Side Story 13 - A Journey Long-Awaited (Patreon)

Lis hugged Mahya and told her quietly, "Take care of John; he'll be lost for a while."

"Don't worry, he's my friend too."

"Also, take care of yourself and keep learning and progressing, but don't do stupid things anymore. Think before you act."

"I promise, Sensei," she replied with a smile.

Lis smiled as well and said, "You decided to adopt the name, eh?"

"On Earth, there is a saying 'if the shoe fits'; in this case, the shoe fits perfectly."

He gave her one last hug and walked over to John. He gave him a bone-crushing hug and said, "Goodbye, my friend. May your road be full of wonders and joy."

John looked like he was about to cry, but held it back. Lis understood the feeling; he loved this man like a brother, and he, too, felt the pain of parting.

John answered him, "May your road be happy and your adventures gentle."

Mahya approached them, and they did one last group hug. Lis almost gave up on the dragon plane; it was hard to say goodbye to his family, and they were, indeed, his family. But he reminded himself that they needed to learn to stand on their own two feet without him watching over them every step of the way.

And one day, his and John's Luck Trait would lead them to meet again. He knew it for sure. There was no chance that the Guiding Spirits would not bring them together again. After nearly four hundred years of traveling, he didn't love another person as much as he loved this one.

He walked up to Rue, scratched his ears, and mentally told him, "Be a good boy and protect John."

Rue shouted back, "Promise!"

With a deep breath and a last glance at his family, he stepped through the Gate, leaving everything he knew behind, again. That was the fate of a Traveler, to wonder about the cosmos.

The transition was instantaneous. One moment, Lis was on Earth, and the next, he stood in a world that defied description. He was in a jungle, but it was unlike any jungle he had ever seen. Towering trees with iridescent leaves stretched up towards a sky of deep, swirling purples and blues. Serpent-like vines hung, and vibrant, bioluminescent plants carpeted the ground. In the distance, the call of an unknown creature echoed, a haunting sound that sent a shiver down Lis's spine.

"Welcome to the Dragon Plane," he muttered to himself.

Lis crouched in the shadows, his breath steady and silent. He peered through the dense foliage of an alien jungle. The air was thick with the scent of unfamiliar flora and the distant roars of massive beasts. This was not Earth; this was the Dragon Plane, a world of peril and wonder.

Lis activated his Invisibility and Stealth, which was his only hope of survival. He blended seamlessly into his surroundings; the jungle seeming to swallow him whole as he moved silently through the underbrush. He calculated each step and purposefully moved through this unfamiliar terrain.

The dense jungle seemed alive with danger. Lis moved cautiously, his senses on high alert. The air was thick with humidity, the ground beneath his feet soft and treacherous. He avoided paths that seemed too obvious, knowing that predators often lay in wait for the unwary. His invisibility was his greatest asset, but it required focus and energy to maintain.

Lis moved cautiously through the dense underbrush, every step a challenge as he navigated the thick foliage and uneven terrain. His senses were on high alert, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow, searching for any sign of danger. The jungle was alive with movement and sound—chirps, rustles, and distant roars that kept him on edge.

As he ventured deeper, he encountered creatures that seemed like a mix of animals and mythical beasts. He saw small, bird-like creatures with scales instead of feathers, their eyes glinting with intelligence. He heard the rustling of something large moving through the trees above him, but he could never quite catch a glimpse of it.

The first true test of his survival skills came when he stumbled upon a watering hole. He approached it cautiously, scanning the area for any threats. A massive creature emerged from the jungle. It was a towering beast with a ridge of spines along its back and teeth that looked like they could crush steel.

Lis froze, his heart pounding in his chest. The creature sniffed the air, its eyes narrowing as if it detected his scent. Slowly, Lis backed away, keeping his movements slow and deliberate. Just as the creature tensed, ready to charge, a loud roar echoed through the jungle, and the beast turned and bolted, disappearing into the foliage.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lis realized just how precarious his situation was. He was in a world where he was not the apex predator, and every step could be his last.

The first night was the hardest. Strange sounds filled the air, the calls of creatures he couldn't begin to identify. He found a secluded spot beneath a canopy of luminous leaves, their glow providing a soft, eerie light. He stuck the poles Mahya made for him in the ground around his intended resting place, hoping they would be effective against beasts and not only humans.

Sleep came in fits and starts, haunted by dreams of monstrous beasts and alien landscapes. When dawn broke, a golden light bathed the jungle, with the hues shifting as the sun climbed higher. Lis resumed his trek, his goal clear in his mind: to reach the first city of the dragons. He had heard stories of it, a place where the dragon kin lived in harmony, their society a marvel of Magitech and mysticism.

Days passed as he pressed on, his stealth and invisibility saving him from countless threats. He skirted the territories of giant, scaled predators, their footsteps shaking the ground. He avoided flocks of winged drakes, their screeches echoing through the air as they hunted from above. Each close call was a reminder of the fragility of his existence in this world.

He encountered creatures of all shapes and sizes, some that walked on four legs, others on two, and many that slithered or flew. Their eyes glowed in the darkness, reflecting predatory intelligence. The sounds of the jungle were a constant cacophony, a reminder that he was never truly alone.

After several days of navigating the dense jungle, Lis reached the edge of a vast, barren expanse. The transition was abrupt—the lush greenery gave way to a desolate landscape of cracked, dry earth and towering rock formations. The sun beat down mercilessly, and the air was dry and hot.

Lis scanned the horizon, noting the skeletal remains of creatures long dead, their bones bleached white under the harsh sun. The barren expanse was just as dangerous as the jungle, albeit in different ways. Without the cover of trees, any predators that might be lurking could expose him, and the heat was oppressive. Lis felt a chill run down his spine, the desolation a stark reminder of the dangers that lay ahead.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and red, Lis found shelter in a cave. As he ate, he heard the distant sound of wings flapping, and he knew that drakes—a type of dragon—patrolled the skies at night.

The cave provided a measure of safety, but Lis knew he couldn't stay there forever. The barren expanse was vast, and he had to keep moving if he wanted to find the dragons.

It took Lis days to cross the barren landscape. He encountered new challenges, each one testing his strength and resolve. He faced fierce storms that threatened to tear him apart, sandstorms that threatened to bury him alive, crossed treacherous ravines where a single misstep could mean death, and navigated through mazes of rock and sand. Saw strange nocturnal creatures that hunted under the cover of darkness.

He arrived at an area covered in snow and ice, and like before, the transition was abrupt, without rhyme or reason. One moment, he was in an oppressive dry heat, and the next, in a bone-chilling cold. Making his way through the snow presented new challenges, from keeping his body warm in such an environment, to finding stable ground under the cover of the snow.

High in the snow-capped mountains of the Dragon Plane, the early morning sun cast long shadows over the pristine white landscape. The air was crisp and cold, biting at the skin of any creature brave enough to venture into the peaks. A distant, earth-rending roar shattered the tranquility of the morning, sending flocks of birds skyward in a frantic flutter of wings.

From a vantage point on a nearby ridge, Lis watched the unfolding drama. Emerging from a cave high above, an ice drake took to the sky, its scales glistening like diamonds in the early light. The drake stretched his massive wings and roared a challenge that echoed through the valleys. His frosty breath trailed behind him in a cloud of sparkling ice crystals.

Lis's eyes widened as he spotted the source of the drake's ire. Across the sky, a manticore soared on bat-like wings, its lion-like body and scorpion tail casting a menacing silhouette.

The two titans collided in mid-air with a bone-jarring impact that reverberated through the mountains. Lis felt the ground beneath him shake, and he clung to a rock to keep his balance. The surrounding air crackled with energy as the drake struck first, enveloping the manticore in a cloud of freezing frost. The manticore snarled in pain, his claws slashing out in retaliation, tearing through the ice drake's protective scales.

As they battled, their massive wings beat furiously, sending gusts of wind howling through the mountains. They battled, and their massive wings beat furiously, uprooting trees and sending them crashing down the slopes. They also whipped the snow into a frenzy, creating a blinding blizzard. The force of their struggle was so immense that the ground beneath them trembled, cracks spider webbing through the thick ice.

Lis watched in awe and terror as they twisted and turned in the air, each trying to gain the upper hand. As the ice drake exhaled, the surrounding air transformed into a freezing vortex, while the manticore's fiery eyes emitted a scorching heat that melted the snow beneath them. The Traveler could feel the heat from the manticore's fiery eyes even from his distant vantage point.

As the drake unleashed a powerful blast of icy breath, encasing the manticore's wings in ice, the intensity of their battle reached a fever pitch. With panic in his fiery eyes, the manticore plunged towards the mountainside. But the manticore was not so easily defeated. With a mighty roar, he shattered the ice encasing his wings and pulled up just before hitting the ground. His tail lashed out, striking a massive rock formation and sending it tumbling down the mountain.

The avalanche began slowly, a few rocks dislodged by the force of the impact. But as the battle raged on, the shaking and tremors grew more violent, and soon entire sections of the mountainside began to collapse. Snow and ice cascaded down in a deadly wave, engulfing everything in its path.

Lis's heart pounded in his chest as he scrambled to find higher ground, his eyes never leaving the battle above. The two titans continued their ferocious struggle, oblivious to the destruction they were causing. Their roars echoed through the mountains, a symphony of rage and power that shook the very earth.

In a final, desperate attempt to turn the tide, the manticore lunged at the drake, its claws extended. But the ice drake was ready. With a swift, powerful movement, he dodged the attack and struck back with a blast of his icy breath, freezing the manticore's wings once more.

The manticore roared in fury and pain as he plummeted toward the ground, his wings unable to break free from the ice. He crashed into the mountainside, the force of the impact sending another wave of snow and ice tumbling down. With eyes filled with triumph, the drake watched from above.

Gaining momentum, the avalanche buried trees and rocks under tons of snow and ice. The force of the impact sent shockwaves through the ground, causing even more cracks to form and more sections of the mountainside to collapse. Lis clung to his perch, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he watched the devastation unfold.

The manticore struggled to free himself from the icy prison that held him, his eyes blazing with a promise of revenge. With a final, mighty effort, he broke free, his wings shattering the surrounding ice. He glared up at the drake, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity. But for now, he was beaten. With a roar of frustration, he turned and flew away, disappearing into the distance.

The drake landed on a nearby peak, his body aching from the battle. He spread his wings and took to the sky once more, the icy wind carrying him back to his lair. As he soared above the mountains, he looked down at the devastation below, the aftermath of a clash between two mighty beasts.

Lis watched in awe as the ice drake disappeared into the distance, leaving the scarred landscape behind. The battle had been fierce, a reminder of the power and fury that dwelled in the Dragon Plane.

The Traveler, still shaken by what he had witnessed, made his way down the mountain. He knew that he had seen something extraordinary, a battle that would become a legend. And as he descended, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect for the mighty beasts that called these mountains home.

_____

After over a month of danger, hardship, and sleepless nights, Lis arrived at the dragon city of Holmeserion. The city was a marvel of architecture, a blend of natural formations and Magitech ingenuity. Towers of stone and crystal rose high, their surfaces adorned with glowing runes. Bridges of light spanned deep chasms, and waterfalls cascaded from great heights, their waters shimmering with a magical essence.

The inhabitants were as awe-inspiring as the city itself. Dragons in their full majestic forms soared through the air, their scales catching the light in a dazzling display. Others walked the streets in partial human forms, their draconian features blending seamlessly with humanoid bodies. They moved with a grace and power that spoke of their ancient heritage.

Lis marveled at the Magitech inventions that filled the city. Floating platforms carried goods and passengers across the city, their movements smooth and silent. Artisans worked on intricate devices that combined metal and magic, creating tools and weapons of incredible power. Arcane energy filled the air, creating a symphony of magic that resonated with the very soul of the city.

He made it! It had been a journey long-awaited, but he made it.

He looked up at the sky and sent a prayer of thanks to the Guiding Spirits for protecting him along the way, and walked into the dragon city. It was time to start a new chapter in his travels.