Echoes of a Shattered Age (34 page)

Akemi forced her eyes to stay open. Whether a miracle, or the horse’s skill, she somehow remained astride despite her depleted strength and overheated body.

With an effort, she lifted her head and managed a weak sigh of relief. They were nearly upon the tower. She couldn’t believe how swiftly her horse had traversed the distance of the field.

All concern for herself fell away, and Akemi worried about her loyal companion that was surely running itself to the brink of death.

Within minutes, they reached the tower where Mira stood waiting for them. How she could have known that Akemi coming or where they would arrive, the ninja could only guess. Mira ran up to the horse and laid a gentle hand on its neck and chest area, then caught the limp woman as she fell from its back.

“Please, see that she is cared for,” Akemi said in barely a whisper.

Mira responded with a worried smile.

“Let’s worry about you for the moment,” she answered, and draped the weak ninja’s arm around her shoulder. Akemi looked over her shoulder and tears welled in her eyes. Her loyal friend that had borne her full-speed across a great distance huffed and slowly lowered to the ground. She knew that the loving animal had run beyond its limits.

Mira sensed the animal’s heart near to bursting, and closed her eyes. She focused on the animal and sent as much healing energy as she dared without depleting herself. The horse’s heart slowed, and Mira hoped it would be enough.

Once they were inside the tower an attendant rushed to help Mira get the weakened woman into a healing chamber.

“Help her,” Akemi moaned. The woman was near to the end of her life, but thought of her animal companion. “Don’t let her die.”

Mira closed her eyes and focused on the ninja. An instant later Akemi fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Shinobu sliced a nightmare demon in half, then, as it was diminishing to the dark world, he severed the arm of a ripclaw that slashed at his head. They fought demons at all sides, yet more seemed to just materialize from the darkness. The strider was starting to wonder if there was an end to all this.

Kenjiro’s sword worked furiously, severing and thrusting in every direction. Two small silver demons leapt at him, but the samurai had spotted them from a distance despite the darkness. They were flying in pieces before the fight had begun.

* * *

The leader of the Rizanti gave a signal and the magical warriors expanded their diamond formation into the demon horde, slicing through the abysmal creatures. Once they had cleared a large area between them, they held their position, and each of their bodies began to glow with an inner light that flowed from their bodies into the diamond-shaped space between them.

Grimhammer had just taken down a troublesome Ren when he felt the surge of energy.

“Steady yourselves!” he called. “Our Rizanti allies are planning something!”

The centaurs formed a defensive formation and held their ground.

Even from their distance, the brunts, too, felt the surge of energy.

“What’s goin’ on over there?” Devjak asked, as he cut down yet another shadow demon.

“Feel like somthin’ big.” Grit pointed into the retreating darkness. With a crazed smile, the leader of the short but sturdy warriors thrust his club over his head and bellowed for his brethren to charge. There were more demons to slay.

* * *

Shinobu was the first human to feel the surge of energy building not far away. “Hey guys!” he yelled as he worked his blade against a Tasarien’s snapping pincers. “There’s something big building in front of us. It doesn’t feel evil, but it’s big. We better take cover!”

“How do you know it’s something to take cover from?” Kenjiro asked.

“You ever see anything build up this big without there being some sort of release.

“How do you suppose we take cover in the midst of an endless army of demons that we stupidly marched into the center of?” Kita retorted.

“I guess we should just be ready,” Kenyatta answered before the strider could respond with his usual sarcasm.

* * *

The ground rumbled under the pressure of the collecting energy that was now on the verge of explosion. As one, the Rizanti dropped to one knee, and the built up energy exploded from the diamond space in a blast of white light that spread outward and vaporized all but the most powerful demons on the field.

Grimhammer and his warriors crouched and held their position, sliding back under the force of the blast. Grit and his remaining soldiers were swept into the air and landed in a heel some distance away. The four human warriors lowered themselves to the ground but were also swept away. For the span of several heartbeats, it was as if a white cloud had descended over the battlefield.

Iel’s concentration was taken away from the weakened horse when the force swept over them. He had felt the energy building, but had not thought it would be so strong.
Well done, Rizanti,
he thought, scanning the area. The darkness was shattered, and now pockets of visibility shown like cracks in a broken glass.

The Rizanti had done their job well. All but the most powerful demons had been burned away. Unfortunately, one of those powerful fiends was not far away. A weakened pit demon climbed to its feet and turned its horned head in the Ilanyan’s direction. It turned in and stalked toward him, staring at Iel with red hot hatred.

Iel stood and faced the approaching monster. With a howl to the sky and flames seeping from its eyes, the pit demon charged. The air exploded in a flash of light when the beast crashed into the tower’s protective barrier. It shook its head stupidly, then rose again and howled. A lesser demon would have been destroyed, but a pit demon was not much inferior to a Quentranzi.

Another demon slammed into the barrier, and Iel blasted it away, back to the abyss. More attacked, and Iel fought them back, but he alone could not fight them all. More of the remaining demons came at the tower, clawing and racking at the barrier until it finally shattered. The pit demon that had charged Iel raised its clawed hand and a flaming spear appeared in it. It drew back and thrust the spear straight at Iel’s chest, but the Ilanyan whipped his hand out and the flaming spear was blasted apart.

Flames danced in the pit demon’s mouth as it howled in fury. It lashed out at him, but again, Iel raised his hand and the fiend was immobilized. He then swiped his hand left, then right, slamming it into the ground.

Iel held out his other hand and white lance appeared in his grasp. He drove it into the midsection of the pit demon, and though it was staggered, it remained on its feet. Its hands glowed with dark energy and a red light emanated from its palms.

“I don’t think so,” Iel said.

The pit demon threw both hands out at its sides and two waves of dark energy arced toward the Ilanyan. Iel raised his left hand again and blocked the power with the force of his will. Then with his right hand, he launched a wave of pure white energy back at the fiend, enveloping it in a white cloud of pure light.

The cloud receded and formed into a whip, which Iel held with the same hand. White light flashed in his eyes, and the whip pulsated with energy that burned at the demon from the inside out. It howled in agony, but only for a moment. With a twist of his wrist, Iel brought the fiend to its knees before him, and then it burned away, back to the dark realm.

* * *

Mira waved her glowing hands over the ninja’s body, sending waves of purple energy to sooth Akemi from the inside. Mira watched the taint recede even as she worked. She said a silent thanks to the Daunyans that Akemi had reached her when she did. Not much longer and she would have perished, or worse.

* * *

With a groan, Shinobu propped himself up on his elbows. “Anyone want to tell me what just happened?”

“It came from over there,” Kenjiro answered, pointing ahead in the direction of the thinned blackness.

“I could have told you that much,” Shinobu said. He rubbed his head and looked around. The field was indeed more visible now, and most demon horde had been wiped out by the blast.

Kita squinted as he looked in the direction the samurai had pointed. He could barely see the Rizanti slowly rising to their feet. “They wiped out almost everything, and a good thing, too. After that blast, I couldn’t tell which way was up.”

Kenjiro and Kenyatta nodded, still allowing their eyes to adjust. What they saw next had each of them wondering if the blast had shaken their minds, for surely, the figures beating back the demonic forcers were come to life from ancient myth.

A clan of centaurs, a group of short odd-looking men, and various other creatures, all glowing with a pale blue light, cut down every fiend in sight.

Farther away toward the tower, they saw a silver-blue figure gracefully battling a Tasarien. It was as if she danced around every attack the hideous creature threw at her, all the while counterattacking with strength that belied her dainty form.

The Tasarien struck down hard but missed the mark, burying its pincer into the ground. After sidestepping the attack, the silver being—clearly female—touched the fiend’s pincer and it froze. When the beast tugged at its embedded limb, it shattered into hundreds of icy shards. The demon’s agonized wail was cut short when she blew a mist at the Tasarien that settled over its body and froze it where it stood.

The silver-blue woman casually strode up to the frozen horror and touched a finger to its chest. At the touch of but the tip of her finger, the frozen demon shattered and evaporated, returning to the abyss.

Kita grinned. “Wow.”

“Yeah, wow,” Kenyatta said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “And it looks like there’s not much left for us. Did they even need us here?”

“Doubtful,” Shinobu said, pointing at the tower.

They started toward Takashaniel which stood as a beacon, shining thought the darkness and reaching toward the heavens. The four warriors saw the figure of Iel standing near the entrance and they started toward him. Since the blast of light, the evil cloud had been steadily fading. They sheathed their weapons and Kita retracted his staff. And the ground shook.

***

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Quicker than when they’d been secured, the four warriors’ weapons were back in their hands. They crouched in the waning darkness, scanning the grounds. The ground shook again, then again, as if in a rhythm.

“By the Gods mighty,” Shinobu gasped. “What the hell is that?” The ground shook again, and this time they were thrown to the ground.

“It can’t be,” Kenjiro said in almost a whisper.

“What is it?” Kenyatta demanded.

“Something is very wrong here,” Kita said quietly.

“There!” Shinobu said, pointing high into the air. Through the darkness they saw two giant glowing red orbs.

* * *

“How could it be possible?” Iel stood in shock, staring at the sight before him.

Mira came running up beside him, panting. “I … felt … the … ground shake!” She looked at Iel, then followed her teacher’s gaze far into the sky at the two very large red spheres hovering in the darkness. “What are those?” she asked, growing more nervous with each breath.

“I fear to tell you,” Iel answered. He raised his hands and began a chant, waving his arms in a rhythmic pattern. Like shears cutting through fabric, white light streaked from his hands and sliced into the darkness.

Grimhammer and his clan had defeated the last of the nightmares and two more pit demons when they felt the ground shake. Visibility was almost completely returned, and they were able to see the origin of the quakes. There was another boom and the earth vibrated again. Following the boom this time, was a high-pitched screech. The centaur leader’s eyes widened, and all he wanted at that moment, was to run.

* * *

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Kenyatta said. They were backing away without realizing it until they had reached the position where the brunts stood, who also gazed skyward in amazement.

“I’m guessin’ yer the ones that’s gonna be er helpin’ us,” One of the short men said distractedly, staring skyward. “So how all of yer gonna help us with that?”

The short man nodded his head in the direction of the enormous figure stalking toward the tower. With every step, the ground shook. Six claws several times longer than a tall man extended from each massive hand. Long, thin black hair waved about its head, and slid away from its face to reveal a huge, gaping maw that housed pointed teeth along with fangs that protruded even when its mouth was closed. The monstrous demon let out another ear-splitting screech, and this time, a host of Bachatttas flew from its mouth.

“What in all hell is that thing?” Kita asked.

“Quentranzi,” Kenjiro whispered.

“It must be as tall as a sky building!” Kenyatta said, referring to the few remaining skyscrapers from the Age of Technology.

Shinobu just stared at the thing in wonder while Kita shook his head in disbelief.

“No way,” he said. “There is no way we can fight something like that.”

“Damn flyin’ things er come down this way!” The short man said with excitement.

The humans turned at the sound of his voice with a puzzled look. In the shock of the moment, they hadn’t realized they were in the company of these strange men.

“Us be brunts,” the one at the head of the group said when he saw their questioning look. “And I’m Grit. We gonna help you fight those things for er tower Takshiniel!”

The corner of Kenyatta’s mouth twitched. Apparently, others found the tower as difficult to pronounce as he had. “Let’s do it then!” He exclaimed, finding the brunt leader’s enthusiasm infectious.

Kenjiro and Shinobu cast him an incredulous look while Kita shook his head in that all too familiar way.

“You must not understand the situation,” Shinobu said, eyeing the advancing monstrosity.

Kenyatta looked at the other two and shrugged. “Nothing to do but that which we came here to do. So let’s do it.”

Just then, there was another boom and the ground shook again. The Bachatttas were diving toward them. “We gonna die fighting or running?” Kenyatta asked, stepping forward.

The islander had made his decision, and the samurai followed close behind. “I would enjoy death as I have life,” he said, sword in hand.

Shinobu glanced over his shoulder at his mysterious blade. “Looks like this will be a good one,” he said. “I hope you’re up for the challenge, my friend.” As if in answer, the blade emitted a glow within its scabbard.

“Well,” Kita said, “this is why we’re here. I always wondered how I would do with of my greatest challenge.” He looked over at Kenyatta. “To the end.”

Kenyatta held his swords in a white-knuckled grip and narrowed his eyes at the monstrosity that caused tremors with every step. He smiled deviously in the face of impossibility. The islander was not unlike the samurai, his stoicism manifested by a smile instead of a scowl.

* * *

“By heaven and earth!” Mira whispered. “Please tell me that this is an illusion or that my eyes lie to me.”

“I wish I could,” Iel said. “What you see is our true enemy.”

“Heaven help us,” Mira said.

“Yes,” the Ilanyan replied.

Grimhammer and the centaurs steadied themselves. The big centaur ground his magical teeth at the sight of the behemoth quaking its way toward Takashaniel. He turned to his remaining fighters, all calmly awaiting his words. “We came here to fight!” he cried. “Never a greater foe has come to challenge us. Raise your weapons high and proud my brethren, and fight to the end!” The mighty centaurs reared up on their hind legs and thrust their weapons above their heads, and the field echoed with the roar of the mighty warriors, charging toward the monstrous Quentranzi.

* * *

As was their tradition, the brunts had long ago run past the four humans to reach the battle first. The Rizanti also sprinted toward the enormous fiend, but at a much slower pace than before.

Iel noted the slower pace of the magical warriors and sighed. That burst of power had been a boon to their efforts, but was costly. The guardian did not like the prospect of fighting the second half of this battle without the Rizanti.

“How is the ninja?” he asked Mira, who still stood transfixed beside him.

“She will be fine, but I cannot be sure when she’ll awaken. If she had come any later, I may not have been able to help her.”

“I pray she awakens soon.”

Mira said nothing, only watched in amazement as the defenders of Takashaniel charged the behemoth for a fight that seemed impossible to win. Before Siti and her battalion had reached the monster, the Bachatttas had already descended upon them. Not overly powerful creatures individually, Bachatttas’ strength lay in numbers. Countless bat-winged fiends darted here and there, snapping and clawing at their intended prey. Siti and her warriors, however, were not easy prey. They fought the winged demons back while still making their way to the huge Quentranzi.

The Rizanti were the first to reach the demon, and struck with all their remaining power at the monster’s heels and ankles. Despite the sharpness of their blades, they did little damage. Hardly noticing the tiny flies at its feet, the beast continued to make its way to the tower.

Grimhammer and his clan thundered across the field to meet the new enemy. The centaur leader was formulating a plan in his mind when Warsong practically sat back on his rear legs and moved to the side, just in time to avoid a red oval-shaped light that appeared in front of him.

Grimhammer and one of the nearby warriors to his side almost ran right through two larger ones when they realized the rest of the clan had stopped. Grimhammer looked all about, grinding his teeth again. Those red oval lights were appearing everywhere. “What new evil is this?” he growled.

“Portals!” Warsong yelled, just as a dark blue figure stepped out.

Windglider, a thin, muscular centaur and the fastest of the clan, faced another of the dark figures that stepped through the glowing red hole in the air. The thing stood taller than the centaur, closer to seven feet than six. Its blue skin was so tight that it looked as though it was sown over muscle. It flexed its long skinny fingers, revealing thin claws that looked like needles. Its bat-like wings curled up behind its back like a vulture, the tips nearly touching the ground. One each side of its smooth round head were pointed ears that extended nearly a foot above its head. It narrowed its yellow eyes hatefully at the centaur. Four fangs protruded from its closed mouth, two curving upward and two downward.

Windglider stood frozen from the sheer overbearing force that the creature exhibited. Its lips curled and drew back behind a set of smaller teeth, and it let out a threatening hiss.

“Windglider!” Grimhammer exclaimed. “Get away from it!”

The warning came too late. The beast opened its mouth and spat a foul black mist that wrapped around the paralyzed centaur. In seconds, the mist had engulfed him and eliminated the magic that sustained him.

More portals appeared all around the field, and out of them stepped various twisted and horrific creatures from the lowest level of the abyss.

Warsong roared and charged the Quentranzi that had defeated Windglider. He leaped at the unmoving demon, his body twisted back to drive his spear through the monster’s chest. The Quentranzi threw out its hand and a blast of black energy shot forth, stopping the centaur midair. Warsong had just enough time to feel the magic sustaining him being ripped away, and then he was gone.

“The centaurs are in trouble!” Mira said with alarm.

“We cannot worry about them,” Iel said. “Our own battle begins.” Another portal appeared next to Mira, and she stumbled away at the sight of it. Iel stepped in front of her, and when the creature stepped out of the portal, the guardian launched a wave of cold at it, and engulfed the demon in ice. Once it was frozen, he said a few words in a language Mira had never heard, just as the ice began to crack. An instant later, the trapped fiend broke an arm free, then shattered the ice just as Iel finished the incantation. A shockwave knocked the demon to the ground, but it recovered quickly and was up again and charging toward the Ilanyan.

Iel had to think fast, for the demon would be on him before he could formulate a new attack. The fiend suddenly stopped and was slammed hard into the ground by an unseen force. It rose into the air, slammed into the wall of the tower, then again into the ground and jerked violently left, then right, before finally becoming engulfed in green flames by Iel, who had taken advantage of the help and finished the words of power.

After the beast was fully banished back to the dark realm, the guardian cast a glance at his student. “Improvement,” he said with a grin. Mira smiled back, but the smile left her face as another Quentranzi approached.

* * *

“How are we gonna stop that thing?” Kita said as they narrowed the distance between them and the monstrous demon.

“This doesn’t look good,” Shinobu said. “All of those short guys were blown away in one blast by one of those demons that materialized ahead of us. They didn’t even get to the big one.”

“Hey look!” Kita said, pointing ahead. At great cost, Siti and her group had cleared a path for them to get through.

“They need our help!” Kenyatta said.

“We cannot,” Kenjiro replied. “They fight to give us a chance. We can’t let their efforts be in vain.”

The four warriors sprinted through the groups of embattled fiends and magical warriors and came upon the stalking titan. Kenyatta glanced over his shoulder. “They aren’t winning.”

“Then run faster,” the samurai said.

Kenyatta started to reply, but then the reality of having to fight a host of smaller Quentranzi while attempting to take that big one down killed any response he might offer.

Not far ahead, now, the Rizanti were still cutting at the beast, but their efforts were in vain, and now they were being eliminated one by one by the other smaller fiends. The magical warriors fought tirelessly, but they had expended too much energy in the blast, and now moved slower and their strikes carried less force.

“We must use their last stand to our advantage!” the samurai said, and they charged the towering demon, four ants converging on an elephant. Kenyatta was the first to strike. He cut an
X
slash across the side of the monster’s ankle, and for the first time, the beast seemed to acknowledge the tiny fleas at its feet.

“Our weapons affect it!” Kenyatta yelled. “Don’t give it a chance to react!” The others struck hard and fast, slicing and cutting and stabbing at its legs and feet.

The huge monster stopped and looked down at the insects stinging it. Kenyatta stabbed it in the ankle, and saw a line of foul black liquid streak down from the wound. “These things bleed?” he asked incredulously. Then, his warrior instincts told him to be anywhere but where he was at that moment. On pure reflex he leapt far to the side as the enormous hand slapped at him, missing and slamming its own leg. The monster then raised its foot and stomped it to the ground, creating a massive quake.

* * *

“The centaurs have all fallen,” Mira lamented.

“Concentrate on your enemies,” Iel replied. “These demons are far more dangerous than the previous horde.”

Mira used her mental powers against fiends coming from every direction. She reached into her robe and produced several throwing knives that she hurled at a tall blue fiend that glowed with an inner red flame. The knives missed the mark as the demon disappeared and then reappeared a few feet to the side. It took another step toward her, then started convulsing as the knives had circled around to hit it from behind. The blades tore through its body repeatedly, sending tainted black blood spewing from the wounds.

Just as Iel had defeated two cunning Quentranzi, the earth burst open and out leaped a heavily muscled dark green monster with a waving tongue. Its body was nearly three times the size of the Ilanyan, its thick long tail waving tauntingly in the air. It stood crouched on two legs with one hand on the ground. Its mouth, housing several rows of long, sharp teeth, stretched into what looked like a gaping grin.

Having managed to paralyze her adversary with her mind, Mira picked up a thin branch from a tree and threw it at the monster. The branch transformed midair into a spear that struck the demon through the chest. Such a vital blow would have sent any normal fiend spiraling back to the abyss, but these were Quentranzi. Its black lifeblood poured out, but it resisted the pull of the abyss. Mira blasted the fiend with a telepathic shockwave that weakened it enough for it to succumb to its wounds, phasing from the earth plane back to the abyss.