Zeek's Charge, Chapter 1: The First Of Many

"Charge leave none of them alive", Boomed a loud voice as several hundred Tarans hopped from there longboats and charged the dusty shore. The sound of there roar rolled over the land like thunder awakening the slumbering town of Looten from there beds. The Giant Enemy crab, which the town was built upon, awoke from its slumber rising out of the sea. However it was to late. The invaders were to close. As it rose from the murky depths the Tarans longboats rose along with it. It was going to be a fight.

"Sound the alarm", shouted one guard as he rushed to place on his armor.

"What for", shouted another as everyone was already awake due to the enemy battle cry. The sound of battle could be heard all around as the Lizard men had already slipped over the boarder walls. The guards, who were obviously asleep, missing such a large invasion force, were long dead and chao was now in the street.

"Hurry up and join the fray", roared the guard commander as he rushed out of a back room decked out in full plate armor. He would have been a impressive figure if his face was not covered in dry slob.

Suddenly there was a crash as a nearby window gave way. A bottle, notably a fine brand of whisky, slammed though the window, accompanied by a burning rag of course. The impromptu bomb exploded as it slammed into a nearby wall and the liquid content of the bottle went up in flames. Guardsmen who where near the impact zone screamed out in horror as there bodies went up in flames and others simply watched in horror. The commander, the brave Steel Helm, was the only one to keep there composure.

"You put out that fire", ordered The Steel Helm as he grabbed one of his panicking men. The man looked the stern commander in the eye and bore the fear in his soul. However the stern and stoic expression of the Helm drove it right out of him.

"Understood", he shouted as he rushed to grab a extinguisher from a nearby cabinet.

The burning men flailed around like lost lambs setting fire to everything and everyone around them. They were a lost cause, at least in The Helms eyes. Drawing his blade from his belt the Helm gave two quick blows cutting down two of the men. His actions shocked the fear out of the rest.

"Put a spear though the burning men", he ordered! "They are already dead anyway. Do it quickly and muster up a defense!"

There was a moment of pause, but the sound of the first man's extinguisher going off shook the men to action. "Understood", they roared in unison as the flames began to vanish from the floor of the barracks. It was not long before another crash shook the building as more and more flaming bottles were tossed inside, but the men were no longer caught off guard. Like a well oiled machine the soldiers on the inside combated the visible flames wile the others armored themselves up for battle.

"Riflemen with me", ordered The Helm as he rushed out the building. His team of armored soldiers followed him into the streets.

"Run! Run!", shouted one man as he sprinted for safety. Another climbed under a building and took up the fetal position.

"Monsters", came a cry in the distance. A single musket shot filled the air as a brave women let loss a bolt of lead toward a unseen enemy. However a speeding bottle of choice whiskey slammed into her position setting her body into flames.

"Are we being attacked by drunkerds", question the Helm as he turned his eyes toward the source of the attack. Thick black smoke filled the air as flames burned all around them. Then, without warning, a sudden explosion shook the ground. The giant Crab, Nessy, buckled under the strain and for a moment everything turned onto its side. Soldiers flew all about and chaos ruled the day as everyone began to fall.

It was during this moment of Chaos The Helm saw the source of there woes. A beast, unlike anything he had ever seen, flew though the air. Its body stood up like a man, but its face was that of a alligator. Its tall and muscular frame outmatched the common man and the look of rage in its eyes even shook the Helms soul.

The creature twisted in the air turning itself upright. Its lags slammed into a nearby building which allowed the monster to jump up right. It's bag however did not make it. The strap, already burden by its heavy load, gave way under the pressure sending a dozen bottles of whisky to the murky depths.

"Those things...", stated The Helm, but he was cut off by Nessy reorientation herself. The ground suddenly shifted and everything was returned to normal, well almost normal. For everyone who was falling the ground suddenly rose up to meet them knocking them around.

"Damn", cursed The Helm as his face meet the red soil. The slobber was now replaced with sticky red mud, but that was a problem for another time. On point the gigantic lizard, that was a Taran, slammed down onto the ground. His body covered in harden scales and bulging with well toned muscle. The first of The Helm's men attempted to raise gun, but the swift strike of the creatures battle axe sent the man to a early grave.

"Fire", shouted a soldier as he pulled onto the trigger of his rifle. Alas the fun was not properly aliened and the bullet flew off into the distance missing the monster all together. Another swing of its mighty axe and another lightly armored rifle man sailed off from this world.

A brave soldier, not from The Helms's unit, rushed forward with his cutlass drawn. His sacrifice saved a lot of the Helms' men. The cutlass was meet with a deflecting blow of the creatures axe. That blow was then parried with a fearsome backhanded slap that sent the soldier flying into a nearby building. The motion however was enough to give The Helms men enough time to get to there feet.

"Die monster", preyed a rifle man as he pulled the trigger. The musket let loss a powerful bullet that flew though the air at the speed of summer lightning. Like a bolt from the gods themselves it struck the creature in the center of its back. The bullet ripping though its tough hide and sending a splatter on the opposite side of its body.

The creature howled with pain and took a step backwards. Despite its grievous wound the Taran was far from dead. The other riflemen however had joined in, taking up there muskets and firing at the beast. As the bullets cut though the air death soon followed. However the reaper was denied his due as the creatures scales suddenly turned black.

"What the", shouted one soldier in disbelief. They had seen it before. The creature was sustainable to bullets, but now.

"Haki", shouted another. The very thought sent a chill down the soldiers spines. Beast that could use the power of there will.

With a fearsome roar the Taran charged. Its black scaled body deflecting the storm of bullets that rose to meet it. Its axe cut though the air leaving a whistle of wind behind it.

"Get back", a cry roared over the battlefield as The Helm stepped forward. His blade meet the creatures axe and his muscles felt the weight of its strike. His arms buckled, but his mind raged. The beast was strong, but not strong enough. The Helm pressed hard, harder than he had ever done aand with a fearsome counter he pushed back the beast arm and deflected its attack back.

"Now", shouted a soldier seeing a opening.

The clash between the two was more than a simple encounter. The pride of the beast was weighing on that blow. It was arm against arm and the mighty Taran had lost. His will was broken. The haki, though still present, was weaken and the soldiers knew it. The combined might of there bolts of lead slammed into the creatures scales and pierced straight though. The back end of the creature was to tough for the bullets to break out on the other side, but this worked in the beast disadvantage. The bullets bounced around its guts like a pinball machine. The Tarans eyes rolled into the back of its head and in a single thunderous plop the creature fell into the red mud to never rise again.

"Alright we killed it", shouted a rifleman as he raised his rifle into the air. Cheers erupted from the rest of the unit, but the Helm kept his eyes on the monster. What were these beast. At first he thought it might have been some kind of devil fruit user, but after its death he expected it to return to normal, but that was not so.

"Commander Grail", shouted a voice as a soldier covered in blood rushed from a nearby alleyway.