The Black Knight Box Set

by Christian J Gilliland

  "Just my arm," Kavin replied as if it were nothing, "it'll heal, keep pressure on it though."

  Rubaan squeezed the bullet hole on Kavin’s bicep and looked around to see if there were any more pirates. He didn't see any, and as Kavin navigated their bike up behind Pancho, he spoke into his communicator.

  "Once we get out of here, I need to patch my arm; I caught a bullet." Rubaan only heard silence as Pancho replied since he had lost his communicator, but Kavin spoke again.

  "About twenty miles should be safe. Open it up, take it to 200. Let's get out of here." The two Centurions accelerated their bikes and flew side by side as they both hit 200 miles per hour. The wind blast made everything hard to hear for Rubaan, and he and Kavin ducked down behind the windscreen of their bike.

  When they were finally out what Kavin considered to be pirate territory, Kavin told Pancho to stop, and they came to a halt. Pancho remained on his bike, but Kavin hopped off and searched through one of his saddlebags.

  Rubaan looked down at the bullet hole on his leg and noticed that it had stopped bleeding. His NaNe had stopped the bleeding, but the bullet remained lodged against his femur. He felt a little pain, but nothing like he felt when he had first been shot.

  "Alright, let's get patched up and back on the road," Kavin declared. In his hands, he held a pair of needle nose pliers, a bottle of clear alcohol, some bandages, and a cigar and lighter.

  With his left hand, Kavin grasped the pliers and jammed the tip of them into the bullet hole in his arm. He grunted and his face twisted with discomfort, but he quickly pulled the pliers and the bullet out and set them aside. He took a swig of the alcohol, and then poured some on the wound and promptly stuck the cigar in his mouth. He lit it, took a few puffs and then stuck the glowing tip onto the bleeding hole, groaning as he burned it shut. A few moments later, he had cleaned the wound again and wrapped it.

  "Your turn," Kavin smiled as he handed the alcohol to Rubaan. Rubaan took a swig, and Kavin quickly pulled the bullet and shrapnel out and followed the same procedure that he had just done on himself. Rubaan handled the pain well, and after Kavin finished wrapping the wound, Kavin packed his things and hopped back on the bike.

  "Now would be a good time to contact Base 11 and Century," Kavin looked back at Rubaan and handed him a communicator, "We should be out of Govia's tracking range. Call Bran and then call Base 11, the numbers are programmed inside as Dauid's Decadent Desserts for Century and Spaghetti Man's Delivery for Base 11."

  "What do I say?" Rubaan asked as Kavin and Pancho accelerated.

  "Tell them what you know. I have to drive."

  Rubaan looked down at the communicator and navigated through the contacts. All the names seemed to be businesses; he saw Mamas Bread Factory, Burger Bonanza, The Licorice Hut... some of the names made him smile, but finally, he found Dauid's Decadent Desserts and punched the call button. He held the communicator to his ear and listened to it ring. After a few moments, the line went silent, and he looked up at Kavin.

  "Nothing," he informed the Sergeant, "No answer from Century."

  "Call Base 11 then," Kavin told him, "Tell them you need a party size spaghetti pack with extra meatballs and the yum yum sauce delivered to Milly in Apartment 774."

  "Really?" Rubaan asked, thinking that sounded utterly ridiculous. He saw Kavin's head nod and shrugged his shoulders. He found Spaghetti Man's Delivery and punched the call button and waited.

  "Spaghetti Man's Delivery!" A pleasant voice chirped after only one ring, "home of the meatiest balls in Canrom City, where do you want your noodles?"

  Rubaan couldn't help but laugh. The voice on the other line remained silent, and finally, Rubaan spoke.

  "Uh yeah, I need um a party size spaghetti pack with yum yum sauce and extra meatballs?"

  “Oh most certainly!" the pleasant voice declared, "Where do you want it delivered to?"

  “Send it to Molly in..." He looked up at Kavin and Kavin looked back at him.

  “Apartment 774." Kavin reminded him.

  “Yeah, Molly in apartment 774."

  “Very good; please hold." The line went silent for a moment, and another female's voice replaced the first.

  “Go ahead." She said, sounding very professional.

  “Hey," Rubaan replied, unsure of how to properly handle the call, "This is Rubaan Jamiso, um… from Base 21?"

  “Rubaan... Jamiso?" The voice slowly repeated, "From Base 21?"

  “Yeah," Rubaan replied, "I'm sorry, who am I talking to?"

  “You are... Crinnan's brother?"

  “Yeah," Rubaan confirmed, "Who is this?"

  “This is acting Commander Milinka Emmal," her voice sounded surprised, and strangely to Rubaan, warm, "Rubaan how are you?

  “I am... fine?" He was confused by her tone, "I am on my way to Base 11 now."

  “You are coming here?" Milinka asked with a concerned tone, "Why, is... Crinnan with you? Is he okay?"

  “Uh that's a negative, he's not," Rubaan replied, trying his best to sound like he was a soldier. He recalled her and Crinnan's teenage romance in Kamlot and realized that must have been why she was asking about him, "Century Squad is picking him up though... I haven't been able to reach him. They may be in trouble."

  “Trouble?" Milinka repeated, she sounded concerned, "What kind of trouble?"

  “I don't know that it's appropriate for me to say, Miss Commander," Rubaan replied as he thought of Eon, "Something was after Crinnan."

  “Ander... Eon." Milinka whispered. Her voice fell silent, and Rubaan nearly jumped in his seat.

  “How do you know about Eon?" Rubaan nearly shouted, "What do you know about him?"

  “Too much..." Milinka replied, "Wait, how do you know about Eon?

  “That’s a very long story, Miss Milinka,” Rubaan nearly laughed as he spoke, “I uh… I am glad to hear that somebody else knows what I am talking about.”

  “I can tell you more when you arrive Rubaan…” Milinka whispered, “But, why are you coming again?"

  "Oh!" Rubaan rolled his eyes at his inability to complete a simple task without trailing off about Eon or some other kind of arbitrary thing, "Listen, Base 21 is under attack. Govian forces are amassing outside, and we need reinforcements. They're jamming our communications, and there's more and more of them every minute."

  "Understood," Milinka replied grimly. She sighed and spoke again, "Yes, get here as soon as you can. We will reinforce you, how far away are you?"

  "We will be there before sunsrise."

  "Good," Milinka paused for a moment and then spoke, "I will see you soon Rubaan Jamiso." The line went dead, and Rubaan flipped the communicator shut. He was concerned by the fact that nobody answered, and decided he would try Century Squad again later.

  The fact that Milinka knew something about Eon was exciting to him and made him feel even more eager about getting to Base 11. He felt like he was doing good work like he was doing something that was going to make a difference. As he slid the communicator into his pocket, he did his best to relax. He knew he had a long trip ahead of him and as Rubaan rested against Kavin’s back, he felt his eyes grow heavy. He closed them for a moment and drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Crinnan XXIII

  23rd of Ramlia - 346AG

  08:00 - Racon Tower

  “Fucking Aluuca is dead!” Bran roared as pieces of one of his soldiers rained down on them. He let off the trigger of his minigun and cursed wildly as he looked back at the gory spot that was once Mircaas Aluuca. Alec, Ryban, and Cedric were the only three among Century who were not affected by Eon’s holding ability, and they were doing the work of all the others who had been frozen in place.

  “On me you three,” Bran ordered, “Let’s make sure these pissboys don’t make it through,” The four Centurions repositioned themselves so that they stood directly in front of the door that led back down into Racon Tower. Bodies littered the area, but the Marauders kept coming. Bran could not understand the
ir logic, for they were in a choke point and every time one came into view the Centurions were quick to dispatch them.

  “I’m running low on ammo,” Ryban, Bran’s younger brother shouted. “I’m gonna have to switch to melee soon.”

  “Make your last shots count then!” Bran yelled back. He too was nearly out, but he was not concerned with having to get up close to the Marauders. The Captain knew that their low caliber firearms and shoddy melee weapons would never be able to penetrate his armor. Another wave of the Marauders pushed through the bodies, and he squeezed the trigger of his gun, mowing what he could down. His last bullet fired off, and his gun began to click. He tossed it down and drew his sword.

  The others were quick to expend the last of their ammunition, and they too drew their melee weapons. Alec wielded his axe, Ryban a maul, and Cedric held a sword. They each stood with only a few feet in between them and waited for the Marauders to come.

  For a moment it seemed like there were no more of them, but Bran knew better than to assume. Everything was silent except for the thunder above and the fighting between Crinnan and Eon behind him. He glanced back at Crinnan and sighed, for he had serious doubts that Crinnan was going to survive the fight with the Ancient. He knew that he and the other Humaans definitely couldn’t and that when Crinnan fell Eon would undoubtedly move to them. He wondered if that night was going to be the end of Century.

  "No matter what, we fight,” Bran seethed as he sensed the doubt in the others as well. The rain fell, and the forest around them roared with fire, it was as gloomy a night as he had ever seen. Though they had stopped for a moment, Bran knew that they had not even scratched the Marauder army and that Eon was a greater threat than he had ever encountered, but he would be damned if he did not die fighting.

  “Something’s coming!” Ryban bellowed, “I can hear it; it’s something big!”

  Bran could hear it too, loud pounding footsteps followed by some kind of strange rattling and whispering that was much louder than it should have been. The sounds ascended the tower stairs and drew ever closer to them. He squeezed the handle of his sword tight and wondered if that was what the Marauders had been waiting for, for them to run out of ammo so they could unleash whatever was coming.

  “Hold the line boys,” Bran snarled, “Only stop when you run out of blood… remember, we are of the Humaan race, the strongest force this planet has ever seen! Our fathers brought us from another world; our power can’t be matched! We overthrew the old empire in a matter of days; we gave this planet life! I say it’s payday boys; let’s take some of that life back!” All four of them pounded their chests and grunted in unison.

  “If we make it through this,” Ryban said as he looked over at Alec, “Then remind me to kick your ass for dragging us out here.”

  “Happily,” Alec replied. He frowned and the four of them watched the gore-soaked doorway as the pounding and rattling drew closer. Finally, from the darkness stepped a Gaian larger than Bran. He was outfitted in heavy blood-soaked armor, and he snorted like a bull. In his hands was a heavy looking maul and behind him were seemingly dozens of walking skeletons.

  “That is really not what I expected,” Ryban quavered. They were all hit off guard by the undead soldiers. It was horrifying, unlike anything they had ever seen or heard of before. Ryban looked to Alec and Cedric and then shook his head fearfully,

  "What is that?” He gasped as the bloody Gaian slowly stepped forward.

  “I am Heklaar,” The Gaian boomed in response, “And this is my army.”

  ***

  “We could have worked together, Mister President!” Eon seethed as he phased in and out of Sage’s view, “We could have been partners!”

  “I had a partner.” Sage replied through Crinnan’s body as he evaded Eon’s dark energy beam, “I should say I did not need you.”

  “You and I, we could have bought the world!” Eon barked with fury, “We could have ruled over everything!”

  “I had that as well,” Sage calmly replied, “The world was already mine; you are the one who did not want to work together. You are the reason everything failed.” Eon threw a blast of energy toward him, and it clipped him in the shoulder. He spun back to the tower and crashed into the frozen members of Century Squad, knocking them over.

  “Get up!” Crinnan shouted at Sage from within his own head, “Get up and fight!”

  “Worry not,” Sage quickly got to his feet and dusted himself off, “I will not let us lose, not to him.” Eon phased into view and stood motionless for a moment. He examined Sage and snickered.

  “You are still strong. You fight well,” Eon complimented his nemesis, “Much better than your brother did.”

  “Xydos was no warrior,” Sage snarled at the thought. He knew Xydos, the village minister, had been bested by Eon but he tucked that pain away, “He was a philanthropist, he lived to help others.”

  “A martyr then,” Eon snickered with a dismissive wave of his hand, “A martyr of futility.”

  “You face me now,” Sage pointed at Eon and narrowed his eyes, “You…” He cut himself off and phased forward. He slammed his fist into Eon’s face, knocking him backward and then spun kick him square in the chest. Eon stumbled toward the edge of the roof, and Sage sent three consecutive blasts of NaNe energy toward him. Eon planted his feet and endured each of the blasts.

  “Is that all?” Eon asked with a smile on his face. Sage shook his head, and a beam of fire emerged from his hand. Eon’s own dark beam formed again, and the two lifted off the ground and quickly flew toward each other.

  Their beams collided and released a sudden blast of energy. They both flew backward but neither intended on keeping their distance. Their beams met again and again as they deflected each other’s blows without missing a beat. Power surged in all directions and electricity shot between them. Eon swiped his foot behind Sage and knocked him to the ground, Sage rolled out of the way of Eon’s beam, and it passed through the concrete of the roof instead of his skull. He turned and fired another blast at Eon, knocking him to the ground.

  The rain began to fall harder, and the fires around them raged on. Lightning struck in the distance and was followed by a loud clap of thunder. The two Ancients stood silently, panting and worn from the amount of energy they had focused into NaNe attacks required to fight each other. Had they been “normal” people they would undoubtedly have been unconscious by that point. They, however, through their centuries of practice had been able to endure not only each other’s attacks but also the barrage of fatigue they were throwing at their own bodies. They were nearing their physical limits.

  “You led a corporation to such great success,” Eon laughed as he pushed himself up, “You ruled a nation through a golden age for nearly two terms. You are quite possibly the most successful Elf in history, yet here you are. Ruled by your emotions, stuck on a decaying tower in the ruins of the seat of your corporate empire. You were so strong, yet you met your end here in the dark trying to save your son.”

  “Save your what?” Crinnan suddenly asked. What could Eon possibly have meant by that? Was there more to the story, did Sage have a son that he was protecting? “What does he mean?”

  “Not now,” Sage sternly shouted as he closed the gap between himself and Eon, “I will explain after.”

  “Or should I say, sons?” Eon smiled and lowered his head in laughter. Sage growled at his enemy, but Eon continued, “You hear it Crinnan? Do you hear it inside of there? The terrible sound of truth, the pain of the betrayal of your parents? Sajinious Lynx is your father, the very one who guided us out of the Hells. He saved you because he… because he loves you!” Eon laughed hysterically and shook his head, “Love, is that not the most adorable idea?”

  “That’s... not true,” Crinnan’s silent voice insisted. Eon had to have been reaching for something to irritate him, something to make him fight against Sage, “I know my father, I was named after him… I have always known him!”

  "Yet it is true indeed,�
� Eon hysterically seethed. He could hear Crinnan’s voice through the NaNe; he could feel the pain and confusion in it, “The greatest of tragedies, the fallacy of fallacies. Those who love you the most were the ones that lied to you. Your parents lied to protect their honor. Your true father hid in the woods, in the decaying remains of his once powerful empire for your entire life and still, could not bring himself, to tell the truth when he found you! He was too weak! Nobody cares for you Crinnan, not in the way that they should. Nobody save me of course. Join me, my friend, let us together rid this world of your terrible father, of those that betray you and let us build a new world together!”

  “Enough!” Sage screamed. He panted with fury and trembled as he stood in place. He had no words, no thoughts. Tears formed in his eyes and he shook his head, trying to rattle the emotion free. As he grit his teeth, he glared up at Eon and spat.

  “It is true,” Sage admitted, not taking his eyes off his enemy. Water dripped off his body, and his lips quivered as he admitted to it. “All of it is. Yes, Crinnan I am your true father. I always have been.”

  Crinnan did not know what to think. The whole idea sounded ludicrous, the thought that Sage of all people could be his father sounded like some kind of wild drunken what if scenario. He thought of the man who he knew as dad, of his mother… of the secret that they had kept from him for his entire life. It seemed that a thousand thoughts hit him at once and he could not make sense of any of them.

  “Just… just beat him,” Crinnan finally growled, “Get it over with.”

  Sage nodded and stepped forward, and so did Eon. They could phase no more. Their beams of energy had died out, and it was only them and their swords left. Eon charged forward and heaved his blade at Sage. Sage parried the strike and sidestepped to counter, but Eon raised his arm and deflected the attack with his bracer.

  The two stepped away from each other, both panting. The Ancients' steps were shaky, and they were beginning to become disoriented as their bodies could take no more. Sage quickly focused his NaNe toward healing his body, but it would take at least five minutes for him to be able to phase again. He knew with no doubt that Eon was doing the same thing.