BOOK 1 - CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 20

Two rookies lunged at Johnny with a spear and axe, both bladed edges thrummed with Radiant Power. Johnny backstepped away from the spear’s slice, narrowly avoiding his bowels being sliced open. The axe-wielder, a bison Beastkin with rippling muscles, swiped at Johnny’s head, roaring as he overextended just enough for Johnny’s swift side-step to render him vulnerable.

A grin smeared across Johnny’s lips and he moved for the ‘kill’ with the single dagger he’d been allowed this training session. The spear wielder moved to defend but it was too late, their ally at the back had already intercepted Johnny’s ‘kill’ — an arrow soared between Johnny’s dagger and the bison Beastkin just in time to save his hide and force Johnny back.

Growling, Johnny wiped the sweat from his brow and glared at the sharpshooting Dragonic summon. It was more a cyborg than anything truly natural. It belonged to Warden Qin and was present around a week ago when he first awoken from the Talvish incident.

Today though, rather than scout or follow Julia around the settlement, it was loaded with blunted arrows and ordered to give Johnny a hard time during training wherever it could. And to Margaret’s sick satisfaction, it was.

Johnny grunted as the spear wielder came rushing in again, a light-footed panther demi human with all the zeal to win the reward Margaret had promised she and her Beastkin partner— a day off training with her but only if they could draw first blood.

So far, neither side had landed a solid blow much less first blood and they’d been going at it for over fifteen minutes now. Johnny feinted out of the spear’s long reach, grasping its shaft and pushing it aside with enough force to wobble the panther girls grip. With her balance off Johnny dashed headfirst at the bison Beastkin gathering himself for another round of berserker strikes and slashes with his golden blade axe.

He roared and slashed Johnny’s head with otherwise lethal force— Johnny halted just in time, the dirt kicking up as he brought his momentum to a pause and then, in a moment of disbelief, slashed across the bison’s overextended arm. He winced, hissing out a stream of expletive and other fanciful curses.

Johnny’s mouth hung slightly ajar as he stared at the bloodstained blade of his dagger. He hadn’t at all expected to land a hit but— his senses screamed danger at him.

Johnny ducked and just in time too as the spear-wielder came surging forward, her speed and momentum landing against nothing solid left her unprepared and she stumbled over Johnny’s squatting form, spilling right into her partner’s legs and tripping him over in the process.

Johnny snorted as he stood, “That was unexpectedly easy.”

“Ughh.” Came Margaret’s utterly disappointed groan as she descended from the sky where she watched and judged, “I’ve seen enough, you two clearly need more training, forget about rest days.”

The Alliance rookies groaned pathetically as they untangled themselves. Margaret landed in front of Johnny, the smug, satisfied look on his face clearly infuriated her, but it only grew the longer she stayed silent and glared.

“Saayy it, come on now, you can pound me into the ground but not say those simple words?” Johnny had made a different wager than the rookies. For him, after a week-long back-to-back, breakless training session with the brutal Demonic Warden before him...all he wanted was a full admission that there was nothing left to teach him with daggers, that he’d relearned and even mastered the dagger like he did all those years ago he enlisted to fight the Convars.

As Margaret’s silence grew, he cheekily spun and caught the dagger in his hands, then started tossing it from one to another, “You know it’s true, I’m good with this.” He said.

Margaret groaned, rolled her eyes and folded her arms, “Perhaps you are but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to teach you. How you use your dagger in tandem with other weapons matters just as much as how you use it alone.”

Johnny shook his head, catching the dagger one last time before hurtling it right at the Draconic cyborg watching him with eerie, unflinching eyes. It embedded itself neatly in the dirt, inches away from the cyborg.

“I’d say I know my way pretty well, all thanks to you.” He said, mirroring her posture by folding his arms. It had taken some getting used to, but he warmed up to the Demonic looking woman pretty well. She and he shared more in common than either were ready to admit outside of vicious training but perhaps that’s what made her so intriguing, she and Julia of course.

Julia…he thought of more often than he’d like to admit, she was an enigma to say the least. Both of them are.

“Of course, where would you be without me?” Margaret smirked and winked at Johnny. Her lips parted to say more but her eyes glanced beyond Johnny, and he sensed her before she spoke.

Julia. She strutted towards them in her full Warden Attire, her platinum blond hair flowed around her like a cape, the red sun’s rays of light cast a glow on her rounded, smooth cheeks, glinting off the surface of her ornate white and gold armor. Johnny reflexively stood up straight at her approach, there was something about her in her Paladin armor that just screamed respect and authority just at a glance.

She looked deep in thought, her eyes studied the dirt for a while but when she looked up she smiled and Johnny grinned, “I’m guessing you two are done here?” she asked, gathering her info from the beaten and tired rookies gulping down bottles of water.

Margaret slapped Johnny’s back with pride, “I’ve done the best I can to shape him up, Captain! He’ll learn the rest soon enough.”

“Hey, take it easy will you!” Johnny winced, even Margaret’s playful hits stung like hell.

Margaret shared a look with Julia and shrugged, “Nothing I can do about his whining unfortunately, Captain, just going to have to take him like he is.”

Julia chortled, “I think I’m satisfied with him as is.” she said, her eyes lingering on him for a moment before moving back to Margaret, “We should get moving now then, I’m all set if you are.”

Margaret nodded and Johnny asked, “Wait, it’s time to leave already?”

Julia nodded, her smile never falling away, “It’s asking for trouble to keep you here any longer. This settlement is…its just that, a settlement for the people to live as free of danger as they can.” she said.

“Yes, and as you experienced not so long ago, the Devouring Darkness will stop at nothing to see you dead.” Margaret added, expanding her wings and setting a handout for Johnny, “That’s why we’ll continue your training back at HQ, remember.”

Yeah, but I didn't think it would be so soon. He’d only trained hand to hand and daggers for a week and between those few breathers Margaret allowed him he slowly acquainted himself with the members of the Alliance stationed at the settlement and even those who lived in it. He’d miss Jana for sure.

He took Margaret’s hand, and she squeezed it firmly, “The plan’s still the same, yes?” she looked to approval from Julia who nodded and took her other hand. “Alright then, I’m glad I don’t have to fly us all the way to HQ. Brace yourselves!”

Margaret let her wings free, their span cast a shadow that blocked out the sun and then with a single, mighty flap, she rose. Carrying Julia and Johnny by the arm.

****

They landed at the barnyard and rather roughly as Margaret bemoaned, “Did you really have to put on your armor before you had me carry you, Julia!”

Cackling mischievously Julia shook her head at her, “I thought you were strong, it wasn’t a long flight, was it?”

Johnny joined in on the mockery, “Yeah, it was barely two minutes and you’re complaining? You made me do push-ups while you sat on my back and you’re heavy as—”

Margaret’s truly demonic glare shut him right where he stood. He gulped and Julia shook her head at their antics, “Come on, we don’t have much sunlight to waste. HQ is a three day journey not including all the other stops we’ll have to make.”

“Wait, what other stops?” Johnny followed after her. The barnyard was like any other Johnny had seen on earth, save the animals were uniquely different in one way or another. Many had an extra tail, more teats than he could count and some even had two bleating heads.

At the center though was what they’d come for, what would take them through their journey to the Alliance HQ in the absence of the lofted teleportation pads and abilities he was told about in the past week. It was his towering baby— the Voyager.

Between training, socializing and simply existing, Johnny hadn't had the time to drive the Voyager around since the Talvish incident that nearly got him killed. Thinking about it now had his throat itch where it was slit, even though Margaret had ensured not a scar remained.

While he hadn’t found the time to drive, Johnny had Albert fixing and augmenting the high-tech vehicle to the best of his ability and imagination. He added two missile launchers to the roof and mounted grenade launchers alongside the gatling guns. The extra hardware weighed the vehicle down, but Johnny insisted.

I’d rather be overprepared than helpless again.

Julia opened the passenger door and asked incredulously, “Have you just not been listening? We’ll be training and testing your magical abilities on the road and if you’re worth your salt as a Champion, we’ll make a detour to one of the void portals spreading corruption.” She huffed at him, tossing her hair back as she climbed in, “It’s your duty to close them and if you can’t…”

“I will.” Johnny said without a second thought. “I’ve been practicing or…at least searching for that spark again.”

He was. He’d vowed to learn to control the power, the Radiant energy that was imbued in him and to an extent…he’d found success. He couldn’t yet materialize the power like he did during the Talvish incident, but he could feel its effects ravaging his body, changing the way he moved, his endurance, his reflexes and strength. If he was the same Johnny Victoris, he would never have been able to do over two hundred press-ups much less with someone like Margaret sitting on his back like a princess.

I’m getting stronger, that’s for sure.

“Don’t worry so much,” Margaret said, hopping into the back seat. He’d gotten rid of the cooler and adapted the seating to her specifications and preferences some time ago, the back seat was wider, longer and allowed optimal space for her wings to fit in. “Just get in, drive and I’ll show you where to look for that spark. Got it?”

Johnny let out a sigh but nodded. It wouldn’t be long now before he learned to access and control this power within him and then…

Then I save Nsukka and save Earth.