His voice trailed off when he saw Master Quand kneeling forward, using his arms to hold himself up. Zarim approached, laying his palm on Quand’s back. “Master...?”
“I sensed your return...but around the same time, I sensed something even greater.” Quand finally looked at his pupil and for the first time, Zarim saw something in the old man’s eyes he’d never seen before—fear.
“What happened?” asked Zarim.
“You’ve made him desperate, my son,” said Quand. “And I fear that has made him far more dangerous than we ever could have expected.”
Swul took one last drag of his cigar before dropping it on the temple steps and crunching it beneath his boot. He held his favored battle-axe, resting it upon his shoulder. Tanus stood behind him, checking the battery charge on his gun-arm, while Liran continued to extend and retract her claws, working the muscles that enabled her to do such a feat. Reyche stood beneath the shade of the temple’s overhang, tugging the hood of her cloak to envelop her face completely in shadow.
“What’ve we got?” asked Swul.
“We could be looking at an invasion force,” said Tanus. “Might not be full-scale, but certainly a few Dreadnought squadrons. Weiss’ death isn’t likely to have made us any friends.”
“If he expects an apology, he shall wait for quite some time,” said Liran.
“Not at all,” said Tanus. “Far as I’m concerned, you did what I only wish I could have done.”
“Whaddaya say, boss? Got a plan?” asked Swul, glancing at the entrance.
“Plan?” Newly-invigorated, Zarim stepped forth from the temple and descended the set of stairs. His pistol and sword were both holstered and hanging from his belt. “If we’re dealing with Dreadnoughts, I say Reyche and Liran pick them off one by one, try and ambush them as they come into the city. Swul, you and Tanus are our big guns, time for you to prove it. You’re the primary line of defense.”
“And you?” asked Tanus.
“What do you think?” asked Zarim. “Vortai’s mine.”
“Well get ready, ‘cause here they come,” said Swul.
Over the horizon, indeed a ship had come into focus. It was a fairly large transport airship, no weapons, but no doubt it carried more than a few infantrymen. It only served to amplify Vortai’s desperate situation. He didn’t have the time to assemble the full might of the Dreadnoughts, not without raising questions from Ra’kad. All he could manage was a squadron that, although likely formidable, was only a fraction of the army’s true strength. Zarim knew that gave them an edge.
“Get ready,” he said.
The Dreadnought squadron descended from their airship by parachute, coasting down to the surface of Xanadar. Upon entering the city limits, they stalked through the streets, but found no one around. The crew of the Excalibur made it a point to hide away all the citizens as soon as possible so they wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.
Many of the buildings in Xanadar were built from white marble, which made it easy for Liran to blend into them. She followed along the rooftops, trying to determine which targets to strike first. When two Dreadnoughts turned down a corner and examined the vacant street, she found her first opportunity.
Dropping behind them, she grabbed the Dreadnought closest to her, wrapping her arm around his face to muffle any attempts at crying for help. She held him to the ground, applying pressure to his windpipe. His legs and arms frantically went into a spasm, but Liran kept a firm grip until he suffocated. With the remaining Dreadnought, who had yet to notice her presence, she could be more direct. Liran tackled him from behind, tearing his helmet from his head and slicing his throat open with abandon. Once the deed was done, she quickly ascended back to the rooftops, intent on finding new prey.
Reyche mostly kept to the shadows, sneaking up on them from behind. Whenever a Dreadnought moved into an alcove or fell back, that was when she struck, quickly dragging him or her into the darkness. During these encounters, however, only she ever emerged victorious. For the most part, she simply incapacitated her victims, but on occasion, she emerged from the shadows wiping crimson drips from her lips.
These forces, however, were mostly intended to distract, for the true source of power was with Vortai and his servant, Graf. The behemoth held his flail over one shoulder and over the other was Ekala. Vortai hovered along the ground. They came from another angle, avoiding most of the traps set up by Liran and Reyche. And the opposition they met was not what they expected. Tanus stood at the entrance to the large temple, his gun-arm primed and ready to fire. His steely eyes focused on Graf.
“Time for round two, big guy.”
“Settle this,” said Vortai, his power raising Ekala’s unconscious form from Graf’s body. The behemoth took the flail in hand and begun swinging it. “We did this once before. Didn’t work out so well for you.”
“Back then, I didn’t have help.” Tanus stepped aside from the entrance and Swul emerged, holding the axe with one hand and allowing it to drop into his free hand.
“So, yer the guy who killed Oberon,” he said.
Graf chuckled. “Care to make something of it?”
“Damn straight I do!” Swul charged, hefting the axe. Graf knocked the faerie away with one blow and saw Tanus descending the steps, raising his gun-arm.
“I owe you a debt,” he said as he fired a charge.
The impact was more than Graf had expected, but not enough to slow him too much. He recovered without any hesitation and rushed Tanus, swinging the flail at him. Tanus was thrown when the flail’s heavy end struck the steps of the temple, practically obliterating them. He rolled on the cobblestone street, releasing two more blasts that staggered Graf, but didn’t slow him down significantly.
Swul managed to come back from his blow and flew straight at Graf, swinging his axe in a wide arc that actually pierced the brute’s thick skin, leaving a deep, red gash across his back. Using speed that seemed impossible for his size, Graf snatched Swul out of the air and held him within the palm of his hand. He held the faerie to the ground, putting immense pressure upon him.
Tanus raised his gun in protest, but this only made Graf smile.
“Back off, or else his head pops,” said Graf.
Tanus had Graf within his sights, but hesitated. He knew from their last battle that Graf was strong enough to withstand the power of his blasts, yet he couldn’t simply allow the monster to kill the man who’d become his closest friend.
One of the Dreadnoughts had managed to get past Reyche and Liran, and he snuck up behind Graf. Tanus could see his approach and noted the weapon he held—not Imperial issue, and it made him smile. He knew who was under that helmet and the Dreadnought jumped, his hand latching onto the leather straps that crisscrossed Graf’s torso. By the time Graf noticed the intrusion, the Dreadnought was already on his back. While still holding Swul, Graf dropped the flail and tried to grab the interloper. When that didn’t work he began to bucking like a wild horse, hoping to throw the imposter off his back.
Tanus tried to keep Graf within his sights. If ever he had a chance to fire, now would be it. But Graf’s frantic movements kept throwing Swul into the line of fire. Any attempted shots might take out his friend instead. He watched the Dreadnought struggling to raise the long cane he held and saw it flare with energy. The Dreadnought drove the pulse sword into Graf’s neck. The body of the hideous creature seized in pain and Graf fell over, hitting the ground with enough force that the earth trembled at the impact.
The Dreadnought flipped from Graf’s fallen body and landed on the ground. He removed the helmet, tossing it away in a grand gesture, revealing the masked face of Templar beneath.
“How did you get mixed up in this?” asked Tanus.
“Ekala,” said Templar. “I was there when Vortai took her. He made the mistake of leaving me aboard the airship with a single guard. Didn’t take much to get out.”
Swul pulled his body from beneath the hand that imprisoned him. He moved a bit slowly, his body
aching all over, but he still managed to grab the end of the axe and dragged it towards Graf. Tanus stepped away from the behemoth, the gun returning to his artificial hand.
“You need help?” he asked.
“Nah, I got it.” Swul struggled a bit, hefting the axe above his head. He stared down at Graf, the beast’s eyes almost pleading for mercy. The faerie let the axe fall on Graf’s neck. It wasn’t enough to cut through, so he had to strike again. And again.
It took several tries before Graf’s head rolled away.
During the chaos of the battle between Graf and Tanus and Swul, Vortai slipped inside the temple, Ekala still hovering by his side. He could feel the power of the Soulstones reaching out to him. The frail-looking priest descended the steps, his prisoner still floating by his side. And once in the basement, he saw the four-pointed star with the five stones embedded within. All of them pulsed with a green glow in unison, and Vortai’s mouth nearly watered.
The sound of steel scraping against a metal scabbard drew Vortai’s gaze. Zarim stepped out from behind the star, sword in hand and he raised the blade, pointing it at his intended target. Vortai scoffed, gesturing so that Ekala floated into his hands. She struggled against the powers that held her, but her body was completely incapacitated.
“One step closer, and she dies.” Vortai stroked Ekala’s chin with a single, long finger. Sparks danced along the length of it, flowing onto Ekala’s skin and she cringed. “Wouldn’t that be ironic, Zarim? She resurrects you, only to die herself. There’s a certain poetry to it, is there not?”
Zarim kept the sword up. “Leave her out of this, it’s between you and me.”
“You’ve interfered in my affairs for far too long, pirate,” said Vortai. “It ends here and now.”
“Just kill him already, he’s been goin’ on like that since he grabbed me,” said Ekala.
“A trade seems to be in order,” said Vortai. “The Soulstones for your woman.”
Zarim’s stare traveled to Ekala. He knew he couldn’t let Vortai harm her, no matter what the stakes. With a sigh, he lowered his blade, his arm bending slightly. The sword was still pointed at Vortai, but now lacking the initial threat.
“Zee, I swear if you let him get his hands on those rocks, I’ll kill you myself!” said Ekala.
“No choice, babe,” said Zarim.
“Then we are finally agreed,” said Vortai, and with a wave of his hand, Ekala was thrown at Zarim. He managed to grab hold of her and maintain his footing without them both being knocked to the ground. Vortai approached the Soulstones, his hands reaching out for them.
“What the hell’s wrong with you?” asked Ekala. “You know what’s gonna happen now, don’t you?”
“Oh yeah, I know exactly what’s gonna happen.” Zarim looked at her and his face bore a half-smile. He winked and Ekala knew something was up.
“Finally, after years of searching and waiting, the power of the Presence is now within my grasp,” muttered Vortai. He breathed deeply, arms extending from his sides, and shut his eyes. The Soulstones responded to his movements and as he concentrated on them, their power started to flow towards him, perforating his body. The energy field raised him up, and his face turned to the two who had opposed him for so long. When he opened his eyes, they were glowing with so much power, it was spilling out of them. He pointed a long finger at them and smiled.
“I hope you enjoyed what little time you had together. But I cannot abide by such insolence in the new world to come.”
Energy crackled at the tip of his finger and then fired. Zarim raised his sword and the energy struck it, simply coursing through the blade. The energy now seemed to flow from Vortai into Zarim, and his own eyes were now pulsating with a glow that continued to grow larger as Vortai’s eyes dimmed.
“What’s happening?” asked Vortai. “What are you doing?”
The blade now glowed brightly and Zarim rushed forward, driving the sword through Vortai’s chest. The warlock gasped, eyes gaped and mouth wide open. “H-how?”
“All that power you talked about? Turns out I stole a little bit of it for myself before you got here,” said Zarim. “The Soulstones resurrected me, you think that meant nothing?”
He pulled his blade free and Vortai slumped onto the ground. Zarim sheathed the sword and smiled at Ekala. “See? I had everything under control.”
She smirked and scoffed. “Should’ve known.”
“But it’s not over yet.” He faced the stones, doing just as Vortai had and holding his arms out. The Soulstones bathed him in the same glow as they had done with Vortai.
“What are you doing?” asked Ekala.
The power surged through his body, and he could feel it about to consume him. He was tempted to hold onto it, after all the Soulstones did choose him. Why should he not take that power for himself? Use it for his own purposes? Create a new world. But then he saw Ekala, her eyes fearful and Zarim understood what he needed to do.
He focused on the Soulstones, the energy that they possessed now at his command. With that power he could do anything. Even release it.
Cracks appeared along each of the gemstones, first small, but then longer and in a web-like design. Simultaneously, all five stones shattered as if they were glass, and the energy contained went in all directions, passing through both Zarim and Ekala and then moving beyond. The power flowed across the entire planet, spreading out amongst every living thing.
Zarim sat on his knees, his breath short and shallow, like he’d just completed a marathon. Ekala went to his side and helped him stand. He leaned on her for support, draping his arm around her shoulders.
“What did you do?” she asked.
“Destroyed the Soulstones,” he said.
“I thought it couldn’t be done.”
Zarim shook his head. “The energy couldn’t be destroyed, but the containers could.”
“So where’d all that power go?”
“Everywhere,” said Zarim. “It’s no longer contained in five stones, but spread out across the world in small doses. Those things shouldn’t pose a problem ever again.”
CHAPTER 30
Within the days following Vortai’s death, word was sent out to Emperor Ra’kad. He immediately dispatched a team to aid in the clean-up, and several diplomats went as well to convey their sincerest apologies to Master Quand and the people of Xanadar. Ra’kad’s representatives said the Emperor had no knowledge of what Vortai was planning and that he’d commanded the Dreadnought squad without proper clearance. It was all nonsense. Although Ra’kad may not have known Vortai’s intentions, he still allowed his advisor unprecedented access to the empire’s military forces and was now trying to cover it all up. But Master Quand accepted the apology.
During the imperial presence in Xanadar, the crew of the Excalibur stayed mostly out of sight, or acted as if they were among the monks who lived there. It wasn’t until the empire left that the crew completed their preparations to depart.
Zarim walked down the airfield with Master Quand by his side. His crew waited for him at the Excalibur. Tanus stepped forward and said, “ship’s all ready to go when you are, Captain.”
“Captain?” asked Zarim. “I take it that means you’ll join us?”
Tanus grinned. “I’ve come to realize there are worse things I could be doing with my life than becoming a pirate.”
“Welcome aboard.” Zarim patted Tanus on his shoulder. Reyche approached him. “What about you?”
“I can’t return home, not until I’ve come to terms with what I’ve become,” she said.
“You’ve got a place with us if you want it,” said Zarim.
“Actually, Master Quand and I were speaking earlier...” she began and looked over at the old monk. “I think I’d like to remain here. Follow a different path. See the truth that Vortai corrupted.”
“Good choice,” said Zarim. That left only two other hangers-on: Liran and Templar.
“She would like to return to Felidae,” said Liran.
“She has responsibilities. Now she will become Chieftain.”
“We’ll get you there,” said Swul. “I also need t’ stop by Nephelm, let Albion and Nyx know that their king’s been avenged.”
“And then what?” asked Ekala. “You’re not turning your back on us, are you?”
“Hell no, life there’s too stuck up for my tastes,” said Swul. “‘Sides, still gotta win back my money.”
Zarim and Templar met each other’s gaze. They stared at each other for a few moments before Zarim broke the silence. “You did good back there. Thanks for your help.”
The sudden expression of gratitude came as a surprise to all gathered. But Templar took it in stride and nodded to his rival. “It was an experience, that’s for certain.”
“Maybe we’ve got room for one more onboard, if you’re interested,” said Zarim.
“Hah!” Templar’s grin was wider than Zarim had ever seen. “A tempting offer, but one I choose to decline. I’m not in the business of taking orders from anyone, especially not one I’ve bested in combat.”
Zarim scoffed at this. “You got lucky. It was a fluke.”
Ekala rolled her eyes and turned away. “Oh for the love of...”
Templar raised his pulse sword, the energy launching through it. “Shall we test that theory?”
Zarim threw his cape over his shoulder and drew his own blade. He smiled at the purple-clad thief, their eyes locked together. “What are you waiting for?”
Nothing, apparently. The two men ran towards each other and their weapons connected.
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SoulQuest Page 25