Mykal's Second Deadly Journey

by Dave Hazel

  Mykal heard yells and screams that he assumed to be some of his men. The cries of anguish and help came from behind but he was focused on shooting the soldiers charging at him and couldn’t turn to see what was taking place. He heard Diaz, Finley, Ratner and Lemon shouting orders thus maintaining control of the men.

  Mykal pulled the two metal figurines out of his pocket and shouted the command word ‘Furundy’ when he tossed the metal statuettes to the ground. They instantly sprouted up to eight foot tall monsters. The heads were like that of a male lion, with a full mane and the snouts seemed larger and the teeth were like daggers of six to eight inches. The creatures breathed heavy and started to slobber like a Saint Bernard. The growl of the creatures could be felt through the ground. The eyes were piercing and gave the impression that they were intelligent, thinking beasts.

  The main body was like that of a stout horse. The coat was smooth and their colors were different. One was an off white and the other was tan. The heads were dark brown and their manes were a mix of browns. The other end of the animal had a tail like that of a horse.

  The legs were thick and strong like a bear. Noticeable were threatening claws at the end of each leg. Each paw was like that of an extremely large grizzly bear. On the back of each animal were its wings. Both beasts opened their wings and flapped as if stretching for the first time in a long time. The wing span of each spread over ten feet.

  The two creatures looked to Mykal as if to acknowledge they were his and they were there to protect him. He could almost sense a mental union with the two creatures that were suddenly his monstrous body guards. They let out a growl and attacked like gigantic pit bulls.

  He knew the wings were not for flying but to support the beast when it hopped up on its hind quarters and swatted with its massive, deadly paws. The wings flapped and held the creature up on the back legs while holding its prey in the front paws so they could chomp with the daggers of its mouth.

  Right away the two creatures attacked the soldiers who appeared to be a threat to Mykal. They viciously ripped the men apart who had the misfortune to get close enough to suffer bites from the massive jaws or to suffer deadly swats with the deadly bear claws. A large group tried to rush in to take down the two monsters as one, but of the thirty-four that charged in under the command of one leader, only six managed to get away unharmed. The twenty-eight had been pounced on and literally ripped apart like stuffed animals by an overly aggressive dog.

  Blood and body parts flew in all directions. Armor ripped and shredded like tissue paper. The screams and cries of grown men having their limbs pulled off, gashes six inches deep ripped into chests and backs was horrifying. When all the men had been killed, incapacitated or fled from the two creatures, they turned their sights on Towbar who was destroying the enemy at a considerable speed. Mykal wasn’t sure if they would attack Towbar because he wasn’t sure if they view the giant as a threat but Mykal wasn’t going to take a chance.

  “Stop,” Mykal shouted and suddenly his two monstrous pets turned their gaze upon him as if awaiting a new command. “Good job. Great job,” he praised their blood caked faces. They looked at Mykal with eyes that reminded him of puppy dogs. “Furundai,” he shouted and suddenly the two creatures returned to the two metal figurines. Before he did anything else he retrieved the precious magic items and knew he should start using them more often.

  Towbar ran through the soldiers as if they were soldiers who were weaponless and remained motionless. They couldn’t strike him and they couldn’t slow him down. He saw the strange creatures fighting the soldiers not far from him, but he wasn’t going to allow the strange sight to distract him and continued fighting the soldiers.

  When a large number had been cut down or shot, those in front of Towbar were the first to cut and run away. Others nearby, saw they were getting nowhere but the giant and all those with him were superiorly victorious. They recognized they didn’t seem to being doing any serious damage to this strange enemy. The rest of the army also made the choice to cut and run to fight another day. When a majority of the soldiers saw that their force had been quickly and easily decimated, they dispersed and basically fled and split up in three different directions. They ran opposite the enemy they faced and ran into wide open plains. The surviving leaders realized they lost total control and rode off with the men who scattered.

  Mykal’s men continued to shoot though now they were shooting men in the back as they fled. Mykal didn’t care because they were still outnumbered and he wanted them to see they could be killed from a long distance. Towbar stopped chasing the soldiers and returned to the main body. Some of the men began shooting the wounded where they lay.

  “Cease fire, cease fire,” Diaz shouted. “I don’t want the wounded to be killed. Stop shooting your weapons now!” Diaz demanded when several more rifle shots rang out.

  “Everyone regroup and keep your eyes open,” Finley shouted when he walked around the mass of bodies. “I want a head count and I want to know who is injured, and I want to know the numbers of the enemy. That is dead or alive. Ratner and Lemon,” he yelled and turned to the two ranking NCOs. “I want numbers as soon as possible.”

  The men rambled loudly about the strange creatures that appeared and attacked their enemy. Mass confusion ensued because most of the men saw something strange had happened. Nordad had used his magic to kill some of the soldiers but he had never seen power like the magic that he was sure Mykal or Towbar brought forth. He knew Towbar had a magic sword and he knew Towbar talked once of using magic wands. He had his suspicions of Mykal but the older magician was not sure what to make of what he had just a glimpse of.

  Mykal made sure the figurines were in his pocket and finally turned back around to where his men stood their ground and fought off the enemy. He saw Hidtotim and three others lying on the ground with their hands out before them. They slowly got to their knees and held their hands out before them to show they were not a threat. Suddenly several men hurried to them and pointed their rifles at the four soldiers. The four humbly lowered their heads and their trembling hands showed they were terrified for their lives.

  “Stop. Stop stop,” Mykal shouted before someone became trigger happy and shot them by mistake. “They didn’t take sides. They dove to the ground to not get involved. They did what I told them to do.”

  “Thank you Mykal,” Hidtotim said from his kneeling position with his hands still trembling and held out before him. “I tried to tell the new commander to stop before this happened. I know you have a secret mission for our Supreme Ruler and I do not want to interfere with what you are supposed to do. I did as you asked of me. I did not take sides,” Hidtotim declared and sounded fearful for his life when he caught sight of angry glares directed at him and his three comrades. “I did not think it would come to this,” he added and nodded to all the bodies littering the ground. The three with him nodded their agreement.

  Mykal saw that Hidtotim and his three companions looked terrified for their lives. Mykal needed them to find the castle so hopefully he could find and liberate Doninka. “You guys are okay. You’re not in trouble with us,” he said loudly so everyone could hear him. “Since you didn’t turn on us I will spare your lives. Go ahead and get up.”

  “Thank you Mykal,” they all said repeatedly and bowed their heads several times.

  “Do you see what happened to the others who did turn on us?” Army Ranger Corporal Hall asked and patted his M-60. “They got up to attack us and I killed them like that,” he said with a snap of his fingers. He pointed down to eight of their bodies.

  The four acknowledged his comment and looked at the broken bloody bodies of their friends who had just been with them only moments before. “We do not want to be your enemy Mykal,” Hidtotim said for the four of them and it was clear he still quivered with fear. “We would then be making ourselves enemies of our Supreme Ruler. I do not understand why they turned on you.”

  “It’s because of their hatred for our Elvin friends,” Roy
Jr. said as he and Randy stepped into Mykal’s view. “Look at what their hatred caused,” he added and pointed to all the dead and wounded scattered over the landscape. Moans, groans and pleadings for help filled the air from the wounded.

  “Mykal even explained that they gave up their lives to become Hawkmen,” Randy said to carry on the lie. “Why couldn’t those people just leave them be?” He asked and sounded very angry.

  “I am sorry,” Hidtotim said. His tone was as if he feared he was going to have to pay with his life for the wrongs of others.

  Mykal was glad to see the Dosch brothers. He was just as happy to see Mathis step into his view. Mathis was talking to Vick Daring and Ben Milnar who videotaped the scene after the battle. Mykal looked to the center and saw some of his men tending to some of the injured. He realized there were some casualties on his side. He saw five Elves standing around one body so he assumed one of the Elves had been injured or killed. Because they looked so much alike he couldn’t tell who was not standing. The only face he clearly saw was Starling who happened to be looking at him so he knew Starling wasn’t the one on the ground.

  “Why do they hate the Elves so much?” Randy asked and he sounded angry.

  “I do not know. I truly do not,” Hidtotim answered and still sounded scared. He looked at the Dosch brothers who questioned him and he still bore the expression of fear that he would be punished for the actions of others. His hands clearly trembled before him. It was the mass of bloodied and broken bodies before him that kept him from being calm. He didn’t want to experience such a horrific death. “I personally do not hate the Elves. I have never had any dealings with Elves, so I do not have a reason to love them or to hate them,” he answered and then paused. He looked like he hoped he said the right thing. His three companions looked just as frightened.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Mykal said loudly. “You did what I said by not taking sides. I know those were your people but you didn’t help which is what I told you to do and I will keep my word. I have no reason to harm you cuz I want you to lead us back to Ziggy Startdust’s castle. I just don’t understand why, after we told them we’re friends with the Supreme Ruler, that they would still make a big deal over six Elves.”

  “I do not know how to answer that Mykal,” Hidtotim said and slightly shook his head. “I tried to explain, my understanding of Ingledoss, he is a very evil and cruel man. That is really all I can add to that as I had not personally had any relationship with the man.”

  “That’s fine,” Mykal replied while others gathered around.

  “May I ask you a question Mykal?” Hidtotim asked and looked away as if he was afraid to look into Mykal’s eyes.

  “Sure.”

  “I do not understand what happened. I saw you walk over to Commander Ingledoss and his leaders. Then you were no longer there. Yet they died very quickly. They died one right after the other. However, I did not hear the noise of thunder that your weapons make when they take a life. All four fell from their horses and then you returned. He has always been known as a great and powerful leader, yet you dispatched all four of them. I am not trying to say anything negative Mykal, however I would never believe that you would be able to stand up to Commander Ingledoss, and yet he and three of his commanders all died so quickly. How did that happen?”

  “Yeah Myk, a couple of others were saying something about that too,” Roy Jr. said. “I don’t know what they were talking about cuz I was focused on their army and making sure they didn’t come after us.”

  “I don’t know,” Mykal lied and tried not to laugh. “I walked over there and shot them with my Glock that has a silencer on it. That’s why you didn’t hear anything,” Mykal turned to Hidtotim. “I have a thing that took the noise away. Then I walked back over here. Are you sure there wasn’t a big cloud of dust in the air from the horses?”

  “No. There was no dust cloud,” Hidtotim replied.

  “Are you sure my view wasn’t blocked by the horses?” Mykal asked and they just stood there unsure, but dumbfounded. “Cuz you said you did see me come back after I killed them.”

  “Hey Vick,” Private First Class Anka called to the reporter who was speaking with a group of the men. “Were you filming while the battle was going on?”

  “Benny was, yes,” he added after Milnar nodded that he was filming the battle.

  “We were too,” Josh Collins said. “My son ‘Lil Bit’ had the camera rolling and I yelled at him to get down.”

  “Do you know what you guys filmed?” Randy asked. “Cuz if they filmed over here they will be able to clear up all the questions some of the guys have.”

  “Yeah that’s right,” Mykal said with an eager and grateful tone though he wanted the matter dropped. He didn’t want anyone to know he could turn invisible. “Come over here,” he yelled to the two reporter teams. If one of them showed his disappearance he would have to make the video tape disappear just like his friend Larry Weston made a camera and video tape with incriminating evidence fall out of a helicopter high above the Soso army, and just like Percy made a tape disappeared that actually caught Mykal disappearing and reappearing during the big battle for the Pass at the end of the year.

  “Well I videotaped all the guys on that side,” Jeff Lil Bit Bennett announced and pointed to the rear. “Our guys put up one hell of a battle,” he added with sadness. “I watched the Elves and Dwarves work together and sadly,” he paused. “I videotaped one of the Elves get attacked when they were outnumbered. I also taped one of the Dwarves, the one named Klonk, get stabbed in the back by two soldiers while he fought off three others. He killed two of the soldiers after he had been stabbed. When he fell dead a couple of Marines and a Green Beret were freed up to stop that group that pounced on the Elves and Dwarves.”

  “Are you sure Klonk was killed?” Mykal asked and looked over to where all the men were gathered around several others. He clearly saw wounded were being treated.

  “Yes Mykal, there was no doubt about it,” Josh Collins answered for his son. “There were some others injured but Klonk was the one I was nearest too. He was dead.”

  “I need to find out on the injuries,” Mykal said with a change in his tone, but he had to find out if the other team recorded him during his disappearing act. “Benny, what did you record over here?”

  “I got most of the battle after it started,” Milnar replied and tapped his camera. “I wasn’t up to speed as to what was taking place. I didn’t realize the battle had started until the other soldier rode over on his horse to see his four dead leaders.”

  “Good,” Mykal said aloud because he wasn’t videotaped vanishing in front of everyone. “But I don’t know how else to explain it other than I walked over to the four leaders, and I could tell they weren’t going to back down so I pulled my Glock 17 with the silencer attached, and don’t write that,” he demanded and turned his focus on the two two-man teams. “When the person who gave me the silencer gave it to me, he told me I wasn’t supposed to really have it so it was supposed to be a secret,” he lied. “So if you write anything about me killing the four leaders that’s fine cuz I did. Just don’t mention the silencer.”

  “No problem here, cobber,” Vick Daring said with a smile and a wink. “I was busy myself. I had to kill a handful of them soldiers,” he added and his Australian accent seemed thicker than earlier in the day. “If we are going to face more forces like that I don’t have a problem being armed with a rifle mate. I unloaded four clips from my two babies,” he added with a smile and tapped the two handles of his 9mm pistols.

  “We’ll give you one of the rifles,” Mykal said and then continued. “So when I saw they weren’t going to back down from wanting to kill our Elf friends, I wanted to get the jump on them because they outnumbered us so badly. I was hoping the new leader who rode over here would see that he was now in command and let it go. But he pulled his sword and it looked like he was going to attack Hidtotim so I said hell with this and shot him with my rifle and that’s when a
ll hell broke loose. When I shot him, he fell off his horse but it looked like his horse dragged him away for good,” Mykal chuckled.

  “No, he ended up falling loose not too far in that direction,” Roy Jr. pointed in the distance.

  “So, did I answer everyone’s question about what they thought they saw,” he said to plant seeds of doubt for those he saw him disappear. “Or rather what they thought they didn’t saw,” he said to be funny. “Or what they thought they didn’t see. Or what they thought they didn’t imagine or what they thought they did imagine,” he added and laughed which caused many of the men to laugh with him.

  “Alright, you made your point,” one of the men laughed with them.

  “Do you want me to show you how I disappeared?” Mykal asked and they all looked surprised. “What the hell is that over there?” Mykal asked with a shocked tone and pointed behind them. When they all turned to see what he was looking at he quickly ran away so when they turned around he wouldn’t be standing there. He heard their laughter but he continued running until he caught up with Diaz and Finley so he could find out the extent of the injuries of his personnel.

  Towbar found his trick amusing. When they all turned to see Mykal bolted away Towbar actually let out a small laugh. “Mykal my friend has disappeared,” he said and turned to join Mykal with the others.