Lacertus Rex swore with added reptilian hiss as he picked up his gear-shaped glasses. Months of research had yielded the discovery of an incredible power. This all mighty force was exactly what Lacertus needed, but it came with the enormous task of annihilating the four Primal Lords. In sheer frustration, the beast lord snapped his massive crocodilian jaws towards the sky.

"Who? Who can bring me the true Destruct!"

Morte slashed cleanly through two dog-looking soldiers then landed a solid whack upon the last armored hare. The unfortunate long-eared Feral met a painful end at the Scarlet Plague's enormous blade. Behind her, Karna, Agan and two Golden Lions finished the remaining foes.

"Now that's what I call some fun destruction!" Morte burst out as she waved her huge sword in victory.

"Gee Mort, you could have made less of a mess you know. It's going to take weeks to clean this deck." Agan scolded.

"But that's our girl's specialty Agan." Karna said with a chuckle. "Besides, now that we've captured this vessel we can sail it to a port and have it cleaned. I'll wager there's a certain Sand Tribe caravan that could do the job for us."

"That's not funny."

"What's wrong, afraid your mom will give you a scolding for joining the mighty Golden Lions?" the leader teased his rookie.

"No, I just don't want to double back there. Come on Mort, help me out." Agan pleaded to his fellow Sand Tribe recruit. To his dismay, Morte ignored her whip-wielding friend. She swiftly wiped down her blade and began inspecting the ship's lower decks. Karna followed his rising star leaving Agan to the onslaught of insults the rest of the Golden Lions had ready for their newbie.

Over and over Lacertus reviewed his candidates but they each fell short at some critical point down the line. Even if he could find a feral warrior audacious enough to fight the Primal Lords it was near impossible to find one that would befriend the little Destruct boy. On top of that, there were eleven other beast lords to keep track of. Lacertus Rex was not going have his powerful contemporaries shouldering in on his master plan.

"Felis and Ursu are no threat, but that pathetic bleeding heart Elephus might get in my way if he ever caught wind of my true intentions." Lacertus said as he spread his fellow beast lords' pictures out on his desk. He placed the elephant's picture into its own category for the time being.

With a wry little grin Lacertus picked up the portrait of a silver furred leader. The newest lord of the wolves, Lupus Rex would be no trouble at all; even that foolish feline Felis could end Rajiv's father if needed. This fresh canine king was a fangless puppy compared to the last Lupus Rex. The reptile thanked his lucky stars he didn't have to contend with Naja's human-loving father anymore. A picture of one slimy ruler drew the crocodile's attention away from the harmless wolf.

"Ah, Rana, a cold-blooded toad after my own heart. I do hope you will not interfere with my plans. It would be an atrocious pity if you were unable to see the glorious new gardens I have planned." the reptile reflected as he sorted the amphibian's picture into the pile of non-threats. In truth, Lacertus shared absolutely no sense of comradeship with Rana, or any other beast lord for that matter, but of his ruler colleagues it was Rana who would most appreciate Lacertus's grand exploit.

"Why is the star of today's carnage not enjoying her applaud up on deck?" Karna asked the Scarlet Plague. Morte leaned her sword against the ship's haul before addressing the Golden Lion leader.

"The wails of my foes are all the praise I need." she said with an incredibly facetious smile. Actually, it might have been a sincere smile of enjoyment but Karna would never be able to tell. "And there's perfectly good loot a lady like me can appreciate down here."

"Is that so? Well then I'll leave you to your well deserved prize." Karna left it at that. He knew it was best not to badger his top warrior right now. In just the five-odd weeks she had been with the Golden Lions, Morte had slain droves of their Feral enemies with a unique, fear-inspiring bloodlust. Her infamy had already spread across all the continents. Just her presence was enough to frighten many Ferals and she would make sure those who were not scared knew why she was known as the Scarlet Plague. If she needed space, Karna would allow it.

"Oh, I nearly forgot. If you enjoyed this little jaunt then you'll love our next stop. We're headed up the Spring Isle to surprise a much bigger Feral."

Bluetegu: First chapter is pretty short... and maybe too much Lacertus in there? I'm working more Agan and Karna into the next chapters, stay tuned.

For the SoD anime fans, Lacertus=Alligator King and Feral=beastman.