Isekai #1 The Dragon Warrior.

27-Turn To Dust

The next day, Ryoto puts his plan into motion to capture Dust. Tora and Jiloth take to the rooftops, watching over Ryoto and Baylar as they make their way through the town separately. Valerie waits in the sky, far above the kingdom below. Her eagle eyes and sharp ears allow her to track everything happening.

Ryoto and Baylar eventually meet and walk together toward the slums. 

In the slums, a man sits in a dark room. He grins as dark sand dances around his right hand. "It appears I have company! Michal was right!" He says as he slowly stands, laughing with excitement. He opens a window and releases the dust into the slums. "You wanted a fight?! Come and get it!"

Ryoto and Baylar see the dust growing and slowly entering the buildings.

"It is safe to say he knows we are here." Baylar says with a groan.

'This might be a signal to Michal or a massive attack. Eh.. Probably both.' Ryoto thinks as he stretches as he walks. "We were not planning on a surprise attack anyways."

"I would have liked a slight element of surprise.." Baylar mutters.

"You could always circle around!" Ryoto says as his skin slowly turns from tanned to dark black. "Might as well get suited up."

"No point now!" Baylar shrugs, glancing at Ryoto. "Not your best look." She says as her dark hair grows out along with her four horns. Her eyes turn a deep red.

Ryoto watches with his mouth open in surprise.

Baylar grins. "Try not to fall in love. I'm spoken for!"

Ryoto quickly snaps out of his surprise and rolls his eyes. "Is that any good in a fight?"

"Maybe we should spar sometime! I hear you know 'martial arts'. I am kind of interested in learning something new!" Baylar says as a tail emerges from her dress suit. 

Ryoto raises an eyebrow as they stop. "Okay! Cool. We can defiantly do.. that." He looks at the dust carpeting the slums. "But how do we solve our current issue? I'm thinking it is both an attack and a signal to Michal."

"Oh yeah.. That is defiantly an attack!" Baylar says. 

In unison, the slums' doors swing open and the residents slowly walk out of their homes.

Baylar waves her hand towards the slowly approaching residents. "Oh! Well, this is just fucking great! Not only did we lose the element of surprise, but now we have civilians as Dust's human shields!" She exclaims.

'It is like.. a zombie horde!' Ryoto thinks just before he rolls over and falls out of bed. Ryoto opens his eyes with a groan. "I almost forgot how it felt to sleep in a raised bed.. I didn't miss it." He says to himself. He gets up and sits on the bed. "We defiantly don't need a zombie situation in this world. I wonder if that was the dragons trying to warn me.. or some ability I didn't know I had.." Ryoto sits silently for a moment. "Either way, we should be more cautious of Dust."

Ryoto signals Valerie and gives her a message to pass on to the others.

Valerie looks at Ryoto questioningly. "I didn't take you for the cautious type.."

"Call it a feeling. Dust's career is nearly shrouded in mystery. He only slipped up once, enough for a kingdom to get an ID on him. We can not underestimate him. We are taking the stealth approach." Ryoto explains seriously

Valerie shrugs. "Why don't you just knock him over the cliff of the slums?"

"The slums are on a cliff?!" Ryoto asks surprised.

Valerie walks to the cabin's window and points out. "It is right there! How could you miss it?!"

Ryoto looks out at a crumbling cliff overlooking the port. 'That explains why that part of the kingdom is the slums. It is crumbling away! Before too long, there may be nothing left!' He thinks before turning to Valerie. "Have you ever seen this man fight?"