Long ago, Minyak, the Skin, was born. His mother was jeris and her pregnancy had been very difficult. She was always in pain, and no medicine on Wiis could help her. Soon, Metatron of Endla arrived to lay hands on her. When even his power could not help her, he transported the woman to Endla where she joined the mothers of Minyak’s siblings, the ones that were still alive. She did not survive childbirth.
When Quian and Shoun, the Eyes and Ears, were born, their mother died of shock at the sight of the children. Her mother was Aerphim and she had carried the twins to term in a cabin on a prairie vista on the outermost ring of Endla. Her labor lasted hours and she was in excruciating pain that she expressed by screaming herself hoarse. The doula who helped her was confused by the delay in the birth, and by the excess pain and blood loss that she experienced. When the babies finally emerged from their mother, Quian had green skin and Shoun had red skin. Both had large fangs that hung over their lips and horns that protruded from their heads. When their mother saw them, she screamed until she lost consciousness.
Kilmo, the Nose, was also born on Endla and his mother was the daughter of an important jeris family on Wiis who had a close association with the government of Wiis and Seraphiel of Endla. Upon his birth, Kilmo’s grandfather swore to kill the child who was born with an enormous nose like an Earther anteater that comprised most of his face; Kilmo had no mouth or ears at birth, just big eyes that his mother stared into tragically as his father took him away from her to save him from is grandfather.
Cotta, the Mouth, devoured her mother from the inside out. Even though her parents were Aerphim, she was born with a large mouth full of razor sharp teeth that resembled an Earther hyena. She was seized by her father, Metatron, and he watched over her, along with the others, on the underside of the innermost ring of Endla.
Until they grew older, and despite the conditioning that Metatron tried to instill in them, they felt that they were treated as second class citizens of Endla because of their appearance, like others born on Endla who didn’t have a traditional angelic appearance. They did not have wings like other Aerphim and they were considered deformed dangers to society at large because of their bizarre Essence abilities. They did not consider themselves to be Aerphim at all because of the way they were treated on Endla, and they adopted Daemon as their kin name.
The Head, as they came to be known, were the most powerful of the Daemon because they were the children of Metatron. When the Head tried to organize the Daemon, Metatron warned them that they would suffer harsh consequences if they tried to orchestrate a rebellion of the Daemon who had come to settle the underside of the rings of Endla because of their rejection from society. The population of Daemon equaled the population of Aerphim and the government of Endla was wary of tensions boiling over.
But the Head had only known life as second class citizens and they defied Metatron, who was forced to banish them from the universe entirely.
As the Head floated no-space on their way to the dark place outside of everything, they combined their stored Essence to find their way back. Their magic created the door back to Universe Prime 5 that opened onto Bludon, but only temporarily. They managed to gather arcana that was unlike their natural Essence manipulation to reopen the doorway to Bludon and they have made it their mission to make the planet a haven for all of the Daemon of Endla.
The arcana that the Head accessed is esoteric; it was wielded by other beings who found themselves in the no-space and the arcana is unique to Universe Prime 5.
***
“We won,” the Queen Rowen says as Maxx approaches her.
He had emerged from the darkness of the woods behind the adoring crowd of blues all around her having a good time. She’d noticed his absence after he wandered away, but she is truly enjoying the sensation of the lean and the alcohol, and the adoration of the gathered blues is wonderful as well.
He is back after a long time, and he is not himself. His skin seems darker, and the pits of his eyes are black around the sockets like he wears a black band over his eyes. The muscles of his arms and legs are tense, as though he flexes. The glow of the Super Consciousness is concentrated on his head and there is a circle of yellow there like a Renaissance halo. He is not angry, the look on his face isn’t the scowl that most blues are used to seeing, there isn’t any emotion on display.
As he approaches the crowd around the Queen, he is noticed and blues stand aside to let him pass. The Guardians in the crowd whisper knowingly to one another. When he is close, the Queen says again,
“We won!” This time, she says it loudly and puts her hands up over her head. The crowd of blues errupts into cheers. The Guardians are mostly silent with their eyes on Maxx.
When Maxx stands before her, the Queen shifts nervously in her seat; she has never seen Maxx like this before.
“We won something,” Maxx replies and his voice is deeper than normal. “But there is much more to win before we rest.”
“Maxx, why are you so serious right now?” The Queen asks. The lean is starting to wear off and Maxx’s attitude snaps her back to sober.
“Minyak…”
“He’s here?” the Queen asks and stands immediately, surveying the area. The Guardians who hear the name turn to face the darkness.
“He is everywhere all the time,” Maxx says, “and the Head. They mean to ruin our celebration, but they don’t seem to realize that glorious battle is celebration for us Guardians.”
The Guardians who scan the darkness around them for danger begin to bark in unison, loudly at first and then it dies down.
“I don’t understand,” the Queen says to Maxx.
“Dexxx told me that partying here is a trap. The Daemon Head intends to make slaves out of the Guardians, so soon after we gained our independence. Queen Rowen, you are a formidable warrior and it would be an honor to have you fight alongside us, but this situation calls for âmuk…”
“Âmuk, âmuk…” the Guardians chant as the glow of the Super Consciousness lights their heads in halos just like Maxx.
“We will be out of control and we can only avoid attacking other Guardians. Please, you and your security detail should start to evacuate everyone who is not a Guardian.”
“But Maxx…” the Queen Rowen starts.
“I know that you are capable, but âmuk can get messy. It’s important to save civilians and the other Guardians won’t be able to resist âmuk now that mine is building. Please, get everyone to safety and spectate from a safe distance. Go in the opposite direction that I emerged from the woods. The Head should arrive shortly.”
As he says this, there is a loud explosion that makes the entire island rumble and the Queen stumbles into Maxx.
“Guards!” she yells loudly and her security seems to shake off intoxication to take orders from their Queen. “Evacuate this island immediately! Protect all civilian blues and I will find you later.”
“You will take her with you!” Maxx yells as purple veins bulge his head and neck.
The Queen’s security gets to work evacuating as the Queen grabs Maxx’s arm and charges the woods where he had emerged.
“Just, please…” he starts as they move quickly through the woods.
“Don’t waste your energy arguing. Take me to the place the Daemon are supposed to arrive.”
When they emerge from the woods with an army of Guardians at their backs onto the beach where Maxx had spoken to the Dexxx mask, Maxx stops abruptly at the sight. There is a large crater on the edge of the island that water rushes into and prevents a tsunami from washing over the island. And in the place where Dexxx had stood, a hooded figure floats over the crater. The hooded figure is all black, and there is a transparent blue bubble surrounding it. The hooded figure is flanked on either side by a being of golden yellow and a being of royal blue.
“What the fuck, Zacchaeus!” the being of royal blue yells.
“Where are we?” the golden yellow being asks.
“Is that the Daemon Head?” the Queen Rowen asks from the ground.
Maxx doesn’t answer. He flies like a streak of light toward the transparent bubble, blasting balls of yellow energy from both hands, meaning to wipe the beings out completely.
“This is Bludon,” he hears the familiar voice of Goldie of the Smiting Chamber say when he is close, but the âmuk has reached its peak and he cannot stop now. “Is that the Superguardian? Maxx, it’s me!”
A part of him deep inside wants to stop, but he is striking the transparent sphere and glaring murderously at the hooded black figure that now has oily tendrils snaking out of the sphere to apprehend the other Guardians who attack along with Maxx.
“I will destroy you once and for all, Minyak!” Maxx yells as he continues his assault, even if that small part of him wonders why Goldie is here, and who the other figures are.
So that’s what happened to Zacchaeus and the Needy, Wazad the Wonderful, and the Master of Universal Arcana! Find out what happens when they clash with Maxx the Superguardian, the Queen Rowen, and the Guardians of Bludon in Vol. 4 of the PRL Serials!
PRL Serials 