If nearly all the BLACK lords hadn’t gone missing, captain Goruza would have considered the past few hours the greatest in his life. The garja couldn’t recall the last time a lowly zealot such as himself was permitted to enter a lord's quarters, much less one of the founding member’s. This unprecedented honor was the only thing preventing him from sinking into total despair. The erythrosuchid’s immense reptilian head hung limply as he fretted over the current situation. Demoralized as Goruza was, he didn’t allow his somber mood to distract him from his duty. Goruza instantly adopted a battle stance when he heard a knock on the door. “Who goes there?” his fellow guard, an ammut called Kodos, demanded. Ammut

“General Sarin, along with my cohorts Dirge and Aldrin. Let us in, lieutenant.” Seeing no reason to bar her entry, Goruza and Kodos pushed the gate open. They stepped aside, allowing the three synths to file in. They were an odd assembly of creatures, living testaments to count Zhulong’s colorful imagination. Dirge ambled in from the right. Covered in scars and macabre trinkets fashioned from the remains of his enemies, the knuckle-walking bruiser was raw strength given form. His fearsome visage was enhanced by the set of tusks that jutted from his ammut-like snout and the vast array of weapons strapped to his armor. Dirge

Aldrin nervously drummed his double-jointed fingers against each other as he strode in from the right. The difference between the transmuter and Dirge was like night and day. Whereas Dirge was so swollen with muscle his armor seemed ready to burst any time he moved his massive frame, the vulture-like transmuter's emaciated body was concealed beneath a bulky lab coat. And in the center stood Sarin XVI, the synth reputed to be Zhulong’s favorite creation. Like her colleagues, her usual smile was nowhere to be seen, though she was easily the most collected of the three. “How is he?” Dirge rumbled. “Difficult to say, sir,” Kodos responded morosely. Devourers did not tire in the same fashion as most creatures did, operating more like machines than animals. They did not require air and their muscles did not fatigue, provided they did not run out of biofuel. Theoretically, they were inexhaustible. Indeed, it was common for a devourer to fight for days on end without reprieve. However, for reasons unknown to Goruza or any other Lunarian, the devourers needed to deactivate for extended periods. Dormant devourers were completely unresponsive to stimuli, refusing to wake even when attacked. Worse, their hibernation cycle was completely unpredictable. A devourer that spent an entire fortnight fighting might awaken within a day whilst another may hibernate for several months after just a few hours of activity. But what Goruza and the other loyalists dreaded most was the ‘eternal slumber’. The exact cause of this affliction had yet to be identified, but devourers that succumbed to the condition often suffered from long bouts of apathy prior to their permanent deactivation. Goruza didn’t doubt that Zhulong would awaken. The count was among the most active of the BLACK lords and brightened Parabellum with his boundless joy. Goruza just hoped that he got up before the less faithful elements noticed his absence. Evidently, beneath her cool demeanor, Sarin was just as distraught as he was. Goruza and the others looked on in shock when the conjuror grabbed Zhulong’s shoulders and shook him. “Sarin, have you lost your mind?” Aldrin cried. “What do you think you’re doing?” “Attempting to wake the count, of course.” “There is no way to rouse a devourer from their slumber, you simpleton!!” “Do you propose we do nothing during this crisis?” “I propose we don’t waste our time with futile and desperate actions!” Aldrin spat as he drew a brace of pistols. “Now cease this disrespectful behavior at once, or your brain will see daylight!” Sarin backed away, but not out of fear of Aldrin’s threat. “I believe he is waking,” she announced. Forgetting his rage, a hopeful Aldrin holstered his weapons. The pseudowyrm’s eyelids slowly peeled back, revealing the brilliant orbs behind them. He blinked several times and then lurched out of bed. Aldrin squawked when Zhulong grabbed him by the beak and yanked him closer. The transmuter trembled as he became on the receiving end of his creator’s intense scrutiny. Zhulong’s inspection went on for a minute before he suddenly relinquished his grip. Cautious of his odd mood, Goruza and the others quietly stayed out of his way. Ignoring his subordinates' concerned gazes, Zhulong slithered over to the great mirror that hung from his wall. He pressed his face against his reflective surface and slowly dragged his hands across his long snout. “Sputnik. That bastard actually did it,” he muttered to himself. Unable to stand the tension any longer, Goruza nervously approached the devourer. “Are you alright, lord?” “What the hell did you just call me?” Zhulong asked flatly. Goruza gulped, unsure whether he should be ecstatic that his lord actually understood what he said or frightened that he had his undivided attention. He decided on the latter when Zhulong closed in on him. Although he was nearly seven feet tall and armed with a set of jaws as long as a human’s arm, the garja felt like a hatchling in the hulking pseudowyrm’s presence. “What did you call me?” Zhu repeated, his snout only inches away from Goruza’s. “Please forgive me, lord-er I mean great one!” Goruza stammered, his chirps of fear accompanied by a desperate grovel. “I didn't mean to offend you!” Zhulong erupted into a gale of laughter. “You really did call me that! My lord, he says! Hah! That’s going to take getting used to!” Goruza weakly chuckled, glad that he was behaving like his usual odd self. When Zhulong’s cackle died down, he turned his attention to the only subordinate that hadn’t laughed along with him. Sarin immediately noticed his scrutiny and lowered her head respectfully. He gave her a mischievous look. “Say something. I wanna hear that pretty voice of yours.” “It gladdens me to know that you are well, sir.” The way she addressed her creator rankled her colleagues. Dirge’s tusks scraped against each other whilst Aldrin reached for his guns again. Goruza was too taken aback to feel any indignation. Zhulong himself did not appear offended by her use of such a simple honorific. A slight raise of his eye ridge was the only indication that he had noticed. “If you would pardon my intrusiveness, how were you suddenly able to master our language, creator?” Zhulong’s jaws clacked. “Hard to say. Lots of weird stuff going on recently. I’m sure we will find time to talk about it later. I am starving. Anybody got something to eat?” “Certainly, creator.” Sarin reached into her pocket dimension. After a few seconds of fumbling she dragged a scaly body out of the spatial rift. “Uh, what is that?” “It’s a tokai. Freshly deceased. Would you prefer something else?” “Yeah, not really in the mood for talking lizard. You got anything else?” “I am afraid I currently do not have much food on my person, creator. Would durangos suffice, or should we call for a catering slave?” “Durangos sounds okay I guess.” Sarin handed Zhulong several of the melon-sized fruits. He gave one a skeptical sniff before he tore off its thorny skin and bit off a sizeable chunk. His eyes practically bulged out of his sockets. “Holy crap, these things are sweet! It’s like eating a ball of syrup! Disgusting! Horrible! Absolutely abominable, I say! He rapidly gobbled down the rest and reached out for another. “I want more. Gimme.” Goruza exchanged a confused glance with Kodos as they watched Zhulong scarf down more fruit. The pseudowyrm’s hunger had an unusual feral quality to it. Usually, their devourer masters treated eating as if it were a chore and would attempt to ingest their meals as rapidly as possible. Zhulong’s pace was no slower than usual, but for once he was savoring his meal. “Creator, pardon me for interrupting your meal, but may you inform us as to what occurred when you and the other lords activated the ziggurats?” “Huh, oh yeah, I’ll get to that soon, but I am still hungry. You got anything else?” “I am afraid that my supply of durangos has been depleted, creator. The tokai is still available.” “Nah, still not in the mood for talking gecko. Speaking of which, you mentioned he died recently. What happened to him? Don’t tell me you guys have already resorted to killing and eating slaves?” “No. It, along with a score of other cold-blooded creatures died of exposure before we were able to activate the climate regulators.” “Ah, I thought I remembered passing out on a pile of snow. What setting did you put them on?” “We had to turn the devices’ settings four notches to the right to maintain an optimal temperature, sire,” Aldrin answered. “Near max settings? Shit, that’s going to burn through a lot of biofuel.” “Perhaps not as much as you would imagine, sire.” Aldrin response. “At their current settings, a regulator will only require thirty mega calories per hour.” “So, we’d basically have to burn up seven mid-sized red stones just to keep one of them chugging. Doubt that’s sustainable.” Goruza was not well versed in logistics, but using a few red heart stones a day to power such a potent machine didn’t seem like a noticeable cost to him. Puzzlement was also written on Aldrin’s face, but they both kept their mouths shut. Sarin, on the other hand, had no reservations about contradicting their master’s opinion. ‌“With all due respect, creator, we typically harvest hundreds of heart stones in a single day. Surely, this would be a negligible expenditure?” “Hold your tongue, Sarin! Who are you to question our lord?” “Now, now. Nothing wrong with having a mild disagreement,” Zhulong chided Aldrin. He turned his attention back to Sarin. “You’re right, a few red heart stones were peanuts where we came from. Problem is, we’re not on Tannin anymore. You guys might be used to animals and entire tribes just popping into existence, but I have a feeling that this place isn’t nearly so bountiful.” “What makes you suspect that is the case, creator? All the other moons we have visited produced a similar number of stone-bearing creatures.” “It may sound strange to you, but Tannin, Zantor, Feros, and all the other moons are not exactly normal. The universe is a stingy place. In most places, things don’t just pop into existence. Starvation is rampant on many worlds. Hell, most don’t have any life on it at all.” “A world without life,” Sarin whispered, fascinated. “Is that where you and the other lords originated from?” “It is not your place to pry into our lord’s life, Sarin!” Sarin glanced at Zhulong, waiting to see if he would reprimand Aldrin for his outburst. When Zhulong didn’t, she bowed her head. “Forgive me, creator,” Zhulong didn’t acknowledge her apology, carrying on as if he had never heard her question in the first place. “Right, as I was saying, we got to be more conservative, at least for the time being. If we go around slaughtering every sapient and stone-bearing animal we come across like we used to, chances are we’ll drive them to extinction and then we’re donezo. I ain’t going to bust anybody’s chops for deciding to juice up the regulators. You obviously couldn’t just let all the coldbloods freeze to death, but we need to find a more sustainable source of heat ASAP. We’ll talk more about this later. I am guessing that they’re a bunch of other confused synths and I don’t want to keep repeating myself. Dirge.” “Warlord?” “Round up all important synths, channelers, and zealots in two hours. I’ll be hosting a meeting,” Zhulong practically spat out that last word. “While you guys are waiting for me, see if you can get an inventory check done. Tell me how much biofuel, heart stones, and food we have. Kay? Kay. Rightyo, I am gonna go and take a stroll. Need to scope out our surroundings. Give me a ring when everyone’s ready.” “Yes, warlord.” Whistling a whimsical tune, Zhulong slithered out the door. Goruza mourned his short-lived guard duty. Sarin noticed his despondent slump. “Lieutenant Kodos, Captain Goruza. Please accompany count Zhulong and ensure that he comes to no harm.” “Yes, general!” Goruza saluted enthusiastically. “The warlord did not request an escort, sister,” Dirge rumbled. “Brother Dirge, your stalwart loyalty is commendable, but these are pressing times. Count Zhulong could very well be the only one still alive. We cannot risk losing him.” “I concur,” Aldrin chirped. “In many instances, we must take the initiative and do what our creators want, but do not ask of us. If Lord Zhulong is opposed to having any guards, he can simply dismiss them.” Sarin nodded, pleased that she had found common ground with the transmuter. “Officers, you will comply with count Zhulong’s direct orders, of course, but if he expresses concern for your presence, do your best to persuade him of its necessity.” Goruza and Kodos saluted again and scurried after the count. When they caught up, Zhu regarded them with a quirked eye ridge. “What are you two chuckle fucks doing?” Goruza strove to keep his dutiful grin from faltering. “Greetings, mighty Zhulong, indefatigable master of lash, beasts, and thralls! I am honored to have received the privilege of guarding your resplendent body! My spear is yours to command!” “Hail, great Zhulong,” Kodos said. “I don’t remember asking anyone to do that.” Goruza swallowed nervously. “General Sarin and Aldrin suggested we should accompany you. Your safety is paramount to us, lord.” Zhulong snorted skeptically. “I am safe as can be. Who the hell is going to bother me when I got guns like these?” he boasted, flexing his brawny arms. “Of course, no one doubts your ability to defend yourself, lord!” Goruza hastily reassured his master. “But to do battle with a filthy assassin is beneath you! Allow us to deal with anyone foolish enough to attack you, lord!” “Many of the slaves and mercenaries are agitated, count,” Kodos pressed. “If they find you isolated, they may attack you en masse.” Zhulong waved his hand dismissively. “I am a twelve-foot-tall dragon-snake-monster-thing. Nobody is going to be dumb enough to bother me.” As if fate conspired to prove him wrong, a jumbo chose that moment to blunder into him.

Jumbo

Goruza brandished his spetum-style spear. “You great oaf, you nearly bowled over count Zhulong!” Despite being over twenty times Goruza’s weight, the huge dinosaur cringed like a scolded whelp. “Sorry, did not see,” the giant apologized, his long neck hanging limply. He immediately brightened up when he saw who he had bumped into. “It’s big boss Zhu!” Zhulong looked up at the twenty-foot-tall dinosaur, jaws slightly ajar. “Er, what’s up, big guy?” “Sleep short you did! Glad you up! No like this place! Hate the cold dandydriff!” “....Cold dandruff?” “You no see? Falls from sky. Is everywhere outside! Makes skin turn black and puffy! Bad way to die. We leave soon?” “Yeah, it would have been nice if we landed somewhere warmer. Afraid moving out will be easier said than done.” “Oh. That too bad. Big boss Zhu, can I has handy mitts so my fingies don’t fall off?” “Do not pester the count with such trivial concerns!” Goruza snapped. “Go visit the armory. I am sure they’ll have something for you.” “Okay. Bye-bye, big boss Zhu!” Zhulong watched the jumbo depart with a look of disbelief. “Please forgive the jumbo, lord,” Kodos pleaded on the oaf’s behalf. “They don’t mean to be disrespectful, they’re just simple.” “Yeah, it’s fine. Can’t blame them for being dim. When you got a body that big, it’d be hard to get enough nutrients for the brain.” Goruza dutifully laughed. He stopped when Zhulong gave him an odd look. “That wasn’t a joke, you brown-nosing lizard, er, dinosaur….thing. You’re not selling me on this whole bodyguard idea. You got thirty seconds to change my mind before I tell you to beat it." Goruza shuffled in place. Judging by Kodos’ grimace, his fellow officer was also struggling to formulate a compelling response. Fortunately for them, they were given a chance to prove their worth when a mob of zealots crowded around them. Hundreds of them fought one another just to get a glimpse of Zhulong. Most were mindful enough to avoid getting too close, however, several jumbos lumbered onto the scene and their clumsy movements forced dozens of the smaller zealots to invade Zhulong’s personal space to avoid being crushed. Goruza and Kodos bullied them back and guided the count out of the press of bodies. “Alright, you can keep shadowing me,” Zhulong told his guards. “Just make sure none of those lummoxes step on me.” “Yes, lord!” they shouted in unison. Zhulong glanced at Kodos. “So, what’s your name?” “Lieutenant Kodos, I am a ranking officer in your medical unit, lord ” “Hmm, Kodos, huh? I could have sworn you went MIA a few months ago. You also look a bit different than I remember. Did you lose weight or something?” Kodos’ ear twitched. “Forgive my impertinence, but that incident you speak of occurred nearly four years ago,” he replied nervously. “Captain Drake found me and led me back to base.” It was Zhulong’s turn to look confused. “Four years? That’s impossible, we didn’t even have any ammuts until—” the pseudowyrm suddenly trailed off and pretended he didn’t say anything. Goruza formally introduced himself to reduce the awkwardness. "Captain Goruza at your service, lord! You wouldn’t remember me, of course. I am a mere garja pike breaker, unworthy of your recognition!” “No, no, I remember you. I promoted you after you tripped Kawaii. I finally got to eat that obnoxious raiding twat, thanks to you.” Goruza’s knees buckled. He tried leaning on his spetum for support but ended up falling flat on his tail. “Uh, you alright, buddy?” “You. Know. My. Name?” the garja whispered as he stared up at the sky. “Are you seriously fangirling over me? I don’t know whether I should crack up or kill myself.” Goruza bolted back up. “I swear I’ll never subject you to such a sordid sight again, lord! Please don’t harm yourself!” Initially, Zhulong regarded him with contempt, but then he doubled over laughing. His fit went over for several minutes. “Oh god, what a ridiculous situation,” he mumbled to himself. “Let’s head over to the ramparts. I want to take a look outside.” The walls were teeming with activity. Hundreds of mercenaries and thralls had the same idea. In contrast to the adoring zealots, the hired blades would greet the count with clipped grudging bows before rushing out of the way. Rude as the mercenaries were, it was the slaves that set Goruza on edge. Many of the lowly wretches fled the instant the devourer entered their sight. Those that didn’t panic in Zhulong’s presence were even worse. Goruza’s grip on his weapon tightened as a gaggle of neanderthals shot them blatant glares. If it weren’t for the count’s cool dismissal of their hostility, Goruza would have gutted them all on the spot. Zhulong suddenly ground to a halt. He swiveled his head left and right in obvious confusion. “Whazz that? Who’s that? Where is that voice coming from? Oh, it's you, Dirge. This telepathy stuff is pretty trippy. Whaddya want? Didn’t I say to ring me up in two hours? I am pretty sure it’s only been like forty minutes. What? What do you mean they demand to see me? I thought I was like royalty or something to you guys. Since when do you get to make demands of me?….Ah, damn it. No need to take it so personally. I didn’t even raise my voice. Stop sulking. You're pretty sensitive for a giant psychic monster. Alright, I’ll be there in ten minutes. Just make sure you’ve got snacks for me. No talking geckos though; no talking anything.” While Zhu was conversing with Dirge, Goruza and Kodos listened in on the slaves’ muted conversations. “He’s already awake?” “Damn shame. Was hoping that he’d never get up,” an especially audacious thrall whispered. “I’m glad he didn’t. I’ll never move on unless I get to gut him myself.” Those conspiratorial mutters were too much for Goruza to bear. Roaring, he jabbed the butt end of his spear into a treasonous slave’s stomach and smashed the haft into another’s face. His oversized jaws were just about to separate the second thrall’s neck from her shoulders when Zhulong dragged him off the wheezing wretch. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Settle down, buddy! What set you off?” “Deepest apologies, lord but I could tolerate these cretins’ disrespect no longer!” “You almost bit her head off for that? Pfft. So they were giving us the stink eye, so what? If you try to kill everyone that gives you a bit of cheek, you’ll spend your whole life digging graves.” “They were conspiring against you, lord! The one with the broken nose even said she was planning on killing you!” “Hah! Can’t blame them for wanting to do that! I am a bastard. Let’s bounce.” Goruza was rendered speechless by this uncharacteristic display of clemency. Kodos wasn’t. “Forgive me for speaking out of turn, count, but if you don’t make an example of them, the others may be encouraged to revolt.” “Pah! What could a bunch of malnourished slaves accomplish? Leave them alone.” The mouthy neanderthal rubbed her belly, bowed, and scuttled off. Her more treasonous companion remained on the ground, but continued glaring at Zhulong. “But—” Kodos’ protests trailed off when Zhulong’s silver eye bore into his. The pseudowyrm looked cheerful as usual, but there was an edge to his grin that sent tremors up the officers’ spine. “Let them keep their revenge fantasies. It’s all they have.” Zhulong turned his back on the thralls. “Right, let’s get going. The others are waiting for us.” Goruza reluctantly followed. He kept her in his sights until the bleeding neanderthal’s face was burned into memory. ****** Once the devourer and his sycophants were gone, Una rushed over to check on her friend. She felt a rush of shame for running off, but the other slaves wouldn’t fault her for that. They all dreaded the Worm. Everyone except for Gliv. The scarred woman winced as she rubbed her jaw. “Nothing serious,” she reassured Una. “Can’t believe you two are still alive,” a man grunted. “Me neither,” Una breathed. She had no idea that a garja’s hearing could be so keen. Her legs turned into jelly when she truly grasped how close she had skirted death. “He’ll regret that he didn’t kill me when he could,” Gliv vowed. “You really that eager to die?” the man sneered. The hate in Gliv’s eye chilled the others. “I already died when that monster slew my husband and mutilated my son. My corpse won’t rest until I can drag him down into the grave with me!”