Chapter 5
Sunset approached as He-Man soared over the Sea of Rakash. He looked below at the clear blue water, watching as the aquatic life below went about their business, oblivious to the visitor zooming above them. He-Man checked the directional controls, then landed on a nearby rock formation. He scanned the horizon with his macrobinoculars, and set his eyes on his quarry.
Not too far away, Mer-Man and Clawful were battling a group of large, mollusk-like creatures. The evil warriors had the upper hand, bringing down the creatures with brute force. It was obvious the besieged creatures were being forced into battle, as their movements indicated a desire to run as far away as possible. This angered He-Man greatly; the thought of others being made to battle did not sit well with him.
With a mighty leap, he jumped between the creatures and the villains, giving the mollusk-like creatures the opportunity they needed to escape. The look of fury on Mer-Man's face was unmistakeable.
"YOU!" he shouted in his gurgly voice. "Who invited you, you wretched do- gooder? Those creatures were as good as beaten! You ruined everything!"
"You didn't honestly think I was going to let innocents suffer, did you? If so, then you obviously don't know me that well."
"I tire of your constant interference! I'm going to tear you apart!"
With an uncharacteristically low tone of voice, He-Man said, "Bring it on, fish-bait."
Mer-Man moved to attack, but Clawful dashed forward first, massive claw clicking open and closed in anticipation of battle. He never landed a blow.
In one swift movement, He-Man unsheathed the Power Sword, and as Clawful's claw lunged forward, He-Man severed it with a fast upward movement. Then, using the creature's own momentum to his advantage, he kicked him in the back, impaling him on a sharp, jagged rock outgrowth. Clawful's eyes rolled back into his head, and with one last death rattle, was gone.
He-Man kicked the severed claw out of his way, and as he advanced on Mer- Man, a twisted grin spread across his face that chilled the watery warlord to the bone. A sinister chuckle escaped the Eternian warrior's throat as he grabbed the villain by his armored chestplate and walked over to the edge of the water.
"What are you doing?!! Isn't killing against your moral code?!"
The grin on He-Man's face became even wider. "Oh, I've been reevaluating my 'moral code'. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing wrong with wasting slimebags like you, not when they've done so many things to deserve it. And you've done a lot to deserve it."
He turned Mer-Man around and held him tight with his left arm. With his right, he placed the blade against Mer-Man's throat, holding it there for a few seconds. Then, with a quick slashing moment he slit it, blood splashing on the water's surface..
The cut, however, was not deep enough to finish the job. Mer-Man, with labored breath, said "You...you failed...to kill...me. You...fool..."
"I'm not done yet."
Holding the wounded warrior over the water, he allowed the blood from the cut to drip onto its clear blue surface. Nothing seemed to happen, until a small fish with razor sharp teeth burst from the sea, lunging for Mer-Man's throat. He-Man yanked him away from the water's edge, allowing the creature to drop back down into the water.
"That...that was a...a..."
"A kalanak. One of the most vicious aquatic carnivores on Eternia. They're always hungry. And guess what?"
A look of horror spread over Mer-Man's face. "N...no..."
The deepest tone of voice that He-Man had ever used delivered his next few words. "Oh, yes. It's dinnertime."
And with a mighty toss, he hurled the villain into the sea. The blood from the wound attracted an entire school of kalanaks, who dragged him under and began to feast. Within moments, all that remained of Mer-Man was his blood-soaked armor.
The carnage over, He-Man made his way back to the Wind Raider, stopping to wash the blood off his sword. A grim sense of satisfaction washed over him, as he realized that he was beginning to enjoy offing Skeletor's cronies. The twisted smile returned, and he began to think about how much he would make Skeletor suffer...how much he would like it...
TO BE CONTINUED...
Sunset approached as He-Man soared over the Sea of Rakash. He looked below at the clear blue water, watching as the aquatic life below went about their business, oblivious to the visitor zooming above them. He-Man checked the directional controls, then landed on a nearby rock formation. He scanned the horizon with his macrobinoculars, and set his eyes on his quarry.
Not too far away, Mer-Man and Clawful were battling a group of large, mollusk-like creatures. The evil warriors had the upper hand, bringing down the creatures with brute force. It was obvious the besieged creatures were being forced into battle, as their movements indicated a desire to run as far away as possible. This angered He-Man greatly; the thought of others being made to battle did not sit well with him.
With a mighty leap, he jumped between the creatures and the villains, giving the mollusk-like creatures the opportunity they needed to escape. The look of fury on Mer-Man's face was unmistakeable.
"YOU!" he shouted in his gurgly voice. "Who invited you, you wretched do- gooder? Those creatures were as good as beaten! You ruined everything!"
"You didn't honestly think I was going to let innocents suffer, did you? If so, then you obviously don't know me that well."
"I tire of your constant interference! I'm going to tear you apart!"
With an uncharacteristically low tone of voice, He-Man said, "Bring it on, fish-bait."
Mer-Man moved to attack, but Clawful dashed forward first, massive claw clicking open and closed in anticipation of battle. He never landed a blow.
In one swift movement, He-Man unsheathed the Power Sword, and as Clawful's claw lunged forward, He-Man severed it with a fast upward movement. Then, using the creature's own momentum to his advantage, he kicked him in the back, impaling him on a sharp, jagged rock outgrowth. Clawful's eyes rolled back into his head, and with one last death rattle, was gone.
He-Man kicked the severed claw out of his way, and as he advanced on Mer- Man, a twisted grin spread across his face that chilled the watery warlord to the bone. A sinister chuckle escaped the Eternian warrior's throat as he grabbed the villain by his armored chestplate and walked over to the edge of the water.
"What are you doing?!! Isn't killing against your moral code?!"
The grin on He-Man's face became even wider. "Oh, I've been reevaluating my 'moral code'. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing wrong with wasting slimebags like you, not when they've done so many things to deserve it. And you've done a lot to deserve it."
He turned Mer-Man around and held him tight with his left arm. With his right, he placed the blade against Mer-Man's throat, holding it there for a few seconds. Then, with a quick slashing moment he slit it, blood splashing on the water's surface..
The cut, however, was not deep enough to finish the job. Mer-Man, with labored breath, said "You...you failed...to kill...me. You...fool..."
"I'm not done yet."
Holding the wounded warrior over the water, he allowed the blood from the cut to drip onto its clear blue surface. Nothing seemed to happen, until a small fish with razor sharp teeth burst from the sea, lunging for Mer-Man's throat. He-Man yanked him away from the water's edge, allowing the creature to drop back down into the water.
"That...that was a...a..."
"A kalanak. One of the most vicious aquatic carnivores on Eternia. They're always hungry. And guess what?"
A look of horror spread over Mer-Man's face. "N...no..."
The deepest tone of voice that He-Man had ever used delivered his next few words. "Oh, yes. It's dinnertime."
And with a mighty toss, he hurled the villain into the sea. The blood from the wound attracted an entire school of kalanaks, who dragged him under and began to feast. Within moments, all that remained of Mer-Man was his blood-soaked armor.
The carnage over, He-Man made his way back to the Wind Raider, stopping to wash the blood off his sword. A grim sense of satisfaction washed over him, as he realized that he was beginning to enjoy offing Skeletor's cronies. The twisted smile returned, and he began to think about how much he would make Skeletor suffer...how much he would like it...
TO BE CONTINUED...