There was a storm in the distance. Gold snapped to attention to face it. It wasn't too far off. He gathered as much energy as he could and blasted off towards it leaving a golden trail in his wake. Lightning and plasmaspheric wind obscured whatever was at the eye of the storm and when Gold got too close he was halted by the Masks of his fallen opponents.
Gold: "Child's play. I have no problem breaking your toys Masked Ones."
Gold dashed at the Masks and threw a series of punches and kicks at the surprisingly nimble creations. They dived, dipped, and dodged his attacks and flew off into the dark recesses of space leaving only Gold and this widening storm. The storm now had a different feel to it. Before it seemed conservative, small, and timid, but now it was angry and voracious.
Gold: "No more of this. BE GONE!"
Gold release a stream of golden light into the eye of the storm and produced a large golden explosion. The space around rippled with more solar wind and heat that was quickly dispersed leaving only a grisly image.
There was a new opponent on the battle field. Some sort of beast, but it looked to be Rotkennk.
Gold: "What the hell are you Monster?"
The Eye of the Storm
The storm had subsided and in its wake left a disquieting stillness. There had once been three figures fighting this momentous battle that hardly a planet could contain. They were ungodly or divine creatures, depending on the watcher's perspective, with unfathomable destructive potential. Now, however, there was only one member of this powerful Rotkennk race floating in space. He stared, with his golden fire fueled eyes, to where the storm had been, at a horrid beast of unknown origin.
Gold: "What in the hell are you monster?"
The beast hovered where the storm once was. It was twice the size of K'OS' sons, the Masked Ones, who both stood at roughly ten feet tall while transformed. It stayed still and seemed to be surveying Gold. Gold waited for the monster to make a move.
Gold: "I cannot take much more of this. One of us will die now or later. I won’t wait any longer."
Gold flared up his aura and condensed it as much as he could.
Gold: "I must make this hurt."
He boosted himself forward with as much force and speed as he could muster in an effort to take the beast unawares.
The beast barely reacted and moved itself slightly out of Gold's path with no effort at all. Gold glided by it in shock. Once he passed it he saw that it was visibly angered and alert. Its tall horns which were previously set against its chest were now raised upwards. Its mask was a skull with six enflamed eyes and horns on the side of its head that jutted upwards crookedly. Past its feet a tail swung about almost playfully, but most likely from pure excitement. Nothing about this beast was playful especially when one considered the wicked black blade that stretched forth from the end of its tail.
Gold: "That was good creature, but now you've made me angry."
Gold launched a huge energy globule that he had been charging, at the creature. It was swatted away effortlessly by the monster. Gold launched another one, this time faster, but the creature skewered it with its tail and devoured the projectile with an impossibly huge monstrous mouth.
Gold: "I don't know what you are, but I have more where that came from. Feast on this!"
Gold brought forth a grid of nine spherical projectiles in front of himself. As he charged them the spheres grew larger and larger until they nearly begin to touch one another.
Gold: "Yes! That's it. Charge, charge, charge!"
The creature didn't make a move. It merely stared at Gold looking angry yet fascinated.
Gold: "Hehehe. That's fine, make it easy for me. Three by three barrage!"
The spheres from the grid exploded forth shooting rapid fire projectiles towards the creature. The projectiles exploded upon making contact with it, but Gold didn't stop there. He continued to shoot forth these projectiles from the grid even after the initial explosion.
Gold: "Just like the other two. Nothing escapes my fiery golden light. Hah-"
A swift energy pulse rippled past Gold and would've crashed into him had he not dodged at the last second. His hand was not so lucky and was burned and felt numb from the brief contact.
Gold: "That was a different sort of energy. It was blue. Could it have been Positron?"
His thoughts were interrupted when another blue pulse came at him. He was ready this time and made sure to dodge it completely.
The monster was unmoved and looked to be pointing its horns in Gold's direction.
Gold: "Those aren't horns they're cannons! Ok so you weren't moved by that attack? We'll just have to add more power."
Gold created six grids, like he had done before in his battle with Xen, and sent them to surround the beast. He flew closer to get the most out of charging them. A grid was placed below the monsters feet, above its head and to all four sides around it. Since it had decimated Xen so well earlier Gold now had a name for it.
Gold: "You won't survive this, Murder Cube!"
The sheer volume and speed of the golden projectiles had completely obscured Gold's view of what was happening, but he knew that the monster was being ripped to shreds and burned inside of that cube of death. There was no way out, Xen had learned that the hard way.
BOOOOM!
An even larger explosion had sent the energy orbs scattering throughout the cosmos. This wasn't of Gold's doing, he knew. Before he could think, something was upon him and grabbing him by his throat roughly, crushing much of the life out of him. The beast's grip had no give to it. Gold felt helpless as he tried to kick his way free to no avail. His own physical strength was nothing in comparison to this mad beast. Its fiery yellow skull bore down upon Gold like the sun, huge and hot, and was nearly half the size of Gold's body. Its voice boomed in Gold's mind.
Creature: "Weak. Weak! Weak. Weak!"
The creature had two voices, one slow and ponderous the other quick and erratic. Gold hadn't heard either voice before. They then spoke in tandem.
Creature: "To waste such power on you was a mistake. You are not worthy."
Gold: "What are you creature?"
Creature: "Not weak. Rotkennk."
Gold: "You are them, the Masked Ones? You brothers are more terrifying than I had imagined."
The giant Rotkennk creature flexed its claws down on Gold. Even whilst being strangled Gold didn't let his newfound bravado die away.
Gold: "But nothing I can't handle."
Gold flared his aura up and summoned forth as much power as he could. The creature's hold on his throat tightened however and it grabbed his left arm.
Gold: "More POWER!!!"
His powerful aura had now surrounded both him and the creature. Tiny wisps of smoke were rising from the creature's body and became bigger and more numerous the longer the creature held him. The monster didn't flinch however and it didn't hesitate either. With minimal effort it ripped the arm from Gold's shoulder socket. Gold screamed out in pain and though realistically not even he could hear anything thanks to the vacuum of space that surrounded him, his voice rang out clear as day. The Builders were the most biotic organisms on K’OS and so Gold bled briefly until the nanites quickly stopped the blood loss and offered him some pain relief.
The monster still held him tight by his other arm, the one he was glad that he still had. It pulled him closer much faster than he could react to and into one of its massive knees. Thanks to the pain, Gold was losing much of his concentration and his aura began to fade. Because of that he caught the full fury of the monster's knee thrust. Before he could fully contemplate this new pain, the beast kicked him upwards of his current direction. He was left to his own devices, but was losing consciousness fast. If there were anywhere to fall or any gravity to help the process he would've done so already, but all he could do now was float. He waited for the end, but it was taking a lot longer than it should have.
Gold: "I...I (coughing)...I am a fool. My power led to my doom, but I was the one that h
astened it."
He could still summon power, but now he was tired. The experiments performed on him by the Overmind's had taken their toll, escaping had taken its toll, running had taken its toll, and fighting with the Masked Ones had taken its toll. If he were somehow able to survive this fight what did he have left for him? He could see nothing, but more of this pain and destruction in his future, more of this dogged pursuit of his very power and he didn't want more of that. Maybe it was the timid Builder in him that craved to be able to create and to not be the cause of destruction.
Gold: "I honestly had fun with this...this power. It is accursed that much is certain, but...being able to outmatch the Masked Ones was a joy."
He called out to the Rotkennk beast telepathically.
Gold: "Monster, you who are what remains of the Rotkennk brothers Xen and K! Face me! Finish me! No more of this farce, you have had your fun. Now end this!"
Unbreakable
Finally the end was at hand. The Rotkennk Builder turned experiment Gold was finally ready to meet his end. It would be the end of it all, his torture, his suffering, and his persecution. He smiled as he thought of the silence. He didn't know why either. Death was dreadful and if legends were to be believed then he would simply return to the Rotkennk collective matrix anyway reprogrammed and then remade into some other Builder ignorant of his past.
Gold: "I won't be lazy. I'll go out fighting, using these same powers that were given to me by the Rotkennk rulers against them."
Gold flared his aura again one final time. He charged as much power as he could in his small window of time and condensed the power inwards. He was more than conscious now as the golden power had seemingly produced a feeling of drunkenness that even his nanite healing abilities could not stop.
Gold: "How shameful. I cannot believe that I like this so much. Perhaps it is best that I die here. This power is like to turn me into a monster hehehe."
Down below him he saw the bright blue light. Most likely Positron energy and it was being charged in high volumes. It looked like two bright blue stars that were slowly getting closer, but behind them Gold knew that there was a terrifying beast of Rotkennk origin. Somehow the sons of K'OS, the Masked Ones Xen and K had become this beast after their defeat at Gold's hands. Separately their power had nearly been enough to defeat Gold when they worked in tandem, but now that they were truly combined their ferocity had been completely unbeatable. The creature below him didn't even seem like the brothers at all. It was truly a monster.
Gold: "Now's my chance! Before this monster can charge up its attack completely, I will charge it!"
Gold rapidly pushed towards the creature with a massive explosion of golden energy. As he propelled himself at speeds rivaling space cruisers he charged more energy into his remaining arm. His aura dimmed as the energy switched route and was refocused. The energy in his right hand had now become blinding. For the first time the energy had become hot to Gold's touch. It was so hot that he nearly released his hold on it. He instead held on and charged it more, sure that it wasn't strong enough to do the job.
Gold: "Almost..."
He was much closer now and could actually see the Rotkennk beast's outline behind all the blue energy it was charging. He counted to himself hoping that the creature needed as much time as he thought it would need. Once the heat in his hand became too much to bear he knew that now was the time.
Gold: "Now!"
While still keeping his blinding momentum he released a massive wave of golden energy in an unfiltered stream which moved exponentially faster than the speed that he was moving. So much light lit up the area that it looked as if the sun itself had exploded, beautifully and wildly, and with incredible warmth. This small pocket of space was actually warm. The creature took note and tried, in vain, to stop the oncoming wave of golden light. It fired its two massive blue projectiles, but they were quickly engulfed and redirected into the beast.
Though nothing could be heard in space, Gold swore he could briefly hear the beast crying out in agony. In an instant it was all over and Gold looked on as his golden energy traveled far and fast. After a while he couldn't see it anymore, but then saw the light briefly flash in its final explosion.
Now he was alone and tired and for the first time since his captivity — cold. Despite all of his fears he had survived which he had also feared. But he was spent. The little energy he had he was using just to stay afloat and alive, but he wasn't sure how long he would be able to stay conscious. As soon as he lost consciousness he would lose his aura of golden energy and once he lost that then space itself would claim him. He couldn't survive raw out here like the Masked Ones. He didn't even have enough power to fly back to the graveyard planet. He would die here, he knew. He figured that before he even launched his final attack.
Gold: "It's much better to die being the most powerful in the universe than a weakling. My how far I've come."
He laughed until that effort was too much. His eyes were becoming heavier and heavier. He had beaten the Masked Ones only to lose to sleep. How odd. He laughed again. Space was slowly losing its stars. The ones from the bottom and top were slowly being devoured by a darkness even darker than space itself. That's when something flashed before his vision. It was quick, but it startled him to consciousness again.
Gold: "The Masks? They're back, but why?"
He pushed himself to follow, slowly but surely. The Masks had flown in the direction of his blast and eventually he managed to catch up to them.
Gold: "Oh no! This can't be!"
The Masks looked to be pulling what was left of the Rotkennk brothers. They were in a sorry state, the both of them. Both were bisected horizontally from the torso, burned, and missing more than a few limbs. Their own original Masks had returned to them in this state. A yellow skull of fire for K and a yellow skull of thorns for Xen.
Gold: "This is utter madness!"
Xen had looked up at him with fire in his hollow eye sockets.
Xen: "No this is justice."
K: "Our father's will is absolute. You will return to us. Alive —"
Xen: "Or dead."
Gold: "Not at all. You're in a sorrier state than I am."
Xen: "You betray yourself with your ignorance at every turn. To me Blade-dancer!"
K: "To me Darcell!"
The Masks merged with their masters, but had failed at creating the Masked Warriors Dar'K and Blade-dan'Xen. Instead the Masks had provided the necessary nanites for both K and Xen to regrow their lost limbs and recover from some of the damage. Once they absorbed the Masks they stretched their new limbs. Xen telepathically talked to K on a separate communication channel.
Xen: "This is it, brother. We need to finish him now before he can muster any more power."
K: "He's on his last legs. We can bring him in alive still."
Xen: "So are we if you hadn't noticed. We can't risk any more attacks from him. Our Masks won't be operable for some time after this. They'll need a lot of time to recover."
There was silence between the two that lasted a while as K thought it through.
K: "Darn it all! You're right. We can't risk it."
K switched his mental channel with that of the golden fighter.
K: "It was my intention to bring you back with us alive Gold. But I can't do that. You have proven to be too dangerous and it is beyond my ability to bring you back alive. I am sorry to you and to my race. I wish there was another way."
Gold pondered that. He wanted to say that they could always leave him here to complete freedom, but when he thought about it, that freedom would be ever so brief and the cold vacuum of space would soon have him.
Gold: "It is your choice. I am done. There is nothing I can do. Either you or space will have me."
K: "Then prepare for the end."
Gold: "I've been ready for a while now."
Gold found himself wrapped in a thin layer of darkness that was colder than space and seemed to be sucking the life right out of him, he wa
s getting groggier. He looked over at Xen who looked to be holding a dim blue light in his hand. It glowed a little brighter and cloaked his upper body in a pale blue light. They have only a little bit more in their reserves than me, he thought to himself, they don't have to worry about surviving in space though.
K: "It has been an honor to fight you. I wish we could fight again. Goodbye warrior."
And then the cold wasn't so cold and Gold closed his eyes.
******
"That is enough Masked Ones!"
A voice telepathically boomed into the minds of the brothers. Xen fired his Positron energy wave at Gold, but it was deflected with little effort. It merely bounced away. Xen clenched his fist in anger. A shiny new figure stood where the blast was set to detonate and it cradled Gold in its arms.
"You have had your fun, now it's time for you to go."
K to Xen: "The other anomaly. I wasn't aware that they were in the same sector."
Xen to K: "This one can hide his power well. That alone makes him more dangerous than Gold. Our radars can't even detect him."
"Looks like I was too late to this fight. I wanted to get here sooner to help. Together we could've beaten even the sons of K'OS."
Xen's blast hadn't even left a scratch on the Rotkennk warrior's silver body.
Xen: "The fight isn't over yet."
"Spare me. My brother brought you to your limits and now I can beat you both easily enough, but I'd rather get him out of here. So for today let's call it a draw."
K was amused by this new guest, Xen was not. He bristled at the disrespect, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Xen: "Get him out of here. Just know that we'll be back, both my brother and I."
"And my brother and I will be ready to meet you."
Story of K: An Infinite Golden Light (Sci Fi Action) (Space Fiction) (Robot Fiction) Page 3