Chapter 12 – “A Deal with Extinction”

Chapter 12 – “A Deal with Extinction”
Arc II: Universe D-099X – The Dinoverse
Smoke coiled in the sky above Sector-9—thick, toxic, laced with oil and old blood.
Beneath rusted stone towers and clawed banners, a crowd of armored dinosaur elites gathered in a sunken arena. Their growls echoed like thunder against the cave walls.
At the center stood a twisted stage—fossilwood beams bound in bone, lit by torchlight.
Chained human girls knelt in a row: bruised, trembling, their eyes wide with silent pleas.
Kazzek, one of the Emperor’s elite, raised his clawed fist. His spiked armor shimmered with gold trim, and a half-mask covered his jaw like a muzzle.
“You know the rules,” he barked. “Unmarked. Unbred. Village-born. You want them—bid now.”
The crowd snarled with hunger. Credits were tossed, weapons raised, claws clicked.
“And remember,” Kazzek added, grinning beneath his mask, “If we don’t take them, the Emperor burns the whole village.”
Laughter. Growls. Cruelty.
Then—
Boom.
The cave ceiling exploded. Smoke poured in like a black tide.
Darkeran dropped through the ash like a demon of judgment—cloak trailing, eyes burning. He landed in a crouch atop the stage and snapped a guard’s spine before the crowd even reacted.
Chains shattered as the girls screamed and scattered.
Kazzek snarled, “You—traitor!”
A second crash behind him—Red and Blackstorm landed in unison.
“We tracked the scent,” Blackstorm said, unsheathing his pulse-blades. “It brought us to hell.”
“You had a deal!” Kazzek shouted. “The village gives us tribute—we don’t report them!”
Darkeran stepped forward. His claws glowed with lightning, his voice low and level:
“And now you sell them like meat? Even the Emperor wouldn’t sink to this. This isn’t loyalty. This is rot.”
Kazzek’s eyes twitched. “You think you’re better than us?”
“I think I still have a soul.”
The fight ignited.
Kazzek lunged. Darkeran ducked low, twisted, and drove a bone-blade into his side, sending sparks and blood flying.
Red blurred past two guards, disabling them with surgical slashes. Blackstorm pinned another with a plasma net. The girls fled through a side tunnel.
Kazzek roared and swung a two-handed cleaver—missed. Darkeran countered with a brutal combo, snapping Kazzek’s knee and slamming him through a stone pillar.
He crashed in a heap—bleeding, coughing.
Darkeran approached, claws still charged.
“Tell me,” he growled, eyes burning. “Was this your idea… or his?”
Kazzek spat blood. “You think this was about profit? This was a test.”
Darkeran narrowed his eyes. “A test for what?”
Kazzek trembled. “The purge. It’s already started. You… me… the humans… they’re not just targets.”
He leaned in closer, whispering:“They’re being rewritten. Reprogrammed. Erased from history.”
Darkeran froze. “Why?”
Kazzek grinned, even as blood poured from his mouth.“You’ll see. Castle’s next.”
Then—BOOM.
A flash of light. Smoke. A teleport flare.
Kazzek vanished, leaving only blood and crackling dust.

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Scene Ends – Cliffhanger
Red stepped beside Darkeran, blades still humming. “Rewritten? What the hell does that mean?”
Blackstorm scanned the smoldering debris. “This isn’t just trafficking. This is extermination by design.”
Darkeran didn’t answer. His eyes were locked on the far horizon.
“We’re done waiting.”He sheathed his blades.“We’re going to the Emperor’s castle.”