Ice Phoenix

The time was past noon and the three suns blazed mercilessly upon the baked, rocky planet of Si Ren Da, giving rise to swirling optical illusions that could drown a person within seconds if they were to rely on their eyes only.

Five demons frantically dashed about the dry, cracked surface of the planet, scouring the earth and rocks for something, anything. There was an air of disbelief about them, mingled with fury and the intent of violent retribution for the humiliation they had suffered. In their frustration, they churned the earth violently in the hope that the pendant would present itself.

“Meldogan, the dogs are surfacing,” Garok pointed out. Meldogan glanced across the harsh, sun-baked terrain to where the dratkaars were, and growled.

“If you have time to worry about them, you’re not looking for the pendant!”

Garok looked nervously at the dogs again. They had begun to appear on the surface since the collapse of the cave and, as far as he could tell, they didn’t look happy. There were hundreds of them, and yet, more were breaking through the ground, nonchalantly shaking off rocks and earth. The explosion must have awakened all the sleeping packs on this barren planet, and they appeared from every direction. Garok had the feeling they were planning something.

“Now I know why that Skra woman hid the pendant on this planet.”

Meldogan swore. “Keep them away from this area until we find the pendant!”

One of the dratkaars took its eyes off the demons and sniffed a large pile of rocks on its right. It looked around and, after appearing satisfied that it would not be missed by the others, it edged closer towards one of the rocks and raised a leg. Urine shot out, a heavy stream of reeking blue liquid, which oozed down quickly between the gaps of the adjoining rocks. Finally relieved, the dratkaar lowered its leg and rejoined its horde of angry brethren, heading to the area where the demons were.

“Unbelievable!” said Baneyon as loud as he dared. A string of the worst cusses followed, and his cohorts didn’t know whether to cover their ears, sympathise, or snigger.

All five members of the team were crowded inside the rock the dog had peed on. They were uncomfortable and hot— but they were alive!

Baneyon and Quempa had survived the blast because Baneyon had been able to weave a vacuum tunnel for him and Quempa to escape in, and it had sucked them away to safety. The others had survived because they were not in the demons’ ship when it exploded. In fact, due to Quempa’s foresight, they had not been in the ship when it left the ground. Quempa had predicted that the demons would chase after the ship, determined to board it mid air and slay the entire team. So, instead, Kalum and Ferro had snuck aboard the ship, and Ferro had programmed the ship’s computer to make it appear that there were people on board.

Imeldor Kalum set about rigging the ship with explosives which would go off as soon as the demons boarded the ship. Then once they had completed their tasks, he and Imeldor Ferro joined the others at their hiding places on the ground. It was up to Baneyon and Quempa to lead the demons to the ship, giving the enemy the impression that the Imeldors and L-Masters intended to flee the planet with their vehicle.

But, Quempa’s plan to kill the demons in the explosion had backfired. The ship had exploded before any of the demons could board it. Nashim had blown it up himself, using his terrifying powers.

From the ground, the team watched the explosion in silence, anxious for Baneyon’s and Quempa’s safety as they realised the two of them had been caught in the blast. Desperate, they sent out messages to the pair, and were overwhelmed with relief when they heard back from Baneyon. He told them how he and Quempa had survived the blast, and he also gave them some unwelcome news; the demons had already figured out they had not been in the ship and were still hiding on the ground. Then he told them to join him immediately because he had created a place for them to hide.

He and Quempa had returned to the area where Meldogan’s lightning had struck earlier and woven a pile of rocks for them to hide in. The charred smell of the earth in the area would mask their scents from the dratkaars. The dogs’ presence would also neutralise their qi and prevent the demons from sensing them. The six transported themselves, squeezing into the area inside the rocks just before Baneyon sealed it around them. Unfortunately for everyone, in order to prevent the pile of rocks from standing out too much on the burnt landscape, Baneyon had made it just big enough to hold them all. They could not stretch out their legs without kicking someone else in the face.

“This idea of hiding in these rocks seems to be working, Baneyon,” said Lady Fless. She huddled farthest away from Baneyon with the wounded L-Master Ana. The L-Master was weak after losing her limbs to Garok, but she sat quietly, focusing on healing her body. Her race’s natural regenerative process helped — her legs had completely regenerated and her arms were nearly whole.

“Yes, clever idea to weave the burned ground into rocks. The dogs can neither see nor smell us,” said Raimus.

“And with Baneyon smelling of piss, they might even consider him part of the family,” sniggered Talinuk Ferro.

“We’re in a sorry situation here!” snapped L-Master Kalum. “We have no means of communicating for help, we’ve lost a night and half a day since the explosion, we have no food, and those demons are stronger than we are!”

“They are not stronger than we are,” Quempa contradicted. “At least I don’t think them to be.”

“Tell us what you think then,” said L-Master Kalum.

“They are like you, Kalum,” Quempa replied steadily. “Just as lacers are able to manipulate superior qi and provide an instruction to the intention, the demons have access to some other property of qi that we don’t know about. Their responses are faster and their attacks are more powerful as a result.”

“That may be true, but let’s not get distracted from our immediate problem here,” said Baneyon. “We need a way off this planet. Think, people! Why did the demons willingly destroy their only ship? Were they planning to remain here?”

“I’ve been thinking that too,” said Quempa, “and I believe it’s something to do with the pendant.”

“Please tell me it converts into a ship so we can get the hell out of here!” Raimus whined.

“No, but remember, the queen told us that it protected Namasar and the others in the Voron Cloud. If it could do that, then protecting people in the In-Between should be plausible.”

“That would make sense,” said Baneyon, thoughtfully. “The demons were probably relying on the pendant to take them through. The question is, how?” He removed the pendant from his belt, holding it up for everyone to see.

“Perhaps it requires qi to activate,” suggested L-Master Kalum. There were no other suggestions forthcoming so Baneyon shrugged.

“Why not?” Baneyon channelled his qi into the pendant as everyone watched. A whole minute passed by without any reaction.

“Try a little harder, Baneyon,” said Raimus. “It may not be getting enough of a charge.”

Baneyon released more qi and it settled around the pendant like a heavy shroud. The surface of the pendant rippled.

“Everyone, direct some of your qi into it!” Quempa barked.

Almost immediately, the others gathered around Baneyon and began to channel their qi into the pendant.

“Quite the guzzler we have here,” said Raimus. “I have new respect for this Namasar fellow.”

“Look, everyone!” Talinuk Ferro cried. “It’s opening a wormhole!” He was right. A tiny wormhole, no larger than a coin, appeared above them. A wind picked up, carrying surrounding debris towards it.

“What now?” asked Baneyon. “Who wants to be the first to see where it goes? Quempa?”

His little friend glared at him. “And get lost somewhere in the depths of the In-Between? Not to mention, that hole is a little small, even for me.”

“We need to experiment first by sending objects through,” said L-Master Kalum. “We could try —”

The rocks Baneyon had cleverly woven and arranged to conceal their presence exploded, leaving the fugitives exposed. They were now standing on the barren ground, feeling dazed and confused. Gathering their wits, the Imeldors and L-Masters scrambled into defensive formation as the demons raced towards them.

Baneyon barely avoided a lightning blast when a knee slammed into his chest. He staggered backwards, quickly bracing his body for the next blow. Garok suddenly appeared in front of him, swinging his fist. Baneyon leaned back and turned aside, grabbing hold of Garok’s arm as he did so. Using the demon’s momentum, Baneyon flipped him over and kicked him in the stomach.

The demon grunted and rolled back on the ground. He got to his feet, patting the dust off his body. “You have some combat skill,” he said, eyeing Baneyon dangerously. “Good, because I’ve been dying to kill somebody the old-fashioned way.”

They were evenly matched in build. Around them, demons and weavers faced off. Quempa was heavily occupied with the lightning demon, and Lady Fless was engaged in physical combat with another. Talinuk Ferro had joined forces with the L-Masters to face the forth demon, and Raimus was left alone to face the one wearing a hood.

Baneyon didn’t know much about the L-Masters, but out of the Imeldors, only he and Lady Fless were serious combat types. This meant that they had trained in Kampu martial arts and were adept in both attack and self-defence.

Looking at the demons, they also appeared to be combat types, and Baneyon worried they would have the advantage. However, worrying was something he couldn’t afford. Garok brandished a pair of evil-looking metallic rings about two hand spans wide and threw them in tandem, towards him. Baneyon deftly evaded the rings and they swerved past to slice cleanly into the rock behind him. The rock split into three pieces.

The rings returned to their wielder. As soon as Garok caught them, they expanded to three times their original sizes. Baneyon’s eyes narrowed. He had seen weapons similar to the rings before, but none had been able to expand at will. He also suspected that they had been highly modified to respond only to their wielder.Baneyon reached over his shoulder and removed a short cudgel strapped to his back. He twisted it down the middle, revealing two sections. The action triggered a chain reaction and the cudgel began to unfold and expand as Gratchonian nanotechnology went to work. From one section, a large double-edged blade appeared, made from the hardest mineral known to the thirteen sectors. Velassium, or better known as Dartkala’s breath, Baneyon had paid a fortune to Master Kuldor to have it made.

The lower section of the cudgel extended, providing him a handle. A rectangular guard appeared at the point where it met the blade, offering some protection from well-placed attacks. The entire length of the spear was taller than he was; its long handle allowed Baneyon to deliver devastating attacks, while enabling him to stay out of the enemy’s reach.

“That’s an interesting blade,” said Garok feigning nonchalance. “What is it?”

Baneyon had no intention of telling him. “Fight me, and you might learn something of it,” he said.

Garok’s eyes glittered. “Then I give you my word that I shall not use qi without warning.” He hurled the rings at Baneyon. Blade met blade and there was a bone-grinding noise as the rings spun against Baneyon’s spear. The force from the rings was immense and pushed Baneyon back several metres.

As Garok moved in to attack, Baneyon flung the rings aside and stabbed the hilt of his spear into the ground. Still holding onto the hilt, he lashed out with both legs and caught Garok in the face. The demon fell back with a grunt.

Garok rose to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth. “First round is yours,” he called out. “Perhaps you’ll last longer than your comrades.”

Baneyon stiffened. He had been so occupied with Garok that he had not sensed the diminishing qi of his comrades around him. He risked a quick glance towards the others.

L-Master Ana had fallen, and both Kalum and Ferro were fending off the demon who had come after them. Baneyon couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The demon attacking Kalum and Ferro came at the masters from the front, but then he vanished suddenly. He reappeared behind them and Kalum brought his staff around with amazing speed, defending himself successfully. Talinuk Ferro wasn’t as quick, and the demon struck. Ferro fell to the ground clutching his stomach. Blood seeped through his fingers.

“That’s Eera,” Garok told Baneyon. “His ability is speed. He moves at a speed quicker than the ordinary eye can detect, and what you see of him is the image left behind. Your comrades do not stand a chance.”

Baneyon clenched his jaw and searched for Lady Fless. He spotted her some distance north of L-Master Kalum, and was relieved to see that she was faring better. She wielded a pair of devastating broadswords.

In a seemingly shocking move, Lady Fless dropped both her swords, stumbled, and fell to the ground. The demon seized his chance, quickly pinning her down with his foot. As he stooped to deliver the killing blow, a flurry of knives appeared out of thin air and peppered him. He fell back in surprise, looking like a hedgehog.

While still lying on the ground, Lady Fless summoned her broadswords, catching them in each hand. She crossed them over in one swift movement.

Baneyon watched the demon’s head fall to the ground. Lady Fless stood up. She was a terrifying figure to behold, splattered in blood and holding her swords.

“How?” Garok snarled in disbelief. He was not the only one to have seen or sensed his comrade’s death. The other demons bellowed their anger.

Baneyon knew how. Lady Fless was a former assassin, not to mention a master of cloaking. She had cloaked the swarm of knives and feigned her stumble. As soon as the demon had stepped on her, she buried the knives into him, when his awareness had dropped. Rumours were that she had been personally head hunted by the queen to join the Imeldor Council. The deal had been that if the queen could defeat Lady Fless in a Kampu match, Lady Fless would renounce her glowing career as an assassin to become an Imeldor. Baneyon couldn’t help but wonder just how crazy strong the queen was.

Baneyon’s distraction almost cost him his leg. A ring caught him on the thigh, rendering a deep gash. He retaliated, and there was a fierce exchange of blows as he and Garok fought across the terrain. Baneyon was in trouble and he knew it. Garok’s speed combined with the unpredictable rings had him at a physical disadvantage.

Realising he had to take drastic measures, he ran his hand over the flat of his blade. He could feel the numerous chips and dents resulting from the rings’ effectuations, and inwardly bemoaned the state of his beloved weapon.

“I have to admit, I’m surprised your blade has lasted this long,” said Garok. “Why don’t you use your qi?”

Baneyon threw the demon a withering look. He grasped the lower edge of his blade and pulled. It separated into two pieces, and Baneyon tossed one of them to the ground. Exposed was the real blade, glowing lightly.

“You have no idea how much that sheathe cost me!” snapped Baneyon. “I’m still paying it off!”

Garok’s eyes widened as he stared at Baneyon’s weapon. “It can’t be!”

“Yes,” said Baneyon, thoroughly upset now that he was reminded of his bank balance. “Twenty-five million credits. Do you know what the interest on that is like?”

“Don’t tell me you took a loan from the bank?” Garok said in disbelief. “Those institutions suck the blood out of you!”

“Tell me about it.”

“I’ll give you fifty million credits for that,” Garok offered abruptly.

Baneyon stopped midway through his rant and stared at Garok in surprise. “It’s not for sale.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re also lying about the credits.”

“Ah ...,” Garok grinned. “No matter. I’ll just take it off you. The price of any good weapon should be paid in blood anyway.”

“You have a sick sense of honour,” growled Baneyon. A low buzz filled his head, and Quempa’s voice came through.

Stop farting around, Baneyon! Raimus is in trouble and I can’t help him because Harry Lightning here wants to fry me!

Quempa! Get out of my head. I feel violated!

Hurry up then.

The buzz disappeared and Baneyon faced a disgruntled Garok. “Okay, we need to hurry this up. I’m needed elsewhere.”

“Confident, are we?” sneered Garok. His rings began to glow with a black flame that wavered in the dry, hot wind of Si Ren Da.

In the distance, the dratkaars observed the intruders with a strange disinterest. There were now thousands of them on the surface, and they circulated around the fighting pairs of men and women as though they were at an open air festival, viewing the ongoing performances at their leisure.

Holding his spear firmly with both hands, Baneyon slipped into a strike position. His gaton flapped lightly in the wind, baring powerful thighs. “Come on,” he said.

Garok threw his flaming rings at Baneyon and moved with such speed that he disappeared from Baneyon’s vision. Baneyon stepped back and brought his spear down on the rings in one swift movement. They fell to the ground in perfect halves. Without pausing, Baneyon swung around and flung his spear to where he sensed Garok to be. The spear struck cleanly, slicing Garok in half at the waist. He fell to the ground in two pieces.

Baneyon slowly walked up to the fallen demon. Garok looked up at his slayer as he approached, blood trickling down his mouth.

“So that is the phoenix blade.” Garok laughed weakly. “Impervious to qi, and cuts through anything. It was a good … investment.”

Baneyon watched curiously as the life faded from Garok’s eyes. Satisfied that he wouldn’t return to life, Baneyon turned his attention to Raimus and the hooded demon.