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Post by Grisha on Oct 26, 2020 9:26:21 GMT -8
Where was he going, and why did he come here? Grisha meditated over those questions as he walked through a yellow, gleaming plain of death. The sun was stronger than it had ever been in this place. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky or a forest nearby. He saw creatures that he had never seen before. They were scaley and fled into the sand when he approached them. There were strange green statues with spines that hurt, and at the ends of their branches were what looked like fruit, but those hurt too. Grisha had never heard about Hell, but in his mind, while he suffered the sun cooking his back, The Great Desert was such a place. Since his journey started, his jaw became bristly with hair and the blades of his feathered mane grew a few inches, splaying in all directions like a succulent plant. He had ditched his fur cloak. While it had protected his skin from the sun, it also absorbed the heat and made him unbearably hot. Over the course of an hour, he had abandoned more of his gear. The armored knee guards that were lined with fur. Anything lined with fur was left behind him. Grisha’s next step was a weak and ill-placed one. He staggered, attempting to catch his balance, but he was dehydrated and lacked the focus. The giant collapsed upon the hot sand. Yellow plumes rose about his face, exciting a coughing fit from him. The sand clung to his sweat-drenched skin, while he reached out to grasp the earth in a desperate attempt to return to his feet; but his body didn’t move. His body had given up, yielding to rest. Grisha, you dummy!The Saiyan squinted his grey eyes at a mirage of Lena who was standing over him with her hands upon her hips. “Lena…” Grisha rasped. She started to cry. Why did you leave? She wiped at her eyes. You didn’t even say goodbye!“Grisha sorry,” he told her. She then vanished before his eyes, causing him to blink in disbelief. What was that? He winced from the sunburn that turned his back crimson. He rolled onto his back, covering it in sand despite the stinging sensation. Baring his teeth, Grisha endured the pain as he did what was necessary to not burn. After he felt his skin was well coated, he rolled back onto his belly and closed his eyes. His breathing was deep, blowing plumes of dust away from his face. He was tired, and his mind started to demand rest. He opened his eyes once more to see the world spinning before them. Sleep. Just for a moment. Grisha closed his eyes. WC: 451
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Post by Grisha on Oct 26, 2020 10:01:02 GMT -8
Grisha’s eyes cracked open and blearily, he saw a brief glimpse of the desert sky. He was moving. His arm was stretched passed his head and a rope was gripping his wrist. At the other end of the rope, was a dark-skinned rider wearing orange robes and a blue bandana. In one hand, the young man gripped the rope, and in the other, he carried a spear. Beneath him was a raptor, digging its claws into the dirt to drag the heavy Saiyan. “Why are you bringing him back?” came a feminine voice. Riding next to him was a dark-skinned girl who resembled him. They were possibly siblings. “Look at his clothes? He’s not from here. He could be one of those bandits!” “He didn’t have any guns on him, or anything! I think he is just lost in the desert. Look at him? He’s huge! What if we can get him to help us get Jamila back?” “What if we can’t?” “Well, I don’t want to leave him out here to di-AAAAAaaaahhh~!” The boy’s sister’s mouth dropped when she saw her brother go flying through the air. His raptor stopped, gazing back at its bare back. Its reptilian eyes bulged in shock before it swiftly sprinted after the boy to retrieve him. “Shujae!” his sister screamed. She looked down tensely at the unconscious stranger. She noticed his arm was at his side. Had he thrown her brother? Gripping her spear and her raptor’s reins, the girl whirled her dino around and released a snarl as she jabbed the weapon into the man’s shoulder. There was a loud snap as the wooden shaft snapped, sending the bladed head flipping through the air. Both the girl’s and her raptor’s mouths fell open in awe. Growling, she dismounted her raptor as her brother’s raptor returned with Shujae gripped by the back of his robes in its mouth. “Wow! Did you see how far he threw me?” Shujae exclaimed in awe. His sister said nothing to him as she removed a coiled rope from her belt and started fastening it about the stranger’s neck. She pulled it tight and marched back over to her dino. Shujae’s brows rose. “What are you doing? Are you trying to kill him?” “Idiot! He just tried to kill you!” she snapped before she climbed back up into her saddle. “He’s not even awake! He probably didn’t mean to do it. Qawiuna!” “I’m taking him back, but he’s going into a cell until we can learn more about him!” Shujae sighed in defeat as he and his sister returned to their village. WC: 434
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Post by Grisha on Oct 26, 2020 10:46:51 GMT -8
Come nightfall, the desert went from a scorching waste to a freezing and lively feeding ground. All sorts of creatures sprouted from the sand to hunt. In Shujae’s and Qawiuna’s village, the villagers were indoors keeping warm by the fire. Shujae, however, was out by the prison rock where they kept criminals. The prison was carved out of a large boulder and wooden stakes comprised the bars. The man they had found in the desert was in there, and he still hadn’t moved. Shujae gripped the bars, staring sympathetically at him. Next to him, he had a bucket full of well water and a long ladle. Shujae had been thinking all day about his decision to help the man. If he gave him water, he might have enough strength to tell him who he was, and if he was a good guy, he would prove his sister wrong. The boy pressed his skull against the bars in frustration. You have to be a good guy!
Shujae grasped the ladle and dipped it into the bucket. He scooped out some fresh water and carefully reached the ladle through the bars to pour the cool water onto the Saiyan’s mouth. The boy froze when he saw the Saiyan stir. His face scrunched up and lips pulled into a tight frown before his eyelids parted. Slate-grey slits peered at the boy. Shujae tensed and retracted the ladle. He sat there for a moment staring back at the being that looked half-dead. After calming his racing heart, he dunked the ladle back into the bucket and once again dumped the water onto the man’s mouth. This time Grisha opened his mouth to catch the water and slowly swallow it down. Shujae smiled in rejuvenated exuberance.
“That’s it. Drink!” he encouraged as he scooped up more water. “Hey; you’re a good guy, right?”
It felt good to drink water. It didn’t feed his hunger, but it sparked some life in him. The giant still felt exhausted. He didn’t have the energy to budge from where he laid, but he answered the boy.
“Grisha…good,” he answered weakly before taking another gulp of water.
“Yes! I knew you would be!” Shujae cheered. He continued to talk to Grisha, rambling into the night until the bucket was empty and until the Saiyan could no longer keep his eyes open. When Grisha had returned to sleep, Shujae picked up the bucket and ladle, and whispered happily with a smile, “Good night. Don’t worry; I’ll ask the chief if he will let you out, I promise.”
The boy swiftly returned to his house.
WC: 433
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Post by Grisha on Oct 26, 2020 12:55:52 GMT -8
Shujae awoke to a commotion outside. The boy sat up abruptly in his bed, listening to angry shouts. He knew what it meant. Everyone was at Prison Rock! He quickly dressed and raced outside, running across the village to the mob gathered around the great boulder. He found his parents and his sister Qawiuna instigating the claims everyone was making.
“He threw my brother!” she angrily shouted.
Shujae tried to squeeze his way between bodies until he could see passed the waists of two adults, his friend Grisha, facing off the angry mob like a caged beast. He was on his hands and knees with the balls of his feet planted against the ground as though he would spring at any moment. His teeth were grit and his long tail thrashed about. Shujae’s eyes widened in surprise for he hadn’t noticed it before.
“Filthy bandit! Give us back Jamila!” they shouted.
“We should make him an example to the other outlaws!”
“NO!” Shujae screamed. The two adults he tried to squeeze passed suddenly parted, and the boy staggered forward to the bars. He pressed his back against the cell, spreading his arms protectively. “Stop! He isn’t the bad guy!”
Shujae’s father angrily shouted at him, “Shujae; get away from there! He could grab you!”
“No! He won’t hurt me!”
Qawiuna challenged, “I saw him almost kill you!”
“You’re wrong!” Shujae turned to face Grisha and pleaded, “Tell them you’re good please!”
Grisha’s tail relaxed as he calmed a little. “Grisha no bad. Grisha good.”
Why does he sound so stupid?
Grisha’s eyes widened in shock.
What an idiot! Bandits don’t know common tongue!
The crowd went from roaring to suddenly laughing…at him. They were calling him names. Stupid. Dumb. Grisha closed his eyes and frowned. He wasn’t stupid.
Did the sun fry his brain?
Retard!
Grisha’s hands curled into fists on the stony floor and his tail began to puff. The dust and loose pebbles beneath him started to rise along with his temper. A vicious hiss escaped Grisha’s teeth as he tried to restrain his rage, but he was failing. He wanted to make them all shut up.
“Stop! Stop being mean to him!” Shujae cried.
The crowd continued until a powerful voice rang out, STOP!
All the villagers recognized it and immediately turned to face an old man clutching a staff. He wore a orange, red, and green striped dashiki, and his red-dyed beard went down to his round belly. Every villager, including Shujae, dropped to their knees in a bow before him. Grisha’s rage sizzled out when he noticed the sudden silence. A round man approached his cell and for a moment, the two stared each other down.
“Let him go,” the village chief said.
All the villagers gasped in shock. “But Chief, he’s a bandit!”
“He’s not a bandit!” Shujae once again defended.
“If he was a bandit, then he would have escaped, and we would all be dead for treating him this way. This is no bandit, but a lion. There is a fearsome power in this one.”
One of the village guards reluctantly stood and went to unlock Grisha’s cell. When the door opened, Grisha hesitated to leave. He remained in his defensive position, staring at them all like a threatened cat. The village chief beckoned. “Come. No one will disrespect you anymore. You are a guest here.”
Grisha slowly crept out of his cell on his hands and knees. The stone ceiling had been so low that Grisha couldn’t even stand in his confinement. The morning air was still cool, but the sun was creeping into the sky. When the ceiling was no longer over his head, the Saiyan stood and the mob gasped at how tall he was. He was the tallest person they had ever seen! The village chief spotted the rope around his neck and beckoned once more, “Come; come. Come down here so I can remove that from your neck.”
Grisha’s brows raised and his hand rose to his neck as he remembered the rope being there. He bent at the hips, allowing the chief to loosen it and remove it. Shujae happily skipped over to Grisha and rejoiced, “See? I knew the chief would let you out!”
Qawiuna and her parents approached Grisha and gazed upon him curiously. Qawiuna crossed her arms before her chest and frowned. “I’m not apologizing. I saw you throw my brother. You could have hurt him.”
Grisha straightened and scratched his head. He didn’t remember throwing Shujae. He didn’t even know how he arrived in the village. “Sorry,” Grisha apologized, which made the girl’s brows perk. Would a bandit apologize?
Shujae stood before Grisha and explained to his parents and the chief. “Grisha can help us bring Jamila back!”
“Grisha?” his father repeated. He then crossed his arms as he gave Shujae an accusatory look. “So that’s where you disappeared off to last night.”
Shujae blushed and shrank some beneath his father’s gaze. “I was just giving him water…”
“SHUJAE!” all his family members scolded.
“But he’s not bad! Grisha is a good guy! He will help us. I know he will!” Shujae faced Grisha and clapped his hands together in a pleading gesture. “Plee~ase!”
Grisha narrowed his eyes and huffed. He was noticing a pattern. Every time he went to places that reminded him of Training Island, he always wound up running some errand. A low squelch and rumble emitted from the Saiyan’s stomach, surprising those around him. Grisha blushed and said sheepishly, “Grisha hungry and thirsty.”
The village chief nodded. “We don’t have much, but you can eat and drink anything you want if you’ll get my daughter back.”
Grisha rubbed at the back of his neck. He noticed a second pattern. Every village similar to Kousetsu struggled with food. He rested his hands upon his hips and nodded. He recalled his Training Island experience and how he had built homes, farmed land, and helped prepare food. He was going to do the same for Shujae’s village. “Grisha eat, find Jameema-”
“Jamila!” Shujae corrected.
“Jamira…”
“Ja-mil-ah!” Qawiuna irritably corrected.
Grisha sighed irritably. “Grisha find girl. Hunt and feed village too.”
The village chief’s eyes grew in surprise. “You would do all that after how we treated you?”
Grisha grinned and gave the old man a thumb up. “Grisha always do. Home job.”
“Where’s home Grisha?” Shujae’s and Qawiuna’s mom asked.
“Kousetsu. Lots of snow!” Grisha said proudly.
“Snow? Did you come all the way down here from the north?”
“South,” Grisha pointed over his shoulder, clearly not indicating the right direction but they understood what he meant.
“Wow. He’s from the south pole,” said the father.
“You could be from the moon. I appreciate your help, Grisha,” the chief thanked. He then announced to the other villagers. “Give this man some food. He is going to save my Jamila and help our village out.”
The villagers were still suspicious of Grisha’s presence and slow to act. They weren’t going to defy their chief, but they weren’t going to warm up to the stranger just yet.
WC: 1,184
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Post by Grisha on Nov 9, 2020 17:40:30 GMT -8
The food was simple, and the amount that was offered to him would have been enough to feed a human and not a large Saiyan with a just as large appetite. There were bowls of fruit, rice, flat breads, goat, and a pot of village date tea. Grisha gazed upon the fruit bowl. There were plump and purple fruits with spines. He had seen them in the desert. They were clean and shaved, glistening before him in their sweet, violet nectar. Grisha picked one up and popped it into his mouth, tasting a texture and milk similar to a pear. With the fruit still filling his cheeks, a smile curled his lips as his tail happily wagged in delight.
“Mm! Grisha like!” he exclaimed. The Saiyan then picked up the bowl and stood. “Fruit good. Grisha need water. Need smell.”
Shujae’s family, the village chief, and the other villagers were surprised that he hadn’t touched the offered food. They had been sitting around him cross-legged, watching the village stranger with varying degrees of acceptance. Shujae sprang to his feet and jogged over to Grisha.
“You’re leaving now? But you didn’t even eat!” Shujae said. “It’s gonna be hot. What if you faint again?”
The kid was right. It was going to be hot, and he probably would faint again or even burn. He could still feel the burn damage on his back. The wounds had crusted over with scabs, but they were still filthy and salty like the rest of him. Grisha couldn’t stay in a village where he wasn’t accepted, and he also couldn’t take their food. He enjoyed his meals, and he couldn’t enjoy the one spread before him. There was a mission the villagers expected him to complete in order to earn their trust. Most didn’t expect him to complete it, but use their hospitality and bail.
“Grisha fine,” the Saiyan stubbornly said.
“You are not fine,” came Shujae’s mother. She had a feeling that she knew what Grisha was trying to do. He was a stranger, and they hadn’t given him a kind welcome. The woman marched over to Grisha and gazed up at him with deciphering eyes. Immediately, her mannerisms reminded him of Lena. “Let me see your back,” she ordered.
The big Saiyan reluctantly, but obediently turned around. Shujae and his mom both examined his burns. “You’re not going anywhere until these wounds are clean.”
Grisha blushed and peeked over his shoulder at the mother. He was later sitting outside Shujae’s home, sweating bullets as the sun lit the entire village in a rippling heatwave. Shujae’s house had an overhang that granted shade from the wicked orb in the sky, but even still, Grisha felt oppressed. He sat cross-legged, watching the villagers, while Shujae’s mother scrubbed his back with a rag and salt water. It made the burning worse as every now and then, Grisha’s back muscles would contract and he would lean forward away from her scrubbing with a restrained groan. Shujae’s mom slapped the rag against his pink back, making him flinch, and scolded, “How can I finish if you keep leaning away?”
Grisha bared his teeth in pain and muttered pathetically, “Sorry…”
He rested his hands upon his ankles, clenching them as he resisted her infernal scrubbing. He was reminded of home. It hadn’t been that many days and he already missed everyone: Lena, Barlei, Okora, Mr. Flurry, and even Tobias. Grisha closed his eyes as he wondered miserably, why did he leave? Other areas of the world were unbearably hot. The people were mean and called him stupid. At home, he had been treated like one of the family.
Qawiuna appeared in the doorway of the hut, holding a clay bowl of a clear, gelatinous substance. “I have the aloe, Mom,” she announced.
“Bring it here,” her mother instructed.
Qawiuna walked over and set the bowl carefully on the ground before sitting next. She watched her mother toss the rag into the bowl of salt water before dunking her hand into the bowl of aloe. She scooped up a handful of the jelly substance and started to spread it like a salve across Grisha’s back. The aloe made his back and her hand smooth and slick, and when she swept it across his muscles, Grisha no longer felt the sting of salt and irritation. He felt a relaxing massage.
A relieved sigh left the giant’s mouth and Shujae’s mother could feel his muscles relaxing, unclenching and shrinking against her touch. “That feels better, doesn’t it?” she asked.
There was a pleased smile on Grisha’s face. “Feel good,” he replied.
Qawiuna joined her mother, scooping up some aloe before spreading it against the Saiyan’s back.
“Your clothing is not suitable to survive the desert,” the mother informed. “We don’t have any robes in your size, but we will have some for you when you return.”
“If he returns,” Qawiuna grumbled.
“Grisha return,” the giant said firmly. “Find girl. Return here.”
“How do you intend to find her? She could be anywhere.”
Grisha smirked and touched his nose. “Nose.”
“Like a dog!” Shujae exclaimed, surprising all three of them as he came out of the house next. He stared in awe at Grisha’s back. “So many muscles.”
Grisha grinned. He always appreciated compliments to his strength. He raised both his arms, bending them at the elbows. Raising his shoulders, he flexed hard, causing the muscles at his back to contract into solid-rock. Shujae’s mom retracted her hand and blushed, while Qawiuna and Shujae both slapped Grisha’s hardened back.
“Woah! It’s like a boulder. Feel mom!” Shujae encouraged.
Their mother looked away, hiding her glowing cheeks. “No that is okay. Qawiuna, do we have anything of Jamila’s around the house that Grisha can use to track her?”
“I will look,” Qawiuna said before she stood and retreated into the hut.
Shujae playfully hung from Grisha’s arm. “How did you get so big?”
“Grisha eat and train!” he happily shared.
“I want to be big like you.”
Shujae’s mother smiled. “Shujae, if you were big like Grisha, you wouldn’t fit in the house.”
Grisha blushed and grinned.
“Aw! I like my bed. Maybe not as big as Grisha then, but strong like him.” Shujae then looked at his mom and asked, “Are you guys done? I want to take Grisha to the well so he can get water.”
“I just sent your sister inside to find something of Jamila’s. Just wait a moment.”
Shujae’s mother picked up the aloe bowl and returned inside the hut. Qawiuna emerged next carrying a brush. “This was Jamila’s but she let me borrow it. I keep forgetting to give it back to her. If you find her and she sees this comb, then she will know you are a good person trying to return her home.”
Grisha accepted the brush from Qawiuna and raised it to his nose. He inhaled two different scents. One stood next to him, Qawiuna, another wasn’t nearby. Qawiuna further explained, “Jamila is a whiny baby, but she’s really pretty. That’s probably why the bandits took her. Please bring her back. She’s like a big sister to me.”
Grisha nodded. “Bring back safe.”
Qawiuna then suddenly threw her arms around Grisha’s neck in a hug, which for a moment stunned him as he saw a flashback of Lena. He raised one arm to return the embrace, smiling appreciatively. The girl had been so cautious of him when they first met. Now she seemed to be warming up to him. After their brief hug, Grisha rocked forward, stood, and the two siblings jumped when they watched the Saiyan’s head rip right through the thatch roof. Blades of grass and mud brick covered Grisha’s head as the Saiyan stood there with a blank expression. Shujae and Qawiuna had their hands clapped over their mouths. If their father found out Grisha had put a hole in the roof, he was going to be mad.
Shujae and Qawiuna pressed their hands against Grisha’s back, trying to encourage him to move.
“You broke the roof,” Shujae whispered. “Run or you’ll be in big trouble if Dad finds out!”
Grisha made a panicked face and quickly ducked back beneath the shade. He walked out from under it and watched as the kids started running.
“Hurry Grisha!” Shujae shouted.
The Saiyan quickly followed behind them. He followed the kids to the well and was able to retrieve several buckets. He used one to wet his head, washing it of salt and dirt, and he drank the rest of the water.
“You drink like a camel!” Shujae told him.
Grisha grinned and wiped excess water drops from his mouth. “Grisha thirsty. Good now. Grisha go.”
“Wait! We can at least get you a cloak. It’ll keep you from burning.”
“I’ll get it,” Qawiuna said. She raced back to the house and tip-toed around the side to the clothes line. She removed a large, orange cloth from the line and gathered it into a crumpled ball in her arms. She raced back to Shujae and Grisha. The large Saiyan dropped to his knees to allow the girl to adorn him with the robes. She wrapped them so that they protected his head and shoulders, and stopped to admire her work. “Feel cooler?”
Grisha grinned from beneath the hood and nodded. “Feel cool,” he confirmed. The giant stood and took another inspecting sniff of the brush. Shujae pointed west and informed, “They came and left with Jamila that way.”
“Grisha go find. Goodbye,” he bade.
“Bye Grisha!” Shujae exclaimed.
“Bye Grisha. Be careful!” Qawiuna shouted.
The Saiyan happily waved back at the kids. He was going to try not to disappoint them. No matter how hot the desert got. He had to find that girl.
WC: 1,631
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Post by Grisha on Nov 10, 2020 20:08:09 GMT -8
Continued from hereThe boss’s arm swung behind him and the barrel unleashed a yellow orb that flew over to the camps and detonated. The blast unleashed a powerful bang. A dome of energy rose as the tents within its radius crumpled into ash. All the bandits were stunned to see their tent village obliterated—even Grisha was staring in awe at the blast. The boss was speechless. His mouth was hanging open for a good ten seconds as the blaze started to recede. “My…my loot,” he muttered. The bandits were feeling just as stunned. All of their belongings and stolen goods were just erased. “Welp…I quit” said one bandit. “WHAT!?” the boss yelled. “Yeah. I worked really hard to get all that stuff and now it’s gone. I quit too.” “You can’t quit! I own you!” “After that blast, you own nothing. Sorry boss, but I’m out.” The Sand Dragons started to disperse before their boss’s eyes. He sprang to his feet and chased down each conscious gang member as he tried to threaten and convince them to stay. It would have been pathetic to watch, but Grisha was more concerned with ensuring that Jamilla was safe. He returned to her and crouched. He pinched the metal at her wrists, warping them before he pried them off. He then reached behind her head to snap the gag. Jamilla removed it and rubbed at the raw bruises at the corners of her mouth. “Who are you? Did my village really send you here to find me?” Jamilla asked. Grisha nodded and removed the brush from his belt. He held it out for the girl to take and upon seeing it, she started to wipe several tears that fell from her eyes. “You’re telling the truth. This is the brush Qawiuna borrowed and forgot to return to me. But…why would they send someone so simple?” Grisha face-planted at the comment and a good amount of drive evaporated from his being. It took all of Grisha’s strength to recover. He staggered to his feet, feeling absolutely drained. He braved the heat, starvation, and when he finally found the missing girl, she called him an idiot? Grisha started walking. Jamilla rubbed at her eyes and asked, “Wait. Are you leaving me? But you just found me!” She chased after him. As they traveled back to Shujae’s village, Jamilla talked…and talked…and talked. Grisha was starting to understand why the girl was gagged. “It’s so hot. You should give me your robes,” she demanded. “Nu uh,” Grisha denied. “What? How dare you deny a lady. I’m going to burn! Can you imagine my beautiful face burned?” “Grisha die,” he countered. “Hardly. You don’t seem like the dying type.” Jamilla dramatically pressed the back of her hand to her brow and theatrically stated, “You’re not as delicate as me. My feet grow weary. Carry me.” Grisha stopped and stared at the girl in disbelief. “Huh?” “I said carry me!” she demanded. Grisha gazed blankly down at her and sighed. He grasped her arm and suddenly slung her over his shoulder to her shock. She felt the sun on her sun-kissed bottom as her grassy skirts flopped against her back. Jamilla kicked and angrily beat her fists against Grisha’s back. “You moron! This isn’t how you carry a lady!” She pressed her grass skirts against her bottom as she glared at the back of Grisha’s head. “I will not be carried like this back to my village understand! Put me down! Put me down or I’ll scream!” Grisha growled and grasped her leg. He pulled her down and set her on her feet. “I can’t believe my village sent this brute to rescue me!” she nagged. With a groan, Grisha continued the journey, walking a little faster in order to hurry back. WC: 631
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Post by Grisha on Nov 13, 2020 15:21:18 GMT -8
Toward the end of their journey, Grisha wound up carrying her. Properly. But it didn’t make his situation any easier. The lizard and chicken meat he ate hours ago had been burned as fuel, and he was back to running on fumes. The spoiled brat was drinking up all of his water while she lounged in his arms as though he were her servant. The self-entitled, daughter of a chieftain used his robes as a veil to keep the sun off her head. It wasn’t exactly how she would have preferred to be transported. Her village owned raptors, and it made sense that Grisha retrieved her on foot for she wasn’t sure there was a raptor big or strong enough to carry him.
“Are we there yet? Aren’t you faster than this?” Jamilla asked.
Grisha squinted his eyes into the bright distance. He hoped the village would appear soon. He couldn’t go any further with this girl. She had made him forget about his physical suffering for his mental suffering had become greater.
There were two raptors in the distance, dragging what appeared to be a sled between them. Grisha stopped and waited for the dino riders to come closer so that he could see their faces. It was Shujae and Qawiuna.
Shujae raised his hand and waved happily at Grisha, “Hey!”
Jamilla instantly sat up in his arms and gazed upon the two familiar faces from her village. “Shujae! Q!”
“Jamilla!” Qawiuna happily called.
Jamilla hopped out of Grisha’s arms and ran to her friends. The two raptor riders slowed their steeds and both dismounted to give their recovered friend a hug. While they all hugged and celebrated, Grisha noticed the sled and figured it was for him. Without delay, Grisha walked over and stretched out across it. He was exhausted. He wanted food, water, and he wanted to take a nap. Most importantly, he needed a break from Jamilla.
“I knew you were going to find her!” Shujae exclaimed as he hopped over to Grisha. Grisha tugged some cloth from his robes over his face to veil it from the sun. Shujae tilted his head at him and said, “I guess you’re not used to the heat yet. It looks like the robes helped though. You’re not burning.”
Qawiuna helped Jamilla onto the back of her raptor. “I can’t believe he found you,” said Q.
Jamilla crossed her arms and huffed a hmph! “I can’t either. You sent a caveman to find me. You should have seen the way he was carrying me earlier.”
Grisha sighed in exasperation and Shujae patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry; we know how Jamilla is.”
Shujae raced over to mount his raptor next and the group returned back to the village with Grisha in tow. They pulled the sled into the shade to allow Grisha to rest, while Shujae and Q returned Jamilla to her father. The village chief was relieved, and the villagers cheered in celebration. The celebration was short-lived when the blare of an engine roared overhead. It was the red-headed gang leader from before. He was on a motorcycle with his arm gun set on the village.
“This wasn’t part of the deal! The deal was you give me the girl, and in exchange, I spare your pathetic village from destruction! And yet you sent some mercenary to steal her from me!” the bandit leader shouted.
The villagers were frozen in fear. The village chief tried to hide Jamilla behind him, but the stubborn girl stepped in front of him and shouted, “I am not yours! I belong to no one! And it’s your fault your stupid little gang no longer exists!”
The village chief quickly grabbed Jamilla and pulled her back. “Are you trying to get us killed?”
“She sure is,” the bandit leader interjected with a wicked chuckle. “Ugh, screw this. I was thinking about turning your crap village into a new base for my Sand Dragons, but there isn’t anything useful here. So, I’m just gonna blow the place up!”
The bandit leader’s arm cannon started to glow. As he aimed his death gun at the village, he didn’t see a single look of fear on their faces. The leader frowned suspiciously as he thought, They were scared a moment ago. No matter!
A large hand reached down to grasp the end of his gun barrel and crushed it like a can. The bandit leader gasped and snapped his head over his shoulder to see Grisha scowling down at him. He hadn’t heard his approach over the rumble of his motorcycle engine. “You again! No; wait! I’ll pay you twice the amount they’re paying you,” he begged.
Grisha, maintaining his hold on the bandit leader’s gun arm, hefted the man off his motorcycle.
“No! My bike! No wait! Please!” he panicked.
Grisha started turning, carrying the scum bag in a circle. He turned faster and faster until the g-force started to pull on the leader’s face. When Grisha released him, the man was shotput into the blue sky to hopefully be seen no more. The bandit leader had disturbed the giant. He had seen what his arm cannon could have done to Shujae’s village. Shujae’s village could have been Kousetsu Village if he had allowed the man to destroy it.
Cheers rose behind him. Villagers rushed Grisha to surround him with praise, which was a welcome contrary to what he had originally received. The Saiyan smiled, but he didn’t linger. He was still melting, and hungry, and thirsty. He made a desperate dash back to the sled in the shade. It was there where he rested, while the village returned to celebration. Shujae, Q, and Jamilla played with the motorcycle, having never operated one before, while the villagers prepared a meal.
WC: 964
Total WC: 5,728
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