Shambling forward, bound by his restraints, appearing resigned to his fate, Steel, head bowed low, used his brilliant dragon eyes to give him a two hundred and seventy degree view of everything around him. And he didn't like what he saw. Sitting at control stations, barely visible in the supernatural gloom that hung heavy in the air like a cool, morning mist stuck to the surface of a river, dragon cadavers, broken, battered and ravaged, littered the room. They must have been taken by surprise somehow, which in itself surprised him because they were nearly all at their work stations, most of them journalists, most of them seemingly in the process of typing up a story for whatever telepathic paper they worked for, no doubt to go out later on that day via the crystal node they'd come here to gain access to. One or two had even tried to write messages in their own blood on the screens they sat in front of, after the vicious acts that had eventually so disgustingly taken their lives. Fury and revulsion at the despicable acts raged throughout his body, trying to tempt him into breaking free of the false restrains with a view to gaining revenge for these poor beings who'd just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Logically he knew better, knew to bide his time and get a clearer understanding of the situation before he tried to act. Allowing his hands and arms to shake a little, knowing that's what his enemy would have expected of him in a situation like this, he took as much of it in as he possibly could, in his mind readying Gee Tee's mantra, really, really looking forward to using it to destroy these sick sons of bitches. As the glowing crystal node appeared out of obscurity the further he strode into the room, looking very much like a giant, green, glowing, crystalline egg, hope at regaining the kingdom buoyed him just a little.
Straight faces were permanently engraved on their false human forms, with both friends realising that their lives, at this point in the operation, probably depended on it. Ready to act in a split second, but outwardly appearing docile, the two of them couldn't help but wonder what barbaric acts had taken place. Like their shackled friend, they too wanted revenge. When it came, and they knew it would, there would be no stopping them.
Through the murkiness stepped a tall, human, female figure, clad fully in a black, figure hugging jump suit, short, spiky, flaming copper hair adorning her head, both eyes resembling the event horizon of a black hole. If danger had an emoji, she would most certainly be it.
It was all that Jar Man and DomCon could do to hold on to their composure, against the fear and just downright evil that radiated off her. Bowing their heads in respect, they waited for her to speak.
"What is this?" she demanded, her honeyed words reverberating in and around the murk that surrounded them.
Taking the tiniest step forward so as to address her properly, Jar Man summoned up all the courage he could muster, and without faltering, replied,
"A spy we captured in the grounds, no doubt scouting out the location."
"No doubt," she spat, "No doubt! Who the hell are you to make that distinction?"
"I... I... I... I meant no offense," stammered Jar Man, genuinely terrified.
"You'd better not or I'll have your liver torn from your flesh where you stand. Understood?"
Nodding profusely, all the big dragon could manage was a squeaky, "Yes" in reply.
Shielded from the outside by the most powerful spells he knew, DomCon had already lined up some offensive mantras within his head, figuring they might just be needed in a hurry.
"Has he been interrogated?"
"No... no... no... not yet he hasn't."
"Why have you brought him to me then? He's of no use here. We have professionals for just such a job."
"I... I... I... I was told to do so."
"Really..." she left it hanging in the air, expectancy of boundless possibilities floating throughout the room.
Steel wasn't fooled, not for one second. It wasn't only her killer looks that had him worried. Undoubtedly she was dangerous beyond belief, he could feel it from the off, and was pretty sure both of the others did as well. Standing exactly where he needed to be, the laminium ball captain prepared Gee Tee's mantra in his head and gathered up all his force of will. All he needed now was for Jar Man and DomCon to get between him and the crystal node so that he could unleash the explosive spell whilst at the same time keeping them safe. Not willing to give them a nudge telepathically, or even the merest glance for fear of getting caught and exposing their plan, he hoped the two would take a hint now they were here, and manoeuvre themselves into position between him and the crystal node, post haste. Time, he knew, was running out, not only for them, but the rest of the world as well.
Huddled together as one, all hugging each other against the backdrop of decapitated dragon corpses, bloody entrails, bowels and innards spread out around them, there was no concern about inappropriateness, or the fact that their friendships, up until a few days ago, had been solely based on their sports and the ground in which they played. A bond had formed between all four of them ever since the moment they'd followed Richie down those steps beneath the Poultry Cross and entered the dragon domain proper. A life changing moment for each and every one, they now had no secrets from each other, constantly supporting one another where able, their only desire to see this through in one piece and help their prehistoric comrades defeat the scourge of evil that threatened civilisation both above and below ground. As terror and fear swirled around the four humans hidden in the middle of the dragon force, and with courage in short supply, their dependence on each other was something akin to the sports they participated in on the surface. Impossible to win a team sport individually, they knew the value of working together as one in a combined effort to achieve the right outcome.
Strolling casually around Steel's recently formed body, gazing intently at his wings, belly and chest, 'Red', as Jar Man had started to refer to her in his head, suspiciously eyed the newly formed scales across the prisoner's chest, unsure of what to make of them or how they contributed to this unusual situation.
Knowing that he was being watched from all sides, and with Jar Man having turned somewhat to allow 'Red' her inspection, Steel caught his eye and ever so slowly cocked his head to one side, hoping that his disguised friend might take the hint. A cursory returning wink told him he had. All they had to do now was find a way to pull it off without their adversaries realising what was going on.
BAM! The swiftest punch in the world caught Steel directly above the kidneys, sending waves of nerve shredding pain rippling throughout his body, dropping him instantly to his knees. So brutal was the unexpected violence, both DomCon and Jar Man immediately took two steps back, despite wanting to help their friend and get into a position for him to unleash the magic.
Gulping in huge breaths of air, writhing in mind bending agony, the laminium ball captain struggled to wave away what had just happened. His whole body felt like it had been hit with the full force of a giant's hammer. Nothing now made sense, the letters from the words readied in his mind scattered throughout his consciousness. There was no spell, no mantra, and no magic. For now, it had been blasted away, replaced by distress and misery. Curling up into a ball, his mind retreated into the darkest depths it could find, as more punches of similar ferocity rained down. Darkness replaced light, as hope vanished completely.
50
Racist
Bolstered by his limited supply of magic, Peter carried his grandfather's broken body in his arms, marching behind Richie who was leading them off in the direction of the king. Walking next to him, Yoyo continued to heal the significant injuries whilst on the move, something he'd not really had to do before, but improvisation was his forte and something he wasn't unaccustomed to. Perilous didn't do it justice. Whilst not moving particularly fast, the persistent bombardment constantly drew their attention away from the rubble, debris and dismembered dragon corpses that they all had to negotiate on the floor. Twice having almost tripped, with one of his charges catching him at the very last moment, Yoyo was saved from a full-on face planting. That wasn't the only danger. As predicted, their opponents had tried to infiltrate the shield by lying on the floor, playing dead. Fortunately the quick thinking dragon youngsters were as good as he'd described, and had seen the ploy long before the creatures in question had the chance to do any damage. They'd been routinely dispatched, dead and torn apart long before the moving shield passed over them. So far the plan to move the shield towards the king was a success, with Richie's mind hosting all of the consciousnesses working like a dream. It wouldn't be long now.