied.

"What?"

"Yeah, what, is there something in you I need to kill?"

"No, it's alright. There's just a voice in my head. They'll just get in the way," I continued, lifting my body and looking through the drawers for a knife.

"Come on, Cal, they'll just regenerate. Least, I think they will. Not sure how your body works now," Chuben said, flying and perching nearby.

"If you can find something with stronger elemental concentration than yourself, then be my guess. Though you would need a blade made from the first ore to stand a chance."

"And there's none left. Ok, how about physical then? I bet a Monster could cut them off."

"And your life," Shard replied.

"Yeah, your right," I answered, "plus I'll have to go through half of Walldurus," I picked up my tail and looked at Chuben, "you're strong, right? Think you can do it?"

He looked at me and closed his eyes, and lowered his head also.

"Wait, what are you doing?" I asked, "Shard do you know by any chance, I whispered.

"I believe that much like a Dragon, he is entering a trance-like focus to sense the energy around him. Though he is sensing might rather than elemental energy."

Chuben opened his eyes and, looking up at me, said, "regeneration costs stamina, the bodies energy; I think that's true for you too. But I can feel your energy getting weaker, just gradually as it pushes against the might in the air. If I sever your wings and tail, you will spend energy to regenerate, and I don't know what'll happen to you. Plus, I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't worry about the pain part." Can you deal with the regeneration? I thought, "or just make it not happen?

"Yes, I can stop it, but doing that will require my energy.

"You have your own supply?

"Of course I do, one of the advantages of not merging. I will have to go against your body to seal the wounds, which will take a fair amount of energy to accomplish.

"So look more normal or spend more time here." I looked at my arms at the black plate-like growths that covered my arms, at my claws. Flashes of them deep in a core crystal flashed, and echoes of screams ringed in my ears.

I knelt and plugged my ears with my palms.

"Master Caliran," Chuben said, flying down; I saw him nudge my body with his nose.

"I am sorry," Shard said.

"Cut them off," I said, "cut everything off, damnit!" I cried.

"This will not be permanent."

"I don't care," I looked at Chuben and slowed my breathing; his stance seemed to change.

 "Chuben, please cut everything off me."

"If that is what you want," he said, bringing his tail to the front, a large blade coming from the tip. I saw it shine with a pale silver light, "gonna need a lot of stamina for this, hope I can still do it after all these years," Chuben flew to and opened the fridge, "I'll be good though. Now prepare yourself. This may take a while."

"Take as long as you need," I replied, turning my back to him.

I wasn't sure how long it took, but for my arms, I saw that the growths resisted the blade, Chuben straining to cut through, "obviously, please keep your arms and legs as still as possible."

"Yeah, I don't mind if you cut my legs though, I'm not going anywhere soon."

Chuben kept cutting, "you know. You really. Shouldn't say. Stuff..." He stopped and heaved his body and took long breathes, "hold. On," he breathed, raised a wing and walking away, returning, biting into a large piece of meat holding more in his wing-hands. "Right, ok. You know you really shouldn't say stuff like that. You can't go around life hating your own body. Right, sleep, then back to video games and anime, I guess," he sighed, dragging his bed to my side.

 "Don't worry, I'll protect you if any more Meems come."

"What is that Monster?" Shard asked as I rubbed Chuben's belly, his jaw moving into a smile, "it is unlike anything I know off."

"He's a Fualow, a kind of non-aggressive Monster that we care for."

"So they consume your resources?"

"No, didn't you see what he did. They have small bodies but can enlarge themselves for more power, course; we don't know if they changed themselves or joined us because this is how they always were. Some keep them as pets for company, though they have lost their enlarging ability. My dad said that his family used to hunt Monsters and that Chuben had decided to serve them, but my dad decided to work the turrets, so now Chuben has to stay at home." I stared at him, "I feel kinda sorry for him. Right, how long have I been gone," I got up and looked around my home; it felt weird to be back, but from what I could remember, it was still the same."The tv would show the date," I said as I walked to it and went to switch it on, "wait, they might be able to see electricity usage, so I need a generator." Images flowed into my mind, and I was able to find a perpetual generator. "You know we tried to make a city spanning one of these for limitless energy, but we just couldn't get it to work." I was able to push it along its wheels.

"Where does that energy come from?" Shard asked, "surely it does not come from nothing or have your kind broken one of the laws with your machine."

"Na, we don't have Heartless level technology," I said as I pushed it towards the tv. "Pull this thing, and that gets a weight inside going up and down in a loop, and that creates energy, though it can only be used for small things," I said as I hooked it up to the tv. I wasn't sure how but I guessed it was something to do with my wants.

Welcome back; you played last on the first of April 5207, flashed onto the screen. I pressed the controller, and it said that the date was the fourteenth of August 5221.

"Only... fourteen."

"Strange, I know how much time has passed. I spent around one hundred years in control."

"Thanks for reminding me," I sighed, "but if that's true."

"It is."

"Then that bastard had me in that nightmare for years; then I'm guessing my body would have disappeared, I would have been declared dead after a while. So everybody, besides my dad, would have forgotten about me by now. If they shunned me because of my mother, I can't imagine what they would do when they see me now." I stepped back, "but I will protect them, damnit; I can't just let them die. But first, I have more important things to get on with." I switched on the Omni-system and was taken back at how much new stuff there was, though I thought I should check the news first.

"Greetings, this is Wallrus news at nine," a female Aeroian with silver hair and dark blue eyes wearing a red synsis b*a.

"What is this?" Shard asked.

"Dude, it's the news. I wanna see if they mention me at all."

The presenter continued, "the outside is fine with no mid to high party level Monster sighted within around fifty miles. Demimen activity is at an all-time low within our region as well. What happened to Peacater probably had something to do with it."

"Thank you, Joslyn," a large Enorian man with purple hair and eyes said. Now, as for the inside, not looking so good as several high party level Demimen have been sighted and have killed. Don't worry, as the Meems division has developed several new pseudo-Draco Meems from salvaged Heatless to combat these Monsters. Just stay inside, keep together, and you will be alright."

"Would've been nice if we had them ten years ago when someone freaking mutated into a Dracomen. I mean she didn't kill anyone, but what if she did. Or the Multiabli a violent organisation in which each member had multiple abilities. What would have happened..."

"Ok, Joslyn, that's enough," the man said, just now reacting to what she was saying.

"Yeah, sure the Enorians remember, but what about the other eight types, the majority. Just saying it's good to recap information."

"You know we just keep you around for air conditioning?" The man replied.

"Well, maybe you should..."

The screen changed, with an Enorian girl shown, wearing a black dress and jacket. "Apologies for that, now as you can see, there is a dense fog coming from..."

I shut off the news, not wanting to know about any catastrophes. "At least they gave that Aeroian a chance; that's something."

"What was wrong with that?" Shard asked.

"It's just the Enorian traits give them too much job power," I replied.

"Would those be strategy and event prediction?" Shard asked.

"Yeah, how did you. Oh yeah, cus we came from Dragons and not the dirt," I sighed, "you were close, but they also have perfect memory and calculation traits. It sucks, but at least she talked so fast he couldn't react fast enough."

"Anyway, the only explanation is that there is a time difference between the two worlds."

"Yeah, yeah, with that has happened to me alone, I can understand that. Now, shut up, would you? Hold on, can't forget." I clapped my hands together, then thrusted them into the air and let out a low roar before I started.

"And what was the point of that?"

"Prayer-cry to the Halters, don't want a catastrophe to destroy this place and drive me out."

"Another creation of you, Humans. On the old world, you believed other beings destroyed your villages when Dragons did not show themselves. Your belief created elemental storm-causing beings, and when you prayed for ones to stop them, the Halters were born."

"I guess that explains them; lot can happen if your willpower and belief are strong enough. But how do you know about them?" I asked.

"..."

"Lemme guess, Dragons, Halters and Calamity-bringers all fought each other, along with the Providers, I guess."

"Indeed, and it was easy to know they came from your kind. You had a habit of sitting around and wishing for things to get better rather than putting in the work," Shard said, but I paid him no attention.

The date meant I would have to wait around two months for my dad to come home. I sat in my chair; there was a hole for my tail if I hadn't had Chuben cut it off. I only moved my fingers to conserve my energy. I started by playing through a lengthy RPG

I found violence more enjoyable to watch, though my tastes remained the same. I did feel the urge to go outside, but my desire faded after finding out about a recent breach.

I played through the night, and when the day came, and people walked the streets, I was sure to block the windows; then continued through the day.

I kept playing until a noise from the vents broke my focus. I pulled out my earplugs and stared behind me, though I kept sitting.

The noise travelled down the vents to the exact part I entered, and Tycal tumbled out, "yo," she said as she stood on her tentacles.

"I will protect the young master!" Chuben said as he flew towards Tycal's head, claws ready, with Tycal moving her head to the side. Chuben flew down and readied for another attempt.

"It's alright, Chuben. She won't harm us."

"But how can you know? Surely she means to kill you in your weakened state. No offence." He said.

"Oh, you wanna go," Tycal said, aiming her tentacles at the Fualow, "let's go. Though I must tell you I'm one of the strongest..." She stopped when her body slumped, "paralysis," she cried out.

"Cal, do not fall for it. She wants to lure you in with your innate kindness so she can kill you with ease. Again, no offence, kindness is an admirable trait."

"She saved my life when Meems attacked me," I replied.

Chuben left his stance, "but if you do anything that would harm the young master, I won't hesitate to end you. Got that," he said.

"If I did, I doubt," the two locked eyes, and Tycal looked down, shivering slightly as Chuben walked away and laid on his bed, closing his eyes but keeping his ears up.

"What the hell are you doing here," I sighed.

She came over to my side; when she did, I noticed her wounds, "relax, no one saw me come in. I said I was going to check on you, and I'm the only of them who could. So here I am," she said as she laid down, "plus I need to heal what those bastards did to me, and regeneration is faster here. You know I must commend you on how you've lasted."

"I don't feel pain anymore," I replied as I kept playing.

"Yeah, being a Necroian and having undead Dragon blood does that; I guess that's why you mutilated your body," I heard her sniff me.

"Can you not watch me? Look, I'm fine. Can you please leave me alone?"

"O, and what are you gonna do about it?"

I picked up a g*n I had nearby and pointed it at her, "I can shoot you."

She raised her arm, a pale brown shield forming in the air, I swore that I saw her flash a finger at me, but I couldn't see through. Her face was deadpan, "o, this'll deflect the shot," her expression changed when she said the words.

I sighed and went back to playing, landing massive damage on my opponent in a fighting game I was sure to make a new account for. "I don't want to, but with this body, I bet I can kill you. Piss me off, and I will."

"Yeah yeah, I know how you Dragons..."

"I'm Human. Look at me."

"Yes, Human with the mindset... And magic of a Dragon."

"What did I just say?" I said, snarling for a moment and facing her. When I looked back, my opponent had caught me in a combo. I hurriedly tried to get out, but they killed me, "and you made me lose my promos," I snarled.

"Ok, ok," she said with her wounded arms raised. "Anyway, I smell that you still have your Human arms; maybe that's how you're able to do this," Tycal said.

"I am not giving up my arms," I snarled.

"I was going to replace them for you. But that would have taken. Time away from killing," Shard said in my mind.

"You fing Monster," I replied out loud.

"Not a Monster, Variant-Shifter. Remember?"

"Not you," I said back, "come on, Shard, show you damn self."

"I can not."

"Yeah, only your type of Draan would do something like this."

"Got anything else to say?" I asked in a sigh, "how long does regenerating take anyway?"

"Yes. A Draan called Hyburdra wants to fight you when you come down; she can boil my eyes among other fire things,  so don't go dying on me. She sees you as a worthy rival with your similar power level and all. Even came up here for her first battle with you. She lasted minutes before the pain brought her down, and then there's Undyn who can shatter every bone in my body, attack my soul and infect me with miasma among other undead things, so really don't go dying on me," she said, then glared at me. "Plus you know about Enordial's plan and aren't.."

"Yeah, Yeah. What about your wounds?" I asked in another sigh.

"Hey!" She yelled; I glared at her, and she carried on. "Well, they froze, burned, shocked and broke my bones. If that is what they could do to me, being half Geoian, a Pyroian and Mechoian were doomed," she said. "So I bundled them in my tentacles, shifted my arms and carried them back, taking all the hits for them. They would not stop attacking me, makes you think which side is the good one, huh."

"I don't care, but I guess neither is."

"Pain just to get here," in the corner of my eye, I saw her arm transform into a large blade that shone with energy.

"Don't get blood everywhere," I said.

"It's ok. I've recalled it," I saw her poke and draw blood from my arm, "thank you for not replacing your arms," Tycal said as she licked my blood, "that elemental stuff tears my insides up."

She went to cut, "don't," I snarled.

"They'll heal."

"Just don't do it in front of me."

She nodded and rolled back, "aw yeah, Legendary-league," she said as she chewed.

"Did you?"

"Yeah, can't let good biomass go to waste, now can I?"

"Not even gonna bother. How do you know about this game?" I asked, ignoring what she did moments ago, "don't all of you just train to kill us all." I hadn't forgotten about that Pyroian girl; I just chose to leave what she was doing out.

"You know we have media in the Ungound, right?" She said, "we have lives outside of training."

"If Dragons see this kinda kind of stuff as pointless? Shouldn't the father of an entire kingdom also."

"Not Enordial," she answered. "He cares about us and wants us to be happy. Heck, when Bilor, Crotol and I came back, he showed himself in our eyes and asked us how we were. He kept checking in on me; he knows all of us living down there. He keeps Ungound in a separate dimension to the Geoian underground city; he teleported the Lumberjack away when it got out. Even though he's stuck in a reality cage that is destroying his body rather than holding him."

"Can't they just do that? I'm sure he wouldn't be so hateful if they did that?"

"That's just how reality magic works now. Small uses of create and alter magic work but too much, and it turns to reality destruction magic. Enordial says that wasn't always the case, and not even he knows the real reason."

"That doesn't change the fact that he wants everyone in Walldurus dead," I replied.

"Look, even though way back, Humans sentenced the arcane and mechanical kingdoms to a hell of being harvested, he isn't doing this cus he hates you. He just wants to be with us again."

"Still wants to kill everyone in the world."

"There are Dragons in Ungound who do, those who had their bodies twisted, had their loved ones and children taken from them. Their hatred has been building ever since Humans vanished and can only fade when they kill everyone," she sighed. "Basically, this place is screwed, but after, there will be peace and no more war."

"But people'll be another lifecycle for what I'm now, isn't that right?" I snarled, "I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else."

"Fraid that for us to stay around, that's just how it's gonna be." Tycal sat in silence after that.

"If you have to be here, then you might as well play against me," I sighed, "can you get the other controller? I can't exactly move."

"Aw yeah," she said, picking up the other one with a tentacle, "thought you hated me."

"I don't hate you, just that bastard Enor, Shadagon. And black flowers. Besides, you saved my damn life."

We fought each other in Legendary League until Tycal had fully healed her body. I was able to beat her most of the time; she said it was something to do with my determination driving me and memorised the movements. What the hell have I become. She left, saying she was tired, but our time together passed in a fraction of the time for me. It was nice to have company. 

So my mum's right beneath me, I thought.