Xero Chronicle: Invasion

by Ross Buzzell

  Disa’ani pulls himself to his feet, holding one spear in both his hands and using his connection to the other to have it float in the air around him he watches as the Protolith who has the third spear, he spins it around his body a few times. He rests the spear on the back of his forearm. With his free hand outstretched and his palm facing upward, a smirk forms on his face as his heartrate and breathing is steady he pulls his four upward facing fingers towards himself rapidly, twice. The taunt is humiliating for Disa’ani, he had been disarmed, outmaneuvered and hurt by this opponent. Disa’ani charges at the Protolith, he sends his levitating spear in for a quick kill but it is deflected by his opponent. Disa jabs at Protoliths gut but the man knocks Disa’ani’s spear out to the side. A deafening ‘GONG’ fills Disa’ani’s helmet as he feels it warp once again under the attack of his own weapons counter balance. He debates using the orb but Xero would kill him if this human managed to take that from him.

  Disa’ani staggers back, his ears ringing and his vision slightly blurred from the attack. Disa throws a hand back, calling his loose spear back. Just as he gets his hand on his other spear the Protolith charges in, using the spear in a way Disa’ani has never seen before the warrior is unable to counter the close quarters with his medium range weapons. His own spear slams into his abdomen, arms, legs and joints in rapid succession. Each individual blow does not hurt much but Disa’ani knows what his opponent is doing, weakening vulnerable spots for the late stages of the fight. Disa’ani watches Protolith’s attacks and his eyes, his opponent makes one brief flaw, he is watching Disa’ani’s weapons. Between blows Disa manages to slam a foot into the Protolith’s chest hard enough to send the human fall backwards.

  In the blink of an eye the human is on his feet and throws Disa’ani’s spear at his heart. Disa’ani, focused on getting his weapon back dodges the attack by stepping to the side, he throws his hand up bringing his prodigal spear to his back. Disa turns back to his opponent only to see him way to close to counter and throwing a punch as hard as he can directly at Disa’ani’s forehead. Knowing he can’t dodge it Disa’ani leans into the attack, bracing himself, he closes his eyes and clenches his jaw tightly. A massive shockwave explodes down Disa’ani’s spine as the Protolith’s fist makes contact. It takes a split second but Disa’ani notices his helmet shatters like glass into hundreds of tiny pieces. He lets out a cry of pain as his entire skeleton aches and he staggers backward, blood dripping into his eyes, slightly obstructing his view. Disa’ani sees a shadow move through the thick blood that drips into eyes. He feels his feet lift off the ground as the Protolith grabs him by his armor and throws him across the room where he violently slams into some stairs. Disa wipes blood from his eyes, with his vision somewhat cleared he sees Protolith marching towards him. Disa’ani knows if he does not run he will be killed, in a mad dash the warrior scrambles to his feet and runs up the flight of stairs he had landed on. Hears the voice of his opponent call out behind him.

  “Get back here! I’m not done with you!”

  Disa’ani gets to the top of the stairs and sprints outside, he sees Konner and Xero duking it out in hand to hand combat, with Konner distracted Disa’ani prepares to throw his spear into Konner’s back. Blindsided the Protolith slams his shoulder into Disa’ani’s ribs, the warrior immediately feel at least three give way. His body is lifted off the ground by the living meteorite before being slammed into the concrete so hard Disa’ani feels another two ribs snap behind his armor like twigs. Just as he is about to deliver the final blow a flash of light slams into the Protolith and sends him flying off Disa’ani which skips his opponent like a rock into the marble side of e neighboring building, leaving a massive hole in the side.

  Disa’ani holds his side and slowly stands to his feet, he feels each rib begin to snap back into place as the intelligence in his armor begins to heal his grievous wounds. Slowly he walks over to the hole in the wall, weapons drawn he peers in to see the Protolith on the ground with what appears to be some form of gun.

  “You know, for being a general…”

  He does not finish, he pulls the trigger and a hollow “whump” is immediately followed by a deafening explosion. Disa’ani feels the concussive force of the ordinance slam into his body like a ton of bricks. Compared to the punches of his opponent this explosion is a light tickle. The shockwave still manages to send Disa’ani half way across the battlefield. Disa’ani tries to get up but his body is aching, every joint, every muscle and his entire skeleton hurt. He looks up to see Protolith standing over him with a stalactite form out of his arm. Disa’ani spits blood from his mouth and sits up, he begins to develop a plan.

  “So you’re going to kill me now… that’s not very heroic!”

  He taunts, the man shakes his head.

  “No, just taking you out of the fight.”

  This brings a grin to Disa’ani’s lips as he flicks his wrist forward.

  “Too bad…”

  With his weapons in place Disa throws his hands into the air, each of his three spears immediately impale the Protolith right through the gut and slicing through his hard form like a hot knife through butter. The look of shock and pain on the man’s face makes Disa’ani forget about his own, it brings a twisted pleasure to him to see a human suffer. Disa’ani pulls himself to his feet, he is unable to help himself and taunts the man.

  “Who kind of sucks now?”

  He asks as the pallasite falls away from the man. Disa’ani reaches out and grabs one of the spears before slowly twisting it. The screams of the man are like music to his ears. Disa’ani gets so close to the man he can feel the humans breathe on his face, he wants to feel as the man’s last puff of life leaves his body. Disa pulls on his weapon, wanting to cause even more pain but it does not move. Disa’ani pulls again, this time harder figuring his weapons are imbedded in bone, still nothing. Gradually the spear slides out of Disa’ani’s hand, he takes a step back as he releases his weapon and watches in terror as the man, this human pulls all three of his weapons into himself. Protoliths body gradually changes from its vulnerable fleshy form to that of sleek Energynium. Before Disa’ani can react the man has his hand around the warrior’s throat and begins to squeeze. Struggling to breathe and fight against his considerable stronger opponent.

  “H…grrkk… how?”

  Is the only word he is able to squeeze out.

  “Boronian powers, Boronian meta, a perfect fusion… Thanks for the upgrade.”

  Disa’ani begins to drift in and out of consciousness, he hardly feels it when the Protolith throws him like a ragdoll into something so hard he bounces to a stop and everything goes black. Disa’ani feels like he is out for hours. When he finally comes too there are massive explosions and the sounds of gunfire echoing from his left by a few hundred meters. The battle is done and even if Xero wins Disa’ani knows he is a dead man for failing so completely. Disa’ani rummages around his belt and feels the orb still attached, miraculously. He holds it in his hands, closing his eyes he squeezes it as he thinks of Boron. For a brief second his mind drifts to the land of sand that he was in a few days prior and in a familiar and agonizing pull Disa’ani finds himself back on Boron, but the orb is gone.

  Disa’ani glances around, Caelum burns and the sounds of screams fill the air. No dragons fly in the night sky and the palace is only illuminated by the flames that burn it. Standing before the Dark Titan Disa’ani falls to his knees, bowing his head slightly.

  “Xero has failed, Konner’s arrival on Earth had birthed beings of extraordinary power.”

  The Dark Titan gives off a deep growl.

  “The prophecy cannot be allowed to be fulfilled.”

  Disa’ani bows lower.

  “Yes, Dark Titan.”

  Chapter: 10

  The shock of the impact between Xero’s sword and Konner’s shield causes Xero to stagger back but he is able to correct himself much faster than Konner. The banished prince steps forwards and with all his might slams his foot into Konner�
�s chest with enough force to send his nephew skipping across the city center like a rock across water only to come to a stop after smashing into a building. Before Konner even hits the ground after slamming into the structure Xero leaps into the air prepared to strike his downed opponent. Konner recovers much faster than Xero expects and just as Xero is about to be in striking range Konner sidesteps the banished prince and uses his shield to not only block Xero but to catch the hulking Boronian and slam him into the ground with such strength that Xero’s hand uncontrollably opens which causes his sword to tumble free.

  Xero rolls over, the attack stunning him for a split second, and pushes off the ground. Rising back to his feet Xero sees Konner grab his sword, Xero throws his hand out, calling his weapon to him which lifts Konner off the ground and pulls him with it. Xero can feel rage burning brightly within him; this fight is taking far too long. As the sword approaches its master Xero decides not to catch it, instead the behemoth sidesteps his weapon, balls up his massive fist and throws it at Konner, who attempts to put up a shield to cushion the blow. It does not good as Xero hits the shield so hard that the hard light construct shatters and vanishes in a blinding flash of blue light. The punch sends Konner bouncing down the plaza center like a pinball. Xero faces Konner, calling his weapon to him Xero grips it tightly with both of his massive hands and charges Konner, who had stopped himself and now hovers off the ground.

  Xero leaps at him, taking to the skies as well and swings his sword as hard as he can. The blades sharp edge slices through the air with such ferocity that the whistle it emits is deafening. Konner’s speed wins him the charge as he drifts backwards resulting in Xero to miss. Xero notices Konner does not go in for more close quarters combat, instead he backs away and begins to throw contained plasma at Xero with such speed and force that the vacuum created makes smaller pieces of debris lift off the ground behind each attack.

  Xero focuses his weight on his back foot, taking an entrenched defensive position. The banished prince keeps his elbows close to his side and makes minor adjustments with his wrists as he uses his sword to deflect each of Konners attacks. One of the deflected attacks hits Konner’s ally, Xero chuckles as his glance sees the man sent through a building. Konner continues to circle Xero, clearly throwing everything he has at the banished prince only for Xero to deflect each and every shot. One gets lucky and skims Xero’s arm, leaving a small burn which heals almost instantly.

  An explosion rings out behind Xero. Both he and Konner stop fighting to see its source only to witness Disa’ani fly from the hole the other man made and slam into a fountain. Xero hears Konner move through the air just out of his line of sight, moving as quickly as he can Xero swings his sword where Konner should be as he turns his head to watch the final blow of the fight. Just as his sword is about to make contact Konner seems to shift colors and turn blue for a split second as he dodges the attack by spinning over the sword. Before Xero can process what is happening he feels Konner’s arms wrap under his armpits and his hands coil behind his head.

  Xero attempts to break the hold but before he gets a chance an intense heat, unlike anything he has ever felt before consumes him. He feels his back begin to burn as the radiation being dumped into him burns through his flesh, this forces a scream out of his lips as he feels real pain for the first time since he can remember. Xero begins to struggle and fight against Konner’s vice-like hold on him as the air begins to fill with the stench of his own burning flesh. Wanting to break free, needing to break free at any cost Xero starts to swing his weapon at the man behind him but is not flexible enough to land a hit. Xero begins to spin in an attempt to use centrifugal force to break Konner’s hold on him but he fails to do so.

  The searing agony stops as the magic of Dark Seclusion takes over forcing him to feel a boundless rage. Like a rabid animal Xero lets out a primal roar, not of pain, but of anger as adrenaline surges through his body. Xero feels the grip behind his head slip a fraction of an inch, this is all he needs. Xero throws his arms down completely breaking Konners hold on him. As the energy Konner is releasing stops Xero can feel his flesh bubbling from the heat, he can feel his ribs exposed to the air as well as most of his spine. With a deep growl Xero straightens his back and tilts his head to one side, then the other, both of which are accompanied by an audible cracking sound.

  Xero feels the flesh and muscle in his back begin to regenerate, it is itchy, and he turns to face Konner who is now frozen in disbelief that such a powerful attack ultimately did nothing. The attack hurt and that angers Xero beyond anything he has previously felt. This requires something a little more personal. Xero steps forward and slams his forehead into Konner’s face so hard that Konner slides back a few dozen meters past Disa’ani and Doug. Konner is visibly stunned and bleeding, Xero watches as Disa’ani twists his spear in his human opponent, perhaps Xero will spare him now. The screams of horror and heartbreak of the flying woman and the Emissary are like music to his ears.

  Xero’s pleasure is quickly replaced by concern when the human absorbs the Energynium weapons and Disa’ani is taken out of the fight. The fight is now four on one but with the frailty of the humans Xero gets an idea and slams his sword so hard into the ground that the resulting shockwave takes the three humans out of the fight. As Xero turns his sights back to Konner, his nephew slams into him, knocking the banished prince to the ground followed by a series of blows to his head that are delivered with such a force that Xero actually feels each attack more than the last. His vision blurs as he each powerful punch gives him a concussion which heals immediately. Each thrust of Konners fist sends Xero into the ground bit by bit with shockwaves that accompany the attacks. He is not sure why but Konner hesitates and Xero takes seizes his window and punches Konner in the chest which lifts him off the ground. Xero rises to his feet before Konner even finishes ascending and hits him again hard enough to send his nephew flying into the steps of a domed building on the far end of the plaza.

  Before Konner has a chance to get up Xero dashes at his nemesis and slams his hands around Konner’s neck. Like a python killing its prey Xero squeezes Konner’s throat so hard he feels his nephew’s windpipe collapse under the force of his thumbs. The pulsing of the arteries in Konners neck begins to slow as he begins to visibly lose consciousness. Konner attempts to break free by hitting Xero’s inner elbow but he is too weak to do so, he even tries to form a shield but Xero flexes his muscles causing it to shatter. A portal sparks to life and fizzles out; he can’t hold the concentration required to use one. This pleases Xero as his goal is within his grasp.

  A loud ‘BANG’ rings out in the surprisingly silent air. Xero feels something hit him in the back of the head, jerking his skull forward. Xero loosens his grip and drops Konner as he turns to see the source of the attack. Deep down he wants nothing more than to ignore the attack, it didn’t hurt, but its source is the epicenter of the Blue Boronite he is searching for. A beautiful redhead, who reminds him of Ja’Sanfur, charges him with a gun in her hand, a sling holds her other arm but Xero does not get a good look as his neck snaps back accompanied by another blast, and another, and another. Each shot hits Xero square in the face which causes him to step back. He hears the woman’s voice ring out between attacks, it is strong and in another time he might have found it attractive, but now only his mission matters.

  “Second amendment, you son of a bitch!”

  She yells as the last of her ammo is spent on Xero. She drops her gun and runs to Konner’s side and tries to help him up. Xero calls his sword to him and begins to walk towards Konner; he is going to kill two birds with one swipe. The look of concern on her face for his nephew, the look on Konner’s face of fear, it is delicious. Xero feels a force slam into his knee which causes it to buckle. Xero falls to the ground and looks over at Disa’ani’s opponent, now covered head to toe in near living Energynium. He has graduated from a nuisance to a credible threat. Not holding back Xero backhands the man hard enough to slam him into one of the nearly collapsing
buildings.

  Xero looks back at Konner who is in midair and lunging at him. Xero throws a hand out and catches Konner by his breastplate, needing to create distance to re-center himself, Xero spins and throws Konner as hard as he can at one of the supports of the nearby monument, throwing him through the domed building in the process. The monument dents and gives way as Konner hits the northern side and falls to the ground just behind the arch. Xero dashes through the domed building and lands at the mouth of a small grassy park on the far side. He begins to march towards Konner, who is now weak enough for Xero to finish off when a screaming hum begins to echo inside his mind, reverberating within his skull and literally causing vibrations to bounce around and amplify within his skull. Xero drops to his knees and lets out a scream of agony as blood pours from his nose. Had he been a normal Boronian, even Konner, he would be dead already. Xero realizes that this power is one of the Emissary’s hidden tricks, one they had not used in thousands of Boronian years and had thought to have forgotten.