Myron coughed and coughed as he tried to breath. Dirt crunched on his teeth and some came out of his nose.
When he managed to gulp down air once more, it was swarmed with particles of earth, making him couch once more, but he calmed down. His head swiveled as he scanned his surroundings.
Brown and purple smoke had settled into a dark gray, thick particles fell or floated upwards, swimming in the currents. The roar of faraway Draconda where the only thing to reach his ears, and from his hands and knees he could still feel the occasional tremble in the earth.
He grasped onto Syl’s arm. He dug his heels in and gripped hard, pulling with all his wait. She flew out like a fish on a lure, gasping for air. Disoriented but healthy enough as she recognized Myron and nodded, thankful.
“Are you alright?” He asked.
“I am, I am. Just… didn’t know where I was for a bit. Tranforming into my Monstrous form didn’t even occur to me.” She explained but Myron patted her head to signal that it was all okay.
Some tens meters away Myron could sense Mery and Dakini, ‘the two of them are together at least.’ He sighed with relief.
The pair stood up, one supporting the other. Myron felt an ache pulsing up his ankle with every step. It seems he had sprained it in the fall somehow. Thus blindly the two of them went, using their arms to feel ahead of them, since they could only see up to their noses.
Then Myron’s hand came upon a liquid, sticky and heavy. He gave it a smell and a taste. It fizzled on his tongue and made his mouth salivate as he swallowed. It sparked through his body, causing his hair to spike up.
He heard the heavy snort of the Aimon whose blood he had just tasted and looked up.
The Female Draconda moved its long head down its snake body until its mouth was just centimeters from Myron. Sharp fangs poked down from its upper lips. Its cyan eyes peered at him.
“Hey there, won’t hurt you, promise.” Myron said calmly and held Syl’s claws down.
The Draconda did not move. It just simply stared.
“It’s fine, you don’t have to be so defensive. I sense you’re in a pickle. How about I help you with that?” Myron asked and begun walking.
The winged serpent's eyes followed him as he came into contact with the jagged rock that had been hidden within the massive chunk of earth, which had forced the Aimon to the ground.
He felt the blood congealing around the open wound, the flesh squirmed trying to heal, Shield spent into the expanse with no effect.
“I’m going to get this out for you.” Myron said and didn’t wait for a response.
“Myron, I don’t know.”
“Why not?” Myron pulled himself atop the serpentine body. Laid down, the Draconda’s body was only at the hight of his waist.
The Draconda growled her jaws snapping shut near his arm, catching the fabric of his shirt. Myron stared at Syl and ignored the Dragon’s antics.
“Syl. Stick close by. If the Draconda becomes an actual threat, smack it. But, right now. Its defenseless.” Then he turned to the Aimon.
“If you’re stupid you’ll kill me, or eat me. If you do so, you’ll die. Are you stupid?” The dragon stared, Myron stared back. The two didn’t break said stare for minutes. Then with a roll of its cyan eyes the Draconda flopped its head on the ground and stopped any form of resistance.
“Good girl.” Myron said with a smile and turned back. He pushed the rock, and then pushed some more. “Yeah, no way.” Myron chuckled.
“You can’t get it out?”
“I mean. If the Draconda can’t push it out with her snout, then why would I? She doesn’t have enough leverage. That’s where you come in Syl.”
“Myron. I really hope you can tell that you’re being irresponsible.”
“Syl, I’m being Kind. I heard on Earth that a little kindness goes a long way. I didn’t listen to that advice, not fucking once. Ha!” He couldn’t help it, he smacked the side of his head. “Hypocritical? Maybe. I just want to do things differently here. I feel like the Aimon won’t hurt me, and I want to listen to that feeling.”
Hearing Myron’s words and truly feeling his earnest approach. Syl sighed and complied. She sprouted vines and trees and small, nubile trunks from the ground. Wrapped them around the stone and begun to pull.
Myron pushed, putting his weight on the rock, essentially sitting on the thing, while Syl pulled till her teeth gnawed on each other, and veins popped on her temple. “Big push! 1 - 2 - 3!”
{Pop!} Like a cork bottle opening the rock flew out, Myron fell down on the ground and blood washed over him for a moment until the Shield of the Draconda worked and it all washed away into nothingness.
Said Dragon then growled and snapped its body back under itself, stepped on the ground by extending its two legs and glowered at Myron; ready to pounce.
He got up. “You’re welcome. I believe you won’t pounce on me because you have the honor and the pride to live by your word. Thank you very much.” He snapped his fingers left and right. Sealing the deal.
“Come on Syl. We need to find Dakini and Mery.”
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“And Kenrou, Netek, Rhamon, and Hana. Where is everybody. Shouldn’t they have heard us by now?” Syl supplied and that stopped Myron for a second. He turned around, and through the dust he couldn’t even see the slithering serpent but he could hear it just fine.
“Sound is dampened; not by much though. Not to mention. The bloodhounds of the Soldiers should be able to smell us out.” He added and a weird feeling sunk in his gut.
Then, the ground begun to tilt downwards. “Wait.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Why are we going down?” Syl questioned. No one had the answer.
“Are you sure Mery and Dakini are this way?”
“Certain.” Myron nodded and dug deeper into his ever present sense of their bonds. He tugged at the cord and it thrummed with golden power. Dakini lit up like a beacon.
So cautiously the two of them moved forward. Each step taken slower than the previous. Careful, ears perked up and listening to even the most minor of sounds.
Dakini tried to respond, as did Mery, a rush of color tried to squeeze but the bond was drawn taught and small. The relay stopped partway through. Myron only knew of their efforts, none of the meaning.
Then, the downwards trajectory stopped, they walk on flat land once again, the shadow cast by the hill above grows larger still, shrouding the dust veil with a thicker curtain.
Myron and Syl stayed close together; even when they knew where each other was.
Then, a gust of wind picked up, it grew larger and bigger. Frantic howls shook the air and the wind kicked up a storm. The smell of dirt and blood mixed into the shrieking. The dust burned and scratched the skin as it was picked up and moved about to the whims of the wind.
Myron huddled with Syl, even the Draconda came close, sticking its head alone between their bodies to protect its cyan nose and eyes.
The group slid on the moving flour, the winds howling in their ears, the soft earth of this peculiar land unable to resist its pull.
A mad swirling tornado took the veil of dust and picked it up, dispersing it over the entire valley atop the hills.
Then evening sun cast down its light upon the mere mortals and before them opened a gate.
Carved from stone, with intricate depictions of rituals and gods. Pillars on each side, some half broken and others nothing but stumps.
Torn by wind and rock, shattered by time, yet not lacking in majesty; still.
Above the gate which led into darkness, a massive formation rose. A pyramid, much like the Mayan’s back on earth, built in gigantic steps, closing in the closer one got to the top. Carved with intricate stories.
Tapestries of history, from a time long forgotten. Hidden under the ever shifting land of the Region, soft and malleable as it is. Made into a hill and forgotten.
It rose and rose, near the top where the land had cracked and risen during the fight with the massive Aimon. It’s body now lay bleeding atop the enormous steps, its blood following the lines of the adornments. Its trunk running all the way down and until the gate where its blood pooled.
“What in all hells is this?”
“I think, we just landed on a major landmark.” Syl said and clasped her hands fervently. “It could hold information about the Gods, it could give me a glimpse to the truth… Was the Kitsune’s protector being honest? I can find out!” She brought her hands to her forehead and she sent a silent prayer up to the heavens.
“We certainly have to go in, either way. Dakini and Mery are inside.”
“Let’s hurry, before the winds turn back around and cover us in the horrible dust again.” Syl pulled Myron along and he chuckled as he begun to match her pace. The Draconda whined but followed without being called over.
“Why are you laughing?”
“If we hadn’t made all the decisions we have made since we met. Then we wouldn’t have discovered this ancient landmark.”
“Why is that funny? Fate could be a real thing.”
“Fate or not, I don’t care. I care that I’m seeing you smile. I’m laughing because I find all the worry and the struggle worth it right now. Aren’t you happy we didn’t hide away in some cottage?” Myron asked and took the lead as Syl remained there stunned.
‘Am I? What if I am?’ She asked but shook it off when the Draconda’s body bumped into her.
They entered through the dark gate, the shadows swallowed them whole, their boots and claws doused in green blood, leaving a shimmering trail behind them as they headed into the unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“That’s it, lock them up.”
{Clak, clack, clock}
“The smaller ones for the lady.” A soldier said and the commander smacked him across the back of the head.
“Good on you.” Smiled the man with a small scar across his nose, only just healed. “Now get out of here. You have Scouting duty. We need to find our way out of here.” The Soldiers saluted and left without a grumble.
“Right. Good of you to stop leading us around in that wild goose hunt.” The Commander crouched down slowly. Resting his bum on the corpse of a Hounguine, one Netek had taken as a last stand.
Pieces of the age-old wall had crumbled, ancient fresco’s lost forever. Right before her, the truth of the Forgotten Age, crumbling to dust. So close and yet too far.
‘Wake up. None of that matters right now.’ Hana told herself. She finally focused on the man whose nose she had just torn open.
“Nice of you to notice me, vicious girl. I’m Commander Ghedong, decorated Veteran of General Natsuki, a pleasure.”
“You healed that wound fast.”
“Hounguine are very useful Aimon. One of the rare few Dark types in such abundance. Docile, fiercely loyal, and capable of healing wounds in exchange for their own, or just the Shield, if they have it. Lucky for us the Empire at large has not learned to appreciate them. We get these guys basically for free from the Floodplains to the South.”
“Good for you. A shame for the Aimon.” Hana simply stated.
“Who cares about them? Are you one of them natives? Say child.” Ghedong turned to face Kenrou. “Is she one of yours.”
“She’s not.” The young warrior shook his head from the ground, both his legs and arms bound together, his body laid flat like a sack of potatoes.
Netek was nowhere to be seen. Safe within his soul. A well known feature of the Natives, a capability that traditional Capture Tethers don’t have and a big headache for everyone trying to exterminate them from the face of the earth.
“Then who are you?” Ghedong said and his fingers slithered up Hana’s neck until he grabbed her chin. “Eh? Not going to answer? You’re not from some Caravan we mistakenly attacked, are you?” He asked and chuckled.
“There’s no way that could be true now would it? Did I get you hoping, missy?”
“Rhamon is going to come here, and he’s going to kill you all. Take your hands off me.” Hana managed to say through her scrunched up cheeks.
“I don’t like those words miss. They tell me you’re not willing to answer me. But I especially don’t like that look in your eyes.” Ghedong’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. He leaned in close, his nose touched Hana’s.
“It looks like you’re about to spit on me. And we wouldn’t want that… Right?” He cocked her head form side to side, letting her saliva dribble down his gloved palm. His voice an eerie whisper, taken by the wind of the dark halls.
His shadow danced a mad dance in the torch light of his soldiers. The fire itself seemed to boild with anger, and the yips of the Red Tier Hounguine’s sounded more like mocking laughter than anything.
“I’m a lady, first and foremost. I wouldn’t waste my spittle on you even if it were the last action I would take.” Hana said and Ghedong let her face go. A smile grew wide on her lips as he stood.
“Boys! Get a move on! These two need to be brought back to Lord Natsuki as soon as possible! The Duke’s Caravan departs in two days! The Faster we get out of here the more you’ll get to sleep. CHOP CHOP!” He shouted and his voice bounced off the darkened halls.
Three meters tall and 4 meters wide.
‘Rhamon. Get here. I need you.’ Hana closed her eyes and held back her fear. She simply concentrated on the candle light in the distance. Rhamon was searching, she could tell. When he finds her, these men would pay hell.