I do not own Ark or HOTD.
A special thanks to Draco38 my beta reader!
Chapter 9 The Traitor
James silently made his way down the encampment wall. Keeping his eyes forward and his back to the wall as he slinked past a group of conversing men into the shadows of a neighboring building. Even though he was dressed as one of them doesn't mean they wouldn't recognize him. After all, there aren't very many teenagers that roam around with a band of murderous bandits.
However, it seemed that the bandits were beginning to lumber out of their living quarters and gather towards the center of the camp. Which was making it even more difficult for James to remain hidden.
He could only hope that Showk and his men were having better luck than he was. As well as for the safety of the Takashi and the girls.
As he made his way behind the building, he paused to allow two patrolling guards to pass by him. Once the immediate danger of discovery was past he rounded the building and briskly crept up to the bottom of a ladder. Which led up to the top of the guard tower above him.
Without hesitation, James quickly climbed up the ladder pausing only to slow his pace as he neared the top. He could hear the voices of the two guards as well.
"I hate guard duty," one of the guards muttered. James glanced upwards, hearing the man's footsteps upon the creaking wooden floor overhead.
"Same here," acknowledged the other guard. More footsteps followed in sync with the other guards pace. Eventually stopping to the far left of the platform. "Wish Joseph would just give us the order to just wipe those Swamp Lotus fuckers off the face of Ark. Instead of having us sit around staring at the fucking swamp all night. This place is fucking creepy."
"Yeah, no kidding," agreed the other guard.
While the two men were busy talking, James slowly peeked his head through the gap beneath the trap door. Seeing the two men's back facing him. Slowly, James lifted the trap door off his head. Taking care to pause in-between the two men's short bouts of silence, only moving once they began to talk again.
James lowered the trap door onto the floor and entered. Straightening himself, he turned towards the two covering guards. Slowly drawing his hammer from his hip, he quietly began to approach them.
One of the guards spotted something flashing within the northern guard tower. "The hell is that?" the guard wondered, squinting his eyes to make out what was creating the flash.
James, however, knew exactly what it was. It was his cue. Dashing across the floor, he brought his hammer down on the back of the guards head, killing him instantly. He moved to restrain the remaining guard but the man was quick to react. Bringing his arm up, he caught James arm in his sweaty beefy hands. Pulling his free hand back, he formed a fist and threw a punch.
James managed to grab the man's fist in his other hand. Keeping it from breaking his nose. Drawing his head back, he slammed his forehead into the center of the man's face, breaking his nose and allowing him to yank his arm out of his hand. Staggering backwards, the guard clasped his injured face within his hands, howling in pain.
James moved to finish him off with a blow to the head but received a punch to the side of the head. The man had quickly recovered from the pain of a broken nose and was now seething with rage.
James reeled from the force of the man's strike. Having to catch himself from falling onto the hard floor with one hand. Dropping his hammer as he regained his balance, the man lunged towards him. Ducking under a strike meant for his forehead, James threw a quick jab at the man's side. Hearing the man's ribs break beneath his fist and take the breath away from his assailant.
The man staggered to the side. Coughing and gasping. Grabbing the man's shoulder, James delivered a right cross. Then followed with a left cross and another right. Placing his weight in one final strike, he delivered a devastating right punch knocking the man to the ground.
Standing over the fallen man, James panted heavily from adrenaline and slight exhaustion. The man was down but not for long as he scrambled to get to his fallen comrades gun which lay discarded across the floor beside the raiders corpse. Running up to the man, James picked his hammer up in mid-sprint and struck the rifle aside as the man whipped it around. Causing him to misfire and shoot the wooden ceiling overhead.
Slamming his knees on the man's shoulders, James pinned him to the floor and waylaid his hammer against the man's face. Breaking his skull open, revealing his brains and splattering blood across the floor and James's chest with each strike of his hammer.
Slamming his hammer one final time in the crater of what was once the face of a man, James gasped greatly winded from his fight. Licking his dry lips, his face twisted in disgust at the feeling of a shard of the man's skull in his mouth. Spitting it out with great disgust.
Looking down at the camp below, he could see a swarm of bandits heading right for the guard tower. They had obviously heard the sound of the gunshot.
"Shit!" James growled. Running over to the trap door, he looked down to see several men clamber up the ladder. One of them growled upon seeing him, shouting, "Up here! We got an intruder!"
Slamming the trap door shut. James ran over to the wooden rails of the guard tower. Looking down the towers sides, he tried to find the safest way down possible. At least one that didn't involve pikes and arrows or a couple of broken legs from falling too high.
The left side leading towards the main part of the camp was swarming with raiders. A line of archers lined themselves behind the back of the horde scrambling to get up the tower, their bows drawn to shoot him out of the tower.
"Fucking hell!" James said, turning his head as a raider threw the trap door open. He scrambled to get inside the tower and drew a pike from his back.
"Leap of faith, man!" James shout, given no time to plan ahead. He jumped over the wooden railing. Wrapping his arms around the towers wooden support, he tried to shimmy down the side of the tower. However, that was proven ineffective as an arrow embedded itself in the wood just above his head. James looked down to see another arrow fly past his face. The archers reloaded their bow strings and took aim at him once again.
"Shit, shit, shit!" James yelled repeatedly beginning to panic. Looking over the wall bordering the tower from the rest of the camp, James braced his muscles and leaped across the gap. Grabbing onto the wall and vaulting over as another volley of arrows followed behind him. He fell down the wall, trying to land on his feet but misstepped and fell down a pit. Landing on his side.
"AH, shit!?" James groaned, his vision was blurred and his back and shoulders screamed with pain from the force of his landing. Rubbing the side of his head, he tried to get to his feet. Suddenly, a shrill shriek caught him off guard. He jumped backwards, feeling his back hit the firm dirt wall of the pit as a pair of leathery wings suddenly blotted out the dim torchlight overhead.
James smashed his eyes shut as whatever was in the pit with him unleashed another ungodly screech. The clatter of metal chains rang in his ears as the creature began to tug against it in sheer panic. Once the creatures had removed its wings over his head, allowing the light of the torches inside, James found that the frantic beast was an imprisoned pterosaur.
Thick iron cuffs were laced around the creatures thrashing arms and legs as well as its slender neck. Binding the creature to the walls of the pit were heavy steel chains, the metal bonds of injustice rattled loudly in James' ears as the pterosaur once again tried to flap its wings and escape the center of the pit. Only to fall onto its back with a pained squawk.
James stared at the imprisoned pterosaur with a mixture of pity and remorse. Looking down at the fallen creature while it laid on his stomach, gasping for air, he could see that its right wing was twisted in an odd direction. It was broken.
'He must of hurt himself trying to get out of here.' James said in his mind, greatly saddened by the poor state that had befallen on such a majestic creature. His sadness quickly morphed into rage when he saw a jagged tear in the leathery flaps of the pterosaurs broken wing. These bastards must have wounded him while he was flying with their guns. It's a common practice for the Southern Raiders to capture their flying mounts by shooting a hole in their wings and bringing them down to earth. However, due to this harsh method of capture and the hollow bones of the frail beasts; most pterosaurs don't survive their landing.
And those that do risk permeant life injuries that ends with their inevitable demise at the hands of their captures. Which usually with them being thrown into the stables of their ravenous carnivorous pets!
Once the beast had finally calmed down, propping itself back on its feet. James was able to get a good look at the strange looking pterosaur. At first, he thought it was a Pteranodon, but upon seeing the creature's noticeably smaller beak and imposing rudder-like fin, he discovered that it was Tapejara. A very severely malnourished Tapejara. He had never seen one before, especially this close!
It was a beautiful creature. Beneath the sheet of dirt and filth that covered its soft hide was a glorious shade of electric blue with streaks of white across its wings. Its fin-like crest was a deep shade of blue with a single jet black spot on both sides. Tapejara were renown for their amazing agility and impressive physical strength. These creatures were the warplanes of Ark, built aerial combat. Whereas the more common and faster Pteranodon was more comparable to fighter jets, relying on their speed, and stamina for hit and run combat situations.
The Tapejara regarded the young castaway with a fearful stare. Its chest heaved with exhaustion. It gave another shrill cry as James took a step towards it.
"Whoa there, beautiful!" James said softly, holding his hands up. "I'm not gonna hurt you!" Cautiously approaching the injured and spooked pterosaur. Pterosaurs were remarkably intelligent creatures, although far from the predatory cunning of an Utahraptor, but were very skittish and reclusive creatures.
Tossing its head back, the frightened flyer squawked in terror, threatening to create another outburst that would undoubtedly result in even more injury to the already wounded and stressed creature.
"This isn't going to work." James sighed. Hearing the stampede of footsteps overhead, James whipped his head up in alarm. Hearing the raiders clamoring voices over one another as they continued their search for him.
Once their footsteps had passed, James hissed under his breath, "Stupid bastards." and propped his back against the wall of the pit. Sighing, he closed his eyes and reached into his pants pocket. Pulling out a handful of Azulberries that he had taken from the tavern back at the village.
Opening his mouth, he tossed one of the berries into his mouth, relishing in the sweet taste of the delicious fruit. Popping his mouth open, he prepared to eat another berry until a curious squawk caught his attention. Looking to see the Tapejara tilting its head, regarding the berries in his hands hungrily and with great interest.
Raising an eyebrow, he stared at the pterosaur questioningly. Following its gaze down to the berries in his hand. Quickly putting two and two together.
He smirked, "Hungry are we?" He held a berry up, tossing it towards the pterosaur. Landing right at the creatures feet. Bending down, the Tapejara gave the berry a curious poke with its beak before carefully grabbing the plump berry with its beak and swallowing it. After consuming its tasty treat, the pterosaur scanned the floor for another berry. Looking up at James expectantly once it didn't find another one.
Smiling, James tossed it another berry which it picked up hungrily. Taking another step closer, James tossed it another berry. Moving another step closer as it ate it before tossing it another one and repeating the same action. Until finally, he was standing three feet in front of the imprison pterosaur.
Extending his hand, he offered the rest of the berries to the creature. The Tapejara stared at him for a silent moment, then, slowly extended its neck out. Eyeing him cautiously as it took a berry from his hand. Bringing the rest of its body forward, the beast rested itself in a more comfortable position as it took another berry from James' hand. Allowing its injured arm-like wing to rest on James' knee as he gently sat the berries on the ground. The Tapejara didn't seem to mind this action and continued to eat the rest of the berries off the ground as James drew his stone knife. Wedging the stone blade of the weapon in-between the iron hook locking the cuff to the chain. Wiggling his knife around carefully, he began to bend the iron hook into more of a straight line. Once the jagged hook had been molded into more of a crooked straight piece of metal, James sat his knife down and gently slide the hook out of the holds of the cuff. Letting it to fall uselessly to the floor. He picked up his knife and moved onto the next cuff on the creature's uninjured wing while it was still eating.
"There!" James sighed as he removed the last cuff from the Tapejara's left hind leg, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The creature finally finished eating and lifted its uninjured wing to look at James curiously. He tossed the metal cuff aside and stood up, patting the creature on the back of the neck which surprised the Tapejara. James paid no mind to the creatures skittish nature and stared up the hole.
"Now, to get you out of here!" James said. The pit was fairly deep but not enough to have to be climbable. Leaping up, his fingers sunk into the firm dirt of the top soil. Granting him enough leverage to heave himself up.
However, spotting two men accompanied by a large group of fighters made him duck his head back into the pit.
"Shit!" James whispered, landing back in the pit. The Tapejara squawked in alarm but James silenced it by wrapping his hands around its short beak. Petting it on its bony neck to calm it down. While he continued to calm the startled Pterosaur, he looked up at the edge of the pit as he heard the two men begin to talk.
"You didn't tell me that insolent teenage brat was here!" James tilted his ears towards the top of the pit, honing in on the conversation with great interest. Especially with the mention of his arrival.
"It was a change of plans. The bastard showed up two nights ago with a group of teenage brats." Spat a familiar hoarse voice. Hearing their footsteps approach the edge of the pit, James ducked under the Tapejara's body. The beast fidgeted uneasily but James gave it a reassuring pat on its bony chest. Looking out from under the beast. James found a large giant of a man with dreadlocks and only a pair of hide pants and boots walking into view from the edge of the pit.
And at his side, was Tar.
James widened his eyes, gritting his teeth at the sight of the familiar man as he followed behind the giant man.
"I thought you said your men took care of him?" Tar interjected.
The man, having stopped in his tracks, whipped around to face the traitor, looming over him threateningly. "I said I thought we did! Do not put words in my mouth again or you will befall the same fate as your leader, you lowly sack of Carno shit!"
Tar grimaced, anger apparent in his gaze but he held his tongue.
James swallowed hard. He recognized the brute of a man as Ajax, the trusted general and right-hand man of Leonidas himself. He heard stories of this man. He toward over all men, standing at an imposing height of 6'9 and was built like a . He never wore armor. Choosing to intimidate his opponents with his impossibly built musculature which donned many jagged and faded scars. He was renowned for his fearlessness in battle as well as his berserker rage. There were even rumors of this man slaying a Tyrannosaurus with nothing but his bare hands! Although this is a tall tale, but that doesn't mean he's not a vicious opponent.
"Now then," Ajax growled, looking over Tar at his men. "Find this little brat. But take him alive! Leonidas wants to end this little thorn in his side personally before he can cause more trouble than he already has. And be wary, the bastard may be young but he's a vicious warrior!"
The men brought their right hands up to their chests in the form of fists, saluting him before marching away.
"Why go through all this trouble for one little boy?" Tar inquired. "Shouldn't you be more interested in my former leader than a bratty teenager?"
Ajax snorted, "Do not underestimate this young lad!" he boomed. "The Broken Toe tribe reveres him as a war hero! This 'boy' has single-handedly stopped a civil war. He's also been trained by the Broken Toe tribe who are vicious warriors in their own right."
"Yes, yes, I know this! I've heard the stories revolving around this young man!" Tar said, waving off Ajax's supposed praise of the young castaway. "But from what I've heard, you have some sort of leverage over this young man?"
"Yes," Ajax grunted. "We captured that young female general of the Broken Toe tribe about a month ago. If the bastard won't come willingly, we'll just use her to bring him in. After all, the two seem to have quite the history together." Turning his back to Tar, he began to walk away. "I'm heading back to Athens. See to your village once you handle your 'former' leader." he said, walking out of James sight from within the pit.
James' body shook with rage. He clenched his teeth, hard. They began to ache and were on the verge of cracking until James managed to get his temper under control. Closing his eyes, he quietly took a deep breath, then silently exhaled.
Repeating this action for about a minute before opening his eyes. Looking up, he found that Tar was gone. Crawling out from underneath the Tapejara, who tilted its head questioningly at James as he jumped up and grabbed the edge of the pit, lifting his head up to scan for Tar or any other enemies.
Seeing Tar's retreating figure up ahead, James frowned. Lifting himself over the edge, he stood up. Looking down as he heard a small questioning squawk.
"I'll come back for you," James assured the pterosaur and with that he stealthily made his way after the traitor. Knowing that some misfortune must have befallen his leader, Showk.
XXX
AAAAAAAAAAAAAND another cliffhanger! Please don't kill me!
Don't forget to check out Scriffignano's story too cuz it's getting juicier with every chapter too!
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A special thanks to Draco38 my beta reader!
Side note: A shout out to Draco38 for creating the Trike for Hirano!