Darkslayer Part Twelve: Life or Death? Ardua's sword was stuck in
the ground next to the Monkian's head, she had cut his ear. The Thundercats breathed a collective
sigh of relief as they realized she hadn't killed the centurion.
Ardua reeling, looked at the Emperor. Emperor Daro Darkslayer motioned
to her that she was free to go. Ardua plucked her sword from the
ground, sheathed it, and slowly staggered towards the Thundercats. Lion-O
got on the Feliner's radio and instructed the Jetcat and Thunderbolt to
hover, not to land, Lion-O also ordered the other Thundercats to board
their respective vehicles and be ready for a hasty take off. "Tyger, Panthro,
Tygro, go help Ardua." Said Lion-O. "Tygra, get in the Feliner!" Ardua walked past the defeated
Monkian, she could see Panthro, Tyger and Tygro running to meet her halfway,
she was smiling widely, and felt no pain, she had to get to them nothing
else mattered. She made the worst mistake a fighter could, she turned
her back to an opponent. The Emperor rose, by that time the Monkian
was standing, he looked at the Emperor. A moment past he then shouted,
"KILL HER!" The Monkian sprung up and grabbed
Ardua, then thrust his sword into her chest. An uproar went through
the stands. Ardua watched Panthro run towards her, but she couldn't
utter a sound, she looked down and saw the blade sticking through her chest,
but couldn't feel it. Ardua felt no pain when he withdrew the blade
either, just a pulling sensation. Soon Ardua was beset by hundreds
of screaming people. Lion-O seeing what had occurred
got on the radio of the Feliner again, "Wilykat take the Thunderbolt and
turn the hover unit on full blast, drive those people away!" Wilykat complied
but the strong thrust had no effect on the rioting mass of people, who
had set about tearing the Monkian centurion apart. Lion-O jumped on top
of the Feliner and shouted, "HO!" and the Sword of Omens projected a protective
bubble which grew to encompass the Feliner, Thunderstrike, Jetcat, and
Thunderbolt. As the shield continued to push farther into the arena, it
repelled Plundarians and covered Tygro, Tyger, and Panthro, eventually
reaching Ardua. Ardua rolled on the ground in agony,
reaching up for Panthro as the Plundarians rioted outside the bubble, Panthro
knelt and said "I'm here baby, i'm here." Ardua would have screamed as
Panthro, Tygra, and Tyger picked her up, but she couldn't make a sound.
The Feliner landed and Pumyra jumped out of the back. "By Thundera!" Pumyra
looked at Ardua's outer injuries, two of her fingers were hanging on by
a strand of flesh. Lion-O got into the Feliner. "Jetcat,
your crew accounted for? Yes Lion-O. Thunderbolt? Yes, Lion-O, Thunderstrike,
Tygra is in the Feliner, the rest of the crew? Yes Lion-O." Lion-O took
a fevered look at the passengers of the Feliner. "Alright everyone let's
go! The Sword's field will cover us until we are well underway."
The Thundercat ships streaked away as a quarter of a million Plundarians
rioted. Pumyra and Tyger with Panthro and
Tygra looking on, cut Ardua's tunic away. Ardua started to feel a
tickle in her chest and started to cough. "Ardua you hear me?" Said Pumyra.
"I know it tickles, but try not to cough, okay?" Ardua nodded as best she
could. Pumyra took Tyger's hand and placed on Ardua's bare chest to seal
the hole on top, she then put a piece of plastic under Ardua to help seal
the hole on the bottom. As the Feliner rose upwards to break the atmosphere
of Plundarr, Pumyra and Tyger began to slide in blood, they could barely
keep a hold on Ardua and the hand grips. Pumyra looked at Ardua's
palms, they were pale, a moderate amount of red foam began to form at the
corner of her mouth. Tyger tried to be calm and detached as he began to
staunch the flow of blood from some of the larger wounds on her extremities,
as Pumyra checked Ardua's pulse, and eye dilation. A suitable distance had been reached
from Plundarr and Lion-O broke the protective shield around the four ships,
then made his way to the cargo bay of the Feliner. Tygra put his
hand on Panthro's shoulder. Tygra had seen tears fall down Panthro's cheeks
only twice in his life, when his mother died, and at that moment.
Panthro walked calmly past the frantically working Pumyra and Tyger and
rummaged through a storage cabinet. Tygra left to help Lynxana pilot
the ship. Tygro sat in the Thunderstrike in
silence. All he could do was look at the blood that was drying on
his hands and clothes. Kera had tears in her eyes as she piloted
the Thunderstrike. Wilykit looked at Tygro, she didn't need to ask anything.
Wilykit looked at the Feliner beside them, and wondered at what was going
on inside. Lion-O stood in front of Ardua
grasping the Sword of Omens, she heard talking but wasn't interested in
what was going on, she had the most wonderful feeling of sleepiness. Pumyra looked at Ardua, she had
stopped moving, her eyes fluttered. Ardua felt relieved, no pain.
She felt a finger in her mouth, the taste of beer, then was a million miles
away.