Allies

Dallas led the way back to the ruins were Des was waiting. It was Kaida's turn to take in the underwater scenery with all the animals and the merfolk swimming around. As she admired her surroundings, Kaida also kept an eye out for any creatures or humans trying to follow them. Once past the merfolk, Jun made a signal to dive deeper into the shadows. The capricorn and its human were swimming around above them. Yami's black scales camouflaged well in low light when in deeper water. The capricorn swam in the other direction, not having noticed them at all. After a quick stop for some air, Dallas continued the dive towards the ruins.

Kaida became fatigued from all the swimming and wondered how much longer it would be to the treasure. Soon, they came upon the town and Des swam towards them. "Oh yay!" She exclaimed. "I was worried you had forgotten your way." Des looked Kaida up and down before looking at Yami. "Is this your friend? Woah! Is that a dragon?" She continued to ask questions which neither Jun nor Kaida could answer. Eventually, the two of them and Yami had to come up for air.

"You do know we can't talk underwater right?" Jun remarked as Des surfaced.

"Sorry, I got excited to see you again."

"So you must be Des. I'm Kaida and this is Yami. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh no the pleasure is all mine," Des said enthusiastically. "I have more friends to talk to!"

Kaida laughed then said to Jun, "She is quite lively isn't she?"

"Yes, but she stayed to look after the treasure," Jun said. "I'm happy to know that my trust wasn't misplaced."

Once Des calmed down, she turned to Jun and Kaida and inquired what the plan of action was. Kaida shook her head. "You've done a lot for us by keeping watch over the treasure. There is no need for you to get involved any further."

"But that nokk is really strong," Des protested. "Besides, I want to help my new friends out."

Jun let out a sigh and agreed to let Des help. "You have to do exactly as we tell you. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

Back on the surface, Yun stood up and dusted himself off. A concerned look fell over Kei's face. "Are you sure you're well enough, Yun?"

"I'm feeling much better." Yun directed his attention to the beach. Out in the distance, he could make out the figures of the American team coming towards them. "From the looks of it, I may not have much say in the matter."

Rei looked out at the Americans. "Persistent aren't they?"

Mary stood in front and addressed the group. "So this is where y'all been hiding." She looked around. "Where's your little friend with the kelpie and the girl with the dragon?"

"Like we'd tell you," Rei said aggressively.

"Don't be so uptight. This is a game after all. And it's one I plan on winning!" Mary snapped her finger and Astor launched a barrage of lighting bolts. Yun and the others used the rocks as coverage and hid from the attack.

Alba wasted no time to fly up and challenge Astor again. Asa and Matsume stood in front ready to attack, but without Yami they were out numbered. The black dog lashed out at Matsume who countered with a bite to the paw, only to get shaken off and thrown against the stone cliff. The wolpertinger was ready to take on Asa once again. It tackled her to the ground before running circles around her.

Rei clenched her teeth. "Looks like we're back to square one."

While their mythical creatures were distracted, the giant took the opportunity to attack the defenseless trio. Kei and Yun began inching back, preparing to run. Rei stood wanting to fight but knew she didn't stand a chance. The giant took one giant step and was about to step on Rei. "Run away!" Kei shouted.

Unable to move, Rei closed her eyes waiting for the impact. Then, the feeling of being snatched up jolted her. She opened her eyes to see the giant's foot stomping where she stood. Rei looked down to see she was on the back of a creature. It was Jack the Bunyip. "Where did you-"

"Oy mate! What's the big idea of squashing me friend like that?" Rei and the others looked over to where the voice was coming from. It was Charlie and the rest of his team excluding Amelia.

"And who might you be?" Mary inquired.

"We're representing Australia," Ivy said. "And that girl your ugly giant tried to flatten is our friend."

"Ugly giant?" The giant's human questioned in an angry tone. "We'll just have to flatten you too!"

"Oh, I'd like to see ya try it." Charlie and the girls came and stood in front of Kei and Yun while Jack brought Rei over to the group. Charlie looked at the three of them to make sure they were unharmed. He took note of Yun's frail appearance. "You alright mate? You look like ya seen a ghost."

"I'm just a bit under the weather," Yun replied. "Where did you all come from anyway?"

Isla was the one to answer. "We finished our challenge from the coach from India and she directed us here. We walked for hours until we heard the sound of you guys fighting and figured we'd come check it out."

"And we're grateful you did," Kei said. "Where's Amelia by the way?"

"She's where your teammates are," Olivia responded. "She and her Hawkesbury river monster, Quinn are on their way right now to back them up."

"But why would you help us when you have an opportunity to head for the treasure yourselves?" Rei asked.

"For the same reasons you helped us out," Isla said.

"Aye, without you lot we would still be stuck on Mt. Tanzawa," Charlie said. "We owe getting this far to you and we're not leaving you all behind."

Mary cackled at Charlie's remark. "It's a bit late in the game to be all buddy buddy. First we'll finish you off, then go find your friends and take the treasure for ourselves."

"Not if we can help it!" Rei shouted.

"Oh but you see, you're not the only ones with friends in the water."