Okay, so here are the first 2 chapters done by me, zikan_1942, as well as the prologue. I hope that you will enjoy it? hahaha, And since I'm starting on such an auspicious day, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL!!!! This is my Christmas present to you! May all your dreams come true!!
The Psywar Saga
Prologue:
There was once a world. A world where Magic and Technology lived side by side. A world where many races live, and not all walked on 2 legs or ran on 4. A World that had great heroes, and insidious villains
A world at war.
There used to be balance in the world. There was an order of powerful warriors who guided the belligerent races of the world gently with the spoken world, or forcefully bludgeoned them into peace.
They were gone.
Swept away in a madness that engulfed the world. Swept away by the people that they swore to protect from the evils of the void. Swept away by the evil of men, who swore that to command such incredible and terrible force was an abomination, and prove that they were allied with the very creatures that they fought. That there was a conspiracy to overthrow the order of man on the planet and to sell everyone to the demons to do what they wished.
Gone... and the Demons came to ravage the nations of man....
There was a battle. A Great battle it was. The leader of the Human Armies, Jonathan Hephatus, a titan of his own creation, fought with the leader of the Demons and slew him on that battlefield. With the slaying of the demon horde master, the truth was revealed. A traitor to the races of the world decided to aid the Demons in order to have rule over the world and to have untold power.
All he had to do was to eradicate the Arbiters, the organization that was sworn to protect him.
Mankind and their allies won the battle. At the cost of almost the entirety of the Dryad race, a continent, and an age of peace and security. It was the start of the Age of strife.
The world is still at war. Yet in times of need, great heroes rise to the fore, to match their strength with the evil of the times. Though the Arbiters were gone, there were those who strove to match their will and determination of a better life.
But the Arbiters were never gone.
Chapter 1: Storms of Fire
It was dark. The skies were overcast with towering clouds that were threatening to sneeze and douse the land with rain. There was little light to see with at dusk. Ian slowly sneaked his way through the ruins of a shopping centre. His light blue eyes swept back and forth, keeping a close watch out for danger. He did not wear a hat, preferring to let his short spiky hair out. Every few moments he would take out his scanner and follow the direction that it told him. His movements were silent and he left no trace on the concrete floor
For he was hunting, and they were hunting him.
Ian crouched down beside a ruined wall. Keeping one eye over his shoulder, he drew out a sawed off HP-27 rifle and press the PTT button on the comms in his mouthpiece, and spoke quickly and efficiently.
"Blue eyes to Rolling thunder. I found their tracks. Looks like they took 2. They are not very far from my co-ordinates. Keep an eyeball on me. Over"
"Rolling Thunder. Roger that. ETA to contact? Over"
"Blue eyes. 5 mikes and counting down. I got a feeling that they are tracking me as well. Over"
"Rolling Thunder. Roger that. We'll cover you. They won't know what hit them if they try to hit you at your position. Over"
"Blue eyes. Most pleased with the assurance. I'm moving out now. Be Ready for my signal. Over"
"Rolling Thunder. Always Ready. Roger out"
Ian looked up at the twilight sky through the open roof. He sighed; thinking wistfully of a time when laughter filled those skies instead of the fire that was to follow. He took a quick glance around the wall then sprinted for the next cover.
The air filled with the screams of a young girl. "Damnations", Ian cursed. He flipped the safety off his rifle and started moving as quickly and as silently as he could. Here lay a piece of rubble from the ceiling high overhead. Here lay an automobile with it's inside a charnel house of flesh and blood, flies buzzing over it with maggots churning on the remains inside. A landscape for the Dead. A landscape that was about to increase by one more.
Finally, Ian managed to find the source of the screaming. The light from the flame flickered in the night breeze, swirling the shadows of the monsters around the fire on the ruined wall. The screaming had stopped, to be replaced by sobbing. Ian gritted his teeth. One more mark to carve on his heart for another lost innocent. Checking his equipment one last time, he decided to comm. his teammates to tell them the situation.
"Blue eyes to Rolling thunder. Sitrep. I found them. Not good. I think we lost one. Are you in position? Over"
"Rolling Thunder, negative, we ran into your tail and got into a... altercation. Give us 2 mikes and we'll be there over"
"Blue eyes. That is a Negative. I'm not going to lose the other one on my watch. I'm giving you 30 seconds. Over and out."
"Rolling Thunder. Damn it! Do-"
He cut off the comm. link. Ian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, sparks crackled around his temples. "It's show-time,” he breathed softly. With that, he vaulted over his cover and headed to his targets.
The first cybrid didn't even manage to look up from its meal before it died in a barrage of bullets, it's lean and lanky figure devastated by the bullets. Tall and lanky, they have long arms that allow them to run on four limbs. With a mouth full of sharp teeth like railroad spikes, razor sharp claws, and the ability to run as fast as an automobile, they are the ultimate killing machines this side of the silent field. The next cybrid was smart enough to try dodging, but it was not fast enough to dodge the shot to its head. Ian squeezed the trigger for another two short burst, taking out another two cybrids before the Gun ran out of bullets.
That left him with another four Cybrids and with an empty magazine.
Ian didn't bat an eyelid over it. He shouldered his rifle and took out a small rod. Flicking the thing open, the Rod extended to its full length of one and a half metres. The Lead Cybrid snarled and launched itself at him, only to be crushed against the floor by an overhead swing of the staff.
“Drop your weapon, or I’ll kill the girl!” snarled a cybrid. It was holding one of the hostages, a little girl no more then four years, by the throat.
“Really?” Ian taunted, “I didn’t know that scum like you could garble. Let’s see who’s faster…”
Ian summoned his innate natural power to achieve an unnatural speed. In a heartbeat, he was in front of the Cybrid. It did not have enough time to leap back before Ian punched through its skull with his forearm blade. The Cybrid dropped the child from its nerveless fingers. The girl was too frightened even to whimper. Seeing their leader fall, the remaining three Cybrids will to fight was lost and howling in fear, they fled.
“Not this time” Ian growled. Pressing the PTT button again, Ian relayed the info of the fleeing monsters to his teammates.
“Blue eyes to rolling thunder, I have 3 tangos heading in your direction. Finish them. Over”
“Rolling thunder, Roger wilco. Over”
“Blue eyes, tango Yankee. Over and out”
From the gloom of a deserted shop, a dark figure rose from within. What light there was glinted off the surface of a full suit of armour? A laser pointer flashed out to paint one of the fleeing cybrids. When the missile registered a lock-on, the figure fired his missile launcher. In the sudden flash of light, he was fully revealed. It was hard to see where the man ended and the cybernetics started, so covered was he by the body enhancements. Whatever was not covered by hydraulic mechanism and weaponry was shielded by armour. The missile travelled the distance in a flash and destroyed all of the fleeing cybrids in gout of flame.
“Nice”, Ian said over the comm. Link.
“Hey, in oriente primus. First in the east, that’s the fireguards motto.”
“Good job, Yang. So how many did we get today?”
“Let me see… I got three just now. In addition to your tail, which was about five? So in total we have twelve today. Remember to get the heads from yours”
“Okay, will do. Got to bring the kid back as well… Poor girl.”
Ian turned back to the girl. The child was crying silently, the tears running down her cheeks. The horror of having her mother eaten alive in front of her was reflected in her eyes. Looking down at what remained of her mother, her mouth was turned down at the sides; the bottom lip turned itself in grief. Ian gently places a hand on her shoulder and said, “Let go kid. We have to get out of here.” The girl did not resist him as he pulled her away from her mother’s corpse, but her eyes never left the spot where her mother died.
A few hours later back at the base camp, Ian and Yang gave their reports to their supervising officer, Lieutenant Ong in his office.
“It’s a tragedy that you did not manage to get the girl’s mother. I’ll still give you the bounty for the cybrids though. Good job, men.”
“Yes sir, thank you sir.” They said in unison.
“You are free to go. Yang, you are to report for duty as usual tomorrow. You have officially signed up with the Fireguards of the Steel Valkyries army after all. Ian, I think your manager has something for you. You might want to find him. Do you have any further enquires?”
“But sir! Why does he get the freedom to do what he wants?” grouse Yang
“Well, he did not signed on after all.” Laughed Lieutenant Ong, “He is still the freelance mercenary that he was.”
“Sir, but what about the child? Where will she go?” Ian raised the question.
“She will probably be sent to one of the human orphanages.” Lieutenant Ong replied. “Manpower is handling the issues of displaced civilians. You might want to direct your questions to them. Now if you may excuse me, I have some paperwork to do”
They left the office, their thoughts filled by the poor orphan. The girl refused to leave the ruins when they reached the exit; finally giving voice to the grief that dwelled inside her. She cried the whole way in the back of the APC, Yang trying to console her.
“Hey, I got to go meet Calvin.” Ian told Yang. “Probably another job to execute.”
“Alright. Sure you don’t want to join the Steel Valkyries with me? It’s tough being a mercenary and at least the routine will help keep you fit and healthy”
“It’s okay. I really appreciate the offer, but no thanks. Thanks for the offer though.”
“Just remember, Lieutenant Ong always has a place reserved for you. This would probably be one of the last times we worked together as a team and, Hey, it has been a pleasure working with you,” beamed Yang.
“In Oriente Primus, that’s what you always be. Keep up the standard.”
“Always.”
With that, they parted ways. Ian walked down the cool corridors of the building. He walked towards the Bar where his manager always frequented in the base. Ian worked as a mercenary, helping the army in curbing incursions by both the Cybrids and Bioriods. He was tall and lean, with little bulk. He walked with a dancer’s grace, always on the balls of his feet. His chiselled face always had a stern expression on his face. Ian rarely smiled. There was little to smile about when there was grief all around.
Calvin was at his usual spot, entertaining a girl with some witty joke about a dryad, a draikin and human walking into a bar. Upon seeing Ian, he quickly told the punch line, and then excused himself to talk to Ian.
“Hey, So how was the job? You have my payment?”
“Yeah, I will transfer it to you. Lieutenant Ong told me you wanted to find me?”
“Oh right, yeah, the client is outside, in the city,” Calvin said. Handing over a letter, he continued, “ The details of how to find him is in the envelope. You have to find him today. It’s a simple job, he will tell you the details about it. Now if you, excuse me I got to go back to Ellyn before she thinks I lost interest in her.”
With that, he moved back to Ellyn with a smile and bought another drink for her and himself. Ian slipped the package into his trench coat’s pocket and walked out. Bars tended to bring back bad memories for him. He went to his hover bike, started the ignition, and then proceeded to leave the camp. Time was a wasting after all.
Two hours later, Ian stood outside a grimy two-penny hotel near the city slum. It took him a while to find it, as the name of the hotel in the letter of information was outdated. The hotel was severely in need of a face-lift, like an aging model. Some of the windows were boarded up with slats of rotting wood. The green paint of the building was peeling off and there was only bare concrete at certain places on the wall. It was the slums after all, where little money was to be had. Ian entered the hotel and proceeded to the fourth story. He knocked on the door of Room 4-01.
“Enter,” said a voice.
Ian opened the door and entered the room. His client was sitting on the bed watching the television.
“You are the one?” The guy asked him
“No, I’m the Tooth fairy and I’m here to grant you your wish,” Ian said sarcastically.
The client ignored the barbed comment. “I engaged the services of Calvin as I needed to carry out a hit job. Let me introduce myself, I’m Inspector Director James.”
“The details about it?”
“Let me tell you a story…”
Chapter 2: Lay of Forgotten Heroes
In the beginning, there was nothing but the All Father and his servants, the two dragon lords, Jormugand and his mate, Nidhoggr. Now the All Father was pleased with his servants and they, with him. Together, they explored the cosmos and plumbed the depths of the void.
One day, the All Father felt that the void was too empty and hollow, bereft of feelings. So he decided to create a world to fill the void, to give it a sense of purpose other then to exist. He fashioned a bit of clay, moulded it into a sphere and with a spoken word, created the world. Now he had a place to visit and repose, instead of travelling the void, and he was content. While he was travelling the planet though, he found it just as empty as the void, without life. And so he took a piece of the land that he trod on, moulded with his hands, and breathed life into it. Thus was how the first of the dragons was formed. Now the All Father’s servants delighted in his creations and they clamoured to be given a chance to aid him in gilding the world with plants and creatures. Pleased by the enthusiasm of his servants, he decided to give them an opportunity. And so the three of them set to adorn the world with life.
Soon the world was covered with all manner of creations. Great Beasts walked the land, some as big as hills. Leviathans swim in the great oceans and majestic birds flocked through the air. Now of all these creations, the All Father and his servants love the dragons, for they were the first of his creations, the most beautiful and majestic of creatures that existed. They had multi-hued scales that shimmered and shone in the evening sun, one moment bright green, another moment a shimmering black. Their wings were powerful and with a single stroke they could traverse a hundred leagues. Sharp teeth lined a powerful jaw that could crush boulders into pebbles. The Dragons love their creator as well, for he had made them the king and queens of the world.
After gifting the void with life, the All Father was tired and so he gave the governing of the world to his servants Jormugand and Nidhoggr. However, with his all-seeing eye, he foresaw a time where there would be need of destruction and creation, and so he vested in his servants a measure of his power. To Nidhoggr, the queen of the dragons, he gave the power of creation, and the control of all elements of the air. To Jormugand, he gave the power of destruction, and the control of all elements of the sea. Upon doing so, he told his servants, “To Thee, I Charge This Responsibility To Guide This World. Never Share The Power That I Have Charged Thee With. To Do Otherwise Would Be Folly.” With that, he took his leave.
Now the Dragon Lords heeded the advice of their lord, and they took their charge seriously. However as time passed on, they grew weary, for creatures large and small have their conflicts and it was their duty as the guardians of the world to resolve this conflicts. Seeing the weariness of their fellow kin, the dragons decided to help them by policing the lands as well. With that, the burden was lifted and the Dragon lords were happy again. Seeing that their brethren were sincere in their help, Jormugand and Nidhoggr decided to gift the Dragons with a measure of their power, which was in direct contravention of their master biddings. However, they felt that the Dragons were deserving of the powers and so they turned a deaf ear to their master’s warnings.
Among the Dragons, there was one who was the most majestic of them all. He was called Yiazmat. He had many followers among the creatures of the land and they worshipped him. His followers whispered to each other that he was the first among dragons and that he was equal to the dragon lords Nidhoggr and Jormugand for he was as beautiful as Nidhoggr and he was as deadly as Jormugand. Hearing the whispers, Yiazmat was pleased and he became overly proud of his fine attributes that the All Father had given him. When the Dragon Lords gifted the dragon race with a measure of their powers, Yiazmat grew even more arrogant as he now wielded power of a magnitude that even his fellow creatures could not comprehend. What beast could comprehend the raw power that entailed his creation? While his fellow dragons exercised restraint, Yiazmat decided to test his limits.
…
“So why are you telling me this story, it is but an old wives tale after all!” Ian interrupted, for he saw no sense in the tale
“Listen to me, for the tale is the reason why I had to employ your services,” replied James, still as calm as ever. Placid as a still pond, he had a serene expression on his face. Little fazed him. Little will.
A little unnerved by his employee’s expression, Ian conceded to James request. He felt that something was odd about this job. There was a little worm niggling at the back of his mind telling him that something was not right. That the whole set up was too contrived. The building too old, the paint too worn out. Knowing that Calvin would have “words” with him if he dropped the contract, he decided to hear the tale out.
“Very well, continue please,” Ian, said
…
He found none.
Delighting in the fact, he decided to create his own race of servants. He took up a piece of the land, moulded it, and breathed life into it. However, his powers were incomplete, for it was but a fraction of Nidhoggr power and Nidhoggr powers were but a fraction of the All Father. Thus his creation was flawed. Nevertheless, he delighted in the power vested in him. Upon seeing his creation, having no name, he decided to call them daemons. But the Daemons had no purpose, unlike all other creations that the All father had made. Since they had no purpose, they roamed the land and destroyed all that they set their eyes upon. And there was great suffering in the lands.
Soon, the plaintive cries of the creatures reached the Dragon lords ears. Horrified, they decided to find Yiazmat and to plead with him to destroy his creations, lest they destroy the world as well. Yiazmat, being overly proud, denied their request and demanded that they leave his presence and let his creations be. For the All Father had once said that all creation needed a chance to prove them worthy of being allowed to live. Furious with his speech, Jormugand wanted to strike him down for his insolence, but Nidhoggr stayed his hand and said, “To strike him down would make you as wrong as him.” However, Jormugand knew that to stand aside while Yiazmat encouraged his creations in destruction would be folly. So he decided to enlist the dragons as his helpers in constraining the daemons. But he underestimated Yiazmat and the Daemons strength, for the Dragons were driven back by the might of the Daemons. Nidhoggr wept at the death of her kindred for it broke her heart to see them lying on the floor, their broken bodies covered in blood. Knowing that only the All Father could resolve the problem, she called out to him, pleading with him to come back and set the world to right.
And the All Father heard the call of his wayward servant.
Upon his return, he saw Jormugand warring with creatures not of his making. He saw the Earth on which he strode long ago covered by fire and ruins. He saw the sea stained with blood. And for the first time in his existence, the All Father felt grief. Knowing that the time that he foresaw in the distant past for the need for destruction, he told Jormugand not to restraint himself, and to find Yiazmat. With a flick of his tail, Jormugand flew the many leagues and cornered Yiazmat. Grasping Yiazmat with a single claw, he then flew back to the All Father. Yiazmat, finally grasping the gulf between his power and the All Fathers servants, wept.
Yiazmat was brought before his creator to be judged. The All Father, seeing the crimes that his creation had wrought upon the world, decided to send Yiazmat into the void. Knowing that the Daemons had no place upon the world as well, he decided to send them with their progenitor into the void, to dwell there for evermore and never to darken the world again. Yiazmat, defiant to the end, swore that he would return one day to seek revenge upon Jormugand for his defeat, swore that he would one day come to replace the All Father as the Ruler of all Creation, before he was banished into the void.
The world was now again at peace, but the price was too terrible to behold. Once a magnificent jewel in space, now, it was ravaged and scarred. Many of the beasts that once walked the plains will never walk it again, for they were but bones. The All Father knew that the balance had to be renewed again, lest the world be ravaged by a new war. And so he set forth to create a new race on the planet, one without the power of the dragons. Seeking for his forgiveness, Jormugand and Nidhoggr beseech him to let them aid him together with the Dragons, and the All Father granted them their wish. They created three races to repopulate the lands. The All Father created the Humans, crafted in his likeness, with an astute mind and hands that could craft any material found in the earth. Jormugand created the Draikin, savage warriors whose strength was unmatched. They were like dragons except that they walked on two legs and did not have the wings. A dragon’s rage they did possess and with power over water, they were the incarnate of Jormugand’s wrath. Nidhoggr created the Dryads, sylph like creatures who possessed the knowledge of the world. They had power over the very air itself. They could talk to trees, tame beasts and were immortal. Yet for all their power, the Dryads were humble and did not seek to set themselves higher in the order of things, but were content to seek further knowledge about themselves and the magnificent world in which they lived in.
Now, the world was repopulated, but it was but a shadow of its former glory. Nevermore shall the songs of the great bird of paradise fill the morning sky. Nevermore shall the King of Behemoths walk the good earth. Knowing the former beauty of the World and how they were responsible for it’s destruction, Jormugand and Nidhoggr wept. And so they went before the All Father and asked for penance for their crimes. Now the All Father was displeased with them, but he knew that they were truly repentant. So he said thus, “I Shall Split Your Essence Among The Races That We Have Created. For Ten Millennia, You Shall Have No Physical Form Until The Day That Yiazmat Returns You Shall Remain Thus. The Dragons Shall Relinquish Their Powers To You. Yet, They Shall Keep You As You Have Kept Them. They will teach the new races of the world your knowledge and keep your memories alive. Nothing is forever, and There will come a day where your might will be needed again. Then shall your penance will be finished, then shall you be free again.” Knowing that it would be a long time before they would ever meet each other again, the two mates wept, but they accepted their penance and with a single word, they were divided into their essence and spread among the new races of the world gifting the Humans, The Draikin and the Dryad with magical power.
The dragons mourned the loss of Jormugand and Nidhoggr but they knew the responsibility they now had, and so they set forth to teach the new races of the world of their beginnings. Of how they came to have the power of the Word, of their respective place in the world and of the darkness of the void and the beings that now dwelled in it. The world was now at peace but it was not perfect, for the All Father knew that now that there were no guardians of the peace to police the world and it could all degenerate into senseless violence again. So He created The Arbiters, a group dedicated to spreading his grace, imbued with the might of his servants; they were in charge of making sure that the World continued in peace. Selected from all three races, they were the perfect epitome of balance and justice. Since the power that they had was severely diluted, there was little chance of another Yiazmat rising again.
And in the Void, Yiazmat howled in despair, and all the demons with him howled too.
But they knew that they would raze the world once more, and they bided their time, waiting for their opportunity.
…
“Have you finished yet?” Ian grumbled impatiently.
“Aye, I have.” James said serenely. “I trust you know the story of how the last war came about. How Mr. Lum heard the howling from the void and how Yiazmat seduce him with whisperings of power and the like. Of how he opened the portal to the void in the heart of the Dryad homeland and called forth the demons swarms of Yiazmat into the world, seeing as how you must have taken part in that war as well.”
“Aye that I did.” Ian whispered softly. For a moment he looked very old for his age, a sprightly young two-dozen years. Then the moment passed. “So what do you want me to do? Quick, say your piece so that I may finish this job.”
“There is another, who can hear the voices from beyond.”
“So?”
“We wish to, … remove … this menace from the world before it can be another threat to the peace.”
“Hmm.” Ian raised an eyebrow but said nothing else.
“This problem, we wish it to be shot, murdered, liquidated, done in you understand? There must be no error.”
“If he can exist in so many forms, yeah sure, it will not be a problem. Perhaps you want him to die more creatively? A Heavy anvil dropped on his head? Perhaps a knife through his heart as well? Hmmm?”
“It must be destroyed!” James finally said emphatically, betraying only his emotions at this instant.
“Whatever, give me the target’s portfolio and the whereabouts and your will shall be done. You’ll pardon me for saying, but I hope that this is the last time I see you. Calvin will settle the payment issue.”
“Here,” James handed over an envelope. “Its name is Yu Ching.”
“A woman?”
“A monster that has to be put down for the safety of humankind.”
Ian looked through the folder on Yu Ching. There was little on her personal life, except for the page that had the discovery of her supernatural powers was highlighted. She was also twenty fours years of age. Her likeness… it unnerved Ian, for he had once look into brown almond-shaped eyes like those an age ago. Before the war…
“I… will set forth at once to find out more about the… ‘Target’ “ Ian steeled himself and then walked out of the room. It was just another monster, just like the Cybrids that he had put down previously he kept telling himself.
Once Ian had driven off from the hotel, James made a call on his PortaPhone.
“Sir, he has accepted the order.”
“Good, very Good James.” A deep voice answered the phone, a voice that could chill the blood in a phoenix body. “You have done very well, the wheels are in motion and soon a new world will arise!”
“Yes Sir. We shall have him under close surveillance.”
“Excellent.”
So there you have it! Thank you for reading so far! I hoped that you have enjoyed it as much as i had enjoyed writing it.
