CHAPTER THERTY

Dragon Palace

I stared up at the underwater palace in awe, it truly was beautiful. A few bubbles escaped my mouth as it gaped open and I quickly shut it. Hiraku and I had made it to the pier by morning and were greeted by Orca, who pronounced he was one of the figures watching us from the water. The other had been another emissary, who'd swam back to the dragonians to tell of our coming. We'd then had a very exciting ride which I enjoyed thoroughly. I put my paws up on the rails of the platform and stuck out my tongue, enjoying the scent of the coast and sea air through my fur- while Hiraku tried his best not to get seasick. Apprehensive of the ocean though he'd been, Hiraku clearly was in awe of the dragonians' palace as well. I had to nudge him with a claw to get his attention, so that he would hop back on my head and we could enter. I approached the palace slowly, feeling very light on my paws, and the doors swung open before us, sending waves of water outwards.

We walked through the entrance to the elevator in the back, which took us up to the throne room. When the doors opened, we were greeted by the sight of Queen Otohime sitting on her throne, with a magnificently adorned seal hovering to her right, magical glowing bubbles peacefully floating around her. I bowed before the dragonian queen, and saw Hiraku do the same, then she gestured for us to rise. "I was foretold of your coming, Shirushi told me that he and Orca saw a God at Watcher's Cape." The decorated seal floating beside the queen dipped his head at mention of his name. "I presume you are here because of the great fortress that has been constructed on the rocks of our coast?" I nodded. "I am. My name is Akimeterasu, daughter of Amaterasu. I am here along with the Canine Warriors of Kusa Village, we seek to lay siege to the fortress and slay the demons inside. However, we lack a means of reaching the lair. Would you be able to help us?" I asked, and Hiraku translated, and so many bubbles appeared out of his mouth and trailed upwards that it seemed impossible for his little body to contain that much air. Otohime gazed at us sadly. "I would offer my assistance if I could, Akimeterasu. However, the buffeting waves and sharp rocks that surround the demon's palace prevent even Orca from drawing near, and would pierce my flesh should I try to stretch my body and attempt to re-create the bridge I formed to aid your mother so long ago." My ears pinned against my skull in disappointment. "More importantly, I am no longer in possession of the dragon orb." My ears lifted in curiosity, and she continued. "While I am leading my people, I do not have time to properly guard the sea. I have given the dragon orb to my son, and I have sent him to the Ryo Court in my stead. He is a dragon as much as I."

"The Ryo Court?" I asked. I remembered the ghost we'd talked to said something about it, that the court was comprised of dragons. "The Ryo Court is the great council of divine, draconian beasts that help guard the world from evil. Benevolent demigods, each member sources his or her power off a certain elemental power, like fire, water, earth, or divinity. The ancestry of dragonian royalty have long been the line of water dragons. They are now gathering to discuss the nature of the ever-growing evil invading Nippon and how to fight it, and also to induct my son, Jimmu, into their ranks." As she finished speaking, an idea seemed to come to the dragonian queen. "Although I cannot help you in your quest, there may be another way to reach the fortress…" The queen said thoughtfully, and my mind flickered back to what Jun had muttered under his breath about a broken constellation. "The other members of the court may be able to help you where I cannot. I will allow you passage through my kingdom in order to reach them. You will need to pass through the open ocean in order to reach the Dragon Cave, it is a secret path that Water Dragons have used since ages past to reach Ryo Ruins." She pulled out a small shell amulet, decorated with her crest on the top half, and stretched out her hand to offer it to us. I dipped my head in understanding and thanks, and took the gift. "The gate lies beyond the whirlpool, so you will need these as well." She handed us another item, a pair of boots, which made me feel instantly weighted as I took them. "Steel-toed boots, so that you will not be sucked back up through the whirlpool as you pass through." I thanked her again, then Hiraku and I went back downstairs and back through the entrance.

We reached the whirlpool, and I looked apprehensively at the boots, which were clearly not meant for wolf feet. 'Front paws or back paws?' I wondered. I decided on back paws, and slipped my paws inside up to my hocks, then awkwardly walked forward, shuffling my paws in the heavy boots as the water buffeted my body. It felt like walking through a hurricane, the swirl of seawater and air made it impossible to sea. Water lashed and whipped around our bodies, threatening to rip us from the sea floor, but we safely made it to the other side. I let out a sigh of relief, quickly removed the boots, and looked around, my head feeling dizzy. Giant ocean bed rocks created a funnel to a great red coral gate slung between two stalagmitic rocks on the ocean floor, with a lone dragonian standing in front of it.

"Halt, land-dwellers!" The dragonian guard exclaimed, and pointed her spear towards us as we approached. I stood my ground, and Hiraku revealed the token Otohime had given us. "We have permission from Queen Otohime to pass through the open ocean to reach the Dragon Cave." I said calmly, and Hiraku translated. "I see…" The guard lowered her spear, but made no moves to open the door. "Can you let us through?" I asked. "Well, I would oblige… If I could. Unfortunately, my partner has the key to open this gate, and she has not yet returned."

"Where did she go?" Hiraku and I asked. "The last time I saw her, she was headed to the Shell Station, apparently there was some trouble going on down there." Seemingly adamant to stay at her post, it was very clear that we would have to go find the guard who had the key. "Where is the Shell Station?" I asked, and the guard responded: "It is within the city, behind the palace, hidden away from the sights of land-dwellers. There is an path above the cliffs of the Dragon Garden."

'The city? …There's a dragonian city?' My tail wagged at the thought, stirring up bubbles. "Fetch her from the city, and we shall open the gate for you." I nodded understandingly, then turned back towards the palace.

We struggled our way back through the whirlpool to the palace and entered the Dragon's Garden to the left of the entrance. I examined the high, coral-laden cliffs, and found the faint imprint of a paw barely visible on the wall. I swiftly drew the catspaw symbol, and leapt onto the cliff's face, my paws sticking firmly, I bounced my way higher until I reached the top. I flipped over the edge and onto soft sand, now at the same height as the roof of the dragon palace. I trotted along the side of the palace towards the back, ascending a sloping dune. I reached the top, and from my place on the hill I could see distant lights of what was surely the dragonian city, and I realized that the dragon palace was only the beginning of the dragonians' civilization. A lively city bustled in the bright blue water, with giant bright signs made of coral lining the buildings, and fish and dragonians swimming in the currents that swept through the 'streets'. I did not know if the city existed when my mother had visited, or if the dragonians wished to keep outsiders away from their homes, but I was enthralled to see this unexpected wonder. Although the city was still distant and in the valley below, there was a bright building built in the same style as the palace close ahead on the ridge. I galloped towards it, and saw a sign out front emblazoned with a colorful turtle. 'This must be the Shell Station the guard spoke of.'

I stepped inside, poking my head through the open door, and heard a great rushing of water. The walls were lined with stables, all empty with their doors swinging wildly, and in the center of the station was a storm of chaos. Giant turtles swam in a spiral, creating a mini whirlpool of their own, with a monster spurring them on, keeping them panicked and swimming. This beast was gray-blue, with the mixed face of an angered shark and a human. Its six crab legs allowed it to cling to the wall with ease and not be pulled into the whirlpool, and nastiest of all, the monster possessed five inch long spikes sticking out at every angle of its long, prehensile tail. Two dragonians were caught up in the whirlpool, trapped in the swirling water and unable to break away. The whole inside of the station creaked and groaned, many pieces of equipment had broken off already and were swirling in the storm. I growled, but not wanting to get swept up in the strong current the stampeding turtles created, I put back on the boots and shuffled forward. A fighting ring rose around the turtle-cane, and I saw there was an area of peace directly in the eye of the mini hurricane, so I dove through the rushing water to reach the calm spot, then removed the boots again. The monster at last took notice of me and broke off its attack, crawling into the eye of the storm. It flexed its giant tail, spines shimmering in the light of the shallow sea and struck out. I dodged the spikes and unleashed my rosary, striking its tough carapace. The attack with my beads bounced off the hard shell, and it edged me closer to the wall of rushing water. Thinking quickly, I used Nuregami's power to guide the forceful water right towards the crabby demon. The force from the stream knocked the beast off its feet and onto its back, exposing a soft underbelly. Without hesitation, I again used my rosary to strike blows at the monster, and its legs shook as I attacked. The beast erupted into a colorful coral and vanished from sight.

The turtles, sensing the monster's disappearance, began to slow their swimming. The dragonians who had been trapped in the underwater tempest were able to swim up to the giant creatures and pull on their shells, getting them to slow down even further. Soon the water was calm, and the sea turtles came to a halt. One of the dragonians, dressed very similarly to the guard we'd spoken to, came up to us. "Thank you for the assistance. I'm not sure how an isonade managed to sneak into the station, but it sure caused a lot of trouble." The turtles were still very much on edge, their reptilian eyes searching around the station for more potential threats. "We're happy to help." I barked. "Your partner was worried that you hadn't returned." The guard nodded understandably. "Ah, yes, she can't let anyone through the gate without me. I suppose you two will be needing the key. I should help get repairs underway and calm the turtles. Here-" She handed us a key with a shell-shaped handle. "You two can now pass into the greater kingdom." My heart longed to stick around and wait for the turtles to calm, I could even repair any broken equipment myself, but I knew our quest shouldn't be delayed any longer, and that we could always return later. I turned my tail towards the turtle-station and started back towards the gate, key in paw.

༄༄༄༄༄༄

The key opened the gate with a click, and the decorated door swung open slowly. I padded through and gasped. The beauty was magnificent, nothing I had yet seen beat the sunlight shining down through the waves in the shallow blue-green water. I took a couple steps forward, and my back paws raised in the air, forcing me to tread water before sinking back down to all fours. The pressure was different here than in the palace, so I bounced along the floor, feeling light and remarkably small. I gazed out at the un-ending ocean blue to the deeper sea, and it was at least a hundred feet to the surface alone. Letting my gaze sink back down, I saw coral reefs. Rocks were spattered with them, here and there, but I had a feeling, that what we saw was only a shadow of what it had once been before the monsters invaded the seas. As if to prove my point, the shadow of an isonade passed over me, near the surface. It had its crab legs tucked in, and was using its powerful spiked tail to swim like a dolphin, thrashing it through the water and moving with great speed. I growled, and leaped off the floor, but didn't get very far, the propulsion only took me ten feet off the floor, then I just drifted very slowly. I didn't think I was fast enough to swim up to the top and after the demon. I sighed, and a few bubbles escaped my mouth, capturing the sound. "Well, come on! Let's search for the dragon cave!" Hiraku said, his voice garbled, and I nodded, going down the hill into the reef.

The open ocean 'countryside' was much more interesting than I could have ever thought, judging by its boring blue surface, and I had to restrain myself from spending hours in that one spot and poking my nose into everything. Bright coral decorated the outsides of paths, and I saw mermaids tending to the broken reef, one was gathering seaweed, another was trying to heal broken coral. A bright blue river flowed along the ocean bed, although it made no sense to me, how could there be a river in the ocean?

It was about then that I realized I was starting to feel the need for air, I looked around. 'Uh oh, the lands out here might not be spelled or anything for land-dwellers like in the dragon palace. Where can I get a breath of air?' I didn't know if Hiraku was in trouble or not yet, but I was running out of oxygen. The need became stronger, and I could only keep my mouth shut so I didn't gasp and choke on water. My chest squeezed, and closed my eyes as I thought, then opened them. I had an idea, that really I hoped would work. But I had no other option. I could hear Hiraku take a sharp intake above me, and I knew we didn't have much time left. We could turn back, but we needed to find a way through eventually. Through my narrowed eyes, squinted by the force of holding my breath, I drew a gale-mark in the water, and where the loop came together in a circle, it formed a large bubble in front of me. I paddled forward desperately, and thrust my head into the bubble, taking a deep breath. Then the bubble popped, but I was fine again, ready to continue. That piece of knowledge really came in handy as I went on, you never know where some of your techniques will ally you in an unexpected way. Hiraku and I didn't talk much after that, trying to preserve as much air as possible, and he tugged my fur if he ever needed air.

As I walked along the sea-bed path, it went from tame gardens into wild beauty, and some fish came out to investigate. There were three little ones with black and white stripes, and their bodies elongated on their backs and bellies. And others who were thin as papyrus and bright yellow, whose bodies looked like rectangles. As I continued further, there was one fish I saw with very bright colors, who chomped away at the coral with a bird's beak! I was nearly halfway across the ocean plains, when suddenly, a school of fish, each as long as me, swam past. I was enveloped in their midsts, and trotted to keep up with them. They were a silver-green color, and seemed to be confused as to why a wolf was in the ocean. But we parted ways when they swam back off into the open ocean. I saw too many different kinds of fish to name during my walk along the bottom of the ocean. But one in particular that was really strange and exciting was an oarfish. It came up out of deeper waters and sped off towards the dragon palace. It was long, nearly fifteen feet and silver-blue, except for its pink-red crest along its back. For the most part, it looked like a tiny dragon! "I heard those guys are missionaries of the dragonians!" Hiraku said, as it swam off over a hill, somewhat explaining its similarity. "They only ever come up from the deep if there's trouble." I thought about what that could mean for us, as we traveled on.

I saw no really large creatures, such as whales or a dragon, but I did see a pod of dolphins playing at the surface one time, a dark one stopped to look at me, and seemed to wave and smile before swimming to catch up with the others. The strangest thing we came across started as a strange brown shape in the middle of the path up ahead, that, as Hiraku and I neared it, we realized it was a cow. The wildly out-of-place bovine munched on seagrass on the side of the path, and didn't know we were there. 'How on Earth did a cow end up down here?' I wondered, tilting my head. The cow slowly turned its head towards us, and blinked at us. Then, its four legs bent into eight, each leg revealing itself to be two legs disguised as one, and each leg ended in a terrible long pointed claw instead of a hoof. It mooed at us ferociously, its mouth splitting in two as well to allow for an extra-wide and more disturbing experience. It tried to charge at us, running quickly on its eight spindly legs, but I leapt away and used to rosary to attack from a distance. It raised up its two front legs like a spider and shot out a web out of a silky material shaped like a net at us, but I sliced through it. It used its legs as a shield, and often tried to lunge for us and gore us with its horns, or spike us with its feet, which didn't work. Soon enough, it crumpled onto its back, legs folded in the air, and burst apart into festive coral. A little bewildered by the experience, we continued onward, on the look out for any other strange occurrences. There were mermaids tending to more broken reefs just off the trail, and some waved as we passed. One mermaid took a break from her duties and showed us around, naming all the fish we saw, though I remember only a few of their names now. She was friendly, she told us that most of the dragonian realm was destroyed after Ninetails' first assault, the city was nearly demolished, and the corals were still recovering even now. When we described the demonic sea-cow to her, she told us that it was a monster called an ushi-oni, they liked to eat fishermen and otherwise cause trouble for the people of the sea.

She left us in a place just outside the coral fields where the ocean floor met the cliffs, and told us the Dragon Cave was just ahead. I took one last look at the beautiful ocean field, and had to stop myself from going back and exploring everything. When I turned back around, the waters ahead were wavy, and a current seemed to bounce off something up ahead. I padded forward and saw a rock was blocking the big tunnel. I wondered if a cherry bomb would work in the water. I tested my theory, swishing my tail through the water, and was rewarded. The blockading rock burst apart, revealing a large cavern. "We can always come back here later." Hiraku said, his words coming out as garbled bubbles. "Right now, let's see just where exactly this goes. Ready?" I nodded, not wanting to waste my breath on speaking. I drew another air bubble and then swam forward into the darkness.

(AN: Long chapter! *breathes breath of exhaustion* I apologize it took so long to get done, but the next ones should be easy to complete. And wow, thirty whole chapters! I can hardly believe it. :O I've been working on TDO for a long time. I am now graduated from college with 3 associates degrees, so I'm going to work as hard as I can on TDO and other projects I had to put aside during school. According to my master-plot-outline, we are about 6/13ths of the way done with the story as of right now, and I will finish this story, Ammy dang it, even if it takes 5 more years! (But hopefully not that long!)

PS, during the section describing the open ocean, I find the Dragon Palace cover by multiplayerVGAalbum to be very fitting to listen to. ^^)