HUMANITY: A Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Novel by Edward Brody

masked man’s. The contact sent both speeders twirling, but did not knock either down.
    When Tamor tried slamming against the speeder again, Mich saw an opportunity and grabbed the steering stick while the man was trying to regain control. This sent the fleeing craft crashing to the ground, bouncing, and landing a few meters from the edge of a steep cliff.
    Tamor quickly landed right behind them and started marching towards the wreck.
    The masked man opened the roof of the battered craft and jumped out agilely, leaving the disoriented and groaning Mich behind. From under his robe, he pulled two small copper swords, wielding one in each hand.
    The river behind them, below the cliff, was raging white, and a few hundred meters downstream a waterfall could be seen, providing a roaring soundtrack to the scene.
    “Lay down your weapons,” Tamor ordered and lifted the giant sword off from his back. “I’m not in the mood for killing anyone today.”
    The man ignored the command and started charging for Tamor.
    Tamor swung his sword at the man, and he dodged the sword effortlessly while lunging for Tamor’s stomach. Tamor back-stepped, barely missing a fatal blow. The man twirled and attacked furiously, copper ringing against copper as Tamor blocked each attack with his sword. As the man flung his blades towards Tamor’s head, Tamor lifted his knee, causing the man to keel over, and delivered a backhand fist to the side of the man’s face, knocking his mask off, and causing him to turn and fall to his knees.
    “That’s enough!” Tamor growled.
    Mich had since came to his senses and pulled himself from the crashed vehicle, walking to the edge of the cliff in an attempt to put as much distance between him and the fight as possible. He watched the scene in awe.
    “Why do you want this human?” Tamor asked.
    The robed man breathed heavily. “This man bears the disease of the humans’ past. He cannot be allowed to spread the ideas that could destroy us all.”
    The feint sound of an electrical charge could be heard, and tiny bolts of energy starting to sparkle around the man’s hands and swords.
    “You’re a Keeper?” Tamor asked with a bit of anxiousness in his voice. He stepped backwards, holding his weapon to the side, and energy began circling his sword as well.
    The unmasked man turned, moving at an impossible speed, and Tamor raised his weapon to block his crossed swords at the last possible moment. They held their crackling blades together momentarily, and the unmasked man’s milky white eye was a mere inch from Tamor’s face. He recognized him as one of Kryle Yago’s henchmen.
    “Yes, I am, Tamor.” The man smiled. “And as Keepers, it is our duty to protect the galaxy from dire threats.”
    Tamor heaved the man away from him, and immediately the man pushed forward again, striking furiously as Tamor blocked and ducked his blows.
    Tamor growled, “You betray the Council!”
    “The Council betrays the galaxy!” the krawl hissed.
    Tamor heaved his sword with a thunderous force, and the man reared his head back, dodging the weight of the swing. The man lifted his leg in the same motion and connected Tamor’s face with a powerful roundhouse. He reached out with one of his blades, slashing Tamor’s chest and then extended his foot straight into Tamor’s gut, sending him staggering several steps backward.
    Tamor kneeled, coughing and spitting blood on the ground. His sword fell beside him and the energy that encompassed the blade had gone. Blood seeped out of the slash that had ripped through his chest armor.
    The krawl paced slowly towards Tamor and spoke with malice in his voice. “Join us, and help us destroy Rashada. Help us eliminate the humans and remove a threat of another Cleanse .”
    Tamor chuckled and spit more blood to the ground. “I hate humans.” He paused. “But I hate traitors even more!”
    The robed man hissed, pushing his sword forward, aiming at Tamor’s neck, but Tamor quickly