Sorry for the late post. / Busy week.

Dragons – II

It had been a week since the group had left home. Each traveled on a Rhino with plenty of weapons, armor, maps and food stuffed inside of their bags.

There were six of them, all traveling west, eager to slay the last two dragons the Fire Nation would ever see.

There was Captain Mongke. A man who excelled in warfare, firebending, strategy and sense of direction, his Rhino marched in front of the party, leading the group west. He was an ambitious man who served the Fire Nation Army greatly and desired adventure as much as he desired violence.

Vachir was an archer whose arrows were said to be made of some mysterious rock found only in the Water Tribes. Spirits know how he managed to get his hands on such precious blue stones, or if they were even really made of the rock, but everyone who met him knew that his accuracy was deadly. He also liked lighting regular arrows on fire.

Kaichi was a powerful man with a mighty beard. His Guan Dao was sharp enough to cut through any stone and his suit of armor was so heavy that it took two other men to put it on.

He secretly wanted to take the scales from the dragons and make armor and weapons that were truly unbeatable.

Ogodei was limber, fast and in remarkable shape. He was one of the best hunter's the Fire Nation had to offer. He gained renown when a group of people saw him kill a Platypus-Bear with nothing but his hands. Of course, he did not plan on killing the dragons with just his fingers, so he brought along his favorite weapon: steel chains with sharp hooks on the ends.

Yeh-Lu said nothing and looked at no one. His face was covered by a red and black mask. He carried with him powerful explosives and a calm temperament. He did not socialize well, merely obeyed his captain's orders and got his money. He was the kind of person you wanted on your side.

And of course, there was the leader of the group. The great general of the Fire Nation, the heir to the throne of the most powerful empire to ever exist…

"Are we there yet?" Iroh yelled.

"For the last time, no!" Mongke shouted. "We get there when we get there!" And he went back to his maps.

"I'm so hungry. Why do these dragons have to live so far away?" The prince complained.

"We are lucky there do." Ogodei said. "It's a good thing these monsters don't live near any villages. Think of how many innocent people those things could kill."

"So, we will be saving those people if we kill them then? And then we'll be real heroes!" Vachir asked.

"Uh…yeah. I guess so."

"I hope that they will feed us out of gratitude when we save them." Iroh moaned again.

None of the fighters had the nerve to say anything rude to their prince, but they all were getting sick of his complaining. They all thought that he was a big baby and was only slowing them down. They underestimated him, which is exactly what Iroh wanted.

They traveled over miles rocky desert, searching for the Ruins of the Sun Warrior. The Ruins were famed for their mysterious stone buildings, but were also known to be haunted. No one went there; it was the perfect place for a dragon to hide.

As the group came to a canyon with high orange walls, the sun was blocked out by the high plateaus.

"We're getting close." Mongke said. "It should only be another hour away."

"Oh, thank the spirits." Iroh sighed.

"So, what are you going to buy with you reward money?" Kaichi asked everyone.

"Money? I want the fame." Vachir said. "I have been trying to get into the Yu-Yan archers for years. I want that dream to come true after this."

"Ha. This is just one more challenge." Ogodei smiled. "I am gonna keep hunting, keep fighting. Maybe go to Ba Sing Se and fight in the war."

"Well, you'll never be able to join the army is we never get there." Iroh kicked his Rhino, and it charged towards the front of the group. The beast ran in front of Mongke, causing Mongke's Rhino to stop abruptly.

"What is your problem?" The angry Captain asked.

"I just wanted to see the map. I'm not sure that you are going in the right direction." Iroh said.

"What are you talking about? That is my job, to know our nation inside and out. Of course we are going in the right direction."

"Well, then may I please see the map." Iroh asked.

"Tch. Fine." Mongke handed his prince the map, obeying. Iroh examined it carefully. They were very close to the Ruins.

"So…we are in the Sun Stone Canyon, correct?" Iroh asked, playing dumb.

"Yes." Mongke was getting fed up with the prince's foolishness.

"And that…" Iroh pointed behind them to a big rock in the middle of the valley. "…is the half way point, yes?"

Everyone turned around, including Mongke, to look at the rock Iroh was pointing too. While they were looking, Iroh took a tiny brush out from his sleeve and drew an extra line on the map, leading them away from the location of the dragons. He was very careful, knowing that Mongke would notice any sudden changes.

"Yes, that's the half-way point." Mongke replied, not suspecting anything.

"Good. Then we will be there very shortly." Iroh threw the map back to him.

"I know! I said that we would…argh. Forget it. Let's just get going."

They reached the ruins in even less than an hour. The empty pyramids and rotting statues made the group feel uneasy. No one said it, but they all felt as if they were being watched.

They pulled their Rhino s over by the entrance and tied them down. They continued on foot towards the fake location that Iroh had sent them too.

"It's this way." Mongke said

"Look at that." Vachir whispered. He pointed to an open stone door. A red ruby was shining brightly over it as a thin beam of sunlight hit it at just the right angle. They didn't move for a moment.

"Is that a sun stone?" Kaichi asked.

"I think so. It is the solstice today." Ogodei answered.

"Well…come on." Mongke said.

"I'm not going in there." Iroh said.

"Oh please! Don't be such a baby." Mongke said, fed up with Iroh's annoying complaints.

"You can go. I will stay here and make sure the horses and maps are all okay."

"Fine. More glory for us." Kaichi said and stepped forward. The other warriors followed close behind.

Iroh waited until they were gone before looking back at the maps. He worked quickly, eager to add a new line onto the original map. He was not going to let the mighty race of the dragons become extinct.

But before he could do anything, he heard his companions shriek. "AAHHH!" He looked at the cave and saw a wave of dark green goo pour out of the room. The other warriors were swept away by it. As they kicked and punched, unable to escape the goo's grip, the greens sludge began to move slower, turning into some kind of glue-like substance and freezing the fighters before they could escape.

"Help!" Vachir yelled.

"We're stuck." Mongke complained.

"Hang on. I will get you out." Iroh ran up to them, but hesitated to kick the goo, afraid that he would be trapped as well. He prepared a ball of fire in his hands and shot it at the gunk, but it didn't do much. His fire wasn't hot enough.

"Come on! Get on with it!" Mongke moaned.

"Hang on a minute. I will look for something to pry you out." Iroh ran away from them and went to go look for a stick. He saw a tree far on the other side of the ruins and ran for it.

"RAAAAAAAAAAA!" A horrible sound came bellowing from the sky above him. Iroh spun around, looked up...and he saw it. One of them. One of the terrible and magnificent beasts of legend flew right over Iroh, not even noticing him as it passed. The wind around him exploded in a gust that would rival a hurricane.

The giant flew towards two mountains in the distance and slithered into one of the caverns on its side.

Iroh had never been scared before (never truly scared) but seeing that creature brought out a strong sensation of fear from the depths of his mind and all of his animal instincts screamed "RUN!".

But another voice screamed inside him. It was the same voice that inspired him to see the ocean and to study the Avatar. It was the voice from the spirits that told him to see things that most people would overlook or take for granted. It yelled "What are you waiting for" and pushed him towards the cave.

"What are you waiting for?" Mongke shouted, growing impatient. Iroh looked back at the other warriors, thinking of what to do.

"Don't worry!" He yelled, but not too loudly, afraid that the dragon would hear him. "I'll be back as soon as I find something that can help you."

And the prince ran towards the caves, not knowing what he was thinking.