The old shopkeeper had shot up in Flash's estimation. He'd assumed that Gee Tee would have offered up the information on the mantra as soon as he'd stepped forward. But he hadn't. The old dragon had done what he should have, having warned her against using that particular mantra. And now they were back to square one. In fact, from the look of Richie, it might all fall apart at any second. He had to help, and thought he knew how.
Strolling past the old shopkeeper, he approached the young lacrosse captain.
"I can make him talk, at least I think I can."
"How?" demanded Richie.
"I was trained in the art of interrogation. I never needed to use that particular skill. But in theory I know what to do."
With dragons and humans looking on, she uttered two words.
"DO IT!"
Flash turned and called Janice over, remembering her affiliation with the very special weapon embedded in Casey.
"When I say, you're going to pull it out. Okay?"
"It has a name," Janice suggested.
Flash thought this over.
"Ahhh... that's right. Fu-ts'ang. Right, so when I say, you're going to pull Fu-ts'ang out of the wound, and just keep it close by. The first sign of trouble, you hit him again with it. Doesn't matter where, the slightest touch should be enough to incapacitate him again. Got it?"
Janice nodded, confident that she could do as Flash asked.
Strolling right up to Casey's contorted face, Flash told him what was about to happen.
"I'm going to take the weapon out now. Any funny stuff and I'll stick it somewhere where it hurts even more. Understand?"
Casey's left eye lid moved ever so slightly in response, despite the thin film of ice that had manifested itself across it.
Turning, he nodded to Janice. Gripping Fu-ts'ang with both hands, she slid the weapon out, in an almost cake cutting kind of way. Cold, misty breath filled the air as Tank and Flash's torturer exhaled. To rid his eyes of the ominous looking coatings, he blinked a few times. Up until then, he'd looked like a snake about to shed its skin. Quite an apt analogy really.
Poised to one side, Janice hovered Fu-ts'ang inches above Casey's damaged scales, sure she could make contact with the deadly blade before the evil dragon could even think about hurting her. Most importantly, she trusted Richie, Flash, Tank and... what was the old dragon's name? That's right... and Gee Tee, to keep her safe.
Flash looked up into Casey's prehistoric face as he addressed him.
"I think you'd better tell us everything you know," he suggested menacingly.
Casey wiggled his jaws. Janice stood by. Richie drew the laminium dagger from her belt, ready to intercede. A rumbling gurgle, followed by the swilling of liquid led to a splatter of frozen blood being spat in Flash's direction. Lightning reflexes kicking in, he ducked to one side before returning to his upright position.
"I won't be telling you ANYTHING!" boomed Casey. "You may think you've achieved something spectacular here today, but all you've managed to do is delay the inevitable." So great was the venom and aggression in his voice, that those surrounding him immediately took a step back, including Richie. But not Flash. He knew who it was that should be afraid, and it most certainly wasn't him. Taking two steps forward, he placed his human face right up against Casey's scaly jaw.
"Ohhhh... you're gonna tell us what we want to know, tough guy. Because if you don't, I'll make what you did to me look like a treasured memory. Now, where've they all gone?"
For a split second, Casey had been unsure, having seen a little fragment of something in Flash's eyes, and then it had gone. Either that, or he'd been mistaken. But he was certain this dragon, human hybrid, or whatever it was, offered little in the way of a genuine threat. And he was quite sure that the combined might of all present couldn't possibly match the damage that he'd already inflicted with his whip. So he spat out another huge gob full of green blood, and as it hit Flash full on in the face... smiled!
There were a couple of reasons his nickname was Flash, but the main one of course was because of his speed. Ever since he could remember, when he set his mind fully on something... he was quick. Not just a little quick either. Lightning quick. It was so fast, the humans all missed it, even Janice who was right there. Even to the dragons present, it was just a blur, and that was practically unheard of. In considerably less than a hundredth of a second, Flash had moved from right in front of Casey, to behind him on his right side by the exact point where his weak spot was situated. Normally so sure, it was at this point Flash started to question whether or not what he had planned would work. Having heard about Peter's battle with the twisted Manson on the Astroturf during the bonfire celebrations, when that story had been recounted to him by both the king and Peter himself, he'd found the most troubling part to be about Manson's weak spot. Peter had thought he'd killed him with the icicle, having slid it through his defences and scored a direct hit. But to no effect. Before supposedly dispatching Peter from the realm of the living, Manson had boasted how he and his cohorts could disguise their weak spots, thus making them nearly invulnerable. Just then Flash wondered why it was that nearly all baddies, evil geniuses, villains, call them what you will, felt the need to brag about how great they were and share the details of their so called plans. Constantly amazed at the number of Crimson Guard missions that had turned from failure to success at the last instant, purely because of his enemy's ego, he fervently hoped that would continue for a long time to come. Clearly it had saved Peter's life that day, and had saved Flash himself on many occasions. But what if it was a magically learnt ability, and Casey had been taught it? He found it hard to believe. Nevertheless, it was still a possibility.
'Oh well,' he thought as he thrust his hand up into Casey's weak spot. 'Here goes nothing!'
Casey couldn't comprehend what was happening. One moment the hybrid was standing right in front of him, the next, he'd disappeared totally. Just as he came to the end of this thought, the worst pain he'd ever felt in his entire life exploded into being from somewhere behind him and to his right. Frozen globules of blood showered the dark cobbles directly in front of him as his terrified scream carried across the square.
Flash was quite literally up to his elbow in dragon. If he had one wish at the moment, it was for a pair of really thick rubber gloves. Things had, however, gone as planned. Moving swiftly, he'd punched his way through Casey's weak spot, reached inside and found the small rounded protrusion beneath a layer of scales, about five inches up on the main body side of the cavity. In less time than it takes to blink, he'd run his hand upwards and found the fine ridge he was looking for. Parting the ridge with his fingers, he then thrust his hand inside what felt like a heavily laden pocket, but was in fact a layer of skin beneath Casey's protective scales. From there it was easy. A quick rummage with his hand led him to grabbing the biggest thing within, which was exactly what he was looking for... Casey's kidney! All he had to do then was... SQUEEZE! And he did.
As soon as it started, Tank wanted it to stop. He'd grown to think of Flash as one of his best friends, but he was repulsed by what he saw and heard, despite the fact that only a short while earlier Casey had nearly killed them both.
'Wow, this boy's got talent,' thought Gee Tee. 'I haven't heard a scream like that since the incident with the mantra, that amorous bear, that rather pompous upper class twit of a dragon and the huge pot of honey. Ahhh... happy days!'
With the exception of Janice, the humans all had their hands covering their ears, terrified, and rightly so. The sound wasn't so much inhuman as indragon, and would live with all of them for the rest of their lives, however long that might be.