Pursuit of the Zodiacs (80 page)

“WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU, BOY?”

Lucille shouted after a grounded Capricorn. On the floor of the craft, he held his chest, grimacing in pain.

“Which one has fallen?” he shouted as his Special Gem glowed uncontrollably. His Dead Rising gathered around him in confusion.

Again, Lucille asked, “What’s going on back there?”

“I will be fine! Take me to Lisa at once!”

He motioned to one of his Dead Rising Giants. The Giant bowed down to her level, revealing its double row of razor-sharp teeth. With half of its face absent, it conducted a dead glare; and, without argument, she focused on her objective. She reached her destination. “This can’t be! Those are Aru’s warships attacking the Dark Graduates’ base!” Lucille reported.

She stealthily guided the craft into an undisclosed area of the Dark Graduates’ headquarters. Lucille yelled, “This is suicide. It’ll be a miracle if we aren’t shot down before we reach the base.”

Recuperated from his pain, Capricorn replied, “Well, Mercenary, it’s time to prove why you were a Dark Graduate.”

Lucille maneuvered through all enemy lines. She engaged with Aru’s forces, and her former Dark Graduate colleagues. It did not bring comfort killing her own or Aru’s men. She knew both sides very well.

After successfully landing without any serious damage to their ship, she said, “This is unfortunate.” Distraught over the deaths of her comrades, Lucille tucked her chin and hugged the control wheel of the craft.

“Excellent! You’ve proven why the Dark Graduates had an interest in you. Your services will no longer be needed. You are free to go,” Capricorn ordered as Lucille powered down the craft.

Making it off the craft raised more concerns. This time, Capricorn’s minions played their role. Their small numbers weren’t enough to accomplish their ultimate goal, so he ordered them to feed and multiply.

Nearby, Aru and Noah’s forces exchanged laser fire. Capricorn’s Dead Rising initiated the infection.

“But how will you get out of here?” Lucille asked.

“Don’t worry about that. Go, before I change my mind. And one last thing, Dark Graduate.” Lucille stopped. “Don’t get in my way.”

Though hard to enforce, Lucille agreed not to get in his way. She ran off.

The Children of Time were deemed just as important to Lucille. She entered the core of the base in search of them.

Capricorn’s Dead Rising successfully infected soldiers onboard the Dark Graduate Headquarters, increasing their numbers by forty percent. Confusion played a huge part in increasing the number of Dead Rising, as red suits belonging to the People of the Sun attacked red suits; and white suits belonging to the Dark Graduates tore into white suits. The Dead Rising terrorized every hall. Soon, Capricorn had all classes of entities turning into flesh-eating monsters.

Lucille searched the only place where the Children of Time dwelled: the Great Council Hall where all the Representatives met. As expected, bodies lay everywhere.
She came across too many familiar faces, which dimmed the future of the Dark Graduates. Despite her being discharged, she knew the Dark Graduates brought balance to the Universe. Nonetheless, if they met with annihilation, its scale would diminish, corruption would ensue, and war between Worlds would triumph.

A secret door opened up and one of Noah’s best men, Brutus, the Nephilim Giant, called to her.

“Brutus, what’s happened here?” asked Lucille.

Brutus replied, “Aru seeks retribution. Turns out, one of the Zodiacs who fell was his Brother. Went by the name Leo. In addition, he’s looking to become the new leader of the Dark Graduates by completely wiping us out.”

Lucille replied, “But there hasn’t been a war amongst the Dark Graduates for centuries. Why now?”

Brutus answered, “Those damn Zodiacs.” He paused for a moment, took a deep breath and continued “I must … I have more bad news.”

Lucille asked, “What is it, Brutus?”

Brutus spoke the words with great difficulty. “All of the Children of Time, except for Lisa, have been murdered. In addition, Noah doesn’t have much time. He is dying.”

They both ran into the secret room. The secret door shut and locked behind them.

Lisa ran into Lucille’s arms.

Noah’s best men gathered around him, some in tears. He had sentenced her to death, but death switched sides. He recognized his error. She was a huge asset to the rebuilding of the Dark Graduates and arguably the best Mercenary there. The injuries suffered from the wound in his stomach worsened, and the doctor encouraged them to exchange whatever information needed before his passing. They underwent turbulence due to the excessive explosions and laser cannons sounding off overhead.

Noah could barely raise his head to see Lucille. “My apologies, Lucille.”

Lucille spoke, “No need. You did what was in your best judgment for the safety of the Dark Graduates.”

Noah sighed, “Some safety this turned out to be. I want you to take Lisa and protect her. She is one of the keys to our survival. Balance must be restored, and we must make an example out of the People of the Sun, or others will assume they can repeat what is going on right now.”

They understood exactly what he said, but Lucille had to warn them of the new threat … Capricorn.

Noah inquired, “A Zodiac is onboard this ship?”

Lucille answered, “Yes, and he is too strong for any one of us. We must leave at once and regroup. He has turned our men and our enemies into monsters that cannot be controlled.”

Lisa interrupted, “My cousin? No, I can’t believe that. Let me speak with him. I’m sure he will listen to me!”

Lucille disagreed, “I’m afraid that will not be so easy, Lisa.”

Noah spoke, “Lucille, I trust your judgment. Do what must be done. Take her as far from here as possible.”

Noah said a few more encouraging words to his men before he passed away.

Lucille took command. “You must destroy his body. No one but us can know of his exodus, or Aru has won.”

Everyone cooperated. If Aru prevails, everyone will meet the Sun. They destroyed Noah’s body for the sake of the Dark Graduates. It was set ablaze, and his ashes ventured into the deep corners of space. Sadness grazed their temperaments. Soon, vengeance would dress their wounds.

THEY CAME ACROSS THE BODIES OF THEIR ADVERSARIES, BEING CONSUMED BY FLESH-EATING BOTTOM-FEEDERS OF THIS HORRIFYING LAND
.

Grenad and his remaining men watched as the beasts gathered what they could before being chased away. To add insult to injury, he came upon Bishop’s flag, which represented the completion of a mission.

With disappointment, Grenad ripped the flag down. “Damn them! This is truly a mockery handed down from the Master Archs. They think I am not worthy enough to become one of them. I will show them otherwise.”

He boarded the craft and headed for the Kingdom. An hour passed, and everyone onboard witnessed the war-within-a-war between the People of the Sun and the Dark Graduates.

“This is none of our concern. Let’s keep moving,” Grenad ordered, and they continue treading across the emptiness of space. Eventually, they landed at the Kingdom.

Anger nested deep within his core. He paced from side to side before the towering gates opened, uncertain what he would do if he encountered one of the Master Archs. Again, an absent Bishop only encouraged the disorder about to unfold. Other soldiers opening the gates saw the anger on Grenad’s face, which made things unsettling.

They finished repairing all the damage from Sabrina’s surprise attack. Once again, Nevil approached Grenad.

Nevil spoke, “My friend, I know what you want to do; but it is vital that you think this through. Yes, judging by the rumors, what they did was unjust; but it’s forbidden to touch a Master Archangel. You know this already, Grenad.”

Grenad replied, “If you want to keep your limbs intact, it is best that you remove yourself from my presence at once.”

Nevil said, “Very well, have it your way. But if you want to jeopardize your chance of becoming a Master Archangel, be my guest.”

Nevil calmly left the scene to handle other pressing matters, but his words lingered. Grenad settled with Nevil’s argument until he saw a smiling Leviticus walking down the hall towards him, sipping on a glass of wine as if in celebration. He despised him the most out of all the Master Archs, and the smile resting on his face forced more irritation upon him. Centuries ago, back in God’s Kingdom, Leviticus eliminated Grenad in a tournament which earned him his title as a Master Archangel. Ever since, they’ve shared bad blood.

Grenad stood in front of Leviticus, blocking his way. “You bastard! You left us behind to die amongst those things! A simple warning would have saved countless lives!”

Leviticus moved to Grenad’s side, barely answering him. “Grenad, what do you mean?” He laughed and continued his walk as if Grenad had never been there.

Grenad unveiled his hands, and fired a round of explosive matter in the Master Arch’s direction. Leviticus dropped his wine glass and covered up with his wings. The force of the blast knocked him to the floor and into a wall.

Leviticus said, “You stupid bastard! You know you cannot touch a Master Arch. I will personally have your head for this.”

The crowd in the Great Hall congregated with orders not to intervene. Soldiers loyal to both Grenad and Leviticus slowly made their way through the crowd to analyze. “This discord would never happen if Bishop were present,” Nevil lamented in disappointment. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but watch from his private box in the balcony, too mesmerized to turn away. This feud between them lengthened for some time.

Grenad yelled, “You will die in front of everyone, and I will prove you are not worthy of being a Master Arch.”

“Look at you, still marinating in your loss centuries ago,” Leviticus said.

His wings still steaming from Grenad’s blast, he moved towards his opponent. First, he battered Grenad with hand-to-hand combat to belittle him in front of everyone. Grenad’s Touch of Death grasped nothing but air. Grenad delivered a kick courtesy of an opening in the Master Arch’s offense.

“Idle time is over. It’s time to put an end to this no-contest,” Leviticus uttered. He pressed the button on a handle and a sword surfaced from its core while Grenad unsheathed his own.

Cautiously, they observed each other’s stance. Leviticus initiated first contact, but Grenad parried and broke flesh. Leviticus renewed his approach.

“What’s wrong, Master Arch? Feeling a bit overrated?” Grenad boasted as Leviticus felt blood trickling down his face.

Infuriated, Leviticus attacked again. This time he challenged Grenad’s defenses further, leaving no room for any countermeasures. His persistence created an opening, and he struck him to the ground. Grenad lost his sword while rolling to his feet. He heard the jeers from the crowd. Humiliation clouded his judgment. He used his gifts, completely disregarding the crowd’s safety.

“And that, my friend, is why you are not worthy of becoming a Master Arch,” Leviticus shouted as Grenad charged while simultaneously releasing explosive matter in his direction. Leviticus easily parried the stars away using his Super Sword.

Soon, due to its deflection, fire seeped through all corners of the venue. Chaos erupted amongst the crowd as everyone fled in mass panic.

In Exodus’s room, Ezra put a halt to their fornication after hearing the noise outside. Exodus struggled with his robe while exiting his chambers. He grabbed one of the fleeing natives by the arm and inquired into the cause of the disturbance.

“Grenad and Leviticus?” he reaffirmed.

Ezra overheard the last part of Exodus’s conversation with the native. “You go and get dressed. I will handle this.”

She left Exodus and ran towards the melee. The battle between Grenad and Leviticus spilled out of the burning arena hall and into the street. She deflected fire and barely escaped becoming collateral damage.

“That’s enough!” she yelled as she stepped in between them. They were both bloodied and bruised. “Are you two out of your fucking minds? Bishop could be here any moment. Do you think for one second infighting would bring forth viewing pleasure?”

Nevil sighed and spoke, “I’ve tried to stop them, but I guess my words are not credible today.”

Ezra replied, “Nevil, call the maids. Have this place cleaned up, and see to it that their wounds are tended to.”

Nevil said, “Yes, Ezra.”

A crowd had gathered around. She stared at Grenad and Leviticus. They walked away from each other escorted by medical help.