Sirens blared as Rethan soldiers clashed with the nameless entities throughout the Parliamentary Tower. Strange, black creatures had swiftly broken in via a portal on the building’s roof, attacking from above, armed with a myriad of blades.
Already, both sides had plenty of casualties. While the shadowy beings had caught the Rethan Elite off guard, as soon as the main Rethan military force started fighting back, the number of dead unknowns began to swiftly increase.
“Push onwards! Cast them out!”
Leading the charge was Elkay Theanon, the High General himself. While former High Generals would have shied away at the first sign of danger, the second General Elkay realised they were under attack, he rallied the Rethans around him, forming a defensive barricade of shields, gunstaffs and armoured muscle that was swiftly reducing the numbers of the strange creatures that sought to usurp Elkay’s leadership.
“Above us!”
These creatures seemed to be teleporters. Several times now they had tried to flank the tight-knit squads of Rethavok, but the Rethan soldiers, now fully alert to their enemies’ tactics, were having no problems fending the nameless beings off.
This creature though, it was slightly bigger and was trying to attack the High General directly. Elkay was not amused as he fired his gunstaff and pushed the creature into the blades of his fellow Rethans. Clearly they were trying to get to the Rethan leaders. Why else would they attack the one place where the highest ranking Rethan generals would gather?
Another group of creatures tried to attack, but they did not suffer a kind fate as the blasts of ten gunstaffs scattered their bodies across the hall. It seemed though that they were just a distraction as a much nastier nameless entity stepped forward.
This one was bigger and meaner than the others. It had four blades for arms, each of them soaked in the blood of Rethan and shadow being alike. It raised one of its arms in the direction of the High General.
“I challenge you.”
Elkay stepped forward as his soldiers stepped to one side.
“What do you want?” Elkay growled. “You attack us unprovoked and as cowards, and now you want an honourable fight?”
“Not cowardly. Testing.” The nameless entity drew its blades. Its only other feature was a pair of squinting red eyes. “Are your kind worthy. Challenge the leader. Leader falls, you all fall.”
The High General growled again. He handed his gunstaff to one of the soldiers by his side and drew his own blade, the Lightbringer. Its golden blade glowed with fiery white energy, drawing energy from Elkay’s own courage and spirit. As the creature saw the blade, it stumbled back, ever so slightly, before recovering its strength.
“Why do they always have to be like this?” Elkay grunted as the nameless entity charged forward.
The beast threw its arms wildly, hissing and roaring as it did so. The Rethan troops silently moved out of the way, while the High General effortlessly ducked under the creature. Angered, the beast twisted round and charged again, lowering its body and forcing Elkay to skid to one side. Elkay sidestepped a third charge, then slipped past the creature’s clawed defences, slashing its leg with his blade.
“YOU WILL PAY!” the nameless one roared louder this time, its bellows echoing across the building. Other, smaller beings began to flood to their location, only to be killed or driven away by Elkay’s troops.
“Really?” Elkay hissed as he yet again dodged more strikes, each time responding with several slashes of his own. “You want me to pay? Typical invader thoughts. You should be ashamed!”
“YOU DO NOT DESERVE THIS UNIVERSE!” the nameless one screeched as Elkay slashed at its legs once more.
But everything changed the second the High General caught the creature by its neck. Completely enraged, the creature began to flail its arms wildly, forcing Elkay to duck for cover. It grew in size and speed, slashing and clawing at everything in its way.
“Soldier, give me your staff!” Elkay ordered as he pushed several of his troops out of harm’s way. The soldier did as he was told, watching with a slight hint of worry as the High General threw the gunstaff at the creature. It bounced blindly off the creature’s claws.
“THAT WILL NOT-”
The staff was just a distraction. The High General leaped up and plunged his blade into the creature’s neck. In one clean action, the nameless entity’s head was removed from its shoulders. The beast’s corpse collapsed on the ground, black goo oozing from its wounds.
In the sky above them, the black portal sealed itself, leaving countless entities behind.
The High General’s troops glanced at their leader, awaiting further instructions.
“Kill them…” Elkay ordered as he covered the small wound on his side. “Kill every single last one of them, like the honour-less cowards they are…”