by Troy Snyder
Almost a cursory glance at the beast was all it took. It stopped dead in its track. Fear evident from the power radiating before it. Alexander walked calmly up to the creature, his mind blank. Staring up all he felt, all he knew, was it needed destroyed. With a raise of his hand he took aim and released all the pent-up energy. His world went black.
Alexander woke moments later to Raixo shaking him. Looking around he saw only the legs of the creature remained, the waist a burnt mass. Looking to the sky Alexander could see the planet still there. Something was different. A large circular mass seemed to be red like it was on fire.
As he lay there another drop ship hovered above for a moment and a figure jumped out of the back. With an audible crunch the being hit the ground and a plume of dust lifted into the air around him. Smoke cleared and the visage of Quetzalcoatl was unmistakable. Alexander's heart burned with hatred. He Rose quickly and Raixo put a hand on his shoulder to calm him, feeling his friend’s tension. Raixo knew the small human must be dead on his feet after such a burst of energy.
"You yet live, human." Quetzalcoatl's voice seemed to carry a hint of surprise and the motion of him rubbing his arm where Alexander had struck him was not missed. He did all he could to mask the slight fear he felt at the sheer magnitude of the power he saw released. "Did you like my pet? A wonderful change made to one of your pitiful kind. I think I improved him quite a bit."
Alexander remembered the twisted thing and wondered if it truly was once a human being. Just the thought of it churned him stomach and made bile rise to the back of his throat. He would kill this monster, Quetzalcoatl.
Slipping from Raixo's grasp Alexander let out a roar and charged Quetzalcoatl, completely forgetting about the pain he was in. A crescent shield quickly formed on Quetzalcoatl's right arm and a scimitar in his left, stolen technology, Alexander knew.
As Alexander reached the snake man, he brought his axe up and the swung viciously down in an attempted to sever the head of his most hated enemy.
Quetzalcoatl back stepped on his left foot and leaned back away from the incoming strike, an easy hit to avoid. With a flick of the wrist, however, Alexander turned the axe around and brought it back upward and launching himself into the air. If Quetzalcoatl had been a moment slower the axe would have buried itself in his jaw.
Falling back more to regain his footing Quetzalcoatl dabbed the blood seeping from a deep gash on his chin. "So, you have been training. It will not help you. You cannot kill a god."
Alexander attempted another charge but the collar of his tunic was seized in a viselike grip. He was lift off his feet and sent flying backwards onto his backside in the dirt. The remaining line of Craxi and Alfar charged straight for Quetzalcoatl while Alexander attempted to recover himself.
"Alexander!" A familiar voice called from behind.
Alexander turned to see Arri emerge from the forest where the snake men has retreated, she was streaked with blood. She came to his side the moment she recognized him and checked to see if he was wounded.
"I'm alright, but that thing is here." Alexander pointed to the fight. Already the remaining Alfar fell save for Zarin and another Craxi was on the ground attempting to staunch the flow of blood from a severed arm.
"Stay here." Arri commanded as she gave Alexander a shove backwards sending him onto his backside again.
Once again Alexander rose to his feet, this time to witness the fall of the final Craxi, a sword through the chin and upward into the brain. His body fell with a wet sucking noise of the blade being removed and a thud to the ground.
Zarin, Raixo, and Arri were all that remained. Their labored breathing showed they were in no shape to continue for much longer. All around the smoke plumed from the burning trees. The acrid smell along with the thick smell of blood sent Alexander's stomach heaving as if on rough seas.
Alexander joined the group and readied himself he tried to will the energy like before, but nothing came to him. Quetzalcoatl could not conceal his toothy smile and let forth a laugh. With that Zarin charge in. One sword had been lost and the remaining he wielded in two hands. The blade was pointed down to the ground and behind him to his right. With all his strength he swung upward at an angle with such force as if he attempted to cut Quetzalcoatl in half.
It was not enough. Quetzalcoatl caught the sword on his boot and smashed his shield into Zarin's face sending him staggering backwards with a broken nose. Raixo took the moment and slammed his shoulder into Quetzalcoatl's open chest. It was like being hit by a train, as Alexander well knew from sparring with the giant. Instead of flying backward, though, Quetzalcoatl hugged the giant and brought his blade down and pierced him through the back and out through the stomach.
He made a terrible mistake. He was fighting a Craxi, people built to take damage and keep going. The meaty hand with an axe rose above his head and if he did not act quickly Quetzalcoatl knew it would be the end of him.
A tentacle appeared from his back formed from the metal of the brace and wrapped itself around Raixo's arm stalling its downward motion. With a swift motion Raixo's bones were broken in his forearm. They protruded from the flesh and Raixo cried out in alarm and slammed his head into Quetzalcoatl’s nose drawing blood. Raixo used the moment to back from the fight.
A horn sounded from Quetzalcoatl's main force and he looked in the direction. Arri seized the chance and charged forward. Quetzalcoatl caught the first blow barely on his shield and knocked the other sword away with his own easily and disarming the Broushin warrior of one of her swords. The downside to physical weapon, he thought.
She continued he assault and attempted a vicious swiping attack. Quetzalcoatl caught her wrist and swung her around, raising her off the ground and bringing her back to rest against him, his blade to her throat.
Alexander, who was attempted to flank him, stopped in his tracks. "No, Arri!"
Quetzalcoatl smiled even broader at the reaction. He saw the look of pure distress of his enemy’s face. "Oh, you care for this one?"
In response Alexander just gripped his axe so tight his knuckled turned white. He stood stock still, seething in anger.
"Would it not be a shame if I..." To finish his sentence, he drew blood from Arri's neck causing her to cry out.
"No!" Alexander pleaded.
"You are right. I should not kill her… and yet." The devilish smile only fueled Alexander's rage.
Quetzalcoatl began to turn blue as the blade ran across her throat and, in a moment, his misty form was gone, along with Arri.
"Arri..." Alexander said, barely a whisper. "Arri!"
The planet above began to turn blue not even a minute later. Then the misty form that was once the planet was gone. Death and destruction was all that remained. Alexander fell to his knees in the field. A breeze blew the acrid smoke of the fire to his nose and he could feel his lungs wanting to constrict. Blackness came over him as he fell to the ground unconscious once. The world he had grown to know and the love he had found had just fallen apart around him.