Star Magi: A Space Opera Fantasy Adventure (Star Magi Saga Book 1)
Page 21
Unfortunately, if they wanted to fight the Crux and stand a chance of winning, it would be a necessary evil.
Valerya followed the support ship, boosting through the other three. Aris took the opportunity to let off a few pot shots at these others as they rocketed through their midst before he refocused on the ship they were trailing. Watching the radar, Valerya saw the four fighters bank and come in behind them.
‘Four fighters on our tail,’ Valerya called out.
‘I see em,’ Aris answered her.
‘I’m breaking off from the support ship; let’s take out some of those fighters.’
‘Ready when you are,’ he answered her as lasers streaked past them. Valerya spun the ship, banking hard.
She loved flying Aetheric Craft. They often handled nothing like conventional ships and more like fighter planes in atmosphere with their ability to make gradual turns as if they had ailerons pushing against the air, except they were pushing against the Essentia in space instead.
The fighters spun and turned while the Arkady came about. The moment Aris could bring the ship's weapons to bear, he unleashed hell and concentrated fire on the first target he could hit.
The beams hammered against the fighter's shields, before they suddenly broke through. The fighter exploded in a flash of yellow as the Arkady jinked and sped after another, swooping past the explosion at incredible speed.
Aris fired again and quickly took out the second fighter, leaving behind a glowing fireball where it had once been. Turning back, the station swung up into view and Valerya watched as the Dragon that had been held captive lifted off from the station. The support ship they had been chasing rose back up before them and fired, its beams slamming into the Arkady, making the ship rock and judder from the impacts.
‘Aris?’ Valerya called.
‘I know,’ he answered as the Arkady’s beams lit up the night once more, hitting the support ship like a wreaking ball. They were right on the ships tail as it dived back towards the station, probably looking for help.
Aris threw everything the Arkady had it at, including unleashing the wrath of a pair of railguns at their target.
Seconds passed as Valerya jinked the ship back and forth, doing her best to dodge the incoming fire when the target ship’s shields suddenly failed and the Arkady’s beams and projectiles hit home.
Explosions rocked the support ship and engulfed it in a wave of destruction from the engines forward.
Valerya banked the ship left, bringing one of the Crux Dragons into view.
Aris fired at it. The Arkady’s beams racked over the Dragon’s Aegis, making the beast flinch, beat its wings, and twist away.
Behind it, in an otherwise empty area of space, two more Wyrm Holes flared into life as two more Void Dragons burst through.
‘More of them?’ Valerya exclaimed.
These two new arrivals were moving at speed and working together, swooped in towards the Dragon that had been held captive on the station, and attacked it.
‘What the hell?’ Valerya blurted out. ‘Who are these guys?
***
As the captured Dragon lifted off, Amanda dashed left, towards the nearest Crux soldier, a female by the looks of things. She hit the woman across the face, making her stagger to keep her balance. Grabbing her by a strap across her chest, Amanda got hold of the woman’s helmet, dug her fingers in with her enhanced strength, and ripped it off.
Air escaped from the suit as the woman went bug-eyed and tried to breathe in a vacuum. Amanda adjusted her stance, stepping towards the next nearest figure and threw the woman at him, sending him flying as well.
Beams from the other two flashed and burnt against her Aegis. She reached out, her fingers splayed wide and worked her Magic.
Pulling her fingers in like a claw, the armour on the soldiers squeezed in and compacted around the two people inside. They screamed as their suits ripped and fractured. Contorting into inhuman shapes, they dropped to the floor while blood leaked out into the vacuum of space.
The man she’d thrown the woman at struggled beneath her and tried to raise his weapon and bring it to bear on Amanda. Working her Magic again, she summoned some kinetic energy and threw the man and the woman lying across him into space. He rocketed up and away from the station at incredible speed, quickly disappearing from view.
Looking up, Amanda watched two new Dragons suddenly Gate in and immediately attack the Dragon that had only just been freed.
‘And who are you working for?’ she said to no one. ~You seeing this?~ Amanda reached out to Valerya over the Link. ~Two new Dragons?~
~We see it, no idea who they are, though,~ Valerya answered.
Amanda glanced up to see the Arkady shoot past at high speed as two fighter ships trailed after them. ~You’ve got two fighters on your tail.~
~We see them,~ Valerya answered.
Up in space, Amanda saw one of the Sol Dragons — Ventori, by the look of it — engaged in a fight with two of the Crux Dragons. Meanwhile, Grokar, the other Sol Dragon, was already swooping back to the station and coming in hot towards one of the other two Crux Dragons, who was momentarily distracted by the two newly arrived Dragons attacking the captive.
Essentia surged nearby as Amanda sensed Flux Magic and space folding. Rane and Ylena suddenly appeared close by.
~Hope I didn’t miss too much,~ Rane said through their Link. ~We tried to stop the captive from getting loose.~
~Nope, still plenty to do,~ Amanda answered through their Mental Link.
Grokar slammed into one of the Crux Dragons and smashed it to the surface of the station before breathing fire over it. The second of the two Crux Dragons on the station flinched in surprise at the attack, and then with a roar, launched itself at the Sol Dragon.
~Oh, no you don’t,~ Amanda said, and threw an almighty kinetic ram at the Dragon, smacking it to the floor as Rane and Ylena gathered their own Magic and attacked the Crux Dragon that Grokar was on top of.
With the second of the two Crux Dragons on the station still reeling from her kinetic ram, Amanda focused the rest of her Magic on the Crux Dragon that Rane and the others were attacking, hammering it with as much Energy and Essentia as she could muster.
With three Magi, including herself and Grokar ripping at it, the Aegis on the Crux Dragon collapsed reasonably quickly. Even so, the Crux Dragon was still putting up a hell of a fight, and even without its Aegis, it was holding its own for a few moments there until the onslaught was finally just too much.
Grokar tore the Dragon’s head off finally, and ended the fight as the second Dragon returned, having recovered from Amanda’s kinetic ram. It saw its dead companion and roared in defiance.
The massive body of Grokar turned and roared back as Ylena and Rane refocused on this new threat and threw what they could at it. Amanda joined in and hit the Crux Dragon with a volley of Essentia Strikes and energy blasts that were joined with Grokar’s fiery breath.
Hearing a crunch behind her, Amanda turned to see the two Dragons, who were late arrivals, get the upper hand in the fight against the captive Dragon. They forced it to the station surface, dropping partially out of sight into a depression on the surface.
She had no idea who they were, but for the moment, they seemed to be helping Amanda and her side.’
~Who are those two attacking the captive?~ Amanda sent.
~No idea, but they’re keeping the captive on station,~ Ylena said. ~Let’s deal with them in a moment.~
~Fair point,~ Amanda said and continued her attack on the second Crux Dragon, hitting it as hard as she could. Moments passed, but this Dragon seemed to be on the defensive, backing off and trying to keep from being cornered.
It swapped a few blows with Grokar and then took off, wheeling away from the station, battered and badly hurt from the assault it had been subjected to before it Gated out.
~Finally,~ Amanda gasped.
~It’s not over yet,~ Rane said, pointing to one of the support ships that was dropping off a score of troop
s onto the surface of the station.
~God damn it,~ Amanda cursed as she glanced up at the Arkady, dog fighting in the space above the station around one Sol and one Crux Dragon still fighting up there.
Transfer of Power
Sol Prime, Sol System
Anastasia watched as two Dragons gated in above Sol Prime and swooped towards the formerly captive Dragon, who was just taking flight. They caught it in mid-air and tumbled through space, clawing at the Crux Dragon as it tried to fight back. Magic flared between the two Magi who were up there riding them.
Anastasia smiled and started to walk down towards a lower section of the station’s surface. ~Thorne, bring it down,~ she said through her Link.
~Be there momentarily; he’s putting up a fight,~ Thorne answered. ~It’s rider is proving to be a pain as well.~
~Don’t dally too long, now,~ she answered him as she led the Black Knights down.
She looked up and watched as the two Dragons finally got the upper hand and started to force the captive Dragon down. They lost altitude quickly and as Anastasia reached the lower section, slammed it into the wide-open area before her. The rider of the captive Dragon fell from the Dragon’s back, hit the floor hard, and didn’t move.
Through a combination of Magic and brute strength, the two Dragons forced the beaten Dragon down. Anastasia watched with fascination. These hulking creatures were incredible to watch. Majestic really, even in their ferocity.
~What is this?~ Veronique, one of the Black Knights, asked through their group Link. They were in the void of space with only their Aegis to protect them from the harsh environment, and Anastasia could see that several of the Black Knights looked quite nervous about being out here. The presence of these three Dragons probably wasn’t helping their nerves, either. And rightly so, she thought.
~You’ll see,~ Anastasia answered as she strode over towards the Dragons and riders.
She moved towards the Dragon on her right, but looked up at the rider of the one on the left, a thin man with a cruel expression and some creepy looking armour. ~Well done,~ Anastasia said with a nod to him.
~My pleasure,~ Thorne answered.
Around her, a short distance before the Dragons, three more figures Ported in, appearing with a discreet surge of Essentia before moving to the downed rider and picking her up. Magic flared, and an Aegis was placed around her, but she was still unconscious, hanging limply in the hands of the Magi holding her.
~Ana?~ said one of these new arrivals in greeting. She was a woman in dark armour and a severe expression.
~Sapphira,~ Anastasia answered. ~Hold her there, I think we’ll need her,~ she said, waving towards the captive rider.
One of the Dragons, the one without a rider, lowered its head towards Anastasia as she approached it.
She smiled and reached out, caressing its snout. ~Tallon, it’s been too long, my friend.~
~This day has long been hoped for,~ Tallon answered, its voice in her head, deep and powerful.
~Indeed it has,~ she replied, looking down at the captive Dragon before she looked up at the Dragon Thorne was riding. ~Well done, Kragen. Good work today.~
~Always a pleasure,~ Kragen answered.
~What do you want, witch?~ the captured Dragon hissed at her.
Anastasia smiled and walked to stand more directly in front of the prone Dragon. ~Tell me, what’s your name?~
~Why should I tell you that?~ the Dragon answered.
~Don’t then, I was just being polite. I am Anastasia Daniels, and I’m here to offer you a choice, Dragon.~
~I know this Dragon, his name is Tayzar,~ Tallon said, cutting into the conversation.
Anastasia nodded to Tallon in thanks.
~What choice?~ Tayzar asked.
Anastasia smiled. ~It’s a simple one, really. Live... or die.~
~What do you mean?~ Tayzar asked after a brief pause, clearly suspicious of her, but then, she couldn’t blame him, really. She’d be just as suspicious if she were in his position.
Her grin widened. ~Transfer your power to me and live on within me, in a manner of speaking, or die right here, right now.~
She watched Tayzar glance over to the female rider Anastasia’s allies held in their arms, and then back to Anastasia. ~What are you going to do with her?~
Anastasia offered a thin smile. ~That depends on you, doesn’t it, my friend.~
~If I do this, you let her go,~ Tayzar suggested.
Anastasia shrugged. ~I’ll consider it. Honestly, you don’t have much choice in the matter. Gift me your power, now, or suffer the consequences, and I will make it painful.~
Tallon dug his claws into Tayzar’s back where he held the Dragon down, causing Tayzar to flinch and licks of flame to boil up around his mouth, but held back from Anastasia by the Aegis that Tallon and Kragen had encased him in.
Anastasia watched as the Dragon glanced from her to his unconscious rider, knowing that their bond would only allow him one real choice. She couldn’t help the cruel smile that played over her lips.
The Dragon seemed to sigh as a defeated look washed over its face before it slumped to the floor. ~You know the answer,~ it rumbled in her mind.
~Excellent… I’m waiting,~ she answered it.
Essentia began to stir and rush into the Dragon as it worked its Magic. This wasn’t just a typical gathering of Essentia, though, and its feel was subtly different as the energy gathered inside of the Dragon. Watching through her Aetheric Sight, she could see the Dragon’s essence, its Anima, pull in and contract into the concentration of Essentia in the Dragon’s core until she heard Tayzar’s voice in her head one more time.
~I’m ready,~ it said.
The Aegis that Tallon and Kragen had enveloped Tayzar in pulled apart and the energy within the Dragon rolled out of it and rushed into Anastasia, filling her up. She staggered as she lost her balance and dropped to her knees. The world seemed to tip and she wasn’t even sure she was on solid ground anymore. Her mind felt a rush of energy that overcame her perceptions and made it difficult for her to concentrate on anything around her. She shut her eyes and allowed the power to fill her up.
It felt like she was floating and no longer on this plane of existence at all as images and feelings that weren’t her own rushed through her mind.
She pushed them back and pulled them away from the energy that filled her as she felt her connection to the Essentia and universe all around her strengthen.
The experience was disorientating and scary, but also, an incredible rush as she felt her power grow.
Nomad Ascendant
Sol Prime, Sol System
Valerya turned the Arkady hard and shot through a gap between one of the two remaining Dragons up here and a Crux ship that was coming the other way, barely clearing both of them before turning again and bringing the Sol Prime station into view once more.
Valerya spotted the other remaining Crux Dragon diving towards the station and the fight that she knew Amanda, Ylena, and Rane were in. She could see one of the Sol Dragons, Grokar, down there, a Crux Dragon corpse a short distance away from him without a head while Crux forces engaged them with beam fire.
They saw the Crux Dragon diving for them, so Valerya left them to it.
More movement caught her eye. She looked up to see a score of fighter ships emerge from several areas of the station and move towards the Arkady and the dogfight that was happening out here.
‘Finally,’ Valerya whooped, as she turned the ship and the Sol fighters zipped past her, their electron lasers burning bright in the black void. Valerya brought the ship around and found the airborne Crux Dragon again that was now being swarmed by countless numbers of needle-like fighters that swooped around it.
‘Hit it with everything you’ve got,’ she called out to Aris.
‘You don’t need to tell me twice,’ he answered her as the main viewer was suddenly lit up by beam after beam of cannon fire while the railguns shot slugs at incredible speeds at the colossal beast.
Valerya jinked the ship a little as it dived through the swarm of Sol and Crux ships that surrounded the Dragon, picking out the gaps in the fight and threading them like a needle while Aris unleashed hell.
Shooting out the other side, Valerya banked left and brought the ship around for another pass. As they turned, a Crux ship rose into view, already smoking from attacks by the fighters. Aris hit it with a barrage of beam and slug fire, cutting through the Crux ship’s shields and armour like butter. Explosions rocked the ship before it erupted into a fireball as the Arkady completed its turn and boosted back towards the fight with the Dragon.
Ventori dove in towards the embattled Crux Dragon once more, and landed on its back, ripping at its wings and hide, spraying more blood into the void of space as more fighters hit it with their beams.
The Crux Dragon bucked and whipped its tail around until it threw the Sol Dragon from its back. The moment the Sol Dragon was clear, Aris fired everything the Arkady had at the beast, tearing into the bloody wounds that covered it. As the Arkady’s beams and projectiles raked across its body, the damage to one wing was too much, and it tore free. The Crux Dragon screeched in fury as Aris concentrated fire on it, aiming for the wounds for maximum effect. Blood went everywhere when Ventori swooped in and grabbed hold of the Crux Dragon’s head and neck with all four claws.
Moments later, as the Arkady’s beams nearly cut the thing in two, Ventori tore the creature’s head off, ending its life.
‘Got one!’ Valerya yelled as she brought the ship around. She saw Ventori, the Sol Dragon watch the corpse for a moment, double checking it was dead before it turned to the station. Valerya could see the other Sol Dragon, Grokar, fighting the last Crux Dragon that had come here to rescue the captive. Ventori dived towards that fight.