Why Humans Make Bad Pets!

Check that, I'm a military prodigy I

Dear Journal,

Remember that whole military genius thing?

Yeah, more like prodigy,

Not that I’m going to go around bragging about it (I totally am).

What had started out as a friendly tussle between blood enemies had become a full-fledged war in and of itself, with an entirely new set of rules than the battle raging around it. Those I had previously thought were enemies were now fighting with my squad, or rather, for my squad. Their hover-hummers had been shredded, flipped, and pummeled from every side. I was surprised they were still large enough for my friends to use as cover.

Crouching beneath the remnants of their rides, my squad fired at any dragon that got too close. They seemed to have accepted the enemy’s assistance, and thankfully refrained from informing our new friends of our true allegiance by not attacking them. I still couldn’t believe that the enemy still thought we were on the same team – what else could be keeping them from attacking us - but I wasn’t going to complain.

I on the other hand, had no hover-hummer wreckage to hide under, not that I would have been content to do so if I had. My friends were basically helpless without the death ray cannons of their hummers, and I wasn’t about to let a stray dragon pick them off. Circling the smoking vehicles, I attacked any drake that got too close, and there were many. I was becoming genuinely exhausted, helped in no way by the ridiculously thin air, and my jumps were a mere fraction of their original length, my reflexes slow.

I was fortunate the dragons seemed to be faring even worse than I. They probably needed more air, so it made sense, but it was the only reason I was able to keep fighting so many when I had before so often struggled to kill only one. Now I waded through their attacks, dodging their drunken attempts to stop me with my lagging, yet still greater, strength. I wouldn’t be able to keep it up forever though. My squad’s vehicles, though in the same general area, were still too far apart for me to guard completely at the same time. Our fight seemed to be drawing every dragon from the battlefield, and despite the monumental effort on part of our new frienemies, the drake count continued to increase.

My fears were realized when two dragons attacked from either side, one going for Manthlel’s rover and the other attacking Rekt’s, one of the squad’s heavies. I was closer to Rekt, so sprinted – more like jogged at this point – to intercept his reptile. So intent was it upon its prey it failed to notice me until I stabbed it through the wing and in the side. That got its attention, and it bucked, throwing me with its wing, roaring with pain. I jumped back up, renewing my attack. Infuriated, it leapt at me, which meant the fight was over.

Dodging to the side in the now familiar maneuver I racked its neck and chest with my lava scimitars, cutting its windpipe and damaging its cardiac area. I wasn’t exactly sure where the heart was, but I assumed if I hacked around the general area where I assumed it to be I would achieve the same effect. Despite my quick disposal of the beast, I’d been too slow. The other dragon had reached Manthlel’s downed hummer, and I could already here shouts of alarm and panic through the monsters roars.

“NO!”

I had worked too hard, protected them for too long, to fail now! Raising my ragged, smoke-torn voice, I bellowed in rage and denial as I pulled upon my final reserves of strength, sprint-jumping towards the unfolding c*****e.

Refusing to think on what I would find, I jumped over the flipped hummer, bringing the dragon’s back into view. I took advantage of my position to land on top of it, driving my blades as far into its back as I could, hoping one of my friends was still alive. It didn’t even react. The drake didn’t even move despite my burning weapons sticking out of its hide.

+*What the -*+

It was already dead. Shocked by this unexpected turn of events I slid down its back and into the do-it-yourself bunker underneath the hover craft. It was easy to scramble into since the dragon’s head was shoved into it, propping the hover-hummer with a foreleg, where it would have been able to bite and grind my squad mates into dust.

The inside of the fox-hole was a mess. Two squad mates lay on the ground, bleeding from wounds that had been instantly fatal, and a third lay unconscious against a wall, bleeding from the stumps of what had been two of his legs. Manthlel, however, was the focus of my attention. Orange skin the pale shade of Tang powder, he stood trembling, his arm attached by a thread, the other end clamped within the dragons mouth which was mere centimeters from his face. It had died in that position, but I still couldn’t tell you how or why. Then I saw it’s glazed, open eyes.

Every blood vessel within its slit irises appeared to have burst simultaneously, flooding its green eyes with blood as deep a red as mine. I looked at Manthlel in askance. Still shaking, he held up the pin to one of those grenades that were so effective against me. It took me a moment to comprehend what he was trying to say. When the light-bulb flickered to life my eyes went wide, and I immediately pried the beast’s jaws apart. There, cradled upon its tongue as its final trophy was Manthlel’s disembodied arm, its hand still clutching the brain-frying grenade that had ended the creature’s life.

I stared at Manthlel again. Raising his three remaining arms, he gave me a shaky thumbs-up.

Manthlel was trembling, but he didn’t care if anyone saw it. If anyone had asked he would have told them the truth in an instant: he was scared shittless. The only difference now was that he wasn’t even considering running away. Even if he had wanted to, he wouldn’t have been able to make it far in the confused disarray outside the cover he and the other squad mates had dug underneath their overturned rover.

They weren’t really doing anything from their position. The only weapons that were having any affect in this battle were coilguns or turrets, and without their rover, the only thing his group had now were anti-tank and heavy pulse guns, a few pistols, and one nervejam grenade each. With such paltry weaponry they wouldn’t be able to do a thing if anyone decided to attack them. Thankfully, Human did have a say in the matter, and he had Fusion Scythes, which were far more effective in his hands than any coilgun.

Manthlel had never seen him fight like in the way he did now. A blur across the battlefield, he shot from Vulza to Vulza, slaying each and every one that approached their impromptu entrenchment. Manthlel had seen him move fast before, but he seemed to be drawing upon an inner power source he had never before used. He was killing Vulza as though they were just as weak as any other being. The exertion was obviously taking its toll on him, however, and Manthlel could tell he was getting tired as his movements began to slow. Despite his growing fatigue, he still managed to stop every Vulza which threatened their position.

That was why Manthlel wasn’t worried when one started charging their position. At any moment Human would come charging in, slicing the monster’s head off with a single swipe or snap its neck with is bare hands. He had never actually see Human do that before, but Manthlel didn’t doubt he could.

When it had closed half the distance unimpeded Manthlel started to feel the first flutters of panic within his gut. Judging by the nervous shuffling of his companions by his side, they were as well. When it had closed two thirds of the distance and Human still had yet to make an appearance the group of four opened fire against the approaching beast, hoping to slow it while Human took his sweet time. An anti-tank pulse hit it square in the nose - which only served to enrage it - causing it to double its speed and traverse the remaining distance in two enormous leaps.

It was upon them before they could react. Lifting the rover off the hole the Vulza shoved its head into their improvised cover, instantly transforming their place of refuge into a deathtrap. One of their numbers died instantly, his upper body parting ways from the lower. Manthlel couldn’t understand.

+*Where is Human? Why has he suddenly abandoned us?*+

Panic threatened to overwhelm him completely as another squadmate met a similar fate as the first.

+I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to die . . . +

The same voice of paralyzing terror that had resounded within his head the same day he ran from the Vulza that massacred his first squad pounded once again within his mind until it echoed in his ears as well, his voice giving flesh to the most basic of instincts: self-preservation.

A roar shattered the air around him, but it wasn’t from the Vulza. It was an echo from the past, the brother of the challenge Human had thrown that first battle. It wasn’t the same, however. This was no herald of extinction. This was a scream of loss. A cry of failure and pain, but even more than that, it was the rejection of defeat, a disavowal of failure. It pulsed with an oath of vengeance and a pledge of retribution. It drove away the shackles of fear that had rooted his feet to the ground and replaced his trembling with the stiffened limbs of rebellion. As before, Manthlel found himself repeating Human’s shout, but for a different reason. He would not let this be his end, he would not die without a struggle. He would have his revenge upon this beast, not only for the lives of those it and its kind had already taken from him, but for making him forget that he was more than just its frightened prey.

He would be its downfall.

It struck again. Whether by some preternatural insight or because he had tripped a few moments before it struck, Manthlel’s only other living squad mate managed to keep anything vital out of the beast’s mouth. It was still quick though, and managed to catch several of the unfortunate soldier’s legs, reducing them to stumps. Distracted with its newest victim, it didn’t notice as Manthlel yanked the nervejam grenade off his belt and pulled the pin. It did notice him when he shot it in the head with his anti-tank gun. Blinded by the light, it roared in anger, changing targets with a speed that defied plausibility. Manthlel was ready though, and as it stuck, he stepped towards it, shoving this hand deep within its gullet.

Seemingly surprised to find such willing prey, the beast closed its jaws around his arm, removing it with the snick of teeth slicing through flesh. Manthlel’s bellow turned into a roar of pain. The grenade detonated. The Vulza’s skull acted like a resonance chamber, rebounding, containing, and increasing the deadly emission from the grenade. Every vessel, neuron, and membrane within the monster’s head exploded. Only because of its bones and scaled hide did its head itself not explode. It died with the same expression of victory upon its face.

A sound came from outside. Human had finally showed up. There was a moment of silence, then the biped slipped into the hole, pausing to take in the mess. He looked at the dead beast, did a double-take, then looked at Manthlel with a question in his eyes. Wordlessly, Manthlel held up the pin still clutched in his hand. It wasn’t until he saw the little ring and rod rattling up and down that he realized he was shaking uncontrollably.

Human seemed confused for a moment, until he pried the creature’s jaws open. Seeing his arm and the grenade still within its mouth, Human looked at Manthlel, for the first time in his memory, a look of shocked incredulity upon his features. Manthlel didn’t know what to say, so he just flashed that strange hand gesture, hoping it would suffice. Human took one look at it, then burst into a barking hiccup which Manthlel realized moments later was raucous laughter.