Sol Lands

by Riker Kane

  Yuma - Level 3: 10% Damage Resistance Bonus

  Lyra - Level 3: 15% Ability Channel Speed Bonus

  Cellica - Level 1: 10% Damage Bonus for nearby allies

  Vacindra - Level 1: 10% Dark Element Damage Bonus

  I double-checked my stats to make sure everything was in order. The only change from last time was an increased Mana Bond with Zafina. Beyond that, there was no other way for me to improve.

  The time had come. The Holy Light Cannon was in place. The people of Haven, fighters from Euphoria and Asrath, along with a group of raiders—all of them had been gathered on the outskirts of Haven to prepare for any possibility of what would happen when the barrier came down.

  “Go over it again,” I said as I stared at the display.

  The screen illuminated with a demonstration. “You can charge the Holy Light Cannon with your own Radiant Beam,” Cybil explained. “The longer you charge it, the greater impact the blast will have. I would advise you to gather as great a charge as you are able to.”

  “That goes without saying…” I didn’t know why I was having doubts. I put my hands on my hips, searching for something else to ask Cybil—some last detail I might have missed.

  “I sense concern from you, Ultima.”

  “I’m not concerned. I’m just being paranoid. Like when you’re on vacation and you wonder if you turned the stove off. I don’t want to mess this up… Are you sure this cannon will work?”

  “If you have built it to specifications, it will harness the power you possess. And you possess the power of the Battle God.”

  “Can’t argue with that…” With nothing else coming to me, I knew there was no more reason for me to be here. There was only one last question I had. “What can I expect to find?”

  “There is an undeniable malevolence resonating from within the fortress. Across the entire Sol Lands, I sense the darkness consolidating. Beyond that, I cannot say for certain.”

  “The only way to find out what kind of present is waiting for me is to tear it open. I’ll be back when this is over.”

  “I await your return, Ultima.”

  ~ ~ ~

  The sun was lowering over the western horizon, painting the sky a combination of red and purple and making way for the blackness of the night. The weather cooled, not warm but not biting cold either. The tall green grass swayed as the wind whistled by. The animals in the valley seemed to have evacuated, probably sensing what was coming. The fortress sat ominously where it had always been. The black smoke aura resonating around the steel cube flowed into the night in a beam.

  Next to me, the Holy Light Cannon stood ready to be charged. Its barrel fixed right on the fortress.

  Some citizens from Haven, Euphoria, and Asrath had gathered along with raiders including Balec, Nameno, and Ceah. A small army of a hundred people was ready to fight if anything happened. Though there was no certainty there would be a battle and Vacindra and Cellica assumed things would go off without a hitch, the people they’d sent were all armed. Bone daggers. Slingshots for throwing stones. Sticks with chiseled rocks on the end to make spears and javelins. Their weapons were crude but some had the ability to wield elemental Mana, so I had no worry about them being able to defend themselves.

  The older man Joris was next to me, casually observing the Holy Light Cannon. His hands behind his back, he looked up at me with a smile. “Some would say it is destiny that brought you here. Some would say the efforts of Guillard made you come. What do you believe, Virgil?”

  I laughed at Joris’s philosophical question. But after giving it a few seconds of thought, I knew there was only one answer. “Both.”

  “Both.” Joris nodded in approval. The aura of confidence he had rubbed off on me, making me more eager to get on with this. “A proper victory is in order. We will be waiting for you.”

  He stepped aside to return to Haven, allowing Rhiannon, Zafina, and Lyra to move by me.

  “You sure you know how to work this thing?” Lyra asked.

  I pointed at the back end of the Holy Light Cannon. There was an iron plate in the shape of a square like a traffic sign. “All I have to do is hit that panel. The longer I hit it, the more energy gathers. Once it condenses enough, all one of you has to do is activate the trigger on the side of it.” I pointed at the metal lever poking out the side of the wooden base.

  “There is no need to prolong this,” Rhiannon said. “I sense the anxiety from our audience.”

  “Right… Let’s do it.” I activated the Life Rune and took my Ultima form.

  Everybody stepped back to give me the space I needed to raise my palms. Two Radiant Beams concentrated on the metal plate. It was only a few seconds when the cannon resonated with an iridescent aura. The energy flowed around it, drawing everyone’s eyes on it.

  “Stay focused.” Zafina wiped a bead of sweat from my brow I didn’t even know was there.

  If I wanted this thing to work, I had to push myself to my limits. I was prepared to give every bit of endurance I had.

  I kept the beam concentrated on the panel. My heels dug into the grass, trying to leverage myself even more.

  “Whoa…” Lyra’s eyes widened as she stared at the cannon. “This is…”

  “It’s amazing,” Rhiannon finished her thought. “Truly amazing.”

  Everybody was in awe as the energy gathering around the cannon glowed brighter and brighter. The murmurs of amazement grew louder. I could sense their anticipation and excitement.

  Standing next to the cannon got so blinding that I had to take a few steps back to make sure I was still hitting the same spot. From the wooden base and all along the barrel, the rainbow light covered it completely. But over the cannon, I could see a dark cloud beginning to billow in the sky. That meant the same thing it always did.

  “Shadows…”

  “Stay here,” Rhiannon said. “I will lead the others against what may try to stop us.”

  I could barely make out the Shadows beginning to descend. Some sort of black beasts that looked like feral wolves. They landed on the grass and charged toward us up the hill where the cannon rested.

  “Defend the cannon!” Rhiannon yelled.

  Battlecries filled the air as everybody ran down to engage. Zafina and Lyra stayed by my sides as they fired their weapons to keep the Shadows at bay.

  The resonating energy from the cannon grew louder, like waves crashing over and over into one another. But the energy wasn’t loud enough to drown out the battle below. Hundreds of Shadows flooded the plains, filling the sky with their feral howls.

  “I have to help,” I said.

  “You can’t,” Zafina said. “We must charge the cannon.”

  I wanted to argue but she was right. I stayed in my position, firing everything I could into the cannon. The sweat was drenching my hair and dripping down my face at this point. I had to focus to keep my hands steady. My knees were trying to tell me to sit down.

  “We have this in control.” Lyra let loose with a flaming arrow that crashed into a sea of Shadows. “Just keep charging that thing and fire when you’re ready—”

  Thunder crashed through the clouds. It couldn’t be that easy to get this off. Nothing was ever easy.

  Confirming what I already assumed, something larger descended from the cloud. It flapped its wings wildly and sent a gust of wind that I felt even though it was in the valley below. I assumed it was some type of bird.

  But when I looked closer, I instead saw a giant black dragon towering over everybody. The beast’s shining scales shimmered underneath the moonlight. Its wings stretched out at its sides to make it look five-times as big as it already was. A black aura flowed around its body just like the fortress behind it. The dragon was the size as the Holy Light Cannon itself. If it got anywhere near this thing, it would do damage I didn’t want to think about.

  Its globe-like white eyes scanned the battlefield before locking onto the cannon.

  “Look at that,” I sighed. “A bright shiny light.
How can it not notice?”

  Zafina charged a fireball and sent it right toward the dragon. It pounded the beast across the face, knocking its head back and making it squeal. Lyra fired a flaming arrow to pelt its face again. But the hits were more inconvenient than damaging.

  The dragon recovered quickly then began swiping at those trying to converge on it.

  “I have to kill that thing,” I said.

  “But—” Zafina tried to speak.

  “If that dragon goes for the cannon, it doesn’t matter how much I’ve charged it.”

  The Mana Seer reluctantly nodded. “I am by your side.”

  “Lyra. You’re the last line of defense. Don’t let that dragon get near this thing.”

  “Hey, it’s a dragon with eyes as bigger than my whole body. It doesn’t stand a chance.” She winked then nocked another flaming arrow to fire at the dragon.

  “Get my back,” I instructed Zafina then took to the air. I zoomed through the sky as fast as I could then closed the distance with the beast. It turned its attention to me quickly. Anything was better than it looking at the cannon.

  As the others engaged with the Shadows below me, I held my position and motioned for the dragon to come for me. “Let’s go, big fella.”

  It reared its head back and let out a roar that they could hear all the way back in Valen. Then it lowered its head down and fired a dark energy beam from its throat.

  I fired a Radiant Beam to counter it to give me enough time to roll out of the way. I was already fatigued from charging the cannon but I was only just getting started.

  “Try this on for size.” I summoned a Stone Golem and sent it barreling forward. The pile of gray rock stomped through the grass and made a beeline right toward the dragon. Despite its lumbering mass, it moved with enough speed to catch the dragon on its leg and make it stumble. More distant shots from Zafina and Lyra kept pounding its face, giving me enough time to aim a Radiant Beam at its chest.

  “How do you like that, buddy?” The dragon howled in pain against as I seared through the thick black scales on its chest. It suddenly darted forward and swiped with its massive wing to catch me right on the chest.

  “Ungh!” I grunted as I rolled across the grass before eventually coming to a stop on my stomach.

  The dragon flapped its wings and created a windstorm to stop anybody else from advancing on it.

  “Going for the cannon… Can’t let you do that.” I pushed myself into the air and flew after it. Both hands up, I fired a Frozen Jet and a fireball at it. Both of my attacks pelted its wing, burning and freezing the thick black membrane at the same time. The dragon screeched in anger then turned its head back to spit another blast of energy at me.

  I swerved out of the way, proving all of my flying practice had paid off.

  The dragon didn’t stop though, continuing to advance on the cannon until it was hovering right above it. Zafina and Lyra fired their flames to keep it at bay and give me a chance to catch up.

  “Stay back, you big lunk!” I zoomed right to the dragon’s face and fired a Rock Burst. The hard boulders pounding its eyes and snout made it rear its head back. It flapped its wings, slowly descending to the grass to try and recover.

  My endurance was nearly drained at this point. But I had to keep going if I wanted to give the cannon as much of a charge as I could.

  The dragon swatted away all of the attacks at its face then looked back to me. What other ability could I use to slow this thing down?

  “Ahhhh!” Without warning, Rhiannon suddenly came leaping through the air. The Mana Dancer landed on the dragon’s back and sank her Mana dagger into its thick hide, the dragon’s scales not enough resistance to stop her.

  “Virgil!” she yelled. “Charge and fire the cannon! Quickly!”

  I nodded to her and rushed back up the hill to take my position at the cannon while Rhiannon, Lyra, and Zafina kept the dragon distracted.

  “Come on…” I muttered to myself as I fired Radiant Beams back on the cannon to charge it. Despite everything it’d taken already, the cannon glowed brighter and brighter until I could feel the warmth resonating from it.

  “I think that’s enough!” Lyra said. “You have to fire that thing, Virgil!”

  “Just a little bit more…” I clenched my jaw and drained every last bit of endurance I had. All of the Shadows and the dragon and whatever might be in that fortress wouldn’t matter if I could charge the cannon as much as possible. I had to hold on. I had to give everything even if it meant I might not ever recover.

  My endurance continued dropping until I fell to my knees. I kept my hands up though. My shoulders ached. My arms grew heavy. My lungs burned. It took more and more concentration to keep both beams steady.

  “Virgil—”

  BOOM!

  Lyra was cut off by a sudden explosion that rocked the sky. I looked toward the cloud billowing directly above me and saw a figure slowly descending. It didn’t take more than a second-long glance to see that it was Romanis.

  “Ah… Dammit.” I shut off my Radiant Beams and immediately turned them on him.

  He raised a dark barrier to block it as a smirk came across his face. “Hmm… You appear weaker than our last encounter. Do not disappoint me, Ultima.”

  The Herald positioned himself on the grass about thirty yards away from where I stood next to the cannon.

  “I think it’s time to fire this thing,” Lyra said.

  “I agree—”

  Before I could finish, Romanis fired another blast at the ground that knocked Lyra, Zafina, and me back. A cloud of dirt and soil filled the air as I tumbled through the sky. My body cartwheeled out of control until I landed hard on my face.

  I cleared my head as much as I could, knowing what to do. “Have to fire the cannon...” I groaned. “Lyra…”

  The archer pushed herself up to her feet then nodded to me. She struggled to stumble toward the cannon but a sudden swipe from the dragon knocked her back to where she came from. Despite Rhiannon riding the beast’s back, she wasn’t able to stop it.

  “Zafina, help Rhiannon and Lyra! Take down the dragon!” I straightened myself up and looked at the Herald across the way from me. “I’ll take care of this guy.”

  Lyra and Zafina tried to move back to the cannon but the dragon landed in front of it to keep them back. The others below tried to advance up the hill to help but a blast from the beast kept them down in the valley. It didn’t help that Shadows continued coming down.

  I couldn’t think about the others though. My only focus now had to be on the Herald standing between me and firing the cannon.

  “Do you truly think you can defeat me?” Romanis spoke with an annoying arrogance that made me want to blast a hole through his face.

  I didn’t need to beat him. I just needed to get to the cannon and fire it.

  “I’ve heard about you Heralds,” I said. “I read the files. You know they say? You all talk. Talk, talk, talk. Even some lousy ‘Paladin’ like you doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.” I used my draining endurance to summon a Light Clone. “Maybe I should shut it for you.”

  “That would be quite the feat, considering I can sense how weak you are. But perhaps you will surprise me and live up to the lofty expectations the others have placed upon you. Come, Ultima. I want to see the power of the Battle God.”

  “No problem.” I raised and fired a Radiant Beam, my clone doing the same. Romanis countered with a barrier then raised his hands into the air to summon lightning. Lines of the purple energy came crashing down into the grass, forcing me to roll out of the way. All of the explosions around me turned the grass into a minefield. My Light Clone was vaporized but I managed to get away without a scratch.

  My summons wouldn’t do me any good at this point because Romanis was strong enough to destroy them outright. I’d have to use the last of my endurance to get to the cannon and pull the trigger.

  “Is that the best you can do?” Romanis raised his hands again and s
ent more lightning crashing down. A cloud of grass and soil filled the air, blurring the sky all around me. I couldn’t match this guy’s firepower. But what could I do?

  So I just decided to go for the obvious one. Sometimes the only way in was straight through.

  The cannon stood about forty yards away from me. Romanis’s blast hit me back a lot farther than I realized. But forty yards was something I could cover… I had to…

  “What are you doing—”

  Before Romanis could continue gloating, I hovered in the air and zoomed as fast as I could.

  Ten yards were down in an instant and thirty remained when another bolt of lightning blocked my path.

  I swerved out of the way and kept pressing forward. Another ten yards down and I was halfway there.

  “No!” Romanis saw how close I was getting and flew toward me to cut me off.

  Ten more yards and he was right in front of me. He wrapped his arms around me and tackled me, sending both of us tumbling across the grass. As we rolled together, I raised my hands and punched him in the side of his head. The guy’s head was a lot harder than it looked but I kept punching until we both came to a stop.

  I put my head up and saw the cannon was only five yards away from me. I ran for it but Romanis grabbed my ankle to hold me in place.

  “It will not be that simple.” He summoned a snake made of black smoke that wrapped itself around my ankle and sank its teeth into me.

  “Agh!” I grimaced in pain as its fangs punctured through my armor and into my skin. “Two can play that game…”

  I summoned a Black Viper of my own and it immediately latched onto Romanis’s face. The Herald screamed out as he clawed to pull it off.

  A Radiant Beam on the snake holding me freed me long enough to stumble right toward the trigger on the base of the cannon. I let out a deep sigh and smiled before pushing the lever as hard as I could.

  “Lights on!”

  The cannon powered up, shaking violently with a buzz that grew louder and louder. All of the iridescent energy glowing around it gathered at the tip of the barrel like a giant sphere. I watched on my knees as the energy suddenly shot out in a beam right at the fortress.