The Warlock
The sun was setting on Mars. The dust flew carelessly with the direction the heavy winds blew along the orange dunes that surrounded the dust palace. Though the sun was still up, the temperature was capable of being as freezing at night as it was as scorching in daytime . The howling of the wind screamed through what was left as a small scrawny figure ran through the sand. It raced towards one of the skyscrapers that was once the proud headquarters of Suros before the invasion. The creature hastened as it looked around carefully as if to check if it was being followed. As he was just about to enter the building two figures appeared out from behind the walls. They were the fallen vandals of the house of devils. Their two upper arms were fixated on their rifles that were aiming straight at the intruder while the other two were in an alert position that would allow them for any close combat defence if necessary. The faded white and red colours of armour stood out against the metallic black and gray walls of the building like a burning torch in the middle of the night. Each of the vandals had bright laser blue eyes that were also fixed on the stranger standing out on their grey wrinkly skin and ears that pricked up underneath their helmets that surveyed for any footsteps or reinforcements on the way. Their mouths were holes in their lowers face that were armour with They faced off the stranger but realised that it was one of their dregs shortly after.
The dregs were the lowest in the hierarchy of the fallen. They were lightly armoured and wore no helmets allowing their red and brown mohawks to fluster carelessly in the air. Their dark blue and grey armour complimented their facial colours as well as preventing their second pair of arms to grow out. Low ranked fallen were ordered to cut off their lower arms as a sign of their low ranking. They were as lightly armoured as they were armed. Dregs often carried a small variety of laser pistols and shock daggers that gave them some degree of attack power and defense if it ever came to close quarter combat. The vandals snorted in their native tongue that was nowhere close to any language that was used on earth.
"Where is the rest of your scouting party you retched fool?" one of the vandals asked menacingly through his dried lips.
"We have no time for that! The guardian killed them. I barely got out of there alive, I need to warn the captains before it's too late. The guardian is probably on his way here now we must go!" the dreg blurted out as he slowly gained his breath back.
"So you admit to deserting you worthless dog? I should spare the captains the time and kill you here myself." the vandal replied as he aimed his weapon right at the head of the dreg.
"No, we need to let the higher ups know that there is a guardian out there, the mission might be in danger along with all of our lives. We cannot risk this excavation go for nothing." the other vandal interrupted.
"Fine I will stay here and keep lookout while you go and escorting. The dog probably just got spooked by a kabal psion and fled." the vandal snarled as the dreg and the other vandal entered.
The doors led to a dark corridor with a light at the end of it. They slowly made their way towards the light as they began to hear the voices of the captains and the rest of the battalion over the howling of the wind outside. The atmosphere was tense as the voices grew louder and louder soon erupting into an understandable quarrel by the captains. They finally reached the end and the light was nothing more than a few reflector lamps. The dreg soon realised that the huge room he has walked into was full of life and people who were now looking at him. Huge floating round robots that were radiating with energy from the void making them glow with a dark purple colour called servitors were tending to the technological issues that the fallen may have had in regards of communication and navigation while being supported by the shank drones that levitated above ground. The shanks were no bigger than a man's torso with a few yellow lights and a gun nozzle protruding from its brown face as two brown engines ensured it stayed in the air on its back. The rest of the outskirts were filled with vandals, dregs and supply crates. The vandals and dregs quickly turned around to face the distraction that the red and white vandal and blue dreg caused when entering causing the others to get distracted from checking their rifles and swords were charged right. At the centre of the room were the four captains that commanded the fallen that were presently armed to the teeth.
They appeared not to be affected about the arrival of the scout as they continued rambling about what their next move should be. This type of behaviour was typical of someone their rank as captains were often highly ranked among the fallen. They were twice as large as an average and had slightly more armoured suits then the fallen. Their helmets spiked back causing their head to appear in the shape of a row of spears put together. Their mouths were covered by their helmets for maximum protection yet that did not prevent them from speaking. The captains surveyed the holographic replica of the terrain that their shanks have managed to collect in forms of data and continued to frustrate each other about what to do next.
"Pardon me sires but a scout has come back claiming that his squad was wiped out by a guardian." the vandal interrupted. The captains turned towards the dreg and vandal with their laser blue eyes that gave away the irritation they have built up from being disrupted.
"Is this true scout?" one of the captains asked as they looked at each other quickly before turning to the dreg indicating that it is his turn to speak.
"Y-yes sir, a guardian, dressed in crimson robes and a black helmet. He caught us by surprise and ended up killing our whole squadron. I was fortunate to get away as I ducked behind a wall and ran before he shot." The scout explained quickly
"The crimson and black guardian you say?" a voice boomed from a dark corner of the room. All the present figures turned around to see another captain come out from the shadows. It was another captain but his features were different. Instead of the traditional white helmet that captains used to have, the captain from the shadow wore a black one while his eyes shone a bright gold colour. He also had four abnormally large blades hanging off his belt along with four hand cannons that dangled silently as he walked. The whole rooms eyes were fixed on the captain as he slowly yet graciously made his way to the holographic table accompanied by his red cape with emblem of the house of devils flaying in the soft breeze like a phantom and rested his muscular lower arms down on it as he locked himself up in a deep sea of thoughts. Even though they were inside, they could still feel the same freezing temperature that was outside due to the many holes that have been created in the building as time passed. The rest of the captains were waiting silently for the fifth to make his decision. They knew that the situation may become disastrous for their mission but the final say belonged to the black captain. He has become the guardian killing legend among the houses of the fallen and the rumours say that he has already killed over fifty thousand guardians. The silence was finally broken by the scout who could not wait any longer for his orders.
"What are we going to do then sir?" he said sheepishly as all the eyes turned to him in the room stabbing into him like razor sharp daggers. The black captain then turned his face towards him with a seemingly angry expression on his face indicating the seriousness of the matter at hand.
"So you meant to tell me a whole scouting party was not able to defeat a guardian?" the black captain asked.
"No, sir," the dreg replied nervously.
"So what you are telling me is that you cowered away and risked having the guardian follow you all the way to our base?" The black captain challenged the dreg.
"No sir I simp-," the dreg blurted out as the captain dashed at a blinding speed over the table, grabbed him by the throat before lifting him up and slowly crushing his neck. The dreg kicked the air helplessly as he was being choked looking at the captain who was showing no signs of mercy or regret.
"Everyone get ready the guardian will be here soon. We don't know how powerful he is but I know that he will not be able to best a whole battalion of the almighty house of devils! Be quick, we have no time." The captain ordered as he loosened his grip knowing that the last of life force that was in the dreg was slowly draining away. After the order, the room became a mess; dregs, vandals, shanks, servitors and the four captains were scurrying around the room refilling their ammo. The black captain seemed pleased with his choices as he finally broke the dregs wind pipe and threw his lifeless corpse against the wall before addressing the other vandal guard.
"What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be guarding the door? Return to your post now before you face consequences." The black captain exclaimed in a sinister tone as he looked at the vandal.
"Y-yes sir I am on my way th-," an ear splitting crack of a gun echoed from the outside and throughout the building followed by a scream coming from right outside the door. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and turned towards the hallway that lead to the door. The room turned form a rumble to the silence of a graveyard in the blink of an eye. No one moved from their position as if they were expecting something to come through that door. After a brief while, the guard vandal finally decided to break up the courage and run towards the door. He was ready to face anything that waited for him outside. He ran through the hallway that appeared to get longer and longer as he continued at his pace. The others watched him with the silence, anticipating what will happen next. The vandal finally reached the door but stopped for a second to listen to any signs of life behind the door. He heard nothing but the howling winds and no signs of life from his partner. He knew that it was inevitable about what he was going to see behind this door. He quickly took a deep breath and mustered enough of his courage to open the door. As soon as he opened it, a small orange ball hit the door beside him. The ball then expanded and exploded with the energy of a solar flare throwing him and the door backwards in the form of blazing chunks.
The black captain shielded his face with his arms as the strength of the explosion shot a high concentration right at him and letting the howling winds into the building causing his cape to flail frantically. The battalion looked at him for orders. The rest of the captains were left speechless as well which was immediately picked up by the dregs and vandals and turned into disbelief and fear. The black captain knew he had to do something before the panic set in. He turned around and looked at his men.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go out there and show them what we are made of!" He shouted as he took out all his pistols and gave the move sign with his arm. The fallen quickly armed themselves and assumed their combat ready formation. The shanks flew out first followed by the dregs, vandals, captains and servitors with the black captain at the end. They lined up and took cover behind scraps of metal and the rusting wreckages of cars that remained from the golden age. They all had their guns pointed at the diamond in the rough. The guardian was standing at the opposite end of the street on the top of the sand dunes with the light of the setting sun behind her
She wore a dark crimson trench coat with black outlines that reached just under above her ankles. It fit perfectly well on her hourglass slender body and contrasted perfectly with that obsidian black helmet that she wore. The helmet entirely covered her head and face with several large V shapes going upwards and curving with the shape of the helmet. Several parts of the armour were coated with minor plastics and metal that ensured the protector of its wearer. The crimson combat trousers complimented the armour plated shoes black boots of the guardian that were clearly visible against the orange sands of Mars. Her hands were covered by a pair of black armoured gloves that were holding the weapon that must have emitted such a noise and thrown such a devastating bomb. However, the most attention grabbing object in the guardians inventory was the bad on her left arm that appeared to be burning a bright orange colour. The flames danced widely yet it did not affect the guardian nor its outfit. A small star shaped robot floated next to her head that seemed to be emitting some light.
"Are you sure about this?" It said as the fallen took place and aim at the guardian.
"Yes. Yes I am sure, It's about time he meets his fate after all the people he has killed." The female guardian said stubbornly in a soft and feminine voice.
"I have a bad feeling about this." The star exclaimed as it slowly vanished.
"Leave it to me little light, I have this and that new hand cannon we got will definitely come in handy in tricky situations." The guardian said confidently as she looked at the fallen masses.
She could see them through the helmet. The vandals were hiding and ready to ambush her with their guns and blades while others were waiting to be signalled by their captains. She did not care about them though. Her eyes were fixed on the target that was straight ahead, the black captain. The sight of him standing there confidently made her blood boil. He was the one that took everything from her and she has come here to do the same to him on this day. The wind caused the bottom of her long trench coat to flutter carelessly in the wind as she leaned back ready to pounce. She took one arm from her gun and put it behind her back resulting in the fallen to aim the weapons at her. She stared at them as if she tried to kill them with her looks but to no avail. The guardian finally leaped, she glided rapidly into the air before throwing another solar flare right at the captains and a group of dregs. Three of the captains were fast enough to escape the solar flare but the rest were caught in its blast causing them to die instantly. The captains signalled the attack and the unit unleashed a barrage of lasers flying towards the guardians. The guardian responded by firing her own rifle at the enemy. Her accuracy and speed were no match for the fallen as none of the bullets fired at her were not able to catch up with her or even hit her. In response she aimed her weapon carefully as she ran towards her enemy and picked the them off pulling the trigger on her scout rifle one at a time and by hitting them right between the eyes with her unbelievable shooting skills.
However, it was just a matter of moments before the black captain noticed that if this continues then their victory would become uncertain. He responded quickly and ordered the three captains to run at her with their blades with an escort of a few vandal marauders. The captains obeyed quickly and ordered the marauders to follow them as they began sprinting head on at their assailant. They pushed themselves off the soft sand that slightly lowered their speed but what they missed out on in speed was worked back with the fluency of their moves. They were capable of slicing their targets with such speed and strength that the targets did not know they were dead until it was too late.
As the guardian continued to run towards the black captain, she saw through his strategy and was already prepared for the incoming attackers. Just as they were about to get into a suitable range of contact, the guardian dropped the solar flare right under her feet and pounced into the air and glide with the propellers mounted in her boots. The flare went off in the nick of time when the vandals could not do anything more than accept the burning fate that they were soon about to experience. The flare imploded violently drawing them in close to the flaming ball of energy before finally exploding outward as the guardian dealt with the captains.
Immediately, after landing she was ambushed by the three captains. The first leaped off the ground and sliced down directly at her but just before he delivered the killing blow, the guardian raised her palm towards him and send a huge impulse of energy that sent the captain flying backwards giving her enough time to shoot him at point blank in the chest with the scout rifle. The other two captains spotted the opportunity in this and rapidly snuck up on the guardian and stabbed their shock swords right through her chest. The guardian gasped as the first four blades entered through the back of her chest and shocked her body causing her to drop the weapon as thousands of volts circled through her body. The other captain then ran in front of her and finished her off by sheathing his blades and shooting her with his lasers. The remnants of the guardians life force left her as the captain pulled the blades out of her causing her body to drop helplessly to her knees before dropping on her chest. The guardian gasped for air as she stretched her arm out towards the black captain who was now walking towards her with the rest of the surviving fallen. She gasped one more time before ultimately passing out and dropping her helmet against the softness of the sand. Her eyes were opened beneath the helmet but the captains were afraid to step anywhere near her in case it was some sort of stared in front of her with her pupils wide open as her body began to disintegrate slowly. She disappeared bit by bit as the wind her body fell apart atom by atom and slowly being kidnapped by the still howling wind that hit the captains like spears. The voices of their victory were slowly being shut off by her mind with something louder
"Mommy?" A voice asked in the dark. Her body finished disintegrating and the darkness set. However, the light of day was still not shining at its brightest.
"Come on mom let's play!" The voice of a boy called out as he ran towards the woman, took hold of her hand and tried to lead her in the direction of living room.
"Ok I'm coming dear." The woman replied as she let go of her knife that she used to cut up vegetables and gave into the dragging of her impatient son. She followed the boy who was dressed in a navy blue hoodie and black jogging bottoms. The short, shining black hair on his head reflected the light in all directions as he jumped up and down happily in his green socks. He finally turned around and looked at her with his sky blue coloured eyes that were shining bright like two stars in the under the night sky of his hair. A huge smile decorated the boys face as he walked into the living room that had all sorts of toys laying about. He finally let go of her hand as he rushed to sit next to what appeared to be his younger sister. The mother reached for her black hair and fixed her sweeping side comb that covered her on the right side eye. As she looked at her daughter she thought to herself on how similar they looked. The only thing that separated the two girls apart was the fact that the daughters hair reached past her shoulders while hers only reached the middle of her neck. She looked her daughter who sat there quietly and stared at her happily with her large diamond blue eyes and there was no other way she could express her happiness than with the huge smile that formed on her face moments later. She proceeded to sit down on the floor and watched as her children played quietly together on the carpet causing her heart to fill with even more joy than before.
"So Daniel, Clara, What are we playing?" She asked excitedly and wondering what she should do.
"We are playing with Clara's mansion and I'm the butler soldier that also drives the car!" The boy said joyfully as he sat down on his knees and grabbed the figurine of the man in a suit and a tray in his hand.
"And I am the queen of the mansion and I need to make sure that the house is perfect for when the guests arrive!" Clara said enthusiastically as she picked up the Cinderella doll from her White and blue dress and waved it in the air.
"Well, Who are your guests for today then dear?" The mother asked politely.
"Its Snow White! She is coming for tea and the best cake of the mansion!" Clara said erupting with joy like an active volcano.
"And the butler is the person that will bake the most amazing cake the two princesses have ever eaten!" Daniel added.
"Well then I'm sure Snow white and Cinderella cannot wait to tr-," the mother said but her sentenced was stopped by the door opening.
"Susan, Kids I'm back" A voice came through the hallway.
"DADDY!" Daniel and Clara screamed before leaping off the cream white carpet and heading for the hallway. Susan waited a second before standing up and following their kids into the hallway. When she arrived she saw Daniel and Clara hugging a tall man in jeans and a slightly faded cream cotton sweater. The man kneeled down in front of the kid and hugged them both before standing up. He was a muscular person with dark brown hair and glowing amber eyes.
"Welcome back." Susan said as she leaned against her wall comfortably and smiled. She looked at them one more time and closed her eyes. Then, an excruciating pain hit her in the chest.
She opened her eyes and the peace and harmony was gone. Her face was illuminated by the orange and red flames dancing menacingly all around her. The walls crumbled around her as her breathing quickened and become more and more heavy as the smoke rose into the air. She looked around the hallway which was filling up with the dark grey of the smoke.
"CLARA, DANIEL WHERE ARE YOU?" She screamed as she walked slowly through the smoke inhaling it with every step. She looked around frantically hoping to notice them running about or crawling on the floor but the search was to no avail. Just as she was about to give up, she heard an explosion before Clara unleashing an ear splitting scream from a door on the opposite end of the hallway.
"CLARA!" She screamed as she instinctively ran towards the door. She tried to open the door but it appeared to be locked so she stepped bag and ran at it with her full power. The door flung open and she burst into the room falling down on the ground. The smoke followed her shortly after but it kept raising into the sky through the gaping hole in the ceiling. Susan took a deep breath of clean air and came to her senses but as she did so she felt something wet on her hand. She drew her hand close and noticed the red liquid that was now dripping off her hand. It was blood. She immediately lifted her head in front of her and what she saw broke her completely. The bodies of Clara and Daniel were lying on the floor lifelessly with giant holes in their chests. She crawled to them quickly and hugged them tightly as she broke into tears. The world around her stopped as he hugged them afraid to let go. It seemed like an age before she heard the groaning that was right in front of her. She looked ahead once more and saw her husband being choked to death by the monster. There was no denying that it was anyone else but him. The black captain he lifted her husband into the air with one hand as he tightened the grip firmly around his neck and laughed in his face. She kneeled down there watching hopelessly as her husband, the last member of her family was taken away from her. His limbs flailed helplessly in the air. She could not bear to watch it any longer.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE" She screamed at the top of her lungs at the assailant. They both he turned towards her in the blink of an eye
"Susan!" Her husband gasped as his legs continued flailing in mid air. The sight of his wife gave him new found courage as he used one arm to find something that he could defend himself with. He felt around for anything until his hand finally touched something sharp. He felt the object and realised that it was a knife that probably came from the kitchen. He grabbed it desperately and drove it into the captains cheek. In response to this, the black captain let out a deafening roar of pain before crushing the husbands neck completely and powerfully throwing his body into the wall next to Susan. The captain proceeded to yank the blade out painfully ripping off his lower jaw as he did so. After he was done he threw the tiny blade to the ground before reaching for his shock blade and walking right for Susan. Helpless and paralysed by fear, the only thing she could do is watch as he stood over her and stabbed her through the chest causing a fountain of blood to hit his black helmet. She gasped for air as he looked at her. The light that the fires created in the room made him a black silhouette. His eyes were glowing in the yellow colour of the sun as he took one last glance at her before turning away and walking away. Just as he turned his back and made his first step he felt a grip on his cape. He turned around to see what was holding him back as he breathed heavily. He saw her hand clinging tightly onto the cape. He looked in her eye again and saw something that no one else could do. He saw the rage and anger in her eyes. She looked stared right into his eyes as if trying to pierce his soul and killing him with just a look. She continued gasping for air as her grip slowly began to weaken. The captain gave a small triumphant laugh before finally leaving with the satisfaction of invading the city of Ishtar Sinks on Venus.
Meanwhile, Susan was holding on to the last hairs of life. She saw him walk away and fade in the dark and fire. She saw the devil in him. After staring into the fire and listening in on its crackling. She finally accepted her fate leaned back and lifted her head back so she could see the sky one more time. The sky was lit up with millions of stars surrounded by smoke from her point of view. The sadness was consuming her like a pool of quicksand. Once again, tears fell from her cheek at the thought that she was helplessly. She looked up as death was slowly claiming her but then she saw it. The little light flashed and appeared in front of her. The small metal star gave off a sea blow glow as it flew in front of her. It then proceeded to zoom in on her and begin to what appeared as if he was scanning her entire body.
"Don't worry you'll be ok" It said in a stern voice as Susan's eyes and mind blacked out into nothingness once again.
The darkness surrounded her and claimed her. She was terrified. Then she saw their faces again, the scene kept playing in front of her eyes over and over and his face seemed to burrow deep in her mind. It was just a matter of time before her grief and fear turned into anger and pure rage once again. She looked around her and noticed a burning orange flame in the distance illuminating the darkness of the void.
"I love you mommy!" It said in Claras soft voice. Then, Susan lost it completely. She began walking towards the flame, she then began running for it before ultimately sprinting into it. Her heart was burning with rage as she flew into the flame. The flame did not burn her. Instead it seemed to give her more power. The ball of flame and was absorbed into her body coating her in the flames and giving her a pair of giant flaming orange wings. She clenched her fists and screamed at the top of her voice with all the anger she could possibly muster
"SUNSINGER!".
Meanwhile the captains began to walk away from her where the slain guardian fell. The surviving vandals began to hail and cheer at the captains. They knew they have won and they all slowly began to head for their base to shelter themselves from the harsh winds of Mars. It was only then that they heard it.
"SUNSINGER!" A voice out of nowhere roared. The tone made them all tremble and turn around in a flash. A solar flare was gathering where the guardian fell. The ball imploded into itself before releasing another roar and exploding in a wonderful display of fire. The fallen stood there amazed as the guardian rose from the flames accompanied by the huge pair of wings made of fire that were burning out of nothingness. The guardians body was surrounded in flames as she began to throw Solar flares continuously at them. The fallen jumped desperately as the flares exploded in a magnificent scorning inferno before finally shooting back. After a brief moment when the ranks of devils were greatly reduced due to the solar flares, the guardian pulled out her hand cannon from the back of her belt. The gun resembled a Shining silver revolver with an ash black hardened plastic grip. The barrel was beautifully decorated with the etchings of hawk feathers and a crescent moon on either of the barrel. She spun the revolvers wheel before sprinting at the enemy.
She dashed across the sands towards the remaining of dregs. Her mere presence while under the influence of the sun singers flames caused them to set ablaze with a finishing move from the guardian with her melee impulse of heat from her hand. The first dreg fell backwards dead instantly from the impact as the remaining dregs were taken out with a powerful shots from the hand cannon. The guardian instinctively swayed the hand cannon in her hands and picked off the remaining fallen forces. After taking care of all the underlings, the guardian was ready to take care of the captains. However the captains new that they were going to lose this and so began to flee but they were not fast enough to outrun the Hawkmoons bullets. She picked them off one by one by packing a bullet right in the small head of each one. Yet, she only shot injured the black captain. She shot him in the leg causing him to stumble over and begin to crawl. A few moments later, another crack came from the guardian and the bullet hit the black captains other leg. He screamed in pain as he turned his body around. He saw her walking towards him with the flaming wings fully visible and the light of day falling behind her. She took her time silently approaching the captain. Once she was within a few steps away, she stopped and stared at him. The great captain of the House of Devils has fallen. There was no way he could possibly escape his fate. The crimson trench coat of the guardian stood still in the coating of fire that still surrounded her. The captain breathed heavily as the guardian watched wondering whether she wanted him to beg for mercy, or scream like a terrified pig. The guardian said not a single word and looked at him from the inside of her helmet. The silence was deafening and perfect for the ghost town they were standing at. The captain then thought of an idea. He slowly turned around and started crawling away with his upper hands while his lower hands were shielded by his cape. Just as he was about to draw them the guardian lifted her hand cannon and shot him through the cape in both arms. He realised an agonising screech before placing himself up against a small hill of sand and looking up at the guardian for the last time.
The guardian then released the safety pin on the revolver and was now pointing the silver gun right at his head. There was no way he could escape the burning angel of death that the guardian has become. The captain stared at the guardian accepting his fate. It was inevitable for what was to happen but then he remembered.
"Susa-," She pulled the trigger releasing one last air splitting crack as the captains head splattered on the sand. Susan then holstered the weapon and put out the fire of the sun singer that was inside her. The wings disappeared as she looked at the remains of the captain. Her mission was complete. Just then the little light appeared one more time out of nowhere.
"Mission complete" He said in his usual voice.
"I know, but there are many more things out there that we need to take care of." She replied
"let us not waste any time then" the light answered back to which She then turned away and walked towards the sun set.