Aldric Stonefist tore through the lower bowels of the Defiance, Aetherblaster in one hand and a blade in the other, chasing the signature of the incursion that had appeared within the ship. Coming up behind him, a few meters away and receding at a very fast pace were the cohort members of the Kaminaris and lances, both sending some of their best ascenders along with the rest of the forces that made up the legion of the titan. They had spent two hours in transit, two hours burning power as fast as they could to escape the clutches of the system they had been running from.
It had happened every few minute intervals, the incursions directly into the ship, abyssal energies no longer separated by aspects opening short but vital pathways through the spatial defenses Shola had put up. The energies were stronger, more cohesive, containing all flavors of powers Aldric had fought against, and the creatures were stronger as well. Still, the Shieldborne faced them with overbearing strength, diamond ranked power, the power of an ascender at the peak of any world’s strength in the Archailect.
Sighting the abomination in the distance, he took one step, shooting forwards in a flash of power as the creature turned to him, its visage one to induce mind numbing terror, barbed tentacles tearing towards him and a scorpion stinger dripping with venom he knew would be at least four times as potent as before. The blade flashed up, catching the stinger as the Aserite imbued with the titan aspect within it cleanly sliced off the stinger. He rolled through the air, feeling and hearing the presence of the ascenders as they arrived, their two commanders, both diamond ranked barking at them into formation.
Firepower from Aetherblasters tore through the air, leaving the static feel of intent and mana fused together as laid into the creature. It gave a shriek, its venom splashing around and coating a single ascender whose screams died in his throat as he was a tumbling mess of bones and fluids before he even realized it. Aldric would berate himself later for the death of the ascender, the house couldn’t afford to lose gold rankers currently, not without them knowing the situation of things back at their growing empire.
He was atop the monster, mithril boots slamming down on its skull as a tentacle sought to grab him. His blade flashed once and then twice, two limbs sheared off with absolute precision, the Aetherblaster positioned at the skull of the creature and with rage, the Shieldborne released every shot available in the cartridge of his power cell, emptying the power of the aether blaster on the creature. The commander of the lances was at his side, a red-haired woman with one eye burnt away and wrapped in linen coated with healing elixirs.
She held a glowing orb in hand and a staff in another and with precision threw the orb into the pathway behind them where the creature had appeared from. With a flick of her staff, the area around the pathway froze up, holding even as the orb exploded, aether and an energy Aldric wasn’t familiar with burning the pathway away. The creature became ashes as they landed, the woman walking towards her forces as she met up with the other commander.
“Sectors two to ten are cleared, holding forces are on ground to prevent incursions, venerable Shola promises complete protection in those quadrants” the captain of the Kaminaris said, a lean man with a dark rimmed glass on his face, bald headed and gauntlets adorning both hands.
“We can’t keep losing golds Michael” the woman said.
“Agreed, command has instructed a full clamp down on movements, we’re to defends the sectors closest to the abode of lord titan blade, we’re reaching house territory soon” the captain named Michael replied.
Aldric kept his silence, observing as he scrolled through his Hud, communicating silently with the lord Valoris himself and his last two brothers left within the Shieldborne. Getting his orders, he sheathed his blade, locking his aether blaster to his thigh as the power cell had already begun to recharge. Walking past the ascenders who parted for him, seeing the cold look on his face, he paused as the voice of Lillian, captain of the lancers reached him.
“Where to next, Shieldborne?” she said.
Aldric heard the silent tone of accusation coming from her, biting down the rage within him as he turned, speaking levelly without a hint of his growing impatience.
“Orders will be passed across to you, I have my mission, so do you” he replied.
“We were to accompany you; in case you need help” Michael said.
In case he needed help.
The meaning stabbed at his heart the same way it enraged him, he was a Shieldborne, he had been charged with the protection of the titan blade, their lord, and they had failed. The truth ate at him as deeply as it hurt him, to the eyes of hundreds of ascenders who were in the legion, they weren’t worthy of the position. Still, ignoring that they were both diamond rankers, Aldric would beat them into tomorrow should they so much as walked out of line.
Instilling the discipline that came with being a Shieldborne, he spoke.
“You have performed your duties with the utmost diligence, now it is time for you to continue on your original parameters, I have mine to attend to” he said as he levelled his gaze with the both of them.
The ascenders of the forces shuffled uncomfortably as they felt the friction between the two sides, aware that they were between three monsters, three diamond rankers. Michael nodded first, glancing away from Aldric who turned.
“we’re close to Ibere, we’re almost home” he said as he paused.
“I know you feel rage for what happened to the titan blade, shame that we’ve failed him, I know, I feel it too” he continued.
“But you should know better, I know he’s not dead, and even if he is, we owe it to him to bear the news of what happened back to the house, the war isn’t over yet brothers and sisters” he completed as he became a blur.
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Aldric Stonefist, second brother and commander of the Shieldborne felt a pressure leave his chest.
Ω
Rohan appeared back in the realm of his father, Azael, the reaper of chaos. Power of chaos swirling around him, he landed in a roll, coming to a stop to meet himself before a throne of blackest midnight, and what had once been his father seated upon it, surrounded by hundreds of swirling faces and shrieking laughter. He fell to his knees immediately, head bowed at the being whose power eclipsed the entire world and reality around the planet.
“So, your games failed” Azael said as Rohan bit back a shiver.
“The prime lord saw through your games, as expected of the once lord of destruction” Azael continued.
“Soon to be lord” Rohan interjected, wincing slightly.
“Hmm?” Azael said, skeletal face turning to Rohan.
Rohan dared to look into the cold pitiless gaze of the reaper given form, his scythe embedded into the ground at his side.
“Araman hasn’t ascended completely to the position of a prime lord, he requires one last rune, the rune with the titan blade” Rohan explained.
“The disciple of the bastard?, what part does he have to play in this?” Azael asked, mild curiosity in his tone.
“He slayed the last lord of mutation, Molrik, he has the rune, and Araman has gone in pursuit” Rohan said.
Azael paused, chuckling to himself.
“Fickle thing fate is” he said softly.
“Then you know your mission, get the rune” Azael replied.
“The titan is dead, slain by Araman but his forces escaped with the rune” Rohan said again.
“So that was what wiped out my creatures, that foul power” Azael said with distaste.
Rohan controlled his facial expression; he had wondered as well what had the strength to scour the planet clean of the aspect of chaos. If the titan had a means to erase the aspect of chaos, he posed a threat both to his plans and an opportunity as well. He felt the bony finger of Azael on his head as a chill spread through his body, staring at the reaper.
“If this titan blade is out of the equation, that it makes your job easier” Azael started.
“Araman will be going for the rune, he’ll send whatever creatures he has been able to create from the fusion of the runes, all converging on wherever the destination of the titan’s forces aims for” he said.
“You will draw my attention there, and if possible, raze it to the ground, avoid Araman, we both know you’re not a match for him at this point” Azael said.
The words stung in ways Rohan couldn’t explain, before he could say something he’d regret through, two items appeared in the hands of the reaper, a small gem and a black sword. Both weapons gave off the overwhelming feel of chaos, ranking as high as arcane weapons if Rohan was to rank them with the measurements of the Archailect.
He understood immediately, grabbing the blade, feeling the power of chaos wash through his body, gritting his teeth from the blinding chill that felt like his bones were both frozen and on fire at the same time. He saw Azael staring at him expectantly, eyes judging, observing if he would be weak, weak like the once favored son. Marshalling his willpower, he climbed to his feet, feeling the power circulating his system, coating his core and wiping all traces of the power of aether and the Archailect in general.
He took a deep shuddering breathe, eyes opening as he saw the planet in a whole new light, or should he say, darkness. At first, he was close to recoiling in fear and terror, his mind doing its best to make sense of just what he was staring at, the planet was one giant coiled serpent, its body wrapped around he very fabric of reality that was the planet, constantly rotating slowly to feed power into the newly constructed pillar of chaotic energies.
He felt the reaper shift its attention to him.
“You feel it, don’t you?” Azael asked.
“Is that him?” Rohan asked breathless at the sight.
“a mere representation of his true power, Apophis’s true power cannot be contained by a mere planet, even one baptized in the powers of chaos itself” Azael explained.
Rohan glanced back at the blade and the gem in his hand, feeling the power of chaos within his soul.
“You are now one of the Chaosborne, the same position your brother rejected, albeit a weaker one, but the blade should put you roughly close to his strength” Azael said.
“Why does he fit into the situation, you believe he’ll go after his former disciple?” Rohan asked.
No doubt the titan blade’s forces would defend him from intruders, few would know of his ties to the titan blade, even fewer would trust a being with the power of chaos within his veins. Azael stood up, grabbing his scythe as he walked down his throne, Rohan bowing lower.
“Ajax is predictable, I know not what bargain he struck with the cosmic dragon, but with the power he has, he’s still a wanted man with nowhere to go, he’ll go to the one person he cared about just as much as he once did for me” Azael replied.
Rohan nodded, sheathing the blade to his waist as the gem disappeared, watching as dark shapes coalesced around him.
“Take the children of chaos with you, a hundred of the runts I have been able to create, you’ll need distractions either way” Azael said.
Rohan glanced at the creatures who only had glowing grey eyes, their bodies as upright liquid.
“And you?’ he asked.
Was Azael going to head straight for the last citadel with all its defenders alone?, even for him that was a bit too much, Eses and Lucirion would no doubt be there. Azael chuckled as he waved his hands, the planet suddenly becoming reflective to show a series of systems in the distance, ringed with power that felt overwhelmingly familiar. It took Rohan a few seconds to realize where they were, eyes wide as he watched.
“Eses and her masters think me stupid enough to go straight for their main fortress, no” Azael started.
“To kill a tree, you start with its extended roots, cut off their reaches and isolate them, luckily for us, the harbinger of Liakya has done that for us” he said.
Rohan watched as large construct crafts unleashed such terrible power at the planet that absorbed it, large chaos creatures manifesting as they became a blur, appearing outside the planet and attacking the defenses in their thousands.
They were in the construct empire, home of the androids and domain of Liakya.
How had they travelled from one end of the cosmos to another so quickly?, what power had Azael funneled into accomplishing such a staggering goal?. The reaper turned to him, eyes glowing.
“One by one, I will go for their domains, force them to come to me, this is the end of all they hold dear” he said.
Rohan opened a pathway, took one look at the void of space where thousands of ships blotted the void for as far as the eyes could see, their weapons firing nonstop at the planet of Azael that absorbed blast after blast, barely taking any damage. He felt a pinch of pity for the mechanical lives that would die this day, for the reaper had come, stepping through the pathway, he appeared in the void of space, a black sleek vessel hovering next to him, his ride.
Stepping in, he felt his mind connect the vessel, shuddering as the agonizing screams of the creatures filled his mind before shutting them down. Opening his eyes, he willed the ship to trace its way back to the system of dire, it would be his starting point, the hundred creatures of chaos within his very ship, hungry to devour.