Winter 2045 ~ Underworld
Lucas Adair
Lucas had retired to his cell after eating out in the great hall with Roderick. The conversation they had was surface level, but Lucas was thankful for the break from the tension and the worry of the day. He stuffed his face full of meat that reminded him of memories he had no firsthand experience of. He reasoned they were leftover memories from Abel.
Dinners sat around a kitchen table in the world before—it almost resonated with him on a deep level that he no longer felt jealous of those old times. Memories that ran on a cycle back when he was a part of the SubCon Facility—back when all he had known was believing himself to be someone else entirely.
The night had come as conversation ended and they returned to their cells. When Lucas had returned Laven was gone—a part of him was nervous, but he had faith that she would be successful. If there was anybody that could extract the information that they could use...it would be her.
He sat down on the cot and took a deep breath to ease his anxiety. He stared up at the ceiling imagining a sea of stars painting themselves across the darkness. He remembered the long nights of the other world when he and Laven would sit out and stare out at their sky—looking at their stars. The thought eased his mind and his thoughts returned to those days as his eyes closed slowly. He took in a deep breath and he felt his chest rise and fall until a loud crash came from the other side of the hall.
It sounded like a woman’s scream. And then was the clanging of metal—like something had fallen.
Lucas jolted awake. He shot up out of the cot and saw the back end of a soldier facing away from him. The soldier took a step back and looked into his cell. Lucas recognized him as the foul mouthed guard that had barged into the guard shack while he was sneaking around.
“There’s that wiry frame there! He’s the one who was sneaking around our station!” He roared, pointing an armored finger toward him.
Shit.
The clambering sound of the two other soldiers who had come with him down to the dungeon echoed across the room as they filled his cell. Lucas’ eyes went wide as the two on each end pinned Lucas down by the arm. He struggled against their advance, but their grip on him was firm.
“Thought we didn’t see you? Thought you’d scurry around like a rat?” The soldier looked down at him as his tone turned sarcastic. “Thought you’d steal from the very people keeping you alive here? After all the hospitality we’ve shown you? Pathetic piles of garbage.”
“What’d you steal?” The man to his left barked into his ear—it was louder than he anticipated it and he was dazed. “We tried asking your friend over there but she was pretty hesitant to tell us anything useful.”
“I didn’t steal anything,” Lucas muttered out, and the two guards that were holding him picked him up—he felt weightless in their arms and they brought him out into the hallway and dragged him over to the cell to his left—Amber’s cell.
Inside he saw her body—pierced what looked like five times by a spear—which lay on the ground in front of her—red with blood. One of the guards walked over to a corner of the room and pulled her head back by her hair—and he saw there was another puncture wound through her neck—her blood was spilling down the front of her body onto the cot and the floor below. The sight was enough to make his stomach churn. The smell...that was something else. He tried to look away but the guard who held his right arm forced his head forward.
"Talk," the guard demanded, his voice low and menacing. "Tell us what you know, or you'll end up like her."
Lucas gritted his teeth and shook his head. He couldn't betray Laven and risk the plan being ruined. If he told them then everything would have been for nothing. He knew he had to stay strong. “I didn’t steal anything.”
He thought of Laven, and how much she was risking right now for them all. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, summoning all his inner strength.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.
The guards exchanged frustrated glances, but they knew they were getting nowhere with Lucas. With one final warning, they left the room, leaving him alone with the body of his friend.
Lucas closed his eyes and bowed his head, trying to block out the grisly image before him. He knew he had to stay strong, even if it meant enduring more torture. He had made a promise to Laven, and he wasn't about to break it now.
“And we all know that’s not true,” the guard barked. “You could have had your pain end quickly if you owned up to it. Banishment’s too good for thieves like you—we’ll just beat the location of our Dragonstone out of you.”
What? Something was actually stolen…? Surely someone hadn’t gone in after he had snuck in…?
“Grab the rest, take them out front,” The guard said to the others as he grabbed Lucas’s arm. Lucas winced as the force of the grip latched tightly. “I got this one right here.”
The other two guards nodded and Lucas was led out of the dungeon—he tried his hardest to resist and break free from his grip, but it was too strong.
He struggled against the guard's grip as he was dragged through the dimly lit corridors of the castle. His mind raced with fear and confusion, wondering what fate awaited him at the end of this tortuous journey. The guard's grip tightened, his fingers digging into Lucas's skin, as they emerged into a vast open courtyard. The moon hung high in the sky, casting an eerie glow across the scene.
The guard dragged Lucas toward a large wooden post which stood in the center of the courtyard. The post was adorned with metal shackles, which clanged menacingly in the silence of the night. He saw posts lined up next to it identical in stature—and realized what was going to happen next. The guard threw Lucas against the post, fastening the shackles tightly around his wrists. Lucas winced as the metal dug into his skin, but he refused to show any signs of weakness.
The other two guards entered with Roderick and Tabula in tow. Roderick looked to have been stabbed with the spear—he was bleeding from a wound in his side—it seems like he had put up a fight. Tabula was small like Lucas was—so the guard had them completely by the arm.
The guards had locked each of them up and then stood before the three of them. The guard in the center—the clear leader of the trio stood with his face shrouded in darkness.
“You’re going to reveal its location,” he said. “We’ll beat you within an inch of your lives and then we’ll kill you. It can be stopped if you just fess up.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about buddy,” Roderick said. “We didn’t steal anything.”
“Lies upon lies,” the second guard had said. He stepped forward and jabbed a finger into his open wound. Roderick let out an intense sound as he bit down hard to suppress the pain.
“What is going on here?” A voice boomed out from above. Lucas couldn’t see who had spoken, but he didn’t like the sound of this.
“We’re getting information out of these treasonists.” The guard looked up behind the three of them. “They’re accused of stealing a Dragonstone from our station.”
“A Dragonstone…” the voice above boomed. “Very well, I shall take over the situation. Stand down.”
“Yes sir,” The guard nodded, and his eyes fell to Lucas. “You’re in for some tough shit now.”
The figure appeared in front of them—fading in as if he was there all along. He had a bad feeling about the voice and now he knew why. Tidmas looked down at the three of them with a look of disgust. His form was so stuck up you wouldn’t have changed much if you stuck a rod up his back.
“My...my…” Tidmas said, his gaze turning from one to the next. “Our Omega squadron...or what remains of them.” He turned to the guard to his immediate left, “Where is the woman...the dark long haired one?”
“Wasn’t one like that in the compound, sir,” the guard said, his hands were held firmly behind him.
“Split up and go find her. She’s somewhere around here and the fact that you idiots couldn’t recognize that and lost one of our precious treasures does not bode well for your reviews.”
The three guards looked at one another before returning their look to Tidmas. He looked at them with a fierce scowl and raised his voice, “Why are you still HERE?”
They filed out of the courtyard fast as they could after that, leaving the four of them alone in the courtyard. A brutal chill brushed passed them as Tidmas turned back to the three of them.
“Finally, you just couldn’t wait to act up, now could you?”
“We didn’t—”
Lucas felt his throat tighten up as Tidmas waved his hand. His legs also started rising behind him as if somebody were grabbing hold of them and lifting them as high as they could go—he looked and saw Roderick’s and Tabula’s legs also rising. They could do nothing and say nothing.
“Honestly with how fast your contemporaries were dropping like flies to the Shades I had a hope that you would join them in no time flat—it was clear Tomorrow’s proposal was nothing but a waste. I was disappointed to hear that your training was continued on our time.” He sighed. “Look, I honestly don’t care if you did or did not steal from my guards. They will be punished regardless,” he was shaking his head. “It was foolish to let that wretched tramp go free...but no matter. She will be caught within due time.”
He wasn’t sure if he hated anyone as much as he hated this scumbag right here, but he couldn’t even voice his dissent—his chest felt like it was held tight in a vice.
“Now, I intend to end your miserable existences and shall return to my duties without another thought of your disgusting filth.”
“Take one more step closer to them, and you die,” came a voice behind Tidmas.
His face drooped as his eyes shot to the side and he saw the glint of a spear that reflected the moon’s light pointed right at the small of his back.
Laven stood in a confidant stance with a measured hold on the spear. “I will not hesitate to run you through if you give me any reason.”
Tidmas sighed heavily, “If only your kind knew the might of magic so you would have even a fraction of the power you think you have,” he waved his hand and whispered under his breath. The spear flew out of Laven’s hands and it hovered in the air as he slowly turned to her. “Tsk tsk tsk…” he shook his head. “What a shame. It was a valiant effort.”
“Sure would have been,” Laven said, and Lucas saw the golden lights glowing across her skin. In her palm was a small spherical shape and Tidmas seemed to realize too late. “You really should be careful what you wish for,” she leapt toward Tidmas as the orb in her hand glowed—it looked to have runic symbols etched on the side of it as a central crystal began to glow in harmony with the filigree across her skin.
The spear shook in the air and was suddenly propelled until it soared straight through Tidmas’ chest—it stuck in the ground and pinned him upright. His eyes went wide and he clawed for the sky. His hand was outreached and he snapped—the sound was large and reverberating. Laven hurried past him and smashed the posts from the top—starting with Lucas and then freeing Roderick and Tabula.
Their legs dropped back down to the ground and Lucas was able to stand—he gasped for air as he was finally able to breathe again. He coughed and spat up blood.
“Take this,” Laven handed him the orb. “We’re going to need to leave ASAP.”
He held the stone in his hand. This must be that dragonstone the guards were missing. So Laven went back after all.
“What’d you learn?” Lucas asked.
“Not the time,” she said. “This place is going to erupt and fast. We have to leave.”
Lucas nodded and he turned as a figure appeared by the west entrance—it looked to be Cherine, the councilor with the long, red hair.
“Now, where do we think we’re going?” She asked, then she saw Tidmas impaled in the center of the courtyard and her eyes went wide.
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“It was self defense,” Lucas coughed. “He was aiming to kill us.”
“Nothing but lies,” called another voice from the south—another councilor Lucas hadn’t known the name of appeared.
“What is going...oh,” a familiar voice came from the eastern exit, and Lucas turned to see Tomorrow appear.
“Lucas, I don’t think we’re changing anybody’s minds here,” Laven backed up and said to the side. “Roderick, Tabula, stay close to us,” She was saying and signing at the same time.
“G-Got it…” Roderick said. He was holding his side, it was clear he was still in pain.
Tabula nodded, they backed up and looked toward the only entrance that wasn’t blocked—right back into the castle.
The world shook around them and a ferocious scream tore apart the air—Lucas turned to see the black dragon landing—clawing the side of the castle and looking back out toward the four surrounded in the courtyard.
“It’s the king,” Lucas said.
“I have been told of an emergent threat to my castle,” his voice filled their minds. The atmosphere around them grew intensely hot as Gardov sent flames hurtling into the sky.
“Come to find out it is the boy wonder and his ragtag troupe of soldier wannabes,” echoed across their brains. “Now, I thought Tidmas would put an end to you and I was so bored at that result...yet you lot come and surprise me yet again. If I didn’t have to stamp you out I would be interested in seeing how this plays out.”
Lucas felt a deep anger burning within him, he turned up toward the dragon and screamed out. “You sit here and play the god of this world and all you are is the poison that is responsible for killing its people.”
A great laughter bellowed out from the dragon—both out loud and in their minds. “The smallest of you lot and such a big voice. Who do you lay your claim to?”
“Myself,” Lucas said. He gripped the dragonstone tightly. “I am Lucas Adair. Fighting against the Creatures of the Night and I will not rest until each and every one of you is dead.”
“Silly child,” The councilor Lucas didn’t know called out. “You cradle that power of ours like you can do anything with it. You’re nothing more than a gnat benefiting off of our king’s magic.”
“Tomorrow,” Lucas called out, not turning toward him. “Thank you for training us in spite of all this kingdom is,” Lucas started. “But this creature here—this king...he’s from our world. And he’s responsible for the Shades spilling in here.”
“Silly child,” Gardov taunted. He leapt from the side of the castle and dove down to the courtyard—shifting into the humanoid form on the way down and he continued smoothly into a walking pace toward them. The councilors all bowed and took a knee as their ruler appeared before them. Even Tomorrow.
“You have piqued my interest from the very start, boy,” Gardov said. His gait as he walked could only be described as refined. His body shimmered with the deep black scales that adorned his flesh from top to bottom—that draconic face that tried so hard to be human but couldn’t fully make it all the way. “You who hunted us. You who was nothing more than a plaything in the eyes of this world’s true inheritors.” He raised his arms. “You who couldn’t accept things the way they were. You, who couldn’t help but stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“I, who doesn’t belong?” Lucas asked, taking a step forward—feeling an eclectic energy running through his blood. “You never belonged here.”
Gardov grinned—his sharpened teeth bearing down on them. He closed the distance between them and he pulled Lucas up by his shirt, lifting him into the air. He opened his mouth and stared deep into his eyes. The dragonstone in his hand started to heat up and Lucas felt the heat pluming up his arm. He reached up to grab Gardov’s arm and a blinding white light surrounded them all.
Gardov
2022
“Stop him! Don’t let him get away!” Ormus had called. Gardov turned to see Samael trying to make his escape. They had all just fended off one another as chaos ran rampant in the Main Atrium of their home base—the rural house in the middle of nowhere. Gardov had just finished trying to defend himself from Nehemoth who had taken advantage of the chaos to sow more. He had thought she was handled—that Scantar had been able to subdue her, but he had thought wrong.
As he moved to chase after Samael he was blown back from an energy blast from behind. Time seemed to slow as his eyes darted behind him. Nehemoth had fired the shot and the next thing he knew he felt the burns all across his body. He was shoved off the side of the gorge and he felt a chilling coldness sweep across his head and then across the rest of his body.
He tried to move and saw his legs were breaking down—vanishing before his eyes. He couldn’t breath and the totality of his mind could feel his body being torn apart piece by piece.
His eyes widened as he plummeted down through the spiraling vortex, the world around him twisting and warping into a dizzying blur. As he fell, Gardov felt a sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach, as if his very soul was being wrenched apart. The air around him grew thick and heavy, suffocating him as if he was drowning in a sea of darkness.
He tried to scream, but his voice was swallowed up by the howling wind, the only sound echoing in his ears the deafening roar of his own heartbeat. He felt as though he was being torn apart, his body and mind unraveling as he hurtled downward into the abyss.
Gardov felt like he was falling while all of his body was exploding separately—like each individual cell was bursting, then suddenly he felt a compression that broke and rebroke every bone in his body—the waves were written and overwritten. Suffering and screaming was all he knew.
Every second felt a thousand years. Every moment set out to play in front of what remained of his eyes until suddenly, Gardov felt a jarring impact, and his body slammed into the hard, cold ground. He lay there, gasping for breath, his eyes struggling to adjust to the darkness around him. The air was thick with the stench of rot and decay, and he could hear the distant moaning of tortured souls.
His eyes then started to work again and the dark was replaced by the bright light of the sun as he awoke in a field of golden grass and a shimmering blue sky above. Part of him expected his pain to subside now that his body was reconstructed, but he held out his arm—it looked as black as charcoal—rough black scales covered the parts of his body that couldn’t be reconstructed. He felt the vibrating explosions under the surface of his skin. He looked down to his legs—now humanoid in shape and he saw half of his left foot was blown off—the blood that would have been pooling out of his body was still stuck inside—but it looked to be billions of atoms shaking and vibrating violently.
He struggled to stand, his limbs weak and unsteady, as he looked around at his new surroundings. The ground beneath him was lush and vast, but it couldn’t help the rancid smell that was invading his senses.
He shivered and felt each minute microcosm of the explosions happening inside of his body. It sounded in the back of his mind almost like firecrackers sizzling constantly. He was shocked at how much it hurt—how much it continued to hurt, and how little he desired to move. Moving only made it worse.
And yet, he could not sit here and wait to suffer eternally. He took a step out and felt a world’s amount of pain, and then he took another. He kept walking until he saw in the distance a magnificent black castle—and inside he felt a cataclysmic anger as fire welled up in his chest. His body began to rise as his torso extended upward—his face stretched and he finally felt some form of relief as wings erupted from his back and a large spiked tail from behind. His eyes glowed with amber-light and the scales that streaked across his body had consumed his flesh.
He kicked off from the ground and his wings beat against the air as he took off toward the castle. The act of flight was new to him—but it was surprisingly easy to get a handle of. It’s a wonder what you can excel at when your body isn’t exploding internally.
There was something in the air flying toward him—it looked like it had come from the castle. Another moment passed and he saw it was an arrow—and then a second and third were not far behind it. He dove so the arrows flew overhead and he focused close and he saw on the top balcony on the outer wall of the castle were soldiers primed with bows aimed right at him.
He could see the freckles on the man who had fired on him—his new eyes allowed him much greater sight than before.
A flicker of an image ran through his mind of a woman and a young child...and then the woman’s death...who were these people? An immense sense of loss overwhelmed him and the energy swelled in his chest. He dove further down as he let the fire erupt from his throat as the fire swept across the wall of the castle and into the courtyard as he flew over. He landed—grasping the central tower and looking back—roaring to the skies above.
He closed his eyes and felt every living being inside the castle—their heartbeats were ringing in his ears and they echoed, slamming against his brain causing him to roar once again.
He saw a number of bodies inside rushing toward a large presence at the center—in the heart of the castle. Protecting your king, is that it? Not if I have anything to say about it. He looked up and saw an open entrance through a window on the second level of the outer wall of the central tower. He climbed over and started to shrink back to his previous size—the wings and tail shrunk as he slipped into the window in his more humanoid form. The pain returned as he moved and his body felt taut—like he could kill anything in his path just to ease the pain.
He found himself in a hallway with several suited guards approaching him unaware of his presence. As soon as they spotted him they began to surround him.
Gardov rushed the closest guard in a second, his hand—now talons that he saw more closely—slammed into the guard’s chest-piece and sent him struggling backward.
“Jay...he’s beautiful” a woman’s voice fluttered in his mind.
Gardov’s eyes went wide as the voice seemed so familiar—just on the cusp of his recall.
“We should name him after my father...he always wanted..”
“Karen...what’s happening?” He found himself saying—as if he had said it all that time ago. He was tackled by one of the other guards while he sat in his stupor and the voice faded from his mind. He turned to the guard who was punching him with steel fists. Each punch felt like a nuclear bomb were being set off in his insides.
He grabbed the guard’s fist and squeezed it as hard as he could—the man began screaming as the metal of the steel glove crumpled and broke with his hand. The fire swelled in his chest again and he blew flames in the guard’s face—melting the armor to his flesh and he fell to the side.
He sat up and he saw the two other guards staring at their comrade whose charred corpse was laying on its side. His face looked deformed as the headpiece had melted and grafted itself to the flesh.
Gardov rose to his feet and he needed to end this pain now. He started to grow and the sight of his body expanding made them terrified. They started to run for their lives as Gardov’s scaly body filled the hallway—his figure started to bust the ceiling of the hall as it was too contained to keep his form. He spun his barbed tail around and it slammed into a wall—busting down the bricks and revealing the room with the presence he sensed.
The King.
The room was large—grand like a theater with a throne at the end and waves of soldiers stood in formation—lining up to protect their ruler. The king was a larger man with a face that begged to be ended. Cowering behind the fools who would defend such an obvious blight upon a nation...he was more than happy to rid this place of such a toxin.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen. You weren’t supposed to go...let me take your spot! How is our son supposed to grow up without his mother? How am I supposed to honor your memory...this isn’t fair. This isn’t fair…”
He let loose waves of flames that incinerated the throne room from top to bottom.
“John…I am so sorry for what this world has already done to you. I am so sorry.”
Lucas Adair
Winter 2045
Lucas stared into Gardov’s eyes as he looked stunned. The dragonstone was still glowing red-hot and Lucas felt his body surging with powerful energy—his body began to shift as his form fought out of Gardov’s grip. Lucas’ body took on the texture of aquamarine scales—his face hardened and his eyes turned to slits—his body was taking on a draconic shape and the dragonstone grafted itself onto his chest—the crystal edge shining brightly.
Gardov was sent back—he covered his eyes from the blinding light. “What is this…? What did you do…” He then opened his eyes wide. “You indescribable insect…” He turned to the councilors, “Fire at will. Take them down. We need to kill this one and retrieve the dragonstone!”
Cherine and the other councilor jumped into action—Lucas turned his now draconic neck and time seemed to slow as wings sprouted from his back—he was running off of a heightened instinct which exploded inside of him like a shot of adrenaline. He leapt into the air—it was as if an inner voice had told him he could—and so he followed it like a light in the dark. His azure wings flapped once, twice, and then enough to carry him into the air.
Gardov growled and launched into the air to follow him—shifting into his fullest size in midair. Even though Lucas had grown with his transformation he was still much smaller than the full scale of the Blackwell Dragon.
Lucas soared through the sky around the imposing black castle as fast as his new wings could take him. They, like his full form were small in comparison—they had to beat frantically to keep up the pace as he coarsed through the air. If his mind wasn’t running at the frenetic speed it was he would have had the opportunity to take in the fact that he was flying. The two dragons were a study in contrast as Gardov’s lumbering form barreled toward him—he had been catching up as his larger body afforded him greater momentum in the skies.
Lucas shot around the central tower in hopes to gain enough speed on the turn to add some distance between the two. The black castle loomed below them—and Lucas had hoped Laven and the others could handle the Councilors—he had feared for their safety, but he had to trust they could handle themselves while he dealt with Gardov.
With a burst of energy, Lucas flapped his wings harder and behind him he left a shockwave that slowed the black dragon’s advance, but in no time Gardov was able to quickly close the gap between them.
“New tricks don’t substitute for experience and skill, boy,” Gardov’s voice echoed in Lucas’ mind. “You’ll die the same way you lived—unknown and unloved.”
As Gardov closed in, Lucas could feel the heat of his breath on his scales. He tried to twist and turn, hoping to evade the larger dragon, but it was no use. Gardov was too skilled, and he seemed to anticipate Lucas's every move. Finally, with a burst of speed, Gardov lunged forward, causing his own shockwave behind him—the foundation of the central tower shook and the entire castle rattled in its wake, his jaws snapping hungrily. Lucas tried to dodge, but he was too slow, and Gardov's teeth clamped down on his tail.
Lucas let out a pained roar as he felt the sharp teeth piercing his scales and then his flesh underneath. He twisted and turned, trying to escape from Gardov's grasp, but it was just too much. With a powerful beat of his wings, Gardov threw Lucas back toward the tower. Lucas’ body slammed through the bricks and tumbled into the room, bruised and beaten from the impact of the fall. He looked to have been thrown into the Castle’s Astronomy room—books and stargazing charts cluttered the space.
“I have to get up,” Lucas told himself as he worked his way to his feet. “I have to stop him.” The crystal glowed brighter and he felt a welling spring of fire boiling in his chest. He looked behind him and then bent down on all fours, his tail arced up as he kicked off from the ground and leapt into the air. His wings beat frenetically as he lifted in the air—Gardov flew up just outside the hole his body made when he smashed into the castle. Lucas inhaled and let loose a bright azure flame as he increased his speed. He was enveloped in the fire and shot out at Gardov like a cobalt meteor. The force of his attack sent them both hurtling out toward the ground.
“You ruined everything for everybody I know,” Lucas was now staring at Gardov as they flew out. “You and the rest of your kin.”
“What happens next?” Gardov asked. “You kill us, and then what happens? You think you can handle the responsibility of what comes next here? For your world?” He laughed. “No, of course not.” He grabbed hold of Lucas and held him close as they came closer and closer to the ground.
Lucas tried to break free from his grip, but his arms were like iron bars he couldn’t push free from.
“The type of world you fight for—that you envision is destined to die and be burnt away. Nothing you try will ever change what we are working toward.” He thrusted Lucas down to the ground and he pulled up to avoid colliding with the ground himself.
Lucas slammed into the ground and he heard bones break as he lay there in the burning mound of earth he remained. His body felt spent—damaged was putting it mildly as he looked up toward the stars from where he lay.
“Just...one more night…that’s all I ask.” His head drooped to the side and his eyes closed.