The Legend of The Ara'dos - BOOK 1: Human's Draconic Ascension

Chapter 12 - The Journey Ahead

   Dachi pitched his curtains and lightly tugged on them. He peered outside to see what was going on out there but the raindrops racing down the window blocked his view. It was early afternoon now but that didn't help Dachi's case of not being able to see.
   "What are you doing?" Ren asked.
   "I'm trying to see if there's anybody out there," Dachi told him. "But I can't see because of the rain."
   "Here, let me." Ren gently pushed Dachi aside. 
   Dachi felt the fluttering in his heart again when Ren put his hand on him. Ren placed his hands on the window and then swiped them across. The raindrops got pushed over to the sides of the window to reveal a view of the major city.
   Dachi raised his eyebrows as he watched Ren. Ren took his hands off the window. "Woah, you can control water too?" Dachi asked.
   "I can," says Ren. "If you think about it, ice is just frozen water."
   Dachi nodded. "That makes sense."
   Dachi glanced out the window, noticing an empty street devoid of any visible figures. The wind whipped through the trees with a forceful intensity, causing them to sway vigorously. The river surged, its waters threatening to overflow and flood the city. The rain poured relentlessly from the dark, stormy clouds above, drenching everything in its path.
   "I don't see anyone," Dachi said. "But be prepared for the wind and the rain. Try to not get blown away."
   "Yeah, okay," Ren replied. "Let's go." He grabbed the front door and threw it open. He almost got knocked over by the wind as it forced its way inside.
   Dachi gently pushed Ren aside. "Let me go first."
   Dachi cautiously walked out of the house. He stepped to his porch steps and peered around the corner of his house. Nobody was coming. He looked the other way. Nobody was there either. He looked back at Ren and motioned him to follow.
   Ren nodded and walked out of the house, closing the door behind him. Dachi quickly went to the door and locked it. He rushed down the porch steps and looked around for any signs of humans. He could barely see through the rain pouring but he was sure nobody was around. He motioned Ren to follow and quickly crept along the sidewalk.
   Ren threw his hood over his head, only for it to be immediately blown off. He sighed and put his hood on again and held it over his head. He swiftly followed Dachi, making sure to stay close to him. Ren crept around enough human places so he wasn't anxious when passing through here.
   On the way to the gates, Dachi noticed guards turning around the corner and now coming their way. He gasped and slid over to the side of a house. Ren flinched and immediately followed Dachi. They pressed their backs against the house. Dachi held his breath as the guards soon passed by. Once he was sure they were gone, he traveled back on the sidewalk while Ren followed. Dachi looked around and continued to speed-walk towards the gates.
   "We're almost there," Dachi reassured Ren, in case he needed reassurance. Ren didn't need it when he saw the giant gate twenty feet away.
   "Just don't get us killed," Ren mumbled.
   "I don't plan on it," Dachi told him. "I know what I'm doing."
   Ren stared at the gates. He stayed silent and then he raised an eyebrow. He looked at Dachi and asked, "how are we going to get through the gates without anyone noticing?"
   "We can go through the towers," Dachi responded. "There's a lever on this side of the tower that opens a door to get into the tower. It doesn't open on the other side. The lever is often used for emergencies because the gates take forever to open."
   Ren nodded. "That's smart. Will anyone notice us opening the door?"
   "No," Dachi said. "We'll be fine as long as we—"
   "Do you hear something?" A guard suddenly spoke.
   Dachi heard the guard's footsteps approaching, and he froze in place. Ren also stopped beside him. They found themselves standing in front of a shop where the path split into three directions: straight, left, and right. If they turned right, they would go around the corner of the shop and reach another part of Dhiashrir with more shops and homes. Going left would take them across a bridge to the inn and more shops. And if they went straight, they would be just ten feet away from the gates.
   Just then, two more guards turned around the corner from the shop. Dachi gasped sharply and grabbed Ren's hand. He spun around and dove for the corner of the shop on the other side, taking Ren with him. It was hard to hear if the guards stopped or continued walking over the lightning roaring and Dachi's heart pounding against his ears.
   But when the guards walked past, they knew they were safe. Both Ren and Dachi let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. Just to be sure, Dachi waited a couple more seconds before he reclaimed the sidewalk, taking Ren with him. He didn't realize the whole time he was holding Ren's hand until they got back on the sidewalk.
   Dachi blushed and let go of Ren's hand. "Sorry," he said.
   "Just keep walking," Ren grumbled as he poked Dachi in the back. Dachi jumped and quickly rushed to the tower in front of them.
   They hit the lever next to the door that was covered in vines. The door opened and they both rushed inside. Dachi spun around and closed the door. He sighed with relief. They successfully made it through Dhiashrir without being caught. Now they had to get out of this tower and freeze the gate. Then, they could leave.
   "Come on," Dachi whispered.
   "Wait," Ren quickly said.
   "What?" Dachi looked at him.
   "Shouldn't I freeze these doors too?" He pointed at the tower doors.
   Dachi paused and then sighed. "Oh, right." He then groaned. "There's also a hidden lever in here that opens the gate."
   Dachi walked to the stairs. He pressed his hand against a mossy stone to reveal a lever. He took out his sword and struck the lever, breaking it off.
   Dachi sighed once more. "That means we have to go to the other tower to do the same thing."
   "Are you serious?" Ren growled.
   "Yes," Dachi merely said. "Come on. Let's head out, freeze this door and then go to the other tower."
   Ren sighed heavily. "Ugh, we're wasting time."
   After ensuring there were no humans around, they left the tower the same way they entered. Ren closed the door and placed his hands on it, closing his eyes and relaxing. Dachi couldn't help but be fascinated as snowflakes formed on Ren's hand and the door began to freeze. It made cracking noises as the ice spread. When Ren opened his eyes and pulled away, he tapped the door with his index fingers, causing all the snowflakes and ice to disappear. He grabbed the door handle and tugged multiple times. The door didn't budge one bit. Successful, he let go and turned to the other tower.
   "Come on," he said to Dachi and rushed to the other tower.
   Dachi gasped. He paused and turned to the lever to the tower door. He took his sword out and slashed the lever, breaking it off. He turned back and quickly followed Ren.
   "What was that last part?" Dachi asked. "Where you tapped on the door."
   "It was to make it look like the door wasn't sabotaged," Ren explained. "It's still frozen, don't worry."
   Dachi nodded. He was impressed with Ren's abilities even though he's never seen him in action. He probably would soon enough.
   They rushed over to the other tower. Dachi grabbed Ren's shoulder to stop Ren from proceeding any further. Dachi paused and then grabbed the door handle and opened the door slightly. He peered inside. No one was there. He opened the door further and motioned for Ren to go inside, which he did.
   Dachi turned to the lever and struck it with his sword, breaking it off. He quickly went into the tower and closed the door.
   Ren spun around and placed both hands on the door. He did the same process as he did to the other; close his eyes, relax, and freeze the door before pulling away and tapping it with his finger to make the ice and snowflakes disappear. While he did that, Dachi broke the hidden lever. Ren tugged on the door; it didn't budge. He pulled away and turned to Dachi.
   "Let's go," he said.
   Dachi nodded. They went to the other side of the tower where another door to the outside led. Dachi opened the door and ran out. Ren quickly followed, quietly closing the door behind them. They walked close to the gates and looked up at them.
   "Do you think you can freeze them?" Dachi glanced at him.
   "Of course," Ren said confidently.
   Ren walked to the sturdy wooden gates, and placed his hands on them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He sighed and felt chills go from his chest, down his arms, and to his hands. The gate made cracking sounds as it was covered in ice and snow. Ren pulled his hands away and tapped the gate, making the ice disappear. He smiled and turned to Dachi.
   "Done," he said.
   "Good job." Dachi smiled. "Let's go."
   "Where are we going first?" Ren asked as he and Dachi rushed away from Dhiashrir.
   "Away from here," Dachi told him. "We're going to find a small cave we can sit in for a little bit so we'll be able to go over the map."
   Ren sighed. "I guess we should've done that before we left."
   "Don't worry about it," Dachi told him. "We're out now. Come on. There's a cave we can sit in."
   Ren frowned and he nodded. He despised heavy rain with a passion. It was like a torrential downpour of misery, drenching him to the core. Each raindrop felt like a personal insult, seeping through his clothes and chilling him to the bone.
   He longed for the warmth and comfort of dry land, away from the relentless assault of the rain. It was a battle he couldn't win, but one he endured with the hope of brighter skies ahead.
   Dachi led Ren through the forest. The fierce lightning storm continued crashing through the sky, illuminating the dark forest with its electric fury. The heavy rain pounded down, creating a symphony of drumming on the leaves and the forest floor.
   Each thunderclap shakes the very ground beneath their feet, making their hearts race with a mix of fear and awe. The trees sway and dance in the wind, their branches reaching out as if trying to catch the lightning bolts. Hopefully, when they find Siveth and Sora, the storm would go away.
   After a couple minutes of traveling in the forest, the human and the dragon came across a cave. It was the same cave Dachi stayed the night in before. Despite almost being eaten by a lightning dragon that one morning, Dachi headed inside and Ren followed. Dachi sat towards the end of the cave where it was dry. Ren paused and then sat next to Dachi.
   Dachi took his bag off of his shoulders. He opened it and took out the map. He laid the map on the ground and began to scan over it with his eyes.
   "So this is where we are," Dachi said as he pointed to the bottom right of the map. Ren nodded. "The fastest way would be to fly over the ocean, but I'm not sure how the storm looks out there."
   "The storm is fine," Ren said. "In the center of this part of the ocean," he started as he circled the part of the map with his finger. "This is the island of the air dragons; a floating island. Lots of water dragons are here too. These two types of dragons are excellent when controlling the weather and handling storms." Ren looked at Dachi who still stared at the map. "So we should be fine flying over the ocean."
   Dachi perked up. "You're going to fly us there?" He looked at Ren who gave him a are you stupid look.
   "No, we're going to have a nice walk across the ocean," Ren said sarcastically. "Or we can crawl over fifty miles of mountain and decide the rest later. Maybe swim over the trees."
   Dachi lowered his eyebrows. He sighed heavily and looked back at the map. "Yeah, okay." He sat in silence before he asked, "and then what?"
   Ren looked at the map. "We'll be in the Misty Jungle after the flight over the ocean. We'll need somewhere to stay for the night after the long flight."
   "Smart thinking," Dachi said.
   "I'll decide if we should go in the major city or in the village that's on the other side," Ren added. "Then, we'll go through the Golden Scantum, and we'll be in Belozersk."
   Dachi nodded. "Alright. That's a great plan." He smiled.
   "You got money?" Ren asked.
   Dachi rolled up the map. "Lots," he said. He put the map back in his bag and closed it.
   "Good." Ren nodded and then stood up.
   Dachi stood up as well. "To the ocean, across the ocean, staying in the Misty Jungle, traveling to the Golden Scantum, heading to Belozerk." He mentally wrote everything Ren told him into his head. "Got it."
   "Alright. Let's get going." Ren sighed. "No turning back."
   "No turning back..." Dachi repeated as he and Ren walked out of the cave.