A Warriors Resolve

by Jade Copperfield

Chapter 2 Dragon valley

I continued to move forward in what I could only describe as the most as the most obtuse path I've seen. I looked behind me to see all the cliffs I had to climb and jump up to continue forward. I looked forward and continued to follow the green cat girl or at least her tracks as I saw a line in the ground with uneven dents run within it. I followed it and Crash I hopped backwards and saw what looked like spider two legged metallic creature with a long tube that it pointed at me.

"I don't have time for this." I muttered as I drew my sword and began moving toward the creature. the creature lobbed a small ball that erupted into a small explosion in front of me, I ran through the fire and struck the creature with a horizontal slash and then a one handed vertical that embedded in the creature. The creature didn't have any blood but it proceeded to slump over and show an array of cords inside.

I removed my sword from it and proceeded onward as I met what seemed to be a bigger one eyed hornet. It moved toward me with impressive speed only for it to meet a blade to the eye. It shattered into many pieces as I shortly began making small jumps, sliding down small hills and jumping up small cliffs to follow the cats tracks. This cat rode up a straight wall with that object and now I saw evidence that she rode in what I could only describe as I giant wheel.

Eventually I ended up in the forest, though the convoluted path stayed and the hostiles from earlier continued to be on my path. The Wasp creatures would show there face after a few meters and the lobbing metal creature would be close by another corpse of them. It didn't show much if any emotion in its non existent face or in its posture, it would only turn in my direction and fire.

I sliced the creature horizontally, jumped up to a higher platform and cut a wasp in two. I kept on following the tracks left by the green feline and eventually ended up hitting a waterfall with logs constantly falling down it in a rhythmic pattern. I looked up the waterfall to see what looked like claw like indentations on the sides of it. I looked at my sharp steel claws and decided to throw myself onto the side of the waterfall and started to slowly climb it. I felt my arms burn and fidget while climbing myself up the side of the cliff and eventually I made it with my heart pounding In my ears.

I continued forward to find another waterfall with the same log like pattern, along with what could be tunnels crisscrossing through it. I looked toward the river where the logs are coming from and noticed the river just had a near infinite amount of logs flowing through it and down the waterfall. With very little thought I jumped on top of one of the logs and instantly the log tripled in speed and crash down into the water with me mere seconds behind it.

I swam up to the side of the river, with my head nearly submerged and tried to pull myself up and onto the bank though all I could do was keep my head up at this point. I hanged on the side of the bank waiting for my slow labored breaths to become calmer as I decided to never even try to do that again. I pulled myself onto the bank using my legs to help kick myself up and slowly flopped onto the bank before rolling over and picking myself up. I muttered "Reminder never jump on logs going down a waterfall, imbecile."

I shook myself, and continued walking in the direction of the cat. I noticed what looked like collapsed section of rock walls and more tunnels about than in any of the previous areas. I continued running and jumping up ledges until I found myself in an area with unnatural holes in the ground and several metal cogs strewn about. "Hmm why are there cogs in the middle of a forest?" I have never found metal just laying around without a layer of dirt or covered in greenery before, though wait were those things I killed made of metal. I only saw cords in them along with a black liquid, but none of them had cogs in them though they were tough and didn't have organs like me. Hmm they could be like a timber wolf but they are made of wood and have beating hearts just before I cleave them in two.

I pondered the idea while holding a gear for a several moments until I heard a loud bang. I looked up, dropped the gear and moved in the direction of the noise in a full sprint. As I ran I noticed more pieces of metal strewn about and a long metal tail that lied on the forest floor and traveled up the hill. the tail had many different pieces of segmented metal in a hexagonal tiling that would be noticed if you used it as a surface to write on. When I almost reached the crest of the hill I heard talking so I slowed my approach and just before the hill flattened out I crouched and peaked over the edge.

I saw what I could only describe as different, the cat lady was there but she wasn't alone. There was an odd looking "girl" in light blue clothing, skin tight shorts that stopped before the knee and a sleeveless light blue jacket that was slightly open to reveal a tiny bit of a white shirt, the individual also had horns and tentacle scaly hair, her hair was also purple along with her skin. The other individual that they are talking to was a duck turtle with green hair, orange goggles, and orange and black shoes. The other odd thing was a smoking object that had a broken glass window and what might have been the head of the giant tail, a purple snake head.

I have cleaved through timber wolves, seen a windigo, and seen the worst of my people and yet I cant believe a turtle duck exists. I'm seeing it with both my eyes and yet I don't believe that is a turtle duck. Samuel always told me I could smell or see through people, whether they were putting up a clever façade or a disguise from a poor old man that was actually a very clever thief. I sifted through a small pouch on my lower back that I kept personal items and pulled out a small sketch of Samuel. the artist who drew it did really well in getting his tired old face just right and it honestly just made me feel... sad.

Yeah that is what this feeling might be, the odd emptiness felt different this time and I also felt angry, a feeling I have had no issues understanding for most of my life. I folded the drawing back up and pocketed before looking back at the group to see the green cat looking in my direction, we even made eye contact though she didn't look very surprised so my guess is she noticed me earlier or when I was looking at the drawing. I don't have a choice now, should just stand up and get it over with.

I rose to my full height and slowly walked over to the individuals that have now stopped talking due to the cat patting the weird girl and pointing in my direction. The turtle duck looked at me with a look of fear while the purple girl looked at me curiously, though not without caution visible in her form. She's jumpy though not as much as the turtle duck that looks like he's ready to run at a moments notice. I stopped when I was few meters away and right next to the head of the snake, I ran a claw over the creature and I could feel cold hard metal through the leather from my gauntlets.

As I ran my claws on it I heard the cat girls voice say "Is that why you are here, for a robot?" I stopped touching the... robot and looked at her who from the trio moved closer about a meter away from me actually. She looks tall enough to go to my lower sternum and probably to my neck when out of armor though I'm not certain. I spoke slowly "Ro bot... no I'm not here because of this thing." I tapped the head with one of my metal knuckles noticing the non resonating noise it made, It's solid.

"Then why are you here?" I looked in the direction of the turtle duck who sounded like a man who is scared also not that old. I responded "Where am I?" They all looked at me quizzically before the purple girl said in a young feminine voice "You are in Dragon valley." So that's where I am a place called Dragon valley but why does this place not have any dragons and no fire or lava.

I looked around and said "Where are the dragons?" When I looked back at them they all looked at me perplexed. The cat spoke while pointing at the purple girl "Lilac's a dragon".

"Carol don't give the stranger any ideas." And then they started arguing with the cat now called Carol, arguing with the so called dragon Lilac. I just stood there while they argued like friends or sisters with Carol saying things like little miss hero pants. I stayed quiet during there argument and as they finished up they looked at the turtle duck. "Hey you want to continue this at our house it's not far." Carol said to me after Lilac was done "Your invited too after all you look pretty lost."

I don't have any directions and I'm more lost than I've been my entire life. But I don't like the fact that they openly invited a stranger and a hulking armored warrior to there home. I don't plan on hurting them though they don't know that and they don't look threatening. then again I can assume they fought this snake.

I looked at Carol and said" Fine I'll come with you, just don't try anything. you will regret it." She looked at me nervously but shrugged it off and began walking in a direction. I causally followed her about two meters behind.

Even if it goes to shit I will at least have a few answers.

Author's Note:

It's been too long.

I wrote this chapter at different periods. the first 300 hundred words was when I first started it and then I think a month past. though I managed to get this chapter out I'm putting the story on hiatus mainly to focus on other stories. I'm more invested with a Soldiers Misfortune and A Merchants New Life. I don't plan on ever giving up Merchants and I like where I'm going with Misfortune.

On a side note I played the Evil Within 2 and if you played the first game and liked it, I recommend the sequel. It is a direct sequel to evil within 1 where you play as washed up police detective Sebastian Castellanos and You go back into the mind fuck machine to save his daughter. When I feel up for it I'm probably going to post a blog post about the game. And no it is not like resident evil 6, there is a extreme lack of over the top action, So no worries.