Xenosaber: Fury of the Stars

by Jedaiah Ramnarine

  “So that’s how they make them.” Jaival commented to himself.

  The moon elf peered around more, still trying to find his friend until finally, he saw him.

  “Danzul.” Jaival whispered.

  Danzul, alongside a group of other battered hostages, were being forcefully escorted into holding chambers by demonic guards. Jaival followed their trail, careful not to spook the guards. There was a deep relief when the moon elf found his friend was alive. He felt a chance to redeem himself, especially for Mara. Even if it was a sliver of fool’s hope, Jaival needed to take the chance to rescue his friend.

  The guards shoved Danzul and the other hostages inside a batch of crowded, mid-sized cells. Danzul didn’t fight back. So much time had passed going through all the notions of defiance that like Arya, it was beaten clean out of him – though, unlike her, quite literally. Still, if he had the chance to break free and get his revenge, he was more than willing to do it. The demons grunted, speaking an unrecognizable language most likely telling their captives to shut up and stay put.

  On their way out, a stealthy shadow waited in the dark to pounce. Before either guard knew what was coming, Jaival emerged and drove his sword through one demon’s chest, then, with a quick swipe, decapitated the other. Danzul was the first among the captives to notice the silhouette slaying the demons. He squinted his eyes for a better look at the commotion.

  “Jaival?” Danzul couldn’t believe it.

  The moon elf sheathed his sword, raised his palm at the jail cell and fired a blast of Twilight energy, splitting the cage open with an explosion. The hostages stumbled away fearfully as smoke cleared and the silhouette appeared in front of them. He tossed the fallen demon’s weapons on the floor in front of the captives.

  “Are you ready to take back Eira?” Jaival challenged them.

  “Jaival? It is you!” Danzul cried.

  The moon elf looked over to his friend, unsheathed his Starlight blade and struck for Danzul’s shackles. Freed at last, Danzul picked up the demon guard’s sword Jaival tossed them.

  “Can you fight my friend?” Jaival asked.

  Danzul trembled with excitement. He had forgotten how starved he was, how battered his body became, and above all, he forgot all notions of fear. Jaival came to the enslaved like a beacon of hope in their darkest hour.

  “To my last breath!” Danzul squeezed the hilt of his blade.

  Suddenly, the others felt the inspiration like a domino effect. For the first time, they’d seen the demons can be killed. They can be resisted. It made the captives inspired to take up a sword and fight. And that’s exactly what Jaival led them to do. Together, through a series of carefully planned ambushes, Jaival, Danzul and the escaped prisoners intercepted several guards, freed other captives, and armed them with the weapons of their slain enslavers.

  Bit by bit, the freed prisoners amassed in number. Some of the freed unofficially labeled themselves ‘the resistance.’ Word of their existence spread throughout the camp, and soon, hostages were playing along, tricking the demons to help ambushes run smoothly. Though it was only a matter of time before their tricks ran their course. Some of the demons and Void Order forces, including Magnus who had recently visited the factory, noticed something awry. Demons were missing. By the time Jaival found word of Cyrus’ location, the Order was hot on his trail.

  The moon elf found the battered paladin strung up in a crucified position on a palisade. The Void Order wanted him to suffer, mainly because of his affiliation to the Paladin Order and his connection to Baldr and Arya. The masked executioner, who was a grotesque abomination with spikes and scaly skin, poised to begin the mutation process using a scythe like weapon, etched with acid.

  Jaival drew his sword and descended from above.

  “Any last words?” The executor taunted Cyrus.

  Cyrus struggled to breathe. “What goes around-”

  Jaival’s Starlight Blade ran through the executor’s spine, killing the demon instantly.

  “Comes around?” Cyrus cocked an eyebrow.

  Did I do that? He questioned himself.

  Jaival pulled his sword from the demon, moved to its side and slashed its head clean off.

  “The Moon Elf,” Cyrus bellowed. “How did you survive?”

  Jaival struck his shackles to free him from the cross.

  “No time for that. Arm yourself and let’s-”

  An ominous wind flowed into the room. Jaival and Cyrus looked in the direction it came from.

  “Run.” Jaival finished, assured they weren’t alone.

  Mist flowed from the entrance to the room. Magnus appeared, hovering some feet in the air, Void energies surrounding him. Jaival angled his Starlight Blade at the warlock while Cyrus grabbed the dead executioner’s scythe.

  “I see you’ve come to return what belong to us.” Magnus jeered, looking at the sword in Jaival’s hands. Hordes of demons rushed in the room from every direction with spears, swords, and halberds drawn.

  “It would be wise for you to hand us the blade. At the very least, I may grant you a swift death as my gratitude.” Magnus thought of the rewards The Dark Lord would grant him for retrieving the Starlight Blade.

  “Come get it.” Jaival charged the otherworldly weapon and fired an energy wave attack at Magnus and his nearby minions. The impact caught the warlock off guard, knocking him and a few of his demons into the next room. The hordes charged. Jaival raised his hand and signaled. The resistance leapt into the fray, raining down on the demons with aerial attacks. This was no longer a stealth operation. It became a fully-fledged battle.

  Jaival, Cyrus and Danzul leapt into the fight alongside the resistance. Sword clashed against sword, spear against shield, demons were cut down, and natives were slaughtered. Magnus got back to his feet, enraged he had allowed himself to become complacent. The warlock flew into the battle, searching for Jaival, the taste of revenge foaming in his mouth. Once he caught sight of the moon elf, busy slaying demonic forces, Magnus crunched his fists, charged them with Void power, then fired a succession of energy missiles at Jaival.

  “Look out!” Danzul warned his friend amidst the battle.

  Jaival took cover; the dark missiles swooping overhead, crashing into nearby demonic foes. Magnus charged his fists again. He didn’t care how many of his minions suffered friendly fire – he could summon thousands more if needed. If Jaival was to end up dead, nothing else mattered. The warlock fired another set of missiles once more. This time Jaival paid close attention. He swatted away a few of the projectiles using the Starlight Blade then leapt for Magnus.

  The warlock soared high in the air, narrowly avoiding a swipe of the alien sword. Jaival looked up at him, charging his blade while the battle around him raged on. Magnus snickered. He had no intention to engage Jaival in either melee combat or a spell exchange. He had another idea. Magnus raised his palm at one of the chambers and fueled a hellish spell. He fired a blast that slammed into both demon and captive near the chamber, and ripped the prison cell wide open.

  Suddenly the battlefield grew quiet. Bestial snarls echoed from the newly opened chamber. An unruly power lurked within. Jaival depowered his blade and looked in the direction of the chamber alongside Danzul and Cyrus. The rest of the battlefield halted, some curious of the disturbance, and others so terrified, they ran away.

  “What was that?” Danzul questioned.

  Boom.

  A sound tremor shook the ground.

  Boom.

  It drew closer.

  Boom.

  “By the stars.” Cyrus’ jaw dropped.

  A new foe emerged from the chamber. A hulking abomination, standing over fifteen feet tall, gruesome, savage, and mad – this was no ordinary demon. Its arms had been stripped away, turned into monstrous weapons – a club on its right arm, a cutlass on the other. The beast peered over the battlefield, looking down on everyone until it finally caught sight of Jaival. The moon elf realized who this beast was. It had the same look as one he
’d fought before, though far more hideous, and disgustingly mutated.

  “Gnosh?” Jaival discerned.

  The monster’s expression went blank. It was as if it heard Jaival call its name. He breathed in deep and unleashed a terrifying roar, then, with sword and club drawn, charged for Jaival. Gnosh hadn’t a care for alliances. He batted both demon and resistance aside. All that went through the mutated mind of the former great fighter was getting to Jaival. This was round two.

  The moon elf angled his sword and charged it with energy, preparing for his coming aggressor. Once Gnosh was in range, Jaival swung a beam attack at him. Gnosh swatted it away. Jaival’s eyes widened as Gnosh drew nearer. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Gnosh raised his club high and struck for the moon elf. Jaival rolled to the side to avoid the attack. Seeing Jaival busy with Gnosh, Magnus seized the opportunity. Void missiles rained from on high, tearing through the resistance flesh and disintegrating them to ash.

  Jaival had a problem. A big problem. Gnosh was chasing him across the battlefield. He was running out of ideas. Even with the Starlight Blade in hand, capitalizing on the brute’s slowness, slashing, and tearing Gnosh’s flesh apart, nothing seemed to stop him. It was as if Gnosh’s willpower had superseded all notions of pain. He was unstoppable. No matter what Jaival threw at him, spell, sword or otherwise, Gnosh kept coming.

  It had gotten so bad that Danzul dropped his own fight to rush to his friend’s aid. Gnosh had Jaival cornered. He knocked him against the wall and readied his sword to finish the moon elf. Jaival braced for the attack, ready to dodge if necessary. Then a compulsive, sharp pain staggered him to the ground. It quickly spread to the rest of his body.

  No, not again. Not now! He cringed.

  The demonic affliction began overcoming Jaival. Gnosh, however, did not care. It wouldn’t be like it was before when he had codes of honor. This was Demon Gnosh, a mindless, hulking abomination, made for only one purpose – death. A slender elf leapt from behind the monster and stuck his weapon in its neck.

  Gnosh became irritated. He tried tossing Danzul off, but Danzul, driven by a stout will, clung to the demon with all his might, using the brute’s towering form to his advantage. Danzul retrieved his weapon and stabbed Gnosh in the shoulder. Gnosh reached for the elf again. Danzul avoided the swipe, hopped on Gnosh’s head, and drove his sword through the demon’s skull. Gnosh stood still.

  That one hurt.

  Danzul was certain of the creature’s death, but suddenly, Gnosh came back to life. The demon swiped against his own neck, intent on cutting Danzul down. Danzul timed the attack and flipped over the monster, leaving Gnosh to cut his own head clean off. The demon dropped to its knees and collapsed on the floor, dead.

  Jaival struggled to pull himself together.

  Danzul sprinted over to help his friend to his feet. “You ok?”

  “I’m fine.” The moon elf downplayed his affliction.

  The two friends looked over the rest of the battle. It was leaning in the resistance’s favor. Demons began retreating. Magnus gritted his teeth. A dark aura surrounded him, then a second later, he teleported away.

  “We can’t let him get go, he’ll alert the whole kingdom.” Danzul warned.

  “Arya. I have to save Arya.” Jaival remembered.

  “I’m with you,” Danzul peered at the rest of the resistance, then back at Jaival. “We’re all with you.”

  One of the resistance members found a lost treasure amidst the chaos. It was a token the demons kept among themselves for the sake of mockery against Cyrus. His hammer – Mordjün. The resistance member tossed the hammer at Cyrus. The Paladin dropped the savage, demonic weaponry he despicably used, and caught his beloved accomplice. Cyrus felt its holy energies returning to him, reinvigorating his flesh. He raised Mordjün high into the air and light struck from it, scaring the remaining demons away.

  “This is OUR kingdom!” he rallied the resistance. They raised their fists high and cheered. “We will never be pawn to evil! Let us take back what is ours!” Cyrus continued.

  The crowd went wild. The mere fact that they won this battle had driven their determination to a whole new level. They didn’t want to run away. They wanted to save Eira. Cyrus looked at Jaival and raised his hammer at him.

  “You,” he called, the rest of the crowd looked alongside at the moon elf. “Thank you.”

  Jaival nodded.

  “It’s not over yet. Will you fight with me?” Jaival asked them.

  “For Eira?” Cyrus questioned.

  “For Star World.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  The Resistance

  THE RESISTANCE RALLIED into the streets of Eira’s capital, taking the fight to the demons at large. The more the resistance fought, and the more they pushed the demons back, the more the enslaved natives found the courage to join them. Soon, the whole kingdom was up in arms, fighting for control. After salvaging the remains of his armor, shield and trusty hammer, Cyrus, Danzul and Jaival helmed the resistance effort. They made great headway besting the demonic forces and fighting the Void Order using guerilla tactics. After all, Eira belonged to them. They knew the place better than the invaders did.

  But not all would bode well forever. The demons were seemingly limitless in number. No matter how many were cut down, more came. It was started looking like an uphill battle. Jaival discerned the only way to stop them was to shut down the portals spawned by Void Order summoners. Cyrus kept lead over the resistance while Jaival and Danzul diverted from the main effort to take care of the summoners. On route to the summoners, who were guarded by their demonic minions atop various balconies, an overwhelming presence took to the skies with a tremendous roar.

  It forced both demon and native to heed the call. The shadow of draconic wings darkened the sky. Nidhogg swooped overhead, casting blasts of fire upon the ground, scorching all that stood in his way. The World Breaker’s scales lit up with flame, steam rose from his nostrils and his claws ached for blood. Jaival and Danzul fluttered. Both men knew it was only a matter of time before the dragon would appear. Nidhogg was furious, completely fine with laying waste to the entire kingdom.

  To make matters worse, the summoners opened portals and had teleported away with most of their demons, leaving only a few behind for Jaival and Danzul to fight. This was the World Breaker’s turn. Void Order forces were simply giving way. The two friends unsheathed their swords and clashed with the spear-wielding demons. Remembering everything they’d been through together, paired with the training of the Ancient Hero and the will to save their world, the two friends fought and bested the hordes that came at them.

  Nidhogg’s terrifying roar shook the air again. Jaival and Danzul looked at the sky and trembled. In the distance, Nidhogg stared right back at them. The World Breaker was enraged. How did they get away from him last time?! He dove in their direction, huffing a ball of flame in his mouth. Danzul thought to run but Jaival stopped him. He called upon the power of the Starlight Blade and the Twilight energies in him, then slid his hand across the sword and charged it with a powerful spell.

  “Jaival,” Danzul thought he was mad. “We must go!”

  “There is no way we can evade the blast in time.” Jaival stated.

  Danzul quizzed internally. His friend was right. Whatever Jaival had in mind needed to work. The moon elf waited till the great dragon was close, and when it finally unleashed the blast of hellfire, Jaival held the Starlight Blade forward as if he were to block. A barrier formed before him, shielding the moon elf and his friend. Fire engulfed them and everything around them. Nidhogg ascended after the attack, certain he’d reduced them to ash. He peered down to confirm the kill.

  “CURSES!” The World Breaker growled.

  Down in the rubble and ruin, the smoke cleared and Jaival with Danzul resurfaced.

  Nidhogg saw red. The dragon howled and descended toward the elves, crashing into the ground before them. Jaival and Danzul fell off their feet, staggered by the impact of the be
ast’s landing. Nidhogg readied his razor-sharp claws. If fire wouldn’t kill them, crushing and slicing them to bits would. He swiped for the elves. Both Jaival and Danzul leapt in opposite directions to confuse the dragon.

  Nidhogg went berserk. He tore down building after building chasing them, shooting balls of fire, and using his tail to bring foundations to ruin. Resistance fighters joined the elves in the fight, distracting the rampaging dragon from pursuing his primary targets. Jaival used the distraction to gain ground atop a building and surprise Nidhogg with an overhead stab.

  But, Nidhogg was equally cunning. He used the same distraction to flush the moon elf out. When Jaival leapt at him, sword drawn, Nidhogg shapeshifted into his humanoid form and leapt right back. The counter-ambush caught Jaival by surprise. Soon he was fending off a series of brutal strikes by the shapeshifted Nidhogg, using his infamous Scythe of Chaos.

  Nidhogg’s strikes were overwhelming, there was simply no defense against them. The attacks were unlike any foe Jaival had ever encountered. It was as if the dragon’s humanoid form hadn’t lost the strength of his draconic counterpart. It was difficult to deem which one was more dangerous. Jaival retreated atop one of the buildings. Nidhogg eagerly pursued.

  “You cannot escape your fate.” The World Breaker had the deepest octave Jaival had ever heard.

  The very earth trembled when he spoke.

  Jaival pointed his sword threateningly. Nidhogg released a ferocious roar and charged with a powerful swing. Jaival flipped over the attack and leapt from pillar to pillar, gaining momentum so that he’d slingshot higher into the air. Nidhogg followed, recklessly slashing for the moon elf, tearing buildings apart in his way. Jaival kept his distance. He knew better than to lock blades with Nidhogg over a test of strength. He had to rely on agility.