Excelsior (30 page)

Nocterar hissed in his ear: “Do you have anything to say to your ‘people’ before you die?” The other guards pointed their guns at the crowd, but they were looking at Nocterar. They weren’t going to miss this moment.

Excelsior looked at the crowd and saw Niterra in front, her laser rifle on the ground. In her other hand, she held a small pistol. Her head stayed down but he could see through her hair that her eyes were watchful and intense. She gave a slight nod.

Excelsior glanced at the guards and nodded back at Niterra. Then he smiled at her.

Suddenly, Niterra raised her gun and, with perfect accuracy, hit the guard closest to Excelsior between the eyes. As the guard fell, the crowd shrilled a ferocious war cry and stormed up the stairs. Excelsior turned and punched the closest guards to him, joining his fellow Denarians in battle.

Nocterar yelled inside the chamber at his trusted general. “Summon the rest of the guards! Now!” Hodera nodded and retreated into the Leap of Faith, keeping a tight grip on Excelsior’s sword. She pressed a button on her wrist to alert the reinforcements.

Zorribis grabbed her wrist and burned into her cold stare with a look of vengeance. “This is for my family,” he roared and knocked her to the floor with a single punch. As she dropped, he ripped Excelsior’s sword from her hand.

Zorribis ran out of the chamber and handed the sword to Excelsior. Now unarmed, he grabbed a pistol from a fallen guard and opened fire on any Krunation in sight. “Excelsior!” he yelled, and the crowd cheered him on. He reveled in the battle he had waited so long to see. Across the battling mass of bodies, he could see a slim figure fighting with fierce skill and determination.

He grabbed a Krunation from behind and threw him to the ground as another tried to seize him, but Niterra was too quick with her pistol and his attacker dropped. Zorribis pushed through the crowd to Niterra and embraced her.

“I was so worried!” he yelled in her ear.

“You worry too much,” she yelled back. Instead of answering, Zorribis kissed her fiercely.

Nocterar watched as the Denarians overcame his forces and grew louder and more defiant. He ran inside the Leap of Faith chamber to escape the fighting Denarians.

Ignoring Nocterar’s retreat for the moment, Excelsior knelt beside Lokris, who remained motionless.

"Can you do anything for her?" Zorribis asked as he and Niterra approached Excelsior.

"I hope so," Excelsior answered. "Radifen didn't tell me about any healing powers."

The young savior ran his right hand over Lokris’ thin silver hair and her pulse began to quicken.

"Whatever you're doing, keep doing it," Niterra said as she knelt down beside the old woman. Excelsior nodded and shut his eyes, causing Lokris' pulse to increase.

After a moment, Lokris stirred and forced her heavy eyelids to open. She inhaled deeply as she looked past the helmet and into Excelsior’s eyes.

“It is you,” she whispered so only he could hear over the cries of victory around them. Excelsior nodded. “You… you brought me back. My sister would be… so proud.”

"I can't believe it," Zorribis whispered. "I never knew you could do that."

"Neither did I," Excelsior responded.

Lokris blinked and, looking past Denab IV's savior, softly uttered, “Wilitar.”

Excelsior looked at her. “Wilitar?”

Lokris smiled. “Wilitar is here with us. And….” She raised her arm and pointed a bony finger at the Krunation emperor’s castle. “…he knows how to help us with that.”

“How can he help us?” Excelsior asked.

“Take me to Nocterar’s castle,” Lokris demanded, her voice stronger than before.

Zorribis scooped Lokris up in his arms and raced toward the castle. Niterra ran after them.

Excelsior watched them leave and pointed his sword at the monstrous edifice. “Let’s bring that abomination down!” he thundered. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. Wow, he thought. It's fun being a hero.

The freed Denarians answered his call by racing toward the prison at the foot of the castle and forcing the last remaining doors open.

*   *   *

The Leap of Faith chamber had grown silent except for the soft humming of the computers. Excelsior walked in and stood in the center of the room. Nocterar had to be there somewhere. He saw Hodera lying unconscious on the floor. Now that was an impressive punch, Excelsior thought, such a shame to have missed it.

“So it finally happened,” Nocterar said from behind Excelsior as he revealed his presence. Excelsior turned, his sword ready for battle. “With your mere presence, you were able to inspire these people to revolt.”

“You made it easy for me,” Excelsior answered. “You should have killed me in here when you had the chance.”

Nocterar circled Excelsior, his sword making deceptive, lazy arcs in the air. “Yes, it was a mistake but that will be remedied. Since we are here, I should thank you for disposing of Danaak for me. He was most troublesome and would have divided my empire.”

Excelsior smiled. “Your empire is the least of your worries.”

Nocterar stopped and lifted his sword into battle position. “You’re right. After you’re gone, the Krunations will be all that is left on this planet.” With those words, Nocterar charged forward and swung his sword. Excelsior blocked the blow with his own weapon, the clash of their blades echoing through the chamber.

*   *   *

More Denarians joined the fight as the newly released men and women were given a weapon once held by their now dead captors. Prison keys were handed out as well, allowing more prisoners to be freed.

Lokris held onto Zorribis tightly, feeling the guiding force of Wilitar‘s spirit. “We have to get to the control room!” the old woman instructed. “I know what we have to do.”

Zorribis and Niterra nodded in acknowledgement as they hurried down the corridor. “You are certain this is the correct route to the control room?” Zorribis asked.

“Trust me,” Lokris responded. “Wilitar went down this corridor many times while this castle was being built.”

*   *   *

Excelsior blocked every thrust Nocterar made with his sword. As the two weapons clashed, memories flooded Excelsior’s mind as clear as the day they happened. He saw himself running at Krunation soldiers and chopping them down, leaving his Denarian colleagues in the distance. He felt his wounded body absorbing blow after blow from Danaak, then throwing a hard punch at Danaak’s jaw, knocking him back. And he recalled being back on Earth, training with Klierra.

The mighty swords showered the two warriors with sparks as they collided. Excelsior’s swings forced Nocterar back as he struggled block the onslaught. He mistimed a swing and Excelsior slashed his side. The Krunation emperor roared as he went on the offensive, swinging madly and striking Excelsior on the shoulder, making him bleed. Nocterar smiled with satisfaction, pleased that his weapon had penetrated the impregnable armor.

“There are some things I never tire of seeing,” Nocterar declared as he scored another cut on Excelsior’s leg. “And I do love seeing a Denarian bleed.”

Excelsior dropped to one knee as he grabbed at the deep cut on his leg. Nocterar swung at him again, knocked the sword from Excelsior’s hand and kicked it out of reach. Nocterar moved one hand to the jewel on the sword handle and felt a rush of energy flowing into his hand.

“Now this is a very familiar predicament, is it not?” he taunted while Excelsior stayed down, blood oozing from his leg. “You have been too much trouble for the Krunation Empire. The time has come for the great legend to be nothing more than a memory.”

“Don’t miss this time,” Excelsior said.

*   *   *

Lokris, Niterra and Zorribis looked around at the large control room and computer systems. Lokris’ eyes fell onto the large monitor in the center of the room. “There it is,” she said. “Put me down.”

Zorribis set her down on the floor. The Denarians’ elderly oracle was now strong enough to stand without assistance and she walked toward the main computer.

“What do you need us to do?” Zorribis asked as he and Niterra covered her with their weapons.

“Make sure no one gets too close to me,” Lokris instructed. As the young couple provided cover, Lokris ran her hand across the black shiny panel, her bony fingertips grazing the surface. She stared at the panel and the monitor flashed to life as rows of various Denarian symbols scrolled across the screen.

Lokris concentrated then whispered the words she heard from Wilitar to the computer, three simple human English letters that illuminated the screen. “M–O–M.”

Suddenly, a new message flashed onto the monitor:

SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED.

“Let’s go!” she yelled with surprising vigor, and Zorribis picked her up in his arms. The Denarians could hear the echoes of explosions getting closer as they ran through the corridors.

*   *   *

Nocterar’s sword pulsed with destructive energy, ready to turn his dream of Excelsior’s devastation into reality. Excelsior crouched on the floor, his eyes never leaving his enemy. The Krunation emperor’s face twisted into a smile as he felt the energy blasting from his weapon. But Excelsior lunged out of the way and the energy struck the wall of the Leap of Faith chamber, tearing a gaping hole that revealed the chaos outside.

Nocterar lowered his sword. What he saw made him physically ill. There was his mighty castle, the symbol of his domination over the people of Denab IV, and it was crumbling before his eyes as a series of detonations boomed from the corridors below the main level. Nocterar could hear the cheers of the Denarian race that had risen to topple the Krunation Empire.

“NO!” Nocterar screamed in agony. He pointed his sword and unleashed another blast at Excelsior rolled out of the way and grabbed his sword. “Because of you, my empire is in ruins!” Nocterar bellowed.

“I told you…” Excelsior breathed heavily. “I told you it was the least of your worries.” He almost laughed at his own impertinence. This was a far different person than the one who was crying by Klierra’s side.

Nocterar’s eyes burned with rage. He ran at Excelsior and swung his sword. Excelsior stayed low, shifted his weight to his left leg and kicked Nocterar in the gut with his right leg, knocking him several steps back. The Krunation’s retreat gave Excelsior enough time to grab his sword and swing at Nocterar. The blow was blocked, creating a shimmer of sparks as the two blades met.

Hodera stirred and opened her eyes, then turned toward the raging battle. She watched as Nocterar brought his sword down and Excelsior blocked, then charged forward hoping to impale his foe.

As Nocterar raised his sword to strike, Excelsior thrust forward and pierced the Krunation emperor’s scaly skin, the sharp blade of the sword piercing Nocterar’s abdomen. Excelsior pulled out his sword and the room echoed with the sounds of Nocterar’s screams.

The jewel on the end of the sword emitted a sallow glow, sealing up Nocterar’s wound. Nocterar smiled at Excelsior as he rose. “I am quite impressed with your shell, Excelsior,” he said. “I would hate to see such an opponent lose his life so quickly.”

“He won’t,” Excelsior responded, his sword raised and ready.

Nocterar leapt at the Denab IV savior and Excelsior dodged out of the way and thrust deep into the Krunation’s abdomen. Nocterar fought through the pain and swung, forcing Excelsior to release the sword. They both stopped and stared at the blade embedded in Nocterar’s flesh before Nocterar pulled it out and tossed it aside. The jewel glowed and the near-fatal wound closed.

He looked up from his midsection to see through the gap in the wall debris falling from his castle. He heard the joyous celebration from the Denarians and bellowed, “NO! THERE WILL BE NO VICTORY HERE FOR YOU!”

Excelsior grabbed his sword. Nocterar was just turning toward him when Excelsior’s blade struck the jewel on the handle of Nocterar’s sword.

Nocterar saw the jewel fall to the floor and screamed again as Excelsior struck the Krunation’s side, the exact area where Excelsior himself had been stabbed by Danaak’s weapon.

Excelsior pulled his sword out and thrust it back in the same wound, causing another cry of pain. As the Denarian pierced his enemy’s flesh, Nocterar connected with one last desperate punch that knocked Excelsior off his feet. He pulled the sword out from Nocterar’s body as he fell.

The two of them were now staggering and Nocterar again grabbed the jewel off the floor and held it tight, using its powers to heal himself. He saw his blood spread onto the floor and was surprised that the jewel had not stopped the bleeding.

Excelsior stood up as he fought to catch his breath, Nocterar looked at him then dropped his sword. “This has gone on long enough, Excelsior,” he declared. He picked up the jewel from the floor and squeezed it. “Your people’s celebration can only end in one way, and that is for me to deliver your lifeless body in the name of my master.”

Excelsior watched as the emperor’s body was flooded with the jewel’s energy. Both of Nocterar’s hands glowed as more and more energy was siphoned from the gem, forming a ball of concentrated destruction.