I'm not really sure when I'll be done with the Viper Manor section of CC,
but I'm thinking it'll be three or four chapters. It might not have seemed
much further along in the game, but hey, it's six pages. Count your
blessings.
Disclaimer: I don't own nuthin' but the main idea for the ficcy. Gee, isn't that the same with EVERYONE?
Chapter Six: Inside the Manor
"Well, hey, at least ya got the key for us." Serge pointed out to Kid as they stood at the door to the manor.
"Eww. . ." Kid brushed frantically at her clothing, as she had been doing between intervals. One of the dragons had caught a virus and threw up on her when she was about to feed it. An AquaBeam had managed to take care of it, but the memory was still in her mind. Gazing at the dragon in muted shock as the yellow substance dripped on the floor, Serge unable to control himself as hysterical laughs wrack him mercilessly. . .the horror, the horror!
She sneezed violently, startling Guile as he began to turn the key and instead causing him to yank it out of the keyhole. "Sorry." she muttered through a stuffed nose.
"Why didn't ya damn TELL us ya had the Flu?!" Serge asked as he cast a Medicine on her.
"Didn't really catch it 'til we got outside." Kid explained in a more normal tone as the aches caused by the Status Effect dissipated.
Guile opened the door cautiously, but Serge rolled his eyes and brushed on past him. "There ain't no need, Guile! Get yer arse in here!" he called. Turning to walk through the doorway, which he thought was before him, he collided face first with the door. "Ah. . .a door. . ." he murmured in a dazed tone, muffled by the wood. Kid walked up to it as he pulled away, rubbing his nose in a furious but futile attempt to keep it from smarting.
"There's no doorknob." she pointed out after examining the door.
"So that's why I didn't feel the bloody pain in the gut that time." Serge realized.
Kid gave him a surprised look. "You walk into doors often?"
"No, they get slammed in me face." Serge explained. "Don't understand why, really. Even some of the kids where I used ta li-er, let's go on." he stuttered.
Kid nodded. Something painful must have happened for him to clam up about anything about his past. She glanced around the room, where two other walls vaguely resembling doors stood at either side of the room. A strange statue stood to their left, a snake coiled upon a pure gold pedestal. Curious, she checked the side.
"The front." Guile motioned. Kid inspected the front as the other two joined her.
"Looks like ya can turn the snake thing." Serge suggested.
"There must be some kind of code." Kid realized. She turned the snake around twice to the left, and thrice to the right. The floor under them plummeted downward as they stood on air for a second before gravity beckoned. Kid cried out, not used to long falls, and landed hard on the floor of a prison. "Shit."
"Yeah, that's what I was gonna say." Serge told her, standing.
The three dragoons at the front of the cage turned to them as they realized they had fallen. "Whoa." One smirked. "You must be pretty stupid to fall for a trap like this."
"Shut up!" Kid demanded, trying to punch him through the bars.
Guile looked to Serge. "Is she always like that?"
Serge shook his head, looking confused. "No. I am."
"We'd better report these to the General." The voice of a second dragoon brought them both back to the crisis at hand.
Running on spare fuel, Serge's mind reeled, searching for something that might let them slip away. A half-baked plan slipped into his mind. If they were well-equipped, they should be able to win. "Chicken!" he called the first name that came to mind. "Ye're all chicken! A bunch of dag-nuts!"
"Serge?!" Guile gave him a worried look.
"Ignore him. He's just trying to put you on." The first restrained the third.
"Ya mean ye're scared of us?!" Serge shot back.
"Serge!" Kid turned.
"That's it!" the first cried. "Open it!"
Kid was frantic. "Now wait just a-!"
But the others had already unlocked the prison holding them. As she was blocking the other two, Serge prodded her forward gently. Kid swallowed, remembering how her Element Grid wasn't equipped, and pushed open the barred door.
The dragoons attacked them at once, grazing Guile on the arm and slicing through the skin of Kid's right leg. As she backed up to cast a Cure, Serge and Guile held the fort. Kid looked up as a flash of white light was thrown from the fight as Serge ran swiftly toward one dragoon, swallow out. There was no way the dragoon could avoid the attack. Injured, the dragoon sagged against his sword, gripping the side Serge had attacked in pain.
Just as Kid was back in business, Guile cast his Tech, Wandaln. He tossed the rod into the air, whereas it disappeared. Holding the invisible/non- existent rod, he cocked it over his shoulder, pitching it toward the dragoon. The rod reappeared in the unfortunate dragoon's chest, then was ripped out ruthlessly to float beside Guile once more. His Health Power drained, the dragoon fell to the floor.
Kid took her turn with her own Tech, after attacking one of the dragoons a bit with her dagger. Using as much speed as she could muster, she dashed toward the dragoon, who held up his sword to protect himself. But she wasn't going for the sword. Kid yanked a parcel from the dragoon's belt, then darted back, tossing the "gift" into the air to proclaim her victory.
The dragoons attacked them again. The first ran toward Serge, but missed him with his first two strikes, and caught him on the skin of his chest the third thrust. Angered, Serge launched two fierce attacks on the dragoon, who had already endured Dash&Slash. This annihilated him. Serge attacked the last remaining with a half-hearted weak hit. Kid could only contribute a fierce attack and a strong attack, but it did well, causing the dragoon to sag as his partner had. Guile floated toward him, delivering a quaint weak blow to the head. The dragoon sank to the floor.
As Serge leaned against the cage wall to rest, Kid bent to the unconscious dragoons. "We could use these outfits to disguise ourselves." she suggested.
Serge examined the material with a look of disgust. "A SKIRT?!" he asked, crossing to look at the dragoon.
Kid batted her hand against his head playfully. "Come on, Serge, we're not exactly doing something LEGAL, here. We don't exactly want to get CAUGHT."
But before Serge could answer, the dragoon sat up with a swift thrust straight toward his chest. Kid and Guile's eyes widened in fear and shock as the sword passed through the boy's chest and out the other side. Serge stared at the dragoon for a second, then brushed a hand across his brow. "Whew. Close one."
"W-wh-what. . .?" Kid managed to squeak. The sword had missed him by a hair, sticking through the space between his arm and side.
Serge brought the flat blade of the swallow down on the dragoon's head. Turning to the other two, he shot them a thumbs up as the dragoon sank to the ground. Kid's mouth was open in an "o" of wonder as her eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted in Guile's arms.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"We hit the jackpot!" Serge cried, running toward the pedestals of the treasury. He stopped just short of the stairs, his eyes passing over the sword, armor, and shield set on the pedestals. 'Disappointin'. Oh well.' He turned back toward Kid and Guile, who were now dressed in the dragoon costumes, as was Serge. They had knocked out the guards who asked for the password to the treasury. "The Frozen Flame ain't here, so let's just take what's here."
"The Frozen Flame?" Kid repeated.
"Yeah, it's some special rock or somethin' that's supposed ta be valuable." Serge shrugged. "Someone said somethin' about it bein' a monster, and someone else said it could turn stuff ta gold, so no one's really sure just what it's supposed ta be."
"Interesting. . ." Kid blinked as a memory of a dark corner fluttered through her mind. The bright light. . .could that be. . .? No, no, it couldn't. Shaking her head to clear it, her eye caught on a gold pendant hanging on a wall nearby.
Serge was examining the sword, surprised as it literally crumbled in his hands. "This's old. . .oh, well, the shield looks like the only useful thing in here." He removed it from the stand.
"This looks useful." Kid motioned toward the pendant as she stood on the platform below it.
"Yeah. Grab it." Serge agreed, joining her.
"Are you sure? It could be a trap." Guile pointed out.
Serge rolled his eyes, shrugging. "Whatever. Just bloody grab it, mate."
Kid nodded, reaching up to pluck it from its place on the wall. As soon as she removed it, the platform and the wall flipped over to trap them in another room. Her face hit the ground as the floor became a wall, and the wall became a floor. She stood awkwardly in the stiff dragoon armor, turning to help the other two up.
"I told you." Guile reminded Serge pointedly as they found bars in front of them again.
Serge shrugged. "So what? We got the treasure."
"Hmm?" the only woman in the room turned as her perked ears caught the sound of their argument. Bright violet hair gave way to bright almond eyes, one hidden behind a lens. "Oh. . ." she seemed to remember something she had planned earlier, clasping her hands as she took short steps to where they were standing. She opened the cage as the creatures resembling multi- colored Neo'n'Bulbs began making noise in their cages. "Quiet!" she called in a thick German accent. The strange white creature in the other cage began jumping up and down, trying desperately to leave. "You too, Pip!" the woman called to it as well. Turning to look at a board, then at a sheaf of papers on her desk, she nodded to each as she passed.
Serge broke the silence. "Who are ya? And why're ya helpin' us?" he asked.
The woman turned, looking amused. "Helpink you? Vho said anyt'ink about helpink you?" she asked, her voice betraying her amusement. "I am Luccia, de scientific genius of Viper Manor." Luccia introduced herself. "And you vill be a part of vun of my experiments."
Serge stepped back, startled by the unexpected answer.
The Neo'n'Bulb lying on the experimental board stood, waving to and fro by bouncing back and forth on one leg before the other. This position was silly-looking, but the Neo'n'Bulb was poised to attack at any moment from the position, gaining perfect balance from the movement. Luccia pointed toward the three. "Finish dem!" she commanded.
A/N: Yeah, I know, I didn't get all the dialogue correct. So sue me. Wait, don't!!! But even if I just played that section on the PS, I was making good use of the Time Shifter, so I didn't really register what they were saying, even though I usually do. Sorry about Serge and the door. . .I just had to use that. I saw something similar on Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy once (where Eddy thought a window was open, but it wasn't, and, well. . .), and those shows can be just priceless. Oh well. I thought it was funny.
Disclaimer: I don't own nuthin' but the main idea for the ficcy. Gee, isn't that the same with EVERYONE?
Chapter Six: Inside the Manor
"Well, hey, at least ya got the key for us." Serge pointed out to Kid as they stood at the door to the manor.
"Eww. . ." Kid brushed frantically at her clothing, as she had been doing between intervals. One of the dragons had caught a virus and threw up on her when she was about to feed it. An AquaBeam had managed to take care of it, but the memory was still in her mind. Gazing at the dragon in muted shock as the yellow substance dripped on the floor, Serge unable to control himself as hysterical laughs wrack him mercilessly. . .the horror, the horror!
She sneezed violently, startling Guile as he began to turn the key and instead causing him to yank it out of the keyhole. "Sorry." she muttered through a stuffed nose.
"Why didn't ya damn TELL us ya had the Flu?!" Serge asked as he cast a Medicine on her.
"Didn't really catch it 'til we got outside." Kid explained in a more normal tone as the aches caused by the Status Effect dissipated.
Guile opened the door cautiously, but Serge rolled his eyes and brushed on past him. "There ain't no need, Guile! Get yer arse in here!" he called. Turning to walk through the doorway, which he thought was before him, he collided face first with the door. "Ah. . .a door. . ." he murmured in a dazed tone, muffled by the wood. Kid walked up to it as he pulled away, rubbing his nose in a furious but futile attempt to keep it from smarting.
"There's no doorknob." she pointed out after examining the door.
"So that's why I didn't feel the bloody pain in the gut that time." Serge realized.
Kid gave him a surprised look. "You walk into doors often?"
"No, they get slammed in me face." Serge explained. "Don't understand why, really. Even some of the kids where I used ta li-er, let's go on." he stuttered.
Kid nodded. Something painful must have happened for him to clam up about anything about his past. She glanced around the room, where two other walls vaguely resembling doors stood at either side of the room. A strange statue stood to their left, a snake coiled upon a pure gold pedestal. Curious, she checked the side.
"The front." Guile motioned. Kid inspected the front as the other two joined her.
"Looks like ya can turn the snake thing." Serge suggested.
"There must be some kind of code." Kid realized. She turned the snake around twice to the left, and thrice to the right. The floor under them plummeted downward as they stood on air for a second before gravity beckoned. Kid cried out, not used to long falls, and landed hard on the floor of a prison. "Shit."
"Yeah, that's what I was gonna say." Serge told her, standing.
The three dragoons at the front of the cage turned to them as they realized they had fallen. "Whoa." One smirked. "You must be pretty stupid to fall for a trap like this."
"Shut up!" Kid demanded, trying to punch him through the bars.
Guile looked to Serge. "Is she always like that?"
Serge shook his head, looking confused. "No. I am."
"We'd better report these to the General." The voice of a second dragoon brought them both back to the crisis at hand.
Running on spare fuel, Serge's mind reeled, searching for something that might let them slip away. A half-baked plan slipped into his mind. If they were well-equipped, they should be able to win. "Chicken!" he called the first name that came to mind. "Ye're all chicken! A bunch of dag-nuts!"
"Serge?!" Guile gave him a worried look.
"Ignore him. He's just trying to put you on." The first restrained the third.
"Ya mean ye're scared of us?!" Serge shot back.
"Serge!" Kid turned.
"That's it!" the first cried. "Open it!"
Kid was frantic. "Now wait just a-!"
But the others had already unlocked the prison holding them. As she was blocking the other two, Serge prodded her forward gently. Kid swallowed, remembering how her Element Grid wasn't equipped, and pushed open the barred door.
The dragoons attacked them at once, grazing Guile on the arm and slicing through the skin of Kid's right leg. As she backed up to cast a Cure, Serge and Guile held the fort. Kid looked up as a flash of white light was thrown from the fight as Serge ran swiftly toward one dragoon, swallow out. There was no way the dragoon could avoid the attack. Injured, the dragoon sagged against his sword, gripping the side Serge had attacked in pain.
Just as Kid was back in business, Guile cast his Tech, Wandaln. He tossed the rod into the air, whereas it disappeared. Holding the invisible/non- existent rod, he cocked it over his shoulder, pitching it toward the dragoon. The rod reappeared in the unfortunate dragoon's chest, then was ripped out ruthlessly to float beside Guile once more. His Health Power drained, the dragoon fell to the floor.
Kid took her turn with her own Tech, after attacking one of the dragoons a bit with her dagger. Using as much speed as she could muster, she dashed toward the dragoon, who held up his sword to protect himself. But she wasn't going for the sword. Kid yanked a parcel from the dragoon's belt, then darted back, tossing the "gift" into the air to proclaim her victory.
The dragoons attacked them again. The first ran toward Serge, but missed him with his first two strikes, and caught him on the skin of his chest the third thrust. Angered, Serge launched two fierce attacks on the dragoon, who had already endured Dash&Slash. This annihilated him. Serge attacked the last remaining with a half-hearted weak hit. Kid could only contribute a fierce attack and a strong attack, but it did well, causing the dragoon to sag as his partner had. Guile floated toward him, delivering a quaint weak blow to the head. The dragoon sank to the floor.
As Serge leaned against the cage wall to rest, Kid bent to the unconscious dragoons. "We could use these outfits to disguise ourselves." she suggested.
Serge examined the material with a look of disgust. "A SKIRT?!" he asked, crossing to look at the dragoon.
Kid batted her hand against his head playfully. "Come on, Serge, we're not exactly doing something LEGAL, here. We don't exactly want to get CAUGHT."
But before Serge could answer, the dragoon sat up with a swift thrust straight toward his chest. Kid and Guile's eyes widened in fear and shock as the sword passed through the boy's chest and out the other side. Serge stared at the dragoon for a second, then brushed a hand across his brow. "Whew. Close one."
"W-wh-what. . .?" Kid managed to squeak. The sword had missed him by a hair, sticking through the space between his arm and side.
Serge brought the flat blade of the swallow down on the dragoon's head. Turning to the other two, he shot them a thumbs up as the dragoon sank to the ground. Kid's mouth was open in an "o" of wonder as her eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted in Guile's arms.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"We hit the jackpot!" Serge cried, running toward the pedestals of the treasury. He stopped just short of the stairs, his eyes passing over the sword, armor, and shield set on the pedestals. 'Disappointin'. Oh well.' He turned back toward Kid and Guile, who were now dressed in the dragoon costumes, as was Serge. They had knocked out the guards who asked for the password to the treasury. "The Frozen Flame ain't here, so let's just take what's here."
"The Frozen Flame?" Kid repeated.
"Yeah, it's some special rock or somethin' that's supposed ta be valuable." Serge shrugged. "Someone said somethin' about it bein' a monster, and someone else said it could turn stuff ta gold, so no one's really sure just what it's supposed ta be."
"Interesting. . ." Kid blinked as a memory of a dark corner fluttered through her mind. The bright light. . .could that be. . .? No, no, it couldn't. Shaking her head to clear it, her eye caught on a gold pendant hanging on a wall nearby.
Serge was examining the sword, surprised as it literally crumbled in his hands. "This's old. . .oh, well, the shield looks like the only useful thing in here." He removed it from the stand.
"This looks useful." Kid motioned toward the pendant as she stood on the platform below it.
"Yeah. Grab it." Serge agreed, joining her.
"Are you sure? It could be a trap." Guile pointed out.
Serge rolled his eyes, shrugging. "Whatever. Just bloody grab it, mate."
Kid nodded, reaching up to pluck it from its place on the wall. As soon as she removed it, the platform and the wall flipped over to trap them in another room. Her face hit the ground as the floor became a wall, and the wall became a floor. She stood awkwardly in the stiff dragoon armor, turning to help the other two up.
"I told you." Guile reminded Serge pointedly as they found bars in front of them again.
Serge shrugged. "So what? We got the treasure."
"Hmm?" the only woman in the room turned as her perked ears caught the sound of their argument. Bright violet hair gave way to bright almond eyes, one hidden behind a lens. "Oh. . ." she seemed to remember something she had planned earlier, clasping her hands as she took short steps to where they were standing. She opened the cage as the creatures resembling multi- colored Neo'n'Bulbs began making noise in their cages. "Quiet!" she called in a thick German accent. The strange white creature in the other cage began jumping up and down, trying desperately to leave. "You too, Pip!" the woman called to it as well. Turning to look at a board, then at a sheaf of papers on her desk, she nodded to each as she passed.
Serge broke the silence. "Who are ya? And why're ya helpin' us?" he asked.
The woman turned, looking amused. "Helpink you? Vho said anyt'ink about helpink you?" she asked, her voice betraying her amusement. "I am Luccia, de scientific genius of Viper Manor." Luccia introduced herself. "And you vill be a part of vun of my experiments."
Serge stepped back, startled by the unexpected answer.
The Neo'n'Bulb lying on the experimental board stood, waving to and fro by bouncing back and forth on one leg before the other. This position was silly-looking, but the Neo'n'Bulb was poised to attack at any moment from the position, gaining perfect balance from the movement. Luccia pointed toward the three. "Finish dem!" she commanded.
A/N: Yeah, I know, I didn't get all the dialogue correct. So sue me. Wait, don't!!! But even if I just played that section on the PS, I was making good use of the Time Shifter, so I didn't really register what they were saying, even though I usually do. Sorry about Serge and the door. . .I just had to use that. I saw something similar on Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy once (where Eddy thought a window was open, but it wasn't, and, well. . .), and those shows can be just priceless. Oh well. I thought it was funny.