Savior Part 3: Legion of The Godhand (The Savior Series)

by Bradley, A. King

  The towering Anokian Knights filed into their ships and prepared to take off as The Greater continued to evade my sword sweeps as we clashed in front of the largest ship. Howie’s bomb runs had caused quite a bit of damage to the two Anokian ships positioned to the left and right of the middle ship but apparently they were still somewhat functional because they were still able to fire their thrusters and lift into the air.

  The Righteous and his group of Anokian refugees rushed towards The Greater and me but they were suddenly forced to turn and flee to their armored SUVs parked nearby when Howie turned the jet around and unleashed another round of fire from the main cannons.

  “Charlie, get out of here!” I yelled as I noticed him racing towards me with his long duster coat flailing in the wind behind him.

  “I ain’t leaving without ya, Hoss!” Charlie protested as he darted through the chaos towards The Greater and me.

  I slipped to the left just in time to avoid a pavement shattering punch from The Greater but I froze in my tracks as I noticed the middle Anokian ship igniting its thrusters and slowly lifting off the ground.

  “No!” I shouted as I realized that I had been so consumed by revenge that I had completely forgotten about the possibility of recovering Reaper’s body.

  A colorful orb of light suddenly appeared out of nowhere behind me as Charlie summoned a wormhole using the tiny wormhole beacons that we had been issued by Director Wells. The Greater used his snow-white cloak to shield his eyes from the wormhole’s glare and he quickly backed away from me as Charlie whipped out his enormous revolver and fired six armor piercing rounds at his head. As always, all six of Charlie’s shots were fired with pinpoint accuracy, but unfortunately The Greater managed to use his Anokian-Steel covered forearms to deflect the bullets before they could hit his exposed face.

  Both Charlie and The Greater dashed towards me from opposite sides as I gritted my teeth and watched the Anokian spaceships rise higher into the sky and streak away. Charlie lunged towards me and tried to shove me into the crackling wormhole behind me but in a flash I sidestepped his outstretched hands and used his momentum to hurl him into the spinning ball of light instead. Charlie disappeared into the wormhole just as it vanished into thin air and I quickly turned and ducked beneath a furious left hook from The Greater just before he could level me. I swept my sword upward and attempted to decapitate him but, luckily for him, he managed to rock backward just in time to avoid completely losing his head.

  Blood spurted into the air as my sword ripped into his cheek instead of his neck, but before I could follow up with another attack I was completely leveled as he backhanded me in my right shoulder and launched my entire body into the air. My shoulder was on fire and I could taste blood in my mouth as I collapsed to the ground forty feet away from where he had struck me. The Greater’s crystal blue eyes glowed intensely as he clenched his massive fists and angrily trudged towards me. My heartbeat quickened as I realized that I had dropped my sword and, though I could see where it had landed, I knew that there was no way for me to retrieve it without having to go through the Anokian powerhouse that was rumbling towards me.

  I leapt to my feet and struck a defensive stance as The Greater stormed forward. Blood trickled from the four-inch gash on his cheek and his long, snow-white hooded cape flickered in the wind behind him as he suddenly galloped towards me with surprising speed. Without my sword I knew it would be nearly impossible for me to defeat him, but despite my less than stellar odds the fighter within me refused to allow me to back down from the guy who had possibly killed my best friend. We were seconds away from clashing when Howie suddenly steered our jet over us once again and fired a large missile in the direction of the armored SUVs where The Righteous and the rest of the Anokian refugees had taken cover. The Greater’s eyes widened in terror as the missile zipped through the sky and slammed into the first SUV, unleashing a massive fireball that ripped outward and threatened to consume their entire fleet.

  “Father!” The Greater bellowed as he leapt high into the air after several of the SUVs attempted to speed away from the rapidly spreading blast.

  “Oh no you don’t!” I snarled as I struck out after him.

  “What are you doing, Ace? You need to get the hell out of there!” Howie scolded in my earpiece as he circled the jet around overhead and prepared to fire upon the fleeing SUVs once again.

  “I can’t let him get away, Echo! Not after what he did to Reaper!” I yelled as I galloped after The Greater. I was dashing after him as fast as I could but despite my best efforts The Greater’s massive bounds allowed him to move much faster than me. He wasn’t nearly as fast as Reaper but he still must have been running at least forty miles an hour as he raced after the fleet of SUVs that were speeding away.

  The Greater suddenly leapt fifty feet into the air after Howie fired another missile from the jet streaking overhead. Smoldering blue light cascaded from his eyes and ignited the air around him as he soared through the air and unleashed a blistering wave of blue and white energy towards the incoming missile. A thundering explosion filled the sky as The Greater’s energy blast engulfed the missile and forced Howie to abruptly steer the jet upward in order to keep it from being incinerated. I was thrown to the ground as the raging explosion ballooned outwards and flattened everything on the ground below.

  Adrenaline raged throughout my system as I leapt to my feet after the dust and smoke had finally cleared, but as I frantically searched for The Greater and their fleet of SUVs it soon became clear that they had all gotten away.

  “Dammit!” I cursed as I balled my fist and watched their convoy speed away in the distance

  “Ace, you need to get the hell out of there and you need to do it now!” Howie barked as our jet swooped overhead once again.

  “How could you let him get away, Howie?” I growled as I balled my fists in frustration.

  “Because I wasn’t concerned with The Greater. I was trying to keep you from getting yourself killed!” Howie snapped.

  “I can take care myself,” I shot back.

  “Look, Ace, I get it, okay? We’re all pissed at The Greater for what happened to Reaper but you have to get a hold of yourself, man! One of those Anokian ships just turned around a few minutes ago and it’s headed right for you!” Howie warned.

  “Good. Then maybe this trip won’t be a complete waste after all,” I grumbled as I walked towards my sword, which still lay on the ground several meters away from me. I grabbed my sword from the ground as an Anokian ship streaked towards me in the distance.

  “Ace, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself in to! Jonas, The Redeemer is in that ship!” Howie cautioned.

  “Yeah, well, maybe Reaper’s in there too,” I replied as I grabbed my sword from the ground just as the Anokian ship slowed its approach and hovered in the air fifty feet above me. My heart raced as a low hum filled the air just as the center of two large cannons mounted on the front of the ship glowed with a fiery blue light.

  “That’s not the ship that took the pods, Ace!” Director Wells growled in my earpiece as the towering Anokian vessel prepared to fire at me. “Now, get the hell out of there, right now! And that’s an order!”

  My heartbeat tripled as the director’s yelling suddenly snapped me out of my rage filled trance. I took off running as the threatening hum of the Anokian ship’s cannons suddenly grew louder. I fled for dear life and I was running as fast as I possibly could, but no matter how fast I moved I knew that I wouldn’t be quick enough to outrun an entire spaceship. I hurriedly reached for the wormhole beacon that was at my waist but I was running so fast that I was having trouble extracting the small device from the pouch that it was stored in. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge and I turned and stared up at the ship in horror when the humming emanating from the hostile alien spaceship suddenly shifted into a deafening high-pitched whir.

  I was certain that the overwhelming whirring noise that filled my ears would be the last thing that I eve
r heard but just before the Anokian ship could fire and blast me into dust, Howie remotely steered our jet in and slammed it into them at over nine-thousand miles per hour.

  My heart pounded as I turned and dashed away while the damaged Anokian ship spiraled away from the giant fireball that filled the sky. The spaceship slammed into a nearby building then crashed to the street below as I whipped out my wormhole beacon and prepared to jump back to the moon base. Orange and blue sparks shot out of several damaged panels on the downed Anokian ship as I hurriedly brought up the virtual display on my wormhole beacon.

  “Nice work, Vargas! Now, Ace, you get the hell out of there, right now!” Wells ordered as a colorful wormhole suddenly spun into existence a few feet from where I stood.

  “10-4,” I said as I stepped towards the rapidly spinning wormhole, but I instantly paused and glanced over my shoulder as the sound of the Anokian ship’s doors opening rang out behind me.

  “Echo, what’s the read on that ship? Any signs of life?” Wells asked over the radio.

  “Not very many, Sir, but it looks like the ones who survived the crash are unconscious,” Howie replied as I gripped my sword and eyed the gaping opening in the wrecked Anokian ship. “Wait a second… it looks like one of them might be— holy crap, Ace, you have to get out of there now!” Howie yelled as a shadowy figure appeared from within the ship’s opening.

  “Ace, get out of there! Do you hear me?!” Howie repeated as I stood my ground and watched the mysterious figure emerge from within the ship and step down onto the pavement.

  His face was shrouded in shadow, covered by the jet-black hooded cloak that flowed within the wind behind him as he slowly started toward me. He only stood about six-foot-three-inches tall, which was extremely short for an Anokian but my heartbeat still quickened with anticipation as I watched the silvery moonlight gleam against his shiny silver and black Anokian-Steel armor. I couldn’t see his face due to the flowing hood that covered his head but based on the way that he was walking towards me I could tell that he wasn’t coming over to play patty cake.

  “Ace, that’s Jonas, The Redeemer. Do not engage him! Do you hear me?!” Director Wells ordered.

  “Wells, the guy’s only like six-three, what’s the big deal? He doesn’t even look like a real Anokian,” I replied as I gripped my sword tightly with both hands while the spinning wormhole behind me slowly vanished into thin air.

  “According to The Elder’s file, he’s one of the few mixed race Anokians. He may be smaller but he’s a hell of a lot more dangerous,” Howie said.

  “Am I supposed to be impressed?” I scoffed as The Redeemer stopped his approach fifteen feet away from me.

  “Ace, he’s as fast as Reaper! You’re no match for him!” Howie warned.

  “We’ll see about that,” I said through gritted teeth as I twisted the handle of my sword and sent bright blue bolts of electricity shooting up the blade.

  “You are a curious one, earthling,” The Redeemer suddenly remarked in a surprisingly deep voice that had hints of an unfamiliar accent. “I have seen races much stronger than yours own cower in the face of Anokian might, yet you would stand before me alone?” he continued as he pulled back his hood and stared at me.

  “Are we talking or fighting?” I demanded as I glared into the sophisticated visor of the sleek Anokian-Steel helmet that covered his head and a portion of his lengthy black hair which flowed in the wind behind him.

  “You are quite eager to meet your end, I see,” The Redeemer replied as he threw open his flowing black cloak and raised his lanky, yet muscular, arms before him. “Very well, we shall fight, earthling— but know that I will not hold back as Darius, The Greater did.”

  “That’s what I’m counting on,” I replied as I gripped my sword and braced for his attack.

  He zipped across the space that separated us in less than the blink of an eye but, having already anticipated his movements, I was able to tuck and roll away from his attack just before he could strike. I leapt to my feet in an instant and swept my sword for his neck, but just before my blade could hit its mark The Redeemer used his blazing speed to zoom away to safety. He came to a sliding stop almost thirty feet away from me and, as he tilted his head and stared curiously at me, I could tell that he was shocked by the fact that I had nearly killed him in a single move.

  “You like that?” I taunted as I gripped my sword and prepared for his next attack.

  Without a word he lowered his shoulder and rocketed towards me even faster than before, but my extreme quickness and uncanny ability to anticipate movements allowed me to slip out of his path once again. I lunged after him and swept my sword for his neck as he zoomed past me, but due to his blazing speed he was once again able to escape my death blow just in the nick of time.

  His attacks became increasingly faster as he continued to attempt to overwhelm me with his speed, but what he didn’t realize was that the faster he charged at me the more susceptible he became to making that one fatal mistake that I was counting on. That moment finally came when he zoomed behind me then suddenly charged back at me thinking that he had gotten the upper hand. Without bothering to turn and face him I thrust my sword backward as firmly as I could. I saw stars as he slammed against me and knocked me from my feet but the painful cry that rang out from behind me as I toppled to the concrete let me know that my blade had hit its mark. The Redeemer’s armored hands quivered as he fell to one knee and struggled to grip the handle of my sword, which had pierced his armor and was still lodged within his abdomen. Sharp pain reverberated in my right side as I stood and turned to face him. I could tell that he had broken several of my ribs when he slammed against me but the sight of my sword still lodged within his stomach brought on a surge of adrenaline that did well to numb the piercing pain.

  The Redeemer’s hands continued to tremble as he contemplated pulling my sword from his flesh. Fountains of blood sprayed from the wounds in his stomach and back as he yanked the sword free and fell to his hands and knees in agony. My long headband fluttered in the wind behind me as I clutched my injured right side and hobbled forward to finish him.

  “Now’s your chance, Ace. Use the beacon and get out of there!” Howie suddenly called out in my earpiece.

  “No. I have to finish this,” I protested as I trudged toward the critically injured Anokian Commander.

  “Jason, another ship is on the way back! You don’t have time for this! It’s over, man! You’ve already won!” Howie urged.

  “It’s not over until he’s dead,” I shot back as I watched The Redeemer somehow manage to pull himself to his feet.

  Blood still trickled from beneath his fingers as he pressed his left hand against the deep wound in his abdomen. Another Anokian ship sped towards us in the distance as The Redeemer struck out towards me and hurled a vicious haymaker at my head. I quickly ducked beneath the punch then tucked and rolled behind him in order to recover my sword. In a flash I grabbed the sword then turned and lunged towards him, but unfortunately I had grossly underestimated how quickly he would regain his balance. Fire erupted in my ribs once again as The Redeemer easily evaded my sword then clubbed me to the ground with a vicious swing of his right fist. My lightweight combat armor was able to absorb enormous amounts of kinetic energy, however that certainly didn’t make me invincible. My entire body was consumed by a rushing wave of pain as I tried to pull myself from the ground. Despite my sophisticated combat gear, The Redeemer had not only managed to fracture even more of my ribs but, based on my sudden shortness of breath, I was sure that he had also collapsed one of my lungs.

  Still, I fought against the pain and narrowly managed to roll out of the way of his pavement-shattering stomp. With my sword still in hand I leapt to my feet and thrust the blade for his chest but even with the critical wound in his abdomen still spewing blood into the air The Redeemer was still remarkably fast. He zoomed out of the reach of my sword just before I could stab him, then he retaliated with a sweeping right hook that I was barely
able to avoid. A second Anokian ship continued to rocket towards us as I ducked beneath The Redeemer’s punch then swept my sword for his neck. With less than a second left to spare The Redeemer used his super speed to zoom out of the path of my blade. My eyes widened with surprise as he zoomed back in and gripped my right wrist before I had time to react. My heartbeat echoed in my head as I tried desperately to yank my hand away, but unfortunately I wasn’t nearly strong enough to pull away from The Redeemer’s super powered grip. I cried out in pain as he tightened his grip and completely shattered my wrist then slammed his left fist into my elbow and snapped my right arm like a twig. My sword fell from my right hand as The Redeemer hoisted me into the air by my neck, but luckily I was able to catch the falling sword with my left hand and tuck it behind my back before he could notice. My long head band and his flowing black cloak both fluttered wildly in the strong winds that surrounded us as he dangled my broken body before him.

  “You have fought well, earthling… I’ll give you that,” The Redeemer grunted while a puddle of the blood leaking from the wound in his abdomen accumulated at his feet. “But even a warrior such as yourself cannot hope to contend with The Legion of The Godhand,” he continued as he drew back his bloodied left fist and prepared to strike me down.

  “You’re talking like this is over,” I choked out as I fought hard against the debilitating pain radiating from my mangled right arm.

  “Because it is over, earthling, and as much as you would hate to admit it, your death is inevitable— no more than a prelude to the fate that you all shall suffer at our hands,” The Redeemer replied.

  “Then why don’t you take your best shot, chump!” I snarled as I gripped the sword behind my back.

  My heartbeat quickened as The Redeemer launched a vicious jab for my head just as I revealed the sword that I had been holding behind my back. Droves of crimson blood spouted into the air as I sliced through both his wrists just before he could strike me. A mixture of agony and horror filled his voice as The Redeemer cried out in pain and backed away.