War of Drekis

-----Telissa barged into the Khazan city hospital and demanded to be informed of Robert Neil’s progress. Everything had been going wrong for her ever since she set foot on Khazan, and her foul mood was only getting worse. Deep down inside, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for Robert’s injuries. After all, she was the pilot, and she should have known that Drekis would have patrol units in the atmosphere by now.
-----She was taken to Neil’s room on the second floor of the Helia special care facility where she could at last see how Robert was doing. When she got there, he was barely awake and his face was covered with materials to help stop his bleeding.
-----“How is he doing?” Telissa asked, turning her attention to the nurse who was giving the patient his meal.
-----“Well,” the nurse said, looking at the clipboard that contained all of the doctors notes, “He had a fractured rib, several internal injuries, numerous cuts and bruisers, and a severe concussion. Oh yes, a few broken bones here and there. Overall I’d say he’ll be back on his feet and as good as new by the end of the week.”
-----“Really, you think he’ll recover that fast?”
-----“Of course. The Helia special care facility is one of the best on this world. Unfortunately, we can’t heal him as quickly as we had hoped.”
-----“What? How do you mean.”
-----“Well, normally we could have healed him in a few days, but the incidents at Xaelis have forced us to send everyone from experienced doctors to our interns into Xaelon territory. I hear there are a lot of injured there.”
-----Telissa sighed to herself and walked over to Robert, who was staring at her half awake. If Robert’s condition wasn’t enough to make her mad, then the incident in Xaelon was certainly enough to infuriate her. It had been five days since the first battle fought outside of Xaelis. Reports from Uberman on the Khazan news network stated that numerous other battles had been fought since then. Telissa wanted to join the fighting...to help stop Drekis’ advancement, but she knew that the only way to reach Drekis would be to seek out the demon himself.
-----Robert began to stir and slowly moved his head to get a better look at Telissa. “Hi,” he said in a quiet, forced tone.
-----“Don’t struggle on my part,” Telissa whispered. “You look like you’re in a lot of pain, try not to move too much.”
-----“Did you....did you get Drekis yet,” Robert said as he forced a laugh.
-----Telissa smiled and placed her hand softly on his cheek. “Not yet. But don’t you worry, I’ll get him. You just worry about getting yourself out of this jam.”
-----“I’m sorry I can’t be there to help you.”
-----“Well, I’m sorry you’re here in the first place,” Telissa replied. “If it weren’t for my obsession with...”
-----“Hey, since when have I ever refused to follow you?” Robert asked. “ugh...I just hope I can...get out of this condition soon.”
-----“You won’t miss much,” Telissa exclaimed. “I have a feeling this will take a while. In the mean time I’m getting some help from the heroes of Khazan. I’m not alone in this fight.”
-----Robert used all of his strength to smile, “Well, that’s good. You go get that bastard for me, okay.”
-----“You got it. Well, I’m going to go now. I hope you get better soon.”
-----She walked outside of the room where Tim was waiting for her.
-----“How’s he doing?” Tim asked.
-----“He’s doing ok,” Telissa responded. “He’d be doing a lot better if it weren’t for the fighting in Xaelon.”
-----“Hey Hey, remember what I told you the last time you tried to fly off to fight...”
-----“I know, I know, it wouldn’t do any good. I’m just frustrated. All we know so far is that Drekis’ base is somewhere in the Endless Caves, but the major problem here is that the Endless Caves are...well...endless.”
-----“Yeah, they travel through the entire continent pretty much. I don’t even think they’ve been completely mapped yet,” Tim said.
-----“Elwin suggested that we send a team to go investigate, but I know how fast Drekis works. We need immediate action, we can’t waste time looking for him. By the time we found him his army would already have destroyed half of this continent.”
-----“Don’t worry so much, you’re going to pop a vein or something..”
-----Telissa gave him an angry stare and the silver haired Khazanian quickly looked away.
-----“I mean, you shouldn’t worry about Khazan. We’re a pretty tough planet. Our government and army is pretty strong, and the most powerful champions from around the galaxy come to participate in the world tournament.”
-----Telissa sighed. “I know, I just feel like we should...be doing more. I don’t know.”
-----“Umm, well, gee, lets see. You know, I’m going to lunch with Raea in one hour,” Tim said, glancing at the watch on his wrist. “I...guess you could come eat with us. It might...I don’t know...take your mind off some of this.”
-----“I suppose,” Telissa said. “I don’t have much else to do around here.”

-----Uberman watched as the worrisome civilians of Xaelis gathered up the wounded and brought them into the city. Xaelis had once been a beautiful place populated by hard working people. The tallest buildings in the city were among the most interesting in the world in terms of design, but now many of them had been reduced to rubble. The hard working, innocent people who lived in Xaelis were now forced to help the Khazan military in reconstructing damaged parts of the city wall and helping the wounded survive. A once peaceful area was now patrolled by Khazan rangers and mobile police.
-----Uberman himself had been rather surprised when Captain Khazan had told them that their enemies were none other than the legendary Drekis empire. The stories had existed for thousands of years, and many people considered them to be a myth. Even if they were real, the people of Khazan usually took to themselves and would have never learned about them. It was now painfully obvious that the Drekis empire existed, but now it was a matter of resisting them. According to the story, no planet had ever been completely successful in defeating Drekis and his minions, but Khazan was a much different planet, and he was determined to lead his forces to victory.
-----As Uberman watched the wounded soldiers who were coming in from a battle that had just been fought one hour ago twenty miles south of Xaelis, he realized that the SLJ couldn’t do this alone. The entire Khazan military would need to get involved, and casualties would be expected.
-----Captain Khazan and Scout both walked back inside of Xaelon, tarnished from the battle they had just fought. The quickly ascended to the top of the city walls where Uberman was watching and made their report to the SLJ leader.
-----“So, we were unsuccessful this time,” Uberman said, looking up towards the dismal gray clouds that populated the sky.
-----“It’s sad to say,” Captain Khazan said. “But ever since we pushed their forces back to the Falcon River two days ago we haven’t made any more progress.”
-----“I believe they are receiving more equipment and forces everyday,” Scout said as he sat down in a chair and caught his breath. “Their army never seems to deplete, its like they have some sort of base of operations somewhere nearby. They get more and more violent every time we meet. I think those demons have even developed a taste for Khazanian flesh.”
-----“This city can’t afford to have another battle within a mile radius of the city walls,” Captain Khazan declared. “You’ve seen what has happened the last few times those demons attacked the city. If they attack again, they will most likely break through the outer defenses and we’ll have innocent lives lost.”
-----“We’ve already lost a lot of innocent lives,” Uberman replied. “You and I both know that after what we’ve been through today we can’t prepare another attack force too soon...not until tomorrow morning at least. Scout, did you get a good look at the army? Do you think they would be ready to attack the city head on?”
-----Scout looked towards the ground in a depressed manner, then looked up at the SLJ leader. “From what I saw, I’d say they could launch an attack tonight.”
-----“Then they will,” Uberman said. “They just don’t give up.”
-----Captain Khazan looked up at the gray clouds, then looked to the horizon and saw even worse conditions moving towards them. “It looks like we’ll have bad weather tonight. Rain...maybe even fog.”
-----“Its absolutely perfect for an attack,” Scout exclaimed. “Its my humble suggestion, sir, that we get more gun turrets operating as quickly as possible.”
-----“We already have twenty Gun turrets and seven particle weapons installed on the city walls,” Captain Khazan informed. “And a large number of rangers, mobile police, and soldiers have been equipped with long range missile weaponry. This place has already become a warzone.”
-----“Well, we need more,” Scout said. “Its that or failure, either way you look at it. These...things are tireless. They charge forth with no relevance for their own lives and don’t seem to require sleep, food, water, or anything! Our forces here are strong, but they get tired just like any normal man. We need more resources and more forces. My rangers can’t do this alone, not with the losses we’ve already faced here in the last week.”
-----“I know we’ve all been through hell,” Uberman said. “But we can’t lose hope. That’s just what they want us to do. I agree that we need more defenses, but the attacks against us were all very sudden. It will be a while before the Khazan government will be able to rally a retaliation force, and thus its hard to immediately send supplies whenever we want them. You’ll be happy to know, however, that a group of transports are on their way here at this very moment.”
-----Scout looked out over the horizon and saw the sun setting on the western side of Khazan. Darkness was approaching, and the Drekis army would certainly attack then. “I don’t know what it is, but something tells me that tonight’s going to be the final battle of Xaelis one way or another.”

-----Horror and Jon Avalon stood on the highest cliffs of the Champion mountains, looking down at their glorious armies which were continuously receiving reinforcements from the Endless Caves in Zel’Mier. Night was slowly approaching, and it would only be a six or seven hours before they could launch another attack.
-----“The weather looks promising,” Horror said. “Perhaps tonight will be the night that we end this conflict, at least for Xaelis.”
-----“If we are successful,” Jon responded, “then Xaelis will fall and the other generals can commence with their operations.”
-----“Our battles throughout the last few days have weakened Xaelis’ defense forces significantly, but they are still strong. How shall we deal with them without facing the same losses we had the first time?”
-----“Just leave that up to me,” Jon said, smiling wickedly. “This time we will launch a well coordinated attack at precisely the same time. I will sneak around their backs and attack from the North, while your forces will attract their attention to the south. I am absolutely sure that they will decide to send out a strike force in the middle of the night to impede are progress, so you’ll have to be ready for that.”
-----“Are you sure, they took quite a beating earlier today?” Horror asked.
-----“The Khazanians have proven themselves to be quite persistent,” Jon remarked. “If anything, they’ll attack just to buy the city some time to ready its defenses. But this time, they won’t have any defenses.”
-----“How so.”
-----“Our operatives have counted twenty turrets and seven energy based weapons outline around the city walls They are by far the most dangerous threat. In previous battles, our Demon Gunners and ptera-deminites proved unsuccessful in shooting these down because of a force field.”
-----“Go on.”
-----“The force field is magical, not technological. It is provided by the combined might of several sorcerers in Xaelis. This plan has three phases. The first is to disable the sorcerers and create chaos inside of the city itself. I shall do this by sending in a small legion of Arachnis Queens.”
-----“The Arachnis queens?” Horror said. “Do you really want to use such a rare creature on this city?”
-----“Why not?” Jon asked. “It will be perfect. They shall dig large tunnels into the city, and large groups of Arachnis and Deminites will emerge inside of Xaelis. The wizards and soldiers will be distracted by this attack and their defenses will fall. To be sure of this, I shall send Tankers in there as well.”
-----“A little overkill wouldn’t you say?” Horror said.
-----“Not at all. I don’t consider anything to be overkill, not so long as the mission is accomplished. Once the shield falls, my gunners in the north will take out the turrets. That is when you will charge forth. Defeat the outer defense line and enter the city. In the meantime, I will charge from the North and break through the city walls. They will be too confused to adequately defend.”
-----Horror smiled. “Xaelis will fall. At last the horror shall consume them all.”

-----Raea sipped her cup of coffee as Tim and Telissa waited for their meals at the Khazan Crazy Mac Cafe in the downtown areas. They were eating a rather late lunch, as the sun was already setting over the Khazan horizon. Droplets of water were beginning to fall from the sky outside, and citizens everywhere were running for cover.
-----“Looks like some bad weather,” Tim complained. “A perfect night to go out and eat.”
-----“Doesn’t this city have some sort of weather control, or at least some sort of protective field to keep the rain out?” Telissa asked.
-----“For your information, some people like the rain,” Raea said, closing her eyes as she finished off her coffee. “It wouldn’t be right to take that away from those who like it.”
-----Telissa had noticed a large change in Raea since she had arrived on Khazan, which was quite surprising since she had only known her for a week. It was quite obvious that her very presence was bothering the young red-head.
-----“Look,” Telissa said, “If I’m bothering you two, I can leave. I don’t have to be here.”
-----“Oh no, we’re always...happy to have another person join us,” Raea replied. Deep down inside, she hated having any attractive young female nosing in on their business, even if Tim invited her. All she wanted was some time alone with Tim. It had been a long time since they had shared some true quality time together, and she knew that the war was soon going to drag her even farther away. Just by watching Telissa she could tell that she was making her uneasy feelings quite clear to the bounty hunter. Raea sighed and did everything to calm down, hoping to regain her usually perky attitude.
-----“So, Raea...” Tim said, eager to break the tension that was obvious even to him.
-----“Yes?”
-----“With all of the recent events going around to the west, are the SLJ going to be sending you away?”
-----Raea frowned as she looked at the table, “You mean am I going to get involved? Well, Tim, you know I’m a member of the SLJ, so of course I’m going to get involved in one way or another. The thing is, I don’t know what the SLJ will ask me to do yet.”
-----“I guess,” Tim sighed. “I heard President Pharis’ speech a few hours ago. Looks like the entire Khazan army will be launching a counterattack once its ready...”
-----“And once we know exactly where Drekis is,” Telissa added.
-----Raea gave Tim a suspicious look, “Somehow I think you’re sad about not being able to participate.”
-----“Huh, what?” Tim said nervously. “Of course now, how could you think I would feel that...”
-----“Its all right,” Raea laughed. “I don’t mind if you feel that way. I’ve know you for too long. I understand your passion to become an SLJ member.”
-----“Oh.”
-----So, Telissa, you seem to be quite knowledgeable about this...Drekis character,” Raea said. “Mind giving us some information.”
-----“That’s an extremely complicated thing...” Telissa said.
-----“How so?”
-----“Well, most of what I know could, possibly, be wrong,” Telissa said, explicitly showing her hatred for Drekis in her facial expressions. “A lot of things are legends and stories that the GDF have heard, but we don’t know which is fact and which is fiction..”
-----“Well, I’m sure the SLJ could use anything you could give us,” Raea stated.
-----“Very well. Well, according to the stories, there was a civilization that existed thousands of years ago that created Drekis as part of some experiment. This civilization was said to be highly advanced, as they evolved much faster than most species. Eventually they became so great that they ascended to some new plane of existence, a plane that they themselves created.”
-----“Yeah, then what?” Tim asked anxiously.
-----“There was a war between this race,” Telissa continued. “Eventually their cocky attitudes got the best of them. Over half of this civilization was killed in the war, and in the end, all of the survivors turned to their respective churches. Apparently there were almost a dozen churches, and each had their own plans to empower their dying race. All I know is that Drekis is said to be the end result of one experiment, and somehow he is connected to the lords of darkness...a sort of avatar of evil. I’m not entirely sure what he is though, since I don’t know what is true and what is myth.”
-----“Well, one thing is certain,” Tim said, “He’s a complete bastard. I hope he joins the likes of Quietus in the underworld.”
-----Suddenly there came the shouts of frightened citizens running through the streets. The trio could see the people of Khazan city pointing to the sky and murmuring to themselves. The trio walked out of the cafe and followed the pointing fingers to the clouds.
-----Up in the sky, several dozen shadowy objects, like bats from the deepest circles of hell, flew through the clouds at supersonic speeds, disappearing over the horizon just moments later.
-----“What are those!?” Tim shouted.
-----Telissa stood, stunned at what she saw. “Those are fighters. Biological starfighters. I don’t know why I’m surprised that he’s already spawned those.”
-----“Biological Starfighters?” Tim said, puzzled as he saw another group of the dark vessels passing overhead. “Where the hell are they all going?”
-----“Isn’t it obvious,” Raea said. “Their travelling in the direction of Xaelis.”

-----Uberman took one more glance at the sky, all the time knowing that the demonic army would make another attack within the hour. The sun had fallen, the rain had come. The gray clouds covered the sky, and the strong winds blew the majestic smell of Thenesiea’s sea into the city of Xaelis. The predicted fog had strolled in from the east and covered almost all of Xaelon in a thick blanket of vapor.
-----Along the borders of the city walls, soldiers, rangers, and mobile police stood armed and ready to fight. Ranger recon units were slowly navigating the land, trying as hard as they could to pierce through the thick fog and see anything of importance.
-----The certainty that the Drekis minions would attack had turned everyone’s fear into pure impatience. All that was left now was the waiting.
-----Despite the risk involved, Uberman had sent Scout and a division of the Khazan military to meet the approaching enemy. He knew that more lives could be lost in such a battle, but it was the best way to lure the enemy into their trap. The KOMBG explosive weapons had run their toll, and by now the minions were all too familiar with that trap. All the citizens of Xaelis relied on now were the gun turrets, the heroes defending the city walls, and the large tanks and armored vehicles that the mobile police patrolled in.
-----Captain Khazan flew down from a high look out tower to meet Uberman on the city wall. The Captain’s armored skin showed numerous signs of recent battles, yet his courage and resolve had not been shaken.
-----“Uberman, sir, I’ve spotted something approaching from the east,” he informed. “At least twelve large bodies in the sky. We’re trying to get a scan at the moment.”
-----“If its the army then they’ve arrived sooner than expected,” Uberman responded. “All Gunners, take your places! This could be it.!”
-----Soldiers ran to their positions with weapons in hand. The gunners armed their sites to the approaching objects as technical officers began scans.
-----“We’ve got an analysis!” came the shouts of one such officer. “Scans show that their technological, definately not biological at all!”
-----“So its not something related to the Drekis Empire,” Captain Khazan said. “At least I don’t think so.”
-----“It might be the Transports!” Uberman shouted to the technical officers. “Send a coded message for confirmation! If it is them, have the wizards lower the shields and let them through!”
-----The large fleet of Khazan military transports soon came into view, using their bright, shining lights to illuminate the fog around them. Soon there were the sounds of coded replies to Xaelis’ hails and voice recognition from Khazan city pilots. The transports began to land outside of the city and deployed numerous Khazanian weapon platforms ranging from tanks to armed hovercrafts. Additional soldiers and rangers quickly leaped down to the ground as their transports neared the surface and ran into the city under the shouted commands of their officers.
-----As Uberman and Captain Khazan flew off of the city wall to meet the arriving forces, they noticed two figures leap out of one of the transports that had not yet begun to land. The two shadowy figures slowly flew through the fog and landed in front of the SLJ leader. The first one was easily identified as fellow SLJ’er SuperComrade.
-----“How are you comrade,” the super hero said as he walked up to Uberman and the Captain. “I hope you’ve been fairing well these past few days, but I thought you could use a little help, yes?”
-----The other figure stepped forward, boasting a confident smile that could belong to only one man.
-----“Tanin?” Uberman said. “So, even the avatar of light himself is going to get involved in this.”
-----Tanin threw his head back as he laughed out loud, “Ha, the true powers of the legendary Dragoon T are typically restricted when dealing with your typical scum and villainy. However, this is a special situation, so of course Elwin asked specifically for me to come along and clean up this mess.”
-----“Really?” Captain Khazan said. “I thought you were forbidden to act.”
-----“Normally,” Tanin replied. “But from what I’ve been told, this Drekis guy is a bona fide avatar of...something to do with darkness. So, I’ve been given special permission to jump into action.”
-----“Well, we could use all the help we can get,” Uberman said. “Maybe if we’re lucky we can hold off the demons for another night.”
-----“Luck will have nothing to do with it,” Tanin claimed, placing his hand on the handle of his trusted blade Chrysilium. “I’ll help you drive away these so-called demons, though I’d really like to find this Drekis guy so I wouldn’t have to deal with all of this cannon fodder.”
-----“So far it looks like he’s trying to cause as much death as possible,” Captain Khazan informed. “That’s why his army will probably spread through the entire continent if he’s not stopped.”
-----“Well then, we’ll just put a stop to him here and now,” Tanin said. “If you haven’t guessed already I’m very eager to be in action again. Any way, where is Scout and the rest of the Ranger army?”
-----“They’ve been sent on a mission away from the city,” Uberman said. “I expect them to be back within the hour. You should get inside and prepare for combat. I have a feeling that we won’t have to wait very much longer for an attack.”

-----Scout could hear the sound of the rapidly moving water from the Falcon River, even though he could not see it through the thick fog that now covered the valley. His ranger task force had moved into dangerous ground, for their were few trees sparsely scattered across the grasslands near the river. The ranger’s quietly moved from one bush to the next, each one looking through special optical sensors to see through the fog.
-----Scout listened carefully to the sound of every broken twig and falling rock during their march, his repeating crossbow at his side. Other soldiers were armed with plasma rifles, pulse guns, assault weapons, and even KOMBG specialty weapons. It was quiet enough to hear the insects chirping in the dark night, a fact which made the sudden explosion deafening to even the strongest warriors ears.
-----A streak of fire burst through the fog, piercing the armor of a fellow ranger just a few meters away from Scout himself. The brave soldier screamed out as his burning body was launched back into the ranks of approaching rangers.
-----“Take Cover!” Scout shouted.
-----The rangers dived behind anything they could find and began to shoot through the thick fog. They heard the sounds of heavy bodies hitting the ground, but still the beating of a thousand feet were marching towards them. Dark figures began to appear in the fog...demonic bodies that could only be one thing.
-----So, they stayed behind the river until now, Scout thought. “All men take your positions and fire! Get those KOMBG weapons up here Now!”
-----Tanks and armed hovercrafts operated by the mobile police came in at once, turning their cannons and tracking lasers to the river ahead, where hundreds of demons were effortlessly crossing the raging waters.
-----Heavy artillery and energy cannons were fired into the water, some instantly killing a hapless demonic slave of the Drekis empire. Yet the others were not frightened by this, only angered, and they continued their march until they reached dry land.
-----“This is it!” Scout yelled. “Hold your positions for as long as you can.”
-----The influence of hive guards was undoubtable as the glowing beasts ran forward like bats from hell and sliced through the frontline soldiers with unexpected speed. As the Rangers avenged their fallen comrades by blasting apart the first attack wave of demons, a rain of death came upon them as Ptera-Deminites dived down and murdered their targets with bolts of arcane lightning.
-----Minions of different shapes and sizes charged into the army, some dying, others killing their prey. Bolts of fire from the deminites came through the ranger ranks, killing dozens in a few seconds. Scout was forced to bare witness to the slaughter of many of his comrades. People that he had trained with on Khazan over the last few years were dying in front of him, and yet the demons moved on without even acknowledging their losses.
-----A gigantic Devonox tore through armed soldiers as if they were tissue paper and approached the mobile police vehicles. Lasers and heavy artillery bounced off of the large brute as it smashed a hovercraft to the ground with a double-fist slam. An elite tank pointed its cannon at the beast and fired a shot that tore through the monster’s shoulder; an act which sadly did not stop it from punching its fist straight through the tanks cockpit and then lunging the massive vehicle into the air and atop of unsuspecting men.
-----Soldiers focused their weapons on the twenty foot tall monstrosity, killing it only with the combined might of missile launchers and particle guns. By the time it was dead, the much weaker but more numerous minions had already moved in, and it was too late to stop them.
-----Scout dodged an incoming deminite, then shot through the eye of a reptillion that had just slain a ranger with its sword. As he looked around for another target, he saw the light of a giant flame coming at him. He lunged for cover instinctively before emerging and coming face to face with a Drekis general.
-----The tall, dark haired man was dressed in heavy armor and held a blade of pure fire that seemed to reflect a hellish personality that dwelled behind his cold, uncaring stare. Scout took aim, hoping to kill the Drekis general and end the conflict in Xaelis, but as he pointed his bow he felt a surge of emotions rise up within him. Suddenly he began to see visions...visions of the most horrible experiences in his life. The images clouded his mind, and soon his perception became blurry. His emotions raged out of control as the experienced combatant experienced fear, anxiety, and horror.
-----Using all of his willpower, Scout stood on his two feet and opened his eyes to see the blurry image of the villain approaching him. He fell to the ground just in time to avoid a fatal swipe from the general’s flame sword, and without hesitation fired his crossbow...fired it again and again at the blurry vision. Only a few arrows hit the enemy, some piercing him arm and forcing the general to hold off his attack. Slowly but surely Scout regained his vision, and was greeted by the image of the bleeding commander, whose face and arm was adorned with blood red scars.
-----Horror gazed at the infamous Khazan ranger that had wounded him and smiled...a cold smile that boasted only confidence, but no happiness. The bleeding soon stopped, the wounds soon disappeared, and the Drekis general stood to his feet once more.
-----Missiles and grenades went off in the background as thick smoke blended in with the fog, but the general sliced through is visual barriers with his sword and approached scout with admirable vigilance. Scout raised his crossbow to counter, but he was interrupted by the sudden shot of assault rifles from behind him. A spray of bullets struck the Drekis general in the chest, some blowing straight through him and killing the vast array of minions behind him. Horror fell to the ground motionless as Scout looked back to see two veteran rangers who had felled the mighty general.
-----“What are your orders now sir?” one of them asked.
-----“We’ve done all that we can,” Scout said. “All men! Attention! Fall back! Fall Back! Return to Xaelis at once! Go, Now! Move!”
-----The tired and battleworn soldiers let out their last battlecries as they ran towards the city that they were to protect. As they ran they fired their weapons to kill any tailgaters, but it was obvious that despite their efforts, there would still be a vast army for Xaelis to hold off.
-----Scout jumped onto a retreating hovercraft and looked back at the battlefield as they left. “Somehow I think that this is the eve of the last stand.”

-----The deminites surrounded Horror as the general rose to his feet. The bullet wounds in his chest closed up in a matter of seconds, and any damage that had been inflicted was now gone. As the last of his wounds healed, he instructed his vast army to get into formation.
-----The beasts howled into the night as they eagerly approached Xaelis with a ferocity Horror had not seen for some time. Khazan would be a hard planet to conquer, but that only made it more challenging.
-----“You know what to do my soldiers!” Horror shouted. “Follow Avalon’s plan and you will celebrate your victory tonight!”

-----Tanin continued to float inches above the ground as Uberman informed him of the current situation. The avatar of light was happy to have something to do and eagerly took note of his enemies tactics so he could be ready for them.
-----“Currently,” Uberman said, “Scout is on patrol out near the Falcon River. He intends to draw the enemy within range of the forward cannons so that we can take out most of their forward drones in the first few minutes of battle.”
-----Tanin scratched his chin as he spun in the air, looking at the once majestic city of Xaelis. “Well, you’ve certainly held well so far. Luring them into the gunfire sounds like our best bet, but you might want to put out some of those mines like you did the last few times.”
-----“We’re out of KOMBG explosive weaponry,” Uberman said. “All we have now are the Mobile police weapons and vehicles, along with whatever the Khazan military has on hand.”
-----Captain Khazan flew down from the skies after helping the tarnished soldiers of Xaelis unload the last of the cargo. “It’s a good thing you brought those supplies when you did,” he said. “Our warriors were starting to run out of ammo and weapons. We are all grateful.”
-----“Thank Elwin for the supplies,” Tanin said, smiling. “I’m just here to help kill the bad guys.”
-----“Are the supplies deployed yet?” Uberman asked the mighty captain.
-----“Not completely,” Captain Khazan said. “Commanders are currently passing out weapons and ammunition to every capable man. Heat swords and new explosive devices are being passed out too...I’d say maybe 80% of the supplies are unloaded so far.”
-----“How long until all of our men can be ready?”
-----“A few minutes sir,” Captain Khazan said. “Don’t worry, we’ll be ready for any atta...”
-----“The Task force has returned! The Task Force has returned!” a voice yelled from beyond the city walls. Rangers who were on watch looked out to see the young man running towards the city shouting the same phrase over and over.
-----“Let him in!” Uberman yelled towards the gatekeepers.
-----The giant metal doors slid open with a hiss as all of the spotlights turned to shed light on the lone ranger who was still shouting to the people of Xaelis. The man ran straight to Uberman, ignoring everyone else as if they didn’t exist. By the time he reached the SLJ leader he was clearly exhausted and exasperated from his recent trials, yet there were no wounds or stains on his body.
-----“Report,” Uberman said sternly. “Were you part of Scout’s team?”
-----“Are you okay?” Captain Khazan asked.
-----“I’m fine,” the man said. “I was one of the rangers Scout assigned to stay back and alert you when the Drekis army began their move. I heard the sounds of battle off in the distance and, sure enough, Scout’s forces had engaged them by the river.”
-----“How do they fare?” Uberman inquired.
-----“I’m not really sure,” the man said, still taking deep breaths. It was apparent that he had run a long way. “My orders were to come back to Khazan ahead of his main force to warn you. Scout should be back within the next few minutes.”
-----“And we all know what will be right behind them,” Tanin remarked.
-----The news was quickly passed on through the streets of Xaelis. The civilians locked their children inside, barred their windows and turned out all of the lights. Some o them prayed that they could live just one more night so that they would have enough time to finally leave the city, while others armed themselves with whatever weapons they had, determined to defend themselves if the soldiers could not hold their ground.
-----Word of the upcoming battle caused the soldiers to move twice as fast, with the deployment of the new weapons and supplies finishing within the next five minutes. Half of the soldiers and rangers ran outside of the walls, forming a defense perimeter to defend the city. The other half took various positions throughout the city.
-----It wasn’t long before the men working the lights identified the young soldiers of the Khazan military marching towards the city. Uberman looked at the approaching allies and could only look down in despair.
-----“What is wrong?” Captain Khazan said. “Don’t you have faith that we will succeed?”
-----Uberman gritted his teeth as he looked at Scout’s task force. “Scout had four hundred men in his force. It looks like only a hundred or so have returned. I don’t know what the outcome of this battle will be, but I can’t stand to see any part of Khazan suffer these kinds of losses.”
-----“Khazan has had its share of wars,” Tanin said as he floated down to join the two heroes.
-----“Perhaps, but all I’ve wanted to do since I became leader of the SLJ was to prevent things like this.”
-----“And we will,” Tanin said confidently. “All we have to do is hold out here, then we can strike at this ‘avatar of chaos’ later.”
-----Most of Scout’s taskforce stayed outside to help the defenders, but Scout himself immediately came the Uberman to make his report.
-----“Ready the guns and prepare for battle,” Scout said without hesitation. “The enemy is right behind us.”
-----“What happened at the River?” Uberman said as rangers scattered to ready the laser and artillery cannons.
-----“The enemy has a lot more men then we ever thought. My guess is they received reinforcements. We weren’t able to hold them back.”
-----“Reinforcements?” Tanin said. “So soon? Their base of operations must be within a reasonable distance.”
-----“We have to concentrate on defending the city now,” Captain Khazan said. He looked at the night sky as saw only dark clouds that continued to pour rain down upon the city. Fog covered the grassland blinded any soldier without the proper visual equipment. “Damn, this is a perfect night for them to attack.”
-----A loyal hero of the SLJ used his thermal vision to peer through the thick fog and was horrified to see what looked like one giant mass of heat steadily approaching Xaelis from the open grasslands. He could only imagine how many demons must be in the army. “Activate sensors! All guns prepare to fire, enemies are sighted, I repeat, enemies sighted. Their approaching from the south again!”
-----“Captain Khazan, I want you to come with me,” Uberman said. “We’re going to join the front line with the rest of the SLJ. Tanin I want you and Scout to say here and take charge of the defense within the city lines.”
-----“You want me to stay inside?” Tanin asked.
-----“Yes,” Uberman responded. “I have a feeling we’ll have to defend the city from inside tonight. Alright, all soldiers and rangers prepare to move out! I want those force fields up protecting the city from above! All mobile police should mobilize their vehicles to the frontlines!”
-----As Uberman and Captain Khazan merged into the ranks of Khazan heroes and elite soldiers that stood ready to defend Xaelis with their lives, the gunners operating the artillery cannons spotted the approaching demons through their sensors. Despite rain and fog, the gunners began their barrage with stunning accuracy, causing a rain of death to fall upon the demons. Laser beams cut smooth holes through the thick vapor and began to pierce deminites and Devonox creatures with each shot. Explosions shook the ground as the artillery pounded into the ground and let out shockwaves that tore through enemy forces as if they were paper.
-----As the minions continued to approach, dying by the hundreds, shots of starhot energy streaked through the skies and splashed against the arcane force fields that the SLJ wizards were conjuring. Despite the heavy damage the shield was taking it still held against the terrifying fire power.

-----Jon Avalon eagerly looked at the explosions and bright lights that ensued from the chaos that Horror’s army was creating. He was certain that Xaelis would fall tonight. He could only hope that Veronica and his two daughters were fairing just as well in Thenesiea.
-----The powerful warrior Korruptus took his position next to Avalon, who was riding his infamous pet Zegrin. The mighty Korruptus stood ten feet tall and was the perfect image of a minotaur from ancient legends, only he had his own demonic features that immediately identified him as a member of the Drekis legions.
-----“Do we attack now my lord?” Korruptus asked, the taste for blood written on his face.
-----“Patience Korruptus,” Avalon said, never taking his sight off of the city. “Our attack does not come until after the Arachnis queens have completed their missions.”
-----Korruptus sighed. “Patience is not one of my better virtues general. I have not had the chance to engage in battle for some time now. I am eager to enjoy the feeling of death and destruction around me once more.”
-----“Patience is not a virtue among almost any member of the six Dark Force members,” Jon remarked. “You could stand to learn a few things from your leader Reaper.”
-----Korruptus looked upon his giant axe, still stained from battles fought long ago. “Do not worry general. I may lack patience, but once the battle does begin, I can assure you that I will crush the Khazanians in the name of our master.”

-----Jon smiled as he saw the shield fall. Even from this great distance he could picture the frantic look on the Khazanian gunners faces as they attempted to save Xaelis from the Ptera-Deminites.
-----“Now my lord?” Korruptus said, his ax sheathed in a bright, warm flame.
-----“In a moment,” Jon said as he raised his sword to the air. “Gunners! Fire Now!”
-----Zegrin roared as the Deminite gunners behind them fired their cannons, sending the bright bolts through the fog and into the night sky. The blasts came down like a hail of agony, landing upon the artillery cannons and laser mounts with deadly accuracy. The guns fell, the gunners died, and soon the city was left defenseless.
-----“Now,” Jon said, looking at Korruptus, then glancing towards the city. “Attack!”
-----Zegrin took the sky, followed by more ptera-deminites that were eager to begin the battle. On the ground, Korruptus led the countless minions as they fearlessly pushed through the fog and towards the once great city of Xaelis.
---12--- -----Uberman and Captain Khazan flew over the castle walls to join their fellow heroes inside of the city. Xaelis had become a murder house, filled with the dead bodies of Deminite and Khazan ranger alike. As Uberman surveyed the scene, he saw the murdered corpses of innocent civilians, and he had to use all of his willpower to stop himself from cursing the bastards out loud.
-----The two heroes quickly tore through any nearby deminites on their way to the much larger Tanker beasts. As they approached, they saw the gleam of Chrysilium as Tanin sliced at the creatures thick hide. Scout hid behind the last remaining walls of the burning neighborhood and covered him by shooting at any lesser minions that appeared.
-----The Tanker was bleeding badly, but the beast was so immense that Tanin had not yet managed to pierce a vital organ. A burst of blue flame strafed across the city of Xaelis once more. Tanin disappeared and reappeared above the beast, but even his trickery couldn’t stop the flames from killing more innocent people.
-----“Damn beast,” Tanin said as he plunged down toward the creatures dragon-like head. He stabbed the creature in the base of its neck, sending Chrysilium deep within its armored structure.
-----As the creature twirled about in an effort to toss Tanin off, Uberman and Captain Khazan each attacked the creature, hoping to kill it quickly before it could do any more damage. Uberman targeted the monstrosity’s wounds and fired his concussion blasts deep within the creature. The monster roared out loud in pain, filling the entire city with its call. Captain Khazan flew straight into the creatures eye, puncturing it with a mighty punch. The Tanker seemed to lose its composer at that moment, shooting blue fire and cannon shots in random directions as it turned about. By the time Tanin could stab the creature in-between its eyes it had already reduced the neighborhood to ashes.
-----As the Tanker fell dead to the ground the three heroes wasted no time in heading for the second monster on the other side of the city. Scout hurried along with them, but before they could reach the creature the northern wall suddenly burst into flames. Thousands of Deminites poured into the city as if a dam had broke, unleashing its massive quantity of water. Devonox beasts and Scorponox monsters entered along with hive guards and reptillion commanders.
-----Just as all of the remaining soldiers turned to face this new enemy, the southern wall collapsed as the survivors of the defense forces outside retreated into the city. Horror’s own army, despite considerable damages, was still numerous and strong. Together the two armies creeped forward, approaching the center of the city and destroying everything along the way.
-----The soldiers put up a good fight, killing deminites and other demonic beasts with guns and KOMBG explosive weaponry, but they found themselves both outnumbered and trapped. Beasts approached from all sides, killing men with their bare hands and then shooting others with blasts of fire. The demons grew bright red as the Hive guards influence took its toll.
-----Captain Khazan punched left and right as the deminites tried to overwhelm him. As he backed up to avoid numerous fire shots he received a warning from Scout to look behind him. As the captain turned his head he saw a giant demonic minotaur raise its axe and bring it down. Captain Khazan took to the air, just barely avoiding the swipe. As he flew he was attacked by innumerable ptera-deminites.
-----“Damn, their everywhere,” Scout said as he fired an arrow into the minotaur’s chest.
-----“Argh, accursed Khazanian,” Korruptus yelled. He marched towards the famous Khazan ranger and once again brought his axe down. Scout rolled just in time to avoid the crushing blow, then dived into the piles of rubble to take cover.
-----Uberman pointed his wrist blasters towards the new threat, but then a familiar voice spoke to him from above, “So, we meet again...leader of the Sentinels.”
-----Uberman looked up to see the shadowy image of the dragon Zegrin, illuminated by moons light and blurred by the falling rain. The creature descended and landed on the ground, stopping only to let its master off before it took off to go on its own killing spree.
-----“You!” Uberman said angrily. “You are one of the generals! You’re responsible for all of this! You will....”
-----“Please,” Jon said as he summoned his energy blade. “I’ve been told the same thing countless times by other heroes on other planets. Mighty words will do nothing for you now. Come at me if you wish to stop us!”
-----“Gladly,” Uberman said.
-----“Wait!” Tanin shouted as he floated down from the sky.
-----“Tanin, what is it?” Uberman said, keeping an eye on Jon Avalon, who just stood waiting for his enemies approach.
-----“Let me handle this guy,” Tanin said with a confident smile. “The soldiers need some strong leadership to help them get out of this situation. I’ll deal with Mr. fancy pants here, you go take out those cannon fodder.”
-----As Uberman looked back to see the tired and weak remaining forces struggling to hold back the advancing demons he agreed and took off. They had only one chance to defeat the demons now. If they couldn’t turn back the tide of darkness now, they would have no choice but to retreat.
-----“Mr. Fancy Pants?” Jon said, smiling just as Tanin did. “That’s a new one.”
-----“Sorry,” Tanin smirked. “I’ve been off duty for a while now. I’m afraid I’ll have to take all of my accumulated rage on you.” Tanin smiled as he brought Chrysilium up and readied himself for combat.
-----“An impressive blade,” Jon commented.
-----“Well, I hope you’re better than your minions,” Tanin said. “Otherwise...”
-----“My, aren’t we cocky,” Jon said as he ran forward without another moment of hesitation.
-----Tanin floated mere inches above the ground and quickly flew towards his enemy. The two each struck with their swords and clashed in mid-strike. Light and energy emerged from their connected blades, and the energy released evaporated the rain around them.
-----“The energy of chaos reacts strongly to you,” Jon said as he observed the reaction of their two blades. “You are obviously no regular hero. An avatar of some sorts...of order perhaps?”
-----“That’s the avatar of light to you,” Tanin said, “But I’m flattered that you noticed.”
-----The two forced each other away, each stepping back, then jumping forward amidst the flame that consumed Xaelis. Their blades met again and again, the sound reaching out past the city walls. Jon dodged a blow from Tanin and countered with a horizontal cut, but Tanin suddenly disappeared, leaving an after image. Jon immediately turned around to find Tanin thrusting his sword towards him. Chrysilium hit his energy sheath and just barely cut through, but by then Jon moved out of the way to avoid the mortal blow.
-----“Not as dumb as your other minions are you,” Tanin said.
-----“I have observed similar tricks on other planets,” Jon remarked. “Experience pays off.”
-----“Well, this should be interesting then,” Tanin said, still showing his cocky smile.

-----Captain Khazan approached Korruptus as the Drekis minion sliced up a nearby soldier with his flaming axe.
-----“You will kill no more innocents!” he yelled as he flew straight into Korruptus with his fist in front of his face. The impact knocked Korruptus off of his face, and the flying captain carried him across the flaming city and into a nearby house.
-----Korruptus emerged from the giant hole in the wall that the impact created and pointed his axe towards the Captain. “You will pay for that Khazanian.” He rushed forward with his axe ready to strike...the light of the fire reflecting off of his eyes.
-----Captain Khazan took a martial arts stance, fully prepared for his enemies attack. However, the minotaur made a sudden teleport, appearing behind him and swinging with all of his might. Captain Khazan leaned to the right to avoid the swipe, but a piece of the burning axe struck his armored skin and made a large crack in its structure.
-----The Captain staggered back at first, then immediately moved forward and countered with a swift punch to Korruptus’ face before he could react. He followed through with an uppercut that took the creature to the ground, then quickly kicked the axe away from the monster.
-----“Bah, I don’t need the axe,” Korruptus said as he lifted himself off the ground. He moved towards the captain and enveloped his fists with a bright flame. His first punch missed Captain Khazan as the hero ducked and weaved out of the way, then retaliated with a number of his own attacks. Each punch and kick made Korruptus take a step back, but the giant’s stamina was immense, and he continued to come back for more.
-----Captain Khazan jumped into the air and tried a kick to the face, but the strong Korruptus blocked with his forearm, then followed with a one-two punch. Captain Khazan blocked the first, but was struck in the face by the second. The impact sent him flying into another house and the flames burned at his armored skin like a strong acid.
-----The Khazan hero shrugged off the pain with sheer willpower. He moved towards the beast and attacked with two high kicks, one of which smacked the beast in the head. Korruptus returned with a strong thrust, but Captain Khazan ducked and gave the minotaur a jab to the stomach and then a knee to the head.
-----As Korruptus began to fall to the ground he suddenly teleported behind the Captain. The hero looked back and quickly ducked to avoid Korruptus’ swing, but was then caught by his backhand as he came back up. Captain Khazan stumbled a bit, but was able to regain his composure to dart out of the way of Korruptus’ crushing fist. As the hero took to the air, Korruptus’ fist smashed into the ground and a burst of flame spread out, destroying everything in a thirty foot radius.

-----Uberman angrily took out any deminites that he could see through the stormy weather, all the while encouraging his men to fight with all of their courage, but as he saw more and more deminites coming through the gaping holes of the city wall, he realized that retreat may be the most intelligent decision.
-----As he was prepared to announce the retreat to his fellow soldiers and heroes, he was caught off guard by the voice of another Drekis General.
-----“So, Uberman,” Horror said as he approached the SLJ leader. “What will you do now? Will you stay and try to protect this doomed city, or will you retreat and abandon it?”
-----Before Uberman could reply, his mind was suddenly hit with terrible images of Jews being annihilated during World War II. The images of friends and family lost filled his mind, and he could do nothing to stop it. As he struggled to look at Horror, who was now but a blur in his distorted vision, he saw Lady Liberty, the one he lost, die again right in front of him. He saw her death again and again, and the sound of the explosion and roaring demons was replaced by the cackling laughter of Blitzkrieg.
-----“Stop it! No! Damn you!” Uberman yelled as he struggled to ignore the images. “This isn’t real, this isn’t,”
-----“Oh but it is,” Horror said. “It is merely the memories locked away in your mind, the pain that you try so hard to forget. Let the horror of truth consume your very soul.”
-----The laughter of Blitzkrieg suddenly stopped as the sound of an arrow overtook the dreamy imagery. The arrow pierced Horror’s stomach, and all at once Uberman’s mind was free. He looked back to see Scout holding his crossbow.
-----As Horror regenerated, numerous deminites took position around him.
-----“We have to get out of here,” Uberman said.
-----“What sir?” Scout asked.
-----“I said we have to get out of here! There are too many of them, and we don’t have enough soldiers or supplies here to fight them off any longer. How many civilians have made it to the supply transports?”
-----“Perhaps half of the survivors,” Scout said as the two ran from the approaching deminites. The sound of retreat was signaled throughout the city, and all the soldiers and rangers fell back while firing.
-----“I want you and Captain Khazan to ensure that any other survivors still in the city make it to the transports. Then the soldiers and Sentinels are ordered to board them as well. We’ll fall back to New Xaelis.”
-----“Yes sir,” Scout said.

-----As Captain Khazan crossed his arms and took the full force of Korruptus flame blast he heard the sound of retreat among the soldiers.
-----“Are you going to run now Khazanian?” Korruptus taunted.
-----“Don’t think for a second that I’m running from you,” Captain Khazan said. “You may win today, but I swear that Khazan will not share the same fate as the other planets you monsters have destroyed.”
-----“Talk all you want,” Korruptus said as Captain Khazan flew off towards the transports. “We shall see what happens in the future.”
-----Elsewhere, Tanin and Jon continued their fight, only to hear the sounds of retreat as soldiers escorted any surviving civilians into the transports.
-----“Well,” Tanin said, “It appears that my cue to leave has come. We’ll have to conclude this another time.” He hid his anger behind his smile, but could only look down at the burning city with hatred for the demons. He knew that this would continue until he could find and destroy the very heart of the operation itself.

-----Michael Cortelloni moved through the burning streets to the transports just as everyone else did. The Deminites rushed forward in an attempt to stop them, but Cortelloni lifted the massive amounts of rubble off the ground with his mind and sent them at the approaching demons. The deminites were crushed and felled by the flying debris. As a Reptillion approached a young girl and prepared to slice her apart with his sword Michael pulled out his pistol and quickly shot the creature in its head. The young girl nodded in his direction politely before taking off.
-----“Darn kids are always causing trouble,” Michael said to himself. He boarded the nearest transport as it took off. Several soldiers stayed outside to fend off the creatures before they jumped inside of the hangar bays.
-----The transports activated their strongest shield systems to defend from the demons attack and then took off, leaving the burning city in the distance.
-----Inside of his transport Michael saw Uberman and Captain Khazan attending to the wounded along with any healers they had. He overheard their conversation about the battle as they looked upon the survivors of the dark hour.
-----“So what do we do now?” Captain Khazan asked. “Xaelis and Sevarian city are gone. All they need to do now is take New Xaelis to crush all of Xaelon.”
-----“We won’t let that happen,” Uberman said. “Tanin has already informed me of Elwin’s plan. By the time we reach New Xaelis and set up our forces there, the main Khazan military force will have been rallied for a massive counterattack. While we keep that army busy in New Xaelis, a small group of appointed heroes is to be sent on a mission to find Drekis himself. If we can take him out, his minions will fall.”
-----“I see,” Captain Khazan said. “That would reduce the number of lives lost in this war.”
-----Uberman looked out the window, a look of anger in his face. “They may have won today, but I won’t let the same happen to Khazan city. We’ll make them pay for what they have done.”
-----Michael looked out of his own window to see the vast land of Xaelon still covered in fog and filled with falling rain. In the distance, the flickering fire could still be seen where once the bright lights of Xaelis shined. The smoke of destruction still rose to the sky, becoming one with the dark, ominous clouds.

-----“So,” Horror said as he looked upon the ground that was littered with dead men and ravaged deminites. “I suppose Drekis will be pleased to hear that we have finally made progress.”
-----“Yes,” Korruptus said. “I only hope that it doesn’t take us this long to take down New Xaelis. Aigonis is waiting for the fall of Xaelon before he marches into Araelis.”
-----“This planet is strong,” Horror replied. “It may take us much longer than we assumed. The heroes here are far more powerful and tenacious than we expected.”
-----“Still, if we stick to the plan, we can succeed,” Jon said as he starred at the cloudy sky. “And if our master is correct, our long battle will finally end of this planet. We shall finally take our rewards for the centuries of conflict.”
-----“Despite your words,” Horror said, “it seems that you are disappointed in some way.”
-----Jon smiled. “I am only disappointed in that I have had the opportunity to duel with two of Khazan’s finest, yet I was never given the opportunity to finish either one. You know how I am about unfinished battles.”
-----“You need not worry about that,” Horror said as he began to walk away, his black cape flowing in the strong winds of the storm. “There will be many more opportunities in the near future.”