The Fall of Sukrat Part 3: The Manticore

The third and final part of my interpretation of ELP's epic song "Tarkus." I wrote this a long time ago and so is a bit rough.

The Manticore

The encounter with the inebriated Meck soldier proved the only dangerous interruption in my travels back to my Blood homelands. I skirted the Plains of Tears and Rainbows by way of the Rival Mountain foot hills the following cold nights with the fires and noise of war below me. In the distance, I could see flares of the missiles that Tarkus fired upon our brave Blood soldiers who still tried in vain to slow its’ progress. The stark realization of the loss of life bolstered my paces alacrity and rekindled my soul’s fervor. After four days, I found myself in friendlier Bloodland and soon caught a ride on man’s wagon traveling east. I settled back, napping off and on in that rattling wagon for nearly a day. I knew not to offer Meck money nor note to a Blood native so only offered an apology in return for his generosity. He gestured me on and said with a few words that repayment was not required of a man so emaciated. During my urgent mission, I hadn’t noticed my bodily depletion. Afterwards, racing on my last ounce of energy after bidding the kindly gentleman goodbye, I immediately sought and found my leaders to report my findings.  They took heart and rewarded my information with a bath, clean clothes, food, and a reveal of the fruit of their own hard labors.

It was as we had hoped the scientists told me soon after. Sometimes you must not meet your enemy with tactics and hardware of the type they understand, but something completely unique and frightening. They took me to a secret lab and introduced me to their labor’s pride and the last hope for Blood mankind�"a Manticore! Obviously formidable in strength with the lines of a lion, a fierce toothy face that was nearly human, and a segmented tail that whipped, snapped, and brandished a nail. I stood there struck in awe without a word to say.  Finally I found my tongue. Can this beast take on Tarkus? I asked the scientists who stood with me observing the Manticore. Indeed I can! Bellowed the Manticore, oh little one of little faith. My speed is quicker than insects, my intelligence unsurpassed and my agility, watch! The Manticore jumped up, spun over, and ended up facing the other direction. And my lethality? My tail is potent poison, easily delivered in a snap�"one snap, in fact could kill a hundred Mecks and one�"so�"slow�"awkward�"Tarkus. The Manticore obviously was proud of who he was. He, it beamed along with the scientists, leaders, and I joining in hope for a turn of our fate in the following future days.

The Manticore proved his worth in a spectacular battle, though I took the account from others for I was exhausted from my ordeal in Meck City and was ordered to remain behind. The Manticore had so much speed and agility that he appeared to mock the mighty Tarkus in battle. He jumped, spun, and dodged from side to side as Tarkus fired blindly into empty space and spun in one place trying for a shot at the Manticore. As it jumped about, the Manticore provoked Tarkus with taunting words and insults whether Tarkus understood or not, we didn’t know. Blood warriors stood aside in awe of the creature in action and far away from the wildly firing Tarkus. Finally, Tarkus stopped, perhaps tired, perhaps contemplating his own attack strategy, but the Manticore stood close, dead straight on and below Tarkus. With one whip-snap of his nail-tipped tail, Tarkus’ glass eye shattered and the Manticore injected his poison. Goodbye evil one, the Manticore shouted, but did not act overly brazen and foolhardy by walking away. He stood his ground while Tarkus went through death throes and eventually Tarkus’ lights, fires and steam subsided�"effectively dead. Exuberant Blood soldiers congratulated the Manticore and crawled over the dead Tarkus in victory. They planted explosives on the dead machine-creature and blew its head off. I celebrated with my people that night, recording the details for the archives but also quietly reminding my leaders the other bit of unsettling information I had gleaned from Meck City�"

There was another like Tarkus.

 I had scant details describing the other Tarkus’ abilities, but the loyalist doctor had mentioned that the other second Tarkus was different without specifying the differences or its construction progress. Our scientists wondered if a delay in completion was due to Volcano Sukrat’s destruction but surmised that the fires beneath Meckland still burned bright and powered their industrial mills so we feared the worse. Our Blood homeland celebrated for without a Tarkus the Meck soldiers proved timid, afraid to meet the Bloods on the plains of battle. We understood the favorable situation was only temporary and our enemies waited for the other beast to be completed. Our people knew that with our Manticore victory was assured without knowing the existence of the other Tarkus. Only a few days of light fighting passed before we heard the awful message that we had been dreading, the other Tarkus had been sighted on the move out of Meck City. The message continued to say that this second Tarkus was advancing within the River Aqua that would eventually bring it into the heart of the Blood homelands.

This was an Aquatarkus.

We inquired of the scientists and the Manticore itself wondering if he could fight in the water against this Aquatarkus. He, the Manticore didn’t know for sure and so he tried swimming, but he found himself too heavy, unable to float for very long and unable to propel himself. No one knew if there were other differences with this Aquatarkus. Strategic plans were drawn up that used all available Bloods and creatures, but on initial attempts the insects and creatures resisted and avoided the water as well. Our people became increasingly alarmed at the rate Aquatarkus advanced, knowing that at that rate it would be in our territory in a scant two and a half days. The Manticore calmly and boldly declared that he would defeat this adversary. He discussed attack plans with our leaders and grimly, they agreed.

 

On the day of battle, all the fighting creatures and men assembled. The Aquatarkus had been observed skirting the Plains of Tears and Rainbows in the River Aqua. On a sharp, hairpin curve in the river with steep cliffs on both sides, we lay in wait as Aquatarkus surged up the river’s shallows, clunking of iron and shrieking of steam whistles. We could smell its hideous infernal fires. The bold Manticore watched grimly determined, scanning back and forth to the river and to our shrinking military might. Suddenly without warning or prelude, he bolted out onto a lower cliff away from our assemblage. Aquatarkus seemed prepared for his appearance and began firing faster and more accurately than the old Tarkus. Several missiles came close to the Manticore and knocked him off his feet. We who watched from a safe distance gasped in horror. We knew that the Manticore would have difficulty drawing up close enough to inflict a death sting from his tail especially with the machine �"beast in the river. We launched our insects and birds in waves and our men advanced with new heavy shielding hoping to distract the Aquatarkus and draw his fire long enough to allow the Manticore to rush in and give a killing strike. This part of plan failed because Aquatarkus’ missiles were so much more lethal and accurate, killing the insects and bringing our birds down with single shots. In fright, we watched the Manticore dodge volley after volley of destructive missiles, and we wondered how long he might last seeing he had and carried no armor. For hours, he dodged and jockeyed for position, gaining precious little ground, but still and all, the machine-beast Aquatarkus maintained a forward motion. We wondered if the Manticore sought to tire his nemesis. With this strategy in mind, we humans joined in the fight, hoping for a suitable distraction or an indication of the beast exhaustion. In our concerted effort to assist the Manticore attain a victory many Bloods lost their lives.

Finally, on a lower cliff’s edge, the Manticore peered down over Aquatarkus with the beast’s barrages striking the rock face above and below our own brave beast-hero. The Manticore didn’t leave or duck for cover, he simply stood there being peppered and chased by flying rock and debris boldly defiant and apparently suicidal. Aquatarkus turned toward him directing his twin, huge firing tubes at him and fired, time after time. The rock, shrapnel, and debris flew about Manticore nearly obscuring our view of his strange, defiant behavior. We all shouted, screamed and cried for we knew his end grew near. The Aquatarkus advanced across the river toward the Manticore firing, firing, firing�"the heavy smoke, rock dust, ash and dirt choked us all. Manticore’s defiant silhouette stood firm, flinching only when a missile came close enough to inflict damage. We could see that the Manticore bled from several wounds on his flanks and neck. Mesmerized and foolhardy, I drew closer through several meters away and saw the Manticore look down into the churning river apparently satisfied with the situation. Instantly, he leaped straight up and down, not off as we expected. He did this several times on the very edge of the cliff’s edge until suddenly the cliff broke off and tumbled down into the river, the Manticore riding it down and submerging in the churning muddy water below. We watched in horror to see Aquatarkus blasting into the water where the rocks and Manticore had disappearing beneath the surface as muddy (or were they bloody?) geysers erupted into the air. The Aquatarkus stopped and spun back and forth in what appeared to be a frantic search for the Manticore in the opaque, muddy water.   

Suddenly, from beneath his iron belly, sprang the Manticore, extending to full height on an exposed rock shard. Without hesitation, he struck at Aquatarkus with his tail spike, once in one eye and then the other, again and again. The Aquatarkus no longer fired and no longer moved. Slowly the fires and steam shrieks subsided and stilled. The Manticore watched the machine-beast for those few moments before he collapsed and slipped down off the rock to submerge beneath the muddy water that mixed with his blood.

The Meck soldiers that had shadowed Aquatarkus along the River Aqua had been so assured of victory now shirked in fear and ran away defeated. Our men, however distraught over the loss of our heroic Manticore chased the Mecks back across the plains under numerous rainbows that had sprung up over our heads.

Within days, our people occupied Meckland and disassembled their capability to make war. The Mecks over time became compliant to the Blood’s demand for peace and they shared their knowledge and craft and cautiously, we shared ours. It has been years since that last battle was fought and both peoples live together and separate and both are prosperous and happy.

My name is Ellep, Teller of Tales and Singer of Song the curator of this weighty burden of history. I am quite old now and more than happy to tell our horrible story. I relive this tale with you and anyone who cares to listen to this old man whose time has long since passed. I am delighted to share the story of how a flesh and blood Manticore overcame the two terrifying machine-creatures that went by the name of Tarkus, but most of all I am pleased to tell you that I, Ellep, still remain friends with that brave beast called a Manticore!