Morning sunlight crept across the hills of Eldrathor as the STF squad saddled their horses. Before leaving Caelumbrae, they stopped at a small tavern where fresh bread, roasted meat, and warm cider fueled them for the journey ahead.
When they finished, they rode out through the city gates and into the cold countryside. The gravel road wound across rolling hills, still damp with morning mist.
Thirty minutes later,
A boom tore through the air.
A supersonic blast so violent the ground ruptured beneath their horses.
Vyroz Strael hit them like a meteor.
The Ascendant shoulder checked Dreadwake at blinding speed, tearing a trench in the dirt. Dreadwake's horse was sent flying, and the rest of the squad was thrown hard onto the road.
The dust settled.
Vyroz rose from the haze, a tall, slim figure cloaked in grey with metallic arm guards and combat pants, bare chest chiseled with scars. On his thighs hung massive pistols; an AR-style plasma rifle slung across his back beneath dual swords, a long katana, and a shorter blade crossed over one another.
He stood holding a short katana in one hand, a pistol in the other.
His presence alone felt like gravity sharpened.
Night Coil didn't hesitate; he hurled his chain forward like a lightning strike.
Vyroz caught it mid-air on the edge of his katana.
Then yanked.
Night Coil was whipped off his feet, sent flipping through the air behind him.
Ice King slammed his staff into the ground, freezing the soil around Vyroz's boots. But Vyroz leapt upward, spinning, firing precise shots down at Ice King.
Ice King conjured a thick ice wall, bullets cracking into it.
Dreadwake rolled back onto his feet just in time for Vyroz to land beside him. The two warriors clashed instantly, Dreadwake's curved sword meeting Vyroz's short katana. Sparks scattered with each blow, their movements so fast they blurred.
Blue Blaze shoved his fallen horse aside, grabbed his glowing staff, and fired a surge of electricity from his palm.
Vyroz twisted his katana, expertly redirecting the bolt back toward its sender.
Blue Blaze flipped over it with ease.
Vyroz smiled faintly.
"Seirath would love to fight you."
Blue Blaze summoned stones from the earth and launched them like cannon fire.
Vyroz danced between them effortlessly, then fired two clean shots at him. Ice King froze the bullets midair with a snap of frost.
Ice King planted his staff and unleashed a massive icy wave, blasting Vyroz off his feet and sending him tumbling across the ground.
Dreadwake and Night Coil charged.
Vyroz sprang upright instantly, blocking Night Coil's kick and swaying away from Dreadwake's slash. In a blur:
He grabbed Night Coil by the leg, flipping him overhead.
He spin-kicked at Dreadwake
Dreadwake jumped it and slashed at Vyroz's neck.
Vyroz did an impossible flip, gliding around the blade, landing behind Dreadwake. He spun into a backfist,
Dreadwake caught it.
Grabbed Vyroz's arm.
And tossed him into the dirt.
Vyroz rolled to his back and fired two shots into Dreadwake's chest. Dreadwake staggered but stayed standing, armor dented but intact.
Ice King and Blue Blaze combined their power, forming an icy energy sphere.
Ice King hurled it.
BOOM.
The explosion shook the hillside, engulfing Vyroz in white and blue light.
When the smoke cleared, he stood, shaken, a bit singed but smiling.
"That was a good enough test. I'll be back for more."
And with a burst of smoke, Vyroz vanished.
Aftermath
Night Coil ran to Dreadwake.
"You alright?"
Dreadwake dusted himself off.
"I'm chillin'. Bullets didn't go through. Armor held."
Ice King whistled.
"Never thought you were the fighting type."
Dreadwake shrugged.
"I'm not. But I picked up a few tricks back on the pirate world."
Blue Blaze spun his staff.
"So… what now?"
Ice King stared at the direction Vyroz vanished.
"He said he'd be back. We return to the Capital Carrier Class patrolling this area and check in with the Admiral."
Still shaken but unharmed, the squad mounted their surviving horses and rode back to Eldrathor's airspace pick-up point.
The Admiral's Assessment
The Galactic Empire's Capital Carrier Class ship dwarfed the landing deck as it arrived. The hangar doors opened, and the Admiral stood waiting.
"Come with me."
He led them through metal corridors into an intelligence chamber filled with holo-maps and scanners.
The Admiral pointed at a radar screen.
"Good news. Our sensors show no high-level Kia readings anymore. Whoever that warrior was, he's gone. Likely left the planet entirely. But we'll send search parties to confirm."
Ice King nodded.
"Thanks, Admiral. Glad we could help."
The squad returned to their shuttle.
Back to HQ.
Back to Ian.
Back to a galaxy about to learn the true meaning of Ascendant.