Wizard Rebellion (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 5) Read online

  Sensing a possible victory, Gaston shouted, “Pour it to him. He’s only got a few shields left. Don’t hold anything back.”

  Gaston felt a surge of hope. He wasn’t fighting the demon alone. He was with the greatest fighting force the galaxy had ever known. He was with wizard scouts.

  * * *

  Cancontus roared with pain and agony. Realization swept over him that his avatar was in danger of being destroyed. He’d spread himself too thin. The Crosioian vampire was only one of his many avatars. He was trying to do too much at once. Some of his other avatars were in perilous positions as well.

  If I had time, I could draw Power from my other forms, he thought. I could bring enough Power to bear to destroy these wizard scouts with the wave of my hand. However, I need time to pull the Power from my other avatars without endangering them as well. I need time.

  Time. That which he’d so often scoffed as the weakness of physical life forms was now his enemy as well.

  If this avatar is destroyed, I’ll be banished to the demonic plane for a thousand years. My brothers will combine forces and torture me for a millennium.

  Cancontus didn’t relish the thought. When the Master’s wizard scout had destroyed Efrestra’s dragon-avatar, Cancontus had spent many pleasurable years helping to torture his brother. He had no wish for Efrestra to return the favor.

  I must save this avatar, Cancontus thought. Then I’ll regroup and destroy these pitiful fools. However, this avatar must first survive.

  “Attack, my vampires!” boomed Cancontus. “Destroy these fools. Feast on their blood while I go to prepare the way for our final victory.”

  Off balance from the onslaught of attacks, Cancontus only had time for a simple teleport spell back to the lair of his brother, Zenthra. His brother was a weakling and a fool, but his skill at protective spells couldn’t be matched by anyone less powerful than a master demon. Cancontus knew if Zenthra hadn’t specifically formed his defenses to allow his brothers in, even the high and mighty Dalinfaust would be unable to enter.

  Zenthra’s room will be the perfect place for me to prepare a counterattack. Once I draw Power from my other avatars, I’ll return and destroy the wizard scouts. They’ll pay for their insolence. Oh, how they’ll pay.

  * * *

  Zenthra watched with amusement as the wizard scouts stripped away layer after layer of his brother’s shields. As he’d suspected, Cancontus wasn’t as powerful as he proclaimed.

  If the fool doesn’t leave soon, Zenthra thought, the wizard scouts will destroy his avatar. Now, wouldn’t that be a shame?

  Zenthra thought back to when Efrestra’s avatar had been destroyed. Torturing his brother for a thousand years had been very therapeutic. Zenthra began to hope his brother would choose to remain and continue the fight with the wizard scouts.

  The fool deserves to have his avatar destroyed.

  Zenthra heard his brother order his vampire minions to attack.

  He’s going to run, Zenthra thought. I knew my brother was a coward.

  Power shimmered in the room near one of Zenthra’s control stations. The shimmering turned into the vampire form of Lord Cancontus.

  Zenthra nearly laughed as he sensed his brother’s shields. His avatar is nearly destroyed. One more round of attacks by the wizard scouts would’ve done the trick.

  “Ah, brother,” Zenthra said trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. “How good of you to drop in.”

  “Quick,” ordered Cancontus. “Feed me some of your Power. I’ll go back and rip those wizard scouts apart. I’ll reward you once I am the Master.”

  “Of course you will,” said Zenthra. This time he was unable to keep the laughter from his words.

  Drawing a large amount of Power from his reserve, Zenthra sent it directly at the left side of his brother’s chest. The few remaining shields buckled before finally giving way to the onslaught of Power. Cancontus’s heart exploded out the vampire’s back. Zenthra sent another blast of Power to finish the job. Every particle of his brother’s avatar was destroyed.

  Zenthra laughed long and hard.

  “Don’t get bored, brother,” he said. “I’ll join you soon enough to personally see to your entertainment.”

  Zenthra laughed again as he sent a call to his two remaining brothers, Efrestra and the Dalinfaust. He was confident between the three of them, they’d make Cancontus wish he’d never been created. Zenthra looked forward to the thousand years of pleasure Cancontus would give them all.

  Again Zenthra laughed. “Existence is so good.”

  Chapter 59 – A Canteen

  ____________________

  The booming sound of the demon’s voice ordering his vampires to attack reverberated through every nook and cranny of the underground tunnel system. Richard heard it as he stood in the entrance’s foyer.

  Even as the demon shouted, Cancontus continued fighting Richard for control of the Circle. It was all Richard could do to force the feelings of hunger and tiredness into his companions to overcome the effects of the spheres’ enthrall spell.

  “Keep at it,” said Nickelo who’d once again established contact in their shared space. “The others are engaging the demon. Don’t let up.”

  A pounding at the entrance to the secret tunnel brought Fenmar to his feet. He pushed a small outcropping of rock. When he did, Richard heard a loud click.

  “The vampires outside are trying to force their way in,” said the dwarf. “I’ve locked the door, but it won’t hold for long.”

  Using his passive scan, Richard took note of the situation. A crowd of nearly a thousand vampires was at the entrance, trying to force their way inside. A large source of energy halfway down the secret tunnel marked the location of Lord Cancontus. He was surrounded by the nine life forms of Richard’s friends. As he watched, the life force of the demon diminished slightly. Unfortunately, Richard sensed the life forms of over three thousand vampires converging on the location of the demon and his fellow wizard scouts.

  Suddenly, the life force of Cancontus was no longer in the secret tunnel. Still connected by the Circle as he was, Richard sensed the demon reappear deep below the Dragars’ pyramid. He detected the demon Zenthra there as well.

  Then the life force of Cancontus disappeared as if his avatar had been utterly destroyed.

  With the disappearance of Cancontus, the Circle began to dissipate. Before it disappeared completely, the green sphere made one last contact with Richard.

  “You must hurry,” said the green sphere. “The Mountain’s Heart is already loaded on the destroyer. The Dragars are forcing us to open a time-gate to the future in the physical dimension. Come now, or all is lost.”

  Richard wanted to tell the green sphere he had a few problems of his own. The Circle vanished before he got the chance. He lost contact with the green sphere at the same time.

  When the Circle disappeared, Richard also felt a change in his dimensional pack and dimensional canteen. Although he didn’t know why, he got the feeling the items were working once more.

  “I calculate ‘the One’ is probably using a tele-bot to let you know you can summon items again,” said Nickelo. “I’d advise not wasting the opportunity.”

  Richard prepared to run and assist his friends. The vampires were almost on them. Before he could take more than a couple of steps, a loud crash behind him made him spin around.

  Broken bits of stone flew through the air as the secret door gave way to the combined strength of the vampires outside. Two dwarf vampires bulled their way past the rubble with weapons raised. General Fenmar engaged one. Richard ran to the general’s side and took out the other with his phase rod.

  Hundreds of vampires struggled to get through the narrow entranceway. Their sheer desire to feast on the warm blood of those inside caused them to momentarily jam up inside the doorway.

  Richard raised his M63 and fired a long burst of plasma rounds at the struggling vampires. Blood and gore spouted out of wounds, but their injuries almost i
mmediately healed.

  “You can’t take them out with plasma rounds,” said Nickelo. “Their self-heal is even better than yours. I recommend coming up with a different tactic.”

  Richard noticed his battle computer didn’t offer any specific suggestions. That normally meant he couldn’t come up with anything having a better than five percent probability of success.

  Fine, Richard thought. I’ll come up with my own idea.

  Richard knew he only had time to try one thing. He momentarily considered trying to summon a phase weapon from his dimensional pack, then quickly discarded the idea. ‘The One’ had never let him summon one for himself in the past. He knew he couldn’t afford to waste time seeing if ‘the One’ would make an exception. He needed to try something different.

  Releasing his grip on his M63, Richard reached out and jerked Fenmar away from the entrance. As soon as the dwarf was clear, Richard reached back with his right hand and extracted his dimensional canteen from its case on his hip.

  Richard spun the canteen’s lid with his thumb until it dangled by its lanyard. He fumbled for the canteen’s control valve. In a fashion similar to his dimensional pack, Richard knew his canteen was connected to a water source on the planet Storage. How big the water source was he didn’t know. He had a feeling he was about to find out. Once he found the control valve, Richard twisted it to maximum pressure with a temperature setting of ‘boiling.’

  A stream of water shot out of the canteen’s opening. Hot water bounced off the wall near the doorway. Richard felt his battle computer adjust the aim until the scalding water was hitting the vampires full in the face. A great cloud of steam filled the foyer.

  Richard shoved the dwarf behind him. “Get back, or you’ll be boiled alive.”

  General Fenmar didn’t waste time arguing. The dwarf made a hasty retreat several meters down the tunnel. When the general was a safe distance away, Richard began moving the stream of water back and forth across the opening. The vampires screamed as their flesh was burned off their bodies. He sensed their self-heal renewing the flesh, but the force of the jet of water continued to force them back.

  “Hmm,” Nickelo said. “According to the information in my databanks, the water pressure for your canteen is able to shoot a stream up to a hundred meters in the air. Based upon the force of the current water flow, I’d say someone on the other end has cranked up the water pressure even higher. Whoever’s doing it, I calculate they’re saving your life. The vampires are being driven back from the entrance.”

  Sure enough, the vampires were giving ground. The entrance was almost clear. Richard knew it was only a temporary victory. Sooner or later, the vampires would think to shift into the void and enter from another way. Richard had a feeling the only thing preventing them from doing so now was their own greed to be the first to taste the blood of those inside.

  Richard heard the sound of weapons firing along with several booms in the tunnels behind him. A glance at his heads-up display told the story. His friends were slowly making their way back to his location. They appeared to be hard-pressed by a large force of vampires. Several smaller groups of vampires were in the void and moving to cut off his friend’s retreat.

  “I’ve got to save them,” Richard told his battle computer.

  “You can’t,” replied Nickelo. “If you leave your post, the vampires will overwhelm us. Your friends are on their own.”

  Chapter 60 – Rearguard

  ____________________

  Wizard Scout Thomas R. Jacobs stabbed the tip of his phase rod straight at the demon’s chest. He could sense Cancontus’s weakening shields.

  Just a few more blows, Thomas thought.

  Without warning, the demon shimmered and disappeared. Thomas was temporarily thrown off balance when his phase rod met only thin air. A hand from behind grabbed his left shoulder preventing him from toppling over. When he looked over, Thomas saw the hand belonged to Gaston.

  “The demon’s gone,” said Gaston. “I can still sense him through the Circle. He’ll be back when he’s gathered his strength. We’d best not be here.”

  Thomas was about to agree when the Circle suddenly disappeared.

  Janice looked around from the other side of Gaston and asked, “What just happened?”

  “Cancontus’s avatar has been destroyed,” answered Margery over the external speakers of Thomas’s battle helmet. “Rick says the demon’s brother, Zenthra, took him out. The Circle’s gone. I highly recommend you be going also.”

  Thomas glanced at his heads-up display. Thousands of life forms were converging on their location. Another thousand outside the entrance were engaging Richard and Fenmar. Hundreds more were shifting into the void and moving to set up a blocking position behind them.

  “If we don’t get past there before those vampires arrive,” said Margery in their shared space, “they’ll block our line of retreat.”

  The first of the vampires arrived at Thomas’s front. Before he could react, Gaston stepped forward and tore into them, swinging his phase rod like a wild man. For a brief moment, the vampires were driven back.

  “Thomas!” said Janice. “Our dimensional packs are working again.”

  Sure enough, Thomas detected a change in his dimensional pack’s frequency. He didn’t waste time trying to figure out the whys or wherefores of the pack’s sudden capability. He just pictured the specs for an experimental phase pistol he knew was being developed by the Deloris Armaments Corporation. He didn’t feel any Power leave his reserve.

  “Did you honestly think that was going to work?” asked Margery. “It’s like Janice told Rick, they may be a credit a dozen in the future, but they’re rare during our time. I calculate there aren’t currently any on Storage.”

  The beast which was Thomas’s temper tried to claw its way out from the prison where he kept it. Through sheer willpower, he forced it back down where it belonged. Thomas knew he needed to keep a cool head. He needed a plan.

  “Everyone back to Rick,” Thomas shouted. “I’ll hold these vampires back.”

  “No!” said Janice. “We stay together. Besides, Rick and Fenmar aren’t in any better shape than we are. We should stick together.”

  “Rick’s dimensional pack is from the future,” Thomas said trying to reason with his wife. “I’m betting he can summon phase weapons for everyone. Phase weapons are our only hope. You go get the weapons and then come back for me.”

  Janice finished caving in a vampire’s chest with her phase rod before giving her reply. “No! I’ll never leave you.”

  “Nor will we,” said Tam. “Wizard scouts don’t desert wizard scouts.”

  * * *

  Gaston listened to the back and forth argument going on around him. He knew his father had the right idea. He’d just chosen the wrong person to stay back.

  “You can’t,” said Wanda sounding very concerned. “It’d be suicide.”

  “We’re all dead if I don’t,” Gaston replied. “The vampires almost have us cut off. If the others don’t leave now, they’ll never make it to Shepard. He’s their only hope.”

  “Your father will never let you remain as a rearguard by yourself,” said Wanda. “As long as he’s able to fight, he’ll remain. Your mother won’t either. They’ll both stay as long as their Power reserves are functioning.”

  Gaston swung at two more vampires before finalizing his decision. He knew what he was planning was a fool’s errand, but couldn’t let his mother and father die. His plan meant he’d never see Diane again, and Matthew would never know his true father. Regardless, Gaston knew he had to do what he had to do.

  Reaching out with his mind, Gaston gathered a line of Power and sent it down the link he’d connected to his father during the attack on Velos. As he’d hoped, the link transcended time. He followed the link until it connected to his father’s Power reserve here in the past. He sensed traps near the opening. He recognized his brother’s frequency. Gaston smiled.

  “You taught me too good,”
he thought. “Plus, you were sloppy.”

  Gaston spied a weak point in the traps. Perhaps Shepard had been in a hurry. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that it was there. Slipping through the weak point, Gaston made his way into his father’s reserve. The Power reserve of his father was strong, powerful, and large. Gaston sensed his father’s vitality. Until now, Gaston hadn’t fully realized how great a wizard scout his father actually was.

  My father’s too good, Gaston thought. ‘The One’ will never willingly let him go. I’ll make it so he has too.

  Gaston knew his father would never forgive him, but didn’t care. He had a sudden insight as to why there’d always been an obvious chill between them while he was growing up. His mother had been very loving. Gaston knew she’d eventually forgive him. He also knew his father wouldn’t. If he went through with his plan, he’d be creating a split in his relationship with his father that would never heal.

  So be it, Gaston thought. At least he’ll be alive.

  Drawing more Power from his reserve, Gaston attached lines to several structural points on the inside of his father’s reserve.

  I love you, Father, Gaston thought in his private space. Forgive me.

  Gaston twisted and pulled hard with his Power. He heard a scream. Out the corner of his eye, Gaston saw his father clutch his chest and fall forward.

  His mother jump-kicked a vampire who made a grab for her husband. As the vampire was falling back, Janice reached down and pulled her husband to safety.

  Retracing his steps back to his own Power reserve, Gaston found an opening he’d made to his mother’s Power reserve when she’d been lying in bed dying from lack of Power. The link hadn’t allowed him to save her in the future, but he was determined to use it to save her now. He followed the link until he was at the opening to her Power reserve. He wrapped structural weak points on the inside of her reserve the same as he’d done to his father.