PART 5

The chariot went through several lanes as they passed by the market from the river. Still Ian could see the bustling life of the people of the Sands, very much alive under the protection of the moonlight and the shimmer of the Triune Jewel. Across a field of tents Ian could see formations of the Army of the Sun. They were practicing spear drills, under the watchful gaze of several captains barking orders to pierce and thrust.

It was Orus who spoke first.

“The Ancient Dunes may not have the technological might of the Elysian Fields nor the knowledge and martial prowess of the Far Eastern Kingdom, but we do maintain a disciplined army to help maintain our borders. They serve as guards and sentries to make sure that unwanted guests do not wander into our borders.”

The soldiers carry on with their drills as Orus continues speaking, his voice carrying smoothly over the galloping hooves of the horses drawing the chariot.

“But as you may already know, Magic is our greatest weapon.” Orus flicks his fingers and a tiny ball of flame erupted in the palm of his hand. Ian’s gaze became bright with amazement. Raguel only smiled. The god-pharaoh spoke again.

“The Triune Jewel allows me to manipulate the elements. I in turn, bequeath this power to my fiercest warriors. You know of the Rakshas, each one commands a unit of Spellcasters. They are the best and most formidable line of defense in the Sands. Personally, I don’t have much of a taste being in actual battle, but to watch? Oh my young friend, you will see very soon!”

Past the Great Pyramid was a large tent. Around the tent, stands were put up so that people could sit around the tent area. There were maybe 200 people shouting and cheering when they arrived. Flags of the Sun and different colored banners with logos and insignia that Ian was not familiar with waved in the nighttime wind.

Orus exclaimed. “Welcome friends! To the Sandbox!”

The horses slowed to a trot and eventually stopped. They all stepped down from the chariot and walked inside the big tent. People continued to scream and cheer. Vendors would walk past them offering drinks and food items. And in the middle of the tent was a large platform raised two feet from the ground. Two warriors in tunics were facing off each other. The crowd fell silent at the arrival of their king. The people all stood and bowed low. The two warriors did the same. The immediate silence was deafening.

Orus raised his closed fist high in the air and shouted.

“Begin!”

The crowd got up to their feet and erupted once more. The two warriors started to circle one another. And in a quick flash, one leapt into the air and landed a swift kick across his opponents face. Theo other man winced and rolled sideward landing in a defensive stance. The first match has begun.

Raguel spoke as the three walked towards a raised platform with seats in front of the fighting platform.

“My lord, I see you still continue the games.”

“Of course old friend!” Orus replied. “The people love it! And this is one way for us to see who is fit to join the ranks of my army. And even if I didn’t need an army, who could resist the sight of two manly men grappling one another? So gallantly lovely!”

Ian and Raguel could only smile. The king’s aides brought cool water and plates of fresh fruits. They chatted while the fight went on.

Both warriors were evenly matched. One would attack and the other would parry, then a lunge would be made with a clean hit, only to be returned in another successful blow. It was a good fight with no clear winner. The match went on for another 10 minutes when Orus stood. The crowd fell silent, and the two warriors stopped and bowed low. Their blood dripping from the wounds.

“Brave and beautiful warriors! You have done well. I call this match a draw. Both fought bravely and have earned a spot in the Sun Army!”

The crowd exploded in cheer. Both warriors embraced each other and waved to the crowd. Orus walked down from his seat and also embraced the warriors. Giving each one a kiss on the cheek. He raised their arms in victory and the people cheered on once more.

After the warriors were ushered out from the tent, the king spoke again.

“And now, my beloved people, I have a special event lined up for you tonight! On one side, my fiercest warrior, my bravest Raksha, you all know her, the immortal Lamia!

A roar louder than any before shocked Ian. The people jumped and cheered. A lone individual walked into the tent. The people parted and made way for the incoming warrior. The sight was breathtaking.

The helm was a golden snake with piercing red eyes. The priest-assassin was wearing a simple black tunic from her breasts down to just past her waist. She had golden bands on her wrists, and painted red nails. Her polished bronze skin glittered under the glowlamps, her arms and long legs were stunning, she wore long boots of golden leather. Her steps were smooth, barely touching the surface of the sand. In a quick leap almost unseen by the eye, she landed softly in the middle of the fighting platform beside the king, and bowed towards Orus.

The crowd continued to cheer. Orus continued his announcement.

“And for her opponent tonight! A special guest, a brilliant individual, and a first-timer here in the Sands...”

Ian shifted in his seat uncomfortable. “Um Raguel?”. He turned toward the angel.

Raguel was laughing in his seat. “Don’t look at me Ian, it’s not my country!”.

“...everyone please welcome, Ian!” Orus shouted to the crowd.

The people cheered again. And Orus beckoned at Ian to come to the ring. Ian sat frozen. But it was Raguel who placed his arm on Ian’s shoulders and spoke.

“Come, play along, just remember, do not die okay?” Raguel said with a smile.

Ian stood and walked towards the platform. Wearing a puzzled look on his face as he approached Orus.

Ian whispered to the god-pharoah.

“Um, my lord, are you sure about this?” Orus just looked at him and laughed.

The ruler of the Ancient Dunes turned toward the crowd and raised his arms.

“Let the match begin!”

The people exclaimed as the king made his way back into his seat. Raguel was laughing hard.

“What do you think old friend?” Orus asked. “Will your Ian be able to stand against Lamia? Or will she rip him to shreds?”

Raguel pulled two bronze coins from a pouch in his tunic and handed them to the king.

“My money’s on Ian.” The angel said with a smile.

The king boomed with laughter. “It’s a bet!”

The two warriors now faced each other on the fighting platform. Ian was still wearing his cloth tunic and sandals. The Raksha eyed him with focused intent. She then proceeded to lift her helmet slowly.

And Ian saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Her long black hair cascaded in waves almost down to her waist. She had the same polished bronze skin. She had piercing deep brown eyes in a painted face. Her lips were crimson like blood. Her sharp nose and high cheekbones added strong accents to her oval face. She was captivating. A strong and dangerous beauty emanated from her body. She was the first to strike.

Her movements were quick and fierce. She lunged too fast for the eye to see. Without thinking, Ian parried her jab with an evenly fast swipe and rolled to the side, fists at the ready. Lamia turned and paused to look at her opponent.

“You’re surprisingly fast.” She said. No one should have been able to avoid that.

Ian said nothing,

Lamia attacked again. This time she leapt high into the air. She floated for a brief instant as if swaying in the wind and disappeared into the air. Ian tensed. But he felt the tiniest licker of her presence coming up behind. He ducked low and raised an uppercut. He hit her squarely in the chest. She landed in a reverse somersault and landed back on her feet. Ian stood poised at the ready for the next move. It was Orus who broke the silence. The crowd fell quiet as he spoke.

“My my! What an unexpected turn of events! My dear Lamia has never, and I mean never, been actually hit before in battle! And here you are dodging two of her attacks and landing one of your own! Just fabulous!”

The people started to cheer.

Raguel looked at Orus as the god-king pharaoh his seat once more.

“His powers are awaking my lord. Testing him now like this was a good decision on your part.”

Orus replied. “I’m just trying to find out what he’s capable of. He’s supposed to be the ‘perfect human’ eh? Let’s see what he can do against an unkillable vampire sorceress. Hahaha!”

“This will be a good match. Lamia has not had a good challenge in over a hundred years. Not since that time she tried to grapple an angel.” Raguel replied.

“Oh I remember that! That was fun!” Orus answered.

The two immortals looked back towards the platform. The duel went to and fro. An attack from the Raksha would be blocked or parried by Ian. He would counter and Lamia would dodge or roll away. Neither one landing any significant damage on the other. Lamia was getting frustrated.

“What in the Sands are you? No mere human should be able to stand against me like this?” Lamia said.

Ian only answered by raising his fists once more.

Things changed when Lamia shifted her stance. She stood straight and tall as she raised her arms into the air. Her eyes changed and became blood red in color. Her long hair danced menacingly in the wind.

“Oh here we go.” Whispered Orus.

The air seemed to shift around the platform. It became heavy, weighing down on Ian. He crouched low, having difficulty to stand up. While Lamia seemed to start to float on air. Then small sparks of electricity circled around Lamia’s fingertips. The air cackled and cracked with the current. The wind started to howl around the arena. The people continued to cheer.

Suddenly, the sky burst open as a massive thunderbolt struck the platform landing directly on Lamia. The electricity surged and enveloped her in a bright orb of power. Ian could barely see through the blinding light. He covered his eyes.

“Take this, human.” Lamia spoke under the hum of captured lightning.

She directed the thunder bolt toward Ian and hurled it with force. The bolt sizzled and snaked with unbelievable speed and erupted with a blast on impact. The platform shook. The ground shook. And the sky burst with the smoke and sand exploding outwards.

Both Orus and Raguel stood to survey what had happened.

It seemed like an eternity when the dust finally cleared. The people watching could only gasp at the sight that they saw. Orus wore a sheepish grin on his face. And Raguel had a proud smile on his.

Lamia stood at the opposite end of the platform. Her appearance now back to normal. She was showing no signs of exhaustion if she felt any.

On the other end, the platform was cracked and in pieces where Ian crouched low. He had his arms crossed to shield the blast. He had cuts and bruises all around his body. And he was smoking from the blasts after the explosion. But his eyes were determined and sure, ready for battle.

Lamia was perplexed.

“What…”

Ian stood. His body was charred from the explosion. but his wounds started to close on their own. The scars and the bruises from the impacts of battle slowly disappeared. Right on the spot, his damages healed.

“Wonderful! Wonderful!” Orus exclaimed.

The Raksha lost it. She lunged forward in a flurry of attacks, kicking and punching in a frantic motion. But Ian’s energy seemed to shift. He was blocking the blows easily. Time moved slower for him and he could predict the movement ahead of the blows. Ian dodged and parried with ease while Lamia became exhausted with each strike. She jumped high and sped downwards for a deadly final blow. In response, Ian struck the ground beneath him with a clenched fist. The impact was massive. The platform exploded in pieces and the blast shook outwards in force. Lamia’s attack was stopped mid-air and she was blown back outside the platform. She landed with a thud ln the sand.

“Amazing! Absolutely amazing!” Orus stood and shouted. Raguel was clapping with glee.

The crowd exploded in cheer. They raised their hands and shouted Ian’s name over and over. Their loud shouts echoing across the evening air.

Lamia was down on the ground. She attempted to get up and saw a hand offered towards her. Ian was there covered in sand and smoke. Not a single wound on him.

The vampire-assassin swatted his hand and struggled to her feet. With one grave look at her opponent, she retreated into the crowd and disappeared into the night. Raguel and Orus walked up to the startled young man.

Raising his arm, Orus presented Ian to the people of the Sands.

“We have a winner!”

The people roared with delight.

Ian shot Raguel a puzzled look. He had no idea how he did what he just did. He not only survived a duel with a Raksha, but he emerged victorious. Raguel only smiled.

With the contest ended, the people started to take down the tents and cleared the platform. It was time to retreat underground since dawn was only a few hours away. And they needed the protection of the earth against the hazardous glare of the sun. it was like clockwork, Ian noticed. The community knew their roles and worked with ease. Children started putting away the little stools and things. Women gathered up the supplies and wares. The men pulled down the poles and tents. Soldiers of the Army of the Sun assisted with the effort. in due time, the people pulled back into the stone tunnels leading to the underground centers where the country of the Ancient Dunes slept during the day. By the time Ian, Orus, and Raguel entered the Great Pyramid, there was nothing to be seen and heard on the surface, except the limitless sand and the sound of the river.