The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1)

by Gwyndolyn Russell

The ground shook. Loud, familiar thuds came from outside. The truck rocked back and forth.

  "Oh, cosmos...not like this." Nostra groaned.

  "Get up. We gotta move."

  More thumps.

  I looked out of the open hatch at the roof. A three-toed foot as big as the cabin splashed into the water.

  I could hear Fenris roaring. Two other beasts roared back like thunder.

  The passenger door flew open. Yaaranam knelt into the opening, her face covered in orange blood.

  "Move your asses! It's not safe here!"

  I pulled myself up, stopped midway just to hit the door again. Broken ribs made everything that much harder.

  I pushed Nostra into the back seat and got myself up. I bit through the pain. I passed a few rifles up to her and took her help in getting out of the truck.

  I pulled the strap of a rifle over my chest and we reached back in to help Nostra get out.

  Good thing we ducked down when we did. A tail the size if a tree swung right over our heads.

  "How many?" I asked.

  "Two right now."

  We jumped down off the truck where I dropped to my knees to help deal with the pain.

  I looked up to see what we were dealing with. Heavy duty theropods. Later, Fenris told us that they were called skaginvar. These were the tank like beasts with bone crushing jaws, legs built for endurance, and no arms. Machine guns on either side. These were the fire breathers.

  In fact, I saw their faces and recognized them. The bigger one had missing eyes. The other a severely scarred face. These were the same bastards that chased us out of the other valley.

  "It's the same fuckers from before!" I shouted.

  "Are you serious? How?" Yaaranam squeezed her rifle close.

  "They followed us."

  Fenris was locked in combat with both of the skaginvar. It was like watching a beagle fight two grizzlies, only the beagle had an arsenal of weapons that gave it a chance.

  He was attached to the side of the smaller one, those big metallic arms digging into the hide to hold him in place while the smaller arms tore it open to reveal the ribs on the inside.

  The beast roared and cried, bucking around and snapping those big jaws to try to get him off.

  The bigger one was at the truck, just behind us. It watched for a moment before charging in. Its jaws locked around Fenris and ripped him off its partner. Fenris hit the ground hard. He laid there motionless.

  The eyeless beast's throat vibrated with a high pitched grumble as it stomped around, pacing in front of the valkyrie.

  The smaller beast moved over to Fenris and reached down to grab him with its teeth.

  "We have to do something." I said.

  "Last time I shot those fuckers, it did nothing. There wasn't even blood. The bullets just ricochet."

  "They have soft parts," Nostra stated. "If you aim for those, it should hurt them."

  Fenris was lifted up from the ground. That was when he attacked. That scythe appendage stabbed right into the beast's nose and his big arms grabbed both jaws and pushed.

  The creature reared, shaking its head violently. Flames flicked from the back of its mouth.

  I decided to take the risk. I shouldered my rifle, turned up the magnifier on the sight and aimed for the theropod's eye. I waited for its head to come back around and when its biggest eye was in full view, I fired a burst of rounds.

  Even from this distance I heard glass shatter. Its eye exploded into shards and red light like embers flaking from a fire.

  Fenris dropped down from its mouth as the beast reeled and spun. It cried out.

  The larger creature backed away and dropped its head low. Mouth open. It breathed out fire, the flames bursting forth.

  Fenris withstood. He stood among the flames, his cloak wrapped around him as if it would protect him from the heat.

  It must have been working, because we watched him step forward into the flames and to the beast that continued breathing them out.

  When he was close enough, he leaped into its mouth, two hands holding its mouth open. The other two reached into the back of its throat.

  The monster squealed and shook its head. Tried to bite down, but could not overcome the valkyrie's strength.

  We could only watch in awe as Fenris ripped something out of its throat.

  Blood poured out, wires and veins severed. A large pipe with various attachments was thrown to the ground.

  The skaginvar roared in agony, blood flowing like a waterfall from its jaws.

  The smaller one had recovered, but instead of going for Fenris, it came for us.

  Angry about losing one of its eyes, it stomped right over to us. Its head was used as a battering ram to shove the truck out of its way. We barely got out in time. We ran for our lives back up the hill in hope the rocks would give us some protection.

  Fenris roared and chased us, ignoring the poor beast struggling through the shock and agony of its insides being ripped out.

  He leaped into the side of its head, knocking it to the ground. He stood between us and roared, his mouth open far too wide for his own good. I caught a glimpse of the second pair of jaws hidden inside.

  "I believe we are in over our heads." Nostradamus stated. "Our attempts are futile against these larger eos."

  "Doesn't mean we have to sit back and watch." I stood and fired the rifle at the skaginvar still laying on the ground.

  When it got up, it roared, its teeth hovering right over the valkyrie. He spat at it. Not saliva, but that smoke. A ball of black smog, Reynolds decided to call khexide. The beast turned its head away, knowing better than to let that smoke in its mouth. The ball smacked into its torn up side and splashed out. It blanketed the creature.

  It seemed fine at first. It went in for a bite only to stop half way. It hacked and coughed. Stumbled around as drool spilled out of its mouth.

  Fenris snapped his jaws at it, holding his ground.

  Within moments the beast bled from its eyes, nose, and mouth. It wheezed. Its balance was thrown off. Then its skin started to bleed. The smoke hugged its body tight. It hit the ground hard, kicking its feet and scraping at the dirt under the water.

  It wasn't even dead yet. It lay there dying, crying out. Fenris paid its agony no mind. He bit into its stomach and clawed his way inside of its body. I assume he ate what he could and threw away what was in his way.

  We stayed in the outcrop, waiting for the coast to clear. One of them was down, but the other one had disappeared. A trail of pearlescent black blood leading into the forest.

  We climbed down slowly. The smoke had pooled over the ground, carried by the water and wind. I tightened the straps of my mask. I wasn't taking chances.

  "Fen, its dead." I called. I couldn't see him inside the body cavity.

  I could hear him eating and tearing away the flesh inside. I don't know why, but it made me hungry. My stomach growled.

  "What the hell is he doing?" Yaaranam asked.

  "I don't have a clue." I frowned. "Let's check on the truck. See if we can't flip it."

  We left Fenris to do his own thing. We weren't going to make it far without the truck.

  Since it had been flipped onto its side, I looked at its belly to check on the axles, joints, bearings, and anything else I could see without removing anything.

  It was damaged, but I saw nothing that would stop it from moving.

  Together we headed around to the roof. The door for the hatch had been busted off. We pushed on the roof. Wasn't much we could do, but rock it back and forth. The only one not suffering was Nostradamus and he didn't have enough strength alone to flip it.

  It seemed we had time to spare. I climbed into the truck to get out an MRE and sat down on one of the doors. I prepped it and let it sit to cook.

  Just as it was done, about three minutes later, Fenris crawled out of the skaginvar.

  He came over to the truck with this mystical cyan orb sitting snug in his palm.

  "Is that what you were
digging in there for?" I asked.

  "Yes." He nodded.

  The others gathered around.

  "Soul of skaginvar."

  "That's a soul?" Yaaranam raised a brow.

  "Yes. The core of eos. It must be destroyed."

  "Is...is that awful sound coming from it?" I asked. I could hear static like a scream, circling around as if it were stuck in a vortex.

  "What sound? It's quiet." Yaaranam looked around.

  "You don't hear it? Really?"

  Fenris tossed the orb into his mouth and crushed it in a single bite. When he did, I could hear what he said was the soul, screeching all the way down his gullet. He bit the air and shards a few times making sure to get every bit of it.

  Overcome with hunger, I dug into the MRE. At least the screaming was gone.

  "Is it dead?" Fenris asked, pointing at the truck.

  "It is not alive at all." Nostra stated. "It needs to be flipped onto its wheels. Could you help?"

  Fenris nodded and reached up to me with one of his larger hands. I gathered up the packets from the MRE and took the help getting down.

  With us safely out of the way, he pushed the truck so it teetered on three wheels, then dropped onto all six.

  The vehicle bounced and whined.

  "I could get used to this." I grinned. "There's nothing you can't do."

  "Coffee." He stated in a grumble.

  "No. Pretty sure you made it just fine."

  "Tiny tools."

  I laughed. Wheezed. Cried a little. I dug into the back seat of the truck for the medical kit. Opened it and went right for the painkillers. These weren't the kind you give your mother either. These were like horse tranquilizers. Best in small doses. I took about four and prayed they not only kicked in asap, but numbed my entire body so I couldn't feel a damned thing.

  Yaaranam reached into the driver's side and turned the keys. It only clicked. She tried again and it fired up.

  A breaking twig caught our attention.

  Fenris growled, taking a defensive posture.

  I bit on the plastic spoon, grinding my teeth. Please don't be another one.

  A beast with a thick, long neck emerged slowly from the trees. It made a soft call like a trombone in a higher key. Flesh and metal. Its front legs were fairly short compared to its back legs which put its hips up high above its head. Its tail was thick with muscle and metal plates, twice the size of its body. Pointed scutes lined its tail from base to tip, top, bottoms, and sides. Sharp claws replaced short fingers on its front feet. Its head was a rectangle that had a small slope down at the nose. No teeth that I could see, but tiny eyes on either side of its head.

  The odd part was the suit of weathered black armor sitting on what looked like a leather saddle on its shoulders. A bridle on its face with reigns gripped by the armor. Slowly the creature and its rider approached.

  The closer they got, the more details we could see of the armor. It was weathered down, dented, scraped, and cut. Its original paint showing through the black. Oranges and yellows. It actually looked like a dragon made of charcoal. Big horns swept backwards. The front of the helmet came out in a smooshed in muzzle complete with sharp teeth and glaring eyes. Even the jet pack on the back had more aesthetic designs to look like bat wings.

  We all knew the armor. It belonged to an eldiravan.

  "It is okay, Devourer!" The man called. "We mean you, nor your companions, any harm."

  "Who are you?" I called back.

  "Will your wolf attack? I promise my girl is a kind one."

  "Fenris, relax." I touched his arm.

  He seemed to calm down, but he was focused on the eos the man rode.

  He came closer, pulling on the reins to turn his beast's side to us.

  "I did not think there would be any survivors. That ship that came down. Is it yours?"

  "It is. Some sort of tumor of an eos attached itself and landed the ship."

  "It makes me happy to know some of you are all right." He looked to Nostradamus. "Kalroun? Is that really you?

  "I'm sorry," a question mark, "have we met?"

  "Of course we have! We traveled together for some time. I am sorry for what happened to you when we last saw each other on Thacatis. Had I not ran, I feared our troubles would be in vain. It is good to see you again."

  "Who are you again?"

  "Vactubstein. Those monsters must have damaged you severely if you---"

  "Vactubstein?" Yaaranam came around the truck. She pulled the mask down from her face. "Father?!" She rushed over to him.

  He pulled the reigns of his mount to keep it calm.

  "Father…?" He paused, staring at Yaaranam. "Yaara? That can't be you."

  I saw tears well up in her eyes. I had no idea eldiravan could cry.

  Vactubstein set down the reins and jumped down a few feet from the beast.

  Yaaranam immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. He embraced her, holding the back of her head with one hand.

  "I feared you were dead."

  "Oh, now. Chin up. Soldiers don't…" he took a breath. "What are you doing out here and with humans? Where is your armor?"

  She pulled from him. Wiped her eyes.

  "It's a long story." She said.

  "Well, we have time. Tell me everything."

  I could not believe the difference. I expected her father to be a lot worse than her. Yet not an impolite word out of him. Not even a gesture of hate, or a bad attitude. He was a noble soldier. Made me think of a knight in an old movie.

  "The Emperor pulled me from Kiichtem's unit to send me on a classified mission. It was part of the test to become a Champion."

  He grabbed her shoulders, leaning down to be face to face with her. "And? How did it go? Did you pass?"

  Her head dropped. "No. My mission was to bring you back."

  "I see...the Emperor has a terrible way of testing loyalty. Perhaps you can still succeed. All can be forgiven in the eyes of the Emperor."

  "Absolutely not! They'll execute you! You're a traitor to Garchtun!"

  "Only because they do not understand why I've left."

  "Why did you leave, father?"

  I watched Fenris approach the beast. He sniffed at its face. It returned the sniff before huffing at him.

  "The same reason you are here now. I assume." He looked at me. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter. I feared I would never see her again, but...it was a fate I was willing to accept if it meant doing something right for the galaxy."

  "Trust me, you can keep her." I waved him off.

  "Have you been studying the eos?" She asked.

  "Yes. They were unlike anything we have seen before. We were investigating a planet for resources when we were attacked by similar ones to what just attacked you. I was the only one to make it out alive. Our Emperor's advisors would not listen to me. I took matters into my own hands and discovered that these monsters are spread around the entire galaxy. Nothing survives their presence. I believe this issue is rooted deep within the cosmos. I've been trying to figure out where they come from in hope of destroying them once and for all."

  "You've really just been...hunting down the eos?" Yaaranam questioned.

  "I have. Why?" He paused. "Come, let's go where it's safer. You can tell me then." He climbed into the saddle. "Let's go home, Tunaaka."

  The beast called out, raising its head and turning around. Fenris quickly ducked underneath its tail and snapped at it.

  "Follow us!" He waved his hand.

  "Roger!" I called. "Fenris, come on. Leave that damned thing alone."

  We piled into the truck save for the valkyrie who walked right behind Vactubstein. He led us further into the valley, down into its deepest parts. We hugged the cliff down here for about a mile. He stopped in front of a small hole in the cliff face. Just barely big enough for him to fit through. He left Tunaaka outside and headed in. We followed. Fenris was none too comfortable, having to walk sideways for a while.

/>   When it opened up, Fenris shook himself into a relaxed state. The space was small. Maybe two people could sleep comfortably. A wooden table, a pathetic excuse for a bed. A bag of supplies, and a makeshift lantern.

  The table was covered in notebooks and loose paper. The largest of which was a hand drawn map of what must have been the entire continent.

  "I have studied the eos for years. I followed them here to this planet. Unfortunately they attacked shortly after I landed. They devoured my entire ship." Vactubstein said, placing his helmet on the table.

  "Why here? They're spreading across the galaxy at an alarming rate." I said.

  "I heard them speak about an artifact."

  Fenris perked up at the mention of it.

  "I see. That's why you are here." He smiled at the valkyrie. "I do not know where it is. I do have an idea though." He waved the idea off. "First I want to know how you got here." He pointed at Yaaranam. Then turned to dig through his bag.

  "I've...been on the run." She rubbed her elbow, unable to look at him. "The Emperor marked me a traitor since I refused to bring you back. I knew you weren't a traitor. You didn't kill your men like they claimed. Now he wants me executed, too...under the same pretense that I killed my unit."

  "And this human saved you?"

  "His captain offered me a place on the Syndicate. I help them with the eos, he helps me find you."

  "You will have your chance to hold up your end of the deal." He smiled again. "Here, Kalroun, this should help jog your memory. It's an old file from our time together." He handed Nostra a small thumb drive.

  Fenris leaned over the table towards Vactubstein. He leaned back with a startled look, then laughed.

  "Slow down." He held up a hand. "I understand you are eager, friend. There is still time to spare. Hope is not yet lost. I don't know where the artifact is. All I know is it is here on this planet and I have reason to suspect it's here in the north."

  "Wait. Wait." I waved a hand. "You can hear him talk?"

  "Yes. I take it not everyone can? What you call eos speak by the heart, or the soul. If you open your heart, you, too, can hear them. They have a lot to say."

  Yaaranam stared at him like a child meeting their hero for the very first time. She listened silently to every word, each one etching itself into her mind. I had never seen her so calm before.