Dragons of the Elements: Ascension (Dragon of Legend Approved Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter 16: The Dead Rising

Something was off. Something amazingly simple, and Donovan knew it. He stared at Infernus, wishing for the answer to appear to him.

Vitality spoke in his head: "There's nothing there Donovan. Just let it go, and let's get a move on."

Something inside Donovan's head clicked. "Vit, that's just it. There IS noting here. What happened to the body?" Donovan felt his Dragon sifting through his mind, looking for clues.

"You didn't see anything, but when I pay close attention to your thoughts and memories, there's a sound. A creepy one.

"Hold on Vit," Donovan said. Donovan began to explore his Dragon's mind, for the first time. He felt the massive hunger for more of those Draglin pellets.

"Vit. There for DRAGLIN's." Donovan said to him.

"Donovan, memories. Not thoughts. Look harder," said Vitality, quite embarrassed.

"Found it, a minute ago." said Donovan, as he let his Dragon's memories flow into his mind. The feelings, the scents, the sight, it was all overflowing from a dragon's perceptive. The experiences seemed to almost overtake his mind, and the memories flowed through with ease.

Something in Vitality's recent memories caught Donovan's attention. Just now, when Donovan wasn't looking, something changed. The corpse, it seemed to just get up and walk away.

Donovan gulped. The skeleton, as all the flesh had disappeared by this time, literally rose from it's spot on the ground, and walked into the surrounding forest.

Vitality shuddered. "Why did I not notice this before?" Vitality asked Donovan.

Donovan's own memory held on to the scene. The skeleton sat upright, and rose as if otherworldly.

Donovan took a step back, then twisted and ran to Vitality with all the sane sections of his brain. He held on to the leg that didn't have a man under it.

"Vit. You saw what I saw in your head, right?" he questioned, needing to know whether it was a trick of the mind or actual history.

"It happened, Donny. I wouldn't- BEHIND YOU!" Vitality screamed in Donovan's mind. Again, Donovan twisted, to see a skeletal figure coming at him from the clearing's edge. The figure moved as if still alive, as if it were still governed by moral restraints. It moved with the precision of Jeffrey, and held a sword identical to the one Jeffrey wore at his waist.

The memory flashed back, and Donovan's brain connected several dots at once. His brain, however deductive it seemed to be functioning, shut down temporarily, leaving Donovan with simply complex thoughts. "Infernus destroyed the body: Good. The body got up: Bad. The body is coming after me with a grudge: Worse. The body knows how to use a sword: Horrible."

Donovan let his instincts cut in, and he called for Infernus, naturally. Infernus would not form, and Donovan's instincts tried a new tactic. His being called out for his given blade, his Katana, Singe.

Singe's light figure formed in his hands, and Donovan naturally formed a stance that revolved around speed and movement, to match his speedy, light sword.

"Vit, HELP!" Donovan yelled aloud.

"I still have a guy under my claw, what do you expect me to do?" Vitality responded.

"Nevermind, just don't leave," Donovan thought to Vitality, as the skeleton took a swing at Donovan with the sword, still in its sheath. The weapon connected with Donovan's right side, easily breaking a few of his ribs.

Donovan fell to the ground, writhing in pain. His right knee dropped to the floor, while his left foot remain planted in the dirt. The skeleton let out a cynical, otherworldly laugh. The hysteria pushed Donovan over the edge.

Donovan jumped forward, swinging Singe at speeds a trained swordsman could barely match. Jeffrey's skeleton matched every movement, the sheathed sword coming in front of Donovan's at the last possible moment.

Donovan became enraged; his anger was evident in his harsh, uncoordinated flurry of swings. The blood red eyes shone brightly, and Singe began to glow a fiery red. The skeleton was unfazed, he couldn't sense the heat rising inside his opponent.

Donovan swung one final time, only to be blocked again. The skeleton retaliated, smashing the hilt of his sword into Donovan's temple.

Donovan took several steps back, in a daze, before he cried out for all the forest animals to hear his hellish war cry. Birds flew to safety, and small animals scurried into their nests, as they could sense the power Donovan exhibited, much like how they sense a natural disaster.

Fire burned in Donovan's eyes. His eyes became a murderous red, and the man under Vitality's claw began to scream in terror. Vitality himself spread his wings, and hid behind them, for his own safety.

"Donny think!" Vitality forced into Donovan's head. The warning went unheeded, as Donovan lost control.

A blinding red flare lit up the clearing. As quickly as it came, it vanished. The skeleton was no more; all that remained was a pile of dirt and ash.