[Antioch Zero][Chapter IV]

Written by ZeusLegion. Edited by Auspex Turmalis.

Table of Contents

Chapter IV

"Impossible," Jepok said. "Not even Sevorak's minions could have done this much damage."

"They were not alone," Kuldarus replied.

Jepok turned toward him. "What?"

"Look at the city," Kuldarus motioned. "Entire sections have been disintegrated. Turned to dust as if they had never existed. Even Reavers cannot deal that kind of damage."

Jepok wondered to himself what kind of weapon could. "Are there any survivors at all?"

"I am picking up faint life signs from the Templar Archives in the center of the... ruins," Kuldarus said with hesitation.

"Let us hope that they live long enough to tell us what happened here," Jepok said grimly.

The two High Templar and their Zealot warriors scoured the ruins, solemnly passing row upon row of the impaled bodies of their Shelak brethren, their heads bowed in respect for the dead.

A hand reached out and grabbed Sinar by the leg, and he cried out in surprise. A warrior of Scion had survived. Missing the lower half of his body, the Protoss slowly crawled toward them, reaching out his hand. Moloch's psionic blades ignited. The hand flew through the air with the first cut, the head with the other.

"There will be no mercy this day," he said in a deep, guttural voice. None of the others in the grim funeral procession said anything, and after a brief pause to help Sinar, they moved onward.

Reaching the entrance of the Templar Archives, it appeared as if it had been sealed from the inside, and that something trying to get in had simply sheared off a portion of the building and entered anyway.

Inside, they made their way through the wreckage of the Archives, following tell-tale signs of the struggle to a room that had once been sealed with thick stone and metal bars, and had been heavily defended. The door had been torn from its hinges and flung across the room, landing atop two Templar who had been crushed under its massive weight. The Protoss warriors who had once guarded the door were nowhere to be found.

Making their way down ancient steps carved in stone they soon discovered the guards in a pile, hidden in the shadowy corner of an underground alcove. Laurioch began weeping, a high-pitched sound echoing through the catacombs. Kuldarus remained behind with him as the others moved on.

At last they arrived at a second sealed door. A Protoss-sized hole burned through the rock and metal. On the other side was an enormous cavern filled with shelves and crates lined with Xel'Nagan artifiacts. In the center of the room stood an empty pedestal surrounded by four Pylons that had generated a containment field. Each of them had been shattered.

The body of Judicator Venadar lay next to the pedestal, a psimitar plunged through his chest.

Suddenly an anguished scream came from behind them as a Protoss ran toward them swinging a Har-keh-tet.

Sinar quickly moved to the side and, having had enough of being tripped and thrown about himself this day, let his foot do its work against the screaming Protoss. The attacker fell hard on the ground, the weapon skittering across the room and into the shadows. Moloch moved forward and turned the Protoss over.

"Aldaris!" Moloch cried out in shock.

"They slaughtered everyone," the battered Judicator whispered. Several cuts covered his body, a stab wound bleeding on his left side. He grabbed Moloch. "The eyes of the Xel'Naga are upon us!" the hysterical Protoss screamed before falling unconscious.

Jepok motioned to Moloch and the Zealot picked up Aldaris, slung him over his back, and headed back toward the entrance as Jepok moved closer to inspect the pedestal.

Whatever the Shelak had sought to protect... had sacrificed their lives for... was now in the hands of a genocidal madman who had the power to destroy entire cities in a matter of hours.

Sevorak knelt before his unseen masters once again.

"The power we have given you and your warriors is but a sliver of that which awaits you," said a voice from the shadows.

"Yes. The Baphomet will make you stronger than you have ever dreamed possible," came another.

"I feel empty inside," Sevorak said. "Hollow."

"We will rejuvenate you so that you can carry out your final task."

"Your enemies will seek you out. You must prepare for them."

Sevorak's skin rippled. "No... I... I have committed murderous atrocities... I have —"

"The power to crush your enemies and make your own laws!"

"Yes! You must complete your final task! You must free the Baphomet!"

Energy swirled around Sevorak, seeping into his skin and consuming him in unbridled power.

He arose, renewed and invigorated.

"You are right. The devastation I have wrought this day is only the beginning!"

A trinity of evil laughter echoed throughout the chamber.

The Antioch Chronicles™ © 1998, Eric Dieter & Ruben Moreno. All rights reserved. The Antioch Chronicles™ trademark and associated logos are the exclusive property of Eric Dieter & Ruben Moreno. Characters and distinctive likenesses thereof, character names, item names, place names, named events, artwork and all other related material not disclosed herein are protected under the laws of the United States of America and other countries. Any reproduction, retransmission, or unauthorized use herein is prohibited without express written permission.

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