by David Roman
“Attack!” Duell pulled out his sword, split it in two, and rushed into the dust with the twins, Vincent, Thanatos, Galadan and the Urtans.
Duell moved too fast for normal eyes to see. He ran through a group of enemy monks, slashing them in half within milliseconds. He then stabbed through two more, kicked one in the head, flipped in the air, threw a dagger at another and landed, slicing two more off their feet. He then jumped up on the back of one of the monks and came down twirling like a helicopter, killing a dozen more at once.
Exander threw several daggers, jumped over the bodies of the dead and came hacking down at a spider machine, cutting it in half. He then dodged an array of blasts and started lacerating through the enemy alongside his master.
Damocles was behind his brother, taking out half a dozen of the dark troops with one slice of his sword.
The three Xenians were impossible to hit. They cut through the confused mob, gradually making their way to the giant.
The Urtans went in battle with fury in their eyes caused by the grief of their fallen brothers. They pushed the enemy back, buying enough time for the Xenians to make their attack.
Thanatos rushed ahead at a speed that would match the Tel Kasar. His strength was mind-boggling. With one hit he could take out an entire group of troops. He smashed through them with ease, taking off their heads and throwing them at the nearby buildings and at Cosmos.
As Vincent ran out, he was greeted by a dozen soldiers. He dodged a few shots and let his hands do the work. No doubt. He moved like an animal, circling around them, through them, stabbing behind, to the side, over his shoulder, while throwing daggers at the same time. Not once did he miss a target—it was as if he knew where they were coming from. No hesitation. He didn’t pause for a second; the doubt that he might accidentally strike one of the good guys left his head. Suddenly, a paratrooper in a jetpack appeared to his right, aiming down. Vincent jumped up, sliced the pilot and the machine in half, sending its upper portion with the gunner into the nearby building, and then continued to tear through the enemy troops like a mindless machine.
The monks of the Order were taken aback by the surprise attack; they couldn’t grasp the idea of what was going on as tanks, machines, and thousands of Urtan troops came out of hiding.
“Order!” Aurora’s shrieking voice pierced through the air as she tried to control the petrified army. The monks screamed, ignoring her commands while desperately trying to get away, nearly knocking down their god.
Cosmos lumbered above their heads. His growl of disappointment would paralyze a regular person, but the fury within Urtans defied it. He raised his mechanical foot and smashed an Urtan tank to bits, at the same time callously killing his own followers.
Thanatos picked up one of the spider machines and tossed it at the giant. Two lightning bolts shot out of Cosmos’ eyes, blowing up the contraption to bits and showering the crowd below with fragments.
Duell took the opportunity and jumped up, slashing at the giant’s abdomen. A shield sparked up, forcing the Xenian to fall back. Damocles then followed his master’s example, but faced the same reaction.
“We have to strike at him together!” Duell cried out to his student, fending off a new batch of troops.
Cosmos looked down at the overconfident Xenians, his eyes lighting up once more, but before he could fire, a rocket from the sky forced him to stagger.
“Spaide,” Duell whispered as a squadron of Urtan ships attacked, led by the Dirsalian.
*
No one was more disappointed when the bomb didn’t detonate as was its maker. Spaide couldn’t even breathe for those several seconds, much less respond to Exander’s complaints. What did I do wrong? And just as he was thinking, the bomb went off, and the gates before him opened.
“Let’s go!” Spaide screamed out and flew first into the burning sky. “Their shields are down, and most of their ships are grounded!”
The squadron flew over the castle and into the battlefield.
One of the enemy warships floated at the far end of the courtyard.
“Fire at will,” Spaide commanded and sent a few rockets in its direction. An array of missiles struck the ship, and its control tower exploded to bits, forcing it to crash.
“Direct all firepower to the flagship!” Spaide turned towards the quad. “He mustn’t get away!”
The Urtans began bombarding the Basin, managing to cause it a great deal of damage before the enemy erected their shields.
“Keep attackin’ it!” Spaide screamed. “Wear down its shields before they send their fighters!” He headed for the main battle.
Cosmos was swaying over the mass, roaring in anger. Spaide then saw the giant attempting to exterminate his friends after their unsuccessful effort. “Eat this!” He released one of the rockets. The blast initiated the armor’s force field, and Cosmos wobbled.
“Sir!” one of the Urtans announced. “Enemy fighters approaching!”
“Come on, Duell,” Spaide muttered, circling around the infuriated colossus.
*
Vincent saw Duell fall after the attempt and hurried to his aid. But as he ran, he sensed an attack coming from his right. He managed to raise his sword, but it was swept aside, and a large hammer smashed him in the chest, sending him flying back. It was the monstrosity Galadan called Tyranno. He was going wild, trying to defend his god at all costs, swinging his deadly weapon in every direction and bludgeoning the Urtans.
Vincent collapsed over a pile of bodies.
Damocles rushed past him. “I got him!” he assured.
*
Exander and Duell were fighting their way back to Cosmos.
“Where’s Damien?” Exander looked around the battlefield. It seemed as if the Urtan attempt to stall the army was beginning to fail: their forces around the city were rapidly diminishing; the enemy poured into the courtyard from the alleys and the rooftops; and rival fighters filled the sky, taking out Spaide’s squadron. Behind them, Exander noticed some of the monks climbing over the wreckage, up the remains of the stairs.
“He entered the castle after the explosion!” Duell shouted.
“Damn it!” Exander cursed and then called out, “Vincent!”
“What is it?” Vincent approached, dodging blasts.
“Help Gaia in the castle! Hurry!”
“Right!” Vincent turned around and headed towards the stairs.
“Be wary of their leader Damien!” Exander warned. “Remember, he’s a sorcerer!”
Vincent ignored the warning. Sorcerers, giants, reptiles—compared to what he’d seen, nothing else would surprise him. Gaia was in trouble, and that was all that mattered.
To enter the castle through the tunnels would be hopeless; he had to leap over the gap to the upper part of the staircase. He reached the hole, evading any conflict, and jumped up. As he was in midair, a lightning bolt from Cosmos destroyed one of the Urtan ships, spraying him with the remains. He landed face-first on the intact portion of the stairs as the vessel collapsed behind him. He crawled, got on his feet, and headed forward unremittingly while pulling a chunk of metal out of his shoulder.
*
“Thanatos!” Exander found himself back to back with the Dargonian while fending off a new batch. “I need you to hurl me!”
Thanatos smashed the heads of two monks together and looked over his shoulder. “What?”
“Throw me at him!”
“With pleasure.” Thanatos grabbed Exander by the back of the belt, swung him around with full force, and sent the Xenian flying at the giant.
With both hands on his sword, Exander came down hacking at Cosmos’ breastplate. The timing was once again incorrect, and the young Xenian fell down by the giant’s feet. Duell quickly came to his student’s aid, sweeping him away before Cosmos smashed his foot through the ground.
“I have a plan,” Duell said. “Where’s your brother?”
*
Tyranno was berserk. Damocles barely managed to dodge his mi
ghty hammer, to which more than a dozen Urtan soldiers had already fallen victim. A device of sorts was on the Kaball’s belt, generating a shield, thus protecting the monster from any blasts, and it was next to impossible to get close to him.
As Tyranno swung and missed, Damocles pounced.
The Kaball spun around and smashed the Xenian in the chest.
Using the force of the impact, Damocles tumbled backwards, and then came back hacking.
Tyranno raised his hammer in defense, but the hit slashed it in half. Grabbing the remaining portion, he struck Damocles on the side, and as the Xenian stumbled back, he smashed it on the ground, generating a small quake.
Damocles was swept off his feet, the sword falling out of his hands. In a second, Tyranno was over him, preparing another fatal blow. Damocles kicked the monster in the knee cap, jumped up, and punched him in his chin, forcing the Kaball to drop his weapon as well.
“You’ve no idea how much I’m going to enjoy this,” Damocles said as he began to pummel his enemy’s small head with blows that’d render any man senseless.
Gaining his conscience, the Kaball backhanded the Xenian, smashing him away with ease. As Damocles swiveled, trying to maintain his stability, Tyranno raised his right hand and hit the Xenian with the side of his fist.
Refusing to fall, Damocles came back with an uppercut.
The two stood there, toe to toe, exchanging hits.
Tyranno was getting furious at his elusive target. Damocles continued his melee of punches and finally dislocated the monster’s jaw with his elbow.
“You puny bastard,” Tyranno grunted through his blood-filled teeth. “I’ll crush you!” He caught Damocles by the wrist with one hand and by the throat with the other.
Damocles reached for a knife with his free hand.
Noticing the steel, Tyranno let go of Damocles’ arm and wrapped his other hand around his neck, applying more pressure.
Damocles dropped the knife, gasping; even though he was a Tel Kasar, the force of the monster surpassed his. He gradually began kneeling to the ground.
“Die!” Tyranno spat out.
Damocles looked around. His sword was nowhere to be seen. He felt his strength waning, and then he saw weakness in his enemy’s body. He grabbed the horns protruding out of Tyranno’s elbows, and yanked. The monster let out a painful cry as both of his forearms snapped. He fell to his knees—arms dangling helplessly, face entreating for mercy. Freeing himself from the deadly grasp, Damocles seized the Tyranno by the horns growing out of his shoulders and drove a knee into that hideous face.
“Enough play,” Damocles said, towering over his defeated foe. With a swift gesture, he regained his sword and plunged it deep into the Kaball’s chest.
*
Bodies of the demonic priests and those of Urtan soldiers were scattered throughout the main hallway of the colonnade, covering the floor in a mélange of black and red blood. Some of the corpses were ablaze, filling the air with a loathing stench. The once marvelous columns took a considerable amount of damage as well, a number of them mere stubs.
Gunfire and screams emanated from the battle taking place by the golden gates at the end: Gaia, along with a few of the remaining Urtan soldiers, defended the entry from Damien Dark and a dozen of his priests. In her hands, the Princess had a small shotgun-like weapon that released round blasts, penetrating the enemy and leaving them with an opening the size of a cannonball.
Vincent ran ahead, jumping over the bodies. One monk shot at him from the right. He dodged, pulled out a dagger, and lodged it between his attacker’s eyes. Several more ran at him from the left, wielding halberds. He dropped on his knees and slid on the marble floor, passing under their blows and slashing them in half. He then cart-wheeled forth and blasted another monk that crept up from behind.
Getting up, he continued to the entrance. Then Vincent saw something unreal: Damien Dark stretched out his hand, and a wave of fire emerged from his fingertips, engulfing one of the Urtan soldiers. He then released a fireball, burning another. He seemed to move like a snake, evading the attacks by twisting his body and literally turning his enemies into ashes.
Within minutes, Gaia remained all alone against the dark wizard and six of his priests.
“Well, your highness,” Damien sneered sadistically. “We meet once again, and this time—” He couldn’t finish his sentence as his attention was drawn away.
Vincent rushed at them, sword high, lights flickering in its illuminating blade. The priests immediately formed a line before their master in hopes of stopping the psychotic juggernaut. Vincent slashed two of them, ducked several blows, stabbed through the third, sliced the fourth off his feet, dodged the staff of the fifth before cutting off his head, and shot the last one.
As Damien tried to grasp the situation, Gaia raised the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. As if he could feel it, Damien leaned back, dodging the shot, and grabbed the gun’s barrel. Gaia let out an agonizing scream, pulling her burned hand away from the weapon that began to melt before it hit the floor.
“Nice try,” Damien garbled, raising his hand.
Before he could attack, Vincent jumped in between them, pulled Gaia out of the way, kicked Damien in the ribcage, punched him across the face with his free hand, and then smashed him in the head with the sword’s sharp pommel.
Damien stumbled back, and a gash appeared on his forehead. “You pathetic scum,” he muttered and lunged at Vincent.
Vincent spun out of the way and swung.
Damien jumped over the blade and kicked Vincent in the chest.
Vincent flipped over backwards, at the same time kicking his assailant in the nose.
Damien let out a grunt and fell. He clasped his face with his right hand and raised his left.
Vincent knew what to expect, so he grabbed Gaia and hurried behind one of the columns, barely escaping the fire wave.
“Damn you, creature!” Damien growled, getting up. He stood, panting, black blood pouring out of his nose and flowing through the channels of his twitching grimace. “How dare you!” he roared, looking around for his bold enemy. His hands shaking at his sides, he began walking slowly down the rows of columns. “Come out and play, you bastard! You pathetic excuse for a warrior! How dare you!”
Gaia embraced Vincent as they hid behind the pillar. He’d saved her so far, but it was only a matter of minutes: he had to deal with that demon.
“You must be the man Zeth warned me about,” the dark priest continued. “But, unfortunately, I will not keep my promise… I’ll certainly kill you!”
Vincent and Gaia exchanged looks. The Republic knew about him.
“Where are you?” Damien’s voice rumbled and was followed by a blast as he began to shoot his fireballs, destroying the columns in hopes of crushing the pair.
Before the blasts got closer, Vincent gripped Gaia’s hand, and they passed down a few sets of columns.
“Here,” Vincent whispered, handing her his blaster. “I’ll stall him, but you must run. The defenses have fallen; we’ll all die.”
She looked at him, her eyes teary. “Run? Run where?”
He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Make it back to Spaide’s ship and get off this planet. Don’t wait for us.”
“No, Vincent.” She grabbed his arm. “He’s too powerful. You’ll be killed.”
“It must be done,” he replied, caressing her hand. He kissed her forehead, straightened up, and clenched his sword.
After a series of bursts, Damien cooled down and began to pace the portico quietly so he can hear his victims. “I sense it,” he hissed, “you know? The fear within you. I… I can’t quite describe it… it’s the part inside you that knows you will unquestionably die. Oh, how I feel it. It strengthens me—”
Capturing a moment, Vincent dashed at the dark lord.
Sensing danger, Damien turned around, but it was too late.
Vincent jumped and landed with a straight kick to Damien’s chest. As the
priest fell, he slashed down.
Damien rolled out of the way, and the blade struck the floor, sending up sparks. He then blasted up a wave of fire.
Vincent leaned to the side, but the heat managed to burn the skin on his shoulder.
Damien hopped up in place and shot a fireball.
Vincent dodged the blast, whirled, and kicked Damien across the face.
“Arrgh,” Damien mumbled, producing another flare that struck Vincent in the midsection.
Vincent staggered back and took off his melting breastplate.
Taking an advantage of the situation, Damien shot again.
Vincent managed to block most of the flame with the flat of his sword, but the impact forced him to fall.
“I got you now,” Damien said, a vicious leer of accomplishment forming on his face. He lifted his hand, the tips of his fingers fidgeting in excitement as he was about to perform the killing blow. But just as he raised his hand, a blast penetrated his palm: Gaia didn’t heed Vincent’s warning and remained, shooting at the dark priest from behind the column. Damien let out a painful shriek and blasted in her direction with his other hand. The pillar turned into a pile of rubble, undoubtedly crushing the Princess.
“Bastard!” Vincent jumped up and hurled his sword.
The blade flew at an untold speed, capable of piercing through any object in its path, but—as if he were a demon indeed—Damien leaned backwards, bending at the waist. The sword passed millimeters above his torso, slicing off a piece of his collar, and plunged deep into a column behind him.
Vincent realized his mistake and stood there, weaponless.
The nasty grin reappeared on Damien’s face as he looked at the sword. He then shifted his gaze at Vincent and raised his healthy hand, slanting his fingers. His smile broadened, then disappeared, and—without any further hesitation—he released a fireball.
Vincent dashed to the right, evading the blast, and headed in the direction of his enemy.
Damien blasted another, but Vincent sidled to the left, continuing ahead.