As Thion stared at the Natha's quickly darkening skies, his broadsword slowly into the pavement. Its photon edge melted the concrete instantly on contact. Thion's body was completely petrified from disbelief. A single black particle emitting a malicious crimson aura slowly fluttered downwards in front of his face. A single drop then followed a slight drizzle of the darkened particles. His eyes scanned the Natha's skies and the tall buildings surrounding him. He could never forget the clear blue skies the Natha ever since his childhood. The beauty of the Natha's skies were among the many things he took pride in of his home ship during his time serving within the ARKS military. Now, its skies burned an unnatural bloodied hue. High above the skyline, a multitude of bright red speckles materialized like festering sores.
"Darker rifts..." Thion muttered in disbelief.
The presence of Darker rifts were a common sight in a sizable Darker attack. It was a sight that Thion had grown used to during his years of service but yet his breathing grew heavier and heavier. His characteristic will of iron started to shake. As he scanned upwards, he couldn't fathom the amount of portals that had materialized far north. The number had even eclipsed the amount he would usually see in a Darker assault against Lilliparium mining operations.
"Warning. Darkers have been detected on the Natha." a monotone robotic voice echoed throughout the city as sirens began to blare. "All combat personnel are to report to their battle stations immediately. Citizens are to evacuate via telepipe or shuttle."
The grip around his broadsword tightened as his mind couldn't make sense of such a large Darker attack on his home ship of all places. Thion looked across the large waterway before him, he observed the massive barrage of tracers from heavy anti-aircraft batteries race towards the Darker rifts. Thankfully, swathes of Darker flyers exiting the rifts were shot down by the sheer volume of fire.
A familiar bloodcurdling shriek roared out from behind Thion followed by the sound of churning metal and screams. Thion turned to see a second Dagan clawing at the taxi his little sisters were in. Its barbed forelimb effortlessly tore the rear passenger door apart from the frame.
"Stay back!" Nemiel screamed at the Darker as she flung her magazine at it. She nudged herself against Rumiel in a vain attempt to keep her distance from the creature
"T-The door!" a panicked Rumiel frantically tugged at the handle. Her right hand repeatedly flicked the lock switch on and off. "It's not opening!"
Thion drew his broadsword outwards and opened his palm. As gravity acted on the weapon, he grabbed its hilt in a reverse grip. Just as the Dagan swayed its head to rid itself of the magazine off its face, Thion stormed at the Dagan at a frightening speed. Great was the urge to let out an enraged shout at the Dagan for threatening the lives of his precious little sisters but he restrained himself, allowing for a surprise attack. Once he was in range, his blade swung in a powerful vertical stroke upwards. Though the Darker was seemingly unaware of his presence, the insectoid creature suddenly performed a small evasive leap, narrowly evading the photon-edged blade by less than an inch. Thion wasted no time, already preparing a following strike. The broadsword had dematerialized in a bright flash on the apex of Thion's swing. His weaponless hand then descended upon the Dagan as stray photons swirled about around his arm. The vibrant mass of photons converged into Thion's palm, materializing the broadsword upright in his hand and crashed down with dazzling radiance. The Darker reared back and sprang itself high into the air, avoiding Thion's blow yet again. Where it previously stood, Thion's broadsword plunged into the concrete and ignited a radiant explosion of photons with azure fissures erupting out from the epicenter.
"Rumi!" Nemiel cried out, pulling her sister and herself onto the seats.
"Ack!" Rumiel was silenced as Nemiel wrapped her arms tightly around her.
As the two girls laid on the seat, Rumiel squirmed about but Nemiel tightened her arms to the point it started to hurt. Nemiel protectively clenched Rumiel's temple with one hand and shut her own eyes as the vehicle filled with the familiar sound of churning metal. When the sound subsided, Nemiel turned her head and she let out a frightened gasp. What she stared down was a razor barb writhing away only a few mere inches from her face. Seeing how close to death she was, the terror she felt completely overwhelmed her. The scream she would've let out had only been a dreadful whimper as she laid there, completely petrified with horror.
The Dagan snarled and writhed about. Its barbed limbs had cleanly punctured the taxi's roof upon landing but found itself entrapped within the vehicle's frame. Already did Thion's broadsword maneuvered to strike. The blade itself moved seamlessly through the concrete, leaving behind a trail of molten slag. Thion twisted his body as his broadsword erupted from the concrete.. A serrated ring of azure light launched out from his weapon and sped towards the Darker. The ring made contact with the Dagan and whirled violently against its hardened carapace. In a brief moment of resistance, the ring shortly sheared through the creature's body and raced off into the waterway, displacing water as it flew off. What remained of the creature's body had disintegrated by voracious photon particles.
"Good riddance, Darker bastard." Thion muttered in utter cold-blooded disdain. It was yet another Darker among many to fall to him. A sullen grimace formed on his face as he rushed over to his sisters. "Hey! Are you two alright?" Thion called out to them. Once he reached the unhinged door, he swept it aside with a small kick and examined his little sisters. "Did it hurt you?"
Without saying a word, Nemiel sat up in a very disquieted expression. Her clenched hands bored deeply into the fabrics of her skirt as she hesitantly shook her head. Just as her tense shoulders slump, she began to shift over to the vehicle's exit.
"Careful," Thion stressed, staring at glimmering sparks scattered along the seat. "There's broken glass everywhere." His bare hand began to emit a dim azure aura as it lowered onto the seat. The glass shards moved just before their razor edges made contact with Thion's skin. As he swept along the seat, the shards moved as if they were fleeing from the azure light. One forceful stroke after another brushed the shards onto the floor.
When Nemiel plopped herself outside, she looked up at her brother with watered eyes. Suddenly, her head burrowed into his chest and her arms clung tightly around his torso. His eyes widened in surprise as she bawled her heart out. Brotherly instincts wrapped his arm around her shoulder and began patting her softly. He couldn't help but form a nostalgic smirk on his face. He remembered back then when they were much younger. Nemiel would always turn to him whenever something, big or small, troubled her much to his annoyance. Now, he did not felt in the least annoyed as he used to. In fact, he welcomed it.
"Some things never change." Thion chuckled.
Rumiel emerged from the vehicle. Once she planted her feet on the pavement, she picked up Nemiel's magazine. "Big bro." She called out to him as her hands tightly rolled the magazine. "That was..."
"Rumi?" Thion let go of Nemiel and approached Rumiel with deep concern. "Are you-"
Rumiel raised her head and gleefully shouted."That was so cool!"
"What?" Thion reeled back in surprise.
"How you fought that bug thingy with that sword was awesome!"
Thion was left completely speechless as to how she was maintaining her bubbly self. All he could do was raise an eyebrow slightly in response.
"It's like you're a character from that Astral Storms 3 game! It was like..." Rumiel clumsily pranced about, swinging the magazine as if it was Thion's sword. At first, she was mimicking Thion's sword swings. It eventually devolved into her flailing about trying to swat the falling Darker particles with a fashion magazine.
"Rumi, this isn't a game." Thion shook his head. He extended his hand to Rumiel and caught the magazine mid-swing. "This is real. This is life and death. This place is about to turn into a battlefield and if we die here, it's over. No continues."
Rumiel looked up at her brother's serious expression and slumped her shoulders in quiet but reluctant acceptance.
"The driver," Nemiel clenched her chest, "is he?"
"That's right! We should help him." Rumiel urged, starting to step towards the driver, or the grisly dismembered remains of him.
Thion quickly placed himself in front of Rumiel and blocked her. "I'm sorry. There's nothing we could do for him."
"No..." Nemiel gasped and covered her mouth. A tear dropped from her left eye.
"But!" Rumiel turned to look over the vehicle's hood.
"Don't look." Thion stretched his arm out and gently pushed Rumiel to Nemiel before she was able to see the grisly remains beyond it. "That only thing we can do is get off the ship before things turn south."
"So how are we going to get off the ship?" Nemiel pondered.
"It's actually really simple." Thion casually remarked. He discarded the magazine and waved his hand before him. Azure particles coalesced and danced about before converging into a single point. The glowing mass then expanded, forming a holographic screen. Thion's fingers seamlessly tapped repeatedly on the screen's keypad a series of coordinates. "I'll call down a telepipe conduit here and then we're out of here."
"Pending..." The screen flashed the word repeatedly at the siblings huddled around it. An excruciating minute passed as they waited for the conduit to appear. That word kept flashing in its rhythm without any change.
Nemiel crossed her arms and slowly began to become anxious. "Is it even working?"
"I guess the system is congested." Thion shrugged. "We just have to wait until it clears up."
"Ugh!" Rumiel groaned and stamped her foot in frustration. "Can this thing be any more slower?"
Shuffling footsteps echoed from the darkened alley next to them followed by the sound of jaded panting drawing closer and closer. In a brief moment, the footsteps and panting ceased. The heard was a sudden gasp then the sound of liquid dripping and splattering loudly inside the alley. Thion quizzically raised his head, diverting his attention from the hologram to the commotion happening. It was there when the rancid odor hit them.
"Ew!" Rumiel looked up at Thion with a very disgusted expression. The stench overwhelmed her, forcing her to pinch her nose shut. "Did you just-"
Thion furiously flapped his hand before his face in a vain attempt to waft away the pungent smell away from his nose. "That was not me!"
"That can't someone's garbage, can it?" Nemiel's muffled voice remarked. Her top was raised and pressed deeply against her nose with both hands. "I'm definitely taking another shower after this..."
After a few seconds, the noxious fumes faded the instant the dripping stopped. Nemiel raised her head from her collar and peered into the mouth of the alley while the others inhaled much needed fresh air. It was incredibly hard for her to see anything in the pitch black corridor. When she squinted her eyes, she could barely identify something moving inside the dark alley.
"Hello?" Nemiel shouted into the alley.
Whatever she called out to, it responded with an eerie silence. A tingling chill began to creep down her spine. Tapping sounds began to echo down the alley, and it sounded as if whatever made those sounds were drawing closer. She couldn't help but blink in confusion. When her eyelids raised, it was then she stared back down the alley, three pairs of crimson eyes stared back at her. Nemiel jumped and squealed as something suddenly grabbed her by her right shoulder.
"Get back." Thion sternly ordered. "They're coming."
Nemiel looked back at Thion, arm extended to her with his broadsword sword resting dormant on his shoulder. He wasn't even looking at Nemiel. His eyes were focused on whatever was inside the alley, already deeply analyzing them. Even though she nearly soiled herself, his firm grip and utter fearlessness seared away some of the horror inside her. She exhaled and nodded nervously, stepping back with no resistance from Thion's grip. Her back pressed against the taxi at a safe distance away, She wanted no part of what was about to take place.
"Oooooo! Does that mean you get to protect us again?" Rumiel said in anticipation. Her fists hovered in front of her smiling face like an obsessive fangirl. Where young girl stood, she stood closer to Thion to not miss any of the action.
"Call it as you will, your footwork was sloppy." Thion lectured Rumiel as he stepped forward, defiant against a grim fate. "Watch and learn."
Even though the telepipe could appear at any moment, Thion decided to provide Rumiel entertainment with a show of force. He felt confident, thinking his chances of a crushing victory was absolute. The alley served as an excellent checkpoint. There was no chance of him being surrounded as nothing could go past his vigil without his approval. He held his greatsword horizontally before him with a single hand. His other hand, with dancing photons swirling around it in orbit, brushed against the hilt. The azure blade of his weapon began to shrink. The further his hand moved down the greatsword's hilt, the further the hilt expanded, eventually forming a second azure blade. Thion whirled the newly formed double saber above him and pointed one end down the corridor. Its radiance bathed the alleyway in azure light, illuminating the three Dagan-class Darkers within. Though the weapon shined bright, it was a mere spec compared to Rumiel's excitement.
The Dagans slowly approached Thion then suddenly stopped. Thion tilted his head slightly, puzzled by their actions. Typically, the amount of photons he was emanating should have driven them into a frenzy. Instead of charging at him in a maddened bloodlust, they arranged themselves, aligning themselves to each other. Simultaneously, they reared their heads back. After two seconds passed, their proboscises suddenly spewed a viscous spray of crimson liquid outwards.
"Argh! What the hell?" a startled Thion shouted trying to shield his face. An all too familiar odor assaulted his nostrils yet again. Even though he was caught in the spray, he felt completely dry. The viscous liquid evaporated before it could make contact with him. Upon realizing the strange liquid had no effect on him other than making him want to gag, he charged at the Dagans for a counterattack.
The Dagans ceased spewing out that strange liquid seeing the Human charge at them. The middle Dagan's eyes saw the Human whirling his double saber in an unpredictable pattern as he charged. It could not anticipate his movements. A severed limb flew in front of the Dagan's head as it lost its balance. It suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Its eyes hazed upon pieces of another limb land in front of its face. It tried to get up but it could not feel any sensation in its forelimbs. The creature realized the limbs it was looking at were its very own. Its vision began to divide down the middle and became blurry as if it were bisected down the middle. The last thing it felt were the photons eating away at its body.
Thion was caught between the two Dagans. He quickly shifted his feet and turned to the Dagan to his left, unleashing a rising slash at this Dagan. Unfortunately, the Dagan lowered itself on the ground just in time with the blade barely grazing its carapace. Thion was now in a completely vulnerable position. The other Dagan behind him was already raising its razor forelimbs to bore into his exposed back.
Despite his situation, this was exactly what Thion intended. Compared to other organisms, Darker anatomy was completely alien. Species that have been completely assimilated by the Darkers have had their internal structure horrifically mutated. Other than the brain, the organisms' vital organs have been deprived of their functions and turned vestigial. This trait allowed Darkers to survive lethal blows that would have otherwise kill other organisms. However, this boon was also their greatest weakness. Darkers were still living beings and every living being requires a functioning body. Every Darker possesses an external organ which serves as the core that regulates their bodily functions. If this critical organ was destroyed, the Darker will expire. For Dagan-class Darkers, this core organ was located on its chest.
Thion quickly readjusted his grip on the double saber and pulled it back. The rear blade embedded itself in that Dagan's exposed, fleshy crimson core on its chest, dealing a mortal blow to the Darker. As the Dagan behind him disintegrated, Thion raised his double saber yet again and sent it downwards on the crouched Dagan before him. The blade pressed down on the Dagan, not breaching its hardened carapace yet keeping the creature pinned to the ground. The Dagan squirmed as struggled to free itself but to no avail. It couldn't do anything but look up at Thion. His face showed no hint of mercy, just a cold glare. The creature did not know fear let alone death. It fell to Thion to serve as a teacher as he exerted more force with the double saber. From the helpless Dagan's vital core erupted the double saber's azure blade. Thion exhaled a sigh as his weapon dematerialized into photons.
A distraught Rumiel wailed out. Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears and panicked moans repeatedly escaped her mouth.
Nemesis
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