Page 94 of Keran's Dawn

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Deimos said with arrogance. “You may have thwartedthisplan, but it is only one of many. We are legion, and we’re determined to bring an end to the Korletheans. You are not yet sitting on the throne, and you never will. Neither will Zerien. Our causewillwin.”

“I’m almost sorry that you will not live to see the other traitors also be brought down,” I growled, extending a hand towards Nowik.

Although he placed the sword he’d plucked from one of the Guldans in my hand without a fuss, I didn’t miss the sliver of worry in Nowik’s eyes. But even if Deimos was a traitor, there would be no honor in simply executing him. Baldur placed a sword on the floor and pushed it with his foot. It slid over the metal plates, and Deimos stopped it with his foot before bending down to pick it up. Tagar gestured to one of the other two Sarenians while Baldur gestured to Zeory. In Baldur’s case, it was personal as the scientist had implanted the first beetles inside him.

My men spread out in a wide circle around us. The other two Sarenians moved forward, picking up the swords pushed their way. Even though we had paired for simultaneous duels, we would keep an eye on each other as crossovers often occurred in this type of battle.

The Sarenians extruded their claws and their fangs as they slowly approached us. The fluid way in which they moved would easily fool one into thinking they possessed feline DNA rather than being amphibian creatures. We circled each other, studying our respective opponents, looking for a weakness to exploit. Sarenians didn’t have our strength. Their bones would snap like twigs in our hands. The challenge was to actually get our hands on them. The little shits were fast and slippery.

The nameless Sarenian attacked first, lunging at Tagar. It acted like a signal, prompting the rest of us to burst into action. Deimos charged me, but not in the savage—almost reckless—way Zeory was attacking Baldur. Anyone with eyes could see that, despite his respectable combat skill, the scientist was no warrior. Deimos swiped his sword at me in a calculated fashion, studying my reactions and my speed. Our massive size often deceived people into thinking we would be slow and lumbering behemoths.

This went on for a short while, Deimos hopping on his feet like a boxer between lunges. By the seventh time, it had become a predictable pattern that didn’t fool me in the least. He was trying to lull me into thinking I knew what he’d do next, then he’d go in for the kill. The eighth time, even as he surged forward, he shifted the position of his free arm, his fingers crooking in the perfect angle to use his claws in a vicious swipe. It was subtle enough that most opponents would have missed it.

I parried his sword attack with mine, and immediately slapped away his hand attempting to eviscerate me with its nasty claws. The blow should have broken his wrist, but the wretch anticipated my counterattack and twisted his entire body as it dropped to the ground, rolling just out of range before jumping back onto his feet. Fuck, he was slippery! The way he moved, you’d think he didn’t have a single bone inside his body.

To my surprise, Deimos rushed me. At the last minute, he dropped to his knees and bent backward so low, the back of his head nearly touched the floor as his momentum carried him past me. He swiped his sword at my legs. I jumped over it, but before I could land back down, he’d already straightened and pivoted on himself to claw the back of my calves, mid-rotation.

The burning sensation was nothing in comparison to the sharp pain that radiated through my stomach and chest the moment I landed. In my battle lust, I’d all but forgotten the larvae still eating me from within. The painkillers and the dampening effects of my Berserker powers had made me careless. I tried to backhand Deimos, but he had already moved out of the way. Trying to press his advantage, the Sarenian coordinated a series of attacks with his sword, claws, and strategic kicks, keeping me on the defensive.

At some point during that time, Baldur killed Zeory. I’d seen him punch the scientist, breaking his jaw. But I’d been too busy dodging Deimos’s offensive to see when he’d split his head open. Judging by the mangled and bloody mess on the floor, Baldur had stuck his hands in Zeory’s mouth and pulled each side like one would to open a bear trap.

Deimos didn’t flinch or otherwise acknowledge the death of his companion. By the way he steadily escalated the speed and viciousness of his attack, the Sarenian was growing overconfident that he could best me. I played along, biding my time as our swords clashed. When he next thrust his sword at me, I didn’t try to parry and merely leaned to the side, letting the blade graze the side of my shoulder.

His eyes widened as his momentum carried him straight to me. He attempted to spin out of range. Having anticipated his move, I pivoted into a roundhouse kick. It struck him square in the gut, sending him flying back a few meters. My brain barely registered the approving roar of my men when Deimos landed heavily on his back with a loud thud. Visibly winded, he nonetheless attempted to get back on his feet, but I was already on him. I lifted him up with both hands over my head then slammed him back down on the ground.

The Sarenian fell at a bad angle, dislocating his left shoulder with an audible pop. Stunned, he rolled onto his stomach and struggled to even just lift his head up. Feeling generous, I kindly popped his shoulder back into its socket by brutally stomping my foot on it. Deimos emitted a sharp cry of pain, which turned into a high-pitched roar of agony when I placed my foot between his shoulder blades, bent down to grab his fins, and tore them right off his back.

Blue blood gushed out of the wounds. I discarded the wing-like appendages that had marked him as a mature Sarenian, grabbed his hair at the nape to yank him back up onto his feet. Despite his pain and still being half dazed, Deimos whipped his fist at me, striking true, right below my solar plexus. Blinding pain exploded throughout my entire upper body. Blood rushed up in my throat, nearly choking me, as the Sarenian attempted to follow the motion by clawing at my face. I barely managed to raise a protective arm before me. His claws sliced deep through my forearm. A second later, and he would have gouged my eye out.

Desperate to free himself from my hand still holding him by the hair, Deimos elbowed me, once more aiming for my gut. I twisted sideways, enough for it to connect with my ribs instead, eliciting another searing wave of agony. Enraged, I caught his arm, stopping him from elbowing me again, and smashed my forehead against his pretty face, right on the bridge of his nose. I felt the bones collapse. He emitted a strangled sound, and all his energy seemed to drain right out of him. He wavered on his feet, his icy blue eyes visibly struggling not to roll to the back of his head.

Stretching the arm he’d elbowed me with, I brought it down violently on my raised knee, breaking it at the articulation. Deimos’s throaty cry turned into a long, drawn-out shout as I kicked the front of his knee, busting his leg. He collapsed in a mess of broken limbs, his midnight blue blood seeping through the cracks of the gridded plates covering the floor.

I towered over him, fury boiling in my blood as I watched him fight to remain conscious.

“Like I said, people like you always lose,” I snarled.

He didn’t answer, not that I expected him to. I slammed my foot on his chest, and his rib cage caved in. Blood exploded out of his mouth. This time, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, but he didn’t die right away. He wheezed through his broken chest, his breathing pained and wet.

As I turned around to face my men, it took me a moment to realize my own breathing sounded distressed. I spit the blood filling my mouth only to have more coming up from my throat. Feeling dizzy, I looked around the room that had gone quiet. I couldn’t remember noticing Tagar killing the nameless Sarenian.

“Jakar? Are you okay?” Tagar asked, his worry audible.

I opened my mouth to answer but a loud sound outside had all of us looking towards the door, as if we could see through the reinforced metal. My blood curdled in my veins as I recognized the series of loud thuds that resonated in quick succession: explosions.

“Open the door,” I commanded to Thanor, my voice barely recognizable, it was so growly.

He ran to the door, his fingers already flying on the interface of the Sarenian bracer. Moments later, the doors parted with a grinding sound. I approached, my steps hesitant, my head spinning, and my heart stuttering.

As soon as they finished opening, I realized we were at the back end of the building. Although we couldn’t see the side from whence the hybrids were escaping, the smoke rising on our right and the distinct sound of explosions made it clear what was happening. The other modules of the ship were shooting down the hybrids’ vessels.

As horror descended over me, a single thought replayed in my mind…

Dawn.

Chapter 28

Krygor

---