Chapter 1, The rescue
Dreams of daemons and death filled his head. This night's sleep was deep but would yield no energy in the morning. Garali was running from these daemons. Running for his life while watching others being killed around him. He had this dream almost every night. It was mainly based on what he experienced during the time before he lived in the dome and when the daemons first arrived. It seemed like only luck had let him and his parents survive. His sleep was interrupted though. Loud sirens blared. He shook awake and sat straight up. He was just in time to hear his father scream to him. -Garali's father- "Hurry, get up, we have to go!" He jumped from his bed a got on his clothes. The sirens were still ringing in his ears. What could be the problem seemed like the only thing on his mind. -Garali- "what is going on? What is the hurry?" He was running now, from his room and fallowing his parents down hallways. -Garali's mother- "We have a situation. Last nights electrical storm knocked out the dampeners!" -Garali- "What? What does that mean? Does that mean the daemons are coming for us?" -Garali's father- "The daemons are already here. All that is stopping them right now are our walls." -Garali- "Then what are we going to do?" The stopped in front of a doorway. He remembered this doorway. He was told never to try and open it. He had never seen what was on the other side. His father placed his hand on the sensor on the right of the door, and the door swooshed open. A large room stood before them, with computer terminals on either side. The roof had a large, circular pattern on it, with a diameter of maybe several meters. There was also a similar pattern on the floor. It seemed to be around the same size as the one on the roof. -Garali's father- "This is the last room we will ever see. Quickly, we don't have much time." -Garali's mother- "Understood. I'll set up the escape pods, and you get the distress signal out." With that, both his parents went to opposite sides of the room, each on a different terminal. Their fingers seemed to move like lightning, pressing buttons and scanning read-outs. -Garali- "Is there anything I can do? Can I help with something?" -Garali's father- "No, I'm sorry, but you can't help. We never taught you how to work these controls. We have everything under control, just stay calm." His father then turned toward the speaker on the terminal. -Garali's father- "Help, our dampener is down, and we are under siege by daemons. We are about to lunch our escape pods, please assist on pick up. There, the message is sent. It will be sent in all directions, on all frequencies and in 30-second intervals. I will now open the escape hatch. How are you doing with the pods?" By the end of his words, he heard the sound of gears and metal moving. He noticed as the pattern on the floor began to open, in a spiral shape coming outwards. Inside he could see three identical pods lined up beside each other. Those must be what we are to escape in. -Garali's mother- "Something is wrong, the pods are jammed!" -Garali's father- "I will help in a second, I have to open the hatch first." This time his father's words were accompanied with a more unpleasant sound. He could hear clawing and bashing noises against the door they had come in. Then the pattern on the roof opened just the same as the one on the floor had. Once it was open, he could see the sky. He had not seen it for the longest time. His father pushed past him and assisted his mother at the pod controls. Their fingers moving even faster now. He noticed out of the corner of his eye, a single daemon's claw pierce through the doorway and rip a large cut in it. -Garali's father- "It is no good, they are too old. The pods are stuck and there is nothing we can do. God, help us all!" He stood in astonishment, as the daemons had no trouble slicing through the door that must have been many inches thick. He could see it's head now, bearing teeth and glancing every which way. Something seemed to glide down the escape hatch from the roof. It looked like what he could only call, an android like figure. It looked humanoid, but it was covered in plates of metal and was wielding a sword. The sword was somewhat thin and seemed to have a little curve to it. -Mystery figure- "We heard your distress call." -Garali's father- "We have no time, just take the boy and get out of here!" With that he felt the android put it's arms around him. He watched in horror as the daemons broke through the door, and moved faster then anything he had ever seen. He was in the air now, floating upwards, outside the dome. Before he finally cleared it though, he saw his parents be torn to pieces. -Garali- "No! Mother! Father!" -Mystery figure- "It is too late to save them. Come on, we can still save you. Black stallion's, we have the survivor. We can return to base now." He looked down and saw six other androids. Each with a black tint to the metal and spears instead of a sword. They were positioned in a circle around the escape hatch. They seemed to put up a kind of barrier around it. The daemons were beating on this barrier but to no prevail. Suddenly, the barrier was dropped and the androids were in the air with them. Garali was in tears now. -Mystery figure- "Okay, I understand you are upset, but we at least got to save you. By the way, what is your name?" He noticed that the android must have been trying to keep him calm. Many more daemons were fallowing them. These daemons had wings and seemed to bob back and forth as the flapped their wings, speeding towards them. -Garali- "My name is Garali, what is yours, or do you have a number or something?" The android seemed to laugh silently to itself after the remark. -Mystery figure- "My name is Katana and those others are the Black Stallions. Do you know anything about the weapons used with fighting the daemons?" -Garali- "No, not really?" -Katana- "Do you know anything about the dampeners?" -Garali- "Yes, I know Dr. Slate came up with the design. And I also know it keeps the daemons from smelling human life force." -Katana- "That is correct, but Dr. Slate also made other devices before he disappeared. One of which is the weapon that is carrying you right now. I am not really here; I am really at the base right now. Well, in a way I am here, but..." She seemed to trail off, and he didn't really understand what she was trying to say. -Katana- "Okay, I have trouble explaining how this works. I will let the commander explain it to you when we arrive." He could see a building off in the horizon. At the speed they were moving, it didn't take long to reach it. It was a very large structure. Maybe 20 times as large as the dome he lived in. There was a large hatch in a square like shape on the side of it. As we got close, he could feel them pass through the dampeners. It was a cool feeling, but he was just glad to be within its safety. They landed in the base and a man was waiting for them there. -Man- "Hurry, inside now! That includes you Black stallions. I have decided that the Silver knights will deal with the daemons." -Katana- "That there is the commander. He doesn't care much for the Black stallions as you can tell." Seven other androids rushed past in the opposite direction. Each had a shinier metal then the others and they all wielded a sword. These swords were different though, broader and without that curve to them. Once they were outside the hatch, it closed behind them and he could hear the sound of their swords demolishing the daemons outside. -Katana- "Before I go, how old are you?" -Garali- "I am only 16, how about you?" -Katana- "I will be turning 20 within a couple of months. You can see me in a second." This entire time they hade been talking, he had not noticed that they had been walking away from the hatch. They turned to another room. It was enormous and had many glass windows. There were strange devices lined up against the wall. There must have been about 20 of them. The androids moved toward these devices and seemed to lock into them. They each in turn made a jerking motion and them secede to move. Them, a woman walked over from the other side of the room and put her hand on his shoulder. -Katana- "Hello, Garali"
Dreams of daemons and death filled his head. This night's sleep was deep but would yield no energy in the morning. Garali was running from these daemons. Running for his life while watching others being killed around him. He had this dream almost every night. It was mainly based on what he experienced during the time before he lived in the dome and when the daemons first arrived. It seemed like only luck had let him and his parents survive. His sleep was interrupted though. Loud sirens blared. He shook awake and sat straight up. He was just in time to hear his father scream to him. -Garali's father- "Hurry, get up, we have to go!" He jumped from his bed a got on his clothes. The sirens were still ringing in his ears. What could be the problem seemed like the only thing on his mind. -Garali- "what is going on? What is the hurry?" He was running now, from his room and fallowing his parents down hallways. -Garali's mother- "We have a situation. Last nights electrical storm knocked out the dampeners!" -Garali- "What? What does that mean? Does that mean the daemons are coming for us?" -Garali's father- "The daemons are already here. All that is stopping them right now are our walls." -Garali- "Then what are we going to do?" The stopped in front of a doorway. He remembered this doorway. He was told never to try and open it. He had never seen what was on the other side. His father placed his hand on the sensor on the right of the door, and the door swooshed open. A large room stood before them, with computer terminals on either side. The roof had a large, circular pattern on it, with a diameter of maybe several meters. There was also a similar pattern on the floor. It seemed to be around the same size as the one on the roof. -Garali's father- "This is the last room we will ever see. Quickly, we don't have much time." -Garali's mother- "Understood. I'll set up the escape pods, and you get the distress signal out." With that, both his parents went to opposite sides of the room, each on a different terminal. Their fingers seemed to move like lightning, pressing buttons and scanning read-outs. -Garali- "Is there anything I can do? Can I help with something?" -Garali's father- "No, I'm sorry, but you can't help. We never taught you how to work these controls. We have everything under control, just stay calm." His father then turned toward the speaker on the terminal. -Garali's father- "Help, our dampener is down, and we are under siege by daemons. We are about to lunch our escape pods, please assist on pick up. There, the message is sent. It will be sent in all directions, on all frequencies and in 30-second intervals. I will now open the escape hatch. How are you doing with the pods?" By the end of his words, he heard the sound of gears and metal moving. He noticed as the pattern on the floor began to open, in a spiral shape coming outwards. Inside he could see three identical pods lined up beside each other. Those must be what we are to escape in. -Garali's mother- "Something is wrong, the pods are jammed!" -Garali's father- "I will help in a second, I have to open the hatch first." This time his father's words were accompanied with a more unpleasant sound. He could hear clawing and bashing noises against the door they had come in. Then the pattern on the roof opened just the same as the one on the floor had. Once it was open, he could see the sky. He had not seen it for the longest time. His father pushed past him and assisted his mother at the pod controls. Their fingers moving even faster now. He noticed out of the corner of his eye, a single daemon's claw pierce through the doorway and rip a large cut in it. -Garali's father- "It is no good, they are too old. The pods are stuck and there is nothing we can do. God, help us all!" He stood in astonishment, as the daemons had no trouble slicing through the door that must have been many inches thick. He could see it's head now, bearing teeth and glancing every which way. Something seemed to glide down the escape hatch from the roof. It looked like what he could only call, an android like figure. It looked humanoid, but it was covered in plates of metal and was wielding a sword. The sword was somewhat thin and seemed to have a little curve to it. -Mystery figure- "We heard your distress call." -Garali's father- "We have no time, just take the boy and get out of here!" With that he felt the android put it's arms around him. He watched in horror as the daemons broke through the door, and moved faster then anything he had ever seen. He was in the air now, floating upwards, outside the dome. Before he finally cleared it though, he saw his parents be torn to pieces. -Garali- "No! Mother! Father!" -Mystery figure- "It is too late to save them. Come on, we can still save you. Black stallion's, we have the survivor. We can return to base now." He looked down and saw six other androids. Each with a black tint to the metal and spears instead of a sword. They were positioned in a circle around the escape hatch. They seemed to put up a kind of barrier around it. The daemons were beating on this barrier but to no prevail. Suddenly, the barrier was dropped and the androids were in the air with them. Garali was in tears now. -Mystery figure- "Okay, I understand you are upset, but we at least got to save you. By the way, what is your name?" He noticed that the android must have been trying to keep him calm. Many more daemons were fallowing them. These daemons had wings and seemed to bob back and forth as the flapped their wings, speeding towards them. -Garali- "My name is Garali, what is yours, or do you have a number or something?" The android seemed to laugh silently to itself after the remark. -Mystery figure- "My name is Katana and those others are the Black Stallions. Do you know anything about the weapons used with fighting the daemons?" -Garali- "No, not really?" -Katana- "Do you know anything about the dampeners?" -Garali- "Yes, I know Dr. Slate came up with the design. And I also know it keeps the daemons from smelling human life force." -Katana- "That is correct, but Dr. Slate also made other devices before he disappeared. One of which is the weapon that is carrying you right now. I am not really here; I am really at the base right now. Well, in a way I am here, but..." She seemed to trail off, and he didn't really understand what she was trying to say. -Katana- "Okay, I have trouble explaining how this works. I will let the commander explain it to you when we arrive." He could see a building off in the horizon. At the speed they were moving, it didn't take long to reach it. It was a very large structure. Maybe 20 times as large as the dome he lived in. There was a large hatch in a square like shape on the side of it. As we got close, he could feel them pass through the dampeners. It was a cool feeling, but he was just glad to be within its safety. They landed in the base and a man was waiting for them there. -Man- "Hurry, inside now! That includes you Black stallions. I have decided that the Silver knights will deal with the daemons." -Katana- "That there is the commander. He doesn't care much for the Black stallions as you can tell." Seven other androids rushed past in the opposite direction. Each had a shinier metal then the others and they all wielded a sword. These swords were different though, broader and without that curve to them. Once they were outside the hatch, it closed behind them and he could hear the sound of their swords demolishing the daemons outside. -Katana- "Before I go, how old are you?" -Garali- "I am only 16, how about you?" -Katana- "I will be turning 20 within a couple of months. You can see me in a second." This entire time they hade been talking, he had not noticed that they had been walking away from the hatch. They turned to another room. It was enormous and had many glass windows. There were strange devices lined up against the wall. There must have been about 20 of them. The androids moved toward these devices and seemed to lock into them. They each in turn made a jerking motion and them secede to move. Them, a woman walked over from the other side of the room and put her hand on his shoulder. -Katana- "Hello, Garali"