GZ Legends 72: Will to Live

            

Galose materialized in the pilot’s seat of his ship. He managed to divert power to his transport systems just in time to make it look like the Rotanians scored a direct hit. Safe aboard his cloaked craft, Galose put all power into repair systems. He would not leave these heroes of Earth to fend for themselves. He had given his word.

            Anubis gazed around the room at their fallen enemies. It was time to move on. As they headed for the next door, Anubis paused by the remains of Silvercrow.

            “Wow. Blacktide, there’s something different about you.”

            “My powers seem to be a bit jacked up.”

            “I’ll say, but look.” Anubis pointed to a piece of the haunted armor that was slowly growing back, repairing itself.

            “That’s insane.” Blacktide said. “And I’ve seen a lot of insane on this trip. Let’s just get going.”

            “Sounds like we have company on the other side of this door, guys.” Nightfall said as she approached the controls.

            “I will lead our attack!” Nyhtwulf said as he flew through the door.

            “Well. Don’t let him have all the fun! Open the door!” Anubis said and Nightfall hit the controls.

            They fell on their enemy without mercy or hesitation. Nyhtwulf redirected their rifle shots back at them as Anubis charged in with his lance. Nightfall made carefully aimed attacks with her metron rifle. Blacktide raised a hand in the moments that the fight lasted and paused. He turned his hand to gaze at his palm and then back at the scene before him. He folded his fingers into a fist as the battle ended. Robot parts scattered across the corridor and smoke wafted on the air.

            “Are you alright?” Nyhtwulf asked his partner.

            “Yeah. You know, you guys had this one. I just didn’t want to graze either of you by accident. I don’t know how strong I am right now.”

            “It’s okay. If you want, you can attack first next time.” Anubis offered.

           

“Yeah, maybe that would be good.” Blacktide half chuckled but he was deeply concerned. His powers had killed people he loved and now they were stronger than he ever knew. He followed his friends down the corridor, deciding it best to watch their backs. At least any attacks from the rear wouldn’t be complicated by friends in the way.

            In another part of the ship, a crew of Rotanians were charging along another corridor until all their heads exploded. As he stepped carefully through the burning parts, Atomizer had a scowl that could scare a U.S. Marine. Redeagle covered him from the back because nothing was standing in their way up ahead. After nearly being asphyxiated, Atomizer lost all restraint in dealing with stupid robots.

            A strange feeling made the hair on the backs of their necks stand up as a different kind of Rotanian materialized in front of Atomizer. It punched him in the face so fast there was no time to react. Atomizer’s feet flew out from under him and his hat sailed into the air. He landed on his back with a loud thud. Redeagle immediately fired his weapon, but the robot slid past each shot with moves like a martial arts Grandmaster. It kicked the weapon from his hands and then launched a spin kick to his chest. Redeagle flew backwards on top of the leftovers from the squad they had just defeated.

            As Atomizer stood up, a metal backhand tossed him against the wall. He landed on his face. As he struggled to stand, his vision blurred. He could see fuzzy red dots on the floor and realized he was bleeding. Then the atrocity spoke to him.

            “I am Starhunter 613. My instructions are to beat you to death for your offense to the Maker.”

            “You’re getting ahead of yourself!” Redeagle called as he threw a broken robot head at the Starhunter. It deflected with a forearm block.

            Redeagle didn’t have time to grab up his weapon before it was upon him. The 7 foot hero instinctively relied on his own martial training with attempts to block and attack. The Starhunter was fast. It punched him across the face four times before he could react and shoved him backward on top of smoking robot parts. Then it kicked him further down the corridor away from Atomizer.

            “Your flesh is no match for Rotanian metal.” The Starhunter loomed over Redeagle, lifting a foot to stomp downward at him.

           

The wall near the robot’s head exploded and jarred it slightly to one side. Redeagle saw this as his one chance to get a hit in. With a savage battle cry, the big man lunged forward and drove his fist clear through the Starhunter’s midsection. The machine stood stunned momentarily as Redeagle pulled his arm out. He jumped up and grabbed the robot by the head and whipped its body into and opposite wall. When it hit the ground, Redeagle jumped and brought down both feet on the Starhunter’s head.

            “You want a head stomped? You like that?” He shouted as he stomped on it over and over again, smashing the metal flat against the floor. The rest of the robot body convulsed uselessly.

            “Partner.” Atomizer croaked the word and interrupted the stomp-fest. He leaned against the wall, bleeding and in severe pain. “I think it broke a couple ribs.”

            Redeagle grabbed up the metron rifle from the floor and ran to his partner.

            “I got ya. Come on, we’ll make it. Just lean on me.” Redeagle kept watch as he helped his injured friend walk.

           

Now that he could breathe, the fastest member of the team, made short work of reaching the engine rooms. Electrode marveled at the sight of the giant turbines that powered the huge Rotanian flagship. Strangely, there were no Rotanian soldiers in the massive chamber. That immediately put him on edge. He was fifty yards away from the first two turbines. Fifty yards wasn’t even a sneeze’s distance for him, but something instinctive made him pause. Three figures materialized between him and the machinery.

            The great mechanical chair of the Maker hovered a few feet from the floor. A 10 foot tall red robot stood on either side of the chair, twins. Their single optics were oozing with black energy a lot like Blacktide’s.

            “You made it. Too bad for you.” The Maker snarled. “Now you die.”

GZ Legends 71: Every Last Breath

           

 It happened so fast, Sandstorm didn’t even realize what had happened. One second, he was floating near his partner in the form of air; the next he was speeding through life support conduits. He heard the voice of the Maker and quickly found the whole issue to be quite absurd.

            “If you don’t need a life support system, why do you even have one?” Sandstorm thought.

            The realization of the very real threat to his friends lives, struck him like a flying rock. It didn’t matter why the Maker had the system. He couldn’t allow it to be turned off. Sandstorm turned his attention to the chambers he was pulled through. At some point there would be a heart to the system. There, he hoped he could jam something and return life giving oxygen to his friends. As fast as the air withdrew, he knew he had seconds to figure something out.

            The heart of the life support system housed dozens of switches and chambers he didn’t have time to explore. Only one thing held the slightest possibility and that was electricity. The power systems to the life support carried an electrical charge. Sandstorm followed it, hoping he could find the activation system. The charge led him to a metal switch between two connectors, powered by a console just above him.

            “With all this advanced technology, I’m dealing with a stupid toggle switch?” Sandstorm thought in disbelief.

           

He surged on the system with a charge of his own and forced the switch into the “on” position. Then, before anyone could react, he fused the metal together by arc-welding it. They would have to destroy the entire console to turn off the life support system again.

            “I wonder what Mr. Genius is going to think of this?” Sandstorm thought. “Now how do I get back to Electrode?”

            In another corridor, Hypnotist breathed through the special apparatus the Maker had given him. He watched Redeagle and Atomizer sink to the floor, gasping for breath. The shock of the loss of oxygen momentarily broke Hypnotist’s hold. As Redeagle slumped to the floor, he fired the metron rifle, blasting through Hypnotist’s chest. Redeagle scrambled to the dead body of the mind controlling villain and grabbed the breather. He took a deep breath and then took it to his partner.

            Anubis’s mind reeled with inner turmoil. Maybe it would be worth it? He could summon the true spirit of Anubis, rip the whole ship in half and kill them all. In their sacrifice, the Earth would be bathed in warm sunlight once again. But then, who would stop Stormy Knight? Someone still needed to deliver that fiend a well-earned lesson. The Serpent sported a cruel grin and showed his viper-like eyes over the top of his dark glasses. One of his Death Snakes hovered just over Nightfall’s face as she lay asphyxiating. Monolith and Silvercrow moved in on Anubis.

            “You’re out of time, Dog-breath.” Monolith chuckled.

            As Nyhtwulf and Blacktide appeared in the room, the life support came back on. Blacktide put both fists forward and hit Silvercrow with a surging disintegration beam. The haunted armor tumbled backward. Monolith’s stone body was no protection against the intangible Nyhtwulf. The Twilie Demon thrust both arms into the chest of the Stone Demon with screaming results. The whole thing gave Anubis just the moment he needed.

           

The Egyptian hero smashed head on into Serpent and threw him against a far wall. As they landed, Anubis delivered a punch that shattered the dwarf’s shades.

            “Guess I will hit a guy with glasses!” Anubis said as he landed another punch with equal ferocity. One strike after another, Anubis pounded away in near mindless rage. Too many times since Ella’s death, had he seen those he cared about nearly lost. He wouldn’t tolerate it anymore.

            “Stop!”

            The voice was distant and sounded familiar.

            “Stop!” A pair of slender arms wrapped around one of his. A set of arms also grabbed around his shoulders.

            “Geez, man, you got him already!” Blacktide shouted in his ear.

            Nightfall had Anubis’s arm and finally managed to pull him away.

            “You can stop now.”

            Anubis breathed hard and leaned back against the wall. He looked at his own bloody hands in disbelief.

            “It’s okay. It’s done. I’m okay. You can calm down now.” Nightfall said as she touched his shoulder.

            Across the room, Monolith lay on the floor unconscious. Silvercrow’s armor body lay in smoldering pieces.

            “I can’t believe I just did that.” Anubis said.

            “Use your powers to clean your hands.” Nightfall said gently. “We have to get moving.”

            At the door of the gutted factory area, Electrode pulled himself to his feet. He realized that Sandstorm found a way to save his life.

            “You here?” He called out but there was no answer. “Guess I move on and hope we find each other.” He charged himself up and reached for the door controls.

           

Galose tumbled through space and inside the armor, alarms blared. Weapon systems of the ship were locking onto him. At any moment they would fire and he would be reduced to atoms. With the neural control net he used to pilot his armor, Galose worked with haste. Feverishly, he commanded power to repair systems and over-rides to save his life. Ship’s cannons were locking on, one after another. He needed more power to activate cloaking and teleportation.

Cyborians have a natural ability to learn complicated and sophisticated sciences at an accelerated rate beyond most other alien life forms. Galose sped through coding of programs in his armor that no human could possibly comprehend. Slowly, the power built towards the teleportation system. If Cyborian’s had teeth, he would have gnashed his to powder as he watched the system bar slowly rise.

From the bridge of the ship, Mechanicore watched as 12 cannons fixed on the Cyborian’s position.

“Fire.” He commanded.

GZ Legends 70: Fight for Your Life!

           

 “Maybe I’ll have to settle for launching you into space!” Anubis retorted as he charged at Monolith.

            His attack was intercepted by the acrobatic Serpent. “Try me on for size!” The Dwarven villain hissed with his forked tongue flickering.

            Anubis blocked one of the attacker’s swords with his bladed lance and narrowly dodged the other across the top of his nose. As light flashed off the shining sword, Anubis saw one of Serpent’s death snakes emerging from a sleeve. As Serpent landed, his snakes suddenly completely withdrew into the clothing of their master.

            “Eh? What’s this? Come out and attack.” Serpent said.

            “I guess they don’t like me.” Anubis said as he moved to hit Serpent in the face.

            “Anubis, look out!” Nightfall called.

            Monolith backhanded Anubis and launched him back across the room. Silvercrow rushed in on the Egyptian hero, aiming to strike before he could get back on his feet.

            “No matter. I’m sure they’ll love a bite of your girlfriend!” Serpent called as he leapt into a deadly bladed cartwheel toward his new target.

            “I’m not such an easy target either!” Nightfall rushed to keep distance and fire her weapon. She already knew that the rifle would be useless against Monolith or Silvercrow. She prayed Anubis could handle them both. As it were, Serpent was moving in faster than she could evade.

            In another area, Redeagle and Atomizer engaged another Rotanian squad. Hot beams of energy showered sparks all over the two men as they did their best to fight back. Atomizer could still make short work of them, but numbers made progress slow. As they moved past the fallen robots, Atomizer kicked one of their heads down the hall. He then proceeded to comically dance holding his foot.

            “You really should have known.” Redeagle said with a chuckle.

            “I have boots on.”

            “Then you need to learn how to kick. I still can’t believe you did that.”

            “Oh let’s just find the next group.” Atomizer limped slightly down the hall.

            Up ahead of them a door slid open. Redeagle aimed his metron rifle as a man stepped into view. Before Redeagle could pull the trigger, he froze. So did Atomizer.

            “That will be quite enough out of the two of you.” Hypnotist said as he adjusted a cuff link. “Now what shall I have you do to each other? In a few moments it won’t matter anyway.”

            Hypnotist put a strange device in his mouth and stood staring at the two men, keeping their minds under his control.

            Galose hurried down his corridor, wishing he could track enough inside the ship to teleport. It would make everything so much easier. A door suddenly opened and Galose scanned it just as he was attacked from the side. Even with the most sophisticated technology in the universe, anyone can be distracted. Galose cursed himself for not paying attention as he barely dodged the long sharp drill aimed at his head. Mechanicore’s drill pierced the metal wall like butter. As he pulled back, the Rotanian General kicked Galose through the open door.

           

The control room he landed in had four Rotanian soldiers in it. After tumbling across the floor, Galose came up firing and made short work of all four of them. Mechanicore followed with both of his combat drills fully extended from the forearms. As the robot swung them, it evaded Galose’s shots. Mechanicore moved into close combat quickly, forcing Galose to take evasive measures. Near misses with the drills annihilated computer benches and equipment as easily as Galose’s weaponry.

            Two hits against Galose’s chest in an X pattern threw him against a wall. Mechanicore’s optic lights that move back and forth opposite of each other suddenly stopped in alignment. They glowed bright red before a wide beam of power smashed Galose through the wall. As Galose rushed to his feet, another hit from a drill split his optic visor, leaving him half blinded. From deep inside the dimensions of the armor, Galose’s view screens flickered and threatened to go black. A kick tossed the Cyborian across the next room. Sensor’s indicated other Rotanians around them, but none of them attacked. Apparently, Mechanicore wanted this target for itself.

            Galose fired but only grazed his target as a new attack came. Mechanicore gouged at him mercilessly and threw him onto a platform.

            “Goodbye, Cyborian.” With a flicker the platform activated and Galose vanished.

            The Cyborian found himself tumbling through space away from the Rotanian flagship.

            Mechanicore opened communications with the bridge. “As soon as you lock on target, open fire.

            Electrode paused by a far door and looked back at the destruction he and his partner caused. Sandstorm was still in air form, but ready for the next section they would ransack. As Electrode reached for the door controls, he suddenly tried to gasp. For every breath he tried to take, his lungs went into a panic. Nothing was there. He spun, looking for his partner or anything he could grab onto. Finding nothing, he fell to his knees. The voice of the Engineer crackled to live over a com system.

            “Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared for your pitiful assault on my ship? Did you think I wouldn’t know you were coming? My intellect is beyond anything you could hope to understand but I think this should be a lesson learned easily enough. You have boarded a ship controlled entirely by robots. So why would robots need life support? Answer; they don’t and neither do I.”

            “Now put down your lance, Dog Boy.” Serpent said to Anubis.

            Nightfall was on the floor, clutching at her throat. Serpent stood over her with a sadistic grin. Two of his Deathsnakes were slowly moving toward her from Serpent’s sleeves.

           

Anubis’s mind spun too fast to realize the lack of oxygen wasn’t affecting him. He honestly had no idea what to do in the face of this issue. He thought of his special attack and wondered if it would tear the whole ship apart and kill all his friends anyway. He couldn’t take his eyes from Nightfall. After all they had been through, he feared this was it.

GZ Legends 69: Raiding the Flagship

           

 When Galose bypassed the systems on the sliding door, the friends sprang into action. As a stroke of luck, only one Rotanian was right outside and Galose blew its head apart. Electrode and Sandstorm went left while the rest went to the right. Galose and Anubis led the way, opening fire on the first squad of six that they found. Anubis fired blasts from his lance that tore through robot midsections. Galose used his shoulder cannons. Between the two of them, they made short work of that crew. At that point, they found the next corridor that Anubis and Nightfall split away from the group to follow.

            Nightfall gripped her rifle and grit her teeth as the two of them charged down the corridor. They would meet whatever was there head on. It was a good thing they weren’t concerned with stealth. Anubis’s armored boots made quite a clatter against the metal floor.

            Galose continued to take point, covering Atomizer and Redeagle towards their next split section. Rotanian rifle blasts cascaded at them and Galose took a hit to the midsection. The Cyborian Marshal didn’t falter as he returned fire and his onboard systems activated repairs. Atomizer used his explosive power on robot heads and body parts to help them gain ground. In split second, he had to turn and assist Redeagle as another squad came at them from behind.

            The blasting in the metal hall echoed and made Redeagle’s ears ring. He wondered if he would have time to grab the ear plugs he kept in his chest pocket. He had to be fast on the trigger as robots fired without hesitation in their aim. Galose turned and fired a bright ball of light at the ceiling near the Rotanians that came behind them. The explosion caved in the hall with a ton of metal debris.

            “That should keep any more from coming up that way for a while. Let’s go!” Galose said.

            The three of them came around a corner where another troop was waiting for them. While Redeagle and Atomizer used a wall for cover, Galose simply stepped right out in front of them. He extended both of his rifles to supplement fire with his cannons and lit up the corridor in bright strobes of firepower. Redeagle just fired blindly into the fray, knowing anything at the other end was fair game. Smoke stung the big man’s eyes and nose thanks to his heightened senses. For anyone other than Galose or the robots, it was hard to see.

            Once the firing mercifully stopped, they moved forward again. Atomizer took off his hat and waved it at the smoke in the air as they pressed on. A new corridor opened up and branched away. It was the direction they would take without Galose.

            “Keep yourselves covered and go with all speed.” Galose said to them.

            “Hope we see you again soon.” Atomizer said.

           

Sandstorm and Electrode moved the fastest and cleared a path better than anyone. Rotanians couldn’t withstand the shockwaves of nuclear electricity Electrode created as he dashed past them. At his speed, he moved between with them ridiculous ease. Sandstorm followed up in the form of air and created miniature twisters in his wake. Robot bodies were smashed against each other and all solid surfaces like being in a giant blender. Electrode couldn’t help but think their path was yielding too easily as they came to a large closed door. Sandstorm formed enough to be visible like a mist in human shape.

            “I guess we go through here.” Electrode said. “You ready?”

            “As I’ll ever be.”

            The door opened unexpectedly, but nothing stood on the other side. Instead they heard the loud whirring and clanking of machinery. Hundreds of robot arms and conveyers worked to bring together parts of Rotanian soldiers. The two friends had just walked into one of the ship’s on board factories.

            “No wonder there’s so many.” Electrode said in awe. The room of the factory was easily the size of a football field and with a high ceiling. Robots operated at nearly every possible angle and location. “He just builds them right here.”

            “There must be thousands of them.” Sandstorm said. Even in the form of mist, he felt like there was a lump in his throat. A combination of wonderment and horror gripped him to the heart.

            “You know what I’m thinking?” Electrode asked.

            “I’m thinking we’re supposed to cause as much destruction as possible.”

            “You got it. Let’s mess this place up.”

            “Just be careful.”

            Not another word was needed as the two friends raced into action. Electrode took off across a wall, allowing himself to run the perimeter of the huge room. Arcs of bright lightning exploded in his wake, jumping from machine to machine with explosive results. At this point, he couldn’t deny the thrill of giving this place what it deserved. Automated weapons fired at him, but he dodged between the slow motion blasts and debris as he went around and around the room. Sandstorm took to the center and formed himself into a typhoon gale. He ripped machinery from mounts and tore metal. Each piece of debris became a flying weapon to tear through even more. Parts of Rotanians spun, flew and exploded. The assault shook the ship to points that it was even felt on the bridge.

            The Maker spun in his floating chair to face an array of view screens. 

            “How dare they!” He shouted. “Insignificant pests! Mechanicore, once they reach the other side, activate the protocol. We’ll show them just how little their act of defiance means.”

           

The robot General of the Rotanians nodded. His criss-crossing optic lights glowed read and he reached for the console with one of his clamp arms.

            In another area, Anubis and Nightfall burst into a brightly lit, wide empty room. They had just finished destroying two squads to get access. Anubis thumped his lance against the floor.

            “Well, that’s a letdown.”

            As if in answer, a door on the far side opened. Monolith, Serpent, and Silvercrow entered the room. Monolith smiled and beat one stone fist into a palm.

            “You won’t be dumping me into the ocean this time, mutt.”

GZ Legends 68: Charon's Fate

         

  Souls of the condemned wrapped their ghostly arms around Nyhtwulf, dragging him deeper and deeper toward the bottom of the River Styx. As they dragged him down and down, the rage of the shadowy hero mounted. He bared his fangs, tensed his muscles and strained against the overwhelming forces of the river. No one caught in the river’s grasp had ever surfaced again.

            Charon glared down at the swirling waters with pleasure and pride. Finally, after all these years, he found the revenge he desired. There hadn’t been a waking moment in all the time Nyhtwulf ever served the Four Horsemen that Charon hadn’t wanted to destroy the Twilie Demon. Finally, he could gloat with abandon. Every time he would cross the Styx, he would cross over Nyhtwulf’s imprisoned soul. Nothing could make Charon happier at that moment.

            The smoking hole through his middle chest region was a confusing surprise to the Ferryman. With the inability to actually feel anything, he didn’t notice it right away. Worse yet, such a thing was supposed to be impossible. Charon long stood the eons as an indestructible force on the river. Nothing had ever been able to harm him before. Slowly, he turned to the source of the blast that tore through his back.

            Blacktide stood, seething with rage. His clenched fists smoked with a new power and the chains were in pieces at his feet. Charon reacted without any further hesitation.  He swung out with his pole and hit Blacktide across the forehead, breaking a hole in the man’s sunglasses. Blacktide’s head turned with the blow and slowly he turned his head back, glaring at Charon. As the Ferryman took another swing, Blacktide ducked under it and came up with another disintegration blast that tore apart Charon’s left arm.

            Charon responded with a roar that sent a wide ball of flames toward Blacktide. Charon’s glaring eyes, shot flames out 8 feet in either direction. Blacktide rolled across the deck of the boat and came up with a wave of distortional power and ripped at the boatman from all angles.

            “Your bones will decorate my boat!” Charon howled.

            “I said I wanted to kick your head and I’m going to!” Blacktide shouted back.

           

At the bottom of the river, another surging battle raged. The lost souls gripped Nyhtwulf and gathered on him like moths to a flame. Nyhtwulf tensed and reached deep within himself to the heart of his own supernatural might. As he thrust his wings out, forcing the souls away from him, jets of water flew at the surface. The boat shook, momentarily jarring the footing of both on board as Nyhtwulf’s body exploded from the River and into the air. Nyhtwulf roared in a mixture of triumph and rage.

            “NO!” Charon’s embattled form turned in shock, just in time for Blacktide to unleash a new attack. This burst of power erased parts of the boat’s railing and left the deck smoking. In the midst of the smoky cloud, Charon’s long pole fell away into the water with a splash. A hollow thud could be heard as Charon’s disembodied skull hit the deck and bounced. It spun, almost in slow motion. As it spun the glowing sockets seemed to show Charon’s absolute disbelief. The skull bounced twice more on the wooden deck before being grasped by human fingers from a shredded glove.

            Blacktide brought the skull of Charon up to head level so he could look directly into its blazing eyes. At the same time, the human hero put his broken sunglasses back on, one eye still viewable through the cracks. Nyhtwulf landed, glad to see his partner alive.

            “What will you do?” Nyhtwulf asked.

            “Pathetic human! You will pay for this!” Charon shouted.

            Blacktide glared at the skull and slowly shook his head. “Nah. I don’t think so. But I promised you this.”

           

With a step in preparation, Blacktide’s boot met with Charon’s skull like a professional football kicker. Charon screamed as his head sped across the river toward the palace of the Four Horsemen. As it flew, the air around it swirled in new shadows and a great skeletal hand wrapped around the flying skull, stopping its flight. Hovering over the river was Death himself. As the entity floated towards them, Blacktide felt a catch in his throat. He had no idea what to expect. Nyhtwulf dropped to his knees.

            Without a word to either of them, Death gestured with his open hand and the body of Charon reassembled on the boat. The long pole returned the Ferryman’s hands. Only the head remained unattached.

            “Rise, former servant.” Death commanded before turning attention to Blacktide. “For the transgressions against you, Larry ‘Blacktide’ Peters, your power has been altered. Use it wisely. Now you both follow me to witness the true punishment of Charon.” An unseen power pulled the boat to the opposite shore. Neither of the two offered any objection as they followed Death onto the dark beach of the dead.

            Together, they walked to the great front doors of the palace where Death stopped. Blacktide could only watch in awe. He had no idea just what had happened to his powers, but they did feel different than before. He realized he destroyed the magical chains that held him. Was that what Death meant? He had little time to think on it.

            Death reached out to the great front doors with Charon’s skull and fixed it fast to the right side door. A great metal ring appeared in the skull’s mouth before Death spoke again.

            “You thought no worse punishment could ever be devised for you, reckless and foolish Ferryman. Now, not only will your headless body continue your sentence upon the River Styx; you shall serve as the heraldry of all who wish to enter here. No words will you utter, but all who come will use you to rap upon our door. This shall be your disgrace from here on to whatever eternity the Horsemen desire.” Death turned to Blacktide and Nyhtwulf. “You have witnessed this event and now are bid leave this place. Your fate is elsewhere.”

           

Nyhtwulf nodded and grabbed onto Blacktide who was too shocked to speak. With the power of the Twilie Demon, the two friends left. When Death gives a command, it’s best to ask nothing, merely comply.