The group has left Talon, and now are on course for Spine. After Sisu and Sand have an important conversation, Sisu tries to take a gift to Spine, leading to both Raya and Sisu getting captured, and Sand coming to rescue them....
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The tense standoff was palpable, with a thick atmosphere that seemed to be almost tangible. Sand noticed his opponent's eyes hesitate, and he softened his stance. As a result, his axe lowered, and Sand sent his own weapon back to wherever it came from. His opponent's eyebrows flicked in surprise at the magic, but he refrained from commenting. Sand quickly released his two captive friends.
The front door busted open, suddenly surprising everybody.
Tuk Tuk smashes through the front door as Boun, Noi, and the Ongis leap off of him onto the barbarian. He is immediately subdued and gets tied up. Noi hisses at him like a cat.
???? : "A little one?"
SISU : "Alright!" Sand cuts her free
RAYA : "Good work Boun" Boun however is concerned about something else.
BOUN : "Fang's here"
RAYA : "What?"
Raya and Sand both ran to look out the door. Far down by the gate, they could both see a group of soldiers.
NAMAARI : "People of Spine!"
NAMAARI : "We are hunting for Raya, a fugitive from Heart. Send her out or we're coming in!"
Raya then sees stone statues of the Spine people all around. She looks around the cabin and spots... an empty crib. She looks over at Tong.
RAYA : "You're the only one here?"
???? : "My people battled the druun with much valor... but lost"
Raya looks at Sisu and the bag of gem pieces. She realizes what's at stake, and makes a decision.
RAYA : "Okay, Fang is here for me, not for you. So if I can distract them, you guys can get out of here"
SISU : "You're gonna fight an entire army?"
SAND : "Not alone, I will help"
Raya nods in thankfulness.
RAYA : "No, I'm just gonna stall them. Look, I know how to push Namaari's buttons. Once you guys are clear, I'm out of there.
RAYA : "What's your name?" She asks
TONG : "The moniker given to me is Tong"
RAYA : "Okay, Tong, look, you don't know me, I don't know you. But I'm sure that you know a back door or way outta here and it's important that my friends stay safe. Okay? So, I am sincerely asking you, will you help us? Please" He nods.
Raya and Sand leave them, quickly heading to the gate. They can hear Namaari shout her warning once again. Raya takes a deep breath.
RAYA : "Okay. Note to self, don't die" Raya puts on her hat, while Sand mumbles a few small words to himself. His Crimson eyes seem to burn in the shadow of the large gate.
Namaari is done waiting for a response.
NAMAARI : "Burn them out!"
The soldiers aim their flaming cross-bows. However... The giant gates of Spine open. All the Fang Soldiers lower their weapons as Raya walks out, followed by a tall, dangerous, and handsome-looking man.
RAYA : "Hey there, princess undercut, fancy meeting you here.
NAMAARI : "You and those dragon gem pieces are coming with me"
RAYA : "My sword here says we're not" She smoothly pulls out her sword. Sand quickly summons his spear, and it lets out a heavy thud as it hits the ground. All the Fang soldiers raise their weapons, most of them casting worried glances at each other.
RAYA : "Yeah, I knew you couldn't handle rolling solo. You're nothing without your band"
Did Raya's bluff not work? Namaari's hand finally signals her men to stop.
NAMAARI : "Stand down. This shouldn't take long, just me and her, the rest of you, after that man!" Her soldiers nod and turn to face him.
Sand moves away from the two women who are about to fight and gives them enough space to duel. Meanwhile, he is about to confront around fifteen soldiers all by himself.
Raya smiles as the duel begins and starts throwing punches at Namaari. However, Namaari blocks all of Raya's punches and kicks back at her. As everyone is busy fighting, Raya can see Tong, Sisu, and the kids trying to escape. She goes back to the fight and manages to disarm Namaari.
RAYA : "Didja need that, dep la?" Namaari runs up and quickly disarms Raya's sword out of her hands.
NAMAARI : "Nah"
RAYA : "Looks like somebody's been taking classes"
Raya charges forward and executes a 540 kick, but Namaari catches her leg in mid-air. Namaari then smirks and unleashes a flurry of quick and powerful strikes, eventually landing a heavy blow on Raya.
NAMAARI : "Why are you stealing gem pieces?"
RAYA : "Oh, you know... I'm just trying to get a matching set"
Namaari knocks Raya down again.
RAYA : "You didn't happen to bring Fang's gem, did you?"
Raya falls to the ground as she is hit hard. She quickly looks over at her partner, Sand, who is facing multiple enemies at lightning-fast speeds. Raya is surprised to see that Sand hasn't killed any of his foes yet. Instead of using a spear, he wields two dual blades and moves with such grace that it almost appears beautiful. The ground is now covered with unconscious soldiers of Namaari's army.
Tong and company escape during the fight, but Sisu stops to look back. She sees Raya on the ground, losing the fight, and Sand battling what's left of Namaari's soldiers.
RAYA : "No? Never mind, I'll just swing by and grab it later"
Namaari reels back to strike her again.
NAMAARI : "Oh, I'm going to enjoy thi-" She is quickly interrupted by a large blast of fog.
Sisu, in her dragon form, charges forward while blasting fog out of her mouth and roaring. All the fighting comes to an abrupt stop. Tong, Boun, and all the little ones had followed Sisu in her human form when she had rushed to help. Now they all stand in awe, watching Sisu in her magnificent dragon form. Raya gets up and runs over to them, and Sand stands next to Sisu.
RAYA : "That's right, she's a Dragon. Now let's go!" She ushers them away quickly, but they still can't peel their eyes off Sisu.
Sisu growls at Namaari while maintaining eye contact. However, upon seeing Namaari's eyes filled with wonder, relief, and tears, Sisu stops growling. After looking back at Sand for a moment, Sisu jumps into the fog and disappears.
A single puff of fog covers Sand for a moment, and the next second, he vanishes from Namaari's view like a ghost.
---------------------------------------------(Back at the boat, a while later)------
Sisu was paddling the boat swiftly away on the water. Everyone was standing on board, staring at Raya, except for Sand. He stood leaning against a pole on the boat with his eyes closed and arms crossed. Suddenly, a shrimp tail hit Raya directly in the face.
RAYA : "Did you just hit me with a shrimp tail?!"
BOUN : "When were you going to tell us she was Sisu?!"
RAYA : "Technically, you always knew she was Sisu"
SAND : "I knew"
RAYA : "You did?!"
SAND : "Of course I did"
Another shrimp tail hit Raya.
RAYA : "Seriously?"
Sisu boards the boat, causing it to rock slightly as she lands with a wet thump beside Raya and Sand.
SISU : "I'm sorry everybody, but I promised my pal Raya that I would keep it a secret"
TONG : "Why are you here, divine water dragon?"
SISU : "Isn't it obvious big guy? Raya and I are going to fix the world, and bring everyone back"
BOUN : "Your going to bring everyone back? I want to help!"
RAYA : "Sorry, I can't let you do that, it's too dangerous"
BOUN : "You're not the only one who lost family to the druun... Please let me help" He says kneeling, holding his hands above his head in a circle sign
Noi and the Ongis kneel next to him. Tong does the same, offering his dragon gem piece to Sisu. Sisu takes it, and she begins to glow.
Above them, rain begins to fall on their heads. The team took in the moment before something caught their attention...
Laughter..... Loud and happy laughter.....
Sand stood in the rain, gazing upward with a wide smile and outstretched arms as if trying to catch the sky.
Sisu smiled at his reaction.
TONG : "What's his deal?"
BOUN : "He's some sort of ancient mummy man that's as old as the dragons"
TONG : "Whaatt?" He asked, surprised and confused
RAYA : "Boun brings up a good point... We still haven't gotten the full story from you... I feel we all deserve a proper explanation"
The tall man turns to look at them all, giving them a small smile.
SAND : "You're right, you all deserve to know"
He sits on the side of the boat, slowly getting wet in the rain. He didn't seem bothered by that.
SAND : "Everyone get comfortable, this is a bit of a long story"
SAND : "*Ahem*... Long ago... Back before the dragons were all turned to stone, and before the druun... The land was fresh and vibrant. Dragons roamed the skies, watching over Kumandra and all of its people. I was a sailor back then... An explorer from distant lands. I come from a small village that is.. was... very far away from this place. I had heard of whispers of this great land from all around. I traveled here as quickly as I could to see its legendary beauty myself.... And I certainly wasn't disappointed" His eyes glanced over at Sisu for a moment
SAND : "However, off the nearby coast... I was hit by a storm and shipwrecked. I was mercilessly swept down a river and I thought it was the end for me.... But I was met by a beautiful dragon... She saved my life, and before I knew it... I was in love"
TONG : "You fell in love with a dragon?!" He says, almost as shocked as when he discovered Sisu
Sand laughs a little.
SAND : "Yes... I sure did... I had never seen or met a dragon before... Only heard tales about them... Legends... Well, anyway. After she saved my life I wanted to do something for her, to prove my love to her. I wanted to create something as beautiful as she was...... I also wanted to live a long and happy life with her, if she accepted me...." His tone starts to get sad
SAND : "So I researched the ancient and secret way of dragon magic... and how to obtain it"
Raya suddenly jumps up angry
RAYA : "YOU HUNTED DRAGONS?!?!"
SAND : "WHAT? NO!... Sit down!... I would never do something so twisted and evil... I was doing this for love... Love is not built on violence"
SAND : "*Sigh*... I traveled the entire land of Kumandra, and I asked all of the dragons I met if I could have a single hair... and... A little bit of spit occasionally"
SISU : "Ewww, that's gross"
SAND : "Yeah, heheh... I know it sounds weird... But I used what I had gathered, all the small bits of dragon magic... and I... made myself into a dragon...... technically"
BOUN : "Technically?"
SAND : "Yes.... technically... I gained the powers and lifespan of a dragon, is what I'm trying to say"
BOUN : "Woah, really?"
SAND : "Yes"
SISU : "Haha what?! That's so cool! I didn't know you could do that with just some dragon hair and spit?! What is your ability?"
He chuckled at her enthusiasm.
SAND : "Since my whole journey was to create something beautiful for her, my powers fittingly matched that.... My power is.... Art!" He spreads his arms wide for emphasis
Sisu claps excitedly.
SISU : "Wow, that's so cool!.. You know mine already, I'm a great swimmer!" She says proudly
Sand smiles at her, and has a look in his eye that Raya does notice.
SISU : "It's also very romantic I think... Oh right, sorry... keep telling your story"
SAND : "Well.... Unfortunately, that's where the good part ends... Word of my journey across Kumandra had reached the ears of many dragons... and they began to realize that I was up to something.... They began to fear me...."
RAYA : "Fear you?"
SAND : "Yes... understandably, though it was something that could have been resolved with trust.... Raya, you know yourself that Humans can harbor bad inside of them .... Some of the dragons feared that if a human got the power of a dragon, they could destroy everything"
His mind flashes back to that fateful day....
<<<<<<<<<<<<To be continued>>>>>>>>>>>>>>