by Paul Centeno
The xyimorph exited Her Eternity’s second home, followed by Shirakaya and her fellow mercenaries. Although most of them were on edge, they couldn’t help but notice the town’s beauty. Situated atop a floating island, their vantage point revealed an entire settlement built upon a bog forest.
Descending a long staircase accompanied by cascading waterfalls on either side, Shadow Mercs entered a tourist district where aliens shopped and ate at restaurants owned by the xentari. Striding alongside a wide canal of water, Zadek and the mercenaries crossed over a narrow bridge to reach the other side.
A dense mist brewed as they descended through the town. Vines grew between many of the colorful structures, reaching up to each roof. More trees stood near the buildings. Shirakaya had an appreciation for such nature but nevertheless made haste. Eventually, Zadek guided them along another canal where several schooners were moored. He then boarded one that featured an actual sculpture of Feya Morgesis and cut its rope. The vessel drifted while the xyimorph made his way to the aft section.
“I sure hope no one notices what you’re doing,” Shirakaya said.
Zadek shook his head. “I’m confident no one here knows of what has transpired yet, so we are safe.”
“This isn’t stealing?” she responded, raising an eyebrow.
“No. All servants of House Morgesis are allowed to use Her Eternity’s property, including this boat.”
“Finally, something that makes sense,” Xorvaj said.
“Look!” the mutant blurted, pointing at the thick mist above.
“Can’t see shit,” Dojin replied.
Myris wheezed. “I sense them. Beyond the mist. There are xyimorph guards at the other home now.”
“Then we’d best hurry,” Zadek said, helming the wheel.
Steering the vessel, he sailed through the foggy canal. Although their vision was hazy due to the mist, they could make out a cliff ahead. The xyimorph guided the schooner toward it, making the group more uncomfortable as they drew closer. Even the renegade twitched as he saw the canal’s body pouring down like a waterfall into what seemed like an atmospheric abyss.
“You’re almost as clever as me,” Xorvaj said, bringing the edge of his battleaxe to Zadek’s throat. “Your scheme ends here.”
The xyimorph appeared insulted. “Don’t you know anything about magic?”
Without further ado, the schooner glided off from the edge of the canal, floating beneath the suspended island. The ghensoth snorted, disappointingly withdrawing his weapon. Myris clapped, watching the schooner fly. Xeza gave out an excited urp. The other mercenaries sat down, feeling nauseous.
In the meantime, Zadek continued helming the vessel toward the realm’s mainland. As they approached a lagoon, the xyimorph grabbed an anchor and flung it down into a body of water. When the schooner smoothly landed on the water, he promptly moored it at an adjacent dock.
“We’re here, mateys!” Myris said, beaming.
“Shut your face,” Dojin retorted.
“Yers first, scurvy cur!”
The others ignored them, trying not to lose their composure.
Zadek rejoined the mercenaries, extending a plank. “Prepare yourselves. The wyrekar’s lair is just ahead.”
“At last,” the ghensoth said, unsheathing his axe. “Something to kill.”
Shirakaya and her fellow mercenaries disembarked from the magical airship, following the xyimorph into the artificial lagoon. A chorus of insects sang throughout the bog, hidden among the wet thickets, mucky water, and meadow.
They weren’t deep into the lagoon when the synthetic heavens abruptly changed from a blue sky to a dome-shaped screen. That instant, a fair-skinned xyimorph with amber irises, white dreadlocks, and golden armor appeared on the celestial monitor. His beard was so untamed that it covered more than half his face and reached his waist. Without thought, Zadek prostrated.
“Who the hell is that glowing fag?”
Shirakaya replied, “I’m going to assume he’s the current praetor, Ghenim Yef Sarphon, otherwise known as His Radiance.”
“Greetings, my beloved people,” Ghenim said. “It grieves me ever-so-deeply to announce that this morning Her Eternity was murdered.” He paused, allowing listeners throughout the realm to react. Although she wasn’t famous, a great many people gasped in horror at the news while those faithful to her wept. “The perpetrators used an ancient wyrekar to petrify Her Eternity. Such dark magic, as we know, cannot be reversed. But fear not, my people, Her Eternity’s last championess, Lady Teiga, managed to slay the accursed beast.”
“You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me...”
“Demons be damned,” Xorvaj said, glowering. “I was looking forward to killing that wyrekar creature.”
“Jeepers,” the young oracle said. “I didn’t see that one coming.”
Ghenim continued, “All that remains are the original perpetrators who interfered in our ways and condemned Her Radiance to an eternity of stone.” The heavenly screen momentarily switched to an image of Marauder and its remaining passengers. “We managed to confiscate their battleship—”
“Radesha!” the freelancer shouted. She knelt down on the wet strands of grass, palms pressed against her forehead.
“We have reason to believe the others are hiding somewhere in the realm of Gladiosus, second home of House Morgesis,” he added. “Dead or alive, bring them to me and the reward shall be serving me as Second Prime of the Solar Throne.”
“This is bad,” Yarasuro said as the screen changed back to an artificial sky.
Myris pursed her lips in thought. “It seems we’ll have to get wing boy here to the praetor before we lose our heads.”
The sìsô produced a worried urp.
“Don’t worry, Xeza. We’ll be okay,” the oracle said with confidence, petting her. “Right, guys?”
“If they’re already reconnoitering Gladiosus,” Zadek began, “it’s only a matter of time before they expand their search down here. There should be another X-Phaser near the beast’s lair, which should bring us closer to the solar throne.” He fiddled with his KLD and went on, “I recommend we maintain our course and find that X-Phaser before they find us.”
“They already have my sister,” Shirakaya said.
“If you can take me to His Radiance without Teiga spotting me, I can elucidate the truth of what occurred at House Morgesis and exonerate all of you...your sister and any others aboard your battleship included.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Dojin said.
The freelancer inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to remain calm. “Keep leading the way, Zadek.”
Not wanting to waste any more time, the group ventured farther east through the lagoon. Together, they climbed across muddy knolls and avoided a creek whose tide raged against their direction. While the xyimorph had the ability to fly over it, the others couldn’t. The mercenaries had no choice but to take a longer route, passing between numerous trees.
Vines blocked their path, forcing Xorvaj to slash them with his axe. Dojin assisted him with his plasma shotgun, blasting clusters of creeping vines riddled with thorns. Hoping the sound of his gun hadn’t been heard, they made haste downhill. At the bottom, they waded across a wetland littered with mud-covered leaves and wilted flowers.
Beyond the marsh, Zadek pointed eastward. The mercenaries gazed in the direction of his gesture and saw a cave. Charging forward, they reached its threshold in less than a minute. With the exception of Myris, who hovered forward with ease, they needed to catch their breath when they arrived. Xorvaj was the only one who stopped panting right away and promptly entered the cavern.
“Is this the lair?” Shirakaya asked, panting.
Zadek nodded. “Forgive me,” he wheezed. “I’m not used to being on my feet like this. An X-Phaser should be up ahead.”
“Hold on,” Dojin said. “Now that I think about it, why would a teleporter be in a cave?”
“Because they’re not aesthetically pleasing to our eyes. We live in
nature, even if it is artificial. We don’t want to be reminded at every turn that our city is a technological marvel. Instead we immerse ourselves in nature, hiding tech—”
“All right, I freakin’ get it,” Dojin interjected. “You’re all gay and love prancing around in nature.”
Myris couldn’t help but giggle at his absurd comment. The xyimorph merely shrugged. Just then, Xorvaj stepped outside, revealing his jagged, razor-sharp teeth. As gruesome as it made him appear, it was his attempt at smiling.
“Found it.”
“Excellent,” the freelancer said, approaching him. “No more small talk. Let’s get the heck out of here so our names can be cleared.”
Dojin loaded his gun with a plasma clip before entering the cave. The others followed after him. Xorvaj led the way for a change. With the exception of the ghensoth and mutant, the others struggled to see. Activating her pauldrons’ built-in flashlights, Shirakaya lit the way for everyone else and allowed them to press on.
At a fork in the tunnel, Xorvaj chose the left passage. After a couple of twists and turns through the moist cave whose jagged walls appeared wet, they came across an X-Phaser. It stood behind a couple of thick stalagmites in a corner. Zadek went inside the capsule, inputting a code on a panel.
“All right, it is safe to enter,” he said.
The mercenaries joined him inside the large capsule. As usual, Xorvaj needed to hunch over in order to fit. Within seconds, they vanished from the cavern. Rematerializing inside another cave, the Shadow Mercs swiftly exited the pod and sprinted until they were outside. Breathing in what felt like fresh air to them, they basked in the sunlight and beauty of the surrounding waterfalls—at least until a hundred winged xyimorphs flew down, weapons of all kinds at their throats.
“Should we surrender or waste these scrawny faggots?”
Shirakaya cursed under her breath at Dojin’s question. “Let me think. An army of a hundred against six...hmmm?”
“Make that five,” Zadek said, stepping away from the group.
The legion of xyimorphs bowed as a beam of light appeared all the way from the high heavens down to the ground, at which point Praetor Ghenim and Lady Teiga emerged. They strode at a leisurely pace toward the band of mercenaries. Zadek, meanwhile, advanced in their direction with confidence. As soon as Teiga saw him, however, she flinched.
“Zadek?” she gasped. “You’re alive...”
“Precisely,” he said, bowing before His Radiance. “Praetor Ghenim, I witnessed the attack at House Morgesis. It was Lady Teiga who unleashed the wyrekar, betraying Her Eternity.” An uproar began among the surrounding legion. “She also hired these taxing aliens to deal with any loose ends. In fact, she even planned to have them assassinate you so she could steal the Solar Throne.”
“Lies!” she shouted, waving a hand in protest. “These are horrid lies, Your Radiance. I would never commit such atrocities.”
The legion’s tumult grew louder.
“Silence!” the praetor bellowed. “There is only one way to deal with this troublesome situation.” He struck lightning at both Zadek and Teiga, sending them across the canyon of waterfalls until such power disintegrated them. “As for these miscreants, they shall receive Fury’s Judgment!”
Before the freelancer or her comrades had a chance to present alibis, xyimorph guards knocked them all hard on their heads, rendering them unconscious.
VIII
The Witch’s Ultimatum
A few hours later, Shirakaya awoke. At first, her vision remained blurry. She took deep breaths, filled with anxiety. Eventually, she was able to see better and found herself hanging inside a dungeon—her limbs chained in dalikonium manacles. While irrationally pulling against the enchanted shackles, she heard a girl weeping.
“Myris?” she called out. “Myris, don’t cry.”
“Too late, bitch,” Dojin said, dangling beside the freelancer. “She’s been crying for...let me think...over a fucking hour!”
“It hu-hurts,” the young oracle said between sobs. “An-and the-they took Xe-xeza.”
Shirakaya gulped heavily. She remained silent, accepting the abysmal situation. As soon as her vision returned to normal, she saw that her crew were shackled in the same cell as her, including Radesha. With the exception of Khal’jan and Rah’tera, they were all imprisoned. Though it pained her neck, she gazed up at her sister.
“Resha, are you all right?”
“Don’t speak to me,” she rasped, coughing hard.
Hanging near the ceiling, Yarasuro looked down. “I’m relieved you’re awake. You had us worried.”
“Thank you, Yaro. Not sure why I was the last one to wake up, but we need to get out of here fast. I’m going to assume not even Xorvaj can break these manacles.” His answer was a growl, at which point the freelancer went on, “Vokken? Vokken? I know you can hear me. We’re in trouble and need your help.”
His face appeared on her kinetic link device. “I was wondering when you’d reach out to me. I saw everything. Though you may not be able to comprehend my interpretation, what has transpired is exhilarating in a tragic way.”
“Typical asshole,” Dojin said.
“This is not the time for your twisted retorts,” the freelancer groaned through her bodily aches. “How are the others? Is my brother all right?”
“I dare say they are much better than you are. But until this ordeal gets resolved, I’m afraid everyone will be stranded at Jye Xeu Zeikein. Fortunately, there is a solution to this most unfortunate turn of events.”
Xorvaj roared. “Spit it out!”
“But of course. I managed to record Teiga’s attack at House Morgesis.” In a heartbeat, the prisoners’ eyes widened as Vokken went on, “Showing the video during Fury’s Judgment would be rather simple. There is, however, a catch. Considering that Feya Morgesis has been petrified and is considered dead, I’ll be more than willing to reveal this footage if and only if my queen can have her body.”
Shirakaya scoffed. “Eladoris wouldn’t want a petrified xyimorph.”
“We have all seen her magic,” Vokken said. “There is nothing that can compare to it. Her power would, beyond the shadow of a doubt, reverse such petrification. Furthermore, her power is exactly what we need to vanquish Koth’tura.”
“I’m not sure,” Shirakaya said.
“Don’t do anything you’ll regret later, Shira,” the mutant said. “Perhaps there is another way out of this?”
The renegade scowled at them, “No, there isn’t. Just fucking agree already.”
“Please,” the oracle said weakly. “I told you there’s good in her. If she helps us, we may be able to save Xeza.”
Shirakaya sighed, eventually giving a feeble nod.
“One door closes and another opens,” Vokken said, producing a cybernetic smile. “Stand by for exoneration.”
Vokken ended the kinetic link.
“That artificial scumbag better not double-cross us,” Dojin said.
The freelancer shook her head. “Vokken could’ve told her about the body and left us to rot in here without even informing us that he recorded the video. Whether or not his motive is truly to eliminate Koth’tura, he apparently believes we’re significant.”
“Interesting,” the mutant said. “I would’ve never been able to see that perspective. You are as insightful as always.”
Dojin rolled his eyes. “Yes, so insightful...who gives a shit! I just want to get the fuck—”
“Judgment is upon you,” interjected a xyimorph, approaching their jail cell and unlocking the door.
Once the door opened, a brigade of xyimorphs flew up and unsealed their shackles while flapping their wings in midair. Still cuffed in manacles, the prisoners were taken to an X-Phaser where they ported to a celestial chamber with seating akin to a coliseum but on a much larger scale. From there, they were carried to a bridge surrounded by what seemed like the entire populace of Jye Xeu Zeikein. Across from it was a glowing plinth suspended in midair, where His
Radiance sat on the solar throne.
At the bridge’s arch, Shadow Mercs passed a statue of an empowering female xyimorph with a memorial at its feet. Looking back, Shirakaya realized it was none other than Her Eternity, trapped in stone. Behind the praetor and crowd—beyond the polarized walls and multiple force fields—was the entrapped star. Suspended in majesty, it radiated with flares, empowering the artificial planet.
To the freelancer, Jye Xeu Zeikein’s star looked like an endless wall of flame and energy. She couldn’t take her weary eyes off it while she and her comrades were led to Praetor Ghenim who glared at them with wrath from his throne. When the xyimorph guards reached the end of the bridge, they halted with their prisoners.
“Welcome to Fury’s Judgment,” the praetor said, rising from his throne and descending steps leading to the bridge. “Here, the Eternal Fury looks upon each and every one of you. The Eternal Fury alone brings condemnation. Once purified, the life-force of your souls will merge with the sun and be used as an additional means of rejuvenating our sacred realm.”
The crowd cheered at his words.
“He makes execution sound good,” Dojin whispered to the freelancer, at which point she jabbed his stomach. “Ow! Feisty as always.”
“That witch better come through for us,” Xorvaj said.
“Silence!” the praetor roared. “For your treacherous crimes against Her Eternity, you shall all face the sun’s fury. Furthermore, your races shall be banned from our city for a decade. Those already visiting our divine sanctuary will be deported. My brothers and sisters, today we witness justice.”
“I don’t wanna die,” Myris said between sobs.
The citizens of Jye Xeu Zeikein praised him, applauding in agreement. As they cheered, an unexpected sphere of energy erupted from within the star. The audience and mercenaries gazed at it in wonder. Some of the crowd winced or shrieked, afraid that something dreadful had happened to their precious star. Praetor Ghenim turned, his eyes fixed on the pulsating power.
At a speed that nearly matched FTM travel, the spherical energy reformed into a wavy entity and launched from the sun’s corona. It zoomed through the barriers and semitransparent walls like a beam, directly toward the central statue. Thousands of people screamed, most of them rising from their seats. Just then, the sculpture cracked. Pieces of stone split and crumbled as if being chiseled off the statue by an unseen force. Xyimorphs gaped at the phenomenon in utter disbelief. Even the praetor gawped, shoving the haggard prisoners out of his way as he approached the fractured sculpture.