Earth had much stronger weapons than we were used to. My men were armed with sledge hammers and battery-powered nail guns. They would do far more damage against the Gorum than our swords and daggers. It wasn’t much, but we had a fighting chance of distracting the enemy long enough to reunite with Lonzo and bring Delia home. We stood at the edge of the park, watching the lumbering figures of the great brutes we’d fought for years.
When we met at the park, Rafe didn’t show up. It wasn’t like him to let us down; I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had happened to him. We knew it wouldn’t do us any good to storm Central Park without the amulet or Delia. But, we couldn’t just let the Gorum lay waste to the city, killing people to make way for the Sideon. We had to do something.
We’d never tried to fight the Sideon; they weren’t entirely physical beings. If I couldn’t hit it, I didn’t know how to hurt it. Sirens blared around the park as the police arrived to form a barricade. They had no idea what they were dealing with, and would most likely tell my men and I to vacate the premises. We had no intention of leaving. Our enemies had followed us here, and we had to help the people of Earth fight them off. One of the Gorum noticed us and flashed a grimace. I’m sure it was meant to be a grin, but they just weren’t made for that kind of expression. We readied ourselves for his attack. As he swung a massive fist in my direction, Philo charged between his legs. He only paused for a moment before swinging his sledgehammer in an upward motion, hitting the Gorum right between his legs.
An angry wail erupted from him as he collapsed to his knees, narrowly missing Philo when he landed. The Knight charged up the Gorum’s back and landed a sound whack to the oaf’s head. Black blood oozed from its ear just as Philo took another swing. The Gorum collapsed to the ground with a thud.
“We need some of these, back home!” Philo shouted as he dismounted and took off running after the next enemy lumbering nearby.
The other men laughed and let out a battle cry, running to join the fray. Solon fell victim to the next attack. We were faster and smarter than the Gorum, but they were stronger by far. Our comrade tried to mimic Philo’s plan of attack, but he wasn’t fast enough. Solon ran between the Gorum’s legs only to be squashed beneath his oversized behind when he collapsed. There was no time to mourn his loss.
We arrived at the portal. Before today, it would have been impossible to detect; the Gorum had literally torn a hole in the veil between worlds. A rip roughly the height and width of the average Gorum was suspended midair. There were hundreds of the monsters lumbering around, looking for something to smash. We were vastly outnumbered. A low rumbling tore my attention from the army in front of us. It wasn’t another earthquake. This time, it was heavy machinery. Rafe was behind the driver’s seat of a crane like we’d used at the construction site hundreds of times before. I grinned when I saw what was attached to the front of this particular vehicle.
Rafe had their attention. It was like watching a kitten follow a string as their heads swiveled in unison to track the oversized metal ball. I almost felt sorry for them as the ball swung forward, aiming for the heart of the gathering. The sound was sickening; a wet thud accompanied the crushing of bones. Grunts and wails erupted from those who were merely wounded as those around them died instantly. Rafe wasn’t done yet. What goes up must come down, and the ball arched back towards those left standing. Another sweep through knocked more over like a bowler skillfully executing a spare.
Rafe jumped down from the vehicle he’d appropriated and was greeted with cheers and slaps on the back. Our celebration was short lived as more Gorum burst through the portal. Rafe grabbed a sledgehammer for each hand; he was by far the strongest of our number.
He ran full speed at the monster closest to him. Philo and Gerrit charged another. I didn’t hesitate as I ran at a third, yelling to distract it. The nail gun did little damage to him, but it did provide enough of a distraction to allow Rafe to rush at him once he’d done away with the first. He swung the sledgehammers with ease, smashing one foot then the other. The Gorum fell to the ground with a resounding thud. I jumped over its arm and slammed the nail gun against its head. We took down three more Gorum and tightened ranks around the portal.
A voice came over a loudspeaker. “Attention civilians, we thank you for your assistance, but we must insist that you evacuate the premises immediately.”
I looked up to find we were surrounded by large green and tan vehicles. Some looked like heavily armored cars, others appeared to have a cannon mounted on top of their fully-enclosed roofs. I could still see the flashing of police lights further out, but these vehicles appeared to be more sophisticated. The men I could see on foot wore heavy clothes that matched their vehicles. They carried guns and wore helmets covered in fabric.
Before I could give an order to my men, a figure hustled across the park behind us. It was Orin, and to my surprise, Sophronia came sprinting in his wake.
“Orin? I wasn’t sure I’d see you again. Did you have a chance to talk to your wife?”
“Yes. Listen, we have to find a way to get the military to fall back.”
I looked around. Helicopters flew overhead, broadcasting the strange scene around the world. I couldn’t imagine what they thought of the strange bodies that littered the open space around us. From a birds eye view, we must be quite the sight; a small band of men armed with sledgehammers and a wrecking ball surrounded by alien bodies.
“Where is Delia?” Sophronia broke the silence.
I gave her an appraising look. Her expression changed for a moment, long enough for me to recognize the apology hiding behind it. I may not have trusted her yet, but she was there.
“She’s with Lonzo. They’re not here yet. I don’t know what’s taking so long.” I told her.
Orin looked agitated as he broke through our conversation. “I’ve got a plan for when the Sideon come through, but we can’t risk anyone else. They have no idea what they’re dealing with here.”
“What’s your plan?”
“We need a power source. Something to draw them in and keep them busy long enough for Delia to get here with the amulet.”
I glanced around us. “Where will we find such an animal? Last I checked the power was out all over the city”
“I think I can help with that.” Sophronia said as she started pulling items from her belt.
“Attention civilians. Put down your weapons and exit the park. You will not be given another opportunity.”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure what they think they’re going to do about this.”
“Knowing the military they’re probably going to bomb it and hope that solves the problem.” Sophronia quipped.
Orin and I looked at each other, it was evident we had the same thought. A bomb would expel a significant amount of energy, it could be exactly what we needed to distract the Sideon when they came through the portal. The only problem was, we couldn’t just leave the portal and hope the military intended to bomb it. We also couldn’t take the chance that the bomb would somehow disrupt or destroy the portal that would take us home. Sophronia continued to look through the numerous pockets attached to her belt. I wondered if we could create our own bomb. One that would attract the enemy but spare the portal.
“What do you have in there?” I asked the alchemist.
She looked as though she wanted to tell me to mind my own business. “I can make your bomb. But we can’t use it until we’re surrounded by the Sideon.”
As if on cue, the light coming from the portal began to dim. The military men around us must have thought it meant the danger was over; they seemed to visibly relax. My men and Sophronia spread out enough to surround the portal as we waited for the most fearsome enemy to make their appearance. Piercing silence fell over the park as we willed them to appear. The first Sideon came through the portal. I chanced a glance at the Earth army; they were clearly wrestling with their fight or flight instincts at the sight of the faceless foe. After the first was through, the rest poured out in a confusing mess. We weren’t sure what to do, we needed them all in one place for the alchemical bomb to work.
The amulet around my neck vibrated, I fought against the disorientation that was sure to follow but it was no use. A vision burst into my head; Delia was with us. She was running directly at the portal with a reaching crowd of Sideon following in her wake. Her amulet bounced against her chest as she ran; it was much darker than it should have been but it grew brighter the closer she got the to the portal. She didn’t stop as she neared the opening, she just leapt through, followed by the Sideon.
“Taeren! Snap out of it.” Orin was shaking me.
I opened my eyes to find myself curled up on the ground clutching my head. My men surrounded me in protective stances. Sophronia stood over me holding two vials in each hand.
“Nice of you to join us, you’re not going to want to miss this.” She said with a wicked grin.
“Where’s Delia?” I asked.
Orin shrugged. “They’re not here yet. We need to get you up. What did you see?”
I relayed the brief snippet I saw as I got to my feet. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the Sideon around us. We were surrounded. I couldn’t see the Earth military through the forest of Sideon. When I got to my feet, I caught a glimpse of the abandoned heavily armored vehicles; they had fled. I couldn’t blame them. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t be standing against them either.
“Are you boys ready?” Sophronia spread her arms wide.
“Is this going to hurt us?” Philo asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
“You won’t die, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
I could practically hear Philo gulp at her words. I stood shoulder to shoulder with the Knights of Riona, ready to give my life to stop the Sideon. It wasn’t that I wanted to die, it was that I was prepared to do anything to end the war, once and for all. Sophronia raised her arms above her head and brought them down in a swift motion. The vials shattered when they met on the ground. A pungent odor assaulted my nostrils. It smelled like sulfur mixed with the scent of stagnant pond water. A yellow-green light burst from the mixture and thick smoke of the same color covered our number. For a moment, I wondered if that was all, but that moment was short-lived as a wave of energy exploded, knocking me back to the ground.
The only sound I could hear was the high-pitched whine that filled my ears after the blast. I was weak, I hurt all over. I tried to stand again, but found it to be nearly impossible. Fighting against the overwhelming urge to sleep, I forced myself to my knees. As the smoke cleared, I noticed my men were in varying stages of disorientation. Far more intriguing was the reaction of the Sideon. They acted as though they’d imbibed too many spirits; they wandered about aimlessly or hovered in one spot, swaying with the breeze.
Sophronia was on her feet, looking around with a self-satisfied grin. Her lips were moving but I couldn’t hear any words coming out of her mouth. I shook my head to indicate she was wasting her breath, but she continued to shout and point. I followed her gesture to see Delia, Lonzo and the woman they called Paula running towards us. They’d made it. We were going to win.