Angelos Odyssey

by J. B. M. Patrick

  To the northeast, we noticed small cities populated throughout the area, a turbulent territory whose ‘rulers’ changed quite often…

  “Muromusz exploits them.” Abul said, having seemed rather distant after having spoken to his uncle. “In Gaspul, hundreds of independent villages and tribes have survived on their own for centuries against an unpredictable climate and the terrors dominating the Earth. After the Dawn Federation’s first invasion, Gaspul turned into a country divided into only a few parties battle for supremacy.

  “Most of the populace doesn’t care and is indifferent to the war, desiring peace of mind and stable living conditions over the idealism inherent in politics. Those people have been caught in a foolish conflict between Gaspul, Alandra, and the Federation, and so its victims are those who seek the help offered by Muromusz.”

  “You mean he’s enabling them?”

  “Exactly.” Abul sighed. “I knew you had some sense in you… Muromusz corrupts others—usually those who’ve fallen victim to an immense hatred of foreigners shared across the country. The Dawn Federation is seen as the bad guy by most Gaspul natives, who think that their intervention has caused more discord than unity between its inhabitants.”

  “And he provides an outlet for anyone enraged.”

  “Including Nagao.” Abul eyed me after having spent so much time brooding to himself. “Let me tell you something, Tavon…”

  I waited for him to speak again as he cleared his throat and shook his head in an expression of disappointment.

  “Muromusz has profited from perpetuating conflict in the Fourth Quadrant…”

  “There’s no way. He—”

  “Before Meiziki rose as the dominating syndicate, Uesugi and Nagao were constantly at each other’s throats. My uncle supplied both forces against their knowledge and is most likely the reason why Nagao is as small as it is today; so many men were killed due to the Elder’s misguided ambitions…”

  “You really don’t like him, do you?”

  Abul was silent for a moment…

  “We should play another game.” He said and moved to set up the chessboard.

  Something was bothering him, and the prince kept trying to distract himself with anything he could analyze or mentally examine. Abul was dodging thoughts, reminders…

  He glanced at me and declared, “We are going to play a match. It’s not up for discussion.”

  “You could at least be polite—”

  “Tavon.” Abul’s eyes suddenly became aflame and carried a rage I’d hadn’t seen since he’d spoken to Beatrice after she’d been severely abused. “I don’t have the patience for your feigned stupidity. Besides,” he looked at the ground as he continued again in his human voice, “you came close to beating me last time. I want to know how.”

  --

  We were running out of time.

  Muromusz had kept us much longer than expected, and we began to realize this as dusk arrived with the Citadel remaining quite a distance farther.

  “Attention!” Naizo’s grating voice pierced our ears through an intercom hidden away in the corner of the room. “I need the two of you over here now—don’t waste a fucking moment!”

  33

  Two Can Win

  “DUE TO THE SHIKON’S INTERFERENCE in Elder Nagao’s plans, we’ve been set back—”

  “The burden does not fall on me, Naizo!” Abul exclaimed angrily. “You are the one in charge, Naizo, and we trusted you to be the timekeeper for us all!”

  “Bullshit!” Naizo yelled. “Now we’re set to arrive the morning of the duel!”

  “Have you spoken to the Elder?” I attempted to cut through the tension by asking a question I thought was relevant.

  “Of course, moron!” Naizo shouted, his face reddened completely. “And he’s been forced to develop a new plan.”

  “What new plan?!” Abul inquired in astonishment. “Is bombarding the enemy not enough, Naizo?”

  The Nagao heir clenched his fists and snorted in repugnance. “He wants us to show our strength.”

  “Huh?”

  He sighed. “Once we’ve landed at our destination, our soldiers are going to have to rush to prepare our initial attack… the Elder wants to strike right at the conclusion of the duel. Possible before it ends, if it comes to that.”

  “That’s… dishonorable.” Abul folded his arms.

  “Oh? How so?”

  “If the Nagao prove victorious—if Rokshasa shows himself the champion, then there’s no need to engage them in a war we’d be creating!”

  The Nagao heir laughed. “You never fail to surprise me with your displays of utter ignorance, Abul Shikon!”

  “You piece of—”

  I grabbed the demon’s arm before he could move toward Naizo. “Abul!” I said curtly.

  “What?” The demon prince looked at me in shock.

  “He’s our boss… the next Elder.”

  “I understand that.” He calmed down for a moment. “But to attack an enemy we’ve already downed? Whether we win or lose, our following actions will reek of cowardice.”

  Naizo stepped to the demon and stared down at him smugly, possessing a strongly superior attitude. “You would accuse Elder Nagao of demonstrating cowardice? The one whose actions have preserved our clan all this time?” The Nagao heir then stepped away and appeared taken aback. “Your uncle is the one supplying us with IEDs! You of all people should be the last to disapprove of a desperate tactic—”

  “It is desperate.” Abul replied bitterly but maintained his calm disposition. “And foolish.”

  “Hmph.” Naizo smiled. “To think… we were once friends.” He turned to me. “Subordinate, Abul would have us ally with Uesugi to turn the tide of battle against Meiziki; what do you think?”

  He appeared to sincerely want to know the answer. I already knew what I wanted to say—what made sense. I couldn’t.

  “I… I don’t know.”

  “Excellent.” Naizo responded pridefully. “You see, Abul, Tavon—although stupid—is the ideal soldier for the Nagao; obedient, thoughtless, and prepared to do as I say!”

  “Is this true, Tavon?” Abul looked at me incredulously.

  Would I suffer the same fate as Rokshasa if I disagreed?

  “Why don’t we ally with Uesugi, my liege?” I inquired.

  And in a moment, Naizo’s smile began to twitch and display his indignation that I’d even questions Nagao’s grand plan.

  “Because Uesugi is INFERIOR!” Naizo roared as his face blushed rather vibrantly. “Elder Nagao once desired an alliance between the two of us—”

  “When Nagao had first come to the Citadel.” Abul interrupted.

  “It doesn’t make a difference!” Snarled Naizo. “Uesugi rejected the Elder’s offer for a coalition that would see us beat out the staunch competition in the area.”

  “It was a poorly thought out pact, Tavon, and on Nagao terms—”

  “I think I’ve heard enough from the Shikon heir today!” Naizo stepped closer to him. “You’ve been dismissed.”

  “And so I have.” Abul said with bitterness.

  As the demon walked toward the entrance, he added: “For saying the truth.”

  “Tavon.” Naizo ignored the Shikon prince’s comment. “We must speak before our arrival.”

  I’d never really been acknowledged in such a way by Naizo; for a brief moment, I considered that perhaps he looked out for his own.

  “I’m sure you’re already well aware of Rok’s new status in life, correct?” His manner of speaking was crude and didn’t shy from aggressive. “Well?”

  “He’ll no longer be a samurai for the Nagao.”

  “That’s absolutely right.” He smiled. “My father has decided that we can only rely on those most devoted to our cause—especially when the enemy is at our back door—and so I was ordered to inform you that you will take Rokshasa’s place. Officially.”

  “I don’t know what to say…”

  “And that’s why y
ou’ll make a fantastic samurai!” Naizo exclaimed, excitement ringing clear in his tone.

  I’d sided with the Nagao since the day they’d taken me in, molding me to fit in as one of their own despite being homeless and having earned nothing close to the respect shown to me by the Elder. I’d trained to become indispensable.

  Now I was indispensable.

  “Tavon… at first, I wasn’t certain.” Naizo continued. “But this has to be it! I want you to be my personal bodyguard.”

  “But why do you say that?”

  “Because after we launch our attack, the Elder wishes to pass the mantle on to me as part of an ongoing transition; I’ll inherit his title, and I will be there at the conclusion of the war to claim new territory. With that in mind, I’ll need someone I can count on to handle the more… gruesome tasks.” As he proceeded to grin at me, it was clear that he viewed me as entirely oblivious to his own nuances and personal ideas.

  “So, what do you say?”

  “…”

  In the past, I’d pictured telling Naizo to fuck off perhaps a dozen times—but this was real; this was my future.

  I had pride, but I couldn’t let it overshadow my sense.

  “Why do you hesitate?” Naizo expression was curious.

  “I…”

  Pride.

  “I don’t wish to serve you.”

  His eyes grew wide. “Excuse me? Are you out of your mind?!” I could see his rage start to build, compelling him to tremble as he began shouting. “Is this some kind of foolish prank?!”

  “No.” I said.

  I was nervous… I shook, too, but this wasn’t the life I wanted. Servitude to someone like this. The Elder was reputed for having been strong, but Naizo…

  He condemned me with a glare.

  “Very well.” Naizo declared almost breathlessly. “Both you and Rokshasa will be exiled from the Nagao Clan. Period.”

  I could only stare down at the ground, feeling something close to humiliation; it was if I was going back on my word, but I couldn’t obey someone like him.

  “Maybe you’re just confused.” Naizo sighed before he walked away and said, “Just get the fuck out of my sight.”

  --

  “You’re lying!” Abul shook his head and issued a hearty laugh. “You’ve gotta be lying right now—there’s just no way you—”

  “I did.”

  “Impossible.”

  “It happened.”

  “You said ‘no’ to being a drug lord’s lapdog. Pssh.” Abul laughed again. “You really are something!”

  “I think I just threw away my whole career.”

  “No.” Abul’s face grew serious. “I’m sure Rokshasa is beating himself up right now. However, the truth is… if he wasn’t such a fool, he’d just seek employment next door, and you’re about to be in that same situation. Except, who are you going to link up with next?”

  “I don’t really know anyone.” I was a regular thug, a nameless kid doing whatever he could to make a name for himself. Above the theatre of the Lower-City, I’d have to make a noise if I wanted to keeping moving up.

  “I see… I haven’t explored the Citadel myself, so my contacts are limited as well.”

  “But you’re the heir to a clan of your own, Abul; Nagao won’t touch you.”

  He looked away. “They’ll continue to try to use us while remaining in fear; we sense the intentions of humans every time, which is why it was so easy to discern your motives when we first met.”

  “I had motives?”

  “No.” He smiled. “That’s why father didn’t eat you; unfortunately, it’s also why Naizo wants you around—and he’ll still attempt to sway you over to his side in the end…” Abul pondered something. “You should take the position, Tavon. You’d go with Naizo everywhere; your name would become known that way, and people would respect you as a samurai.”

  “I don’t want to be a samurai.”

  “Ha!” Abul chuckled. “How can you be so short and sure of every answer? Your confidence amazes me sometimes—damn, Tavon, I never detected a rebellious spirit from you.”

  “Rokshasa has been a good friend to me, but he’s dedicated his entire life to the Elder; I can’t take his path, Abul… they betrayed him. They’ll betray me, too.”

  “It appears we have so much more in common than I ever realized.” The bastard exclaimed while simultaneously putting me in checkmate.

  “I don’t want to play this anymore.”

  Abul huffed. “Fine. Sore loser.”

  I walked over to peer out of the window to the dark skies encircling the immense vessel. It was a clear, enchanting night; the last hours of peace we would remember before our rendezvous with the Elder.

  From there…

  “Abul.” I began.

  “Yeah? What’s up now?”

  He spoke differently when he grew more comfortable around me. As a stranger, Abul seemed pretentious. Once we’d become closer, he exposed a genuine personality despite not being human, and it revealed itself when he’d finally let his guard down in our conversations.

  I wanted to know what Muromusz had said to him.

  I had to be patient. “Are you ready for the attack?”

  He sighed. “Even if Rokshasa is killed, Meiziki can’t prevail against us—not with the arsenal we’ve been provided… but it’ll all turn bloody, Tavon. The Elder has chosen the most violent solution when perhaps a duel itself could’ve resolved things. After all…” His expression turned to puzzlement. “Meiziki merely wished to test our strength.”

  “And now we’re bringing destruction to their doorstep—”

  “Don’t forget that we’re doing this in a city on its way to expanding its law enforcement sector. Nagao will be marked…”

  “Marked?”

  “We’ll be called terrorists, Tavon!” He shouted before running his hands through his hair.

  “That’s why you’re against the plan.” I said. “You don’t want to become like Him.”

  Abul appeared thoughtful. “Muromusz. You’re right.”

  “Abul,” I said, “can I ask what he said?”

  He looked me blankly. “It’s a personal matter.”

  I nodded, and the two us were silent the rest of the evening before I felt exhausted enough to sleep.

  I was lying there, beginning to fade from the conscious world and feeling some sense of pride in having rejected the Nagao heir’s proposition. In that silence, he spoke.

  “Muromusz.” Abul uttered. “He says that the rest of my family in Gaspul…”

  Abul paused.

  “He says they’re all dead.”

  34

  Montara

  THE SHIKON HOUSE was once a prominent and flourishing force inhabiting the southeast of Gaspul. Following a mass raid on the city in which they’d resided, Abul’s relatives had either gone missing or been found slaughtered in the resulting chaos.

  Powerful demons had fallen to humans; this disturbed Abul, who believed in the superiority of his people above all others. The corpses discovered were said to have sustained lethal blast injuries, as Federation raiding operations typically involved several airstrikes before sending in a ground unit to sift through the debris.

  Abul had quietly suffered the loss of everyone he’d known while enduring the insults hurled at him by Naizo. I felt guilty for not having asked him sooner. Now, it seemed he felt he could only rely on his father.

  When I’d finally managed to sleep, my last thoughts came to revolve around Beatrice… the way she smiled when our lives weren’t as tense, as threatening.

  --

  That night, Naizo betrayed us.

  I was awakened by a creaking sound, something piercing as if metal was being shredded and resonated across the room.

  “Ugh!” Abul grasped his ears and groaned as he dropped the textbook he’d been browsing the entire trip.

  The screeching increased in its intensity and within a short breadth of time and caused my ears to ring to
the extent that I was nearly deaf to Abul’s complaining. What happened next seemed unthinkable…

  Some of the room’s furniture slid toward the center before being pushed into the atmosphere as a set of two steel panels steadily shifted themselves apart, tearing open the carpet in the middle of the room and allowing all of our belongings to gravitate toward the opening. It continued expanding, which caused most of the contents of our sleeping quarters to simply fall from the bottom of the cruiser.

  As the suction of the portal strengthened, the two of us were forced to search for something on the surrounding walls that would save us from dropping to our deaths.

  “What madness is this?!” Abul exclaimed while desperately looking around for something to which he could cling.

  I could feel my own body begin to draw toward the opening, and I crouched to the ground in order to anchor myself as the entire floor seemed to be involved with the machination. The room had been made sparse for a reason.

  As the panels approached the far sides of the wall, I pressed my palms forcefully against the surface as a last-ditch effort to grasp onto whatever I could. I felt the floor slide away, and my grip began to loosen as I held on despite the tips of my fingers becoming torn and bloodied.

  “Abul!” I screamed while searching for his slender form.

  I panicked when I didn’t see him right away—and as a result, I accidentally let go…

  “NO!” I cried and fell toward the World Below. “NO!”

  I reached out at the wall hopelessly and was swiftly pulled toward the clutches of the wind!

  But something briskly and roughly grasped my arm, and my body jerked forward as I was prevented from soaring to my death for the first time.

  “Calm down.” I heard Abul’s demonic tone echo throughout a chamber now blaring as the wind barreled deafeningly into what had once been our bedroom. I looked back to see a gory paste in place of where Abul’s hand had attempted to pierce through the wall. He’d succeeded, but his arm had become mangled and leaked a dark substance as he hung suspended in his fury above the opening.