Again the white radiance returned to his hand. He aimed a bit in front of the youth, and let another crackle of energy fly. This time the exploding stone was in the Nukari beast’s path; he dodged left, then right. Chunks of debris bounced off him, each resulting in a pained grunt. Mencari smiled. This tactic could work!
Reaching with the other hand, he unleashed another bolt of energy. This time the youth nearly flew directly into the bolt before it passed him.
“Stop fighting me and let me help you,” the woman’s voice said. Apparently the Nukari beast and its ally were not on good terms. “Unless you want to spend more time in the Siege Box.”
“If I get out of this,” he heard the youth say.
Confidence swelled within Mencari.
“You will if you listen to me,” the female said.
“Try dodging both!” Mencari yelled, allowing light to gather and discharge from both fists.
With a cry, the beast narrowly dodged the first blast, only to be pummeled hard by the resulting rocky explosions from simultaneous hits against the wall. The beast tumbled and crashed against the fissure’s far wall. A gash opened up in his arm, and it crashed hard into a plateau of rock.
“Jask!” the voice said. “Jask!”
So that’s the beast’s name? Mencari thought.
It didn’t seem to be moving. It just lay there like a bug on a windshield. Mencari approached cautiously, both hands glowing and ready to unleash a deadly strike. Capture was the better option. The beast could know something useful, updated information.
He suddenly wished for a D’mok ability to bind or cage an enemy. How was he going to deal with the creature? If Cogeni was near, he could use the Demas Beads to constrain it.
He looked the beast over, drawn to the wound on the arm. There appeared to be a three-inch gash in the skin there. As he got closer, he saw it wasn’t skin at all, but rather the outer layer of some type of suit. Dots of red blood covered tan skin. The suit around the wound swelled, then spewed a clear liquid across the breach. Before his eyes it congealed then turned black. The suit was mending itself.
“I got him!” Mencari said, after tapping his communicator. “I’ll need help.”
“Naijen and Decreta chased the other two Nukari beasts into the same hole you and that little one disappeared into,” Allia replied. “Be careful.”
He fought back a chuckle and said only, “Thanks for the heads-up.”
Then he reached down and pulled the youth’s arms behind his back, and slowly floated away from the plateau. Looking into the darkened fissure, a foreboding gripped him. Did the smaller beast have a tracker on him? He heard some sort of voice talking to Jask. The other two Nukari beasts could approach from any direction.
He wasn’t even sure which direction he needed to go to head back. “Minea, can you help me track back—please?”
A soft laugh whispered in his ears through the augmented reality device Toriko gave him. “Of course,” Minea said. Looking through the AR lens, he saw a glowing dashed line and arrow to point the way to go.
A muddy blue light radiated in the darkness ahead, and with it a feeling of dread filled him. How was he to fight the other two Nukari and keep the small one prisoner? “Decreta, Naijen, where are you?—”
Like raging comets, the two Nukari beasts blasted around the bend, mouths and fists radiating angry light. Horror struck him. They wouldn’t dare attack him while the youth was in their way.
A sense of shock coursed through his body as the pair unleashed their attacks. Pushing the youth forward, Mencari redirected his energies straight up. He heard the soft female voice cry, “Jask, wake up!”
The youth’s body spun in place as the blasts approached. He noticed the youth’s eye slits turn blood red. In the instant before the attacks reached Jask, his body twisted like a marionette’s, affording just enough clearance for the blasts to pass. Tiny jets on Jask’s feet activated and sent him careening in the direction opposite Mencari.
The two Nukari beasts peeled off, one directly toward Jask, the other straight at him. A moment of panic was quelled by the golden auras illumining the darkness just behind the beasts. Decreta’s Hell Fire blast spewed from his mouth like a blazing river of plasma. The beast headed toward Jask shrieked as its legs were painted by the fire. Its armor melted, and skin charred black in an instant.
A flash drew Mencari’s attention back to the other Nukari beast, which approached with incredible speed. Instinct threw his body in an arch backward, as a pulse of light whizzed past. In the next moment, he saw Naijen swipe into the space before him, his Skar radiating with light. Following the arc of his motion, a blade of energy flew toward the Nukari beast. Summoning his own might, Mencari flared and burst backward out of the way. The Nukari beast and the blade of energy narrowly missed him.
“Glad ya dodged that, friendly fire’s never good,” Naijen snorted, chasing the beast.
The beast howled as the blade of energy carved a deep gash into its back. Mencari was surprised the attack wasn’t more potent. Perhaps the muddy-blue aura had sapped some of Naijen’s attack before it hit.
Everything began to move in slow motion around Mencari. A sensation of familiarity came over him. His hand wanted to grip tight and his body demanded he focus his energies. The feeling was equal parts curious and unsettling, as if his body dictated his actions without his conscious mind.
Giving in to the feeling, he filled with an excited tension. His fist gripped, and the muddy blue auras around the larger Nukari beasts flared. Thin streams of their energy broke off in wisps, which streaked into his hand. There, the energies mixed with his own blazing white light. Instinct drove him to pull his fist toward his chest, then fling it forward. Time appeared to normalize as the combined energies leaped from his hand. A blazing spear of light streaked toward the largest Nukari beast with blinding speed. It didn’t have time to evade before it speared though the creature’s back and exploded out the chest. The beast shuddered in a silent scream before spiraling unrestrained. Lifeless, it smacked hard into the rocky walls.
“No!”
Mencari turned and saw Jask had recovered, his golden aura turning a brilliant, bloody-red color. He’d seen that before with his own aura, whenever his mind was lost to rage. Orbiting rings of red plasma flew around Jask, then exploded outward. The rippling energy washed around Jask’s compatriot and struck Decreta’s mighty wings, which seared instantly. Mencari watched in horror as the blast approached. If he moved, it would strike Naijen too.
Mencari reached out his hand, intending to reinforce the protective D’mok aura. When Jask’s attack struck, rather than straining to maintain his barrier, the red energies shattered like ice against a wall.
Gripping both fists, Mencari summoned his own power and returned fire. Seeing the incoming blast, Jask’s red aura blazed with fury. As it struck, to Mencari’s surprise, his attack shattered harmlessly like fireworks around Jask.
I can’t attack him either? Mencari thought, puzzled.
“I will never forgive you!” the youth shrieked. And with that, the space around him distorted with his searing red aura. With unnatural speed he blazed forward, grabbing the body of the charred Nukari beast. Mencari could feel intense heat as Jask passed by. After snagging the second beast, Jask’s red brilliance flared so brightly Mencari had to look away.
Mencari felt vibrations, and then a deep rumbling in his bones. The red light dimmed. In place of the youth, a tunnel of fused rock now cut through the asteroid out into space. The Nukari beasts were gone.
CHAPTER 10
River of Beasts
“Una, we need to evacuate!” Allia cried while she and Ichini unleashed attacks at the approaching masses. An endless wave of the cat-like beasts continued to stream down from the levels above. Even with the near bottomless gap to jump, too many came close to making it across. At this rate, the hordes would soon overwhelm them.
“Our Be’Inaxi reinforcements have engaged the enemy fighters,”
Una reported. “As soon as there’s a path in, I’ll take it.”
And when would that be? Allia thought in frustration. Panic washed over her as four beasts leaped into the air, attempting to cross in disparate locations. “Ichini—take the left two!”
With quick blasts, three of the four fell into the gap. Allia’s second shot missed the last target. The beast landed just short of their platform; its claws scraped madly for leverage before it too fell to its death below. She looked back to the room where Cogeni, Cerna, and Maro protected the freed prisoners. In times like these, Cogeni’s distance-fighting skills would be useful. But if any of those beasts got past her, his barriers would be needed to keep the prisoners safe. Cerna’s glaive would certainly help too.
Allia called back, “Maro, can you widen this gap farther? Use more of those nanites?”
Maro’s long black hair, streaked with red, swashed back-and forth. “Not without weakening the platform we’re on even more. I don’t want to risk it.”
She looked to Katen, who stood ready to attack anything that did land on their side of the gap.
“Katen, can you build a plant wall on this end? Force them to try to enter through a smaller area?”
He tilted his head, his face contorted in a curious expression. Then he smiled with a roguish grin.
“By your command.”
He reached into his pack and withdrew a small burlap pouch. Making short work of the crude rope that held it closed, he flicked his wrist, sending the contents spewing through the air. Tiny seeds scattered along the edge of the platform. Holding out his staff, a lavender aura swirled about him. The gem atop the staff looked as if it caught fire, dancing with a white brilliance. The seeds vibrated, then sprouted to life. In moments, they swelled into thick vines, which twisted and wrapped around one another. As they grew upward, vicious thorns extruded from them.
“Leave an opening,” she said as the vine wall began to seal off the way. “They’ll go for the gap. If there isn’t one, they’ll jump across trying cling to the walls.”
“The thorns will take care of that.”
“A few, yes, but once enough bodies are on the thorns, they’ll be perfect for the others to snag on to and climb over.”
Katen nodded in unexpected agreement. It took mere seconds to see she was correct. The beasts began to funnel toward the opening, some colliding with one another and falling to their deaths.
An odd thought crossed her mind, then flashes of creatures she’d saved in the past using her healing ability. She lamented at the course she’d been forced to take. At one time all animals were precious to her. She didn’t hesitate to kill the mercenaries or any others that threatened nature’s creations. Then again, nothing about these beasts was natural. They felt empty, hollow, soulless. They didn’t even feel alive. Perhaps the headgear animated the bodies? Could that be why the feeling of the killed beasts faded in and out? Perhaps part of their original essence remained alive, while the rest of their bodies were dead and controlled by the Nukari?
“Allia!” Katen yelled, before jerking her away from the opening. A brilliant flash ended in a howl scant meters in front of her. One of the cat-beasts flipped end over end, down into the darkness below.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up to Katen. She patted Ichini on the head. “And good boy!”
“I think they’re back!” Cerna yelled.
Golden glows illuminated the dark section of collapsed wall, moments before Mencari, Decreta, and Naijen burst out. But where were the Nukari beasts? She held her gaze on the opening, wondering if their enemy would be in pursuit. None came. From the scowl on Naijen’s face, there was a story to be told—later.
“Help us out!” Allia yelled to them.
The trio sped toward the river of beasts cascading down from the upper levels. She watched in awe as the three lit up, blasting holes in the rampaging creatures. But like a river, the holes were swallowed up with new beasts that followed. The three flew up toward the upper levels, where the beasts came in. Their auras flared before powerful bolts of energy blasted into the breach from which the beasts flowed.
Rocky debris and chunks of the creatures rained down. The effect was instant. The flow of beasts stopped. As the dust cleared, twisted metal and boulders of rock sealed the breach.
“Our reinforcements have broken the enemy line. I’m leading the evac ships in!” Una said through the communicator.
CHAPTER 11
Monster Hunting
“They’re resting in the back,” Cogeni said as he sat at his portside window beside Naijen. “I’ve done all I can to help them. The other ships report their rescued are also faring well.”
“Good job, Cogi,” Mencari said.
“Oh, that smells.” Allia waved her hand before her crinkled nose. She couldn’t hide the disdain as she gazed upon the beast carcass at Naijen’s feet.
“Wha? I wanted a trophy,” Naijen said. “Ain’t my fault Seigie ain’t here to do her crystal-drying thing on it.”
Mencari recalled how Seigie used her abilities to draw a combination of wind and heat from her crystals to prepare Naijen’s catches for transport. Strange … he hadn’t thought of their fallen matriarch in some time. Maybe that was a good thing? He missed her horribly, and still felt responsible for not stopping her sacrifice to save them. But he also realized once she made up her mind, there was no changing it.
“That thing looks like the creatures from my world,” Cogeni said, staring at the dead beast. “The Nukari must still be exporting them to other places.”
“The sooner we take back your world from the Nukari the better,” Mencari said. “We’ll review Kiyanna’s strategy and make final preparations.”
Cogeni nodded, then stared blankly at the endless sea of stars through his window.
Mencari wondered if Cogeni was thinking about his world, his mother, or Nikko. Maybe something else was on his mind? He wondered how it was possible, when dealing with so many things, to remain unfettered. He couldn’t help but admire Cogeni’s stoic strength.
A rasp floated to him. “Thank … you.”
Mencari looked about and saw one of the prisoners sitting up; pure black eyes with large red pupils stared at him. It was a race he wasn’t familiar with. Its top-heavy head was shaped like a pouring spout, which sat atop a scrawny neck. It looked malnourished, but still imposing. Mencari wondered what he’d look like healthy. Thick arms branched at the elbow into two lower forearms covered in barbs. Beastly hands matched its oversized, two-toed feet.
“Perth do not forget … kindness,” it said, in a fading tone. The alien lay back and closed its eyes.
“Is it—is he okay?” Mencari asked.
Cogeni’s head bobbed. “He’s been fading in and out. Eyani said Doctor Xbtoth will meet us at the landing bay to help the prisoners. You know, we’ve talked a bit each time he’s come to. Originally he thought we were Nukari henchmen.” Cogeni cracked a smile. “His name is Ursus.”
“Ursus? I thought Perth was his name.”
“That’s his race,” Minea said, appearing in a storm of petals. She reviewed a small holographic display that scrolled with information. “They’re a fairly new space-faring race. Hum … really?” Her eyes twinkled in fascination. “This says they still only have one world—no colonies at all. They really are a young race….”
As Minea droned on, Mencari found himself lost in thought about the Nukari beasts. They were formidable, even the youth. Though, the strangest part of the encounter was how he couldn’t be harmed by the small one, or he the beast.
“Can’t believe they just flew away,” Naijen snarled. “We were giving ’em a good trashing.”
“Our fighters tried to track them as they emerged from the asteroid. But they moved too fast—in a streak of light,” Una said.
“Minea, any information about the Nukari beasts we encountered?” Mencari asked.
She looked up from her holographic display. “No, nothing. They don’t even appear in
the records we took from the Nukari. In fact, it appears this is the first time anyone has seen Nukari beasts since we destroyed the Nukari Colonial Authority.”
Cerna said, concerned, “We need to warn New Eden. If they’re on the move again …”
“We must assume Kajlit’ga is alive and well,” Katen said, his tone dark and loathing.
Most of what Mencari knew about Kajlit’ga came from the mindwalk Katen performed on Decreta after he was captured. She seemed ruthless, and trained her creations to be the same. She employed any tactic that got her what she wanted, including manipulation and denigration. It was a trait that left her with few friends, even among her own beasts.
“Can you sense their presence?” Mencari asked Katen.
“No,” he hissed. “They’ve found a way to keep me out.”
“If that changes—”
“I will, of course, inform you,” Katen said with a bow.
Something bothered him about the various comments Katen made, starting with his reading of the Nasidrac’s thoughts, which led them to the asteroid, to his trouble touching minds due to so many in proximity to him. Assuming the Nasidrac didn’t have some innate defense against Katen’s skills, the former Nukari Beast Warrior should have easily detected the informant’s treachery. Or did he, and just not share it?
* * * * * *
Mencari rushed into New Eden’s conference room. Minea floated above the table, her nose wrinkled. “They’re not answering?”
“I’ve tried a few times,” she said. “I’ve traced the routes myself, I know the signals are—”
A fountain of light turned into a projection of Kiyanna. “Sir.”
“For a moment I thought one of those bounty hunters had collected on you,” Mencari jested.
“Nothing we can’t handle, sir.”
“What’s the update?”
“A battalion of Nukari, sir. They had us outnumbered six to one. A few more and we would’ve broken sweat.”
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