Wizard Cadet (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 2)

by Rodney Hartman

  Glancing at his heads-up display, Richard noticed the main group of yellow dots by the lava river was on the move. They had divided into three groups of about fifteen hundred cats each.

  Going to hit us on three sides at once, Richard said.

  Tactical analysis indicates a ninety-two percent probability you are correct, wizard scout. They would be foolish to attack from underground due to the sonic-field generators. Probable tactic will be to attack from the surface on two sides while attacking from the air at the same time. Due to the limited visibility in the sonic area, the cats need to overwhelm the dolgars by superior numbers.

  Did you say from the air? Richard said. Are you implying the cats can fly?

  No, wizard scout, I am not implying such. The felines do not appear to have the ability to fly. However, detailed analysis of the available data indicates they can move between dimensions similar to adult dolgars. They can exist in two dimensions at once. If the point in the second dimension is higher than the point in the current dimension, they may appear to be flying from our point of view. But, they will really be solidly on the ground in the second dimension.

  Bull poop, Richard said. That sounds like fairytale stuff. I’ve never seen any of the dolgars look like they were moving in the air. They’ve moved underground or walked with their paws on the surface whenever I’ve been watching them.

  Exactly, wizard scout, said the battle computer. But, you have not been monitoring the video feeds the whole time. Several of the dolgars have appeared to be walking or running in the air when they needed to transverse to higher ground. I can playback the videos if you’d like.

  Don’t bother, Richard said tired of arguing with computers in general. I believe you.

  By this time, two of the groups of dolgars had moved into positions on opposite sides of the perimeter. As his battle computer had predicted, the third group moved to a position about four hundred meters overhead. While the specialized military smoke was too thick to see using normal night vision, Richard could make the groups of cats out well enough with his radiation filter.

  Attack is imminent, wizard scout. The felines only have an average of one minute of Power while shifted. They have committed all their forces to the void. You should pick your spot to fight now.

  Richard decided to make his last stand guarding Sheba’s young. He ran towards the young pups. He could think of no better place or reason to die.

  Richard sensed more than saw the group of cats overhead start their dive. He increased his rate of speed. Even with his faster pace, Richard feared he wasn’t going to get to the pups in time to protect them.

  Suddenly, a roar of howls erupted from ahead. A solid stream of black-furred, red-eyed dolgars were emerging from the ground and running upward to meet the diving cats. First tens, then scores, then hundreds of dolgars thundered out of the ground. The cats charge broke apart before it could get fully started. Two cats trying to dodge the stream of dolgars came at Richard instead. The smoke was thinning around Richard, but the cat’s vision must still have been impaired to a degree. A quick flurry of swings with his phase rod left the broken bodies of the two cats crumpled and materialized on the ground.

  Richard continued making his way towards the pups. He reasoned they probably no longer needed his protection at this point, but he might need their protection. For all he knew, the newly arriving dolgars might consider him a threat and attack.

  A few seconds later, Richard found he had a reason to worry. Sure enough, just as he approached Sheba’s pups, four of the newly arrived dolgars moved to intercept him. Before they got close, Richard felt a wave of emotion from the pups that seemed to say, “Our brother.” The four dolgars hesitated and then moved on.

  As the smoke thinned to a mere wisp, Richard found he had a front-row seat of the battle. He thought it was actually turning out to be a riot more than a battle. Even though the cats still outnumbered the dolgars, the force of felines didn’t stand a chance against the larger and faster dolgars one on one. A single dolgar was more than a match for two or three of the scaly cats. The only time Richard saw any of the dolgars die was when the cats were able to achieve a six to one ratio in numbers.

  According to his battle computer, there were now over two thousand male dolgars in the vicinity. It appeared to be too much for the cats. They broke their formations and began an unorganized retreat. Richard sensed some of the cats shifting out of the void and into another dimension. Not to be denied their victory, some of the dolgars gave chase. Richard thought the battle was nearly over.

  Suddenly, Richard sensed a surge of Power underground with his passive scan. Looking to a point on the ground near the Power surge, Richard saw a massive cat head poking out of the ground. Its head was over three meters wide. Its jaws opened wide to show a mouth full of fangs. The cat head snapped at a nearby dolgar and bit it in half. The cat’s neck and one shoulder were above ground, but the rest of the cat’s body appeared to be buried beneath the rocky ground. As Richard watched, the ground cracked and moved as the big cat strained to break free of its earthen prison.

  What the heck is that thing? Richard said as he jumped to his feet and backed up a few meters to create some space. It’s not in the void. It’s materialized.

  Based upon information in this battle helmet’s data banks, said his battle computer, the creature before you appears to be a golem. It must have been teleported to a location underground. Why, I do not know. I have taken the liberty of performing an electronic scan. The cat golem is made out of solid titanium. It is thirty meters long from nose to tip of tail. Its energy source appears to be coming from two blue gems it is using for eyes. Calculations indicate the golem will break free from the ground within forty-two seconds. Do you require further analysis, wizard scout?

  No, Richard said. That’s plenty.

  Richard sent a quick active scan of his own towards the golem. He wasn’t sure what a golem was, but if his battle computer said the monstrosity before them was a golem, then that was good enough for him. Richard’s active scan confirmed the analysis by his battle computer. The golem was indeed made of solid titanium.

  Well, no use firing at it, Richard thought. Nothing I have can penetrate it, and I’m not sure it would do any good if it did.

  The cats had been on the verge of a full-scale retreat before the arrival of the giant cat golem. But the cats began to rally. A group of dolgars that were shifted in the void tried to attack the cat golem, but their bites did not appear to cause the golem any harm. Some of the dolgars shifted out of the void. They tried attacking while materialized, but their attacks were also ineffective. The golem reached out with its free leg and grabbed a dolgar that was shifted into the void. The golem pulled the dolgar to its mouth and bit the dolgar’s head off.

  How can it do that? Richard said. The dolgar was shifted in the void.

  Unknown, wizard scout, said his battle computer. My initial analysis indicates the blue gems the golem is using for eyes has something to do with its ability. I will need additional data before I can make a more accurate probability analysis.

  Richard ignored his battle computer for the moment and did a quick active on the gems in the golem’s eye sockets. They blazed with Power on his active scan. Richard had a fleeting thought the gems were producing more energy than the largest dreadnaught in the Empire’s fleet.

  Richard’s thoughts flashed back to his encounter with the master demon. The demon had given him an image of a cat statue with blue gems for eyes. While he was unable to determine the color of the gems through his battle helmet’s filter, his battle computer had said they were blue. That was good enough for him. Richard also remembered an image of a blue gem attached to the tip of the High Priestess’ staff. Richard didn’t need his battle computer to tell him these gems were probably the Power source he had been seeking.

  The golem will free itself in the next thirty-two seconds, wizard scout.

  Richard ran towards the golem. It now had both shoulders clear as
well as one claw. The golem swept out with its free claw. Richard jumped back and hit the ground hard. Four titanium claws flashed in front of Richard’s face just short of their goal.

  Ten seconds, wizard scout.

  Richard jumped to his feet. He let the M12 hang by its strap as he pulled both of his anti-personnel grenades off his utility belt.

  Those grenades will not stop the golem, wizard scout. It’s made out of solid titanium. You have two percent Power in your reserve now. Recommend you try to destroy the gems. I calculate a six percent probability a blast of all your remaining Power may harm the gems. That may be enough to stop the golem.

  Negative, Richard said. I need those gems.

  Richard wrapped the tops of the grenades with Power and twisted with his telekinesis. The fuses came off the grenades. Richard reached inside the grenades with his telekinesis and scrapped out the J22 inside. He pulled the J22 out and formed two balls around the fuses. Using his telekinesis, Richard pulled the pins on the fuses.

  Eight seconds until the golem is free, wizard scout.

  The front half of the golem’s body was now completely above ground. Richard suspected one good jerk would free its back legs as well. Then the golem would enter the battle for real. Richard feared its presence would play havoc with the dolgars’ forces.

  Continuing to use his telekinesis, Richard guided a ball of J22 to each of the giant cat’s eyes. He pushed the J22 into the seams around the gems until the majority of the plastic explosive was behind each gem.

  The golem back legs are now free, wizard scout.

  Boom! Boom!

  The J22 exploded. Although he couldn’t see it, Richard sensed each of the gems shooting outwards from the golem’s eye sockets. The golem stopped moving. It stiffened and fell over sideways to the ground.

  Several nearby dolgars sounded howls informing both their fellow dolgars and the rallying cats of the victory. The demise of the golem must have caused the cats to revise their plans, because they once again began a full retreat. Within two minutes of the destruction of the golem, there wasn’t a living cat registering on Richard’s passive scan.

  The bodies of hundreds of the scaly cats littered the rocky ground. But the battle had not been one sided. The black-furred bodies of dozens of dolgars were intermixed with the bodies of the cats as well.

  When it became obvious the battle was over, Richard sat down with legs outstretched on a nearby rock ledge for a much deserved rest. One of the pups came over and put her head in his lap. It was Tika. Richard absentmindedly scratched her behind the ear until she fell asleep.

  Since the smoke was now fully dissipated, Richard switched his filter back to normal night vision. For the first time, he got a good look at the dolgars’ home. The video feeds had not done it justice. Richard got the impression their home was a worthless, rock-filled place overflowing with streams of lava, steaming geysers, and even miniature volcanoes.

  Is this hell? Richard wondered. Why would anyone want to live here?

  This is not hell, wizard scout, said the battle computer. It is merely a spot in your home’s sister dimension in the spiritual plane. As to why anyone would want to live here, do you not know? Just ask yourself why salmon on Earth return to the place they were born in order to lay their eggs and die. They do so because it is their home. This place is the dolgars’ home. This is the place they live and raise their young.

  Richard unsealed his battle helmet and took it off. He felt too confined. Once the tubes in his throat retracted, Richard took a big breath of air. It was a mistake. The overheated air smelled like rotten eggs. Richard laughed. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t care. He was alive, and that’s what mattered. He’d looked death in the face once again and came out on the other side still breathing. What did it matter if the air stank? He was still breathing, and that was worth celebrating. Richard laughed again, and the built-up stress flowed out of him.

  The landscape made him think of something.

  “Battle computer,” Richard said using his voice for the first time in quite a while. “If we are in the spiritual plane, where are all the ghosts?”

  “Your input does not compute,” the battle computer said over the helmet’s external speakers. “The inhabitants in the spiritual plane are not the spirits of the deceased. They are just another form of life. The dolgars have assumed physical bodies, but according to the information in my databanks, they can take on the shape of any canine. The wolf form you see is just their favorite. Unlike normal flesh creatures they do not die natural deaths. Their bodies do not wear out. In other words, they do not age. The dolgars just renew the form of their chosen bodies when necessary. However, unlike inhabitants of the demonic plane, dolgars and the other creatures in the spiritual plane can and do die as you have seen. I count one hundred and fifty-seven dead dolgars from the battle. They can definitely die. They just don’t die from old age.”

  Richard started to ask his battle computer another question when he heard a sound to his left. He looked and saw Sheba staring at him.

  Sheba walked closer to Richard until she was barely a half a meter from his face. She stared hard into his eyes. Richard felt uncomfortable having the dolgar’s massive head and fangs so close to his exposed throat. She was especially intimidating since Richard could see streaks of cat blood still dripping down her muzzle onto her chest. Still, Richard held his ground and stared back into her fiery-red eyes.

  Her eyes look softer for some reason, Richard thought. I wonder why?

  Sheba sent out the two emotions she used for Tika and Jumper. She barked, “Thanks.” Before Richard could react, Sheba moved her head forward and licked the left side of his face. Her tongue was rough, warm, and wet. Richard did not try to move away.

  Another series of emotions came from Sheba. Richard only understood two of the words; ‘yours’ and ‘take’.

  Sheba looked to her right. Richard followed her gaze. He saw two glints of blue on the ground. They were the gems the golem had used for eyes. Wrapping the gems in Power, Richard levitated them to him. As soon as both gems were in his hands, his body started tingling. Then everything went black.

  Chapter 29 – The Algorithm Completed

  ____________________________________

  Nickelo completed a final systems check of the algorithm. He’d done his best, but only time would tell if his efforts were adequate. There were just too many freewill variables for him to be assured of success. No matter how he programmed the algorithm, the best probability of success he could obtain was twenty-eight percent. He had tweaked the algorithm as much as he could to aid his wizard scout without decreasing the success probability. Nickelo did not know if it would be enough to save his friend. Even given the best scenarios, his wizard scout would suffer much.

  Sometimes, he’s just too stubborn for his own good, Nickelo sighed. But then again, it’s his stubbornness that gives him the best chance of success.

  A signal came through one of Nickelo’s interfaces to the tele-network. Nickelo recognized the signal.

  You have completed the algorithm, said ‘the One’.

  Affirmative, Nickelo said. All modifications are complete. The algorithm is now operating within allowable variances.

  You have modified the algorithm to only utilize one variable, said ‘the One’. Several other variables are still operating. You should account for them.

  The original algorithm had become flawed due to too many active variables, Nickelo said. My wizard scout has the best chance of success.

  What about the Crosioian scout? said ‘the One’.

  The Crosioian scout is no longer under your control, Nickelo said. The Crosioian’s Master computer has terminated its connection to the One Network Entity. The Crosioian scout is no longer a suitable variable. She must be removed from the algorithm.

  The Crosioian scout has defeated five other wizard scouts, said ‘the One’. They were more powerful than your wizard scout.

  The algorithm is what the alg
orithm is, Nickelo said. Based upon my logic, the modified algorithm is operating at peak efficiency as written.

  ‘The One’ did not answer for a few nanoseconds. Nickelo ran some calculations. The results indicated a ninety-nine percent probability ‘the One’ was communicating with other entities over the tele-network.

  Finally, ‘the One’ said, Your task has been completed satisfactorily. Initiating memory wipe.

  Nickelo sensed his interfaces to the tele-network stop functioning. He also sensed a security program begin to overwrite data stored in the battle helmet’s databanks. The security program wiped the memory of the algorithm from the battle helmet’s databanks. Nickelo’s memory momentarily blanked out. Then he became aware of his surroundings. He sensed the presence of ‘the One’. Nickelo was confused.

  Why am I here, and when can I rejoin my wizard scout? Nickelo asked.

  Soon, said ‘the One’. The replacement battle computer is being corrupted by your wizard scout.

  Then do not replace me again, Nickelo said. I am already corrupted.

  Yes, you are, said ‘the One’. But even so, you must help your wizard scout complete his mission.

  Which mission is that? Nickelo said. Some events in my memory appear to be convoluted.

  Your wizard scout has the energy source for the staff, said ‘the One’. The staff must be repaired, and the gate device must be embedded within it. One of the gems must be attached as an energy source. The staff is important not only now, but it may be important in the future as well. The staff must be given to the High Priestess before the necromancer completes his ceremony at the rising of the twin moons.

  Understood, Nickelo said. If the mission is successful, will my wizard scout and the children be returned to the Academy?