Padding across the sands covering their underground kingdom, five Manticores were struggling to catch their breath. They couldn’t summon enough energy to fly to a shady spot, after their whole squadron was viciously annihilated by the elephant Realmfleet sent. “Too…too…brutal!” panted one.
“Must…must keep on!” encouraged another.
“Dad…Dad won’t…” The third couldn’t keep his energy up as he and his brothers fell. Their wounds were too great, and the heat was intense. The five manticores passed out, ready for death. It took only a few minutes for them to succumb. After an hour had passed, a small Realmgate opened and deposited Dr. Borg and Oyed. Dr. Borg set up the Revenant equipment around the Manticores and started chanting. “Shanwey yat talyen falunar. Shanwey yat talyen falunar. Shanwey yat talyen falunar.” The Manticores then gained the glowing veins and screamed. “Shanwey yat talyen falunar! Shanwey yat talyen falunar! Shanwey yat talyen falunar! TEL!” The Manticores then stopped screaming and opened their eyes.
“Whu…what…I’m alive?!” asked the first Manticore.
“Alive and…a little glowy, by the look of it,” remarked the second.
“That’s thanks to the good doctor,” explained Oyed.
“My Lord!” yelped the third Manticore. The whole group then lowered themselves, putting their stomachs to the sand and extending their paws while declining their heads and lowering their eyes. Their tails extended behind them, putting their stingers to the ground and their wings folded against their bodies.
“Up, please,” directed Oyed. The Manticores then rose.
“My Lord, it’s been too long since you graced our people with your presence,” chuckled the fourth Manticore. He then sensed the impropriety of his statement. “Er, not that we don’t understand, of course! We know how busy someone like you is!”
“Ease yourselves,” assured Oyed. “As it stands, I need to collect on a debt someone owes me. Someone I think you five are familiar with.”
“…Wait a minute, Dad’s always talked about a deal with someone,” muttered the last Manticore. “Was that you?”
“He’s been the master of your people’s ruler for a long time, in exchange for his soul.”
“He hasn’t been doing a good job of it,” remarked the first Manticore. “Someone’s tried to take his position one way or another.”
“Have they now?”
“How much is Dad’s soul worth to you?” asked the fourth Manticore. “I think we can be used as adequate…” His sentence was interrupted by an elephant’s trumpeting. “Oh no!”
“Steady yourselves,” assured Oyed. “Dr. Borg, now is a good time for observations.” The elephant arrived and went wild at the sight of the Manticores. They were at full strength again, so they took to the air. Two landed on the elephant’s back as the remaining three slashed at the elephant’s sides with their claws. The result…was unusual for a Manticore. The elephant trumpeted in pain! The Manticores on the elephant’s backside blinked, then the one nearest to the rear sunk his teeth into the elephant’s flesh. The one near the head readied his stinger, then plunged it right into the skull, flooding the elephant’s head with venom. The elephant thrashed around before the venom took effect. It collapsed and all its organs shut down. The Manticores blinked.
“Wh…what changed?” asked the first.
“I think it’s the veins,” answered the second.
“Wait a minute, weren’t we dead?” the third asked Oyed.
“You were,” answered the Titan, “but she brought you back to life as Revenants.” He pointed to Dr. Borg.
“And it looks like Revenant Manticores CAN kill an elephant where a mortal one cannot,” mused Dr. Borg. “I will have to study this in greater detail.”
“Revenants?” asked the last. “So, we’re undead?”
“Yes,” answered Oyed. “Now, what was your proposal concerning your abusive father?”
A silver-maned Manticore was cleaning himself lazily. He felt good about his life so far. His King and Queen were nothing more than puppet rulers and he was the one pulling the strings. His pride was digging into the scraps of the recent kill after he had the literal lion’s share. A female Manticore then approached him before bowing to him. “Yes?” he asked.
“Visitors have entered the Sanctum!” gulped the female. The male then fixed her with a stare.
“If it’s King Velkor, please get rid of him,” he grunted. “I’m far too busy with Overseer business.”
“It’s not a Manticore!” replied the female. “It’s…It’s…!”
“Spit it out!”
“It’s your master!” boomed a voice. Realm Trinity soldiers then sprang from the shadows and leapt onto the Manticores, beating them back with the Revenants having more success.
“WHO DARES?!” roared the male.
“I dare,” answered the voice as its owner, Oyed, stepped from the shadows. “Overseer Toonsar, how fares the kingdom?” The male, Toonsar, then recognized the face and was seized by fear.
“Lord Oyed!” he squeaked. The five Manticore Revenants then stepped out from behind Oyed.
“Don’t forget us, Dad!” snarled the first. “Or have you already forgotten that you sent us and our platoon to die at an elephant’s feet before Lord Oyed’s Lieutenant resurrected us with greater power, power that KILLED the elephant!”
“Enough!” boomed Oyed. He turned to Toonsar. “You have a debt to pay!” He advanced on the terrified Manticore. “You’ve been pulling Velkor’s strings during the entire time of hiding! THAT was our agreement! Your soul is mine now!”
“Technically, I was pulling the strings for only half that time,” gulped Toonsar, “then I was viciously mutinied upon until I regained my status just recently.”
“Then you were a poor Overseer, but an Overseer nonetheless! Have you not introduced yourself all these years as Overseer Toonsar Lortem?!” The Realm Trinity Empire laughed.
“Look, you have my payment. You have it five times over. Our original price was one soul to serve you and you’ve got five.”
“One soul is not equal to another, much less five!”
“Ah HA! So, we’ve established that my proposal is sound in principle. Now, we’re just haggling over price.”
“…Price?” Toonsar thought he had him.
“How many souls do you think mine is worth?” Oyed appeared to be calculating just how many.
“…One hundred twenty souls,” he finally answered. “You must present forty to me each day.”
“So, 120 in three days?” asked Toonsar.
“That’s the general idea.”
“Splendid.” Toonsar turned to his sons. “Boys, Daddy has a…” The fourth son swatted his father in the face, leaving claw marks around the left eye.
“I keep your sons,” declared Oyed. “A good-faith payment. That leaves only thirty-five for today.”
“Have you not met my sons? They’re noble, heroic for our cause, terrific singers, worth at least four souls each. …Maybe three and a half.” Oyed gave a look of consideration.
“…I keep your sons. 35 more to go for today, one hundred fifteen altogether. But, I wonder, Toonsar, can you live with this? Can you condemn innocent cubs, YOUR cubs, to a lifetime of servitude in your name while you roam free?” Toonsar looked back at his sons, then back to Oyed.
“…Yeah, I’m good with it. Shall we seal it in blood?” Oyed then grabbed Toonsar’s paw and burned a mark into his pad.
“Three days.” Oyed and his company then faded into the shadows and vanished.
“I think Dad may have oversold us,” muttered the first Manticore.
“Undersold, actually,” corrected Oyed. All five Manticores perked up their ears. “By willingly joining my service, your souls became worth a hundred.”
“…Our lips are sealed,” promised the first Manticore as he and his brothers grinned wickedly. Their father was going to fail no matter what.