by Jacky Qian
"Who else was caught?" asked Silverstar as he looked around. He realized that they were inside a pit, as large as a tennis court. It must be a cave inside a high mountain. Dozens of stalactites hung from the ceiling. Silverstar made a cry, but it was met only by a series of reverberations. Darren had brought a flashlight. Although it was fluorescent light, it was almost as bright as a floodlight. Silverstar was very curious about how it was made. Because Darren was still oozing blood, he didn't ask him.
"When we were caught by the monster, the boss was still fighting the thing. It stopped Simons, Nemo and that girl," said Darren meekly.
"Where's the rapid recovery medicine?" asked Nicholas.
"It … It fell out of the sky and was pulverized when it crashed," he replied, coughing and sputtering all the while. Darren sat up by pushing against the ground with his palms. He took out a rope with a grappling hook and said, "There's a way to get out although it's kind of time-consuming."
"Let me throw it," Nicholas offered. "You should save your strength."
Darren said, "That wall is at least six meters high. You don't have my strength, so let me do it." He twisted the rope vigorously. The grapple grasped a stone that protruded from the entrance to the cave.
"Awesome!" Silverstar said, applauding.
As Darren struggled to ascend the rope, his wound bled profusely.
"Are you okay?" asked Nicholas, clearly concerned.
"I couldn't be better. Anyway, I don't need sympathy from some kid." Darren still didn't admit that he was badly wounded, although he was afraid of the possible consequences.
The man teetered and fell from his three-meter perch. "Oww! Damn it!" Darren struggled back onto his feet and, not wanting to seem any less capable than before, renewed his attempt.
"Enough!" Silverstar couldn't see him get hurt anymore. "Nicholas and I will go first, and then we'll pull you up!"
"Oh, that's big talk!" Darren said with disgust. Silverstar had the good sense not to argue. He grabbed the rope and, despite the discomfort of it, climbed up. The smooth contours of the wall posed a challenge, but soon he made it to the top.
"My gosh, wheezing!" exclaimed Silverstar, "Nicholas! Come up and have a look!"
Standing at the mouth of the cave, Silverstar saw that the cave was about several kilometers long and its top was roughly seventy meters above the ground where there were full of holes created by certain creatures. The floor of the cave was littered with skeletons. They were at one of the caves where the split-bone beetle stored the carcasses of its unfortunate prey.
"Did you see others?" asked Nicholas when he got to the top.
"No, hopefully they are doing fine." replied Silverstar with some depression.
"They will be fine." said Nicholas out of breath.
"What is wrong?" asked Silverstar as Nicholas covered his mouth. Nicholas cried, "What is the odor? It smells terribly!"
"Odor?" Silverstar tried to smell. He immediately realized with a blush, "Sorry! I have a stuffy nose and could smell nothing."
No soon had Silverstar blown his nose than he covered it. "Wow! What a foul smell! Coughing!"
"Hey, what're you doing there?" shouted Darren impatiently, "I can't wait here much longer!"
"Come on, let's pull him up." Nicholas took a deep breath mustered his strength. "Come and give me a helping hand!"
The two of them pulled the rope so vigorously that they nearly rubbed the skin off their palms.
Alas, they managed to pull Darren all the way up. Silverstar and Nicholas dropped to the ground wheezing and hacking.
"Damn it," said Darren, "but that's an unusual odor! You'd better get away from it!" Just then, a billowing cloud of purple gas rushed toward them. They all collapsed within the fog. Darren warned in a loud voice, "Don't breathe! Nerve gas…lethal!"
Silverstar realized that the terrible smell came from the gas billowing from the split-bone beetle that had brought them to the place. The beetle had gills like those of a shark, and as it exhaled, the poisonous fumes wafted from them. It could inflate its lower jaw into an orb like a frog and then spew a cloud of the toxin.
The gigantic beetle sprang toward its prey with mouth wide open, emitting a roar that sounded like an air-raid siren. Suddenly, there came an explosion, and the split-bone beetle uttered a miserable cry. One of its eyes had been damaged, and transparent blood and other fluids began to pour from it. Then, from out of the toxic fog, a pair of big hands seized Silverstar and Nicholas and urged them to run.
"Darren!" said Nicholas coughing intermittently, "Thank you for saving us!"
The group took shelter behind a boulder, hoping not to be seen or sensed in any way. The split-bone beetle kept searching for its prospective victims. Its pupil of eye repeated the cycle of dilation and contraction. Silverstar tried his best to keep down his breathing sound lest they would be found. Inside the quiet cave, there was only the sound of the split-bone beetle that was searching for its prey and puffing out the poisonous gas.
"Guys!" whispered Darren, "we need to keep moving away from it."
The split-bone beetle roared and bashed at the boulder. It swept its lethal claw over their heads, slicing off a lock of Silverstar's hair. The split-bone beetle was determined to catch them. It came closer, jaws agape. There was another explosion. Darren shouted, "I didn't do it this time."
"I did it!" replied a loud voice. Jack descended from the sky holding a rope. He threw a piece of blue gold at the head of the split-bone beetle. He alit on the ground, and they could see that he had gliding wings designed for time travelers. There was another explosion. The right half face of the split-bone beetle burst and flew apart like shrapnel. Miraculously, though, it bleeding wound scarred over immediately. Then even the scar disappeared as the wound completely healed. Out came another cloud of nerve gas. The creature was simultaneously a walking death and a self-healer.
"This thing is really frightening!" said Nicholas. "Why would it need a cave!?"
"It even has rapid recovery capability!" said Jack, coughing. "Darren, are you okay?"
"I thought you didn't get caught. How come..."
"You didn't see it, so maybe you should have your eyes examined. Simons asked me to help you, but as a result…"
"Well," said Silverstar to Jack, "how about Catherine. Is she okay too?"
"She's fine, kid. Anyway, we need a place to hide. This monster just won't give up!"
As he ran, Silverstar thought that the monster was using a strategy of trying to drive them in a particular direction. He wondered if it could really be so.
As expected, they saw Simons, Nemo and Catherine. Obviously, the split-bone beetle was trying to gather together his prey before eating them one by one.
The split-bone beetle caught up with them and knocked them over. Its fierce-looking mouth hung above their heads, and saliva ran down like snowmelt. It seemed that the beetle was trying to choose its first tidbit.
"Guys!" Darren said, shouting toward Jack. "Go to the right. There's underground water. Run!"
"Did you hear that?" shouted Catherine, "Let's run!"
They heard the sound of rushing water somewhere near them. In order to buy time for the group, Darren removed the bow from his back and launched an arrow at the monster. The projectile went straight into its eye.
"Jump!" came the command. Simons went first, followed by Catherine and Nemo.
"Hurry up, Jack!" cried Silverstar.
"Darren needs help! I need..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the split-bone beetle gave him a slap, sending him fly several meters away. The beast turned to stop Silverstar and Nicholas. This time, there was no hesitation as it went straight for Nicholas, its mouth wide open. Jack fainted to the ground. Darren was immobilized by the loss of blood, so only Silverstar could save him this time.
Silverstar picked up the bow, which Darren had dropped. However, he was just a teenage boy. How did he have the strength to pull a bow with four strings? There was no time
to waste, because Nicholas was about to be killed and eaten. Silverstar pushed the arc of the bow with both feet and struggled to pull the strings with his hands, groaning with the effort. Blood issued from his wrist. Then the arrow, with a gleaming tip, was sent forth.
The split-bone beetle gave a miserable moaning cry and spat Nicholas onto the ground. Jack, having regained his senses, rushed in to save him. The two turned and ran to the shelter of a cave. Darren dragged Silverstar, urging the boy to jump with him.
"Ah! I'm not ready for it yet!" shouted Silverstar. He also had the urge to pee. Roughly forty meters below the mouth of the cave, they hit the chilly water of an underground river, and the flow carried them swiftly away. The split-bone beetle jumped after them, but the narrow passage kept it at bay. The roaring of a bloodthirsty rage ensued.
Silverstar was carried along by the swift current. The place was pitch-black, and he continually bumped into things as he went. It was a struggle to catch his breath. Finally, a bit of light appeared. The underground current ran into a lake, the outlet of which was a waterfall.
"Hey!" shouted Nicholas as he swam toward Silverstar. Nicholas extended his hand to Silverstar.
"Let me help you!"
"Are you okay?" asked Silverstar while coughing.
"Fine! Thanks for your help back there!" said Nicholas with a smile.
Jack said, "Darren is badly injured, so he needs treatment from Nina. She's a good doctor, though. Anyway, the boss is coming to pick us up. He'll be here soon."
"Son of a bitch! I'm doing fine, but don't use Autumn's real name!"
"Well, Catherine," said Silverstar apologetically, "I'm sorry that can't be of any help to you."
"You can!" she said, patting him on the shoulder. "Help us by stopping any attack from the rear. By the way, how'd you get those cuts on your hands?"
"Well, that's…" Just as Darren tried to explain it, a roar interrupted him. The piercing sound wave nearly sent them tumbling.
The split-bone beetle jumped off a high place. "It follows us wherever we go!" Darren complained. "We have to jump again!"
Silverstar didn't even have time to pee, and he was afraid he'd wet his pants. Nemo warned, "There are hard rocks at the bottom! If we jump, we could be turned to ground meat!"
"You could choose to jump or become dinner for that beast!" joked Darren before he leaped off the cliff which was several thousand meters high. Captain Simons took a deep breath and jumped, crying out as he fell from the precipice. Nemo was very reluctant to jump, but Nicholas gave him a helpful push. Then, before jumping, he turned to Silverstar and Catherine: "I go first," he said.
"The monster is coming!" shouted Jack. Before the beast could close its teeth on them, Silverstar pulled Jack in close so they could jump together.
"Wow!" cried Nemo with a sense of terror. "I'm still young! I can't die before I become captain of the Titanic II."
"Guys!" shouted Silverstar, "We're still in a crisis! Shut up, Nemo!"
With a deafening roar, the split-bone beetle spread its wings and pursued them at incredible speed.
"We're going to be swallowed by that thing before we have a chance to be crushed to death!" cried Nemo, waving his arms in panic. Silverstar shouted to interrupt him.
"You have to stay calm, especially in a dangerous situation! We need to shift into an upright position! It will help us fall faster!" said Silverstar with a smile. "Then, we'll have our help soon!"
"Well," replied Darren understandingly, "I get it."
"The monster is catching up!" shouted Nicholas, "Guys! Watch out!"
Nicholas pushed Silverstar aside. The split-bone beetle closed its big mouth where they had been.
"We'll reach the bottom soon!" shouted Catherine nervously, "Got a plan?"
"Working on it!" Simons was on all fours then trying to slow his rate of descent. "The monster won't fly too fast! Otherwise it will crash into the ground! Hold on a little!"
"All right?" Silverstar asked Darren with a painful expression. "Hold on! Darwin is coming!"
"Kid, I'm doing fine."
The monster sped up and threatened Darren with its saber-sharp teeth. His wound, which had momentarily stopped bleeding, resumed the flow.
"I can't take it! We'll all be crushed!" said Nemo in sheer panic. Suddenly, a shadow swooped in and scooped him up. Simons, Jack and Darren too were taken away by other shadows. The bewildered split-bone beetle looked around and saw two fire dragons circling around it. Seething with a desire for vengeance, they howled in the sunlight.
During the seconds as the split-bone beetle recovered from the surprise, another fire dragon swept Silverstar, Nicholas and Catherine away to safety.
The split-bone beetle, with a terrifying roar, spread its wings and clenched its teeth, trying to avoid the inevitable impact. However, it couldn't defy gravity. It crashed, sending rubble in all directions, and the monster rolled rapidly across the ground. In its path, boulders flew like bullets, pummeling the nearby mountains. It created a tsunami of dust and rubble. However, the split-bone beetle didn't surrender. It spread its wings again and took off, determined to catch its prey.
The fire dragon which saved Silverstar lowered its flight altitude and flew among mountains. The split-bone beetle found its gigantic body was a burden. It flew unsteadily, bellowing in its rage. Because of the air stream, the poisonous gas it puffed shot backward like the thrust of a jet. Thick, transparent traces of blood could be seen in its gray eyes. The creature gnashed its teeth and bared its bloody gums. The sight was truly horrific.
It was so awful, in fact, that Catherine turned away in disgust. She asked, "Guys, do you have any way to get rid of him?"
After dodging a peak, Silverstar spread his hand and said, "Right now, nothing special comes to mind."
"I think the dragons are going somewhere." said Nicholas, seeing that they kept changing their directions, "And…"
A thunderous explosion was heard from overhead, and it was followed by a downpour of rubble. With sharp cracking sounds, a gigantic peak collapsed, sending forth a volley of debris that just missed their rescuing dragon. The split-bone beetle wasn't that fortunate. It was hit by a shower of stones and screamed, sending out billows of nerve gas. Finally, the gigantic peak collapsed and buried the beast in the rubble. The ground trembled and quaked, creating an enormous cloud of dust. As the three fire dragons flew into it, they swerved to and fro in an effort to avoid the debris.
Silverstar again experienced the cranial pressure caused by the rapid ascent. It felt as if his brain was about to burst. He coughed and struggled in the dust storm, and the welling of tears in his eyes collected even more dust. Then, just as he was going to pass out, he saw the warm sun. At last they had exited the storm. Nicholas and Catherine, thoroughly enshrouded in dust, coughed and spit too. Once it was over, though, they started to laugh.
The fire dragons flew toward the rift valley, roaring mightily as they blazed through the air.
Rocks tumbled down the hill of rubble, and a clawing sound could be heard from within it. A moment later the hill exploded, sending rock in every direction. The split-bone beetle, cut and abraded all over its body, crawled out of that mess. With a terrifying roar, it was ready to spread its wings. At that moment, however, a voice announced through nerve radio wave: "Abort attack! The capability of the split-bone beetle has been put into full play. Release it!"
Immediately after the announcement, the eyes of the creature changed from gray to black. Its hitherto ferocious demeanor was calmed. The behemoth preened a bit of its body for a moment and then flew away, sweeping up whirls of dust.
From Bad to Worse
The three fire dragons flew lazily through the air, emulating the languid drift of the clouds. The sky looked unusually blue, all the way to where it met the horizon. Far below, Silverstar saw a lush, green forest. In the distance, flatland basins looked like shallow washbowls or platters. The three of them preferred the security of the cabin instead of hanging from the d
ragon's claw.
"I'm sorry for what you've suffered," Darwin said. "We had to visit the base. Darren is doing better now, though, so don't worry."
"Thanks!" said Nicholas while attempting with little success to knock the dust out of his hair. "You blew up the peak with blue gold. It's a good plan, but I think it's kind of dangerous."
Darwin turned to Silverstar and said, "Well, I heard that you'd hurt your hands. What happened?"
"Umm, they were cut when I pulled the bow in the cave," Silverstar answered. "They're fine, though."
"Well," Nicholas said, turning toward Darwin, "I wonder why Darren was so familiar with the summit. Maybe he'd already been there."
"That's exactly right. He'd already been, like you have. He hiked all around the summit, just for the thrill of it. So, he knows quite a lot about it."
"It shouldn't have been like this." Catherine said as if she had thought of something. "Aren't peaks created by the collision and upheaval of the earth's plates? At this point in time, the supercontinent hadn't yet divided. How could such a high mountain like the summit be formed?"
"You've got me, there. We don't have a geologist on our team," said Silverstar while spreading his hands.
"Well," Jack's voice came over the communication system, "Boss, the fire dragon is tired and needs some water."
"Approved. They had a rough time of it, too," answered Darwin. He spoke while consulting an old map he had pulled from his pocket.
"We are in C district of the blue forest. There is a transparent lake two kilometers away. We'll head for the lake."
"Yes Boss!"
Darwin then said, "Kids, watch carefully, and I’ll show you how to be a professional dragon trainer." He pulled hard at the rope on his right-hand side. The leather strap on the right side of the fire dragon tightened, thus urging the creature to veer rightward. Next, Darwin pulled the two ropes on either side simultaneously, indicating the desire for a descent.
"I can't believe that!" exclaimed Silverstar, "It's so awesome!"