Wizard Gigantic (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 9)

by Rodney Hartman

  “Exit over there,” said Stella as she raised one of her right hands and pointed at a tunnel on the other side of the cavern.

  “Best hurry,” said Felspar as he organized his dwarf security team in a line facing the orange-lined portal through which they’d come. “For all we know, we might be getting company.”

  Recognizing a good point when she heard it, Jeena wasted no time in giving orders. “Felspar, take the security team along with Calatron and Kester. Secure that exit tunnel. Timerman, you go with them.”

  “But—” started the orc teenager.

  “Best go,” hissed Red Wing. “You are not even armed.”

  The teenager glanced down at his empty hands.

  “Here, take this,” said Red Wing as she tossed the orc her phase pistol. “I summon another from my pouch.”

  Nodding thanks, Timerman ran after the dwarves and gnomes in the direction of the exit tunnel Stella had spotted.

  “What we do?” asked Stella.

  Jeena motioned for the two scouts to spread out. “We stay here for a couple of minutes to see if anyone tries to follow. The Dragar destroyer was crashing, but it may have slowed enough to stay in one piece. They may try and send their troops through our access point.”

  Activating her phase spear, Red Wing said, “Let them try. It has been too long since my mother’s spear has tasted the blood of her enemies.”

  Stella activated all four of her phase rods, one in each hand. She spread her lips and showed her double row of teeth in a Sterilian version of a smile. “I ready too.”

  A whimper drew Jeena’s attention to the floor. A small, furry-white form with two beady-red eyes stared up at her. “Are you wondering what you should do, little one?” she said. “Stay behind me. I will protect you.”

  Snowy growled. The growl was accompanied by an emotion of humor. The small, furry-white body shimmered. The shimmering expanded until it was higher than Jeena’s shoulder. When the shimmering stopped, an elf-high dolgar stood in the pup’s place. The all white dolgar growled, revealing finger-length fangs. Snowy’s fire red eyes fixed on Jeena.

  “All right,” Jeena said, taken a little aback in spite of herself. “I will stand behind you. How does that sound?”

  Snowy bared her teeth and sent out an emotion resembling humor. Then the dolgar shimmered again and disappeared into the stone floor.

  “She be back,” said Stella. “She knows you part of Rick’s pack.”

  Jeena did know it, but the sight of the vicious-looking dolgar had affected her nonetheless. She was a little embarrassed. Shaking her head, she laughed. “To think I was letting her sleep in my bed with me on the Defiant. I think I like her puppy form better.”

  Stella hissed a Sterilian laugh. “I like better too.”

  Something golden moved in the dark opening of the access point. A split-second later, out walked an ogre-sized lump of golden metal with two appendages for legs and two more for arms.

  “Golem,” shouted Danny over the ring’s external speakers.

  As soon as the golem stepped clear of the opening, red beams of magic shot out of its two arms.

  Jeena threw up a no-word defensive spell, deflecting the beams into the ceiling. Shattered pieces of stone fell to the cavern floor, forcing Jeena to dodge to the right.

  Another golem stepped through the opening, followed by a squad of armored four-armed Thargs and two Dragar spellcasters.

  Red Wing met the second golem with a thrust of her phase spear. The shimmering green tip bounced off the hard form of the golem, but the subatomic explosions of phase energy caused the golem to fall back into the two spellcasters.

  More Thargs and Dragars began streaming through the orange-rimmed opening along with two more golems.

  “Fall back,” Jeena said. “Make for the tunnel.”

  Stella was beating on a golem with all four of her phase rods. The blurred motion of the multicolored rods appeared to confuse the golem. It stumbled and fell to the stone floor. After four quick head-strikes from the Sterilian’s phase rods, the golem’s head separated from its body and rolled across the cavern floor.

  When Stella started toward a squad of the armored Thargs, Jeena shouted, “I said fall back. That’s an order.”

  With oblivious reluctance, the Sterilian turned and ran for the tunnel held by Felspar and his security team. She traded shots from her Deloris blaster with the Thargs as they fired magic energy rounds from their rifles at Stella’s retreating form. The Thargs shots ricocheted off her defensive shield doing no harm.

  Red Wing was in the midst of a tangle of Thargs and Dragars, striking out with both phase spear and the points of her bat-shaped wings. Four Thargs lay at her feet, but replacements were coming out of the opening faster than the scout could kill them.

  “Red Wing!” Jeena shouted. “Make for the tunnel. We have to find a yellow gem if one is here. Hurry.”

  The Crosioian scout stabbed another Tharg in the chest with her phase spear and then began to shimmer as she shifted into the void. Before passing completely into the stone floor, Red Wing managed to grab onto a Dragar’s leg and drag the screaming spellcaster into the floor with her.

  Drawing Power from her reserve, Jeena cast a barrier of blue fire in front of the opening of the access point. A dozen armored forms in the process of stepping through the dark opening fell back and out of sight.

  “I calculate that will not hold them for long,” said Danny. “I recommend you join the others before the soldiers already through the access point have time to get reorganized.”

  Firing a blast of magic out of her staff at two Dragar spellcasters, Jeena started her retreat toward the tunnel. Beams of plasma, phase, and magic energy crisscrossed around her as the dwarves and Thargs traded fire, but none penetrated her defensive spell. She was halfway across the cavern when she sensed a powerful spell forming behind her.

  Spinning around, Jeena saw the blue flames in front of the access point waver and disappear. Through the opening stepped an ebony figure with white hair.

  Burning hatred overpowered all thoughts of any yellow gem from Jeena’s mind. “Crendemor!”

  The dark elf caught Jeena’s eye and smiled as dozens of armored Thargs and Dragars rushed out of the opening. “Leave the priestess for me,” he shouted. “She’s all mine.” Drawing a jeweled longsword from his scabbard, he began running toward Jeena.

  Thinking only of reaching her hated enemy, Jeena charged at the dark elf, screaming in fury. Thargs and Dragars alike tried to get out of her way, but she didn’t give them a chance. Drawing Power from her reserve, she sent it into the Lady’s staff. A beam of blue light shot out, exploding in a blast of blue magic so intense that everything in its path was swept away. The only thing remaining on their feet between her and the dark elf were two of the ogre-sized golems.

  As the golems raised their arms in her direction, two shimmering forms came out of the stone floor behind them. One was a massive ball of white fur.

  Snowy clamped her massive jaws around one of the golem’s necks and dragged it back into the floor.

  The second shimmering form was Red Wing. She thrust at the remaining golem with her phase spear. The green phase energy passed through the golden lump of metal. The spear hadn’t been able to penetrate the golem while Red Wing had been in the physical dimension, but it had no such problem while in the void. Smoke and sparks of magic shot out of the golem’s eyes as Red Wing dragged the struggling creature of magic into the stone floor.

  Running at full speed, Jeena met Crendemor head on. She caught his sword blade on the Lady’s staff, deflecting the blow. Kicking out with her left leg, Jeena caught the dark elf in the stomach. She felt hard metal under his robe and sensed magic underneath. The dark elf was driven back a step by the force of the blow, but he was unharmed.

  “He is wearing magic chainmail under his robe,” said Danny. “Get back to the others while you have the chance. Don’t try to fight him on your own. He is too powerful.”

>   Thoughts of retreat had no place in Jeena’s mind. She traded a flurry of blows with her staff against the dark elf’s magic sword. Sparks of blue and red magic shot out from the weapons at each blow, but neither seemed able to gain an advantage.

  “Danny,” Jeena thought, “the Lady’s staff is resisting me.”

  As if sensing Jeena’s thoughts, Lord Crendemor laughed. “That’s right, my sweet Jeena. I spent fifty years learning the ways of your Lady’s staff. It will not harm me any more than it will harm you.” He pulled back a little and raised his sword. “My bondmate’s sword is under no such qualms. It is only fitting that you die screaming on Lillia’s blade. I will make sure I tell your precious human the next time I seem him how you died.” He laughed again. “Too bad you are no longer a virgin. I would give you to the Dalinfaust as a sacrifice like I did your sister. Her screams were delicious.”

  Screaming her fury, Jeena lunged forward, closing the distance between her and the dark elf. Crendemor was caught by surprise. She pinned his sword against his chest with the Lady’s staff. Blue and red magic blasted up, blistering the skin on both of their faces, but Jeena ignored the pain. All that mattered was destroying the hated enemy before her. She drew every bit of Power from her reserve and fed it into the blue gem at the top of the Lady’s staff. The immense Power broke the line connecting the dark elf to the staff.

  On the verge of saying a one-word self-destruct spell that she knew would destroy both Crendemor and her, Jeena took her last seconds of life to sense what was happening around her. Balls of magic and plasma energy streaked back and forth through the air. Kester, Calatron, and Timerman were fighting in hand-to-hand combat nearby against the scores of armored soldiers along with Felspar and his dwarves. Red Wing and Snowy were in the middle of the enemy, ripping flesh and armor with fangs and wing-points.

  “What did you expect?” said Danny. “Did you think they were going to stay back at the exit tunnel when you needed them? Speaking of need, I am now in contact with Nickelo and Raj. They are in the green and purple time-bubbles. They are as bad off as you. Your bondmate needs you, Jeehana. Are you going to let him die?”

  The face of Crendemor was so close she could see fear in his eyes as he sensed the beginnings of her spell. They both knew the Power now in the Lady’s staff was more than sufficient to destroy them both with a single word. The Power was there, all ready to go. Jeena’s hatred demanded she destroy the dark elf to avenge her family. But hate was not all she felt. The ring on her left hand felt warm. Jeena sensed the presence of her bondmate on the other side. The sensation was stronger than it had been since they’d separated. She felt love and commitment flowing through the ring to her.

  Along with the love came an emotion that seemed to say, “I need your help.”

  Jeena stared into Crendemor’s eyes. Vengeance was within her grasp.

  “You have a choice,” said Danny. “Live and help your bondmate, or die to get your revenge. What’s it going to be? Vengeance, or love?”

  An image of her bondmate formed in her mind. The link between them was still dulled as if by time and distance, but the connection through the gem of her ring was stronger than ever. The choice given to her by the ex-battle computer was no choice at all.

  “Rick’s in trouble. He needs me.”

  Forming all her love into one emotion, she sent it back through the ring, hoping her bondmate would know it meant, “Whatever you need.”

  A large part of the magic in the self-destruct spell was drawn out of Jeena and into the gem and on to her bondmate. Her spell flickered and dissipated away.

  The fear in Lord Crendemor’s eyes was replaced by a look of victory. He shoved her back, knocking the Lady’s staff out of the way. Raising his sword, he laughed. “You fool. You had your chance. Now it’s mine. You gave too much of the staff’s Power to your human. I will gain control of the Lady’s staff again. It will be mine.”

  Swinging out with her staff, Jeena struck at Crendemor’s head. He parried the blow with his sword. Red and blue sparks filled the air as magic and counter-magic sought to gain control. Jeena swung again and again. Each time the dark elf parried her blows, and with each parry, she was forced back another step.

  Kicking out with his leg, Lord Crendemor knocked the Lady’s staff aside. He laughed as he brought the blade of his magic sword down straight at Jeena’s defenseless head.

  Recognizing her fate, Jeena brought up a final image of her bondmate and waited for death.

  Chapter 53 – Unexpected Help

  ____________________

  When Richard returned to consciousness, he found himself sitting on the stone floor of the hallway once again with his back against the wall. He sensed movement around him. Glancing to his left, he saw Master Freestrod, Tracer, and the monk Cramis at the top of the stairs, holding off a veritable wave of zombies. He turned and looked at the other end of the hallway that was the T intersection. There he saw Mia, Commander Astradis, and two of the elf lancers engaging a group of undead coming from the left side of the intersection. Lord Derander, Amir, and Skylark were battling half a dozen ghouls and two low-level demons at the mouth of the rightmost part of the intersection. So far, the elves seemed to be holding their own. As he watched, Amir took a mighty two-handed swing with his hammer and smashed one of the demons’ heads like it was an overripe melon.

  Definitely holding their own, Richard thought.

  “It’s about time you woke up,” said Nickelo. “You have been unconscious for eighteen seconds. The first of the demon reinforcements are just arriving. I calculate the main body will arrive in two minutes and fourteen seconds. When they get here, I estimate a ninety-nine percent probability your companions and you will be killed, or worse, taken prisoner.”

  Glancing at his helmet’s heads-up display, Richard noticed several hundred dots of yellow, orange, and red heading toward the group of white dots that was the elves. The outer edges of the heads-up display appeared blurry with dots blinking in and out of focus.

  A series of explosions echoed through the tunnels. The sound didn’t come from the elves or their opponents. Richard noticed at least a third of the dots on the upper left side of the heads-up display and a third on the right turning away and moving off the edge of the screen.

  “What’s going on?” Richard asked. “Why are they running away? For that matter, where are they going? I’m losing track of them with my scan.”

  “I calculate they are leaving this time-bubble for the other time-bubbles,” said Nickelo. “We are in one of three interconnected time-bubbles. I think you were right about the three bubbles overlapping on the other side of that intersection’s wall.”

  Looking in his lap, Richard noticed that someone had placed his Deloris blaster and phase rod there. He hurriedly switched out the empty magazine in the pistol for the last full mag in his ammo pouch.

  “That gives you seventeen shots,” said Nickelo. “There are two hundred and twenty-five life forms still heading our way. I calculate you may be a little short on ammo.”

  Taking another glance at his heads-up display, Richard decided Amir and the elves were holding their own without his help at the present. He forced himself to his feet and made his way to the wall of the intersection. Doing his best to ignore the battle raging to his left, right, and rear, he touched the stone with his mind and tried to sense what was on the other side. Images of green, orange, purple, and yellow came to him.

  “Nick, use the ring and battle suit’s sensors on the wall. I’ve got to get inside.”

  “Compliance. Sensor sweeps complete. The wall has a stealth shield. I am unable to penetrate it at the moment. On the plus side, I am now picking up readings from two other battle computers via the tele-network. Battle computer Raj is in the purple time-bubble located to our left front. Battle computer Danny is located in the orange time-bubble to our right front.”

  At the mention of the two battle computers, the final barriers blocking Richard’s memory fell away. Al
l of a sudden he knew who he was and why he was here. He remembered how he’d volunteered to travel sixteen thousand years in the past. He also remembered ‘the One’ and how the network of computers was using him to battle the demon hordes that were determined to take over the three galaxies. Most of all, he remembered silver hair and silver eyes.

  “Jeena,” he whispered.

  The ring on his left hand tingled. Its red gem grew warm. He tried touching her through their bond link. It remained dulled. He reached into the gem of his ring and touched the presence on the other side. He sensed desperation. “She’s in trouble, Nick. We’ve got to help her.”

  “I calculate you will best help her by completing your mission. My memory banks are functioning normally again. I am sending the data from your memory backup to your mind. It will take thirty seconds to complete your memory refresh. In the meantime, I recommend you figure out how to get past this wall. Wizard Scout Telsa is in the purple-time bubble. She is there with Rembis and the high priestess Shandria, to name a few. Your Jeena is in the orange time-bubble with part of the Defiant’s crew. She has Wizard Scout Stella and Red Wing with her. I calculate it is no coincidence that each of the three time-bubbles now has one of the elves’ high priestesses in it, armed with the same staff. My algorithm indicates the high priestesses and their staffs are the keys to entering the fourth time-bubble. I recommend you use them accordingly. I recommend you use them now.”

  “Shandria’s here as well as Jeena?” Richard asked. “With their staffs? How can that be?”

  Richard’s mind began spinning as he tried to grasp the concept of the same staff existing in three different time-bubbles, at the same location, at the same time. Before he could dwell on it further, a ghoul scrambled over Amir’s shield and leaped straight for him. The arm of his battle suit struck out and slashed the activated phase rod across the creature’s face. The ghoul fell to the floor and lay still.