Alex looked out into the great expanse. The battle was occurring in a deep valley, surrounded by shear crimson cliffs. Alex wasn’t sure why they had essentially cut themselves off on all sides. It would be hard for reinforcements to arrive and for the wounded to depart.

On one side of the conflict, Alex saw the familiar Saxans. Their white chitin was in direct contrast to the black forms they fought against. The enemy combatants were much larger than the Saxans. Where the Saxans were more stout and bulky, they were long and stringy. Each of them had a staff in one hand and a shield in the other. The staves had a knobby end that made Alex sure he didn’t want to be on whacking end of that stick. Their shields were small and circular with a spike the size of Alex’s forearm sticking out. Alex guessed they were both offensive and defensive weapons. Which was immediately proven correct as he saw a laser blast out of the tip of the shield.

Not exactly how I thought it would be used, but that seems effective either way. Pretty versatile too. You could block an incoming strike and fire back with your own instantly. Sucks for whoever is going to be on the other end of that. Oh that’s right. Me. I will be on the other end of that. Well, at least I’m super durable. I’m going to need it. There are a lot of enemies down there.

Alex was getting tired of referring to them as ‘the enemies’ in his head and opted to just ask Krizzik.

“Who are we fighting against? What should I know about them?”

There was no point in fighting them about all this. It was futile. This was his life now. He may as well take all the advantages this new power would offer him. Alex didn’t need to be happy about it, but that didn’t mean that there was anything he could do to escape all this. He didn’t necessarily want to either. He felt better than he ever had before. He was getting to the age where if you slept just wrong, your back would ache for days and you wouldn’t be able to sleep. At least he wasn’t able to feel his legs, or else they would likely have similar ailments.

Getting old was no fun. Now, he felt like his body had been tuned up. Everything moved as it was supposed to, no, better than it was supposed to. It almost felt as though there was something else in his body moving everything smoothly. His muscles guided it but everything was just so effortless.

A Saxan came flying into the middle of their group. Alex jumped up and caught him, which in turn just sent him flying back as well. They both crashed into the ground hard and rolled to a stop.

I guess not everything is effortless. Just the mundane stuff, Alex thought as he brushed off the red dust that cover his suit.

“Many thanks grub. I would have likely been fine, but you slowed my descent enough to ensure it,” the Saxan bowed before returning to the fray.

At least they don’t treat me like a slave. They seem mostly ok. It seems they just think of us as a type of mercenary that doesn’t have much say in things. Probably a step right above slaves. That’s good I guess.

After the group reassembled, Krizzik turned to Alex and said, “We are fighting the Zotari. They are natives to our solar system. They have decided to abandon the Coalition and have sided with the invaders. We are tasked with terminating the traitors. We will root out their presence on Saxar IV, then we will remove their presence in the multiverse. They were once our strongest allies, we feel betrayed.”

Well I guess I won’t piss these guys off. They have a way of dealing with things that seem a little final.

As if to hammer this point in, behind Krizzik, Alex saw a Saxan knock a Zotari to the ground. He then proceeded to step into his back and pull on his arms. With a disgusting squelch and subsequent scream of absolute agony, both arms were relieved of their stations on the alien’s side. The Saxan began beating the Zotari with his own arms, gore and blood flying in all directions. Alex gulped.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Do you need to quench your thirst? I was informed that this planet would be much drier than your’s. We have drink if you need it,” Krizzik said.

Alex was about to say no when he realized, that yes he was thirsty.

“Yeah that would be great actually. I also need to eat. I haven’t had anything in nearly a day.”

They led him to the what he assumed was the mess hall. There were tables strewn about and a line leading to where the food was. He waited like a good little war slave and when it was his turn, he wished that had eaten something before he walked through the portal.

The food absolutely reeked. It was like when he was younger, he had put dog poop in paper bag and lit it on fire on his neighbors doorstep. His neighbor had seen the fire and of course, stepped on it to put it out. His mom had made him clean it up. His neighbor had apparently seen him run away and had told his mom. The scent of hot, burned poop will forever be seared into his memory, and now the taste would be as well.

The food was a purple goop with suspicious chunks in them. There was a station to get drinks as well and he got one that looked and smelt the best. The drink actually smelled rather sweet and he was excited for that at least. He made his way over to a table and steeled himself for the most difficult thing he would do since being awakened.

So, after a few short breaths to prepare himself and a small pep talk, he took a bite.

This is delicious! One of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.

It tasted like he had dived into the lake of Flavortown. It was savory and reminded him of the most tender steak. It was as though it had been both cooked and seasoned to absolute perfection. Celebrity chefs would never be able to make a food as delicious. He continued to eat and as he finished scarfing it all down, even licking his plate, he reached for his glass. He took a drink, the sweet smell enticing him even more.

He spit all of it out on the ground behind him.

What the heck!? I thought for sure this would taste great. It smelled great.

The drink had tasted like the way the dog poop smelled.

I am definitely going to have that in the reverse order next time. That delicious flavor is gone now.

Alex looked like he was going to fall into despair and truly give up. His shoulders slumped and he appeared a foot shorter now. He made the trek over to the drunks again to refill his cup. He was still very thirsty. With a full cup, he tipped his head back and attempted to drink it as fast as he could.

Krizzik walked over and said, “It appears you have enjoyed your meal. You even went back for another drink. You did not need to partake of it so quickly. There is an abundant supply of Jorpi.”

‘Your pee’ is right. That stuff is rancid. Alex thought.

Instead he said, “The meal was great. I feel much better already.”

“This is good. The battalions stationed here are working in shifts. The shifts have just changed. Since we have just arrived, we are allowed to take a respite. We will be on the next shift though. Rest and prepare. The night will be long and the Zotari have the advantage in the dark.”

Alex didn’t like the sound of that. How was he supposed to relax now? Why did they put him on the most dangerous shift? Did they want him to die?

I guess I am being punished. I wonder if the conditions are more favorable under normal circumstances. Maybe they are just increasing the risk so that I can make my penance.

Krizzik led him to a bunkhouse and showed him to his bed.

“We will get you when it is our turn to fight. Rest easy.”

With that the entourage of Saxans left him alone. Alex was alone with his thoughts for the first time in a long time. This was his first chance to stop and take a breath since he was forcefully removed from that park on Earth. So much had changed already. He was a superhero. Sort of. He had the powers at least, and the outfit. He still needed to come up with a cool name, but he couldn’t think of anything that didn’t sound super silly.

Maybe I should just lean into it. I’m sure Vanguard sounded ridiculous at first. Now it’s iconic.

At any rate, Alex didn’t want to invest the energy into that right now. Right now, he was in a comfy bed, he wasn’t in immediate danger, and he was exhausted. He would sleep. There was plenty of time to worry about all of these things later. He had all the time in the world. All the strength he had gained was unable to hold his eyelids up any longer. Sleep took him and he obliged.