Page 79 of Torn from the Alien Commander

“Krogoth?” I peer back at my old friend, his eyes glowing purple as he swooshes his ax round in wide testing arcs that distort the air. “He’s a big softy,” I laugh as Tyrxie’s sweet face drops like I’ve just declared space is white. “Besides, it’s a friendly bout. I’ll be fine,” I promise, rubbing my nose against hers, enjoying the incredibly soft feeling of her.

“Okay... Just don’t get hurt,” she pleads, to which I smile and nod, loving the way she looks out for me.

“Saying your farewells, Xandor?” Krogoth mocks, shouting over, now swinging his massive arms in rotating circles.

“She was just asking me to go easy on you,” I laugh, approaching the sandy arena ring, swinging and thrusting my staff in testing movements. “This staff counts as a sword,” I gesture with the weapon, holding it near the bottom.

“Fine,” Krogoth waves a dismissive ax around, his impatience not motivated by excitement like my own.

“Wait,” Rocks interrupts our testing swings and limbering bodies. “If you can see the future, what’s the point if you knowthe outcome?” She asks, as Tyrxie moves to stand beside her on the outside of the ring.

“An excellent question, Rocks.”One that sometimes keeps me up into the long, silent nights.Rock’s face softens looking at me, and I curse myself for being careless with my thoughts. “The future is almost never certain. Knowing the correct choices is one thing, but having the strength to follow or the ability to convince others to act in their best interest is another.” I let out a sigh before my gaze shifts to Krogoth. “And it’s in that uncertainty where the fun lies.”

Krogoth smiles, towering above me, his broad muscular body heaving with untapped power. “Well said. And that’s why I sent you to speak to the Nebians,” he laughs. As our eyes lock, my body grows tense, the adrenaline coursing through my veins threatening to pull the Rush from my golden gaze. There’s a part of me—the prideful Xandor that has yearned for this moment my whole life, and now that I’m at the precipice, it almost overwhelms me.

The sands shift as Krogoth inches forward behind his massive shield. I spring to my left, flashing a thrust with my staff, aiming for his unprotected side. He recoils, tilting backward with a speed someone his size shouldn’t possess. My blow falls short as Krogoth smirks at my bold strike, setting the tone for what’s coming.

Images and visions of Krogoth’s barrage of assaults flood my mind, each possible action leading to cascading overwhelming options. Krogoth bursts forward, swinging his ax in rather lazy strokes that crisscross and flow into a steady assault. I catch a few with my staff, his great strength shaking it and vibrating my arm. The others I nimbly leap back from.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” I tut, feeling annoyed that Krogoth seeks to test me like a novice Prospect, not treating my challenge with the respect or honor I deserve—I will force him!I grip my staff tighter, sucking in air, letting it fuel me, pumping my molten blood through my veins like rivers of boiling lava.

I stalk around Krogoth, flicking jabs that snap and crack like bolts of golden lightning. He whirls around, pivoting with haste, deflecting with his shield or ax. But I’m just getting started, my speed increasing with each iteration pushing him harder. High, low, left side, right side, I test each angle, trusting and chopping the sound of my staff clacking like thunder in the heavens.

Krogoth smiles through the blur as he matches my incredible speed. Already, my brother and I are reaching heights none but we can ascend. I hear my sweet Tyrxie gasp as the steady snap and bang of weapons and shield ring out, frequent like heavy hailstones falling, our limbs invisible to anyone lacking our focused power.

“Get him, Krogoth, right on his big head!” Rocks cheers, causing us both to grin between our frantic blows.

“His head’s not big!” Tyrxie shouts, taking the words from my mouth—my perfect female. “It’s just a bit bigger than Krogoth’s.”My soul is crushed.

Krogoth is buoyed by his female, while I struggle with humorous despair—my weak point cruelly assaulted by all sides. My hulking opponent goes on the offensive, content that I am his match, that only I can give him a worthy fight. He unleashes his fury with brutal kicks, shield bashes, and ax swings.

Countless premonitions assault my mind, with some treacherous options offering salvation only to lead to a dead-end moments later. It’s dizzying making the correct choice, having only a fraction of a second to decide. This contest is pushing my mind and body to their breaking points—Krogoth Star Eyes, the avatar of our Gods—a terrifying opponent.

Yet there are victorious paths, few and difficult, requiring perfect technique, demanding precise timing and execution. Krogoth is much stronger and isn’t missing an arm and eye, butI’m faster—I can win. Krogoth roars, pressing me to the edge of the ring. I dance around the edges, flashing out thrusts, knowing when he’s baiting me and which jabs may give him an advantage.

There’s doubt in his eyes now, as we spin around the tiny arena—too small for ones such as us. Mighty demigods infused with the power of the Gods, their chosen noble sons. I laugh, feeling my power flow through me, the elation of a worthy battle carrying me to new heights. Krogoth feels it too. I see him laugh as we strike and attack like hated enemies, but our hearts are bursting with love.

This is our divine purpose; this is why we exist. I feel my heart soaring, lifted by the moment as I suck in more oxygen, my focus heightening even further, my muscles tightening.More! More!I feel more alive than ever before. My speed increases, the paths of victory glowing like newborn stars. My staff lashes out with impossible haste. Krogoth grunts, now on the defensive, as manic laughter spills from my lips, almost obscured by the whistling, cracking staff, sounding like a barrage of bombs dropping from orbit.

There! Krogoth stumbles, the slightest misstep—only noticeable to an artist such as I. The path to victory glows like a supernova. With a blinding flash, I sweep his overstretched leg. He’s a fraction too slow to stop me—it’s over, I’ve won! Krogoth falls, it happens so slowly, like a great tree in Draxxi forest being felled.

It’s just a warrior falling—but I don’t care. This moment means everything to me. All I’ve suffered and endured has brought me to this point. Now, I can hold my head high with pride. Krogoth and I remain as brothers, almost equals. The ground shakes as the imposing titan that is my best friend crashes to the ground. I’m consumed by laughter until my lungs erupt into raking, tormenting coughs.

I too collapse to the ground, like my honorable brother. Each agonizing breath is a torment, emitting a horrible rasping sound as if sucking air through a nano thin pipe into lungs that are on fire. “Xandor!” Tyrxie exclaims, her sweet voice loaded with panic. I feel her warm hands on my back as my vision grows dark, the minuscule amount of air I struggle to grasp not enough to sustain me.

“Hang on, you big dummy,” Tyrxie says, in a tone that’s far too flippant for the situation—the confidence of my Kor-Kis. Glorious warmth flows through me, as her emerald energies tingle and swim through my body. Closing my eyes, I can almost fill her fingers, caressing me. I gasp and throw my head back when she reaches my chest, washing away the burning pain. Each breath is now deep and pure, my lungs no longer restricted as if a monstrous hand were squeezing them.

“It’s a good thing you’re not charging me credits for this.” I smirk up at my Tyrxie, although my jest falls flat against her impenetrable grimace.

“Uh, huh,” she mutters, with a hand on her hip. “What happened to ‘I’ll be fine’? You keep popping lungs like air bubbles.”

“Krogoth happened,” I chuckle, glancing up to see Rocks and Krogoth staring down at me with a look of concern.They are good friends.“Apologies, my love,” I say, staring at Tyrxie to convey my sincerity. “But this was important to me.” She nods and strokes my hair.Gods, how I love her.

“You fought like a brutal brutonous,” Krogoth says, offering his hand, filling my heart with pride. “I’ve never seen anyone move so fast.” He shakes his head with disbelief as I rise to my feet. “Perhaps it would be best if you lead our noble people.”

“Void no!” I exclaim in shock. Krogoth averts his gaze, a more disturbing sight than when Rocks commanded him to bow. “It must be you, brother. The Gods chose you to lead us.” I pat himon the shoulder, flashing him what I hope is my most reassuring smile.

Krogoth meets my gaze, his expression warming. “Gods, fighting you is infuriating. You made no mistakes, left no openings, every move I made countered, like fighting light itself,” he chuckles.

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