Bold statement. We’re outnumbered thirty-one to three.
But it sure provides a nice boost in confidence.
“Our magic cannot defeat the enemy, but their firepower may do enough. They have as much a right to this place as we do, both because of their assistance to us and because we give shelter to those who need it.”
Crystil wondered if some Kastori still disliked the humans. More likely than not, though, Crystil thought they’d dislike any alien to Anatolus.
“Understand many of us will die. If we win, we will suffer heavy casualties. If we lose, we will suffer complete annihilation. While such a thought may sound frightening, I am not afraid to die. The peaceful, joyful life I once knew before Typhos’ downfall died a long time ago, and I do not wish to live a life in hiding or fear anymore. I know many of you feel the same way. It is for this reason, as your chief, I fight with you tonight, and I fight for you tonight, and I will fight to return Anatolus to the Kastori!”
Raucous cheers came from the Kastori. Even the three humans applauded the speech. Crystil could see why the Kastori had made her chief—as awkward as it was to admit to herself, Erda reminded her of Emperor Orthran.
“As commander of the humans, Crystil, is there anything you would like to add?”
Crystil did have a lot swirling through her mind, but she felt her words could not carry the same weight.
“I do not, Erda. Let’s go to battle riding high on your words.”
Everyone resumed their cheering, and Crystil looked up at the sky. It had begun to dim, and, at any moment, Calypsius would announce his arrival. She looked at Erda, who gave a simple nod back to her. Both leaders announced to their respective groups to assume positions, but before Celeste and Cyrus ran off, Crystil pulled them to the side.
“Listen, I wanted to just talk to you both in private before we begin. Erda just mentioned fighting to the end, and doing what she can. She does so because she loves her people, and isn’t just a chief to them, but a mother of sorts.”
“And to us, too,” Celeste said, which Crystil didn’t agree with and ignored.
“It’s taken me a while to realize that when you’re fighting out there, a sense of duty can take you far, but a sense of commitment and love can carry you to seemingly impossible lengths. When you’re out here fighting, and you feel like things are hopeless, or you’re injured, or you see too many casualties to want to keep fighting… just think about those you love, and how you would fight for them to your very last breath.”
Crystil always gave this speech to herself before battle. She would think of Dyson and Emperor Orthran, and how she would fight to ensure they would continue to have happy lives. Even now, she still thought of them, wanting to fight for the memory of each person.
She also hoped, however, that she could someday have those thoughts and think of Cyrus and Celeste. There was little doubt that she felt more bonded and attached to them than the moment they left Monda, but she couldn’t even pretend that she liked them as she did Dyson and Emperor Orthran.
Someday, though. Hopefully.
“Here, here,” Cyrus said. “My commander is right. I love my sister, and I love my family, and I’m going to fight for them.”
“Cyrus,” Celeste said with a large, emotional smile.
Cyrus held up his hand, and a smirk came and Crystil jokingly muttered, “Oh boy.”
“I, for one, am tired of waiting. Let’s destroy Calypsius and claim Anatolus!”
Even Crystil found herself cheering and the three embraced in a tight hug.
“Let’s go, guys. Let’s finish this.”
Quickly, Celeste and Cyrus ran over to Reya and Pagus, respectively, and began heading for the highest trees. Crystil slowly turned around, first watching those two for possibly the last time, then quickly trotted to the ship’s ladder. Erda waited by the entrance.
“Those two do care greatly about you,” Erda said. “Celeste especially. Cyrus will too if he looks deep enough inside.”
“One can hope,” Crystil said, now turning her emotions off and her focus on.
As they climbed quickly, and Crystil opened the door to the ship, it hit Crystil what she had just done—invited a Kastori, a magicologist, onto her ship which she’d used to escape evil magicologists. How things change, she thought, never imagining she’d encounter a mutual enemy with a Kastori.
She assumed her commander’s chair, and felt a moment of peace.
“You have complete confidence in what you are about to do,” Erda said.
“If we crash, it’s because this ship was designed to transport, not fight,” Crystil said as she did last minute system checks.
Erda took the seat to Crystil’s left, the spot Cyrus normally assumed. Crystil quickly buckled up and ordered Erda to do the same.
“It’s going to get rough in here, and if you’re not buckled up, you’ll forget which side is up, and you’ll wind up a crumpled mess.”
“Well we wouldn’t want that in the middle of battle, would we,” Erda said with a gentle laugh.
After Crystil had finished her final checks, she turned on the engines and Omega One gradually ascended. Crystil brought the ship around for a loop and kept it elevated at about a thousand feet above the Kastori. She looked over her cockpit and saw a giant fire, with electric sparks shooting out. She peeked to the right, and though she could not see anyone, she knew Cyrus and Celeste, their Kastori spotters, and everyone else had scattered in the forest.
It all felt guerrilla-like, and the similarities to how the magicologists had wiped humanity out on Monda were not lost on Crystil.
Except we’re doing this to fight for our survival. They fought for greed and power.
But she quickly got rid of the thought. Justification didn’t much matter to a soldier once the missiles launched and the bullets flew. She looked at Erda and spoke one word.
“Ready?”
Erda nodded. She spoke over the engine, her voice barely audible, but clearly understood.
“We fight until we win.”
52
Silently, Crystil and Erda waited for Calypsius. Down below, the fire and electric storms raged on, but with no sight of the monster. Crystil hoped Erda might sense its arrival before anything happened, but, at their height, had no idea how her magic would go do that.
“You know, I haven’t felt the sensation of flying like this before,” Erda said.
“Yeah,” Crystil said, not interested in making small talk in a tense moment.
Erda said nothing more. Crystil saw no changes, so she instead prepped further by buckling down even tighter, to the point that the X-shaped straps left her feeling claustrophobic. It’ll vanish as soon as the battle begins.
“Crystil, I want to know more about your life on Monda, and why my race bothers you so much.”
Who does she think she is, Cyrus?
“I ask because it always interests me to see what people fear, hate, and admire the most. It often says a lot about who they are and what their dreams are. In your case, I wonder, do you hate the Kastori so much because you feared you might be like them in some fashion?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Crystil snapped, her eyes remaining on the horizon as she gently tipped the ship down for a better view. “I had a duty to protect the empire, and specifically the Emperor, from all threats with my life. That includes your people and your race, who won on Monda.”
“I understand,” Erda said, which Crystil didn’t believe for half a second.
Erda finally went silent. Strangely, the words did plant a thought in Crystil. She could command with a cold heart. She had seen the magicologists ruthlessly annihilate humanity when they got bored of the slow war. Did they have similar leadership styles?
Deal with it later.
The guttural growl of the beast shattered Crystil’s ears.
She quickly examined her radar and camera displays. Calypsius, though far off, was closing in fast, and Crystil ballparked that they had about thir
ty seconds before it would hit the batch of Kastori.
“All right Cortanus, let’s bring her in,” she said. “And do it fast.”
The ship quickly shot down to the battlefield, closing to about four hundred feet from the monster’s path. Crystil settled the ship just to the side so it could deploy its payload and kill the creature before it could kill any Kastori. The ship reached its destination quicker than expected, and Crystil felt relieved she’d made the right choice to remove all the excess weight.
But when she recalculated Calypsius’ speed and arrival, she was shocked to see the monster moving faster. What should’ve been eighteen seconds was now just fourteen seconds until the creature hit the Kastori, and if Crystil were to believe the acceleration, she would have to time her shot manually. By now, she could look out of the cockpit and see Calypsius approaching, the creature barely hovering over the ground, as close as it could get to the ground to terrify those it ate. Crystil placed one hand on the missile launcher and another on the trigger for the bullets.
“Do what you need to, Erda,” Crystil said quickly. When she glimpsed over, the chief had already put on her mask and gone deep into concentration.
Eight seconds remained. The monster’s pace reached its peak as the timer and Crystil’s estimation aligned. She stole a glance at the Kastori, who had not fled and remained committed to their duty. She admired the willingness to die, for it reminded her of her own troops. Except too many of them had actually died. Better Kastori deaths than Cyrus or Celeste.
With five seconds left, Crystil stole one last glance at Erda. The sight of her in her robes brought a chill.
Three seconds remained, and the beast came into full view from the cockpit. Its jaws opened wide, its yellow eyes slanted, focused fiercely on a target it hadn’t seen in a long time, and its wings flapped furiously. It didn’t even acknowledge Omega One, but seeing Calypsius this close with only glass protecting her didn’t make Crystil any less nervous. Stay safe, Cyrus and Celeste. I’ll see you again.
It was the last thought Crystil had as she slammed the missile launcher and pulled on the turret trigger, staring the monster’s nightmarish face down as she unloaded the deadly payload of Omega One.
53
Celeste pushed herself to climb the tree faster as Omega One launched several hundred feet above. Behind her, Reya ascended at a slower pace, almost casual. She had yet to say anything since the two had begun climbing, a stark contrast to the endless banter between Cyrus and Pagus. Those two laughed so often, Celeste wondered if Calypsius would come for them first just to shut them up.
At the highest branch, she looked at the horizon and saw nothing. She held up her Nakar 17 to the stars. She thought she could see Calypsius approaching through the scope, but couldn’t quite confirm it. In any case, she assumed the monster would be on them in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.
Suddenly, the nerves hit. Celeste could not talk her way out of this battle and could not empathize with the monster, nor was she particularly willing to try. This was going to be her first and possibly her last battle. The feeling sunk to her stomach as her hands trembled.
But she concentrated on calming herself. She remembered Crystil’s words, to fight for those she loved, and she thought of her family, her father, and her brother. She thought of her home. She thought of Crystil. Knowing she was fighting for something besides herself, the trembling came to a halt, and she held her rifle steadily.
“Do you need anything before the fight starts?” Celeste said. “Last minute stuff?”
Reya silently shook her head. Celeste considered asking if Reya was sure, but the young girl knew Reya would not have gone mute if she needed something. This Kastori was too old to clam up at the worst time. She was the opposite of Celeste.
Celeste looked down at the Kastori in the field and silently thought, be ready. Run when it gets near you. Don’t be a sacrifice—be a trap, and get out. But with the fire and electricity going, plus their masks, she didn’t think they would hear her even if she screamed louder than Omega One’s engines.
“What magic will you use?” she asked Reya, her words quick as the monster had now gotten almost within striking distance.
“I must first sense what Calypsius is weak to,” Reya said, her voice garbled by her mask. “We must carefully observe what is doing the most damage. Don’t watch its reactions—it feels no pain.”
Worst strength for us to face.
“Is there anything you need from me?”
“Uh…” Reya said, hesitating. “No.”
But by now, Celeste had lined up the creature in her scope and was waiting until Omega One launched its missiles at the beast, a coordinated attack designed to destroy it in one single blitz. Calypsius was only seconds away, and she would not let go of the trigger until the beast collapsed, defeated. Celeste breathed in slowly, and time seemed to slow down. The monster’s eyes slanted in on its kill, but its wings flew in slow motion.
Celeste felt a surge coming through her feet, also moving slowly, as she felt Reya’s powers reach the Nakar 17 and endow the bullets with an elemental power. She let out a single exhalation, and her gut suspected that Crystil had just launched the missiles of Omega One.
In near perfect synchronization with the ship, Celeste pulled the trigger just as the first bullet left the vessel’s turret. The world sped back up as she held her finger down, unloading dozens of rounds at the monster.
54
Cyrus couldn’t stop laughing around Pagus. It was a shame that it had taken until now to meet the man, so much like Cyrus that Pagus could’ve been his brother.
“Dude, dude, do you know how much trouble this beast has given me?” Pagus said with an amused laugh. “I can’t even take dates to Mount Ardor anymore! I have to take her to the cave of the lupi, but then the girl’s already seen the cave, and it’s like, well, guess I’m the fifth guy in the past year to take her there. My flirtatious magic just doesn’t work!”
“On the contrary my friend, I think your magic works too well,” Cyrus said, drawing a chuckle from Pagus. “You just have to take her on a day date. Yeah, I know, the pressure’s greater, and you can’t have as much fun, but maybe if the girl’s into nature, that would work?”
“Man, that’s a good idea in theory. But then it becomes depressing cuz the girl wishes she could stay up there longer. Oh and because it’s one of four girls left in the camp who aren’t with someone else.”
Cyrus playfully mourned the notion but quickly focused when the growl of the beast came. He quickly ascended to the top of the tree, with Pagus close behind. When both reached the peak, Pagus took a seat behind Cyrus.
“I’ve always wondered what Calypsius meat tastes like,” Pagus said with no fear in his voice. “I’ve been waiting far too long for this. You in, Cyrus?”
“Only if we slow-cook it. I don’t want flash marks on it and a pink inside.”
Pagus laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
“My man, you and I are going to set up a restaurant here when it’s all said and done. And think about it! There’s no competition!”
“Where will you get your inspiration from?” Cyrus asked, holding his rifle up and lining up the enemy.
“Oh, I don’t know. Monda had a few good ideas. I could use some of those.”
“Hah, right?”
Cyrus watched the monster suddenly fly in faster. Calypsius would overwhelm the Kastori in a matter of seconds. Cyrus strummed his index finger over the trigger in preparation for the opening salvo.
“Pagus, get ready,” Cyrus said.
“Affirmative!”
Cyrus eyeballed his target and decided to fire a second before the monster would hit the Kastori. Three…
Two…
Celeste. Pops.
One.
Cyrus pulled the trigger a half second after Omega One unleashed its payload on the beast as an immense energy coursed through his body, endowing the bullets with sparks.
55
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A massive explosion from the missiles blinded Crystil as she put a hand up to her face. She heard the thud of the monster crashing but thankfully did not hear the screams of any Kastori. She looked to Erda, who did not seem to be mourning, and confirmed all of the Kastori had survived. Good start.
She unbuckled her belt and observed the damage once the fire had disappeared, replaced by black smoke. The monster laid on the ground as bullets continued to salvo it from afar, with sparks and ice shards exploding upon impact. The Kastori, a few dozen feet away from the wounded monster, ran over quickly, putting their hands up to stop the bullets. The creature groaned, though Crystil thought it didn’t sound like a dying cry.
“What are they doing?” Crystil said, annoyed.
Pulverize Calypsius. We can’t be careful.
She looked over at Erda, still in her mask and robes, and did not like that the Kastori chief remained in her outfit.
“They are going to kill the creature themselves. In doing so, they will absorb its power. We can use that to defend ourselves against any future attacks.”
Crystil didn’t like that idea. One powerful being could do more damage than ten semi-strong soldiers.
“Why don’t you go and take that power? Or why not just let one of the Kastori claim victory?”
“I saw what too much power can do when Typhos killed much of the council. As much faith as I have in my Kastori, I do not even trust myself with that much power.”
Kastori Revelations (The Kastori Chronicles Book 1) Page 22