THREE TURNS CHAMPION
R.R. Turock
Published 2012
Copyright 2012 R.R. Turock
All Rights Reserved.
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To Leia, Mom, and Dad, and all the gracious readers who have picked up this adventure!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Fire and Sand
Chapter 2: Alive Again
Chapter 3: A Means of Survival
Chapter 4: Fighting and Champion
Chapter 5: Safety
Chapter 6: A Strange Turn of Events
Chapter 7: The Truth
Chapter 8: Flesh or Metal?
Chapter 9: Last Feast of the Summer
Chapter 10: Conversation
Chapter 11: What Not to Ask
Chapter 12: A Choice I Can Make
Chapter 13: My First Victory
Chapter 14: Intruders
Chapter 15: Revenge Box
Chapter 16: The War She Fought
Chapter 17: Champion
Blurb
About the Author
Other Books
Coming Soon
Connect with Me
Time before the Wolf Excerpt
Chapter 1: Fire and Sand
Every part of me burned, as though on fire. My soul didn’t want to leave my body. Rather, I shouldn’t have left it. I struggled, it wasn’t time and I wasn’t going to die in a place like this. It was just too wrong.
I writhed and then withered more, leaving my large, green, scaled body to collapse and entered the mechanical replica. As I did, my vision faded to black. Slowly, the haze started to retreat. I glanced at the Seerxi guard, who was looking right back at me with his analytical mechanical eye.
He scratched something on the paper with his clockworks hand. Something dark, inhuman, impossible must have been going through the clogs and clicks he had for a brain to do this to me. What else could explain it?
I roared in pain, choking on the fire caught in my throat, unable to breathe it out. All the sudden there was the screeching sound of metal against metal and I lifted my heavy head to escape it.
The cacophony of mechanical parts clinking together was overwhelming. Pain zapped through my wire veins, as I turned my head. Looking through a screen, I saw something lumped in the corner of the room; a large scaly body, a dragon’s body. I struggled, panicking, realizing that that was mine.
I couldn’t swallow, and I wasn’t breathing, I wasn’t living anymore. Searching for an escape, I tried to calm down. I started looking around. The walls were brick, the ground clean, metal bars separated me from another room, and the roof was high. Everything in my head ached; cracking like broken bones…
I choked for air, trying to breathe again. But I couldn’t breathe and when I glanced down, my metal paws stretch and flex in the strange, perfunctory way of Seerxi mechanics. Turning to my side, I saw two men—safely behind bars—staring at me.
They’re dark scarlet eyes were narrowed, fascinated by my bewilderment. I struggled, rose, and opened my mouth to roar, to breathe fire, to cry out, yet no sound escaped me. I crashed into the bars, scraping at the Seerxi. They just stood there; scribbling their ever-so-fascinating reports.
As I struggled to stay alert, everything started to fade away again. The sense of ground disappeared—swallowing me into oblivion.
When I came to once more, my cage had changed, it was smaller now. My screen took in vast amounts of information, almost too fast for me to follow. It was all brick, except one wall of iron bars, which allowed me to peer into a hall, leading to a single door of possible escape.
This was an animal cage. I wasn’t an animal. Well, not just an animal. I was a dragon. More than that, I was the Dragon of the North! I would not be defeated by…well…losing…my body…well, my soul was still here, and as long as I had that, I would have my will and my way!
Standing, shakily adjusting to my mechanical limbs, I lunged out, scraping the wall of bars. Seeing as I was unsuccessful, I let rage boil in me and threw myself against it. There was a soul-shuddering shriek, and I did it again and again, each time harder. At the end of the hall, the door opened, pouring in a flood of light, blinding me.
Two guards, both with metallic arms, ran in, pointing a control panel at me. Angrily, I intended to reach out, but none of my limbs moved. I remained frozen in position. This was impossible, I couldn’t control my body, I couldn't move. That flat piece of metal could control me.
Infuriated, I let my brain scrap the edges of the screen, searching for what froze me and how to deal with it. In several seconds, something popped up in my gamut, a red box with scribbles on it. Frustrated, I willed it to disappear and it did. As soon as it vanished, my body dropped free of the control, crashing into the bars with all my weight. In fear, the Seerxi scattered. The bars ripped out of the brick, permitting me an escape.
Without a second thought, I galloped free, smacking an enemy aside with my new tail, letting the mecha joints in it to ravel and unravel as needed. I unlocked my jaw with a mental command, coming into a large, unknown room.
What I had broken into was a factory. Hundreds of Seerxi turned to me from the tables, tables covered in bodies. Hundreds of bodies. Dragons and humans. Fear clenched my stomach. One of those bodies was probably mine.
In my fury, I willed fire. Oil filled the sacs in my lower jaw. There was a small click and fire billowed out. The boiling flames scattered the Seerxi and lit the bodies in an explosive fashion.
I lifted up, forgetting I didn’t know how to fly with this body. Determined, I forced out my wings. By summoning my wings, I’d inadvertently turned on rockets that unexpectedly launched me spinning into the air.
In moments, I was crashing through the wall and into the open skies. The Seerxi building shrank behind me as I soared higher and higher. Pleased with my new-found freedom I twisted and twirled in the air
Red lights flashed across my screens and my rockets sputtered, spouting gray smoke. With the failure of my rockets came the folding of my wings. Suddenly I switched from ascending to descending. I was, in short, falling. Falling! But I was a dragon! Dragons have fights during flights and don’t fall!
I overrode the commands that closed my wings and they spread out half-hazard. The rockets still wouldn’t turn on again. I beat my wings furiously to little avail. The miles between me in the looming ground shrunk quickly. The wings barely slowed my crash landing.
My systems shutdown as I hit the ground. Unsure of how long it had taken to reboot, I turned my cracked screens on. I was deep in sand, and most of my systems were still offline, or so said my screen. Creaking, I climbed out of the sand dune.
Regardless, I had to get as far away from the Seerxi as I could. There was a desert between Seerxi and Lauphai. So I had to be careful not to cross into Lauphai territory. If I would just go north I would be in Rykrina, and then I would be just south of my home mountains in DragonCrest.
The red light from the flight was still flashing. The word highlighted in red was unknown, so I searched my database for something similar. The synonym was food. This body lacked nutrition or fuel to survive. Nonsense, I made it through winters with no food—so I would survive this too.
My body moved leisurely, with stiff strides barely pulling me up the hills of sand, dragging my broken wings. There came a point where my limbs wouldn't move and my systems gradually turned off. They should have at least let me die in my own body. Why did this have to
happen to me?
If you save me, God, I promise I won't eat humans on a daily basis. I just want to live my happy life as the meat-eating, sack of bones dragon I was before. So why do I have to die now?
Chapter 2: Alive Again
After what felt like just a moment following my screen shutoff, they rebooted again. A wet rag spread over my brand new, unbroken screen. As the rag retreated, I looked into the face of my savior. A female Seerxi. I was recaptured!
Looking to see what new cage was set up, I held my breath. I was in a large room of sorts, a work place in a hay-full barn house. Through the cracks in the old wooden blanks that made up the wall, I could see the desert. My attention returned to the female Seerxi, who smiled at her work. She spoke up. "Now you look all nice and shiny. Here, let's connect this final piece to turn on your spine and see what you can do."
Happily, stinking Seerxi, I’ll crush you in my jaws. Energy sizzled through my wires and I tested my new legs. Where the first trial had been painful and my metal legs shook under my tremendous weight, the second trial was different. This time I rose without consequence.
No red lights flashed in the gamut of my new, cleaned screen. Its cohesiveness made it feel like I was in a flesh body. Whatever changes this Seerxi made were perfect. Green lights blinked for every part between my wing tips to my enhanced claws.
Her grin widened as she watched me flex at my newfound dexterity. She spoke quickly. "You’re alive, after all. You were such an old model I thought you might’ve expired. Most models had a limit of two years and the Rykrinans finally shut the Mecha Dragon Project down. But you, I thought you could be different—you would survive anything.”
The flood of new information overcame my data banks. How long was I shut down? Only a few weeks at most, right? And since when did Rykrinans have power over Seerxi? Now, how do I ask any of this?
Leaning down to glare into the Seerxi's face, I forced her to take a tentative step back.
She lifted her hands defensively. "Whoa, boy. You probably don't know this, but you shut down fourteen years ago. All the surviving mecha dragons died three years ago, in the Land Wars. It was a long shot with you, just spending that time turning you on, so don't kill me over it. Besides, if you break down again who better to fix you than an exiled Seerxi in the middle of the desert, huh?"
I would have growled if I could, but only a gurgling sound of clinking joints conveyed my feelings. Walking past her, I pushed through the barn doors. My temperature rose quickly in the sun. Beside the barn sat a small mud hut. The Seerxi came beside me.
Gesturing to the hut, she began the tour. "That's my house; the barn is my workplace. Behind it are my iron kiln and the forge. We're ten miles from the nearest town. If you want to leave you can, but I will warn you there are no other Seerxi Mecha dragons or the builders around—after all, it’s a forbidden practice now.
“I’m not really a mecha builder, so I just put you together with my spare pieces and my own designs. I used to trade for mecha parts with Lauphai and do jobs with them, but since immigrations tightened up I really can’t, so don’t get damaged for awhile."
Goodness, this Seerxi could talk and talk. Forget staying here, I would return to the mountains and stay there until my mecha soul dies. Carelessly turning around, swinging my tail I almost swapped the Seerxi aside and took off for flight.
This time, at least, I didn’t go spinning oddly in the air. Instead, like real dragon wings, they glided, bringing me gently higher and higher. I was free again, and this time there would be no crash landing.
Moments later, I was gliding over the town the Seerxi mentioned. It was time to verify her information. The town below teemed mildly with life as the few residents went about their day. A traveling merchant spoke on a scaffold to his mixed audience of Rykrinan and Seerxi peoples.
His voice bellowed over the gathering crowds. “Selling fifth year mecha dragon parts.”
A member of the crowd spoke up, on older woman snorted. “We don’t need you, get moving. We’ve got a smith already.”
The peddler cleared his throat. “See here, you won’t find finer claws.”
A different woman waved a dismissive hand. “Unless you go to Reepida, she’s got a fine collection. She even sharpens your tools sharper than that for free when she comes on festivals.”
Her ridicule followed by laughter. The merchant cleared his voice, abashed. “And see my collection of fourteenth generation nuts and bolts—”
Another member spoke out. “She’ll cook you brand new bolts if you give her the metal or a meal!”
The merchant tried again. “This Repida, she wasn’t a renowned merchant in the wars like I was, was she? Isn’t she that Seerxi exile?”
The crowd roared to her defense. “If she were allowed to return, she’d stay right here! She’s practically an An Ren in these parts.”
The merchant continued. “Well—”
Bleh, human problems. I was bored and moved on. It appeared the Seerxi was telling the truth, so I wouldn’t have to go back and kill her. I continued my flight, breaking away from the spiral I was making over the town toward the east.
If I were flesh and bone, I would have enjoyed the freshness of the wind over my wings. I missed that feeling. In fact, I missed any feeling. I wasn’t even hungry, after sleeping for so many years. Could I even call that sleeping? Could I take naps in flight as I use to? Why did those wretched Seerxi do this to me? I will burn them all down before I return to the mountains.
Angry, I swirled around. Something sparkling caught my eyes. I glided down, spiraling over a blue, shining lake. I saw a horrific creature in the waters, copying my motions. His wings were like that of a corpse, thin, bare, and metal. His body was heavy with wires and his neck was long and spiked with glowing red lights flickering beneath pale faux skin.
His muzzle and head were the worst pieces of all. They were so unnatural, as though someone skinned a dragon’s head and gave it adjunct teeth and unblinking red eyes. Red like a Seerxi’s. That was my reflection down there, in the lake. I was that disgusting hybrid of fear and misunderstanding.
The oils in my mouth burst into flames and I seared the surface of the glittering blue lake. I would burn every Seerxi to the ground. I would never forgive them. And I would start with that town. Then I would fly back to that Seerxi compound and fry every living creature on my way. My flames burned every bird on the lake below. It seemed hotter than my natural fire was before. Even the water steamed into a fog so thick it sent my sensors array.
Just to stay flying I soared further east and above the steam, shutting off the fire. I shut things off now! I was a machine. An ugly, unfeeling, flying disaster, just like the walking monsters called Seerxi. I went to land a distance from the lake, but my systems failed me again, making me misjudge how close the ground really was.
I tumbled into the sands. Unlike last time, my coated armor spared me complete destruction. I needed to put my plan for revenge off. It was just until my systems finished fixing themselves; if they did that anymore.
Suddenly the sands burst out alive behind me. An unfamiliar monster was charging me. It looked so unreal, utterly demented. Its body was like that of a jackal, but a thousand times larger with a face torn to the point of showing bone.
One eye hung loosely from its socket and the other was simply a glowing blue orb. Its claws popped out visibly like a cat’s and they hooked into my shoulder. I wasn’t even edible, why would he attack? Before I could back away, its ugly massive jaws crushed my neck, forcing me to shutdown.
Chapter 3: A Means of Survival
I rebooted to hear the words of the Seerxi, Reepida. “You really just bring me trouble, you know that?”
My screen flickered on. At the edge of my screen’s gamut, I could see the female Seerxi tending to my neck. Her face was redder than before and her eyes seemed swollen.
“I swore I was never going to trade with those…. vile Lauphai again. I never wanted to see the
m. Thanks to you, I did. How could I reject you, hanging there so broken? That’s cruel, you know. Leaving something broken.”
She cut a wire and reattached it somewhere else. “I told you not to get damaged. I didn’t have the parts to fix you. Now you really owe me. It’s been three weeks since I took you back. If I don’t leave in two days, I won’t be on time for the festival.
“It takes three days to get to town! And I haven’t finished the tools or most of my work for that matter. I need another four days. Can you make time stop for me, huh? You better remember this about me. When I hold a grudge, I don’t forget it.”
The wire in her hands zapped and she fell over backwards. She seemed really cross with me, almost as much as I was with all Seerxi. I should be grateful, I suppose. This was a second time she rebooted me. Still, anything Seerxi needed to die.
But if something damaged me before I finished my revenge plan, I would need this Seerxi’s help again. Fine, I made my decision. I would stay with this Reepida until she fixed me completely, and I would leave her alive just in case I was in trouble again.
She remained relatively upset as she fell into a silence, plugging in more wires. She sighed, leaning her head against my armored shoulder. Humans were truly bizarre creatures. She sunk to the ground, turning around so her back slid against my forearm and wrapped her arms around her knees.
My enhanced hearing picked out her barely audible whisper. “I really hate those Lauphai.”
Well, I wasn’t fond of them either. They were the oddest of human subspecies. They were lanky, tall, violet eyed, black haired, and bad tempered, not to mention at the brink of insanity. They would massacre entire villages without reason, shoot dragons out of the air with their renowned lightning-summoning ability to take life forces to enhance their abilities and use the bodies as puppets.
Some rumors say that the reason why no one sees Lauphai children is because they eat them. In general, they were very hated and despised by others.
Seerxi, another odd subspecies, however, would trade with anyone in the name of study, even with the Lauphai. Seerxi often cut off natural parts, like arms or eyes, to “better” the limb in the name of science with their mechanical inventions, or so warned my cousins.