by Mark Swaine
“What manner of beasts are these?” asks a jittery raider, holding his sword up defensively.
“Dead ones,” replies Yeman Ren, growing frustrated with the speed and agility of the strange creatures.
With his back exposed, Yeman Ren feels a quick scratch along his shoulders and he turns to see a speedy set of black and white wings folding shut as they disappear into the hive. Feeling another rush of wind at his back he turns again to face the others, and each one of them are still and silent, poised in a shocked pose. Even though they appear to be unharmed, Yeman Ren can smell fresh blood. As he continues looking at the statuesque bodies, they fall apart one after the other in a neat wave of curvaceous falling body parts. As halved and whole heads and wavy lined torsos slide off their lower bodies, jets of blood erupt around the confused troll. Suddenly a jumble of clicking and chirping sounds comes from the void behind the hive wall, and a hurricane of chequered wings suddenly exits from the hexagonal holes. The chequered wings attached to slim blue tubular bodies swirl around the centre of the pit sending Yeman Ren into a mad frenzy of swinging arms. As the winged creatures whirl around the pit they drive their slim daggered appendages into the portioned carcasses and carry them away to feast upon in their dark nest. Yeman Ren yells in frustration as his struggles to catch one, and as they disappear back into the bowled hive he senses one still lurking in the pit.
Yeman Ren feels a sudden flutter of wings behind him, and he digs his bare feet into the pale blue mushy sand saturated in blood. Rising high and wide, two pairs of chequered wings slowly fold open behind him. Yeman Ren smiles cunningly as he opens his hand ready, and as the four wings fold back, the creature darts toward him. Yeman Ren quickly thrusts his arm backwards with his hand wide open. Grabbing the tall creature by its solid circular wing joint, he quickly grabs its other whilst looking insanely at its upturned triangular blue head. The sleek and shimmering head suddenly divides in two and reveals two sparkling bulbous red eyes reaching outwards on white stalks attached to its pink fleshy rounded interior. The two outer halves of its solid blue head fold back to form a backward collar as gooey strands of gel create a drooping membrane over the screeching creature. The mucus sealed flaps of the creature's cross shaped mouth curl open to reveal four wavy teeth in each corner. From the centre of its mouth, a large pincer takes aim and shoots out at its captor. The sharp sucker buckles to one side as it impacts Yeman Ren's massive stone like forehead and it screeches in pain and panic whilst flapping to free itself from the troll's grip. Yeman Ren looks crossly at the creature then begins to tear its wings of in a sudden fit of rage.
“FLIES, YOU SEND ME FLIES!” bellows Yeman Ren furiously to the observing crowd.
Yeman Ren slams the creature's body to the ground and keeps it there beneath his feet whilst tearing its wings into halves and quarters before tossing them away. Yeman Ren looks down at the creature wailing in screeches then crushes its body under his large flat foot. Snarling with anger at the unclassified creature, one half of its body bulges as he presses his foot harder down.
Pressing ever firmly with his large four-digit foot, a large swelling between its throbbing segments erupts in a putrid-smelling explosion of yellow and orange guts. Captain Hao, watching avidly from the bleachers, signals the guard to send in another batch of competitors. Shaozu and the Japanese mercenary feel a warm wet splash over their backs as Officer Jing apologetically drenches them in that same yellow sticky matter. Shaozu grabs a handful of the dark yellow gloop from his neck and tests the stuff between his fingers whilst sniffing it.
“What is this?” asks Shaozu.
“A pheromone,” replies the Japanese woman.
The laughing and leering guard yanks on the lever with delight and the door to the cell clanks open. Shaozu and the Japanese woman exit the leaning cage, followed by a more fearless group of competitors. As the group gather their weapons and form a defensive circle, the Japanese woman looks Shaozu up and down. Shaozu double glances at the young woman staring at his hind quarter and gestures his weapon forward, urging her to keep her eyes on the wall.
“Stay focused, or those things will eat you alive,” warns Shaozu.
“I could eat you alive in those in tight new clothes,” says the Japanese woman with side creeping smile.
“Stay your insolent tongue, woman,” snaps Shaozu.
“Chika Minami,” replies the suddenly alert woman.
“What?” replies Shaozu.
“My name... is Chika, now listen and stay silent,” says the merc sternly.
Chika turns her head an inch to the side and backflips a second later as a razor sharp line rushes by waist height. Shaozu dives onto his chest, just as many others had as they heed Chika's heightened senses. A few unfortunate others are not so lucky in the attempts to out speed the razor sharp wing, and as the survivors stand back to their feet, they look at the few shocked victims still standing, trying to comprehend their fatal wounds. A drooling merc with a thin red line just below his eyes staggers a little, and as he clings on to his last few last seconds of life, his head tilts back and his scalp slides off with a thump to the ground. As the merc topples to his chest, another dare not move as he feels something wrong with his body, and as he eventually braves a step forward, he leaves his other leg behind as his body divides at his shoulder. As his arteries unleash dark geysers of blood, the two halves of the dead man flop to the ground.
“Yeman Ren, how do we kill them?” asks Shaozu.
“Lead them to me,” replies the large troll covered in nicks and scratches.
“How are we to slay these creatures using these weapons? They are useless; they would not sever the head from a chicken!” exclaims Shaozu.
“Give them to me, all of you! Pass me your weapons!” shouts Yeman Ren.
One by one the warriors throw Yeman Ren their swords. Sparks fly from his incisors as he rapidly drags and scrapes the blunt edges of the swords against his large square teeth. Yeman Ren tosses the newly sharpened weapons back to the ready hands of the warriors.
“READY?” bellows Yeman Ren.
Each of the warriors nod sternly as they prepare to use themselves as bait. Shaozu and Chika stand behind and in front of Yeman Ren and await another attack. As predicted, two curious creatures poke their heads out of dark hole directly in front of Shaozu and Chika. The two heads move back into the holes as if to have second thoughts, then without warning two pairs of flapping wings suddenly flap free of the hive toward both sides of the troll. Shaozu and Chika backflip and perform a dual somersault, and as the creatures bypass their target, they find themselves trapped in Yeman Ren's outstretched club like hands. Yeman Ren smiles vindictively and crushes one squealing in his grip whilst biting and gnawing the wings of the other. Throwing the mushy squashed insect in his other hand against the hive wall, he holds the other shrieking creature above his head and rips it in two. With Yeman Ren coming between the creatures and their feed, the creatures communicate in clicks and chirps within the hive. Coordinating and strategising, the creatures formulate an alternative method of attack. All at once the creatures rush out and surround the troll in a flurry of razor-tipped wings. The creatures move too fast for the troll to catch, and strangely they do not attack the humans. Shaozu and Chika rush to aid Yeman Ren and he commands them to keep their distance and protect themselves.
“Keep your guard up,” says Shaozu to the war-ready mercenaries.
Shaozu sees a flicker of black and white behind the hexagonal wall, and as the others heed his alarmed face and duck for cover, Chika does not. Noticing the dirt shifting off the rim of the hexagonal exit, Shaozu charges for Chika and knocks her to the floor. As a chequered wing flies past him, Shaozu looks down at the red line appearing across the top of his thigh. Chika looks up at Shaozu, and he is hardly able to comprehend the horror of his wound. Shaozu's jaw tightens as he hears a rustling sound coming from behind him, and an elegant beautiful pair of wings unfold behind him. Yeman Ren catches sight of the creature perched
behind Shaozu on its hind legs and he tries to intervene, but the creatures overwhelm the bellowing troll and pin him to the ground. The creature behind Shaozu hooks his good leg before flying away with him into the hive wall. Shaozu's face desperately hangs onto survival as he grips the small hexagonal entrance as he’s pulled inside. His cheeks twitch erratically as his bloody fingers stay curled fast to the rough rim of the short hexagonal tunnel. Chika and the other mercs race to Shaozu and scramble up the ramped wall. Chika reaches him first but his grip gives way as she reaches for his hand. Reaching far into the hole she feels the slippery movement of digits and grabs them quickly.
Chika pushes her body into the tunnel to grab his wrist with her other hand, and her and the creature are caught in a tug of war. The other mercs tug on her waist until the entire group crashes to the ground of the hive wall. Shaozu’s fall is cushioned by Chika, and she suddenly pushes him off seeing the creature scuttling down the hive wall to reclaim its feed. Chika defends Shaozu's weak body and aims a sword at it, preparing to strike. Suddenly the creature finds itself overwhelmed by ten feral mercenaries jumping onto its back from the hive wall. With multiple swords driving through its soft body, bursts of white and yellow blood spatter the blue sandy floor. Chika turns back to Shaozu and rips a large leather strap from her waist and wraps it tightly around the stump of Shaozu's heavily bleeding leg. As Chika lifts Shaozu to her arm, the creature falls dead with a thud and the mercs aid Chika and Shaozu back to the raised centre where Yeman Ren is disposing of the last of the creatures. With all the creatures dead, Yeman Ren and mercenaries hurl insults at the crowd going wild for the victorious survivors. Captain Hao hides his disdain for the bloody survivors poorly as the manky and grimy Jade guard smirks admirably at the survivors. The grimy corn rowed guard appears disappointed as he sees Captain Hao looking at him from the spectator stands, for he’d began rooting for the survivors. Captain Hao nods to the Jade guard, and the conflicted man fails to obey.
“SEND IN THE REST!” bellows Captain Hao.
The Jade guard reluctantly cranks the master lever and orders the rest of the prisoners into the arena. Yeman Ren and the other survivors are lead to another arena, and as the large group exit a walkway leading to a large dusty stadium, they look at a high bolted gate at the other side, not wishing to know what horrors wait behind it.
“Ren, I need to stop this bleeding,” says Chika, laying Shaozu against the ramped wall in the shade.
“Brace him,” commands Yeman Ren, stretching his fingers.
Yeman Ren kneels by Shaozu and rubs his hands together until smoke begins to rise from the palms of his hands. Placing a heated hand on the bloody bleeding stump of Shaozu's leg, the injured man wakes and grunts as a cloud of steam rises from his neat seared wound. As Yeman Ren cauterises the raw meat of his exposed thigh, Chika holds him down, but all look back as a sudden roar echoes through the stadium from behind the bolted gate. Everyone is suddenly still, and even Shaozu's eyes are alert enough to track the savage sound to its point of origin.
“Dragon, stay with Shaozu,” says Yeman Ren to Chika.
“I have heard many a dragon cry. I tell you now that is no ordinary dragon,” says a mercenary.
“We journeyed to the Huanghua city on dragonback. We rode separately from the infected... but I heard the screams of dragons from afar,” says another.
“An infected dragon?!” exclaims another merc.
“An Undead Dragon,” says Yeman Ren in dismay.
“You are afraid?” replies the merc nervously. “It is told through Japanese lore your kind are not afraid of death,” continues the alarmed merc.
“My kind are not afraid of death, we consider death by dragon to be glorious even... as long as we stay dead. Only a dragon's teeth can penetrate the skin of a troll, this dragon would not only infect you people, but I as well. So of course I am afraid, I'm not a fool,” says Yeman Ren.
“How do we kill it?” asks another.
“I have been in the held in the grasp of undead once before...but never again,” says Yeman Ren, sternly.
“I hear tales of your great merciful Emperor, why does he allow us to be punished this way? We do not deserve this,” says a merc in protest.
“He did not ask you people to burn and pillage our lands. You deserve much worse, you murdering pieces of hogshit,” groans Shaozu despairingly.
“Sssshhhh be silent, rest,” laughs Chika subtly, whilst stroking his blood-matted black hair.
The gate at far end of the arena rises, and from the shadows a deep purring growl comes from within. Walking on all fours of its clawed feet, the horned head of the undead dragon emerges from the shadow of the wide gateway. The dark purple scaled beast with its wings bound together by hooks and chains sniffs the air with its long and thin scabby snout. Seeking out the familiar and thirst quenching scent, the dragon's eyes fix upon the group of warriors, and it growls with lust.
“How do we kill it?” asks a Raider.
“Remove the head,” smiles Yeman Ren before running into a charge.
The mercs, raiders and assassins charge with Yeman Ren toward the dragon and flank it from all sides whilst keeping their distance. The dragon, overcome by the rich scent of fresh smelling meat, thrashes its tail against the solid ground. The dragon's scales loosen and drop from its decaying body as its neck winds like a snake to look upon the surrounding banquet. The dragon lowers its head and its top lip trembles in carnal hunger, unsure of which direction to strike first. The dragon's front facing eyes, white and lifeless, glower at its threatening meal. Balls of pus and bubbles of dark red blood erupt from the deep bite wound in the side of its neck and its curved and broken yellow teeth protrude from its mouth as its lips fold back whilst roaring in hunger. A group of raiders roll aside as the dragon shoots its jaw sidewards in a loud snap. One brave soul runs to its side and begins hacking at the rotten wound on its neck and the dragon strafes to one side and strikes him with its three clawed foot. The raider is knocked through air into a bouncing tumble. Alive but unconscious, the starving dragon moves in to claim its first meal of the day. Another raider charges with his blade aimed for its snout, but as the dragon turns its head to the side he is snapped up and chewed. The raider’s ragged torso lands beside an attentive Raider, and as he looks at the dismembered man he sees the body has already turned into an undead carcass. The bloody arms of the torn torso reach out for the Raider as he gargles and moans. The disgusted Raider looks at the starving corpse with pity and strikes the head from his shoulders with a single stroke from his blade. The dragon turns to face two more mercs approaching from both sides and whips its tail sideways across their path.
The two mercs dive into a roll and immediately recover, but one is unfortunate enough to find himself in the path of the dragon's open mouth as it takes a deep breath. With a blinding flash of uncontrollable flame, the fire bursts from the dragon’s mouth and impacts the arena wall. The incinerated man falls to his knees and chest and the dragon turns to the other merc preparing to attack. Flames breach the dragon's head and escapes through an eyeball and up its ear as it growls with its head low.
“DO NOT ENGAGE THE DRAGON!”commands Yeman Ren.
“What do you want us to do?!” shouts the merc.
“DISTRACT IT!” replies Yeman Ren.
The group of rogues clang their weapons together and the dragon is drawn to the metallic racket. Yeman Ren charges toward the creature from its side and wraps his arms around its nose and mouth whilst attempting to twist its head. The two beasts roar and growl in strained battle and roll around in clouds of dust and explosions of flame. Yeman Ren manages to grapple the beast onto its back and almost bends its neck to breaking point, but the dragon manages to brace its feet back into the dirt and turn itself upright before setting into a clumsy sprint. Still attached. Yeman Ren digs his feet into the dirt attempting to slow or even bring the dragon to a stop, but the dragon raises its neck and lifts him off the ground in a mid air dash. Thrashing its neck
from left to right the snarling dragon tries to rid of the large unsavoury pest. As the dragon thrashes its head sidewards with a powerful last ditch lunge, a portion of its top lip rips free and tears half its face of. Yeman Ren is sent hurtling far of the ground with the dragon's fleshy skin in his hands and impacts the ground in a heavy rolling crash landing. Enraged and frustrated with being kept from greater treats, the bare muscles of the dragons face tightens and bleeds as it seeks to finish of the large scrap of tough meat. The dragon's exposed jaw locks together and its teeth crack with pressure as it snarls deeply at the troll struggling to its feet. With flame bursting from its nostrils and eyeball, the dragon charges forward. Yeman Ren staggers to his feet in a daze in the midst of a blinding sun beaming upon the disturbed sand creating a blanket of glowing dirty mist.
Yeman Ren hears the pounding of feet growing louder toward him and he fears his worst fears coming true for a second time as a set of infectious teeth sinks through the cloud of dust like an undead nightmare coming to return him to an undead state of darkness. The dragon's mouth opens wide in its stamping charge, revealing fragments of its previous meal wedged between its teeth. Yeman Ren parts his legs and digs his toes into the sand whilst flexing every muscle in his body, and as the dragon approaches he sidesteps and grabs it by its horned chin and lifts it in a vertically into the air before slamming it back to the ground on the other side. Pinned by the dragon’s weight, Yeman Ren holds onto its chin and shifts its snapping jaws from side to side as it attempts to eat him whole. After five savage attempts to bite through the troll, Yeman Ren's grip tightens so hard around the rough solid curly horn it snaps from its chin. Taken off guard and with nothing else to use as a hold, Yeman Ren pulls himself from under the dragon’s weight and scurries back on his hands whilst kicking the dragon's bleeding chin away with his feet. The dragon stamps its wide thin talons over his chest, and he grunts in discomfort as two serrated claws slice into his torso. Yeman Ren looks up and sees the rows of teeth beyond its front fangs coming straight for him.