Star Warden Book 2: RQ Chapter 9

For Justice

Vicious sent forth radioactive fireballs at rapid speed. Kaguya deflected the shots that came near her and her husband. Fleeing the rapidly melting room, she began fortifying the Warden with magic. The Archon gave chase, not carrying where they would fight only focusing on finally ripping to the two limb from limb. It did not have to hold anything back now and would make the two suffer for seeing its earlier humiliation.

Sam and Kaguya's minds were focused on avenging their friends and the innocents in the Haven. Vicious did not command the slaughter but it carried out the order and was just as guilty. The Warden had no taunts or quips in this fight only a cold fury. By the end of it, he was going to make this dragon wish it was fighting St. George instead of him.

The battle was joined in the sky, beams, bolts, and blasts crossed and clashed with each other. Spells and Code were exchanged as Vicious revealed it could counteract Kaguya's attempts to weaken him. For a spell that would blind it a dispel command would negate the magic. It was a virtual stalemate between them and Vicious decided to alter that. Conjuring a gravity field that pushed the Warden and the Princess into the open void of space. The power of the field made the question of escape velocity a non-issue.

Fortunately the Warden's armor was prepared for this eventuality. The stored oxygen tanks kicked in and the anti-gravity functions of the rocket pack turned on. Ironically these functions were gifts from Doctor Daimos. They were originally for Eli's armor but he had them installed for the armor he would grant to his son. Sam was much more interested in space travel and it was always good to be prepared.

Kaguya had no such protection outside her magic, so Sam executed an environmental program for her. His talisman applied a layer of cyberspace on her entire body protecting it from all hazards and providing oxygen. This left her free to focus her magic on the fight ahead. Vicious's roared into the infinite void as it left Ramia's gravity well. The audio sub-routines and his armor's audio receptors were able to catch the sound allowing them to get the first shots in.

The metallic dragon was surprised, not expecting them to function in space. After taking a face full of celestial light and prismatic dark energy beams. It returned fire with graviton particles from its optics then activated another program. Creating a sonic boom in space which knocked the Warden away from Kaguya. It charged into melee range ready to crush him to death. Laughing as it saw the Warden charging back sword at the ready.

The moment the Warden was in range it closed the field on him at frighting speed. Then a burst of flame came forth and the field was shattered. Excalibur's runes shined in the black as white flames weaved around the blade. Vicious screamed in pain as it was slashed vertically than horizontally across the torso. As for Sam, no pain in his mind or body occurred as he chanted the runic script of the Celestials. The will of Excalibur guiding him all the way, and teaching him as he fought the tragic abomination. Excalibur could feel the soul energy beneath the virtual construct, whoever they were would be set free.

Breaking the gravity field was not his only trick. Blue fiery runes manifested all along Sam's right arm. Grabbing the wounded program by its throat he threw it with inhuman strength toward Kaguya. The Princess then summoned large gusts of cosmic winds and slammed them against Vicious. Sending it crashing onto Ramia's red moon.

Vicious was stunned and angry. This fight was not supposed to go this way, it was supposed to have the upper hand! But it had little time to complain as magical flames barreled toward it at high speeds. It launched a dispel command but the flames survived it. They took the form of a spear and it only narrowly evaded it. Which is what the Warden wanted as he charged in from behind, thrusting Excalibur through its shoulder blades.

“Enough!” It shouted. Leaping upward and using its gravity field to throw the Warden off. It covered its claws in radioactive particles and extended them to the point that they gave off the appearance of swords. Vicious used its radioactive breath to cover its charge. Once in close, it started swinging wildly at him. The Warden dodged each strike with ease then countered with one swing. The claws splintered, dispersing the particles to the stars.

“This. Is. Impossible.” Vicious was prepared for Dawnbringer. It had all of the data on the weapon. It had prepared for this battle, ready to unleash its full might upon him. But something had changed, the blade was different. Any attempt to scan the blade was to no avail. Deep in its corrupted soul, the living program felt fear and a sense of knowing. Sensing something familiar from the blade. 

An image floated up from behind the Warden's head. The image of a flame surrounded by six wings that only It could see. The soul, the enslaved soul that powered the computations of Vicious recognized it on sight. The dragon roared in fear. “No! Away from me!” It attempted to flee but ran headfirst into a barrier of light. Followed up by a barrage of Kaguya's magic that sent it back to the moon.

The Warden leaped on its chest and struck true. Excalibur glowed with a radiance beyond imagining. A fiery hand reached out into the data streams and destroyed the chains covering the soul of the Archon. The soul gave a heartfelt thanks and left for its long-sought-after eternal rest.

The program that was Vicious crashed. Its physical form went through a process of deresolution. Degrading in quality and then falling apart into a pile of pixels.

Sam and Kaguya returned to the surface of Ramia. Kaguya's barrier kept them from burning up in the atmosphere. At any other time, Samuel would be hooping and hollering about the space battle, fighting on a moon, and flying down into another planet like a superhero. But all he could think about was his friends. He hopped they rested well alongside that newly freed soul.

Chapter 10

Chapter 8