A/N: A few quick notes before we begin...
First: This story operates on an assumption that Kumandra exists in our own world. As it's portrayed as Southeast Asia, that's where I assume it to be located. Timeline wise, I'm not sure which era the movie takes place in, but the general time period I believe aligns approximately enough with the story you are about to read.
Second: This story was originally created to be a kind of "extended one-shot", with a few short breaks but no real actual chapters. As it grew, I realized that breaking it into parts was necessary, but I believe entering this story with that in mind may be helpful.
Finally: As of this initial posting, the entire story is complete and ready to go. Over the course of the next week or so, I will be posting the other parts. In total, there will be 5 parts to this story.
That out of the way, let's begin. Enjoy the story.
Sisu had been traveling for a month, now, and she still wasn't completely sure why.
Well, that wasn't fair; she knew why, she just wasn't sure what she was supposed to actually do. Her instructions were simple, it was just a matter of them being so vague. She supposed that was the nature of searching for rumors and legends. Especially when you didn't even know those legends existed until only days ago.
It had begun with a group of travelers arriving in Kumandra. They appeared unlooked for and unforeseen, having strange beards, wearing strange clothing, and talking in strange tongues. Their skin was a pastier white than any of the inhabitants of Kumandra, and they had odd looking, more circular eyes. Many Kumandrans were initially scared of them, and some from Fang wanted to simply kill them and be done with it. But some of their number spoke the language of Kumandra—albeit not very well—and so Chief Benja had convinced the others to let them be.
The strange travelers were invited into Heart as guests, being given lodging and food. They identified themselves as being from the land of the Franks and brought with them many odd goods, some of which they traded with the people of Heart. They claimed their kingdom was far to the west, a journey of many months by the route they traveled. Their appearance, words, and mannerisms captivated the people of Heart, who listened intently to the stories of their homeland and travels. Many Kumandrans had never even seen an outsider, let alone ones so radically different from themselves.
Of course, the experience seemed to be mutual for the travelers. One kept a journal in which he constantly recorded what the people of Heart did, complete with drawings of some of the more unique buildings and tools they had. Another spoke at length with Chief Benja about the differences between their cultures and customs. The thing that seemed to captivate the foreigners the most, however, were the dragons.
When they'd first arrived, the travelers had been outright hostile to Sisu and her siblings and friends, threatening them with weapons and even attacking Pengu at one point (luckily, he hadn't been injured). It had taken a long time for the Kumandrans to settle them down and convince them that they weren't in any danger, and even then they were never comfortable around her kind. When asked, they didn't really say why, at least not in words that translated well, but Sisu seemed to get the feeling that they had a less-than-pleasant history with dragons, which was odd given how dragons always helped and worked with humans.
Despite the travelers' oddness and their (at times) discomfort with the people of Heart, they were nonetheless rather pleasant people. Those who spoke the language enjoyed telling of their home, and the people of Heart told them stories in return. It was this exchange that eventually led Sisu to where she was now: a month away from home with no clue what she was doing.
It happened on the night that the travelers were planning to leave Heart and continue on their journey. Chief Benja had decided to throw a small farewell feast for them, and it went somewhat late into the night with the party. During these festivities, one of Hearts best storytellers told the foreigners—and the rest of the village—the story of how the Druun attacked and were saved by Sisu and her siblings, then of how they were stopped again by Raya and her friends. One of the travelers seemed very intrigued by the story, and after it was over, he gave one of his own.
He began by saying that they had encountered the Druun before in their travels and, despite them being rare, they had not been fully destroyed by the actions of Raya and the dragons. However, they said that the Druun were not native to their own homeland, having been destroyed many years ago, long before they were even born. He spoke of legends of great men who had destroyed and banished the Druun, as well as many other terrible creatures, and how these mighty men of valor wielded great—or humble—weapons and talismans that could defeat beings more foul than the Druun. He named many unfamiliar and unknown names as he talked, and some stories were difficult to understand, but perhaps the most memorable was that of the Gem of Conrad, a jewel that was said to have been blessed by some sort of holy man or mystic and which he claimed could chase away and destroy all creatures of darkness it encountered.
At this, the people of Heart were especially intrigued. While Kumandra had been at peace since Raya and her friends had repaired the dragon's gem, it had not escaped their notice that some of the Druun had indeed survived its power. They seemed to be weaker than normal and far fewer in number, but occasionally they would attack lone travelers, turning them into stone and retreating back into the darkness. Chief Benja and Raya had been working with the dragons to try to solve this problem ever since they realized the Druun weren't completely gone, but they had been unable to come up with any solutions; the Druun simply weren't killable by any means the humans had, and the dragons could only do so much with their power and couldn't be everywhere at once. Now, however, there seemed to be hope; if they could somehow find this gem, or even one of the other ancient weapons and talismans the travelers told of, then there would be a way to truly kill the Druun once and for all.
Before the travelers had left the next morning, Raya and Chief Benja had talked with them privately, asking for more details about the story they'd told, specifically of the Gem of Conrad. The foreigners said that they had never seen the gem themselves, but that the stories described it as large red ruby that emitted a bright glow from deep within. They placed the land that it was in east of their country, but still far to the west of Kumandra. It was said to be in the city of Emmengen in the land of the Saxons, but the men also stated that it had been a long time since they'd been in their country and they truly didn't know if it had been moved, or really if it even existed.
There had been a great deal of excitement upon their departure at the prospect of somehow retrieving the gem, especially on the part of Raya. If she could have, Raya probably would have packed up and left for the west to try to find it the same day the travelers left. Unfortunately, she had other commitments that kept her from leaving, such as preparing for the Kumandra unification festival that celebrated the anniversary of the newfound peace. Considering how large a part she'd played in it, it was impossible for Raya to just drop everything and leave on a quest of chasing legends.
So, instead, Raya came to Sisu for help.
The thing about Kumandra was that nobody there had ever really been out of Kumandra before. They were a stubborn people, preferring to live in their own ways and on their own land even when the Druun used to freely roam it. It was admirable, actually, but it meant that nobody knew what lied in the west. Leaving Kumanda to seek such a powerful artifact would mean going into unfamiliar territory fraught with unknown dangers. Not even the dragons knew what was out there.
But dragons like Sisu were the best way to find out.
…And that is what Raya approached her about a month ago, the same day the travelers had left. She hadn't asked her to actually find the jewel herself, but she'd requested that Sisu fly out west to scout ahead and see what the land was like. "Just to get a view of what's out there," Raya had said, and it had seemed simple enough. Sisu could travel far faster than any human could, and aerial travel also meant that she could avoid many potential dangers. Having a bird's-eye-view would also give a much better impression of the lay of whatever lands she'd encounter so Raya would know what to expect if and when she set out for herself.
Happy to help her friend, Sisu had agreed wholeheartedly on the plan and, after informing her siblings of it so they wouldn't worry about where she went, she left the very next day. With a fond farewell and promises to keep a sharp eye out for anything that might be worthwhile to check out later, she took to the sky.
At first it had been exhilarating, flying over foreign lands and seeing sights that no other dragon had seen. She'd marveled at how it spread out under her farther than she'd ever thought it went, and she snickered to herself as she soared over stretches of land that would take humans days or weeks to cross but she passed in hours. But it didn't take too long for a touch of loneliness to set in and for her to miss home. By only the fourth day out she was longing for any friendly face, but still she pressed on. After all, she was doing this for them.
Day after day she'd continued west, at times adjusting her course to avoid large mountain ranges that towered higher in the sky than she could even think to climb. Soon she reached a vast plains region, stretching out farther and flatter than the entire land of Kumandra. It took her a whole two days to cross it, and at the end was another, smaller mountain range. She passed over it only to find another plain in front of her, one that made the previous one look like an insignificant field. It seemed to go on without end, and Sisu kept going west over it, seemingly for forever.
And that's where she was now. A month away from home and no closer to finding any gem or artifact that could slay a Druun, wondering what she should even be doing.
She'd seen plenty of evidence of humans, of course. Not so much when she was near the mountains, but the farther west she got the more villages and small cities she saw. She'd tried to stop at one of them to see if they could help her in any way, but the humans only ran and hid from her. One or two had even picked up swords to try to fight her before she'd taken off again, and she couldn't help but remember how the foreigners had been so uncomfortable around dragons and wondered if it was somehow connected.
So she'd decided to leave the poor humans alone and just continued to observe and leave herself open to any flows of magic. Being so connected to magic herself, she expected that she would be able to feel a magical presence emanating from any enchanted or mystical object. Of course, it was possible that magic didn't work quite the same in this country, or that the items never even existed in the first place.
She gave a small sigh as she gazed down beneath her at the lands of these strange people, the air shimmering behind her with the remnants of the water she ran on. It was harder for her to run without any rain, but her connection to water allowed her to use whatever moisture was in the air to form the water disks to leap off of. It normally wasn't too difficult for her to do so, and there was only one day in her travel that she'd been in an area so dry that she couldn't use that trick to "fly".
She glanced at the sun as she went on and saw that it was beginning to get a bit low in the sky. Now was about time to search for a nice, safe place to rest for the night. Luckily, so long as she didn't get too close to the humans she'd be left alone. Most animals tended to avoid her presence like their lives depended on it, even smaller non-prey animals. She wasn't quite sure why.
She gave another small sigh and her nose twitched slightly at an odd smell on the wind. It was one that she'd encountered a little less than a day ago and had slowly grown a bit more pungent. It was odd and very vaguely sulfurous, yet it somehow smelled very familiar in a way she simply couldn't place. Most of the time it was simply in the background, a kind of lingering reminder of its presence, but this time it was stronger, more recent.
She shook her head, ignoring it. Whatever it was, it was probably nothing to worry about. She looked back down towards the ground and saw a lake. Thinking that perhaps it would be nice to have a short swim before she rested for the night, she began to slow down and drop her altitude.
That's when the attack came.
She heard wingbeats, like that of a bat but many times larger, and she didn't even have a chance to turn her head before something slammed into her, throwing her off her stride and nearly causing her to fall from the sky. She was only just barely able to recover and get the water under her feet again when she saw a flash of light reflecting off…something. It slammed into her again and flipped her over, once again nearly sending her crashing down. She regained her footwork and began to sprint as fast as she could, wishing that her energy wasn't already spent from a day of traveling.
She heard a whooshing sound to her right and risk a glance over. There was a silhouette of her assailant, hard to see against the sunlight it had positioned itself in front of. Still, she could make out two large wings attached to a lithe body that had an outline not too unsimilar to her own. As she watched, it beat its wings then moved towards her.
Panicked, she tried to twirl in the air and make her movements as erratic as possible to be harder to catch or hit. The hit didn't come, though, and she saw the other creature fly underneath her, then take position on her other side. She could feel rather than see its eyes on her, and she wondered what it was waiting for.
It didn't take long for the creature to answer that question. It gave another beat of its wings and easily closed the small gap between them. It collided with her again, but this time it didn't just interrupt her stride. No, this time it grabbed onto her with sharp claws and forced her down, falling from the sky. She struggled against it, but it was a strong beast and she couldn't get away from it until it let her go…a few feet from the ground.
She grimaced as she hit the ground with a loud smack, landing hard on her shoulder and feeling the impact throughout her whole body. She heard her attacker land near her as she pulled herself up, and as she turned towards it she got her first good look at the thing that had so rudely dragged her from the sky.
As she'd been able to make out before, it had two large, leathery, bat like wings attached to its back. Its body was built similar to hers with four legs, a long tail, and a high, curving neck. The head was also similar in shape to hers, though it looked a bit more…serpentine? Of course, the most starling difference between them (besides the wings) was that this creature was covered in dark red scales, like some sort of large lizard. On the tips of its wings and at the end of the tail the scales seemed to darken, going from red to almost black. It's chest and underbelly were similarly covered with golden scales that gleamed in the sunlight. As she watched, its tongue flicked out and back in as though tasting the air.
It took a step towards her and she backed up warily. This…thing was larger than her (at least one and a half times her length snout to tail, and standing taller), and from the looks of it stronger to. Intelligent amber eyes shone at her, blazing with a fierce fire that made her more than a little uncomfortable. Whatever this was, it was definitely a force to be reckoned with.
Sisu was not a dragon normally predisposed to violence, but she could tell that she was not getting out of this without a fight. Its talons were already barred and it showed no signs of wanting to talk, if it even could. Considering her disadvantage, Sisu thought it wise to take initiative, rather than let this scaled beast move first.
She took another step back as it moved closer, then sprung into action. Jumping high and to the side, she summoned the moisture in the air to form her stepping disks and leaped off them at the flank of the creature. Its reaction wasn't quick enough—it likely wasn't expecting such an odd attack—and she raked her talons against his side.
And it did nothing.
She looked on with disbelief as her claws ran against its hide, hardly even scratching the scales and nowhere close to penetrating them. It was like the scales were armor plates, and she didn't have the strength to break them. Fighting this creature was already going to be difficult, but now it just got even harder.
The beast shot out its wing, catching her and throwing her back. It turned to face her again and caught her gaze, still focused on the undamaged scales that she had just tried and failed to break through. It glanced at them for a second before looking back at her, and she almost thought that she could see it give a wicked sort of smile. Even more unnerving was a low growl that it gave afterwards that she could almost swear was a chuckle.
Giving a hiss as a warning, she took a step back. She still had no idea why this thing was attacking her, but she would much rather just live and let live rather than continuing this little fight. Especially with how it was going so far…
The beast narrowed its eyes at her hiss and gave a snort. Rearing back on its hind legs it opened its mouth, revealing a set of menacingly sharp teeth as it hissed back. Then it dropped back to all fours and roared.
It was a deep roar, filling the air and reverberating through the trees like the wind itself. It was also a loud roar, such that Sisu flinched and stepped back at the very sound of it. From all around, birds took to the sky in fright as the beast closed its jaws with a loud snap. Clearly a show of intimidation, she immediately recognized the roar as a challenge. The creature was daring her or anything else to challenge its dominance.
Sisu fled.
Turning as fast as she could, she began to run, not even bothering to take to the sky. Whatever the beast was, she knew that she couldn't defeat it, as least not in this condition. Although…she had seen a lake earlier, and that would even the playing field a little bit. If she could just find it and get in the water, then the advantage would be hers. Now, if she only knew which way it was…
Something tugged against her tail, breaking her stride and causing her to fall. Her mind barely even had time to register that it was the creature that had grabbed it before it was on her, sharpened talons catching the light as they descended down towards her. She rolled onto her back, avoiding the first assault, but it grabbed one of her wrists with a claw, forcing it down with brute strength.
With a short jump of his rear legs it positioned itself directly over her, cutting off any chance of escape. Desperately, she kicked against it with her hind legs and scratched at it with her free claw, but she couldn't even draw a single drop of blood. In response to her efforts, the beast slammed its feet into hers, talons digging into her skin and pinning them down, and it grabbed her free claw with its own, effectively immobilizing her.
Still struggling, she lashed her tail against him until he twined his around hers and forced it down. All she could do now was bite at him, which she tried to do but couldn't quite reach her neck far enough to. The creature looked almost amused at her struggle, as she desperately tried to break free but couldn't. She gave one more hiss before its head shot down towards her and she felt its jaws on her throat.
And just like that, it was over. With its jaws pressing on her throat she couldn't risk thrashing about lest she cut her own throat on its teeth, but ending the struggle meant letting it kill her. There was no way to win now, and she was honestly almost surprised that the creature hadn't already torn into her, instead just forcing her down as it held her neck. Closing her eyes and resigning herself to her fate, Sisu stopped struggling and waited for it to be over.
So this is how I die? She wondered as the inevitable drew near, After everything…after saving Kumandra…I die alone. She wished in those moments that she could have seen her friends just one more time. She wished that she could talk to her siblings and be able to tell them what happened so they wouldn't fear for her. She wished that she could say goodbye to Raya. She let her greatest friend be the subject of her final thoughts. I'm sorry, Raya. I did it for you, and I'd do it again.
But as she prepared for the end, that end didn't come. Instead of feeling the pain of her throat being torn out, she felt the pressure on her throat disappear. Opening her eyes with confusion, she saw the beast looming over her, its eyes studying her intently. It seemed to be thinking, and after a moment it came to a decision. Then it spoke.
…Or at least she thought that's what it was trying to do. Its mouth emitted a series of grunts and growls that were completely undecipherable to her. It finished, then looked at her and must have seen her confusion because it tried again, making several different grunts and growls. Still seeing no response, it tried again, but this time it sounded familiar to Sisu. She still didn't understand it, but whatever it was saying resembled the tongue of the travels that had visited Heart.
"I don't…" she started to say but was cut off as the creature began to speak in words she could finally understand.
"What about this…or are you deaf and mute," it asked her in a deep, masculine voice that rumbled like a waterfall and would have been equally captivating if it wasn't for its possessor holding her life in its claws.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, somewhat relieved that this thing could actually communicate, "I hear you. I can speak. I'm not deaf, nor mute."
The creature snorted and a puff of what smelled like smoke assailed her nose and stung her eyes. She winced as the beast continued to look down on her.
"Good," he said dismissively, then it leaned its head in closer to her, eyes burning into hers, "Now tell me this," he commanded, "…for I have never come across your kind and only seldom encountered this language you speak: what manner of creature are you?"
Sisu couldn't keep her mouth from falling open slightly. She hadn't exactly been expecting that question, as everyone knew what dragons were. Of course, it should have dawned on her that if she didn't know what this thing was then it might not know what she was, but that hadn't really crossed her mind, what with the fight and her being on the verge of death.
"I'm…I'm a dragon," she answered in a voice that was far too shaky and unconfident than she would have liked.
The beast narrowed its eyes at her and growled. "Don't lie to me, serpent," he hissed, "Or do you forget that you live and die on my whim?" As if to showcase that claim she felt his claws dig deeper into her skin.
She shook her head rapidly. "I'm not lying. I am a dragon," she insisted, then after a moment of hesitation she dared to ask, "What are you?"
The creature gave another snort, the smoky smell assailing her once more as it pulled its head from hers. "I don't know if you are misinformed or simply foolish," he spoke, "To claim to be something and not recognize that thing when you see it."
Sisu's eyes widened slightly in realization as it dawned on her what he was saying. His next words confirmed it.
"I am a dragon," the beast proclaimed, spreading his wings as though displaying himself in all his grandeur as he looked down on her, both figuratively and literally. "You are not."
Mind racing, Sisu tried to process what she was hearing. This creature claimed to be a dragon, but it was nothing like her. From what she'd seen so far, they were different in many, many, ways.
"That's impossible," she blurted out before she could stop herself, "Dragons don't have wings, or scales, or…"
"No," the beast interrupted with a hiss, "What dragons don't have is fur. Now, tell me what you really are, before my patience runs out."
Sisu was at a loss for words. Never had she expected to encounter such a creature as this on her travel, let alone one that would claim to be a dragon and declare that she wasn't. How was she supposed to convince it she was what she was when it claimed to be the same thing? She wanted to answer, to affirm that it was she that was a dragon, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out.
Yet somehow, in that moment, something small clicked in the back of her mind. The smell from earlier that she now knew must be the territorial markings of this beast had always seemed vaguely familiar, and a part of her mind wondered if it might not be because this actually was a dragon. Or at least a distant relative, perhaps. Could it even be possible that two creatures so different could be even remotely related?
It seemed unlikely, but it was the only explanation her mind could come up with at the moment. Well, that and the explanation that one of them wasn't a dragon, and she knew that it wouldn't be wise to try to say that this thing wasn't one. At least not to his face.
"Well," the scaled beast demanded, his claws digging into her even harder as the seconds went by.
"I'm a dragon!" she cried out, grimacing at the pain, "If you don't trust my appearance, trust my scent. I'm like you!"
The red creature looked at her with narrowed eyes but mercifully lessened the pressure of its claws. Sisu laid her head back and closed her eyes, trying to look as unintimidating as possible and hoping that he would recognize the same familiarity she had. A few moments later she felt a puff of air near her head and felt the fur of her mane flutter. She opened her eyes to see the creature's head inches from hers, his nostrils almost in her mane as it inhaled her scent. After a few seconds he pulled its head back up to peer down at her once again.
"Interesting…" he said, his head cocking as a slightly quizzical look crossed his face, "You are not from these lands, are you?"
She shook her head. "No, no. I'm from far away. Very far away. Like, super far away. So far away that…" she trailed off as he gave her an unamused glare.
His eyes looked over her, examining her every detail as though he was looking for something. When he finally spoke again, it was with a confident smugness. "You're from the far east, beyond the plains and the great mountains," he told her as though he knew it for a fact, "I have only heard this tongue from those that came from there, and only in them have I smelled some of your scent before."
Sisu wasn't sure whether or not it was wise to confirm what he said, but she gave a small nod to do so. The other 'dragon' smirked as he was proven right.
"The question remains, however," he continued, shifting himself over her and turning his neck like a snake as he did so, "Why have you come here, and why have you intruded upon my territory." He finished with a growl, seemingly indicating that that was not a thing she should have done.
"I'm, uh…looking for something," she said truthfully, "I heard that there were great weapons and tools in these lands that men use to slay great evils. I need one to…well…slay some evils…"
The red dragon snorted. "If you were truly a dragon, you wouldn't need the works of men to save yourself."
Sisu suddenly felt a rush of indignation rush through her at those words as the memory of her friends and siblings being turned to stone flashed across her mind. She and her siblings were far from not being 'true dragons'! And they had stopped the Druun, without the help of anyone or anything else. That this…thing would insult her and by extension her entire family so dismissively made her blood boil.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," she hissed, and she felt his claws tighten on her once more in response.
He scoffed at her, dismissing her anger, "No creature is mightier than a dragon. We are greatest of the beasts of the ground, masters of the air, and none can withstand our fire. To suggest that you would seek help from such an inferior race as humans is an insult to the very nature of dragons."
Sisu felt her anger slowly replaced by curiosity at his words. Did he say fire? she wondered, looking at him slightly differently than before. Dragons were creatures of the water, not fire. And as she thought this, she noticed for the first time just how hot this beast was. Even as he stood above her, she could feel warmth radiating from his scales, as though a fire burned within him. She couldn't help but wonder if those burst of air he'd puffed at her were actually smoke after all.
"Still," he continued after a short pause, "You've strayed in my territory, and that is not something that is very…forgivable," he hissed out the last word as though it was distasteful to him, "You're lucky that it was me you encountered and not a different drake. Not all dragons would let curiosity override their anger."
He paused again and looked her up and down once more. Slowly, he released one claw and brought his own that had been holding it up. For a moment Sisu thought he was about to slice down with it and end her, but instead he ran it through her mane, feeling it gently. He brought his claw back up to his face and sniffed it once, his face expressionless. He put his claw back down on hers and looked back at her.
"It does seem a shame to kill you, especially if you are indeed a dragon. There are far too few females these days. But I cannot simply let you go." He gave a low growl and a snort, then seemed to make a decision. The next thing Sisu knew, his claws were no longer digging into her and he was no longer on top of her. "Stand," he ordered, and Sisu rolled over and shakily rose to all fours. "Do you have a name, serpent?"
"Sisu," she answered warily, checking herself for injury. It seemed as though he hadn't actually torn into her—she didn't see that she was bleeding—but her shoulder was already starting to throb from the fall he'd forced on her.
"Sisu," the red dragon repeated, his tongue flicking out as if tasting her name. The way he spoke it made her shudder, as if by simply saying it he'd gained some sort of power over her. It wasn't a comforting feeling.
He looked over her once more, fiery amber eyes blazing as though he was gazing into her very soul. Smoke—if that indeed was somehow what it was—drifted form his nostrils as his tail swished gently behind him. "Come with me," he demanded, turning from her and taking a step before he paused and looked back, almost as in an afterthought. "Do not try to flee," he told her, warning in his voice, "For if you do, I will catch you, and I will kill you."
Sisu swallowed and nodded, not doubting that he meant what he said. He'd already defeated her easily, and she really had no way to stop him from doing it again.
He took a few steps then leaped into the air, wings spreading around him. He beat them once and rose, the single flap creating a burst of wind as he commanded the air, twisting it to his will. He ascended higher and began to circle, waiting for her.
Hesitantly, Sisu began to follow. Calling on the moisture in the air, she formed her stepping disks and climbed almost straight vertically to meet him. Now that she was in the air again, she could see the lake from earlier, and though a part of her urged herself to go for it, she knew it was useless; she'd never make it before he caught her. And even if she did, where would she go? The best-case scenario was a stalemate where he couldn't get to her, but she couldn't run either. If it wasn't a deep lake then she could also just be cornering herself, and that would be about a death sentence if this beast was to be believed, which she did. Besides, she couldn't deny that she was at least a little curious about this other 'dragon' and what it now wanted with her.
Satisfied she wasn't taking the chance to bolt, he turned and began to fly northward. She followed behind, but not too closely. Mainly because it seemed that he could fly faster than she could run, and he gave her an annoyed look as he was forced to slow down so she could keep up.
They flew for some time in silence, but she could feel his eyes on her almost the whole time. For the most part he flew ahead of her, but he sometimes dropped back behind her or flew along her flank. At one point he flew right below her and observed the water disks she was running on. He touched one of them after she leaped off it and it shattered out into a thousand tiny raindrops.
"How are you doing this?" he asked, or rather demanded as he flew alongside her, "I've never seen a creature fly as you do."
"Dragons have a natural connection to the water," she told him, suddenly feeling a little smug at being able to tell him what a dragon actually was instead of him doing so to her, "I can call on the water in the air to do my will, like condense so I can run on it. If it was raining, then I could practically swim in the air like I could in a lake."
The red dragon gave a growl that almost sounded appreciative. "So you are a creature of magic, then," he said as though the revelation had solved a great mystery.
She nodded and they flew on in silence for several more minutes. Between the stress of traveling all day and the fight she'd had, she was starting to get pretty tired. To the west the sun was beginning to set, causing her to wonder just how much farther they had to go to get to wherever he was taking her.
It was about that same time that she noticed something up ahead. It appeared to be some sort of tower sticking up from the ground a few miles away to the north, in the direction they were flying. As they approached more structures became visible, and Sisu could make out a city of men. In fact, it had to be the largest city that she'd ever seen, far bigger than the villages of Kumandra or any she had encountered in her travels.
She noticed that the course they were taking would take them right by this city and Sisu began to get excited. Did this dragon protect these people like she and her sibling did the people of Kumandra? Was that why he'd been so hostile, because he was afraid she'd hurt them? Was she now about to finally have a meaningful encounter with the people of these lands, perhaps even one where they could help her find the Gem of Conrad or an equally powerful weapon? Even if they couldn't help her, Sisu just couldn't wait to hear the laughter of humans again, to see the children play and see their smiles. Oh, how she longed for home at the thought, but now was a chance to see how other humans lived and played.
But as they drew closer, something seemed…off. Even from a great distance the buildings and structures began to look almost dead. There was a lack of something in this city. Perhaps "light" was the correct word. Indeed, she could see no signs of light coming from it, nor could she hear the sounds of life drifting over on the wind. The closer she got the worse it got, and soon she could get a good look at the city and saw only ruin.
Once great buildings had fallen into rubble, though even what remained seemed to indicate that this was once a place of grandeur. Only one tower—the one she'd seen at a distance—still stood, but many others had collapsed throughout the city. Smaller buildings had similarly been ruined, roofs caved in and walls disintegrated into nothing. In what streets remained open were the tools of men, carts and wagons abandoned and overturned. On one street she could see what looked like a marketplace, with tables and stalls scattered and smashed, wood cracked and decaying. Something terrible had happened here.
"Wait," she called out to the red dragon, needing to see and understand. He caught her eye and saw her looking at the city, then dropped down and alighted on a small hill overlooking it. She followed and landed next to him, her eyes still scanning the scene for any signs of life. Surely this city had once been the home of thousands; now it held nothing.
"What is this place?" she asked, trying to get a closer look even from this distance. The city looked grey and black. In fact, it almost looked blackened, as though a great fire had consumed it long ago.
"This was once the city of Emmengen," he told her, "One of the greatest cities in all of this country."
It didn't escape her notice that this was the city the foreigners had spoken of, the city that was supposed to house the Gem of Conrad. Perhaps it had been fate, meeting this dragon, for she doubted she would have come across this city by herself. Yet, she still felt more than a small twinge of worry; that gem was supposed to protect them from evil, not bring whatever calamity had befallen them.
"What happened?" she dared to ask, fearing the answer. Perhaps the Druun had invaded this land, attacking the city and turning the people to stone. She couldn't see any evidence of it, but that didn't mean it wasn't possible. Perhaps this had been done by a creature more terrifying than the Druun, or perhaps it was a result of a great war or natural disaster.
"It's impressive, isn't it?" the red dragon said, almost ignoring her question, a gleam showing in his fiery eyes as gazed out at the city, "I can still remember the screams of terror, the fear as the fire consumed them, the men grabbing their weapons in vain to fight against the inevitable as the smoke filled the sky."
The way he spoke made her shudder, but also gave her a bit of hope. "You were there?" she asked, "Did you help them? Could you get many to safety?" Surely if this dragon was among these men he could have helped them in this disaster.
He turned his gaze away from the city and looked at Sisu, the fire-like blaze in his eyes shining against the darkening sky. "Of course not," he spat, "I'm the one who destroyed this city."
Sisu couldn't keep her jaw from falling. "W—what?" was all she could ask. Yes, she realized this dragon was different from her in its behavior, but it couldn't be that different. Like her, he had to be a protector of humans, helping them and being helped, even if they were a bit "inferior". That it could claim to be a dragon then boast about destroying a city…Sisu couldn't comprehend it.
"I brought this ruin upon it," he reaffirmed, "They never even saw me coming before I struck in broad daylight, crushing their puny defenses and…"
"No!" Sisu shouted at him, "You can't…you couldn't have! Dragons don't hurt people!"
"Of course I did, and of course we do," the red dragon retorted with a snort, "Men are pathetic creatures, hardly worthy of their own skills and crafts."
"But…but dragons work with humans," she insisted, "Not against them! They're our friends, even if they're imperfect at times. They can be good, and kind, and…"
"Silence!" he demanded, spreading his wings and rearing up slightly in an impressive (an effective) show of intimidation. "Do not speak to me of me of the 'goodness' of man. To even suggest it shows your naivety." He finished with a sneer and dropped back to all fours, looking back over the ruined city.
Sisu still couldn't really believe it. That this creature beside her was responsible for the fall of such a large city and likely the deaths of so many…it was unthinkable that a dragon would do this.
"Why?" she asked, breaking a silence that had fallen. There had to be a reason for this…she had to know.
He looked back at her, just a glance, then continued to gaze over the desolation. "Because I could," he answered, "And because their wealth called to me. The men of Emmengen set up great markets here, attracting traders from throughout all the lands. They came here and traded their wares, all of the gold and gems of the kingdoms of old. The city grew wealthy, and the men grew fat and complacent with their gold. Word reached me of their wealth, of their vast stores of gold, and I wanted them. So I came and took it. They tried to stop me, but they failed." There was a grin on his scaley muzzle as he told the story, as though he was recounting a fond memory.
Sisu just shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. "You did all of this…for gold?" she asked, or rather, almost shouted at him. Maybe there was a legitimate reason that a dragon would attack a city of men, but merely wanting to take their wealth was not it.
"Of course I did," he answered without even looking at her, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, "They had treasure, but I was stronger. It's the natural order of things."
"But they're people!" she insisted, "They have lives, families, joys. They're like us!"
"They are nothing like us!" the red dragon roared, turning towards her with fury, "How you could know them and spend any time with them and not see that is disgusting." He spat those words out venomously, and Sisu took a wary step back. "I could smell their scent on you," he continued, his voice lower now, a menacing growl, "Not the scent of a chance encounter, but the scent of living among them like some sort of pet," he snorted in disgust at the notion, "Surely you've seen them as they are, their lies and deceptions flowing easier than truths, their smiles as they hold a knife, ready to strike each other down as soon as they turn their backs." He looked away from her and back towards the city. "These are the rewards for the works of man. Had I not brought it to them, they would have done it to themselves eventually. Such is their nature."
Sisu looked down at her talons. She had seen that. She'd seen it many times, even before she'd been entrusted with the dragon gem and slumbered for centuries. It was even worse when she'd awoken, nearly causing her death several times at the hands of humans (technically, it had killed her once). Even now, with Kumandra at peace and entering a new era of prosperity, the darkness in some humans hadn't vanished. But many were still good. Like Raya. Just because some humans may fall didn't mean all were bad.
"Man fears dragons," she heard the red dragon say after a few moments had passed, his voice no longer angry but rather…contemplative? "They see us only as creatures of fire and destruction." He chuckled unnervingly, "In a way, they're right. But when this world falls, when all comes to ruin, it will not be by our claws. No, it will be by the hands of men."
She shuddered as he spoke almost prophetically, as though he knew what he said was a fact. There was something in those words that she just couldn't even bring herself to respond to.
But there was still one thing that she needed to know.
"W—who are you," she asked the dragon. Not 'what are you', not anymore. He was indeed a dragon, whatever that now meant. That was clear, but his name…she had to know.
He looked at her with a menacing smile and walked in front of her, placing his body so that the ruined city was behind him, a kind of backdrop of destruction. He spread his wings and puffed out his chest, neck curving high as he stood imposingly in front of her in a display of all his strength and might.
"I am the Scourge of the North, the Red Fire, Conqueror of Emmengen and Lord of the Oder," He named his titles proudly, as his works shown behind him, "I am Sorin, son of Koalar the Silver, eldest of the brood of Glenear—Beowulf's Bane."
Sisu wasn't completely sure what to make of that, but she got what he intended: Sorin was a creature of destruction that took pride in it. There was no shame in his voice as he declared himself these things that bespoke power and death. No, there wasn't any shame at all.
She wanted to open her mouth, to try to argue once more that this was not what dragons did, to try to make him somehow see the error of his ways. But in those moments, as she saw him, and as she saw what he had done…no words came. All she could do was look at him and wonder what tragedy of fate had brought his race down such a dark road. She wasn't even sure if she should feel anger or pity.
Sorin stood there for a few moments until it was clear that he would get no more reaction from her. He gave a huff and turned himself, spreading his wings. "Come," he instructed her before taking off, and she wordlessly followed him back into the sky, leaving the ruin of the once mighty city behind them.
He led her farther north, over small hills and forests. In some areas she could see below ground that had once been worked, fields and paths now overgrown as the forest overtook them from years of abandonment. Men must have once lived freely throughout this entire region, now she could see no sign of them.
The ruined spire of Emmengen that she had first seen was only just barely visible on the horizon when Sorin turned and began to descend. He alighted in the middle of a small glen between two hills, in a clearing in the forest. She landed next to him and observed her surroundings, not that there was too much to see; just grass and trees and bushes. It actually looked like a rather peaceful place, a far cry from the decaying city.
Wordlessly he walked ahead, and she followed him hesitantly, not quite sure what he was doing. He pushed past a few trees, walking towards the nearest of the two hills, then disappeared. Alarmed, Sisu rushed forward to see that just beyond those trees, just out of plain view, there was a decent sized opening in the hill. It was just big enough for a dragon of Sorin's size to enter comfortably, and it didn't take her but a second to know that this is where he'd gone.
As if to confirm that, Sorin's head suddenly poked out of the cave and into view. "Enter," he growled before pulling his head back in, and Sisu slowly approached and stepped into the cave.
The warmth was the first thing she noticed. It wasn't too overpowering, but the temperature rose noticeably just a few steps into the cave. She imagined that it was due to the dragon that boasted fire and had already proven to be warm, but she didn't rule out any other possibilities. The second thing she noticed was the slope of the entrance. Upon entering, she immediately began to descend farther down until she was quite a ways underground—not counting the hill on top of her.
The light was behind her and her eyes were still struggling to adjust to the darkness, meaning that she couldn't really see as she went down. With this being the case, she practically jumped when her claw came down on something cold, unexpected, and inconsistent with the cave floor. It didn't move when she stepped on it, so she assumed it wasn't alive, and so she gently picked it up. Surprisingly, it was a small round coin, completely out of place with the cave setting she found herself in.
She dropped it and walked ahead, only to step on several more coins. Her next step was onto even more, and a few steps later she couldn't even feel the cave floor anymore. As her eyes finally adjusted, she saw that the entirety of the cave that she could see was full of coins and jewels, some of which caught and reflected the small amount of light making it down to them.
More clearly seen, though, were the eyes of Sorin on her. They seemed to give off a light of their own as he watched her every move. She met his gaze briefly before looking away at the rest of the cave. It was big, but not giant, large enough that it was about twice his length front to back and a little more to each side. In height it was tall enough that both she and him could stand easily—her even on two legs—but not so high that either of them could be able to fly. In short, it was about the perfect size for a dragon's home, and she wondered just how long and hard Sorin had had to look to find it.
Of course, looking at the size of the cave made her realize just how much wealth was on the ground beneath her. In order to cover the ground of such a large area, it had to be…Sisu didn't even know where to begin estimating the number of coins, let alone the value of them. Most looked like gold, too, and Sisu realized that she'd never seen this much of it in one place before. In fact, she didn't even know if there was this much in all of Kumandra!
Her attention was turned from the gold as she heard a rustling. She looked to see Sorin settling himself down among the treasure, his eyes still on her as he shifted himself on the pile of golden coins. Smoke drifted lazily from his nostrils as a look of what appeared to be satisfaction graced his face, although she was unsure whether it was due to his relaxing or her reaction to his home.
"Rest," he commanded her, "And do not try to leave. You will stay here until I figure out what I want to do with you." He closed his eyes and seemed to do what he'd instructed her to do: rest.
Sisu didn't like just how ominous that had sounded, and she glanced back towards the sole entrance/exit of the cave. She thought about making a run for it, but only for a second. She was tired, both physically and now emotionally from what had happened, and she did indeed rest. If she tried to do anything now, she'd probably never be able to actually get away. The only option for her was to do as Sorin said and rest. She'd figure out where to go from there later.
She looked back at Sorin and saw that his eyes were open again, watching her. He was waiting to see what I'd do, she realized, he was probably expecting me to run, closing his eyes like that, like he was going to sleep. If she had tried anything, she definitely wouldn't have made it.
She glanced around for a comfortable spot to rest for the night, but aside from the entrance the entire floor was covered in golden coins and jewels. She tried for a few minutes to move them around to get a bare spot to lay on, but that endeavour failed quickly; there were just too many and she was too tired.
Frustrated and exhausted, she simply laid down where she was and was surprised to find the bed of gold rather comfortable. She'd expected the coins and gems to dig into her annoyingly, but instead they felt almost soft against her fur, as though they'd been made especially for her to lie on. She shifted a bit to get comfortable, then closed her eyes.
After all that had happened, Sisu hadn't expected to fall asleep easily, if at all. But her exhaustion coupled with the surprisingly comfortable bed took its toll; she was asleep within minutes.