Hearts of Darkness - Plague of the Void Seeds / 14

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This is an original, write as I go, Steemit adventure

Post 14

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It was difficult to see what was happening within the writhing masses of Void Seed. Their freezing attack generated a mist that twisted and swirled around everything. Within the mist, motion and light cavorted and raged, with the deep purple of Valhalconin flame and the multi-hued light of Sserwellia’s stars. It was surreal, beautiful and terrible. Click watched his viewing panels anxiously as the Argantuan and Shaddonos support units smashed into the Void Seed ranks. The effect was immediate and devastating as Void Seeds were cut down in swathes.

He wondered how Joshua was faring. Earlier, Click had sensed an intense anxiety for several minutes. He would ask Joshua what had happened if they made it through the battle. Presently, he was alive and filled with a cold rage. That was understandable. There was possibly a connection between his transformation and his more powerful emotions. Whether they helped him deal with the changes or were being augmented by them, he couldn’t say. Click had grown rather fond of the once-human boy and continually marveled at his strength to continually adapt to and process the incredible changes he was undergoing. Let him survive.

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Anna’s units were spread out around several of the Northern city engagements. They had each been issued with a Ziff Ussilass, a small but very fast hover unit they had nicknamed “Hoverflies.” They were perfect for moving rapidly into new positions around the theater of engagement. So far there had been no loses and the railguns had proven to be extremely effective in making decisive, high impact strikes. Unfortunately, they were all running very low on ammunition. Anna had a single round left. It was time. She gave the order to withdraw to her position via the Daxiste-agori engineered, communication inserts that had been implanted into each of their ears.

One final shot. Her elevated position among the rocky hills on the outskirts of Sserwessa afforded her an excellent position. Unfortunately, it had gotten progressively more difficult to select a target with all the mist, movement and light. Many of the larger Void Seeds had already been targeted by the Alliance and destroyed, one way or another. Then she saw it. Space had opened up in the enemy ranks and a massive Void Seed had begun hurling smaller Void Seeds into the center of two surrounded groups of Ziff and Valhalconin. The Void Seed were destroying their defensive cohesion. Anna took aim at the chest of the massive Void Seed. The Daxiste-agorian railgun had a viewer sight of incredible clarity. Anna calmed her breathing, allowed the target to settle into the kill shot and waited until it’s massive chest turned straight towards her. At the end of her exhale, she squeezed her trigger hand and watched as the target’s chest imploded. The massive Void Seed stumbled back, fell forward onto it’s knees and finally collapsed forward onto it front. The Ziff and Valhalconin were able to dispatch the Void Seed incursion and stabilise their defensive position. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have to wait much longer for support as it look like the reserve units had been given the go ahead to attack.

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Kesseca was getting tired. There were still so many Void Seeds. Having broken through to the Alliance force, they had been augmented by the Valhalconin warriors. The freezing attack of the Void Seed had slowed the Ziff and surrounded everything in obscure, shimmering light. Without the incredibly durable Valhalconin, the Ziff would already have been routed and destroyed. They made a defensive position possible, meeting the Void Seeds and holding them with brute strength, whilst resisting their energy draining attack with their own internal fire.
So many dead. There were partially frozen bodies everywhere, some intact, some that had been torn apart. It didn’t take long for a Void Seed’s corpse to vanish into the ether once it had been killed, so only the dead of allies were visible. It was harrowing.

Kesseca was behind the edge of their defensive ring, closest to the Alliance side of the engagement. He’d lost his club but had picked up a fallen slithr blade. There was no time to mourn the loss of it’s previous owner, he was just grateful to have a superior weapon. The Ziff were darting among the Valhalconin, attempting to remove heads or thrust through the hearts of the enemy. They were still trying to edge closer to their allies, which was ultimately, their only hope of survival, but it was hard, brutal work. In that instant, three Valhalconin were drained, their fires dying down under the constant draining assault. They were instantly torn apart and the Void Seeds poured in through the gap. The defenders were finished unless those Void Seed were dispatched and the hole filled immediately. He summoned everything he had left.

“Annsoooenemasssaaa! Essonnammenasssa!” He called, and charged into the Void Seeds.

Kesseca flicked his remaining feather-knives as distractions and with an impossibly fluid grace, leaped between the first two Void Seeds heads as he spun in the air and plunging the Slithr blade into the chest of a third. He ripped the blade out and spun towards several other Void Seeds who were attacking the Valhalconin on either side of the breach. Despite the bitter cold, he drew deeply on his reserves and became one with the Slithr blade. He was a blur of motion, a whirlwind of death. He decapitated the last of the Void Seed in his immediate vicinity and found himself standing in the gap in their defensive perimeter. The Void Seeds were closing again, the momentarily relieved pressure, was back in full force. To his left and right, the Valhalconin were buckling as the Vooid Seeds surged forward. Kesseca knew he was about to die. There was nothing else for it, he attacked.

As he rushed forward towards the wall of Void Seeds, he noticed a powerful vibration through his feet. In front of him, the mass of black seemed to convulse in upon itself. Instinct made Kesseca throw himself to the ground and at that moment the wall of Void Seeds burst outwards. An enormous Argantuan exploded from their ranks with breath-taking power and ferocity. He bellowed louder than anything Kesseca had ever heard. Behind the Argantuan, a Shaddonos and a large, strange-looking human were charging around, making the most of the Void Seed’s dismay to wreak havoc among them.

The Shaddonos had a huge bone blade which he tossed between his four hands as he danced among the enemy, causing absolute mayhem. The human, who’s eyes were emanating a red light, was simply running up to Void Seeds and ramming his fist into their chests, apparently without and white bone in evidence. He took a bite from every heart he tore from their chests, then cast the bodies into the ranks of Void Seed.

The Argantuan warrior charged once more into the mass of black, laying about him with a massive mace of white bone. Anything that got in the way of that weapon was instantly pulverised. Kesseca looked around as his fellow defenders gathered themselves and rushed to follow the reserve forces as it took the enemy apart.

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The last of the snipers were incoming as Gary walked over to Anna.

“That’s all of them. It’s been a good start.” He said.

“Yes. Now comes the dangerous part.”

“Indeed. May I?” Gary indicates the gathered warriors.

“Please do.”

“Right then! The sniping is over. It’s time to get in the shit. We charge down there, find any white bone we can and harry the enemy flanks in squads of ten. Ready?!”

“Ready!” Called the humans.

“Until the bone drowns!”

“Until the bone drowns!”

Three hundred and two genetically enhanced human warriors, riding Ziffnindel Ussilass, hurtled down toward the battle for Sserwessa. They aimed for an area that had seen recent heavy fighting, smashing into several Void Seeds and clearing the area. They quickly scoured the area, recovering white bone weapons. Once a squad of ten were completely armed, they sped off on their Hoverflies to harass the enemy.

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Joshua had become separated from Khal and Dagr. He looked up from the Void Seed who’s chest he had just ripped open. There was only him and a Ziff warrior with a long slender white bone blade. The Ziff warrior looked just about done in, his chest heaving. They were surrounded by Void Seeds, but a reasonably sized pocket had temporarily opened up around them.

Joshua stood up and took a bite out of the Void Seeds black heart. Black matter gushed down his chin to join a growing black stain. The Ziff warrior walked over to him.

“Void Seed. Scared.”

“You think? Good.”

“Kesseca.”

“Joshua.”

“Not long.”

“No. They’ll come for us now. Back-to-back?”

“Yes. Honour.”

“No, the honour is mine.”

Kesseca and Joshua stood back-to-back and waited for the enemy to rush in. At that moment Joshua looked to the sky where several alliance vessels were positioned. Suddenly, several of them exploded. Joshua was dumbfounded.

“No!”

In every Northern city, the fighting stalled as every being looked to the sky. Enormous spherical Void Seeds were emerging from the explosions. They had phased directly into the Alliance fleet’s ships. Huge concussions could be heard as more explosions rocked the vessels, several of which began to list severely and drop out of the sky. The phased Void Seeds continued to the ground among the Northern Ziff cities, one landing in the relatively clear space between Sserwessa’s wall and the encircling Void Seed.

It landed with mountainous crash and immediately reformed into a hulking giant. It was vast, at least one hundred and twenty feet tall. From all around, a huge trumpeting roar detonated like a bomb. The Void Seed surged with renewed vigour and aggression. Joshua lost sight of the giant as within moments, he and Kesseca were surrounded and fighting for their lives.

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Alarms were going off everywhere on the Daxiste-agorian flagship. Damage reports were streaming across viewing panels everywhere. The Void Seeds and never attacked the fleet in such a manner before, perhaps they should have expected it. It was too late now. Several Alliance ships had been badly damaged both in the North and South, with many of them falling out of the sky or being forced to land.

Whilst the flagship had sustained some damage, it was at least, able to hold it’s position and remain in the fight. They had been very lucky. Click was observing the situation on the ground with keen interest. Things were changing rapidly now and the critical point in the engagement was at hand.

With the destruction of many Alliance ships and the arrival of reinforcements, the Void Seeds and gained the initiative. Thousands and streamed back to the cities and were busy devouring the shield domes and growing larger.

Click watched with great excitement as the shield domes of several of the southern and northern cities were deactivated. The Void Seeds collapsed into the cities, with many more pouring in, assuming that the shields had been successfully drained. The cities had been evacuated during the fighting and had been turned into giant death traps. In each of the cities, a series of miniature explosions were unleashed, each throwing out a devastating rain of white bone fragments. The cities were suddenly turned into charnel houses for the Void Seeds and vast numbers of them perished.

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Khal had been following in Dagr’s wake, dispatching Void Seeds with Joshua. The boy had fought particularly well. Unfortunately, they had become separated and Khal found himself fighting alone. The phase attack of the Void Seed on the Alliance ships had shocked Khal and whilst he mourned any losses, he hoped that the Shaad-rin had survived.

The massive one hundred and twenty foot void seed that had landed near Sserwessa was going to be difficult to deal with and it was in that direction he was trying to go. A massive Void Seed arm smashed into his back and drove him down to one knee. As his knee hit the ground, Khal spun and took a leg out from under the Void Seed with one of the additional blades he’d acquired. He continued to roll and came back to a standing position, immediately pouncing forward to spear the Void Seed’s heart. Three more were charging towards him so he threw three of the blades, each plunging into the chest of a Void Seed. He dove forward, rolled and recovered all three blades.

Finally, an opening. Khal charged for a gap in the enemy and found himself in the open area in front of the city. The massive void seed was standing before the city. With a monstrous trumpeting, it smashed a fist, down onto the edge of the Shield dome which immediately burst apart. It leaned back and called out it’s victory. Khal was about to launch an attack when there was a huge bellowing answer. Dagr. He came charging out of the Void Seed ranks. He was covered in black gore in various stages of vaporous dissolution. He charged directly at the Void Seed which was in the middle of turning toward the Argantuan’s challenge. As Dagr reached it, the Void Seed drove a foot down towards him. Dagr rolled to the side and charged directly into the Void Seed’s other leg, impaling it with his head horn. The Void Seed roared and swept it’s hand down in a crushing blow. Dagr was already spinning and smashed his mace into it’s hand, deflecting it. Without hesitation, Dagr leapt for it’s arm and held on whilst it reared back in pain. He climbed up to a shoulder and started slamming his mace into the back of the Void Seed’s head.

The Void Seed’s body seemed to ripple and an arm punched out of the shoulder where Dagr was clinging. It took hold of him and threw him with incredible force into Sserwessa’s wall. The rock cracked, so hard was the impact, and Dagr slumped to the ground.

Khal, who’d be completely mesmerised by the battle, charged forward to support his friend in attacking the Void Seed. As he approached it’s back, he spun and hurled one of the swords, then another, then the third. Each of them buried themselves into it’s back. Again, it arched back and roared with anger. As Khal near the Void Seed, he leapt up, onto it’s back, using the protruding swords to climb up. Once he reached it’s head, he began to hack at it’s massive neck with his huge blade.

“Khalzirin-amonal azil chzen!”

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Dagr awoke from his daze just as something black leapt onto the back of the Void Seed. Must be Khal he thought. It was conformed when he heard Khal’s cry. Dagr picked himself up and charged towards the Void Seed’s legs, bellowing all the way.

As he reached it’s right leg, he swung Wyrkk as hard as he could and was extremely satisfied with the bone-jarring thud which knocked the leg out. The Void Seed began to topple backwards. As it fell, he launched himself up onto its chest. At the same time, he saw Khal jump up off it’s shoulders. Dagr reared back and brought Wyrkk down on the Void Seed’s chest with terrific force as Khal brought down his sword. The Void Seed’s head was decapitated and chest pulverised as one.

Dagr’s victory bellow echoed off Sserwessa’s wall and across the plain.

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Joshua couldn’t see anything. What was happening? Then he remembered. He’d had another brain searing vision. Oh no. Kesseca. He was covered in Void Seed bodies that were beginning to dissolve. He threw them off, got to his feet and began digging frantically until he found him. Joshua cried out in pain and fell to his knees. He picked up Kesseca’s body and hugged it too him. Tears began to stream down from red eyes. Brave Kesseca, defending his people, his allies, honourably, until the end.

“I should’ve saved him!! So many dead.”

Joshua looked around desperately. There were Ziff bodies littering the ground, many Valhalconin… He stood up, still clutching Kesseca’s body to his chest. Still crying. Then a searing pain in his chest. He tried to lay Kesseca down as it felt as though he were being torn apart from the inside out. Then rage. Rage like he’d never known flooded his entire being. The pain left as quickly as it had arrived…..but the rage remained. He felt a strange burning in his eyes but they remained crystal clear. He bent down and kissed kesseca’s forehead, then turned and ran towards the nearest Void Seed.

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Sorry for the delay. I wanted to do a bit more for this one to keep the battle momentum up. Hope that was the right decision. Hope you enjoy the post.

If you are an artist, please consider entering the VoidArt - Argantuan competition!

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