“I suppose we better not keep whoever is in there waiting,” Aadi said, calmly. “Stay behind me. I will handle whatever we run into.”
“Yes.” Ishani spoke bravely, but Aadi could hear her breathing growing louder as she moved behind him.
The room, if the vast opening could be called that, was not what Aadi had expected. He had thought he was going to find a diabolical creature awaiting him. However, besides the musky air and barren ground and ceiling, there was nothing that stood out. However, he did find it suspicious that hundreds of torches had been placed around the circular walls. Someone had obviously been here.
That’s when it happened, causing him to reel back a few steps. At first it began as nothing more than a glimmer of stardust floating in the air. But the specks soon condensed into a bulk of silver colors.
“What’s going on?” asked Ishani.
Aadi sensed a surge of energy before him. Surely, this had to be what they were looking for. “I think this is it.” He bit his lip in anticipation.
The once shapeless bulk took the form of a giant creature. It resembled a mythological centaur: four strong legs, a large body, and a shaggy tail on its back. But that’s where the resemblance ended. This monstrosity was gigantic, easily the length of eight horses. It had two gray horns on its long head. Sharp fangs flashed in its hungry mouth. Its massive body was fully covered with heaps of untamed hair.
Snapping out of his trance, Aadi wielded a golden lance in his hands. The long range of the weapon would prove ideal at staying away from the creature.
The monster turned its body, sweeping its long tail through the air. Aadi ducked, barely missing the attack.
“Watch out!” yelled Ishani. “Its tail is full of spikes.”
Aadi nodded. He dashed forward.
The creature opened its mouth and shot dozens of rock spheres. Without stopping, Aadi waved the balls away. The centaur, apparently, wasn’t one to give up easily. It stood on its two hind legs. From its chest, a bright light burst toward him. Aadi put up his hands, but the power sent him flying back through the air.
His head cracked loudly on the wall as it slammed into it. Dust rained down on him.
Ishani ran behind the pre-occupied creature. It almost seemed like she would be able to land an attack on the back of its head. Aadi cringed in dread as the monster lifted up its back legs and kicked. It was only Ishani’s incredible speed that allowed her to tilt her head back, causing the attack to miss by inches.
Still on the attack, she flipped on the centaur’s back. She opened her palm and struck behind its neck. The centaur brought up its tail to flick Ishani off, but she had already front-flipped to the cavern ground.
The creature’s legs suddenly went weak. It wobbled from side to side. It was a strange sight. It almost appeared to be drunk.
“Now!” Ishani cried. “I got its nerve. You have a few seconds.”
Aadi collected himself and took off with tremendous speed. Even in its daze, the creature’s eyes shot beams of light at him. But the attacks were erratic with no sense of proper aim.
Ducking under a ray of light that flew over his head, he ran the spear forward. Inches from driving it into its head, Aadi stopped. He took a few tentative steps back, confused at what was before him.
“Aadi!” Ishani shook him. “What are you doing? Kill it!”
But instead of attacking, he let his weapon fall. It clattered loudly on the rocky ground. He took a few steps forward. His hands were up in the air.
“My name is Aadi,” he said. As she spoke he gazed at the eyes of the creature. It only reinforced what he’d seen earlier. There was no hate or cruelty in those eyes. What he saw was a mixture of pain, subjugation, and kindness.
“Aadi!” Ishani pulled him back. “It will kill you.”
Aadi was confused about many things, but this wasn’t one of them. He knew now what was going on, and what he had to do. His body warmed as he released warm dust from within. It was something that normal earth wielders should not be able to do, he knew that much. He, however, was not normal. “Cleanse!” The golden dust encircled the centaur. It then drove into its body.
Instantly, the creature stood straight. It stared deeply into Aadi’s eyes. “Thank you for releasing me. I am Ghora.” He bowed his head. “I never thought I would meet one that would break me free of that curse.”
“It talks!” Ishani staggered back. “What in Va’siel is going on?”
Now that Aadi had used the golden dust on Ghora, he could sense everything that the poor creature had gone through. He felt the years of pain it had endured as a slave. He sensed the remorse that coursed through him at being an integral part in the destruction of countless planets.
Ghora turned to Ishani. “I’m the last of an ancient race of beings. We were many once. The planet of Altira was our home.” His lips twisted in agony. “Until the day he came upon us.”
“He?” asked Ishani. It was clear by the uncertainty in her voice that she was still trying to catch up.
“Yes. I do not know his title. But what I do know is that he came seeking the unique gift that few of our kind have. He killed everyone until he found it.” His head dipped in sadness. “Me.”
“What is it that you have that he would kill an entire race for?”
“I was born with the power of the ancients. It is a power that allows me to take away the energy from the planet itself. In Altira, the air is naturally toxic. But with my ability I was able to suppress the toxic fumes of the planet, allowing my kind to live in safety.” Sadness dripped from his thick voice. “But he put a spell over me, took me from my home, and enslaved me. He has taken me from planet to planet. My power that gave so much life became a weapon of death.”
Ishani clutched her chest with one hand. With the other she patted Ghora’s mane. “That’s terrible.”
“Every planet we went to, I would unwillingly suppress its energy, which in turn would make put the planet on a slow path to death. The best warriors of each planet would eventually find me, but they failed to stop me every time.”
“How?” Aadi interjected. “Excuse me for saying this, but you weren’t as powerful as I was led to believe you were. How was it that no one else could defeat you?”
Ghora didn’t seem to take any offense. “Don’t you see? Whenever I am killed, my body instantly releases all the energy I had stored into the planet. But it’s too much, too fast. By killing me, the warriors were in essence killing themselves. I will simply be re-formed back to what I was, destined to continue this life as a prisoner.”
Aadi nodded, finally understanding. “So this being who was controlling you has you suppress the power of a planet. Then waits for a warrior to come along and kill you?”
“Yes.” Ghora looked between Aadi and Ishani, his eyes full of guilt. “Even if I’m killed, I am never defeated.”
Aadi gritted his teeth in anger. He wasn’t one to give in to rage, but he also wasn’t one to allow injustice to go unchecked. This being, whoever he was, had been responsible for the deaths of millions, maybe even billions of people! This all ends today. Fueled by his desire to prevent future genocides, he reached out with his power. This being had to be close, of that he was certain.
“What are you doing?” asked a fearful Ghora. “Run. Do not search for him. His power is something unlike your planet has ever known. It is not to be meddled with.”
“No,” said Aadi, still poking at his surroundings with his energy. “I will teach this intruder that Va’siel is the planet that he should have never meddled with.” As he finished talking, he felt it. A power much more cruel and wicked than any he had felt before. For a second he thought it might be a dark wielder. Dark wielders were the cruelest beings in Va’siel, after all. But this power felt different, almost alien.
“Looking for me?” sneered a low voice. Even though it was but a whisper, there was undeniable confidence in the voice.
A sudden cold shiver ran through his body as he laid eyes on
the source of the voice. “I…I know you…”
“Long time no see, boy.”
CHAPTER 20
Aadi’s chest felt heavy as he stared at the man who had come to his village years ago. The same man who controlled the beasts that killed his sister. He wore a dark, hooded cloak and robe. Silver skulls curled around his waist like some kind of demonic belt. His face was definitely not human. It was unnaturally long. Six red eyes, stacked in dual rows of three, stared back at him. In his hand he carried a long skeletal staff.
“Who are you?” demanded Aadi coldly. As he spoke he continued to read the newcomers energy, but despite his powers, he couldn’t pinpoint his origin. “Your power is similar to a dark wielder’s, but I sense some differences.”
The strange man bowed as he clapped mockingly. “Good job, Aadi. Or should I say Golden Wielder?” He cackled menacingly. “In all the planets I’ve been to, every warrior simply jumps in, attacking mindlessly. In their eagerness to save their world, they engineer its own destruction.” He pointed a long finger at Aadi. “But you. You actually stopped yourself. I suppose congratulations are in order.”
“I didn’t ask for your praise,” Aadi said. His chest was still recovering from the unexpected surprise. “I said who are you? What do you want?”
“My name is Boltrick, if you must know. And you’re quite correct to say my power is different. You see?” He took a step forward. “I’m a necromancer.”
Necromancer? Aadi had never heard that title before. But that didn’t surprise him. From everything he’d heard, it was clear Boltrick was not from Va’siel.
“What are you doing here?” asked Ishani, a second before Aadi could voice the same question.
“Isn’t it obvious? I am here to destroy your little planet.”
Ishani gritted her teeth. “Why? What did we ever do to you?”
Boltrick went off in a series of high-pitched cackles. “Why absolutely nothing, my dear.” He waved his hands in grandiose fashion. “I once ruled a planet, much like this one. I was unchallenged and feared by all. Until he arrived and stopped me. He thought he’d killed me, but I escaped.”
For the first time since he’d arrived, Boltrick’s speech was not gleeful. He obviously still held rancor toward the mysterious warrior who had defeated him. Which made Aadi glad. It showed him that Boltrick wasn’t as in control as he thought he was.
“But no matter,” continued Boltrick. “With every planet I destroy, my power grows. I am now a match for even him.”
“You killed my sister for power?” asked Aadi, his stomach turning into knots. He felt waves of anger reeling inside of him. He breathed deeply, trying to suppress it. Giving into his rage wouldn’t change the past. He needed to retain control.
“No,” said Boltrick indifferently. “As you might have noticed, sucking up the energy of a planet can take quite a few years. At times, when I’m bored, I go out and kill people for fun. It helps pass the time.”
He killed my sister for fun?
At his side Ishani balled her pale white fists.
There was nothing left to say. It was obvious that this psychopath needed to be stopped. Aadi marched straight for his enemy, determined to end what he’d started.
“I don’t think so!” yelled Boltrick. He pointed his staff forward.
Aadi felt something tug at his mind. It was a strange tingling sensation that tried to overtake him. He met Boltrick’s eyes. You won’t be controlling me, monster. At his side, Ishani was shaking her head. Even though she appeared pale, her eyes remained focused.
The necromancer took a surprised step back. “Well, well. It appears you two are more strong-willed than I thought.” He turned to Ghora. “Too bad he ‘s not.” Boltrick pointed his staff at the centaur. Immediately, the creature’s kind eyes turned vacant. “Kill them, Ghora.”
Dharati I need you. No sooner had Aadi called for his companion than the cave shook. A tower of rocks rose from the ground as the giant worm protruded with a thunderous roar. She looked over at her master, and Aadi knew she was awaiting his orders. “Keep Ghora back, but do not kill him.”
Dharati nodded knowingly. She recoiled back and then shot forward with staggering speed. Her large body rammed into the centaur, sending him staggering back. The creature was strong, though. It turned its body and kicked Dharati with its hind legs. This only seemed to enrage the worm. She lashed out with her tail, trying to wrap the centaur in her grasp.
“Good luck, girl,” said Aadi, prying his eyes away from the skirmish. He was concerned for Dharati, but he needed to concentrate on his own affair. Besides, he had confidence in her.
“What is he doing?” asked Ishani. Her eyes were glued to Boltrick.
“A gift for you, my dear,” jeered the necromancer. His staff spun in place. As it did, a black ash materialized out of thin air, forming into a shapeless gunk. In seconds, it took a long form. Two bony legs solidified out of the dark ash as well as a body and a long skull that was webbed with small fractures.
Boltrick twisted his head to the side. “Don’t be rude, my dear. Say hello to Kankala. He is my most powerful minion. I summoned him straight from the planes of solitude to play with you. You should be honored.”
Ishani’s expression was blank, impossible to read. She took a defensive stance as the dark-gray skeletal warrior crept toward her at a steady pace. It moved in strange, jerky movements, as if being controlled by an invisible puppet master. The hollowed pits of Kankala turned a deep red. His bony body cracked loudly as it burst forward. Aadi looked on nervously as Ishani brought up her hands, blocking the first of the attacks. The warrior hissed as it threw all it had at his opponent. Unfazed, Ishani met each of the lightning-quick attacks head on, blocking and counteracting in a dance of death.
“Impressive,” admitted Boltrick, surprise registered in his voice. “But no one who’s dueled Kankala has survived to tell the tale, and neither will she.” Suddenly the necromancer’s energy disappeared. His body, too, was gone. Only a dark, ashy mist remained where he’d once stood.
Aadi glanced around the cavern, searching for his foe. An unexpected burst of energy came behind him. He turned just as a cloud of red and black ash puffed before him. Out of it, appeared Boltrick. Aadi barely had time to react as he crouched under the attack. Boltrick flew clear over him. But just as Aadi sighed with relief, Boltrick took hold of his tunic. The necromancer landed with a loud stomp. Still clutching Aadi, he flipped him over and tossed him as if he weighed nothing.
Aadi rolled through the rocky surface. When he finally stopped, his ribs and stomach were bursting with pain. I’m going to need some protection. He held his hands open. Instantly, a glittering mist surrounded him, encasing him in the golden armor he had used in his previous battle. A large sword, with a hilt made of pure gold appeared before him.
“Weapons, is it?” Boltrick asked, spinning his arms vigorously. Two swords that seemed to be made of pure bone appeared on his hands.
Aadi swallowed hard as he and his opponent circled each other. Off in the distance, he made out the thunderous sounds of Ghora and Dharati’s skirmish. In the corner of his eye, Ishani and Kankala were still evenly locked in their duel. Concentrate! He shook his head and returned his attention to his opponent. They had their battle, and he had his.
Their swords met. Boltrick spun under Aadi’s massive weapon. The necromancer wielded his weapons with extreme precision, every counter attack directly on point.
The swords came forward as one. Aadi parried at the last second. Boltrick staggered back. The wielder drove forward, leading with his elbow. He rammed into his opponent. Now it was Boltrick’s turn to roll across the ground.
Boltrick was still spinning uncontrollably when he disappeared into a puff of smoke.
Not again! He searched his surroundings, looking for any disruption of the flow of energy. Nothing. Fine, then. I can play that game, too. “Sands of dune!” A cloud of dust rose from below. It spun around him, obscuring any visibility. He en
cased a block of earth around himself. With a stomp of his foot, the square of earth that contained him dug back into the ground. As he moved, he formed an exact clone of himself. When the dust settled, he was underground, while his copy remained above.
Using his ability to read energies, he saw everything that was transpiring above.
It wasn’t too long until the same wicked energy appeared out of thin air. It drove its swords into the earth clone. There was a sense of apprehension as Boltrick seemed to realize that he had made a mistake.
But it was too late. The clone’s legs twisted unnaturally around Boltrick, forcing him to remain in place. Volcanic rock! Aadi gave all his energy, changing the very essence of the rocks. Even from afar, he felt the sudden burst in heat.
“Arghhhhhh!” cried Boltrick. From his hands he released a blob of dark and gray matter. It pushed against the clone. There was a loud explosion as the combination of strange elements intermingled with one another. Boltrick was sent crashing into the wall. His body slumped down.
It’s over. Aadi pushed himself up. He came out of the ground, just in time to see his foe staggering to his feet. His mouth went dry. This seemed impossible. How had this man survived such an explosion at point-blank range? There was simply no way.
Boltrick staggered forward, hissing under his breath. His robe was now tattered in a thousand places. Two of his left eyes were completely shut, and burn marks covered parts of his face.
“Reeeeeek!” Aadi turned toward the loud screech. A heaviness lifted off his chest as Ishani delivered one last punch to Kankala’s chest. The tremendous blow caused the creature’s entire midsection to collapse into itself. It looked down, as if unable to believe what had just happened. Then it evaporated into nothingness, a dying scream the only sign that it had ever been there.
“Stay back,” ordered Aadi warily, after Ishani moved toward him. “This fight is too high level for you.” For a second, Aadi thought she wasn’t going to listen to him. He could see it in her eyes that she wanted nothing more than to rush in and aid him. But, respecting his wish, she stayed back.
Legacy Of The Golden Wielder: A Novella Prequel to the Void Wielder Trilogy Page 12
