Chapter 7

Demon King

James opened his eyes as the sunlight beamed into the tent. He lay there, staring above him. He heard the wind rustling through the leaves and branches of the jungle, and he heard more training of men and dinosaurs outside. He heard a Tyrannosaurus roar and men yelling. He saw Shira stir beside him. He smiled at her and got up, letting her get some more sleep. He entered the outside world and looked to his right. There were three Raptors all in a line, with a master trainer teaching them a Giganotosaurus' scent. He saw Shadow, leaned against a tree with his arms crossed. James walked over.

"Well?" he asked.

Shadow nodded at his approach, "Ah, morning James. I was just thinking about the hunt."

James nodded, "Well from what I know Mei Yin doesn't have any Gallimimus."

"Hmm…" Shadow replied.

"They're not a good long-distance choice though," James said almost thinking aloud, "If that cliff wasn't there when we tamed Hercules, I'm not sure how that expedition would've turned out."

Shadow shook his head, "That's the thing…There has to be a way to trap it, pump it with as much narcotics as we can and call it a day. It's just the thing is so huge and aggressive that I'm not even sure what could hold it back. Metal might, but even then, that's a huge amount of metal to use on a trap for something that size…Plus when Hercules goes into a rage there's nothing on the entire Ark that can stop him."

James sighed, thinking. The Raptor trainer threw a cloth soaked in Giganotosaurus scent into the field and set the Raptors loose. They began smelling it out, and it didn't take them long to find it. The trainer threw the Raptors that found the cloth a piece of meat.

Suddenly James had an idea, "What about Ezra?" he asked, "The Iron Brotherhood's base is made of metal from what Helena told me. Maybe we can try and ask for their help with this?"

Shadow mulled it over, "Maybe…But their leader wasn't exactly happy over that artifact business. We should ask Mei Yin and Helena."

They each began walking through the camp, moving past dinosaurs and troops. There were more dinosaurs in the camp than usual. James saw a Stegosaurus receiving training on its plate arrangement, a Triceratops being taught to charge at a New Legion dummy, and a Yutyrannus being taught to roar on command in the distance. James could hear its massive screeches from all the way over the hill.

They found Mei Yin and Helena near Helena's tent, discussing information they had on the beast.

"James, Shadow," Helena said when she saw them, "Its good to see you! We were just discussing any taming strategies we could come up with."

Shadow nodded, "That's where we might be able to help you. See, we were able to successfully tame and command one for ourselves during a tribal war we were involved in three years ago. Its…terrifying to say the least."

"How were you able to fully command it?" Mei Yin asked.

"Well, that's a bit of a story, and me and Shadow have a few ideas we'd like to ask."

"Let's discuss this inside my place," Helena said, "I might have some spare dodo eggs around for breakfast, I'm hungrier than a rabid dingo."

James chuckled to himself and they entered her tent.

James could smell many different things inside the tent. It smelled like concentrated wild, and he loved it. The four sat down at the table, and Helena gave them each a boiled dodo egg with some refined sea salt she had boiled from the ocean. It was slightly overdone, but James was in no shape to complain. James and the others thanked her and they sat down.

"Alright," Helena said pulling up her chair, "Tell us what you've got. You're the ones with experience on this thing."

James began, "Well, how we tamed it the first time was on the back of a Gallimimus, constantly shooting it with highly concentrated narcotics. It has to be Shadow's formula or you'll never knock it out. We have the recipe to make large batches but regular narcotics won't do a thing. Come to think of it, Mei Yin, what did you use to tame yours?"

"One of my men's mixtures," Mei Yin said, "It wasn't able to fully knock it out, though it became passive enough to begin the feeding and taming process."

James and Shadow looked at each other, "That may have been why it went rogue at the end. We've found that some creatures never fully respond to commands if they aren't completely knocked out during the taming process."

Mei Yin nodded thoughtfully. "Very well," she said, "We shall use your formula Shadow, please continue your story James."

"Well using the Gallimimus we were able to keep good distance between us, except the dinosaur tires out faster than an enraged Giganotosaurus, and we ended up driving the beast into a cliffside which incapacitated it for a short while. We were able to feed it more of the specialized narcotics to fully knock it out for the taming process, and that is how we tamed ours. Even so, it isn't fully responsive when it enters its rage, though if its fully tamed it won't attack its fellow dinosaurs or tribe mates."

Helena looked at her half-eaten egg, mixing the yolk with a fork.

She looked up at James, "Well, the plan isn't a bad one, and we can send a small party out to tame any number of Gallimimus, but I think the cliff crash isn't likely to happen again…"

James chuckled, "Well it was a hail Mary on my part. It was either that or get eaten. What would be a better idea?"

Helena sighed, "Well, we could form a trap for it."

Shadow raised his finger, "Great minds think alike," he said with a smile.

Helena smirked, "Well Shadow, lets put our minds together then."

Shadow took out his sketchbook and charcoal pen and began drawing.

"Alright, this is a Giga."

He drew a crude looking Giganotosaurus.

"And this is a human."

With a tiny flick of the pen, he drew a miniscule human next to the towering Theropod.

"We need to trap in something huge, and really, really tough. Preferably metal. Now, it's a bit of a long shot, but if we can find a small canyon or gorge anywhere, build a wall on one end and a huge gate on the other, we can trap it, and shoot at it from above the cliffs, or from the air with aerial creatures. Plus, there'd be more than one person firing tranq darts at it like we had to do."

Mei Yin nodded and looked over the sketch, "This is a good plan Shadow," she said, "But where could we possibly find such a vast quantity of metal?"

Shadow twirled his pen around in his hand before looking at Helena, "We have to get the help of the Iron Brotherhood again."

Helena suddenly looked dejected, "You were there when we found the artifact. How can we possibly have their help now?"

Shadow sighed, "Well, Ezra said he could help when it came to defeating Nerva, he only washed his hands of the artifact business… We'll just have to be careful how we phrase our demands."

Helena sighed and shook her head, "So you think we should waltz into their encampment after causing the deaths of their brothers and ask for tons of metal in exchange for what?"

Shadow thought about it for a moment, "I'm not sure about that part yet, but I can think of something."

Mei Yin looked at Helena as she continued staring down at her egg.

"It wasn't your fault back at the cave," she said, "Ezra knew the risks, he was upset, surely any of us would be."

Helena shook her head, "Maybe, but ultimately I'm the one that asked for his help."

Shadow sighed, "He's our best chance. From what you've told me there aren't any better metal workers here on The Center. We need all the help we can get."

Helena nodded, "Very well, but I don't think it's going to work. He doesn't ever forget."

James tapped his fingers on the table, trying to come up with ideas.

"Helena, does their tribe possess any dinosaurs?"

Helena looked at James and shook her head, "Well…Come to think of it I don't think so. From what I've seen they have a Raptor or two that they've been able to find but that was about it."

James smiled, "Mei Yin, do you have any Ankylosaurus here in your camp?"

Mei Yin nodded, "Of course. We have at least fifteen."

James looked back at Helena and Shadow, "I say in exchange for help building the trap, we give them four Ankylosaurus. They're the best metal collectors on the Ark, and if they have no dinosaurs it'll speed up their capabilities like they've never seen. And besides, we'll assure him that he doesn't need to provide us with aid in actually capturing the Giga, merely building the trap. It isn't an unfair trade."

Helena thought it over.

Shadow nodded, "James is right, this isn't putting any of his men in danger."

With a sigh she shrugged, "Well, I guess it's the best idea we have. I'll make preparations to visit the Iron Brotherhood immediately."

Walking back into his tent to prepare and retrieve Alan, he noticed Shira was gone. He gathered a few supplies and food and drink for the journey to the Iron Brotherhood, then looked around for his wife. The troops were still training dinosaurs, the massive field in the center of the camp was bustling with troops and dinosaurs each learning and improving new skills. Now instead of Raptors, James saw three Stegosaurus practicing their aim. Walking through the tents, he looked up and saw Shira in front of Shullershy. He smiled and walked up to her. She looked at him and smiled softly.

"Hey," she said walking over to give him a hug, "Where were you?"

"At Helena's tent. Me, Shadow and Mei Yin were discussing how to tame the Giga."

Shira looked back at Shullershy, who growled contentedly at James, her eyes half closed.

"What's the plan?"

"Well, we decided we'll have to negotiate with the Iron Brotherhood. We'll trade four of our Ankylosaurs for enough metal to build a narrow trap for the Giganotosaurus."

Shira nodded, "Will it work?"

James shrugged, "I'm not sure. Ezra didn't seem too pleased last time we met but who knows, maybe he'll help."

"Well let me know whenever you're ready, I was just feeding Shullershy."

The Carnotaurus shook her horned head and looked up at a Pteranodon soaring overhead.

James nodded, "I think we'll head out once Mei Yin is ready. Shadow and Rhino are staying here to tame any Gallimimus they can find."

Soon, they were ready to set out. Mei Yin had her full suit of blue ribbed armor, and James and Shira went beside each other. Helena looked uneasy, though she was prepared to offer any help she could.

With four Ankylosaurus in tow, their journey began. It lasted nearly an hour and a half, across the jungle, until they reached the Iron Brotherhood's village. All the buildings were made of metal, and so were the gates surrounding it. James wondered if the reason this village remained unconquered was because Nerva couldn't break the metal defenses without dinosaurs. Even his mammoth would have a hard time destroying the armaments.

There were several guards at the gate, and Helena approached them.

"Miss Walker," one of the guards said, "we're glad to see you. What's your business with us today?"

Though their greeting was cordial enough, James could sense the underlying tension in his voice.

"We're here to see Ezra," Helena replied, "We have a proposition for him."

The guards looked at each other before nodding, "Very well, enjoy your visit!"

The four entered. Shira looked around her at the base. It was in slight disrepair, though their defenses and structures were amazingly strong and well built, mainly out of metal. They continued walking forward down the village center, looking over the architecture. The villagers kept glancing at them before returning to their work. Helena still looked uneasy though she said nothing. James looked around and saw and heard no dinosaurs. There wasn't even a stable building. Their Ankylosaurs still followed them until they came to Ezra's house.

It was the largest house in the village, and sat right at the edge on the west side. Helena dismounted Athena and walked up the stone staircase to the inside. James got off Alan, and they walked inside.

Mei Yin looked at Helena and nodded, "It'll be ok Helena," she said, "Trust the plan."

Helena nodded and Ezra opened the door.

He smiled slightly, "Ah, Miss Walker, come inside. What brings you to the Iron Brotherhood today?"

James sensed the same tension in Ezra's voice.

"I'm here for a business proposition Ezra," she said.

As they walked inside, James looked over everything. The interior of the house was mainly metal and stone, with wood here and there. It wasn't ornate in the slightest, but extremely practical and bare bones. It was a far cry from the richly interesting Rockwell manor. Ezra walked over to a table with a war map on it, detailing Nerva's camp and troop positions.

"What do you propose?" Ezra replied, straight to the point.

"We need to tame the Giganotosaurus," Helena said.

Ezra cracked a small smile, "And how do you intend to bend such a monster to your will?"

"We have dinosaurs, narcotics, and men at the ready to tame it, these friends with me have managed to tame one in the past."

Ezra looked skeptical, "You? You were from the cave weren't you?"

James nodded, "Yes sir I was. I have also managed to tame the beast. It was our capital beast of war when we fought a warring tribe back on our own island."

Ezra nodded, "Fascinating. I've never heard any accounts of that creature being tamed. Still, how does this concern me?"

"We need metal," Helena replied, "We believe that if we could trap the dinosaur between a metal wall and a gate, while it was trapped in a canyon, we could pump it with narcotics and tame it."

Ezra nodded, "So you need my men and my metal?"

"Simply the metal and the gate and wall itself," Helena replied, "You don't need to endanger any of your men in the taming process, and you can rest assured this has nothing to do with the artifact business either. We already possess the artifact we need."

Ezra looked over the map thoughtfully.

"What payment are you willing to offer?" he asked, "I sense this has little to do with ending that blasted Roman."

"We have provided ample payment. Four Ankylosaurus. They're masters at collecting stone and metal from rocks."

Ezra suddenly looked excited, "Four? Indeed? I wish to see them in action."

Helena smiled, "Of course, meet us outside the village gates and we will show you."

Ezra and the others left the village and he got a good look at the dinosaurs, who bellowed and swung their clubbed tails side to side. Ezra looked impressed with the specimens. They took one of the Ankylosaurs out to a large rock and it began pounding at it with its tail, breaking it to pieces, and exposing the metal pieces within. Soon, they had a small pile of metal, enough to fill a large bucket.

Ezra looked at the ore and smiled, "This would've taken my men hours to extract, yet this single dinosaur was able in merely ten minutes."

He looked at Helena and extended his hand, "I accept your offer Miss Walker. You shall have all the metal you need, and you can rest assured these beasts will be well taken care of."

Helena nodded and they began gathering some of the Iron Brotherhood with metal and building supplies.

Before they left, Ezra turned to face Helena, "Oh and Miss Walker, I hope you will accept my apology for the incident in the cave. I was angry, but what happened was not your fault. I still stand by my decision to not meddle with those artifacts, but I hope you will continue your alliance with us."

Helena looked bright and she shook Ezra's hand, "You got yourself a deal mate, and apology accepted. I'm only sorry myself that I was the cause, however inadvertent it was."

When they set off again, Helena looked contented.

The next three days they spent their hours searching for Giganotosaurus tracks. They had traversed to Jungles South to search since the Tropical Islands weren't nearly big enough to sustain a Giganotosaurus. Nerva's troops hadn't extended into that island entirely and they were able to move unimpeded for the most part, aside from the few rogue Spinosaurs and Tyrannosaurs they'd encounter.

Shadow and Rhino had been able to find and tame three Gallimimus, and they continuously trained them to get their stamina up. Two more days passed, still they hadn't found any sign of the Giganotosaurus, so they moved their search to Jungles Mid.

It was midday, James took a drink from his canteen.

Shira came up beside him, "Come on James, we should head back to camp, it'll be dusk by the time Shadow and Rhino arrive, and Mei Yin and Helena haven't arrived from Jungles South yet."

James sighed, "Alright, I just have a feeling we're close. It's gotta be around here somewhere. This island is a lot bigger than the island Mei Yin and Nerva are on. There has to be more room for a Giganotosaurus. We should search for any clearings we can, maybe we'll find another sign."

Shira nodded and sighed, "Alright, but we gotta hurry."

They searched through the jungle, looking for signs of the titanic Theropod. They passed numerous dinosaurs, though they didn't encounter any new species. Parasaurolophus, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops were in abundance throughout the jungle, as well as smaller species like Pegomastax and dodos.

Soon, the sun began to pass them by, as afternoon approached.

"We should head back now," Shira said, "Helena and Mei should be at camp soon."

James nodded, "Alright, lets go."

As they headed back, suddenly James saw something. There was a tree toppled over, and then when he looked, more trees.

"Shira! Look," he said, "There haven't been any Sauropods in this area that I've seen."

When they came closer to the deforestation, James saw the telltale sign: massive footprints with three huge claws.

They looked at each other, "There is a Giga on this island," James said excitedly.

"Let's go back to camp!" Shira said, "We'll have to spot the beast and decide where to place our trap."

After returning to camp and gathering Shadow, Rhino, Helena, and Mei, they each began scouting the area. The dinosaurs territory went through a huge swathe of the jungle, but the dinosaur took predictable routes through the territory, marked with the toppled trees and well-worn paths it took on its endless search for food. Fortunately, there was a massive clearing in its territory, which James had bet on, and on one end of the clearing were two large cliff faces that had a large gorge running through the middle, just as James had hoped for. They had found the place to set their trap, and now they were ready to begin building.

Four days later, the Iron Brotherhood and Mei Yin had moved nearly all the metal to the build site. They had constructed multiple hiding spots as well and through observation of the Giganotosaurus, determined it only walked through the field near the break of dawn, when its prey was waking up and the least likely to flee. They would have the rest of the day to build the trap. In case the Giganotosaurus ever showed up, they had flying mounts at the ready, and hiding places the dinosaur couldn't reach.

Construction was quick, and the Iron Brotherhood constantly impressed James with their speed and skill. On the fifth day of construction, James looked over the area on Alan, alone. Mei Yin was giving the men the last few orders riding Wuzhui, and Shira was in the air on a Pteranodon, lowering supplies to the men working on the top hinges of the gate.

Shadow came up beside him, wiping sweat from his forehead, "Well, one more day and we'll be ready to spring the trap."

James nodded, "Good, let's just hope it goes smoother than last time."

Shadow laughed, "Well slamming the thing into a rock was your idea, this should hopefully be more controlled."

James chuckled. Suddenly they heard massive footsteps. Everyone lurched into place.

"It shouldn't be here right now." James said.

They waited. Another footfall. They saw birds fly into the sky in the near distance of the forest.

"Everyone! In the air!" James shouted.

Each of the workers frantically dropped what they were doing and leapt onto the Pteranodons hitched nearby. Each of them took to the sky and a few hid in the blind areas where the Giganotosaurus wouldn't see them. Soon, it came into view.

There is was, the Giganotosaurus. It was darker than Hercules, and it surveyed the field before shaking its head and crossing, looking back and forth for signs of prey. Suddenly, a Parasaurolophus rose out of the grass and began to run away. The Giganotosaurus roared and taking a few tremendous strides, it caught up to the dinosaur and biting down onto its back, it lifted it into the air and shook it like a ragdoll. The Parasaurolophus went limp, blood dripping down the Giganotosaurus' teeth. It shook its head and walked into the forest to consume its meal.

When the crashing subsided they each emerged from their hiding spots and landed their Pteranodons.

"Well…That was close," Shadow said.

James shook his head and looked back at the trap, "We gotta get this thing up fast."

Two more days of work, and the trap was complete. The walls were set up and the gate was In place. It was just large enough to hold the Giganotosaurus in place without it being able to turn in any direction. They had installed a smaller hatch door in the wall for the Gallimimus to run through when luring it inside. James and the others were ready. They would wait until early morning when the beast made its rounds, fire at it with the tranq darts using Shadow's improved formula, and lure it into the trap while riding the Gallimimus.

They had spent the day finishing up the trap and reenforcing it as best they could. Rhino had been sent back to the Beast Queen's camp to retrieve a Spinosaurus in case the taming operation went south.

That night, they each made their preparations. James sat next to the campfire, staring into the flames. Shira was cleaning the tranq rifle, and Shadow was loading the darts with the narcotic, carefully making sure none of it got anywhere. Mei Yin and Helena were each roasting meat on the campfire.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" James asked.

Helena sighed, "I think so. The trap is solid. Sure, a Giga can do some damage but surely it can't destroy that sort of trap."

James shrugged, "They're brutally powerful, but we have enough manpower. Mei Yin, did you give your soldiers the improved narcotic?"

Mei Yin nodded, "Indeed, they'll be in the air with their bows."

James nodded. The campfire crackled and sparks flew into the air. Helena finished cooking her meat, which ended up quite overcooked. Mei Yin looked at her and laughed under her breath. Helena gave her a look and bit into the meat.

"Hey, it's a bit crispy but it'll do." Helena said.

Mei Yin laughed, "A bit? It sounded like you were biting into solid bone."

Helena shook her head. Shadow continued carefully loading the narcotics before he let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes.

"Ah, I'm taking a break, all this concentration is giving me a headache."

He set down the darts and leaned back.

With a sigh, Shadow looked into the air, "Ah, I'd give anything for a Mejoberry pie right now."

James laughed.

"Shadow, you never really told me your story," Helena said, "I think we're pretty similar you and I."

Shadow chuckled, "Well that's definitely true. I was a member of a small tribe called the Rockarts back on the island. Tribe started to overgrow itself and me and my cousin Rhino got a bit restless. Then what do you know, this man over here is stumbling around on the beach looking for help expanding his new tribe. So, I moved some of the Rockarts with me and we joined forces. I've been running with him ever since."

Helena smiled, "I noticed you have your own book of dossiers written."

Shadow nodded, "That I do. I'm pretty proud of it if I say so myself. You have your own? We should compare notes."

Helena laughed, "Oh I'm not much of a scientist. More of a naturalist… Rockwell is the real scientist. I just want to figure out everything wrong with this island."

Shadow nodded, "Its hard for me to compare. I've lived here all my life. For all I know this ecosystem is how its supposed to work. They way you describe your ecosystems back home, it makes no sense to me."

Helena shrugged, "It is odd I give you that. But back in Australia, you couldn't just go into the outback and tame a bloody dingo by knocking it out and feeding it. Here its how you tame almost everything."

"Well how did you tame them then?" Shadow asked.

"Well, you didn't Unless they're raised from a newborn puppy. Animals back in Sydney were wild, and they stayed wild."

Shadow raised an eyebrow, "Well that sounds like a boring life to me," he said with a chuckle.

"Not really," Helena said, "I was always the child that got into things I wasn't supposed to be in. Always the one looking for the next adventure. It never got old, but here… Here is different."

Shadow looked thoughtful, and James kept listening.

"Is it any different for you if these islands end up being… curated like you say?"

Helena didn't answer right away, "Well… Yes and no. Its lost some of its luster that I'll admit, but nothing can change the majesty of an Apatosaurus on the beach or a Pteranodon soaring through the air."

There was a brief pause.

Shadow looked at Mei Yin, "What are your thoughts about all this?"

Mei Yin looked into the fire, "I just wanted to return home… See my father again."

There was another pause.

"It's no use despairing over, I've come to terms with this island, and its secrets. All I'll ever have left of my father are the words he used to teach me back in Siam. I remember one day I was training with my bow and I fired near perfect shots into each dummy. I remember being giddy and excited but my father never smiled. He put his hand on my shoulder, looked at me with solemn eyes and said, Mei, to kill another is to take away their past, their present, and their future. When the time comes, you must do your duty soberly, and without hesitation."

The fire continued crackling as Mei looked deep into it.

Mei Yin set her plate down and took up her dagger, "That is what I must remind myself when fighting these people. Though the New Legion are my enemy, I must see them as human, or I am no better than they."

James nodded, he had experience with that kind of thinking.

James looked up at the moon before sighing, "Well, we should finish up here and get some sleep. There's going to be a lot of excitement tomorrow."

Helena nodded, "Yes there will. I can only pray the gate holds."

It was before dawn. James had gathered all the others at the trap. The Iron Brotherhood had returned, as Helena had promised. It was down to Mei Yin's soldiers and themselves to trap the Giganotosaurus. Mounted on Pteranodon, five soldiers had their bows at the ready. James and Shira were on the Gallimimus, and Rhino was hidden in the forest on a Spinosaurus. Flying above them on a Pteranodon, Shadow scoured the area. Shira finished loading the darts into the rifle.

"Be ready," James said, "It'll be here any time now."

Shira held the rifle tight, "I just hope this goes better than last time."

James nodded, "Well…With the trap it should be. Just keep running right through the hatch."

They waited. The silence was more than James could bear. The first rays of sunlight began leaking into the sky, cresting the mountain peaks in the distance. There was a thin, hazy fog covering the field, and there were no birds chirping.

Suddenly James saw movement to the northwest. Trees began shaking back and forth and birds began flying away.

"That's it." James said to himself.

James grabbed his flare gun Helena had given him and fired a round. The others began preparing. James spurred the Gallimimus on and they began running towards the beast. With a mighty cracking of trees, James saw the Giganotosaurus burst into view. Shira fired a round into its snout. Shaking its head, the Giganotosaurus roared, shaking the very earth. They made a break for it, the Giganotosaurus following as expected. The trap was right in front of them. James saw them raising the hatch they would run through the back gate with.

Shira kept firing round after round, which made the Giganotosaurus flinch each time. The formula was even stronger than the version they had tamed Hercules with. The trap came ever closer, and so did the Giganotosaurus. Rhino was at the ready with his Spinosaurus, and some of Mei Yin's men had already flew over on their Pteranodons, shooting the narcotic tipped arrows into its hide.

Suddenly the trap was upon them. James flew through the gate and ducked under the hatch. The Giganotosaurus crashed through, and slammed its head into the back wall with a gigantic thud. The men closed the gate. The trap had worked. The Giganotosaurus looked to the left and right, the gorge was too narrow for it to turn around or back up. James had dismounted the Gallimimus and they both unhitched two Pteranodon and flew into the sky. Mei Yin lined all the soldiers up, who fired at will on the colossal Theropod, which thrashed and roared loudly. It slammed its head into the back wall and began pushing and shoving. The wall creaked and bent ever so slightly.

"Keep firing!" Mei Yin shouted, "Do not let it escape!"

James wheeled his Pteranodon around as the Giganotosaurus slammed its head into the wall once again. Even the solid metal wall gave to the immense strength of the Giganotosaurus, creaking and bending. There was a large dent in the center of the wall now. With a mighty roar, the Giganotosaurus took a half step forward, digging its immense claws into the dirt, and shoving with all its might. The creaking grew louder. The entire wall bent slightly, though the Giganotosaurus was beginning to tire. The exertion on top of the super concentrated narcotic formula was beginning to take its toll. It breathed heavily, but tried shoving one more time. The wall made a huge crack, and the metal bent like tin foil. It was almost free, but they hadn't let up firing at it with the narcotics.

Suddenly, the Giganotosaurus stopped fighting back, and it shook its huge head. With a rumbling growl, it fell to the ground with a massive crash. The wall had almost completely given. They each landed their Pteranodons and looked at the titanic beast before them. Shadow jumped onto the ground and rushed over, pouring the concentrated narcotics into its mouth, which it consumed, ensuring it stayed down. The taming process could now begin.

It took three hours of constant attention, but soon the beast had awoken, and it didn't attack anybody. It had been successfully tamed. As they got the saddle onto its back Mei Yin looked at it in wonder.

"The Demon King I tamed wasn't this receptive of a saddle so soon after I had tamed it."

James nodded, "Well, since this one was fully knocked out, it should be much more responsive to our commands. Still, it'll be a bit on the touchy side for a few days."

Rhino looked at the beast with a broad smile, "Well, this takes us back huh James?"

James smiled, "Yes it does my friend. Let's hope this one will serve us as well as Hercules."

Suddenly James had an idea, "In fact, I think I have an idea for the name."

Mei Yin raised her eyebrow, "What would that be?"

"Mars. Roman god of war."

Mei Yin smiled and laughed, "Very wise choice. Mars he shall be."

The remaining portion of the day was spent training the Giganotosaurus, testing its endurance and attack power, and the limits of its stamina and speed. Mei Yin's soldiers returned to camp on their Pteranodon to protect it during Mei Yin's absence.

Soon, the sun began to set, and James, Helena and Shira were around the campfire while the others set up for the night, hitching up their mounts and setting up their tents. The firelight was beginning to shine brighter than the fading sun, and the stars began to emerge.

"Well, the Blue Obelisk is in Snow North," Helena said.

"How long will travel there take?" James asked.

Helena shook her head side to side looking at the map, "A day or two I'd wager? Its not as far as you'd think actually. Plus, the Obelisk is right at the border so we don't have to freeze our noses off either."

Shira nodded, "That gives us some time to acclimate the Giga as well."

Helena nodded, "I think this one might work out actually. At least I hope so."

James saw Shadow and Rhino approach camp.

"Shadow, Rhino, come join us!" Helena said cheerfully.

Rhino shook his head, "Thanks for the offer Helena but I am too tired to eat. Too tired to sleep even. I'm gonna hit the hay."

Shadow sighed and patted Rhino on the back, "Get some sleep big guy, were on the move tomorrow."

Rubbing his eyes, Rhino entered his tent.

Shadow sat down and raked his fingers through his hair, "Well, we got some training exercises in. We're gonna need some more work but I think we're on the right track."

James chuckled, "I'm surprised Rhino went off to sleep before you."

Shadow laughed, "Oh I'm right behind him. Mei Yin is setting up the guard and she should be up soon. Id say the trap worked out pretty well actually."

James nodded, "Sure did. We'll have to get the Iron Brotherhood's help more often."

Shadow stood up and looked at the company, "Well, I'm bushed. Goodnight James, Shira, and goodnight Helena!"

James and Shira waved and smiled.

"Goodnight Shadow," Helena said.

Shadow took a few steps forward before Shadow turned around, "Oh uh, Helena, I'm curious to discuss more of your findings and I'd also like to hear more about your life before the Ark. Maybe we can talk tomorrow?"

Helena smiled, "Of course Shadow, I'd love to share."

"Alright then, well you three have a good night. I think I see Mei Yin coming."

He waved and walked off to his tent, Helena smiled as he left.

Mei Yin approached the fire, "Guards have been posted. James, thank you so much for your hard work today, you too Shira. You were both quite brave getting that close to the Demon King."

James shook his head, "Of course Mei Yin. I'm just happy it went as smoothly as it did. Barring some damage to the back wall."

Mei Yin laughed, "Well that was bound to happen with such a beast."

James smiled and looked into the fire.

"I wonder what's on the other side of this Obelisk," Shira said.

James shrugged, "I wish I had an idea. I'm not sure. What I want to know is why these Obelisks weren't anywhere on our island. We scoured all that land day and night and we never saw them. Where were they?"

Shira looked into the fire looking full of thought, "I've been wondering that myself. It makes no sense. And why didn't we start out with implants? I guess we'll figure it out eventually."

Helena was writing in her notes as Mei Yin sat, staring upwards at the sky.

"So," Helena began, "If we keep going at this pace, we'll make it up to the Blue Obelisk by the end of two days. We could've been faster but the Giga and Spinosaurus will slow us down a bit. But we need them so what can we do."

James poked at the fire with a stick, sending sparks flying into the air, "Well, we'll be ready."

At the end of the second day, they reached the Blue Obelisk. They set up camp outside it, guarding vigilantly against dinosaurs or possible New Legion patrols. The night went by quickly, and soon, the morning came. They had gathered themselves in front of the Blue Obelisk, prepared for the ensuing battle. James held the Artifact in his hand. Helena, Shira, Rhino, Shadow, and Mei Yin were each on their dinosaurs, and Mars was standing in the center of the platform under the Obelisk. The blue metal beneath them pulsated with energy as the Artifact began vibrating. The closer James walked to the pedestal, the faster it vibrated with energy.

James looked behind him, "Are you ready?"

They each raised their hands, their dinosaurs looking tense. James looked at the artifact, then the pedestal. With a sigh, he inserted it into the pedestal. In a blinding flash of blue light, a beam of light came down from the Obelisk and into the pedestal. The holographic blue script lit up in front of them. Suddenly James saw the dome shaped portal begin to appear, making strange noises as it rose above their heads. James could just barely see what looked like snowy cliffs in front of them, and a strange Chinese pagoda in the distance. Then, everything he saw turned bright white.

When everything came back into focus, he looked in front of him. The area was cold, filled with snow. They looked to be on top of a huge snowcapped mountain, and there was a large stone path that curved in front of them, with a large hole to one side. There was a strange Chinese looking structure to the right, and James could hear the wind above them.

Suddenly he heard a gigantic roar. James looked to the right. There was a large staircase leading to an open area, and James spurred Alan on to see. Suddenly something came from between the pillars at the top of the staircase.

It was a colossal gorilla-like ape. With huge gashes in its chest and one side of its face, it was white as the snow, and it rivalled the size of the Giganotosaurus. The beast roared once again, pounding its chest and baring its huge fangs. Suddenly it leapt down the stairs and slammed its fists into the stone path, sending crushed rock dust into the air. Then, it saw the Giganotosaurus. The Theropod stepped forward and roared tremendously. The giant ape saw it and beat its chest again, before the two behemoths charged.