Chapter 5: Fight for Survival

No warning, no sound previewing the terrible arrival, no vibrations of earth, no time to react, Thisher was gone. Seized by a behemoth, a leviathan, a terror, a Katozjen. It erupted from the earth below their feet, sending all flying, and taking poor Thisher into its jaws. Aaox caught himself before hearing Drvkauh cry out in anguish to her lover.

The beasts gargantuan body towered over everyone, nearly reaching the ceiling. Hundreds of needle-like legs scratched at the air, it’s segmented body snaking back and forth. Aoax looks to the beasts hideous face, dozens of beady eyes stare back. Aoax has one last look at Thisher, his limp body between the pincers of the Katozjen. Before anyone could do anything, Thisher’s body disappears into the beast's drooling gnarled mess of a mouth.

Outraged, Frauch pulls forth a sword and charges at the beast. Kmna rushes to stop him, cutting in between Frauch and the Katozjen. “You stupid!” Kmna shouts, “Katozjen are cover in poison spines, you die if touch!”

“Than what’r we suppos’d t’ do?! The fucker killed Thisher!” Frauch, consumed by rage, rushes past Kmna and to try and kill the beast himself. Kmna then grabs Frauch with her talons. “Lemme go ya fuckin’ Loztah er do you wanna die too!”

Kmna flaps her great wings and narrowly avoids the Katozjen burrowing into the earth where he once stood. “Listen, we need work together, you need calm.” Kmnas distant voice somehow made it to Aoax’s hearing, despite the rumbling of the Katozjen moving underneath his feet.

“Like Yoh I do, let me down right now!” Frauch begins to flail his sword in Kmna’s face. Aoax watches as the two struggle for dominance. One bad swing into Kmna’s eye and Frauch is let go, plummeting to the floor below them. Aoax instinctively takes to the air and rushes to catch Frauch.

Too late, the Katozjen explodes from the ground, grabs frauch, and bores back under with him. Aoax’s body becomes hot with with fear and fury. He stretches his wings and burst to the air. Though left him as he barreled towards Kmna, how dare she let Frauch fall. Aoax latches his fangs into the drake's neck, the sudden imbalance sending them falling back down.

“Fool, we both die!” Kmna kicks Aoax off of her, and regains her lift.

Aoax’s stomach panged from the force Kmna had used. “Why,” Aoax coughed, “why did you let go!”

“It not I fault!”

“You should have never been let out of the naioqjak comiv!”

Before Aoax could rush at Kmna again, the Katozjen flies up between them, both narrowly avoiding the attack. Aoax flies back to avoid touching the beast, fearful of its deadly spines.

Not snatching any invader from this surfacing, the Katozjen spots Mangal’s intrusive light. With no time to prepare, the Katozjen dives for its next victim.

Aoax could not sit idly by as another is taken. Not knowing what else to do, he lets out a howl. His body begins to flutter, his wings spun with energy, his focus solely on the Katozjen. With every ounce of his being, he beats his wings violently and without restraint. Before the Katozjen could reach Mangal Aoax had generated a gale of wind. With heavy resistance the Katozjen fights the sudden burst of pressure. Aoax flaps with all his might, he couldn’t let another die on his watch. Despite his efforts, The Katozjen’s immense strength creates a stalemate.

Aoax’s wings begin to ache, he can’t keep this up forever. The wind was deafening, debris and dust kicked up and swirling all around the cavern. Aoax strains his senses to locate the others. He spots Kmna pinned to one of the pillars, and somehow Mangal and Drvkauh managed to huddle behind a large overturned boulder. With on decisive flap of his wings, Aoax sends the Katozjen hurtling out of the ground and into the far wall. Aoax does not let up, trying to keep the monsters enormous body pinned to the wall.

Seizing the opportunity, Kmna leaps from the pillar and barrels towards the trapped monster, roaring in anger. Her jaws agape, Kmna crashes into the Katozjens head. She clamps tightly onto the barbed exoskeleton. At first his teeth only slightly pierce the shell, but after Kmna strains her jaw muscles to their limit, a fracture begins to manifest. With an audible crunch, Kmna was through. The beast lets out an ear shattering screech, shaking the entire cave with its twisting body. Kmna then opens wide one more time and injects searing flame into the newly opened wound. The creature first writhes ever more violently and without reasons. But soon it goes limp, it’s body falling heavily to the floor in an explosion of dust.

Aoax rushes to Kmna’s side, the drake’s mouth and body covered in the Katozjen’s dagger-like spines. The smell of burning flesh stings Aoax’s nostrils. Kmna looks pathetically to Aoax, the toxin already petrifying most of her body. One final bit of broken Lald leaves the hero's lips, “This kill, was known good.”

Kmna’s body stops moving.

Mangal and Drvkauh join Aoax’s side by the felled beast and their comrades corpse. No one but Drvkauh could grieve. Frauch, Thisher, and Kmna were no longer a part of the world, they had moved on to the next. Drvkauh drops to the ground, crippled with sorrow. Her body curls up while her tears stain her face and ground. Hiccups and sniffles were all she could muster.

Neither Aoax nor Mangal left Drvkauhs side. The compounding sadness she was feeling takes its toll, eventually rendering her unconscious. Mangal slumps Drvkauhs languished body onto Aoaxes back. Her weight seems heavier than it truly was. Aoax then bows for Mangal to climb atop too. It would be faster for them to leave as a unit, Mangals twig-like humi legs unable to keep up with him. Mangal obliges and lethargically mounts Aoax.

Aoax keeps a steady jog to get out of the cave, being vigilant for any more dangers. He had lost his emotions, his body like a machine performing a task. Anger, Sorrow, fear, disgust, he felt nothing. He should be feeling sorrow more than anything else, but even when asleep Drvkauhs Nya prevents him. She continually drained any sorrow he might have. The same seemed to be for Mangale, his silence and stiffness on his back telling all. It wasn’t right for Drvkauh to deny him remorse or misery, but it could not be helped.

There was a small party waiting for them at the mouth of the cave. At first they were all cheering the returning Delvers. But quickly their happiness leaves them.

Vroljez gets down from his lounge couch. He solemnly asks where the others were. Mangal dismounts, taking sleeping Drvkauh into his arms. Aoax speaks for the group, “we… There was…” Aoax fumbles over his words, “Their dead.”

Vroljez, eyes wide with fear, asks, “their dead? How did it happen?”

“There’s a village, then a long staircase, and a Tuumon Kova down there… A Katozjen had made it’s nest outside… It caught us off guard and took Thisher and Frauch... Kmna managed to kill it… But at the cost of her life…” Aoax’s eyes glared vacantly as he spoke.

“I, I’m sorry. When we return to Roja I’ll make sure their families are notified.” Vroljez then motions for one of his workers. Yosa brings a box to Vroljez, “inside is your pay, you may take it at any time on our way back.”

Aoax didn’t care at how heartless Vroljez appeared, he would let all in Chvat know of Kmna and her story.