by Ted L C
Alyssa hurls all limbs over the edge of the isle. Her fingers dig into the crimson-soaked blades of grass.
“Why are you crying?” Derek appears beside her. Small fumes of steam resonate from the entirety of his body. “And explain Closing Requiems to me. I’ve heard you mention them, but my mind was elsewhere during our other encounters.”
“The term was created by Vladimir Alenin on a blog in 2010. Started as a Russian only term, not known by anyone else other than the HESTEK community. Was bought into light by Commander John Hamilton of the American front in 2144.
“During the Deity War. This was to prove his prey was eliminated. A-as we are taken out, our abilities release their full potential in a random radius around the deceased.
“Some cries destroyed cruises, others bought life to deserts. You wanna know how I know Blitz is dead? Because the Jiaolong’s bones are denser than composite Stellar. The full force of her geyser barely tore the Jialong’s skull.
“It would shred your armor to ribbons. Also if she was alive, she would’ve come after us, and I wouldn’t have this void feeling in my heart—”
“Void feeling in your heart?”
“Blitz and I—we—before the guerrilla conflicts on Faxian, we were together for about twenty-one years, eleven months, three days, and five hours. She was the only one who could help me through the loss of my last companion.”
“What happened to her? Wait, the last companion?”
“Yeah—”
“Happened to be a him. And he suffered through memory loss—”
Alyssa’s lips continually flap. Only numerous amalgamations within the boy’s head can be heard.
Don’t listen to what she has to say, Derek. You don’t wanna hear it—
“I hope you’re not furious about me not telling you—”
“No, not at all.”
“I can tell when you space out, you know—” she rolls mesh leggings toward her until reaching the knees. “That’s what I liked about her—always listened attentively. An upside to being with an extrovert—I wanna sleep now.”
Fingers brush against the grass as her shoulders loosen.
“I’m sorry about Blitz. I feel horrible, but I’m going by yours and Liam’s saying—my life, or theirs. And if we don’t survive, who knows what’s going to happen on Earth, or what else could happen on Faxian. With the power she has, she could even commit omnicide if she wanted to—and we’d be responsible for it since we had fallen.”
“You’re a great person, Derek,” Alyssa’s murmurs flows through the boy’s ears. “I-I-I hope you remember your past soon enough—”
“My past?” Derek’s stare follows her eyelids as they collapse. “Laura?’
“Laura is unavailable. Would you like to connect to Faxian satellites to search for a nine-G signal?”
“Duh—”
“Please repeat, sir—I do not understand your command.”
“Yes, please.”
“Obtaining requested information—” the hordes of trees surrounding the arena reflect off the lake’s mirrored surface.
A riff of beats emanates from the helmet.
“We’re sorry, the signal that you are trying to access is blocked by the—The People’s Republic Firewall—please try again.”
“Wish I knew how to hack,” his fingers brush through Alyssa’s raven locks as a comb. His eyes puff as a smile forms between his cheeks. “At least you’re finally sleeping, though.”
* * *
“Good morning, good morning,” Derek’s feet swivel, dancing with one another. “Good morning—to you!”
“Yy-you’re awful chippy,” Alyssa’s eyes narrow while her neck shifts toward different directions. The fragrance of a skunk flows through her nostrils.
“I got a decent little nap in, got inspired by the jolly green giant,” a spoon scoops a white paste from a hollowed rock. “And I made ice cream!”
“M-made ice cream?” arms push her body upward, her eyes peek from the bowl’s edge to find a bowl of white cream. “How did you get the cream?”
“I substituted it with coconut,” finger shifts toward a horde of coconuts hanging over their heads. “Then I found a honeycomb, took some honey, and used that as a sugar sub.”
An image illustrates itself within Alyssa’s head of electrical webs sprouting from the boy’s nails. They slither toward her skull. Another drawing within the imagination’s head thinks up an auburn shaft sprouting from the ground. As this happens, within the thought, a coconut tree blossoms.
There’s no way—
“You wanna try some ice cream?” he places the bowl before her as an aroma of vanilla brushes the girl’s nostrils. “It surprisingly doesn’t taste bad.”
“Sure—” she flashes the spoon carved from stone wielded in Derek’s grasp. It digs into the cream and carries it to her lips. The taste of honey and vanilla trickle across her tongue. “Hot damn. This is sweet! Did you make this regularly at home?”
“Whenever I get inspired, I’ll either clean, write, watch anime, or make myself some munchies,” eyes darken. The boy shoves a fist full of white cream into his cheeks. “Rainy and I would use to get inspired every Thursday. After that, we’d clean then watch the anime, Zero; while either making our own bubble tea, vegan pizza, or ice cream—
“Balls!” Derek’s tongue scrapes the insides of the dish. “I’m still hungry—”
“We should get a move on. Let’s go.”
Symphonies of deepened roars fill the forest, followed by cracking wood and branches. A group of massive armored beasts appear, surrounding the duo on every flank.
Each glares at them while aiming their antlers. Their horse-like faces fade into their own shadows.
“And the universe delivers again!” the fragrance of peppermint pulses through the air as a glossy substance coats Alyssa’s skin. “Find their weak spot.”
Derek appears atop the beast to the far right’s back. Fingers collapse into a fist while hammering them downward. A thump emanates from underneath the shell. High pitched squeals reverberate throughout the woods.
As his butt loses contact with the gritty surface. The creature hurls its legs forward and turns.
It dashes toward the boy.
The SAP twists toward the animal. Spikes fly by both sides of the creature as it tilts its head. The creature continues forward.
A stinging sensation blossoms from Derek’s abdomen as his hands clamp the antlers.
Many sounds of hooves slapping wet soil fill the woods.
More spikes fire from his SAP.
The animal cries as it pulls its head back. Crimson fluids ooze from the creature’s neck Two more animals rake their shoes against the mud. They bolt at the boy.
Where the hell is Alyssa—
Hawk wings made from webs of lightning form inside of his thoughts.
The scent of charred meat runs through his nostrils as blurred smoke fills his vision. The Nanos circling his stomach fade as his knees collapse.
The third beast sprints toward him.
The razor-sharp antlers increase with size as Derek’s body collapses.
* * *
“Good mornin’, good mornin’!” a thin line creeps across Alyssa’s face as her hips sway. Her fingers dip a spoon into a hoof. They shovel a mixture of hazel tinted liquid and brown meat into her mouth. “Are you still hungry, hun?”
“Ye—” a sharp sensation surges through his abdomen as a growl comes from the boy’s insides. “What is that—”
Her fingertip shifts toward Derek’s left.
His eyes follow to find nine chunks of hollowed armor, three skulls, and many textured tubes forming a pile. Each section of shelling organized into piles. Both feet curl underneath his butt.
Derek weaves his fingers against a spoon as he lifts scoops it into the soup.
“Dig in!” Alyssandra positions herself beside the boy.
Aromas of different herbs vent through his nostrils.
“Mm
m,” droplets leak from his lips across his chin. He arcs the bowl into his mouth. “W-what’s in this?”
“A grandmaster never reveals their secrets,” Alyssa turns, whisks a ladle in a cauldron, and pours more into her hoof. “The meat portion of the recipe should be a no-brainer. What do you think of my skinning job over there?”
“It would be a no-brainer if I knew what the hell these things were. Where did you go by the way? You threw me under the bus as my guts were yanked out by these elk rhino horse things.”
“That’s what they’re called, Elk rhino horse things. And I was testing you if you must know. You shouldn’t expect me to carry you through everything.”
“I don’t expect you to carry me through everything—never did and never will. What I do expect is some kind of communication when you wander off.”
“Communication?” a small burst of liquid expels from her mouth. Her cheeks expand as her grin widens. “I’m a firm believer in communication, and I’ll never skip out on using it when I have the opportunity to. But imagine a scenario when I’m silenced—out cold—offed—et cetera. I am not able to relay anything to you.
“In this case, you kinda sat there and wondered, ‘Oh my, I’m so lost. My guardian wandered away! Whah, whah, whah’. You need to be prepared in these scenarios.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” Derek positions the empty hoof ahead of Alyssa’s eyes.
“The critters we’re eating are called Cernunnos,” Alyssandra shoves the ladle through the soup and into Derek’s bowl. “The name’s derived from Celtic mythology. A hidden gem kept from Reivscere is the shells of these creatures can be crafted into a material thicker than Stellar. Would you like to hear about it? I know Liam can’t spy on us without a nine-G or stronger signal.”
“Sure,” the lad’s fingers brush against the hair on his chin.
“Ever since the creation of NanoLites, I was skeptical about Reivscere’s surveillance technology. Yet, I loved the idea of metal so thick it’s impenetrable by any weapon not fired by a rail gun. The idea of Stellar’s discovery also enticed me. However, no matter how many attempts I made to get the element away from the mining facilities, I was always stopped.
“I tried hiring specialty talent to get me some—didn’t work. I tried talking to the Vulcans; yet, they told me the material was so scarce, that they couldn’t sell me any. One day I was with a Gladiator named Lahn and she told me about a material thicker than Stellar, yet wasn’t impossible to access. It was the shells of the Cernunnos.”
“So you went and harvested their shells?”
“Not exactly,” Alyssa rests her dirk against the ground. Her eyes drift toward the stag’s head shaped at the end of the handle. “I went to Clarum and found a herd of live ones. I couldn’t muster the rage to take any of their lives, so I gave up for the day. As I was on my way back to my accommodation, I found the corpse of a dead one. I took his shell to a smithy on Clarum. I paid him to make me this dagger, then to make me a NanoLite core and convert the rest of the armor into nanobots.
“Afterward, I hacked the T.P.U.’s wildlife information and ‘leaked’ scientific studies pointing out the fragile state of the Cernunnos shell and the horrendous taste of their meat. From thereon, poachers stopped hunting the creatures. I silenced the poachers from before, that way they couldn’t testify against the study.”
“Is that why your dagger’s pommel is shaped like a deer head? Because of the Cernunnos?”
“Yes, it is,” Alyssa brushes her fingers against the base of the weapon. “My daggers name is the White Stag’s Head, to commemorate this creature’s existence in life and after.
“Derek, this is also why Liam can’t hack my software. Nobody can hack it. I made it myself and it’s currently off the grid. The only way you could hack it is if you were to separate my core from the rest of my body and then dig some tools into it. At that point, I’d already been dead.”
“What are you gonna do with the shells?”
“My NanoLites are mining the shells to create more materials for the core.” Alyssa rests a palm against Derek’s shoulder. “You should get some more rest, hun. I think we might be halfway through this forest.”
* * *
“Kiss me, sexy lady!” a deepened voice echoes through the forest. The sounds of laughter and metal jingling follows.
The aroma of rotting flesh floods the duo’s nostrils.
Her shrinking pupils follow the voice toward a group of men making their ways out of huts tucked into the trees.
“They smell like ass,” he waves a hand over his nose as Nanos swarm over his skull.
“Move!” Alyssa murmurs while nudging Derek’s body forward. “That’s Haikili—about as powerful as alcohol can get. These inbreds are dogmas, or dogs for short. So we better watch out—”
“I hear a purdy lady!” a voice flows through the trees. A shiver surges through Alyssa’s spine.
“Go approach her!” Another says.
Her eyes drift toward a figure making their way out of a hut. A wooden mask with no expression shrouds their lifeless eyes.
“No reason to hide,” her grip tightens around her Stag’s Head. “This will be great training for you. These men—and women—raped and murdered millions of innocent Faxian denizens. We need to make our way to the desert to find—”
“Hey, sexy lady—” a bald figure tilts their neck while facing the two. “Wait—your face—it looks.”
“It’s you!” one of the characters says.
The SAP fire from Derek’s wrist.
A cluster of spikes pulses throughout the man’s body. It collapses into a pile of maggot-ridden corpses.
The other figures vanish as clouds fills their vision.
This is new. A cobalt aura encases the boy’s body.
“Run!” the singsong voice evaporates.
The vapor disperses.
Alyssa’s feet tap the soil. Echoes of wheezes overwhelm the faint siren’s screams.
“So exhilarating!” a searing sensation fills his insides.
“Go north!” her murmurs pass through Derek’s ears.
“Where—are we going?”
Her momentum pushes forward.
Footprints spewing flames embed into the ground mirroring each step Derek takes.
The sound of clashing metal dribbles among the trees.
“Don’t look back,” Alyssandra says.
Why isn’t anyone attacking? One would think 3,000 people could take two.
Alyssa’s eyes scan the huts above as faces peek over the ledges.
“A lifetime supply of alcohol and supplemental rations to the individual who brings us those two dead, or alive!” a voice roars.
The sketch of a colossal android made of fire forms within Derek’s thoughts. Ribbons of lightning run against the surface of the being as it materializes ahead of him.
The boy’s feet brake his body as he turns toward the creature.
“Char their insides!” His finger aims to the horde of figures dashing at him.
“I’m sorry, Derek!” A singsong voice flows through his ears. “I cannot watch you erase these trees. See ya later!”
Alyssa’s body fades into the foliage.
“Uh—” the monstrous figure hurls its arms toward Derek. “Balls—”
A cobalt hue consumes his sapphire gaze.
Orange chains spring from both hands as he whips it, spanking the conjured creature.
An image of flames devouring trees forms within the reflection of his solid blue eyes.
* * *
Comfort
“Are you going to share?” an upbeat voice utters.
The nerves encasing Derek’s shoulders deadens.
Bleak drafts devour the warm whiffs brushing his earlobes.
“What?” the boy yanks his head at a 90-degree angle. A curtain of cerulean bangs on a white ball fills his vision.
“Faxian doesn’t bear all the luxuries you Earthlings savor daily,” the man swivels h
is neck. An azure eye reveals itself. “Furthermore, you stole the blood of your lover. To grow this grassy gift from mother nature herself. So why not do the right thing and share?”
“What the hellish,” a marsh illustrates itself within Derek’s thoughts. “My lover? Alyssa gave it to me as a reward—”
A handful of shredded green leaves sprinkles from the boy’s fist and to the figure’s.
“My child, would you be so kind as to flick me a spark?”
The brick tinged orb slides along into figure’s cupped palms. He presses a finger over a tunnel aside the apparatus. A droplet of red liquid rests over the button carved over the side.
The man rests his blue lips against the hollowed surface atop the device. A cyclone of smoke animates within the transparent sphere.
His stomach collapses inward.
“I will—” a cloud shrouds the figure’s face.
The sound of phlegm forcing through a pipe echoes throughout the cliffsides. “Answer your deepest, darkest questions if you can answer this one simple riddle.
“Some call me a hero of the Trojan War. Others call me an experimental supersoldier. Alexander and I share one common thing. But what could it be?”
“He—”
“I am the second letter in the Greek alphabet and the embodiment of grief. What is thine name?”
“Can you give me a second—” Derek hand dives into his pant pocket. Appendages fondle its lining and nothing else. “Oh yeah—”
“No trying to ch-cheat!” he lowers his body while moving his legs underneath his butt. “Since you didn’t attack me when I stole your inspirational inducing apparatus. I might just give you a single hint. Sea Chill is an anagram formed by its contents.”
“Ace Hill—Sac Eh Ill—A Chi Sell—Achilles? Achilles—the Beta? I thought we took you out?” Nanos rush along Derek’s arm.
“Those bastard imposters!” Achilles’ reddened eyes narrow. “I sincerely apologize. Within the followers in my wonderful name, there are some who think they’re me. Simply because they have Glaciokinesis. They will even get surgery or steal the giraffe cock sucking—Urolagnia partaking—red worshiping—necrophiliac filth, Lycanthrope’s blood.