Desert Cruise
(rises out of the ground) I'm alive! I'm sorry I took so long with updating… I was busy; finals are going on, huge projects due, and Rave Master fan art to complete... I was swamped but here it is! Chapter ten has finally arrived!
Who is who list: I've decided to only put the people who appeared in the last chapter and any new people or if new information is revealed. So no one is in it today! (throws confetti)
Disclaimer: Don't own… don't sue. Please and thank you. (bows)
-0-0-
"Wow… it really does get hot out here," Monta sighed, dabbing slightly at the sweat beginning to drip off his brow.
Rui murmured a reply as he laid face down in the shade of the oversized chariot. The two stallions had slowed to a walk, shaking the earth with each gigantic footfall. Behind them the ground was littered with huge craters that quickly filled with sand.
"Any sign of anything?" Kurita called up to Sakuraba.
The knight shook his head and sighed, disheartened by the sight of endless golden dunes. "No. Just dunes, more dunes, and a rock here and there," he replied.
Mamori groaned and laid her head against her knees as one of the giant horses whickered, causing Rui to jolt awake angrily. "Stupid things! Sounds like a hurricane when they breathe, they smell like a garbage dump outside of a major city, and every time they neigh it sounds as if someone has hired a troop of gong ringers to march around!" he cursed.
"Wait! I think I see something!" Sakuraba suddenly yelled, running up one of the horse's back to stand on its head. "Yes! There are some desert trees in that direction! The Texan Plains are getting closer!"
Rui grinned happily. "Good. On the other side is my home town and then I can ditch you all. This has been enough adventure for me."
Mamori wished she could be like Rui and just return to a normal life that wasn't filled with demons, Nagas, and other such fantasy characters right out of a story book.
"So you think we're going to see the NASA?" Monta asked glancing up at the sky. "I've heard that they're from another planet and they kidnap people who cross the Texan Plains."
"That's just a myth, Monta. Aliens don't really exist," Kuirta laughed.
"But the Pharaoh said flying saucers were abducting people," Mamori pointed out.
"Yeah! The Pharaoh said so and he practically lives next to the Texan Plains!" Monta exclaimed.
Mamori glanced out the back of the chariot and watched as another football field sized hoof print filled up with sand. "I've been meaning to ask you but… why is Sena able to run so fast? It kind of looks like Eyeshield's style."
The two blinked and shared a glance. "Well, he and Eyeshield are friends so Sena practices sometimes with him to expand his capabilities since he is Sena's role model!" Monta explained hurriedly. Kurita nodded vigorously in agreement.
Suddenly one of the horses whinnied and reared back in surprise. This sudden movement caused the chariot to suddenly tilt downwards and Kurita, Monta, Rui, and Mamori started to slide backwards off of it.
"What the hell! Sakuraba, what is it!" Rui hollered, trying to find a grip on the chariot's smooth surface.
The archer hung onto a lock of the horse's mane and looked out. "I don't know! Something silver just zipped by! I didn't get a good look at it."
The horses began to bolt even faster across the desert in sudden fear as the silver thing flashed by again, this time behind the chariot. The chariot crashed back to earth with a thundering rumble.
The two horses charged forward neighing in fear of the speeding silver bullet that was quickly gaining on them. It suddenly swerved to the right causing the horses to bolt left and away from the general direction of the Texan Plains.
"No! That stupid thing is sending us off track!" Rui yelled shaking a fist at the silver dart.
"Then I guess we're bailing or else we will miss the plains by about three hundred miles and end up in the Takekura Ravine. Not a nice place," Sakuraba cried as he almost lost his grip on the horse's mane.
"But what's so bad about this ravine? I mean I heard it's faster to go through it to get to the Texan Plains!" Monta asked as the horses slowed to a canter.
"Well, some say a friend of the Demon Lord, Hiruma, lived there but who knows? Maybe the legendary martial artist isn't real. Musashi the Savage is - in my opinion - a fairy tale monster made up to scare bad little kids," Rui explained, yet a hint of nervousness flickered across his face. "The gnomes though… are real."
Monta flinched. "You're not talking about the gnomes that eat your gardens, are you?"
"No. The Grunt Grunt gnomes," Rui shot back with a look of agitation.
"Then we have nothing to fear. Kurita is good friends with the Grunt Grunt gnomes," Monta said with a sigh of relief.
"Then to the Takekura Ravine it is," Mamori declared, heading to the edge of the chariot. The others followed with Sakuraba being a bit late as he slid down the horse's enormous back and then climbing down its tail.
The group of five stood on the edge of the speeding chariot and glanced at each other.
"It's now or never…"Sakuraba muttered as he closed his eyes and stepped off. Mamori followed his lead and stepped off into the air. Her heart leapt into her throat as the ground rushed up to great her. She hit the sand hard and rolled to the side, leaving a large print on the side of the dune.
Mamori sat up and watched as Sakuraba sloshed his way towards her as quickly as he could over the sand. "Are you all right?"
She nodded as she caught her breath. "Yeah… fine… Are the others close by?"
"Yes. They landed a few yards between each other but unharmed. Let us go quickly to them so we may reach the ravine sooner," Sakuraba said, extending a hand.
Mamori accepted his outstretched grip and after getting her feet back underneath her, she followed the tall knight to her companions.
"Darn this sand… It's getting stuck in my fur!" Monta cursed, shaking himself like a dog and spraying sand everywhere.
Kurita looked like a sand monster as he rose, sand pouring off him in rivulets. "What way do we go from here?"
Monta glanced at the sun. "The sun is setting to the west and the ravine is due south of Taiyo."
"Then we should probably head in that direction," Rui stated, pointing to the right of them. Mamori turned and gazed out at the moving sea of sand as the wind blew gently across the golden landscape like a whisper.
"Do you think we will survive long in the desert without food or water?" Mamori asked abruptly.
The others glanced at each other and then looked at Mamori. "Well… we thought you would use your magic for that," Monta admitted.
She froze as four faces stared at her and quickly the heat of the desert wasn't her main concern. If she didn't have any magic here, then they would know she wasn't the Mamori they all thought she was.
"I-" she began until a rumbling sound interrupted her. Without warning, out of the ground burst a huge black pair of pincers clacking in the air, followed by a dun-colored beetle. The insect rose out of the sand and eyed the group with over three hundred of its tiny black eyes. It stood at the same height of Kurita and looked even larger with its legs spread out about it.
"GREEE!" the bug squealed as it swiftly reeled back in confusion.
"Enough Gertrude! They aren't a monster or nasty Devil Imp," a slightly quavering voice said, "Though it is odd to see someone so far away from civilization in this desert without a caravan."
The speaker appeared from behind the hissing beetle dressed in expensive-looking deep blue robes trimmed with gold. A golden phoenix was embroidered into his left pocket and his gleaming head rose out of the robe.
"Yukimitsu!" Mamori gasped recognizing the extravagantly dressed figure as the shy brainiac from the Devil Bats.
"You know me? But how? I haven't published a book out yet and only translated tomes of magic!" he gushed out in shock.
"Er… you translated a tomb for me. I'm Mamori of Deimon," she lied in an attempt to calm the flustered boy.
"What a relief!" he sighed, wiping a few drops of sweat from his brow, "For a minute, I thought you were bandits." He fixed his pose and gently smiled at them. "Yes, I am Yukimitsu the Bard, pursuer of legend, traveler of the world, and all-around genius as I have been called."
"Nice to meet you," Mamori returned, giving a slight bow.
Rui snorted and mumbled to Monta, "You might not be bandits by I am still a Bandit Lord."
"So how can I assist you people? Can I lead you to the nearest city? Taiyo is quite close to-" he began until Sakuraba interjected.
"Taiyo is gone. A Naga completely leveled it and we're heading toward the Takekura Ravine to reach the Texan Plains," he clarified to the bard.
"Oh my…" Yukimitsu whispered once again whipping his brow. "I thought the Naga went extinct a century ago."
"We all did," Kurita put in somberly.
A heavy silence descended on the group only to be interrupted by the desert winds hissing over the dunes and the beetle snorting and whistling behind Yukimitsu.
"So you need a lift to the Takekura Ravine? If I can accompany you I'll give you a ride to the ravine and beyond," the bard proposed, dropping a bow.
"Accompany us? Why would you want to accompany a rag tag group like us?" Monta questioned, generally confused.
"Well… I'm a bard but I haven't been able to write or compose anything since I have always been, uh… too scared to ask for permission to join a group…" He let out a small nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "But you guys look like you're on a noble quest and I just had a feeling that your quest could give me some inspiration," he finished with a slight quaver. He looked up at them with hope shining in his eyes.
"Sure, why not. We can use any help we can get," Mamori said, glancing at the others to check their reactions.
"Excellent! Gertrude? Lead our new friends back to the wagon," the bard said, patting the beetle on its leg. It clicked in response and back peddled down a dune chirping the entire way.
Mamori and company followed the huge beetle, stepping in its shadow to keep the brutal sun from beating down on them. Mamori could already feel the throb of an oncoming sunburn on her skin.
Ahead, a small wagon sat perched crookedly on a dune, looking as if it could only hold one person. Its gauzy red paint glittered in the sun and two small pony-like creatures stood basking in the heat. The beetle burrowed underneath it, disappearing entirely into the sand.
"So Gertrude is a sand beetle right? Did you tame her?" Monta asked turning towards the bard.
Yukimitsu nodded. "I can use my song to charm some of the smaller, simply minded creatures. It was pure luck I was able to charm that thing… it almost ate my wagon whole!"
"A bit on the small side, isn't it?" Rui muttered, eyeing the wagon.
"It only appears that way. It is an enchanted wagon… but it's hard to find any creature strong enough to pull it so I had to settle for troll ponies," Yukimitsu sighed once again, mopping his sweaty brow. "Climb aboard and we'll get going."
"Sure, climb aboard," Rui sneered mockingly, walking up to the wagon and grabbing the handle. "I'll just squeeze myself into the corner and hope I'm not suffocated to de-" He stopped and his jaw practically hit the floor as he gaped at the fantastic sight before him: a room decorated lavishly in satin carpets, marble floors, and (surprising) a working fountain with a staircase going around it to an upper balcony.
Yukimitsu wrung his hands worriedly. "I hope it isn't too much… this was the cheapest they had. It only fits fifteen," he stuttered.
"Uh… I think this will be plenty," Sakuraba laughed. "To think they were able to fit all of this into one wagon. I haven't ridden in one since before that attack in which I thought Shin died."
"Speaking of Shin, aren't he and Sena running around the desert right now?" Monta inquired.
"Sena and Shin… oh, no. I found them a few miles away fighting a sand serpent. Nasty things those are so I asked if they needed a lift," Yukimitsu supplied. "They're probably in the-"
"Hello everyone! It has been a long time, eh?" someone yelled from the top of the stairs.
The group looked up and spied the small figure of Sena clambering down the stairs followed by Shin who took the stairs slower than the dwarf.
"Racing all the way to the plains, were you?" Sakuraba teased slightly.
Shin snorted. "I broke the navigator I had with me so we were going in the opposite direction of the plains. Then some silver bullet started driving us in this direction."
"The same thing happened with us too! You know what I think it was? Aliens," Monta said seriously.
"If that's true, then the sky is red and the grass is blue. Come on Monta, there are no such things as aliens," Sakuraba explained, shaking his head.
"Excuse me but if you need me, I'll be up front driving towards the Takekura Ravine," Yukimitsu said, bowing slightly before scurrying off.
"Takekura Ravine?" Shin asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Yes. Kurita is friends with the Grunt Grunt Gnomes that live in the area and since it's a quicker route to the Texan Plains from here, we decided to keep heading in this direction," Mamori explained.
"I'm so tired. Where are the beds?" Monta yawned stretching his arms over his head.
"Up the stairs and around the corner," Sena pointed to where he came. "The bathroom is at the top of the stairs."
"Thanks and goodnight," the satyr replied wearily, dragging his hoofed feet up the stairs.
"Maybe we could all use some sleep," suggested Mamori to the rest.
"Not me. I'm going to sit up front with Yukimitsu to keep track of our position," Sakuraba said, heading towards the front of the wagon. "Good night everyone."
Mamori nodded and started the treck up the stairs stifling a yawn. "I can't wait to sleep in a real bed again…" she sighed in relief.
She reached the top and headed to the left corridor and down the hall slightly before opening the first door on the left. It revealed a modest bedroom with a double bed, a sofa and a dresser in opposite corners on the other side. A small window was covered with a red curtain that matched the beige walls and carpet.
Mamori sunk into the luxuriously bed and sighed again. "Thank goodness for soft beds… but…" she turned to stare at the ceiling a bit of worry on her face. "I wonder where Hiruma is?"
-0-0-
The ruins of Taiyo rose out of the desert like a civilization built eons ago instead of a once thriving living city of people who ruled the dunes. Some of the buildings appeared as if they had been crushed by a great serpent's jaws or blasted in from a great force. Others seemed charred from great flames or ripped apart by razor sharp claws.
Within this now vacant city, a single figure sat glaring at another figure sitting nearby.
"So you're the asswipe who stole my throne," the blond growled through clenched teeth.
The darker-haired man scowled. "I was hoping you had died years ago instead of coming back. I'm surprised your new master would let you assume your true form, Hiruma."
"There are loopholes within the system… ones you know all to well, Agon," Hiruma sneered, a mocking look on his face.
"So you know. How interesting… you do know I'm not the only one who could do this," Agon smirked, gesturing to the destruction surrounded them. He stared at the Demon Lord with a calculated look. "If we worked together-"
"Never in a million years, damn Naga. I didn't care about it back then and I don't care about it now," Hiruma snorted. "I only want back what's mine."
Agon shrugged and let out a fake sigh. "Then until next time, Hiruma, but please consider what I've offered." With that, the Naga disappeared in a flash of blue light.
Hiruma scowled. "Damn Nagas. He doesn't fucking realize what he's really messing with, does he?"
He arose and glanced to the west at the wall of moving sand heading towards Taiyo like the hand of a mighty God coming to bury the city. "No need to hurry anyways…" the demon muttered. "I'll just take my time getting to the Takekura Ravine… after all no one lives there anymore."
The Demon Lord began to walk out of the ruins as a sand storm struck and incased the remnants of the destroyed city and the victims that laid there in a blanket of sand.
-0-0-
Yeah! It's done! (Falls over) I've been very, very, very busy lately and haven't had much time to write.
So what did Agon offer? What is the power he was talking about? What does it have to do with the story? R/R and find out in the chapters to come!