(Whew! I finished up another chapter...this took a long ass time! I'm sorry for the delay I've just had sooo much going on...I dunno when the next one will be finished...but I hope you enjoy! Feel free to comment!)

Valnitus chronicles and all of it's content is © me



Valnitus 6: The Last Ignian




The earth erupted beneath Virtue's feet. Laying before him was a vast wasteland, with what were once massive stone buildings, split apart by fissures in the ground that split the very foundation of the housing in two. He watched several of his species sprinting out of their once quiet homes. Some bared the fangs and flames that shot forth from their bodies, like he himself did. Others had a more humanoid appearance, holding long spears and short swords within their claws as they waited for their foes to greet them in battle. Of all his people, Virtue remained dumbfounded, while everyone was prepared for battle, he could only think about how all of this could have been avoided.



In the distance, Virtue could see large clumps of dust flying into the air, and almost mistook the strange event as a sand storm. any other time he would have assumed such, but on closer inspection he could make out the silhouette’s of an invading army. In the front of their formation as they drew near, he could see armored anthropomorphic bulls, each one carrying a great axe in their hands. Drawing their weapons meant they had no intention of peace talks. Approaching him from behind, and he didn't realize it until a clawed hand rested on his shoulder, the clan chief stared headlong at the army that was vast approaching. The clan chief of their village, was a red anthro dragon, his entire body was covered in hard armor plated scales, while yellow ridged plates trailed all the way to his tail where it ended in a sharp razor point. The dragon's head was elongated in the back, stretching out in a v-shaped pattern as two horns spiraled downward almost like they were rams horns, with soft green eyes turning their gaze in the young raptor's direction. “Sir, we can't fight them here.”



Virtue had pleaded several times to the chief, knowing that staying in this village was suicide. But he also understood the reason behind their stationing within it's domain, even so he shivered as the rumbling voice of his chief responded to his plight, the ruby that was embedded within the great dragon's chest hummed softly, glowing even as the dragon spoke. “We have to fight them here. Here is the only route to the great city.”



“So we wait to be slaughtered!” Virtue roared in defiance but quickly shrank back as the various members of his tribe turned to see his actions towards the clan chief. It was well known that among his people, he lacked the same drive for battle that spurred them on.



“We fight to protect Valnitus, Virtue.” The chieftain took a breath, before tapping the amber colored stone that was embedded within the raptors chest and watched as it's light dimmed from the touch. “Is the key safe?”



Virtue locked eyes with the chieftain for a brief moment, before the gem on his neck regained it's original shine and the 10 foot raptor got to one knee and bowed in front of the humanoid dragon. “It is hidden, Lord Valor.”




Lord Valor nodded firmly, grabbing Virtue's claws and helping him back to his feet. “Then tonight we fight for Ignus and we fight for Valnitus. If indeed we are fated to be destroyed, I want you to flee to the council.”



Virtue wanted to object, but he knew too well the wrath of his chief when someone disobeyed his command. “Yes sir!” He choked out, straightening his back.



As the invading army drew near, everyones preparation within the village was complete. Everyone who could carry a weapon had at least something to defend themselves, save for Virtue and Valor, who opted to use their claws and fangs to do battle. Virtue walked ahead of the members of his clan and growled. “Today we fight for honor! And we protect our fellow clansmen! Do not let them breach our defenses and enter the great city!” He eyed the many raptors, griffons and dragons that made up their forces and clenched a fist, knowing that some of them, if not MOST, would not live to see the next day. “We have Lord Valor at our side! And it is an honor that one of the six lords of Valnitus has chosen US as his family! For Lord Valor!”



“FOR LORD VALOR!!!” the clan roared, stomping the ground as a form of applause.



“Now let's go! We fight for hope!” Virtue roared, pointing towards the invading army of Minotaurs and as one, his forces ran to face their foes in honest combat.


“Would you get the heck out of my memories!” Roared Virtue, sitting on a couch in Toshiro's apartment, his weight making the other end of the couch tilt upward. His human companion had to press up to the large dino's side.



Lord Tydal, the majestic turquoise Seal sat opposite of the living room table alongside his partner, Claire. For the most part, the young girl remained quiet as she started fiddling with her dress. Lord Tydal looked down at her for a brief moment and in a moment of understanding, she stopped playing around and sat quietly. “Forgive me, Captain Virtue. But you must understand, that the war still goes. I had to make sure you were the same Virtue that I...no...The COUNCIL, decided to trust in the last days on Valnitus.”


“Hmph!” Virtue snorted a few sparks of flame from his snout. It was apparent he was not at all amused with the intrusion of his mind. Lord or no Lord. “You could have asked permission first. But no matter how you ask...I still don't know his wherabouts. You know as well as I do what happened.”



“Yes...” Lord Tydal admitted with a bit of guilt. “But I still felt the need to seek you out. You were the council's feet during the final days of the war. And Lord Valor was the last of the great warriors of Ignus. You realize what this means don't you?”



The large Raptor stared down at the table. His eyes narrowed until he finally sealed them shut. “I do...”



The battle waged on. The beasts from Terrarius had closed the gap between the Ignus forces and the wastelands in less than ten minutes. The battle lasted hours for as long as Virtue could tell. He would burn any foe that got too close to him to cinders with the flame that burned in his belly, and when he had a moment to himself, he had to watch as his comrades fell left and right. For the most part, when he had the opportunity, he would rescue a soldier who'd been caught in an ambush but he knew this was a losing battle.



Virtue took two steps back even as a large armored minotaur lumbered forward. This one was larger than the rest, and the battle armor he wore glistened with blood. After a moment of trepidation, Virtue stepped forward, grabbing the axe's blade just as it was coming down on his head, and with effort managed to twist the weapon out of his foes grip.



Taking a deep breath, his jaws started glowing. “Burn away!” He roared, opening his maw wide to release a floodgate of flames that were building up inside him. When he resealed his muzzle, he looked up at the Minotaur's now gazeless expression. The armor he wore definitely protected him in some areas. But what was licked by Virtue's inner flames was charred. Just as Virtue was about to knock his lifeless foe to the ground, a white clawed hand burst through the bulls breastplate and grasped the Raptor's head in it's clutches. It was so unexpected, and fear suddenly gripped him.



“You're not the one I'm after. Your soul is weak...” A deep voice rang out. The clawed hand released it's hold over Virtue's head and pulled out of the Minotaur's chest cavity. The corpse fell to the floor and staring into Virtue's gaze was a muscular anthro white tiger. Yellow eyes locked with Virtue's own, they looked as if they could pull his soul right out of his body.



Virtue stood there, motionless for a time. Something in his heart told him he didn't stand a chance against the feline. It may have been shorter than he was, but all the same he had an imposing presence that made the dinosaur feel small. Out of reflex, to escape the predator that stood before him, he let loose a wave of flames from his jaws, hoping to burn the Tiger before anything else could come to pass.



“Your flames are weak too...” The tiger's voice rumbled within the sea of flames he found himself in. He gave a light tap to his foot and the ground trembled below the two of them, flames being extinguished as the earth shifted. “Give me your stone.” The ground below parted, jagged pillars starting to burst out from the cracks. The two of them were standing on two such pillars that propelled them into the air, separating them from the carnage below. “I'll say it once more. You're weak. Give me the stone on your chest and you can leave with your heart intact.”



He had to take a look around. About a hundred feet or so below him, Virtue could see the battle taking place below him, and nobody would be able to help him deal with this specific obstacle. “I won't give you the sun stone.” He covered the gem over his chest with a clawed hand, flames growing out of his body. While his nerves were failing him, his heart wouldn't give up. “You'll have to take it from my dead body.”



“Poor choice. Why defend it with your life?” The Tiger asked, but when it was obvious he wouldn't get another word out of the Raptor he put his hand away. “Fine. I'll just have to get rid of you then.”



He was fast. Virtue blinked once, and already the white tiger was infront of him, merely inches away. A swift kick in the gut knocked Virtue off balance and sent him flying off his platform. The fall should have killed him, but several chunks of earth formed from below, cushioning his fall even as he fell through each platform. Once he was at the bottom, the Dino already knew. Whoever this was, didn't soften his fall to be NICE. It was so that the gem on his chest wouldn't break from the impact. His life was only a bonus that mattered to him and him alone.


Getting up and on his feet, Virtue brushed bits of debris off his body and charged at the Tiger, their hands grasping one another as they grappled for control. The fact that he was able to hold his own at ALL, told Virtue that the difference in their power couldn't have been that far apart.


He was wrong.



“What is your name...!” Virtue growled. It was becoming apparent as the struggle between them dragged on, that this tiger wasn't budging an inch. On the contrary, he didn't seem to be having any trouble keeping Virtue locked in place, even as the Raptor trembled and pushed forward. “You're not some captain...This kind of power is of the General or Chief class...”



Raising an eyeridge, the Tiger's muzzle split in a toothy grin. “My name is Tremor. As for my class...I'm most certainly not a Captain. I'm not that weak...”



“What?!” Virtue's growl grew in volume, until he noticed he was being pushed back, pressed into a wall that suddenly formed around his arms and legs. Firmly locking him in place.



“There we go...now...” Tremor smirked, extending a clawed hand towards Virtue's chest. The dinosaur's eyes closed as he waited for the end to come, when a sudden echoing roar broke the tablet he was trapped in. He fell to his knees as the roar reverberated throughout his being.



Tremor paused when the tablet shattered. It took a great deal of pressure to break earth that he could summon. He stepped away just in time to avoid a gold plated tail that lashed just in front of him. A geyser of lava spewed from the hole that suddenly formed where Tremor had been standing.



It was Valor. The red and gold plated dragon stood above Virtue, and stared Tremor down, a look of rage in the dragon's eyes as they went from their peaceful green coloration, to a bright red. It appeared that Virtue's treatment by the Tiger had awakened a side of the Lord that even made Tremor stop for a moment and back away.



“Virtue! Can you stand up?” The dragons voice boomed. Valor never took his eyes away from their foe, but he could hear Virtue slowly getting to his feet. “I want you to fall back. Go to the council, and tell them that we have to fall back to plan B.”



The sudden order from his leader left Virtue speechless. If Lord Valor was telling him to go, then that meant this Tiger...whoever he was, was enough of a threat that the great dragon did not know the outcome. It didn't bode well. “Sir I can still fi-”



“I order you to leave!” Valor boomed again, the fountain of lava he had created with the whip of his tail seemed to react to his voice, as it suddenly split the earth even wider, creating a wall of liquid fire which the raptor would not be able to cross over.



Gritting his teeth, Virtue turned around and fled. He couldn't see how his friends and comrades were faring, but judging from the roars that resonated in the land he knew that they were fighting just as fiercely even without him there.


“So after he came to your rescue he ordered you to flee.” The tone of Lord Tydal's voice indicated it wasn't a question so much as it was fact.



Virtue tightened his claws into a fist. His whole body trembled as tears started forming in his eyes, though none of them seemed to fall. “It was the first and only time that I truly felt helpless...Tremor...He was unnatural. I'm guessing the Minotaur I had burned to a crisp was a Captain like me. And when he failed to get the job done, Tremor stepped in to take his place.”



“Excuse me...” Toshiro cut in. He lifted a hand as if he were about to answer a question and his green eyes stared up at Virtue. “I don't mean to be rude...but...what do you mean Captain...were their castes in Valnitus?”



Tydal cleared his throat, and a slight chill filled the room. “There is. I won't go into the details...but lets say the Captain status is similar to what it would be here on earth. Virtue was a Captain of Ignus which gave him a few advantages over some of his brethren and allowed him to order those in his clan that were of the Soldier class and below. But above him are several other classes that outweigh his own influence. Myself for example as a Lord...though I am a lord, since he is of the Ignus clan, he has no obligation to follow my orders. However he accepted the position to work for the council, which I was a part of. Lord Valor was the lord of Ignus. Before that he was classified as a Clan chief, which you could say is two steps above Virtue. The only reason he retained the title is because he insisted on remaining with his family.”



Toshiro rubbed his chin. He had a lot more questions but it wasn't the right time to ask. This was a personal moment for Virtue, and he'd respect it.



There were a couple moments of silence, where Virtue wiped his tears before making another statement. “If the battle ended there...and we had to follow the contingency plan set in place by the council. That would make me the last survivor of Ignus.”



Lord Tydal simply nodded. Despite his eyes remaining closed, he looked solemn. “I apologize...I never wanted to have you revisit painful memories. It was important to understand what transpired in Lord Valor's final moments. To know who our enemy is. This Tremor...he appeared to be interested in the sunstone gem that is on your chest. It is a unique stone, but it's not one worth fighting a whole war over. Reports from other Valnitians that Claire and I have met indicated he wasn't just after your own though. But others too. What could he be plotting...”



Crossing his arms as best he could, Virtue stared Tydal down. “He might have been after the key...”



“Has it been found?!” Lord Tydal asked, looking into Virtue's eyes somehow without opening his own.



“Lord Valor said he found it, but he never disclosed the location of the key. But he said the war would be pointless if Terrarius managed to get their hands on it. So I'm assuming it hasn't been found or we'd not be talking at this moment.” Virtue remarked, ending his statement with a nod as if to put a period behind it.



Both Claire, and Toshiro turned their heads to their respective partners and asked in unison. “What key?”



Their was a silence that followed as Virtue and Tydal stared down their human companions, a sweat drop forming visibly on their foreheads. “Do you want to tell them?” Virtue asked, one eye shifting to the large Seal.



“It's a treasure from your people. Given you are Ignus's only known survivor it's your right to tell them.” Tydal responded, the solemn look returning to his face once again.



Clearing his throat, Virtue looked at both of the humans and started speaking. “The Ignus Key. It's an ancient relic that belonged to my people and was safeguarded by the Lord of Fire. Legend says that the key was used to lock away the hidden potential of the people of Valnitus. Though LOCK AWAY seems to be a bit of a stretch. It's more like it moderated the influx of power between the races. Before the key's inception, every member of Valnitus could easily reach the power of a Lord without having earned it. So the key was formed and with it boundaries were set on every member of our world. These Boundaries could be overruled. You could say that it made things unfair among the races by stifling growth but in actuality it ENCOURAGED it.”



Tydal tried to stifle a yawn. “Everyone who has power now within Valnitus has earned that power through their own hard word. Some have an easier time of it, just like you humans, but overall everyone is responsible for their own measurement of growth.”



Toshiro rubbed his chin and suddenly a thought formed in his head. “So if they HAD the key then they wouldn't have needed to wage war! Every Terrarian could have the power of a lord just by using the key. So since they clearly haven't...”



“Right. It means the war still goes on.” Virtue snorted, his eyes narrowing. “I realized it when we were fighting that bull in the park...I couldn't remember everything as I do now...but something didn't feel right. Something that I felt should have been there. It's only now dawning on me that if they're here causing mayhem...”



“Then the key is here on earth!” Everyone shouted in unison. Their faces going wide, all except for Tydals. “And that's why you've come here...to speak with Virtue and I” Toshiro whispered the last part so that eavesdroppers wouldn't hear them. At this moment he realized the true seriousness of their situation.



Tydal nodded. “If anyone would know the whereabouts of the key, it'd be Virtue...in all honesty any Ignian would have an inkling but seeing as he's the only one left...”



focusing on the coffee table, Virtue tried to think of any place that might be suitable to hide the key. Surely there were several locations on earth that'd be suitable for the key to thrive in. None of particular came to mind though. “I'll have to think on it...Can you give me a few days?”


“If we have a few days to spare.” Tydal answered, a smile on his face. “This talk has become to dreary. Claire and I must be off. We'll see you in class?”


He was already shifting back into Broach form, which Claire set on her hair once more. A smile formed on her face even as she was walking to the door. Toshiro walked along with her, opening it and allowing her to walk out. “We'll see you there. Please be safe walking home.” He added, closing the door behind her and then sliding downward. “So...Now we need to find this key...”



“Between the two of us...we should be able to find it no problem. But for now I'm kind of hungry...what's for dinner?” Virtue asked, his stomach suddenly growling and making Toshiro laugh. “hey I'm serious!”



(To be continued)