Chapter 14
ZAR’RYN MET them head-on, his blade a blur of motion. Each strike was precisely executed, cutting through their ranks with lethal efficiency. His movements were a dance of controlled violence, honed by centuries of battle. Behind him, Tor’Vek fired his weapon with cold precision, each shot landingtrue.
“Elara, get behind the console!” Zar’Ryn barked, his voice cutting through the din. She obeyed instantly, ducking behind the workstation, her trembling hands scrambling over the controls.
Then, through the chaos, afigure emerged—atall, lean Vettian with gray hair that swept back from his sharply angled face. His pale skin seemed to glow faintly under the emergency lights, and his yellow eyes gleamed with cold calculation. Unlike the frenzied Marauders, he moved with unhurried confidence, his presence a stark contrast to the carnage aroundhim.
“Selyr, Iassume,” Zar’Ryn announced, his blade stilling for a moment as his gaze locked onto the Vettian. “Still stooping to use Marauders to do your work.”
Selyr’s lips curved into a faint smile, though his eyes remained cold. “Ah, Zar’Ryn. How easy it has been to find you. Ihad hoped to avoid this… unpleasantness, but you are nothing if not predictable.”
“You brought this upon yourself,” Zar’Ryn said, his voice low and dangerous. “You abandoned the Vettian way. You are no better than the creatures you employ.”
Selyr tilted his head, his smile widening slightly. “I am better, Zar’Ryn. Far better. While you cling to outdated ideals, Isee the truth. Power lies not in honor or the IW code, but in what one can create. And the bracelets you wear are the key to something far greater.”
Another wave of Marauders surged forward, and Zar’Ryn charged to meet them. His blade moved with brutal efficiency, cutting through their ranks even as Selyr watched with detached amusement.
The lab turned into a storm of chaos and destruction. Shards of metal and debris littered the floor as sparks rained down from exposed wiring in the ceiling. The air became thick with smoke and the metallic tang of blood. Zar’Ryn’s blade cut through another Marauder with precision, the creature crumpling to the ground in a heap. His attention flicked briefly to the far side of the room, where Elara and Tor’Vek were hunched over a console.
“Elara!” Zar’Ryn shouted, his voice sharp over the din. “Secure the device and retreat!”
She didn’t answer, her focus locked on the glowing console in front of her. Her fingers moved with frantic precision, the suppressor Tor’Vek had created now overpowered by the warning blare of the station’s alarms. He stood beside her, his calm demeanor unnerving as he adjusted settings on the suppressor’s prototype with practiced efficiency.
“Tor’Vek!” Zar’Ryn barked, his blade parrying a blow from a charging Marauder. “Get her out of here!”
Tor’Vek didn’t glance up. “The research is too valuable to abandon,” he said evenly, his fingers flying over the device. “If the suppressor is destroyed, so is our only chance of controlling the bond.”
Zar’Ryn growled in frustration, slicing through another Marauder. His gaze darted back to Elara, who was now crouched beneath the console, prying open a panel. Sparks flew as she yanked at a cluster of wires, her movements fast but deliberate.
“Elara, move!” Zar’Ryn roared as an energy bolt ricocheted off the console above her. She flinched but didn’t stop, her determination pressing against him through thebond.
“I’ve almost got it!” she called back, her voice tight with concentration. “The shielding system—it’s unstable, but I can reroute the power.”
Tor’Vek fired a precise shot at an advancing Marauder, his calm voice cutting through the chaos. “You have less than two minutes. Work faster.”
Elara muttered something under her breath, her hands flying over the exposed wiring. Zar’Ryn saw her wince as another bolt of energy struck dangerously close, showering her in sparks. His grip on his blade tightened, anger flaring through him. The bond jumped between them, amplifying her focus and resolve, even as his instincts screamed to protecther.
He dispatched another Marauder and pivoted toward her, his voice like steel. “You will finish and retreat, or I will drag you out myself.”
“Not yet!” Elara shot back, amix of fear and determination lacing her tone. Her hands twisted the wires with deft precision, and the console flickered to life. “If we lose the suppressor now, everything we’ve worked for is gone. Ineed thirty more seconds!”
Zar’Ryn parried another attack, the Marauder’s crude weapon scraping against his blade before he drove it into the creature’s chest. His eyes flicked to the doorway, where more Marauders were spilling in, their guttural snarls filling theair.
“Elara!” he shouted again, his voice a command, aplea.
“Done!” she cried triumphantly as the shielding system activated with a resonant hum. Afaint shimmer of energy enveloped the suppressor and its data drives, the glow casting an otherworldly light over the chaos. “The device is protected.”
Zar’Ryn turned just in time to see her scramble out from beneath the console, narrowly dodging a clawed Marauder that lunged for her. He moved without hesitation, his blade cleaving through the creature before it could reach her. Blood sprayed across the floor as the Marauder collapsed, lifeless.
“Go!” Zar’Ryn barked, his body moving to shield Elara and Tor’Vek as they backed toward the emergency exit. The bond warned of her relief and exhaustion, the intensity of it threatening to pull at his focus.
Tor’Vek paused only to grab the portable suppressor, cradling it with care. “The shielding will hold for now, but this facility will not.”
Elara glanced at Zar’Ryn, her hazel eyes wide but steady. “Come with us.”
“I will follow,” he said firmly, his blade rising to meet another wave of Marauders. “Move!”
Tor’Vek took her arm, guiding her toward the exit. The bond flared as Elara hesitated, her fear and concern crashing into Zar’Ryn with startling clarity. He didn’t look back, his attention fully on the Marauders closingin.
“You will be safe,” he said, his voice cutting through the chaos. “Go now.”
The emergency door sealed behind them with a heavy thud, leaving Zar’Ryn alone with the oncoming horde. His blade gleamed in the crimson light, steady in his grip. He took a deep breath, the bond’s connection receding ever so slightly as Elara moved fartheraway.
Now, it was only him and the Marauders. And Selyr.
“You are wasting your strength,” Selyr said, his tone calm as he stepped farther into the room. “The bond has already made you vulnerable. It will unmake you, just as it will unmake her.”
Zar’Ryn’s blade cut down the last of the Marauders in the wave, and he turned sharply toward Selyr, his chest heaving. “You will not touch her.”
“Oh, Zar’Ryn,” Selyr said, his voice almost pitying. “I do not need to. The bond will do that for me. After all, this is not the end. This is only the beginning.”
With a sharp motion, Selyr triggered a concealed device. The lab shuddered violently as a new wave of Marauders poured in through the breached ceiling. Zar’Ryn tightened his grip on his blade, his focus sharpening as he charged to meet them head-on.
The ceiling above groaned as debris rained down, thick plumes of dust swirling through the lab. The Marauders poured in, their guttural snarls echoing off the walls. Zar’Ryn’s blade snapped through the air, ablur of lethal precision as he intercepted the newest wave. His movements were sharp, deliberate, honed by centuries of combat.
Selyr stood at the far end of the room. The faint glow of his eerie yellow eyes cut through the dust, watching Zar’Ryn with cold detachment. “So predictable,” he murmured, his voice low but audible over the chaos. “Always the noble warrior, sacrificing yourself for others. Tell me, Zar’Ryn, when will it be enough?”
He didn’t answer, instead driving his blade into the chest of a lunging Marauder, twisting sharply before pulling it free. His gaze flicked to the emergency exit where Tor’Vek and Elara had vanished. The bond thrummed faintly, awhisper of Elara’s anxiety brushing against his thoughts. She was safe. Fornow.
The next group of Marauders charged, their crude weapons raised, their grotesque forms illuminated by the flickering emergency lights. Zar’Ryn moved to meet them, his blade carving a deadly arc through the air. The creatures fell one by one, their guttural cries fading into silence as he pressed forward.
“You cannot keep this up forever,” Selyr said, his tone almost conversational. He stepped closer, his hands clasped behind his back. “The bond will break you. It is only a matter of time.”
Zar’Ryn turned sharply, his blade raised, his gaze locking onto Selyr. “I will not allow you to manipulate me.”
Selyr chuckled, the sound low and mocking. “You think this is manipulation? No, Zar’Ryn. This is inevitability. The bond is not a gift. It is a curse. And when it consumes you, Iwill be there to collect the pieces.”
Another Marauder lunged from the side, its claws slashing through the air. Zar’Ryn twisted, dodging the attack and driving his blade into its side. The creature collapsed with a choked snarl, its lifeless body hitting the floor with a dullthud.
“You have surrounded yourself with beasts,” Zar’Ryn said coldly, his blade dripping with dark, viscous blood. “Is this what you have chosen to become, Selyr? Acoward hiding behind creatures too mindless to question your orders?”
Selyr’s smile faltered, aflicker of something darker crossing his face. “You think yourself superior because you cling to outdated codes and hollow ideals. But tell me, warrior, where have those ideals led you? To a bond you cannot control? To a human who will only drag you down?”
Zar’Ryn charged, his blade cutting through the air in a sharp, precise arc. Selyr sidestepped smoothly, his movements fluid and calculated. He raised a small device, its surface etched with glowing symbols, and pressed a setting.
A pulse of energy rippled through the room, slamming into Zar’Ryn like a physical blow. He staggered, his blade faltering as the force coursed through him. The bond flared violently, Elara’s emotions crashing into him with startling intensity—fear, anger, desperation. It was overwhelming, like a tidal wave threatening to drownhim.
“Do you feel it?” Selyr asked, his voice smooth and laced with cruel satisfaction. “The bond is not your strength. It is your weakness.”
Zar’Ryn gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand. The pulse had momentarily dulled his senses, but his grip on his blade remained steady. “You are mistaken,” he said, his voice low and steady. “The bond is not what weakens me. You have only ensured your defeat.”
Selyr’s gaze narrowed, his calm facade slipping for the first time. “Bold words for a man who cannot stand.”
Zar’Ryn lunged, his blade a blur of motion as he closed the distance between them. Selyr raised the device again, but Zar’Ryn struck first, his blade slicing through the mechanism with brutal precision. Sparks erupted as the device shattered, the energy pulse dissipating into theair.
The two Vettians faced each other, the tension between them crackling like static. Selyr’s calm expression was gone, replaced by a cold fury. “You will regret that,” he said, his voice sharp as a blade.
“I regret nothing,” Zar’Ryn replied, his gaze unflinching. “You will answer for what you have done.”
Before Selyr could respond, the station shuddered violently, another explosion ripping through its structure. The emergency lights flickered, plunging the room into momentary darkness.
When the lights returned, Selyr wasgone.
Zar’Ryn turned, his gaze sweeping the room. The remaining Marauders lay scattered across the floor, lifeless. The lab was in ruins, its consoles sparking and hissing as the station groaned under the strain of the assault.
The bond called to him, loud and strident, Elara’s presence cutting through the haze of battle. She was alive. That was all that mattered.
With a final glance at the destruction around him, Zar’Ryn turned and headed for the emergency exit. The battle was over, but the war was far from won.