Jaded Dusk

by Scott Wale

  “Now we wait”, Nevit quipped holding out his dataport in his functioning hand.

  ***

  The cymutts sprung forward as if they had just come to life. This was the only cue that the archers positioned atop Aman’s wall needed to knock their arrows and defend the city. The cymutts swarmed the northern wall just as they had done in Dimday. The first wave hit the wall and began chewing through the wooden structure followed by the second wave that filled in any gaps left by the first wave. The third wave jumped on the backs of those cymutts already chewing through the wall and began boring their own holes through the defensive barrier. The fourth wave and those that followed approached the cymutt mass that was already attacking and began to span out along the walls like water flooding around an impenetrable barrier. Many of the archers estimated that the cymutt army was so numerous that they would eventually surround the entire city.

  Cerevus found himself haunted by the eerie similarities between what was happening before him and the events of Dimday. He momentarily stood still completely stunned by the increased magnitude of the current assault. Talsend, who had been standing next to Cerevus, nudged him in between releases.

  “The walls are thicker and there are more archers”, Talsend reasoned. “There’s a chance, but only if you start shooting.”

  Cerevus shook himself of his dazed state. Surrendering was not an option; therefore continuing to fight was the one and only duty he had to concern himself with. He knocked his first arrow, pulled back the bowstring and released it down into the dark accumulation of cymutts. Surely he hit something, but it felt empty and futile. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly feeling slightly inspired. He knew there was a fire inside of him and all he had to do was stoke it. He took another deep breath and momentarily held it. Upon releasing his breath he could feel the depressing thoughts finding their way out of his body. Now was not the time to sit in a frozen stupor. His people needed the premaliers, his people needed him. He knocked a second arrow, released, a third arrow, released. The rhythm was building and the effort was there.

  Talsend glanced over between shots and grinned at the sight of Cerevus who was now locked into his focus. This was the epitome of the mental test for which all premaliers had prepared and Cerevus had passed. As Talsend peered down the line, he saw the entire row of premaliers giving everything they had. The morale was still high as the wall had not yet been breached. Casualties so far only numbered on the cymutt side. The inevitable outcome existed in the mind of every premalier, but they had all pushed it to the back of their minds. The wall would not hold forever and there was no telling what it would do to the confidence of the defending force when the wall fell. The window for Fenrit to succeed with his mission was beginning to close.

  XXVIII.

  “Carelessness is not a typical trait of yours, Tradok”, Grimtav said tauntingly.

  Grimtav bent down and combed through Tradok’s pack while shifting his attention between the contents of the gear pack and Tradok. He took note of the faunite and what appeared to be a packet of food or gel. Grimtav’s attention then settled on one of the skin shield units, which he recognized as the device that Alejade had adorned. He removed the device from the pack and strapped it around his waist while maintaining an eye on Tradok. The Sauronoid remained motionless awaiting Grimtav to make the first move.

  “Faunite, eh?” Grimtav confirmed his inventory aloud. “You should know better than to think you’ll take out the controller with an explosion.”

  Tradok returned Grimtav’s glare refusing to utter a word. He had worked with the Ipta long enough to know that Grimtav despised silence and would often fill the void with the first thing that came to his mind. Grimtav would either take action or continue to prattle on possibly divulging most, if not all, of his current intentions. This would only benefit Tradok, so the Sauronoid decided to let him talk for the time being.

  Grimtav reached into his armor and removed a dataport. He brought the dataport up to his mouth and paused. He had either lost his train of thought or was attempting to ruse Tradok to do something other than stand there and return a blank stare. After a moment, Grimtav raised his eyebrows suggesting that Tradok had wasted his opportunity to intervene.

  “Monitor the controller room and activate the shield around the controller when the room is clear of a bio presence”, Grimtav instructed into his dataport.

  “Yes, sir”, came a reply.

  Tradok had nearly forgotten about the safety measure. A shield couldn’t be activated as long as a bio signature was detected in the vicinity. Many accidents had resulted in the early days of shield technology due to the fact that a shield could potentially slice right through flesh and bone during the initial projection. It didn’t take long before engineers had designed a safety measure to prevent all the amputations which were occurring due to the lack of safety precautions. Grimtav had asked Tradok numerous times to override the programming, but Tradok had claimed the programming was too integrated to override. The claim had been a lie made to preserve not only safety, but the potential of turning shield technology into a weapon in and of itself. Whoever Tradok’s predecessor was either never got tasked with this chore or simply didn’t have the capability to perform the override.

  “Your plans are now worthless and you and your primitive friends are failures that will never escape Prominence”, Grimtav boasted.

  “Faunar will never be completely under your control”, Tradok finally said having heard enough of the insults. “Besides, it’d be a sad world if we were all dominated by mammals.”

  “I don’t want Faunar, only Aman, so that I can lead my people”, Grimtav corrected the Sauronoid.

  “Beings rarely respond well to being ruled by terror”, Tradok said in an attempt to agitate Grimtav even further.

  “The Ipta are currently under the control of an incompetent leader”, Grimtav argued. “Sometimes the only way to remove that which is unaware and driven by stubbornness is through the use of force.”

  “Don’t try to rationalize your bloodlust, Grimtav”, Tradok began. “You fooled me when I was younger into thinking we were making technological progress for not just ourselves, but Faunar as a whole. It took me too long and we were in too deep before I realized your true intentions. Unfortunately, for the people of Dimday, all I could do at that point was walk away.”

  “Dimday was just a test as the cymutts are now taking back Aman for me”, Grimtav replied. “Your friends were just caught in between and it’s comical to think that any of you could stop this. I guess they didn’t know how inept you were when they hired you and neither of you knew how powerful I had become since you left.”

  Grimtav was simply stroking his own ego at this point. Tradok realized this could go on for quite some time, which was not something he, Alejade, Fenrit or Nevit had to spare. It was time to drive Grimtav towards whatever his immediate plans were.

  “The controller is as good as gone”, Tradok stated as if a matter of fact. “You, more than anyone, should know how I’m always thinking a few steps ahead. Your interruption is actually just wasting my time, so if you could step aside and let me finish.”

  “Now I’m just curious what a cowardly lizard with a flimsy piece of metal can do”, Grimtav jeered while activating his skin shield.

  Tradok watched as Grimtav activated his device and then looked down at his own skin shield still strapped to his waist. The device had been deactivated since the group had taken refuge in the security room across from the room where he currently stood. Tradok caressed his claw around the skin shield unit without activating it. He hadn’t considered it before, but this device was truly remarkable. It had harnessed the power of shields, which had been relegated to protecting large surface areas, and contained this power for the individual without endangering the user. Yes, there had been failed tests, but those problems were fixed and no one had ever been hurt. Tradok’s focus fixated on the bright green relay component, which made this all possible. Then it struck
him. Tradok lifted his gaze and let it rest on Grimtav’s waist. The skin shield that Grimtav had removed from Tradok’s gear pack did not contain the bright green relay. Grimtav had somehow equipped himself with a defective shield. Tradok could not even recollect how the device had made it into the gear pack’s inventory. A surge of adrenaline overtook Tradok’s body as he realized what he had to do. He just had to deliver enough physical force to the skin shield so the unit would collapse. Tradok powered on the skin shield and, being so overcome with determination, he didn’t even acknowledge the accompanying feeling of dizziness. He grasped the metal trim with both hands and brandished it as if it were a lethal sword. Tradok’s stance forced a malevolent grin to spread across Grimtav’s face.

  “Do what you can with your so called weapon”, Grimtav said imperiously. “I won’t even counter your first strike.”

  Tradok knew he could trust Grimtav’s offer. On top of the Ipta’s arrogance was his desire to test the skin shield. Tradok had no idea how many strikes it would take to force the shield to collapse, but the free blows would gladly be accepted. The thought occurred to the Sauronoid that he should attack grasping the metal trim in the middle allowing him to deliver multiple quick blows like that which would come from a staff or bo. The more hits, the better. Chances were Grimtav would open himself up to more strikes as the thought of Tradok’s effort against his perceived invulnerability would probably bring him some level of sadistic pleasure.

  Tradok rushed forward gripping the metal trim in the middle as planned. He repositioned his weapon as he closed in on Grimtav and speared the Ipta using his momentum from the sprint to deliver a heavier blow and then followed through with three more quick strikes before backing off. A purple shimmer appeared after each blow indicating that the shield was active and in Grimtav’s case that the shield was draining towards its inevitable collapse.

  “Pathetic”, Grimtav said with a mirthless laugh while drawing his falchion up into an attack position.

  Grimtav began to slowly close in on Tradok readying himself to put all of his strength behind a single thrust of his falchion. Tradok would be unable to parry Grimtav’s falchion with his metal trim, but he could do his best to dodge any strike and he still had his failsafe of the skin shield. Tradok was unsure how familiar Grimtav was with the shield technology and if the Ipta was aware of how enough blows would eventually bring the defensive device down.

  “Care for me to now test your protection?” Grimtav asked with ridicule.

  “No, I intend for this to be a flawless victory”, Tradok returned the jest.

  Grimtav took a broad step forward and brought the falchion down from over his head in attempt to deal a heavy blow. The Ipta was attempting to see how powerful of a strike the shield could repel, but he had left plenty of time for Tradok to side step out of harm’s way. Tradok then took a few strikes to Grimtav’s exposed side. Grimtav became infuriated by what he deemed petty shots and brought his falchion back to a position between him and the Sauronoid. Grimtav’s demeanor changed and now it was time to take the fight seriously. He began to proceed as if there was not a protective shielding.

  Grimtav began to circle around Tradok eyeing the Sauronoid’s footing and position while looking for an opportunity to strike. Tradok was not an experienced warrior and sooner or later he would make a mistake opening himself up and not even knowing it. The Sauronoid was by no means quick, but he was more than capable of dodging simple thrusts and swings.

  “I had written you off”, Grimtav began. “You had escaped and I decided not to hunt you down as I determined you posed no threat. There’ll be no escape for you this time and I can be worry free that I’ll never have to deal with you again.”

  Tradok stood across from Grimtav at too wide of an angle to side step a lateral slice. Grimtav drew back and swung his falchion narrowly missing contact with Tradok as the Sauronoid sprung back a step. The motion made Tradok realize that his metal trim was longer than that of Grimtav’s falchion by a fair amount. This allowed Tradok to reposition his claws at the end of the trim and take a jab at Grimtav from a safe distance. There was little force behind the jab, but the sight of the purple glimmer sheening across Grimtav’s body made it a success in Tradok’s mind.

  Grimtav was now enraged with his lack of progress in the fight. He had yet to make any contact and while neither opponent had suffered an injury, the hits from Tradok were taking a mental toll. Grimtav brought his falchion back into a defensive position and parried the next jab from Tradok. Tradok pulled his metal trim back towards his body and began to reposition his claws once again. It was at this moment that Grimtav lunged forward and thrust his falchion into Tradok’s chest. The impact against the shield repelled Tradok backwards and the Sauronoid fell to the floor. Grimtav wasted no time in following through and once again brought his falchion above his head and hammered it down towards Tradok’s body. Tradok rolled out of the way and made his way back to his feet as Grimtav pulled his weapon back into a ready position. Tradok’s shield had been depleted with one strike. His safety net was now gone and he was still clueless on how many more strikes he needed to deliver for Grimtav’s shield to collapse.

  “That’s better”, Grimtav complimented himself.

  “So much for flawless”, Tradok commented.

  The two began their dance anew with Grimtav stepping wide circles around Tradok. Grimtav fake convulsed a few times to see how Tradok would react. The Sauronoid held his position and remained calm despite the predicament of no more protection. Tradok began repositioning his hands back into the long jab position and Grimtav once again responded by jolting forward with his falchion held in a position of mobility that allowed him to read Tradok’s response and act accordingly. Tradok gripped the end of his metal trim and jabbed at Grimtav’s head. Grimtav instinctively protected his head by jerking it back and having the jab land on his cheek rather than the eye where it was directed. The shield once again repelled the metal trim and Grimtav struck the metal trim with his falchion knocking the metal trim out of Tradok’s claws and on to the floor. Grimtav jumped over to where the metal trim had landed and stood on top of the metal trim pinning it to the floor. Tradok had been disarmed, but as far as Grimtav knew he was still protected by the skin shield.

  “Can I have that back?” Tradok quipped.

  Grimtav bent down and picked the metal trim off of the floor. He snapped it back behind his body accidently striking himself before throwing the metal trim towards the wall behind him. The purple shimmer from the self-inflicted strike appeared, but the smooth regeneration from before had been replaced by a hiccup before the shield stabilized. It was very weak Tradok reasoned. Perhaps one more impact would be enough to cause it to collapse.

  The falchion hung at Grimtav’s side. Both of Grimtav’s arms were limp realizing that his opponent had no means of attacking him. It was almost as if the Ipta was pondering the most creative way to finish off his opponent. Tradok saw this as one final opportunity and charged at Grimtav. The Sauronoid sprung off his feet using every ounce of muscle in his legs and dove into Grimtav feet first. Grimtav was caught off guard, but managed to pull up his falchion and slice at Tradok’s leg. The collision sent Grimtav to the floor on his back and Tradok to the floor with a leg that was now bleeding profusely. Grimtav stood back up laughing at how foolish his opponent had been and now how helpless he looked bleeding out onto the pristine floor. Tradok looked up at Grimtav and the purple shimmer hiccupped once more. Then it hiccupped a second time. Then a third time. Now splotches of purple appeared all over Grimtav’s body as the shield struggled to regenerate. Grimtav looked down curiously at the purple splotches. Realizing that the shield was malfunctioning he reached to turn the device off. It was too late. The collapse was almost instantaneous and for Grimtav’s sake Tradok hoped it was as painless as it looked. One moment Grimtav stood on his feet over Tradok and the next it was as if he had vanished into thin air. Nothing existed where Grimtav had once stood. No falchion, no skin shiel
d unit and no Ipta.

  Tradok pushed himself off the ground and scowled at the pain of standing on his wounded leg. He limped over to his gear pack and opened it up. He stared at the remaining inventory. He was now free to complete his task, but what was the best way to go about it? His leg throbbed in pain and he stood above his gear pack considering all of his alternatives. The shield projector surrounding the controller, Alejade, Fenrit and Nevit’s well-being, his leg, they were all factors he needed to consider. There was only one alternative that felt to be the best fit. It ensured an explosion would be created to damage the controller. It ensured his wounded leg wouldn’t slow down the rest of the group while escaping Prominence. Most importantly it ensured a shield couldn’t be activated around the controller to protect it. Tradok reached into his gear pack and removed his dataport.

  ***

  Nevit’s dataport vibrated indicating a message had been received. He was starting to regain feeling in his alternate hand that had been numbed, but operating the dataport would require use of his fully functional hand for now. The message was from Tradok as expected. Upon opening he recognized a large file had been attached and then some accompanying text that he read aloud to Alejade and Fenrit.

  The controller can only successfully be dismantled if I stay with the detonation. The shock won’t be powerful enough to take down all of Prominence, but I suggest you start making your way out now as I prepare the explosive. Tell Alejade and Fenrit that I consider my debt to their people repaid.

  “We can’t leave him behind”, Alejade pleaded after allowing a brief moment for the message to be fully comprehended.

  “Understood”, Nevit hesitantly replied to the dataport message as his eyes changed color from black to purple. He didn’t like the idea that conflict was rarely resolved without attrition, but Nevit trusted that Tradok’s vague description of the circumstance left no other logical options. The Mortoptera still had a role to perform in working with Fenrit and Alejade to get to safety. There would be time to grieve later, but for now it was time to suppress the guilt and carry forward.