Space Odyssey: Spectre
Chapter 211: Joash the Flame

Chapter 211: Joash the Flame

Elder Joza was dressed in a red robe with a hood and gold trimmings along the edges. He was sitting down on a throne with a large scar covering half of his face making him look deformed. The throne was one of many each with some type of symbol attached to it. Elder Joza lowered his hood while the guard next to him changed stance.

"Are you the ones from the Hybrid ship that goes by the name Venture?" Elder Joza as he stood up. After a moment of assessment, Jace focused on the Elder’s Tacole guard. After determining that Joza himself was not armed or a threat he was more worried about the Tacole standing next to the Elder.

"Uti, take possession of the Elder." Jace slightly raised his weapon at the Tacole. "Elder Joza if your guard wants to survive he will want to surrender his weapon and stay here for someone to retrieve him."

"Ah!" The Elder shuffled in his chair, he was not completely sure but Jace would equate what the Elder just did to a nervous tick. He tilted his body glancing at the guard, "I see. Unfortunately my bodyguard does not wish to surrender. He was glad to allow me to do so, but when he heard the description of one of the infiltrators he has been wanting a rematch against you since then."

The Tacole in question growled, "last time you ran away human! This time you will not have that luxury! I will destroy this very monument to the Elders if it means I can defeat you!"

Jace sighed and after a moment of thought where Uti flinched and stayed back he decided something. "Uti." He caught the Ola’s attention and then handed him his Wildfire. Jace then pulled out an additional magazine. "Take this as well. I will not need it for this fight. I have a feeling it will only get in the way."

Uti accepted the look with surprise and then after assessing the weapon nodded, "we were given basic instructions on how to use these weapons but is the kick that bad?" Uti asked with suspicion.

"Yes, it is like getting punched in the arm." Jace informed the smaller member of his unit and then pulled off the railgun and handed it to him. "This is broken but you might as well take it as well." Jace instructed while continuing to stare down the Tacole.

"Human, do you really think it is such a good idea to give away all your weapons?" The Tacole growled while he and the Elder watched them. "You may need them to survive against me."

"Take the Elder." Jace ignored the Tacole’s words while he checked over his armor’s condition before the fight. "I will join you up on the roof once I deal with his bodyguard." Jace informed Uti as he assessed the target.

Uti walked forward cautiously and waved Jace’s Wildfire at the Elder. "Come on Elder Joza! I have a feeling we will end up as collateral damage if we stay on this floor." As they started walking the door that Jace and Uti entered from is when Jace materialized his longsword and slammed it into the ground. Almost making it look like a bolt of electricity grew out of the ground and turned into a longsword.

"A materialized weapon?" Jace could hear the elder whisper. "Only the founders could do that. Could it be..." He trailed off and then quickly moved out of the room with Uti when the elder noticed that Jace was looking at him.

Jace looked back at the Tacole who Jace could clearly see was watching the Elder and Uti behind him. Then after a minute after they left the Tacole switched to staring at him and held the large mechanized hammer and raised it slightly.

Jace watched as the hammer lit up with red flames covering it. While near the head of the hammer where the flames were coming from he could see metal turning molten and melting while cloth caught fire. The ground was stunning molten like lava from the heat.

Jace pulled the longsword from the ground and lightning arced off it, hitting anything metal that was in the room. He swung it in a slow arc for a moment before laying the flat of the blade on his shoulder and getting in a stance.

Internally Jace was slowly increasing the amount of electricity running not just through his body but the sword as well. His body was acting as a conduit for the electricity that was coursing through the building. He was taking and releasing so much electricity that neither of them noticed when the power in the building went out.

The Requiem AI that was attached to the building’s system immediately noticed the anomaly and was diverting power from all minor facilities to the command center so they could remain active. So when the rest of the building went deathly silent when the power disappeared the cameras and command center was still operational as the AI quickly disconnected the power she was using from the energy conduits that Jace was siphoning power from.

Back in the room with Jace and the Tacole. The arcs of electricity and fiery hammer along with the flames that were building in the room from the hammer’s heat were what was lighting it up.

"My name is Joash the Flame, I request to know yours before we start our duel." The Tacole, Joash, told him as the arcs of electricity and the Tacole’s flames began clashing in the middle of the room. The clashing caused bright yellow lights to appear at each impact point.

Jace grunted, "My name is Spectre Jace Steel, but Isaiah the Hammer also gave me the name Jace the Gladiator." Jace tightened the muscles in his body as he got ready to spring forward the arcs of lightning and electricity going from a yellow to a bright blue color.

Joash grunted and Jace could feel the enemy’s grin grow under the helmet they were wearing while he tightened the grip on his hammer and he tensed. Then a moment later he sprung forward and Jace sprung forward as well.

Their weapons met at the point the arcs of electricity and flames were meeting and making sparks of yellow light before. Mechanized Hammer and Electric Longsword clashed.