“So say you, Dragon-Lord.” The emperor spat upon the filthy floor. “But my empire has stood alone for one thousand years, and in that time, we have turned back all threats. In that time, we have grown our holdings and become the mightiest empire on Terra. I need not your aid; I need only your power.”
“My power?” Valentean felt blood rush to his arms and legs, his heart began to beat fast, and the flames that churned within the furnace of his heart began to jump. “Why have you asked me here if not to help us?”
The emperor chuckled and looked up at Baus, who smiled back in return. Once more, Valentean turned to look at McNeal, who gave him a knowing glance as though all of his predictions were coming true.
“My emperor,” McNeil said, walking up onto the throne platform.
“Silence!” Tek roared, pointing a long-nailed finger into the face of his animus warrior. McNeil’s voice died upon his lips as the emperor turned back to Valentean. “You are here, Dragon-Lord, because I have demanded it. I am a collector of rare and unusual creatures, and I have longed to add a Rosinanti to my list.”
The chaos stirred within him, begging to be unleashed. How dare he? This man was clearly insane, and Valentean had walked right into the midst of his empire.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said, eyes narrowing behind the dark lenses of his goggles.
“Your permission is not required, Dragon-Lord.”
“I think you’re going to find that I’m not so easily taken. It’s going to take more than your toy soldiers to subdue me.”
“Indeed, that’s why I’ve planned this afternoon’s Imperial entertainment in our gladiatorial arena around you.”
“What?” The gates of the throne room swung open, accompanied by pounding footsteps with a metallic resonance to them. Valentean whirled around and drew a sharp intake of breath as he saw General Zouka advancing on him, flanked by six Skirlack soldiers, three on each side. The general’s body was burned and disfigured, hair scorched away on the left side of his face, but still he smiled in imagined triumph.
“You look surprised to see me, Dragon,” he said, chuckling.
Valentean whirled around toward the emperor. “What on Terra do you think you’re doing here?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” the frail monarch replied. “We have here two endangered species. The last of the Gorram and one of the only two remaining Rosinanti in existence. What I demand is a battle to the death to take place in the grand gladiatorial arena of the Karminian Empire! The greatest spectacle ever witnessed within the Imperial walls!”
“What’s wrong, Valentean?” Zouka said, advancing past his soldiers. Valentean turned to face him as the two stared one another down. “Are you afraid to face me again?”
The chaos in his blood roared at the challenge, and Valentean could see flames chewing upon the flesh of this monster in the shadow of his mind’s eye. The vision, while revolting, tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“I don’t have time to stay here and enact this farce with you, Zouka,” he spat back into the general’s face. “I’m leaving to rejoin my friends, and there is no force on Terra that is going to stop me.”
“You shall not ignore my royal decree!” Tek roared.
Valentean whirled around to see the emperor reach to his side and pull on a large lever that sat upon the armrest of his throne. Instantly, the sound of whirling gears filled the room. The floor dropped out from under Valentean and Zouka. Suddenly, they were falling through the frigid mountain air.
Panic settled in for only a moment, and Valentean summoned the wind to catch his fall. His eyes erupted with white light beneath the shadow of his goggles, but before the wind could swirl around him, Zouka’s fist shot out, striking the animus warrior across the jaw. The general’s meaty arm closed around Valentean’s throat. He struggled against the restrictive pressure brought on by the general’s considerable strength as the bustling arena rushed up at them.
They fell through the blue-tinted barrier of the magical shield that surrounded the arena, and instantly, the bitter cold of the mountain’s snow-capped altitude was replaced by a stifling humidity. The sound of the gathered Imperial citizens watching these two warriors fall into their midst was deafening as they cheered and cried out in anticipation.
“This is our moment, Dragon,” Zouka hissed in his ear, “in which we do battle with nothing held back. To the death as true titans should! Today, one of us dies!”
Valentean grunted in response, but the promise of such a contest stirred the chaos within him. He was excited by it but bit down on the challenge, urging these base desires into his subconscious. He could not afford to lose control here. Not until he fully understood the chaos and learned to harness it with no danger.
The animus warrior lashed out with the point of his elbow, striking Zouka in the face. The general’s arm loosened around his throat, and Valentean pushed away, sending a gust of wind slamming into the Gorram, pushing them both apart and shooting Zouka into the arena floor. Valentean landed roughly on his side and rolled back up to his feet. Zouka rose as well, a smile on his face. He turned his head until his neck popped.
“That’s not good enough, Valentean.”
From above them, Valentean could see the saucer of the emperor’s throne room split in two and swing down on mechanical hinges. The chamber broke free of the towers, and both halves cascaded down into the arena, settling perfectly into place in the large, half-moon-shaped recesses on either side of Valentean and Zouka. The screaming spectators were now joined by the emperor and his entourage. Their fervor only grew in volume and intensity.
Valentean’s lip curled in disgust, and he was determined to not waste his time and energy on such a pointless encounter. He leapt into the sky, summoning the wind to aid him as he flew up and out of the arena. He extended his arms, determined to punch his way through the magical shielding that safeguarded the battle zone. He had, however, severely underestimated the strength of the spell being used to contain him. A loud explosion erupted as he impacted the blue tint, which threw him back, smashing into the unforgiving dirt. The crowd roared in response to such a spectacle, and Valentean spat dust and blood from his mouth. He glared up at Zouka, who smiled at him through the burn scars that covered his face.
The general must have arrived some time ago, must have promised this sadist the spectacle of a lifetime if he would only lure his prey to the city. Did McNeil know about this? Valentean dismissed that thought immediately. The Imperial animus warrior had his own goals in mind, and the thought of aiding him in this quest for the emperor’s death began to sound appealing to the rolling flames that spread along his thoughts. It was imperative that he keep the chaos in check. There were so many civilians present; should he lose control, he could burn them all to ashes. The chaos was tempting, it was powerful, but Valentean also knew how dangerous unleashing it amidst a throng of innocents could be.
“People of Karminia,” Tek exclaimed, his voice somehow amplified throughout the arena, “today, your emperor brings you the greatest spectacle ever witnessed within the walls of this empire! Today, the last of the Gorram faces off against a legendary creature, the scourge of humanity, the ancient evil itself, the Rosinanti!” The crowd exploded in excited cheers. “And not just any Rosinanti! The chosen one, the DRAGON-LORD!” The crowd roared yet again.
Valentean’s gaze diverted toward the emperor for a split second, and Zouka sprang into action. He threw a powerful punch with the intent to cave in Valentean’s face, but the spry, young animus warrior was too fast and blocked the incoming strike with a forearm. As Zouka’s strength sent shivers down to Valentean’s shoulder, he felt the surging tendrils of rage propel prickling heat throughout his veins. The chaos wanted out, and despite his valiant noble desires, Valentean wanted to let it out. He bit back on the power of the blaze, diverting his attention once more, which gave Zouka the opportunity to connect with a knee to the gut. The air was pushed from Valentean’s lungs as he doubled over, and Zo
uka responded with an uppercut right to the point of the animus warrior’s chin.
The force of the hammer-like blow took Valentean off his feet. But before gravity could reclaim its hold on him, Zouka wrapped one large hand around his ankle and threw the young man face-first into the ground. The impact and pain brought a snarl to Valentean’s lips, but the bustle of the crowd reminded him why he could absolutely not lose control. He gritted his teeth, resigned to win this fight without giving in. As he rose to his hands and knees, Zouka ran forward and punted him in the side.
Valentean was once more sent soaring into the air, flying several meters and crashing amidst one of several piles of debris that lay throughout the battle zone. All around him, there were discarded weapons, bits of armor, the skeletons of both animal and human alike. It was revolting. Just beyond the death pile sat four wooden buckets filled to the brim with water. Valentean smiled.
With memories of Seraphina alive in his heart, his eyes shone blue beneath the dark lenses of his goggles, and at his gesture, water shot outward from the buckets. Zouka’s charging form was blown back as the battering ram of liquid struck him squarely in the chest. Valentean pulled the water over his fists, and at his command, froze it into ice. He dashed with all of his mana-fueled speed and smashed his first ice-covered hand into Zouka’s face. The force of his blow shattered the fractals of frozen order, and the general reeled back. Valentean followed this up with the other hand, once more breaking the ice along the Gorram’s jawline.
Seeking to continue his advantage, Valentean punched low with a mighty blow against the general’s armored stomach, which bent the behemoth at the waist. Valentean struck Zouka across the temple with an elbow, causing the larger man to stumble forward. His eyes changed in color from blue to white, and the Dragon-Lord sent a strong gust of wind at his opponent’s back. Zouka flew forward, smashing hard into the ground. Valentean fell into a ready stance as his opponent rose.
Zouka spat blood upon the ground. “You’re holding back,” he snarled. “You will fight me to the death, Dragon! You will give me my ultimate victory, or you will give me a warrior’s death deserving of my people!”
“You’re insane! You once fought for the protection of Kackritta. You’re letting this single-minded bloodlust blind you to the fate of the entire world!”
“I told you already my world ended with my people. I have no greater aspirations than to taste battle!”
“So, join me! We’re going into the biggest battle in the history of this planet!”
Zouka scoffed and drew his immense black broadsword. “How little you understand, Dragon.”
He charged at Valentean, swinging the immense blade with incredible ease. Valentean bent and danced his body out of the sharpened weapon’s deadly path, leaping over a swipe intended to cut his legs off at the knees. He rolled to his feet beside a curved Karminian sword sticking out of the ground. He gripped the old blade by its worn handle and pulled it free, turning and bringing it up to redirect an overhead chop from Zouka that would have cloven him in two.
Valentean gave ground, letting the general come to him, all the while redirecting the kinetic energy of Zouka’s swipes, trying not to meet the general head-on. Zouka was skilled with the blade, and while Valentean was no amateur, he normally did not fight with weapons. If he wanted to bring this battle back to even footing, he had to do something to disarm his burly adversary.
As Zouka’s blade bore down on him once more, Valentean reversed his grip on his own sword, driving the bottom of the handle into Zouka’s incoming slash. The resulting impact broke the general’s stance and took him off balance. Valentean slashed out at him, and sparks flew off the general’s chest as the animus warrior’s blade cut a deep gash in his armor. Valentean then commanded the wind to bear down upon his opponent, and Zouka found himself slammed into the dirt. As he tried to rise, he was met head-on by a gust of wind that threw him back and flung the sword from his hands.
Valentean threw his blade to the side, biting down once more upon the swell of chaos that threatened to rise within him in response to the thrill of this momentary advantage. He dashed toward the fallen general, both fists crackling with the glowing, green energy of mana. He arrived beside Zouka within seconds, smashing a sparking fist into the general’s face as he attempted to stand. The emerald explosion sent Zouka back to his knees, and Valentean was right at him with energy-soaked, explosive punches to the face and chest that threw the burly Gorram back once more.
As Valentean gave chase, Zouka’s fists erupted in bright yellow light, and he slammed one directly into Valentean’s chest. There was an explosion that threw the animus warrior back several meters. As he struggled on the ground, he was overcome by a feeling of tingling dread in the wake of that foreign energy. What was that? It had the properties of a mana-energized blow, but it was so different. Zouka was at him again, yellow glowing fists smashing down into Valentean’s face. The young warrior was pushed down into the dirt by the unforgiving energy, and Zouka once again wrapped a muscular, armored arm around Valentean’s throat.
The Rosinanti gasped as the general’s strength attempted to close off his windpipe. Zouka brought his face down beside Valentean’s ear and whispered harshly into it over the roar of the Karminian crowd.
“You’re still holding back,” he hissed. “You fought me with more intensity months ago in Kackritta. Get serious or die!” Valentean squirmed and pulled at the general’s arm, but it would not budge. The chaos surged within him now, begging, pleading with him to be released, to relish in the ecstasy of the blaze. “If you do not fight me with the intent to kill, you will die here. That fire Goddess will overtake the world. Then, before she burns it all, I will personally find your father and your princess, and I will slowly, intimately peel the flesh and muscle from their bones before feeding them to the Skirlack. They will die in agony, cursing the name of their loved one who proved once and for all that he was just not strong enough. Just not good enough. They will die knowing that you never truly loved them. Though I have to admit I have a hard time understanding why you’d dedicate your life to that woman. What’s so special about her? Perhaps before I brutally murder her, I’ll have myself a taste to find out.”
Valentean’s mind exploded with rage. The chaos filled and overpowered him in response to his ire. This time, he did not turn away from it. The prickling heat, the tendrils of hate, the explosive power of the blaze ignited within his heart, and Valentean screamed in anger and ecstasy. In response to his outpouring of chaos, a fiery explosion ripped its way from his body, throwing Zouka back as flames erupted from the ground. The goggles exploded off his face as crimson light poured from his stare.
The Karminian crowd was no longer cheering. Instead, they sat in hushed silence. As he continued to scream one prolonged syllable carrying his rage and pain up into the sky, the battle zone came alight with red-hot flames. They erupted from the ground, creating conflagrations of crackling hate throughout the shielded area.
Valentean slowly stood amidst the inferno, murder on his mind. He slowly turned to fix his glowing stare of crimson death upon Zouka, who was smiling in awe. The general picked himself up from the ground and stood ready to receive his greatest opponent.
“Finally,” he exclaimed.
Valentean continued to stare in scorching blood-colored hate. The chaos fueled his anger, and his fingers tingled in anticipation. Through all of the rage, all of the pain, Valentean felt comforted by the blaze. The inferno in his heart had been released, and its intoxicating fury filled him with ecstasy and the promise of destruction. His scream subsided, and he took in long breaths of superheated air.
“Burn,” he growled at the general, opening himself fully to the blaze for the first time. Flames erupted around his body, and he attacked.
XII: Black and Blue
Seraphina leapt into action as soon as those first taunting words left Kayden’s lips. Twin jet streams of water formed around her as she thrust her arms forward, sendin
g them careening at Kayden, whose glowing purple eyes shone in shock for an instant as her liquid fury slammed into him.
The black-clad animus warrior was flung back by the ferocity of her sudden attack and slammed through one of the dark stone walls of the rebellion’s headquarters. All around her, the panicked screams of the fleeing rebellion were sending waves of anxiety pouring from her heart and mind.
“Get back! Get to safety!” She needed to hold Kayden at bay and keep the fight away from civilians. She had lost far too many lives in his initial assault on their base. The sounds of their dying breaths and snapping bones would haunt her for the rest of her life. She flew forward, hovering a meter above the ground, pulling more moisture from the air as she moved, sending a steady stream slamming into Kayden as he returned to a standing position. She directed the flow to press him into the wall with unrelenting force. She then called upon the power of Valentean’s light spirit to cool the restrictive pool and freeze it to ice.
Kayden hung suspended two meters high, struggling within the frozen prison that confined him. He scoffed.
“Very impressive, Princess,” he said without an iota of concern in his voice.
“You will regret coming here tonight, Kayden.” Seraphina’s glowing azure eyes narrowed into slits.
“Why would I when I’m already having so much fun?” He smiled at her as though they were meeting for tea in the gardens of Kackritta Castle.
“The lives you’ve taken here tonight—”
“Exciting, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“The power we wield. The ability to claim the lives of mortals as we see fit.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“Oh, come on, Seraphina. Don’t play the innocent with me.” He winked at her as though they shared some dark secret. “Tell me…how did it feel when your lightning shredded through Sophie’s frail mortal body? Felt good, didn’t it?”
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