The Black Knight Box Set

by Christian J Gilliland

  "Peace is for the weak," Eon replied, "The survivors, the unwounded. I am the wounded, the dead. I have conquered time and our very existence, I am Eon!" At that, he launched forward at twice the speed he had before and thrust his beam of dark energy through Xydos' chest.

  Xydos gasped as Eon lifted him off the ground and into the air, "Behold the mighty Xydos Lynx!" He sang in a gleeful tone, "Chairman of Life Links, General of the mighty Alliance of Corporations." He looked his foe in his eyes and watched as inch by inch his body began to disintegrate into nothing.

  "Dust you are, mortal," He declared with a foul grin. He clenched his fist and what was left of Xydos exploded in all directions, painting the area in blood and splintered bone.

  "Burn this village to the ground!" Eon commanded as he turned and walked away, "Bring me every villager, we will discover where our Demon has gone!"

  ***

  "Hail the mighty Commanders Jamiso, liberators of Exgrane," Lord Xian's regal voice announced over the communicator. "Please forgive me for I do not have much time, but this is a pressing matter I know. Kazin, Kane are you there?"

  "I am, my lord," Supreme Commander Kazin Hawell's elderly Humaan voice replied, "Tis a delight to hear your voice once again."

  "As am I," Supreme Commander Kain Darkwind announced in his deep, silky voice, "I am pleased to hear you all are doing well."

  "My lords," Ladia called out, "Thank you all for meeting with us. I know you all are very busy, but we can all agree that this unpleasantness is of utmost importance. As you know, my children have been causing quite a bit of trouble for us."

  "Forgive me, but that is a bit of an understatement," Lord Xian replied in a mildly annoyed tone, "Your children have been complicating things quite significantly."

  "Indeed," Kazin laughed with amusement, "Truly they uphold the reputation of the Jamiso family, of their father." Ladia glared at her husband, and he silently shrugged, "But let us talk of your son Rubaan for now. We understand he believes that he has encountered… Eon the Calamity?"

  "Yes, my lord," Ladia replied, "Rubaan is here with me and hopes to tell his story. He will keep it quick." She nudged Rubaan in the ribs, and he spoke.

  "Uh, hello… my lords," Rubaan nervously called out, "It is really… truly an honor to talk to you all."

  "On with it," Kane impatiently barked, "Why do you believe you have encountered the one whom Xian and I banished a century ago?"

  "Hopefully I do not sound crazy… lords," Rubaan stammered, "I do not want to waste any of your time. A little over a week ago I was standing in front of my mirror. I heard a voice, one I had never heard before. He proclaimed he was king and that his name was Eon. Of course, what made this strange was that nobody was there."

  "I hope that is not all there is to it," Xian sneered, "But, please continue."

  "He said the Demon was coming. That I was going to help him," Rubaan continued, "Shortly after, I became paralyzed but only for a moment. My spine felt icy, and I lost control over my body. When it was over, I blacked out. I woke up the next morning in my bed like nothing had changed."

  "But?" Kazin asked, expecting more to the story.

  "But… the next day everyone at my work was murdered by... me." Rubaan revealed. "But it was not me. I called in sick that day, yet there was video surveillance of me slaughtering everyone with a pickaxe. The Inquisitors showed me when they captured me. I never did such a thing. But I… I saw myself walking down the street with the people I had killed, but they were alive. Alec Flinn's grandfather Dauid was there with me… I mean they were walking; I would not say they were truly alive though, they shivered as they walked and did not seem to be fully awake or at all aware."

  "Rubaan Jamiso," Xian spoke again, "You said he spoke of the Demon returning. This Demon, of course, is your brother Crinnan, correct?"

  "Yes," Rubaan replied, "It has to be him."

  "Rubaan understand what I am about to tell you is strictly confidential," Xian said, "I gain nothing from telling you this, but I believe you have been through a significant amount of trauma in the past few weeks. This information is for your own good. Do you understand?"

  "I do," Rubaan replied. "I understand this is confidential."

  "Very good," Xian paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "The facts are, Crinnan has somehow miraculously shown back up in the realm of the living. We have confirmed through our most reliable source at the Agra Triangle Corporation that his NaNe signature, his NPin, and you may not know some of this terminology so please just try to follow along and do not interrupt me with questions, did, in fact, go offline ninety days ago when he was in the Belhaasi Weald with his squad. That only happens when someone is purged of NaNe or when they die. We were able to logically rule out a purge because his NPin did, in fact, come back online only this morning."

  "Okay," Rubaan said.

  "What this means, Rubaan," Xian said, "Is that your brother died and then he came back to life. Now, as you know, I am the direct offspring of an Ancient, and I have more understanding of their technology than most. While I do not understand everything, I do have at least a basic grasp on a lot of things. In the old days, it was not uncommon for an NPin to go offline and then come back online. This was a process that was a part of what was called the ReLive Initiative that was commercialized by the Life Links corporation, the creators of the NaNe. People would die, and their consciences would be uploaded to a virtual paradise called the AfterScape, an afterlife of sorts. It was a sort of vacation from the mortal world. Eventually, they would desire to return, and their consciences would be downloaded into a new body, or sometimes the NaNe would be reactivated in their old bodies and their bodies would be revitalized and brought back to life. That was when their NPins would come back online. We saw that happen with your brother, and with another… and now we fear a third."

  "Be careful how much you share," Kain cautioned, "We do not know…"

  "He is Crinnan's son," Xian quickly replied, "I am confident he can be trusted. Anyway, Vice Commander Milinka Emmal of Base 11 in Kamlot also recently returned from the dead. It was very close to the same time that you said you interacted with Eon. She crawled from her crypt and walked into the catacombs of her base. Her father suffered a heart attack when he saw her and has not yet recovered."

  "Basically, my boy," Kazin sighed, "Our working theory is that your brother, Lady Milinka and Eon worked together to escape the Hells."

  "Escape the Hells?" Rubaan repeated, "That's possible?"

  "We have never seen it before," Kazin said, "Not until now… however, we do find it a bit odd that your brother returned in the Belhaasi Weald."

  "Why?" Rubaan asked.

  "Because the Belhaasi Weald was once the great city of Belhaas," Xian replied, "The home of Life Links, the creators of the NaNe. Milinka returned in Kamlot, Eon returned to Canrom City, and Crinnan returned in Belhaas… however, he did not return where he died. He returned exactly at the location of one of the great Sentinel Trees. Now I know you do not know the significance of a Sentinel Tree as neither do we, however, we do find it odd because the very Sentinel Tree we are speaking of is the only one that the Agra Triangle Corporation has never explored. We do as of this morning have confirmation, again from our friend at the Agra Triangle Corporation, that beneath this Sentinel Tree lives an Ancient by the name of Sajinious Lynx. The founder of the Life Links Corporation."

  "Sajionous Lynx?" Ladia interrupted, "As in… Sage Lynx?"

  "The same," Xian replied.

  "Ah shit," Commander Crinnan groaned as he ran his hand through his hair, "You are telling us that my son is with Sage fucking Lynx?" He glared at his wife, and she closed her eyes and shook her head.

  "Indeed," Xian answered. "We find it very curious that your son was resurrected at the location of the creator the NaNe and AfterScape, which by the way was redesigned into Heaven and the Hells after Govia won the war."

  "You are implying that Sage Lynx helped our son escape the Hells?" Ladi
a asked.

  "I am," Xian replied, "I also believe that your son helped both Eon and Vice Commander Milinka escape. Now, why Sajinious Lynx would feel compelled to aid your son is a question we do not know the answer to. Perhaps boredom, perhaps he remembered you, perhaps there's more to this story..."

  "Doesn't fucking surprise me. The son of a bitch..." Crinnan threw his hands up in the air and grit his teeth together. Ladia gave him a furious look, and he sighed deeply, "In Exgrane I didn't kill him. He fought with Govia, and I befriended him. When I encountered him, I knocked him out and left him with the corpses with a note that said ‘you owe me.' He apparently took it seriously."

  "Interesting." Lord Xian replied, "Either way, I am suiting up now to accompany Century squad in their extraction of Crinnan. We believe that Eon is also pursuing him and I need to be there as only I have ever vanquished him."

  "Right," Commander Kain sarcastically chimed in, "You had no help?"

  "Fine," Xian replied, "Only Kain and I have ever vanquished him."

  "Either way," Ladia said, "Please contact us when you have retrieved my son…"

  "Of course, my lady," Xian replied, "Until then, good work everyone. We will reconvene when it is all finished. Oh, and Rubaan?"

  "Yes, Lord?"

  "You have done well. Welcome home, son. When I return from the Belhaasi Weald, I ask that you meet with me, for I want to make certain that you and your family are well taken care of."

  "Thank you, sir," Rubaan replied, "I will sir."

  The transmission ended, and Ladia flipped the communicator shut. She sat silently for a moment and then Commander Crinnan spoke.

  "Wow," He growled as he glared at his wife, "Sage Lynx, to think that fucker would come back into our lives..."

  "Enough, Crinnan," Ladia shot her husband a stern look. A distressed expression spread over her face, and she sighed heavily, "Let's just wait this out."

  "Sure," Commander Crinnan sneered. He looked over at Rubaan and gently placed his hand on his son's back. "You go get some rest son, go upstairs and see your family. Soon we leave for Base 21."

  Chapter Five

  Crinnan XIX

  23rd of Ramlia - 346AG

  01:30 - Belhaasi Weald

  The seven of them ran. At that point, the jogging and brisk walking they had become accustomed to had become a thing of the past. The group, of course, had a destination they were going toward, that had been an element of their whole journey. What Crinnan was more concerned with at that moment, was not where he was headed, but what he was running from.

  “Not much further!” Nora shouted as she ducked under a low hanging branch, “Racon tower is…” she suddenly let out a low grunt of discomfort and went silent as her running came to a halt. Crinnan nearly crashed into the back of Sage as they stopped and that was when he felt the first drop of water splash onto the top of his head.

  “Oh, fuck no…” Nora cried painfully. She was clearly terrified and bothered by something that Crinnan couldn’t see. As she shook her head in disbelief, she turned around to face Sage. A look of helplessness overcame her, and she bit her lip as a tear ran down her face.

  “They… got me,” That was when Crinnan noticed the blood and the grappling hook protruding from her stomach. He had never seen it before, but he knew exactly what it was. He clenched his teeth together and pushed Freyja back as he scanned the trees.

  “No!” Sage shouted as he frantically charged forward. He threw her to the ground revealing the cable that the purge-hook was attached to. A beam of fire emerged from his hand, and he quickly sliced through the wire.

  “Come on!” He panted as he hoisted her up off the ground. Another hook flew past him, grazing his shoulder and ultimately planting itself in Guntz’ chest. Cade hurried over to assist and just missed grabbing hold of Guntz’ hand as he was rapidly reeled into the darkness of the woods.

  “Reapers!” Sage shouted furiously as he turned to the others, “We need to go!”

  “Damn it all!” Crinnan shouted as he made sure Freyja didn’t fall as they ran behind Sage. He reached down with his free hand and hovered it behind the boys back as they ran.

  Reapers were Govia’s primary weapon against the Ancients like Nora and Sage. In the past, the Ancients had always bested the Empire in combat due to their superior handling of the NaNe. Govia eventually however adapted and created the Reapers; heavily armored NaNe users who purged and downloaded the powers of the ancients that they captured before they killed them. The entire process deleted the Ancient’s NaNe image preventing them from being uploaded into the Hells; they wanted to make sure that the Ancients were gone forever.

  “Guntz…” Nora squealed as they charged through the thick trees and brush. She was crying, not sobbing but gently and quietly weeping as she knew that her powers, her NaNe that had been a part of her for so many centuries, were gone, absorbed by the Reapers.

  Nora’s blood streamed down Sage’s back and mixed with the water on the ground, leaving a trail of crimson behind them. As the rain continued to fall and pepper Crinnan’s skin he watched tiny sparks of electricity pop off of him, leaving small streams of smoke behind. It did not hurt him, but it was strange for him to watch.

  “Come on,” Sage repeated as he ran, “That is it, keep going.” Crinnan was not sure whether he was trying to encourage himself or everyone else at that point. His whole demeanor had changed, no more was he the self-assured, charismatic being he had met back at the cabin but instead fearfully determined to stay alive.

  Crinnan’s sword found its way into his hand, and as the rain fell onto the blade, he watched chains of electricity flow down his arm and up the metal blade. He saw the jagged lines of blue light dance on the weapon as if they sensed the oncoming danger as if they anticipated the inevitable fight.

  His heart pounded in his chest, and for a split second, he could not help but close his eyes. He felt absolute focus and clarity overcome his mind in a way that he had never experienced before. Each drop of rain that fell against his skin was an experience of its own and the gust of wind that encircled his body unlocked a memory of being swaddled by his mother when he was merely a babe.

  Crinnan heard each breath that Cade took behind him and could even feel the heat trail that Sage’s flaming hand was leaving even though he was nearly ten feet ahead. He ran his hand through his hair and felt each and every strand pass through his fingers. It seemed that the indescribably complex nature of the physical had all of a sudden become clearer as if Crinnan had discovered a brand new, more profound way of experiencing the world around him. That was when he heard something behind him snap.

  Crinnan spun around and extended his sword arm just as a Govian soldier approached. The point of the blade did not fully penetrate his thin metal armor but clanked against the back of it after piercing carefully through the front layer and his sternum. As he stood before Crinnan, his body locked up as if all of his bones had suddenly become one. Crinnan watched curiously for a moment as smoke started creeping out of the collar of the jerkin he wore beneath his armor. And then he noticed the smell; it was like meat cooking.

  “What the fuck…” Crinnan gasped as the smoke turned to fire. He pulled his sword from the Govian out of fear of getting burnt and looked over to Cade who had stopped to watch.

  “You electrocuted him,” Cade said with a tone of admiration, “By the Brothers, you are a NaNe user now...”

  “I should say this is no time to gawk!” Sage called back angrily, “We need to get to the...” A hook flew through the air and planted itself in the dirt in front of Sage. “...tower.” Everyone turned to run just as the first Reaper emerged from the trees behind them.

  Crinnan got a brief look at the pursuing Reaper. His face was hidden behind a reflective chrome mask, and his armor was thick enough to almost double his shoulder width. A long blue cloak with gold lining hung from his neck and seemed to wrap around his body, and the unmasked portion of his head was hooded. At his hip hung a broadsword and
under each of his palms was a gas-powered hook-launching mechanism with enough line to hit a target from a maximum of about 20 yards.

  Before Crinnan could run away, he heard a high-powered rifle being fired and saw the Reaper’s mask suddenly flash with bright blue light. The sound of a bullet ricocheting off metal echoed through his ears, and he watched the Reaper jerk his head to the side and then fall onto his back. The Reaper’s mask had somehow mitigated the impact of the bullet.

  Cracks littered the face of the once solid chrome mask and prevented the Govian from being able to see. Whatever NaNe technology had been employed to protect the Reaper had done its job, but it was apparently a one-shot deal against Flox’s rifle. Quickly, the Reaper reached up and tossed it aside. The face behind the mask gasped and then scowled as he scanned the area. Crinnan saw an opportunity to strike, but before he could advance on his enemy, another rifle shot rang through the night. The Reaper’s forehead exploded, and he fell backward onto the ground, dead.

  “What the fuck,” Crinnan asked, looking over at Cade. He double checked to make sure that Freyja was safe and saw him kneeling and silently holding his hands over his ears. Crinnan hurried to him and grabbed him by the back of the neck, yanking him to his feet.

  “That was not me,” Cade replied as he turned his eyes up to the canopy, “Someone else.” Crinnan turned his head in the direction Cade was looking and noticed some movement above them. Cade raised his rifle, but Crinnan tapped it back down with his sword as a figure leaped from the branches and landed on the ground in front of them.

  He was an Elf slightly taller than Crinnan, had the face of a male in his late twenties though his true age was nearly double that. His brown hair was pulled back behind his ears, but a few strands of it hung down in his face. He wore light Black Knight battle armor and carried a Klauds XK44; a high powered scoped long rifle that could not have weighed less than 25 lbs. Crinnan knew the Elf that stood before him; he was a Centurion, one of the two snipers in his squad. He had killed more people than anyone else Crinnan knew, and his name was Stevill Flox.