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

Chapter 9: The Way

I watched as my dad fell to the floor and coughed violently, "dad!" I said, raising my voice as much as I dared and moving towards him, though I also fell to the floor.

"Get. The. Hell away from me," he breathed through coughs.

"But it's me; I'm your son, Caliran," I answered, pleading for him to realise it.

My father stared at my face, his eyes widening, "fine, you're him; you have his face and know his full name, but you're a Sludged now, and there's no telling if it has been able to control your body."

I stared at him, "do not compare me to a damn parasite. I will have you know I am one of the strongest Draan. If I was one of those Abononations. I could. Move, properly," I let my face hit the floor, "uhh, I just admitted a Monster is stronger than me."

"What are you talking about?" He asked me.

"I amn't a Sludged. If I was one, I could. Move," I said, my voice muffled. I sighed, "roll me over, and I can explain everything. You good to do that?"

My vision turned to the ceiling, and my father, shoving his bare arm in my face. Seeing the bare skin, I could not help but feel sick, "get that hunk of flesh out of my face!" I breathed loudly.

My dad pulled his arm back, "what happened to you?" He asked.

I sighed, "just listen, ok," I breathed in, "at the beginning of time, a Dragon called Ominomgon was able to create this planet, don't know how but he did. Along with another Dragon he created called Eldragoon, started the Dragon race. They expand, we come along, we coming from Dragons. Somehow. Wars, the world gets split, and here we are. When I was stuck in that nightmare, the first shadow Dragon was able to take my body; that bastard gave me his blood and made me into this damn thing. I was stuck on the Dragon world, but I got back here by slipping through a portal."

Tilting my head, I saw my dad sit down, "but you're still my son. Aren't, you," he said through a cough.

"Yes, I still have some Human in me, but I'm more worried about you."

He sighed, "I just caught slow-death when you were away; I'm just adjusting to being able to feel. I'll be alright.

I was quiet for a few moments, "All diseases and impairments come from the first miasma Dragon; if it created slow-death, it should be able to produce a cure."

"That's huge," my dad answered, "we can regenerate limbs but have never been able to make a cure, for any disease."

"Dad, I am sorry to say, but I am going to watch you die. I'm immortal now, so I want to ensure you die of old age."

"Don't worry about me; what matters is that you're here."

"But it does damnit. I don't want to watch you die. I'm leaving and getting you that damn cure," I began to shake as I tried to get up, "sorry, when I get my mind set on something, it's nearly impossible to give up, I also can't swear along with being compelled to tell the truth."

"Those are just the traits of a good person," my father answered.

"Along with the urge to fight and a greater sense of pride, as you saw earlier."

"Those less so," he said, "ok, how long'll you be gone? I'm sure Chuben can take you."

I saw his ears perk up, "it will be an honour to accompany you."

"Yes, Chuben'll protect me, Ulla's alive."

I only realised what I said when my father's face changed, "she's alive, how, where is she? Tell me."

I sighed again, "First of she is immortal with a lot of power; she must have used magic to fake her death. Her body runs on elemental energy, the thing this place suppresses, so she had to leave. I might know where she is."

"Where is she? None of that changes who she is," my dad said.

"I shouldn't be telling you this; I just felt that you needed to know the truth. Uh, I'm pretty sure she's under the city, but dad..."

My dad got up, "I'm going."

"Wait!" I said, trying to shuffle towards him.

"What is it?"

"She's with an army who wants to kill everyone here."

I saw him swallow, "I'm sure she has her reasons," he turned to go.

"Dad, stop. Please!" I cried out, "promise me you won't try to find her."

"Alright," he sighed, "I trust you," he said, coming back to me.

"For Ulla to be attracted to you, you must have magic within you, o so there are eight others like her and their children's descendants can use magic or shift. Shifters are the reason why there're Monsters, and our Dragons are the results of elemental Dragons being eaten by Devourers, who came from Dragons."

My dad looked at me, "I'm not reacting that much because this changes nothing in my life. Interesting though."

"Yeah, I also feel the urge to explain things, anyway you may have magic, and you're getting old," I stopped to breathe, "when you are just about to die, they'll turn you into a Draan. You'll become immortal; you'll have another personality. You may lose yourself. I've reasoned with mine, so we don't merge, my life is ruined, and I'm the best-case scenario."

"Alright, son," he answered.

"And if Walldurus falls, they'll kill everyone else; from then on, we'll just become a part of a Draan's lifecycle. I can't allow that to happen, so I'll fight back."

"But you wouldn't kill Ulla?" He asked.

"You see, the thing is, I can't; she can revive. So at some point, she, along with the rest, need to be reasoned with. Now I really must leave."

"How long will you be?" He asked.

"Even if I spent ten years there, one would pass here, I think. I may have to fight, but I have the power of one first Dragon and the child of two, so I shouldn't be too long."

He nodded, "I'll set up a phone for if I'm at work, but with the rate it's progressing, I may need to become a loader so I'll be away less and be able to spend more time with you."

"Can we go?" Chuben asked, "I can finally fulfil my purpose again."

"Yeah, I am literally shaking at the urge to, have been this entire time, and I physically can't go myself."

"One thing, how do you get out?" My dad asked.

"Break down the wall, I guess," I answered, "that's nothing compared to that Monster attack. Wait, how did it die?" I asked.

"It didn't, that Sky-slicer was immobilised when it neared the Lumedi consumed house. Then they broke through the barriers, swarmed and carried it in, them all joining together as a mass of bodies. My best guess is that they turned it and any Scavengers they found into Lumedi.

Chuben enlarged his body, "I'll break down the wall, then take you."

"It's night, so go ahead."

Lowering his head, the Fualow left a hole in the wall then curled his tail around my body.

"Be safe," he said.

I faced him, "I'll get the cure, then I'll stay with you until you die, I promise. There's no telling if they might kidnap you and turn you into a Draan. I'll be as fast as I can."

When I finished, Chuben took me out and placed me on his back; as I was in the air, I saw him reach for his phone, likely to call the repairmen.

"Where to master?" Chuben asked.

"To the wall, there'll be a meat store. Go there; shouldn't matter which direction. I think anyone'll have a portal."

"Right, hold on," he answered and began running.

One second I was on Chuben; the next, I was rolling stunned on the ground, Chuben reaching me soon after. 

"Good, you stopped," Tycal's voice said.

Crap, I forgot about her, I thought.

She turned my face up and met mine; Chuben was watching her, waiting for an order.

"Where are you going?" She asked our faces meeting, "you said you wouldn't leave."

"I'm going to get the cure-all," I answered, "It's for my dad. You want me to be happy, don't you?"

"I'm under orders to keep you in your home and make sure you don't die. Enordial has said he isn't against getting the cure-all either. He wants the fight to be fair, so it works, but we can send a team to get it for you."

"No, I'm going there myself. Then I'm coming back," what if they see my dad? I thought. 

She leaned back, "or you're lying."

I found my voice become a snarl, "I'm telling the truth. You know I can't lie anymore."

"A, but that's the thing, Dragons can still lie, which makes putting your trust in them all the more dangerous. It's more they wouldn't betray or backstab you."

"I'm going there myself," I repeated.

"O, and how are you going to stop me from taking you back?" She paused, "though it would be good for you to recover your energy, that's the thing, being there'll restore your magic, but it's best that doesn't happen for me. So back to being weak," she said, curling her tentacles around me.

Chuben snarled.

"Oh, he can stop you," I replied.

"Please, it's just a Fua..." Chuben severed her tentacle legs with one wing and knocked her back with a tail slam.

"Don't, kill her," I whispered with all my strength.

"As you wish," Chuben answered, changing his claws to fists and retracting his horns.

Tycal rose her body on newly regenerated tendrils, "my mistake, should've..."

Chuben practically teleported to Tycal with his speed; it was not long until I lost sight of him.

"Really hope no Meems come to kill me," I said, "my energy should be low enough, though, and they need me alive. Shard, I thought, with no reply coming. Is he dead? I thought, well, him dying doesn't change me back; he just wants to live. Come back.

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Chuben smashed his head into Tycal, the two of them flying through the air.

Tycal smiled and emitted a guard barrier between her back and the wind, "you're not all that clever, are you?" She asked, curling her tentacles around Chuben's body and gripping his neck in strong shifted fingers. The guard barrier diverting the winds' energy into her limbs. "Which first, your neck or your wings?"

Chuben answered by delivering a might powered headbutt, the force sending her flying.

"I'll just have to kill you!" She yelled, grabbing onto the sides of the building with clawed tentacles and bringing the rest down. Chuben flowed past each strike, flipping his body round and brought his plated tail down.

Tycal pulled on her legs to dodge to the side and smashed Chuben down instead with a might empower tentacle, the ground breaking with the impact. She then used six rush and might empowered tentacles to deliver a blur of blows with dust spraying.

The Variant-Shifter only stopped to pull her tentacles back, wrap them together then spin down. Chuben grabbed the mass of tentacles in a large hand, though Tycal reacted instantly, empowering her brain with rush.

Tycal shifted her arms to grab the ground and twist her body and force Chuben to the ground. Her mind was clouded, but she held her determination to bind her tentacles into a spear and empowering the tip with peirce she thrusted.

Chuben moved past the lance and leapt into the air as the tentacles unwound their movements stirring the air and breaking windows.

Chuben dived, his fist ready to crush his opponent, but he stopped just before delivering the mighty blow against Tycal as she lay prone. "Cal said not to kill you, be grateful for his kindness," he said, flying over her body. "You awake?" He asked, Tycal grunting and stretching her tentacles towards him.

Chuben flew in, flicked a finger at her chin to knock her out, and then picked her up by her waist. "Really hope I can get a challenging kill soon," he said.

Empowering his wings with large amounts of rush, Chuben reached the edge of Walldurus in seconds. He laid Tycal down but saw her squirming and grunting. I'll glue her down, should do this properly if Cal's letting me fight again. How did it go again?" He thought, growing the necessary sacs in his arm with a thick pale-brown substance seeping out of a hole in his palm.

Tycal woke up and seeing the glue shuffled back on one arm and shaking the other, "no, anything but that," she pleaded as Chuben poured the thick substance over her tentacle legs. Tycal tried to raise them, but the goo snapped back, "did you. Seriously empower this **** with guard."

"Yep," he replied, "one of the only things I could do in that house was practice restraining elements, he said as he coated everything except her face.

"You bastard!" She cried back, "I just have to take him back; Eragon wouldn't let me fail!"

"Be grateful for my master's kindness," Chuben replied, then jetting off.

Tycal heaved her limbs fueled by desperation; I can't let him go back, I can't fail." 

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Chuben was back at my side in what seemed like moments and lifted me onto his back with his wing hands.

"We need to hurry," I said, "just not too much," I finished.

"That wouldn't be a problem," I could feel physical matter cover my body, and within moments we were at the wall. Chuben moved out of sight when Hunters, some in armour, some not, and wielding various weapons entered. The group was followed by a Cariergo, a bulky brown scaled Monster with thick legs, tail and neck. It had a large flat maw with large tusks, the body of a giant Scorpion nearly enveloped its body, the Monster held down by the Cariergo's back tentacles.

"Hey there," a voice said behind me.

When Chuben turned, I saw a girl hanging on a nearby railing by a tail; she flipped down and walked toward me, "You're, Caliran, aren't you."

"How do you know my name?" I asked.

"Torin said you might come here, said to feel for a signature that pushed the might back, which is the one you have."

"Show me inside, please," I said.

"Sure," she answered, leading us away from the homes, "it's fine. I can tell you're not a threat..." She suddenly knelt, "what is this? Murderous, no, it's pure desperation." I saw serval Shifters with various bodes leave the nearby shop and run down the bleak street.

Managing to turn my neck around, I saw Tycal swinging towards us.