Story Recap:
Tristan, a young man from a remote village of the Torstian holdings in the Dragon Peak mountains, lived a peaceful life until the appearance of a lost queen and a mighty man. Ren and Zammar preceded an attack by the alien Und'kal that would go on to destroy his home. The survivors from his village sought refugee, and headed for the Indus' city of Kathman. Tristan however decided to join Zammar and Ren in their task to warn and prepare more people for the alien invasion.
On his journeys, he met an intellectual class Und'kal named Aythyl. Aythyl performed the strange ability of "mind sharing," allowing Tristan to live the lives of various Und'kal. He lost himself in their violent consciousness, resulting in an attack on his Und friend. Nonetheless, Aythyl trusted Tristan and presented to him a mysterious stone that allowed the two to communicate through thought.
With Zammar and Ren, Tristan reached The Blacklands’ city of Candahar, where the natives were preparing for a large Und'kal attack. Making a promise to his beloved queen, Tristan committed to joining the fight. As the alien horde marched upon the city, he was warned by Aythyl of a new type of Und'kal that now approached, one that may very well determine the tide of battle.
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Tristan turned again and again as he ran aimlessly, trying desperately to make some sense of the violent discord that surrounded him on all sides. His hearing was continually assaulted by the shouting and screaming of men and Und'kal, overlaying the driving drum beat from behind, and throwing him into a tumultuous vortex of confusion. Dark, bare bodies pushed against him continuously, tempting to crush him underfoot in the stampede, their poisoned weapons slamming against him threateningly. He could hardly keep up.
It was the pure, undiluted form of chaos.
"Move!" A man yelled, shoving him aside as he sprinted by. Tristan faltered in surprise; his left foot caught on something, causing him to stumble forward helplessly.
"Sorry!" He cried after the figure that had long disappeared into the crowd. The mob of human bodies was finally starting to thin out, allowing him to see the ground and landscape as opposed to an endless mass of people. On the other hand, the charge had thrown up clouds of dust that reduced visibility significantly, obstructing his view of the Und'kal army. Tristan turned around to see what had tripped him - an unrecognizable human body with limbs sprung out at unnatural angles. The torso had been completely trampled into a red mush filled with chunks of organ. He stared at the mutilated corpse for a long time, even as more people rushed by, many of them contributing to the damage. That was a person, Tristan thought mournfully. A person with a life, friends, dreams, hopes...maybe he even had children.
"Above!" A strong yell from somewhere to his right. Tristan turned around and looked up just in time to see a large group of Und'kal warriors leaping high in to the air, above the front lines. They brandished their talons wickedly, growling and salivating through the jump. Spears stabbed up from below, cutting through the weak points in their natural armour, or bouncing off the plated parts and snapping dramatically. Kal bodies fell out of the air, a few already dead before hitting the ground, crushing those underneath that didn't move in time. The rest landed nimbly, many already injured, to be charged upon by the masses of people.
One touched down right in front of Tristan. Its arm swing was instantaneous, the talon shimmering in the dusty morning sun as it blurred through the movement. Tristan hardly had time to duck his head. He backed away quickly as the giant creature gave him a vicious grin. The Kal began to bend its legs, salivating wickedly in the process. The tall, upright torso dipped straight down in between the four limbs. Anticipating the jump, Tristan struggled awkwardly to the side, tripping and rolling hard across the ground. He covered his face instinctively when he came to a stop, waiting to be shredded apart.
A shrill scream ripped through the cacophony above him as hot liquid splattered across his arms. He opened his eyes to see the end of a spear sticking out from the Und'kal's side. The Kal, like him, followed the shaft to a man that was pushing it in deeper, his face contorted in angry conviction. It growled angrily, swinging a talon around to slash the man's shoulder and throw him through the air, leaving the spear still embedded. Another man leaped from the creature's other side, bringing his scimitar around in a slash and cutting a gash across the alien's torso. Black blood spurted out of it, the sloshy noise accompanied by another cry from the Kal. Before it had turned around, the first man leaped athletically through the air; his shoulder had been sliced open to reveal the muscle fibers within. His face contorted in pain as he brought a dagger down, stabbing through the Kal's eyes.
As the large alien crumpled, he pulled the spear out of its side, shifting it to his uninjured arm. He turned to give Tristan a hard look before ambling off after his companion to join the fray.
Tristan stared at the crumpled heap that remained of the alien warrior with large, shocked eyes. That had been brutal. He felt terrible for the Kal. Slowly, he looked up and around him. Lying on the ground, Tristan must have seemed like any other of the many bodies that were rapidly littering the clearing. The charge was over. Now, the entire view had turned into a killing field. Men and Und'kal were fighting one another all around him, the densest battle being in front to the West. The ground was already stained with dark, red blood as it soaked into the dirt underfoot. Bright morning sun refracted off the dusty air, painting the scene in dull yellow.
Awkwardly, he stood up. There was no order to the killing. Man and Und'kal struggled against one another desperately, driven by the most primitive instincts to survive. All around him life, beautiful life, was ending. Why did people have to fight the Und'kal? Was there no chance at friendship? Why could no one else try to understand the Und'kal? He wanted to shout, to beg humans and aliens alike to stop and make peace. But somewhere deep inside him, the old fear started returning. The Und'kal would kill everyone in their blood lust driven frenzy, a fury that he had lived. And the people, they had to defend themselves. There would never be a chance for peace.
A Kal was charging at him, kicking up dust in its haste. The talons in front kept flexing as it grinned maliciously, fully prepared to shred him apart. Tristan turned to face it. This was the way the warriors were, he knew, there would be no stopping it. He looked straight at it with conviction, fully accepting that this would be the end for him.
An arrow struck the Kal's leg, causing it to stumble in surprise. Another came zooming through the air to pierce its chest. Another in its other front leg. The Kal let out a pained shriek, stopping in surprise. Suddenly, three spears stabbed through the unsuspecting target, their owners pulling them back out quickly and running off to find a new enemy as the alien warrior buckled behind them.
A new scream cleaved through the cacophony of the fight, remarkably close to him. He turned to the source. Less than three meters from him, a Kal warrior was approaching two young boys maliciously. The older of the two held a spear with shaky arms, despite the hard confidence on his face. The other was cowering on his rump. The boy thrust his spear bravely, but the Kal, who had its back to Tristan, simply nudged it aside. It struck like lightning, the bladed talon disappearing into the boys chest with a spray of blood. It pulled the talon back out, clutching a feebly beating heart, still connected to veins and arteries. With a vicious grin, the alien threw the organ into its mouth, severing connections with the limp body of the boy that crumpled helplessly.
The other boy screamed as the Kal turned to face him. 'I hesitated,' Tristan realized. 'I promised Ren...I wouldn't hesitate.' Finally, surrounded on all sides by killing, Tristan reached to his belt and pulled out his long sword, the conviction of his promise strong in his mind.
Something triggered the moment he touched the blade's hilt. All reason, all empathy vanished in that moment. At once, he was no longer Tristan. This claw was an extension of his own body. With it, he would shred his enemies to pieces.
He yelled, brandishing the sword above him. With a strong leap, he jumped on the Kals back, bringing the blade down in a stab through the monsters shoulder next to a spiked protective plate. It disappeared into the dark leathery skin without great resistance, carried by the momentum of his swinging jump. The resulting scream deafened his unhearing ears. The ground heaved beneath him as the Kal reared on its hind legs. A talon came whizzing through the air, grazing Tristan's back before he was thrown off the alien. Sharp pain from the shallow cut shot through his body. A small shiver of fear ran somewhere in the back of his conscience; an alien desperation to survive that was quickly overcome by the accompanying bloodlust.
With another yell, Tristan jumped at the Kal that was clutching its shoulder desperately and turning around to face him. His sword was miraculously still in his hand, having slashed downwards through the warrior’s body as he was thrown out. It dripped with black blood as he brought it up, stabbing through an opening between the armoured plates on the Kal's torso. Knowing what would happen next, Tristan let go of the blade and dropped to the ground on his back, barely missing the sweeping talon. Kicking hard at the torso above, and pushing his arms against the legs on either side, Tristan slid backwards; the pain across his back as he did was terrible. He came to a stop, and slowly began to stand. The Kal was teetering, its legs bending and straightening beneath it as it looked at him ferociously. Tristan stood, expressionless, and watched it sway sideways a few times before falling to the ground.
He walked to the corpse calmly, and pulled out his blade, Ren's sword.
"Thanks..." The little boy was slowly getting up.
Tristan turned to him, and the look on his face caused the boy to fall back down and stare up with wide eyes. Tristan raised the sword above his head. More blood, an easy kill. One lunge, a single stab through the neck.
"What're you doing?!" The boy yelled desperately. Tristan's blade came flying through the air.
An immense, earthshaking roar cracked the sky around him. He gasped in surprise as the frenzied trance was broken, struggling desperately to alter the course of the sword. It stabbed through the ground, less than an inch from the boys neck.
"Go," he whispered, his entire body shaking. Had he just tried to kill a little boy? The target in question simply gave him a look of bewilderment before scrambling to his feet and running off. Tristan stared at the ground and shook his head desperately, “no, no...not again…”
The tremendous roar sounded again, causing the to shake. Tristan jumped at the noise. Somewhere deep in his being, he knew there was only one source for that sound. Sheathing his sword, Tristan hurriedly got to his feet and began sprinting into the mass of struggling bodies that comprised the front line of the battle.
The thick sea of bodies was impossibly difficult to traverse. Innumerable corpses littered the ground, hiding their limbs and other things for him to trip on beneath the thick cloud of dust that the survivors were kicking up. All around him, man and Und'kal were struggling desperately. A Kal warrior squeezed a man’s neck, lifting him up in to the air before biting his head off. Two spears already stuck through the alien, and a third from a brave soldier brought it down. This soldier was soon marred by a slash to his back from another Kal, in its last and desperate lunge. Its back legs had already been cut off, and the front slowly dragged forward, leaving a thick trail of black blood behind. After killing the lone soldier, it collapsed in a heap. An exceptionally large Kal, that had been mounted by three injured men fell, almost crushing Tristan as he struggled by. He looked down, focusing on the corpses on the ground and trying to zone out the chaos around him.
"They're falling back!" A strong, familiar voice boomed over the racket of battle. Chief Abedije was standing atop a fallen Kal near the front of the battle, surrounded by his men. He raised his gleaming halberd and yelled a battle cry, "Kill 'em all!" Tristan jumped over a body near him, and suddenly there was nothing.
He had crossed the edge of the battle. To his sides, the empty plain stretched into the distance. He turned around to see the struggling mass behind him. That was strange, the Und'kal horde had been much larger than that. Behind him, the number of aliens was quickly dwindling as groups of men and women brought them down with triumphant battle cries.
He turned back west, away from the sun that was rising higher in the sky and exhaled loudly. The remaining majority of the Und'kal army had simply stopped attacking. They stood a hundred meters or so from him, glaring viciously at the bloodbath across the clearing. They wanted to join, they wanted to fight. He could tell, but more than that, he knew. Yet, the mass of furious aliens remained restrained by an imaginary boundary. Tristan realized, with a pang of fear, that this was a Prime Directive.
To his right, a single stream of Und'kal was still charging out of the otherwise motionless line of aliens. They joined the numberless Kal that were already surrounding and leaping at one man in frenzied blood lust.
Immense piles of Kal bodies littered the ground around Zammar. The corpses formed a circle around him, that led back in a straight line back to where the rest of the humans were fighting.The new enemies didn't take all that long to join them. Tristan, once again, was mesmerized by the deadly grace of the man as he defeated the alien warriors with lethal elegance.
A slight tilt of Zammar’s head was enough to dodge the talon that whipped through the air where it had once been. Its owner soon found itself impaled at the end of his greatsword - Calesol. A twist on one foot allowed the other leg to lash out in a dangerous kick, knocking the head off another Kal with incredible power. Calesol twisted with it, dislodging the impaled alien at an insane speed to smash into two of its allies, before slicing through the torsos of three more. Zammar used the momentum of the swing to catapult himself in to the air, bringing down a foot with such speed that the receiving Kal's head smashed through the ground, creating a crater. He landed on its writhing body, spinning in a deadly whirlwind of steel which sliced through numberless more aliens.
Tristan remembered his lessons; in a long battle efficiency was key. And Zammar's style was the very definition of efficiency. Not one movement went wasted, it was just a stepping stone that led directly to the next. Additionally, the man needn't worry about injury; his fluid movements prevented the Und'kal from ever even brushing his body.
With his cape billowing heroically behind him, Zammar tensed his giant legs to leap into the air, bringing Calesol down in a powerful arc that sliced straight through two enemies. On landing, he ducked his head, causing a talon that had been swung at him to wound one of its own allies, before spinning in a low kick with enough power to shatter sixteen alien legs. The next batch of Kal that charged at him were met with a blistering uppercut from the greatsword, the momentum of which was used to spin Zammar in a backwards somersault, effectively dodging two attacks and kicking another Und'kal's head off the stump of a neck. He landed on a crumpled body to stare down at the warriors that hesitated for just one deadly moment. A moment that cost them their heads when Calesol swept through in a wide arc.
Even as the Kal warriors streamed endlessly to attack, the bodies around Zammar did not stop dropping.
"Hold the line!" Abejide's strong voice called from behind Tristan. He jumped slightly, breaking out of the trance that Zammar's dance of death had put him in. Turning around, Tristan was shocked to see that the line of dark, bare humans was standing still now. There were no more Und'kal for them to fight. Instead, the people were all looking up fearfully, struggling to move back against the giant crowd that had closed in behind them to get a better view.
Tristan followed their gaze, slowly noticing the strong tremors that were making the ground beneath him shake. A large shadow fell across his vision, casting the world in darkness. He turned his head in a slow, deliberate motion, knowing what he would see.The moment he laid eyes on the Kal Prime, he fell back on his rump, admiring the immense creature fearfully from the ground.
Unlike the Und Prime, the Kal Prime did not resemble its inferior cousins to a great degree. Rather, it presented a much more fearsome image.
Six stubby legs pounded the dirt, supporting a long torso that started parallel to the ground, but curved ahead and in front of the legs to end completely upright. This forward weight was counterbalanced with a long, deadly looking tail that whipped about powerfully. Small, arched needle like spikes adorned the creature’s back, running down the tail where they ended in a wicked curved blade. Two thick, long arms hung limply in front of the Prime’s belly. Sharp, black spikes adorned the elbows, and the menacing claws on the talons were at least the length of Tristans thigh. Its head, sitting on a thick and stubby neck, was demonic in appearance. The head closely resembled that of ordinary Kals. The central portion was ovoid, starting wide at the front and curving backwards to a sharp point at the end. From this point, two thinner cylinders stretched out on either side to form a hammer shape. Aligned with these, were two sets of four eyes that stared straight forward. Three black spikes stuck out from behind the creatures neck, reaching high above its head to form a protective crown.
At its highest, the prime stood at least the height of four Kals - well over twenty five feet.
Similar to an ordinary Kal, thick armoured plates covered the Prime’s body. Their uneven shapes plastered over the legs and up the torso to where they ended at the shoulders with a tall spike. The skin between the dark purple plates was a rich, deep black, revealing a lush texture of scales that waved as the creature moved.
The ground began shaking with growing fury as the six clawed legs broke into a run. The ellipsoid shape of the Prime’s head parted through its center line at its front face, revealing familiar needle like teeth. It let loose an earth shattering roar, allowing thick globules of saliva to fly out violently. All of its eyes were set solely on Zammar, who was so consumed in his dance of death with the endless Kal that continued to stream towards him, that he seemed to not even notice the lumbering monstrosity heading his way.
"Zammar! Look out!" Tristan tried yelling, his hoarse voice coming out choked. Two arms grabbed him suddenly, and began dragging him back to where the rest of the human army was standing, watching in awe at the confrontation that was about to begin.
Zammar was cutting through a group of Kal in a long arc, that would leave him with his back to the Prime - in a difficult position to defend from above, when the Prime's powerful legs pushed remarkably hard and fast against the ground. With a new roar, that sounded almost excited, the giant creature leaped into the air, preparing to lash out at Zammar. Its shadow fell across the mighty man just a moment before the talon smashed into the ground, kicking up an immense cloud of dust. The giant body landed with a deafening, earth shaking thud a moment later.
Tristan stared with wide eyes as the dust began to abate, revealing bodies of the Kal warriors that had been caught in the attack. Zammar...Zammar could never die. He embodied immortality. Zammar was his teacher, his mentor, his guide to a perfection that he could do nothing but strive towards. And what about Ren? Tristan's heart faltered at just the thought of her grief.
So, he was comforted slightly when the glee on the Und’kal’s face was suddenly replaced with surprise. As the dust cleared, it revealed a large crater in the ground littered with alien bodies. At its center, the silhouette of Zammar began emerging slowly. Zammar was still facing away from the Prime. His right arm was stretched out to the side, shaking in effort as it gripped tightly on Calesol’s hilt; the blade stretched out from his arm, holding back the large talon of the Prime. The attack had forced him to collapse on one knee for stability, his other hand also pressed against the ground. Behind him, the Prime’s claw seemed formidably large. The long, beautiful hair that had covered the chiseled face moved aside when he turned his neck to look up at the Prime with a completely neutral expression.
They held for a long moment, a battle of wills, both exerting great effort to maintain the position. Tristan was scared the Prime would swing its other arm around, but it refrained. Maybe it was enjoying itself?
There was no warning when Zammar's muscular legs kicked him back into the air. It happened so fast, that all Tristan saw was him disappearing from his position and reappearing in the air next to the Prime's left arm. The Kal looked just as surprised as its other arm slammed into the ground where the man had been a moment before. The demonic face began to turn, just as Calesol came swinging through the air.
Tristan had seen the blade slice through Und'kal flesh like butter far too many times, so he was surprised when it came down on the arm with incredible speed, only to find itself lodged in a deep cut. Zammar too was probably not expecting such tough hide; but if he was surprised, his face did not show it. For just one deadly moment though, he was stuck, unable to dodge. His left arm came up to block, just before the Kal Prime's left fist smacked him resulting in a heartbreaking thud. Zammar's body spun violently through the air at an incredible speed, finally smashing hard into the ground. He slid for a long time, finally coming to a halt as the ground upheaved beneath him to form a large dirt pillar. A cloud of dust instantly covered his body.
Both sides had fallen completely silent, watching the colossal battle with wide, disbelieving eyes and utter respect for powers greater than themselves. Even the Und'kal seemed less keen to join in the fight; they respected their Prime, and this was his hunt. Tristan struggled free of the arms that were restraining him, willing himself to run forward to where Zammar had landed. His legs suddenly refused to listen.
The dust cloud abated to reveal Zammar again. He was walking slowly towards the Prime, Calesol still clutched in his right hand and dripping with black blood; his left hand twisted out an odd angle, all of the bones in it shattered. Yet despite what must have been unbearable pain, his beautiful face was completely neutral. He stepped forward passively, the single exception being his eyes. Out of their brown depths, he stared at the Prime with untamed fury.
The Prime Kal grinned in response and began walking towards him. The two approached each other slowly, before simultaneously breaking in to a run. The Prime's right talon lashed out, smashing the ground where Zammar had been a moment before. Calesol swung from below, slicing the arm, with remarkable accuracy, directly beneath the first wound. It did not cut deep enough to slice through to the other side, getting lodged in the thick flesh on the underside of the limb. The Prime raised the injured arm with remarkable speed, bringing the sword and Zammar up with it. Its other fist came ramming through the air towards him. Zammar pulled himself up, letting go of Calesol, and used his one good arm to hook around the Und'kal's limb. With a heave, he swung himself so that he flew in an arc over the arm. The Prime’s second claw had just swept through the air where he had been a moment ago when he came thundering from above it. On the way down, Zammar’s arm grabbed at Calesol, dislodging it and swinging it over head to slash the Prime's second arm.
Zammar landed gracefully, next to the two puddles of black blood that were dripping from the Prime's arms. Undeterred by its injuries, the Prime growled and swung a talon back toward him. Zammar dodged this, sidestepping and sprinting with long, powerful strides to the space between the Prime's legs. Right before he got to the tall, upright torso, Zammar threw Calesol high into the air, letting it spin gracefully in front of the confused alien. Then, he followed it, bending his knees and pushing the ground away to jump incredibly high. His good hand grabbed on to one of the Prime Kal's lower protective plates. Flexing his arm, he threw himself further up, twisting to grab Calesol on the way. With his momentum the blade swung around before gravity could reassert its hold on Zammar, slicing deep in to the Und'kal's torso.
An immense, pained roar reverberated through the battlefield. Zammar was still holding on to the embedded blade, kicking his legs to add swing to his pendulum motion and avoid the talon that came swinging at him. After it had grazed by, his feet planted on the Und'kal, and he pushed himself away. Using the hilt of the sword as an anchor, his jump led in an arc, landing on the other side of the blade. Applying the momentum, he pulled Calesol out over his head in the process, cutting a deep gash across the Prime. Another scream erupted through the air as the greatsword broke free of the flesh. Zammar used its continuing swing to guide him in his next launch. His body soared forward, twisting around to Kal's side. Calesol came before it, swinging in a wide, dangerous arc.
The blade never hit its target. The Prime's tail whipped forward with incredible speed, crushing Zammar with its wicked, hard edge against the creature's torso. His limp body dropped for a moment when the pressure eased, only to be grabbed by the tail squeezing around him. It constricted visibly against the muscular man, before smashing into the ground. It came back up slowly, to smash into the ground again, and again another time. Finally, Zammar broke free of the bonds with raw strength, and fell limply to the ground. The Kal's legs moved instantly, crushing the area where he landed.
When the dust cleared, it showed a crater where the leg had crushed, and now was being held up at great effort by a single edge of Calesol. Zammar was pushing against it with both hands, his face contorted with immeasurable effort and pain. With a loud cry, he managed to shove the leg just enough to roll away. It came back down hard, covering him in dust. Another leg came pounding down from the sky as the Prime attempted to crush him. Zammar barely managed to roll away, clambering hurriedly to his legs. He stumbled, falling to one knee then rolled forward to avoid another leg, stumbled again, swayed to the side, fell to another knee and finally collapsed beneath the Prime’s body.
The Prime twisted around stupidly, trying to locate the man. One arm was clutching at the gash across its torso, where blood was streaming out rapidly. It opened its mouth to let out another ear piercing roar. Beneath it, Zammar was struggling to get back up. One arm moved him up, before collapsing back down, twice. Finally, he pushed himself to his back, clutching his broken arm and breathing hard. His beautiful face was a raw slate of pain as he groaned in uncharacteristic agony. Even that sound had a melancholy beauty to it.
Zammar's short reprieve did not last long. His face began to turn to a more neutral expression as he slowly pushed himself back on his feet. He was limping slightly, the bottom of the Kal Prime's torso less than three feet above him. The Prime had just turned to the Candaharran army in confusion, and was starting to move that way when Zammar took a deep breath and plunged Calesol upwards, deep in to its flesh. Simultaneously, he leaped up, lodging his feet between the protective plates so that he was hanging on to the underbelly of the giant alien.
With a tormented cry, the enormous creature reared up suddenly on its back two legs. Its tail began to lash out repeatedly in the area beneath it as it jumped around in a circle, causing the ground to shake violently. The torso twisted around eccentrically, trying to look at the ground. Still, Zammar held on. He pulled Calesol out, bringing with it a dramatic spray of black blood that continued to gush on the ground beneath him. He placed the hilt between his teeth and slowly began to climb the underbelly of the monster, flushing himself against it whenever the blade of the tail whipped by.
Finally, Zammar reached the edge of the underbelly. Grabbing Calesol with his good arm, he stabbed with great effort in to the creatures side, allowing himself to follow through in a swing still holding the hilt. It must have been a sensitive spot, because the shriek that escaped the Prime sounded more pained than any before, threatening to burst Tristan's ears.
Swinging his feet as hard as he could, Zammar managed to land them on top of the Prime’s body, using his abdominal strength pull Calesol out after him. It burst free just in time to parry the bladed tail. Black, poisonous liquid spurted out from the end of the lethal appendage as it retreated shortly before lashing back with amazing flexibility and speed. Zammar leaped aside to avoid it, but it came again, forcing him to duck. With a strong jump backwards, he turned and began sprinting along the length of the Prime's body. Behind him, the tail continuously whipped out, bouncing off armoured plates where he had been a moment before. Using the reflection on Calesol, Zammar dodged the blade at the last moment each time.
With a running leap, Zammar vaulted himself on to the back of the upright portion of the Prime’s torso, placing the greatsword's hilt in his mouth in the process. His good arm bent once it caught on the ledge of a plate, launching him up further instantly and avoiding the bladed tail. Finally, he grabbed the top of the black crown behind the Prime's neck, using it to redirect his fall and not stall in the air too long. With Calesol back in his hand, Zammar fell straight down, stabbing the greatsword deep in to the base of the Prime’s neck.
In surprise, the creature gasped and convulsed, shrieking in pain as it reared up on its hind legs. Zammar ducked to the dodge the tail that had curved around the crown, and was soon thrown sideways by the movement of the mass beneath him. His grip on Calesol kept him on the Prime's shoulder, watching the tail move forward warily. What he didn't see, was the Prime's talon that reached behind and snatched him from his position with lightning speed.
The Prime was gasping for air as it slowly moved the beautiful, squirming man up to its face. Zammar's muscles bulged out of the death grip, resisting the constricting hold as well as they could. The talon clasped down, crushing him. He was visibly having a difficult time breathing. It constricted again, causing him to groan in effort. The Prime looked at the man with all eight eyes as it brought him up to its face. It opened its mouth to let out a terrible wail, raising the long arm in the air and then catapulting Zammar in to the ground in front of it. Its other arm lashed down with incredible speed, crushing the area where the man landed, adding to the immense cloud of dust that had formed.
As its arm retreated, the creature shrieked in pain, clutching at its shoulder. After whimpering for a while, it reached the other arm behind, desperately trying to pull the embedded blade out of its neck. In the process, its taloned feet began stampeding the ground with earthquake-like power. The back legs were no longer moving.
Tristan watched in wide eyed horror. Like everyone else next to him, he had been watching the fight with awe, trepidation and fear.
As the dust cleared a bit, the silhouette of a single, muscular arm reached up to the sky for a long moment, shaking with the effort before collapsing back down. That was enough for Tristan.
"Wait! You'll get in the way!" A voice yelled behind him as he broke free of the two arms holding him and sprinted into the dust cloud. It parted almost prophetically for him, revealing Zammar lying at the bottom of a crater in its center. His eyes were closed, a single stream of blood running from his mouth. Breaths came hard and shallow through his enormous torso, where large bruises overlaid the thick musculature. Beyond the bruises, his entire body was covered in glistening sweat and cuts. The left arm lay strewn in an awkward manner, clearly shattered and in pain. Tristan felt his eyes water, Zammar did not deserve such pain.
He turned to the colossal Prime, raising his arms out in a protective fashion. From directly beneath, it looked immense above him. "Tristan...don't..." Zammar's pained voice came from behind him, followed by thick coughing. Blood spurted out with each cough.
The Prime was still desperately clutching at the embedded hilt in its neck, but as the dust began to abate it turned down to look at Tristan with vicious eyes.
"Stop!" Tristan yelled, trying to sound as brave as he could "Don't hurt him!"
He had only just enough time to acknowledge that the Prime was raising its arm menacingly. Zammar's broken arm pulled him back with an intense jerk, as his other came around and unsheathed Tristan's sword for him. He brought the blade up with insane speed, deflecting the claw that raced downwards from the sky. The Torstian longsword fell out of his hand in the process, spinning behind to land near Tristan. "Tristan move!" He turned his head to yell behind.
Everything slowed down for Tristan as he backed away on his rump behind the incredible man in front of him. He saw, though Zammar didn't, the Prime's other arm coming around from Zammar's right. The talon slashed diagonally across the length of the muscular torso, bringing forth an immense spray of thick, red blood. It seemed to take forever for Zammar to fall on his knees, his eyes wide with surprise. He had just enough time to turn his head to the left, and see the massive fist heading for him before he was catapulted with unreal speed into the base of the hill that formed the shallow valley.
Tristan, a young man from a remote village of the Torstian holdings in the Dragon Peak mountains, lived a peaceful life until the appearance of a lost queen and a mighty man. Ren and Zammar preceded an attack by the alien Und'kal that would go on to destroy his home. The survivors from his village sought refugee, and headed for the Indus' city of Kathman. Tristan however decided to join Zammar and Ren in their task to warn and prepare more people for the alien invasion.
On his journeys, he met an intellectual class Und'kal named Aythyl. Aythyl performed the strange ability of "mind sharing," allowing Tristan to live the lives of various Und'kal. He lost himself in their violent consciousness, resulting in an attack on his Und friend. Nonetheless, Aythyl trusted Tristan and presented to him a mysterious stone that allowed the two to communicate through thought.
With Zammar and Ren, Tristan reached The Blacklands’ city of Candahar, where the natives were preparing for a large Und'kal attack. Making a promise to his beloved queen, Tristan committed to joining the fight. As the alien horde marched upon the city, he was warned by Aythyl of a new type of Und'kal that now approached, one that may very well determine the tide of battle.
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Tristan turned again and again as he ran aimlessly, trying desperately to make some sense of the violent discord that surrounded him on all sides. His hearing was continually assaulted by the shouting and screaming of men and Und'kal, overlaying the driving drum beat from behind, and throwing him into a tumultuous vortex of confusion. Dark, bare bodies pushed against him continuously, tempting to crush him underfoot in the stampede, their poisoned weapons slamming against him threateningly. He could hardly keep up.
It was the pure, undiluted form of chaos.
"Move!" A man yelled, shoving him aside as he sprinted by. Tristan faltered in surprise; his left foot caught on something, causing him to stumble forward helplessly.
"Sorry!" He cried after the figure that had long disappeared into the crowd. The mob of human bodies was finally starting to thin out, allowing him to see the ground and landscape as opposed to an endless mass of people. On the other hand, the charge had thrown up clouds of dust that reduced visibility significantly, obstructing his view of the Und'kal army. Tristan turned around to see what had tripped him - an unrecognizable human body with limbs sprung out at unnatural angles. The torso had been completely trampled into a red mush filled with chunks of organ. He stared at the mutilated corpse for a long time, even as more people rushed by, many of them contributing to the damage. That was a person, Tristan thought mournfully. A person with a life, friends, dreams, hopes...maybe he even had children.
"Above!" A strong yell from somewhere to his right. Tristan turned around and looked up just in time to see a large group of Und'kal warriors leaping high in to the air, above the front lines. They brandished their talons wickedly, growling and salivating through the jump. Spears stabbed up from below, cutting through the weak points in their natural armour, or bouncing off the plated parts and snapping dramatically. Kal bodies fell out of the air, a few already dead before hitting the ground, crushing those underneath that didn't move in time. The rest landed nimbly, many already injured, to be charged upon by the masses of people.
One touched down right in front of Tristan. Its arm swing was instantaneous, the talon shimmering in the dusty morning sun as it blurred through the movement. Tristan hardly had time to duck his head. He backed away quickly as the giant creature gave him a vicious grin. The Kal began to bend its legs, salivating wickedly in the process. The tall, upright torso dipped straight down in between the four limbs. Anticipating the jump, Tristan struggled awkwardly to the side, tripping and rolling hard across the ground. He covered his face instinctively when he came to a stop, waiting to be shredded apart.
A shrill scream ripped through the cacophony above him as hot liquid splattered across his arms. He opened his eyes to see the end of a spear sticking out from the Und'kal's side. The Kal, like him, followed the shaft to a man that was pushing it in deeper, his face contorted in angry conviction. It growled angrily, swinging a talon around to slash the man's shoulder and throw him through the air, leaving the spear still embedded. Another man leaped from the creature's other side, bringing his scimitar around in a slash and cutting a gash across the alien's torso. Black blood spurted out of it, the sloshy noise accompanied by another cry from the Kal. Before it had turned around, the first man leaped athletically through the air; his shoulder had been sliced open to reveal the muscle fibers within. His face contorted in pain as he brought a dagger down, stabbing through the Kal's eyes.
As the large alien crumpled, he pulled the spear out of its side, shifting it to his uninjured arm. He turned to give Tristan a hard look before ambling off after his companion to join the fray.
Tristan stared at the crumpled heap that remained of the alien warrior with large, shocked eyes. That had been brutal. He felt terrible for the Kal. Slowly, he looked up and around him. Lying on the ground, Tristan must have seemed like any other of the many bodies that were rapidly littering the clearing. The charge was over. Now, the entire view had turned into a killing field. Men and Und'kal were fighting one another all around him, the densest battle being in front to the West. The ground was already stained with dark, red blood as it soaked into the dirt underfoot. Bright morning sun refracted off the dusty air, painting the scene in dull yellow.
Awkwardly, he stood up. There was no order to the killing. Man and Und'kal struggled against one another desperately, driven by the most primitive instincts to survive. All around him life, beautiful life, was ending. Why did people have to fight the Und'kal? Was there no chance at friendship? Why could no one else try to understand the Und'kal? He wanted to shout, to beg humans and aliens alike to stop and make peace. But somewhere deep inside him, the old fear started returning. The Und'kal would kill everyone in their blood lust driven frenzy, a fury that he had lived. And the people, they had to defend themselves. There would never be a chance for peace.
A Kal was charging at him, kicking up dust in its haste. The talons in front kept flexing as it grinned maliciously, fully prepared to shred him apart. Tristan turned to face it. This was the way the warriors were, he knew, there would be no stopping it. He looked straight at it with conviction, fully accepting that this would be the end for him.
An arrow struck the Kal's leg, causing it to stumble in surprise. Another came zooming through the air to pierce its chest. Another in its other front leg. The Kal let out a pained shriek, stopping in surprise. Suddenly, three spears stabbed through the unsuspecting target, their owners pulling them back out quickly and running off to find a new enemy as the alien warrior buckled behind them.
A new scream cleaved through the cacophony of the fight, remarkably close to him. He turned to the source. Less than three meters from him, a Kal warrior was approaching two young boys maliciously. The older of the two held a spear with shaky arms, despite the hard confidence on his face. The other was cowering on his rump. The boy thrust his spear bravely, but the Kal, who had its back to Tristan, simply nudged it aside. It struck like lightning, the bladed talon disappearing into the boys chest with a spray of blood. It pulled the talon back out, clutching a feebly beating heart, still connected to veins and arteries. With a vicious grin, the alien threw the organ into its mouth, severing connections with the limp body of the boy that crumpled helplessly.
The other boy screamed as the Kal turned to face him. 'I hesitated,' Tristan realized. 'I promised Ren...I wouldn't hesitate.' Finally, surrounded on all sides by killing, Tristan reached to his belt and pulled out his long sword, the conviction of his promise strong in his mind.
Something triggered the moment he touched the blade's hilt. All reason, all empathy vanished in that moment. At once, he was no longer Tristan. This claw was an extension of his own body. With it, he would shred his enemies to pieces.
He yelled, brandishing the sword above him. With a strong leap, he jumped on the Kals back, bringing the blade down in a stab through the monsters shoulder next to a spiked protective plate. It disappeared into the dark leathery skin without great resistance, carried by the momentum of his swinging jump. The resulting scream deafened his unhearing ears. The ground heaved beneath him as the Kal reared on its hind legs. A talon came whizzing through the air, grazing Tristan's back before he was thrown off the alien. Sharp pain from the shallow cut shot through his body. A small shiver of fear ran somewhere in the back of his conscience; an alien desperation to survive that was quickly overcome by the accompanying bloodlust.
With another yell, Tristan jumped at the Kal that was clutching its shoulder desperately and turning around to face him. His sword was miraculously still in his hand, having slashed downwards through the warrior’s body as he was thrown out. It dripped with black blood as he brought it up, stabbing through an opening between the armoured plates on the Kal's torso. Knowing what would happen next, Tristan let go of the blade and dropped to the ground on his back, barely missing the sweeping talon. Kicking hard at the torso above, and pushing his arms against the legs on either side, Tristan slid backwards; the pain across his back as he did was terrible. He came to a stop, and slowly began to stand. The Kal was teetering, its legs bending and straightening beneath it as it looked at him ferociously. Tristan stood, expressionless, and watched it sway sideways a few times before falling to the ground.
He walked to the corpse calmly, and pulled out his blade, Ren's sword.
"Thanks..." The little boy was slowly getting up.
Tristan turned to him, and the look on his face caused the boy to fall back down and stare up with wide eyes. Tristan raised the sword above his head. More blood, an easy kill. One lunge, a single stab through the neck.
"What're you doing?!" The boy yelled desperately. Tristan's blade came flying through the air.
An immense, earthshaking roar cracked the sky around him. He gasped in surprise as the frenzied trance was broken, struggling desperately to alter the course of the sword. It stabbed through the ground, less than an inch from the boys neck.
"Go," he whispered, his entire body shaking. Had he just tried to kill a little boy? The target in question simply gave him a look of bewilderment before scrambling to his feet and running off. Tristan stared at the ground and shook his head desperately, “no, no...not again…”
The tremendous roar sounded again, causing the to shake. Tristan jumped at the noise. Somewhere deep in his being, he knew there was only one source for that sound. Sheathing his sword, Tristan hurriedly got to his feet and began sprinting into the mass of struggling bodies that comprised the front line of the battle.
The thick sea of bodies was impossibly difficult to traverse. Innumerable corpses littered the ground, hiding their limbs and other things for him to trip on beneath the thick cloud of dust that the survivors were kicking up. All around him, man and Und'kal were struggling desperately. A Kal warrior squeezed a man’s neck, lifting him up in to the air before biting his head off. Two spears already stuck through the alien, and a third from a brave soldier brought it down. This soldier was soon marred by a slash to his back from another Kal, in its last and desperate lunge. Its back legs had already been cut off, and the front slowly dragged forward, leaving a thick trail of black blood behind. After killing the lone soldier, it collapsed in a heap. An exceptionally large Kal, that had been mounted by three injured men fell, almost crushing Tristan as he struggled by. He looked down, focusing on the corpses on the ground and trying to zone out the chaos around him.
"They're falling back!" A strong, familiar voice boomed over the racket of battle. Chief Abedije was standing atop a fallen Kal near the front of the battle, surrounded by his men. He raised his gleaming halberd and yelled a battle cry, "Kill 'em all!" Tristan jumped over a body near him, and suddenly there was nothing.
He had crossed the edge of the battle. To his sides, the empty plain stretched into the distance. He turned around to see the struggling mass behind him. That was strange, the Und'kal horde had been much larger than that. Behind him, the number of aliens was quickly dwindling as groups of men and women brought them down with triumphant battle cries.
He turned back west, away from the sun that was rising higher in the sky and exhaled loudly. The remaining majority of the Und'kal army had simply stopped attacking. They stood a hundred meters or so from him, glaring viciously at the bloodbath across the clearing. They wanted to join, they wanted to fight. He could tell, but more than that, he knew. Yet, the mass of furious aliens remained restrained by an imaginary boundary. Tristan realized, with a pang of fear, that this was a Prime Directive.
To his right, a single stream of Und'kal was still charging out of the otherwise motionless line of aliens. They joined the numberless Kal that were already surrounding and leaping at one man in frenzied blood lust.
Immense piles of Kal bodies littered the ground around Zammar. The corpses formed a circle around him, that led back in a straight line back to where the rest of the humans were fighting.The new enemies didn't take all that long to join them. Tristan, once again, was mesmerized by the deadly grace of the man as he defeated the alien warriors with lethal elegance.
A slight tilt of Zammar’s head was enough to dodge the talon that whipped through the air where it had once been. Its owner soon found itself impaled at the end of his greatsword - Calesol. A twist on one foot allowed the other leg to lash out in a dangerous kick, knocking the head off another Kal with incredible power. Calesol twisted with it, dislodging the impaled alien at an insane speed to smash into two of its allies, before slicing through the torsos of three more. Zammar used the momentum of the swing to catapult himself in to the air, bringing down a foot with such speed that the receiving Kal's head smashed through the ground, creating a crater. He landed on its writhing body, spinning in a deadly whirlwind of steel which sliced through numberless more aliens.
Tristan remembered his lessons; in a long battle efficiency was key. And Zammar's style was the very definition of efficiency. Not one movement went wasted, it was just a stepping stone that led directly to the next. Additionally, the man needn't worry about injury; his fluid movements prevented the Und'kal from ever even brushing his body.
With his cape billowing heroically behind him, Zammar tensed his giant legs to leap into the air, bringing Calesol down in a powerful arc that sliced straight through two enemies. On landing, he ducked his head, causing a talon that had been swung at him to wound one of its own allies, before spinning in a low kick with enough power to shatter sixteen alien legs. The next batch of Kal that charged at him were met with a blistering uppercut from the greatsword, the momentum of which was used to spin Zammar in a backwards somersault, effectively dodging two attacks and kicking another Und'kal's head off the stump of a neck. He landed on a crumpled body to stare down at the warriors that hesitated for just one deadly moment. A moment that cost them their heads when Calesol swept through in a wide arc.
Even as the Kal warriors streamed endlessly to attack, the bodies around Zammar did not stop dropping.
"Hold the line!" Abejide's strong voice called from behind Tristan. He jumped slightly, breaking out of the trance that Zammar's dance of death had put him in. Turning around, Tristan was shocked to see that the line of dark, bare humans was standing still now. There were no more Und'kal for them to fight. Instead, the people were all looking up fearfully, struggling to move back against the giant crowd that had closed in behind them to get a better view.
Tristan followed their gaze, slowly noticing the strong tremors that were making the ground beneath him shake. A large shadow fell across his vision, casting the world in darkness. He turned his head in a slow, deliberate motion, knowing what he would see.The moment he laid eyes on the Kal Prime, he fell back on his rump, admiring the immense creature fearfully from the ground.
Unlike the Und Prime, the Kal Prime did not resemble its inferior cousins to a great degree. Rather, it presented a much more fearsome image.
Six stubby legs pounded the dirt, supporting a long torso that started parallel to the ground, but curved ahead and in front of the legs to end completely upright. This forward weight was counterbalanced with a long, deadly looking tail that whipped about powerfully. Small, arched needle like spikes adorned the creature’s back, running down the tail where they ended in a wicked curved blade. Two thick, long arms hung limply in front of the Prime’s belly. Sharp, black spikes adorned the elbows, and the menacing claws on the talons were at least the length of Tristans thigh. Its head, sitting on a thick and stubby neck, was demonic in appearance. The head closely resembled that of ordinary Kals. The central portion was ovoid, starting wide at the front and curving backwards to a sharp point at the end. From this point, two thinner cylinders stretched out on either side to form a hammer shape. Aligned with these, were two sets of four eyes that stared straight forward. Three black spikes stuck out from behind the creatures neck, reaching high above its head to form a protective crown.
At its highest, the prime stood at least the height of four Kals - well over twenty five feet.
Similar to an ordinary Kal, thick armoured plates covered the Prime’s body. Their uneven shapes plastered over the legs and up the torso to where they ended at the shoulders with a tall spike. The skin between the dark purple plates was a rich, deep black, revealing a lush texture of scales that waved as the creature moved.
The ground began shaking with growing fury as the six clawed legs broke into a run. The ellipsoid shape of the Prime’s head parted through its center line at its front face, revealing familiar needle like teeth. It let loose an earth shattering roar, allowing thick globules of saliva to fly out violently. All of its eyes were set solely on Zammar, who was so consumed in his dance of death with the endless Kal that continued to stream towards him, that he seemed to not even notice the lumbering monstrosity heading his way.
"Zammar! Look out!" Tristan tried yelling, his hoarse voice coming out choked. Two arms grabbed him suddenly, and began dragging him back to where the rest of the human army was standing, watching in awe at the confrontation that was about to begin.
Zammar was cutting through a group of Kal in a long arc, that would leave him with his back to the Prime - in a difficult position to defend from above, when the Prime's powerful legs pushed remarkably hard and fast against the ground. With a new roar, that sounded almost excited, the giant creature leaped into the air, preparing to lash out at Zammar. Its shadow fell across the mighty man just a moment before the talon smashed into the ground, kicking up an immense cloud of dust. The giant body landed with a deafening, earth shaking thud a moment later.
Tristan stared with wide eyes as the dust began to abate, revealing bodies of the Kal warriors that had been caught in the attack. Zammar...Zammar could never die. He embodied immortality. Zammar was his teacher, his mentor, his guide to a perfection that he could do nothing but strive towards. And what about Ren? Tristan's heart faltered at just the thought of her grief.
So, he was comforted slightly when the glee on the Und’kal’s face was suddenly replaced with surprise. As the dust cleared, it revealed a large crater in the ground littered with alien bodies. At its center, the silhouette of Zammar began emerging slowly. Zammar was still facing away from the Prime. His right arm was stretched out to the side, shaking in effort as it gripped tightly on Calesol’s hilt; the blade stretched out from his arm, holding back the large talon of the Prime. The attack had forced him to collapse on one knee for stability, his other hand also pressed against the ground. Behind him, the Prime’s claw seemed formidably large. The long, beautiful hair that had covered the chiseled face moved aside when he turned his neck to look up at the Prime with a completely neutral expression.
They held for a long moment, a battle of wills, both exerting great effort to maintain the position. Tristan was scared the Prime would swing its other arm around, but it refrained. Maybe it was enjoying itself?
There was no warning when Zammar's muscular legs kicked him back into the air. It happened so fast, that all Tristan saw was him disappearing from his position and reappearing in the air next to the Prime's left arm. The Kal looked just as surprised as its other arm slammed into the ground where the man had been a moment before. The demonic face began to turn, just as Calesol came swinging through the air.
Tristan had seen the blade slice through Und'kal flesh like butter far too many times, so he was surprised when it came down on the arm with incredible speed, only to find itself lodged in a deep cut. Zammar too was probably not expecting such tough hide; but if he was surprised, his face did not show it. For just one deadly moment though, he was stuck, unable to dodge. His left arm came up to block, just before the Kal Prime's left fist smacked him resulting in a heartbreaking thud. Zammar's body spun violently through the air at an incredible speed, finally smashing hard into the ground. He slid for a long time, finally coming to a halt as the ground upheaved beneath him to form a large dirt pillar. A cloud of dust instantly covered his body.
Both sides had fallen completely silent, watching the colossal battle with wide, disbelieving eyes and utter respect for powers greater than themselves. Even the Und'kal seemed less keen to join in the fight; they respected their Prime, and this was his hunt. Tristan struggled free of the arms that were restraining him, willing himself to run forward to where Zammar had landed. His legs suddenly refused to listen.
The dust cloud abated to reveal Zammar again. He was walking slowly towards the Prime, Calesol still clutched in his right hand and dripping with black blood; his left hand twisted out an odd angle, all of the bones in it shattered. Yet despite what must have been unbearable pain, his beautiful face was completely neutral. He stepped forward passively, the single exception being his eyes. Out of their brown depths, he stared at the Prime with untamed fury.
The Prime Kal grinned in response and began walking towards him. The two approached each other slowly, before simultaneously breaking in to a run. The Prime's right talon lashed out, smashing the ground where Zammar had been a moment before. Calesol swung from below, slicing the arm, with remarkable accuracy, directly beneath the first wound. It did not cut deep enough to slice through to the other side, getting lodged in the thick flesh on the underside of the limb. The Prime raised the injured arm with remarkable speed, bringing the sword and Zammar up with it. Its other fist came ramming through the air towards him. Zammar pulled himself up, letting go of Calesol, and used his one good arm to hook around the Und'kal's limb. With a heave, he swung himself so that he flew in an arc over the arm. The Prime’s second claw had just swept through the air where he had been a moment ago when he came thundering from above it. On the way down, Zammar’s arm grabbed at Calesol, dislodging it and swinging it over head to slash the Prime's second arm.
Zammar landed gracefully, next to the two puddles of black blood that were dripping from the Prime's arms. Undeterred by its injuries, the Prime growled and swung a talon back toward him. Zammar dodged this, sidestepping and sprinting with long, powerful strides to the space between the Prime's legs. Right before he got to the tall, upright torso, Zammar threw Calesol high into the air, letting it spin gracefully in front of the confused alien. Then, he followed it, bending his knees and pushing the ground away to jump incredibly high. His good hand grabbed on to one of the Prime Kal's lower protective plates. Flexing his arm, he threw himself further up, twisting to grab Calesol on the way. With his momentum the blade swung around before gravity could reassert its hold on Zammar, slicing deep in to the Und'kal's torso.
An immense, pained roar reverberated through the battlefield. Zammar was still holding on to the embedded blade, kicking his legs to add swing to his pendulum motion and avoid the talon that came swinging at him. After it had grazed by, his feet planted on the Und'kal, and he pushed himself away. Using the hilt of the sword as an anchor, his jump led in an arc, landing on the other side of the blade. Applying the momentum, he pulled Calesol out over his head in the process, cutting a deep gash across the Prime. Another scream erupted through the air as the greatsword broke free of the flesh. Zammar used its continuing swing to guide him in his next launch. His body soared forward, twisting around to Kal's side. Calesol came before it, swinging in a wide, dangerous arc.
The blade never hit its target. The Prime's tail whipped forward with incredible speed, crushing Zammar with its wicked, hard edge against the creature's torso. His limp body dropped for a moment when the pressure eased, only to be grabbed by the tail squeezing around him. It constricted visibly against the muscular man, before smashing into the ground. It came back up slowly, to smash into the ground again, and again another time. Finally, Zammar broke free of the bonds with raw strength, and fell limply to the ground. The Kal's legs moved instantly, crushing the area where he landed.
When the dust cleared, it showed a crater where the leg had crushed, and now was being held up at great effort by a single edge of Calesol. Zammar was pushing against it with both hands, his face contorted with immeasurable effort and pain. With a loud cry, he managed to shove the leg just enough to roll away. It came back down hard, covering him in dust. Another leg came pounding down from the sky as the Prime attempted to crush him. Zammar barely managed to roll away, clambering hurriedly to his legs. He stumbled, falling to one knee then rolled forward to avoid another leg, stumbled again, swayed to the side, fell to another knee and finally collapsed beneath the Prime’s body.
The Prime twisted around stupidly, trying to locate the man. One arm was clutching at the gash across its torso, where blood was streaming out rapidly. It opened its mouth to let out another ear piercing roar. Beneath it, Zammar was struggling to get back up. One arm moved him up, before collapsing back down, twice. Finally, he pushed himself to his back, clutching his broken arm and breathing hard. His beautiful face was a raw slate of pain as he groaned in uncharacteristic agony. Even that sound had a melancholy beauty to it.
Zammar's short reprieve did not last long. His face began to turn to a more neutral expression as he slowly pushed himself back on his feet. He was limping slightly, the bottom of the Kal Prime's torso less than three feet above him. The Prime had just turned to the Candaharran army in confusion, and was starting to move that way when Zammar took a deep breath and plunged Calesol upwards, deep in to its flesh. Simultaneously, he leaped up, lodging his feet between the protective plates so that he was hanging on to the underbelly of the giant alien.
With a tormented cry, the enormous creature reared up suddenly on its back two legs. Its tail began to lash out repeatedly in the area beneath it as it jumped around in a circle, causing the ground to shake violently. The torso twisted around eccentrically, trying to look at the ground. Still, Zammar held on. He pulled Calesol out, bringing with it a dramatic spray of black blood that continued to gush on the ground beneath him. He placed the hilt between his teeth and slowly began to climb the underbelly of the monster, flushing himself against it whenever the blade of the tail whipped by.
Finally, Zammar reached the edge of the underbelly. Grabbing Calesol with his good arm, he stabbed with great effort in to the creatures side, allowing himself to follow through in a swing still holding the hilt. It must have been a sensitive spot, because the shriek that escaped the Prime sounded more pained than any before, threatening to burst Tristan's ears.
Swinging his feet as hard as he could, Zammar managed to land them on top of the Prime’s body, using his abdominal strength pull Calesol out after him. It burst free just in time to parry the bladed tail. Black, poisonous liquid spurted out from the end of the lethal appendage as it retreated shortly before lashing back with amazing flexibility and speed. Zammar leaped aside to avoid it, but it came again, forcing him to duck. With a strong jump backwards, he turned and began sprinting along the length of the Prime's body. Behind him, the tail continuously whipped out, bouncing off armoured plates where he had been a moment before. Using the reflection on Calesol, Zammar dodged the blade at the last moment each time.
With a running leap, Zammar vaulted himself on to the back of the upright portion of the Prime’s torso, placing the greatsword's hilt in his mouth in the process. His good arm bent once it caught on the ledge of a plate, launching him up further instantly and avoiding the bladed tail. Finally, he grabbed the top of the black crown behind the Prime's neck, using it to redirect his fall and not stall in the air too long. With Calesol back in his hand, Zammar fell straight down, stabbing the greatsword deep in to the base of the Prime’s neck.
In surprise, the creature gasped and convulsed, shrieking in pain as it reared up on its hind legs. Zammar ducked to the dodge the tail that had curved around the crown, and was soon thrown sideways by the movement of the mass beneath him. His grip on Calesol kept him on the Prime's shoulder, watching the tail move forward warily. What he didn't see, was the Prime's talon that reached behind and snatched him from his position with lightning speed.
The Prime was gasping for air as it slowly moved the beautiful, squirming man up to its face. Zammar's muscles bulged out of the death grip, resisting the constricting hold as well as they could. The talon clasped down, crushing him. He was visibly having a difficult time breathing. It constricted again, causing him to groan in effort. The Prime looked at the man with all eight eyes as it brought him up to its face. It opened its mouth to let out a terrible wail, raising the long arm in the air and then catapulting Zammar in to the ground in front of it. Its other arm lashed down with incredible speed, crushing the area where the man landed, adding to the immense cloud of dust that had formed.
As its arm retreated, the creature shrieked in pain, clutching at its shoulder. After whimpering for a while, it reached the other arm behind, desperately trying to pull the embedded blade out of its neck. In the process, its taloned feet began stampeding the ground with earthquake-like power. The back legs were no longer moving.
Tristan watched in wide eyed horror. Like everyone else next to him, he had been watching the fight with awe, trepidation and fear.
As the dust cleared a bit, the silhouette of a single, muscular arm reached up to the sky for a long moment, shaking with the effort before collapsing back down. That was enough for Tristan.
"Wait! You'll get in the way!" A voice yelled behind him as he broke free of the two arms holding him and sprinted into the dust cloud. It parted almost prophetically for him, revealing Zammar lying at the bottom of a crater in its center. His eyes were closed, a single stream of blood running from his mouth. Breaths came hard and shallow through his enormous torso, where large bruises overlaid the thick musculature. Beyond the bruises, his entire body was covered in glistening sweat and cuts. The left arm lay strewn in an awkward manner, clearly shattered and in pain. Tristan felt his eyes water, Zammar did not deserve such pain.
He turned to the colossal Prime, raising his arms out in a protective fashion. From directly beneath, it looked immense above him. "Tristan...don't..." Zammar's pained voice came from behind him, followed by thick coughing. Blood spurted out with each cough.
The Prime was still desperately clutching at the embedded hilt in its neck, but as the dust began to abate it turned down to look at Tristan with vicious eyes.
"Stop!" Tristan yelled, trying to sound as brave as he could "Don't hurt him!"
He had only just enough time to acknowledge that the Prime was raising its arm menacingly. Zammar's broken arm pulled him back with an intense jerk, as his other came around and unsheathed Tristan's sword for him. He brought the blade up with insane speed, deflecting the claw that raced downwards from the sky. The Torstian longsword fell out of his hand in the process, spinning behind to land near Tristan. "Tristan move!" He turned his head to yell behind.
Everything slowed down for Tristan as he backed away on his rump behind the incredible man in front of him. He saw, though Zammar didn't, the Prime's other arm coming around from Zammar's right. The talon slashed diagonally across the length of the muscular torso, bringing forth an immense spray of thick, red blood. It seemed to take forever for Zammar to fall on his knees, his eyes wide with surprise. He had just enough time to turn his head to the left, and see the massive fist heading for him before he was catapulted with unreal speed into the base of the hill that formed the shallow valley.
Salutations friends!
Thank you once again for taking the time to read my story! I hope you are enjoying it much!
Writing action stuff is incredibly tricky. Though, to be fair, writing in general is. I'm learning a lot, and hopefully improving as well. Still, much ways to go! Hopefully I'll be able to get more writing done over the co op term...I probably do need to pick up the pace if I want to finish this story within the foreseeable future!
Anyway, this part is much overdue. My excuse for that also calls for an official thank you to a beloved friend for taking precious time out of his routine of hard work and studying (drinking) to give me some seriously hardcore feedback! Honestly, I was having a pretty hard time with this part, and he helped a lot. He also reminded me that I suck at everything, so that was nice.
Hope you are excited for le part. 9!
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