by D N Meinster
“I didn’t say I could shift well,” Aros clarified, making a face at his friend.
“An AGT,” Rikki stated, ending the discussion. “We’ll be able to communicate to Bellish leadership from within one.”
Doren and Rikki locked hands as they walked on the outskirts of the crowd and toward an AGT. Aros stayed a pace behind them, making an attempt to count volunteers as they went.
“More than a thousand,” Aros said as they entered the waiting AGT. “How many do you think Neanthal has?”
“A hundred thousand,” a voice said as they took seats within the vehicle and dropped their hoods.
The voice did not belong to Magenine, which both relieved and alarmed him. Aros hadn’t heard a word from Her since they’d met in person. Was that meant to be the last time She spoke to him?
“How?” Doren spat out before he even realized who he was speaking to.
As the AGT door closed, a three-dimensional projection of Lestrapel materialized within. All the seats rotated until they were facing him. “We believe he’s making puppets of some of the Fauns, though we are unable to distinguish them from general volunteers. But they’ve all supplemented his army of beasts. A hundred thousand, all together. And they’ll reach the border in three hours’ time.”
“You really shouldn’t have killed the former Emperors,” Aros remarked.
Doren shot him an annoyed glance. He hadn’t plotted to kill them. He’d done it to save his own life. But it did seem that their deaths had cost them.
“Ten-to-one,” Rikki stated. “But you can even the odds?”
Lestrapel’s violet-tinned image moved towards her. “Yes, we’ll be deploying the apparatus when they are in range of the border.”
“Why not do it now?” Aros asked.
“For tactical advantage. They will not expect it, and in their confusion, your forces may attack.”
“We should have planned this out better,” Rikki said.
“I thought we had,” Lestrapel replied. “We get you three to Neanthal. Isn’t that it?”
Rikki tightened her fingers onto the staff in her hands. That was the plan. She didn’t know if she was capable of defeating such a beast, but she was glad to have her friends at her side. Without them, she wouldn’t have the courage to do this.
“And there are a hundred thousand between you three and him,” Lestrapel went on.
“We could shift to him!” Aros suggested.
“Aros wants to shift everywhere now,” Doren groaned.
“It’s not the worst idea,” Rikki said. “These cloaks let us shift faster than is typically possible. We can sneak up on him in the midst of battle.”
“Is it possible to sneak up on a demigod?” Doren inquired.
“An interesting question,” Lestrapel stated. “I suppose you’ll find out.”
“Where will you be while we’re finding out?” Doren asked.
“In Belliore, preparing for an evacuation.”
“Evacuation?” Rikki repeated, unsure what that could mean.
“If Neanthal is victorious, we do not plan on becoming his slaves again. We will leave Ghumai.”
“And go where?” Aros asked.
Lestrapel looked upward. “Those stars. There are so many myths about them. Each kingdom had its own theory, but Belliore always knew. They are other worlds, dotting our sky with their light. We breached the atmosphere as soon as the Parting was undone. The AGTs are being upgraded for interstellar travel. We will leave this world for another.”
As Doren tried to wrap his mind around their plan, he said, “Neanthal could still come after you.”
“His sights are on a world beyond our own,” Lestrapel replied. “Not up there, but to a place we cannot see. He will not bother to chase us.”
Rikki’s arm went tense as a fury grew within. “You’d abandon Ghumai?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “But we prefer not to, which is why we offer our aid. The contingency must be prepared for, however.”
“If your people would volunteer instead of run,” Doren started. “There are millions.”
“Scientists, not warriors,” Lestrapel responded. “I thought you understood this. We will not die in battle no more than we will die in chains.”
“Versil died in battle,” Rikki growled. “He could’ve stayed in hiding but he chose to fight Neanthal, to fight for Ghumai.”
“And now a millennium of knowledge is lost, preserved only in data,” Lestrapel replied. “We will help you, but we will not fight for you.” He extended an arm and the door of the AGT opened. “The peacekeepers will follow your commands. Be sure to keep them away from the apparatus when it deploys.” He looked them all over like he may never see them again. “I wish you my best.” Lestrapel gave a soft smile and then his image disappeared from the vehicle’s interior.
“They expect we’ll lose,” Doren said, hiding the fact that he expected the same.
“Not gonna happen,” Aros stated, certain that as long as the Goddess was with them, they’d pull through.
“I trusted them to save you,” Rikki pointed to Doren. “And you.” She pointed to Aros. “They offered us their weapons and their chrome men. But now that we’re outnumbered and need them, they choose to abandon the world.” If Neanthal had been marching to Belliore’s border instead of Kytheras’, then their reaction probably would have been different.
“Their apparatus could be helpful,” Doren said, trying to prevent Rikki from having a meltdown before the battle.
She stormed from the AGT, and after the rest of her friends followed her out, she swung her staff toward it and batted it into the sky.
Doren’s and Aros’ mouths went agape as they watched the vehicle soar toward the horizon. They weren’t the only ones. It caught the attention of the legion of volunteers, and when it finally disappeared from sight, their eyes locked onto the trio.
Rows upon rows of green-armored men and women stood in front of the dilapidated Outer. Their swords were holstered, their shields hung at their sides, and their daggers were tucked onto their belts. Most were scared, but some showed it more than others. They squirmed, fidgeted, or kept looking back to the structures that Neanthal damaged during his last attack hundreds of years ago. Others kept their hands on the hilts of their swords, waiting to withdraw.
The trio’s arrival was a welcome distraction, but none had expected to see the Grand Mage so easily dispose of the Bellish vehicle. But after her display of power, some seemed to be more reassured than they had been before.
Rikki sneered as she spotted the peacekeepers at the fringes of their battalion. Part of her wanted to do to them what she’d done to the AGT, but she was caught off-guard when Doren again locked his fingers between hers, and she let her animosity fade.
“Are either of you going to give a speech?” Aros asked. “Kings usually give speeches before battles.”
“Read that in the history books, Aros?” Doren replied.
“Leidess told me, once,” he recalled.
“None of us are kings,” Doren stated.
“So we should all speak, then,” Rikki insisted, lowering her hood. Her friends did as she did.
The channeling crystal on her necklace lit up, and when next she spoke, her voice was ten times louder. “Thank you for volunteering. Today, we stand with kingdoms long ago separated to defeat an evil that was thought vanquished. Neanthal marches towards us, believing he will retake Castle Tornis and recruit us to conquer the Great Bastion. But he does not see what I see. Kytheras. Belliore. The Twilight Islands. We are no longer parted. We are together. And we will not submit!”
After some light cheering, Rikki touched her staff to Doren, so his voice was amplified when he next spoke. “I am not a king. The true King of Kytheras was murdered decks ago by Neanthal. I do not ask you to fight out of some obligation. I ask you to fight to avoid annihilation. The Beast from our history texts is coming here. And what did you do? You did not cower. You did not run. You came here. Right
here. You are the bravest men and women I have ever beheld and it will be an honor to fight alongside you.”
Rikki reluctantly moved her staff onto Aros. “Hi. I’m Aros. You probably know who the Prince is. And the Grand Mage. Though, she’s only recently the Grand Mage. It was Hatswick before. I know you know who he is. He was a Thalian, but he kinda regretted it. He wasn’t all bad. That’s what I’m saying.” Both Rikki and Doren loudly cleared their throats. “Right. I’m only officially a guardian, but I’m also something more. We all are. We are all Magenine’s children. That means something to Her. She is with us, right here, right now, because She wants what we all want. Today, we do not fight for ourselves. We do not fight selfishly. We fight for Magenine! We fight for Ghumai! We will save our homes and our Goddess!”
There a massive cheer that died down almost as soon as it started.
The trio turned to face the horizon, where the first enemy soldier became visible. As it emerged from the fog, the legion of men and beast came with it. All at once, it seemed like a dark cloud was moving in.
Aros reached for his clawblades and took a step forward, but his foot instantly sank into the fresh mud. The hours of rain had turned the light plain into a muddy field.
“We can’t go out into this,” Aros shouted as the drizzle intensified. The Kytherans were used to sand and dry weather. To battle in these conditions would be to their detriment.
Doren instantly knew what Aros was referring to. “We need to keep the fighting on our turf.”
The channeling crystal on Rikki’s neck lit up once more. “All Kytherans, ten paces back. Now!”
The rows of guardians and soldiers clumsily moved backward, armors clanging and crashing as they retreated into the Outer.
The trio stayed in place, as did the peacekeepers. When they observed their soldiers finally make it into the specified position, they turned their attention back to the incoming horde.
Doren flipped the shield off his back and centered it in relation to his chest.
Aros slid both clawblades from his back and held them tensely at his side.
Rikki stood in place, her staff planted into the mud and sinking deeper as the minutes passed just like the rest of them.
“Come on, come on,” Doren whispered, on the lookout for the Bellish apparatus. As he searched sky and ground for any sign of it, Neanthal’s forces only grew nearer. The spikes on the plated armor seemed to take shape, while the grunts and howls of the demibeasts became all the more audible.
“How long do we wait?” Aros asked as the enemy closed in. They were standing in place. The peacekeepers were inactive. They were doing nothing while an army drew nearer.
Rikki took her staff in both hands and prepared to unleash whatever magic she could to slow down the Massku horde. Lightning might do it. Or further liquifying the fields of mud.
Finally, they spotted it. A dark-gray orb was floating through the sky, its smooth surface punctuated by the occasional red spark.
The Bellish apparatus appeared to target the opposing forces, eventually diving straight at them. It crashed into the horde and sent plated man and beast flying into the air as it touched down.
But the ejected Massku never returned to the ground. Instead, bolts of red lighting reached out from the apparatus and struck the displaced soldiers, disintegrating them on impact.
Red bolts burst from the orb, cutting through lines of Massku and turning them into dust. Every few seconds, another hundred were eliminated.
The apparatus did not tire as it eradicated the enemy. Red electricity grabbed hold of the nearest Massku first, and as it cut through the initial target, it struck the soldier behind them, and then the one in line behind the next.
Just as the fog was clearing, a cloud of dust sprung up to hinder their view. But this was a welcome sign.
The Massku tried to fight back, but those who charged at the apparatus met their end before they got close. Weapons that made it through the orb’s defenses merely bounced off its shiny exterior.
As the minutes passed, thousands of Massku had been disintegrated. The Bellish had been true to their word. They had created something that could even their odds.
But before hope could take root within the Kytherans, Neanthal appeared out of nowhere at the apparatus’ side. Even from a distance, he was completely recognizable. Having not dressed for battle, he remained in his body-length coat and silver-heart-adorned outfit.
As he approached the apparatus, it struck him with its red lightning like it had done so with all the others. But the attack did not affect the demigod.
It increased the rate of its electricity, sending bolt after bolt into Neanthal, but each one was as ineffective as the prior.
Neanthal latched his hands onto the device and then dug his fingers into the metal. With one swift motion, he ripped apart the apparatus, leaving half of it in each of his hands.
Having successfully disabled the device, he turned his attention to the trio that had sought its deployment. He grinned at them as he tossed the broken halves of the apparatus in their direction.
“He’s right there,” Aros said. “We should get to him now.”
Doren was in agreement with his friend. “We could end this before it starts.”
Rikki had already tried ending it prematurely, but her friends had a point. The three of them were together, and they knew exactly where Neanthal was. If they engaged with him now, they could prevent the mass casualties that would result from a direct clash of their armies.
“Let’s do it!” Rikki said. “Shift!” She spun in place, and her friends followed.
All three of them got to Neanthal at the same time. Aros even managed to successfully stay planted on the ground after shifting.
They raised their weapons towards the Beast, but his grin only widened.
He said not a word as he disappeared in a blink, leaving the trio enveloped by his Massku.
Rikki swung out her staff and pushed the incoming Massku back, giving the trio space to spin and shift back to their original location.
“He doesn’t want to face us,” she grumbled.
“He wants the Massku to finish us off so he doesn’t have to,” Doren suspected.
“So he’s scared,” Aros realized. “Of us.”
Rikki didn’t think he was actually afraid. “It’s good strategy. Facing us is a risk. But it means he’s gonna keep that between us and him.” She pointed at the incoming Massku.
“Then we’ve gotta take them out,” Aros stated. “We’ve got better odds now, haven’t we?”
“Nine to one instead of ten to one,” Doren guessed.
“We can do better,” Rikki said, and she eyed the armaments in the peacekeeper possession.
Doren looked where Rikki was looking. The Bellish weaponry might give the peacekeepers a boost, but there were only five thousand of them. They were easily outnumbered. He didn’t like their chances, but he refused to say it out loud.
Rikki turned back to the incoming Massku. The disintegration of their fellow comrades seemed to put a zeal into their step. They were approaching twice as fast now.
She aimed her staff out toward the enemy as she magically amplified her voice. “Peacekeepers. Forward.”
The chrome men sprang to life and began marching in unison.
“Faster. Eliminate as many Massku as possible.”
The peacekeepers went into a light sprint while those with projectile weapons began to fire at Neanthal’s forces.
Beams of white light stretched out from the front lines of the peacekeepers, scorching the demibeasts but hindered by the plated armor. As more plated Massku gathered together to reduce the threat from the light rays, massive translucent spikes shot out of shoulder-planted armaments. These were powerful enough to embed themselves in the chests of any Massku, even those in armor.
Smoking black orbs were shot into the air, and they hovered above the dark army before landing among them. The orbs grew and grew, consuming any Massku in
their vicinity. Each one swallowed a hundred before they shrank and dissipated. But the holes they left in battalions were quickly refilled.
Explosions tossed demibeast and Faun traitor alike, burning their targets and leaving fire in their wake.
Bubbles consumed small groups at a time, suffocating those trapped within their transparent membrane.
Lines of fire joined the light rays as they shot through the air and enveloped the Massku.
Green orbs were launched into position above the Thalian forces, sending spikes and needles in every direction. When they ran out of ammunition, they plunged to the ground and exploded.
Though a small dent was made in their number, when the Massku reached the peacekeepers, the pace of the projectiles slowed.
Jagged black swords slit into the chrome, dismembering and disarming. But the peacekeepers did not bleed. They kept on with their mission even when their internal wires were frayed and on display.
The plated Massku were able to take down several peacekeepers at a time with a single swing. Those that survived the initial attack were crushed by their heavy boots.
The Fauns had much more difficulty taking out the automatons. Though they were able to stick and slice the peacekeepers, they found completely disabling them much more problematic.
A one-armed peacekeeper continued a duel, unencumbered by the lost limb. It was only the intervention of a demibeast that eventually left the Faun victorious.
The demibeasts took on a supporting role. After ineffective direct attacks, they teamed up with the Fauns and took out peacekeepers together. The demibeasts would headbutt, bounce, claw, or bite into the chrome men while the Fauns used the distraction to decapitate or otherwise disable.
Several ray-emitting peacekeepers attempted to take down a plated together, but the Massku armor held up even against several white beams. It crushed their heads and tore off their arms before moving onto a set of automatons that only wielded swords.
The peacekeepers wielding swords and shields were able to match their opponents in skill. But there were simply too many. The Massku could overwhelm even the best-programmed combatant.
Three with swords were disarmed by the demibeasts and destroyed by their plated companions.