Legacy of War Read online

  Legacy of War

  Arcane Space Book One

  Nyk Nova

  Nyk Nova

  Copyright © 2017 by Nyk Nova

  All rights reserved. Worldwide.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents, except for incidental references to public figures, products, or services, are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental, and not intended to refer to any living person or to disparage any company’s products or services.

  No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, uploaded, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter devised, without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Epilogue

  Thank You!

  Connect With Me

  1

  The battle helmet crashed to the ground—its grated visor crushed from direct hits, the top dented from heavy collisions. Kade’Tor Lorenth watched as the light from his helmet’s heads-up-display flickered out—no longer useful as a comms unit, much less a navigational tool.

  He stared at the mangled skull cap for a brief moment. It was worthless now, and didn’t offer much protection. Kade made a mental note: Try not to get shot in the head again. His ears were still ringing and his temples throbbed. He felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to his skull. His splitting headache was going to be worse tomorrow—if he lived that long.

  Kade flinched as hard projectiles struck the boulder he used as cover. The accompanying laser blasts heated the stone, making him sweat more than the armor he wore. He could see small chunks of stone fall all around him as the hard projectiles chipped away at the rock, keeping him pinned to his spot. It wouldn’t be long till the boulder was eventually pounded into gravel.

  A large explosion from the approaching Siege Machine gave him even less time. His eyes scanned the area in front of him. It was not a good sight. The land was strewn about with fallen soldiers from both sides. The white and gold armor of his comrades was scuffed, scratched and scorched—as was the black and purple armor of his enemies. Those who were still breathing did not do so for long.

  Kade took a deep breath, barely audible under the barrage of gunfire striking the rock behind him. His options were as low as his weapons. The outgunned and outmanned soldier made a brief weapons check. The crushed barrel of his long rifle made the gun useless as anything more than a club. He checked the ammunition in his side-arm—it was empty, as were the pouches of extra bullets on his belt. All he had left was his Volt Blade. He pulled it from his scabbard and watched the crack of electricity spark along the polished metal. It was a thin current. He checked the talisman in the butt of the handle. Its faint glow indicated the spell infusion was losing power. Not that he would have counted on it. The blade was still sharp and that was enough for what he needed.

  “Just have to be sure the strikes are in kill zones,” he said.

  The air brakes of the Siege Machine blasted through the air, dousing the sound of gun fire. Kade knew the heavy-tread vehicle had come to a stop. His only hope was that his enemies— whose numbers he did not know— had no plan to circle around the boulder and surround him.

  “Cease fire!” A voice boomed through a speaker.

  The enemy troops did as ordered.

  “General Kade’Tor Lorenth of Osceria,” the voice continued. “You are pinned in. There is nowhere for you to turn. I am prepared to hear your terms of surrender.”

  “And who would I be surrendering to?” Kade yelled

  “I am General Tare Wollerth of Lugaz.”

  A small smile formed across Kade’s lips. It was a rare occasion—nearly unheard of— that the military leaders of both planets would find themselves face to face. A written surrender from the safety of many miles and a signature was one thing. But a declaration of surrender from one general to another was the stuff of legends. Kade had little interest in becoming a historical figure but the idea was amusing.

  “If you do not reveal yourself in ten seconds, I will be forced to obliterate you where you stand,” Tare said. “Your execution is as good as your surrender.”

  Kade knew it was no bluff. But he also wasn’t going to let the Lugazians win the war and Empress Jer’ren rule over Osceria.

  “Have it your way!” Tare called out. “Ten!”

  Kade pulled out a gold plated talisman. The perfectly oval shaped gem in the middle of it glowed with a turquoise light. Kade clenched his fist around it and held the talisman to his heart.

  “Eight!” Tare’s voice boomed from the siege weapon.

  “I sacrifice spirit for power,” Kade said, his eyes closed. “Power from spirit. Accept this offering and lay claim to the bit.”

  “Five!” Tare said. “Ready weapons!” He ordered his troops.

  Kade opened his eyes. “That I might smite my enemies.”

  The gem grew brighter and Kade tossed it over the boulder.

  The talisman landed amongst the enemy troops and flashed in a brilliant light. The troops closest to it covered their helmets with their hands, trying to keep the light from overloading their visors.

  “Get him!” Tare ordered.

  Kade burst from the light, swinging his blade at a single troop. The troop fell back as the others opened fire on the Oscerian.

  “He’s too fast!” one of the troops protested as his bullets seemed to miss Kade, entirely.

  The rest of the troops continued to focus their fire on the single fighter but none could land a hit. Neither from weapon or from hand. It was as if Kade wasn’t even there.

  “General Tare!” a troop shouted. “Something is wrong—“

  Suddenly Kade leaped from the other side of the boulder, slashing away at the warning troop before his feet even hit the ground. Before the others knew what was happening, Kade had already taken out two more with precision strikes across the backs of their necks. It was the one place he knew that was least protected.

  The Lugazian armor was made for full frontal combat. The vulnerable spot was so narrow, the likelihood of any blade or bullet reaching it was low. It was an achilles heel Kade took full advantage of.

  He continued moving his way through the troops, many of them hesitating
in confusion as to which Kade they should attack. Some continued their fire on the Oscerian that burst from the talisman while others turned their sights to the version that came from the boulder.

  “Concentrate all fire on the new one!” Tare shouted. “The other is an illusion from a Spirit Divider! It’s a diversion!”

  The words came too late. Kade grabbed the gun of a soldier still focused on the illusion. His fist met the visor, colliding with the armored knuckles of his gauntlet. As the soldiers head reared back, Kade kicked him, forcing the Lugazian to release the gun. Kade then took aim at two troops, firing one bullet for each. The armor protected them from death dealing hits but the pain was still enough to take them out of the fight.

  As the illusionary Kade from the Spirit Divider flickered and faded from existence, the real Kade launched himself onto the Siege Machine while enemy fire ricocheted off the armored hull of the two story monster war vehicle.

  Kade balanced himself on a metal walkway just above the treads. He made sure to stay clear out of sight from the double barreled gun turret that was in constant search of a target.

  He grabbed onto a nearby ladder and hoisted himself up, making his way toward the top. The giant cannon swung in his direction, like the turrets, searching for a target. Only the few troops left on the ground knew where Kade was. Three shots burst onto the hull of the machine, sending sparks at Kade’s head. He flinched but recovered and took aim at the soldier who’d shot at him. Unlike that troop, Kade’s shot was true. The bullet put the soldier on the ground and he continued his way up.

  As he reached the next turret platform, a laser shot grazed his armor near the neck, singeing his hair. Kade spun around and glanced down to see the Lugaz soldier climbing the ladder after him. The two traded shots at each other with Kade trying to force the troop back down and the troop trying to blast Kade. The familiar whine of the turret took Kade’s attention from the pursuing soldier and toward the machine. Before the turret had a chance to fire, Kade moved in, slashing at the gun barrels with his blade. There was just enough magic left in the talisman to send a shock through the electrical systems and to the turret operator. Kade didn’t know if the move killed the troop inside but the turret did stop moving.

  The slap of metal on metal turned his focus back to the ladder where the Lugaz soldier had one hand on the platform. Kade rushed to the ladder and dropped to his hip, sliding across the way. His foot crashed into the soldier’s helmet, knocking him off the ladder.

  Flipping around, Kade watched the soldier hit the ground before shifting his gaze to the front of the war vehicle. Gun fire blasted up at him. He fired back, making the enemy soldiers duck and dodge to avoid being shot. Kade was an excellent marksman but this was not the time for well placed aiming.

  He glanced upward. The only entrance to the machine was just five more feet up. Just one more ladder and he could commandeer the whole thing, putting an end to the fighting and the war.

  He fired once more below, keeping the ground troops off balance before making his way to the ladder.

  “It’s almost over,” he said to himself, climbing hand over hand.

  As he reached the top of the Siege Machine, Kade expected a burst of sunlight to shine on him but he was met with only more shadow. He looked up at the hulking figure towering above him and casting its huge shadow over the edge of the machine’s top.

  “For Empress Jer’ren!” the large man shouted.

  Kade barely had time to swing out of the way before the man’s boot crashed down on him. The Oscerian grabbed the off-balanced foot and shoved it away, putting the giant off-kilter and away from him. Then Kade scurried up to a better spot than the ladder.

  With the sun shining on both of them, Kade finally got a good look at his next opponent. The Lugazian stood with no armor. Only his shins and knees were protected. And by the looks of them, the guards were more ceremonial than functional. Only the black and purple tunic covered his large frame. The soldier’s arms tensed with muscles as big as Kade’s head. The troop was as much a tank as the very machine they stood on.

  “General Tare, I presume?” Kade asked. “Surrender now and—“

  “You speak to the wrong man,” the giant said. “I am not the general.” He pulled a club as wide around as Kade’s leg from the holster on his back and pounded the other end into his hand. Kade watched as the man turned the handle, activating two rows of spiked studs that jutted out from the top half of the club.

  Kade smirked then raised his gun up only to find it knocked from his grasp. The weapon bounced to the Siege Machine’s roof then slid over the side, leaving Kade with only his Volt Blade. A weapon he wasn’t sure would stand up to the club in his enemy’s hands.

  “For my Empress!” the giant yelled as he swung the club down. It was an obvious attack, one Kade dodged easily. The next attack came swifter than expected as the club came back up, making its way for Kade’s ribs. He fell to the roof. It was the first move he could think of.

  Oscerian armor held fairly well against most blunt weapons. Even a straight shot could prove little harm if it hit the right place. But the wielder of this club was far too strong to be anyone who couldn’t cause great harm with a solid blow. Kade’s only hope was to avoid being hit until he could move in with the blade.

  The club bashed the roof. Kade quickly tried to move in but the giant was as fast as he was strong. The Lugazian blocked Kade’s knife attack. And a knife was all that was left. The talisman in the handle was out, the magic all used up. Kade pulled the blade back and noticed the sizable chip in the edge. He couldn’t afford to let his weapon collide with the club much more or he’d find himself with only his bare fists. And while General Kade’Tor Lorenth was confident in his abilities as a fighter, he doubted those same abilities would be of much use to the Lugazian he now faced.

  The club swung at him but Kade ducked. This was the opening he needed. He launched forward from the hunched position and swiped at the man’s gut but the giant moved just in time, staving off the fatal blow. Only his tunic was ripped.

  Angered that Kade had gotten that close, the giant roared and brought the club back down. Kade barely moved in time and the weapon glanced off his shoulder. It was still a hard enough hit to drop him to one knee. Fortunately, it was not a direct hit, leaving his arm still attached to his body.

  This was not going to be easy and Kade was already tired from the battles before. He took a moment to catch his breath. It would prove his fatal mistake, one which could not have been avoided under the circumstances.

  “I don’t want your surrender,” the giant said, bringing the club up once more.

  The cannon of the machine fired a shot, rocking the entire vehicle. From his kneeled position, Kade maintained his balance but the giant stumbled, nearly falling backward. It was the trump card Kade needed. He stood to his feet and caught sight of other soldiers charging at the Siege Machine. He smiled again, catching sight of the Oscerian flag flying toward them. The giant took the time to look over his own shoulder. The sight of reinforcements put less fear in him than Kade would have thought.

  As the large man refaced Kade, he was met by the Oscerian rushing toward him and abruptly stopping.

  Kade watched the giant’s eyes moving around with an expression of concern. He dropped the club and stumbled forward as if in a daze. Kade assessed the situation, lowering his guard as the giant turned to face the oncoming Oscerians. A single gunshot had fired a bullet into the back of the man’s neck, severing his optical nerves. The shot was so well placed that it would have rendered armor useless, had there been any armor in the first place.

  The man swung his arms, roaring at his sudden handicap. Kade took no more time to sort things out. He rushed at the giant, thrusting his armored shoulder into the man’s back and knocking him from the roof of the Siege Machine. The giant rolled and tumbled down to the ground below. The few Lugazian troops that were left had already dropped their guns and dropped to their knees.

  Th
e machine fired again, its turrets joining in the launch of bullets. There was only one more opponent to take down and while Kade liked the numbers heading his way, they still didn’t have the firepower to take the whole machine down.

  Kade hurried to the hatch and tried to open it. It was useless. He would need an explosive device or a seal spell. Neither of which he had. The Volt Blade was useless as well. He glanced around the roof for a switch or lever but found only the club of the giant. It would have to do.

  Kade hefted the weapon up. It was considerably heavy but not so much he couldn’t lift it at all. Just to be sure, though, he unhooked the armor around his arms, taking off some of the weight, and raised the weapon overhead.

  The hatch door thundered as Kade brought the club down on it, missing the latch by a mere inch. The only sound that was louder was the chattering of the turrets firing at his fellow Oscerian’s below. He tried again. This time his aim was true and the club struck the latch itself, bending the metal. Kade slammed the club down once more and the latch broke.

  He dropped the blunt weapon and reached down for the broken metal but the latch door swung up, narrowly missing his face. Kade reeled back, shaking off the surprise opening.

  A single pistol rose from the hatch. Kade wasted no time. He lunged for it and grabbed the weapon, pointing it away from him just as the gun fired. The man holding the gun frowned in protest as Kade pried the weapon out of his hands and turned it on him.