...Sadness For Everyone

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

    Chapter 8

08/28/98:

"What caused that?" I asked, looking up over the side of the
bed once the blast had finished.

Ren waved his hand at me. "Stay down!" He yelled, a blast of
flame flooding into the room through the open windows. Two
more followed it in quick succession before Ren finally
yelled again.

"Dragons," he said, pulling himself to his feet as I did the
same, "Five, maybe six, I didn't seem then long enough to
tell."

"How large?" I asked, pulling off my shirt and shaking free
any glass that had landed on it.

"Size of a horse," he answered, leaning out the window. "A
large horse, like a clydesdale."

The door into the room was slammed open, the priest running
inside, hir fur standing up on end. Sie looked from the
window to us, then up at the scorch marks that covered the
ceiling.

"What happened?" sie asked, running towards Ren.

He gave hir a quick run down as I went over to them,
grabbing my pack on the way.

"Did you see their colors?" Sie asked, looking up in the
sky, searching for the attackers.

He nodded, "One was red and black, that I'm sure of. I think
the rest were green."

The priest growled softly as I handed Ren a pair of
binoculars. He snatched them from my fingers, searching the
sky for any signs of more attacks.

"There coming back, there are six, the one red dragon and
five greens." Ren said, handing the binoculars back to me.

The priest grabbed them instead, looking to the same spot
that Ren had been. I chanced a look down, to where the
festive was being held. There was a large swath of
destruction right through the middle of the park. A few
fires here and there, only a handful of people were trying
to stop them though, the rest were too panicked.

"Kra'tel," The priest said, shoving the binoculars back into
my hands. Sie didn't say it like a swear, more like sie was
spitting out a name that left a bitter taste in hir mouth.

"That's who is attacking us?" Ren asked, taking the
binoculars again and checking the dragons position.

Sie nodded. "A dragon who gave himself to Ruhk, but I was
told that 'Kharen had killed him half a century ago."

"Obviously he didn't," Ren muttered, shoving the binoculars
back into my hands. "Who are the others?"

Sie sighed. "He has the power to kill dragon's minds, to set
free there souls from the body without killing it. He
controls them."

I shoved the binoculars back into my pack, then grabbing
both guns I made sure they were ready for use. I returned
one the the rear holster, holding the other on in my hand.
Beside me Ren already was already holding a sword. "So
basically there mindless?" I asked, making sure I understood
what I had been told.

Sie nodded.

"All right," Ren said, a touch of excitement in his voice as
he stepped out onto the windowsill. "Lets bring them down!"

"Keep the red one alive," I said, moving closer to him,
"just keep it from flying."

He nodded, and with a smile slipped out the window onto the
small overhang below. He started to run along the two foot
wide strip of roof, when he reached the edge he jumped into
the air, coming down on the roof of the building next to the
Temple that was a story lower to the ground.

I shrugged, and with gun in hand followed him out the
window. As I fell to the second roof I could see the
dragons, each one growing larger as they moved down towards
the festival.

Ren moved onto another roof, heading off to one side where a
pair of green dragons were diving towards a large crowd of
people. The other three greens had split up, one was coming
towards me, the other two had vanished behind buildings. The
red was skimming over top of the crowd, moving in a lazy
circle

Coming up to the edge of the roof I looked around. There
were a few others I could jump too easily, but I didn't want
to stay in the air any longer then I had too. The dragon
that was coming for me was moving fast, I didn't have much
more time to delay.

With a loud yell I jumped down onto the panicked crowed
below me, just seconds before the dragon flew overhead. I
landed on a dozen people, most of the falling under my
weight. I scrambled off of them, looking around for the
dragon.

It was making a tight turn at the end of the street and
heading back towards me. I started running into the crowd,
pushing my way through them, trying to find a clear spot
before the dragon flamed me and everyone else.

At last I made it to a small clearing just outside one of
the tents. Most of the people had cleared out of this area,
with the rest suddenly scattering as they saw what was
following me.

As soon as I was clear of the 'morphs, I spun around, gun
held tightly in both hands. The dragon was maybe twenty feet
away, and moving faster then I could blink. Without thinking
I fired off two shots before I ducked under it's body as it
past through where I had just been.

It crashed into the tent behind me, pulling it up from the
mountings and sending it rolling through the grass. Pulling
myself to my feet I could see that I had hit it once along
its neck, and once just under the muzzle. The thing was
dead.

I spun around, searching the sky for any other dragons. One
was coming down one of the streets, screaming in pain and
blowing goats of flame at the crowd below. A few seconds
later it crashed into the side of a building. Ren must have
gotten it.

A long animal like scream came from behind me. I twisted
around, just in time to duck as a new green dragon flew past
me, trying to grab me in it's well toothed jaw.

I pulled myself back up just as soon as it had past over me.
It had come to a landing a hundred feet away and was slowly
turing around. It was looking at me as it turned, it's empty
eyes almost glowing in the torchlight.

Letting off a couple shots towards it I ducked behind the
trunk of a large tree that one tent had been around. A blast
of flame quickly followed, blowing around the trunk. It
nearly cooked me just from the heat, but I was lucky enough
not to get burt.

Once the fire was down I spun around the tree, gun held at
ready, and came face to muzzle with the dragon. It jumped
back on instinct, never expecting it's pray to have survived
a blast of it's fire.

It would have been impossible to miss him at this range, I
quickly put one shot between it's eyes, spinning back around
to look for any more as I heard it thump to the ground.

I saw Ren on the other side of the park area, looking around
just as I had. I started running towards him my gun still
held at the ready. Ren noticed me as I came up to him, his
blood covered sword held at ready for any more attacks.

"How many did you kill?" He asked, returning to his search
of the sky.

"Two," I answered. Doing the same, I could see no movement
in the sky, even the Red seemed to be gone.

"Same here," He commented. "Which leaves one green and the
leader of this little attack."

I lowered my eyes back to the buildings, searching down the
streets, looking for any signs of the dragons.

"Notice they seem to be getting smarter." he said, craning
his head back to look upwards.

"Nope, not really."

Ren chuckled, "They are Fox... this Red is controlling them,
the more we kill the more attention it can pay to the
others. Right now it only has one extra set of eyes and
ears. We have it's total and undivided attention."

"Brilliant observation," I commented, squinting a bit at
what looked like a moving shadow on top of a roof just a
short distance away from us.

"Thank you," He answered. I could hear the smirk in his
voice.

Still though, I was more interested in the moving shadows. I
walked over to a burning display of some sort. Grabbing
something large enough that was burning, I flung it at the
shadow.

The last green was there, edging closer to where we were. As
the light came on it, the beast screamed, jumping off the
building and flying towards us.

Ren moved first, in a flash of his sword he was suddenly on
it, chopping at it's neck. It fell to the ground with a
crash, it's head almost completely severed from it's neck.

"One left," He said, looking back up at the sky for any
movement.

The red was already above us, bearing down, flaming blasting
from it's mouth towards us. We each dove to one side as it
skimmed over our heads. Rolling back to my feet I fired
three shots at it while it pulled into the air. It seemed to
winch, twisting it wing and making a forced bank and one
hit.

Righting itself it turned back around, coming towards is
once more. Holding my gun as steadily as I could I let loose
the last three rounds in the clip at it. Once done I dropped
it, reaching around for the second gun and jumping to the
side as it came past again, but with no flame this time.

Ren jumped towards it, his sword cutting into the muscle and
flesh of the wing. The sword edge bounced off the bone of
the wing, but came back down on the wing membrane, ripping a
wide gash into it all the way down it's length.

The wing collapsed, sending the dragon hurtling into the
earth. It crashed head first, skidding and rolling before
coming to a stop on it's back.

We ran up to it, I was on one side, my gun pointed at it's
head. Ren was on the other, his sword on his throat.

The dragon looked between us and laughed. "Ruhk has always
underestimated you humans," it said with a sneer. I heard a
small gasp come from some of the crowd that had gathered
around us.

Ren smiled. "Thanks for the compliment."

It snorted, glaring at Ren. "You will be hir servant,
reaching out and causing destruction in the multi-verse." It
looked to me, "sie want's you to serve in hir bed."

I shook my head slowly. "Sorry, I'm already taken."

It smiled to us, letting out a slow chuckle. Which faded
away as his body fell into itself, crumbling into dust.

Pulling my gun back I kicked one pile of the ash like dust.
"Think it's dead?" I asked.

A long scream in the distance answered the question for us.
Lumbering down the street, maybe only twenty feet in the
air, was another dragon, but this one was huge! The size of
an elephant and grotesquely out of proportion with the
others I had seen so far tonight. It seemed to be struggling
to just keep in the air, but I doubted it's small legs could
hold up it's weight.

"No," Ren said, "and frankly I'm not sure that dragon should
be able to live at all."

I nodded, at the speed it was moving it would be on us in
only a minute, and I doubted I could get in range to use my
gun before I was toast.

"Do you have a plan this time?" Ren asked.

I paused, looking back behind us, the temple was on the
other side of the park. Inside of it was my pack, right
where I had left it in the room.

"Yes," I said, and started running through the park. Shoving
past the people that had come to watch the fight I worked my
way to the temple. Some where along the line my gun was
knocked from my hand. I swore when it happened, but I didn't
have time to stop and look for it.

Down into the street I went, slamming open the temple doors.
The priest was inside, praying the alter that was in the end
of the room.

"Keep running!" I yelled to Ren as I dashed through the
building, past the priest and up the stairs to the room we
had been staying in.

Skidding to my knees by my pack I dug through it, quickly I
found was I was looking for. A syringe of sorts, about an
inch thick and six long.

Climbing up back into the broken windows I looked down the
street. The massive dragon was almost past me already. I
stepped onto the roof, running down the short ledge and
jumping.

I landing on the things back, right between the wings. It
roared as I pulled myself to the base of it's neck, bucking,
trying to get me off.

Gripping the syringe hard I heard a crushing sound as the
inside casing broke open, releasing the chemical that was
healed inside of it to mix with the rest of the chemicals
that filled the syringe.

Stabbing it into the beasts neck I smashed the plunger down,
forcing almost all of it into it's neck. Counting to myself
I let myself slid back over it, falling of it's tail and
crashing to the street below.

Ren was suddenly right next to me helping me to my feet.
"What did you do?" He asked.

I looked over my shoulder, the dragon was some how making a
tight turn off the buildings and was coming back towards us.

Taking a few steps back I keep counted down to myself.
Finally I grabbed Ren and started to run towards the dragon,
moving under it's body before it could react. Once under it
I threw Ren to the ground, following after him.

The dragon pulled away, trying to turn around again. Closing
my eyes I ducked my head as my countdown reached zero. There
came a wet explosion from behind us, followed by a loud and
thick crash of something massive falling to the ground.

Ren and I both sat up, looking behind us. Most of the
dragon's neck was gone, as well as some of it's shoulders.

"What the hell did you do?"

I shrugged, shaking my head to clear the ringing in my ears.
"Gibbed him."

"But how?" Ren asked, rising to his feet.

I stood as well, surveying the damage. "Some G-137."

"Which is?" He asked.

"I'll tell you later." I responded, street lights suddenly
coming to life down the length of the road. I could see
maybe a hundred Theriamorphs moving towards us. One was
leading them, with enough force in hir walk I knew we were
in trouble.

Sie stepped around the bits of the dragon, walking right to
Ren and I. Stopping in front of us sie looked back and forth
between us.

In one quick move sie grabbed Ren's head and yanked him
down. A dagger suddenly in hir paw sie yanked on the tip of
his fake ear and sliced the end of it off.

Looking at it in disgust sie threw it to the ground. "You
are humans." Sie said, spitting at our feet.

I nodded. "Yes, we are."

"Restrain them!" Sie called, a pair of large bears were
suddenly upon us, holding our hands behind our backs.

"You will both be taken to the Senate, they will rule on how
to deal with you." With that sie turned on hir heel and
marched off into the crowed.

I sighed softly, relaxing into the bear's grasp. At least we
were going in to the right place.

   To Be Continued...

-----

This story is (c) 1998 by Fox Cutter, hardcopy reprints
limited to one a person, all other rights reserved. This
story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission
of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.
Elena and hir world is (c) 1998 by Chris Bradford.