-----Tim walked down the halls of the SLJ base hoping to find Raea as quick as possible He
knew his only chance of getting to talk with a high ranking official, or perhaps even a
council member, would be through her good graces. It had been several hours since the
mysterious woman had come down from the heavens in that terrible crash. They had
dropped her injured partner off at the Helia Special Care Hospital in Uptown Khazan
before arriving at the SLJ base itself.
----- The hallways were decorated with various paintings and photographs of the
greatest Khazanian heroes to ever walk the planet. Each portraight was outlined in a
Golden frame, and immortalized everyone from past World Champions to famous heroes
who fought in historical battles or wars. The mysterious woman followed Tim down the
hall and seemed very interested in each picture, taking note of the small texts beneath each
frame that provided some basic information. Obviously, the woman had never been on
Khazan before.
----- Tim had learned that her name was Telissa Ravan, and that she was a member of a
bounty hunter force called the Seekers. Apparently her employers were non-other than
the Galactic Defense Force itself, a fact which left Tim puzzled as to why she would come
to Khazan. Unfortunately, any questions he asked her were dignified with little answers, if
any. She was extremely focused on talking to a high ranking official and no one else.
----- After much searching through recreations sectors, meeting rooms, and hallways,
Tim found Raea talking with the infamous Captain Khazan himself.
----- “Raea!” Tim shouted. “Its me, Tim! I need to talk with you right now.”
----- Raea turned her head in shock, surprised that he had come into the SLJ base.
“Tim? What are you doing here?”
----- “Excuse me sir,” Tim said as he briefly bowed to Captain Khazan. “Raea, I need
to talk to you about something important...at least...I think its important, well, according
to her...”
----- “Her?” Raea asked inquisitively. It was then that she shifted her eyes and saw
Telissa standing a few feet away. Raea gave Tim a shifty eye, “I see.
Something...important you say? About u...”
----- Tim shook his head and held his hands up in defense, “Oh no, no, its not that. This
woman comes from another system, she’s a bounty hunter, a seeker, or something. She
says she needs to talk with one of ‘our leaders.’”
----- “Leaders?”
----- “Yes. Well, I’m sure you’re aware that we just can’t walk in to talk with President
Pharis, so I thought the next best thing would be to come here.”
----- Telissa stepped up and raised her voice to make her presence known, “I’m aware
of the SLJ and I demand to speak to the council members. This is an extremely important
matter!”
----- “Calm down lady,” Raea said smoothly, “Look if you have some kind of personal
emergency, you don’t have to talk with the SLJ council, there are a lot of other heroes
who would be happy to help. You could also call a little thing we call the ‘police’ once
and a while.”
----- “This isn’t a personal matter!” Telissa screamed as she grabbed Raea’s shirt and
nearly lifter her off the ground. The attention of all the SLJ members in the room
suddenly shifted to them.
----- “That’s enough,” Captain Khazan said assertively as he pushed the two of them
apart. “Its obvious to me that whatever this is, its certainly important to you.”
----- “It involves the entire planet,” Telissa replied.
----- “Hmm...perhaps we could have you speak with the remaining members of the
council if it would make you feel better, but you better have something that is
really important. I’m sorry to tell you this, but myself and Elwin are the only council
members currently at the base.”
----- “What? Where are the others?” Telissa asked.
----- “Were in a state of emergency ourselves,” Raea said. “Several of our council
members are out there to rally our forces. The Khazan military is starting to get
involved.”
----- “The military, you mean a war...” Tim started.
----- Captain Khazan interrupted him and assured him that nothing was out of hand.
“We don’t know what the scale of the conflict will be. Uberman just took some Rangers
and military forces to Xaelon. I’m sure this will be over before you know it.”
----- “Well, maybe we can talk with Elwin then,” Tim suggested. “At least then she can
tell her husband for us.”
----- Captain Khazan rubbed his chin for a few seconds before replying. “I suppose. I’ll
take you to Elwin, but we have little time to waste, so come with me.”
----- The mighty captain walked down the hall to the council room. Anxious to find out
what all the commotion was about, Raea and Tim followed Telissa and Captain Khazan
down the corridor.
---2---
----- The large transport craft descended upon the vast plains of Araelis, releasing a
strong force that shook the ground and nearly blew POWAAA-MAN!!! off of his feet.
The craft came to stop and the sound of its engines dying down filled the air. Eventually,
the large landing door opened and Vincentzo Maiinverno walked out, accompanied only
be a few armed guards.
----- POWAAA-MAN walked over to meet the would-be ruler of Araelis with an
optimistic look on his face, “Hey Centzo, how did it go?”
----- Maiinverno looked upwards in a ‘I’m greater than you’ manner and sighed,
“Woose, I don’t know what this world is coming to. I tell you, the world would be a
better place if I were President of Khazan.”
----- “Oh really?” Woose said, scratching his head.
----- “Don’t give me the skeptical look Woose,” Vincentzo yelled. “It’s true. I would
already have the military searching under every rock for that army by now. Hmph, the
council has decided to send us a little help, but not much. Apparently a city in Xaelon was
destroyed last night, so now Xaelon is a bigger priority that Araelis.”
----- “So what do we do now?” Woose asked. “Shall we defense Araelis ourselves.”
----- “That’s exactly what were going to do Woose. We don’t need the Khazan military
anymore, not when you have me to lead you to victory,” Centzo said, laughing almost
sadistically.
----- “But how do we defend an entire State-Kingdom by ourselves?”
----- “Oh no, we won’t be by ourselves. Listen Woose, I want you to go to all the
major cities in Araelis and spread the word. Any able man who is willing to fight for his
freedom can come to see me. We’ll create a free army, a force which doesn’t belong to
the Khazan government. It will belong to Araelis only. Of course, it will be a small army,
but that won’t matter, simply because I’m here.”
----- “Umm..ok, if you say so. I’ll go round up some messengers,” Woose said as he
turned to leave.
----- “Good,” Maiinverno said to himself. “Yes, we’ll defend Araelis ourselves, then
the people of this city-state will put me in office almost immediately. I won’t be a leader,
I’ll be a hero!”
---3---
----- Jon Avalon stepped out of the Endless Caves in the western area of Zel’Mier
where almost all occupied cities had been cleared out by Toc Darkone’s forces. It was a
perfect area for the armies to come and go, as no one could see them from here. Avalon
met his army out in the open, which was stretched out across the land the northern Karia
valley and approached the boundaries of the champion mountains. Another army stood
with them, that of Veronica Daemon.
----- Jon found his faithful pet Zegrin standing outside waiting for him. The mighty
dragon, thirty feet long and armed to the teeth with razor claws and talons, extended his
powerful wings as his master approached. As Jon mounted the immense beast, Veronica
Daemon and Elisa Avalon stepped up to greet him.
----- “Leaving now, are you?” Veronica asked as she leapt onto Zegrins back and put
her arms around Avalon’s neck. “Do you really think Horror will need any help this time?
From what I hear, the last battle was a complete massacre in our favor.”
----- Jon smiled as he held her hand and took a moment to look at his nineteen year old
daughter who waited by Zegrin’s side. “That was only the first battle. This time the
military will be involved. Tonight shall be the first real showdown.”
----- “You will be attacking Xaelis tonight father?” Elisa asked.
----- “Yes.”
----- “I wish you luck father,” she replied. “Mother wants me to accompany her
Thenesiea with her so I can get some combat experience. I want to make you both
proud.”
----- “I’m sure you will make Drekis himself proud,” Jon said. “I’m am sorry to cut our
conversation short, but I must once again lead my army across the Champion mountains.
The trek is long, and I must rendezvous with Horror before Midnight. If we are both
successful in our campaigns, we will celebrate here late at night.”
----- Veronica leapt off of Zegrins back. The witch looked back at Jon as he instructed
Zegrin to become airborne. The sight of the giant creature taking to the air was something
Elisa and her mother never grew tired of. As they flew through the sky, they
demonstrated both grace and power.
----- “Come Elisa,” Veronica said. “Your father has embarked on his journey, it is now
time that we embark on our own. This will be your first example of war, so stay alert.”
----- “Yes mother.”
----- The armies of the two generals departed from the land of Zel’Mier. One took to
the Champion mountains, the other marched directly into Thenesiea.
---4---
----- Military transports flew in delta formation across the skies of Khazan towards the
city of Xaelis, which had fallen into a state of paranoia and pandemonium. Every criminal
and innocent citizen alike could see the massive transports and instantly know that the SLJ
had taken action, and not just any common action either. The Khazan military itself had
been signed off to momentary SLJ control to handle the situation in Xaelon.
----- Uberman sat on the head transport and looked down at Xaelis as they approached
the city. From here he could see that a large amount of mobile police had already
congregated at the borders of the city. There was no doubt in his mind that everyone
there was happy to see them.
----- Both Khazanian military personnel and the elite Khazan rangers were among the
troops sent. Uberman, believing himself to have the greatest amount of responsibility due
to being the SLJ’s leader, decided to lead the military forces and fight the enemy up close.
With him in the front transport was Scout, the single most skillful and experienced Ranger
in Khazan. Scout was a master of stealth and terrain, and it was Uberman’s hope that his
experience would be helpful in finding and eliminating the enemy.
----- “So, Scout, based on the terrain you see, what do you think the enemy will do,
assuming they will attack at all?” Uberman asked.
----- “Personally, I’d say they would come from the forest to the north of Xaelis,”
Scout said as he observed the land around the city. “However, if Sevarian city was indeed
attacked from the south, that would imply that the enemy is coming from that direction, so
I we have a definite advantage here. There’s no way they could approach the city without
us knowing it.”
----- “That’s good, but are you sure Xaelis will be the next city to be attacked?”
----- “I can’t say for sure,” Scout said. “However, I can assure you that I’ve already
discussed the situation with the other Rangers. I’ll have recons deployed all over Xaelon
to make sure the enemy does sneak around us. Trust me, if they come, we’ll know it.”
----- “That should make the citizens of Xaelis and New Xaelis much more comfortable,”
Uberman exclaimed.
----- The carriers landed in the center of Xaelis in a show of lights and smoke. The
center of Xaelis was a large shopping district with wide, open streets and quad areas for
the transports to land at. Uberman and the soldiers disembarked from their crafts and
were greeted by thousands of cheering citizens. There were cries of “we’re all saved,” and
“Thank God, we’ll be safe now.”
----- Despite the fact that he had no real knowledge of their enemy, Uberman waved his
hand to the crowd and boldly stated that the SLJ would take care of everything. As the
SLJ had been successful many times in the past, the citizens were prone to believe him
without doubt. After clearing the crowds and assuring everyone that they would be safe
at home, Uberman began to discuss the strategy with Scout.
----- It was agreed that the best thing to do, besides send recons to cover the entire area
immediately, would be to divide the soldiers in half, with one force outside of the city
walls and with one force inside. Roughly 9000 people were standing ready to fight for
Xaelis, a portion of which were members of the mobile police that were already in the city.
The plan was to station most of the army outside so that a battle would take place outside
of the city. The people stationed inside would provide cover fire from on top of the city
walls and would provide defense for Xaelis if any of the enemy should break through the
outside forces.
----- Scout and Uberman quickly had their technicians and workers set up the Gun
turrets they had brought along. Forty in all were quickly stationed around the borders of
the city for long range coverage. The double turrets fired explosive artillery shells and
featured the latest in Khazan targeting technology. Scout was certain that the use of well
placed recons and the gun turrets would grant them a victory with few losses.
----- Since no one among the troops knew exactly what the enemy was, they decided to
expect the worst and made more plans for securing the city. Scout introduced the SLJ
leader to the new Z-K15 Proximity Explosive, based on Kill-o-Matic technology. The
high energy explosive mines were placed throughout the empty plains and rock lands that
surrounded Xaelis and covered with dirt and rock so as not to be found.
----- After all planning was done and all people were in their positions, all that was left
to do was the waiting. Uberman was certain that the enemy would show their face
tonight. An entire city had been destroyed, and as leader of the SLJ, Uberman wanted to
make them pay personally.
---5---
----- Michael Cortelloni sat in a local Xaelis bar and heard all of the gossip and talk
through the walls of the establishment. The paranoia that had spread throughout the city
was beginning to annoy Cortelloni, and now that the military was here he was sure that he
wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.
----- Damn, why the hell does this always happen to me. I wanted to get away from
it all in Xaelon, now the whole damn military is here flashing off all their weaponry.
Somehow I’m always caught in the middle of this crap. Ah well, S*it happens.
----- At times he had thought about packing his bags and leaving for New Xaelis, but it
would be late by the time he got everything ready. In all honesty, the though of travelling
to New Xaelis at late hours was just as unappealing to him as staying in his current
location. It didn’t matter much, as Michael was certain that the military would lock the
city down and keep everyone from leaving. The military were bastards that way, acting as
if they wanted to protect everyone and yet they keep them in the most dangerous places.
----- Cortelloni heard a lot of gossip, but he knew not to trust everything you hear. A
lifetime of living in the mob had taught him that one. He wasn’t completely sure why the
military was present, but he was sure it had something to do with the destruction of
Sevarian city, a newsflash that had been on the news for the last twenty four hours.
----- It would all fit in with his trend of fortune if Xaelis faced the same fate. From the
very beginning it seemed like some god or entity wanted his life to suck, and there was no
way around it. He had been pushed around, backstabbed, and now he would probably be
facing the rumored “army” that destroyed Sevarian city.
----- The bartender began to clean up and looked at Cortelloni, who was, by now, the
only person in the bar. “Ain’t you going home buddy?”
----- Michael took a drink from his cup and forced the powerful beverage through his
system. “Home? My home is a crummy apartment complex on 9th Street,” he replied.
“I’m not exactly anxious to get home.”
----- “Yeah, well..” the bartender said, partially focussed on the television that was still
covering Sevarian city’s untimely destruction. “I’m closing up early. If I’m going to die I
ain’t gonna die in this bar, that’s for sure.”
----- The paranoia that had enveloped the city was really starting to sicken Cortelloni
now.
----- The television showed scenes of the burning wreckage and torn houses where
Sevarian city once stood. Not a trace of life could be seen. “That is so horrible don’t you
think,” the bartender continued. “I can’t believe that happened.”
----- Michael quickly finished off his drink and laid the cup on the counter, “well, life
sucks, what can I say. Fill up another one for me.”
---6---
----- “If what you say is true,” Elwin said, “then this would explain everything that has
been going on around here lately.”
----- Telissa nodded in response. “Yes, I had a feeling that Drekis had already taken
action by now. I’m certain that the army of demons and the destruction of the city you
mentioned are all his doing.”
----- “Miss D’Larthi,” Tim said as politely as he could. “All we ask is that you take this
information to your husband. I think the President should definatly know about this.”
----- “Of course,” Elwin responded, smiling at the uptight bounty hunter. “Thankyou
for the information ms. Ravan. I only wish that Uberman and the rest of the SLJ council
were here to hear this.”
----- “It would be no trouble for me to fly over to Xaelon right now,” Captain Khazan
informed. “If I start soon, I can get there before midnight.”
----- “If you wish,” Elwin said. “Now, Telissa, tell me, is this...Drekis the one the GDF
labeled Alpha-class?”
----- “Alpha-class?” Tim shrugged.
----- Raea came closer and whispered in his ear as the other two carried on with their
conversation, “the GDF labels all criminals, cults, and the like by ranks, typically alpha,
beta, and so on. Alpha is a top priority and a dangerous criminal who’s threat goes
beyond planetary, perhaps even beyond an entire galaxy. As far as I know, there is only
one Alpha class case out there, but we’ve never heard anything about it.”
----- Telissa turned around the face the two, “The GDF and the seekers feel the case is
top secret. Since Khazan isn’t under their jurisdiction they felt they didn’t have to tell
you. They knew you wouldn’t get involved either way unless something like this
happened.”
----- “whoa, that’s some hearing you got there,” Raea said in surprise.
----- “So, Drekis is the name of this criminal.” Elwin said. “I never thought I’d see him
on Khazan, but I had heard some things about him.”
----- “He’s no ordinary criminal, he’s some sort of avatar of darkness, a form of evil
that has taken shape. He’s created an entire empire and is responsible for destroying over
32000 planets...including...my own,” Telissa said angrily.
----- “I see,” Elwin said. “So there is a personal matter here. Nevertheless, if Drekis is
indeed some form of evil or darkness incarnate, then we may have to take serious action.”
----- “What do you plan to do?” Telissa asked.
----- “Well, in order to avoid casualties, I think it would be best to destroy the root of
the problem, namely Drekis himself,” Elwin suggested. “You know him the best out of all
of us, so do you have any idea where he might be now.?”
----- Telissa pulled out a small computer device and viewed the same scan she made
aboard her now-wrecked starship. “I scanned this area just before I crashed. This area
here has been partially converted to Dark Stone, its a definite sign of their presence.”
----- Elwin looked at the screen, “Well, that covers quite a large area. I don’t see how
that would be possible, unless of course it is in the Endless Caves.”
----- “I can testify to seeing these Drekis minions in the Endless caves earlier,” Captain
Khazan said. “There were a lot of them down there, and we barely went into the Endless
Caves at all.”
----- “That’s probably where they are,” Telissa said. “Still, it will be hard to get to
Drekis himself, as he has a lot of minions guarding him.”
----- “I’m not worried about that,” Elwin said, smiling. “If I can fairly call this Drekis
fellow an avatar of darkness and evil, then I have an excuse to call on an old friend for
help.”
----- Telissa looked puzzled. She looked back at Raea and Tim, but both of them
looked just as dumbfounded as her.
----- “Captain Khazan,” Elwin began, “On your way to Xaelon, could you put a word
out for Tanin to come see me please?”
---7---
----- The sun was beginning to set in Khazan, and shadows were beginning to cover the
land of Xaelon. The Khazan rangers cleverly hid themselves amongst trees, rocks, hills,
and the like as they branched out among the shadowy cover. Each recon carried an
Assault Rifle or Repeating crossbow, and each were equipped with a communicator so
they could warn allies of an enemy threat.
----- Three Rangers moved out across the land and took cover just a few hundred feet
away from the Falcon River. From here, the Rangers could already see the remains of
Sevarian city across the river with their binoculars.
----- A voice came over the communicator as the Rangers surveyed the scene once
more, “Anything yet?”
----- “Negative,” the ranger replied into the device. “Everything’s quiet.”
----- “Too quiet,” another ranger laughed as he uttered the familiar phrase.
----- The wind swept over the land suddenly, and the grass, trees, and weeds began to
blow violently as if a storm had suddenly crept up on them.
----- “What the hell is this,” a ranger asked. “This is a rather sudden weather change.”
----- “No, something’s not right here,” another said.
----- There was the sound of rocks falling, then bushes rustling and twigs breaking.
----- “I heard something...over there,” a ranger yelled, pointing his weapon in random
spots.
----- “Calm down!” the commanding ranger said as softly as he could. “Its just stuff
blowing around, that’s all.”
----- “No, No, No, I know there’s something out there. Something...”
----- “Damnit soldier, what’s your problem?”
----- “I....I...I don’t know. I don’t know why, but....I feel...this...fear...this...agitation. I
know there isn’t any logical reason to be afraid, but...I...I just am...I don’t know.”
----- The commander suddenly realized he was feeling the same thing. It wasn’t just a
bad omen he was feeling, it was a strange emotion, a feeling of dread. He was starting to
become afraid for some reason, but why?
----- Then came the sudden noise of something heavy hitting the ground behind them.
The three rangers panicked and dived behind nearby rocks with their guns ready. They
were trained to expect anything and fear nothing, yet there was some emotion raging out
of control in all of them. They looked over and saw no enemy, yet a feeling that they
could die at any moment fell upon them.
----- Suddenly, a burst of brilliant blue light came from across the Falcon River and
landed in the rangers hiding place. A EMP wave burst from the impact, spreading over
their equipment.
----- “Communication devices are down!”
----- “Damn, computer targeting offline!”
----- “We’re under attack!”
----- A burst of energy came out of no where and struck a ranger in the chest, killing
him instantly. One of the other rangers panicked and began to fire his rifle randomly
against an foe he couldn’t see. A few of the bullets impacted something, and both rangers
saw a fuzzy outline of a large humanoid figure as the bullets hit it. The ranger continued
to fire until they could see visible blood pour out onto the grass, and a massive humanoid
beast creature dropped to the ground motionless.
----- “They have cloaking!” the commander said.
----- The other ranger took note of the enemies large gun. “They have heavy artillery a
well.”
----- Suddenly, footsteps could be heard everywhere around them, and as both soldiers
bravely ran back to base, firing as they ran, they still couldn’t avoid every single volley.
The Rangers fell to the ground as they were hit with over twenty shots each. Their
charred remains began to release smoke and steam as rain began to fall upon the land.
----- Horror’s army marched across the Falcon River, silently so as not to give their
position away too soon. They didn’t mind being found out before the attack was made.
To Horror, that didn’t matter, but he didn’t want to be discovered this far from
Xaelis.
----- The dark general looked up at the falling rain and the dark clouds that were
quickly covering Xaelon’s sky. “What an excellent day for a battle.”
---8---
----- Tim Shinestar stared at the ceiling of his bedroom as he tried to get to sleep.
Before he met Telissa, he was all for getting some sleep, but he had been so enveloped in
the whole Drekis topic that now he could barely rest at all. He sat up in his bed and
looked out of his balcony window, where he could see the moon rising high in the sky.
The sun was gone now, and Tim realized that he had been sitting idle here for a
considerable amount of time.
----- Staring at his chronometer, Tim saw that it was already 11:00, and he had yet to
get some sleep. He got up and paced around his room and looked at his fathers blade,
which still rested on the table next to his bed.
----- “How’s a warrior supposed to become a great hero if he can’t even get some good
sleep.” Tim said to himself. “Maybe some water would do some good.”
----- He walked downstairs and noticed that Telissa was sitting up on the couch,
apparently not getting to sleep anymore that he could. Tim walked by the couch
nervously and offered some water to the Seeker, but she didn’t want any. Tim sat down
on the couch next to her as he drank his water.
----- “So, you couldn’t get any sleep either huh?” Tim asked.
----- “I haven’t gotten sleep in a long time,” Telissa said in a very angry tone.
----- "Hey, calm down, you can relax here.” Tim said. “You’re going to burst a vain in
your condition.”
----- Telissa gave him a dirty look and he immediately stared in a different direction. “I
can never ‘calm down’ until I know Drekis is gone.”
----- “Why do you hate him so much?” Tim asked. “I mean, I know he’s done all this
stuff that deserves eternal damnation, but why do you in particular hate him so much more
than others?”
----- “Oh there are plenty that hate him just as much as I do, and I’m not so naive as to
think that I’ve received the worst fate possible. Plenty of civilizations have been wiped
out by Drekis’ empire. As for me, well, only about five dozen of my people survived, at
least that I know of.”
----- “That sounds horrible,” Tim said. “I don’t even know what happened to my race.
They say I’m not Khazanian, but my father died a long time ago, and I never learned about
my history. All I know is that there was some dark secret to it that he didn’t want to
share. I wonder if my people were killed by Drekis?”
----- “There’s too many on the list for me to start saying,” Telissa said. “Look, I don’t
want you to worry about me. I’m thankful for the hospitality, but I’ll be fine down here.
You go up and get some sleep.”
----- “Ummm...ok.”
----- As time disappeared up the stairs, Telissa bit her lip for what seemed like an hour
before reaching for the remote and turning on the television. She kept her face glued to
the Khazan news network, looking for anything suspicious.
----- “I know something is going to happen tonight,” She said to herself. “What the hell
are you planning you devil!”
---9---
----- Uberman and Scout sat in the otherwise empty town hall as midnight came around.
Both knew that if an attack came tonight, it would happen around these hours.
----- There was a knock at the door, and Uberman voiced for the ranger to come in.
----- “Excuse me sir,” the ranger said as he saluted to Scout and Uberman. “I have
news sir. Recon units have spotted an army of demonic creatures moving towards Xaelis
now.”
----- “So you were right,” Uberman said. “They are approaching from the south. Are
they at the Falcon River?”
----- “No sir, they’re already halfway between the river and Xaelis.”
----- “What!?” Scout yelled. “Why didn’t our recons see them sooner?”
----- The young ranger swallowed, then calmly replied, “Sir, some of our recons
discovered that over fifty of our men were killed. All electronic equipment was exposed
to some sort of EMP.”
----- “So our enemy certainly isn’t dumb,” Scout said. “And they know how to take
out our recons without being spotted. Very well, pull the rest of the rangers back to the
city. Arm everyone with weapons and ready the gun turrets. Leave only a handful of
scouts out there to tell us when the army comes within sight distance.”
----- “I trust you know what to do?” Uberman asked.
----- “Yes sir,” the ranger replied and ran out quickly.
----- Scout picked up his trusty crossbow and prepared to go out onto the battlefield.
“I suppose you’ll be joining me in the frontlines?”
----- Uberman smiled. “Of course. I want to see this enemy up close. That’s the
reason I’m here.”
---10---
----- Horror looked upon the city of Xaelis as his armies front line climbed the last hill.
The city was within viewing distance, and no doubt the enemy spies were already
sounding the alarm.
----- A familiar sound filled the air as Horror looked up to see the Dragon beast Zegrin
flying above. The creature came closer, and Jon Avalon could be seen riding the monster
across the valley. Avalon’s army crept up behind Horror’s own, each deminite fueled by
the Hive Guards berserker spells.
----- “You’re just in time Avalon,” Horror said. “I was beginning to think I’d have to
start the battle without you.”
----- “You can’t be serious my friend,” Jon said. “Since when have I ever missed out on
a good fight?”
----- “Ha! I suppose so,” Horror replied, as he formed a blade of flame in his hand and
raised it toward the dark skies. “The enemy knows we are here. We cannot waste
anymore time. My minions, attack now with all of your fury.”
----- Jon Avalon formed his own blade of arcane power and pointed it to the heavens
above. “Armies of Drekis, go forth and destroy your enemies. Charge!!!!!!!”
---11---
----- Michael Cortelloni heard the explosions and the fury outside. The enemy,
whoever they were, had charged right into the mind field of special explosives. He could
see the cloud of fire and smoke form across the land from his apartment. Numerous
demonic creatures were carried up into the air by the blasts and fell lifelessly to the
ground.
----- It was obvious to Michael that the enemy was vast, as the battle continued well
beyond the explosion. He heard the cries of the Khazan rangers and the soldiers, and the
sound of guns, lasers, and cannons firing off every second.
----- A bright flash appeared over the horizon and went over the city walls, striking a
house and reducing it to ashes. The force of the impact rocked the neighborhood, and
sent citizens screaming in the night.
----- The ex-mob member looked up at the sky, and in the light of the moon he saw
terrible demon creatures with wins flying in the sky, descending upon Xaelis and
showering beams of electricity upon the cities border. The rain only added to the pain of
the electric attacks, and before long the remaining gun turrets were focussing on the air
while the soldier outside could be heard dealing with their opponents on the ground.
----- Cortelloni realized that with flying minions, it was likely that some would enter the
city, and that battle may indeed engulf his own street. Damn, I was hoping they’d
destroy them outside the city so I wouldn’t have to do anything. Looks like I’m going to
get involved whether I like it or not.
----- Michael was right about one thing, he wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight.
---12---
----- Khazan rangers and military police ducked for cover as blasts of arcane fire flew
across the warzone, striking soldiers and enveloping them in a hell so terrible it melted
their skin off in seconds.
----- Soldiers that avoided the fiery death took aim and shot the deminites in the head.
The minions had little protection and fell to the spray of bullets the soldiers put into them.
Arrows flew through the night sky and landed in the Deminites chests, killing them all as
quickly as they came into view, but for ever Deminite they killed, two or three more
sprang up.
----- The soldiers fought on valiantly, backed up by the rain of death that the gun turrets
provided. They spewed forth entire salvos of explosive artillery fire at the approaching
demons. The explosions blew the enemies apart, and it seemed that the conflict was
quickly becoming one sided in Xaelis’ favor.
----- Another group of bright blasts appeared over the horizon, this time striking the
city walls and putting holes through the think metal.
----- Scout took his position on the city walls and yelled at his soldiers to get moving, “I
want full protection on these gun turrets. Those enemies have long ranged fire, we have
to ensure the safety of the civilians!”
----- Numerous SLJ members combined their defensive powers together to form a
forcefield large enough to cover the front half of Xaelis. The incoming blasts splashed
against the shield, and the Ptera-Deminites flying above could no longer shower them with
their death blasts.
----- The mobile police moved in with armored vehicles, including anti-aircraft artillery
that began to shoot down the ptera-deminites. Outside of the city, the soldiers fired
bullets into the approaching deminites. Slowly the Khazan forces drove the army back,
killing more and more demons.
----- Uberman flew directly into the incoming demons, killing them with high-impact
punches and wrist blasts that tore through entire legions. With skillful martial arts,
Uberman killed each enemy while taking little damage. At first he thought the battle
would be over in a few minutes at most, but then he looked over the horizon and saw that
an even larger number of Demons were approaching.
----- “Damn, the first group must have been sent up to see if we’d pull some kinda trick.
They’ve probably been observing us up there for a while now.”
----- The demon army, now backed up by reinforcements, charged forward without fear
of death. Burst of flame came forth and killed soldiers in the frontline, but Uberman
withstood the fireballs and returned fire with all of his might. The demons fell one by one,
but they approached by the thousands. Even the gun turrets couldn’t destroy each and
every one. Soon the soldiers noticed small, fast creatures with scythes for hands running
toward them. There were too many to kill all at once, and an entire brigade of the little
critter leapt into the air and landed on the unfortunate rangers, cutting apart their throats
and digging scythe blades into their chests.
----- The Khazanian army fell back as the most powerful minions came about.
Deminites were reinforced by the terrible Hybrids, a dangerous creature which could use
almost any power that had been assimilated into the empire before. Shadowy magicians
moved forward and matched wits with the SLJ wizards who were casting spells upon the
demonic army. Reptillons moved forward, spitting acid on the faces of Khazan rangers
and slicing them apart with their swords.
----- Charging Deminites and demon knights came forward but were mowed down by
the soldiers bullets.
----- “Stand firm!” Uberman said as he kicked through the chest of a Deminite and then
shot a Hybrid’s head off with his wrist blasters. “We can’t let them get into the city.” The
SLJ leader looked upwards and saw the flying ptera-deminites who were still attacking
from above. He took to the skies, using his jet boots to attack the flying beasts up close
and personal. As he shot at the swarming creatures, a familiar figure suddenly appeared
and began to tear the winged demons apart with his bare hands.
----- “Captain Khazan?” Uberman said.
----- “Who else,” The captain laughed. He flew down and began to punch his way
through the minions.
----- On the city walls, Scout aimed his crossbow and began to pick off random
Deminites and the much larger, uglier Devonox creatures as they showed up.
----- The scorponox creatures, which resembled a demonic humanoid scorpion,
launched blue bolts of energy that released EMP waves among the army. Certain soldiers
and rangers stood puzzled as their weapons became useless. Deminites broke through and
began to attack them with claws and teeth. A Devonox creature approached a Mobile
police tank and picked it up with his bare hands before throwing it into the ranks of
Khazanian soldiers.
----- The battle only got more and more violent as the Hybrids came closer and began
to kill soldiers left and right with everything from energy blasts to freezing and paralysis.
Soldiers took cover behind rocks and fired back with assault rifles, cutting through the
weaker members and eventually wearing down the stronger ones.
----- Uberman bashed in the skull of a nearby Reptillon and noticed that the enemy force
was taking a lot of damage from the gun turrets. The rain of explosive artillery was
destroying monsters left and right, yet still they came. It was apparent that none of them
had any relevance for their own life.
----- Hunter Killers and Deminite wolves marched in, the Hunters firing their massive
guns at unsuspecting soldiers while the wolves began to manipulate the emotions of their
enemies, turning the once virtuous soldiers of Khazan into nervous wrecks.
----- Yet still the soldiers refused to stand down. With Uberman leading them, their
resolve was amazing, and they continued to march forward under the sound of gun turrets
blazing.
----- Uberman shot off his wrist cannons at every enemy in sight, then turned his
attention to a large dragon-like creature flying in the air. A man, surprisingly human in
appearance, was riding the massive creature. The man pointed some sort of energy sword
toward Uberman and released a blast of energy. The SLJ hero jumped back as the blast
left a large crater in the ground.
----- Scout saw the beast and fired his cross bow, hitting the monster in the neck with
an arrow. The beast let out a roar and turned over in a chaotic manner. The master riding
the beast fell off, only to land on his feet in front on Uberman.
----- “So, you are Uberman, am I correct?” the man said calmly.
----- “Maybe,” Uberman replied. “And who are you. Are you this armies leader?”
----- “Maybe,” the man snickered. “I am Jon “DarkenFire” Avalon. It is a pleasure to
meet you, leader of the Sentinels of Liberty and justice.”
----- “I can’t say the same,” Uberman said, clenching his fist. “I don’t know who you
are, but one way or another you’re responsible for this chaos and the SLJ is going to make
sure you’re brought to justice!”
----- A Khazan Ranger pulled out a knife and stabbed a wounded Deminite, then moved
towards Jon Avalon with lethal intent, only to be sliced in half by the dark generals energy
blade. He stepped forward, coming closer to the infamous SLJ leader.
----- “Chaos?” Jon repeated. “Chaos you say. Yes. Exactly.” He brought his
powerful blade down and Uberman blocked it with his armored forearm. Light and energy
splashed against Uberman’s arm, slowly eating his armor away.
----- The hero used all of his strength to push the dark general away and leapt forward,
using his jet boots to close distance and unleash a fury of punches. Jon dodged the first
few punches, only to be hit by a roundhouse kick to the face. The general fell to his hands
and knees as Uberman raised his fist for another blow. This time, however, Uberman’s fist
encountered a strange aura of energy that suddenly emitted from Jon’s body, the dark
power surged through Uberman’s power armor, and with a resounding yell, Jon unleashed
the full fury of his energy sheath, knocking the hero away from him.
----- Uberman may have been thrown directly into the city walls, but he caught himself
in mid air and faced his opponent. “You’ll rot for what you did to the people of Sevarian
city Avalon, you and whoever you work for,” Uberman stated as he fired his wrist
cannons at the general. The beams struck the energy barrier surrounding Avalon and
broke off into smaller beams that were scattered across the battlefield, injuring both
Khazan soldiers and Drekis minions alike.
----- Jon charged at Uberman without fear, engulfed in a dark flame that both
illuminated him and bonded him with the night. He slashed his sword horizontally, but the
agile hero leapt to the side, then dodged again as Jon’s sword hit the ground below,
shattering the dirt and rock into rubble. Uberman moved in and delivered a punch to
Avalon’s face, barely managing to break through the energy barrier. Jon stumbled back
but regained his footing and blocked a fast kick with his hand.
----- “You’re a good fighter,” Avalon said, smiling. “But I always enjoy a good
challenge.”
----- Amidst the roar and thunder of battle, where soldiers and demons launched terrible
weapons at eachother, Uberman charged forward, the horrendous rain pouring down upon
him and his adversary. The general raised his sword for another attack, but this time
Uberman fired a wrist shot that hit the energy barrier and caused a bright flash,
momentarily blinding the dark general. Uberman took this time to quickly fly in and
shoulder-rush Avalon in the stomach, pushing the general into and through a large rock.
----- As Avalon hit the ground, Uberman tried to shoot him with his wrist blasters, but
the clever warrior rolled and dodged out of the way of each blast. Uberman flew towards
him once again, but this time Avalon anticipated his maneuver and counter attacked with
his sword. The blade came down upon Uberman’s head, cutting deep into his mechanized
armor. A small portion of the blade cut through the armor and drew blood, causing the
SLJ hero to stumble back.
----- Uberman held his face as he continued to fight. The blood flowing from his
forehead hurt, but eventually he was acting on pure adrenaline and it no longer bothered
him. Uberman took to the air to avoid one of Avalon’s swings, then abruptly landed
behind the general. Jon made a sharp turn to attack, but Uberman ducked under it and
then struck Avalon in the chest with a concussive punch. The force made it through the
energy sheath and sent Jon flying across the battlefield and into a nearby stone.
----- “You’re campaign here is finished,” Uberman yelled above the chaos around him
as he flew into the air. Apparently his enemy could not fly without his beast...a fact which
he could use to his advantage.
----- “You don’t understand,” Avalon said as he stood up. “This is only the beginning!”
A gush of wind extended from Avalon, and suddenly the rain was joined by bolts of
lighting, blizzard wins, and hail stones that swept across the land, killing all in its path.
Uberman struggled to stay in one place against the tornado force of the winds, using his
Jet boots to force himself through the terrible weather. The snow and hail blurred his
vision, giving Jon the opportunity to fire an eldrich blast at the approaching hero.
----- Uberman’s momentum was used against him as he was hit square in the chest by
the blast and fell to the ground. Jon used the powerful winds he had summoned to carry
himself high into the air and came down upon Uberman, hoping to stab the hero and end
the fight. However, the resourceful hero slapped his hands together, grabbing the blade
imbetween his hands and holding it away from him.
----- “You Khazanians are a stubborn breed,” Jon remarked. “You should just give
up.”
----- “We’re not giving up, especially since you’re not winning just yet!” Uberman said
as he struggled to push the general off of him. “Why are you doing this?”
----- “You mean the destruction?” Avalon said. “It is the will of my master, that is all
you need to know.”
----- “You people are the worst kind...” Uberman said as he kicked Avalon away from
him and jumped up to his feet.
----- The storm of explosive artillery fire shook the ground around the two combatants,
killing deminites and reptillons all over. As Jon observed the losses their minions were
suffering because of the cities defenses, Uberman flew forward and put his concussive
wrist power to maximum. Avalon noticed the attack and thrust his eldrich blade towards
the SLJ leader. Uberman’s concussive punch and Avalon’s sword met as they clashed.
The pure force from Uberman’s blow spread across Avalon’s blade and scattered around
his energy barrier, while the energy of Jon’s sword lit the battlefield as the two energies
clashed.
----- Uberman struggled from his head wound and damaged chest unit, and Jon could
feel the pain of the broken rib he suffered from the SLJ leader’s punch, but both continued
to struggle, giving it one hundred percent of their effort.
----- Another voice soon interrupted the battle as Horror jumped down and killed some
nearby Khazan soldiers. “Jon, we’re taking heavy damage from those gun turrets. The
Deminites and other minions won’t be able to survive much longer!”
----- “Agreed,” Avalon said, still concentrating on his opponent. “It would seem that
your efforts have been a success Uberman. You may have the victory today, but I shall
reflect upon this defeat and return.” With that, Jon pushed Uberman back with all of his
might and pointed his sword to the sky. With a loud scream of anger, Jon “DarkenFire”
Avalon caused yet another fury to descend from the sky. Bolts of lightning and dire winds
spread out in a circular area from the evil general. Uberman covered his face as the
spreading lighting consumed him. The lightning strike shocked Uberman with raw electric
power and the blizzard winds carried him off into the sky in a chaotic manner. He landed
a few moments later somewhere amidst the warzone. When he got up, he saw Jon Avalon
mounting his beast dragon.
----- “Hey, you won’t get away!” Uberman yelled. “Coward!” Before he could get to
the two generals, Uberman was intercepted by more minions. As he fought them, the two
generals disappeared into the night. There were only a few hundred demonic minions
remaining, and those that survived fled the battlefield.
----- “Take aim where they run!” Scout shouted. “Don’t let them get away.” The last
fire from the gun turrets ripped the demons apart, but the fast creatures moved across the
land without hesitation and disappeared into the darkness just as their masters had.
----- Uberman was joined by Captain Khazan, who had suffered some minor damage
but was otherwise alright. “You’re bleeding,” Captain Khazan said.
----- “I know,” he replied. “Its fine. Nothing that can’t be repaired.”
----- Around him he saw the ground littered with dead bodies...the bodies of Khazan
soldiers...and the bodies of the terrible creatures that started this bloody conflict.
Uberman clenched his fist as he thought of the generals...the fact that they escaped...that
there would have to be more battles. It appeared that the conflict would be much more
serious then he previously thought.
----- Still, the Khazan military rejoiced into the night, knowing that despite heavy
casualties, they had protected the city and saved the citizens of Xaelis from suffering the
fate of Sevarian city. Scout and the rest of the Khazan rangers held their heads and arms
up high and celebrated the victory, knowing that they probably wouldn’t get the chance to
do so in the coming days.
----- “I came here with the intention of telling you something that we’ve learned about
these creatures,” Captain Khazan said. “A woman who is familiar with these creatures has
come to this planet. She has already informed Elwin of the matter.”
----- “Later, Captain,” Uberman said, as he walked back towards the city, helping
injured soldiers make it back. “Right now, I think the soldiers only want to be happy that
we won tonight.”
----- “Very well,” Captain Khazan said. A wind blew across the warzone, and the dead
bodies of the Drekis empire were gone...whisked away.
---13---
----- Elwin had planned to go home much sooner, but news of the battle had reached
her fast, and she found herself working overtime at the SLJ base. She was relieved by the
fact that Uberman and his team were victorious. Still, she felt that the presence of Drekis
in the endless caves needed to be addressed quickly. Mobilizing an army to enter the cave
would be difficult, as it wasn’t the most open of territories, so they would need a smaller
group...a band of heroes capable of doing the job themselves.
----- She moved out onto the base’s balcony and stared up at the moon. The senshi
seeked to gain some thoughts out on the balcony, but was soon interrupted by the
appearance of an all-too-familiar figure floating down just above the balcony.
----- “Tanin!” Elwin said. “You came!”
----- The avatar of light grinned, “Since when have I turned down an offer to face off
against the avatars of darkness?”
End
Next:
War of Drekis Chapter 4:
Eve of the Last Stand