Tales of Talon Box Set

by A A Warren

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Talon bellowed a war cry as his winged beast swooped over the stone platform. The sound of rending metal filled the air as the razor-wing’s talons shredded the mechanical body in their grasp. With an ear-piercing shriek, the creature released the mangled shards of metal and dove lower, sending Avra’s crimson hair streaking behind her like a trail of flame.

  Avra wrapped an arm around Talon’s waist and aimed her pulse pistol at the targets below. A barrage of glowing bolts erupted from the weapon’s muzzle. The high-pitched whine rang in Talon’s ears, as she strafed the ground beneath them. Her shots struck two golemechs scurrying down the rocks. Molten holes exploded in their chests, and they tumbled down the rock walls.

  “Your plan worked well," Talon shouted over the rushing wind. “Utu and Orvane were able to draw the warships away.”

  Avra gasped as the razor-wing flew sideways, narrowly dodging another burst of pulse fire from the ground. “Not a bad distraction if I say so myself,” she shouted as they leveled out. “But I was only planning on facing Volonte and his men. Not an army of these mechs!”

  She fired again, sending a bolt into the head of another golemech. Sparks erupted from its crimson eye sockets, as the energy blast fried its neural pathways. It toppled over, collapsing into another pair of mechs marching behind it.

  “Orex used to say, ‘no plan survives contact with the enemy,’” Talon replied, eying the carnage below. “Luckily for us, whatever these new mechs are, they’re weaker than Volonte by far.”

  “But they make for it in numbers,” Avra snapped. “There are hundreds of them. Maybe more… Look!” She pointed at the towering walls that embraced the platform. A sea of glowing red eyes and mechanical limbs scurried down the jagged rocks.

  Avra opened fired again, as Talon dove the razor-wing closer to the ground. “At least these things don’t seem to have Volonte’s energy shield or weapon capabilities,” she shouted, aiming at another target. “Maybe it takes them a while to ramp up to full—”

  Before she could finish her sentence, a stray pulse bolt clipped the flying beast’s wing. The animal shrieked in pain. The wind rushed around them as it plummeted from the sky. Talon jerked up on the reins so hard the leather cord bit into his hands. But he was unable to stop their hurtling descent. The ground rushed towards them…

  At the last second the creature swooped up, barreling through the melee of men and mechs in its path. The wounded beast’s talons scraped across the platform, struggling to find a safe landing perch. Avra gasped as their mount flipped over, throwing them both from the saddle as it rolled across the ground. With a final piercing cry, the razor-wing tumbled over the far edge of the platform, and plummeted into the abyss. Its injured wings were unable to provide lift, and it fell screaming into the glowing depths below.

  Talon leapt to his feet and drew his axe. The fiery orange blade hummed to life, casting a hellish glow across the platform.

  “Decius!” he called out. But the creature did not respond.

  Reaching down, he pulled Avra to her feet. She gave him a nod, then tapped her wrist unit. A glowing energy disk emerged, covering her arm like a shield. Another wave of mechs clanked across the platform.

  “Talon… we’ve got incoming,” she said in a concerned voice.

  Talon spun around to face the rocks. The army of golemechs marched towards them, their eyes burning crimson in the shadows.

  Avra charged forward, firing a barrage from her pistol. The shots struck the closest mech in the chest, sending a shower of sparks cascading from its torso. As it fell to its knees, she leapt up and stepped on its shoulder. Using the metal body for leverage, she pushed off and flipped into the air, firing another volley at the other mechs charging beneath her.

  Three more mechanical enemies collapsed to the ground as she landed in the midst of the of deadly machines. Her energy shield crackled and hummed as she drove it into a golemech’s head, carving a molten gash between its eyes.

  She fired another blast from her pistol, then glanced at the gun’s energy meter… it read empty. Discarding the useless weapon, she drew one of her curved daggers and looked over her shoulder at Talon. “You planning on helping?”

  Talon was already swinging his axe left and right, cleaving his way through the mechanical horde. “Where is Volonte?” he bellowed, as the metal bodies fell before his onslaught. “Show yourself, coward! Do you need an army to face us?”

  A voice rose from the twitching mechanical bodies, as they sparked and thrashed on the ground. “Volonte was weak. Frail..." The words echoed around Talon and Avra, sounding from every nook and cranny in the shadows. “He burned, as all your pathetic flesh shall burn. You both will share his fate!”

  Avra spun in a circle, hurtling her blades into a pair of mechs lurching towards them. As they exploded into twisted scraps of metal, she drew another dagger. Spinning like a whirlwind, she blocked the swing of a mech’s blade with her shield, then drove her dagger into its neck.

  “That voice,” she shouted, as sparks rained down on her shield. She glanced over at Talon. “That wasn’t Volonte. It sounded like Dulkar… the one who took Suphara!”

  “When we find Volonte, we’ll find his sorcerer and Suphara,” Talpon grunted. He swung his axe, deflecting a pulse bolt from a golemech’s arm cannon. As the energy blast ricocheted across the platform, he clutched the machine’s neck in his fist. Swinging his axe down, he severed its arm. Sparks flew from the melted shoulder joint, and the metal limb clattered to the ground.

  “Where is he?” Talon shouted. The mech’s eyes flickered and dimmed as he grasped its neck tighter in his fist. “Where is Volonte Er’gosi?”

  Suddenly, a crimson pulse of light lit up the sky behind them. The glow erupted from the Cortex, and traveled down the shimmering beam of light. It struck the platform, sending an energy wave rippling through the air. The blast struck the nearby mechs, hurtling them backwards. Their writhing bodies tumbled over the edge of the platform, and vanished into the depths of the vault.

  The force of the blast threw Talon and Avra to the ground. They rolled across the stone platform, scraping their nails against the rocky surface. Finally, they came to a stop. Talon lifted his head, peering through the strands of his tousled hair.

  A shadowy figure stood within the center of the beam. With clanking steps, it emerged from the light and marched towards them.

  It was Volonte.

  The golemech raised his arm, and his long, metal blade slid out. “I am here, No’varran!” he snarled. “These pathetic creatures are mere shadows of me. Dulkar has spread himself too thin… he does not possess enough dark energy to power their shields.”

  Talon rose to his feet, and stood before his enemy. His mouth twisted into a snarl of fury as his crimson eye glowed bright. Raising his axe, he paced around his enemy. “Dulkar?" he snarled. "So your sorcerer has betrayed you, then?”

  “I will deal with him after I send you to the Haunted Stars,” Volonte replied, matching the gladiator’s movements. The two opponents stalked like hungry predators, circling each other as they looked for any sign of weakness.

  Leaping to her feet, Avra slashed the head off the last of the golemech horde. The metal body crumpled to the ground in a heap. Glancing around the platform, she saw the last of Volonte's men scurry over the shattered rocks, and flee the chamber. Another wave of metal bodies crawled in the rocks above. But for the moment, the three warriors stood alone on the platform.

  She drew another blade from her belt. “Where is Suphara?” she demanded, snapping open the weapon. "What have you done with her?”

  Volonte looked at the crystal sphere hovering above them. “She is out of reach to you, human. Her soul is lost, and the Cortex has claimed her. Dulkar used her in his ritual, somehow… Her crystalline body refracted his energy field. Split him into multiple reflections of himself. That’s how the coward stole my people’s army.”

  Talon did not take his eyes off the hu
lking brute. He swung his axe in a slow circle, leaving a fiery trail in the air. “The same army the Zedrakon used to wipe out the No’varran people! And how many more have you slaughtered in your mad pursuit of this cursed vault? Why? What is it you seek here?”

  Volonte tore his gaze away from the Cortex, and tilted his head. A strange, grating sound emerged from his metal skull. It took Talon a moment to realize he was laughing.

  “You would not understand, human. I sought… redemption. Memories of a life apart from all this death.”

  Even the cold, mechanical tone of Volonte’s vocal synthesizers could not mask the pain and regret that filled his voice.

  “You reap what you have sown, mech,” Talon shouted back.

  “None of that matters anymore,” Volonte growled. “The Cortex has denied me. There is no peace for me here.”

  “You’ve left nothing but blood and pain in your wake. Now, the same awaits you in the haunted stars!” Talon ceased moving, and held his axe before him.

  “Blood, pain… Death. If that is my fate, so be it!” Volonte spat out the words as he raised his weapon. His mechanical eyes glowered at Talon. “I am no coward. I will not flee from my destiny. But by the gods, at least I will finish what I started. I shall drag you screaming into the void with me. The last No’varran dies this day!”

  Volonte’s fanged mouth hissed open, and an inhuman cry of rage erupted from his innards. He charged towards Talon, his heavy, clanking steps crushing the rocks beneath his feet.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Talon’s crimson eye reflected the light of the chamber as he glared at the hulking brute charging towards him. At the last second he ducked low and rolled under Volonte’s swinging blade. He felt a breeze lift his hair as the razor-sharp weapon slashed above his head.

  Popping back onto his feet, he jabbed back with the pommel of his axe. He felt the energy shield repel his attack, and a rippling glow surrounded Volonte’s mechanical frame. Spinning the weapon in his hands, Talon whirled around and drove the fiery blade into the golemech's spine.

  A shock wave ran through his arms as the blow connected. Once again, the weapon rebounded from Volonte's body. The plasma axe didn’t leave so much as a scratch on him armored shell.

  Moving faster than his bulk would seem to allow, the golemech slammed his arm into Talon’s neck. The powerful blow tossed the warrior aside. He grunted in pain as he slammed into the stone platform.

  As Volonte advanced towards the him, Avra struck from behind. One of her blades buried itself in the stone platform by the golemech’s feet. The dagger exploded, and a hail of shrapnel flew towards Volonte’s face. He shielded his optical sensors with his hand, as his energy shield deflected the tiny shards of rock.

  With a wild scream, Avra sprinted towards him and leapt into the air. She landed on his back, and drove her glowing shield into his shoulder. A massive discharge erupted where the two energy fields collided. The explosion tossed her through the air, and Volonte staggered to his knees.

  The servos in his legs clicked and whirred as he stood back up. Avra rolled across the platform and sprang to her feet. She threw another blade towards the stumbling golemech.

  Volante spun around and caught the weapon in mid-air. He pivoted, hurling the blade back at her.

  Avra’s eyes opened wide with surprise. She dropped to her knees and ducked her head behind her shield. The glowing energy disk crackled and hummed as it deflected the weapon. The dagger exploded in midair, less than a meter away. She staggered sideways, stunned by the sudden shockwave.

  Talon snarled in fury as he rose to his feet. Charging forward, he swung his axe down, aiming at the golemech’s head. Volonte did not even bother to turn around. His shield hummed as it powered back up. The blow connected, and sent Talon flying backwards.

  “You fight well, both of you,” he growled. He turned to face Talon’s sprawled body. “But you are only human. The best you can hope for is an honorable death.”

  Talon ignored the sneering mech and glanced at Avra. The fiery-haired woman deactivated her shield and drew another pair of her blades. He stumbled to his feet, and the two warriors moved in unison, circling around their leering opponent.

  “What does a machine know of honor?” Talon asked, jabbing his axe forward in a feint.

  “You’re nothing, Volonte,” Avra hissed, drawing his attention. "I wasted years of my life hiding from scum like you. But I’m through hiding. Now I fight.”

  Volonte chuckled. “Brave words, Sorari. A pity your sisters Kaliope and Suphara lacked your fire. Perhaps if they were as strong as you, they would still be alive.”

  Talon ’s crystal eye sparkled in the light. He gave Avra an imperceptible nod. “Enough talk,” he bellowed. Charging forward, he swung his fiery axe high above his head. He watched the golemech's glowing red eyes followed the trail of the weapon as it streaked through the air.

  Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Avra launch into motion.

  That’s it, he thought. I gave you an opening. Now use it!

  The crimson-haired woman dipped low and sprinted forward, charging toward Volonte’s exposed flank.

  As Talon brought the axe down, the golemech’s powerful mechanical arm moved with inhuman speed. He grabbed Talon’s wrist, halting the blow in midair.

  The muscles in Talon’s arm bulged like steel cables. He struggled to move the blazing weapon closer to Volonte’s face. But it was like fighting against the ocean tide… the mech was simply too strong.

  Volonte’s fingers clenched his wrist tighter. Talon winced as the crushing pressure dug into his bones. His metal gauntlet crumpled, and sparks flew from the delicate circuitry that controlled the axe’s flight.

  The golemech chuckled. "You think you can pit human muscle against Zedrakon steel?"

  "Not me," Talon hissed through grit teeth. "Her..."

  Racing toward them, Avra hurled one of her twin blades. It bounced off Volonte's shield and struck the ground, sending a hail of debris into the air as it exploded. The golemech’s energy field flickered and hummed as the power cycled once again.

  But Avra was still moving, still charging towards her enemy as fast as she could run. Leaping into the air, she grabbed her remaining dagger with both hands.

  Screaming a Sorari battle cry, she plunged the blade down. The shield rippled and sparked…

  Talon grinned as he saw Volonte’s glowing eyes flash bright with surprise. The blow had connected. Avra had pierced the shield!

  Roaring in fury, Volonte tore the plasma axe from Talon’s grip. The weapon powered down, and the mech tossed it aside. His leg shot out in a powerful kick, blasting the wind from Talon's lungs. The blow sent him flying back across the platform.

  The enraged golemech reached out with one arm. Avra gasped as his mechanical fingers closed around her throat. Volonte hoisted her into the air. She clawed at his clenched first, struggling to free herself from its iron grip.

  “You should thank me, Sorari,” the mech snarled. “I will send you to your sisters now.”

  His free arm clanked and whirred, as it reconfigured itself into a pulse canon. He pressed the barrel of the massive weapon against her stomach. “Unless you wish to beg,” he added.

  “Never!” she hissed through clenched teeth. She kicked at his torso with her legs, but the feeble blows had no effect.

  “As I thought,” Volonte’s gravelly voice replied. He peered at her with his twin mechanical eyes. His metal lips curled into a smile. “Farewell, Sorari.”

  Talon staggered to one knee. “Avra!”

  Volonte fired. Avra twisted her body in the air, but the point-blank energy blast struck her side. The pulse knocked the woman from the mech’s grip, and threw her across the platform. Her smoking body rolled over the stone floor, finally coming to a stop near the blinding column of energy.

  She lay on her back, her green eyes staring up, unblinking. She gazed at the glowing crystal sphere of the Cortex, and the glittering depths of the So
ul Vault that lay beyond. Her coppery red hair spread out beneath her, like a veil of blood.

  Her chest rose once, then fell.

  She lay still.

  Talon staggered to his feet. “Volonte,” he shouted. “I pray to no gods. But in Nitara’s name, I swear I will send you to the Haunted Stars for that!”

  Volonte turned to face him, and gestured with his hand. “You threaten me with death? You know nothing. I welcome Nitara’s embrace. But first, there is work to be done. Come, No’varran. Let us finish this.”

  Talon lunged towards him, his vision clouded by bloodlust and rage. Swinging both his arms, he slammed his clenched fists into the golemech’s chin. The double handed blow struck with the sound of a thunderclap. The strike would have killed a normal man, and the servos in Volonte’s neck hummed as his head snapped back. But he did not fall.

  He tilted his head, gazing back at Talon with his twin hellish eyes.

  His arm pistoned out, slamming into Talon’s chest. The attack knocked him to the ground, and sent him tumbling towards the edge of the platform. He frantically clawed at the stone with his bloody fingers.

  Then, with a gasp of surprise, he fell over the edge.

  Avra felt herself falling.

  It was not a frenetic plunge, like a sudden drop from a great height. Rather, it was a slow, gentle, descent. She felt like she was a tiny pebble, sinking in a pool of water. The darkness reached out for her, embraced her.

  A pinpoint of light hovered in the void above. It was glowing red, a warm, distant sun, beckoning to her. But she was still falling. The light grew faint and distant. The darkness grew colder as she fell deeper into its shadows. Icy tendrils clawed at her skin and hair.

  Avra… Sister…

  The voice, she thought. It was familiar.

  “Suphara?” she called out. Her own voice sounded faint and distant, like an echo across a vast gulf of space. “Is that you?”

  I am here. Dulkar, the sorcerer, sought to use me for his own gain. But by bringing me into the Cortex he has joined me with a far greater power. A power over life and death…