The Stuff of Legends (Part 2)

written by Thomas Fritzinger

The rain was torrential and pounded the structure known as the Parthenon relentlessly. On top of that, a massive tornado had formed and was threatening to bring the entire building down, destroying a landmark near and dear to the hearts of the Athenian populous, even if most no longer worshiped the gods of old.

The violent weather outside merely hinted at the destructive power inside the monument as the Akkadian Knights and the Reverent Knights fought desperately to stop a powerful man from completing a ritual. Although the team had no idea what he was attempting to do, it was obvious that he was up to no good because he had summoned an army of nearly invincible creatures to his side to protect himself. They had already lost two of their number to a clever trap and the storm was throwing around so much debris that it was shredding and crushing anything in its way. 

It tore a massive twelve ton cornerstone from its mooring and heaved it into the air like a pillow. The stone picked up speed and shot back at the team as it rounded the funnel.

Caledonia looked up just in time to see the giant cornerstone bearing down on her. She winced and turned her head, knowing that she was powerless to stop it, knowing that her time was up, and holding on to the pillar with one hand for dear life. Mr. F’in Fantastic clinging on to her other hand to avoid being sucked up in the twister stared in horror. 

There was a blur and Quan flew in the way with amazing speed. The stone hit him… and then just stopped. Both Quan and the cornerstone were suspended in the air a mere half dozen feet from her head. Even the flames perpetually lit on his head were motionless. 

The winds shifted and Caledonia was able to pull Mr. F’in Fantastic into the structure, away from the worst of the howling wind. While she lay panting on the floor, Bat MAn grabbed them both by the arms and dragged them inside further. “What happened?” was her first panted question, but it was lost in the howling wind.

Bat MAn read her lips, shot a glance back at Quan, closed in to within an inch of Caledonia’s ear and then said “Well, he isn’t the Quantum Elemental for nothing. He apparently stopped time for himself and the cornerstone.”

“What happens when he re-starts it?” Caledonia asked. Her only thoughts were of her teammate. Since she was unable to read Quan’s thoughts, she had no idea what he was thinking or if he had a plan to get himself out of the predicament that had saved her life.

“Unless we do something brilliant, he’ll have about a half second of life left.” Bat MAn looked concerned at the thought, but didn’t have time to think it all the way through. One of the beasts hit him on the back, sending him rolling to a crouch. In one fluid motion his hand shot to his belt and multiple bat shaped pieces of metal were flying at the beast. Each exploded on impact, sending the beast flying away. 

StrongArm and Darkness were having issues of their own. StrongArm had taken a terrible bite from one of the beasts and was using energy blasts to keep them at bay. He picked up the carcass of the one he managed to kill and threw it with all his might at the next one, tearing both in half. Darkness was doing his best to aid his injured companion, but lacked the strength to defeat any of the creatures. The best he could do was to deflect their attacks by creating shadowy duplicates to confuse them. Luckily, they weren’t all that bright and chased the shadows like a cat might chase a laser light. 

The team’s defensive perimeter was in tatters. Eron was helping The GREAT Angelia back to her feet and up the steps, keeping her out of the direct path of the funnel cloud which had taken up position just outside the Parthenon. Three of the beasts broke from the main battle and charged them. They all shot out sticky globs from their tails, sending exploding shrapnel in every direction. Bruised and now lacerated, the two heroes huddled on the steps as the twister bore down directly on top of them.

On Tarterous…

Cassandra huddled behind a large stone as a blast of orange fire scorched the other side. Knoah vaulted over it, his coat on fire. From the hillside behind her, Zildoran called out from the mouth of a cave, ushering the two up into it. His forehead was still bleeding from the initial unsuccessful defense they had mounted against on the creature. Their powers were being sapped somehow.

Stealing a glance over the rock, she saw the massive hellhound charging. He would be on her in seconds. Activating her personal teleporter, she left her hiding place and reappeared at the mouth of the cave. 

Knoah was right behind her, moving very quickly. He charged into the cave with the other two on his tail, which was still on fire. Stopping briefly, he tore off his jacket and began stomping on it to put out the flames. 

“What were you thinking!!!” yelled Zildoran.

“It’s not my fault!” retorted Knoah as he beat his coat against the rock wall and put the fire out.

Cassandra angrily got in his face. “Could have fooled us. We were lost before, but at least we weren’t being chased by a three headed monster. Why in the world is he following you?” 

“Because I stole the key to trapping his master indefinitely!” Knoah revealed.

At that point, a hot wind raced into the cave and all three heroes went silent. All that could be heard was the heavy breathing of something big. Then they could hear it take a deep breath and all three charged further into the cave. 

A blast of fire erupted form the entrance of the cave and chased them. Knoah’s coat caught on fire again…

Back on Earth at the Parthenon…

Just as the twister was about to hit Eron and The GREAT Angelia, it stopped moving forward and started wavering back and forth.  Caledonia was using her telekinetic ability to control the debris and even the tornado itself.  Soon, the extreme strain caused blood to trickle from her nose and ears, as she extended her arms to the heavens, willing the wind to obey her commands. 

The hooded figure in the center of the Parthenon bowed his head and flexed his outstretched hands and the three candles floating around him joined into one large candle, its flame blazing white. Mystical forces poured from the candle and the twister straightened back out.  

Physically and mentally exhausted, Caledonia was thrown back against a pillar like a rag doll, pinned by the brute force of the tornado.

Wyldecard saw this, being the closest one to the center, and looked at Darkness. “Stay with StrongArm, he needs you.”

Darkness looked back at his new friend, “Don’t do anything stupid… hey!” 

Wyldecard rocketed towards the hooded figure.  As he approached, a beast got in his way.  He switched to ghost form and passed right through it, only to materialize on the other side.  He blasted the candle with a cone of frost, dousing it. 

The structure shook, but only for a moment.  He turned and looked back and up at the twister. The tornado began to dissipate and he saw Caledonia collapse to the floor.  Suddenly, he felt a cold hand wrap around his neck. 

Picking Wyldecard up, the figure turned him to look him in the eyes. “You will pay for that.”

“Not as much as you will!” Wyldecard shoved his psychic dagger into the man’s chest, spearing the amulet which glowed there. The figure let loose of the hero, reeling backwards, holding his chest in pain. The amulet heated up until it was literally red hot and the figure tore it off his chest and threw it on the ground. The beasts throughout the Parthenon lost focus and began attacking everyone and everything in sight, even themselves.

The team took the precious few seconds they had and regrouped. Most were injured. Vexator and The GREAT Angelia had been knocked silly. PkPay had set up a force shield over the two and was doing his very best to ward off the monstrosities bearing down on them. Finding their minds to be rather weak without guidance, he had actually stunned one of them and it was flopping on the ground near them like a fish out of water. He tried the same thing on others in an effort to incapacitate them but they recovered as quickly as he could immobilize them.

Even in with the twister gone and the beasts in disarray, there was little hope they were getting out of this alive.

Wyldecard turned to return to his team when one of the beasts caught him from behind in its powerful jaws. Pulling him up off the floor, he didn’t have time to defend himself. A bolt of energy hit the creature’s tail section, blowing a hole clean through it. Captain Atom flew through the throng of beasts and caught Wyldecard before he could hit the floor below. 

Below, Wylde could see the hooded figure look around in panic. The hooded villain turned and began to flee, only to stop as several of the creatures surrounded him. Two of the beasts nearest him charged, each one grabbing a piece of him. He looked at them in terror. “NO! I was promised! My path is set! You can’t do this! I am to be the herald…” His end was gruesome and quick. 

Cap set Wyldecard down on the floor and focused on protecting him from the beasts. Byte was hovering around the two and sending arcs of lightning out at anything that got in range. His wounds were bad, but he would live.

The blood pooling under the broken villain began collecting around the tome which had fallen to the floor at his death. The book had finished reading itself moments before and the letters were still glowing. The pages began soaking up the fluid, and the white light it was emanating all this time changed to a deep red color. 

Had anyone been close enough to hear, they would have heard a raspy voice rise from the pages of the book, “Your sacrifice is acceptable herald. Your Master approaches.”

Loud, mirthful laughter washed over everyone in the Parthenon and a gateway sprang into being over the book as if the fabric of space itself had been ripped and torn. A blast of hot, stale wind wafted out of the rift, mixing with the cool wet air creating a bellowing fog that rolled its way out of the Parthenon in all directions. The rift rose high into the air, and a dim red sun shone on the other side.

A dark figure lunged through…

Back on Tarterous, running for their very lives…

“So,” Cassandra started, panting as she ran, “How did you meet Rover back there and why has he chased us all this way?” The hellhound was behind them by nearly a thousand feet. Its paws pounded the ground as it ran.

“You took his Milkbone?” Zildoran’s attempt at humor got a snort out of Knoah.

Showing no signs of exhaustion at all, Knoah responded, “I stole something from his master. We have to get to the gateway before it catches us.” 

“And for God’s sake, why can’t I fly”, Zildoran panted, sweat pouring down his brow. 

“That’s a story for a different day, Zil. Suffice it to say that this place literally sucks the life out of you. The longer you are here, the closer you are to being dead.” 

“Why hasn’t it slowed you down any,” Cassandra was puffing by this point.

“I’m not really here. I’m actually in a coma in my bed. It’s another long story. Just be glad I am here to help get you out of this mess.”

The three had run for miles and were now at the base of the mountain which housed the citadel to which Knoah was traveling as well as the gateway they needed to get home. A half mile behind them, they could easily see the three headed dog, Cerberus, Hound of Hell, charging after them. On this plane, as they had painfully found out, he was nearly invincible and their powers were diminished. Zildoran wiped dried blood from his temple and sat on a flat rock, dizzy from the exertion.

Cassandra took his hand and urged him on. The three ran as swiftly as they could around the base of the mountain and came upon a startling discovery. Before them, and somewhat down a crater, was a wide amphitheatre. In the center was a book, out of which a cloaked skeletal figure was intoning passages. Surrounding him was a veritable army of armored warriors. Although they were shiny black and silver from head to toe, each was spouting fire from every crack and crevice in their armor. They formed neat ranks and numbered in the tens of thousands.

It was an invasion force.

Fortunately, Knoah did not see the demi-god. He must not have arrived yet. It’s his home after all. How can you be late to an event that doesn’t start until you are ready for it?

A crack of thunder peeled across the sky and the soldiers came to attention. The skeletal figure collapsed on the ground and the tome from whence he was reading shot a beam of dark red light into the air. 

Knoah turned to his companions. “I cannot follow you out this way, but I’m sure it’s fate that you should arrive. Take this,” he handed a package to Zildoran, “it contains a fine powder. Sprinkle this on the book on the other side of that portal. It will destroy the book and the gate.

“There is a problem though. One of you has to stay on this side while it happens to hold off the invasion force long enough for the gate to close. If even one of them gets through, the enchantments they wear will keep the gate open long enough for the demi-god who lives here to pass. His name is Barthandalus. If he does, there’s no power on Earth that will be able to destroy him.” 

Cassandra looked up at him, “I can feel my powers returning this close to the gate. I’ll do it.”

At that moment, the rocks above them shifted and a stream of hot liquid dropped down on Zil’s head. The three looked up into the faces of Cerberus, who had apparently snuck up on them while they were talking. How something that big could move that stealthily was beyond them, but it somehow managed.

Knoah looked at Cassandra, “you think your powers are back enough to fly Zildoran to that gate?” “We’re about to find out!” She picked up her companion under the arms and shot off just as Cerberus attacked, a blast of orange flames scorching the ground where they once were. Knoah stayed and the flames passed through him as if he was not there. 

Although she was not quite up to speed, she could feel her powers increasing as she flew over the assembled horde and closer to the rift. Zildoran did too, although much more slowly. They landed on the platform and looked through. The gate was hazy, as if it was made of smoke. The army behind them gasped in surprise and the front ranks formed a phalanx as they started up the steps of the platform. There were hundreds upon hundreds, but Cassandra didn’t hesitate. She blasted the first row with a nova burst, sending soldiers flying through the air with one hand and summoned a dark dragon with the other. 

Looking on from a distance, Knoah stood on the hillside, powerless to do anything except wish his companions a safe journey. As he let his consciousness go, to return to his body, he looked up at the citadel and saw the chariot of the demi-god descending. “Too late,” he thought, “your doom is sealed”. Knoah faded away like a whisp of smoke in the breeze.

Unfortunately, there were many more where that came from and they kept advancing. The sky above lit up a bright orange as Zildoran started through the gate. The first volley of flaming arrows hit the two and Cassandra had enough energy to erect a barrier of ice, but Zildoran was stepping through the rift and didn’t see them coming. Three planted themselves in his back. He fell face first through the rift…

On the side of Mount Doom…

The Almighty and All-Powerful god of War, Barthandalus, rode his chariot down the side of the mountain to meet his army as they prepared to enter the rift and burn the mortal realm to ashes. He had been setting this plan in motion for over 20 years and was happy to see the first phase progressing to his design.

The gateway should be opening. Fate was moving against the pathetic heroes that were unwittingly helping him to enter the world of men once more. As he rounded the corner overlooking his amphitheatre, he saw his loyal pet Cerberus charging the gate. Looking closer, he saw his army engaging a sorceress of great might. 

“Excellent…” he thought as he continued towards the rift.

As worlds collided…

The battle was going poorly for the Knights. They were engaging the creatures on all fronts, but several Knights were already injured and the beasts didn’t seem to be wearing out at all. Some of the members who could fly got together and attempted to take the battle to the sky, only to have to retreat back. Since the creatures were used to battles in space, their 3-D perception was incredible and they were much better at battling in the atmosphere than on the ground where they could not completely surround their opponents. Zildoran had spent months perfecting his areal combat skills, but he was no longer here. 

When the amulet was shattered, the beasts were disorganized for a while, but one of them apparently took on the role of the “brain” and was beginning to control the rest, organizing them and creating the formidable fighting force the Knights recalled from the first invasion in the upper atmosphere of the planet. Once that began, it was a downhill slide for the team and with Quan and his EMP blast out of the picture, they had run out of options. The Knights gathered together around the rift fighting what could be their last stand as the beasts formed into a massive, snakelike figure in the air over the Parthenon and descended on the heroes in mass. Every member of the team sent everything they had up at them in one concentrated burst in an attempt to destroy them. All it did was slow them down. 

Through the gate, they could see a shadowy army. Hope was vanishing from the team.

Cap and Eron were closest to the rift when the first shadow came through. The figure lunged at them clumsily. Both heroes turned to face the fiend, charging their most powerful attacks, but held them at the last second as Zildoran fell through on the ground. He had three black, smoking arrows sticking out of his back and was gasping for air, blood trickling out of his mouth and forehead. He was pale.

“Zildoran!” Eron reached down and picked him up. Zil looked up at his friend and gave him the bag. “Pour this on the book…”

Eron set his friend down and turned to the book without question, dumping the contents on it. The fine, granular substance was much like ground up glass in appearance. As it covered the book it set the book on fire, shooting green flames up into the sky. A screech could be heard as the tome actually moved back and forth. The rift seized and shook and shrank as the book was quickly consumed.

Zildoran looked back through the gate to see Cassandra fending off the oncoming legions with blasts of electricity and bolts of energy. She had taken one of their shields and was using it to stop attacks and, just beyond her, he could see Cerberus charging through the ranks at her. He screamed as loud as he could “Cassandra!!! Now!!”

Eron, hearing this, looked through and saw the same sight. He saw at the creatures swarming over their heads, preparing for what could be the final assault and an idea crossed his mind. He looked at Cap, who must have had the same idea. They exchanged glances and Eron reached down to pick up the still sparking amulet at his feet. He threw it to Cap, who shot a bolt of energy into it. It let out a pulse of blue energy that flooded the Parthenon with light for just a moment. Every beast in the structure changed direction to charge at Cap.

He threw the amulet with all his might through the rift and the mass of beasts followed it.

On the other side, Cassandra heard Zildoran yell for her to come and threw up a wall of ice between her and the horde she had been battling. She turned to enter the gateway only to see an equally horrifying horde of beasts flying towards her. She attempted to jump through, but it was too late.

With a thunderous crash a massive canine head burst through the wall of ice and caught her in its jaws as she jumped. Her eyes met Zildoran’s one last time as it ripped her up into the air and back down to earth. Cerberus pounded Cassandra into the ground hard, shattering the paving stones with her body. Another of his heads came in for the kill as the first of the flying creatures exited the portal and barreled into the hell hound. The next few hundred knocked him off his hind legs and into the army assembled behind and below him crushing several of the armored warriors. The dull red sky turned to darkness over the assembled army as the mass of beasts blotted out the weak red sun. Battle was joined as the swarm and the horde tore into each other.

Cassandra could hardly see. Over her head she saw blur upon blur as the creatures poured through the gate. On the other side, she could barely see that Captain Atom was trying his best to hold the gate open with his own body as long as he could so that she could get through. With the swarm moving through it, the team could not get to her to help her.

To her right, she saw the chariot of the demi-god Barthandalus approaching. If he got through the gate, all their work would be for naught. She feebly lifted her hand and used her powers of telekinesis to shove Cap on his back, breaking his concentration and allowing the gate to close as the last of the swarm crossed the rift. 

“Goodbye.”

The rift dimmed and faded out of existence.

The demi-god arrived on the stone platform seconds too late as the rift fully closed and the book that had opened it burst into green flames. One of the beasts attacked him. He merely looked at it crossly and it burst into flames, incinerating itself in mid flight.

He looked down at Cassandra’s broken form with a scowl with a very cross expression. 

Back in the Parthenon…

“NO!”

Everything was silent except for the cries of Zildoran and the incessant pouring of the rain. Eron put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “We’ll find her, Zil.”

Captain Atom, picking himself up, looked back at Quan who was still suspended in the air between two pillars. “Guys, it’s not over quite yet.”

The team set to work saving Quan and wondered if Cassandra was still alive.

To be continued...