Chapter 30: July 20th, 1614

The hot sun permeated the surrounding area of what is near Hafar Al-Batin in what is now modern-day Saudi Arabia. Not far from modern-day Kuwait and Iraq’s borders, this place, like most of Saudi Arabia, was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. At the time, this area was hit with its usual temperatures of 45 to 50 degrees Celsius or close to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

The searing countryside of Hafar Al-Batin served as a checkpoint for Muslims traveling to Mecca. The long trek often involved traveling through harsh desert climates with little to no water. The villages that clustered for Hafar Al-Batin helped those along the way. Some areas were permeated with green flora, but others were the typical desert-like environment.

Roughly ten miles southwest from Hafar Al-Batin, two camels with four individuals crossed the desert sands. One man dressed as a typical male in the area in his thobe with a blue külah wrapped around his head to protect him from the basking sun rode the lead camel. Beside him was a six-foot man dressed in yellow and black with a pale complexion standing out to the men of the time period. His armor was light consisting of chain-like mail that permeated his chest. He carried what looked like a broadsword in his scabbard along with a jovial attitude that made him stand out in the crowds. He himself wore a small helmet that lined his head along with a cloth that covered portions of his head and hair. Unlike the man traveling by camel, this man was traveling by foot as they continued heading southwest.

Behind these two was another camel not far behind the two men. Another “man” very tall for a person of his height looked very much like a person from Mongolia or Northern China. He wore a similar style dress but wore a black and red colorization to it. He walked beside the rear camel along with a boy on a camel that wore the typical thobe clothing of the time. The boy looked like he was about ten years old while the “man” beside the boy helped stay close to him. They traveled close enough that both could overhear one another’s conversations if they were close enough. The boy also looked Chinese as well much like the large man he was besides from.

The camels’ hooves gently strolled through the desert sands with ease. Being the perfect animal for the desert climate, they could handle the harshest of the hottest climate terrain.

“Ma zilt mndhshana ... that you brought the boy on this dangerous trip,” said the man on the lead camel in an Arabic accent to the tall man that walked beside him.

“Nonsense! The boy will be just fine!” the tall man replied to him in a charismatic manner. His voice, even speaking Arabic, had an odd Hungarian accent. “Me and Bataar can handle whatever is thrown at us!” he held his fist in the air in triumph. “We just need to know where this creature is at so we can vanquish it!”

“The Sultan must seem to trust you,” the man replied. “I just fear the worst. No one believes us when we lost five of our men to it. This creature ... I have only seen it once, but I learned to fear it once I saw what it could do.”

“Just lead the way, Sa’id, and we promise to vanquish it!”

“I am still trying to understand,” said Sa’id that rode the camel looking at the tall man. “But, how are the two of you not including the boy behind us supposed to stop this foul creature, Zar ... Zarl...”

“Sárkány,” the man replied to him, correcting the pronunciation of his name. “Have no fear, Sa’id! We will vanquish this foul creature, and the area will be safe from harm. All we need to know is where this creature is, and we will use our mighty weapons to smite it!”

Behind Sa’id and Sárkány, the giant of a man walked with the rear camel as they listened to the conversation. There were smiles on their faces.

“Mommy,” the boy addressed the “man,” “but is Sárkány used to fighting monsters?”

“Son...” the tall man whispered back, looking at the boy as they kept moving forward. “I told you before don’t call me mommy in front of Sa’id. We are under our disguises. I am Bataar, a ‘distant father’ trying to bring his son into an area where we will combat a threat seen by the Coalition of Deities. Alright, Baise?”

“Right, ‘father,’” the boy reacted. “Do you do this regularly for the Coalition?”

“Hmmm ... sometimes,” Bataar replied.

Bataar, who was obviously Xuanwu under disguise, had brought her son with her to face the mysterious creature that was plaguing the lands. Wrapping her breasts up flat, her mannish appearance helped disguise her for the fact that she was a human woman that was already disguised from a giant walking tortoise.

“Bataar ... what are we doing again?” Baise asked her mother as the camel shuffled forward, stepping over a small shrub on the sands below.

Xuanwu shook her head as she lowered her voice to prevent herself from being heard. “Son, we took up a mission for the Coalition of Deities. I am taking a break from your father to go and train you. This is considered a relatively low-risk mission, or ... at least it’s supposed to be. I figure with Sárkány being a part of the team, we should be alright.”

“Why are we hiding as human beings? I miss being on the island with dad in my true form.”

“I know, little one. I miss him too,” Xuanwu said with sadness in her voice. “We are going to be gone for a few more days until we can find whatever is terrorizing the nearby village here. We must be human, my little Baise. Your father accepts us for who we are, but the other humans might not. You will have to get used to this as long as we are with other human beings, son. One day your father will not be around, and it will be just us.”

Bataar raised her hand and rubbed the leg of the boy giving assurance to him. “Besides...” She told him. “I am so proud of you since the day you hatched. You have been our pride and joy since you were born.”

Baise de Bambuk, son of Bambuk, looked at her mother with a big smile. “I love you, mom,” he told her.

There was a calm, gentle grin on her face. “Like I said, son, once we finish this mission, we go home, alright? I need you to learn what we are doing so that way you keep getting bigger and stronger, just like your mom. You need to see what is outside the island.”

Baise de Bambuk, even in his human form, shared an uncanny resemblance to both Bambuk and Bataar. His Asian features were prominent of a child that looked like he grew up in Northern China or Mongolia even though he grew up on a remote island far from both locations. He was cute for a ten-year-old child, even if that was not his proper form.

She took her arms and tried to show her muscles through the clothing of the armor to him, revealing herself as a significant strong character. Baise giggled, looking at her mother.

“One day, son, even in your human form, you will look like me, all big and strong.”

“Is dad going to be alright without us?” Baise asked her mother.

“Oh, stop worrying about him. He is fine. If he is in distress, he has a recall crystal to call us. Some other deity will come there immediately to help him too. He is in no danger. He has plenty of food. He will manage without us for the next few days. Then we are all back together happy again.”

The boy looked forward as he watched Sárkány and Sa’id continue their conversation. Bataar followed suit. The dragon in human form was still going on, talking about how they were there to save the day against any form of evil that posed to the villages.

“Sárkány is funny,” the boy remarked.

“Yeah, I like him too. He grows on you.”

Sa’id paid no attention to the whispers behind him between Bataar and Baise. He knew these mercenaries as hired help from Europe and China that came to help get rid of a dangerous creature that killed several men in the area. The Sultan, while easy to dismiss the fear of the small village aside, decided to go ahead and send a couple of mercenaries that he did not know were in secret disguise, to seek out whatever this ... thing was to be rid of, if the stories were even true in the first place. If anything, they at least looked like they could handle a fight together. Sa’id would sometimes zone out as the Hungarian man kept talking and talking ... and talking.

“How do you handle traveling such long distances without much water?” Sa’id asked Sárkány.

“Simple, my good man!” Sárkány replied with enduring pride. “We are built from the greatest stock mankind has ever seen! Bataar can throw castles to the wind with ease! I can run through mountains without resistance! I can fl ... cleave through any stone wall! There is nothing that our companions and I cannot handle!”

“Yet you brought a boy into this ... if you only knew what you were facing. Allah help us.”

“Baise maybe small,” he commented. “But he ... he is a strong lad! My, I have seen the boy pick up his father and toss him in the air with ease!”

Xuanwu snickered at the thought of hearing what he just said. She knew that once Sárkány got into this stage, he will boast and make things up all along the way. To him, he viewed any mission, even as simple as this, with pure joy.

Sa’id turned his head to look at the boy and Bataar and knew that Sárkány was boasting for him. He let it slide as the boy seemed to be enjoying it. Sa’id had a neutral look on himself. The boy himself appeared to be almost acknowledging it.

Ahead of them was a large outcropping of rocks that looked like it went to some cave below. It was still hard to see from a distance, but Sa’id knew where he was going, and he could sense they were getting closer.

“What we are facing ... it is the most terrifying thing I have ever seen. To this day, I still have nightmares thinking of the creature. It killed two men that I knew. I ran as fast as I could away from it as I heard one screaming for his life before it killed him. They sent a team of three soldiers...” Sa’id had a look of fear in his eyes. “Those soldiers never returned.”

“Are you sure that we are not just facing bandits?!” Bataar yelled, keeping her light voice as deep as possible.

“The moment you see it, you will know that I am telling the truth!”

“Sa’id, I wanted to thank you for offering your camels to help transport us too there,” Bataar told him.

“I still think you two should give your feet a rest,” he told both Bataar and Sárkány. “You have walked the whole way! Climb onto the camels and let them take you there.”

“Nonsense!” Sárkány replied. “I need no horse nor camel to take me to my places! I can face anything with my mighty sword!”

Xuanwu shook her head. She gripped the handle of her kilij, a curved sword that she had in her scabbard, her human form disguising the true weapon that she used in battle. The blade was a fake—an illusion to distract would-be humans that wanted to confront her or at most confuse any potential enemies.

Sa’id took note of the sword that Sárkány had. This was no fake sword that he had that Bataar was fully aware of. It was the real deal. His sword looked like that of a broadsword made in Europe, most likely in England. The mystical blade was considered legendary and rumored in the Coalition of Deities to be from King Arthur and his knights. It even inspired him to form the Dragon’s circle. Of course, Sa’id knew nothing of this and focused ahead as he could see that they were close enough.

There was a large boulder and set of rock outcroppings far from them but within walking distance now. He could see the cave partially blocked by a large rock that they could quickly get behind to overlook the cave itself.

Sa’id took a deep breath. He knew that they were close enough to face this terrible foe.

“We are here,” he said as his heart raced. He got off his camel as he waved his hand to Bataar and Sárkány to follow him.

Xuanwu turned to look at her son. “Baise, stay on the camel. You should be able to see most of the combat from here. We are facing a potentially dangerous creature. I want you to remain calm and know that everything will be alright. Is that understood?”

Baise nodded his head. “I will mo ... Bataar,” he fumbled. “I won’t leave the camel.”

“Good boy,” she said as she patted his leg and petted the camel on the face and neck. With that, she gripped her handle of the sword and marched forward as her heavy boots clumped through the soft desert sands. Sárkány was beside Sa’id as he unsheathed his sword. As they stepped forward, getting close to the large rock that blocked the view to the cave, Sa’id’s heart began to race more and more. He felt that he was near death’s door.

“By Allah ... I can’t face such a creature ... to see such a dangerous vile thing as it,” he trembled as he got next to the rock.

“Remain calm, my good man!” Sárkány assured him. “We are here! We are ready to face this creature for the glory!”

“Don’t yell so loud...” Sa’id told him, practically begging him. “It will hear you, and it will come out with devastating force. It will kill everything that it sees.”

Bataar reached beside the trembling man as Sa’id sat behind the rock gripping his knees. He was visibly shaking in place.

“Relax, Sa’id, we will kill this thing, I promise you. Our mission will be accomplished.”

“The Sultan most have paid you so much in gold, silver, whatever you wanted. Nothing can kill this creature. It is so vile ... so ... monstrous.”

Sa’id gathered enough courage to poke his head over the rock as Bataar was watching from over the side of the rock. Sárkány, with his sword at the ready, poked his sword over the rock, keeping a fierce gaze on the cave itself.

“Look at the bones,” Sa’id remarked, shaking as they looked at the human remains that lined the cave entrance. “I knew two of the men ... the rest must be the soldiers that were sent to investigate what happened. Allah ... Allah help us.”

Bataar put her hand on his shoulder to calm the distraught man. They looked at the human remains. There were old shredded clothes and armor that sat on the human bones. All the bones were picked clean long ago.

“When did you encounter this creature?” Bataar asked Sa’id.

“A week ago ... we were trying to find new water sources ... we found this cave. It looked promising in securing some possible water. Then ... it attacked us. Never have I seen such ferocity, such speed, truly it was a monster.”

“Two knights of peace, one with his trusty sword ready!” Sárkány self-narrated himself. “Bataar, the dark warrior ready to smite the creature of darkness! The other the great knight ready to cleave the creature! Nothing will stop us as we face this terrible adversary!”

Sa’id’s face turned to look at Sárkány with a questioning look despite his terror.

“Don’t worry about him. He does these things,” Bataar remarked.

Suddenly Sa’id saw it come from the cave. His eyes widened as his heart skipped a beat.

“There!” Sa’id yelled. “It will see us!”

Bataar and Sárkány’s eyes scanned the area as quickly as possible, marking the entrance as they could see something emerge from the cave. Dust from the winds of the desert blew in their direction. It masked the creature as it hopped out of the cave.

“You saw it?” Bataar asked him.

“By Allah, yes,” he said, cowering under the rock. “The monster ... the terrifying creature of darkness.”

Sárkány was at the ready as his eyes marked the movement. He tapped his sword lightly on the rock to ensure the creature would see him first.

“I see it now,” Bataar reacted calmly. “It looks ... it looks like...” she responded with shock and surprise. “A rabbit?” Bataar tapped Sa’id’s shoulder. “Hey ... this thing is a rabbit. You were getting spooked by a rabbit. Nothing like that can cause all that mayhem. You were getting all pent...”

“It is the rabbit!” he interrupted her. “It is the creature that killed those five men. Impaled them ... I remember the screaming ... it will kill you too.”

Sa’id remained trembling as Bataar was no longer snickering at him the moment she heard the word “impaled.” She poked her head over the rock again.

“Oh no...” she commented, looking at the creature that was hopping around the cave entrance. This was no ordinary rabbit. The rabbit itself looked like a desert hare with large ears and brown fur. It looked all cute and cuddly, but there was one striking feature about this rabbit. It had a giant horn bigger than its own body that protruded from his head.

Sa’id got nervous from Bataar’s reaction. He dared not look over.

“That creature is the monster?!” Sárkány commented, looking at the rabbit. “I will slay thee with ease!”

“No, Sárkány!” Bataar practically grabbed his arm. “This is no ordinary rabbit! Remain there and make sure the rabbit does not see us yet until we are ready.”

Sárkány was obedient as he lowered himself. The rabbit continued to hop around, looking around at the human remains. It harmlessly nibbled on the human bones before it would calmly hop around again.

Bataar could see that Sa’id was still trembling with his hands over his head. His eyes were closed as if he saw death itself. The tortoise in her human form lifted her hand as white smoke filled her hands. When the smoke cleared, there was a colorful speckled powder in her hands. With powder in her palm, she looked at the trembling man.

“Sa’id...” Bataar whispered into his ear. “Look at me.”

Sa’id opened his eyes as he turned to look at her. With one little blow, the speckled powder flew into his nose and face. The magical powder was instant on the cowering man. Sa’id grew immediately tired and collapsed to the dirt. The rock provided a natural shelter to the hot sun as he was instantly knocked out.

Bataar looked at Sárkány and smiled. “Don’t worry, Sa’id will be fine. I still had a little bit of Mr. Sandman’s sleeping powder that he lent to me. We really should make that a requirement for our teams. We can knock out the human and not worry about them seeing too much. I would say that he should wake up in an hour or two.”

“Well done, Xuanwu!” Sárkány applauded Bataar.

“We can take up our normal forms now,” Xuanwu commented as she poked her head over, looking at the rabbit. “It still has not seen us. Damn ... I wish we didn’t have to face this thing...”

“What foul creature do we face?” Sárkány asked her.

“I have only heard stories of this thing,” she answered. “They come from the island of Jezîrat al-Tennyn. Wadjet supposedly encountered it when she was with Alexander the Great. She watched as ten men were killed by a similar rabbit like this.”

She swallowed hard. “It is called an Al-mi’raj. How many of these rabbits there are remains a mystery. How it got this far, I have no idea. I do know this, though. This is no ordinary rabbit. It is a mythical creature that uses its long sharp horn to impale its victims. It is very fast and ferocious. Its teeth can tear into flesh-ripping it off quickly and fast. This is no plant-eater; it is a hunter that eats meat.”

Sárkány got an angry look on his face. “Rabbits ... The true villains of this world ... How do we face such horrific creatures?”

“Well, I don’t think all rabbits are villains, Big D, but this one...” she dropped the argument. “Look, the best strategy that we might have is just a forward frontal charge at it. We just go in swinging, and one of us should hit it. My shell and your heavy armor should be able to repel its hits on us.”