Three Square Meals Ch. 136

John recognised the disintegration matrixes that Larn'kelnar had used against him, but he didn't flinch.

"I know why you avoided any reference to Jade..." John said quietly, glancing down at his hand. "You didn't want me to remember her advice."

Bare flesh was suddenly encased in Kyth'faren battle armour, the white metal gleaming in the sunlight that shone through the ripped canopy. Kyth'vindathys sprang into existence in his rune-embossed gauntlet, the mighty runeblade greeting him with an insatiable hunger. John poured eldritch power into the weapon, making the runes blaze into life.

"Be the cat..." John said, prowling towards his prey. "It's your turn to be the mouse."

The guide locked eyes with John and quailed before that look of steely determination. He took an involuntary step backwards and armoured his own body in a suit of lustrous black metal, summoning a sceptre and shield from the same impenetrable material. Both duellists activated psychic speed, nullifying its accelerating effects on each other. The guide then lashed out with both hands, directing the disintegration matrixes to attack.

A deep bass boom shook the jungle as virulent purple beams lanced out of the two monoliths, the deadly salvo converging on John. His psychic shield bowed inwards, the hexagons steaming as they tried to repel the ferocious power of each blast. Holding up his hand, John directed his will at the barrier, reasserting its spherical structure with a snap.

To the guide's horror, John marched towards him, shrugging off the fusillade of disintegration beams. Gesturing with his glowing sceptre, the guide created a constant stream of telekinetic lances that streaked into John's shield one after the other, each impact battering the besieged barrier. Attacking from multiple directions at once actually helped John maintain his psychic defences, a sweeping wave from his hand restoring a score of shattered hexagons.

John pressed on under the barrage, advancing towards his attackers as his psychic defences were hammered from three sides. Drawing back his runesword, he gripped it with both gauntleted fists and swung it around in a colossal blow that cleaved one of the disintegration matrix in half. It toppled over, streaming ruptured psychic energy into the air as the summoning runes unravelled.

The guide's gasp of shock was audible across the clearing as the formidable construct was demolished in a single devastating sweep of his sword. John wasted no time celebrating his minor victory and broke into a run, sprinting across the forest floor towards the second sinister prism. The guide tried to snare him with entangling tentacles that tore through the leaf litter to strike at John's feet, but he leapt into the air, his body shrouded in an azure aura.

Bringing Kyth'vindathys down in a whistling overhead chop, John split the second disintegration matrix right down the middle, the runes shattering with a ghastly moan. He landed lightly on his feet, then rolled the gleaming sword in his hands, raising it in readiness once again as he stalked across the clearing towards his guide.

Panicking now, the guide backed away and waved his sceptre, obscuring his form in a shroud of grey mist. The swirling eddies streamed away in four columns, growing larger until they dwarfed John, a quartet of Kirrix juggernauts looming over him. They lowered their chitinous heads and charged, massive black legs pounding into the dirt to propel them forwards.

John counter-charged, then dropped to his knees to hack away the forward limbs of the first juggernaut. It toppled over headfirst, crashing to the ground as he rolled to the side. Surging upwards, he slashed his runesword through the second from thorax to throat, slicing the beast into two quivering chunks. A backhanded swipe beheaded the third and as the fourth reared back to lash out with one of its scythe-like claws, John whipped his runeblade around to crunch into its chest, the force of the impact lifting it off the ground to sail forty foot through the jungle before it slammed into a tree.

Storms of grey darts shot out from the roiling fog, hitting John's psychic shield from a dozen places at once. It was impossible to guess where his guide was hiding, the multiple attack vectors keeping his hidden location a secret. John didn't even try. He paused and channelled psychic energy into his blade, the runes growing brighter and brighter as they hummed with power.

Setting his jaw with grim determination, John whipped around his blade and unleashed all the gathered energy as a titanic blastwave. It roared across the clearing, obliterating the concealing fog and carving a swathe of devastation through the jungle beyond. Tropical trees were toppled for a hundred feet, the trunks crashing to the ground in a succession of booms.

The only thing missing in the path of destruction was any sign of the guide, who seemed to have vanished without a trace. John closed his eyes and trusted his instincts, immersing himself in his heightened senses, just as he'd done on Arcadia with Jade. The sounds of the jungle filled his ears and he heard a brief lull in the background noise to his right, followed by warning squawks from birds disturbed by the sudden appearance of a threat in their territory.

He turned at a right angle and broke into a sprint, bounding over the twisted tangle of roots as he leapt through the forest. The guide stepped out from behind a massive kapok tree, darting a fearful glance back towards the clearing. When he saw John bearing down on him, he fell back in horror, never expecting for one moment that his opponent would anticipate an escape through a gateway.

Kyth'vindathys rose and fell, each impact on the shield ringing with a bass note. John hammered the guide's protective barrier, smashing scores of hexagons with each pounding strike. Desperately trying to fend him off, the guide lashed out with telekinetic lances and grasping tentacles, but John shrugged off the projectiles and hacked through the undulating limbs.

The guide felt a deep ache inside him, a growing hollowness in his chest as his eldritch energy reserves began to falter. He gasped in dread as he realised he was being drained of energy and frantically created a runic circle to summon another disintegration matrix. The flurry of blows were taking their toll on his shield and repairing it was getting harder every time.

Runes suddenly flared around John and his movements became erratic, Kyth'vindathys appearing to be in several places at once. There was an eerie yawning sound, then the timeline reasserted itself... and a dozen ferocious blows landed simultaneously. John carved through the psychic shield which exploded in a shower of hexagons, then the runesword slashed down... and severed the guide's right forearm with a grating screech.

Howling with agony, the guide crashed to the ground, clutching the bloody stump with his remaining hand. "How?! That's impossible!"

"Maybe for you... but not for me." John looked down at the guide with pity. "You've become nothing more than an obstacle in my path; an irrelevance that has long outlived its usefulness."

Shaking his head in denial, the guide scrabbled backwards. "No! I'm better than you! I should've been the one in charge!"

"That was never going to happen," John said, walking after him. "The only reason you exist was to guide me how to use my abilities, but you lost your way... forgot why you were created."

"You're weak... you always were! You listened to your grandfather instead of me and where did that get you?! You ended up a pathetic loner until you unlocked your Progenitor birthright by accident! You're only alive today because I intervened to save your life again and again!"

"That was all in the past; what matters now is the future," John said with a dismissive shrug. "Your potential was always limited... and I've outgrown you."

The guide bared his teeth in a snarl of hatred. "Just because you've discovered some new tricks? You've still got a lot to learn!"

He gestured with his remaining hand and the ground beneath him turned insubstantial, a gateway forming on the jungle floor. Dropping through the shadowy portal, the guide vanished from sight, only to reappear a hundred metres away. Hidden behind layers of dense foliage, he heaved a sigh of relief, then shrouded himself in a new hex barrier and began preparing to fight back with some nasty surprises.

Instead of chasing after the guide, John focused his will inwards, drawing out as much psychic energy as he could muster. Runes blazed to life along John's sword as he channelled more and more power into the blade, zephyrs of eldritch energy forming in the air around his body. They swirled about, moving faster as he gathered his psychic might, the arcane winds shrieking with a feral intensity. John grasped Kyth'vindathys with both hands and plunged the ancient weapon into the ground, unleashing a blast wave of almost unimaginable force.

The surface of Arcadia erupted in a detonation that could be seen from orbit.

John's telekinetic tsunami swept away everything in its path, obliterating hectares of towering trees in a staggering display of phenomenal destructive power. The rushing wall of force smashed into the guide and sent him cartwheeling through the air, before he crashed back down to Arcadia amidst the devastated remnants of the tropical forest. Knocked senseless by the impact, the guide never imagined for one moment that John had the mental fortitude to break the limitations of their battlefield and unleash the cataclysmic forces he'd just witnessed.

With the guide's concentration shattered and his psychic speed deactivated, John appeared in a blur as he walked towards his fallen opponent. He slowed to a halt and watched the guide scrabble backwards, all that indignant fury replaced by fear and desperation.

"Wait! Don't kill me!" the guide begged, wincing in pain.

"It's over," John said, standing amidst the smoking crater. "You're finished."

"We can still work together!" the guide pleaded, holding up his remaining hand in supplication. "Please, John... spare me and I'll serve you faithfully!"

"You know I can't do that. Your presence divides my mind; I'm made weaker by your existence."

Unable to deny that simple fact, the guide was about to try a different tack when he saw the look of grim resolve on John's face and knew that further bargaining was futile. He stopped retreating and sagged back against a tree root with the bitter realisation that he was only delaying the inevitable. The guide had spent years planning his revenge, but it had all been for naught, his dreams of victory ending in crushing despair.

"I finally understand your true purpose now," John said quietly, as he studied his broken nemesis. "Rahn'hagon created you to show me how they think... how they act. You would never have been able to defeat the Progenitors because you can't progress beyond them."

"Finish it then," the guide said with weary acceptance.

John drove his blade into the ground, then squatted down in front of his vanquished foe. "Even if you'd been the best teacher in the galaxy, I learned far more through adversity than I ever could have done with you training me. You served me well for the coming war... and for that I thank you."

There was a long silence, then the guide dropped his head with regret. "I'm sorry for the things I said... for what I've done. Not everything was true... you always sought to protect those you love."

"Be at peace," John murmured, placing his hand on the guide's chest.

Taking a deep breath, the guide stared up at him with unseeing eyes, then exhaled with a hollow groan. His body collapsed inwards, then disappeared into nothingness, leaving John alone in the ravaged jungle.

As he knelt there, he felt his mind expanding, the millstone around his neck that had dragged him down for forty years finally lifted. Sagging forward, he let out a ragged sigh of relief to be shed of that crippling encumbrance. His eyes rolled back and he gasped as his subconscious merged with the guide, absorbing the sum total of his knowledge and experience. A bewildering rush of new information swirled through his mind, leaving him light-headed as he tried to make sense of it all.

It was finally over. For the first time in his life, John no longer felt like part of him was missing.

He was whole at last... and it felt good.

***

A low groan snapped Sakura's attention back to John. He wobbled uncertainly where he knelt on the titanium deck, then pitched forward, his outstretched arms only narrowly catching him in time. Sakura darted an anxious glance at Neysa, but the Nymph shook her head in helpless frustration, still blocked from accessing John's mind. Not taking any chances, Sakura activated psychic speed, her body accelerating as she prepared for combat. The arctic winds whistled around the hangar, picking up speed as ice crystals began to coalesce in the air.

Standing behind John a handful of paces away, Sakura watched his every move for the slightest hint of aggression. She gritted her teeth, steeling herself to do what was necessary to protect the girls; to honour what might be John's final request and execute the man she loved. He took a shuddering breath, then turned to face her, appearing to move in slow motion under her accelerated gaze. Sakura locked eyes with him and saw a procession of emotions flash across his face, each one as apparent to her as if he'd yelled out what he was feeling.

First there was a profound sense of relief, his eyes softening with love as he looked up at her. When he saw how distressed Sakura was, John's momentary elation rapidly switched to concern, knowing that she was wrestling with the hardest decision of her life. She then watched his pupils widen with a hint of fear, John's gaze flicking to her ninjato that were raised and ready to deliver a fatal blow. Finally, his eyes shadowed with guilt, as John tortured himself over something related to his deadly fiancée.

For the first time since she'd known him, Sakura was overjoyed to see that all-too familiar look of remorse.

"John!" she sobbed with relief.

Sakura dropped her ninjato and tore off her Paragon helmet, the weapons and armour clattering to the floor as she fell into his arms.

"Don't worry... everything's going to be okay," John said, his voice soothing as he held her tight. "I won... it's all over now."

"I was so scared!" she gasped, her body trembling in his embrace. "I promised I'd follow your orders if you lost, but actually preparing myself to execute you was the hardest thing I've ever done!"

John brushed aside her curtain of raven hair and kissed her cheek. "Don't think about that, honey. The guide's gone and he's never coming back."

"John?" Neysa asked tentatively. "Would you permit me to enter your mind?"

He felt the cautious psychic touch against his mental shield and granted Neysa the access she desired. An instant later, he felt her inquisitive mind make contact with his, then she froze and stared at him with wide eyes.

Neysa fell to her knees beside him, hugging John for all she was worth. "Oh, Master... it really is you! But... so much more!"

Sakura pulled back and laughed self-consciously. "Oops... I was supposed to wait for her to do that."

John smiled and raised an eyebrow. "How could you tell it was really me?"

"I just knew... in my heart and soul," she murmured, leaning in to kiss him.

He cupped her head in his hands and returned the kiss just as passionately. When they separated, he reached for Neysa and gave her more of the same.

"You two really are a sight for sore eyes," he exclaimed, breaking into a grin. His happy expression faltered a moment later as he glanced around the empty hangar. "Where's Athena?"

Sakura's face fell, her deep brown eyes filling with worry. "Alyssa fought against Athena and retook control, then she just flipped out. I've never seen Alyssa fall apart like that before, John. I'm really worried about her... we all are."

"We should go see Alyssa now. I need to talk to her... and the rest of you," John said, patting her armoured thigh. "Would you mind letting me up?"

She was straddling his lap with her legs wrapped around his back in a rather unladylike position. Sakura blushed and unravelled herself, before hastily rising to her feet, then offered John and Neysa a hand. They gladly accepted, the trio standing together in the centre of the vast hangar. As Sakura retrieved her discarded gear, the reinforced doors peeled open, revealing a swirl of bright colours from shape-shifting Nymphs. Jade and three of her sisters sprinted into the room, their faces alight with joy.

"Master!" Jade cried out, leading the charge to be reunited with him.

She leapt into John's arms and promptly knocked him off his feet, sending them both sprawling in a tangle of limbs. The Nymph matriarch twisted as they fell, landing beneath John to cushion his fall. She wrapped her arms and legs around him to give him a full-body hug, her lips seeking his with an urgent fervour. Betrixa, Marika, and Leylira all skidded to a halt beside their sister, and a moment later every square inch of John's face was being showered with kisses.

He laughed and did his best to return the hugs and kisses while being enthusiastically smothered with affection. "I'm really glad to see all of you too!"

"John!" Dana yelled from the doorway, never sounding happier.

She was at the forefront of the rest of the crew, the Terran girls accompanied by Helene, Ailita, and the Maliri twins.

As they ran across the decking to join the celebrations, John patted Jade's arm. "Any chance I can convince you to let me go?"

The Nymph gave him one last joyous squeeze, then reluctantly released him. "They can borrow you for a little while, Master... on one condition..." She flicked a glanced at Neysa, then back to him. "Please could you let all of us into your mind as well?"

He nodded, opening up his mental fortress to all the Nymphs. They rushed to enter in a telepathic stampede, the flurry of psychic contacts sweeping through his subconscious. There was a collective gasp from the five new arrivals, Jade included, who all stared at John in awe.

Not having any time to ask about their reaction, John got up to welcome the redhead rushing into his arms, quickly followed by the rest of the girls who were desperate to join the group hug. They all chattered away at once, assailing him with questions in their excitement and relief.

Dana beamed in delight, practically vibrating in his arms. "I knew you'd kick his ass! I just knew it!"

"I never doubted you either, Baen'thelas!" Tashana exclaimed, before stealing a kiss. "I was certain you'd be victorious!"

"Well you had me at my wit's end," Irillith admitted with a wry smile. She hugged him so hard, John's ribs ached in protest. "Please don't scare me like that again... my heart couldn't take it."

Calara gazed up at him, her brown eyes sparkling with joy. "I'm so proud of you, John! How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"You don't seem to be traumatised after the confrontation with your guide," Rachel observed, her brow furrowed with concern as she studied him with her perceptive gaze. "But there's definitely something bothering you..."

Ailita looked stunned, gazing up at him reverently as she nuzzled against his shoulder. "Thank you for letting this one revel in your magnificence, Master..."

"We were all so worried!" Helene gushed, tears appearing in her glowing eyes. "Oh, John... I can't tell you what a relief it is to see you safe and well!"

"I'm alright, girls... I promise," John said, smiling at their anxious and jubilant faces. "I feel as weak as a kitten being cut off from all of you, but other than that, I'm doing okay."