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Slayers:Death's Aria | Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven
Chapter One
Chapter one
Aria stood outside the village looking at the sky. She had heard them all night as they passed over head. They were too many just to be migrating. She looked around the village as people started getting ready to abandon it. They all knew what the sound they heard last night would bring. No one spoke, they just worked on getting ready to leave. Aria watched the village leaders point to a map. She knew that was where they were hoping to settle. She wished them luck as she walked past them leaving the village going deeper into the Kahttao Mountains.
Aria was not a young girl, she had lived for over twenty years in this time of war. In her own eyes and heart she felt too old. Her physical appearance led many to misjudge her though. She looked to be eighteen or so. Dark black eyes took in her surrounding as she traveled. She was small so she moved easily among the rocky trail. She kept her black hair pulled up into a tight pony tail so it didn't bother her. She always wore the same, dark brown pants and a dark green tunic style shirt to help her hide in the woods. A pack carried on her back held her only possessions. She was obviously a loner.
She sighed to herself as she looked up listening for the sounds of battle or of dragons. Nothing was making a sound. That caused her to frown deeply. No birds, or animals could be heard. Even the wind seemed to have given into the ominous quiet of the mountains. She adjusted her pack and kept going, higher up into the mountains. Soon she was to the point she was just making her way into the wilderness that had never been touched by man.
As she traveled she thought of her life, she knew most thought of her as cursed. Born in a savage attack by monsters, she was the only one to live. Her first four years of life was being passed from stranger to stranger, but no one wanted the dark child. She grinned actually liking the name that was given to her by the villages of her youth. She had found a home by five with a man that studied magic. Of course she didn't know what magic was, but she learned quickly. Aria by age nine knew more black magic than most adults. Now for decision not of her choice she was forever shunned in the eyes of the people around her.
Aria was distracted from her thoughts as a noise caught her attention. She dropped her pack and eased forward. Covering her mouth quickly as she saw them. They were so many of them. She had of course seen them in her travel and most then were dead, but this was almost over whelming. The mountain before her was alive with Gold Dragons.
"By the Gods, so many of them..." She breathed silently as she stood there mesmerized by them.
She backed away and picked up her pack and started moving again. She was guessing that the dragons were just stopping for the night. She would travel through tonight and try to get ahead of them. She couldn't believe that so many would come out here to battle. She couldn't help but wonder how big an army they would fight.
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Aria cursed for the twentieth time that night. She had tripped again and this time landed her on her face. She growled to herself in total frustration and began to set up camp. She would give up traveling for now. She looked at the sky and she knew that there should have been plenty of moonlight but in the shadows of the mountains and the dense forest it had become blocked She was not happy because she hoped she could get a head start on the dragons.
"Well I hope this was the way they were coming." She talked to herself as she made a small fire and spread a half, drawn map out before her and began to fill it in, marking her journey.
Yawning she put the map away and lay back against a rock. She knew the fire would keep the wild beasts away from her, but she worried it would also draw attention to her as well. She placed a small dagger in her hand and tried for sleep. 'Why do you do this Aria?' Her sleepy mind questioned as sleep over took the sorceress.
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Aria awoke with a start to the deafening sound of dragons flying over head, roaring in deep long cries. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her pack and started throwing her stuff in it. Her heart was racing with fear and excitement. She knew the dragons were getting ready to battle.
"Come on Aria get it together! Stop acting like a kid. You've seen a dragon fight before!" She talked out loud, trying to calm herself down. She was powerful sorceress yes, but she was still human.
"Yes Aria, but you have never seen a dragon fight against me!" A cheery voice sounded from a tree branch over head.
Black eyes flashed with anger and she kept herself from blowing a hole in the side of the mountain as she looked up to see who had spoke to her. She stood there glaring at a man with purple hair, and a smile that she knew was all too misleading. "Xellos."