by Noah Michael
Arias nodded. “You are a great warrior, Suria. This may be our last farewell.”
“If so, then so be it. May your fight be honorable.”
“Same to you, Suria.” Suria turned around and hurried back towards the valley.
Arias turned back to Montis. “Prepare the men for war! We have one hour!”
◆◆◆
The night hung still in deathly silence. Thick ranks of the Shadow army stood at the edges of the mountaintops, awaiting the enemy. Crossbows were strung, swords drawn, minds focused. Arias stood at the head of the army, his hair flying in the wind. To his left stood Montis, looking anxiously out into the desert. To his right stood Gore, wielding a great battle-axe in his massive hands, a steel helmet upon his head. Montis leaned in towards Arias. “Do you not wish to address the men before battle?” he whispered.
“I was never much of a speaker. I shall leave that to the Chief upon his return.”
“You truly believe he’ll return, eh? No one has ever come out of that mirror alive.”
“Fortunately for us, Yuran is not easily killed.”
Not another word was spoken.
◆◆◆
“Incoming!” A sentry shouted.
Arias leaped into the sky, flipped midair, and plunged his sword downwards into a smaller, wasp scout drone speeding towards the villages. His sword dug deep into the wasp, sparks flew in every direction as he glided down upon the falling robot. The wasp crashed into the sand below, twitching uncontrollably as Arias jumped off into the sand and smashed its head off with another swing. “Give me another! I dare you!” he roared to the cheers of his troops.
“Arias!” Montis called. Moving to the mountain edge Arias’s heart trembled at the sight before him. Out from the dust emerged an army greater than Arias could possibly imagine. In front of the drones rolled a line of heavy artillery tanks, each carrying massive cannons and robotically-operated machine guns. The sky was cloaked in a sheet of gray as the giant, metal wasps beat their wings fiercely, their stingers pointed, ready to fire. The great buzz of their wings drowned out the sound of the wind.
Leading the machinery were four groups of men and women, Enlai of all different types, equipped with the deadliest forms of weapons and armor. Surrounding the army, one at each corner, were four towering pillars, radiating blinding, blue light. They were carried by massive, black drones with glowing red faces, ten times the size of the others. Their thick, metal bodies carried a multitude of heavy machine guns and lasers along their arms and shoulders. Long, piercing blades lay tucked into their arms, waiting to be unleashed.
At the head of it all walked two figures. On the left, a muscular, brown-haired woman dressed in a full battle suit, her stride solemn, but confident. To her right stood Roko, dressed in a massive suit of dark, robotic armor, only his head protruded out. In his arms he held his cane, its head glowed with energy.
“The bulk of their forces are headed here, the lowest part of the mountain. They’re surrounding the entire range to spread out our already outnumbered forces,” Montis said.
“There is nothing we can do about being outnumbered,” Arias answered as he observed the approaching enemy. His commanders watched him carefully, awaiting his order to fire. He looked down at Roko marching below. Roko looked up at him and raised his arm bringing the entire army to an abrupt halt.
The entire desert grew quiet.
“Why do you call this bloodbath!?” Arias shouted, his voice echoed down the mountain.
“You know exactly why I’m here, Arias! Hand over the mirror, or I’ll take it by force!”
“I am afraid I cannot do that!”
Roko let out a sinister smile. “I know.”
Alia turned toward the troops. “Release the shields!”
“Fire the arrows!” Arias roared.
The four pillars surged with energy, forming a massive blue ball of energy over the army and leaving only a few feet open between the bottom of the shield and the ground. As the arrows showered the shield, round pools of black decay spread around the shield like a disease, shattering it piece by piece. However, the shield fought them off, quickly regenerating.
“Continue the advance!” The army moved forward, the pillars moving with them.
Montis looked worriedly at Arias. “They will march straight up the mountain untouched! Even our arrows can’t break that shield! We have lost before the war has even begun!”
Arias ignored him, carefully studying the advancing army. “The pillars are moving at precisely the same speed.”
“So what?”
“What would happen if one fell behind? They are dependent on each other...”
Arias turned. “Montis, prepare our close combat units for advance. We will destroy the shield from the inside. I want one elite strike force assigned directly to the destruction of the closest pillar. The rest of the troops will provide them with cover. Until the pillar is destroyed, our men shall be slaughtered within the shield, as we cannot provide them with support. Whoever leads the strike team will be setting out on a suicide mission. The pillar is heavily guarded, and who knows what that massive metallic beast holding the pillar is capable of.”
“It would be my honor to lead the strike, Arias.”
“No, Montis, the men need you up here. If you were to fall, the mountains would lose order.”
“I will do it.” They both turned to look at Gore, his face burned with determination.
“I will bring down the pillar.”
“Gore, it will be suicide-”
“I am not needed to command the troops. I am merely a guard and have never trained with them, yet my combat skills outmatch those of all others in these mountains. I am the perfect pick.” Gore placed a hand on Arias’s shoulder. “It is my sole purpose to protect the Chief. If Roko reaches the mirror, the Chief is dead. I am prepared to die for this mission. It has been an honor serving under you as head guard.”
“You have brought me much pride and honor, Gore.”
Gore nodded respectfully. “Send my regards to Bastion after the war. Tell him how I died, as I shall die with honor. I shall not fail you, nor the Chief. Goodbye, Arias.”
Gore turned around, heading towards the amassing troops preparing to storm down the mountainside as Montis hurried to organize them, setting aside certain warriors to follow Gore. Arias looked down at the monstrous enemy advancing at a frightening speed.
“This had better work.”
◆◆◆
Montis ran through the lines of warriors one last time. Two hundred had been chosen for the operation. They would need to hold back the entire army for two minutes as Gore and his twenty men tore down the pillar.
“The mission is simple! You are to return here with that pillar destroyed, or you are not to return at all! For if you do not destroy it, there will be nothing to return to! You have been chosen because you are the strongest! You are the toughest! Most of you will die out there. But you will die with honor! You shall die on behalf of your children, on behalf of your tribe, and on behalf of your Chief! Now go out and bring me the remains of that pillar!”
The men cheered as Montis walked up to Gore, who waited on the front line. He looked into his eyes. “The wasps won’t bother you from the air. They wouldn’t risk shooting within the shield, as they would hit many of their own men. Same holds for the artillery tanks. Your greatest threat will be the huge battle drone carrying the damn pillar. I don’t see a way to destroy it, but you will find a way. The Chief believed in you, so I believe in you. Go bring me that pillar in pieces.”
Gore nodded and drew his sword. “Charge!!!” he roared, and the warriors stampeded the mountain slopes, their swords unsheathed. The air rang with the sound of their battle cries. As they reached the ground level, they were met with heavy fire from the drones on the front lines. While a few warriors were shot down, the rest quickly dove into the earth and jumped back out within the envelope of the shield. They pounced upon the Enlai on the front lin
es, slicing through them like cheese. A bloody battle ensued as the nearby drones rushed to their support. The drones engaged in close combat with the Shadows, their blades clashed. Bullets and lasers flew in every direction, accompanied by cries of death and pain. As the main force smashed straight through the front lines, Gore moved left towards the pillar, he and his men still in the ground. As many of the drones and Enlai rushed towards the scene of the battle, less remained to guard the front pillars.
“Now!” Gore emerged from the ground and raised his sword, a battle cry raged from his lips. He smashed through four drones, then dove away before any lasers could hit him. His warriors followed suit, dancing swiftly under fire, dodging sprays of bullets and lasers as they sliced the heads off their victims.
“The five warriors closest me shall continue forwards! The rest of you, divide and obliterate!” Gore smashed through mass after mass of metal with his five Shadows close behind. The others moved around in circles around the pillar, keeping the defenses busy. A bullet planted itself in Gore’s side, yet it did not slow him. Two drones swung their blades in his path. He bounded up above the swinging swords and pounded his fists backwards into the drones’ heads, sending them crashing to the ground.
As he fought off another six drones, he glanced behind him. Of the five men who had set out with him, only two remained. More drones made their way back towards the pillar and the main Shadow force was losing ground. They had to act now. Gore ducked as a sword passed over his head. He launched himself forward and smashed his sword into the drone in front of him, shouting with rage. “Who else!?”
The ground around him shook. Drenched in blood and sweat, Gore stood with his two surviving warriors before a massive, heavily armored, robotic battle drone. Upon each heavy, spiked shoulder sat a laser blaster and a guided missile launcher. Its face glowed a dark red, its body a deadly black. As it spread out its arms, long, razor-sharp blades swung out from their sockets. It let out a horrible, screeching roar.
“You seemed smaller from up there,” Gore growled. The drone roared and swung its blades. Gore launched himself towards the drone’s shoulders. As he did, one of the Shadows made for the pillar only to be shot down by a barrage of lasers from the drone’s shoulder.
Gore twirled his sword rapidly as he soared through the air, deflecting the lasers flying towards him. He flew over the drone’s shoulder and smashed off one of the drone’s missile launchers with his sword. As he landed, the ground exploded beneath him, sending him flying backwards in a cloud of fire. The second Shadow sliced off the drone’s other laser blaster but was slashed violently through the chest for his efforts.
Gore rose, his body filled with burns and charged at the drone. The drone swung its blades at Gore and shot a barrage of lasers. Gore dove into the earth, emerged on the other side of the drone, and slashed at its leg.
It didn’t even make a scratch.
Gore cursed aloud and dove out of the way as the drone’s blades dug deep into the sand where he’d been standing. The drone jumped forward and swung its blades. Gore leaped to his feet and held his blade out in front of him. The drones’ blades smashed it to bits and sent him flying, crashing violently into the pillar. The drone aimed its launcher towards the sand a short distance from where Gore lay, careful not to hit the pillar. It launched an onslaught of missiles. The ground erupted in flames, the air filled with clouds of smoke.
All grew silent. The drone stood still, its weapons aimed, waiting for the smoke to clear to confirm its kill.
Gore still leaned against the pillar. His face painted with burns, smoke, and blood, he stood on one leg, the other hung loosely in its place. His arms and chest were on fire, yet his eyes burned brighter. He looked up at the drone, a victorious smile on his face.
“See you in hell.”
A black liquid began making its way around the pillar where Gore stood. In his fist he held an arrow. Before the drone could react, the pillar burst at its foundation and crashed down upon the drone, smashing it to the floor under a mountain of debris.
The entire shield deteriorated, reforming into a circle covering only the troops between the remaining three pillars. The entire mountain range erupted in cheers as the surviving warriors fled back up towards the mountains to avoid the arrows as they rained down upon the enemy.
“Drop the pillars! Charge the mountaintop!” Roko screamed, his voice brimmed with fury as his forces tried frantically to squeeze themselves into the remaining shield. The giant drones dropped the remaining pillars, and the entire shield dissipated.
From Arias’s vantage point on the mountains above, the sky was filled with black clouds of destruction. Drones blew to bits at every turn. Enlai soldiers rushed for shelter. Around him, his men cheered, celebrating their first victory in the war. Yet even in this victory, his heart filled with grief.
“He died with honor, as he said he would,” Montis whispered.
“He never failed me in his life, nor did he fail me in his death. Such a man is not easily forgotten. His honor and bravery shall live through us.”
“His sacrifice awarded us this war’s first victory.”
“That was not a victory, Montis,” Arias said, looking out onto the blackened battlefield as Roko’s troops began to reorganize, “The war had not yet begun. Gore’s sacrifice allows us to fight the war in the first place. Only now shall the war truly begin.”
Chapter Twenty-three
The Mind of the Mirror
Inside the Nexus
“No one move!” Grith warned sternly. “Where are we?” Sarah asked. The room was dark, save for a single, small torch hung on the wooden wall farthest from where they stood. The wall was the only object clearly visible in the room. Tall, wet grass grew from the floor, the shortest strands the height of Raiden’s waist.
“Why can’t we move?” Raiden asked.
“Because of those.” Grith pointed to a series of bows and arrows lined across the ceiling above the torch. The bows each aimed at a different area of the room.
“There are more of them hidden all around the ceiling. If you step, they will shoot you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I have done this once before.”
“You’ve already been through here?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Then why did you go back?”
“That is none of your concern. Let us proceed. Sarah, I need you to break the iron ring holding the torch in place, yet not put out the fire. Can you do that?”
“I think so.”
“Take your time. Do not use your gloves, the movement of the air will hurt the flames. Use the kaza.”
Sarah nodded and lifted the kaza to her lips. She looked ahead at the iron ring and closed her eyes, listening carefully trying to hear its song. She positioned her finger on the kaza and played a combination of delicate notes cracking the ring in half and knocking the torch down onto the long grass below and igniting the grass.
“We need to move or we’re gonna burn!” Raiden cried.
“Nonsense. Just wait.” The fire spread oddly, skipping over many feet of grass, carving a fiery trail along the floor. The fire nearly surrounded them but left a clear path for them to walk. Smoke filled the room as the walls threatened to crumble under the consuming flames.
“Follow me!” Grith shouted once the fire had stopped spreading. He ran off into the unburned grass, which was soaked in water, similar to the patch they had been standing on.
“Come on!” Raiden shouted towards Sarah, grabbing her hand. He pulled her forward just before a part of the ceiling came crashing down where she had been standing. “This way!”
Just a few feet ahead of them stood a doorway. Grith ran through, disappearing into the darkness beyond. Raiden and Sarah hurried behind him, but before they could reach the doorway, a pile of fiery debris crashed down from the ceiling onto the floor before them. The flames were catching to them, rapidly burning down the path they’d walked.
He lo
oked at Sarah. “I’m throwing you over!”
“No! I’m not leaving you!” Sarah pointed her gloves towards the pile of debris and fired pulses from her hands. The debris burst into splinters. “Now! Let’s go!”
They dove through the doorway, as the entire room collapsed in a heap of fire and ash.
◆◆◆
Sarah opened her eyes. She stood slowly to her feet, looking around for the others.
“Hello?”
The room was large and hexagonal. Its walls and ceiling were made of metal and were decorated with a pattern of white and grey rectangles. Hundreds of lights shined brightly from the ceiling. In the middle of the room, the floor tiles rose upwards, creating a platform with staircases on both sides.
“It’s relieving to see you made it through. Where is the human?”
“What human?” Sarah asked innocently.
“Give it up, Sarah. I know he’s a human. Climb up the steps.”
Sarah obeyed. When she got to the top, the platform below was aligned with five columns of colored, rectangular tiles arranged hexagonally. The outer two columns contained nine tiles, the inner two contained fifteen, and the second and fourth columns each contained eleven tiles. Upon each tile was a circular piece of metal. “Those are holograms,” she said.
“They are indeed.”
“What is this?”
“You will see as soon as the game begins.”
“What game?” The top step upon which Sarah was standing glowed and moved her up high enough to oversee the entire platform.
“It seems the mirror has chosen you over me for this challenge.”
The first and last tile of every column began to glow and spin until a humanoid image began to materialize above each of them. The holograms on Sarah’s side of the platform were grey, while the holograms opposite her were white.
“What’s going on!?”
“Sarah, you must relax. If you are to win this, you must think straight. This game is known as Moruku. It was popular during the times of the Alliance. The object of the game is to destroy all of the opponent’s pawns. Each player is allotted four actions per turn. An action may be moving a pawn or attacking. There are five different types of pawns. The two men on the outermost columns are Surgers. They can move one step per action in any direction they wish. Their attacks eliminate seventy-five percent of an enemy pawn’s health, making them the most powerful attacker.” The two holograms wore light armor, and each carried a Surger’s sword and shield.