Protoss Fall Chapter Five
" A deal? Interesting.." Kerriggan said with a slight smile. "
What do you have in mind?" she asked. " I want a duel with Zeratul.
One on one. No interruption," Artanis said. "And what do I have to
gain from all this?" Kerrigan asked. " If I win, Zeratul dies.."
Artanis said slowly. " You're still dreaming..how could YOU defeat Zeratul?"
Kerrigan laughed. " That's your advantage. If I lose..I'll offer myself to
you..freely," Artanis said. " What importance would you have? Sooner
or later you all of your kind will bow to me once I use the Xel'Naga Temple. You
don't have to give yourself to me," Kerrigan said. " I have
information you need..the defensive strategy used to defend the temple,"
Artanis said slowly. Kerrigan kept silent for a while.." How would I know
you won't cheat and bring reinforcements?" she asked. " The word of a
Protoss is never broken. You should know that by now," Artanis said.
Kerrigan laughed.." In that case Protoss..you have a deal. Just be prepared
to acknowledge me as your queen." Artanis nodded.." I'm downloading
the coordinates into your database. I'll be there in 3 days."
"Agreed.." Kerrigan said before turning off her comnlink. Artanis sank
back in his chair.
" If I'm ever to beat Zeratul..I'll need all the knowledge I can get. It's
time for Tassadar's secrets to be revealed," Artanis said as he drew out a
smal blue thin disc. A Protoss Holodisc. Tassadar had passed down the disc to
Artanis a few months before his death on Aiur. Artanis had not checked what was
in the disc. The war he had been fighting had been keeping him busy. He didn't
have time to study Tassadar's disc. But now..the disc could probably have the
vital information he needed. Slowly..Artanis inserted the disc into the main
computer.
A 3D image of Tassadar appeared in front of him. The High Templar looked the
same as the way he was before he died. " Artanis..by the time you read this
then I would be dead at that time. I expect the Overmind's shell will be too
hard to penetrate. My sacrifice will be required. In this disc, I will teach you
the last of the knowledge that I will pass to you. The secret Archon
transformation.." the image flickered a bit. " What? But I already
know that. You need two High Templars to combine their powers to create an
Archon.." Artanis felt that the disc wasn't going to provide any useful
information. He was about to turn it off.. " You might think that you know
this already. But what I'm about to teach you is how to become an Archon WITHOUT
another Templar to combine with you.Using this method, you will also be able to
transform back ," the image finished it's sentence. Artanis listened
curiously..perhaps his answer was here....
Artanis' meeting area.
Twilight Peak
3 Days Later....
Artanis walked out if the Protoss Shuttle. The ramp closed slowly and the
shuttle flew away. Artanis walked forward. He waited for Zeratul's arrival. In
the distance Artanis saw an Overlord heading towards him. Artanis watched as the
Overlord's sacs opened and dropped Zeratul on the ground. The Dark Templar
landed on his feet.
He walked forward and prepared for the fight. " You know you can't win. The
Zerg are eternal.." Zeratul said." Zeratul ..
listen to what you're saying. You are NOT one of them. You are a Protoss. One of
the greatest that ever lived," Artanis said. Zeratul shook his head,"
Wrong..I WAS a Protoss. My queen has shown me the right way. I now serve the
glory of the swarm!" Zeratul shouted. Artanis looked down," What
happened to the Zeratul I once knew? He would never trust a Zerg. He despised
them and fought against them." " I didn't come here to talk. Let's
begin," Zeratul said. Artanis nodded slowly..perhaps there wasn't any
talking to Zeratul. He was infested to the core. Now he was just another puppet
for Kerrigan's cause..like all the Zerg. Artanis blamed Kerrigan..and he blamed
himself. He was the one that sent Zeratul down to Aiur in the first place.
Artanis looked up..Zeratul was right..they weren't here to talk.
Artanis powered up his Psi Blade. Zeratul charged forward and slashed his Warp
Blade furiously. Artanis brought his own weapon up to block Zeratul's blow. Even
if he wasn't hit, Artanis staggered back a few steps back. His Psi Blade was no
match for Zeratul's Warp Blade. Even so, Artanis wasn't going to give up easily.
He charged forward towards Zeratul. Zeratul drew his weapon back....Artanis was
never good in fighting. That would be his downfall. To charge straight at a Dark
Templar would be as futile as taking on an entire army. Zeratul slashed
furiously..his attack landed a hit. But this wasn't what he expected. Artanis
vaporized in front of his eyes. " A hallucination!" Zeratul exclaimed.
Had he been tricked?
Artanis wouldn't fool him this easily.. Zeratul turned around and brought his
blade up just in time to clash with Artanis' Psi Blade. " Your cheap High
Templar spells are useless.." Zeratul said. Artanis stepped back. "
Maybe..but I still have one trick up my sleeve," Artanis said. " Give
it up.. you know you can't defeat me," Zeratul said.
Artanis shook his head..then he closed his eyes. All of a sudden there was a
blinding flash..Zeratul had to cover his eyes.
When he opened his eyes..Artanis was gone. In the High Templar's place..was an
Archon. " You've been studying.." Zeratul said. The Archon
nodded.."This one..I learned from Tassadar."
Zeratul charged forward. The Dark Templar leaped up high. Artanis was prepared
for this. Before Zeratul could land his blade on Artanis' head, a powerful force
shot him back against a large boulder. The boulder shattered . Zeratul stood up
slowly," A Psionic Shockwave.." . Artanis charged forward. Zeratul
realized that this battle wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it would be.
But that didn't mean he was giving up. Zeratul realized that an Archon's
weakness was it's speed. Zeratul charged forward. Artanis shot forward another
shockwave. This time however, Zeratul had anticipated the move and quickly
rolled out of the way. Artanis didn't have time to turn around when Zeratul
drove his weapon through Artanis' back. The blue aura around the Archon slowly
faded away before Artanis fell to the ground.
Zeratul walked slowly to the High Templar. "It's all over.." Zeratul
said. Artanis was completely exhausted..as Tassadar had warned..a lot of his
energy would be drained by the transformation. "Damn.." Artanis
thought. This couldn't possibly be the end... . Everything went black.
" I have failed.."
"Artanis.."
Tassadar appeared in front of Artanis. " I'm not strong enough,"
Artanis said slowly. Tassadar shook his head. " That's because you have
doubts in your mind. You shouldn't give up too easily," Tassadar said.
" But the Archon transformation wasn't enough to defeat Zeratul. What else
would be left?" Artanis asked. " Your Psi Blade is actually more than
enough. All you need is confidence.. " Tassadar said.
Artanis regained conciousness. He leaped back onto his feet. " What? Where did that sudden rush of energy come from?" Zeratul exclaimed. Artanis charged forward. Zeratul prepared to attack.. . Artanis somersaulted over Zeratul. Zeratul turned around and raised his Warp Blade. This time however, there wasn't any weapon that clashed into his. "Damn..stop playing tricks.." Zeratul said angrily. Suddenly a wave of pain struck through his body. Zeratul realized that this time Artanis had outsmarted him. Artanis drew out his Psi Blade from Zeratul's back. The Dark Templar fell lifelessly to the ground. " This is Kerrigan's fault..we weren't meant to fight," Artanis said. He had to wonder wether Zeratul was still alive to listen to what he was saying. "The war isn't over.." Artanis realized. Now he had a temple to defend..
