“I have noticed.”
Harland arrived at the gunnery station just when the Figaro accelerated to full speed again. He barely had time to adjust his seatbelt when Sid yelled at Harland through the screen that transmitted the internal comms.
“Signal is… bzzz bad…The Bestial is causing… bzzz too much interference…Get ready.”
The AI alarm blared until Sid pushed a button and it went silent.
“I know, this is stupid and dangerous,” Sid said with resignation. “You don’t need to blast it into my ears.”
He was talking to the ship’s AI, and issued a command. “Be ready to shoot countermeasure three at my command.”
The Figaro flew at full speed against the Bestial, dodging its fire while shooting down any metal sphere and flying critter aimed at the city. Sid piloted the ship to give the best aiming window to Harland while evading the constant volleys from the cannons. Barreling to the left, the Figaro dodged a renewed volley of attacks. For a ship of its size, it flew like a swift dragon. At any another time, Sid would be bragging about his baby, but at the moment he was busy trying to keep it afloat.
Sid focused on the front of the Bestial. The ship had that face he had seen in the video feed. It was a nauseating mockery, a mix of a goblin shark and a blind worm, from which tentacles wiggled, grabbing the occasional critter to consume. It acted like a brain-dead creature, moving more by pure instinct than by any conscious mind. Sid guessed that Byron, being busy with Fionn, had no current conscious control of the ship. Or at least he hoped that was the case.
“Let’s see if that ugly puppy follows the shiny ball. Let’s sting him a bit more,” Sid muttered in the comm, getting a static damaged reply from Harland that he guessed amounted to something like ‘you crazy bastard.’
Instead of slowing down, the Figaro pushed harder, as if it was on a collision course. The horizon rotated in front of Sid until the ship was upside down, with the ground above and the belly of the Bestial below his feet. Sid was flying the Figaro upside down below the Bestial, across its underbelly. The shadow started to corrode the Figaro’s hull. Sid hoped that the alloys that composed the hull of the Figaro could resist long enough until they cleared the other end.
From the belly of the Bestial, more tentacles appeared trying to catch the Figaro. Sid deftly dodged them as fast as he could, barreling through the myriad of appendages. Looking up close, those things had teeth and eyes, with a cracked skin full of blisters and callouses.
“I think I’m gonna lose my breakfast,” Sid exclaimed, while banking to the left to evade a particularly fat tentacle.
“You think?” Harland replied through the comms.
“Just keep shooting, we need to annoy it to grab its attention.”
“Just keep us alive long enough to annoy it!”
Harland kept shooting at the tentacles that inched closer to the Figaro, clearing its path, as well as shooting at the belly of the Bestial, creating holes that regenerated slowly. Right in the middle, there was a particularly nasty looking vestigial eye, from which the darkest part of the shadow came. Sid aligned the ship so Harland had a clear shot at it. The shot was true and soon an explosion covered the belly, unleashing energy currents that shook the Bestial to its core. A few seconds later, the Figaro turned again, having reached the rear end of the Bestial. Rising towards the sky, the Figaro cleared the Bestial, which started a slow turn, followed by a growl that echoed through the entire valley.
“Wahooo!” Sid exclaimed with excitement. “We have its attention… wait a minute, we have its attention and we blew up one of its eyes. Why am I celebrating? Damn it!”
“I was going to ask the same,” Harland said through the comm. “Nice flying.”
“Nice shooting,” Sid replied. “Now what?” he muttered. The AI apparently got annoyed, shaking Sid from his seat. The Bestial was now focusing all its firepower and tentacles on the Figaro.
“Me and my stupid heroic ideas.”
† † †
Alex felt like an impotent ragdoll. He was getting trashed by a guy twice his size and four times stronger who kept throwing him around. He hadn’t been able to land a single hit on the guy and his body ached. He was surprised that his body had withstood so much punishment. His left eye was so swollen that he could barely keep it open. The heavy breathing was a sign of a broken nose and ribs.
Right now, he was managing to evade his opponent’s grasp but was still receiving hits. He needed to do something; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to activate the explosives. He needed a plan but was having difficulties focusing. It was like when Fionn trained them at Ravenhall; he needed to be able to concentrate despite external factors. Fionn had suggested Alex back then to think of a person to help him block any distraction and call forth the Gift. While Fionn had mentioned that he had focused in Izia at the time, Alex was sure that his friend’s focus was changing to someone else. And that train of thought took him to Gaby and then to Sam…
Don’t worry, you have been doing fine so far, Sam had said, smiling at him. Alex focused on that memory and felt the energy inside him building up. He didn’t care about the Bestial draining it. As long as he had something left in the tank, he would use it to kick this guy’s ass.
Alex’s irises glowed with a golden hue.
“Enough!” Alex thundered. He channeled all his anger and feelings of impotence into fury, and then converted that fury into power. Biting his bloodied lip, he caught the incoming fist with his left hand. “I’m done with you.”
Alex pushed back the fist with such strength, that it sent the other guy back several meters. The guy managed to steady himself by grabbing a column and faced Alex, cracking his neck. Alex stood there, defiantly.
Time to think this through. Alex focused his sight once more. Through the Gift his sight was enhanced. He saw electric blue currents crackling below his rival’s skin. Those currents were powering what seemed to be subdermal grafts under his opponent’s skin. The man was not a hundred percent human, but some kind of cyborg. And he was using the energy he was draining from the environment to become freakishly strong. That explained so much. His aura resembled a mix of a bear and a raptor. No wonder why he fought like a wrestler: all force and no finesse.
Alex did the math. Speed wouldn’t help because he was tired. A blow-for-blow match was out of the question, as he was battered enough. But he had a bow. He ran as much as his legs allowed to give himself some space, extended his bow and got ready to shoot.
“Are you coming for me or not?” Alex taunted him.
“You annoy me. And you killed my brother.” The brute replied with a baritone voice.
“He speaks! So your brain is not just for ornament… Wait, that thing at my school was your brother?”
“We had the same dark father who granted us our enhancements.”
“Ah!” Alex replied with a mocking smile. “So you’re more like science experiments bonding than actual brothers. Gotcha. I would say sorry for killing him, but at this point of my life I’m way beyond apologizing for getting rid of monsters like him.”
“I don’t care about him,” the brute said. “But that a chubby weakling like you beat him and is refusing to die, embarrasses me and the legacy of our father.”
“Chubby weakling?” Alex said angrily. “Now, those are fighting words!”
“I will crush you!”
The brute charged forward towards Alex, like a bull, putting all his weight into it.
Alex started by shooting fully charged arrows at his enemy. It wouldn’t stop him, as he was freakishly strong. But it didn’t matter; they were aimed at the grafts, to short-circuit them. The power influx to his cybernetic parts reduced during the run, allowing Alex to sidestep him.
Turning, Alex hit him with his bow at full force on the back of the head, breaking the weapon. The hit managed to cut the man’s skin, leaving the s
hort-circuited grafts exposed. It was then that his opponent decided to grab a loose girder to use as a club. The man grunted while raising the girder, his muscles twitching from the effort. Plan A had only been mildly successful.
Ok, time for Plan B, Alex thought while drawing his sword. The hilt felt familiar in his hand, the blade light and nimble. Alex was not exactly the best swordsman ever, but he was sure he could get by against a brute using a metal girder. Parrying, deflecting blows with precision and ease, Alex used his enemy’s strength as an asset. He felt his body becoming weaker, all the power from his Gift starting to fade. But Alex held on. And started to taunt the man.
“Not so scary when you don’t have the help of your cheat codes, are you? Uh, look at me, big man that can barely lift a metal bar.”
Frustrated, the man made a wide swinging blow, the inertia of the movement leaving his chest fully exposed. It was the opening Alex needed. Focusing all the power he could muster, Alex swung Yaha, cutting the girder as if it was made of butter, leaving scorch marks on the edges. Without missing a beat, Alex freed his right hand and hit the man’s chest above the liver with two precise strikes.
The man dropped to one knee, weakened by the nerve-blocking technique. Alex didn’t waste time and hit the man with an uppercut to the chin. The punch had such potency that he could hear the bones breaking. The brute hit the floor like a sack of rocks, barely conscious. Alex’s fist was crackling with electricity.
Alex spit some blood from his mouth. He sheathed Yaha and grabbed what was left of his bow. He took the cartridge out from the bow and held it with two hands. He concentrated, and an arrow formed in each hand. Putting all his remaining strength into this, Alex impaled the man with the arrows, hitting him in each shoulder. The arrows pierced the flesh and bone, even the metal below. They were stuck in the floor, crackling with electricity, keeping the man restrained.
“That is for my friend Birm,” Alex let go a gratifying sigh. With a cocky smile, he put a timer close to the man’s line of sight. “Enjoy the fireworks.”
Alex left the chamber and stared at the way up. It would be a long way back to the upper deck. Alex smiled. He needed to hurry, push through the pain and probably face a couple of obstacles. It would be fun.
The man that had been his opponent was still pinned down, screaming, the countdown running close to an end, the ticking of the clock echoing in the chamber.
Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock.
† † †
That had been close. And yet, despite the danger or maybe because of it, Gaby was enjoying the fight.
“You are not bad. I give you props for the landing and avoiding my attacks in the last second,” Madam Park said. Under any other circumstances, Gaby would have judged that smile as fake, but this one felt sincere. When two former Sisters of Mercy faced each other, no matter if they were on opposing sides, which was a surprisingly common occurrence, they had their own rules of etiquette.
“I don’t think we introduced ourselves properly, so the customary question is in order. Are you House of Light or House of Shadow? Honest answer.”
“Light of course. But you already knew that. The signature styles are noticeable for the trained eye,” Madam Park freed her hands from her long sleeves with a flourish. “I have heard of you, the girl that ran away after surviving the labyrinth punishment.”
“I hope it wasn’t through the alumni newsletter,” Gaby replied, cocking her head to the side while readying her twin swords, twirling each one and then gliding into a guard stance. “Now what I truly want to know is how you went from the Sisters of Mercy to joining forces with a monstrosity like Byron?”
“Sweet, naïve child. What you see as a monstrosity I see as a ruler with the steady hand to lead us into an enlightened era. One where people will do as they are told if they want to remain safe.”
“And that requires attacking a whole species, kidnapping and killing children, and summoning an eldritch abomination?”
“You have to tear down a house if you want to rebuild something better. And that includes getting rid of a few pests.” Madam Park paced in front of Gaby as if she were a teacher lecturing a student, or a predator waiting to pounce on its prey.
“Even the Sisters have limits,” Gaby replied, tensing her leg muscles. She was getting ready for the final assault.
“You still don’t see it. Whatever you and your friends are trying to do will be pointless. Byron was awakened by like-minded people. We are many. We realize that the power granted by the Masters can be used as a tool for a better future.”
“You are playing with fire. It won’t end well for anyone,” Gaby said. Her Gift kicked in and a myriad of possibilities exploded inside her head.
“Maybe for you, it won’t.” Madam Park guided the metal tendrils at lighting speed, aimed at the vital parts of Gaby’s body. “But I will be merciful…”
Gaby was not there anymore as she had jumped in the nick of time to avoid the attack. With her Gift running low, she had to use the break in the conversation to muster as much energy as she could. Her leg muscles ached; signs of strain and cramps were appearing. It was high time to end the stalemate, and her twin swords, glowing red and blue, seemed to agree as they struck down one of the tendrils.
Madam Park groaned loudly in surprise when one of her tendrils returned to its place, with the tip cut off and cracks all over the place. Gaby went on the offensive and, with each blow, damaged the metal plates that formed the armored tendrils. She dodged the last attack, the tendril getting stuck in a turret. Gaby jumped onto it and ran its full length to close the gap. She made a slash aimed at Park’s head.
“You are breaking etiquette, child. No killing blows to the head, only the chest and other vital points. You are not following the rules of the dance!” Madam Park complained.
“To the Pits with etiquette,” Gaby replied, kicking her in the head, sending Madam Park reeling backward. Relentlessly, she pressed the attack, managing to cut off a decent chunk of the tendrils and ending with a blow that cracked the armor covering the ribcage. “You are nothing but an ice-cold bitch. You don’t deserve the rules.”
“Like you are one to talk. You are using the same icy tricks as me. Soon you will be like me.”
“Wrong. Because I still care about people like my friends.” Gaby remembered Alex’s words to her. “I don’t need it to beat you. It’s not a dance anymore. It is a song. My song!”
Gaby was ready to press her advantage and cut deeper when an explosion rocked the Bestial’s deck. Both Gaby and Madam Park lost their footing. Madam Park looked at her damaged armor while another explosion rocked the place. She met Gaby’s eyes and with alacrity got to her feet. Then, like the coward Gaby knew her to be, she turned and ran away, jumping off the deck and into the void.
So much for loyalty, Gaby thought, running towards the edge. Madam Park seemed determined to cut her losses. Gaby could see Madam Park’s armor undergoing a transformation, shapeshifting into metallic wings nearly identical to those of a great eagle. She flew away, disappearing into the tops of the tall trees of the nearby forest.
“I need to learn that trick,” Gaby whispered, trying to regain her footing. She saw Alex coming out from a nearby hatch; half of his face was swollen and was acquiring a purplish tone. He was staggering a little, but standing. When he saw Gaby, he tried to smile, but a painful grimace crossed the side of his face that hadn’t been punched like a bag of meat.
“What happened to your face?” Gaby asked, softly caressing the injured side of his face. Gaby was feeling a bit guilty about leaving him alone. Even now her cuts and scratches, which Alex was looking at with attention, seemed barely a nuisance.
“Can I say now how it feels to be hit by a freight train?”
“Maybe.” Gaby chuckled.
“It’s time to go,” Alex said with another attempt at a smile, with better success this ti
me. He looked around. “Those explosions? They are just the start. This thing is more unstable than I thought. Let’s get Fionn and us out of here.”
“Get out of here now,” a voice sounded in their comms.
“Fionn? Are you ok?” Gaby asked.
“Just lots of smoke in my lungs. I will be fine. Listen, you need to reach the Figaro and get the Pits out of here. I will take care of the rest,” Fionn said, his voice sounding artificial and distant. They could hear him panting, trying to catch his breath.
“No. Not without you,” Gaby replied with determination and hurt on her face. “We are a team, you need us.”
“I have better odds than you two of surviving this. Let me finish this.”
“He is right, Gaby,” Alex said, his bloated face showing the pain that the decision was unleashing on him. “I don’t like to leave him behind, but we need to go. The chain reaction will start soon. There have been three explosions so far. Six to go for the big badaboom.”
“Promise me that you will hurry up. We will be waiting for you on the Figaro,” Gaby told him, holding back the tears appearing in her eyes.
“I promise I will escape. But you need to get away from here now!” Fionn replied. “Oh boy, here he comes.”
The only sound they heard afterward was that of clashing blades. Gaby was tempted to go after Fionn, but Alex stopped her.
“You know he is right,” Alex said, his eyes swelling with tears as well. “And I think you would do the same if the places were reversed.”
“Still, this is stupid,” Gaby replied, wiping away her tears. “It’s the second time he’s done this.”
“I don’t think this time will end like before. Besides, you don’t become a legend by dying,” Alex told her jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.
“Actually, yes that is the way,” Gaby replied, exasperated.
They ran across the Bestial’s deck looking for signs of the Figaro. They found it towards the Bestial’s rear, trying to evade a tentacle.
“Some help here!” Sid yelled at them through the comm.
The Withered King Page 28