Who Let the Drakes Out?
One lovely summer day in the city of Ruleroar, the Skyhoods were enjoying some wild, exciting music provided by their fierce friend, Raveesha. She had brought her music cassette player, and was sharing her newly purchased rock and roll tapes. Even in the fantasy world of Lorstar there was modernization that made electric guitars and drum sets common.
In the park pit of the second class district, Skydan, Varoura, Raveesha, and Zondike danced energetically to the enticing tunes. Laylee and Kayo simply sat down quietly and enjoyed watching their friends rock out. Skydan, never much of a dancer, looked quite silly with his fist pumps, shaking hips, and sloppy jumps. Laylee giggled at his antics.
“He’s no dancer, but he sure knows how to have fun,” she said.
“More than you, twinkle toes,” Raveesha taunted as she danced. “What’s the matter? Your ballet dancing no good for good music?” Laylee was about to counter Raveesha’s taunt, but Kayo spoke up before she could.
“No music can be defined as good or bad by genre alone,” he said calmly. “Such thoughts are nothing more than opinions. There are no facts.” Skydan heard his mature friend’s words of wisdom and chuckled.
“Come on, guys. This is no time for fighting. Now’s the time for dancing!” The Sky Blue Warrior continued his wild, unimpressive dancing. Varoura and Zondike couldn’t help but laugh at his ridiculous moves.
“He can save the world from an earth-quaking menace, but he can’t dance,” Zondike chuckled.
“Who cares? He’s wonderful!” Varoura beamed. Despite Skydan’s embarrassing performance, Varoura still adored him more than anyone and anything. To be fair, though, her dance moves were not all that impressive either, and she knew it. “Hey Laylee. Do you think you could ever give me some tips on dancing?” Laylee sighed and lay down on her back casually.
“If you’re interested in learning from a girl who was practically forced to practice ballet, I would love to,” she replied somewhat bitterly.
“Never mind,” Varoura said, continuing her dancing. As the Skyhoods enjoyed their rock and roll, they were blissfully unaware things were about to get truly wild and crazy, and not in a positive way. The eventual cause of that wild mayhem was observing them from atop a building, hatred flowing through his heart, body, and mind like blood in his veins.
Far to the edge of the city in the first class district, there were the drake fields. Drakes are four legged, wingless dragons that are masters of speed. In Ruleroar, drake races were popular among the rich and those who enjoyed serious betting. Though these particular drakes were classified as domesticated, they never missed an opportunity to run with all their might. The electrically charged corrals surrounding the large, grassy fields kept them from escaping. If they ever broke out, the energetic dragons would likely cause great mischief and damage in the normally lively and joyful first class district.
Suddenly, someone intent on ruining that joy began to hover above the fields. It was a horrendous dark fairy that the entire city was all too familiar with. One of the most feared fire elementals in all of Vorika. It was Araso, the Great Flare. The fiery red haired dark fairy stared at the drakes as they ran around in circles on the field. These will be his tools for shattering the peace of Ruleroar, if only for a day. The sights of his worst enemies, the Skyhoods, thoughtlessly enjoying themselves fueled his hatred and fury. He desired nothing more than to crush their moment of peace. Perhaps these disgusting drakes could do just that for him. He could tell the bright sunlight was inciting them, so unleashing them into the city would likely do the trick.
“Savage beasts, do my bidding. End the peace of Ruleroar if only for a while,” Asaro snarled. The fire dark fairy glided down to the corral separating the drakes’ field from the first class district. He spread his arms out at his sides, and began to form massive fire balls in his fists. He was aiming to destroy the barrier. The drakes will get lose and cause total mayhem on the streets. Knowing the Skyhoods, they will try to assist in recapturing them. It should end their moment of peace, if only for a while.
With a mighty battle cry, Asaro fired two large fire balls at the corral barrier. An explosion ripped the electric fence apart, causing a bright flash of light and thundering bang that frightened the drakes horribly. It got worse. The electricity surging through the fence burst like lightning, destroying most of it. The sounds and lights of the explosions panicked the drakes even more. They dashed over the remnants of the corral and ran right onto the streets.
“What the kludd?!” the rancher tending to the drakes shouted, flying outside after hearing the explosions. The scene that lay before him was absolutely terrifying. “What happened?!” he screamed. “The drakes! The drakes! No!” It was too late. The racing drakes were loose and darting through the streets of the first class district. People who were sitting down having lunch were forced to run and fly to safety as the racing dragons battered through everything not cemented down. The rancher hovered over the chaotic scene, in utter disbelief and horror. This was some major trouble. There was only one thing to do: Inform the Masters. Only the strongest warriors of Ruleroar, and possibly all of Vorika, could stop this chaotic conflict. The rancher flew off and shouted out to the sky. “Someone call the masters! The drakes got out! The drakes got out!”
Back at the nature pit in the second class district, the Skyhoods continued enjoying Raveesha’s rock and roll cassettes. Raveesha was the fiercest dancer of them all. Her head banging and thrashing was so intense, her friends thought of it as an overreaction. Skydan, who was dancing close by, nearly bumped into her when he did a small jump.
“Watch it, goldy tail,” Raveesha snapped. Skydan chuckled, taking a second to proudly glance at his golden chained tail rings.
“Hey. That tail is worth a lot,” Varoura giggled.
“I did make it myself,” Skydan bragged.
“Si. We all know, amigo,” Zondike said, somewhat annoyed by the loss of Skydan’s usual modesty. “If only you could dance as good as you make jewelry.” Skydan turned towards Zondike and gave a ticked off grin.
“Well, I’d dance better if this was Vorik music. Vorik dancing is what I do best.” Vorik dancing is the equivalent of our world’s Greek dancing. Usually performed in a group, each dancer moves in specific steps in perfect unison while holding each other’s hands or shoulders. It was complex and required quite a bit of teamwork.
“Oh! I just love Vorik dancing with you guys!” Laylee exclaimed happily. Raveesha groaned and rolled her eyes.
“Lame,” she moaned. The friends glared at Raveesha as if they were displeased with her comment. She looked at them all with raised eyebrows. “What? I’m just-.”
Suddenly, the musical enjoyment of the Skyhoods was loudly interrupted by a frantic shouting even louder than the electric guitars playing on the cassette player. The friends looked up and saw a dragonman wearing dirty work clothes flying over them. He was screaming in a complete panic.
“The drakes got out! Get the Masters! Hurry! The drakes got out! The drakes got out!” As the worker flew over and past them, his voice slowly faded out of hearing range. The Skyhoods had no idea what that was all about, but it certainly intrigued them for a rather unusual reason. Skydan, Zondike, and Raveesha looked at each other in bewilderment. Then, Skydan said a line that nearly made them burst out laughing.
“Who let the drakes out?” Hearing that, all the Skyhoods, besides Kayo, erupted into laughter. It was funny because there was a popular rock and roll song called Who Let the Drakes Out. A song so popular almost everyone in the continent of Eurica knew it. While the friends laughed at the possible joke, Kayo gave a cold, displeased stare. To silence his friends’ foolish laughter, he exhaled an icy mist, causing them to experience a major cold wave. The Skyhoods gritted their teeth and shivered from the sudden freeze.
“W-W-W-What’d you do that f-f-f-for?” Skydan asked, shaking. Kayo closed his eyes and shook his head.
“That is not appropriate to joke about,” he said. “Obviously that guy was in true distress.”
“Do you think something happened?” Zondike said, trying to shake off the cold. The friends all looked at each other, knowing fully well what they all intended to do. Varoura, wanting to inspire them, stood tall and gave a firm expression.
“Well, we can’t do anything just standing around here dancing. Let’s follow that rancher!” she said.
“Yeah!” Let’s go, amigos!” Zondike exclaimed. With that, the Skyhoods all flew out of the nature pit and readied to pursue the rancher. However, they all stopped when they heard disturbing sounds from behind them. Screams of terror and destructive crashes and smashes sounded from the direction of the first class district. The Skyhoods began to wonder if chasing the rancher would be worth the effort. Just from the sounds alone the problem the friends were about to face seemed obvious.
“You know what? Let’s just fly right towards those chaotic noises,” Raveesha said. “I’m sure we’ll figure out what’s going on.”
“Agreed,” Kayo and Zondike said at once. Following their ears, the friends flew to the richest area of Ruleroar to see what was occurring. At first, all they heard were noises, but as they followed the sounds, they eventually came across a frenzied sight. The friends landed on the arch of a building’s entrance and slowly made their way up higher. Finally, they reached a building top high enough to get an effective view of the streets. What they saw made them stare in silent, disturbed bewilderment. Rarely did they see such terrible chaos in their city’s most beautiful area.
The drakes were running madly through the streets, smashing into everything from walls, chairs, plant pots, bushes, fences, and anything else not attached to the ground. Loud crashing noises filled the air as debris littered the ground. Worst of all, however, innocent people who were just enjoying their afternoon were forced to jump, run, and fly out of the beasts’ ways. The Skyhoods were troubled by the citizens’ screams of terror.
“I think I’m gonna hurl,” Skydan groaned.
“Those fancy people didn’t deserve this,” Varoura moaned. Raveesha shrugged.
“Who knows? Maybe some of those snobs did,” she said dismissively. The friends glared at Raveesha for a few seconds before refocusing on the rampaging drakes.
“OK. So, what’re we gonna do to stop them?” Laylee said.
“You’re asking us, smarty skirts? You’re the big brain here,” Raveesha said.
“Well,” Laylee said touchily. “I am highly intelligent in the concepts of science and history, but I never had any need to know how to tame rioting drakes.”
“Well I do,” Raveesha said, somewhat proudly. The Skyhoods looked at her, rolling their eyes and giving small sighs. Raveesha noticed their apparent annoyance and became a bit angry. “What? You don’t believe me? I’ll have you know I had a few shots at drake riding when I was fourteen. I know exactly what makes them stop.”
“Then tell us already,” Zondike said. “The sooner we know the less fancy outdoor furniture will go flying.”
“And less people fleeing for their own good,” Varoura added.
“All right, all right,” Raveesha said, giving an unamused glare. The friends gathered around to listen to their fierce friend’s instructions. “See, what you gotta do is find a way to cover their eyes,” she explained. “What they can’t see won’t provoke them. Grab a blindfold or whatever and obstruct their sight. That should stop their mindless rampaging.” It did not take long for the Skyhoods to agree that was a good idea. They nodded at each other, confirming their thoughts were the same.
“Then it’s decided,” Kayo said. “Everyone, spilt up. Find items to blind the drakes to calm them down.”
“Got it!” everyone exclaimed. With their strategy decided, the friends split up to put a stop to the racing drakes’ rampages.
Laylee, feeling somewhat bitter about using a strategy thought up by Raveesha, glided towards a drake that slammed into a tree. The drake made a sharp turn and headed straight for a light post. The pole was snapped like a twig. Laylee winced from the intimidating sight.
“Oh dearie dear. I can’t believe I have to get on that thing’s back,” she thought. “Veev, this technique of yours better work!” Gathering her courage, the pink dragonman girl dove down to grab the wildly running creature. However, it was very fast, and Laylee missed her attempts to land on its back. On the third attempt, Laylee could not stop her dive in time and crashed to the ground. She slowly rose up and shook the dust off her skirt. “What a pain in the tail,” she moaned. Suddenly, she heard a different series of crashing noises. The second she turned, she witnessed something that made her jaw drop. The rampaging drake had smashed through the glass doors of a fancy restaurant. Inside, violent sounds of broken glass, food splattering, tablecloths ripping, and silverware scattering echoed from inside the luxurious eatery. Laylee blinked slowly, then slumped over and sighed. “Oh boy,” she sighed. The thought of having to confront that beast in a crowded restaurant both annoyed and worried her.
Suddenly, a thundering blur darted past her, giving off a major flash. Laylee was amazed. It was Astravolt, the Master of Lightning. The Masters must have found out about the chaos and were moving in to help put a stop to it. The star-winged lightning dragonman peeked into the restaurant, maintaining a look of strict composure. Laylee, wanting to help her teacher, slowly walked over to him with her arms shyly held behind her back.
“Looks like we’re in for a fierce dragon rodeo, Joyful One,” Astravolt said to Laylee without turning towards her. Laylee grinned widely at the sound of her star name. It was an honor to be addressed like that by a Master.
“It certainly does, Master,” Laylee said with a smile. “My friend Raveesha said blinding them might calm them down.”
“That is exactly what Flamrussel said,” Astravolt replied. “OK. Would you distract it with lightning bolt attacks while I cover it with a table cloth?” Laylee beamed with excitement. She loved the idea of having the opportunity to team up with Astravolt.
“You got it, Master!” she exclaimed. The two lightning dragonman, master and student, then charged into the restaurant to subdue the rowdy drake.
Across the street, one of the drakes had stopped its rampage after facing down a cold, intimidating dragonman. That dragonman was Kayo. The ice elemental stood in the middle of the road while the ticked off drake glared at him. Kayo returned its menacing glares with his signature icy, emotionless stare. The drake was visibly growing infuriated with Kayo’s lack of feeling. From the top of a building, the ice master, Frosandia, silently observed the suspenseful scene. She stared at Kayo with her arms crossed.
“Do not break your composure, Frozen One,” she whispered. “Show me your power, young man.” The drake growled and snarled angrily, but Kayo’s cool did not waver. He knew it was only a matter of time before the drake would snap, allowing him to spring his trap. Then, Kayo made a small grunt and turned away, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. That gesture finally made the drake snap. It lunged at Kayo full speed. Even with the raging dragon dashing straight for him, Kayo maintained his solid, frozen composure.
“So that’s it, huh?” he said. Kayo leaned back and inhaled deeply. Then, in a long, deep breath, he blew a flurry of ice not at the drake, but the ground in front of it. The stone city floor was instantly covered in ice. The second the drake stepped on it, its clawed dragon paws slipped and slid out of control. The drake toppled over in a heap as it slid towards Kayo. As it quickly approached, Kayo made a strong, wing flapping leap right over the racing dragon. The split second he hovered over it, Kayo removed his strapped muscle vest and covered the drake’s eyes with it. Blinded, the drake had nothing to charge at, and it simply stopped in its tracks. Its loss of energy from the rampage finally hit, and it collapsed, panting heavily. Kayo, sitting on the drake’s back, narrowed his eyes and gave a small sigh. “Good boy,” he whispered.
“If you say so,” Frosandia said, flying down towards Kayo. Kayo turned to the ice master and looked at her calmly. Frosandia did not smile but looked especially pleased with Kayo’s actions. “Well done, Frozen,” she said. “I’ll take it from here.”
“Please do, master,” Kayo sighed. He got off the drake’s back and Frosandia took his place. Kayo grabbed his vest back and the drake stood up. After being calmed by the sudden blinding, the drake was now perfectly controllable. Frosandia guided the drake back towards the ranch. Kayo looked on as he put his vest back on.
“My friends better be doing this as well as I have,” he said, closing his eyes and turning his head.
At the main park of the first-class district, Zondike and Raveesha, armed with picnic tablecloths, tried to ensnare the three drakes rampaging through the nature area. Unfortunately, there were several trees and bushes that hindered their attempts. The cloths would get caught in the bushes as they flew with them. The trees were hard to maneuver around, too. Zondike had a drake right in his sights. He grinned widely as he prepared his cloth for capture.
“Ya entiendo!” he exclaimed, which translates to ‘I got you now!’ Just when he thought the drake was finally his, it made an abrupt turn and Zondike flew directly into a tree. He screamed as he tumbled through the branches and fell to the ground on his back. “Kludd!!” he screamed in frustration.
“Quit cursing and start covering!” Raveesha growled at him. “These drakes ain’t gonna smother themselves! Get back in the air, stripe streaker!” Zondike chuckled slightly at the nickname. He shook his head to shake off the dizziness from crash landing.
“I’m a massively strong caballero of Exocan origin. I can handle fighting drakes like this,” he said. Zondike gripped the picnic tablecloth tightly and raised it high. With a swift downward motion, he gave it a strong wave to shake off the dirt and leaves. It was that split second when Zondike was reminded of something. Something he knew very well from another country where people spoke Spanish. In Spana, brave warriors would use bright red and pink cloths to lure a raging bull towards them. The warrior would then strike the beast with a straight, metal staff to unhook a ring off its horn. This was the sport of bull fighting.
Zondike’s green eyes lit up and his face flared with joy. Raveesha, who failed once again to cover a drake, noticed his haughty grin.
“What’s that stupid look for?” she asked, hovering over him. Zondike then turned to Raveesha. When he did, his eyes lit up even more. The tablecloths may not have been red or pink, but Raveesha’s body markings were such a bright, hypnotizing pink, with the right provoking they would tick off any rampaging four-legged creature. “Hey fire flyer, what’re you looking at me all gooey like that for?” Raveesha asked testily. Zondike quickly snapped out of his fascination with his idea and flew up to Raveesha. He knew exactly how to provoke her into helping him with his plan.
“Tell me, Veev. Are you a brave, brave, hardcore rock and roll chick?” he asked in a suspenseful tone. His confident smirk slightly infuriated Raveesha.
“Oh, you bet your tail tip I am,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and twisting her waist. “I ain’t scared of nothing. You got no idea what I can do, scarlet scales.” Zondike’s grin grew wider as if he were excited to tell his feisty female friend his plan.
“Raveesha, do you know about bull fighting?” he asked. Raveesha was confused at first, but then noticed Zondike was looking at her hot pink markings. Slowly, Zondike’s intentions became clear to her, and she was not happy. She gritted her teeth fiercely and shook her head, facing away with her eyebrows scrunched in an angry frown.
“Oh, hell no! Hell no!” she snapped, turning her head up to the side. She kept her eyes shut and her face turned away, but Zondike remained quiet. Raveesha opened one eye and saw him continuing to grin smugly. Silence fell on the two friends for several seconds, each waiting for the other to break their composure. It seemed neither of them would stop their arrogant stares.
Eventually, the plan was set into place. The three drakes continued their mindless charging and there was no sign of them stopping. Suddenly, Raveesha screamed as loud as she possibly could, gaining their attention.
“Hey four leg lookas! Over here!” she taunted loudly, swaying her body. She enlarged her wings so the hot pink membrane was clear as day to the angry beasts. “Your measly mommas were miniscule salamanders! You’re as slow and ugly as homeless turtles!” The drakes may not have understood Raveesha’s words, but her cheeky poses and tone were more than enough to infuriate them. All three stampeded towards her full speed. “You’re up, bull buffer!” Raveesha shouted, taking a powerful leap. Zondike, flying in fast, armed with two tablecloths, darted right towards the racing drakes and dropped the cloths right on their faces. He landed on one of the drake’s backs and used his incredible strength to keep them snared. However, there were three drakes, and Zondike could not keep a hold of all of them. The cloths were slipping.
“Aye aye aye!” Zondike screamed. “Get over here, Veev!” Raveesha dove over and landed on another drake’s back. The third one was about to break free, though.
“We need another bull fighter now!” Raveesha shouted.
“I’ll take that offer,” a rather charismatic voice said. Zondike and Raveesha looked up and saw Galeos, the Master of wind, flying towards them. The fabulous warrior glided to the third drake, and with a fancy twist landed on top of it, securing the blinding cloth. He turned to Zondike and Raveesha giving a friendly, frivolous grin. “Glad I dropped in, friends?” he asked with a wink.
“You bet, Master Galeos!” Zondike exclaimed. Now with the sides even, the three dragonman held on tight to calm the agitated drakes. Already the loss of sight began to sooth them, and their thrashing simmered down.
“I wonder what the heck could’ve happened to free these beasts,” Raveesha said.
“Well, one thing is for sure,” Galeos said. “This little predicament was no accident. Someone intentionally let these drakes out.” Zondike and Raveesha held in chuckles. Really, the only thing missing from this whole event was the song.
Skydan and Varoura pursued two female drakes through the streets, all the while trying to find something to blind the stampeding creatures. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be anything like that in the residential district.
“I can see Laylee’s house from here,” Varoura said as she flew beside Skydan.
“You could see her massive mansion a mile away,” Skydan said. “Keep your eyes open for anything we could use to blind them!” As Skydan spoke, Varoura finally spotted something that could work. A large pair of pajama pants were hanging from a laundry wire between two balcony beams. With a mischievous smile, she snatched the jammies off the wire, sending the clothespins flying. Skydan groaned.
“Aw man. Really?” Varoura turned to Skydan and shrugged.
“It’s just jammies, and it’s for a good cause,” she said.
“I guess,” Skydan sighed. Realizing there was probably no other option, Skydan found another laundry wire and swiped a towel off it. “We’re returning these right after we capture them,” he insisted. “If they’re still in one piece.”
“Got it, Skydan,” Varoura said. Armed with their blinders, the couple sped up their flight to catch up with the rampaging drakes. A residential district was the worst possible place they could be. Skydan and Varoura knew they had to catch them fast before someone’s home was damaged or destroyed.
The two dragonman glided slightly downward to pick up speed. Slowly, they moved closer and closer to the charging drakes. Finally, they were in striking distance. Skydan and Varoura readied the cloths.
“OK. On three,” Skydan said, sharply eyeing the drakes. Varoura intensified her focus as well. There was only one shot at this. This had to be a success. Skydan began his countdown. “One…..two…..” The couple raised their cloths, ready to strike on three.
Suddenly, a massive fire ball rocketed down towards them, giving a mighty, flaming roar.
“Look out!” Varoura shrieked. She and Skydan flew to the sides in a desperate attempt to dodge the flaming comet. The attack exploded and sent them both flying into the houses’ walls. Varoura smashed straight through a window, interrupting a couple’s early dinner. Varoura sat up and shook her head, brushing the debris off her. The homeowners stared at her in shock. She awkwardly looked at them and gave a small, courteous bow. “My apologizes for disturbing your meal, but something…” Before she finished her sentence, Varoura realized what had happened. She and Skydan were attacked. Varoura quickly got to her feet and headed out the door.
Skydan slid down the wall and hit the ground hard. The shockwave of the fiery explosion dazed him. Fighting through the dizziness and ringing in his ears, he managed to get to his feet. Once he was up, his blurred vision managed to pick up the sight of a red and black blur quickly approaching him. Skydan immediately knew what this figure was, and he snapped out of his befuddled state to avoid the incoming melee attack. The sound of a stone wall cracking sounded behind him. When he turned towards it, sure enough, there was Asaro. The evil fire dark fairy glared at Skydan with such hatred it caused an emotional shockwave to flow through the air. Varoura stepped outside and saw the two of them staring fiercely at each other. The clashing of their glares was so intense fire seemed to erupt from their eyes.
“What’re you doing here, you menace?” Skydan asked angrily. Asaro spread his fiery moth wings and lifted off, hovering over Skydan.
“The same reason I always come to your pathetic city,” he replied, giving a fierce, downward stare. “I’m here to inflict chaos on your peaceful day. I cannot rest for long knowing you are living peacefully without a care in the world.” Skydan gritted his teeth and snarled lowly. Oh, how he loathed these dark fairies for their unquenchable lust for vengeance.
“You just never get over it, do you?” Skydan groaned. A tension fell over the area. Varoura looked on nervously as her beloved Skydan and Asaro stared each other down. A fight was inevitable, and Varoura did not intend to merely watch.
“If he hurts Skydan, I’ll crack his skull,” she vowed. Though a fight was pending, Varoura and Skydan knew they had to finish it fast. The two drakes were still on a rampage. With no escape from Asaro’s rage, the couple took battle ready postures.
“Let’s get this over with,” Skydan muttered. In a flash, Asaro lunged at Skydan, his fists infused with raging flames. Skydan dodged the flurry of fire fists and swung at Asaro with his claws. He managed to cut him on the arm, but Asaro counter attacked with a flaming punch to the stomach. Skydan gasped from the harsh blow, but managed to counter with a blast of fire breath, which Asaro dodged. Skydan leaped back and exhaled an explosive fire ball, but Asaro dodged again. Asaro then summoned a fire whip and swung it at Skydan. Skydan leaped to dodge, but his leg was struck. Enraged, he countered with another stream of exhaled fire. Asaro tried to dodge again, but this time Skydan anticipated his movements and managed to burn his arm. Both of them stopped to catch their breath, staring each other down.
After their short rest, the combatants took to the air and unleashed their fire elements. Skydan breathed a raging stream of his bright red fire and Asaro summoned a spiraling flurry of flames. The spirals maneuvered around Skydan’s fire breath, and he was forced to dodge to the side. He did not move soon enough, though, and his left side was engulfed. Skydan screamed in pain from the raging flames. Asaro was about to fly in and land a sky kick, when suddenly he was tackled in midair by Varoura, who came in like a meteor falling from space. Skydan was shocked at first but became very impressed with his lover’s brutal body slam. Varoura drove Asaro to the ground so hard the stone city floor cracked. Dazed, Asaro struggled to get up, and saw Varoura hovering over him, her blue eyes shining bright with heated emotions.
“Nobody gets away with hurting Skydan!” she roared. Taking a deep breath, Varoura exhaled a stinging toxic mist at the relentless dark fairy. All fairies were weak against the poison element. Asaro was desperate to dodge. Gathering his strength, he leaped high and took to the air. The poison breath attack managed to hit his legs despite his efforts. Asaro yelled in pain, his legs going limp. His rage did not waver, though. Instead, it intensified.
“I’ll get you!” he bellowed. Blinded by blistering rage, Asaro flew after Varoura. She turned and flew away from him, trying to gain distance for her next, ultimate attack. Skydan, having sipped a healing potion, rejoined the fight, and flew after Asaro.
“You cowardly stitch!” Asaro cursed as he chased Varoura through the air. “Come back here!” Skydan knew exactly what Varoura was planning. He was surprised Asaro did not realize it. Surely, he knew of Varoura’s signature skill well enough to figure it out. Skydan guessed Asaro was so enraged his mind was clouded. He was too angry to think straight. What an error. Skydan had to take advantage of this. He exhaled another fire breath attack, causing Asaro to turn back towards him. “Why you!” he shouted. Before the enraged dark fairy could attack, Varoura made an abrupt turn and lurched her neck and head back for a skull crushing headbutt. Her most powerful melee attack. The instant her head crashed into Asaro’s, he was knocked unconscious. In a blink of an eye, he was out cold and crashed to the ground. Everything fell quiet as Asaro lay motionless. Skydan stared at his defeated opponent and sighed.
“That was almost too easy this time,” he said.
“You know, I bet he’s the one who let the drakes out,” Varoura said. Hearing that phrase, Skydan’s rage melted away, and he smiled. Being reminded of the irony of the situation revitalized his good mood. To think they were listening to rock and roll music just minutes before. This whole event seemed to follow the song’s lyrics so humorously.
“I bet he knows nothing about the song,” Skydan chuckled.
“Well, we don’t have time to bother with him anymore,” Varoura said, glancing down at Asaro. “Let’s catch those drakes and put them back in their comfy corrals!”
“Yeah!” Skydan cheered, inspired by Varoura eagerness. The victorious fighters then flew off to find the runaway drakes, leaving their defeated opponent behind. Skydan marveled at Varoura’s beauty and strength. “That was quite a blow, love,” he said tenderly. “You knocked his consciousness two weeks from now.” Varoura blushed, happy and flattered with Skydan’s compliment.
“Oh, Sky,” she sighed. Following the trail of destruction, Skydan and Varoura finally caught up with the two drakes. What they saw surprised them, however. Flamrussel, the Master of Fire, was standing on top of the wingless dragons, who were panting with apparent exhaustion. Flamrussel stood in a rather proud posture. Skydan and Varoura were confused.
“Master,” Skydan called, touching down in front of the huffing drakes. “What happened to them?” Flamrussel gave an exhausted sigh and shook his head.
“These lady beasts were hard to tame. They had a good time chasing after me. Luckily, I found some pajama bottoms and a bath towel to blind them. It wasn’t easy.” Skydan and Varoura could hardly contain their grins. They looked at each other, wondering if they should tell Flamrussel of their failed assault with those very cloths. Silently, they decided not to.
Right now, the battle with Asaro did not matter. The important thing now was getting these drakes back to their field. Eventually, on the way back to the ranch, the Skyhoods reunited. Zondike, Raveesha, and Galeos met with Skydan, Varoura, and Flamrussel first. They were guiding multiple drakes.
“Hey guys,” Skydan said with a smile.
“Hey yourself, purple top,” Raveesha moaned. “You will not believe what this macho miscreant made me do,” she said, pointing to Zondike.
“I know. I’m a genius,” he chuckled. “It was the same as bull fighting. What a strategy. I’m amazed.” Skydan’s eyes lit up with curiosity. He walked beside Zondike with a wide grin.
“Go on. Tell me what happened. I have to know,” Skydan said. So, on their way to the ranch, Zondike told how Raveesha danced around to infuriate the drakes so he could smother them with cloths. During the tale they both occasionally erupted into laughter, much to Raveesha’s annoyance. Varoura noticed her unamused gaze and approached her, patting her on the back.
“Cheer up, Veev. It took a lot of guts to face a group of ticked off drakes. You did great.” Raveesha’s expression calmed slightly from Varoura’s kind words, and she closed her eyes and crossed her arms.
“I did, sparkle doll, and don’t you forget it,” she said firmly. Soon, the friends saw Kayo and Frosandia in the distance. They quickly joined them with another drake in tow.
“Nice one, Kayo,” Skydan said.
“Magnífico!” Zondike cheered. Kayo did not reply. He simply joined his friends sides with the drake obediently following him.
“So that’s all drakes and friends except one,” Varoura said. “Where’s our jolly, brainy, pink companion?”
“I’m over here,” Laylee’s voice said weakly from nearby. The friends and Masters turned and saw a rather humorous sight. Laylee and Astravolt had succeeded in capturing the last drake, but all three of them were completely covered in all manner of foods. Pasta, spinach pie, tomato sauce, chicken, and of course, olive oil. No restaurant in Vorika would be Vorik without olive oil. The sight of the two filthy lightning dragonman caused futilely held in chuckles and laughs to break from the group’s mouths. Even Raveesha couldn’t help but laugh.
“What happened, smarty skirts? You run into a dinner tornado?” she asked, grinning wide. Laylee sighed, and she and Astravolt looked at each other as their friends chuckled at them. Despite this humiliating situation, Laylee found it in herself to be glad she amused her friends. Even if it was embarrassing.
“Yes, Veev. That’s exactly what happened,” Laylee said somewhat sarcastically.
“Wow, dearie. You got dirty,” Galeos said to Astravolt. Astravolt groaned and wiped a piece of chicken off his shoulder.
“This is why I wear black,” he moaned. “No noticeable stains.” Kayo and Frosandia stared impatiently at their friends. They were the only ones who did not laugh.
“Enough joking around,” Frosandia said coldly. “We must return these savage beasts before they become agitated again.” The Skyhoods and Masters calmed down, somewhat annoyed their humorous moment was interrupted.
“All right, all right,” Flamrussel said. “Come, Skyhoods. Let’s return the drakes to the ranch.” The friends nodded and the group calmly strolled back to the drakes’ home. On the way, Skydan held Varoura’s hand.
At long last, they all reached the fields. The drakes, eager to go back home after their tiring rampage, walked back through the corral gates. They were all visibly exhausted from the destruction they caused. Once the drakes were all back in the corrals, the rancher closed the gate and faced the Skyhoods and Masters.
“Se efcharistó pára polý,” he said, speaking in Vorik. Raveesha raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“He said thank you so much,” Skydan said, knowing Raveesha would ask what he said.
“Thank you so much, Masters. You too, Skyhoods. If it hadn’t been for you, the drakes could’ve caused more damage. They even could’ve hurt others or themselves,” the rancher said. Skydan and his friends all showed their joy of the rancher’s gratitude their own special ways.
“No problem,” Skydan said. “Parakaló.” That meant ‘your welcome’ in Vorik.
“Well, it’s a good thing you managed to fix the corral,” Flamrussel said. “Let’s hope nobody will get the same chaotic idea any time soon.”
“I wonder who let them out,” Astravolt said. Skydan and Varoura looked at each other. They stepped forward, still hand in hand.
“It was Asaro,” Skydan said. “Just another one of his attempts to ruin our day.” The entire group groaned when they heard this humdrum news.
“I should’ve known,” Frosandia sighed. “That foolish child is terribly persistent.”
“Well, Varoura and I beat him down,” Skydan explained. “So, he probably won’t be back for quite a while.”
“That’s good,” Kayo said. He then stood before his friends, giving a calm stare. “I believe we have finished this little mission. Let’s get back to where we left off before this mess.” The friends all were glad they could get back to their dancing to rock and roll. Now they knew exactly what song to play next. Before they flew off, they said goodbye to the Masters.
“We’ll see you tomorrow at the academy,” Skydan said to Flamrussel.
“I look forward to training you and your friends, Sky Blue Warrior,” Flamrussel replied. With that, the Skyhoods flew back to the nature pit to continue their fun, musical time. Once they returned, they played the only song fitting their action-packed hunt. Skydan and Zondike sang the lyrics as they danced.
“Who let the drakes out? Oh! Oh, oh, oh! Who let the drakes out?” As Skydan, Zondike, Varoura, and Raveesha danced and sang to the unusual pop song, Kayo simply tapped his foot to the beat. Laylee, however, did not join them. She couldn’t go around covered in food, so she washed fully clothed in the nature’s pond. Raveesha tauntingly smirked at her.
“You done yet, sweet treat?” she said. “This song ain’t gonna dance to itself.” Laylee pouted and shook her head, sending droplets flying from her soaked hair.
“I’ll remember this,” she said under her breath. Then, she regained her optimistic smile. “Oh well. At least the drakes are back where they belong.” She quickly stepped out of the pond and joined her friends, still dripping wet. Skydan and Varoura offered her some drying gusts by flapping their wings.
“Way to take one for the first-class district, Laylee,” Varoura said as she fanned her.
“Thanks, Varoura,” Laylee said. “Now let’s get back to the dance! Raveesha! Rewind that song!”
“Don’t tell me what to do, soaky,” Raveesha chuckled. She pressed the rewind button on her cassette player anyway. Together, the Skyhoods sang and danced to the worldwide popular song that ironically came true this lovely day. Now, every time they hear this rambunctious song, they will remember this wild, rampaging event.