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Kale
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Quadrant: Darna Quadrant
Government: Republic of Hekat
System: D-447
Planet: Ora
Location: Agora City, upon the sands of the Colosseum
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Present Time
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My legs move like the first ray of light come dawn. Leaping through the air, tackling Adonius before he can strike Akaria who bleeds from the head. We roll in the sands exchanging blows with our fists. He tries to knee me in the groin, but I shift my body and slam my fist into his underarm nerve bundle, he lets out a shriek as his arm spasms. He is stronger than me, even after being enhanced by the demon who brought me pain in the cave of ice.
If we were at the same level of skill, I would be dead… but we are not. My skill was not forged upon a feathery bed with a silver spoon in my mouth like his. My skill was forged in the fires of oppression, made sharper by adversity my entire life. He is a novice stepping into a world he does not understand. The blood from his face that wets my fists a testament to this.
I strike again at his other nerve bundles until he writhes on the ground, trying to throw me off. My fists do not stop as they pummel him over and over, again and again. Each strike for a soul that cries for justice. He is dazed now, his eyes rolling back and forth as my fists change the anatomy of his face. The wrath swirls with focus as I stand over him, grabbing his hair in my hand, pulling him up.
“You won’t get away with this…” he sputters, there is a mixing of fear and anger in his face as he says “father will…”
I slap the words from his pathetic mouth.
“My people will rise.” I declare, the fire in my eyes grows brighter as I pull his head to look upon the blood that flows in the stands of the Colosseum “They will burn your entire house to the ground.”
“Fool…” he begins, I slap the words from his mouth again. He thrashes, spit and blood flying from his mouth “You dare!”
He tries to stand, I take up the blade tucked in my boot, slashing his Achilles tendons – sending him to the ground howling in pain. He tries to crawl, I cut the tendons of his arms, careful to not sever his arteries, he has not earned the right to die yet.
Some of my people are gathering now, carrying weapons from the armory on the thirteenth floor, Akaria’s part of the plan. Among them I see Arrum and Nekam, his children Neeba and Nevari are not far behind. Nevari does not meet my eyes, I do not blame her, the wrath in them is primordial. I hold no hatred for her, for betraying me. The masters are the ones to blame. Maki and Daki, come after, their eyes are wide as they take mine in.
Daki the one who once tried to kill me, begins pounding his chest and starting the chant that soon echoes within the crowd. The same chant that the dead call for, Jutarak – Bringer of Justice. My eyes turn back to Arrum, Isola’s spirit close to him still, my jaw flexes for him. The pain calls to the wrath in my heart. Refocusing me on the sniveling coward upon the ground who has caused it.
“You will beg them for mercy.” I say looking down upon him, grabbing him by the hair, forcing him up to his knees “Because you will receive none from me.”
He looks at me with fear and disgust. His arms hang uselessly at his sides.
“I am a Noble of the great House Helenius…” he begins, but I do not let him finish.
Moving behind him, I carve my blade into his back, splaying the skin, making the same motions as the scars upon Akaria and Isola’s bodies. He screams, trying to fight against it. Arrum and Nekam come first, holding him as he thrashes wildly. The brothers Maki and Daki come next, even without his arms and legs, this snake Adonious is strong.
As I carve his flesh, I see Akaria stumbling through the crowd. Her right eye bloodshot, her left arm bent unnaturally, one of her legs drags behind her, probably broken from the pod falling. She is supported by Korra, the fierce woman from my grouping. My neck spasms as I feel the demon who brought me pain in the cave of ice placing their hand on my shoulder. Whispering into my ear.
The Nine are hungry
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
I turn to it with a snarl on my face, it will wait until I am finished. My blade rips down Adonius’s back further.
“Please!” Adonius cries finally, his face twisted “Please I beg you, spare me.”
The crowd does not stop it’s chant, hollow eyes look upon him as he screams in agony. Akaria stands before him now with Korra’s help, looking down on him.
“Mercy!” he yells, tears streaming down his face.
He will find none here among my people, neither the dead nor the living look upon him with pity.
“Father! Please, someone… anyone.” His eyes are wide.
Now he begins to understand what my people have felt, their cries always falling on the deaf ears of the masters. My blade carves further.
“Helenius, my God – please answer my prayers – save me.” He cries out.
My knife drives deeper as I say “Yes, call your God of cowards.”
“Please Helenius… please…” he whimpers.
Arrum looks upwards to the skies.
“Brother, time is short.” He says.
Above us in low orbit is a ship cresting the sky. I recognize it, Thorn, the flagship of House Helenius. There is no more time to exact revenge, my people must start fleeing this place before the soldiers rain from the skies. I nod to Arrum. Though I know if he knew of Isola’s suffering he would not care if lingering meant death. It is why I do not tell him. I want him to survive past this tragedy. To thrive once he heals his hearts wounds.
Pulling my blade from Adonius’s flesh, I turn the handle to Akaria. Her eyes look up to me, uncertain if she has the right. I grasp her hand and place it in her palm.
“Juga ta Heka.” I say in the old tongue.
It’s meaning is simple – Release your chains. She holds the knife, her hand trembling as she brings it to his throat. Dragging it slowly across. Blood sprays from his carotid artery onto her. The others release him, sending him to the ground. Kneeling down next to him, I whisper in his ear.
“Tell your God of cowards, I come for them in the afterlife.”
His body twitches for a few moments before his eyes glass over. Akaria lets out a breath, dropping the blade to the sands. Her attention far away now, I can tell she wishes to rest, but there is no time for it. I grasp her face, drawing her attention to my words.
“Take them from this place.”
She nods to me slowly.
“What about you?” Arrum asks.
“I will hold them back as long as I can.” I say, looking up to the sky, there are transport ships coming through the clouds. The demons howl with laughter, save the one with the purple spark in their eyes. They still walk in my shadow, silent, eyes looking skyward. The demon who brought me the pain, always speaking of the false gods comes to my shoulder now.
More souls for the slaughter
Give us your body
You have had your revenge
“When my people are safe.” I whisper to it under my breath.
It hisses at me, sending pain into my shoulder from its hand.
It was not a request
The demon says to me, it’s mouth twisting into a smile. Pain floods me, nearly bringing me to my knees. The one who spoke the words of my people, with the purple spark in their eyes knocks the other demon’s hand from my shoulder, stepping between us. The other demons hiss and begin circling us.
You forget your place Amon
You are the last of the Nine
The demon who brings pain says to the one with the purple spark in their eyes, the one who defends me now. For what reason I do not know.
The demon they called Amon turns to the pain bringer, its voice less distorted now, it is the voice of a man I realize, defiance echoes in his voice. His figure swathed in darkness rippling as though something within him is fighting to break free.
I do not fear you like the others Valka
Do your worst
The demon he calls Valka, the one who brought me pain laughs loudly, lunging forward. The two demons begin fighting, flashes of light crossing my vision until all the Nine demons disappear from it entirely. The strength from them pulls from my body.
“Kada, what’s wrong?” Neeba asks me, coming to my shoulder with Arrum.
“We need to go.” Nekam says, trying to grab me up.
I pull from him, shaking my head.
“We cannot delay.” He says as the first of the crafts begins to descend onto the field.
Metal soldiers jump down to the sands now from the crafts, firing upon my people. Those of my people that are armed fire back, but they are not trained in these weapons. Their shots often missing their mark. I feel the raging of the demon’s battle. The Black Edict rattles in my pouch.
“I cannot go with you.” I say, my heart heavy. I will not risk the demons using my body to kill them.
“You will die if you stay.” Arrum says, grasping my shoulder “We can figure out whatever is wrong with you. We always figure it out brother.”
Opening the weaved armor that Kotina gave me, I show them the lines that trace my body. It is a tapestry of darkness.
“I am already dead.” I say putting a hand on his shoulder now “Do not dishonor my last request.”
Arrum’s eyes glow as he looks upon the lines that swirl with darkness.
“Kada…” Arrum begins, but Nekam grasps his shoulder firmly to silence him.
“You must live, so you can rise up, and carry the torch, break the chains that bind our people.” I say, giving him my will “Thrive.”
I do not want my last moments of sanity to be mired in sadness. I feel the demon Amon is losing to this Valka. The darkness from them seeping back into me. The shadow of their figures in the corner of my perception.
My eyes widen as I feel something in the air, something I recognize. Not from the demons, but from something else.
“Go – go now.” I say, but to my frustration they do not leave.
Lightening cracks and thunder booms in the skies above. I have felt this before, it is like when the being of light broke into the Realm of Dreams and saved me. A false god meddles in the affairs of mortals.
The winds howl as lightening strikes Adonius’s chest, runes of light appearing on his body. His flesh sucks back the blood that flowed, his lungs taking in the air loudly as he gasps awake. Clutching his chest. The tendons in his arms and legs forming back together, the wounds on his face healing. He pushes up from the ground, taking to his knees.
“Helenius has seen my worth and blessed me.” He says, kneeling to the heavens with his hands outstretched “I accept your blessing, my God Helenius. Grant me one of your Edicts, and I will slay the blasphemer.”
The air ripples and cracks as an object smashes into the ground sent from the belly of the flagship Thorn. A tremor shakes through the sand. My jaw flexes as I see light coming from the dust cloud.
The outline of Adonius grasps the object. As his body becomes clearer, the dust starting to settle, I see the object changing shapes in his hand. Runes of light flowing up his arm.
Sekat.