Jingoistic Giants: Dark Reunion (Part 3) by Tom Kropp

EDITOR’S NOTE: On a brutal alien world filled with giant clans, monsters, and prehistoric predators, a genetically enhanced warrior, a symbiotic were-creature, a giantess, and a ghost struggle to survive relentless attacks while navigating interspecies conflict and treacherous terrain.

You can read part one at FreedomFiction.com by visiting the link

Titan Territory by Tom Kropp

Titan Territory by Tom Kropp

You can read part two at FreedomFiction.com by visiting the link

Dark Reunion: Titan Territory part II by Tom Kropp

Dark Reunion: Titan Territory part II by Tom Kropp

Jingoistic Giants Dark Reunion by Tom Kropp
Part 3 of Titan Territory saga

Shannon: A very pretty, athletic figured, dark-haired and green-eyed Earth woman that becomes a huge alien werebeast at night.

Scot: A short, muscular, blond haired and blue eyed, genetically enhanced human that can see and speak to the souls of dead humans.

Sharon: A beautiful, blond-haired, blue-eyed female ghost from earth that has been Scot’s friend and partner for years.

Elise: A thirteen foot tall giantess with long blond hair, blue eyes, fine face and fetching figure.

Tier is a primitive planet that the alien Greys regard as their own scientific experiment. The short, big headed, little grey aliens that have visited Earth for eons in their saucer shaped ships long ago seeded Tier with genetically engineered beings from Earth history and other planets. The Greys even provided books to different intelligent species to make them aware of their history and to make each species believe they were special and better than other species.

On Tier racism and prejudices exist as does slavery of all sort. Most races believe all others are their enemies. It’s a savage place full of brutality and battles with no ruling worldwide governments.

Dinosaurs, monstrous mammals, and other deadly alien creatures run rampant on the planet. The more intelligent humanoids have only evolved to the point of using primitive flintlock firearms and steel weapons and some poison toxins smeared on arrows and spears.

Scot, Shannon, Sharon and Elise travel through this world together.

& & &

  Shannon in her dark wolf form was bigger than a Kodiak brown bear with a head huger than a hippo and maw full of fearsome fangs. Her furry form was actually comprised of an alien symbiont that inhabited her body and it made stronger, faster and more formidable than any entity back on Earth. Her dark matter form was also very hard to harm and healed swiftly.

  Near her, Scot moved quickly. He was a short, rugged-looking young man with close-cropped blond hair and blue eyes and many scars over his face and muscular figure. His left hand was a very realistic looking robotic hand from Earth.

  Sharon flew through the air communicating to Scot any dangers she spotted. She is a beautiful blond-haired and blue-eyed shimmering female soul.

  Elise was a thirteen foot tall giantess with long blond hair and blue eyes set in a fine face and fantastic figure. Her wounded leg was slowing her down though.

  “Elise won’t make it! You and Shannon can! If you sprint you can make it into those rocks over there!” Sharon urged Scot, while pointing.

  “Shannon! Sprint into those rocks and don’t move till it’s safe! Carry your pack with you!” Scot ordered, tapping Shannon and pointing.

  Shannon didn’t argue. She gathered her carrying pack in her mouth. She was a furry blurred shadow in the moonlight as she bolted several hundred yards in a few seconds sprint. She laid down behind a couple boulders that barely blocked her. She hardly reached it in time to avoid being spotted by the dozens of giants that appeared over the rise in front of them. Other giants were climbing down a high bluff behind them. Elise and Scot were caught in the open with no cover available for a long ways in any direction. Shannon was laying in the only available scanty cover. The male giants averaged 15-20 feet tall and were very human looking. They wore furs and armor and carried a wide variety of weaponry including huge swords, axes, spears, warhammers, and bows and arrows.

  “Run, Scot,” Elise urged.

  “No, Elise. I’ll try to claim you and challenge their leader to single combat,” Scot replied.

  “They won’t honor it. You’re not a clan member. They’ll kill you. Run,” Elise argued.

  “Too late now. Just be ready to follow my lead,” Scot sighed.

  Elise slipped her left arm through her shield loops to have it ready to block arrows while she held her own bow in her left hand with an arrow nocked. She tried to recognize the clan warriors that were loping their way in long strides under the pale light of the three moons in the clear night sky. The rocky ground was uneven with lots of loose stones underfoot. It was a horrible place to be caught.

  “My brother Cyrus is there. The tallest blond male leading,” Elise muttered darkly as the giants came closer.

  Scot studied the band in front of him. He estimated at least two dozen giants between the ones in front and back of them. They all looked quite titanic and foreboding in their mail and helms, weapons ready in their humongous hands.

  Cyrus looked to be the tallest at over twenty foot tall. He had long blond hair and blue eyes set in a handsome face. The sibling resemblance between him and Elise was obvious. His build was both powerful and much defined. His helm had wings like a Viking on both sides and a mail coif hung to help protect his neck. His mail shirt covered his torso and arms. His greaves and mail girdle covered his lower extremities well. He had his round shield on his left arm and behemoth broadsword in his right fist.

  “Sister, you have cost our clan many lives,” Cyrus boomed in a fierce tone. “Fleeing your marriage shamed the Saxon chieftain, Kali. He declared war. Many of us were killed driving them away.”

  “I’m sorry, Cyrus. I couldn’t marry Kali. I loved Stave.” Elise tried to explain.

  “Where is Stave?” Cyrus questioned darkly.

  “Slain by the saldars,” Elise admitted sadly.

  “Good. Father has ordered if you can be found, and taken alive, you’re to be taken back to our village to face his judgment. If you resist, we can kill you. Throw down your weapons and come willingly, or we will take you by force, sister,” Cyrus demanded grimly.

  “I claim this woman,” Scot stated firmly. “I challenge your best warrior for her in contest by combat.”

  Cyrus looked surprised down at Scot. “You speak our language, little child?”

  “Yes. I come from the Rice clan and have claimed Elise. If you want her, then prove your manhood by fair combat with me for her hand.”

  Cyrus, and many other giants, started laughing at Scot.

  “Unless you’re afraid to lose,” Scot added. “I can defeat you.”

  Cyrus snarled at that comment. His considerable pride kicked in.

  “You are not a grown man to issue such a challenge. Nor are you from our clan, so I don’t have to honor your challenge, little child.” Cyrus was contemptuous, but also offended.

  “You’re just scared that you can’t beat me. You’re afraid I’ll beat you in front of everyone.”

  Other giants grumbled in dark anger at Scot’s claims. Cyrus’s pride and anger kicked in.

  “Elise will surrender willingly if you defeat me. If you’re too cowardly to fight me alone, then Elise will resist. Your father will hear you had to use all your men to kill your sister because you were afraid to face me alone to decide this matter,” Scot pointed out.

  That decided Cyrus because he recognized the truth of the statement.

  “No thunder sticks. Sword against sword,” Cyrus rumbled readily.

  “Agreed,” Scot nodded and pulled Shannon’s iron sword. The other giants started making noise with wagers and laughter. Scot could understand their amusement at the sight of little him challenging their mighty giant leader. The giants formed a wide ring. Elise stood off to the side on her own. Scot and Cyrus were in the center of the circle.

  “Ready, little child?” Cyrus boomed derisively.

  “Prepare to be humiliated,” Scot replied.

  Cyrus glared with fury at the insect under him.

  The second in command issued the order. “Begin!”

  Cyrus hurtled his girth at Scot with a skilled sword thrust and shield slam. The very quick, coordinated combination would have executed almost any normal man. Scot was a barely registered blur as he bolted between Cyrus’s legs to get behind him and leapt. Scot’s leap reached Cyrus’s back, and Scot snatched the mail shirt. A second jump landed him on Cyrus’s shoulder. Scot yanked the mail coif hanging from the helmet back, exposing the neck, and pricked Cyrus’s throat with his sword, jabbing near the jugular.

  “Move and I cut your throat!” Scot shouted.

  Cyrus blinked and froze in sudden shock. He badly wanted to reach for Scot, but that sword was a needle nicking his neck and quite capable of killing him where it was. Everyone was gaping in disbelief. Scot had accomplished his dominant position in perhaps 2-3 seconds flat, from the duel start to finish.

  “No one move or I cut his throat!” Scot yelled again. He could feel Cyrus tense up and see other giants touching weapons.” I’ll kill you, Cyrus, if you resist. Do you yield?”

  “Kill me and the others will kill you and Elise!” Cyrus threatened in a low tone.

  “It won’t matter to you when you’re dead. Admit I won. Then you’re gonna carry me like this to the forest while your men wait here.” Scot laid out the rules.

  “You go. Elise stays,” Cyrus tried to bargain strong.

  Scot’s sword pricked a bit deeper. “You either comply, or I’m gonna kill you and pull my thunder stick to start shooting your friends.”

  Cyrus realized he couldn’t bluff Scot. A trickle of fear swirled in him at the feel of the blade so close to killing him. “He has won the contest. Do not attack. I’m going to walk them to the forest line. Stay here. No one move until I return for you.”

  The other giants grumbled, not liking the order, but none tried to attack.

  “Tell them make a hole and you walk through it towards the timber,” Scot commanded.

  Cyrus issued the order and slowly walked towards the distant timber. The ring of giants moved aside. Cyrus walked through the lines with Elise following. No one tried anything aggressive. They marched across the open, rocky ground. The timber was about 600 yards away.

  “Thank you, Scot. I never seen anything like that,” Elise offered gratefully.

  “We’re not in the woods yet,” Scot pointed out.

  Cyrus chose not to speak with that needle in his neck. As he walked over the shifting terrain, sometimes the blade poked deeper. His life was balanced on a razor edge.

  Scot was very worried. Even once they reached the timber, the giants could follow them. Their short head start wouldn’t matter a lot to Elise. Scot and Shannon could outrun the giants, Elise would be hard pressed. Cyrus continued his slow march and passed the rocks where Shannon remained hidden.

   A huge shadow shrouded them suddenly. Scot looked up at a pair of immense eagles arcing overhead against the stars. Cyrus stumbled slightly and Scot swayed off balance, so he eased his sword back to avoid accidentally cutting Cyrus’s throat.

  Cyrus chose that moment to bust his move, spinning with a jump and grab at Scot. Scot furiously shoved his sword forward, it dipped and slit Cyrus’s jugular. A geyser of gore spouted out. Cyrus made a rather frightened sound as he realized his escape attempt had failed fatally.

  Scot jumped clear as Cyrus’s huge hands tried to grab him. Cyrus stumbled, grabbing at his neck and gurgling. Elise shoved him aside as he blundered her way. Cyrus fell to his knees, hopelessly trying to staunch the blood fountain from his throat. The giants in the distance spotted his fall and many roared as they rushed towards their dying leader.

  Scot and Elise were already running. Shannon waited, watching. Some of the giants raised their bows and unleashed arrows. Their incredibly powerful bows arched their immense arrows across the few hundred yards easily and fairly accurately. Elise had her shield raised behind her as she awkwardly ran. Scot used his speed to zip further over, away from Elise. Like a bunch of barbed saplings, arrows showered down and scratched on stones and thudded in Elise’s shield. They reached the timber safely with some giants still volleying arrows and others running full speed after them. Shannon wisely hadn’t revealed herself yet.

  “You’ll have to make a stand here, Scot. The timber is thin here. It breaks up about a hundred yards ahead and you’ll be stuck out in the open again for a good thousand yards. Whittle them down from forest cover while they’re in the open.” Sharon floated beside Scot with her advice.

  “We make our stand here, Elise,” Scot informed her grimly.

   Scot had his blaster out and hopped in a high tree crotch, where he took aim. Elise stood in a good spot and drew her bowstring to cheek. Scot’s scope zeroed in on the titans charging closer. He selected a foe’s face under the helm and a twinkling plasma ray zoomed to doom him. The giant stumbled several steps before his legs seemed to receive the delayed message his brain was broiled.

   The other giants lifted their shields higher after seeing the glistening globule of plasma pelt their friend’s head. Scot continued touching targets with gleaming beams. His luminous, lethal, forks of plasma flickered over the distance, like lightning tendrils, whittling through wood shields, melting mail, and immolating organs inside giants. He burnt through bodies, groins and legs. They were keeping their heads and bodies pretty well shielded, but his plasma slag sparkled searing through shields. Elise was doing her best sallying shafts that mainly thudded into shields.

   The giant archers could see Scot’s refulgent rays winking from the trees. They focused their sorties there and shafts crashed all around Scot. He was almost stuck by a bunch and one bolt creased his Kevlar vest. The immense impact tumbled Scot out of the tree. Then numerous giants tromped into the timber to tear into the pair there. It became a forest fray that the archers rushed to join.

  Shannon finally made her appearance. She jetted towards the timber with supernatural swiftness. The archers were close to the timber when she caught them by surprise from behind. With human cunning, she tried to hide her actions by picking the slowest giant first. She pounced with precision, her muzzle scarfing up the back of his neck and crushing closed, crimping mail and vertebrae. She felt the metal in her mouth, but her dark matter fangs and jaw muscles still mashed mail, bone, and flesh together in a messy mush. For good measure, her right paw reached around his throat. Her dark matter talons chiseled through mail and flesh to switch through his throat. The giant gargled on his own blood while his trimmed in two vertebrae brought him down, paralyzed.

  Shannon was already tackling her next target. She soared and struck his back like a thunderbolt. Her maw devoured his neck with a couple quick bites that mangled mail and vertebrae, while her hooking claws scooped in his throat. He made an outcry that ended in a ghastly gurgle.

  Other giants heard that and detected the dark threat. The first to turn got his shield up and stuck a sword thrust at her. Shannon’s big mitt swished, batting the broadsword aside as she dived. Her supernaturally sharp claws carved into his codpiece and gored him from groin to thigh. He couldn’t even scream as the anguish brought him to his knees, touching his tattered testicles. Blood pulsed from an open artery.

  An axe almost dashed on her back. She juked sideways as the blade struck sparks off stone. Shannon lunged in and her maw scoffed up his arm in one gulp below the bicep. Her juggernaut jaw muscles flexed, compressing with phenomenal force. A gargantuan bone snapped loudly as mail and flesh were mauled in her mouth. She raked her claws near his knee, gouging his greaves and tilling bloody furrows in flesh.

  A super-sized shaft slammed her shoulder with more power than any bullet ever had. The arrow’s awesome impact spun her like a top. A sword almost notched her neck coming down in a diagonal swoop. She narrowly scrambled away. She used the swordsman’s body to block another archer aiming at her. The swordsman tried to shield slam her while recovering from his miss. Shannon jumped up over the shield and made a filet of his face with a torque of her talons. She incised his eyeball and knifed through his nostrils and cheek. The huge flap of flayed face flesh dangled from his chin. He screamed, missing most of his face and half blinded.

  Shannon dodged an arrow that sped near her head, but another arrow’s barbed, broad head banged and bounced off her back. She was staggered by the stupendous strike. Furious and hurting, she hurtled at the archer that just pegged her. His face reflected his terror as he tried to get another arrow nocked and bow drawn. Shannon was too fast flying high to baste his face and throat with her outstretched claws, mutilating the man in a moment beyond recognition. His face had been erased into a gruesome ruin with flaps of flesh hanging in scarlet scraps along his jaw. His neck was squirting blood from a ventilated vein.

  Shannon landed and scrambled to put a swordsman between her and the aiming archer. Now the giants were forming a shield wall together to meet her. The archers swung wide to get safe angles to shoot at her, while the shield wall whaled her down.

  Shannon bolted towards the timber. She did some zig zagging to evade the arrows that thrummed after her. She had killed a couple giants and disabled several others by her sneak attack and superb speed, but now they’d had a few moments to recover and form battle lines. Trying to battle their new formation would be foolish. She wasn’t sure how much abuse her alien symbiont could withstand, but a bunch of giants shooting shafts and hacking at her might be her Waterloo.

  She’d reduced the odds against her companions. Scot’s blaster and 45 were both blasting in the brush. She slipped through shrubs with her night vision sweeping, searching for her next victim.

& & &

  When Scot was torpedoed out of the tree, he managed to land on all fours. His left side hurt, where the arrow grazed him. He staggered behind a tree and used his left hand to hold his 45. Elise had to lean behind a tree as several arrows tagged the tree instead of her. Then giants were tramping through the timber, waving their weapons. Scot used both guns. His blaster strobed bolts. His 45 bellowed out bullets in brief blazes of muzzle fire.

  That forest fracas would forever be a fleeting, confused memory for him. He used his excellent night vision and the trees and brush to avoid being surrounded or pinned down by the giants. His 45 thundered and flashed at legs and groins mainly. His plasma pistol puffed out ion charged rays that lanced like lava, bursting through shields and armor, jolting through the juggernauts after him. He had to repeatedly run and dodge behind trees as they furiously flailed after him. The giants had made a major mistake in chasing him into the forest. He was far too fast for them and could use the trees for cover, while they were left exposed often. Some archers tried to spit him with shafts. Bravely most chased after him with shields up and blades swinging, but their shields and mail couldn’t stop the incendiary ion particles piercing them.

  They actually chased Scot from one end of the timber till the other, which was about a hundred yards. He couldn’t even count how many he killed or wounded while retreating and laying down cover fire. His 45’s clip emptied early. He couldn’t take the time to reload it. His plasma pistol’s power cell died and he had to flat out flee into the open field.

  Elise had kept up a storm of shafts at the enemy until they entered the timber. Then she tried to hide behind trees, lurking in shadows while picking and sticking targets. Her own shield grew too heavy with shafts bristling from it, so she set it aside. Most of the men were chasing after Scot. Elise had decent vision with the moonlight through the sparse tree canopy. Several giants closed with her in a rush. She had to drop her bow and pull her sword and dagger. They clashed in chaotic combat. With all the trees, limbs, and brush, it was tough finding footing or room to swing long swords. Their tussle was tangled up in that brush.

  Elise tried to use trees where she could to cover her back. Her blades engaged the others like windmills, warding off attacks. Her helm was hammered by a sword. Her mail stopped several cuts and thrusts. Her sword hewed off the hand of an axe man. Her dagger jackhammered under a jaw in an uppercut that eliminated that opponent. She was hard pressed by the other pair pummeling at her. Suddenly one of her enemies went down with Shannon on his back, gnashing and slashing him to death. The other opponent was distracted by Shannon’s atavistic appearance. Elise caught him off guard. Her sword shorn through his shoulder and her dagger disemboweled him. Elise lost sight of Shannon.

  Shannon was a shadow of death in the timber. She could see the giants’ backs and Scot’s lines of fire retreating. Carefully Shannon picked her prey based on them not seeing her. She kept bounding on backs with bites and claw swipes, slaughtering swordsmen that never saw her. She took a toll following the road of destruction Scot left in his wake.

  Scot had his blaster’s last power pack jammed deep in his Kevlar vest pocket. Once he’d reached the open range outside the woods, he sprinted a hundred yards in less than 3 seconds flat, despite being tired. He stopped to dig out the power pack and reloaded his blaster. He counted 7 giants that emerged from the timber. A couple of them were wounded. They had good vision and spotted him out in the open moonlight. He decided to give them a chance.

  “I’m too fast for you all. If you try to come at me here, I will shoot all of you down. Leave here now while you still can. I won the contest. Cyrus should have honored the deal. Instead he tried to attack me again and I killed him. Now go, unless you want to die.” Scot was very clear in his words.

  The two archers whispered to each other before suddenly bending their bows and almost instantly releasing the strings, to zing arrows that whizzed in the wind, dead on target at Scot’s torso. Scot saw the missiles zipping at him and darted sideways smoothly. Both arrows flew by in near misses. That same pair of archers had almost struck him with several shots as he fled like a forest phantom.

  Scot wasn’t giving them another opportunity. They were nocking new arrows quick as they could. Scot’s scope zeroed in on a face and fired. His barrel emitted an incandescent, photonic fork that flamed through the giant’s cheek at an upwards angle. The ionized, incendiary, ray laced and baked the giant’s brain.

  Scot’s barrel puffed another plasma charged, ion infused, radiant round that sizzled and popped like bacon frying while driving through the other archer’s eyebrow and brain. The archer’s fingers fumbled the bow and nocked arrow as he reeled. Both titans toppled a moment apart. The other giants had their shields up, and blades ready, as they stepped ahead boldly.

  Scot swiveled his scope to aim low, so his barrel huffed a luminescent lance that lambasted the leg of a giant. The giant shouted as the incendiary ions, plasma, and photons, melted mail, fried the flesh and femur, and exited his leg to torch a tree, leaving a glowing hole. He hopped howling and fell, madly slapping at the glittering, incendiary embers still cooking his thigh inside.

  “Enough!” Scot shouted. “Leave now or I start burning your balls up.”

  Everyone stopped at that comment. They grumbled to each other briefly. Grudgingly, they gradually trudged away, fading into the forest. Scot sighed in relief. He wondered about his companions. His worry about Shannon was brief, because she slunk out of the forest, further from where the giants had been.

  Shannon had arrived in time to see Scot shooting the giants. She hadn’t jumped their backs because she didn’t want Scot accidentally shooting her. Plus, she could see he was trying to convince them to retreat. She wasn’t going to foolishly risk attacking them, unless it was necessary. She walked over to him.

  “You okay?” He asked her.

  Shannon nodded. In truth her shoulder and back were tender where she’d been beaned by the bowmen’s arrows with the huge, razor sharp, iron broad heads. Scot was scratched all over from branches and thorns.

  “Is Elise okay?” He added.

  Shannon nodded.

  “Good. Let’s go get her.” He took a drink from his canteen and shared water with Shannon.

  They moved carefully through the timber. There were numerous dead giants, but also many wounded ones. The wounded ones were being assisted up by the giants still mobile. Scot paused to whisper to Shannon.

  “They’re going to need to build stretchers and splints out of forest wood to haul their wounded out. It’s best if we avoid them and get out of here. Lead me to Elise. Then I’ll cover you while you run to get your pack.”

  Shannon nodded. She led the way through the dark woods. It was eerie hearing the sounds of giants in pain and others talking, while also glimpsing their huge, shadowy figures moving around. Shannon stayed well away from them and sniffed out Elise. She wasn’t far from where Shannon last saw her. Elise saw them coming and wisely, waited silently.

  “Hide here for now, Elise. Shannon and I can sneak better than you can. We’re gonna get her pack and rejoin you here. Okay?” Scot whispered.

  Elise agreed softly.

  Shannon and Scot moved on. They had to swing wide of a band of giants. Once they reached the edge of the woods, they found the dead and wounded giants Shannon ambushed earlier.

  “I’ll cover you. Try to run in a wide loop away from them,” Scot suggested.

  Shannon nodded and loped off. Scot leaned against a tree, resting his arms over a branch for steady aim in case he needed to shoot. Shannon was a blur as she galloped in a wide loop around the downed giants to pick her pack up in her mouth, back behind the rocks. Then she ran her same route back to Scot.

  “I can carry it. You keep alert on point back to Elise,” Scot ordered.

  Shannon slobbered on him handing the pack over.

  “Gross, Shannon,” he complained.

  Scot swung her pack’s loop over his left shoulder. He still had his backpack on. He kept his blaster in right hand as he followed her. Giants were talking and complaining, while chopping saplings down to serve as splints and travois. Shannon found Elise. The giantess followed Scot. Shannon led them out of the woods again.

  Sharon flew beside Scot. “There’s only half a dozen giants not badly wounded, and they’re busy helping the wounded. But you should know there’s two giants from the Saxon clan on that high bluff. They’ve been up there watching all this. The Tulle clan was looking for them before you all showed up. The Zutons aren’t a threat. They’re far over there and don’t want to be seen. Let’s get you out of here.”

  “Sounds good,” Scot followed Sharon.

The companions set off. It had been a deadly journey full of predators. Most of the huge sabretooth tigers, cave lions and bears, immense dire wolves and other mammals tended to try avoiding the sight and scent of giants because they knew of their ferocity, especially with their powerful bows and arrows. Few dinosaurs chose to travel into the mountains due to the cold temperatures. Elise’s mere scent and presence alone had dissuaded many monsters from trying to hunt Scot and Shannon. Elise had also spoken to patrols of giants from other clans that knew her and granted them safe passage through their territory.

 Scot and Shannon had also made extreme risks fighting to save Elise from her giant enemies. It could be said everyone was helping everyone survive on the treacherous trip. Soon they would have to travel through the territory of numerous titan clans that Elise knew and got along with and her presence would likely lead to Scot and Shannon receiving safe passage through the titans’ territory.

  Complicating matter, Scot and Elise had started an affair. Elise had been a chief’s daughter and fled her own clan when her father tried to force her into marriage with an ugly, cruel, wealthy warrior that already had several wives. Elise had fled with her lover, only to have him killed and her captured and raped. Scot and Shannon had saved her and they’d traveled together since then. Despite the great size difference between Elise and Scot they were both enjoying the intimacy of their physical affair and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.

  Shannon was often feeling like a third wheel. She and Scot were just friends. Shannon had watched the man she loved be murdered in front of her on Earth only months ago and she still hadn’t recovered emotionally or mentally from that. She hadn’t been interested in any kind of romance and Scot had wisely known that and hadn’t made any romantic moves on her during their deadly journey. They’d been close friends fighting to survive. However now that Scot had taken a lover Shannon found herself having some hurt feelings and realized there was some jealousy too. She hadn’t wanted Scot romantically before, but now that he had taken up with another woman she found herself feeling ambivalent about things.

  “There’s a good spot to camp up ahead a few miles,” Sharon flew back to inform Scot. ”It’s a forest valley that has hot springs in it and there’s a bunch of caves there. It’s a partially active volcano because I found some lava bubbling in one spot. It’s really warm too. I didn’t see any giants living there or other major predators to worry about. There’s a fresh water stream too.”

  “Sounds good,” Scot nodded. ”Let’s go there.”

  When they reached the lush valley they could immediately feel the temperature greatly drop from the many hot springs and lava beds that spouted and bubbled in the valley heating the thick forest up. Elise spotted a giant elk and brought it down with one of her immense arrows. They butchered the game still in the dark and started a fire cooking up a big meal because they were all famished. Sharon flew off to do more scouting for them.

  Shannon was still in wolf form loudly devouring the tenderloin region of the buck. Between the sounds they were making, the splashing stream, and the rustling leaves in the breeze, they didn’t detect the threat stalking from downwind. It was a pair of adult Allosaurus parents, with several of their offspring. The parents each reached a good thirty feet long from nose to tail tips. They stood a good twelve foot tall when fully erect. They had green scales and greatly resembled a Tyrannosaurus Rex, except their upper arms were much longer and more usable than a Rex’s. They were also much quicker than a Rex. Shannon sensed them first and snarled. Scot still had his torch kindled in hand for carving and cooking when the dinosaurs dashed phenomenally fast attacking.

  The adult male hurtled at Scot in a spectacular spring. Scot’s alien enhanced celerity narrowly saved his life as it landed and bolted a bite and twin strikes at him with its front talons. Scot’s plasma lambent lance flashed as it slashed a clout on its snout that knifed through both nostrils. The Allosaurus reeled from the feel of that searing saber. But it still leapt and swept its front claws and gobbling maw at Scot. He narrowly sidestepped with a chop that lopped off its head. The decapitated dinosaur’s bounding body brushed Scot in passing. The whiplashing tail slapped him fifteen feet to whack his back on a tree.

  Shannon was the lucky one the mother and two of her youngsters tackled in the tussle. The pair of offspring were bigger than full grown raptors, with longer teeth and talons to match. The trio tore into Shannon and they tumbled, becoming a twister of biting and slicing, with kicks, hits, nips, and tail whips. Only Shannon’s alien armored flesh saved her from the savaging. Her fur was raked and perforated bloody in many spots. The mother Allosaurus used her size and power to pin Shannon underneath her. Shannon’s hind talons reached up to cut the Allosaurus open, slitting its scaly stomach, disemboweling the dinosaur. But she didn’t seem to notice the fatal evisceration. Shannon hugged her neck like a wrestler with a chokehold to keep that massive mouth contained. Shannon’s front, right paw’s talons notched the neck of her opponent, and clove the throat. The Allosaurus spewed blood everywhere as it choked, drowning in a flood of its own blood.

  Shannon broke away from the dying dinosaur. The two half grown Allosaurus juveniles were jingoists, one had focused on Shannon’s hindquarters, clawing and gnawing. The other tried to nip and rip into her neck and noggin, which were Shannon’s most vulnerable vitals.

  Shannon titanic teeth champed and clamped onto its skull, and like a nutcracker, her powerful jaws becoming a twister of biting and slicing, with kicks, hits, nips, and tail whips. Only Shannon’s alien armored flesh saved her from the savaging. Her fur was raked and perforated bloody in many spots. The mother Allosaurus used her size and power to pin Shannon underneath her. Shannon’s hind talons reached up to cut the Allosaurus open, slitting its scaly stomach, disemboweling the dinosaur. But she didn’t seem to notice the fatal evisceration. Shannon hugged her neck like a wrestler with a chokehold to keep that massive mouth contained. Shannon’s front, right paw’s talons notched the neck of her opponent, and clove the throat. The Allosaurus spewed blood everywhere as it choked, drowning in a flood of its own blood. Shannon broke away from the dying dinosaur.

  The two half grown Allosaurus juveniles were jingoists, one had focused on Shannon’s hindquarters, clawing and gnawing. The other tried to nip and rip into her neck and noggin, which were Shannon’s most vulnerable vitals. Shannon titanic teeth champed and clamped onto its skull, and her powerful jaws crushed its cranium, braining and slaying it. Simultaneously her claws scooped through its stomach and neck.

  Shannon wasn’t aware the other juvenile giant had ceased attacking until she looked. While the young Allosaurus was focusing on fastening fangs and talons in the fur and flesh of Shannon’s flank, Scot ambushed the Allosaurus. His shimmering plasma sword split its skull and fried its tiny mind. Scot and Shannon stepped back from their flopping foes.

  Two of the Allosaurus offspring attacked Elise. She bent her bow and feathered a foe launching a shaft that skewered one ten foot tall Allosaurus sinking in its stomach and out its back like a shish-kabob. That tumbled the titan briefly.

   The other Allosaurus was too close for Elise to launch another arrow, she used a blow from her bow to whack the monster back as she drew her dagger. The nine foot tall dinosaur behaved almost like a jumping chicken as it athletically leapt and swept its hind talons down to try goring Elise’s guts out while its upper claws and maw sought to gnash into Elise’s neck. Elise actually swatted the beast out of the air by using her bow like a lance so it fell short of her on its side. Elise followed up with a stab that jammed her dagger through its throat. Elise deftly knifed its neck carving through the carotid artery in a flood of blood. She stepped back from the kicking creature. Its claws still rasped on her mail and would have cut her deep if not for her armor.

  The dinosaur with Elise’s arrow impaling it made a rush at her, but Elise had time to nock another arrow and sent the shaft sinking deep in the dinosaur. The huge arrow broadhead harpooned the heart and lanced the lungs, entirely impaling the monster and it fell choking and clawing at the pair of shafts skewering it.

 “You okay, Shannon?” Scot felt stupid asking. She was bleeding from bad punctures and scrapes. Shannon sat down to examine herself. The worst wounds were along her neck, where her flesh and bones were thinner. Scot pulled the biofoam from his backpack and carefully sprayed it along her neck and face furrows. He glanced at Elise. ”How about you?”

  Elise nodded she was fine.

  Scot cursed. ”I’m going to have to talk to Sharon about this when she gets back. So much for this being a safe place to camp. Seems like something is always trying to kill us.”

  “This could get worse,” Elise reminded Scot. ”We have to travel through the forest of the yetis after I gain us safe passage through the Rice clan’s territory.”

  Scot sighed. ”I could really use some optimism right now Elise.”

  “What does optimism mean?” Elise honestly asked. The word didn’t exist in her language.

  Scot couldn’t help laughing as the grim fact the word optimism didn’t exist on the world of Tier.

  Shannon loudly farted as she licked her wounds and both Scot and Elise burst into laughter. It was a crazy meltdown of bubbling emotions after another near fatal attack. Almost methodically, everyone helped tend each other’s minor wounds.

  Sharon returned. ”Oh God!” She was shocked at the battle scene.

  “You kind of dropped the ball here, Sharon,” Scot pointed out. “A whole family of dinosaurs lived here.”

  “I’m so sorry, Scot. I checked the valley thoroughly and the caves but they must have been holed up deep in one of the other tunnels. I’m sorry. “Sharon apologized.

  Scot nodded. It was easily conceivable that the dinosaurs holed up in one of the warm volcano tunnels deeper than Sharon searched in the labyrinth of tunnels. Sharon wasn’t omniscient, she scouted very well but no one could catch everything.

  “What did you find ahead?” He changed the subject.

  “The Rice clan of giants is already on full alert about the battle you had nearby. There’s a good chance Elise will have to be talking to some of them tomorrow to try getting you all safe passage through their territory. But I also got a look at the yeti forest beyond the Rice clan’s territory.” Sharon’s fear was etched in her fine face.

  “Tell me more,” Scot requested.

  ‘The yeti are like Elise told you. They’re like immense apes with four arms and they move in groups and are very territorial. I watched them attack a patrol of giants. The yeti have incredibly durable flesh and fur because it’s like armor. I watched the giants’ weapon blades and points glance off them or barely pierce them. They are freakishly fast and unbelievably strong, they were literally tearing the giants apart. Even Shannon would have a very tough time with them. I don’t see any way around their forest though if you want to reach the warmer lowlands where there’s humans and civilizations.”

  “Nothing is easy on this world.” Scot frowned grimly.

  End…not even close

* * * * THE END (of this episode) * * * *
Copyright Tom Kropp 2026

Image Source: Dey from Fictom.com