by Max Jager
Aurela looked over at Alerius. "I would like to hear it."
Alerius gave her this slow, sarcastic look. "What?"
"I would like to hear it."
"Fine!" Alerius wanted to get off the planet as fast as possible to keep the enemy looking. He didn't want to stay in one place for too long. The hellion forces would definitely get a beat on them. He knew this. What he didn't know was that the enemy was already there!
Karion looked at her and said, "Thanks Aurela."
Aurela smiled back and said, "Your welcome."
Alerius looked back and forth at Aurela and Karion frantically until asking Aurela, "Wait a minute! How does he know you?"
Karion got this huge grin on his face. "That's another story."
Alerius gritted his teeth and turned his back harshly on them both. He was letting his emotions get the better of him. Little did he realize that his distaste for the okren ruler was quickly turning into jealousy. His mind and heart were a battlefield. He loved Aurela and as his love for her grew so did his anger. Not only towards Aurela but now it was aimed at himself too. He didn't realize that if he just excepted her love that he would become a much more calmer person. Like he had been awhile back. He had never experienced love before and it scarred him. So he also had fear to deal with. He was trained that emotions had no place on the battlefield. He was angry at himself for letting his emotions get the better of him. At Aurela for encouraging these feelings he had for her. That anger was slowly turning into hate! Hate for love! Love and hate rolled into one. Fear of them both. Anger for them both. Alerius, mentally, was coming apart. One thing he did know that if the mind goes then the body will follow right along with it. He couldn't have that! He just couldn't!
Karion decided to continue on with the story. "During the Lush Age, Malaphus had fought in many battles. One account, far back in okren history, states that he took down nearly two thousand enemies single handedly! During his later years he was called into battle in a war to end all wars!"
Alerius let out a small laugh at that. He really wasn't paying attention but he did hear about the war.
Karion ignored him and continued on. "This war was to decide the outcome of the dominate species on this planet. Calsins or agermites. A brutal race that just about destroyed every living thing on this planet at the time. The agermite overlord was a powerful being. Legend has it that he was immortal. He had no name so by the okren record he is amply referred to as Genocide. The okren king at the time, ordered Malaphus to destroy Genocide. So that the war could end. It was believed that Malaphus was the only mortal being that could do it.
The legend goes that when Genocide and Malaphus met, their battle was the worst on the okren record. Even though nobody saw it. It was a battle that lasted for seventy-seven days!"
Alerius sighed at the mere stupidity of this idiotic tale. The thing that really got to him was the seventy-seven days. Nobody could fight that long. Alerius kept quite though and let Karion ramble on.
"On the evening of the seventy-seventh day, Malphus had won that battle and landed a death inducing blow. Genocide did not die though. Having been beaten in physical form he took on a spiritual form and was going to lay waste to everything on the planet. Before he could though, Malaphus trapped him inside his combat staff. Which has been the only weapon calsins have ever used."
Alerius figured they were the rods on the backs of the guards.
"When he did though, Genocide refused to stay trapped. So, Malaphus sacrificed his own life and trapped his own soul in the staff as well to seal Genocide in that staff. The staff itself is suppose to be a prison for both. Keeping both their powers contained and under control. Anybody who has possession of the staff would be able to overcome any adversary in the universe! The greatest conqueror any known race has ever seen! To this day, it's the most sacred artifact in are history."
Alerius finally spoke up. "So you want me to get this staff for you, correct?"
Karion just looked at Alerius harshly. "Yes."
Alerius shook his head with little enjoyment. "So where is it?"
"It was stolen. By a small band of migzights."
Alerius eyes almost popped out of his head! "Migzights! You have got to be kidding me?"
"I wish I was."
"Migzights! Terrific!" Alerius hung his head.
Aurela looked at Alerius and asked, "What are Migzights?"
Karion started, "There…"
Alerius cut him off. He threw his hand in the air as he still had his head hung low. "Please, no more stories!"
Karion rolled his eyes.
Alerius told Aurela that they were one of the most dangerous species in the universe. Masters of bladed combat. Very untrustworthy allies of the human race.
Aurela looked at him strangely. "Well, maybe you won't have to fight them."
Alerius let out this small grunt. "Yeah right, maybe."
Karion just stared at the two for a minute. "Well, will you do it Firius?"
Alerius looked at Karion. "Do I have a choice?"
Karion slightly smiled. "No."
Alerius nodded. "I'm going to need some weapons. I can't necessarily show up without something."
Karion looked at one of his sentries on the upper floor. "Guard, come down here." The sentry disappeared into the diamond castle.
Alerius began shaking his head. "No, no, no! I meant a gun! I can't use one of those 'combat staffs' or whatever you guys call those things!"
The sentry showed up next to Karion and Karion whispered in its ear. The sentry disappeared back into the castle. Karion then returned his attention back to Alerius. "I had no such thing in mind Firius."
Alerius looked at him suspecting something. Of what he wasn't sure of. Alerius could feel his old combat awareness returning to him. Being on guard and being alerted to everything around him. In a way, he was happy his old alertness was coming back but he was going to miss that feeling of calm. Varggan had numbed his sense of awareness but he was being thrust back into battle.
The sentry came out of the front of the castle that Karion had entered. It scurried right up to Alerius and Aurela. Karion's voice spoke. "He will show the way Firius. Good luck."
Alerius looked at Karion and said, "Thanks, but I'm sure you don't meant it." He turned to leave but heard Karion's voice again.
"Oh, but I do mean it. Not for you. I don't care what happens to you. I just want that staff back! In the wrong hands that staff could destroy the universe!"
Alerius looked back at Karion before following the sentry and said with an evil glair in his eye. "Any weapon in the migzights' hands can destroy the universe."
Alerius and Aurela both followed the small lizard sentry away from the castle. They followed him down this long road that lead them to the right of the castle. The city slowly disappeared and all that was left was this tunnel that went on for about five yards before finally they came to this diamond wall. It was about only eight feet tall. The small road ran right into it. Alerius and Aurela wondered what was behind the wall. The sentry went over to the left of the two and put one of its back legs inside a small hole.
The wall then began to open up just like when Aurela had entered the city. It opened up outwards and both of them had to take a step back. When the wall was fully open the sentry crawled inside.
Aurela and Alerius could see inside too. What they saw was this huge room. A diamond chamber. Above was a ceiling of diamond but below was the real shocker! Dead human bodies! Rotten, decomposing, human corpses! Aurela looked at in disgust. She never dreamed that in such a beautiful surrounding would she ever see such death and decay.
Alerius was use to the sight of dead bodies but he was not use to seeing them in such a gorgeous place. It took away from the beauty. Diamond or no, this room was nothing more then just a fancy multi-person coffin! A glittery mausoleum.
Alerius was the first to enter and put his hand over his mouth. It was reflex. He knew that the smell would be atrocious. Thing was, was tha
t when Aurela entered he saw no reaction from her. Except for being disgusted by the bodies. She didn't twitch her nose or even gag at all. Alerius put his hand down and took a small breath. There was no smell! This was the most shocking thing of all to Alerius. As Alerius walked, bodies were stacked on top of each other. There had to be a smell but there was none. Alerius figured that the calsins had found yet another way to use their diamond technology to eradicate the putrid smell. Alerius had no idea how though. The smell of a decaying corpse is one of the worst in the world! There was more then just one there too. A lot more then one!
Alerius and Aurela both walked through the sea of dead bodies. They saw all different kinds but all of them were human. Alerius saw some with military issue armor and others with randomized attire that seemed to be stolen or otherwise. Alerius figured that the military men were from the war and the calsins had hauled them in here. The others were probably treasure seekers looking for the calsins' city of diamond. The calsins had probably killed them in self-defense and stacked them in the diamond mortuary.
Alerius and Aurela both reached the end of the room. The sentry then looked up and said, "Take your pick.-Pick of the litter.-Litter of weapons.-Weapons used by humans.-Guns.-Guns humans use.-Use to get back The Malaphus Staff."
Alerius looked around and the sentry was right. The dead bodies were loaded with guns. Alerius saw some bodies with nothing but grenades. Some of the military dressed bodies had heavy weapons. Huge machine guns with plenty of ammo. Others were armed with lots of handguns. Alerius saw all different types of guns and ammo for them.
Alerius felt right at home. Dead bodies with lots of guns ripe for the taking. He had to be alone though if he was to take the right equipment though. This was no ordinary enemy he faced. He was about to face off against the migzights.
He looked at the sentry and said, "Guard, take Aurela out of here. I have to be alone."
The guard started to scamper away when Aurela said, "No Firius, I want to stay."
Alerius turned around. "No Aurela, I have to be alone."
"I want to be with you."
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Alerius turned his back on her harshly and stared at the wall.
Aurela looked at him hurt beyond words. He had yelled at her before but this time she sensed something in his voice. Something dark. Something sinister. Like he might actually do something to her if she didn't leave.
Aurela slowly turned around and walked out. With every footstep she desperately wanted him to turn around and apologize. She wanted to hear some kind of compassion from him that she knew was in his heart. She could feel it. Not just then though. No, Alerius was possessed. He was taken over by anger and a personal evil she had never felt in him before.
She wasn't too far off. Alerius was in another state of mind. He was in a killer mode. He had to be for this job. He had to be a monster. He knew he had to be if he was going to survive the upcoming battle. Plus, he couldn't have Aurela in his mind. Not now. Not when her survival was now more important then ever. If he got killed, she would be alone and the mission would be a failure. He had hardly ever failed a mission before and he wasn't going to start now. Not on this mission. Especially with such a beautiful…the mission. The mission! Alerius was ready to damn himself for these emotions. His anger just swelled up even more.
He heard the diamond wall close and now he was alone with his breathless audience. He took a deep breath and got back in his machine-like killer mode. Time to start arming himself. Just like he had on Reign. He was back in action.
Planet Traxus: Rearmed
Alerius took a couple quick glances around himself. He saw a dead solider just to the right of another dead body. He reached over and pulled the dead soldier closer to him. The soldier looked like a demolition specialist. He had a few grenades slung on a belt and right next to his hip, also on the belt, was this big, box-like bomb. Alerius slipped the grenade belt off of the soldier with the box bomb and slipped it onto himself.
He took a few steps backwards and saw a huge man with a big Gatlin gun-like assault rifle. It was belt-fed with about thousand rounds of unused ammunition. The bullet belt was wrapped around this small circular crank by the dead man's hip. Alerius fixed it onto himself and took the gun.
Next, He saw another dead solider with one of those small AK-47. Like the ones he used back on Reign. He found two of them on two different bodies. Also, enough ammunition for them both. The two rifles he put on his back and the ammunition he tucked under the grenade belt.
He then found a man armed with three handguns. Two were normal pistols, .45 caliber. The other was a long barrel, magazine fed magnum. The barrel on the gun, from the trigger guard out, was close to a foot long. It was a thin barrel compared to most and looked like it would fit more comfortably on a revolver then on a clip-fed handgun. It was a very unique looking weapon. Alerius fit the three handguns near his hips. He found holsters and ammo for them on the dead man as well.
Next, he found another treasure seeker that seemed to be loaded with small machine guns. He packed about four of them onto his ribs. He found holsters and ammunition for them.
He was about to leave and was near the entrance when he saw something very interesting. It was a man with an old western style looking hat. Whoever he was, he was very rich looking. He had on clothes that most humans couldn't find. Very old western style. Alerius looked at him curiously. Something about the man caught his attention. As if he knew him from somewhere.
In this cowboy's hands was a pump-action shotgun. All of it was chrome with an ebony pump. The pistol grip was also ebony. Alerius slow lifted it out of the cowboy's grip and looked it over. This weapon was certainly unique.
He pumped it one time and ejected a clear looking cartridge. Alerius grabbed it in one catch before it hit the ground. The shell looked like glass because it was so clear but it was harder then glass. It was some kind of crystal. He really didn't know what kind of crystal. He knew it wasn't diamond though.
Through the crystal he could see a green glow. Inside the shell seemed to be this green light. Alerius really didn't know what was inside but the whole situation jogged his memory about something. He loaded the cartridge back into the gun and thought back to his early days at the academy. A legendary rogue.
Alerius bent down to see if he could verify his suspicions. He looked the cowboy over to see if anything could prove him right. That this man was indeed who he thought he was. He looked all over his body and checked his pockets. When Alerius was about to give up he found something in his hat. He turned it to see inside. Inside at the top was black stitched writing. The writing read:
It's not the weapon that makes the man
But the man that makes the weapon
~The Turquoise Steed~
His suspicions were correct!
When he was young and still studying to be an agent, several rogues were looked upon as legends along with The Yellow Korzen. One of them was The Turquoise Steed. His legend was well known. He, like the Yellow Korzen, had been in many battles. He was one of the rogues that had saved the Laylines. Other stories were told of him.
What Alerius was wondering was what he was doing in this diamond mortuary. Why was he here? Of all places? Alerius had a job to do but he made sure that he would ask Karion about it later.
Alerius went up to the exit diamond wall and pounded hard on it. It opened up and standing just outside of it, was the sentry okren and Aurela. Alerius came walking out and the sentry okren closed the diamond wall.
Aurela wondered if he was okay. All of that weaponry seemed heavy. Alerius held it all just fine though. Aurela was worried about him period. She couldn't help herself nor did she want to. She tried to reach out to him but he ignored her. Almost like she wasn't even there.
Alerius was carrying the Steed's shotgun in one hand. Before he walked out into the main part of the city he turned and faced Aurela. Aurela slightly cocked her head. She was overjoyed that Alerius was even looking at her. She desperately w
anted him to say something. She could see something in his eyes. It wasn't the harshness she had seen earlier. This was almost as if he was about to entrust her with something which he was. She wanted him to speak to her. To say anything.
"Aurela." Alerius said.
Aurela was ecstatic! She heard in his voice a kind tone. A tone she had not heard from him since the time they met in the cave. It took everything in her not to leap into his arms. She could still feel that resiliency to her charms. She knew he was not ready to take her. He did, on the other hand, want something from her. She would give it to him. Whatever it was he wanted. She loved him so much! She would do anything for him!
Alerius raised the shotgun and walked closer to her. "Take this for me. Keep it safe for me. If anything should happen, this will keep you safe."
