Resurgence of Ancient Darkness

by Vincent Trigili

  “Cyborgs,” sent Spectra with obvious disgust.

  I flew over to their captain’s status panel. “It looks like they will be salvaging for another hour or two, at least. Let’s see what we can find out by ...”

  Before I could complete that thought their tactical alarms went off. They all moved seemingly at once and began calling out orders; “Close the hatches,” “Align for jump,” and other similar commands were being sent.

  “Time to go,” I said, and we flew back to the Fox at high speed. “Rocky, what is going on?”

  “It looks like competition just showed up, Master,” he said.

  “Get us out of the crossfire,” I said as I saw more and more fighters de-cloaking and fighting. “Any chance they will find us?”

  “No, Master. Not unless we are hit by stray weapons fire,” said Rocky.

  “Get us out of here, then, and once we are safe, jump,” I said.

  “Heading, Master?” he asked.

  “Towards last known location of the Nevermore II. Just get far enough away that we can safely call Master Shadow without being detected.”

  “Dusty, a third group of fighters is coming in, right along our escape route,” said Spectra.

  “Options?” I asked.

  “We are between the new group and the two old ones, Master. We either try to drift away from the fight under low power, or we drop our cloak and jump out. We should be able to jump out without any issue if we are quick about it. The longer we wait the more scavengers will show. This is a pretty valuable haul,” said Rocky.

  “Jump us out then,” I said.

  For a brief moment we lowered our cloak so that we could engage our jump drives, and the fight seemed to pause briefly as we appeared. As we de-cloaked in the middle of active combat their scanners quickly identified us.

  “Dusty, we are being hailed by all of them. Each is asking for assistance,” said Spectra.

  “Respond to all of them with: ‘This is your fight, not ours,’” I said.

  “Sent,” said Spectra just before we jumped out of the fight.

  Once we cleared the jump I said, “Rocky, send an update to the Nevermore and request rendezvous coordinates.”

  “Yes, Master,” he said.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Spectra and I left the bridge and headed to the gym. She was insistent on teaching me the basics of physical combat.

  “I still don’t see why this matters,” I said as we entered the gym.

  “Just get in the ring,” she said with a smile. “I sense something; I can’t share more right now because I don’t really understand it. Please just trust me on this. We must master this form of combat too.”

  “We? You seem to be an expert already!” I sent as I did my best to prepare to fight.

  As she entered the ring she said, “On guard!” and then launched a kick right towards my face. In shock, I fell backwards. She took advantage of that and swept my leg out from under me, sending me flying towards the floor. “Dusty, focus. You need to learn to read your opponent. When my leg went high, I was committed to that attack vector. Instead of moving back you should have spun to the side. Now let’s try that combo again.”

  She stepped back and her foot came up again. This time I tried to jump to the side as she said, but she still got me with the sweep, and all that the move to the side accomplished was my face hitting the floor instead of my back.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I just don't have the head for this!” I said.

  “That is because the material you are trying is too hard, Master,” came a deep voice from behind me.

  I turned and saw Lythiran, my chief of security and a Dark Knight. “What do you mean?”

  “May I demonstrate, Master?” he asked of Spectra.

  “Sure!” she said.

  I stepped out of the way, but he pulled me back over. Then he said, “Master Dusty, show me how you step to the side to avoid being hit.”

  “Um, like this?” I asked as I slid over to one side.

  “I see. Now try that again, but this time step more to an angle,” he said.

  I did what he said, and for the next thirty minutes I did nothing but move to the left or the right on cue. Each time he would tweak some little thing, and then I would try again. Then he stepped aside and said to Spectra, “Master, try your kick now, exactly as before.”

  “Okay,” she said and then kicked at my face again.

  This time Lythiran called out, “Now,” seemingly before her foot even moved. I stepped to the side just as he had taught me, and Spectra’s kick went harmlessly by me.

  “Wow,” I said as the momentum of her kick carried her past my position and out of range to throw her sweep.

  “Great job, Dusty! I knew you could do it!” said Spectra.

  “I am not sure how I did that,” I said.

  Lythiran gave a toothy smile and said, “Master, you have a naturally lean body and fluid movements. You just need to work on fine control over your actions.”

  “Lythiran, do you think you can teach him? I don’t seem to be doing nearly as well as you,” said Spectra.

  “Master, it would be a great honor. But first, would you spar me? I would like to judge your level,” he said.

  Spectra got an odd look in her eye, and her lips curled up into a snarl as she fell back into her favorite crouched posture from which to start a fight. “Bring it on.”

  I quickly jumped out of the sparring area, more than a little concerned. I had never seen her like that before. She was much too shy, and less aggressive. She really looked like she was going to enjoy this contest, and enjoy it immensely. This was a far cry from the shy cat she had been back in school.

  Lythiran smiled back with his forked tongue passing over his scaly face. “Best of three hits, then?” he asked.

  “Agreed,” said Spectra.

  Lythiran was much larger and stronger than Spectra. His reach was easily twice hers, and that powerful tail of his gave him an extra limb to fight with. I thought she surely stood no chance, but the moment the fight started that all changed.

  Spectra moved with a speed and grace I had never seen before. Instantly she was a black streak flying through the air, and Lythiran clearly underestimated her as he moved much too slowly to block her first hit, a slash across his face with her hand. She didn’t have her claws extended, but it was clear if they had been he would probably have been blinded by that strike.

  They faced off again, and this time Lythiran did not wait for Spectra to move. Instead he charged in straight down the middle. At first Spectra did not move, but as he closed in she suddenly sprang to one side. Hitting the ground and reversing direction in one fluid movement, she came up fast with a kick to his head. This time Lythiran was ready and ducked under her kick while sweeping around with his tail to catch her back leg. Spectra reacted by allowing his leg to hit and using his power to flip herself out of his reach.

  Back and forth they went on like this. Spectra was faster and more nimble; Lythiran was stronger and had greater range. Both used their advantages to the utmost. Eventually Lythiran said, “I cede, Master Spectra. You are clearly the more skilled fighter.”

  “Thanks for the workout. It has been a long time since I have had such a worthy opponent,” she said.

  Only now could I see that she was panting very heavily, and Lythiran was not. “I can't teach you to fight better. Your skills are more than sufficient. However, you tire too quickly. Had this been a real fight, I would have outlasted you. I can help you with that, if you would like, Master.”

  “I would be honored,” said Spectra.

  “Then, Masters, let's plan to meet here for one hour every day. At this same time?” he asked.

  “Um … ” I hesitated. I wasn’t sure I was really up for that.

  “That would be great! I can watch you teach Dusty and learn that skill, at least,” said Spectra.

&n
bsp; “Then with your leave, I bid you good night, Masters,” he said and left.

  “What are you thinking? You could have been seriously hurt!” I said.

  “Dusty, he is a master warrior, and a gentleman. I was never in any danger,” she said.

  “It sure didn’t look that way to me!” I said.

  She smiled mischievously then said, “Trust me; I know what I’m doing. Besides, I was going easy on him.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I just got you a proper teacher, so now you will learn,” she said.

  “I still don’t understand why it matters. I would never face off with him like this. A hold spell would work just fine!” I sent.

  She laughed and grabbed me around the waist. “Come on, let’s clean up and get some dinner. I’ll cook something up for you back at my quarters.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  When we contacted the Nevermore II, they responded that they were in the middle of a fight and would get back to us soon. With Master Shadow and Master Flame away, I was left as ranking wizard in charge. I told Stalker to have Master Shadow contact me after their current fight, and we would sit tight until we heard from them.

  After we had been waiting a full day I started everyone on work drills, but that was interrupted by an urgent call from Rocky. I quickly joined him on the bridge and asked, “What is it?”

  “Master, three fast-attack cruisers just came out of jump space, and they are searching for us,” said Rocky.

  “How do we know they are looking for us?” I asked.

  “They are broadcasting on all frequencies vile language about killing all wizard scum,” said Spectra.

  “That would be a good indication,” I said, “so let’s just quietly pull away.”

  “Master, we could safely do that, but I would advise against it this time,” said Rocky.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Master, we were sent to destroy that station because Master Shadow wants us to look strong in front of potential enemies. If we just sneak away from these guys, that could send them the message that we are weak and scared,” said Rocky.

  “But how could they know we are here?” I asked.

  “Master, I am not sure. Perhaps they picked us up as we exited the jump, before we could recloak,” said Rocky.

  “Three cruisers. We are more than a match for them,” I said. I looked over the tactical display. The cruisers were sweeping back and forth, trying to draw us out. They were firing their weapons in random directions, probably hoping to make us nervous enough to do something stupid. “However, simply blowing them up will not send much of a message. If we’re going to send a message, let’s do it right. Let’s gather some troops.”

  I left the bridge and gathered four of my best wizards in the briefing room with Rocky and Spectra. “Everyone, here is the plan: Rocky will fly the Shadow Fox within teleport range of the enemy ships. We will then put two wizards on each of their ships. Your job once on board is to summon elementals and send them throughout their ships. The goal is to sow chaos and confusion. Be completely random in your attacks, and do not engage anyone directly. If you are in danger of losing, teleport out into space and wait for us to swing by and pick you up. Your armor will function well as a space suit for many hours. Spectra and I will take the lead ship; you two, take the second craft; and you two, get the third ship. Remember, the plan is that they fly back home and tell everyone what a nightmare it was to attack us, so we need enough survivors to pilot their cruisers home and tell the tale.”

  “We will need line of sight to teleport,” gently reminded Spectra.

  She was right. I forgot about that since our spells could pass us through the walls instead of teleporting. “You should be able to find a window on their airlocks to use for line of sight. If not, blast a hole in their hull and use that.”

  Once I was sure everyone understood the plan, I ordered Rocky to take the Shadow Fox into range for our first assault team. Meanwhile, Spectra and I cast Night Wraith Form and flew over to the lead ship. Once aboard it I was happy to see it was far more normal than the previous robotic ships we visited. This one had crewmembers, working stations and all the normal things one would expect on a vessel of war. We moved to the bridge and waited.

  It was not long before we received reports over our telepathic network that the first team had begun its work. While we waited on their bridge, sounds of panic came over the comm. A man, who I assumed was their captain, said, “Shut their blabbering off and find those cowards.”

  “Spectra, let’s get someplace where you can safely summon,” I sent.

  “This way,” she sent back and headed down through the floor of the bridge. Soon we were in an equipment locker of some kind almost directly below the bridge. “If you can keep anyone from spying on us, I can cast here.”

  I quickly cloaked the room in darkness and sent back, “Done.”

  I felt a chill pass through me as I watched her cast. Ghastly creatures from the Spirit Realm appeared around us and floated through the walls, spreading out through the ship. Most of them were harmless, but several of them would be deadly to mundanes who would have no way of fighting back.

  I watched through Spectra’s eyes as she monitored the progress of her summoned creatures. They all radiated an aura of fear and coldness wherever they went. The battle-hardened crewmembers of the cruiser quaked in fear as the mostly harmless creatures flew through their duty stations. The few deadly spirits that she summoned killed men and women randomly throughout the vessel, which helped to solidify the state of fear throughout the craft.

  “Master Dusty, there is a sorcerer here!” came a panicked message over our telepathic network.

  “We have done enough. Everyone, retreat back to the Shadow Fox,” I sent back.

  “Do you want me to gate us back?” asked Spectra.

  “No, not yet. Let’s pay a visit to the bridge. Gather your friends for it,” I sent. “Send them ahead of us to soften up the crowd a bit.”

  Once I was sure there was a suitable level of panic, I teleported back onto the bridge, leaving Spectra safely hidden in case I needed help. Once on the bridge I quickly cast an ice storm that disabled most of the crew right away. Something was very odd about the ice storm, but I could not place what had happened right then, and I couldn’t afford the time to think much about it. “Stand down your weapons or you will all die at the hands of my lovely assistants,” I said, gesturing to the spirits flying around me.

  One brave man started to aim his gun at me and fell over dead as a ghost passed through him from behind. Two more tried the same thing and met similar fates.

  “Anyone else want to die?” I asked.

  “What do you want?” demanded the captain.

  “To deliver a message,” I said. “You, and what is left of your men, are to get out of this section of space and never again threaten my people. If you do, you will suffer greatly!”

  For effect I cast another ice storm and teleported down to where Spectra was. “Spectra, gate us out of here,” I sent. The second ice storm was also wrong in some way. It was effective, if anything more effective than I expected, but didn’t act the way I was used to.

  Once we were safely back on the Fox, I asked, “What is the status of the sorcerer?”

  “Not much of one, apparently. He is currently pinned down by two fire elementals,” said Rocky.

  “Is that the only one?” I asked.

  “Yes, Master. He appears to be,” said Rocky.

  “Good,” I said. I looked over the reports from the strike teams, and it appeared to be a complete success. Everyone had returned unharmed, and the creatures we had summoned were still wreaking havoc. “How far can we get before the elementals fade away?”

  “Master, they are not going away,” said Darkstone, who had led one of the strike teams.

  “What do you mean? Distance always c
ancels them, I thought?” I asked.

  “Master, it used to, but apparently it now applies only to control,” he said.

  Great, another change in how magic works. Where will it end? “Are you telling me that those elementals will fight indefinitely?”

  “No, Master. Eventually the spells will run their course and they will fade away,” said Darkstone.

  “Spectra, what about your ghosts?” I asked.

  “I think they will stay until I send them home,” she said. “It’s hard to know for sure, though.”

  “Then let’s fly in range of each of the ships and end the spells, or no one will be left alive to deliver our messages.”

  As Rocky flew us in range so that the spells could be canceled, Spectra asked, “What about the sorcerer?”

  “I doubt that he is really a sorcerer. He’s probably just a lost magus trying to make his way in this world alone,” I said.

  “Then maybe we should pick him up?” asked Spectra.

  “Too late for that,” said Darkstone. “It seems he was unable to handle the two fire elementals, Master.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Ugh, how long have I been unconscious?” I asked. My head felt as if it contained an army of angry woodpeckers. No, that was not quite right. It was more like multiple armies of angry woodpeckers that had declared war on each other and were determined to fight to the death.

  “Master Shadow, it has been two days,” said the doctor. “We kept you asleep until your body could sufficiently heal itself and rebuild some of your illuminescence stores.”

  “Flame?” I sent.

  I had barely had time to finish the thought when she teleported into the room. “Shadow!”

  “Flame, you know the rule about teleporting,” I chided her.

  “You left me in charge, so I dropped that rule just for this one trip,” she said.

  I started to laugh a little, but it caused the pain in my head to spike. “Doctor, can you do something about this pounding in my head?”