Legends of Varlaurea: The Dragon Emperor 5 THE MONSTER OF KAO REN LAKE 4

One week later, everything still remains quite. The repair and reconstruction of the port and the surrounding area which has been damaged by the monster earlier tsunami attacks had resume. But this time is difference, for the pass week the city streets had become more and more bustling. The men are humming while they work, some merchants had return to the market, the tavern fill with the noise of chatting and clinking toast, smile blossom on the women face and the children running around the streets once again. In every citizen eyes filled with hope and joy, although the city guards still keeping a watchful eye on the horizon, and the ships still cannot set sail far to the open water. But hope and joy is returning to Qualoh.

When the sun risen on the first day of the next week. A military parade for the navy's expedition in order to kill the monster is marching through Qualoh's main streets. That day was a pleasant day, the sun is warm, and the breeze is gentler. Almost every citizen had flocked to the main city square and the street lead to the port, they're cheering, waving the Imperium's flag, throwing confetti and flower as the troops marching by, some peoples even climbed to the rooftop to get a good view of the parade and banging their cooking wares together just to make some noise.

Leading the parade is, of course, the emperor himself, follow right behind Emperor Lam is the Brocade Cloak Guards and 1000 sailors. The emperor standing on a red square chariot pulls by two velelises waving at the crowd. Cladded in lamellar armour, each steel plate glimmering under the sun's golden ray like a kind of angelic aura emitting from the emperor. A square mirror armour reinforced the chest plate, etched and coloured with a coiling dragon nestled in clouds, adorned with gold border and ruby on each corner. His neck wearing a golden necklace with a piece of green jade and silver rattler bells. His lamellar shoulder guards were decorated with specially smithed pauldrons that shape like a dragon head, wrap around his hip is a silk sashes and tighten with a black leather belt that hold the lamellar skirt. Vambraces and greaves protected his arms and shins, and the knee length skirt revealed tattoo on his leg. His helmet was specially designed for his horned head, on the top of the helmet, a decorated piece that look like a pike head and red tassel dancing in the breeze. After the parade marched around the main square they will continue marching toward the port and get on board the waiting ships.

Emperor Lam will board Admiral Huantah's flagship the "Dragon Fang" as fleet command, it's the largest and most heavily arm Heavy War Junk of the fleet with 5 masts, on its prow painted a green dragon head baring it fangs, and a large Varlann flag proudly flying in the wind on the ship stern. The expedition had launched, follow the fleet is 100 volunteer ships. They set out in a wing formation, with the Frigates in the front, the Galleys at the flanks and the Heavy War Junk at the rear, and at the centre of the Heavy War Junk line is the "Dragon Fang", on the very back of their formation, about 200 lias from the Heavy War Junks line is a large Transport ship acting at baited and been pull by the "Dragon Fang", the volunteer ships created a ring surround the fleet to scouting ahead and the surrounding water, if they detect any movement under water they will send a signal to the "Dragon Fang" via smoke. They heading toward the area about 500 lias from the shore and four kelias (1 kelia = 1 kilometers) north - north east from Qualoh. This area had been reported to have the most occurred attack by the monster. For five hours they have not found any sign of the monster, the search continues to midday, till a volunteer ship at the rear left flank sent a smoke signal. They had spotted sixty lias from their port side, a large shadow moving under the water.

Battle order was sent, all hands on deck, all ballistae had loaded. The "Dragon Fang" signal the volunteer ships to return to the centre of the formation and from that point they will pass through the formation and return back to port. After the volunteer ships is clear, the fleet starting to change course and moving parallel with the monster, keeping their distain at fifty lias. The atmosphere is tense, every sailor's face fill with stress and fear, why would they not, no amounts of training can prepare any person for situation like this, any sane person in situation like this would turn tail and run, yet they are not, yet they are still stand and waiting for order, yet in their eyes still show a hind of confident. How? Because their Emperor is here, his present has gave the troops the courage they need to stand, they believe him with their live. Especially is Admiral Huan Tah and some old captains for they have spent years follow Emperor Lam when he still a young prince in those final days of the Hundred Years War.

Thirty minutes passed, the monster still keeping a steady speed and have no intention to attack, then it starting dive down and disappeared to the deep water. Dreadful silence reigned the past minute, then another minute, and suddenly the monster resurfaced at the very back end of the formation and attack the stern of the transport ship. With its powerful jaw the beast trying to crack the ship's stern, the wooden planks trembling in a serial of chilling cracking sounds as the monster jagged teeth bite down on them. After a minutes chewing on the ship stern and cannot find a single soul on it, the monster realized this was just a decoy, and dive back down to the deep. But it cannot.

Chapter end