Velos left Lupin behind, his voice fading into the storm, wind drowning out any sound. In the air, he felt himself relax, his mind focusing on the beast, the sulo, in front of him. He brought Wederan forth, holding it in both hands, his cloth drooping, his height dropping quickly.
Below, the sulo let out a roar, jumping up, flapping its wings, soaring up into the air, wind and sand billowing around it. In only a few seconds, the sulo had closed the gap, reaching out with a claw, swinging towards Velos.
Velos brought Wederan forth, holding it in front of him, the blade, sliding along the claw, digging into flesh. Another claw passed by, brushing past his shoulder, passing through cloth and shoulder, tearing his shoulder to shreds. Velos let out a pained yell, falling through the sky, placing Wederan against his chest. He willed energy to pass into himself, feeling his shoulder numb, muscle connecting muscle, tendons snapping back together, skin tightening around the area until his shoulder was as good as new.
In the next moment, Velos pulled his cloak back out, gaining height, twisting around to face the sulo, hovering above him. The sulo watched him, seeing him rise up, becoming level with each other in the raging sandstorm. The sulo cried out, the roar echoing in the storm, the sand starting to fly towards it.
Velos felt himself drifting closer, the strength of pull increasing every second. Then, he lost hold of his cloak, his body flattening out, zipping right for the maw of the sulo. His legs pointed towards the mouth, but Velos managed to flip his body, gripping hold of Wederan, brandishing it in front of himself, prepared to strike. In the next moment, the pull stopped, sand floating in midair, Velos righting himself, pulling his cloak back out.
The sulo eyed him down, their stomach continuing to swell. Velos directed himself away, not knowing what was causing the continued growth of the sulo. In the next moment, the sound of a drop falling and hitting water echoed around Velos, cascading around the dunes. Velos looked around, seeing if he could find what made the noise, when he heard the sulo open its mouth. The next moment, a shockwave crashed out, blasting Velos away, over the next dune. He twisted in the air, trying to bring himself back out, not able to. The sky and sand swirled in his vision, sand approaching fast. He crashed into the sand, expecting to roll and get up, but sank through the top layer, burrowing into the sand.
He kept sinking, deeper and deeper, until he brought Wederan in front of him, holding it with both hands. He put his will into the blade, a field of air blasting out from him. He slammed into the side, crashing into a wall of sand, air leaving his lungs. He brought in a breath, feeling every bit of air enter, each causing him immense pain. He took Wederan and placed the hilt against his chest, willing it to heal his wounds. He felt static, his head bursting with pressure. A voice in his head proclaimed, 'You have been injured by a Great one, healing by normal means is not possible.'
Velos coughed, drops of blood spouting out, hitting the other side of his sand tomb, burying into the shifting sand. What was that voice, I have never heard it speak in my life, lest I not be able to heal myself, he thought. His chest ached, his ribs cracked and bruised from the impact. This would take a while to heal from.
The sands continued shifting, flowing around his air bubble, while he sat and thought of what to do, when he saw a piece of cloth slide past his bubble. Velos reached out with his right hand, wincing in pain, and grabbed the fabric, pulling it close, much effort needed to bring it into the bubble. As he kept pulling, he saw the outline of a body, one he had seen just today. Velos pulled Lupin through the bubble, his body falling onto the ground.
Velos looked at Lupin's body, no movement coming from him. He brought Wederan over to Lupin, sweat dripping from his forehead, his body under great exertion. Pressing down, pain filled his head once more. The voice came back, repeating the same statement, 'You have been injured by a Great one, healing by normal means is not possible.'
He turned Lupin over, looking to find any way to wake him. He started to press down on his chest, over and over, looking to start his heart again. He did it on instinct, his hands pushing hard and steady. Minutes passed, Lupin remaining still.
Velos dropped back, his chest heaving, trying to catch his breath after the amount of exertion he had undergone in the little time he had been there. He then felt fur brush against the back of his head, falling past. He whirred around, sticking his hand through, pulling Deno into the bubble. His companion coughed out a small amount of sand, but looked unharmed, he had escaped most of the conflict.
He placed Deno down next to him, laying back against the wall, Deno curling up next to him, both taking a second to rest in the chaos that had ensued.
As he closed his eyes to take a rest, Lupin's eyes shot open, gasping for breath, coughing out. Velos's body pressed back against the barrier, eyes wide in amazement. Lupin heaved forward, vomiting out a plethora of sand and debris, his heaving filling the area with dust.
After he finished, Velos crawled over to him, holding him still and from falling into his vomit. Lupin looked up to see Velos holding him, his face contorting in a mix of emotions, landing on one of gratitude.
"I didn't think I was going to make it," Lupin stated, "I was running away, when the sand gave out beneath me."
Velos replied, "Yeah, I fell through as well, after my fight with the sulo."
"What happened with that, I only made it 30 seconds before the ground went out, the fight you had must've been quick?"
"Yes, it was. The sulo was a much greater threat than I would have imagined. It took my shoulder, though I brought it back to shape quickly, brought in all of the winds and sand in the storm, and then blasted me away, through the sand, landing where we are now."
"Right before the sand fell from beneath me, I heard the strangest sound. It was like a water drop hitting the surface of a lake, one I've heard many times before, but never this clear. Did you hear that as well?"
"I saw what caused it. When the sulo took in all of the wind and sand, its stomach swelled up, until it released everything. I have never seen anything on that scale before, it took everything I had to keep myself from dying here like you would have, suffocating in the shifting sands."
Up above, they heard the screams of the sulo, flying over the desert dunes, scouting for Velos, looking to finish its fight. Velos lifted a finger to his mouth, signaling Lupin to quiet until the sulo passed.
They sat in silence, the only thing breaking it being the continued coughs between both, blood and spit hitting the floor, pooling together.
Lupin looked down, before looking Velos in his eyes, hesitantly, saying one thing, "When I lost consciousness, I saw something, something I believe is important to everyone, everywhere."
Velos tilted his head, a quizitive look on his face, "You must have been out for only a minute or two, what makes you think you saw something of meaning?"
Lupin spoke low, without stuttering, "I know what I say might seem crazy, but in those few moments, I experienced days, finding there is a bleak future ahead of us. What I say next, bring it to memory and help me spread it to others. Help me prevent this disaster."
Velos, about to retort back, was cut off by Lupin, who began a tale, one he would never forget.