Kyumin - The Formphasers: Dirge of the Dragons 10/?
Title: The Formphasers: Dirge of the Dragons
Pairing: Kyumin
Side pairings: Eunhae, Zhoury, Yunjae, Yewook, Kangteuk, Sibum
Disclaimer: If I owned DBSK and Super Junior, they would have made it big in North America already!
Summary: Three years after the unity of the canines and the felines, everything is going well. Until the day they recieve word that the bears have been attacked by a force that nobody knew existed. And now, they must find a way to stop the attacks before that force can reach their kingdom. And if it does, the terrible dream that has been plaguing one of their subjects will come true. And that will mean the end of their empire.
The Formphasers: Dirge of the Dragons
Stage Ten: Closely Guarded Secret
It was morning and two felines were standing in the middle of a large square, open to the elements around them. The sun shone down onto the exposed shape, warming the pair that stood there.
The two felines stared at each other, both trying to decipher what was happening in the mind of the other. Neither of them blinked. They watched each other for a moment longer. And they attacked.
Their hands went to their sides and their blades were drawn. The sound of metal against metal reverberated through the air. The felines moved quickly, their swords sparking as they tried to land a hit on each other.
“Jongwoon, remember that Sungmin likes to attack with his right side! Don’t let him bring the ancient arts into this!” Ryeowook yelled from the sidelines. Sungmin laughed. He jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding Jongwoon’s blade.
“No cheer for me?” Sungmin asked as he parried another attack.
“Sungmin, you know I love you but Jongwoon happens to be my mate so I must cheer for him,” Ryeowook answered.
“Must? What do you mean by must?” Jongwoon questioned.
“Well, even if you are losing, I will applaud you,” Ryeowook grinned.
“What do you mean by losing?”
“I’ll show you,” Sungmin smirked. With a speed that was terrifying to anybody other than a feline, Sungmin drew his second sword and immediately slashed at his guard’s arm. Wielding both swords, he looked quite formidable.
“Aish,” Jongwoon cursed as he barely missed the attack. Ryeowook’s heart leaped into his throat even though they were simply mock battling.
“Shame to you, Jongwoon. Do we not pride ourselves on being swift?” Sungmin teased.
“Swift? Allow me to demonstrate.”
The Siberian tiger drew his second sword and with lightning speed, slashed at Sungmin’s two swords. Sungmin swore silently as he lost his grip on one of his weapons.
Armed with only one sword now, he was at a definite disadvantage. Crossing his single blade in front of him, he parried the attack that Jongwoon sent his way. Now he was on the defensive, trying not to be skewered.
Sungmin twisted out of the way of another attack and found himself in a clear space, away from the weapons of his guard. With the available room, Sungmin immediately formed a plan.
The jaguar jumped forwards and checked Jongwoon with his shoulder, causing him to stagger off balance. With a quick flash of his sword, Sungmin knocked one of his guard’s weapons out of his hand. The two were now matched evenly, one sword per feline.
“That was a very good attack you had,” Jongwoon grinned, perspiration on his forehead. Sungmin grinned back, equally as tired and happy.
“Thank you, I have been perfecting it during our wars with the canine,” Sungmin answered.
The two went at it again, their blades sparking and flashing in the light of the morning sun. Ryeowook was shouting bits of advice to Jongwoon who was too busy trying to land a hit on Sungmin to listen.
Sungmin narrowed his eyes. He jumped into the air and kicked his leg out. Jongwoon saw the attack coming and turned his body. Sungmin’s foot caught him in the shoulder and the guard gasped slightly at the impact.
“Again, I fail to hit your sword. At least I have managed to land a hit,” Sungmin said, landing on the ground with ease. He twirled his sword teasingly, a small smirk growing across his face.
“It will be your last,” Jongwoon growled playfully. He rushed forwards and Sungmin was caught off guard. The blade glanced off of his protective armour, startling him. He reacted to the attack and swiftly thrust his sword in the direction of Jongwoon.
“One hit for me now,” the tiger said, leaping away from Sungmin who rushed forwards. Two swords were pointed in the jaguar’s direction and he had only one and soon, he would have none. Sungmin closed his eyes and jumped into the air.
He phased as he leaped through the air, his jaguar form exploding into existence. Jongwoon was now faced with two paws full of claws and a mouthful of sharp teeth coming in his direction.
He brought his two swords above his head and crossed them. Sungmin’s claws hit the metal with an awful clang. He threw one paw to the side, knocking one of Jongwoon’s swords out of his hand.
Jongwoon dived after it, not thinking about what the consequences would be until Sungmin landed on top of him. The jaguar pressed his body into the earth stone courtyard and Jongwoon could barely move.
“I do not forfeit,” Jongwoon panted as he lay underneath the large jaguar. A growl that sounded suspiciously like a laugh came from the creature above. Incensed, Jongwoon dropped his sword and phased into his fur.
The quick change caught Sungmin by surprise and he found himself flying backwards. He landed on his feet and gazed at the Siberian tiger. They two waited for a moment, their sides heaving from their exertions.
Sungmin raised his head and jumped for the guard. Jongwoon met his attack head on and the two rolled over in a screeching tangle of limbs. Sungmin swiped at Jongwoon’s helmet with a paw. Jongwoon retaliated by trying to get a hold on Sungmin’s neck fur.
The two felines broke apart, only to catch their breath before attacking once more. Sungmin could feel himself tiring but he couldn’t let Jongwoon win. The tiger rammed into his side but he held strong. Nipping at his guard’s ear, he ran a paw across the nose of his opponent.
Jongwoon screeched in pain. Sungmin snarled in triumph. He jumped, aiming for the back of his opponent but the tiger reared up and knocked him backwards. Sungmin crashed to the ground. Before he had any opportunity to move, he was held down by a large body.
He struggled, clawed and bit but nothing shook Jongwoon’s strong hold. Finally, he went limp in defeat. Jongwoon was too strong to be moved. Sungmin phased back into his skin and sighed.
“I surrender,” Sungmin proclaimed. Jongwoon stepped back and changed back into his human form. Sungmin looked at him and glared playfully.
“Next time, Jongwoon,” Sungmin promised. His guard laughed.
“You two nearly gave me a heart attack!” Ryeowook exclaimed as the two of them walked away from the training arena, sweaty but pleased.
“If we were allowed to unsheathe our claws, Jongwoon would not have won,” Sungmin growled. Ryeowook looked alarmed at that.
“It was well fought. I had no idea that Sungmin was so strong,” Jongwoon commented.
“I am full of surprises. Be grateful for it. Those surprises may come in handy,” Sungmin frowned slightly.
Their audience with the King of Dragons had not fared well at all. Now war was imminent and there was no possibility of persuading the dragons otherwise. The Komodos were a deadly force that Sungmin was not sure they would be able to overcome.
“All surprises come in handy,” Jongwoon interrupted his thoughts.
“Do you really think we can defeat the Komodos?” Sungmin asked, looking at his long time friend and guardian.
“We are a strong race. With the combined strength of canines and felines and the poison that is rumoured to kill dragons, we stand a good chance of driving the dragons from the lands of our friends,” Jongwoon explained, removing the protective gear he had worn during their sparring session.
“But how long does it take the poison to work? It could be minutes, hours or even days. It is a long painful death but still enables them to fight,” Sungmin pondered.
“It will make them easier to kill if they are in pain,” Jongwoon pointed out.
“It is hard to believe that dragons could ever be in pain,” Sungmin smiled lightly. Jongwoon nodded at the truth of that statement.
“They had to feel pain at one point or they would not be so angered at the near extinction of their race,” Ryeowook said.
Sungmin was not worried about whether the dragons could be defeated or not. He was more worried about what would happen to the rest of the population. Dragons could not be the only race to rule the lands. What would become of all the others if the dragons did drive them from their homes?
!*!*!*!*!
“Siwon, could you please put this in the cabinet over there?” Kibum asked, handing a small glass vial to the guard that sat in a chair next to the window.
“Certainly. Is there anything else you wish to have me put away?” Siwon asked, helpful as always. Kibum shook his head. The young doctor was too busy looking at the book Ryeowook had found on ancient races that were thought to be extinct.
He was trying to find a recipe that could be used to brew the redberry poison. There was no information in the book about how to make such a substance. Kibum flipped through the book in frustration. He turned to Siwon who was watching him with a tender expression.
“Yes?” Kibum asked. Siwon smiled.
“Am I not allowed to look at my mate to be?” the handsome guard asked, tilting his head to the right slightly.
“Not when he is trying to work out how to make poison that will save the lives of many,” Kibum answered.
“That was a little oxymoronic. A poison that will save lives,” Siwon mused. Kibum resisted the urge to hit his future mate.
“Then you try to find a solution. There is no instruction in here as to how one should create the killing poison,” Kibum handed the book off to Siwon and flopped back in his chair in exasperation. He had spent the past few days trying to figure out how to make such a poison.
“Perhaps you should look in other books. Maybe the recipe is there,” Siwon suggested, leafing through the volume in his hand.
“Would Donghae know of it?” Kibum asked.
“Donghae? Why would he know?” the timber wolf questioned.
“Because he knows how to brew poison. His mother was a healer and used natural substances to heal and harm. She taught him her trade when he became a guard,” Kibum explained.
“Then why did he not find a solution to the tainted onyx the felines used?”
“Because they used a stone based liquid. He deals in plants.”
“Then perhaps…” Siwon accidentally dropped the book he was holding on the floor. Kibum snatched it from the ground.
“Siwon, be careful. This is quite delicate…” Kibum trailed off. He looked the page that had opened when the book had fallen.
“What is it?” Siwon asked. Kibum began to read aloud.
“It was during the time of the war between dragons, platypus and weasels that this poison came into existence. It was first brewed by the weasels who had good knowledge of poison and its effects. It was used against the dragons and platypus during the wars.
“The name of this poison was Katastrefo which meant destroy or to destroy. The effect only worked on dragons but it was terribly destructive. It dissolved the innards of those who were touched by it. A further analysis of the substance showed that while it had no effect on furred beasts, the effect was horrible to those who wore scales.
“It was made from the eto plant mixed with redberry poison. First, the crimson berries of the redberry plant were gathered. The juice was then squeezed out of the berries and boiled. While this process was occurring, the eto leaves were gathered and crushed before being mixed in with the boiling redberry juice.
“While the poison was boiled, anything that was going to be coated with it had to be dipped into the liquid while it was boiling before being used. Once dry, the poison would forever stick to the object.
“The most useful object was often a sword for once the poison cut into the bloodstream, the end was quick for scaled beasts. Only a minute was needed to rid the doomed of its life. For any scaled race, the Katastrefo was the end. If the poison entered the uncovered spot of the dragon, death was imminent,” Kibum finished.
“We should tell Donghae of this. We must coat our weapons as soon as possible. In five days, we go to war,” Siwon said.
!*!*!*!*!
“The palace has certainly been busy. We should congratulate Donghae for being so quick in creating the substance,” Kyuhyun said. Sungmin nodded. In two days, Donghae had managed to brew enough poison to coat half the weapons of the army. All swords and spears were done and it simply remained that the maces, axes and arrows needed the covering.
“We also must dip our claws into the mixture,” Sungmin reminded his mate. Kyuhyun nodded grimly.
“The other soldiers are training in the forests of the canine. We have stationed our troops on the Plain of Sabres. The dragons have already sent a message saying that we shall combat there. The canines and felines enlisted are already en-route to the area,” Kyuhyun reported.
“Three more days,” Sungmin whispered. Kyuhyun heard him.
“Three days and we’ll fight poison with poison.”
!*!*!*!*!
“My king, we have prepared the troops for battle.”
“Very good. And now, all that remains in the fire. We shall burn them where they stand,” the Dragon King’s cold eyes lit up as he laughed; anticipating the destruction of the last races standing in his way.
!*!*!*!*!
I’m so sorry I took this long. I lost track of time with schoolwork and such. I hope you can forgive me. I’ll make it up to you by giving you something you all really want in the next chapter. *cough* kyuminsmutscene *cough*. Thank you for reading! I love you all!