Seven

Avalor asteroid belt colony

Avalon Solar System

Alba galaxy, Beta Quadrant

Divine Federation 

 The Party was losing its morale as information from the scout came back with terrible news. The situation was more dire than the intel, which had sent a party of seven Paladins from the Startower base. The intel said that the colony Avalor had been struck by Infernals-Abominations from the Infernal realm- and the inhabitants had requested help to deal with it. It was just supposed to be a quick job. A party of seven skilled Paladins would get rid of the horde of Gallas demons. As a Star knight, dealing with Infernal demons was below Arexander Pendragon's level and rank, but he had been passing through the Startower when his Zodiak had intercepted the cry for help. He had become obligated to help instead of ignoring their plight, and he was sure that his presence as a Star knight would help with the Colony's morale. And it had. When they landed their ship on the landing pad on Avalor, the Mayor of the colony had been there to greet them. He was a tall, green-skinned Fae with long, pointed ears and silver hair. The Mayor hadn't been sure if their message had reached the Star Tower base, after all, they had been struck with communication issues, so he was glad to see the Holy warriors of Starlight. From what Rex had gathered, the few fighters that they had on the colony had managed to push the horde outside of the interior of Avalor, sealing the entrance. Leaving the Infernals to roam about outside the colony. All the party had to do now was dispose of them, and it had been easy. Rex didn't have to do much, not with their level of skill. He had begun to wonder why he had shown up for something of this level. But then he got his answer after the last Galla demon was killed, and the Scout of the party sensed a shift within the Odyllic. Rex felt it too, which had him worried. To find out what the change was, He had sent two of the scouts to investigate the surroundings of Avalor. Avalor was an asteroid belt made up of rocks and ice, the colony was built within the main rock with Seriphium steel which had housed the Inhabitants for centuries. The colony had been established by the Royal family of Albion, the Major planet within the solar system, to study the special clusters of green stars within the Quadrants. Since then, the colony had grown to include the Researcher's descendants. From what Rex knew, the colony had spread its territories to the other rocks within the belt connected by a ring of Xeta beam energy. Their party had set up a tent within the entrance of the Main colony, a table of portable Zodiaks set up by their Controller, to receive and analyze the data the scouts sent back and then relay the information to him, the Leader of the party, who then came up with a tactical plan. And the information Rex had gotten was a dire one. The rest of the party members were muttering to themselves, cursing their bad luck. Rex didn't blame them. They were greenhorn Paladins who had been stationed in the Camelot Startower base, which meant that they rarely saw any actions. This Quadrant of the known universe rarely ever saw any Abomination attack, talk less of an interdimensional breach. Which only spoke as a testimony to the might of the Paladins of Albion planet, led by Rex's cousin. Because of that, an attack on the Avalor colony was something unheard of. How did a horde of Gallas demons end up out here in space? Well, the answer to that was what the scout was investigating. According to what they had relayed, there was more than a horde of Gallas demons waiting by the outer rocks of Avalor. They had spotted a group of Infernal devils. Devils equipped with weapons and armors. They were leading the pack of Gallas. It was one thing if it had been Demons. They were of low intelligence, driven by their hunger to feed. Easy to deal with. But a group of lower-ranking Devils meant something huge. Rex was just glad that the abominations weren't of the Transcendent or Divine Rank. That would require him to go all out, and he wasn't sure if the environment was the right place for him.

"Did they spot any Category HM," Rex said to the Controller. She turned to me, her eyes widening at his deduction.

"Their intel suggests something like that," She said. "There's a large signature, but they're not sure. They've proceeded to get a closer look at the target." Rex took in what she said while he pondered on what the next step should be. His arms were crossed together, his right arm's finger tapping on his left arm. The scouts that had gone to investigate were not only skilled in the Scouting position, they were also skilled Strikers, whose job was to directly attack the enemy. They should be fine, but if there was a group of lower-rank Devils, then it wasn't far-fetched to think that there would be a- A wave of shock flowed through the Odyllic, followed by a quake within the ground itself. The Zodiak's monitors turned blank and came back on.

"Come in, Scout Alock, Scout Zeloks…" 

"What is it," Rex said.

"I'm not getting any response from the Scouts," Controller Zuse said. She was an average height woman with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes, the signature trait of those of the House of Aquarius. Her entire body was filled with jitters that Rex could also sense from the remaining four Paladins behind him.

"Are they dead?" Cleric Vogel said. She was the healer of the party and the only one trained in using Holy magic. 

"It's too early to jump to conclusions," Rex said, though the truth was that they were probably dead. If his intuition was right, there was a chance that there was a Category HM within the area, which would explain why a horde of Gallas demons had attacked the colony and why a group of lower Devils had shown up on the radar. Which meant there was a high chance of there being an upper Devil. Those Scouts could easily handle Demons or lower Devils, but an upper Devil, which was as close to a Full breed Celestial- Rex, wouldn't put his bet on them. But there was also a chance that they might be alive. A slight chance…

"I've tried requesting for back-up from Camelot base…but something's interfering with the signal," Zuse said. The Category HM was the only explanation. His right arm fell to the long sword by his side. If there was a chance that an upper devil was here, then it was up to him to get rid of it. 

"Cleric Vogel, you're with me," Rex said. " The rest of you set up a perimeter around the tent and defend it."

"Captain, you're not planning on going out there," Jessie Vodel said. He was of a large build with auburn hair and of the same House as me, which made him perfect for the Defender position.

"Yes, I am," Rex said. "And Vogel is coming with me 'cause there is a chance that Scouts Alock and Zeloks might still be alive," Rex was also considering the fact that the Family of Alock and Zeloks were nobility within the planet of Albion that supported his family. He didn't want their family to be struck by grief, something the universe could use less of. Rex was draped in a black combat suit padded with armor around his chest area, shoulders, elbows, and front legs. Luckily the quality of the armor has become quite light and durable enough. He stepped out of the tent and out into the vacuum of space. Rex turned to see if Vogel could handle the absence of oxygen, but it seemed the coat of Od around her body was in good shape. It wasn't as perfect as his, nor was it as strong, but it was enough to provide her body with the oxygen that it needed. It also protected them from the coldness of outer space. 

"Let's go," Rex said. She nodded as they lifted off from the rock, letting the absence of gravity pull them and then using the coat of Od around their bodies to begin leaping from rock to rock. They landed on a huge block of Ice, as large as an Island, and perched on the ice was a pack of Gallas demons- hyena looking creatures with black flames crested around their head. Rex pulled his sword, and with one style, he mauled through the pack like they were nothing. Black blood flowed through the vacuum, the decapitated body turned into ash. Rex could sense more Infernals further down the belt. But also at the edge of the belt was something trembling within the Odyllic.

"If we find Alock and Zelok alive, focus on healing them and retreating," Rex said.

"But Captain, you can't-"

"Do not worry about me," Rex said. His tone was enough to stop the Cleric from arguing. She knew his rank and level, and she knew he far outclassed her and everybody within the area, so If he should die, then everyone was doomed. They continued leaping from one block of ice to another, and then the closer they got to the edge, the ice began to reduce and large swaths of rocks and Devils, on top of it, began their attacks. Rex easily cut through them with speed and strength, not bothering to use much Od against them. The Devils- sharper and more intelligent than the Demons, humanoid in shape and cloaked in darkness in their lower torso with grey colored skin in the upper torso, some of them had bat-like wings and long tails- fell before Rex, red flames emitting out of his sword as he skewered through them.

"Captain, over there," Vogel said. She pointed towards a large crescent shaped rock that was on the very edge of the belt. Small chunks of rocks were breaking off it that would eventually become meteorites. Rex spotted two shapes fleeing a swarm of Devils equipped in armor and wielding weapons. It was like a small army. Rex and Vogel landed in front of the two shapes, and sure enough, it was Zelok and Alock. Zelok was carrying Alock's body, his combat gear was shredded, chunks of flesh were missing from his body, but the warrior was ignoring the bleeding, his attention focused on surviving the army that had been chasing him. Alock's body lay on his back, heavy and lifeless, a large hole on his body had stopped bleeding, and the blood mostly dried on Zelok's back. Seeing them, Zelok had a hopeful expression on his face as the strength left his leg, and he fell on the rock. Before his coat of Od faded, and both bodies could float away, Vogel chanted out a spell, and a white barrier surrounded both bodies.

"What's Zelok's condition?" Rex said.

"He's lost a lot of blood, and most of his rib cages are broken," Vogel said. "But I can administer first aid to keep him alive, but we have to take him to a Healing center to deal with the poison." Infernal poison was a deadly substance that self-healing couldn't heal. If it was Rex, there was a chance that he could heal from lower Devils or Demon's poisonous attacks, but Upper Devils…he would need a healer for that. The army was getting closer to them.

"Begin immediate treatment. Once you've finished treatment, return back to base with Zelok," Rex said.

"I can't carry two bodies myself, even with the barrier," Vogel said.

"I never said anything about the dead body," Rex said.

"But Captain…"

"What!" Rex replied.

"Zelok sacrificed his life to bring Alock's body…We… We have to honor his efforts and br…bring Alock's body back for his loved ones," Vogel said as the swarm got closer. She was right. It was the honorable thing to do. If it was up to him, he would love to bring Alock's body back. He knew the family from his time growing up in his cousin's Kingdom. But reality made it obvious what the right choice was. Vogel was not strong enough to carry two bodies with her barrier through the vacuum of space right back to the tent, and Rex needed to concentrate on wiping out this little army to get to the Upper Devil. Vogel could not be on this rock by the time he was done with the Upper Devil. He turned to the body that was within the barrier.

"Let it go," Rex said.

"Captain…"

"I said, let go of it," He said. She hesitated, but then the barrier she had placed on Alock's body was gone, and then it floated up, moving away from the rocks as the vacuum of space froze the body. Before it could leave his sight, Rex sent a blast of flame that turned the body into ash. Vogel said nothing but took out her cross from around her neck, kissing it.

"May the Divine King watch over you," She said. She didn't wait for Rex to tell her to leave. She turned back to Zolek, lifted the barrier with him in it, and jumped out of the rock, heading back to the tent. A shadow moved above Rex, heading for her, but he moved in front of it, cutting an arc through the vacuum, dissecting the head of the Devil. Rex hovered above the swarm of the Devils, his blade engulfed in red flames. He let his Odic force pull their attention towards himself. One attack spell was enough to deal with all of them.

"Flame construct-Dragon's claw," Rex raised his left arm as it morphed into a claw of huge red inferno, and then he brought it down upon the army. He watched as each of the Devils were engulfed in flames. If Vogel had still been here, the force of the attack would have been enough to deal damage to her and Zelok. Rex decided to try his best not to decimate the entire rock mass, to avoid some of the debris harming the colony. His job was to protect the colony, which meant maximum Od control. He landed outside the crater where the army had been and began to walk towards the source of the trembling within the Odyllic. As he got closer, the quake within the Odyllic grew stronger, the flow of ambient Od grew more erratic than it normally was in outer space. He finally got to the point of origin from where the Infernals had emerged, a pitch black hole that seemed to have carved itself within the rock, the darkness within the hole seemed to be forever. Rex could feel a gush of air flowing out of the breach, toxic hot air that would have burnt him if it wasn't for the thin coat of Od around him. Miasma from the Infernal realm was already leaking into the Physical realm. This was extremely bad. If the Miasma spread beyond this galaxy, it could corrupt the Novabeast that lived within Stars, turning them into Abominations. This Category HM, also known as "Abyss' ' was worse than he had imagined. Gateways such as this just didn't pop up out of nowhere. Something of this size required the involvement of something like Dimensional magic. Rex saw something move within the darkness just as the ground beneath him shook. Something was coming out of it… it happened so fast…he got out of the way just as something collided with his former spot. After the dust cleared, Rex saw a huge fist slammed on the ground. The arm was larger than him, maybe half the same size as the rock mass he was on. He heard the zooming noise of something else, and another arm shot out of the darkness. Rex hovered above the Abyss, watching as the head of the Upper Devil broke out. Its head was large with six sets of eyes arranged over the face, its mouth was fitted with serrated fangs. It let out a howl filled with power meant to paralyze anyone nearby. Normally sound should not be able to be perceived in space, at least that was what conventional science would tell you, but If one was Od-sensitive like Rex was, then perceiving the wave of sound was quite possible as the sound could travel through the medium of the Ambient Od within the vacuum of space. But the howl didn't affect him.

" I AM BALIAL! HERALD OF THE GREAT DEMON KING OF ELIGOS OF THE INFERNAL WORLD, AND I-" Rex simply responded by letting out his Odic force, the pressure of it got the attention of the titanic Devil. Its six red eyes landed on him, hatred and disgust were plainly written on those eyes.

"Thank you for letting me know your name, O'great Herald," Rex said. "And in return, I will give you my name.."

" I DO NOT REQUIRE THE NAME OF A FLEA-"

"Actually, this flea feels it is only right that I tell you my name," Reex said as he put his sword back into its scabbard at his back. "The name is Arexander Pendragon of the House of Aries. My friends call me Rex."

"DIE, YOU INSOLENCE FLEA," Balia's arm surged right at Rex as he leaped off the platform. He conjured within his feet Od, which acted as a platform for him, and then he flew right to the Devil. He evaded both arms swiftly, holding his other sword by his waist, his right hand on the hilt. He took in a deep breath and then exhaled, concentrating as he got closer to the Devil's huge face.

"Dragon Art-Vertical Slash," Rex chanted as he pulled out a single edge Longsword, engulfed in red flames and dealt a vertical slash at the Devil's head. The attack happened faster than the Devil could react. A long gashing line spread from the head down to the waist that came out of the Abyss, and then the body was separated by the line, black blood gushed out, raining down on the rock. And then the body was gone, disintegrated into dust. Rex landed back on the rock, putting his sword back into its sheath. 

"Whew! That went better than I expected," He said to myself. The truth was that the thing that he had easily killed had only been the incorporeal form of the Devil that had been struggling to travel through the Abyss. If the Devil had managed to completely emerge, it would have gone straight to feeding on the colony and then the stars around the area. Which would give it the strength to maintain a physical body for itself, allowing access to its full power. Rex was pretty sure he could handle an Upper Devil of its level, but the fight would have taken longer than he would have liked. Now, all that was left was the Abyss. If left alone, more Infernals would crop out, or Balia could return again after it healed from his attack. Normally a Cleric would be the one to use a Sealing spell to close the gate, but Vogel wasn't here, and Rex was sure she wasn't strong enough to close one of this size. Luckily for him, he knew a couple of Barrier spells that he could use to prevent anything from coming out of the Abyss. 

"Purify that which has been depraved, through the path the Divine king has paved, and let the Holy flames be engraved- Flame construct- Shroud of Mars," Rex recited the level two spell, including the Incantation, since his skill with Barrier spells wasn't that great. Six balls of flames manifested and flew to the edge of the abyss. And then each of the flames connected, forming a hexagon shaped barrier around the Abyss. He watched as the spell he had constructed took shape and form, strengthening itself against anything that would try to cross over. The Barrier would simply burn them to ash. While this was only a temporary stopgap, when he returned to the base, he would have to request a more experienced Cleric than Vogel to seal the hole. After a couple of seconds, Rex began to breathe heavily, the weight of what had happened was gradually sinking in. He turned to stare at where the Colony was, now safe from elimination. They should thank whatever gods they worshiped that he had been passing by. He should go inform them that the danger has passed by. But before that, Rex took in the view of the green star, a large luminous body of Celestial energy, the reason behind Avalor's existence and the reason why it had also been in danger. For two centuries, that star had laid there dormant, not responding to whatever signal Avalor had sent. There was only one reason why it was not responding. It was still maturing, still learning, developing. But it would not be long before that fetus of a Celestial would gain sentience, and then someone like me would be called in to eliminate it before it would become a threat to the entire Star system. He suspected that the Miasma from the Abyss might infect the Celestial, and if it lost to the infection, it might become an Infernal. 

"We'll just have to wait and see," Rex said.