Now

At a guess the room that Prime Custodian 3 led Cal into was a conference room. Not that he could tell by the way it was furnished or rather the lack of. From what he could tell the Threnosh out Spartan-ed the Spartans when it came to austerity. This particular room was all empty space and plain, metallic walls, floor, and ceiling. If it wasn’t noticeably larger than his interrogation room then he wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.

“I just want to make it clear that I’m not going back into that box.”

“That is not the intent.”

“Good… so, what’s this about negotiation? Cause that’s what I’ve been trying for the past like six, seven months.”

“What I propose is similar to the Quests, as you call them, that the spires issue.”

“I didn’t name them. The spires did that all on their own.” Cal’s curiosity was piqued. “Are they called something else for you guys?”

“The system refers to them as Tasks for the Threnosh.”

“So, the nomenclature changes with the species,” Cal mused.

“My assessment concurs.”

Cal snorted. “Mysterious, unknowable multiversal structures playing around with semantics. I almost feel like they’re taking us for fools.”

“Probable.”

“You know, you’re a little different from what I’m used to.”

Prime Custodian 3 nodded. “I have studied your sessions and am attempting to mirror your way of interaction.”

“Now that,” Cal grinned, “I recognize… alright, I’m listening. What’s this task and what are you offering in return?”

“Designation: Honor, please view the recording before we proceed to negotiations.”

A holographic projection suddenly winked into existence in the center of the room. Cal’s eyes shot open. He was impressed. It looked indistinguishable from real life. It was a spire and the surrounding area. Outdoors somewhere, set on a grassy hill with a thick rim of trees several hundred yards in the distance, which fenced in the entire scene.

At first Cal thought it was a still shot, but then he noticed that the blades of grass were subtly swaying in a light breeze. A shadow from a passing cloud temporarily darkened the view.

Something about the scene tickled at Cal’s memory. It looked familiar. As soon as he realized that fact a sinking sensation grew in his gut.

He surreptitiously glanced at the Prime and sent a light touch into their mind. He could’ve spat in frustration when he was greeted with the same static-like buzz blocking his way. It seemed that he had found the likely suspect behind his recent telepathic troubles.

“Right, so I’m thinking this is the place I came through from my world into yours,” Cal said. “If the task involves you guys sending me home, then I guess I’m in, but I’m not going to spy on or betray my people in any way.”

“Continue viewing and all will become clear,” Prime Custodian 3 said.

Cal turned his attention back to the holographic projection with a shrug.

The spire was just as he remembered. It was as wide as a sequoia, yet as tall as skyscraper. Its surface was a matte dark gray, or it was a shiny silver, or it shimmered with the colors of the rainbow. It was all of these in turn and somehow at the same time. Cal felt his head start to ache just thinking about it. He had seen maybe a couple of dozen spires over the years and each one was the same.

There was a shimmer in the air near ground level in front of the spire. It looked like hundreds of mirrored panes of glass that shifted into and around each other in a never ending prism. Until it suddenly stopped to reveal a figure standing serenely in place.

Another alien. It was slim and of average human height. It was stunning in appearance, not beautiful exactly. Cal didn’t have the words to describe it properly. It was androgynous in appearance. He couldn’t tell if it was male or female, but it didn’t matter he supposed. His experience with the Threnosh taught him that it was too simplistic to apply human gender standards to nonhuman beings.

The sunlight glinted off the alien’s ivory-colored skin, which to Cal resembled alabaster or porcelain. It was perfect, he couldn’t detect a single blemish through the holographic projection’s enhanced definition. Yet, when the alien moved an arm to shield its golden eyes from the sun it conveyed a sense of suppleness.

It unfurled broad wings from its back and flapped them briefly as if stretching its legs after a long journey, which Cal supposed was accurate enough. He remembered a similar feeling upon his own emergence from the spire. Its golden wings had a metallic sheen to them, yet ruffled in the breeze like soft feathers.

“Its an angel?”

Cal realized his mouth was hanging open. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. An actual freaking angel. He felt a smile cross his face. He was expecting something terrible, yet such a wondrous-looking creature emerged. Its cherubic face was warm, open and somehow made even the cynic in him relax.

“I don’t know why you’re showing me this, but if you thi—”

The holographic projection zoomed out to show a squad of power armored Threnosh approaching the angelic alien in a cautious formation. It was one Cal recalled from his own first encounter.

“Man, I hope you didn’t open fire and ask questions later like you did with me, cause that’s no—”

The projection zoomed back into the angelic alien’s face. A manic gleam appeared in its bright, golden eyes, as its small mouth split into a too-wide smile. To reveal rows of razor sharp teeth.

“Oh… shit.” Cal’s mouth dropped open again. “This is going to be unpleasant to watch isn’t it?”

Prime Custodian 3 gave an uncharacteristically emotive nod. “Yet watch we must. For that is what lies above our world and yours.”

Cal could practically feel the grimness coming of the tiny Threnosh. He could only nod in agreement.

The holographic projection zoomed out further and moved to a higher angle over the scene such that it covered both the ten power armored Threnosh and the angelic being, who spread its arms and wings out wide.

“Rejoice, lost ones, for you have been found!”

Its voice was like music. An unbidden image of chimes and choirs of children filled Cal’s head. He forced it away with an effort. “That’s not good.” The angelic alien just became even more troubling.

“I bring you beneath the sheltering wings of the Dominion of Immortal Light and Joy!”

The alarm bells were practically blaring in Cal’s head.

“Surrender to the most tenderest of ministrations!” The angelic alien spoke in its musical voice.

Cal was beginning to worry that the Threnosh squad in the projection still hadn’t taken action. They had fired on him before he had even finished his first sentence. Perhaps the angelic alien’s voice had a hypnotic or mesmerizing ability to it. He shot a side-eyed glance at Prime Custodian 3. Were the Threnosh already under the angelic alien’s sway?

His concerns were unfounded a second later as the power armored Threnosh raised their gauntlets as one and fired. Familiar-looking projectiles struck it in the center of its torso. From the way they hit and stuck, Cal surmised that the projectiles hit bare skin. Just as he had thought. It wasn’t wearing any clothing. Two alien species and both displayed zero external signs of biological gender. What were the odds on that?

Cal wanted to laugh. The ‘man was made in God’s image’ people back home were going to have to do a lot of cognitive dissonance-ing when he shared the information. Although, the fact there were angels out there might overshadow that bit. He wondered what his mother would say. Probably an ‘I told you so’ in regards to his long term break from the Church. He had started to plot his hypothetical response to that when a crackling sound from the holographic projection pulled him back from his digressions.

The taser-like projectiles electrified the angelic alien. From what Cal remembered they carried enough voltage to affect even his own super powered constitution.

The angelic alien’s body spasmed and it fell to one knee.

“That’s good,” Cal mused. “It didn’t drop me like that. Probably means I’m tougher.”

The angelic alien stood and swept the barbed projectiles from its chest with a contemptuous wave of its hand. Small lines of luminescent white-yellow blood trickled down its chest.

“Even its blood shines.” Cal frowned. “If that’s even blood.”

“Refusal!” The angelic alien began. “You have forsaken the light and joy! I call you forsaken!” Its voice made Cal wince. It was almost like the wrong chord was struck, creating a feeling of discord, of dread. “I, Zalthyss, Hunter, bring you woe.” Its voice fell to a near whisper.

The self-proclaimed Zalthyss struck without warning. It moved with a quickness that surprised Cal. It reminded him of Eron’s sparring speed. It also reminded him of another person, one that he tried not to remember in too much detail for that was an unpleasant memory.

Zalthyss folded its wings tight to its body as it dashed across the hundred or so feet of grass between it and the Threnosh squad.

They continued to fire at the angelic alien. Somehow none of their shots hit.

Zalthyss reached the lead Threnosh and speared it through the chest with an outstretched hand.

Cal blinked. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He had judged that the power armor of the basic Threnosh combatant provided protection similar to a thick bank vault, but in a many times thinner and lighter form. He’d punched enough of them to think he had formed a pretty good assessment.

Zalthyss’ hand pierced the front chest plate, went through the poor Threnosh, and out the back plate like it was all tin foil.

The angelic alien held the dead Threnosh up like a shield. Projectiles impacted uselessly while Zalthyss closed in on the others.

The fight was a slaughter. In less than thirty seconds the entire squad was dead. Zalthyss had torn through power armor like nothing. It had ripped limbs off with ease and broken bodies with a sweep of its wings.

Cal felt sick for the Threnosh as he watched the holographic projection of Zalthyss carefully stacking the bodies and body parts in an obscenely neat pile. Again he was reminded of something he didn’t want to remember.

“I’m sorry for your people,” Cal said.

“Unnecessary,” Prime Custodian 3 said. “We who fight are aware of the consequences that come with our role.”

To his horror, Cal found Zalthyss in the process of lapping at the Threnosh blood on its clawed fingers and hands. “Can you turn this off? I don’t think I need to see this.”

“There is more,” Prime Custodian 3 said.

The holographic projection switched to a scene several hours later, judging by the movement of the spire’s shadow across the ground. Zalthyss was kneeling on the ground, facing the spire in what could only be described as a praying pose.

“Jesus Christ,” Cal mumbled under his breath. “This is just too ridiculous…”

From somewhere off-screen there was the sudden sound of whirring. Cal recognized it immediately.

Zalthyss was knocked forward into the grass and driven into the ground in a short furrow as a steady stream of small metal projectiles peppered its body.

Six power armored Threnosh appeared in the projection as the camera zoomed out and panned over them. They were what Cal had mentally labeled as ‘heavy infantry’. Their miniguns fired a steady stream into Zalthyss as they slowly advanced.

Another group of ten basic power armored Threnosh filled in the gaps between their heavier brethren and covered the flanks, as they moved to surround Zalthyss.

After what seemed like minutes the miniguns fell silent as their barrels slowly stopped rotating.

All of the Threnosh raised their gauntlets and pointed it at the prone Zalthyss. As the camera zoomed into its back, Cal could see that it was riddled with tiny holes. Its luminous blood shined.

“At least its not bulletproof,” Cal said. He hoped it was finished, but he realized that the Prime wouldn’t have offered him a task if this Zalthyss was already defeated.

He cursed his prophetic ways when it slowly started to crawl over to the pile of dead Threnosh from its first fight.

It reached into the pile and pulled out a power armored arm. To Cal’s disgust it lifted the ragged tear at the elbow to its mouth and drank deeply as the Threnosh blood flowed. It only got worse as it tore the armor like paper to reach the thin, Threnosh flesh inside. This it fed upon like some kind of starving creature. It repeated this horrid act on more body parts.

Cal wanted to turn away, but he forced himself to watch. He suspected that every bit of information was going to be critical in the near future.

As it continued to feed the holes on its body pushed out the small, metal projectiles while slowly closing.

“So it can heal rapidly at a cost,” Cal murmured to himself. The cost being biological matter was another reminder of a previous foe that he wished to forget.

Seemingly finished, Zalthyss turned and smiled its razor-sharp smile at the Threnosh and attacked.

The slaughter went much the way as the first had gone. In less than a couple of minutes all were dead and Zalthyss went back to its praying posture in front of the spire.

“I’m assuming this isn’t live?”

“Correct. The event has already occurred,” Prime Custodian 3 said.

“Why didn’t you hit that thing with everything you had? Maybe drop some bombs? Or use that laser of yours? Why send your warriors to get torn up piecemeal?”

“Standard procedure dictates the use of the minimum amount of force to an encounter. This invader is an unknown entity, as such further information was required in order to determine the appropriate level.”

“You should’ve hit it with overwhelming force as soon as it proved to be unfriendly,” Cal said. “How many more lives did you throw away for more information?”

“Threnosh are not wasted. We all serve in our roles, whatever is required,” Prime Custodian 3 said. “Six.” Their voice had an uncharacteristic tremor.

The scene shifted once again. This time a pair of Threnosh in sleek power armors swooped down from the sky and raked the praying Zalthyss with bright beams that punched the angelic alien into the ground.

Zalthyss rolled to avoid the beams and then leapt into the air with a mighty flap of its wings.

What followed was an amazing display of aerial combat from both sides. The Threnosh worked as a team, keeping Zalthyss off-balance with their superior maneuverability and practiced tactics. They kept their distance and kept the angelic alien in-between them at all times.

Sadly, their advantage didn’t last.

The fight turned in an instant when Zalthyss put on a burst of speed and closed the distance with the Threnosh in the predominantly black-colored power armor. Either they miscalculated their range or Zalthyss’ speed, whatever the reason it cost the Threnosh their life. Zalthyss flapped its wings and stayed away from the other Threnosh, who desperately rained repulsor beams on it.

Like an obscene bird of prey, Zalthyss tore the struggling Threnosh in its grip to pieces. It threw the disembodied pieces at the remaining Threnosh. The distraction proved costly as they lost sight of Zalthyss, who had climbed high above with a few flaps of its powerful wings.

Zalthyss folded its wings and dived down into the distracted Threnosh. There was a loud crash as skin and muscle, crashed into metal. The latter lost.

Cal could only shake his head in disgust at the angelic being as it dismembered another unfortunate soul.

“Fast, strong, self-healing, and flight. What else can the bastard do?” Cal muttered.

As if in answer to his question the scene shifted one more time.

There was a slight tremor to the scene as booming steps suddenly sounded out through the eerie quiet of the clearing. An absolutely massive power armored Threnosh barged into frame. It was larger than anything Cal had seen to date. Their thickly-armored form was close to ten feet tall and maybe four feet wide across the shoulders. It charged with deceptive speed on tree trunk-sized legs toward the still kneeling Zalthyss.

Cal nodded in approval at the scuffs and scratches on the greens and browns of its camouflage paint scheme. It looked like this Threnosh had seen many battles. He hoped that they’d do better than the others.

Zalthyss stood and turned with an insufferable smile on its smug face. “Ah, more chattel,” it said brightly.

The angelic being broke out into a sprint on a collision course with the giant power armored Threnosh. It had already covered twenty feet in a second when a thick, bluish-white beam that left mist in its wake struck the expanse of open ground in front of it.

Zalthyss suddenly lost its footing and began to slide forward out of control.

The ground beneath its feet was frozen like the surface of a winter lake.

The giant Threnosh met the flailing Zalthyss with a huge punch from a metal fist bigger than the angelic alien’s entire torso. There was a loud crunch as it was sent flying a good twenty feet away.

The holographic projection zoomed out to show the source of the freezing beam. It was another Threnosh clad in power armor. This one had armor that was colored in blues and whites. They had a sleek rectangular backpack that glowed with small lights along the sides. There were two hoses that connected the pack to the rear portion of each thick, cylindrical gauntlet. Small jets of mist seemed to be venting constantly from small openings in both gauntlets. As Cal watched the left gauntlet’s cylindrical front end opened up and pulled back to reveal four metal-clad fingers.

The Threnosh used their now free fingers to signal something. The giant Threnosh nodded and advanced on the fallen Zalthyss. The ice-creating Threnosh kept their right gauntlet trained on the invader as they too moved cautiously closer.

The projection zoomed over to Zalthyss and Cal knew immediately that whether it was a mistake or just plain bad luck the Threnosh blew an opportunity to put it down decisively.

The gigantic punch left the angelic alien a broken mess. It looked as if every bone in its body was broken from the way its chest was crushed inwardly with bits of what had to have been ribs sticking out through the skin. Unfortunately, it had been knocked into the pile of dead Threnosh.

Cal let out a frustrated groan. It was like watching your team fumble the ball at the goal line.

Zalthyss crammed bloody bits of Threnosh flesh into its mouth until its body healed completely.

The Threnosh were too slow to act as Zalthyss zoomed up into the air with a single flap of its wings.

The ice-creating Threnosh sent blasts of freezing beams after it, but missed badly.

The giant Threnosh popped out a pair of miniguns from compartments in its back, one over each shoulder and filled the sky with hundreds of projectiles per second. It too was unable to score a hit.

Zalthyss swooped up and under the projectiles and the beams until it gained position above the ice-creating Threnosh where it folded its wings and dived.

The ice-creating Threnosh pointed their gauntlet at the ground in front of it and fired. While still firing it jumped on top of the frozen ground and began to move like an ice skater.

Zalthyss spread its wings at the last moment, skimming along the ground as it gave pursuit.

The ice-creating Threnosh’s icy path was directly away from the spire and down a gently sloping hill. Perhaps they were counting on the aid of gravity to lend it more speed, but what they did was take themselves further away from any potential support from the giant Threnosh, which lumbered after them.

It looked as if they had made a fatal error, as Zalthyss drew ever closer.

Inches away, clawed fingers reached out for the ice-creating Threnosh. Until they were gone.

Cal didn’t catch what happened, but Zalthyss was suddenly tumbling across the ground. When he came to a stop his wings were stuck with a thick glob of something that Cal would bet anything was like glue.

The projection zoomed out and panned over to a distant hill. At a guess, Cal would have placed it at least five hundred yards away. Another power armored Threnosh stood on the hill. The most distinguishing feature of their armor was the massive mechanical bow that appeared to be built into their left gauntlet.

As Cal watched the archer Threnosh drew another arrow and let loose. The projection followed the arrow’s flight. It flew in a flat trajectory that was more akin to a bullet. It crossed the distance in a blink of an eye and exploded right in front of the surprised Zalthyss.

It was sent tumbling through the air to land in a heap. It struggled to one knee, then on to its feet before it suddenly fell as if its legs were cut out from under it.

Cal didn’t catch it at first since he wasn’t looking for it, but now he could see a blur moving around Zalthyss. Each time that the blur appeared to draw near the angelic alien a splatter of luminous blood sprayed out and when the blur passed there was a new cut across once perfect skin.

The blur was doing a good job cutting up Zalthyss, except for the fact that Cal quickly detected a pattern to the attacks. And if Cal saw it then that meant—

Zalthyss stuck an arm out to one side. The arm broke as the blur crashed into it, which was fine for the angelic alien. The blur was a fourth power armored Threnosh and they tumbled to the ground just a short distance away. Their armor was sleek, much thinner than all Cal had seen before with the exception of the Prime. There looked to be small openings, like miniature jet turbines at strategic locations on the lower half. Their helmet was sleek and tapered to a narrow back end, much like the kind speed cyclists wore. There were bladed fins all along the gauntlets and upper arms. These were covered in luminous blood.

The unexpected blow stunned the speedy Threnosh, which sealed their fate. Zalthyss pounced upon it like a cat on a wounded mouse and proceed to rend and tear through the weak armor with ease. A few bites later and the its injuries were gone once again at the cost of the Threnosh’s life.

An arrow sprouted suddenly out of Zalthyss’ shoulder, then another, followed by a third. Arcs of electricity emanated from the arrows and blanketed Zalthyss in a not so tender embrace.

Cal wanted to let out a cheer to accompany the angelic alien’s inhuman scream as it writhed on the ground, muscles no longer in its control.

Booming steps drew near as Zalthyss ripped the spent arrows from its body and struggled to its feet. The giant Threnosh lumbered forward as the angelic being took to the sky or tried, that is. For the Threnosh jumped up after it with an assist from the rockets beneath its boots.

They grabbed Zalthyss leg, nearly up to its thigh, with one massive fist. There was an audible crunch accompanied by a grimace of mingled pain and rage on the angelic being’s beautiful face.

The giant Threnosh landed back on the ground with a spray of dirt and rocks. In the same motion it slammed Zalthyss into the ground.

“There’s no way it got up from that,” Cal said. “All the bones in its body have to be broken… again.”

In the holographic projection the giant Threnosh loomed threateningly over the battered and broken Zalthyss. The ice-creating Threnosh approached cautiously with both gauntlets ready to fire. From the clearly open lane that the two Threnosh were maintaining Cal had no doubt that the out of view archer Threnosh had an arrow nocked and aimed on the angelic being.

Cal wasn’t about to let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. He wasn’t about to be fooled by another moment of apparent defeat for Zalthyss.

As the minutes stretched, Cal only grew tenser. The two Threnosh in the projection were equally wary, ready to strike at the slightest movement from Zalthyss.

It was most unfortunate that the angelic being’s most powerful attack didn’t require much in the way of movement.

Zalthyss shifted its head ever so slightly, so that it was facing the giant Threnosh that loomed over it with one massive metal fist poised to strike down.

It opened its mouth and screamed.

As far as screams went, it didn’t sound particularly noteworthy. Sure it was loud, but it wasn’t anything a horror movie victim couldn’t pull off.

As far as its effects went, it was shattering.

The giant Threnosh’s armor slowly came apart. Metal plates came off or started to liquefy. The exposed internal machinery fared similarly. As did the unfortunate Threnosh inside.

The ice-creating Threnosh immediately turned twin freezing beams on Zalthyss. They didn’t stop until the angelic alien was entombed inside a jagged block of ice.

Zalthyss’ face was frozen. Its mouth was open, the scream momentarily silenced. The reprieve didn’t last.

The icy prison held for a moment until it too started to liquefy. The Threnosh poured it on with their beams, but they couldn’t keep up with whatever it was Zalthyss was doing with its voice.

After a few minutes of the intense struggle the Threnosh’s beams suddenly cut out. The lights along the edges of its pack grew dark and the trails of mist leaking from their armor vanished completely.

Zalthyss crawled toward the liquefied remains of the Threnosh in the giant power armor, as the ice-creating Threnosh fled in the direction of their remaining teammate, the archer in the distance.

The Threnosh had perhaps made it half-way when Zalthyss stood up, healthy once more, and took to the skies.

The archer Threnosh loosed arrow after arrow at the angelic being as it swooped after the ice-creating Threnosh. Explosive arrows, ones that created electrified nets, more of the glue-like arrows. They either missed or Zalthyss was able to shrug them off.

In the end the archer Threnosh could only watch as its teammate was killed and devoured. Without its teammates to tank attacks or draw away attention it was extremely vulnerable. It soon met the same grisly fate.

“So… that’s it then,” Cal said with an effort to keep from gagging on the gorge that he felt rise up his throat. “You want to send me up against that thing next.” A statement, not a question. “And those were your best people.”

“That is correct. They were the best in the region. Long years and challenging encounters allowed them to hone and improve themselves. They were my best.” Prime Custodian 3 paused a moment. “Will you accept?”

“That depends on you. What you’re willing to give me. What you’re willing to contribute.”

“Your freedom.”

“I have that now,” Cal said flatly. “If those were your best then does that mean you have to face Zalthyss next? And if you lose what does that mean? Will another Prime come? Two? Three?”

“Yes.”

“And if you still can’t win?”

Prime Custodian 3 nodded curtly. “Then Zalthyss will claim this spire for its world, which will make the way easier for others of its kind to arrive. The Threnosh will eventually fall and when your world’s time is up then they too will know of this Dominion of Immortal Light and Joy.”

“Right, so it’s in our best interests that I win and I’ve got some ideas on how to make that a near certainty,” Cal said. “Now, tell me. What are you willing to give me to save your world?”