Rise of the Elementals (3 page)

This was the world of the elementals. A
thriving city built around this powerful substance. Zaspar was a
mystical element that could rip holes in the dimensional walls,
opening gateways to other planes.

Lupercus moved quickly down the silent
halls. He’d sent Tarian and Daviathan along with Cleonicus on a
mission to verify what he was certain was true. His only concern
now, was the protection of the prophecy.

It had been ages since Milicent had told of
the oncoming war. It was the same night that the visions of the
rebirth had come to her, the reincarnation of the fabled Proximas
along with the Centum. They were elementals unlike any other, far
more powerful than the entire race combined.

She’d said dark days were ahead, that their
race would be tested. That the very portals they protected may very
well be their undoing. Lupercus feared he was seeing her prophecy
become reality.

“
Brato, Eliana!” Lupercus
whispered urgently. “Where are the children?”

“
Lupercus, what is it?”
Eliana asked as she made her way into the living room.

Eliana was the perfect example of flawless,
elemental beauty. Her brown hair flowed like a river rushing to the
ocean. Her bronze skin was accented perfectly by the halo of light
that danced off the walls. She moved with the grace of a ballerina,
but with the certainty of an assassin.

“
We need to move the
children. I don’t think Elisia is safe anymore.”

“
Are you certain?” Eliana
asked, the smile fading from her face.

Lupercus nodded grimly.

“
Brato, bring the boys!
It’s time.” Eliana yelled.

Emerging from the backroom was a tall,
bushy-haired man with a broad chest and deep hazel eyes. Like
Eliana there was a glow to his skin, but where she moved with grace
he hurled forward with determined purpose.

“
Lupercus.”

“
Brato.”

They both nodded at one another.

“
The boys are playing
Eliana. What could be this important?”

“
I’m sorry old friend.”
Lupercus interjected. “The time we have all feared may be upon
us.

“
Lupercus you
swore…”

“
There will be time for
that later. We must move the boys now.”

Brato paused for a minute and then
disappeared back into the room. When he returned, he was followed
by a tangled mess of wings and red hair. Standing not much higher
than his waist, was a trio of young boys that looked more like
dragons than humans.

They were all roughly the same age. Their
eyes glowed like flashlights as they snapped and clawed at each
other with eagle-like talons. Their wings, enormous in relation to
their size, beat powerfully blowing chairs across the room.

“
They…they have ascended
this early?” Lupercus asked in shock.

“
Weeks ago. They’re just
starting to control it.”

“
This is amazing!” Lupercus
elated.

Suddenly the walls shook violently and
Lupercus was thrown backwards into a table. A chandelier swung and
then fell from the ceiling, shattering into millions of pieces.

Eliana darted forward swooping all three
children into her arms. “Lupercus, where do we take them?” She
gasped.

“
The council has a portal.
We will make for Earth.”

“
Why not create one here?”
Eliana asked in confusion.

“
It is feared that the
master portal has been taken. If that is the case the sister portal
is the only way out. Besides that, they are too young to travel
through one of our own. We must make it to the great hall. Follow
me!”

Quickly scurrying to his feet, Lupercus tore
off into the courtyard with Brato and Eliana on his heels. The
looming pillars and clusters of Zaspar crumbled to the ground all
around them. Cracks shot through the onyx flooring, jarring the
ground apart like splinters of wood.

Ahead of them a fire ravaged the walls as it
spread down the corridors. Screams and cries of panic echoed in the
distance.

“
Lupercus, what is this?”
Eliana screamed as she pulled at her children’s hands.

“
Spectrals!” Lupercus
responded grimly.

“
In the city? That can’t
be!” Brato exclaimed.

“
Eliana, hide here with the
children. Brato and I will clear a path and return for
you.”

Eliana was lost in his words. She stared up
to the dimming ceiling as dying Zaspar disintegrated and fell to
the ground. It was their legacy, the very life blood of their
beautiful city. To see it all decaying into nothing was mind
numbing.

“
Eliana!” Lupercus
yelled.

She jolted from her trance and turned to
him. His orange eyes flared like the fires ahead of them,
flickering wildly like a horde of angry dragons. There was a sense
of urgency, a look of unwavering determination on his face.

Eliana nodded and huddled the children back
into their home. They no longer looked like little creatures, but
scared little boys, cowering in their mother’s arms. Brato knelt in
front of them, patting the tallest on the head as he cleared his
throat.

“
Be calm and keep an eye on
your mother for me.” He smiled at the boys trying to reassure
them.

Turning to his wife he winked, then stood up
and joined Lupercus back in the courtyard.

“
What is this?” Brato
asked.

“
Daviathan tried to warn
us. He said the spectrals were trying to invade the city. We sent
him back to get proof.”

A ballad of screams suddenly rushed down the
halls into the courtyard. A thundering rattle shook the walls.
Lupercus’ eyes flashed. He looked towards the screams then turned
back to Brato.

“
I know you laid down your
sword in trust of the prophecy. But Brato if we don’t do something
now, it will all be lost.”

“
What hope does the city
have now? The only protectors we have are spread across the
universes safeguarding the portals. There’s no time to call them
back.” Brato declared.

There was a loud pop and a sudden vibration
in the air. Brato and Lupercus spun around simultaneously and found
Daviathan charging across the room towards them. In one hand he
gripped a shimmering bronze dagger in the other a decapitated
head.

“
He’s right Lupercus. We’ll
never assemble the few protectors we still have in time if any are
alive. And our armies have been sent to slumber for years on the
orders of this fool.” He slung the head towards them and it slid
across the floor coming to a stop at Lupercus’ feet.

“
Cleonicus.” Lupercus
whispered. “Daviathan what have you done?”

“
What have I done? What
have I done? Lupercus your protégé has doomed us all. He opened the
portals, the spectrals are here.”

“
No! Cleonicus loved this
city. He would never do it harm.” Lupercus shook his head in
disbelief.

“
Wouldn’t he? His desire
for power has always outweighed his ability to see reason. He was
in allegiance with the spectrals. I think he intended to merge our
kind.

“
Blasphemy.” Brato
stammered.

Lupercus looked on in disbelief. He wanted
to deny it all, but the dawn of reality was slowing etching across
his face.

”
He killed Tarian, and was
responsible for the deaths of Abrax and his wife. We can only hope
that the master portal is still safe.” Daviathan went
on.

“
Abrax never knew its
location.” Lupercus finally spoke again.

“
He…he was charged with its
safe keeping, was he not?” Daviathan asked with a puzzled
look.

“
Many at the council
thought a traitor may be in our midst. I hid the portal and let it
known that Abrax would protect it. Only I ever knew its true
location.”

A loud explosion suddenly blew a wall apart
and smoke spiraled into the corridor from the gaping hole.

“
We must get the children
out of here. They are the only ones that can retrieve the master
portal and awaken the guardians.” Lupercus began to head into the
corridors ignoring the fire.

“
Brato, get them to the
portal. We will hold the spectrals off as long as we can.”
Daviathan yelled as he followed Lupercus into the raging
flames.

The War Has
Begun

Bodies littered the ground like trash. The
charred floor smoldered as smoke drifted into the air, making it
almost impossible to see. Lupercus and Daviathan moved like ghosts
through the fog, undaunted as they headed into the fray.

“
Pray the portal is still
there my friend.” Daviathan whispered.

Lupercus nodded, his eyes surveying the
damage to his beloved city. Elisia was the home to all elementals.
They had thrived there for centuries. It was a place inaccessible
to all except those that could manipulate the dimensional portals
they protected. No other race had stepped foot within its gates
since the Relusian Détente’, more than a thousand years ago.

The corridors were expansive dome-shaped
labyrinths that spiraled throughout the city. In the center,
connecting them all like a nucleus, was the great hall. Now that
the city gates had been breached it would be nearly impossible to
make it there.

Daviathan slowly peered around the corner
before waving Lupercus on. The walls around them slowly crumbled to
ash as chunks of the ceiling crashed to the floor. Something long
and shadowy slithered by and disappeared into the smoke.

“
We have no time for this.”
Lupercus said with an exhausted voice.

Before Daviathan could question what he was
talking about, Lupercus spun around and took off, deeper into the
black cloud of destruction. Breathing hard, Daviathan followed
after him. Running at full speed to keep up, he dodged holes and
falling debris, trying not to choke on the rancid air.

As Daviathan emerged from the thick smoke,
something grabbed his ankle and he tripped. His face slammed into a
wall before he crumpled to the ground. The warm trickle of blood
pooled under his gums and he spit onto the floor.

“
This is my kill!” A
crackling, demented voice called from behind him.

Daviathan rolled over just in time to evade
the double sided axe that hacked into the floor. Jumping to his
feet, he staggered back until he was pressed against the wall.

In front of him stood two creatures that
were almost indescribable. Dead, empty eyes swirled like tiny black
holes. Long, muscular necks rose up from broad shoulders, casting a
shadow over Daviathan with their enormous frames. Their heads were
more animal than human, long dog-like snouts with gnarly teeth
jutting out from their black gums. Their ears stood erect, turning
like satellites picking up any sound.

“
Spectrals!” Daviathan
snarled. “You don’t belong here.”

He curled his fists and gritted his teeth.
The air around him started to shimmer as he focused all of his
energy. His skin crackled, turning to a blue spiked armor. A white
glow emanated from his eyes, piercing through the smoke like a
spotlight. His hair shot upward like flames turning into a
brilliant red. As he unfolded his hands, deadly claws gleamed under
the faint light.

“
A challenge?” One of the
spectrals laughed.

Daviathan made to move, but before he could,
a hand much like his own shot through the spectrals chest from
behind him. The spectral collapsed to the ground and Lupercus rose
up from the smoke, gripping the spectrals beating heart. The other
spectral turned to attack, but he was too slow.

With one swipe Lupercus tore out his throat
and he dropped to the floor as well.

“
I told you we don’t have
time.” Lupercus spat.

Turning on his heels he stormed off.
Daviathan stared down at the dead spectrals for a moment and then
followed after him. They emerged from the smoke-filled corridor
into an open area and froze.

Ahead of them a furious battle ensued. The
spectrals were enormous, powerful creatures and they flooded the
streets. They descended upon anyone they saw like a swarm of angry
hornets.

The people of Elisia were ill prepared. They
were not warriors, but peaceful folk. Mostly scientists and
philosophers, the vast amount of the residents were unable to
defend themselves.

Hordes of angry spectrals dragged people
from their homes. They ripped children from their beds, butchering
their parents’ right in front of them.

Metal clanged in the night as a few of the
men attempted to fight back. A small group of elementals clamored
forward swinging their swords wildly. Untrained and ineffective,
they were quickly overrun and torn limb from limb.

“
This is where we must meet
our end.” Lupercus said grimly.

Daviathan stared at him through narrowed
eyes, glowing white with power. “Then let us take these filthy dogs
with us!”

Together they sprinted forward, diving head
first into the sea of death. Lupercus grabbed one of the spectrals,
slinging him into a wall before driving his fist through another
one. Daviathan swirled through the mass of creatures spinning his
sword like angry tentacles.

“
This way!” He screamed as
they fought through the spectrals clearing a path for any that
could still walk.