Otherworld Soldiers- Rise of the Apocalypse

by Fox Lancet

  As he reached the pair, he slid one of his serrated swords from the scabbard on his back. Lenees watched him fearfully, trembling. When he disappeared behind her, a frown folded on her lips and she released an exhausted breath. Her glowing eyes scanned the crowd of Demons bordering the valley. Feeling the menace so near behind her, unaware of his purpose, her breath became quick and shallow. Lenees screamed when cold steel sliced fire into the open wound on her back.

  Calious merely pressed the tip of his blade into the laceration where the Seraph’s wing used to be attached. More roars of assent peeled from the black mass at the explicit anguish. Calious glanced briefly at Aisleen, who was watching the delight on his face rather than the pain on Lenees’s. She gave him a crooked grin and returned her eyes to the Seraph. Calious applied more pressure to the blade, embedding it deeper into the healer’s exposed muscle. Lenees released another shriek before losing consciousness again. Calious and Aisleen both frowned at her limp figure. Aisleen tilted her head.

  “Weak creature,” Calious scoffed. He withdrew his sword and walked back around the restrained Seraph to regard her with Aisleen. Aisleen lifted a slender foot and pressed it against Lenees’s chest. She shoved the other Seraph mildly, enough to send her head flopping backward and forward, coming back to rest on her chest. Lenees did not stir. Aisleen sighed exasperatedly.

  Calious shrugged and ran the side of his blade on Aisleen’s thigh, wiping the blue blood from the tip. Aisleen did not move but scowled at the action. He flipped his blade, cleaning the other side on her before returning it to its scabbard. She continued to glare at him and he ignored her.

  “We will continue when she wakes again.” Calious raised his voice, directing the comment generally before walking back toward the bottom of the peak, away from the scene.

  The sky was a faded orange now that the moons were gone and the sun was making its new approach. Brighter stars still peeked through the blanket of light, blinking resolutely. A fresh breeze swept through the valley, rustling through purple foliage and guiding fallen leaves across the open space. Calious lifted his head, sniffing the clear gust before turning and settling on a fallen log draped in velvety black moss.

  After a short time, much of Pride had rearranged comfortably and were grumbling amongst themselves. Calious’s eyes puckered when Rapsnel approached Aisleen, who was standing in the center of the sparse valley combing her lithe fingers through her wavy blue hair.

  “Aisleen, it was a pleasure to observe you harassing that Seraph. I have never seen such a sight.” The Pride captain stood at arm’s-length from the female, his eyes roving up and down her delicate shape.

  Calious’s mouth curled in disgust.

  “I am glad to have provided you with such pleasure, Rapsnel.” Aisleen’s fingers fell from her hair and swayed casually below the curves of her hips. Her wings extended behind her in a stretch. Calious flexed his jaw.

  “Did you enjoy yourself as much it seemed?” Rapsnel leered at her, a constant grin basking on his mouth. Before Aisleen could answer, Calious stood and interrupted.

  “Back off, Rapsnel,” he growled without moving toward the duo, knowing both could hear him. Rapsnel glanced at him nonchalantly then returned his attention to Aisleen, who had disregarded Calious altogether. Infuriated, he stepped forward. Rapsnel opened his mouth to continue conversing with Aisleen, but was cut off by Calious’s snarl.

  “Do not make me repeat myself, subordinate.”

  Rapsnel did not look at Calious this time and instead growled, turned away from Aisleen, and retreated back to his regiment. Aisleen’s head jerked in the direction of Calious, who was closing the distance between them.

  “Is there a reason you dismissed my company?” she asked, agitation lacing her words.

  “You do not need the company of that Demon,” he replied, eyeing Rapsnel in the crowd of black bodies.

  “Is that so? Or are you feeling possessive?” The question came out with satisfaction.

  “No,” Calious retorted curtly. “There are merely better Demons to keep the company of.”

  “Oh? May I have an example?” Aisleen stepped close enough to him that he could feel her breath on his hide. He clenched his teeth.

  “Syler or Hunter,” he managed through his fangs, still not meeting her gaze. Aisleen let out a clipped laugh.

  “Syler refuses any advancements. And Hunter settles for no one female.” Calious finally shot a glare down at her.

  “So you admit to having considered them before?” he growled, his eyes locking on hers.

  “Why? Does the idea provoke your temper?” She lifted a hand and dragged it down the muscles of his chest and stomach, her eyes snaking down the same path. His glare softened at her touch. Though, when he realized the reaction, he twisted from her hand and made a futile attempt to replace his glower.

  “Not at all,” he huffed in vain. Aisleen gave him a shameless smile.

  “Of course not.” She dropped her hand and stepped away from the Demon commander, her eyes languidly investigating Lenees’s inanimate form. “I feel that we should induce consciousness in her. Resting is a pleasure she should not be granted.” Calious eyed their captive and grumbled an agreement. Before either could make an approach, or offer suggestions for the Seraph’s revival, there was a call from the peak.

  “Calious, your regiment lives and the remainder have returned.” One of Wrath peered over a crag with an assiduous stare. The soldier perched at the tip of the jagged rock, knees bent severely and his claws propped on the sharp edge for balance. He froze into place like a statue to wait for his commander to ascend the hillside that wrapped incongruently around the peak.

  Calious ordered Aisleen to stay with Pride until his eyes inadvertently found Rapsnel in the crowd of curious Demons. He quickly recanted the decision and demanded she follow him.

  When they reached the gate, Calious was greeted by four of his Apathy soldiers, soldiers he had assumed dead.

  “Lasient, an error it was to ever have trusted the idea of your demise.” Calious spread his arms as he approached the recently emerged Demons. A pleased smile coiled onto his mouth.

  “Captain Calious, our apologies for our voracious need to impede the enemy. In fact, I was quite disturbed when I did not see you with us on the other side. Though it was visually impossible to recognize one another, we could identify each other nonetheless. I assume you are the one who informed the High Lord. The thought of your death never planted roots within me, but it is a relief to meet you again.” The two affiliated Demons patted each other’s shoulders. Calious noted Lasient had a few new scars before he let his eyes pass over the other three and he nodded approvingly to his surviving regiment.

  “I am not at all displeased by your actions. Had we not been separated by battle, I would have commanded you to pursue the evading Seraphs while I returned to the Lord. It pleases me that I did not have to voice the command.”

  Lasient nodded enthusiastically. “The things we have seen, Captain.”

  Aisleen had unfolded and shaken her wings out of habit and drew the new Demon’s attention. Lasient glared over his leader’s shoulder and his chest vibrated instinctually.

  “What is this?” Lasient growled. Perplexity claimed Calious, who quickly recovered as he put Aisleen in his peripheral vision. He grimaced mildly before returning his full attention to his four remaining soldiers.

  “It is merely Aisleen, the Legion Healer. You know her name.”

  “I know her name, but I have never been subjected to her presence before,” Lasient snarled, red sparking in his eyes. Calious twisted his neck, cracking the joints. He had trained his regiment to detest Seraphs to the fullest, regardless of any corrupted status. Neither he nor his regiment had been in Aisleen’s hands until he had before leaving the fortress last.

  “She is permitted to be here.” Thoughts of their recent encounters with one another sifted through his thoughts and his jaw tensed. “I will see her dismissed if you prefer, while we d
iscuss what has transpired since our separation.” The other three Apathy soldiers had responded akin to Lasient, their eyes teeming and their throats repressing growls. When Calious offered her dismissal, they nodded anxiously.

  “Aisleen, return to the valley to keep an eye on Lenees.” He could feel her disapproval pulsing from behind him.

  “What of Rapsnel?” Aisleen’s usual poise wavered under a layer of fury.

  “What of him? Go.” Calious turned, penetrating her antagonizing look with his eyes. His teeth scraped across each other. The thought of Rapsnel accomplishing what he had been attempting earlier consumed him and a roar ate away at his insides like a plague. His stoicism won out and he returned his attention to his soldiers.

  Aisleen did not concede for several moments, then she parted with a shriek as she shot into the sky, her wings carrying her in the opposite direction of the valley. They watched her disappear. The four Apathy soldiers looked away while Calious waited until the black speck of her body had vanished completely. His hide burned, deploring his actions.

  “Was that necessary of her?” Lasient inquired, cutting through Calious’s vague thoughts of regret.

  “She has acquired an unseemly attachment to me,” he mumbled. When he recognized nearby chuckles, he felt his eyes light uncontrollably and he shot the perpetrators steeling glares while he worked his tongue across his fangs. The thought of his regiment discovering what had happened between him and Aisleen griped on him, as much as his disregard of her pried unmercifully at his insides.

  Lasient shrugged. “You are Elite now, I am told; the Commander of the Legion in Nefarion’s stead.” The fact flooded through Calious, washing away thoughts of Aisleen and anxiety of his soldiers’ discovery. It was swiftly replaced with pride and power.

  “That is correct.” He lifted his chin, black bleeding over the red and filling his eyes. “I am Elite, and I am Commander of The Horde. In fifteen more passes of the moon I have been given leave to lead the First Legion across the threshold,” Calious declared before his eyes fell upon silver additions dangling from the Apathy soldiers’ necks. “What are those?”

  Lasient glanced down at the accessory and cocked his head, seeming astonished.

  “These were given to us by Commander Syler. He called them dog tags and claimed they were for identification. Strange they remain. Neither our form nor weapons translate properly to the Otherworld.” Lasient brushed the necklace with his claws, causing the plates to chime gently against one another.

  “Ah, the Otherworld, tell us of this plane.”

  A sly smile spread across Lasient’s monstrous face and his eyes bounced over the surrounding regiments.

  “It is a feast, begging for death at every turn.” He paused. “There is enough blood to be spilt for many lifetimes over.” A commotion of galvanized Demon voices rose. Calious lifted a claw to still and silence them so that Lasient could divulge further.

  “The dominate creatures of the Otherworld are weak, but are intelligent enough to be a challenge at the least.” Calious nodded, pleased. “There are also many mysteries; things that cannot even be described accurately here. They can only be seen and experienced to be fully comprehended.” Lasient turned his body slightly away from Calious, engaging the mass in his excitement.

  “And the weapons of this world far surpass ours. Many can be used at great distances without the enemy even being aware of the wielder’s presence. Metal blasted from small and large barrels with fire that will penetrate the target partially or through and through.” His claws danced animatedly through the air and, despite the resplendent daylight, The Hordes’ eyes were kindled uncontrollably.

  “The sky there is inexplicable. It possesses but one white moon and one white sun. The hours of light exceed that of the night’s. Stars are vague unless you are far from civilization.” Lasient was about to continue when a heavy claw fell on his large shoulder. He started from his narrative, having been lost in his memories. When he focused again, his eyes met Calious’s.

  “That is more than enough for the time being, Lasient. You won us with your first words.”

  “Apologies, Commander.” Lasient relaxed and gave a parting glance to The Horde.

  “No apologies necessary. Tell me of any imperative events while you were there. Did you meet the Lord? He crossed but five moon-passes ago.”

  The warrior shook his head.

  “I am not sure that the passings run parallel, Commander. We did feel his presence on our return to the gate, though it faded soon after and we never did encounter him. He must have taken a separate route from us.”

  Calious’s pierced brows crinkled in contemplation as he nodded in understanding. After a moment, he spoke again,

  “What of the Seraphs that eight of you pursued?”

  Lasient smiled maliciously, recalling the satisfying chase.

  “Of the twelve Seraphs that we followed, seven were put to rest by our hands. Two were slain by Hunter. Three, one being Jacob, escaped.”

  “And the four that have not returned with you?”

  “Diso was slaughtered by Elijah and two others. Silfter was destroyed by one of the Otherworld weapons that I spoke of before. Larks and Felse were slain by creatures who hunt humans. They currently aid Seraphs against us. I doubt for long once they see our numbers and what we are capable of. Was any of our regiment spared on this side?”

  “No. None but me, the area was overrun. Nefarion, Wrath, and I reclaimed it not long after it had been breached.”

  “Hapless tragedy.” Lasient rotated his torso, stretching joints and muscles.

  “Even more, Kaleb is in the Otherworld. He crossed just this past night. You did not meet paths with him either?” Lasient froze, his lip curling. He shook his head to affirm that there had been no contact with the enemy prince.

  “How can that be?” One of the other warriors grumbled impatiently over Lasient’s shoulder. The black orbs of Calious’s eyes bounced to one of his original soldiers, Coldon.

  “A loyal healer dropped him over the gate. Wings and all, she is a pure Seraph soul, but has the strength of one only thought to be possible in the corrupted.” The news sparked fury in the four returned Demons, fueling the red spark in the back of their eyes.

  “What of her now?” Coldon demanded before Lasient had a chance to utter the same words. Calious smiled and answered elatedly,

  “She is in our control. In fact, we were amusing ourselves with her pain before you arrived.”

  The four warriors relaxed, their eyes glossing black again. They all smiled.

  “Might we watch?” Lasient inquired.

  “Or even have at her?” Coldon stepped up beside Lasient. Neither removing their earnest gazes from Calious.

  “I am afraid the four of you have already had more amusement than the rest of The Horde has had in many moon-passes. It would not be fair to let you have a go, but you are more than welcome to watch.”

  The four soldiers regarded each other begrudgingly, but shrugged their broad shoulders in recognition to the statement.

  “However, you will all be displeased to be informed that Aisleen has been promised to lead Kaleb’s accomplice’s torture.”

  “And what of it? No one will care if that promise is not kept; save for her and what is she to do against thousands? Nothing.”

  “You will have to forgive me, Lasient, but while I am in charge I must see that Nefarion’s command is kept as stable as possible. We all know that he repays the corrupt healer for her services by allowing her to torture prisoners. And she has done much since the quest for the gate and its key has commenced.”

  Lasient glowered before shaking his head and wandering away. The three remaining soldiers sighed before they all ambled away to settle casually among The Horde.

  Calious was not concerned with their irritation because he knew what he had spoken was true and would have been expected by the rest of The Horde. Had Nefarion been present, the last four Apathy warriors would have been just
as disconcerted by the decision, though perhaps less obviously so. Once his soldiers had distracted themselves with comrades, Calious allowed his thoughts to deviate to Aisleen.

  Her wrath was unprecedented. Demon brothers were lenient with revenge and in forgiveness toward one another. Aisleen was not a Demon, though corrupt, and did not hold herself to the same standards, as demonstrated by her earlier antics--fearless to undermine him in the company of a great many of his kind. He could only dread what she plotted for his punishment for banishing her presence before his remaining soldiers.

  Calious strolled to the peak’s edge, overlooking the valley where Lenees and Pride resided. Fire skidded across his hide and immediately penetrated his chest when he saw Aisleen was circling a conscious Lenees. His surprise irked him and he growled ravenously.

  The corrupt healer did not slow in her pacing around the damaged Seraph, but Calious knew she was aware of him.

  He leapt from the peak with the same growl trembling in his chest. The sound burst from his throat when he hit the dirt below, causing the valley to shiver briefly. Pride’s Demons all turned their attention to him as he stalked obtrusively toward the females. Aisleen continued not to heed him.

  Just before he was in arm’s-length, Aisleen stopped abruptly behind Lenees. Calious’s curiosity halted him in his tracks at the same moment. Aisleen frowned angrily before grabbing both of Lenees’s wings, bracing a foot on the healer’s spine and pulling viciously with a passionate scream. Her candid scream was soon overtaken by Lenees’s blood-curdling shriek as her ruined wing was fully removed from her back in addition to her fully intact wing being forced manually from muscled flesh.

  Once Lenees’s wings were detached and dangling in her hands, Aisleen’s cry dissipated. Lenees’s did not. The pain-laced sound pierced the air, fading only enough for the inflicted to gasp in more air for yet another. Loose rocks tumbled from the peak and the leaves of nearby trees shook, falling empathetically to the ground around the pure creature. Transparent, blue tears flushed down her pale face, her tiny mouth contorted into a rigid gap of agony.