by Tyson Jordan
We awakened, washed ashore on a new and foreign beach, and I spluttered as I tried to stand. The child was with me too, standing far ahead and surrounded by black sand, and he called out for me to follow him deep into the weird.
I had never seen such a place before. The black sand stretched on beneath a darkening orange sky, and the boy looked back at me, silent as ever, and smiled. We walked a path through the sand and into a grove of splintered, dead trees, and soon heard the sound of breaking, dry branches ahead. Janus eagerly ran forward towards the sound, and I hurried to catch him, hoping that we would find our way back soon.
More branches broke, and the Ocean Dweller was nearly out of view as he swiftly darted between the trees, heading towards some unseen destination. We came at last to an exhausted riverbed, its shore little more than a collection of stones and dried mud, and there stood two figures, a golden man and a silver woman, holding one another in a desperate embrace. Janus pointed to them, his eyes keen with interest, and we hid in the trees, watching them.
The woman, Nyrvanna, sobbed deeply into the man’s chest, drawing ragged breath, as Vaelryk looked onward stoically. Gently, he pushed the woman aside and murmured softly to her, and she protested, but he walked into the riverbed all the same. There, a jagged great sword had been plunged into the damp earth, awaiting its new owner and fuming with glee.
The golden man stood before the blade, deep in thought, then looked back at his lover, weeping on the shoreline. With both hands, he retrieved the Pestilent Reaver from the riverbed, pulling it up from the mud and examining it closely. He cried out in shock as the sword took its hold, and I stifled a cry of surprise as the sword’s miasma thickened. The golden figure struggled to release the sword, but his hands and body were no longer his own, and the sword would go hungry no longer.
The man began to wither, golden dust falling from his hands and arms, and the silvery woman cried out to him as he turned from her, marching to some far-off place, forever cursed to carry the sword that would one day destroy him.
Nyrvanna was alone then, and could sense that something was amiss, tilting her head back to the treeline. She turned abruptly and stared at us, her face contorted in rage and madness, and her eyes fell upon the boy at my side. I gripped his wrist immediately and prepared to run, but he would not move. The silver woman was nearly upon us, and I searched the ground for a weapon, only to find brittle branches and small stones.
The Ocean Dweller cast off my grip and walked towards the slavering woman, who grew more emaciated and deranged with every step. The blue moon appeared in the sky suddenly, bathing him in its brilliant light. He was a boy no longer, but the man that I had come to know and befriend. His arms and chest were laid bare, still thick with heat and blood, and he approached Nyrvanna slowly. She let out a demented scream, and he spoke simply. “Your power over me has ended.”
Nyrvanna screamed one final scream, then burst into ash and embers that were scattered to the winds. My friend turned his head to me, a grateful smile upon his face, and the white moon above shone brighter, plunging us into its perfect light. I closed my eyes.
I opened my eyes again, and was standing in the medical examination bay. Janus lay before me, his breathing shallow. Gareem clapped me on the shoulder in gratitude, and removed the restraints from his nephew. My friend sat up slowly, complaining as he touched the wound on the side of his head. Nyrvanna’s influence over Janus was forever broken.
41
Our Real Concern
The medical bay had returned to its previous state as though nothing had happened. The vile darkness that had spilled forth from Janus’s eyes and mouth was nowhere to be seen, and the walls and ceiling were constant and unmoving. Gareem no doubt sensed my utter confusion and glanced back at me, whispering, “A story for another time.” I nodded, and turned my attention back to my friend, who moaned as Ceres wiped away the dried blood from his temple and addressed the gash that I had given him in the sewer.
“I’m so sorry!” My friend finally spoke, finding the words difficult, and our eyes met. His usual confidence and ease with people had evaporated, and I saw only shame burgeoning in his face. I shook my head at him, unsure of how to comfort him.
Finally, I replied, “It could have been any one of us.” Argenta bristled at the comment, but I paid her no mind.
Janus’s eyes fell then, and he replied, “It could have been any of us, but it wasn’t. I put all of you in danger, and the Teem nearly collapsed because of me, and I …” I could see the corners of his mouth pull suddenly, and Gareem intervened, pulling Janus’s head tightly into his chest.
“You’re here now, with me again. That’s what matters.” I could hear my friend begin sobbing into Gareem’s chest, and I felt a flush of anger, to see Janus reduced to such a state by Nyrvanna. My compulsion to strike back became real, and I thought of my sword, sheathed and resting against a wall in the other room.
The two Ocean Dwellers remained in the examination bay together for some time, while the rest of us gathered in the adjacent space. I sat on a hard chair in the corner of the room, feeling anchored by Demonbite ’s hilt in my hands. I examined the blade, taking notice of the new chips and cracks that had formed in the dark, dulling steel. The poor condition of the weapon would not suffice, so I procured a grinding stone from my few personal belongings.
Argenta leaned against a wall, speaking softly with Ferric regarding our current state of affairs. Ferric was incensed, of course, that we had again disobeyed his direct orders, yet his anger muted soon after. The rhythm of the grinding stone on my blade was calming, even hypnotic, and I pressed on, turning the blade to work on the other side. Small sparks were born with each pass of the stone, and they extinguished upon the white floor.
After some time had passed, the examination bay door swung open, and Gareem exited with Janus in tow. I dropped the grindstone on the floor and faced my friend, whose normal vivacity had been replaced by malaise. He was bleary-eyed and his shoulders had slumped, but he nonetheless smiled slightly when he saw me, and I smiled in kind.
Thanks, big guy. I heard his voice within my head, and I nodded, watching him sit in a nearby chair. Janus’s forearms had been tightly wrapped in fresh bandages, and he leaned forward in his seat, unsure of how to begin.
“It goes without saying that we need to discuss what our enemy learned during your time in captivity.” Ferric spoke immediately, his harsh tone amplified, and no one offered disagreement. Janus murmured a small “yeah” and narrowed his eyes, trying to think of where to begin.
“What do they know about us?” Argenta asked in a calm and patient tone.
My friend replied in a deliberate voice, “They know that we’re understrength here, and that we don’t have any meaningful assets. At the same time, considering how we levelled the Mirakind facilities, they’ve realised that we are not to be trifled with.”
“As for our location?” Argenta continued, and I looked at Janus, so small and tired in his chair, but nonetheless resolved to continue. I hated the sight of him, a nearly broken man forced to carry a terrible and crushing burden, and I retrieved my grindstone from the floor.
“I … I don’t know. Having Nyrvanna in my mind, in my soul, it felt like red hot nails were being dragged through my head time and again, and I … it was all so lucid. I felt paralysed, and yet there was still sensation. I could feel my breath, I could feel the knife in my hand when I fought Zircon, but there was no motivation in any of it. At least not mine. I can’t remember if I told her or not.” Janus held his head in his hands, and the rhythm of the grindstone returned.
“Then we must assume that the Bastion is compromised, and establish a new base of operations elsewhere.” Argenta’s reply was concise, and I heard Ferric and Gareem offer their agreement. A few sparks flew from the edge of my sword as I ran the grindstone down again, paying little attention to their conversation as I glowered at the blade.
“Nyrvanna may have seen into my head, but I also saw in
to hers, and there are things that we need to understand.” Janus looked up suddenly, his red eyes glittering, and enthusiasm returned to his voice. I stopped sharpening my sword for a moment and agreed, thinking back to what we had seen at the riverbed.
“Vaelryk’s sword, the Pestilent Reaver , it … it’s consuming him. It’s been eating him for decades. What you see when you look at him is just an illusion, but what he really is, it … he’s nearly rotted to the core. He isn’t what he once was. He isn’t even a tenth of that.” The thought of the golden monster invaded my mind as Janus spoke, and I thought of the fuming, toxic blade that had no doubt killed my father.
“We got only glimpses of it when Nyrvanna wasn’t exerting her hold on me, but that sword … it’s so old. I think it’s alive. It’s been feeding on one host after another since it was forged, and it’s nearly consumed Vaelryk. He’s dying.” The Ocean Dweller spoke the truth, never taking his eyes off me, and I remembered the golden man crumbling to dust.
Argenta broke the silence in the room, and stated, “If he is as weakened as you say, then he is assailable. We can and should kill him as soon as possible.” Argenta spoke with a commanding tone, and in spite of her logic and all that I had seen, the idea that three inexperienced Sentries could challenge Vaelryk still bordered on the ludicrous. I felt my father’s shame anew, and continued sharpening my sword, hoping to blot it out.
“Yeah, I hear you. Even still, we need to be aware of the fact that Vaelryk isn’t really the problem here, but Nyrvanna is. I don’t know how she did it, but she’s tied to the production of the reagent we found, and she plans to make a lot more. The Teem was just a test—she has plans for the rest of Grand Ocean, and if Grand Ocean falls … that’s it. The War is over.”
A deep silence hung over us then, and the path forward was unclear in spite of our victories. The source of the Teem’s affliction had been broken, yet it would be some time before its people could return to normal, and until that time, they would starve. Osmium was nowhere to be found; he had probably retreated to Anion, and we could no longer count on his support, regardless of his mandate.
“Promise me one thing, though. When I was afflicted, Nyrvanna showed me something that I never wanted to see again. She showed me something that I’ve only ever wanted to leave behind. Because of that … because of what she did to me, when the time comes, I will be the one to kill her.” Janus broke the silence as he rose to his feet and tightened the bandages around his arms and chest. I had seen the shack with my own eyes, and heard the cries of the monster within. I knew what Nyrvanna had forced him to live out once more.
The consoles at the far end of the room suddenly blared, their displays filling with red alerts, and I rose to my feet, hefting Demonbite over my shoulder. Argenta’s green eyes flashed at the sight of them, and she replied, “It would seem you have your chance. The Bastion is being attacked.”
I hefted Demonbite over my shoulder and drew shallow breaths through my teeth as fear found its familiar grip on me. Gareem swore loudly as he left Janus’s side, hurrying to the terminals nearby and accessing the exterior video feeds as terrible percussion began to rock through the floors and walls of the Bastion.
“Of course they brought Gammas—it’s only fair, right?” The engineer scowled as the source of the tremors became obvious. There were five of them, hulking and invincible, that had emerged violently from the sandy earth to begin pulverising the only division between the Teem and Anion beyond. Argenta rose from her seat, her flame-red mail bursting from the small of her back, and drew Engeltrane from its sheath.
“If the Bastion falls, then Anion will fall.” Argenta spoke slowly, masking a slight quaver in her voice. I clenched my jaw and balled my free fist, forcing my fear and despair downward to replace them with fury, and I set my armour loose, letting the golden triangular plates sing as they locked together around my form.
“Wait. Wait! We aren’t going to succeed on their terms like that,” Janus arose, his voice sharp with purpose, “so let’s take a minute to just think about this. I shouldn’t have to tell you what’ll happen if the two of you go charging out there waving your swords around.”
“The Bastion is not impervious, Janus.”
Argenta spoke, and he dismissed her out of hand, replying, “But then neither are you.” He sat in front of the multitude of video feeds, paying no mind to the Gammas that had begun their work pulverising the gate, hurling destroyed concrete with every hammering blow.
“What are you looking for?” I asked as I watched him access yet another video feed and dismiss it in frustration.
“Everything about what they’re doing right now … they’re desperate, you know. We hurt them, Zircon, and badly too, and this attack right now is not even close to what Nyrvanna wants for Grand Ocean. And that’s why,” Janus squinted at a newly accessed display and smirked, “they’ve attended to this personally.”
There they stood, Vaelryk and Nyrvanna, stoic on the coastline, their bodies softly lit by the pale light of a white moon above. The fumes of the Pestilent Reaver billowed at Vaelryk’s side as Nyrvanna leaned into him in perverse affection, the two of them watching the Bastion from afar, patiently awaiting our reply.
“You know what this means, right?” Janus asked, his voice charged.
Our response was interrupted by one final thunderous blow, a violent crack that resounded through the halls and was followed by triumphant and hideous roaring. The Malinvicta had come.
42
Sacrifice
Our plan, as ever, was made in haste and desperation, driven by the howls of our enemies as they echoed down the corridors of the Bastion, followed by the terrified screaming of what few security officers remained behind. In spite of the death and carnage that had descended upon us, we remained fortunate; Nyrvanna’s goal was simple revenge, and for that she required the Guild’s presence in the Bastion utterly destroyed. Our response paralleled hers, and I squeezed the black hilt of my blade tightly, letting my fingers cramp and relax as I found a proper grip.
Janus and Gareem stood together at the far exit, ready to make their way to the Destrier , and my friend flashed his teeth at me. Hey, what’s the worst that could happen? I appreciated his small kindness, but could not shed the gravity of this moment from my mind. At the far end of the room, Ferric clasped his hands in brief prayer with his head bowed and his eyes closed, and in his lined face I clearly saw the horrors of his long life, and the far greater horror of pleading with a silent and uncaring god. We departed then, in opposite directions, and Argenta tested Engeltrane ’s weight before moving forward to our bloody work, the door locked behind us.
Our path, regrettably, soon branched, and Argenta turned from me wordlessly, running towards the greatest sound of screaming in the fortress, and once more I could not help but admire her. I proceeded down the opposite hall in growing awareness of the smoke that had begun to fill the corridor from various vents as the demonic barking intensified. Far below, the offensive and piercing cry of sirens had begun, followed by the powerful hiss of fire suppression systems, and I quickened my pace, feeling a surge of panic as the gnashing fangs and guttural howls of Alphas filled the air.
I turned a corner, my sword ready, and stood at the far end of an empty briefing room. Its few chairs had been strewn about the floor by whatever officers had attempted to evacuate earlier, and a long grey table filled the centre of the floor space. At the opposite end of the chamber, three Alphas lurched about, red blood dripping from their mouths as they snorted, being pulled about by their sense of smell. They looked up at me, locking their yellowed eyes with mine, and we roared in mutual disgust.
The dogs burst into the briefing room, splintering the meeting table beneath their weight as they barked ferociously, and I stood before them, my teeth bared and Demonbite clutched tightly in my hands. The first of them dove through the air, its vile pink tongue flailing from the side of its mouth, and I met the monster’s anger with my own, finding a home for my s
word deep in its abdomen. The canine fell to the floor, my blade stuck into the black and uneven flesh, and I could not withdraw it.
There was no time to struggle with the blade. I released my grip on the hilt, fumbling for my gun, and fell to my side, firing wildly as the second beast came for me, its hunger endless. There was a flurry of brilliant embers that filled the air as the Alpha’s head disassembled, its eyes and face erased by light. It, too, fell to the floor, small violet flames licking at its neck and the charred cavern where its face had once been.
The third of them howled in agony at the sight of its fallen brothers, and its fury came down upon me before I could ready any defence. The canine’s momentum pinned me to the wall, and I felt the stench of its breath on my face as it opened crushing jaws, revealing row upon row of crooked and bloody, chipped fangs. I brought my hands up, grasped the beast’s jaws, and tried to push it away, but it could not be stopped, and its teeth grazed my neck more than once. I screamed in defiant pain.
“You will not win this day, filth!” The voice was both commanding and reassuring as it boomed from behind us, and the Alpha’s muscular body suddenly grew hotter, then scorching, as it glowed with orange and radiant light. The wolf released me then and charged for Ferric, who stood without his staff near the entryway, his hand extended to the headless monster I had left so close by, its violet flames dying out and turning to white frost. The last predator barked furiously, then whimpered feebly as it sunk into flames and fell to fine ash.
I saw Ferric then, no longer crippled and hunched, but tall and strong as the man he once was. He was a paladin unparalleled and gifted with limitless resolve, one who served as a paragon not only for the Guild but for his faith in Kyrosya, and I was mesmerised by what he had once been. There was purpose anew to be seen in his face and his stature, and I could only stand in insignificance before him.