Birth of a Tyrant Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Old World

After ordering the trees of the Amazon Rainforest to be re-planted, Draconus set his sights on Africa. He and his forces boarded their ships, and the fleet took off. Inside his private chambers, he removed his helmet as he breathed. He was sweaty from battle, and he had machinery remove the other pieces of his armour. Within the air conditioning of his chamber, he fell asleep.

***

The next day, Draconus awoke with a start. He sensed that the ship had landed, and had the machines in his room put on his armour. Ever since he had taken North America, Tyrannus never allowed anyone to see past his helmet. He didn't want them to see how war had made him become jaded and bitter. His helmet was both a physical and psychological mask.

With his cape draped around his shoulders, Draconus Tyrannus stepped out to look at the landscape. They had landed in a vast graveyard, full of lifeless human corpses, killed by starvation, poverty, and infighting--information which Draconus found out through the Force.

"Disgusting," he said, his voice altered and deepened by the modulator in his helmet. "These humans kill each-other purely for the fun of it. No wonder half this world is, 'still developing.'"

After walking in the scorching heat of the African savannah for hours, he came across a dead body. However, this one was a Lion--but not the Panthera leo of old. It was larger, had a red mane, and had sabre teeth. Draconus also saw a female of this species, known as the Sun Lion, who was also dead.

He heard the growls of felines, and saw the rest of their pride being beaten by humans. Tyrannus saw them hitting a cub with a metal rod, and anger swelled in him. He took out a weapon he had built as a child, the Dragonbreath Bow--and fired an arrow at them. That single arrow impaled all of the humans, and the cub clambered to his feet to look at his saviour, Draconus.

The Draconian approached the cub and kneeled on one knee as he picked him up. The young Lion felt comfort in the cold metal arms of his armour, as Draconus softly whispered, "You're okay, little guy."

Returning to the ships, Draconus cared for and raised the young cat, a strong bond forming between the two. However, he could not advance forward, for the brutal heat held back the Draconian forces, who had never felt the temperatures of the Sahara Desert. In that time, Draconus named the Lion Simba, and in the time during which they were stranded in the savannah, he took care of him and his pride. Simba's skills as both a hunter and a leader sharpened.

Months later, the wet season had arrived, and the Draconians were finally able to cross the Sahara. Draconus rode on the back of Simba, who was now an adult. His army followed behind him as they crossed the desert, before seeing an oasis inhabited by humans. He turned to Dracan, his oldest brother after Draconax and Draconor. "Prepare your men for an ambush."

Tyrannus didn't know, but from here on out, he would see terrible sights that would be stuck in his head even five-million years later. His men prepared their cannons, taking aim at the humans. They fired one-by-one, obliterating vegetation and sending both people and sand flying into the air. Draconus drew the Dragonbane Sword as he advanced forward, impaling one man through the stomach before slashing at another, decapitating him.

More men charged, opening fire on him, but he deflected the bullets with the Dragonscale Shield, a holy weapon he had forged at the age of thirteen. His sword's blade was stained with blood as he slashed through waves of human soldiers, showing no remorse. Tyrannus walked through the oasis, seeing the men who had been killed by the Draconian cannon fire. They were horrific sights, and Draconus couldn't get them out of his head. However, he did not let this distract him from the task at hand.

Walking past the charred corpses, he and his men continued their journey as they headed for Egypt. The trek took them months, and the dry season came around again, temperatures skyrocketing. However, they were too far into the desert to go back, and pressed on. Simba was weakened from dehydration, and Draconus allowed the big cat to drink some of the water reserves he carried with him. Many of the Draconian soldiers collapsed, and Tyrannus interpreted their deaths as personal failure on his part. This sense of self-hatred would continue into his days as a Sith Lord five-million years later.

By the time they reached Egypt, Draconus' forces were reduced to a mere 300 men. Seeing the pyramids, they dropped to their knees, gasping for air as Simba lay down to rest. They set up their tents, and in his private tent, Tyrannus removed his armour and his tunic, the latter of which was soaked with his sweat. Alone and shirtless, he sat on the ground. Despite barely eating over the course of the trip, his body maintained its musculature, and his legs were numb from all the walking. He fell on his back on his sleeping mat, and drifted to sleep.

Over the course of the night, Draconus tossed and turned in bed, reliving the sights of the corpses in the oasis, sights created by his own doing. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and he woke up gasping. It was still dark, and he was still inside his tent. As his breathing calmed, he returned to sleep.

The next day, Tyrannus opened his eyes. Inside his tent, he ate some food before putting on his tunic and armour. Stepping outside, he used his visor to zoom in on the pyramids and examine them up-close. He, Dracan, and the other 299 men began to advance towards the closest one.

Arriving at the foot of the titanic structure, Draconus spoke. "Stand back."

He extended an arm and used a laser cutter to cut a hole in the pyramid wall. Kicking it down with his foot, he and his personal guard began to enter the dark interior of the ancient wonder. Draconus switched the mode of his suit's lenses, allowing him to see as if he had night vision. Suddenly, he heard a scream behind him, and looked back to see one of his men lying on the floor, dead. As they wandered around the ancient tomb, this continued until only Dracan and Draconus himself were left. Draconus turned to his brother. "Get out of here."

"Yes, brother," Dracan responded. His suit also had a night vision mode, which allowed him to narrowly exit the pyramid. Just after, he felt something slash through the right eye of his mask, taking out his night-vision. Tyrannus yelled in pain as he felt blood trickle down his face, seeing nothing but darkness. He removed his helmet and threw it to the ground.

Another strike, this time slashing through his back and cape. A voice came with it after the attacker vanished. "You're a child...hiding in a tomb of armour..."

Draconus' anger swelled in him as he removed the rest of his armour, determined to prove his assailant wrong. "Fight me."

He was wearing his sleeveless tunic, and felt the attacker grab him from behind. Luckily, he wasn't using his melee weapon. Tyrannus staggered back as the unknown figure gripped his tunic, crashing into a pillar. He then threw his attacker off, taking his tunic with him. However, his opponent disappeared again.

The next attack sliced his side, causing Draconus to drop to one knee. The wound had cut deep, and could be fatal if he didn't treat it soon. He knew he had to end the fight quickly.

Draconus changed his tactics as he closed his eyes. Drawing on the Force, he closed his eyes as he felt the presence of his attacker. His assailant charged, but Tyrannus was ready. He caught the blade of his opponent from an overhead strike, and, using his superior physical strength, he yanked the sword out of his foe's hand and thrust it through his stomach, before throwing him.

The body landed at the foot of the stairway where he had entered. Using the Force, Draconus found him and looked at the corpse. He was shirtless and wearing ancient Egyptian garb. He was a lone assassin, killing anyone who dared enter the pyramids. Clutching his bleeding side, Tyrannus made his way outside as he saw Dracan running towards him. "Brother!"

Dracan noticed his bleeding wound and bandaged his abdomen. Draconus' heavy breathing softened a little as he leaned on his brother, heading back to their camp. He lied down on a cot before passing out.

***

The next day, Tyrannus awoke on the cot. Where the bandages on his torso were, he only saw his abdominal muscles. Something hard and gray was covering up his wound. He touched his face where he had been cut, feeling the same thing. Dracan entered the tent, carrying Draconus' armour and tunic. "How are you feeling, brother?"

"Better," Draconus said in his deep voice. "Thank you."

Dracan smiled a little. "Get some rest."

Draconus rested as Dracan repaired his armour and tunic. After he was done, Draconus put both back on again. Eventually, they heard a ship's sound, and the two Draconian brothers headed outside. It was the ship of the Draconian Knights, the Dragon, landing. The only person onboard, Dracon, stepped out. He was the next-oldest of Draconus' siblings, and he spoke. "It's time to conquer Europe."

Draconus nodded as he entered the ship, leaving Dracan to set up bases in Africa. The Dragon took off, headed for a country once known as Italy.