Gripping the rocks next to him to stay secure. It was hard to raise his arm considering the lower half was broken, so he had come up with an idea. Using some fabric, he wrapped some wood around his hand as a rough protecting shield. Staring into the water, he used his supportive hand to throw down another small rock.  

 

He watched as the rock drifted down. With a sudden flash of movement, the large fish with the human arm protruding from its head swallowed the stone. Before the fish could spit out the stone, Charlie swooped down with the claw. Howling at the pain he pushed through as the hook slammed into the side of the fish.

 

Battling and wriggling the fish fought back. Dragging it out, Charlie took a stone and began to beat down on the head of the creature. Parting its mouth, it hissed with large sharp teeth. Shuddering but keeping his grip on a rock, Charlie lifted it and again continued to beat down onto the head. The large bone hand began to hit and smash against the floor.

 

It flayed wildly until its mud-stained cold fingers locked around its wrist of Charlie. This did not deter him as he continued to beat down with increasing force. Bone cracked the creature tried to use its hand to break through the cloth and wood wrapped around its good hand of Charlie. Blood trickled onto the floor, as the struggling stopped.

 

For a moment he sat and stared. He had killed it. Sighing, he sat back. Rocking his head back, he stared into the darkness of the cave above. Looking across to the pot, he saw it was almost full to the brim with water. Placing the fish off to the side, he moved over to the pot. Lifting it, he took a sip of water. Sighing satisfaction, he carefully lifted the pot with his good arm.

 

Placed it on his lap. He began to half drag and half shuffle his way back into the area he now called his temporary home. Putting down the pot in a secure place, he again shuffled back onto the small side cave. Taking up the dead fish, he again began to shuffle back. Again, he placed the fish down carefully next to the pot of water.

 

Using the stinger attached to the end of the splint, he began to cut along the stomach of the fish. Carefully, he removed the bone arm. Picking up the strange thing he threw it as far as he could from where he was. Turning back to the fish, he cut off the head before then also throwing that as far as possible.

 

Gagging and throwing his good hand over his mouth, Charlie tried to not throw up as he began to gut the fish. Once the guts were taken out, he placed them to the side, before then beginning to cut off the meat. Small embars still flickered in his fire. Placing the meat to one side and leaning closer, he began to blow into the flames.

 

As the flames began to rise, he sat back and took a large stick from the night before. Impaling it onto the stick, he placed it over the flames with a smile. It was odd to think he was so happy over such a wretched thing, but still, it was better than starving to death.

 

“When I get out of here, I am going to shove my foot up your ass,” Charlie yelled upwards.

 

“Nice to see that is your way of testing if I am still around,” Wrench said, walking over and sitting on the edge of the whole. In his arms, he cradled a large cloth. Squinting his eyes, Charlie tried to get a good view, yet he wasn’t able to from his position.

 

“What is that?” he said as Wrench lifted his robotic arm.

 

Placing the cloth onto his lap, he reached around and removed his hand. Placing it to one side, he reached behind him and brought out another hand. Screwing this new hand onto his arm, he lifted it and a small squirt of what looked to be milk spurted out. Next, he picked up the bundle of cloth and placed his hand over the cloth.

 

“Don’t fucking tell me you brought your kid to come and mock me as well?” Charlie said, frowning at the idea but also knowing it probably wouldn’t be beyond him to do so.

 

“No, it is a gift to you if you survive this. Let’s just say it could be a great help to you,” Charlie scoffed at his answer.

 

“You say that yet I have yet to see how being down here is helping me learn how to fight, let alone be a better commander,”

 

“Well, that is where you are wrong. To be a good commander you need to be able to adapt to any situation. If you hadn’t adapted, you would be dead already,” Charlie sucked in his cheeks. Wrench had a point. He would be dead if he hadn’t thought quickly. Now in silence, he continued to cook the fish.

 

For hours he did this, allowing the fish to turn an odd golden, blushing brown. Visible it wasn’t satisfied, and by scent, it was far from desirable, but awkwardly he lifted the meat to his lips. Closing his eyes and holding his breath, he took the first bite. Wrench chuckled as he heard him yell. It gave him a twisted nostalgia of when he was once forced into eating such horrid meat of the Grabber Fish.

 

“Hear that?” Wrench muttered to the figure wrapped in cloth, “that is the sounds of a man who is going to help me revolutionize this realm,”

 

Charlie again took another bite of the fish as he just managed to swallow the first mouth full. Between bites, he would lean down and take a few good sips of the pot of water. It was foul, unsavoury meat, but it was what was going to get him through the day. Again, he continued to eat as… A crack of rock rippled throughout the cave.

 

Lifting his gaze and staring forwards, he looked into the darkness. Sitting up, he saw the flaming torch at the furthest end of the cave. A flash of brown, bronze flesh flashed in the light. It was the same as the scorpion, but this dagger-like leg was almost the size of Charlie. Dropping the fish and shuffling past the fire, he moved over to the wagon.

 

The torch's light eliminated the rest of the body as the creature approached. Dragging himself inside of the wagon, he held the arm with the stinger still. Aiming it out like a spear, he stared towards the entrance to his part of the cave. As he stared, he watched the sound of clattering moving forward.

 

The first of the long legs crept into the daylight. Retracting back, the sounds of clicking came from deeper in the cave. Whatever this was, it had an obvious dislike for daylight. Seeing this, Charlie edged himself a little from covered to take a closer look. Feeling sweat dripping down the side of his face, he grimaced as his suspicions were confirmed.

 

This was a giant scorpion. It seemed the ones before were just a baby, this one must have been the one to take down so many wagons and carriages. Even from its small look and low knowledge of Charlie, it was easy to tell the skin of the beast was strong. So strong in fact, along the legs he saw stains of what looked to be bullet marks.

 

So, if this outer shell/skin was hard enough to stop bullets, then it may be safe to assume the entire body to be like this. As the creature turned to retreat, obviously deciding it would rather not eat for the day than fight against the power of the sun, Charlie could catch a glimpse of the rest of the body in the firelight from one of his torches.

 

Like the scorpion before, it had large pincers that sheltered a hideous mouth and face. Even though the top of the head as well as the rest of the body was protected, the face was still left open. Smiling, Charlie saw an opportunity. Moving around inside the wreckage of the wagon, he found a large box. Reading the side, his smile grew.

 

Popping open the lid, he saw wielding rods designed to clean the barrels of guns. Looking around there were no weapons left, or at least no working ones. So, he was going to have to improvise. Glancing around the cave, the creature gave another clicking sound before turning and walking deeper. Taking several steps inside, it again stopped and turned to look back.

 

Leaping back, it looked down to the bottom of its pointed leg. Scuttling back, it saw a flaming torch under its leg. Large pincers sat in front of the mouth of the beast. Clicking them together, it scuttled to the side. Staring down at the flame, it growled and moved off. It was only for a moment, but the eyes of the creature drifted over the wagon.

 

As if moving into a fight or flight state, Charlie temporarily locked eyes with the beast. Freeze in its tracks, the beast saw the flicker of emerald eyes from the wreckage of the wagon. Not even within the blink of an eye, it found its scenery to have changed.

 

Emerald grass flooded around the area. Diving its pincers into the ground, it began to try and burrow to escape the sun.

 

“Stop,” A cold, harsh voice crept over the body of the beast.

 

Turning its beady eyes upwards along with its large head, it saw how the emerald grass swept up into a hill. Upon the hill sat two thrones. One of cold iron, another of white feathers.

 

“Please calm yourself, we don’t want to startle the poor thing,” the softer voice said. Swiftly turning, the scorpion charged away. Sitting back in shock, it saw it had somehow again arrived in front of the two upon the hill.

 

“You have always been so passive,” the deeper voice said as again the creature turned to flee, only to again find itself facing down the beings.

 

“Oh dear, look how you startle the poor thing! You call me passive, but you are just brutish!” the softer voice said, the owner of which puffed out their cheeks and turned their head away in progress. And upon this just to add some dramatic twist crossed their arms.

 

“It is a fucking wild animal, and you treat it better than the boy,” the owner of the darker voice said, raising their hand.

 

“Oh, come on! No need for that,” the softer voice said. Turning it met eyes with that of the darker voice. Both turned to watch as the scorpion kept trying to sprint off in any direction, only to end up again at their feet.

 

“Ok, but don’t kill it! We so rarely get visitors,” smiling, the owner of the dark voice muttered something. The emerald grass cracked as chains burst from the ground. Wrapping themselves around the scorpion, they forced it into place.

 

“Why can’t we just kill it? It isn’t like it would be that hard. Maybe allowing it to experience death several times would make it bow its head to the boy. Also, we get visitors every fucking month since the boy is yet to learn of us and his potential,”

 

“Well, if you wanted to do that you would have done it already! You are just as curious as me,” the softer voice retorted.

 

“I am just as bored as you,” the darker voice scoffed. Scoffing back, the softer more angelic voice turned their gaze onto the scorpion. Smiling, it blessed it with a gentle warmth. Bone and shell cracked, and blood spurted twelve feet into the sky.

 

“YO! Did you see that?” the darker voice crackled as blue light fell over the beast. Lifting the mangled corpse into the air, the light began to bind it together.

 

“Remember, don’t damage it too much. We don’t want anyone knowing of us just yet,” the softer voice said, having to remind their hot-headed counterpart of the dangerous allowing…

 

Allowing him to know of their existence. The darker voice was branded the name demon by humanity, while the lighter voice was gifted with the title of an angle. Alone they had the power of their respected gods, and together their power was unformidable. Yet there was one thing that shook the heavens and earth more than anything. The head of the Black-Quills.