Ryoiki: Return to The Beyond (6)

CHAPTER 1: Savor the vigor.

The digital binoculars of the Solarian soldier zoomed in on the large purple mass.

the soldier saw Osiris, leading the march...behind him were deformed creatures. Their eyes glowing purple, their skin corrupted and skin peeling...

Many were walking, some were crawling.

The soldier glanced up as he heard a roar...

Above the group...there were winged versions of the same creatures, flying about and screeching.

Whatever the hell this power surge Osiris had, it was something crazy.

The soldier put down his binoculars and turned on his radio.

"...Control?"

"We copy you, send chatter."

"This is Echo-S, I've got visual on the army...he's got flying mutations on those freakshows."

"Copy Echo, come back to base..."

"Affirm."

Echo strapped his binoculars to his jacket, then aimed his arm at one of the nearby trees, firing a grappling hook from his wrist, and starting his path home.

Solaris was a planet that for many years, was plagued with war.

Time and time again, there was peace, war struck, and there was peace...

Over and over, smaller Solarian countries united, and shattered, a never-ending cycle.

Most of the land was wasteland, desert, and former battlefields.

Forests and lakes were few and far between, but they existed.

But, in the last 10 years, was Solaris's longest string of peace...

Mostly, thanks to Ortega Prince.

The current Solarian King, and uniter of Solaris.

Him and his council had ruled for many years, and had never faced resistance such as this...

Echo smiled under his mask as he looked upon his home...

Adronous was the capital city of Solaris, and a technological marvel.

An entire, full-scale city, floating above the ground with powerful hover engines.

But, below, was the military camp.

Echo grapple-hooked his way back to camp...

Entering the main tent, he was greeted by many high-ranking generals...and the closest members to King Ortega.

First, was Echo himself, then there was Desmond Black, a former bounty hunter who was known for his heavy duty, black colored armor...

Then there was Ronin, and his familiar, a symbiote named Regent. Who commonly took the form of a suit of white, Solarian armor.

Lastly, was Ortega's long-lost son, Elliott Prince. Who was taken by his mother to the planet Yerir in order to get away from Ortega during his takeover of Solaris.

Ortega himself was a bulky man, with a powerful sense of justice...

Echo walked up...

"Commander." He spoke.

Ortega smiled at Echo.

"Ah good, your back..."

There was a small conversation about formations, and contingencies.

...and then the call came.

"I SEE THE CLOUD!!!" A man shouted...

The entire group left the tent...and stared.

Osiris's army was marching ever closer...

"...Get into positions, men." Ortega commanded.

With the order, people began to haul their asses.

A bonus of Solaris's great tech was their infantry...Soldat's.

Infinitely replaceable robotic soldiers, built for war.

The roles for mortals were saved for specialist operators, and the unit commanders.

It didn't take long for the main 5 to suit up.

They stood all together, in front of the army of soldat's...and the hovering combat ships.

"This is your first taste of true Solarian war, my son." Ortega commented.

"I'm...aware, dad." Ellott mumbled...

"Remember. Do not cower in fear in combat...rush."

Ortega smiled and secured his helmet.

Ortega's armor was famous.

It was powerful, heavy plate mail. Engraved with designs of famous solarian things...

...and then his weapon.

From his hip, Ortega grabbed the handle of a sword with the handguard folded up, and no blade.

Pressing a button on the side of the weapon, the handguard opened, with a blade made of a blue flame appearing from the handle.

Osiris stared at the Solarian army...and smiled under his helmet.

"...Charge..." He commanded, and his army charged.

On the Solarian side, it wasn't a command...it was Ortega's dash forward...and his battle cry.

Utter destruction.

Osiris's mutated zombies were insanely powerful. Fast and tanky.

They charged down the Soldat's taking many out with ease.

But the simple amount of firepower knocked them down.

Ortega, however, had a different plan.

He ran straight for Osiris.

Osiris watched as Ortega ran straight for him...

And he chuckled.

"OSIRIS!!!" Ortega shouted! Stopping a few feet away from Osiris.

"You come to face me head on?"

"That I did!"

Osiris brought his arms out from behind his back...flexing his fingers.

"You are a fool." He said simply, holding his hand up towards Ortega...

With a flash, Ortega fell to his knees. Dead.

Osiris had shot a hardened spike of his gas right into his chest...completely piercing his armor.

"Pathetic display..." Osiris mumbled...

He looked out upon the chaos around him...

Major losses on both sides, with Solarian's suffering the most.

But backup was coming.