by Samuel Small
“How did he die?”
“Suicide.”
And that was all Jake needed to hear. It was obvious that this was a sensitive subject and he rose to his feet and made his way around the stumps to the trees in the distance, hoping his comrades would follow his example and stop asking questions. He’d had enough time now to process everything that happened and he thought he knew where the Voids were stationed. He pulled out his comp, the white screen lighting up the entire area and making Jake the center of attention.
“Major Miles, come in.”
“Trainee Jake, I was expecting your call sooner.” Major Miles always carried himself with an air of authority, but Jake felt a slight twinge of concern underneath that formal tone. No doubt it was because Jake hadn’t communicated with him when they had reached the village.
“We came across a lot of new information and needed time to pick out the relevant details.”
“And what would those details be?”
“Er,” Jake said. He didn’t want to tell Major Miles the truth about the Voids for fear that he wouldn’t be believed. But he also needed to tell the Major where they were going. “The Voids’ stronghold should be somewhere within the ancient ruins just west of here. Maybe another day’s walk.”
There was silence on the other end of the comp for a few seconds, so long that Jake was about to ask if the Major was still there. But then some shifting filled the speaker, which Jake assumed to be Major Miles going through documents.
“Right. I won’t ask you what those other details are, not yet anyway. The guards are beginning to recover so I’ll be able to have a squad out to you fairly quickly. You know more about the Voids than I do at this point in time so whether or not you want to wait for them is your decision.”
“Understood,” Jake said and ended the call. He glanced across the way at his comrades but they’d all gone off to do their own thing. Hell, the only one he could even see was Elizabeth, who was so focused on reading he doubted she’d see him even if he approached her directly. But he wanted to decide what they were going to do, and he wanted to do it tonight, so he sat down on a stump next to her. Out of the corner of his eye Jake saw Elizabeth glance at him, but she returned to her book when she realized he wasn’t focused on her. She was right, his eyes were dead set on the shadows of the forest in the distance, where Dante had no doubt disappeared into. He was perhaps the most important one to discuss this with.
So Jake waited, and for a long time. He’d waited through many page turns of Elizabeth’s novel. He’d waited so long he had to go into the forest and fetch more wood for the fire. He’d waited long enough that Sara had given up on sleep and returned to the fire with the rest of them. She too sat in silence, apparently at a loss for words about their current situation.
After a while the distinct sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves came to them from a distance. Jake raised his head and focused on the sound, where Dante’s figure soon emerged. He crossed to everyone sitting on stumps around the fire.
“The fuck is everyone here for?”
Elizabeth and Sara both looked to Jake, and he finally spoke up.
“It’s in regards to the mission. I think I’ve figured out where the Voids’ stronghold is. Major Miles said a squad is heading for us and should be here within a day or two. If we wait we can have backup but—”
“There’s no guarantee that the Voids won’t do something really bad if we wait, eh?” Dante asked.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Jake said. “I also thought it was important to mention this to you. I know that you have some kind of prior relationship with this Void King, so if you don’t want to assist—”
“Don’t worry about—”
“That’s right, Dante doesn’t want to fight the Voids since they used to be people, right?” Sara interrupted. “If that’s the case, I think we should wait for backup. With just me, Jake, and Elizabeth, it’ll be a rough fight, and that Void King looks powerful on top of that, so—”
“You didn’t let me finish!” Dante shouted at her, prompting Sara to come to a confused stop. She blinked at him. “I was just caught off guard when I put two and two together. I’m fine now. I don’t think we need to wait for backup either. You’ve got me on your side and that’s more than enough!” Dante flexed his biceps.
Sara lost control of herself and fell off of the stump, holding her stomach as she laughed. “My hero!” she wheezed. Dante slumped his shoulders and looked down at her, disappointed that she wasn’t impressed by his corny gesture. That set Jake right off and he fell to the ground alongside her, laughing and pointing at Dante’s flushed cheeks. Dante shifted his head from one to the other, now annoyed that they didn’t think he was the greatest thing that ever walked the earth. Jake wasn’t sure if it was the flickering shadows of the fire, the fact that his eyes were wet with tears, or that his breathless laughter had began to restrict his vision, but he could have sworn he saw Elizabeth crack a smile.
After about a full minute of hilarity, Jake and Sara holding each other up so that they didn’t fall down, the two finally had their fill. Jake let out a few more chuckles then wiped the tears from his eyes. When he and Sara raised themselves to their feet, Dante was standing over them with his arms folded, clearly annoyed that they’d taken that long to finish. The look on his face nearly set Jake off again but he bit his tongue.
“Anyway, I think going in now is the best option,” Jake said. “It’s not like our squad is weak in terms of power. We’ve got Sara, a contender for world leader, and Dante, who fought a Major to a stalemate. Frankly there isn’t much of a reason for us to wait, except for a little bit of extra security.”
“If Dante’s going to fight,” Sara said, “then I don’t have a problem. We were able to handle all of those Voids before and that was with just three of us. With him we can take out just as many easily, and maybe even that Void King.”
“Right,” Jake agreed and looked at his remaining companions. Elizabeth looked away, which wasn’t out of character for her, but Dante’s actions were. Despite the fact that Jake thought he would have jumped at the opportunity to wreak havoc, he was oddly silent. His knuckle rested on his chin while he glanced at Elizabeth. “Yeah, it should be easy. If all four of us are in the fight.”
Jake quickly faced Elizabeth, who had jumped up at Dante’s casual utterance of her intentions. She didn’t look ready to fight as he expected. Rather, she looked confused by Dante’s ability to know her true identity. Had he actually figured it out or was it just intuition?
“I… I don’t know if I can. I want to help fight with everyone, but if I return to the Republic they’ll discover my true identity. When that happens…”
“You’ll face execution,” Jake said gravely.
The fire spat out sparks then settled, the embers being suffocated by the black ash that used to be wood. As it faded, so did the light that surrounded them, but to Jake it seemed necessary. After a few seconds his eyes adjusted and Jake could see Sara’s silhouette looking at each member of the team in search of an explanation.
“I’m not sure of the details but Elizabeth is a relative of the former Mad King Arnold. I don’t like the rebels, not one bit, but…” In the darkness, Jake found his eyes wander to Elizabeth’s silhouette. He couldn’t see her fully but he could sense that she knew his eyes were on her. “A few days ago a rebel with a fire Sol attacked the Republic. I chased him and was nearly burnt to a crisp when he suddenly passed out. I thought I saw a primary education blazer in the distance back then, and now I’m sure of it. If the rebellion doesn’t condone random terrorist like that then they can’t be all bad…”
Can’t be all bad, Jake thought, his mind turning to the face of his superior. Major Miles was as sharp as they came and it was damn near impossible for him not to have realized Elizabeth’s true identity, especially considering that Jake – and even Dante – had managed to piece it together. But still he sent her on this mission, knowing that she’d be able to es
cape come nightfall. Jake didn’t like the rebels, but knowing that Major Miles had some degree of sympathy for them left him at a loss for words. He had far too much respect for the man to actively block his plan, however…
“I’m an aspiring guard of the Republic,” Jake said firmly. “I can’t simply let the enemy leader walk away under my watch.” He felt a change in the air, a sense of sadness as he crushed Elizabeth’s last hope of freedom. Hell, he’d practically condemned her to death. He grit his teeth. Was that something he was willing to live with?
“Well, I guess that settles it then,” Dante said simply. Jake’s mouth fell open and he turned his head to the boy. His hands were on his hips in a relaxed and confident posture, despite what he’d just said. If they really were going to wait for backup and keep Elizabeth with them the whole time, she was as good as dead. There was no other way.
“We pile in! It’s the only way to avoid a conflict between her…” Dante said and pointed to Elizabeth, “…and you two,” he finished, using his index and middle finger to highlight Jake and Sara. “Here’s the report. We’re busy fightin’, takin’ out hordes of monsters. Man, it is hectic as shit. During all of it the princess slips away. You were in the middle of a desperate battle, who can blame ya?”
“Right,” Jake said with a smirk, “who can blame us?”
“So? Everyone’s cool with that plan?” Dante said and placed his hand out in front of him. Jake was initially unsure of what he meant by the gesture, before Sara placed her hand on top of his. Elizabeth was the next to utter, “I suppose that will do,” then placed her hand over Sara’s. Jake could feel all of the eyes of his comrades on him, Elizabeth’s especially. He mumbled, “Of course,” and placed his hand on top of the pile.
“One, two,”
“Let’s go!”
“Let’s begin!”
“Here we go!”
“Let’s do this shiiiiiiiiiiit!”
They all stopped as they realized they each created their own chant then milled into a chorus of chuckles. Jake held his belly and stepped away before he lost it again, waving goodbye to everyone. He headed into his tent and lay down. Come tomorrow, he’d have to fight the fiercest battle yet.
Chapter 9
Jake raised his feet higher with each step, trying to overcome the tall grass that grew everywhere. The stone structures that riddled the area looked ancient, but that was all Jake could tell from the vague shapes. Single walls remained, the rest of whatever they once were crumbled into a mess of rubble alongside them. Grass sprung up between cracks in the debris, as well as on the ground of the square areas that must have once been the foundations for rooms. The earth beneath Jake’s feet felt rougher and he came to the realization that stone must have been laid throughout this area but over time it had been covered in dirt. The dirt was so thick that the grass he now struggled to walk through was able to grow, but there were patchy areas where there was none, an indication that the foundations were not far below the surface.
It was several minutes into walking through these ancient ruins that Jake came to a sudden awareness. He hadn’t seen a single animal nor heard any sign of life aside from his companions behind him. No crunching as deer walked through the decaying leaves, no caws of birds, nor any sign of movement at all. He couldn’t hear trees rustling in the breeze or running water in the distance. Only the sound of footfalls, sometimes indistinct, sometimes solid when they hit an area that had more stone, and the light disturbance of them brushing through the grass.
Looming above the few trees that dotted the area was a large tower. It reached well into the sky and was as tall as any of the Republic’s buildings. In fact, as Jake got closer he realized it was taller. Much taller. But how did an ancient civilization construct something so big without it toppling over the centuries? He didn’t understand but…
“If they’re anywhere, that’s where they’ll be,” Jake said and pointed to the tower. His comrades looked to him and nodded before making their way to it. They continued to walk through the place, passing by crumbling structures, dying trees, and faded grass. Soon each of the elements that made up their surroundings tapered off one by one. First it was the ruined buildings that seemed to get less prevalent before disappearing altogether. Then the trees grew less frequent, giving a clearer view of the area around the tower.
Jake thought he could see some sort of movement along the base of the large stone structure but he couldn’t accurately make it out from this distance. There was a large field just in front of it, sprouting long grass that blocked his vision. But he thought he could make out some sort of movement. This wasn’t one object squirming at the base of that tower but multiple. Multiple wasn’t really the best word for it either, as it was truly a massive amount, nearly uncountable. As Jake squinted to try to make out what it was Sara came to an awestruck stop at his side.
“They’re Voids…” she said weakly, pointing a shaking hand at the huge cluster of monsters.
She was right. There they were; a countless number of Voids that filled the circumference of the tower.
“They had to have turned nearly every village around the Republic to make up their numbers…” Jake began but bit his tongue, not wanting to finish the thought. He knew they’d be fighting a lot of Voids, but this many? Before they’d fought a horde that took up a village street, and according to Elizabeth and Sara it was an ordeal. But this… even with Jake and Dante fighting the odds were not in their favor.
“He isn’t there, is he?” Dante mumbled, his eyes scanning ahead. Jake followed them and tried to see any yellow within the mess of white but there was nothing. Surely if the Void King was there he’d be somewhere central and visible.
“Then that means he’s probably inside that tower,” Elizabeth said. Dante nodded absently at the statement but seemed to be focused on something else. Jake asked him what and he turned to him.
“It’s just… the Void King seemed tough, real tough. I’m not sure if it’s such a good idea to go after him if we’re exhausted from dealing with these bastards. Plus he can melt into the damn ground, so there’s no guarantee he’ll still be around after we kill all of those things… assuming we can.”
“Then how do we know he’s even there now?” Sara asked.
“Because he has to lead the lesser Voids. I saw him in the Republic back when all those fucks came in and he was there at that village too. So he has to be here and it’s probably in that tower.”
“So what is it you want to do?” Jake asked. “It’s not like we can just ignore the Voids here and go straight after him. We’ve gotta fight them, like it or not.”
“Unless,” Elizabeth mumbled to herself, before raising her head. She looked dead at Dante and the two seemed to exchange some kind of understanding in that instant.
“These creatures appear to be straight out of mythology, and if that’s the case it’s safe to assume they may function similarly to others,” Elizabeth said.
“What are you getting at?” Jake asked.
“You ever hear of shit where there’s a head monster? Like vampires or werewolves? You chop off the head,” Dante said then pointed at his throat with his thumb, sliding it across for emphasis. “The rest’ll come tumblin’ down.”
“I know what you’re getting at,” Jake said, “but that doesn’t change the facts of the situation. We can’t just ignore the Voids so some of us will have to roll up our sleeves…” but as he spoke he worked out what Dante meant. Some of them could stay to fight off the Voids but a few others could go on ahead and deal with the Void King. All the others would have to do was hold off the horde until their king was defeated.
“But,” Jake said, bringing his knuckle to his chin, “with the sheer number of Voids here we’ll only be able to send one person. Anything less than that and those of us fighting will be overrun.” He allowed his eyes to drift to the person who would presumably enter that building and saw out of the corner of his eye that the others looked to him to. It seemed they w
ere all in agreement that it should be Dante.
“All right, we’ll crawl through the field and try to the get the jump on them. Once there we’ll clear a path for Dante straight to the entryway. Just…” Jake said, raising a hand to Dante to address him specifically but thought better of it. “Just wait at the edge of the field. We should get a better look at the tower to see what we’re dealing with and make a plan of attack.”
Everyone nodded in sync at Jake’s strategy. With that out of the way he crouched low and began to wade through the grass toward the tower. He batted it out of the way as he pressed forward, checking behind himself to confirm that the others were following. They were, so he picked up the pace, moving as fast as he could to the other side of the field.
Considering he had to stay low to the ground in order to avoid being detected it didn’t take Jake long to reach the edge of that field. The area surrounding that tower was cobblestone and Voids stood shoulder to shoulder everywhere, swaying from side to side. Jake allowed his head to trail up and took in the doorway: a rotting wood structure that stretched up an entire floor. That’s our objective, he thought and turned to his comrades to make a plan. Before he could say anything Dante leapt out of concealment and began shooting energy beams in all directions.
“Let’s go you shit fucks!” he called to the group of Voids, who all hobbled for the group in unison. Dante smirked and gathered more energy to launch as Jake and everyone else leapt out of concealment.
“Really Dante!?” Sara shouted.
“You utter buffoon,” Elizabeth added as she drew her rapier.
“What?” Dante said. “We’re gonna hafta fight ’em anyway so I figured I’d stick around and get warmed up before the main event.”
“That’s ridic—” Sara began, but Jake cut her off.