A Samurai Jack Fanfic
By Laura McDaniel
Clobyn
In the distance, Jack saw the sun rising from behind what appeared to be the silhouette of a large mountain. "Must we climb that?" Jack asked.
"Climb what?" Cennad responded.
"That mountain."
"Mountain?"
"Yes, that mountain. I don't see how you can miss it. It's right in front of us." He pointed in front of him.
The dwarf looked where Jack was pointing and furrowed his bushy eyebrows some. A look of realization crossed his wrinkled face and he nodded. He turned to Jack and smiled. "Jack, that is no mountain."
"Then what is it."
"That is Clobyn!"
"Clobyn?"
"Aye! The vicious beast you agreed to kill."
Jack cringed. He wasn't close enough to see any of the monster's features, but the sheer mass of Clobyn was discouraging. However, he made certain that the dwarf didn't see his uncertainty and rode onward.
When he got closer to Clobyn, he saw that it was a dragon-like creature with fiery red skin that spectacularly reflected the sun's early morning rays. A row of golden plates ran down his back and all the way down to his tail. Unlike most dragons Jack had been told of, this one had four heads, one facing each of the cardinal directions, and on each head were several sets of yellow, reptilian eyes. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully amidst a scattered collection of sun-bleached bones, but Jack could tell that not all of the monster's eyes were closed so he was probably still keeping careful watch of his surroundings. Every so often, the creature idly thumped its tail on the ground, and when Clobyn's tail was raised, Jack could see the ruined granite walls that once protected the kingdom of Gobaith. "How do I go about confronting this creature?" Jack asked the dwarf in a muffled voice.
"That is a good question," Cennad replied, "and one that nobody has lived to answer. Clobyn cannot even be approached when he sleeps because he always keeps some of his eyes open."
Jack looked again at the scattered bones and then at the monster's blood-stained claws. "Well, I shall go on foot because it would be a waste to lose this horse to the monster. Do you have another way into the kingdom?"
The dwarf nodded. "Yes, there is a rear entrance I can ride around to without getting near him. That is how I got out to find you."
"Well," Jack said as he dismounted the horse, "take the animals inside, and I will deal with the monster out here."
"Good luck, Samurai Jack," Cennad said as he took the horses' reigns in his hand and led them away from there. "I think this will be a challenge, even for you." Once Jack was certain that the dwarf was out of sight, Jack strode cautiously up to Clobyn, a hand planted firmly on his sword hilt.
All of the eyes on one of Clobyn's heads snapped open when he saw Jack draw closer. A few puffs of smoke escaped his nostrils, and he growled. "Another champion for me to dismember, I assume. How thoughtful of King Emhyr!"
"I will not permit you to dismember me," Jack snarled as he drew his sword and stood ready for battle.
"Oh, really?" another one of Clobyn's heads hissed. "Ah, you warriors are all the same. You all come, certain to defeat me, but I end up smiting all of you with little effort."
"Come, now," the third head roared. "Give me your best shot!"
Jack lunged for the monster, but with his many eyes, Clobyn was able to calculate exactly where Jack was going to land, so he thrashed his tail out and Jack went flying. Still gripping his sword firmly, Jack managed to land on his feet only a short distance from the monster. He lunged at the monster again and Clobyn easily batted the samurai aside by raising one of his powerful feet. The beast's sharp claws tore the samurai's robe and sank deep into his side as he fell downward. Blood gushed from the deep gash, but Jack didn't let it stop him. This time, he tried leaping up the monster's golden plates as if they were stairs. Clobyn's heads smiled, and he lowered one of them to the plate where Jack was about to land. The instant Jack's foot touched the beast's head, Clobyn shook his neck violently and the samurai fell to the ground. He managed to land on his feet, but before he could strike at the monster again, one of Clobyn's heads took a deep breath and a column of flames flew from the massive mouth and headed straight for Jack. The samurai quickly somersaulted out of the way and managed to escape any serious damage, but one of his wide sleeves had caught on fire. However, he didn't seem to be aware of that fact.
All of the monster's heads smiled. "You were simply lucky that time, warrior," one head roared. "But you realize that with four heads, I can muster more firepower than that."
"And I have more strength in me than I just demonstrated," Jack snarled. As he advanced forward, he suddenly caught sight of his burning sleeve. He let go of his sword with just that arm and violently shook it in an attempt to put out the fire.
Realizing that this was the perfect moment to attack, all of the monster's heads grinned toothily. Jack looked up in horror while the monster's tail came down on him. Clobyn wound the tail tightly around the warrior, and then glared at him with all of his eerie eyes. "Caught off guard, ay, warrior?" one head laughed. "I said you warriors are all the same."
Jack was fortunate that his arms hadn't been wrapped in the monster's grasp, so he held his sword again and attempted to cut off the monster's tail. But the beast's hide was too thick to be severed. "That's not going to work, I'm afraid," one of the heads growled.
"Maybe not," Jack stated, "but I know you cannot be invincible. You must have a weakness, and I shall find it, even while in your grasp like this!"
"No, no you won't!" Clobyn roared. With a violent flick of his tail, he sent the samurai flying again. But this time, Jack was going to fast to stop himself. He landed headfirst on the grassy ground next to the kingdom's wall and his sword fell right next to him. He struggled to get up, but the pain in his head was overwhelming. It throbbed like it was being hit with a thousand hammers, and within a few moments, Jack started slipping into unconsciousness.
The last thing Jack heard before he completely blacked out was Clobyn rumbling, "Sleep well, warrior!"
