Ch 6: Departure

Grey faces off against Alastor, leader of Altera Veritas. Backed into a corner by this powerful foe, can his friends band together to rescue him and Amy so everyone can escape Celestis?

            “Very well…” said Alastor, and forming his twin swords as well, he added, “Let’s see just how much you’ve improved.” Grey bolted forward, launching himself into the air at Alastor and bringing his swords down with a double slash. A clash of metal resonated through the outdoor storage facility as Alastor met his attack with a powerful parry using only a single sword, and then Alastor spun in the air and sent Grey sailing with a spinning kick combined with a blast of air pressure he channeled from his foot. Grey sailed a great distance and slammed into the side of one of the large metal storage crates. Bouncing off it, leaving a slight dent in the metal crate, he landed sprawled on the ground. As he climbed to his feet, Grey muttered, “Ugh… B*****d…” 

Alastor began gathering EDE, channeling it into the blade of the sword in his right hand as he said, “Is that really all you’ve got for me, Mr. Greyson? I’m not impressed.” Grey sensed the power gathering in Alastor’s sword, and began quickly channeling EDE into his right hand blade as well. Alastor swung his sword through the air in Grey’s direction, and a wave of dark energy shot forth. Grey swung his blade at the incoming wave of darkness, and his own gathered power flowed out in a wave of volatile energy towards it. The waves of energy met and violently exploded. Amy, who had run for cover soon after the start of the fight, coughed as she breathed in some of the cloud of dust stirred up by the blast. Grey searched with his eyes and senses for Alastor, who’d disappeared in the now settling dust cloud. 

Sensing the fluctuation of EDE as Alastor appeared out a dark vortex behind him, Grey barely turned and defended himself, and their blades clashed again and again. Gaining ground steadily, Alastor said, “Good, Mr. Greyson.” Parrying Grey’s blades, Alastor struck Grey in the stomach with a powerful kick combined with a blast of pressurized air channeled from his foot, and Grey went flying again as Alastor said, “But not good enough…” Grey flew across the concrete of the facility, dropping one of his swords as he bounced and rolled until he managed to stab his remaining blade into the ground to stop himself mid roll. Getting up on one knee while holding his remaining sword, Grey called his lost sword to him using telekinesis, and once again blocked the villain’s blade with the recovered sword as Alastor closed the distance and struck at Grey with his swords. Pressing down on Grey’s blade with his own, Alastor said, “Impressive, Mr. Greyson. You’re doing quite well.” 

Then he noticed Grey was mumbling something, and in fact Grey was actually chanting, “Pluvia Eversio, Vultus…” Alastor could not understand him, and said, “What was that Mr. Greyson? Do speak up…” Grey ripped his sword from the ground and pointed it at Alastor, who stepped back out of the blade’s range thinking it was intended to strike him, but it’s true purpose was revealed as Grey shouted, “…Lux!” Shining white runes traced themselves across Grey’s sword, and as the runes shined bright, a stream of arrows formed of light energy shot forth from the tip of the blade in a cone. Caught unprepared, Alastor could only block so many with his air pressure barrier with the little warning he had been given. The light arrows exploded on contact in blasts of shining white light, and as clouds of smoke and dust consumed the place where Alastor had been standing, it seemed the fight was over. 

Then there was applause from a single pair of hands as Alastor’s empty voice rang out, “Marvelous, Mr. Greyson, absolutely marvelous…” As the smoke cleared Alastor could be seen standing quite casually in the same spot, his gray suit a bit ragged and blood seeping from a cut along his right cheek, his swords suspended in the air beside him by the wind itself as he applauded. Grey could only stare in disbelief. Wiping the blood from his cheek, as his wound seemed to heal instantly, Alastor said, “To keep up so splendidly even without the powersuit… It seems the happy accident that led you to be taken under Alexander’s wing was a fortunate event after all…” Alastor began to walk towards Grey, dark power surging around him as he said, “Yet all good things must come to an end. It’s time for you to come back to Altera Veritas with me. Don’t worry, your dear Ms. Grant will be joining us. I have plans for both of you…” Gritting his teeth as he sensed the difference in power, Grey thought to himself, “D****t, I can’t lose here!” Drawing ever closer, Alastor said, “Be proud, Mr. Greyson. Even though I’m not at my best, few have come so far as to injure me…”

            Suddenly a scraping sound was heard, and as both Grey and Alastor turned in the direction it was coming from, they saw Brigadier General Scott Matthews charging right at Alastor. He held a steel battle staff in his right hand, the tip of which was dragging on the ground with what looked like electricity sparking from where staff and concrete met. With fire in his eyes, Scott shouted, “You wanna see something impressive, you b*****d?!” Swinging his staff at Alastor, Scott said, “This one’s a real shocker!” Yet connecting with Alastor’s pressure barrier, the attack was stopped as electricity crackled and sparks flew. Staring at Scott blankly, Alastor replied, “Did you honestly say that with a straight face?” 

Then noticing interference with the EDE he used to control his wind, as he realized it was being caused by EDE intereference resulting from the air becoming charged with Scott’s electricity, Alastor quickly knocked Scott away with a pressurized kick. Then the whine of the military airship’s repulsion engines reached their ears as it neared the scene, and Colonel Richter’s voice called out, “Unidentified rogue energist, rogue energist #669, you are both under arrest by the authority of The Guild Special Forces!” Grasping his floating swords and turning to the airship, which leveled its plasma cannons at him, Alastor raised a sword and channeled EDE into it, saying, “Such a nuisance…” From his blade’s tip formed a sphere of dark energy that shot up and impacted the right plasma cannon. The resulting explosion rocked the airship, and over the loudspeaker a panicked voice could be heard saying, “We’re hit!” 

Lowering his weapon, Alastor returned his attention to Grey, the transport class airship making an emergency landing a ways off from the area. At that moment however, a hover car broke through the gates of the storage facility, Alexander at the driver’s seat and Serius crouched on top of the roof. Leaping off the roof into the air, Serius formed his Basilisk Armor on his arms and came crashing down where Alastor had stood a moment before, making a small crater in the concrete with his stone fist. Having calmly stepped aside, Alastor swung his swords at Serius, who blocked with his stone arms. Pressing against Serius’ arms, Alastor said, “It’s getting far too crowded here…” Serius turned his gaze to Grey and said, “Get the girl! We’re getting out of here!” Grey simply stared at him in confusion, saying, “Who the hell are you?!” Struggling with Alastor, Serius replied in irritation, “There’s no time, quickly!” 

Rushing off to get Amy as the hover car pulled up to them all, Grey couldn’t shake the feeling he’d met the strange man before. Breaking away from Serius, Alastor said, “No one is going anywhere.” He pointed a sword at the hover car, channeling EDE into the blade, but suddenly sensing the energy of an attack coming at him, and he turned to see Scott had gotten to his feet and launched a bolt of lightning from his staff. It impacted the air pressure barrier, charging the air with electricity as Scott poured on the voltage. At the same time, Serius gathered his strength and launched powerful punches against the barrier. It wasn’t enough to break through, but because of the interference between the EDE generated electricity filling the air and the EDE he was using to manipulate that air, it required too much concentration for Alastor to stop their attacks with his barrier and channel his own attack at the same time. 

Helping Amy into the hover car, Grey turned and yelled, “Hey! Matthews, new guy, let’s get outta here!” Continuing his attack, Serius yelled at Scott, “Go! I will hold him here.” Scott merely smiled and said, “No, leave him to me! I’ll trust you and Alexander to get my buddy out of here safely!” With no time to argue, Serius leaped back to land on top of the hover car once again and shouted to Alexander, “Go!” The hover car began to speed away, and popping his head out the front passenger window, Grey said to Serius, “What about Matthews?!” Serius was silent, and Grey understood.

            Having moved between Alastor and the escaping hover car, Scott once again swung his staff at Alastor, and was stopped again by the air pressure barrier. Knocking him aside with a roundhouse kick, Alastor let his right hand sword float in the air beside him and began channeling EDE into his hand, facing his palm in the direction of the fleeing vehicle. He formed a sphere of swirling wind, which shot forth from his palm at the escaping hover car. Yet it was quickly intercepted by a bolt of lightning, which on contact caused the sphere to explode into a localized tornado, and Grey and the others aboard the hover car escaped out the gate, turning down the street to head out of the city. The tornado subsiding, his last ditch effort to stop the escape of his prize thwarted, Alastor turned his attention to Scott once more and said, “You will regret that…” Still on the ground from being kicked aside, Scott sat with his staff held up and a grin on his face, the tip of the staff facing where he’d fired the lightning bolt. 

Alastor readied his sword to strike, but then quickly jumped back as a barrage of crystalline bullets shot at him, forcing him further and further away from Scott. Stepping out of the shadows with the rest of the surviving soldiers from the airship, with a silver semi-automatic pistol in his hand, was Colonel Jack Richter. Alastor calmly turned to face Richter as he said, “Colonel Jack Richter, the Energist of Prisms, Class S energist number seventeen. I’ve heard about you and your unique crystal affinity.” Colonel Richter simply smirked and said, “Well, it seems my reputation precedes me…” Taking aim at Alastor with his weapon, he continued, “I see you’ve been entertaining Brigadier General Matthews here. I’ll have to request you surrender.” Alastor looked over at Scott, who had risen to his feet, and said, “This child? This is the Brigadier General of the Third Division, Class S energist number eighteen? The Thunderfury Energist? How… pathetic…” Scott’s anger flared, but as he started to struggle up, Alastor opened a dark vortex and said, “I’ve grown tired of this. I’ll spare your lives…” As he disappeared into the dark vortex, he added, “For now…”

            The hover car sped down the street towards the South Gate. Sitting in the back seat, Amy asked, “Where’s Dad…?” Alexander was silent. Grey, who sat in the front passenger seat, looked over at Alexander expectantly. Alexander merely removed his shades, and the look in his eyes told Grey all that needed to be said. After a moment, Alexander solemnly said, “Amy, I’m sorry. Thomas is dead.” Amy lowered her head to stare at the floor, tears forming in her eyes, and seeing this Grey quietly said, “Amy…” Amy shook her head and said, “I’m okay… I kind of… already knew he wouldn’t make it… I just hoped…” As Amy said this, Grey’s heart seemed to stop momentarily, and as he stared at her he thought, “She’s strong…” 

Grey himself hoped his parents were alright. After he’d rescued Grey one year ago, Alexander had insisted Grey had to remember everything on his own. Grey did not know what fate had befallen his parents or the rest of the village he’d once called home. Sitting in his seat, Grey glanced over at Alexander and thought, “I felt like Alexander was avoiding the question, but I didn’t push for an answer because… I’m afraid of what the answer will be. I didn’t ask Mr. Grant either, because I knew I couldn’t accept it if the truth was that they were…” Staring out the front window, Grey thought fearfully, “Will my hopes be shattered as well?” Speeding towards the South Gate, the city guards leaped out of the way as the hover car raced through the gate without stopping. Amy raised her head and looked out the window as they exited the city wall, laying her tearful eyes on the world outside the city. It was still night and it had been so long that she couldn’t even remember having seen it before.

Author's Note

The end of the original six chapters that serve as this story's humble beginnings. Doing this uploading chapter by chapter is gonna take me awhile hehehe... >.<

Reviews

[Ryan Henderson]

Wow! Very awesome and exhilarating fight scenes! I love how Grey can mutter something as funny and cocky as “Ugh… B*****d…” Even after he was just slammed into a metal storage crate, denting it! This made me chuckle, as it kind of reminds me of myself. I also loved when Colonel Ritcher said "Well, it seems my reputation precedes me." To Alastor, as he casually takes aim with his pistol. Very nice flow and no spelling errors here! Awesome language and awesome ability to write in character! I look forward to reading more of this series!