The Nightdragon
#3 - Simian
By day, Johnny Chen is one of the instructors at a martial arts school with his ‘brothers’ Tao and Lei, both of whom are dealing with personal challenges. Tao has been approached by the local Chinatown masters, who are against his giving instruction in Chinese martial arts to those outside their community. Lei has become reticent and withdrawn due to a past ordeal that has undermined his confidence.
By night, Chen is the NightDragon, protector of the City of Nocturnity. But is he the only one? Someone, or rather some thing, is also taking action against crime in the city. Eyewitness accounts seem unbelievable, but it is only a matter of time before Chen learns that it is a being as impossible to contemplate as it is intelligent; a true marvel of nature. He soon finds himself drawn into a plan to catch this elusive entity by Sonya Gunn, a student at his school, who just happens to be a police officer assigned to the task force intent on arresting his vigilante persona. The effort will also involve Eagle Force, a special U.S. military group that has sought to apprehend him in the past. Regardless, it is a risk he is willing to take.
Is this mysterious creature the only one of its like? Is it really a threat or could it prove to be a possible ally? And are there others potentially more dangerous? It is up to the NightDragon to find out!
Leap into a new NightDragon adventure that swings with suspense, humor, intense action, and amazing martial art fights!
Excerpt
Simian sprang forward to leap from the roof, just as the NightDragon landed behind him, to grab his tail and jerk him back. The monkey man landed on all fours, twisting his head around to snarl at the vigilante. Chen had a hold of the sinuous appendage with both hands, and began hauling Simian away from the edge of the roof.
“Big mistake!” Simian growled angrily.
He lunged backwards, immediately creating slack in his tail, dropping to his hands as he kicked back with both legs like a mule. His feet were fisted, and they battered Chen’s hands aside on their way to striking him in the chest. As the vigilante fell back, he snapped his right foot up in a front kick, the toe of his tabi shoes burying into Simian’s belly. The creature doubled up as he hit the roof on his left side. Chen fell to his back, rolled up on his shoulders, and popped off them onto his feet.
Simian rolled onto his back to do the same and gruffly stated, “Nobody touches the tail!”
“Sorry, but I can’t let you leave,” Chen apologized.
“You can’t stop me.”
“Oh, I think I can,” Chen said confidently with a nod of his head.
Simian lunged at him, swinging his left fist across in a wide arc. Chen leaned away to let the punch pass by, then shuffled forward as he swung his left fist in a low uppercut to Simian’s belly. Sidestepping to his right as he pivoted left, he then swung his other fist around in a low right cross to Simian’s lower back. As the monkey man straightened up from the blow, he swung his left arm around in a backhand aimed at the hero’s face. Chen leaned back again, and kicked his legs out as he dropped to his back. He twisted to his left, his right leg striking Simian behind his knees, his left leg pressing against the front of the creature’s ankles. The scissor-leg takedown threw Simian forward, but he caught himself with his hands. Chen rolled to his left onto his back, folding Simian’s lower legs up, and the vigilante then used his left foot to chop down in an axe kick to the back of the creature’s head. Simian let out a grunt as Chen rolled away to his right and onto his feet.
“That’s pretty tricky,” Simian said as he got up.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Chen said.
“Well, I can’t say the same,” Simian muttered.