24.
The Raj stood on the gully that separated the village from the rest of the island. The gully was however contained by the two high hills that formed a barricade to the sea. The natural break in the terrain was a natural barrier to the villagers from the rest of the island. The gully was deep to a depth of twenty feet to thirty at its deepest for the entire length of a quarter mile.
“How goes the construction?”
“We are placing the last boulders.” The Raj looked toward the wall that he had commissioned. The wall was before the gully to protect the village. It was at the height of twenty feet with a reinforced width of one foot of rocks and clay with metal beams inserted inside to strengthen it. The gully was added with metal sharpened rods.
“My Raj, we have done the last stretch.” The local mason reported to the Raj. “I have also implanted the explosives as you told me.”
“Recall the workers then, and then the guards. Let no one step there ever again without my approval.” The Raj gave his orders.
“My Raj, what manner of …beasts are they….” The masonry master was stopped in his question.
“You and your men are paid well to do the task. Be thankful for the year rest that you have earned.” With that the builders were taken off the island and never seen again for no one recalled them returning home. The Raj meanwhile commissioned another wall on the village side to face the gully with watch towers but it was made of timber form the fallen trees. He manned the towers with armed guards. He then told the villagers on their new home.
“Never again will you be plagued by the beasts. Live well and prosper within the bay here. Never leave for the other side of the island but prepare to defend your village should the wall collapsed.” With that the Raj later showed the deadly power of the weapons that he had brought to the village. An elderly man approached him then.
“You gave us hope and yet you gave us the means to kill our hope. Why must we use these when we have survived for so long with what we hold now in our hand.” The elderly man was a wise man of the village and his question raised the curiosity of the villagers.
“You were once the major tribe here and now reduced to a smaller number. Once you were talking to thousands and now hundreds. Once…”
“You hold thousands at your kingdom but I held more per the tree shadow than the shadow of your palace. So tell me what can this do that our faithful vaal (sword) and kunthum (spear) could not.” The wise man asked.
The Raj picked up the Enfield rifle and aimed at the tree on the far side. His aim took the coconut off the tree. The wise man smiled and then nodded. The rifles were then distributed and peace reign.
Till the dirigible that crashed there.
The dirigible was the first one. It crashed into the gully proper creating a huge blaze there. The fire was seen as a cauldron of flame baking the clay and heating up the stones on the wall. The hydrogen gas exploded and the flames soared high. That was not all when the second dirigible slammed onto the wall and exploded. It blew not a hole there but also created a collapse of the gully wall. The crack in the wall was further into the interior of the island. The rift in the ground was wide and it levelled out.
It was to form a path for that anyone could walk into the gully.
But the heat and the explosion took its toll on the side of the gully protecting the village. The wall there began cracking and then pieces of it fell off. The second wall began to burn and then the towers fell.
It was then the alarm went off.
“So what was on the other side of the island?”
“The kinds of creatures that only Hell could have for its pets.” Captain Nemo took to explain it in the simplest terms. “God protect the innocent.”
The innocence was the ones who did not know what were the evil abound. Mistress Fa Lo Suee stepped away from the mini carriage unit and felt secured with the presence of the ten guards there.
“Mistress, the other unit landed there.” The one named the Back Cat motioned to the right of her. “They are dismantling the guns and will join us soon.”
“Find us a place to establish a base. I want it running soon. I don’t like this place.” The work was to begin when a guard called out the warning. The guard levelled his halberd at the threat.
It was a huge creature with the looks that resembled the striped predators from the hills but that one held a set of fangs that reached downwards from it jaws. It was creamy brown in the furs and was twice the size of Man.
“Lao Fu!” The guard called out. It was unbelievable to see one there.
“So what is there?” Van Helsing getting impatient with the Captain who seems to go into a relapse of the past. “Tell us what’s there? Demons? Ghosts or maybe Vampires?”
Captain Nemo smiled and then motioned to his adopted son to fetch the specimen. The young man brought over a small box.
“This is a tooth from the creature.” Captain Nemo displayed the foot long fang. “I did some studies and they are called sabre tooth tigers or in more technical name, the Felidae Smilodon. These are not fangs as claimed by many but elongated canine teeth. The other technical link was the breed may be associated with the vampires. They do have nasty resemblance.”
“Do not mock my enemy.” Van Helsinhg took offense to the association to the nemesis of his.
“I don’t have to. Your enemy is with us now.” Captain Nemo voiced out. It was then they heard the roar in the cavern. “They are here.”
“They are in my jungle.” Sean openly declared. “Give me a rifle.”
“No, no guns. I will hunt them. The sabors are mine.” With that Lord Greystoke reached for the two batons. He had fashioned a shoulder harness for the batons. He took out the one with the electric whip.
“I am coming with you.” Lady Greystoke reached for the Mauser Sporter Magnum Action with the .404 cartridges and the ammo belt. “We promised to be together at all times. More to it our son need us together.”
The mentioned of the son stopped the once savage Lord of the Jungle. He turned to the Captain.
“I want the blade that you showed me.” The Captain handed over the bone dagger.
“It’s called Brutus after the senator that killed Caesar.”
“Do you want my knuckle duster? You could take out those nasty teeth.” Mycroft offered his gift but was declined. The couple had then off on their search for the sabor followed by the Irish.
“Herr Mercer, where are you going?” Doctor Gunter called out.
“The hunt for the tiger is more interesting.” Sean proceeded and then turned back. He grabbed the Enfield rifle and ammo belt.
25.
Watson stared at the group of people there. There were the three who were his friends, the mad Captain with his love, and their son, the remaining five Germans and three more local warriors.
Fifteen of them with three more in the tunnels or eaten by the tigers.
Eighteen of them.
One original task.
A damned treasure.
One hidden for ages and now sought by seventeen of them.
Watson picked the paper he had written some notes. He opened it to read.
Enter the vault of Purgatory
Slip in by the wall that stays hidden
Trail the glitter flow to end
Beware the hands that reached out
Seek the Tower that reached low
Behold its sentries that looms
Trapeze and evade the traps
Watch the one who seats on the throne
Solomon isn’t the King
But the Guardian for the Kings
“Pardon me, Watson. I need to talk.” Watson looked at the other. “Well, it’s not often that I get you instead of Sherlock to brood on his view regarding matters but please proceed.”
“It’s Sherlock I was intending to ask on him. How is h….his medication?”
“Well, he looked normal although I have not been with him for some months now.” Watson took a glance at Sherlock who was seated at the far end examining the rifle. He was not a man that favours the guns but he was known to handle it albeit with bad aiming on the target. The walls of the unit they shared reflected the results. His so named medications counted among it was cocaine addiction.
“Looking normal for my brother means that he will picking up the dirt and whatever on the trail to examine but he had done so. I wondered why and his current …if I may say interest in guns. That intrigued me vastly.”
“The guns….Oh, you meant his interest in the guns. Well, Sherlock have been known to study the different weapons for they are used in some of his cases, and he has a. ,,,:
“A revolver which I knew of but he hardly carries it. He relied on you to do so when needed.” Mycroft remarked. “After all, you are a marksman at it …and also the daggers.”
Mycroft made a motion of throwing the dagger like an expert which drew the frown on Watson’s face. The statement brought on by Mycroft did however raised a pointer in Watson. He did then recall that the sleuth did not seems himself.
“I will talk to him when I have …”
“Gentlemen, let us proceed to the next cavern where we will once again sail on the Nautilus.” Captain Nemo led the group to the tunnel and after a long walk they were back at the cavern where they sailed in from the sea. The vessel was still there but the crews were unloading it.
“We are drier than the sun dried berries.” The Bosun approached the Captain. “We even removed the bidet. Please do tell the lady of concern.”
“We won’t be sailing with her. However we have the dozen more to go abroad here.” Captain Nemo then in turn saw his seat on the Nautilus being dragged out. “Who say you can remove my seat?”
“Well, Captain. You said anything not of use, and we reckon…” The crew smiled at the Captain.
“Aye, so I heard the Orca are looking for a new diet.” Captain Nemo remarked back. “Perhaps your Spanish descent will be more enticing.”
At that moment, Princess Fa Lo Suee sat on the makeshift table to take her meal. She had changed into a greenish tunic and pants tucked into the dark leather boots. She looked at the huge beast that was killed earlier and hung over then lower branch while the guard turned butcher was skinning it. The beast had killed one of the guards then and wounded two others. She recalled it was a ferocious battle then.
The saber toothed lion had charged at the guard then. The creature holding the halberd swung the heavy weapon from right to left. The blade cut into the lion’s left shoulder but the creature did not stopped then. It turned its attention towards the guard’s left shoulder and took a bite there. The guard screamed out in pain and dropped the halberd while another guard went to assist. The guard did not reach the wounded one before it was attacked by the lion. The lion reached out with its front right paw and maul the guard in the arm. The wound was deep and the guard retreated but the lion had moved towards it as the second prey. The second guard retreated but not far before the lion bit his neck. Another guard had then joined in and slashed the halberd on the lion on its back but the blade did not cut in deep before the lion turned to attack the latest prey. The lion then wounded had leapt on the third guard who was running for safety. The lion bit into the back of the head and killed the guard. Just when no one thought there was no stopping the lion when a dark figure jumped towards the lion back. It was the lady named Black Cat.
The lady had on her hands was the modified twin meat hook fashioned with a hand grip with the fingers slots as holder. She thrust the hook deep into the lion’s shoulders with both hands and then dragged the lion backwards with force. The lion roared in pain and the lady pulled the hooks out to slam it deep into the exposed raised neck area. There the soft flesh gave way for the hooks to cut in deeper. The lion tried to throw the lady off its back but the wounds were weakening it. It went into a forward down charge to attempt another throw but the lady had pulled the hooks out and did a reverse somersault to the front of the lion. She then slammed both her hands with the hook with a reverse thrust of the hands. The hooks cut into the lion’s eyes and the sharpened end was forced into the soft brain tissue. The lion roared once last time before it fell in its two canine teeth. The silence was felt then when even the rustle of the leaves on the tree could be heard.
“Black Cat, would we be having lion meat for dinner?”
“As you wished, Mistress.”
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