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Stories # - L | M - Z | Authors
Trapped in Dark Astoria
Part Two – Into the Darkness
City of Heroes Fiction
By Eli J. Litzelman
Not wanting any unneeded attention, RoboZon
suppressed his outward display of flame as he descended into the
cave. The two guards waiting for him were taken care of swiftly
and silently. He scanned the room and took in the details:
a single brick hallway reaching down into murkiness. Unlit
torches lined the walls followed by an occasional faded crystal hanging
from the ceiling. “Circle of Thorns,” RoboZon
murmured. From the way everything was darkened, it was apparent
this cave had either been deserted or forced from them. The hero
guessed it was the latter.
He stepped over a pile of rubble in front of the
doorway and pressed into the depths. After awhile, he stopped and
listened. At first he thought it was nothing but after a moment
he heard it again: the unsteady footsteps of the
living-dead. RoboZon slid into a large indentation in the wall
and waited. A grumbling noise echoed through the lair and the
first zombie passed the hero’s hiding place. He was average
height, missing an eye, and limped heavily on his left leg. The
first zombie was followed by another. This one was slightly
bigger than normal, carried a World War II rifle, and wore a military
helmet. The second spotted RoboZon. The undead soldier
roared a battle call and veered his gun toward the legendary
hero. RoboZon swung his foot in an arc and knocked the firearm
into the back of the first zombie. The rifle discharged a round
and sent the recipient flying forward. The hero then planted his
foot in front of the other, jumped in the air, and spun in a full
circle. As each leg passed it struck out and hit the
villain. The first blow only turned the zombie’s head, but
the second separated it completely from his body. The metal
master then pivoted on the balls of his feet and elbowed a third
zombie. Forcing power into his leg, RoboZon drove his knee into
the villain’s mid-section. The undead trooper crashed into
the ceiling before falling to the ground.
A loud laugh boomed through the cavern and RoboZon
turned to the noise. A Death Shaman approached. “Very
good. You may find my troops easy, but you’ll find they get
harder with numbers.” The mystic stopped ten feet from
where the hero stood.
RoboZon walked forward. “You’ll find I'm not so easily dealt with.”
“Maybe… or maybe not.” As
the villain finished speaking, a zombie dropped from the ceiling and
landed between the rivals. Before the hero could react, he was
hit by a club and propelled backward. He crashed through several
objects before hitting the ground. Looking up, he saw that he was
completely surrounded by the living-dead. The hero jammed both
elbows down into the villain beneath him and thrust his legs
forward. He flew through the air and smashed his feet into the
zombie in front of him. Landing upright, the metal master
positioned his feet firmly on the ground. This was going to be
rough.
For the next eight minutes, chaos reigned. He
could take on many undead at once, but everytime he took care of one,
it was instantly revived by the Shaman. In this way, he found
himself fighting an endless wave of invincible troopers and his energy
was running low.
RoboZon slid his left foot up to his right, lifted
his right leg, and snapped his heel out into a zombie’s
chest. Just as he was setting his foot back down, however, he was
shot from behind and sent sprawling onto the ground. He coughed blood
into the front of his helmet and gasped for breath.
The Death Shaman shook his head and looked at his
pitiful victim; that was too easy. “I am
disappointed. No matter; my brothers will be pleased with having
you. They think you are a strong warrior, but I have seen you for
what you are: pitiful.”
RoboZon lifted his head and rose to his knees.
“Really? I think your ‘brothers’ will be most
displeased when they find you dead.”
The Shaman gritted his teeth and shot a bolt of
netherworld energy from his fingertips. The blast caught the hero
in the face and knocked him onto his back. The villain pressed
his attack and yelled, “Fool! Do you think that you can
challenge fate itself?!?! No! We looked into the future and saw
your death! There is nothing you can do about it, now or
ever! Welcome to your doom!” A single line of energy
flowed from the mystic to RoboZon, who screamed in agony.
The legendary hero jerked back and forth on the
ground in spasms and clawed at the earth with desperate fingers.
His pain was worse than the experiments Crey had performed on him, the
beating Statesman had given him, and even the control-eliminating
machine Vandal had dreamed up. It not only tore at his physical
body, but his mind. Horrid visions of his past crashed through
his head. The death of his father came first. Every image
was clear and crisp in his mind’s eye: both his and his
father’s flesh being torn by glass and flame. Both their
voices shouting for mercy, but none came.
Next, his mind flashed to the fatal fight between
himself and Archer of Ramesses. Each blow being delivered with
direct precision and force. Their feet weaving in and out as if
they were being controlled by some predator of the wild; maybe they
were. Then came the lethal blow. The sword cutting directly
into the heart of his mentor, his friend. Blood pouring from the
archer’s mortal wound, onto RoboZon’s thrusting hand, and
dripping to the tile floor. RoboZon knew his friend would later
revive from the dead, but seeing his fault again made the hero’s
chest tighten and tears stream down his face.
After his past had been viewed, his visions turned
to his future and he saw it: his ultimate doom. He was tied
with magic to a giant pillar that rose high into the air. Bound
to the bottom left column of four, he struggled to get free.
Directly ahead was Daughter of the Wood. She gritted her teeth
and swore harshly under her breath. To RoboZon’s front
right was Archer of Ramesses. The ancient Egyptian looked
peacefully up at the sky and uttered some soft words from his own
tongue. RoboZon then looked right and saw a young girl in her
early twenties. She was wore tight jeans and a short sleeved
tee-shirt. Her worried eyes desperately reached for his and he
tried to reach back. But there was something strange about her.
Although clearly scared, she showed surprising strength and
readiness. She was prepared for what lay ahead - for the
unknown. RoboZon found himself taking more hope and courage from
her than any fright or anguish which existed within himself. Just
then the head shaman finished his ritual and reached to the sky.
Energy enveloped them and tore at their very souls. He watched as
each and every one of them died until only darkness remained.
Then from the depths came a monster. Covered in flame and glowing
with power, the being seized all control over the world under the will
of his masters. Countless died and were revived as undead
slaves. The sky went dark and all vegetation left the
earth. Our planet became a barren wasteland of fire and
rock. Time passed and soon no one even remembered the bright
world. Nothing was left but the beast and the undead.
Darkness then consumed RoboZon’s mind and he slipped into the
void.
The Death Shaman observed the unconscious hero in
front of him. He then motioned to his minions and said,
“Take him.” One of the zombies grabbed RoboZon by the
feet and swung the hero over his shoulder. Together the group
moved ever down into the depths of the
world.
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