Continuation....
ERIC
We stand there. Bruised. Barely breathing.
But we're still standing.
And Erebus —
He's not getting into that Forge Tower.
Golden Prince steps closer. "Did we kill him?"
Zetacode and I don't say a word. We just stare at Erebus as he lies in the dirt, unmoving. I listen for any breath, twitch, sound… but there's nothing.
More seconds pass.
Then minutes.
Still motionless.
"I think we did… Let's go." I finally say, turning away. We walk calmly, cautiously—Zetacode on my right, Prince behind us. I don't loosen my grip on my sword or shield. My instincts scream not yet.
Then it happens—
A soft clatter of tiny stones behind us. A dragging grunt follows it. My blood chills.
"Oh God," Zetacode whispers, turning toward me. "It's not over."
We all turn.
Erebus is rising.
Slow. Shaky. His armor cracked. His body caked in dust and dried blood. Deep gashes line his ribcage and right shoulder—but I watch, stunned, as they close. Skin and muscle knitting together like time in reverse.
I step forward, sword tight in my fist. "Surrender, big guy. It's over."
Erebus's head lifts slowly. "Over? No... no, it's not. I have never failed my master. Never lost a battle. So tell me… why should I retreat? Why should I surrender?"
"Because you're alone," I answer calmly, planting my feet, shield raised. "And I'm not."
He chuckles.
His wounds stop healing. His face hardens.
"What makes you think I'm alone?"
A sonic boom rips the sky.
Something slams down behind us with enough force to shake the earth.
Dust erupts. The shockwave knocks small rocks into the air. We turn around.
There he stands.
A new nightmare.
Towering. Red-skinned. Four massive arms flexing like cables of stone. His skin is torn with old scars. His chest bare, broad, brutal. No armor. Just war-forged muscle and fury. His feet are strapped in thick, leather military sandals, bound tightly with studs and bronze plates. With every breath, his chest rises like a living mountain. His yellow eyes scan us with calm dominance, glowing orbs hovering above his brow like alien sensors.
Zetacode mutters, "Jesus Christ…"
I grip my shield. "Zetacode, with me. Belteshazzar—take Erebus. Don't let him reach the Tower."
I step forward.
Zetacode walks beside me.
Suddenly, green lightning arcs across his body. It slams down his arms, into his legs, and explodes in his eyes. His gaze sharpens, and his fists spark with raw kinetic energy.
I tighten my shield strap and adjust my grip on my sword. No fear. Just focus.
The red four arms—turns and bolts for the Forge Tower.
The ground trembles beneath his stampeding legs.
"We have to stop him now!" I yell, and we sprint.
Zetacode holds back just enough to run with me—then, in a flash of green lightning, he accelerates, vanishing past me in a blur.
He launches himself off the ground—high, fast, fists clenched—and slams into the red four-arms face with a blinding lightning punch that lights up the battlefield like a thunderclap.
BOOM!
Red four-arms head snaps to the side. He staggers a step—but only one.
I don't stop. I charge full speed, leaping and slamming my shield straight into his gut.
CRACK!
It's like hitting concrete.
I spin mid-air, slice upward with my sword—catching one of his arms. It cuts. Not deep. But it gets his attention.
He roars.
And all hell breaks loose.
BELTESHAZZAR
I burn.
Inside and out—I'm a furnace of grief and rage. My fists glow gold. My heart screams louder than my voice ever could.
There he is.
Erebus. Standing calm. Confident. Like everything he did to my people meant nothing.
He destroyed my home. Turned my brother to ash. And now he walks toward me like a god without guilt.
No more talking.
I blast forward. My fists are meteors.
BOOM!
I slam into his chest—hard enough to shatter bones. Dust flies. The world shudders.
He just smiles.
That damned smirk.
I twist, kick his jaw.
CRACK.
His head snaps sideways.
He chuckles.
"Try harder," he says.
I drop, dash again. Throw a hook—he blocks. Then counterpunches—
THUD!
Right to my ribs. Pain flashes through me. But I spin under his arm and slam both fists into the back of his skull.
BOOOOM!
He crashes down face-first. I hover above him, golden sparks dancing across my knuckles.
He pushes off the ground like I just woke him up.
---
ERIC
Zetacode zips behind him—strikes his knee. Lightning sparks. The monster buckles slightly.
I slide in low, slicing his calf with my blade.
One of Red four-arms' fists swings wildly—barely misses my head. Two others shoot forward. I roll clear.
Twin red lasers erupt from his upper eyes—scorching the ground as they chase Zetacode's blur.
Zetacode vanishes. Reappears above him. Slams both palms into Red four-arms' skull.
ZAAK–BOOM!
He stumbles. I jump off a rock—bash his jaw with my shield, then launch into a combo:
Left hook. Shield strike. Right slash across the chest.
Blood sprays.
He grabs me mid-air.
Two arms. Iron grip. My ribs creak.
"Leonard!" I choke out.
Zetacode blurs forward—vibrates straight through Red four-arms' side. The grip loosens. I fall hard. Roll. Don't stop.
---
BELTESHAZZAR
The ground beneath me twists.
What the—?
It folds inward like a collapsing mouth. I lose balance.
WHAM!
I slam into the ground, wind knocked out of me.
Before I can move—
He's on me.
Erebus's fist drills into my stomach.
CRACK.
I fly across the dirt like a broken comet.
Rocks stop me.
I bleed. I taste iron. My jaw clenches. My body screams.
"You took everything," I growl.
My fists reignite.
"I'll tear you apart."
We launch at each other.
Mid-air collision—fists crash, light explodes, sky shakes.
I slam his jaw. Again. Again.
He knees me.
I uppercut him.
He elbows me.
I roar, drive my fists into the ground—golden shockwave!
He lifts.
I tackle him mid-air—slam him down. The earth splits.
I pounce—fists fly—smashing his face until blood coats my knuckles.
"This is for my planet!"
"For my people!"
"For my family!"
He catches my wrist.
---
ERIC
I see Zetacode fly past me—Red four-arms had backhanded him. He lands hard, face-first.
I yell his name.
Too late.
A boulder slams beside me—I dive away. Lasers rip past me. I stab Red four-arms in the thigh—twist. Roll out as his fist craters the ground.
He rips a tree out of the dirt.
SWINGS IT.
I raise my shield—
CRUNCH!
The impact throws me through the air.
I crash. Everything spins.
I spit blood. Push up.
Zetacode's back—lightning flaring around him. He vanishes—reappears behind Red four-arms—
Double heel kick to the head.
I charge in.
Sword. Slash. Left bicep.
Zetacode hits the kidney. Flash hit.
We sync up.
Shield slam.
Lightning strike.
Sword slash.
He's roaring louder now. Slower. He's weakening.
Or so I think.
Then—
He explodes.
One backhand. I fly. Shield gone.
Zetacode charges—he's caught. Red four-arms grabs him—
SLAM. SLAM. THROW.
Zetacode crashes into a boulder.
One last laser beam singes the grass beside him.
He stops moving.
I crawl.
Red four-arms walks toward me. Bleeding. Breathing hard.
But not broken.
"I am Gordon," he growls. "And you…"
Before I can react, his massive right foot—heavy as a wrecking ball—rises and crashes down onto my chest. The impact slams me flat against the cracked concrete.
"You will not stop me."
Then comes the pressure.
He pushes down. Not enough to crush me completely, but enough to feel like a car is parked on my ribs. I gasp, but the air won't come. My lungs seize up. Each breath is a struggle, shallow and sharp. A spike of panic crawls up my spine. My fingers dig helplessly into the dirt as my vision begins to blur.
---
BELTESHAZZAR
Everything goes cold.
Erebus twists my arm—throws me.
Then his elbow slams into my ribs.
More cracks.
I drop to one knee. My glow flickers.
He steps in. Punches my chest with both fists.
BOOOOM!
I fly through a crater. My vision blurs.
I try to stand.
He walks.
Not limping.
Not tired.
Just walking.
I summon everything left. Every scream. Every loss.
My glow brightens one last time.
I throw a final punch—right at his face—
BOOM!
It lands.
His head snaps back.
But his fist is already flying.
THAAK!
It caves into my side. Something breaks permanently.
I collapse. Cough blood. My hands twitch.
He grabs me by the throat. Lifts me.
My body's limp.
He slams me down.
CRUUNNCH!
Then leans in.
"You fight with rage," he whispers. "But I fight with purpose."
One more punch.
Darkness.
---
ERIC
Then, suddenly… the weight is gone.
He lifts his foot and turns his back to me without another word. And then, with terrifying speed for something so massive, he takes off running—each stride like a quake beneath me. He leaps—high. Higher than I thought anything that size could. His red silhouette vanishes into the smoke-filled sky.
I lie there, wheezing, desperate just to breathe. My chest rises and falls in ragged bursts. My throat is raw, my ribs feel like they've been through a war, but I'm alive.
Barely.
I grit my teeth, roll onto my side, and slowly push myself up. Every movement stings. My legs are weak. My head spins. But I rise.
I tap my comms.
"Ventures…" I rasp, trying to catch my breath. "Gordon—the Red four-arms—is heading for the Forge Tower. Someone needs to back up Lycon Wolf… now."
A pause.
"I don't know if the Golden Prince stopped Erebus. I haven't seen either of them."
I stagger forward, step by step, until I reach my sword lying in the dirt—its blade nicked, but still gleaming. I grip it tight. Then, I stretch out my left arm.
Clang!
My shield rockets through the air, fast and faithful, slamming into my palm with a metallic thud. I strap it on without breaking stride.
My breath steadies. My grip tightens. My heartbeat finds its rhythm again.
And I run.
Back toward the fire. Back toward the screaming skies. Back into the fight—because I'm not done yet.
To be continued....