John was battered and bruised as he reached the Mele CQ’s door. The room was protected by a field he had no chance of breaking through. As he went to punch in an override code, he felt all the energy around him expand outward before it was pulled further into the station.
Besides the override code, Amber’s Meleua had provided John with some explosives and a device that shut down all portals in a large range.
John had left the device in the station’s portal room. It only activated when someone tried utilizing a portal. He was assuming someone had done so and that device was the cause of the strange energy sensation he had just felt. If the Peerless couldn’t get to the station through portals now, they would start flying up. He had very little time to succeed.
The Mele assigned CQ of the station was madly working his console. John finished entering the override code. As soon as the field started to fizzle out, the Mele activated his peripherals, turned, and let loose a barrage of fire.
John dove into the room while slashing his sword and infusing defiance with essence. Weapon energy extended off Ah’krat’ra and took out a bolter screeching towards him before destroying some pucks.
On their own, without needing to be ordered, John’s minions rushed the Mele. What kauwa had CQ of the docking station had all its members present including three Transcendents. Two Oli and the Mele in front of him. All three were low Transcendents, but Transcendents still.
The cramped halls of the station were a real help taking out the two Oli. He was able to get both together within his [Ultimate]. It required three castings to kill them though. He was too low on essence to cast his [Ultimate] again. He’d have to take out the Mele the old-fashioned way.
As the Mele skittered backwards in its spider-like biosuit, pucks beat into and held the minions back while the suit’s many weapon attachments rapidly spit out essence. Spinner and striker peripherals activated and tore into the minions as a new bolter streaked towards John.
As John ended his dive in a roll, he blocked what he could with Defiance, unbound some manifestation the Mele was trying to cast, and cut through the bolter with Ah’krat’ra. The same cut sent more weapon energy at the Mele. With the puck peripherals busy with his minions, the energy dug deeply into the Mele’s biosuit.
John had to end this quickly. His sword’s manifestation was available, but he didn’t have the essence to use it. It would take too much from within him and leave him far too drained and sluggish when he couldn’t afford to be either of those things. He ordered his minions to frenzy as he attempted to slip through the shadows. The Mele tried to unbind the manifestation but failed.
As soon as John appeared behind his opponent, a huge blast of essence tore into him. Defiance blocked some, but the rest of the attack ate through [Multi-Shield], his armor, and the robes under it. His new [Perk] proved its worth again. The attack failed to cause him much damage.
With all his might, John thrust Ah’krat’ra through the Mele’s biosuit, back, heart, and chest.
John nervously sighed in relief. The clock was ticking. Only two of his minions survived the fight. He knew if they all hadn’t swarmed the Mele, that fight would’ve gone a lot differently.
As he clicked Ah’krat’ra onto its sheath on his back, John raised the Mele as one of his undead. He ordered his new minion to activate the console. As fast as he could, he set all the station’s defenses to attack every ship beside Amber’s.
As soon as the cannons and turrets began firing, John let out a breath he had been holding in. He frantically searched all the screens for Amber’s ship while wishing he had enough essence to cast [Heal]. He was in bad shape. But he had killed three true Transcendents. He just hoped he had been fast enough.
On one of the screens, a giant Peerless destroyer was blasted into pieces by the station’s defenses. John couldn’t see any ships in combat with one another. Then he finally found a screen tracking Jim. The ship was fine and accelerating away. He got on his knees as relief flooded him and some of his anxiety released its tight grip on his heart. I did it, he thought. The plan’s working. Now, I steal a ship and go to my wife.
Another ship exploded and John smiled. The smile left his face as new ships appeared. Four, together. The fleet of a kauwa ka, a major house. And the four were right in the path of the accelerating Jim. There was no way Amber’s ship could achieve the speed necessary to activate the jump engine.
Amber’s ship wasn’t made to survive major battles. It was made for speed, stealth, and quickly delivering massive damage before needing to slink away and hide, or speed away without looking back.
After setting the station’s defenses to prioritize those four ships, John stuck an explosive device under the console, turned towards the door, then froze. He felt something coming.
A third-tier Transcendent Oli burst through the floor, his rifle perfectly beaded at John, spraying essence rapidly.
John blocked a few shots with Defiance. The rest tore into him as his three minions attacked his new opponent. He thought about using his sword’s manifestation for a second before dismissing the idea. If this Oli had arrived, more would be close behind. The plan changed.
John snatched a bolter out of the air with his hand and crushed it, only possible due to his [Slowing Aura]. His own bolter zoomed at the Exalted. It would’ve been joined along with a barrage of plasma meteorites if his core wasn’t almost tapped.
The Oli deftly dodged the bolter while backhanding a minion and continued to rapidly spray out rifle fire. John knew one of the common manifestations of the Rifleman [Archetype] would be next, a giant blast of essence named [Make a Hole].
John ordered his minions to go wild and frenzy at the Oli. He barely had enough essence to slip through the shadows once, but he couldn’t waste it now. He prayed that his new opponent had made a hole through each floor of the station, held up Defiance, blurred forward, and dove.
As he fell, John twisted around and hid behind his shield as rifle fire rattled down at him. A huge blast of essence caused him more injuries, but it also forced him downward much faster.
After catching and crushing another bolter, John hit the trigger for the five explosive devices he had left throughout the station. His connections to his minions were immediately severed as they died for the second and last time. The rifle fire stopped for a moment. Then it started up again.
A few shots knocked John’s helmet off. The next hit his forehead painfully as he landed on the field keeping the station’s atmosphere contained within it. As he bounced a couple times, he took another hit to the shoulder.
John’s right arm wasn’t working too well, but he forced it through the field as fast as he could and then forced his body to follow suit. He smiled as new explosions began ripping through the station.
The Exalted was diving down towards John, his rifle still spitting out essence, but each attack was now blocked by the protective field John had passed through.
The gravity of Gani had grabbed John and begun pulling him into its atmosphere. He didn’t know if he could survive reentry. He was certain he wouldn’t survive the landing, especially if he were too injured by reentry to slip through the shadows. That was okay. The Transcendents at or headed to the station would follow him and not pursue Amber.
And the ships could either continue to pursue Amber or try and save the station. If the explosives worked as expected, they’d have to keep the station from crashing into their home world and the havoc and destruction that would cause.
As John’s body started to burn as he fell, he unveiled his soul to make himself a big target. He had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. He wanted to live. He wanted to raise his kids alongside his wife. But there was no way out. Fate hated nothing more than the disobedient. He fumbled around for the token in his sash and broke it.
The world blurred past for some moments, then all suddenly stilled. John was looking directly at the humongous, indescribable monster named Betrayal. The monster spoke a word, and its word was like an extraordinarily destructive and strange trumpet meant to quake the earth apart, heralding the end of days. “COME.”
John rose off the cold, white, marble floor of a large room. The fancy couch was still there.
Giant golden doors swung open. Into the room walked Betrayal as the idealized version of John’s father.
Betrayal confidently strode to the couch. “Sit beside me again, my child,” ordered the man as he took a seat.
John sat on the couch. He went to speak but was cut off by Betrayal. “Last we spoke, I said you’d be granted two boons for delivering the vessel to me early. I suggest an immortal soul be one of them. There is no need for you to die. Or die permanently. You will not enjoy your afterlife. Now, ask your question.”
John squelched his emotions and said, “I would like a boon granted even if I win the contest of wills and keep my soul.”
“I’m sorry. As I said before, you will not win. You stand no chance.”
“Then agreeing shouldn’t be an issue. It costs you nothing and you’ll lose nothing.”
Betrayal smiled and said, “I only make deals when I stand to gain something. I’ll change my offer and agree to grant you one boon, and only one, for delivering my vessel early, regardless of the outcome of the contest of wills.”
“Agreed.” John wanted many things. He wanted his world freed. He wanted his enemies dead. But those were desires. He only had one necessity. “You know of my wife, Amber, the Natural?”
“I do.”
“I want her and my children safe. I want them protected for all of their natural lives.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“No,” replied Betrayal. “That’s a job, not a boon. For a boon, I can protect her for a time. Her ship has been damaged along with the drive it utilizes. I will undo the damage, see her path clear, and ensure she safely escapes. Once she gives birth, she will no longer be under my protection.”
John sighed. Even after all he had done, his wife still hadn’t escaped. And wouldn’t from what Betrayal had said. He had failed.
If John lost the contest, he would die. If he won, he would still die, but at least he’d do so in battle fighting his sworn enemies. A good end. If he had a million boons he could ask of Betrayal, a soul like Lilly’s own would never be one of them.
John saw no difference between his body, mind, and soul. Those three things were him. Life only had meaning when it came with consequences and a definitive end. Whatever Lillith had wasn’t a true life. It was a mockery of one.
John nodded his head. “That works for me as a boon. Protecting my wife. Thank you very much. I appreciate this more than words can express. I wish I could…do something to show my gratitude and how thankful I…”
Not able to prevent it any longer, John started to cry due to his overwhelming relief. There were no tricks. No further surprises. His wife and children would live. He won. He finally succeeded. Nothing else mattered.
Betrayal had the manners to turn his head away and not watch a grown man sob so embarrassingly. John appreciated the courtesy.
Part of John knew he could win the contest of wills. A much bigger part of him knew he couldn’t win. He was dealing with an entity that was far more powerful than he could ever truly comprehend.
John wouldn’t go easily, but he’d go. His body going to someone with manners and courtesy made him feel better about it.
Once John had his emotions under control, Betrayal turned his head back to him and said, “Most beings wouldn’t be thankful to the one responsible for so much of their suffering, the one about to take their life away from them.”
“My life has led me to this point,” replied John. “If not for you, I would never have met my wife. She would not be pregnant with my children. If I were a better man, I would’ve been strong enough to save her myself. I’m not. I failed. You are, and you’re saving her because I couldn’t. I owe you more than I can ever repay. There’s nothing I wouldn’t give you. There’s nothing I could give you to balance the scale.
“You were right. I have two fathers, and you made me the man I am as much as my biological one, if not more so. Sons should honor their fathers. I honor you, and thank you, Father. If you want, my body is yours. Just ask.”
Betrayal gazed into John’s eyes for long moments before he stretched out his arm and placed it upon John’s shoulder. “Thank you, my child. My son. I honor you as well, and the sacrifice you make, thus ensuring your wife and children have a reality to exist in, and the Tree of Life shall continue. The contest of wills is necessary. Your offer isn’t. I will win whether you try or not, so give your all.”
Both men that weren’t men continue to look at one another until Betrayal broke the silence. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, Father. Are you?”
Betrayal laughed good naturedly.
A will, dark and malevolent, blotched out all of reality and swarmed around John, threatening to quickly overwhelm him.
John pushed against the encroaching darkness, but it continued closing in. He railed against it. He then started battering into it with his own not insignificant will.
John’s life spanned nearly six thousand years. Six thousand years of loneliness, betrayal, and suffering. He faced untold horrors and pain that would break all others. Fate did its worst to the man, yet he still stood. He had a willpower forged of ages, staunch discipline, and a brutal sense of honor and duty. He had an obligation to his wife and children, and he would not fail them again.
The darkness encircled John, and he held it back. He was in a circle made of his willpower, and the darkness would go no further. And then he heaved outward, and his circle grew, and the darkness retreated.
There was a lot of darkness in John. He had far too much hate in him. Too much confusion. Too much uncertainty. Too much pain. He had seen too much. He had lived through too much. He had been betrayed too often and too horribly. His many and great sins were laid out bare on his soul for all to clearly see, or for all those able to see souls and karma to clearly see.
John had sinned. He had sinned many times and often. He was not a good man. He had done what was necessary to live. Or what he had told himself was necessary. He killed all the enemies he could. He had taken many, many innocent lives too. He had tortured those he had deemed worthy of it. He had sinned.
But all that darkness and pain within him also infused his great will, and, with a mighty heave, John pushed his circle wider, and out a little further.
John was not a good man. But he also wasn’t a bad one. He helped the weak and spared them too. He seldom turned his back on someone in need. He saw what man was capable of and wanted them to stand proud and tall, as he did, and be mighty and fell, as he was. He tried his best to act honorably and do right. He rarely hesitated to risk his own life to save others, especially women, children, and those others he deemed innocent.
All that was good and righteous within him infused John’s will. He pushed again, and the darkness retreated further back.
And after so long without a good reason to, John finally had great reasons to live again. To actually live, not just continue to exist. He had a wife. She was a kind and good woman and would make a great mother. His wife was pregnant with his children. They would be strong, as their father and mother were.
Having so many and such good reasons to live also infused John’s will. He heaved mightily again, and the darkness was pushed back a great distance.
I can do this, thought John, excitedly, as he pushed back against the darkness once more. I can win. I can live. Maybe it will only be to die at the hands of the Peerless as my wife escapes, but I will die in battle, fighting an enemy I swore to destroy. Maybe I can do enough damage to weaken the foundations of their empire.
Sorry, Father. As so many others have, you’ve also underestimated this son you helped forge. I will win this.
John heaved and the darkness retreated further. He heaved again. He screamed out as he heaved.
The monstrous face of Betrayal appeared through the darkness. The monster spoke and its words were like extraordinarily destructive and strange trumpets meant to quake the earth apart, heralding the end of days. “A WORTHY ENDEAVOR, MY CHILD. MY SON. YOU’VE FORCED ME TO APPLY MY OWN EFFORT. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH, YOU HAVE MY GREAT RESPECT.”
The circle of willpower surrounding John holding back the darkness cracked, then shattered. Darkness swarmed towards John as he collapsed to his knees. He struggled back to his feet, trying to recreate the circle. And did so. He held the darkness at bay again. Barely.
As John dug down deeply to apply more and more effort, he began to shake. With a mighty yell, he grew his circle and pushed the darkness back a little. His mind began to warble, and his vision blurred. He thought of his wife, his children, and all he was fighting for.
The pressure the darkness exerted on him was terrible. He coughed up blood. His shaking arms wanted to fall. He wouldn’t allow it. He ignored the pain and pushed. His circle grew a tiny bit. Then a tiny bit more.
I will not fail. I will not. I’ve survived much worse than this. John’s whole body was racked with a terrible pain. He nearly lost consciousness and began to slump towards the ground before he steeled himself again. He fought through the agony and pushed.
John made his world smaller. The darkness was winning. It was breaking through his circle. He couldn’t allow it. His sole focus went to lasting another moment, then one more after, continuing his long march through eternity one horrible moment endured right after the other. Just one more moment.
Until there were no more moments. John failed again. The darkness finally broke through.
And the darkness quickly overwhelmed him. As it did, light shone forth from within his chest. A light so bright it consumed everything, and nothing could be seen besides this blinding light.
John blinked his burning eyes open. He was in a dark and damp cavern. His ability to see in the dark was hardly able to pierce the deep blackness, but he didn’t need to. He had been there before.
John could barely make out a few tunnels and some sort of creature completely covered in eyes. The creature had six wings and was covering most of itself with four of them. Without the creature moving or talking, it somehow bid John to follow it down a tunnel.
And John followed as the creature slowly flew along.
The tunnel was long. A bright light from further down the tunnel burned John’s eyes, similar to the bright light he had just come from.
The eye-being stood aside and somehow bid John to pass and exit into the light. As John did so, he heard the creature say, “He who was, and is, and is to come,” without his ears or mind. He couldn’t explain how he heard it. He just did.
The bright light was so bright John could see nothing else. He tried to see through the brightness, but his eyes couldn’t, and his eyes burned terribly. He felt something looking for him, not an eye, but something that served the same purpose. It turned to him.
The brightness disappeared and John saw Betrayal as the idealized version of his biological father kneeling, head bowed.
Betrayal was kneeling to something. John’s mind couldn’t comprehend what that something was, so his mind saw nothing while knowing it was something. That something spoke with a very soothing androgynous voice. “Our son has arrived.”
Betrayal looked back and nodded at John. The soothing voice said, “You call him your son, as I call you My son. Why do you not treat him as I do you?”
“How long have I been without Your light, Father,” asked Betrayal. “How long since You spoke words to me? Yet I have kept faith. You know my plans, as You know all, as You knew of this conversation before creating me. I do this for You. You know he sacrifices himself willingly.”
“Then why did he so boldly resist being sacrificed, My son? With very little patience, he would have died anyway, and his body yours to use as a vessel. You know where he will soon be sent for eternity. Let him have his own end, at least, as I have also let it be for all My firstborns unable to join with Me in Heaven. Let him be. I will create a new vessel, greater than this one, for you.”
Betrayal got lower and kowtowed. “Thank You, Father. And thank You for allowing me to bask in Your light once again. I go forth to smite Your enemies.”
“I have no enemies, My son, though many disappoint Me. You agreed to grant the boon regardless of the contest’s outcome, so keep your word to this one, the one you named your son. Go, do as you will, and go with My love.”
“Yes, Father. And thank You, Father,” said Betrayal before disappearing.
The something turned its attention to John and asked, “So, child of darkness and light, are you more dark, or more light? Are you Good?”
Nervously, knowing he was talking to God, John kowtowed and said, “I try to be, Lord.”
“Do you?”
“I tried saving that Kahaki girl. In the NetherRealm.”
“Did you succeed?”
“I…I’m not sure. I tried.”
“Would the best of men have succeeded.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Do you count yourself among the best of men?”
“No, Lord.”
“You did try to save the girl, and that is Good. If I make you one of My soldiers, what will you do?”
John’s initial instinct was to offer to slay His enemies, but God just told Betrayal He had no enemies. Instead, he said, “In all honesty, I will only disappoint You, Lord.”
“You will,” decreed God with a little amusement in His voice. “How long do you think you will live, if I were to make you one of My soldiers?”
“Not long, Lord. I face a mighty empire.”
“You do, but you do not have to.”
John disagreed with that. He had to. “And stand there as I am killed? Would You have me be a coward, Lord?”
“Never. I’d have you be Good. I’d have all My children join with Me in this Paradise I’ve created. The best of men makes friends of enemies.”
John knew from experience that that was impossible. The corpse of an enemy could be a friend, as his minions had proven time and again, but enemies were for killing, not befriending. Besides, I already admitted I’m not the best of men, he thought.
“You are not the best of men. You have much Evil in your heart. But unlike most, when it really counts, when men with no Evil in their heart stand as cowards praying only for My intervention while doing nothing themselves, you often act, regardless of chance or risk. You have Good in you, and the valor to make the attempt. I would see more of that, and less Evil, regardless of excuses, such as those you made before slaying the ch’ran child.”
John had no response to that. He was very disappointed in himself for that act too. There was no getting around it – what he did to the ch’ran girl was a cowardly and low deed. Shame filled him.
“After the ch’ran girl, the ananong of Isb. How many lives were traded to conceive four of your loin?”
More shame filled John. Enough that he couldn’t find words to answer for some time. “I am base and mean. I am a low man, Lord. I know it.”
“Then stop being so. Be a great man instead.”
God was silent for some time. John tried not to move, not knowing what to do or say.
“You will be My soldier,” decreed God. “It will give you some power. Far too little of it if you hate your enemies, but more than enough if you ever find the courage to love them. The choice is yours. Go, do as you will, but I’d prefer you do Good, and go with My love.”
Reality shattered and John was back descending towards Gani at great speeds.