Spoils

Awe would be the correct word for the King’s expression. A mixture of abject terror and intense curiosity. The Chronomancer too, seemed uncomfortable as the frozen raptor was dragged into the town. Fulcher jogged up with torn clothing with Arrow by his side, his water pouch and fur still stained a deep red.

“Well?” Fulcher said with a smile. “What do you think?”

“How did you manage to capture one of the Great Hunters?” the King stammered, leaning down over the raptor. The beast huffed angrily, his gaze burrowing into the King’s skull. The ice shuddered as Arrow walked over and barked, chewing noisily on the raptor’s frozen form again. Another angry huff and the raptor looking away, prompting Arrow to leave him alone.

“Well, it was hard, but we managed. My ringcasters certainly helped,” Fulcher explained.

“You do not understand,” the Chronomancer interrupted. “The beast alone is formidable, and dangerous. We have never captured a predator this large before. And yet you return, an outsider, with one felled and conquered.”

“And on top of that,” the King said, “It is infused with elemental power. They are not naturally black.”

Is that why Abyssal Black slid off its body? Fulcher thought, gazing down at the cursed ring.
“So it’s magical?” he asked.

“In a way,” the King explained. “We only hold a handful of elementally infused thunder lizards, but their infusions were cultivated over generations of breeding and magical ritual. You have secured a naturally born one. And this element, it is one we have not seen before.”

“Oh? What element is black?” Fulcher asked.

“Entropy,” the Chronomancer claimed. “It is the element of darkness, and of consumption. Fitting for an apex predator.” Fulcher looked down at the raptor.

“Can it be tamed?” he asked.

“No,” the King said. “They are too dangerous. We will harvest its hide and claws for arms and armor instead.”

“No, wait,” Fulcher said. He looked down at the frozen raptor, listening to its labored breathing. “I want to train it. You can send us back to any point in the future, right?” He looked at the Chronomancer. The man paused before answering carefully.

“Traveling into the unknown future is akin to leaping across an unknown crack during a thick fog. We may not land on the other side, and could tumble for all eternity,” he said. “Without an anchor, of course. When we bring you back to your time, we will be jumping to a moment after you left. Your friends will not have been without you for long.”

“Then give me more time here,” Fulcher said. “At least two weeks. I think I can make this guy behave.”

The King and the Chronomancer looked at each other with a worried expression, but both nodded.
“Very well,” the King said. “We will send our tamers over to aid you. When you are ready, we can all return. And discuss your plans for war.”

“You’ll help us, then?” Fulcher said in excitement.

“You ever catch fish, Princeling?” the King asked.

“Oh, sure… why?” Fulcher responded.

“Well,” the King continued. “Imagine asking someone to prove themselves by going out to the lake, and catching a salmon. And instead they bring back a shark.” Fulcher blinked, and looked with at the raptor.

“If we were to refuse your request for aid against your Tyrant King, we’d not only be complicit in his wicked ways, but we’d be refusing one of Thundering Heart,” the King reached his arm around Fulcher and pulled him against his chest with a grin. “To deny your strength would be to deny the Will of the Gods. And to that, I refuse!”

—

“What, like… you want me to tame a dinosaur? I don’t really know anything about doing that, why not instead we just–” Fulcher was caught in the middle of his words as The King's sandal collided with his chest. The Prince stumbled back into a newly formed portal, with Arrow bounding after him.

“SIR!” Vardia shouted, lunging for the portal as it closed. His gauntlet swiped at the empty air as Fulcher and Arrow were transported away. Within an instant Schon readied her mace, staring at the King.

“Bring him back! I still need him!” she demanded. Vardia scrambled up to join her as the numerous palace guards readied their own blades. Akaj yawned in the wagon, staring directly at the sun. The King raised his hand as the Chronomancer made another portal behind them.

“Give us but a moment to chat, young girl. I think you will be quite pleased with the outcome,” he said. With that, he stepped back into the portal his caster had created, and both vanished into thin air. Schon and Vardia lowered their weapons, looking around in confusion. Several of the palace guards did the same, though a handful remained at the ready.

“They’re fine, probably,” Akaj said with a yawn.

“Probably?!” Schon said, shouting over her shoulder. “They just kidnapped that idiot!”

“I agree with the Princess,” Vardia said. “I am quite displeased with this turn of events.”

Energy began to crackle in the air as a new portal swirled open. Arrow bounded out with a bark, running over and leaping up onto the wagon. Akaj peered over at the wolf and furrowed his brow at the water harness.

“Why is it red? What happened to you, dog?” he asked. Schon and Vardia watched the exchange, looking back at the portal as the King and the Chronomancer walked out. They waited with concerned looks as the portal remained open.

A black feathered maw slowly looked out of the portal, rumbling as it stepped through. The form was monstrous, two massive legs ending in wicked claws and two grasping arms with feathers running from wrist to rib. The creature screeched, eliciting a scream from Vardia, before the beast’s head was pulled back by a rein. The creature shook its head and rumbled, stepping the rest of its long body through the portal, and revealing Fulcher saddled on its back.

Shocked whispers and worried murmurs erupted among the palace guard as the portal closed, the beast letting out a chirp as it tilted its head at all the tasty looking humans.

“Well,” Fulcher said with a grin. He leaned back on the saddle, striking a heroic pose. “What do you think?”