by Clayton Wood
“You okay?” Kalibar asked. Kyle nodded. “Good work,” Kalibar added, gazing at the Behemoth in the distance. The Void spheres were still clustered around the back of its head...at the exposed crystal there. Thick rays of bright blue light were being sucked into the dozens of Void spheres, the Behemoth's magic rapidly draining.
“Look!” Kyle exclaimed. “It's working!”
“We should back away,” Kalibar stated, turning around and striding quickly away from the Behemoth. Kyle followed suit.
“What now?” he asked.
“I'm almost out of magic,” Kalibar replied. “Do you have any more of those gemstones?”
“No, I'm all out.”
Kyle glanced back at the Behemoth. Suddenly the rays of magic sucking out of the Behemoth vanished...and the Void spheres activated. Rapidly rotating layers of gravity fields appeared around the dozens of spheres. Luckily he and Kalibar were far enough away to not be pulled in. Still, he followed Kalibar as the Grand Weaver continued to retreat, not wanting to risk another near-death experience. He looked back, seeing more metallic plates peeling off of the Behemoth's head, hunks of green crystal beneath breaking off and flying into the Void spheres' gravity fields.
The Behemoth leaned forward, pulling its head away from the spheres. Their combined gravity fields were no match for the Behemoth's enormous weight; the distance between them was sufficient enough that no more plates were being peeled off now.
Then the Behemoth's eye flashed.
“Watch out!” Kalibar cried, breaking into a run, clutching Ariana tightly to his chest.
A huge spherical gravity field appeared around the Behemoth, and the Void spheres shot outward in all directions. The shockwave struck Kyle and Kalibar, nearly throwing them from their feet. Kalibar skid to a stop.
“Damn!” he swore. “We need to corral the Void spheres again...but we don't have enough magic.”
Suddenly Kyle saw dark shapes in the sky around the Behemoth...the Battle-Weavers! They swooped in behind the Behemoth's domed head, hurling fiery missiles at the Behemoth. Explosion after explosion struck the Behemoth's vulnerable spot where the plates had been removed, hunks of crystal falling from the wound. Just as quickly, the Battle-Weavers dispersed, flying far away from the massive thing...and toward the scattered Void spheres.
“Look!” Kyle exclaimed.
The Battle-Weavers flew over the Void spheres much as Kalibar had, forcing the spheres to follow them. The Weavers then circled back toward the Behemoth, the Void spheres trailing close behind. Other Battle-Weavers continued their assault on the Behemoth, striking it in the back of the head in wave after wave of attacks. More chunks of green crystal fell from the Behemoth's head.
“It's working!” Kyle declared.
Suddenly the Behemoth's eye flashed, and a deadly ray shot outward at the Battle-Weavers attacking it. The Behemoth's domed head rotated rapidly, the beam sweeping across the night sky. Kyle watched in horror as a few Battle-Weavers burst into flames instantly; their burning corpses fell from the sky, landing on the charred grass below.
At the same time, the Battle-Weavers leading the Void spheres toward the Behemoth reached the deadly monstrosity, flying up toward the back of its head like Kalibar had done earlier. Rays of blue streamed from the Battle-Weavers as the Void spheres drained their magic; a few of the Weavers fell from the sky, their magic completely drained. They plummeted downward, slamming into the ground at the Behemoth's feet with lethal force. More and more Battle-Weavers fell from the sky, the remaining Weavers herding the Void spheres up to the gaping wound on the Behemoth's head. Massive cords of bright blue magic streamed from the Behemoth's exposed crystalline innards, pouring into the dozens of Void spheres.
Then the blue rays pulling into the spheres vanished.
“Damn it, they're too close!” Kalibar swore.
The remaining Battle-Weavers burst away from the Behemoth...just as the Void spheres activated. Spinning gravity fields appeared around the dozens of spheres, pulling the Battle-Weavers back toward them. Only a few Battle-Weavers managed to escape in time; the rest were sucked into the deadly gravity fields, disintegrating in a spray of blood and mangled flesh.
“Damn it!” Kalibar cursed.
More plates on the Behemoth's head were pulled off, hunks of green crystal ripping out of monstrosity, turning to dust as they struck the spinning gravity fields.
The Behemoth's eye flashed.
Another massive gravity field appeared around the monstrous machine, shoving the Void spheres away from itself. But this time, the effect was weaker; most of the Void spheres were only pushed a short distance away. These levitated up toward the Behemoth's exposed crystalline flesh again, attracted to the magic it exuded. Massive amounts of magic coursed from the Behemoth, absorbed by the Void spheres. The Behemoth's head turned, no doubt in an attempt to use its deadly eye to shoot them out of the sky. But the Void spheres circled with it, clustering at the back of its head. It generated another massive gravity field, attempting to push the Void spheres back. But this was even weaker than the last, and the Void spheres quickly returned, draining even more magic. The blue rays emanating from the Behemoth were noticeably paler now.
Then they vanished.
The Void spheres activated again, and this time the Behemoth could do nothing to stop them. More and more plates were ripped from its domed skull, exposing huge expanses of green crystal beneath. Hunks of crystal flew out of the wound and into the spinning gravity fields in a continuous stream. The Behemoth stepped away from the Void spheres, the spheres' gravity fields again no match for its immense weight. It spun around slowly, turning its head to face the Void spheres. Its eye flashed, a deadly beam destroying a few of the spheres.
But the remaining Void spheres returned to sucking the magic from the Behemoth, flying to the back of its head and draining it even further. It took another step away from its attackers, its huge foot slamming into the ground, creating a deep indentation there. Jagged bolts of electricity burst outward from the Behemoth's domed head, striking the Void spheres and shoving them away. But the spheres simply flew back, unfazed by the Behemoth's assault. The rays of magic streaming from the war machine were fading fast...the Behemoth was running out.
Its eye flickered...and went dark. It stood there motionlessly, a massive shadow against the night sky.
Then, very slowly, it began to tip forward.
“Get back!” Kalibar ordered. The Behemoth was falling forward...right toward them.
“Get on my back!” Kalibar cried, turning his back to Kyle. Kyle hopped on. “Stream magic to me,” Kalibar added, flying upward and to the side, away from the falling giant. Kyle tried, but he had no magic left.
“I'm out,” he shouted back.
Kalibar flew away from the Behemoth as it continued to fall face-first toward them. Its domed head loomed over them, descending rapidly. But instead of speeding up, Kalibar began to slow down!
“Kalibar!” Kyle warned. They were right in the path of the falling Behemoth...and still slowing down. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and pulling desperately for magic. He could feel some within the bones of his skull, but they resisted him, holding on to their power greedily.
The Behemoth loomed over them, blotting out the sky.
Kyle tore the magic from his skull, a sharp pain lancing through his skull as he did so. He threw the magic outward at Kalibar, a wave of nausea coming over him. Bile welled up in the back of his throat, and he swallowed it down, gagging on the bitter fluid.
Kalibar shot forward, just as the Behemoth's head reached them. It barely missed them, slamming into the ground. The earth crumpled under its enormous weight, a shockwave of dust and debris flying outward in all directions from the impact. The shockwave struck Kalibar and Kyle, tossing them from the Behemoth. Kyle felt himself tear free from Kalibar, the world spinning madly around him. Then he slammed into the ground, the air exploding from his lungs. He tumbled across the grass, coming to a stop on h
is belly.
He lay there, gasping for air, his ears ringing. Turning his head to the side, he saw the Behemoth's massive head a hundred feet away, obscured by a huge cloud of dust. He felt something grab his arm, and turned to see Kalibar there, Ariana lying a few feet to the side of the Grand Weaver. Kalibar's mouth was moving, but no sound came out.
Kyle grunted, pushing himself off of the ground, spitting dirt out of his mouth. He looked back at the cloud of dust kicked up by the Behemoth, at the shadowy outline of its head beyond.
A huge, diamond-shaped white glow appeared through the dust.
Kyle stumbled backward, his eyes widening. He felt Kalibar grab him by the arm again gesturing for him to run. The Grand Weaver scooped up Ariana, breaking into a run away from the Behemoth. Kyle ran behind him, looking over his shoulder, seeing the cloud of dust starting to dissipate. The Behemoth's giant eye stared back at them, flashing once, then again.
Faint rays of blue pulled from Kyle and Kalibar, from the very ground itself, converging on the Behemoth's eye.
Kyle ran faster, pumping his legs as hard as he could, trying to keep up with Kalibar. He heard a creaking sound, then felt the ground tremble. He looked back over his shoulder.
The Behemoth's head was rising, its eye glowing brighter now. One massive hand slammed into the ground, sending another shockwave outward. The Behemoth pushed itself up onto its hands and knees, rising slowly above the cloud of dust.
“This way!” he heard Kalibar shout. The Grand Weaver angled to the left, toward a group of people in the distance. It was Goran and Urson, he realized...and a few of the surviving Battle-Weavers. Kyle and Kalibar skid to a halt before the group, and Kalibar handed Ariana to Goran. Behind them, the Behemoth rose to its feet, the blue rays entering its eye vanishing. It looked down at the Void spheres lay scattered at its feet.
Then its eye flashed.
A beam of white light shot outward from its eye, striking the Void spheres in front of it. The Behemoth's head turned slowly, its deadly beam searing the ground in a broad circle, annihilating the Void spheres all around it. When the beam finally vanished, all that remained was molten rock and dirt forming a glowing red circle on the ground.
“Sa devon en morf?” Kalibar asked. Everyone shook their heads. “Kam!” Kalibar swore.
“Orpus eng flazi,” Kalibar urged.
“Pas mor,” Urson countered grimly, looking over Kalibar's shoulder. Kyle turned around, and saw the Behemoth standing before them, staring right at them.
Then its eye flashed.
Chapter 27
“Does anyone have magic?” Kalibar asked as he handed Ariana off to Goran. Urson and Goran both shook their heads. “Damn!” he swore. “We need to retreat.” They'd seriously damaged the Behemoth; if they could get more magic, they might be able to finish it off. But Goran shook his head, staring at something over Kalibar's shoulder.
“Too late,” the Councilman muttered.
Kalibar turned around, seeing the Behemoth standing there, its lone, diamond-shaped eye staring down at them. Decades of training kicked in, automatically pulling for a strand of magic to weave. Except there was no magic...the Behemoth had drained it all.
The Behemoth's eye flashed.
Kyle backpedaled, bumping into Kalibar and throwing his arms in front of his face. Kalibar wrapped his arms around Kyle, turning away from the Behemoth and holding him close. He closed his eyes, waiting for the end.
I'm sorry son.
A flash of light seared his eyes, even through his closed lids, and he held Kyle tighter.
I did the best I could.
A blast of superheated air slammed into him, tossing him backward and to the side at incredible speed. He felt himself flying through the air, Kyle still clutched in his arms, hot air searing his lungs.
And then he realized that there were arms encircling his waist, felt himself slowing down. His feet touched down on the ground gently, the air cool once again.
Kalibar opened his eyes, looking down at himself. He was utterly unharmed...and so was Kyle. A few dozen feet before him, a massive glowing red circle had been seared into the ground...right where he'd been standing moments ago. Goran and Urson were on the other side of that glowing circle, having barely escaped the Behemoth's deadly beam.
“Go, now!” he heard a familiar voice yell from behind. The arms around him let go, and he turned around, seeing none other than Master Owens standing there.
“What...” Kalibar began...and then he saw them.
Dozens of men in white robes zoomed through the air toward the Behemoth, each holding a weapon in their hands...something that looked like a crossbow. The men – Runics, Kalibar realized – spread out, surrounding the massive machine.
“Fire!” Owens shouted.
Beams of bright blue light shot outward from the crossbows, slamming into the Behemoth's domed head. The black metal plates protecting its innards turned to dust under the assault, exposing the green crystal underneath. The Runics circled around the Behemoth, fired another volley. Dozens of blue beams ate into the crystalline flesh, gouging huge holes in the Behemoth's head.
The Behemoth took a step backward, its eye flashing.
The Runics scattered just as a beam of white light shot out from the Behemoth's eye, cutting across the night sky. The Behemoth's head turned, the beam sweeping to intercept a few Runics, immolating them. The remaining Runics circled back toward the Behemoth, firing their weapons again. The deadly blue rays slammed into the Behemoth's head, blasting huge holes in its domed skull. Hunks of its huge white eye disintegrated, leaving blackened craters in their place.
The Behemoth's eye flickered.
Volley after volley of the Runics' attacks struck the Behemoth, eating into its head and body. Hunks of green crystal fell in a steady stream from it, along with a massive chunk from the side of its head. The Behemoth stumbled, then toppled over, falling as if in slow-motion. Still the Runics attacked, ripping into the falling machine even as it slammed into the ground.
The earth quaked, a deafening boom echoing through the night air.
The Behemoth's eye flickered, then went dark.
Kalibar stared at the fallen monstrosity, barely allowing himself to believe what he was seeing. He felt Kyle squirming in his arms, and let go, watching as his son turned to gaze upon the Behemoth. Kyle blurted out something unintelligible, pointing excitedly. Kalibar didn't need to be able to understand his words to know what he was saying.
“We did it,” he murmured, watching as the Runics hovered over the Behemoth, blasting away at its armored back.
“Yes we did,” Master Owens agreed, putting a hand on Kalibar's shoulder. “But we couldn't have done it without you.”
“You mean we couldn't have done it without Kyle,” Kalibar corrected. Owens smiled.
“Without both of you.”
Kalibar watched as the Behemoth gradually disintegrated, then frowned.
“Hold up,” he stated. “Stop the Runics. We need to preserve as much of that thing as possible.”
“Hmm?” Owens replied.
“That thing has advanced runic technology,” Kalibar explained. “It may prove invaluable in fighting Xanos in the future.”
Owens nodded, sending two magical flares high up into the sky. The Runics stopped almost immediately, flying toward them and landing beside them.
“We did it!” he heard Kyle exclaim. Kalibar turned to the boy, taken aback. Despite the fact that Kalibar himself still had no usable magic, Kyle had already managed to power his earring. The boy had enormous power...and he was only at a fraction of his full potential.
“We did,” Kalibar agreed, putting an arm around the boy's shoulders. “Thanks to you,” he added. “You saved us, Kyle...and the Empire.” Kalibar hugged his son, then held him at arms’ length. “You were right to question me,” he added. “I would have doomed the Empire trying to protect you and Ariana.”
“Thanks for letting me try,” Kyle replied. Kalibar smiled,
shaking his head.
“You’re going to be a hell of a Runic, you know that?” he said. Kyle shrugged, modest as usual. But Kalibar noticed that he was holding himself differently, more confidently. Something had changed about him...ever since he’d returned from being captured again by the Dead Man.
“He certainly is,” Master Owens declared, beaming at Kyle. “Very impressive, Kyle,” he added. “Master Banar would have been proud of you.”
“Thanks Master Owens,” Kyle replied. Then he turned to Goran, who was still holding Ariana. “I’m going to wake Ariana up,” Kyle stated. But before he could walk over to her, Kalibar heard shouting behind them, and turned to see his Runics backing away, their killerpillar weapons raised. He looked beyond his Runics, seeing an old man limping toward them. The man looked ancient, his spine bent in a near-hunchback, his pale, wrinkled skin covered in a thin beige robe. He carried a cane, leaning on it heavily as he made his way slowly toward them.
“Who is that?” Kalibar asked Owens. The Weaver shook his head.
“I don't know,” he answered. “Stay here.”
Owens strode toward the old man, gravity shields appearing around the Weaver.
“Stop,” he ordered. “Identify yourself.” The Runics aimed their killerpillar crossbows at the old man, who stopped, craning his neck to gaze upon Owens. His dry lips parted into a hideous smile, exposing rotted stumps of what used to be teeth. He let go of his cane, which stayed upright, and clapped his hands slowly.
“Well done,” he declared, ignoring Owens and facing Kalibar. “I'm impressed.”
“Who are you?” Kalibar demanded. The old man sighed, resting both hands back on his cane.