“The price is to give all of your seven daughters to me,” he replied. “For lengthy torture worse than any you can imagine, and then slow assimilation by us, the youngest first, while the others watch. “Then all shall be yours.” The Krachoos were notorious for granting requests through sorcery, if the inquirer’s heart was dark enough, evil enough. The price was usually an impossible one or extremely difficult one involving something dear to their hearts.
“No...never...I could never pay that price. It is too dear. You go back where you came from and when I am queen again I will order you and your world destroyed,” she replied with such vehemence and intensity that she lifted her hands and jutted them towards the creature. White electric-like energy came forth from her fingers and hit the creature straight on enveloping him in a blue and white energy cloud that radiated streaks of lighting. The creature screamed and howled in agony as the energy consumed it until it disappeared.
“That will teach you to request such a horrible payment,” she seethed. Then she turned to Gynythian Zee, who was just coming out of the trance.
“What happened here?” he asked.
“I was getting help from Olthre Ganth, but his price was a bit too high,” she replied.
“You are an ignorant novice. They require no payment if you order them to do what you want. But they will test you to see if you are willing to do it before they help you.”
“It was horrible. He asked for my daughters...”
Gynythian interrupted. “And he said they would be tortured beyond your imagination and then consumed by them...I know...I know...you see...they got that from me. Those were my words and they only copy what they hear. They can do no harm.”
“So I killed him with lightning,” she said with firm confidence.
Gynythian laughed. “You cannot kill them in their misty state.”
“But I saw it and I heard him scream. He died in agony.”
“Listen...they may be ugly creatures, who can only survive inside their atrocious planet, but they are mischievous imps who know how to entertain themselves. Right now Olthre Ganth is having a good laugh with his fellows. They’ll never stop talking about you now for ages to come.”
“Why that—.”
“You can do nothing about it, just be calm now. Help will be here soon,” he looks out the view window. “But you could help too with your energy. However, you cannot use it ship to ship. It would destroy the ship if you used it from this ship to another. So it’s useless.”
The battle raged on for seemingly days on end and there were serious losses on both sides. Because of both Gynythian Zee and R’Darik being powerful warlocks, their power was useless against each other unless they were standing face-to-face down on the surface of a planet with a weak magnetic field.
Neither leader could break away from the battle to go after Daxu Korth, so the only thing left to do was to keep fighting until there was victory on one side.
Chapter 31 Brothers Stand Together
Gynythian Zee had managed to bolt from the battle. He left his top general in charge. What he had in mind was to go to Cassiopeia, kidnap Daxu’s daughters and hold them for ransom. The ransom would be unconditional surrender of his kingdom. Dvora was against it of course, but did not want to voice her disagreement right then. She knew he would try to use her to get them all together and then make his move. She had to be honest for once; she didn’t know where they were. Gynythian Zee would take no excuses this time. If her daughters knew she was at the Citadel they would come. He forced her to let him in, as she knew all the secret entrances and escapes. And then he said that if she didn’t contact them to come there, he would kill her.
She knew Daxu Korth’s secret code by which to contact him. She entered that number first, and then the girl’s. Since Gynythian Zee knew she had seven daughters, she left out the youngest, Yeralai. Then he would only count seven codes.
“I don’t know if they’re going to answer them,” she said with all the sarcasm she could muster. “I don’t know if they’ll come.
He gave her a glassy eyed blank stare. “They’d better come. For your sake they’d better come.”
Daxu Korth received the message just before he was about to lead his forces back into the battle. He planned to surprise them and knowing they were weakened, finish wiping them all out to end the war. Seeing the emergency message from Dvora coming from the Citadel, he knew she was in danger, but then again, she was quite the deceiver. He was thousands of years old and he knew all the tricks. He was willing to bet that Gynythian Zee was there waiting for him. He decided to send his first general to lead the assault back into where the warp brought them before, and take several ships with him back to the Citadel. He had also just got a transmission from across the quadrant from shape shifter Salocina Gasette—she was on her way with a multitude of spaceships ready to do battle with the warlord sorcerers.
Daxu Korth asked her to meet his armada there and gave her the space coordinates. She got there right after Daxu Korth’s ships did, which was an added surprise to both wizards that threw them off guard. Here they were battling each other when the kingdom ships sent by Daxu Korth show up and start giving them all their big guns, and a short time later Salocina arrives with her fleets of various races that live on her planet and in her solar system. Her shape shifting was not just biological, but using her DNA and genes, her scientists found a way to extend that to her ships too. There she was with her ships changing into either side back and forth so the enemy did not know who to fire at. Her people also had smaller fighters that they utilized to get in close to Gynythian Zee’s ships and also R’Darik’s vessels so they could get in some good shots.
“Where is the sorceress, Dvora?” asked Salocina, who especially wanted to target her for her insolence on her planet in trying to bring Caratrah back to her youth again. She was communicating with the leader of Daxu Korth’s forces.
“She is a captive of Gynythian Zee and has taken her to Cassiopeia,” replied the commander.
“I must go there,” she told her second in command. “Keep doing what has to be done to rid the universe of these murders.”
Salocina left the battle and traveled through the warp to Cassiopeia.
Cruise, having finished the surrender negotiations with the Ikuptaxians, had picked up the news. Infinity had received it through her long range Quantum Atomic electron equalizer. The Quantum Interstellar had not been set up, but Cruise did have communication with his father.
Arthos was already on his way back there in one of the baby ships Infinity had been cranking out from time to time that were just like her, only much smaller. They were equipped with Infinity’s new Quantum Space Teleporter. They now could zip from one end of the quadrant to the next quadrant in the time it takes to shift the direction of an electron. He arrived at the preset coordinates in merely a few time phases. Infinity’s offspring, Comet, one kilometer in length, six hundred meters wide and seventy-five meters tall at the tallest spot hovered over the Citadel sixty thousand feet in the sky.
Arthos thought he would startle the two unauthorized occupants and their guards, who were now trapped inside Dvora’s former quarters on the east side of the Citadel, which was in itself a virtual mansion, surrounded by every Citadel guard. Comet’s evolution had integrated 4-D touchable holograms. The electrons forming the synthetic matter projected the subject as an avatar, looking and feeling as real as if the person was actually there. However, holding on to the subject for more than five phases was impossible. If the real subject moved away, the hold was broken.
An avatar of Arthos was projected into the same room Dvora and Gynythian Zee. “Why did you bring my stepmother here?” Gynythian Zee and Dvora turned around shocked.
“And I thought I new all the tricks,” said Gynythian Zee. He whipped out his side arm and fired a searing blast that should have turned Arthos into charred ruins, but it only went through him. “What manner of sorcery is this? Who are you? Is this Cruise Daxu?”
<
br /> “No, I am not. I’m his brother Arthos.”
“Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. Arthos the long lost child who left home in search of Earth; the planet of his mother’s ancestors, how touching.” Gynythian Zee holsters his gun. Arthos walks over to a sofa chair and sits down. “Oh now you can sit can you?”
“It’s a technology I’ll never share with the likes of you, Gynythian Zee. I thought my grandfather got rid of you a long time ago on some galaxy far away.”
“Arthos,” says Dvora, “where’s your father?”
“You’ll see, mother dear. Meanwhile, you’re trapped here; you and your guards. They should come in here and pick you off one by one,” Arthos says as the guards standing around the room have their blaster rifles aimed and ready to fire if anyone comes through the door.
“And as for you, Mother, deceiver, traitor and now sorcerer I hear? Well, aren’t you coming up in the universe?”
Dvora pleads with Athos to stop her daughters from going there and tells her the plan.
“Shut up you dirty dealing double-crossing hussy,” shouts Gynythian Zee and smacks Dvora across the face with the back of his hand. She falls down on the floor and starts to get up on her knees. Arthos gets up and walks over to Gynythian Zee and they stand face to face.
Arthos has to look up to him, but he glares right into his ferocious looking eyes. “You feel real big striking a woman?”
“Yeah, I do, little runt,” replies Gynythian. “You’re gonna be next you piece of space garbage.” Arthos has control of his avatar, and lets loose with some powerful punches he learned on his way to Earth. It was an old ancient form of self-defense. It isn’t really him hitting, but his avatar made out of electronic matter, microwaves and plasma energy. Nonetheless, his punches connected, Arthos having switched to plasma mode and then back to photon mode.
“Now you’re really gonna get it, kid,” Gynythian Zee says as he gets up from that ordeal, but when he gets to one knee he yells in pain. “Arg...I think you broke some ribs.”
“That’s not all I’m going to break before I’m through,” responds Arthos. “Don’t worry, mother. My sisters have all been contacted and they all are safe and sound with their husbands.”
“Husbands? Cries Gynythian. “Why you sneaking...you knew they were married didn’t you?”
“It’s not going to matter for you anyway,” says Cruise, who also has just beamed his own avatar into the room. “Dvora...I’m sorry...I cannot call you my mother, but you brought this upon yourself and the girls. Now they are safe, but there will be repercussions. I’m here to see that justice is served.”
“Oh, how nice, justice boy,” sneers Gynythian Zee. He springs up ignoring the pain and makes a leap for Arthos, but goes right through him.
“I...uh...er...changed back into photon mode,” says Arthos. “But if you want some more lessons on Chakornese Samurian Kintei, I’d be happy to teach you, red man.”
“No need to make him suffer some more, Arthos. I think you not only broke his ribs, but his wrist too,” interrupts Cruise as he helps Dvora into a chair. She was still holding her neck. Gynythian Zee hit her really hard and it looked like she had whiplash.
“Now as far as you guards are concerned, you will all drop your weapons. You’re under arrest in the name of the Kingdom of the Twelve Galaxies Cluster and its king Daxu Korth.”
The guards just stood there ready with their weapons refusing to put them down. “We’re not taking any orders from an avatar,” said the head guardsman.
Cruise looks at Arthos and they both start walking over to the head guardsman. He glares at them and takes a swing at them with his stun rod but it goes right through them, to his astonishment. Cruise takes the big man, almost as big as Gynythian Zee, and lifts him over his head. He then tosses him like a feather pillow over at the door and he hits it, shattering it to pieces. The other guards as well as Gynythian Zee are bewildered at Cruise’s strength. Arthos looks over at him.
“This is my real strength, man,” he responds. “Guards, come on in the door is now open. Take these huge guards away, and someone bring a stretcher of a wheelchair for this other huge lug over here. He was referring to Gynythian Zee, who was still writhing in pain.
Walking over to him crouched over on his knees; Cruise’s eyes meet his glare. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Oh, I forgot, your planet doesn’t have cats; the monstrous dogs ate them all. This is my real self see?” He knocks Gynythian on the head with his fist and then picks him up with one hand lifting him into the air and setting him down on the sofa. “The avatar turns into the real self as I’m instantly teleported from my vessel, which is in orbit right now around Cassiopeia and has impounded all of the ships and crew that came with you.”
Cruise turns to Dvora. “Gynythian Zee’s race has a low threshold of pain. Once a bone is broken, or there is a sprain, it takes weeks for the pain to subside. He’ll be getting a headache soon too, a migraine, and then an upset stomach. They’re really big babies when it comes to pain.”
Arthos had also teleported down through his avatar and was sitting there in the flesh. “Sorry, Mother, but we’ll have to put you on ice until father gets here.”
“Ice? What do you mean on Ice? Are you going to freeze me?” She was horrified.
“No, of course not. It’s an expression I learned on Earth. It just means you’re under arrest too.”
Chapter 32 Gods and Goddesses
Daxu Korth upon returning to the Citadel, has Ibiza interrogated concerning the whereabouts of his brother. Ibiza attempted to use sorcery on him to confuse his words.
“What do you think I am, a novice?” laughed Daxu Korth. “You try to use your flimsy sorcery on me, the king of The Twelve Galaxies Cluster?”
Daxu Korth then ordered Ibiza be taken, bound by the electromagnetic cuffs so he couldn’t use his hands, and gagged so he couldn’t use his voice to conjure up any spells whatsoever. He was taken to one of the laboratories of the Citadel where the wizards of Cassiopeia would extract all of his powers with the magic dark green precious stone Moxxakate. It was from the mines of Anteluctan on the planet Hychromomius, found in the galaxy Cymopolea, just outside of the Twelve Galaxies Cluster far in the north.
The jewel produced radiation that was not harmful to beings, but drained the bodies of any being that possessed powers of the dark forces from the underworld. With Dvora, a different stone had to be used. The best physicians in the city, as well as the wisest wizards who only used their powers for good, agreed after she had undergone a full examination: Dvora had been infected by a rare meteorite that poisoned her mind. It was also responsible for her strange new powers. The Citadel magicians, wizards, and physicians all worked together to purge the poisonous radiation from her as well as the powers. Another precious stone was used. It was the rare blue colored Opaxilate stone.
“It would help if we knew where the meteorite was from,” said Yuhiot, Citadel magician.
“Daxu Korth said that she had no recollection of being near a meteor,” replied Salocina, who had arrived at the Citadel after leaving the battle. “Perhaps she will remember after the poison is out of her body.”
After the poison radiation is purged from Dvora’s system, she is then subjected to Infinity’s brain regulator, which is therapeutic and helps her to return to her original mindset.
“Where am I? Why am I here?” she says. “Oh gods and goddesses, I'm going to die. I'm going to die! I know I am, look at me, there's no coming back from this. Oh gods, oh my goddesses, I'm going to die. I don't want to. What do I do? What can I do? I'm going to die.” She looks up at Salocina. “I can't focus, everything is spinning. It doesn't matter which way I look, with one or both eyes, everything keeps spinning. I feel dizzy.”
Salocina tries to calm her down and comfort her. She explains all that had happened and spends time with her showing her audial visuals of main events. Even security footage from Infinity of events she recorded during the time that had passed
since Dvora was affected.
According to the king’s law, a trial must be held for all accused criminals being held in prison. This would mean putting Gynythian Zee on trial for his crimes against Daxu Korth and the kingdom. This had never been accomplished before as Gynythian Zee had always escaped back to his realm. Dvora and her daughters would also have to go to trial, even though they had been exonerated of all charges that were previously brought against them.
“It’s the law,” says the Chief Magistrate. “Everything must be judged and decided in a court of law. It’s the King’s law.”
Subsequently, Gynythian Zee manages to escape using his powers. His magic is old and deep but he only knows how to wield it when he is in precarious situation. He had his guards bring him food and although he was locked up with chains and electronic wrist cuffs, he turned the chains into water, and the cuffs into knives. The guards opened the door believing he was secure and brought the food in. Gynythian Zee slashes their throats and darts out and down the hallway. He needs to go up ten flights of stairs and through a heavy metal door that is separating him from the outside roof up on top of the Citadel.
The dead guards are discovered when they failed to check in after bringing the food. The guards then chase Gynythian Zee, who now must find a way to escape the planet. He rushes out onto the roof of the Citadel and climbs even higher to the turrets. He plucks the buttons off of the leather strap on his chest and turns them into grenades. He tosses a few back down the stairs and they detonate, killing the guards that were following him.
Making it to the highest turret and then climbing up its tower, he looks over the city of Shovaya and pulls a chord on the side of his belt. Small rockets pop out from his belt. They are about the size of a wine glass and almost the same shape, but golden in color. He pulls another chord and green wings looking very much like dragon wings shoot out, giving him flying power with a wing span the same as his height. He presses a button on his belt and leaves the Citadel far behind as he soars high into the sky and away from Shovaya. He navigates towards a forest where his spacecraft was hidden. He is long gone before even Daxu Korth and Cruise know he escaped. Now, he returns to the scene of the battle he left, still raging in a far away galaxy.
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