Note: Long time, no see. Sorry for the long wait but life hit me hard for the past year and it took me a little while to get back into practice writing. Working on a different story helped so gonna try finishing up this one. Wish me luck!
Chapter 11: Revelations Part 3
Battle-Cat jumped in the attempt to pounce onto Lord Devon only to crash into a shield. Battle-Cat bounced off and landed on his feet with a roar. He-Man dismounted and drew his sword to strike the magical shielding. Cracks appeared in the air and then he stuck again. With the sound of falling, broken glass the shield fell but not before Devon reached the sealed doors of the temple. The Horde commander eyes lit up as he sent a blast to destroy the seal. Another shield surrounding him protected him from the explosion but He-Man and Battle-Cat were not so lucky, both being knocked into the sky. They landed heavily onto the sandy ground they shook their heads in time as they both stood up. "Well that didn't go as planned, "said He-Man to himself and Battle-Cat hmmfed. Using his sword, he blocked the blasts sent his way from a pair of two smaller horde aircraft that just arrived to join into the fight.
"God Damn it. Enough of this…time to test out that little trinket Thea gave me, " said Marshall as he holstered his gun to pull out an beat up and heavily stained set of brass knuckles out of his pocket. "Never leave home without it, "he quoted as he placed the knuckles on one hand and pulled out his gun with the other. He stepped out from behind the boulder and started firing as fast as the gun would allow. The Horde shots somehow kept missing him as if pushed to the side. One of the Horde soldiers switched his gun out with an energy staff. Sparks falling from the staff, the soldier roared a battle-cry as he raced to attack the Captain. Captain Marshall, dodged the attack and countered with a brass knuckled backed punch to face. The Horde helm was twisted to the side with a large dent in it. He then kicked the Horde soldier in the crotch and kicked soldier out of the way as it fell. He yelled upward hoping that his niece would hear him, "Stop Devon! That's an order!" Then continued firing onto the Horde soldiers.
Dovahzii nodded and flew over the damaged area right into the newly opened doorway. A short ways in, the room was pitch black to normal eyes but with her ability to 'see' magic the room was lit up like a movie stage even with her 'dimming' the 'sight'. Thanks to this unexpected boon, she saw Devon's attack in time to avoid and counter with a clawed attack. Rips on his back revealed the armor underneath.
Devon growled and said, "Why do you protect these worthless beings? You are a creature out of legend! One of the race that Horde Prime himself fears. Work with me and we can rule all!"
"Work with a firok like you? If you heard the legends then you know the Dovah serve the Light never the Darkness, "Dovahzii answered.
Devon sent a large blast from the palms of both hands as he said, "There is no Light here!"
The blast struck Dovahzii's own shields and with a 'Kun!' a blinding light filled the room. Blinded, Devon snarled and fell forward when Dovahzii's staff struck his midriff. Placing a taloned foot to the back of his neck, Dovahzii demanded, "What are you looking for?!"
Devon spat and tried to move out from the foot, only to be struck on the side of his head with the staff. ' Vahzen!' Dovahzii called out, "What are you looking for?!"
Devon was visibly fighting the Truth command. Blood trickled from his nose as his eyes rolled up before closing. "Crap, "said Dovahzii as she carefully checks to see if he was still breathing. After verifying that Devon was still alive she thought out-loud, "Okay think, where are we…how old is this place…" She then noticed the writing on the walls that was slightly brighter than the ambient magic aura. The markings started to move, similar to the writings in the books given to her by Granamyr. Her eyes widen and she said, "Oh please, don't be…" She quickly walked over to one of the walls and traced out a few markings of her own that lit up to her sight. The wall faded to reveal three stone discs hovering in mid-air. The magic that radiated from them was strong; Dovahzii had to almost completely turn off her 'sight' to prevent from being blinded. "I can't believe it…the Tablets of Destiny."
"And they are now MINE!" roared Devon as he attacked from the darkness.
(Outside)
Outside, He-Man and Captain Marshall were mopping up the last few Horde soldiers when the ground shook. He-Man turned away from the old temple and said, "What the…". In the distance, a Horde flag ship with six smaller spaceships and a swarm of fighters approached. Marshall said a few choice words under his breath as he pulled out his phone, only to say a few more when he heard the jamming noise.
The Horde flag ship, Deathblaze, hovered above them and sent a single warning blast over their heads that struck the ground a good distance behind them. "Stand down!" ordered a growl filled voice, "You will release OUR soldiers and return Lord Devon to us immediately!"
"GANGON!" shouted Dovahzii causing another ground shake. She walked out of the ruins dragging a bound Devon behind her while holding the tables with her other arm, "You can have him! Just leave Earth." She then tossed Devon a short distance in front of her.
Another blast, this time close enough to Dovahzii to spray dust over her. "Hand over the artifact as well, "came the demand.
Dovahzii took one of the tablets in her now free hand to hold it up and called out, "You mean these, worthless things?" She threw the disc to the ground, shattering it and then stepped on it with one foot. The wind picked up, causing sand to swirl around her. She then held up a second one.
"You idiot, "hissed Devon as he struggled to stand, "What are you doing?"
Captain Marshall walked towards Devon and raised his gun to the villain's head. "Let's hear what she has to say, "said Marshall.
The second tablet smashed into the ground. Dark clouds filled the sky with a flicker of lighting and the wind picked up some more. "She is crazy! She would risk all of existence just to keep m…the Horde from having the Tablets!" Devon said, "Stop her!"
"Funny thing about legends and myth, "said Dovahzii as she raised the third tablet, "The truth is often buried or even lost in the retellings. The Tables of Destiny are not a deed granting ownership over the universe as the stories go. They are seals, holding back someone who will kick your reym." As if in slow motion the third table fell with a crash.
Multiple bolts of lightning struck around a rising vortex of sand. A loud voice roared what sounded to be a question in an unfamilar language. The air cleared to reveal a bearded man wearing ancient Babylonian armor and who was as tall as a four story building.
"Who the Blazes is that?"asked He-Man reaching for his sword.
"Don't, "hissed Dovahzii as she slowly made her way towards He-Man and signaled her uncle to follow, "Let's don't poke the just woken up and possibly confused demi-god with sharp, pointy things. The last thing I need is for him to mistake me for Tiamat."
"Tiamat?" asked Marshall with a frown and he tried to remember who or what Tiamat was. Then it struck him and he then glared at the dragon warrior, "You did not just release Marduk?!"
While this little chat was taking place, the Horde ships started to fire upon the giant. Marduk sneered as he summoned a bow and sent a giant arrow of pure energy towards the fleet. The arrow sliced through two of the ships causing them to explode. The remaining ships stop firing and attempted to fly away. Marduk sent another arrow, striking down two more of the ships. The Deathblaze and remaining ship were soon lost from sight.
Marduk turned to face the three heroes as his bow vanished. Kneeling down he took a closer look at that trio, before shaking his head with a small laugh before vanishing in a swirl of flying sand.
"Well that was…interesting, "said Dovahzii as she walked over to pick up the broken pieces of the tablets.
"You are insane and in serious need of mental help. How did you know that.., "said Marshall as he rubbed his forehead. It was then that he noticed someone missing, "Wait…Damn it! Where's Devon?"
"My guess? He was teleported while we were distracted? Villains do have a tendency of doing that, "answered He-Man with a half-smile and a shrug. He turned towards Dovahzii and asked, "What do you plan to do with the shards?"
"Study them, maybe, "said Dovahzii as she knelt down to pick up one of the shards, "Anything powerful enough to lock up someone like Marduk can be dangerous, even broken up like this. It'll be a good idea to put these away somewhere safe."
(Naval Research magic artifact storage, Late that night)
Althea tapped in her pass-code into the keypad and with a click the safe door opened up to reveal a plane grey room with lights that were still lighting up in the floor and ceiling. Her cane tapping, she walked towards the newest addition. Pulling out a large metallic briefcase from the shelf, she took it over to the table in the center of the room. She opened the case and said a few choice words at what she saw; the Tablets of Destiny fully restored. She sat down in the chair and face palmed. She muttered, "Why am I not surprised?"
"Because you are wise for your age, young Dovah, "came a heavily accented voice. Startled, Althea grabbed her cane in one hand and flames lit up her other hand.
Just inside the door, stood a vaguely familiar man of middle-eastern descent wearing, a modern and expensive looking suit. His beard neatly trimmed. But his bronze eyes gave him away, even if the aura that Althea saw coming from him didn't. "Marduk, "she said as she stood up.
"Please sit, "he said with a smile, "You have had a long and difficult day. There is no need to tire yourself needlessly." The demi-god sat in a chair across the table from her and then added, "Ah I see my Tablets have returned to their original state."
"You want them back, I assume?"
Marduk laughed and said, "Oh no. Those things have given me enough trouble over the centuries, they are now all yours to do with as you see fit."
"Thanks, "Althea deadpanned and then asked, "Then may I ask why you are here?"
"I just wanted to see the true face of the Light's newest champion, "he said with a tilt of his head, "I am…surprised."
"Oookay, "said Althea, "What do you plan to do? I don't think there are any active temples in your honor."
"I think I'll explore this new world first and then decide, "Marduk answered, "But know this, you now have an ally against the Darkness but I am limited to what I may do by powers greater than myself. What happened earlier will not be repeated."
"Thank you, "said Althea as she bowed her head slightly.
"Don't be, "said Marduk in a serious tone as he turned to leave, "You'll be the one facing the Darkness directly, not me. The saying might be the greater the darkness, the brighter the light. However, the brighter the light the deeper the darkness becomes."
The End
To be continued…
(Some translations)
firok—bastard
Kun!—Light!
Vahzen! – Truth!
GANGON! – ENOUGH!
reym - ass