The End of the Fantasy (Book #6 of the Sage Saga) (9 page)

“Here’s the problem. If the Yama are your masters, hypothetically, then they must have realized that you telling me this is a possibility. They may be too proud to realize their weaknesses but I want to give them more credit than that.”

“That’s true…maybe it all goes back to what we’ve talked about before. They’re keeping us back through the fear of the unknown. We makes no moves and they get to do what they want.”

“Or they might think it doesn’t matter what we do,” Bastion replied. “They know I’m a threat to a degree, but as long as they had planned for my involvement, everything will go their way.”

“Won’t know until we…” Lily let her hands fall down to her sides as she looked up to the black ceiling.

“What is it?” Bastion asked. “What happened?”

“You’ve got to move NOW!” Lily screamed as he found himself back on the outside of the dark room, in the crater where they had stood before they fused. Bastion stumbled forward just as a large, thick steel blade glowing with a red aura cut through his hair, shaving a thin line off the top of his hair. Bastion took in a mouthful of dirt as a cloud flew up from his fall. He didn’t waste time turning around to face his attacker. He rolled to the right and then propelled himself onto his feet awkwardly, coming face to face with his enemy.

The Yama had arrived, and under the moonlight he could see that that the entire crater was covered, crawling toward him in a swarm that rivaled that of ants, coming to tear apart their prey limb by limb, piece by piece. Bastion didn’t have time to gather his composure.

The Yama that had made an attempt on his life leapt toward him.

“Watch your left!” Lily screamed, the shrill of her voice sounding like it was echoing through his skull and bouncing off the walls. Bastion winced as he ducked, and another Yama’s blade, also glowing red, narrowly missed his neck.

“Not so loud next time,” Bastion said aloud as he punched one in the face behind him, sending it reeling back into a dozen others. He noticed that they were slowly closing in on him, taking one step at a time. He could barely see them all, even under the moon. He could only make out the first few rows before their collective body disappeared into the dark, and it looked as if the crater floor itself had raised and begun moving.

Bastion took a deep breath and thought of his options, but there was really only two before him.

If he fought, he might win, but it was a long shot.

If he ran, he would still have to fight, and he wasn’t sure how that would end.

Being on the defense, he might end up being wounded because he would be too focused on flight over fight. And if he did get wounded…he was sure that would be the end of him.

“What should I do?” he asked Lily, pivoting in a circle over and over as they all waited for their opportunity—that one moment in which he would drop his guard.

“Run,” she said softly, remembering his previous request on keeping her voice low. Bastion didn’t need any further coaxing. He leapt into the air toward the Quietus forest as his Sage robes appeared over him, so fast it was like the wind had clothed him. The Yama leapt upwards to catch him but he had already summoned pillars from the ground below to catch his fall, right before he had jumped. He landed on it with one knee and paused for a second as they crawled up the dirt pillar hungrily, clawing at it and chipping away at the foundation as fast as they could. Bastion looked ahead and saw the edge of the crater, also covered in the enemy.

But one stood out above them all.

He was tall, and lanky like the others, but he didn’t snarl or thrash or attempt to fight him. He merely stood among his people, watching the Young Sage carefully. Once he noticed that Bastion was looking at him directly, his lips parted.

“We don’t need to do this,” he shouted, and the Yama surrounding Bastion quieted down, lowering their voices, and halting their assault on the pillar. Bastion stood to his feet and glared at the Yama before him.

“Then why are you here?” he demanded. The Yama clasped his hands together.

“My name is Eiko. I come to talk.”

“With an army?”

“It’s a precaution.”

“Some of them tried to kill me.”

“They were overzealous.”

“They are part of your command.”

“Fair enough,” he said, nodding. “But now that we are speaking with another, I must tell you that there is no end that is not beneficial to us. Your involvement, one way or another, will not impede our plans.”

“Then why don’t you tell me what they are?”

“That’s unnecessary. But what I will say is that you have an opportunity before you. One that will determine your happiness in this lifetime…join us.”

“Not a chance,” he snapped. “It’s time to go,” Lily whispered to him.

“That’s okay. You will. Do you remember Languor? What you did there? That pain in your heart, that deep guilt and anguish that overwhelmed you so much that you felt sick to your stomach…that will be multiplied a hundredfold if you continue to combat us.”

“You know nothing about what I feel.” Bastion retorted. “And you’re underestimating me and everyone else on this land if you think we’ll be so easily defeated.”

“Languor has already fallen by our hand,” he replied. “And soon, the others will as well.”

“Again, you know nothing about us.”

“We’ll see. This army here was tailored specifically for you. Let us see how you fare.”

“Let’s,” Bastion replied.

“Are you nuts?”
Lily screamed at him.

“Don’t worry about me. Just help,” he replied. Eiko raised an eyebrow in confusion as the Yama began clawing at the pillar under Bastion again. It was beginning to wobble.

“Well,” Lily said from inside of him, “if we’re really going through with this then we need to be smart about it. I suspect this Eiko guy is going to use his heavy hitters toward the end, after you’re already exhausted.”

“In other words, I should attack Eiko now?”

“Yeah, and anyone else that seems out of place among the horde. Also, remember what I told you earlier. You have to focus on taking them out quickly. That means you can’t be running to one Yama at a time with your Gladius hoping your stamina outlasts them all. You have to use crowd control. You know whips?”

“Yeah,” he said, as the pillar began to veer off to the left, toward Eiko.

“Use that. Two swords, both equal in width but whip like in length. Make sure they’re nice and dense and then get to work.”

“Will do,” he said as he ran forward and leapt off the pillar. It crashed down onto the ground as he was still in mid-air, heading straight toward Eiko. Eiko took a step back just as Bastion landed a few feet in front of him with his Gladius appearing in hand. Bastion leapt forward and aimed straight for the Yama’s neck but Eiko dodged it with a quick snap of his neck to the right and then he let the masses go in front of him.

“Missed my window,” Bastion said as he leapt backwards so that he wouldn’t be overwhelmed. Besides, he needed a little time to prepare for the real show.

Using Lily’s advice as a template, he sheathed his eidolon into his ribs and then stretched his arms out on each side. Enclosed in each fist, a large ring appeared, about a foot in circumference. Slowly, the lightning blue swords began to extend from the top of the rings, until they hung off the rings as if Bastion was holding the head of a snake. They continued extending, past the feet of several Yama who tried stomping them out but were unable to. A few Yama tried to hit Bastion while he fashioned his weapons, but they were far too slow and generic to pose any kind of threat. With a few quick kicks to their faces, he was able to keep them back. It only took a couple more moments for the blades to complete, and then, as Lily commanded, he got to work.

Gripping the rings in his hands tight, he began swinging the blades over his head, spinning his body in a circle and slicing through every Yama within a few yards. With a burst of energy thrown into his feet, he increased his speed and began running through the mob, slicing and dicing so fast that the Yama could barely register his movements. All they saw was a lightning blue blur and in the next second, their heads or midsections were severed.

Bastion was so caught up in what he was doing that he didn’t even see the brute appear in front of him. A gigantic, muscle bound Yama that was only a couple feet taller than him but nearly as wide as his entire body standing up. The Yama punched Bastion in the shoulder and he went flying off balance. He had been going so fast that it sent him spiraling into the dirt, his whip blades sliding out his grip and away from him. They vanished as he climbed to his feet, and just as a giant foot kicked him in the chin.

For a big guy, he was quick, but not quicker than Bastion once he got moving. Bastion blocked the next kick with his forearm and pushed the brute back just as a couple Yama leapt onto his back. He easily used their momentum to throw them over his shoulder and onto their backs, putting them in the path of the gargantuan before him. Bastion summoned his whip blades once more, and a lot faster now that he knew the layout. By the time the brute had stepped on and over his fallen comrades, Bastion was finished.

The young Sage slashed at the giant but they barely nicked his massive hide. He forced the whips to vanish and then he summoned his eidolon. He dodged a swipe at his head with a roll and then stuck his eidolon into the giant’s side, forcing him to howl in both rage and pain. But because he had his Gladius and not his whips now, the weak Yama were getting bolder, throwing themselves at him in droves. He was forced to run in order to dodge their tackles and he barely caught a moment of reprieve when someone kicked him in the face, sending him to the ground. Groups of Yama began grabbing his arms and legs. A couple that reached for his eidolon found their arms completely disintegrated. Bastion saw his kicker emerge—Eiko. With his hands still clasped together, his arms were quivering like they were in the midst of an earthquake.

“This is bad,” Lily whispered, and Bastion grunted.

“Yep,” he said as he wretched his limbs away from the weak Yama. He rolled backwards onto his feet and barely dodged a blow from the brute behind him. Eiko introduced his foot to Bastion’s face and the young Sage was sent flying backwards again.

“Get out of here,” Lily said. “Please.”

“Got it. Got it,” Bastion said as he climbed to his feet and began pushing Yama out of the way. He could hear the brute howling behind him, trying to barrel toward him. Eiko was surely not far behind.

“I know you’re thinking of going back there. Don’t do it.”

“I was just thinking…

“Uh-huh.”

“I was thinking that if I am able to defeat these guys…and I mean all of them. I might be able to maintain an element of surprise with the other Yama armies. That could be invaluable.”

“Or that doesn’t work at all and you die.”

“Yeah, that could happen. Or it could not.”

“I’m getting scared now,” she said flatly. “What are you not saying?”

“What would happen if I used your power?”

“And take days, weeks or more away from you? No. I won’t do it.”

“It’s about the journey, right?” Bastion replied as he rolled under another attempt by the brute. His massive, meaty hand narrowly missed the back of his head.

“You should just run.”

“It depends on what our goal is here. If we keep running, when do we stand and fight?”

“Not now.”

“If I want to do this, you don’t have a choice though.”

Lily was silent after he said that, and he regretted his words immediately.

“Damn your choices,” Lily snapped at him. “You don’t get to use me like that.”

“I’m sorry,” Bastion said, still running through the waves of Yama. They were getting harder to push through by the second. Was he losing energy? “I didn’t mean that. What I mean is that what days or more I lose is my own choice. I’m not trying to use you, it’s just that I need you in order to make this happen.”

“Yeah…I hear you. In so many words you just said that you want to use me…like a master would.”

“Then I won’t,” Bastion said as he turned around and faced the brute head on. He punched the brute in the stomach with all his might, but it barely registered a thing. The brute reached for him and he rolled again out the way, just as Eiko appeared. Before he could pivot and sprint in another direction, the Yama had already kicked him three times, all in the chest. Bastion staggered back and right into the arms of the brute who held him tight, keeping the young Sage’s arms pinned to his sides.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Lily screamed as Bastion grit his teeth and tried to fight his captor. But it was no use. Eiko began kicking him repeatedly in the face. Over and over. To the point that his vision was beginning to get hazy. But it wasn’t until Eiko stopped and reached his hand toward Bastion’s chest that the young Sage realized just how foolish he had been.

“He’s going to take me,” Lily said. So matter-of-factly that it sent a shiver down Bastion’s spine. “I don’t know when he noticed that I was there or how he knew…but he’s going to take me.”

Eiko’s fingertips got closer and closer, until Bastion knew that under no circumstances, was he going to let Lily be taken…

His eyes went black.

With a snap of his neck, he thrust his head forward, and without a second thought, he bit off Eiko’s extended fingers.

The act was so shocking that the brute’s grip lightened a bit, and that was all it took for Bastion to break free. Before the brute realized what had happened, Bastion slid under the giant’s legs, unsheathed his eidolon, leapt into the air, and thrust it into the back of his massive head. The brute shuddered and then fell onto his chin. Bastion rolled over the giant’s back and onto his feet. Eiko performed a roundhouse kick toward Bastion’s face but the young Sage ducked while keeping his eidolon held up straight.

In a sense, Eiko cut off his own leg.

Eiko howled, but his cries were soon cut short as Bastion severed his head. He swung his head around, looked at the Yama around him through the pools of black that were his eyes, and then his Gladius disappeared. The whip blades returned.

Spinning faster than before, he continued the massacre. Yama began running away, after seeing their superiors fall, but Bastion made sure that none escaped. He would throw his whip toward the tops of the crater and with a quick swipe, he would take out dozens. He would sense those that had gotten far and he would give chase, running out into the Quietus forest and hunting, just as the previous residents had.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but the first thing he was aware of was Lily’s voice.

She was screaming.

“Lily, are you okay?” he asked. He found himself in the Quietus forest, in the canopy of the trees.