The Fighting Had Been Happening Mostly On The Outer Perimeter Of Drybrush So It Would Take Several Minutes For The Enemy To Reach Him. Long Enough And Silent Enough For Thoughts To Be So Much More Vivid Than Normal. He Thought About The Empire, He Thought About Past Moments In His Life...
...He Thought About Ameerah.
It Occurred To Him Then That Most Of His Fighting Had Been Done With Someone To Watch His Back. Sorvynia With The Crawler Epidemic In Mystra Amor, Discord With The Various Raids In Eternelle Lune, But The Majority Had Been Done With Ameerah At His Side. Now, There Was No One. Glimpsing Left And Glimpsing Right He Saw Only His Image Reflected In The Windows Of Homes And Shops He Passed. It Was Then That He Felt Alone.
Self Pity Wasn't An Indulgence He Would Allow. This Was His Duty, His Obligation, This Was What He Had Been Born For. Somehow He'd Always Known That He Wouldn't Go The Way Of His Siblings. It Wouldn't Be At The Hands Of His Father Or Due To His Own Inner Conflict Tearing Him Apart From The Inside, It Would Be Fighting Somewhere To Prevent Something From Happening To Someone Else. The Idea Always Seemed Kind Of Noble In His Head, To Give Himself For The Greater Good Of Another Like So Many Characters In His Favorite Book. He'd Always Thought He Would Feel Fulfilled, Or Righteous In That Moment, But All He Felt Was Lonely. Lonely And Nervous.
..Your energy, your essence is different, Valorius. I could reclaim the lost energy of my past children because of how they were birthed. Yours however..it is a new paradigm. It cannot be reintegrated to the source. Once your essence no longer has connection to the mass..you will simply cease. Lost to the ether...
The Warning Words Of His Father, Told To Him Years Ago In The Nexxus They Had Never Really Been Something He Thought About Until That Very Moment. There Would Be No Ever After, No 'New World' Awaiting, Just Nothingness. The Void. No Way To Ever Know If He Had Done Right Or Wrong, No Way To See If What He Had Done Would Matter At All. That Is What Scared Him. It Wasn't The End He Worried Over, It Was To Give EVERYTHING Only To Have It Mean Nothing.
Such Thoughts Were Poison To A Soldier, And His Jaw Clenched As He Did His Best To Force Them From His Mind. The Sound Of Approaching Enemies Was Coming Closer, They Would Be In The Street Before Him In Only A Few Minutes, Before He Made It To His Final Destination. He Could Easily Sprint To The Center Of The City And Do What Had To Be Done Before They Reached Him, But Then He Ran The Risk Of Not Getting Them All. If Even One Made It Out Than The Plague Could Just Reinfect The Next Healthy Person Who Came Too Close. That Could Not Happen. He Couldn't Let It.
So He Kept Walking, Waiting, Hands Gripping At His Pistols, Tensing As He Came Ever Closer. The Sound Of Creaking Metal Finally Took His Eyes From The Street And Towards The Side. 'The Executioners Block'. It Was A Shop He Knew Well. Pausing In His Stride He Glanced To The Pistols He Held And Realized Then That Though They Were Effective, They May Not Be Enough To Give Him The Time Or Space He Needed. Looking Down The Street And Judging By The Sounds, He Had Roughly About 6 Minutes Before The Street Was Filled With The Sick, And The Creatures From The Water. The Sound Of The Collapsing Structures Had Slowed Revealing That Those Responsible For Had Come Above Ground To See What Was Drawing All The Infected. Good, He Needed All Of Them Clustered Together.
Moving Quickly He Detoured Into The Weapons Shop And Immediately Headed For The Firearms Area. With No Real Time To Be Picky He Went For The Weapons He Knew Would Be The Most Useful. Blunderbuss', High Caliber Pistols, Anything That Packed Heavy Stopping Power. Being Experienced With Such Weapons He Was Quick To Load Them, Adding Powder, Shot, And Percussion Caps With A Swift, Almost Mechanical Precision. Each Weapon Was Stuffed Barrel Up Into A Large Canvas Sack He'd Pulled From An Aisle.
Setting The Canvas Bag Down Against The Counter He Moved To The Back And Grabbed A Small Keg Of Gun Powder Along With Several Empty Metal Canteens. It Wasn't Until He Was Filling The 3rd Canteen With Powder That He Heard A Voice Behind Him.
”You do not need to do this, Valorius.”
He Almost Dropped The Half Filled Canteen Before Looking Over His Shoulder.
”I don't have time to argue, they'll be here soon.”
Finishing With Filling The Canteen, He Used 1 Of The Many Knives On The Counter To Punch Holes In The Caps So That He Could Fit Wicks Inside. His Father Came Out Of The Dark Standing As Stoic As Ever. A Wide Brimmed Hat With His Hands Clasped In Front Of Him Like They Always Were, He Moved To Stand Beside The Counter A Few Feet Away From His Son. Valorius Didn't Look Up.
”My mother send you?”
Astynax Shook His Head, Reaching Over To Pick Up One Of The Knives On The Counter, Seeming More Interested In Looking At It Than At The Young Man Before Him.
”No. I came of my own choice. She was very...adamant about coming herself, but given her mood I thought it best that I come in her place. To attempt to persuade you to reconsider.”
Valorius Scoffed, Putting The 3rd Wick Into The 3rd Canteen While His Father Toyed With 1 Of The Many Blades. ”I'm surprised you didn't just snap your fingers, or freeze time, or pull me through some keyhole back to the Palace.”
Astynax Set The Blade Down And Clasped His Hands Again Before Him, Finally Looking At His Son. ”Your mother and I swore that we would not interfere with your or Ameerah's choices, for better or worse. We stay true to our word. But we never promised to not offer insight when you are potentially heading to your end.” The Bel Telal Had To Pause Then After Slipping The Last Canteen Down Into The Bag. He Turned To His Father Almost Aggressively.
”So NOW you're going to play the part of the concerned father? It's a little fucking late to pretend like you care one way or another what happens to me. Ameerah's gone, and whoever she is now has no idea who I am. My -purpose- as far as you're concerned ended the second her memories did, so thanks but you can go back and tell my mother you did your best but I was just too stubborn to listen.” Valorius Snatched Up The Canvas Bag And Slung It Over His Arm As He Began Walking For The Door.
”I am sorry, my son.”
Out Of The Millions Of Things That Could Have Been Said, From Passively Indifferent To Downright Insulting The Young Man Could Have Taken It All Without So Much As Losing A Step, But What He Heard Caused Him To Stop. ”...what did you say?” He Heard His Father Approach But Didn't Move A Muscle, And Then Astynax Was Coming In Front Of Him.
”I said, I am sorry my son. I know that out of all my children I have treated you the most callously. I will make no excuses for this, nor will I ask for something as trivial as forgiveness. I will only give you a reason.” Valorius Looked Anywhere He Could To Avoid Looking At His Fathers Face. This Was The LAST Fucking Thing He Needed To Hear. Shaking His Head He Was About To Say He Didn't Need A Reason, But His Father Took A Step Forward And Spoke Before He Was Able.
”Of all my children, you are the only one to possess a pure source. From their birth their energies were marked, with identity, with personality, theirs was a painted canvas. Yours was raw, undecided. For that reason you were the most dangerous of your siblings.” Astynax Reached Down, Taking Hold Of The Young Mans Left Hand. His Father Was The Only Person That Could Ever Touch The Opaque Jade Limb And Cause -No- Reaction In The Energy. Raising The Hand, Astynax Looked Over The Fingers And Palm With Formless Yellow Eyes. ”Yours, like mine, has the potential to create..or destroy. I am fortunate in that when necessary I can eliminate emotion from my decisions. I can be without sorrow, or anger, love or bias. You cannot. Perhaps that is my greatest wrong toward you. Such significant power expected to be used with reason, by emotions that are as alive as any human. I relied on the statistical probability that distancing myself, that being uncompromising would cause you to distance yourself. It is why I isolated the negative aspects of your essence, why it took a God of death for you to access it. It was all meant to keep you from following the same path as your siblings. Should they lose control I knew I could prevent their path of destruction. With you however there are too many variables to know with certainty what you may be capable of.”
It Made Complete Sense. Logical, Rational, To The Point Like Everything His Father Always Said. That Did Not Make It Easier To Understand Or Accept Though. Valorius Pulled His Hand Away And Looked Astynax In The Eye. ”So instead of telling me the truth, instead of trusting me and that I might be different, that I might be strong enough to do what they couldn't..you thought it was better to treat me like I was nothing. Like I was just a fucking dog, kept around to protect Ameerah. Thanks for the reason, hope it clears up all that regret. Oh wait..you can just turn that shit off, right? Not to worry then, you'll forget you gave a fuck by the time I'm out the door. Tell my mother I love her, and you... He Wanted To Say Something Hurtful, Something That Would Stab Deep. But At The Last Moment The Idea That This Might Actually Be The -Last- Moment Occurred To Him, And He Sighed. ..you kept me from ending up like them. Thank you...father.” Leaning In He Wrapped His Left Arm Around His Fathers Shoulders And Hugged Him Briefly Before Letting Go And Walking Around Him Towards The Door. Astynax Stood Motionless For A Moment, Having Not Expected Such A Response. The Outcome Caused Him To Have To React Without Thought, Turning Abruptly 2 Voices Came Out In Perfect Sync.
”Valorius. Perhaps it is this worlds time to fall. The gods of it have done nothing to prevent its descent. You have given up your place in the empire to serve Aleris. You have lost Tyler among countless others you called friend in protecting this land. You have lost Ameerah and still served. You can return to the empire with no regret. You have given all that anyone could expect.” The Bel Telal Smiled, Hearing Actual Concern In His Fathers Voice For The First Time In His Life. Taking A Deep Breath Valorius Shook His Head Softly, His Right Hand Coming Up To Pull Down The Brim Of His Hat And Raise His Keffiyeh Up Over The Bridge Of His Nose.
”No. Not all.”
Pulling A Loaded Blunderbuss From The Sack Over His Shoulder He Kicked The Door Open, Immediately Greeted By 5 Gathered Infected In The Street. They Shouted And Charged Him Only To Be Stopped By A Near Point Blank Blast Of Shot Which Threw Them Back. Immediately He Sprinted Down The Street, Leaving The Door Swinging Behind Him And A Pair Of Normally Gleaming Yellow Eyes A Far Dimmer, Melancholy Shade.
There Was No Time To Think, Only Act And React. All He Had To Do Was Make It To The Center Of The City. Every Few Steps Another Body Came Lunging From An Alley Or Busting Through A Window, Each One Met With A Large Caliber Minie Ball Or A Cluster Of Shot. It Took Less Than 2 Minutes For The Street To Start Filling, Both In Front And Behind As Infected Seemed To Be Coming From Everywhere. Those With Beyond Human Abilities Were Leaping From Scaled Buildings Or Breaking Down Doors As They Were Drawn To The Scent Of Blood And The Pull Of 'Living' Energy.
When The Gathering Started Getting Too Dense To Just Continue Forward He Pulled One Of The Canteens From The Bag, Using A Pistol Pan Ignition To Light The Wick And Toss The Powder Bomb Ahead. The Explosion Was Significant, Sending Shrapnel And A Hearty Pressure Wave Which Did A Good Job At Clearing Many Out Of His Way. If All The Infected Were Human Than It Would Have Been Easy, But Most Of Them Were Not. Those Who Weren't Killed Or Made Immobile By The Gunfire And Explosions Just Kept Coming. The Ocean Creatures Only Attacked When They Thought There Was An Opening, And SInce They Died From Any Wound A Human Would, They Were Far Less Aggressive Than Their Infected Counterparts.
Soon He Was Having To Reach Far Back Into The Bag To Draw Out A Weapon, His Arsenal Was Running Out Quickly And He Was Only Halfway To Where He Needed To Be. He HAD To Get Off The Ground And Lessen The Obstacles Ahead Of Him. In Mid Sprint Another Canteen Was Pulled From His Bag, And Again He Planned To Light The Wick With A Shot. Just As The Fuse Was Ignited, A Vampiric Infected, One Of The Fallen Protectorate, Came Leaping From An Upper Story Window And Tackled Him From The Side Causing Him To Drop The Powder Bomb. It Couldn't Infect Him, But If Enough Of The Infected Were Able To Circle Around Him Their Combined Superhuman Abilities Along With No Sense Of Self Preservation Could Force Him To Use Too Much Energy To Get Clear, Preventing Him From Reaching The Square.
With Only Seconds To React He Wrapped His Right Hand Around The Sickly Mans Throat And Pushed To Gain Distance. His Left Hand Grasped At The Dirt Until He Reclaimed The Still Lit Bomb And Stuffed It Into His Attackers Coat. As He Put His Feet To Their Torso He Kicked Out Harshly And Sent The Body Flying Back To Explode Amongst Several Others, Creating A Clear Spot, And A Moment Of Opportunity. He Quickly Got To His Feet But The Weapons Bag Had Fallen Off His Shoulder. With No Time To Retrieve It And Still Take Advantage Of The Opening, He Sprinted Forward And Leaped From The Clearing Towards One Of The Buildings. He Easily Ascended 2 Stories, Grabbing At A Window Box Of And Pulling Harshly At It To Launch Himself Up The Additional 3 Stories To The Roof. The Human Infected Could Only Run Into The Lower Level Of The Building In An Attempt To Reach The Top While Those 'Beyond' Human Were Soon Scaling It Like Insects.
He Didn't Waste Time Waiting, He Kept Moving, Drawing His Own 2 Pistols From Their Holsters As He Started Using The Rooftops To Continue Forward. Leaping From Building To Building He Made Sure To Save His Shots For When He Really Needed Them. He Was Able To Stay Ahead Of Most Of The Assault, Having To Occasionally Kick An Infected Off The Edge Of A Roof Or Backhand Them Out Of His Path. It Was On The 5th Roof He Jumped To That The Poor Construction Gave Way Under His Feet And He Fell Down Onto The Top Floor. By The Time He Got To His Feet He Could Feel The Entire Building Shaking. The Creatures From The Water, They Knew Where He Was Heading. They Were Trying To Bring The Building Down Around Him.
There Were No Windows He Could See, Only A Doorway Which Led To The Stairs And He Could Already Hear The Stairway Full Of Footsteps As The Sick Came Charging Upward. He Had Wanted To Preserve The Sustainability Of His Flesh Until The Final Moment, But If He Got Closed In And Collapsed On It Would All Be For Nothing.
For Nothing, That Was His Only Fear. Narrowing His Eyes And Looking Towards The Wall Facing The Street, He Dug His Heels Into The Floor.
”If I were you...I'd be afraid of me too.”
Pushing Off With Enough Force To Crack The Floorboards, He Rushed The Wall And Permeated His Body With Energy From His Arm. Making The Tissue Denser, He Burst Through The Stone With Destructive Force. Rocks Rained Down Below As The Several Story Building, Which Was Already Faltering, Toppled In The Same Direction From The Sudden Directional Momentum. By The Time It Came Crashing Down Across The Street, He Was Already On The Move Again. Many Of The Infected Had Taken To Roofs Or Had Run Into The Buildings He Had Leaped On, So The Collapse Had Removed A Good Number From His Path But Had Not Entirely Cleared The Way.
Those Who Got In Front Of Him Were Literally Charged Through. Using His Arms Like Bludgeons, Swinging Whenever Any Got Too Close, The Bodies Of The Opposition Were Knocked Back Or Broken To The Point Of Being Immobile. He Would NOT Let Them Stop Him. The More Energy He Put Forth Into His Flesh, The Faster It Started To Erode Away. It Began With A Slight Splitting Of The Skin At The Far Corners Of His Eyes, Spreading Out Like Cracking Glass Along The Sides Of His Face. Beneath His Shirt The Tissue Which Was Closest To The Concentrated Energy Of His Arm Started To Degrade Until It Too Was Fading Away, Albeit Slowly.
Finally He Reached The Town Square And Came To A Stop In The Very Center, Right Above Where The Ley Lines Of The City Intersected. Standing There He Watched The Street And Waited For Those Who Had Fallen Behind To Catch Up. They Had To At Least Be Somewhat Nearby Or Else He Ran The Risk Of Not Getting Them All. If Even One Managed To Remain Then There Was A Chance That The Cycle Could Begin All Over Again. That Could NOT Happen. It Was The Most Critical Moment, Requiring Patience And Anticipation. The Anticipation Was Already There In Spades, Patience However Was Not Always One Of His Virtues.
He Used The Time Waiting For Them To Ready Himself, Pushing Away All Feelings Of Doubt Or Apprehension As He Focused On The Task At Hand. There Was An Entire City Of People, And Even More Cities Throughout The Continent Which Needed To Be Protected. Losing Al Sir Terrified Many, And In Such Dismal Times It Was Important To Keep Hope Alive. People Needing Something To Believe In, Something To Motivate Them. If He Was Able To Pull This Off, Perhaps Word Would Spread That The Largest City On Heruin Had Been Purged. If That Could Be Accomplished Than Others Would Fight To Preserve The Continent. Others Would Fight To Preserve Their World. That Was Worth His Existence, Wasn't It?
They Came Running Down The Street, Infected And Ocean Monsters Alike. The First Shot He Delivered Was From The Over Under Pistol In His Left Hand And It Took Half An Infected Head With It. Another Shot From The Side By Side Sent A Minie Ball That Blew Out The Left Side Of A Merman Chest. An Infected Half Demon Jumped At Him And Was Caught By A Power Front Kick To The Chest Then Driven Down Into The Ground By The Same Foot. Bone Crushed Under Grinding Heel As He Aimed And Fired Another Shot Which Took Out The Throat Of A Merman Just As An Infected Human Jumped On His Back. He Backhanded His Pistol Barrel Into Their Face With Enough Force To Crush The Skull And The Body Fell, Reaching His Foot Back He Used His Boot To Hook Beneath The Body And Kick It Forward With Harsh Force. It Flew Through The Air And Knocked Back Several Of The Charging Enemy Giving Him A Moment To Assess The Situation.
Only A Few More Moments And There Would Be No Turning Back. It Was Startling To See Just How Many There Were, So Many Faces He Recognized With Others So Badly Mangled It Was Difficult To Tell Who Who They Used To Be. The Hardest To Accept, To Engage Were Those Who Wore The Uniform Of The Protectorate. There Were More Foot Soldiers Than Elites But That Didn't Make Fighting Them Any Easier. Many Of Them Had Been Friends, Soldiers He Personally Trained Back In Eternelle Lune, And Now They Were All Going To Die In A Land Not Their Own For A People Who Would Never Even Remember Their Names. It Was An Unfortunate Way To Go, But Then Again That Was The Obligation, Was It Not.
The Square Was Nearly Full And He Had 1 Shot Left. Holstering The Empty Pistol He Aimed The Other At One Of The Charging Infected, Timing His Shot. At The Perfect Moment He Pulled The Trigger And Took The Leg Clean Off From The Kneecap Down Which Caused The Former Citizen Of Drybush To Spill Forward Onto Their Face. He Ran At Them And By The Time They Got To A Single Knee He Was Jumping Up Onto Their Back, Using Them As A Springboard To Leap Higher Into The Air. Mid Jump He Holstered His Other Pistol, And Began To His Concentration Drift.
It Only Took A Few Seconds But It Felt Like Much Longer. Anyone Who Said Your Life Flashed Before Your Eyes The Moment Before It Ended Must Have Never Met A Non-Human, Because Honestly He Didn't See Anything About His Life. All He Saw Was A Flash Of Light Inside His Thoughts As He Relinquished That Last Bit Of Restraint He'd Always Been Taught To Maintain. Coming Down, He Drove His Left Arm Forcefully Into The Ground, And In 1 Concentrated Pulse He Forced His Energy Into The Ley Lines Below.
The Sound Wasn't Resembling Of An Explosion, It Was More A Sudden Drop In Pressure Followed By A Swift And Expanding Increase. A Great Silence Overcame The Entire Square Before A Massive Blast Wave Tore Through The Air In All Directions. Windows Shattered From Surrounding Buildings, Intense Wind Kicked Up Dust And Sand In A Circular Clearing. All Along The Ground Stretching From The Square And Far Into The City, The Ley Lines Shot Up From Beneath The Earth And Immediately Began Striking, Consuming, Disintegrating All Organic Life. It Was Like An Emerald Lightning Storm Erupting From The Very Soil Itself, Destroying Anything That Was Or Had At One Time Been Living. Were His Arm A Gun And Its Energy The Bullet, The Ley Lines Were The Barrel Used To Direct And Extend Its Reach. Maximum Lethality.
That Was Just -Above- Ground.
Beneath It, Another Pressure Wave. This One Larger Than The One Above. It Sent A Single Intense Tremor Outward In An Expanding Circle, Blowing Out All The Tunnels Which Had Been Created To Sink The City. The Ground Did Give Way But All At Once, Causing The Buildings To Drop A Few Feet But Then Steady As They Found New Foundation In The Newly Packed Ground. Drybrush Sank A Bit, But It Would No Longer Collapse Beneath The Sands.
The Brightest Flash Of Light However Came From The Very Center, The Source. The Jade Light Which Came Instantly Consumed All Who Were Within Its Path, Not Even Leaving Dust Behind. The Illumination Could Be Seen For Many Miles Away, And As Quickly As It Flared To Life, It Faded Once The Pressure Wave Reached The Outskirts Of The City.
After That, The City Was Silent Once More. Not A Single Living Being Remained Within The Buildings Or The Streets. Were It Not For The Collapsed Structures And The Blood On The Dirt One Might Never Know What Had Happened At All. Where The Pressure Wave Had Originated From Was Now Buried Beneath Stone And Sand, Too Deep For Any Pair Of Eyes To See Beyond. Save One.
Though An Oath Had Been Sworn To Not Interfere, To Allow Their Children To Make Their Own Way, It Was Beyond Even Them To Sit In Silence While Their Son Was Left Near Dead In The Dust. They May Not Be Able To Break Their Promise, But They Would Use A Way Around It.
A Voice, A Commanding And Perhaps Even Slightly Frantic Voice Spoke To The Hearts And Minds Of All Those Who Would Understand, To All Those Who Would Respond. It Was As Much A Demand As It Was A Plea.
~He is not gone. Go to him. Save him. Save my son.~
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 1:02 am
