Chapter 14
Restricted Maritime Zone BZE:4200.04
Cycle 6002.647.01.25M
The high ground of the beautiful ancient jungle was quickly becoming a spot of destruction and butchery despite the picturesque surroundings. The two mangled corpses of the chicken-beasts lay around the rise. One that had tumbled a bit more as it had been dead before it hit the ground. There were a few untouched patches of shrubbery in this zone of destruction, but everything else was torn up or shredded.
The high priest of Tleit had got the quick end that he had tried to prophesise for the group from the craft. His body that initially had been split in two was now also headless. While the chickens had invoked fear, the latest creature was truly terrifying.
Usually when something approaches as a shadow, it becomes less terrifying as it settles and you can focus on it. It was not so with this creature. The eyes, or lack of them more specifically were the most notable features. There just appeared to be two empty sockets.
While the lizard people had a recognisable humanoid form, this creature was a step further away. The outline was still kind of there, but especially the arms looked like they were more the gangly limbs of a monster. They were extended into vicious long claws. The three finger claws had been held as one, to slice through the priest. A forth thumb claw kept jobs like opening skulls to eat brains manageable.
There was a bit of a neck and a snout for this creature, but the upper torso and head seemed more like one piece if you didn’t look carefully. Solid sinewy legs were again extended into a foot of three toe claws and one heal claw. It’s hide was a tan colour with darker speckled marks.
It’s movement also added to the terror. It moved so fluidly, just watching its actions was like having a living study in bio-mechanics. It gave the feeling of a creature that would kill with ease and be restless if not moving. It seemed like until this creature died, it would never stop moving.
From Nyoma the creature casually walked to Nyutri, now happily licking the brains out of the head.
It checked her, then seemed to lean and fall away. This was just a wind up though and the creature effortlessly shot off into the forest.
The group caught their breathe but before they could say anything the creature almost flew back towards them and almost as if temporarily in slow motion, gracefully came to a stop. It seemed to have finished the brains as it returned without the head. It did have a decent bundle of herbs just contained in its claw.
The group more out of habit slowly went for weapons, checking to see how the rest of the team was doing. Strangely Nyoma furiously shook her head.
This time the creature more carefully pulled the rod out of Nyutri’s chest. Nyutri did a reasonable job of hiding a cry of pain as nothing more than an awkward sob. The next moment, the creature had stuffed some of the herb in both sides of the wound and then pinched the armour around it so despite crushing her chest a little, it stopped the bleeding.
It circled around Nyutri. Pertrifying terror gripped her. Then the creature perked its head up. It looked around as if it was isolating sounds. Then it again looked like it was falling, before it shot into the forest again. Soon after there was the shriek of a chicken beast that ended in a gurgle.
Nyutri looked okay despite almost being in shock. Punching Bag asked Nyoma what was going on. She looked confused and asked what tradition they observed when Mean took his shark form.
One of the fighters joked that they might have to look up the tradition to follow for lizard-girls that had their brains go to mush when they were scared.
After thinking for a bit Punching Bag talked it through with Nyoma. Means build had always been a little odd. Plus the guy did have an odd thing for desert and the way he was eating the brains kind of reminded him of that. If that was Mean what was the plan?
Jondra finally processed what had happened. He was shocked that their friends blessing had taken him with such monstrous results. Also that they were considering anything but how to pacify and end Mean seemed sheer insanity. He had seen warriors that had stronger blessings transform, but they usually lost their soul to the creature within the day. While Mean seemed impressive, the lizard man thought him far inferior to the others that had the blessing take over when fate was unkind enough to allow energy fire reactions.
Nyoma gave Jondra a punch on the arm.
He complained and asked why he had been punched.
She said opening his mouth when he only knew about half of the situation was the reason. Both he and the priest of Tleit had mentioned about some fight. Would he tell them what he knew about that. Because in the meantime the best course of action was to find lots of creatures for Mean to fight.
Jondra thought about this and realised the sense in it. So he outlined that the village had sent most of it’s fighting force to take on the king chicken-beast. He said that it was in the outer wall caves, on the inlet side.
In the background a steady rhythm of chicken-beast cries rang out and ended.
Punching Bag reluctantly spoke up, he said that it seemed best if the beast folk headed for the fight and the people folk headed back to the ship. With Nyutri’s head out of the game, they were less use. That is providing that Mean was in a co-operative mood.
Nyoma said that their tribe had a tradition for that, and now that she was healed she should have a decent shot of getting through to him.
As she put her hands on her waist and swayed her hips like a youth after attention Nyutri let out a sharp laugh. People were relieved that she could still laugh, she had very little colour to her at the moment.
Nyutri said that now she could see why Dueliet wanted any gossip on her and Mean. She hadn’t believed that Nyoma would ask Mean to be her mate.
Jondra was surprised, if you asked him to be a mate and headed into battle, then this is chakrandra.
Before the computer could explain it couldn’t translate or Nyoma could clear up the misunderstanding, a shadow flew out of the forest. Mean was back. Nyoma calmly walked up and put her hand on his chest. She thanked him for taking care of the chicken beasts and lent against him.
Despite it’s initial confusion, the creature visibly relaxed. It still was confusing to see one creature resting against another as if expecting to be embraced, despite the sheer terrifying nature of the other.
Nyoma talked into the creatures chest and told it about her tribes fight with chickens. She wanted him to follow and help. He stepped back and then paced a few time.
Punching Bag worriedly said that he thought that this was her cue to lead the way.
She ran, checking over her shoulder and found it easily striding at her side. Jondra too was following but at more of a distance.
Punching Bag yelled wishing them luck as they headed out.
In some ways it was completely reckless running through this sort of territory, but after a couple of minutes they picked up the pace. As they ran Mean easily intercepted most chicken beasts that sprung there way. Only one was on a trajectory to hit Nyoma but the next blink and Mean was airbourne in a flying kick. His toe claws sunk into the creatures head and the two began to spin in the air on collision.
The Mean again put one hand’s claws together, again splitting the chicken beast in two. The pieces flew in-front and behind of Nyoma as she continued without breaking pace. After that Jondra ran with Nyoma. After a few dicey moments of his own, he for now seemed to think it was safer around Mean.
As they ran, Jondra complimented Nyoma on her speed as she ran. It wasn’t as effort less as Mean, but she would happily click as they ran at the hectic pace, without seeming out of breathe. She smiled because she had forgotten that Jondra’s blessing had him trained as one of the leading scouts for the village. She smiled and asked if he wanted to pick up the pace.
He smiled as well and the two sped up the reckless charge through the beautiful jungle. Mean was temporarily curious about the change in pace but adjusted his strides completely unfazed.
As their hasty trip through the jungle continued they came into sight of the far cavern wall. It rose out of the jungle with rock that was so light in colour, that it was barely grey. The refracted light, that came from whatever sealed the top of the cavern, gave colourful movement to the surface. The only thing close that they’d ever seen outside was the shadows of clouds moving along surfaces, but it didn’t compare to this phenomenon.
As they continued to get closer the sounds of struggle became clearer.
The battle was raging in a crater below the wall caves.
There were four main groups of fighters from Nyomas village. They would make tight formations that could withstand the batterings of the chicken-beasts. Whenever the king chicken beast attacked these groups would split and swirl like birds in a gust till they reformed the formation at a different spot. Overall it was an impressive effort but they were barely holding on.
As the three arrived, Mean didn’t even pause and leap straight into the crater. The other two stopped to take in the situation at the top.
Means leap took him deep into the fighting. He landed on one of the unsuspecting chicken beasts with his toe claws first digging into its neck and next into it’s shoulder. Then with both feet twisting the creature, he landed on the creature and there was a sickening crunch.
As two other beasts spotted this movement they shot toward him. He leapt flipping and slicing at the creatures heads. Another creature assumed Mean was now helpless after inflicting the gashes left him upside down in mid air. As it stepped on one another from it’s pack to snap at the troublesome target, it realised it’s mistake too late.
Claws caught the side of its face and one eye was gashed out as the claw scraped along it. He then landed under another creates throat and sliced it as he leapt forward shooting towards the king chicken beast. This time a couple of other beast more cautiously leapt to snap at them. So he spun through the air as claws contacted the creatures that felt they were still superior.
He was surrounded as he landed, three of the creatures charged him. He sidestepped and hooked, catching one of the chicken beasts in the cheekbone. He was sure that he heard a crack, then the two other creatures,charged stepping over their stunned pack member.
Both tried to bite at him. Claws caught the creatures heads and they were smashed together. Mean pushed the heads down into the ground till the bodies continued past with the remaining momentum. Once the necks snapped he let the corpses fly into the creatures behind him like awkward wrecking balls.
With all the noise and shrieks that had been coming from his direction, he now had the king chicken-beasts attention. He leapt at it looking like he was putting effort into it this time.
The king chicken-beast leapt back and met mean with it’s claws. Both creatures claws sunk in. The king chicken-beast would have completed a neat flip and deflected all Means force fling him away, but Mean hadn’t let go. The king chicken-beast landed well with one foot, but Means shoulder hit the ground hard, as he was still clinging to the claw of the beast.
As the beast began to topple, Mean had righted itself and slashed the underside of the beast and the back of it’s leg. The creature kicked out with it’s now free leg. As mean leapt back the force of the kick propelled him away.
The two combatants violent fight had cleared a crater in the middle of the battle and they had the luxury to stare each other down for a couple of breaths. Then as smaller creatures leapt at Mean the king chicken-beast took the chance to retreat into the safety of it’s pack.
As Mean made light work of not only the beasts that attacked him but the next couple of layers behind them, he spotted Nyoma and Jondra. They had made it down the slope and dealt well with a couple of chicken-beasts along the way. Bizarrely there was a lizard-man giving Nyoma a hard time.
Mean changed his trajectory when he landed and this time just didn’t bother stopping. He flew into the lizard-man whose grip Nyoma was trying to shake free of. As Mean hit him with something like a shoulder charge the lizard-man violently ricocheted away, smashing into the rock face behind with a worrying thud.
Jondra tried to quickly calm the situation as a tense looking Mean stood in-front of Nyoma. He repeated that as far as he understood their situation was close to chakrandra.
This time a giant of a lizard-man heard this. He exclaimed in excitement as he smashed a chicken-beasts skull easily shattering it into the ground. He exclaimed that this was a glorious battle for a chakrandra and that the creature had done well with it’s first melee against the king chicken-beast.
Nyomas translator was still intact and she had thankfully turned it on when mean had shown up. With the newcomers enthusiasm evident he walked toward mean and put his forearm up with the outside facing mean. Mean copied.
The lizard-man laughed and then linked his arm under Means. He wished him a glorious battle and mating. Confused mean held the linking of arms for a moment and then stepped back. With that the big lizards clicks reverberated, encouraging the warrior to go and complete his victory over the king chicken-beast. He reassured the smaller monster that he would keep an eye on his mate till then.
This mean understood and was happy to be released to the fight again. Although it had been nice as Nyomas hands had found their way to his back while he was there. He was getting used to being the monster again and creature now almost danced artfully through the battle.
The initial caution of the battle was gone and now instinct was guiding the creature to mow down the chicken beasts with ease. He quickly made it to the king beast, which this time seemed unsettled to at his arrival.
This time both creatures flung themselves at each other regardless of the creatures that were still between them and again claws connected as they collided viciously. Then with the impact killing their momentum, they crashed to the ground. More claws flew and at one stage the beasts tail impressively caught Means arm and yanked it out of joint in the lightening fast exchanges.
Again the fight had cleared a space as other combatants were smart enough to steer clear. Despite the injured creature crunching its arm back into place, the beast looked more nervous. Flexing it’s arm and claws the creature then stared at the beasts leg, appearing to be planning on returning the favour.
As the creature shot forward and the beast leapt away it turned out it was a feint. The beast had been trying to get it’s limb clear of the the creature but claws sliced through it’s throat. As blood gushed out the beast postured a few times before crashing to the ground limp.
With everything now steering well clear of Mean, it took the chance to catch it’s breath and have a quick snack of brains.
The battle that surrounded was now well in the hands of the lizard people. Finishing up his brain snacking he got up to return to the fight but, there was a flash and a stinging pain. He looked down to see a larger version of the priest of Tleits projectile was pinning him helplessly to the corpse of the king chicken beast.
There was a terrifying war cry and the sounds of war horns. The followers of Tleit were here now and it seemed like they had watched the show. Now seemed like the opportune time for them to end it all.
Wehl 2025
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