Children of the Virus

1: Return to Reality

General Toshiro gazed down at the desolate land of Zharvox Prime. The two hours of sunlight that peeked through the thirty-eight-hour night cycle illuminated crumbled ruins and broken monuments, creating an atmosphere of dread and despair.

Toshiro's eyes were drawn to the ancient forest looming in the distance, where dark shadows clawed their way through the trees with a ferocity that made him shudder. He could feel their presence as the wind whipped around him, carrying with it a cacophony of demonic shrieks that seemed to speak of death and destruction.

General Chao silently waved his hands in a sign language warning: "The Zharvoxians are coming."

Toshiro had the utmost respect for the Chao character—despite being born without a voice and losing his parents to an alien "purification process," Chao had managed to learn Earth's time-honored martial arts and put them to good use when he was forced to defend his underground city from alien raiders.

Toshiro inhaled deeply, choking on smoke from the smoldering fires warming their makeshift campsites. The scent of grime and fear was palpable all around him. His gaze hardened as he turned to face the waiting troops, weak and oppressed, wearing tattered clothes but with a spark of resistance in their eyes.

Clenching his fists, he yelled out this battle cry: "For too long, the Blue Tiger has terrorized us, murdering our families, and enslaving our children—but no more!" He paused for a moment before continuing. "Today we serve justice and fight to remember the lives taken. Let us color the Blue Tiger red with blood and never look back to the days of our suffering. Are you with me?"

"Yes!" they yelled in unison. +300 morale points.

General Chao smiled and signed, "Excellent speech, sir."

Toshiro winked at him and shouted, "Color the Blue Tiger red!"

The soldiers echoed, "Color the Blue Tiger red!"

Toshiro turned to his other generals. "You have your orders!" Then he mounted his horse and took up his spear. He fixed his eyes on the heart of the distant alien king. He knew that with a hurl of the spear, he could end the war at once and earn +10,000 points. But where was the fun in that?

"Archers, ready your bows!" he heard one general call out.

"Swordsmen, ready your blades!" yelled another.

Toshiro hadn't bathed in a while. It was a simulation, of course, yet it felt real. He was tired, cold, and hungry. He reeked of sweat. But on the verge of battle, his worries ceased as everything came into focus. They would crush the Blue Tiger no matter what. "Knights, ready your spears!" he growled.

The alien horde began to sing an eerie hymn. They staggered forward all at once, as if guided by a silent force beyond their control. Zharvoxian society was a vast pyramid with the Supreme Eye on top—one whom they believed to be the pure embodiment of Zharvoxian destiny. Below the Supreme Eye were layers upon layers of hierarchy, each class distinguished by the shade and pattern of their deep indigo, almost black, exoskeletons, which darkened as they rose in rank.

General Chao signed, "We await your command."

It was then that Toshiro had the sudden urge to strike. "Charge!" he cried and at once started tearing down the hill at full force.

His generals, caught off guard, issued similar orders. Arrows flew from bows and swordsmen sprinted without hesitation as horse riders galloped into battle. After a pause, the aliens responded with a battle cry.

Toshiro's armor and horse's bard clattered while he raced toward the enemy. His left arm wielded a spear with lethal power, ready to pierce the flesh of any foe it encountered.