by David Petrie
She didn't come back alone.
Max looked to the space where her name had been, woven into the design of flames on his wrist. His skin burned as letters reappeared, each carving themselves out in heavy black ink. He knew the name - Rasputin.
Kira stood as the pure white fabric of her dress faded into an equally pure black, so dark that it seemed more like the complete absence of light as if it was drawing it in and snuffing it out. Her hair changed to match as her violet eyes gained a quality that was somehow menacing on her gentle face. In her hands, she held two wickedly curved black daggers. They gleamed with excitement, somehow light enough for her to wield.
She spoke, "I can't heal like this, so try not to get killed." Her voice was hard and layered, carrying a tone of something darker, like it wasn't just her in there.
Death stood, looking confused, its focus still on her. It didn't stay that way long. The Nightmare shot toward her at full force like before, but this time, it was met with resistance. She deflected its hits with her blades while taking others. Crimson streaks of light appeared across her body each time she was struck. She ignored them and struck back with a ferocity that Max had to see to believe. It was beautiful.
He thought back, trying to remember what Kira had said when she had read him the contract's description years ago. She had lost all the abilities she had as a Breath mage, but in their place, her strength and dexterity values got a boost. Granted, even with the buff, she still seemed to be on the weaker side, making it hard for her to deal damage. That didn't stop her from trying.
She spun, slashing at her foe with relentless aggression. Each movement maintained the same graceful quality that she had for everything else but with an added, eager brutality that made her attacks look more like a savage dance.
Max pushed himself up. He couldn't let her do all the work.
The others piled on, getting a few hits through while Kira kept the boss busy. Although, even with her acting as a pint-sized damage sponge, it was still slow going, and judging from the five-minute countdown appearing next to her infinite health value, Rasputin's effect wasn't permanent. Even worse, they still couldn't land a critical hit to the damn thing's skull. It was to a point where the only one of them actually doing decent damage was Corvin. Although, the only thing he could get to stick was a low-level poison spell that he had to keep recasting every few seconds to keep active against the boss's resistance. Nevertheless, Kira kept up her assault on the towering skeleton, becoming more of an annoyance than anything else since all she could do was chip away at its limbs.
Eventually, the thing seemed to realize that it couldn't hurt her either and stopped trying, only attacking when she got close to landing a hit. It swatted her away like a mosquito again and again, but she kept coming back for more regardless. It didn’t take long for the boss to get fed up with her. It dropped one of its swords and reached low under her defenses to scoop her up by one of her ankles.
If Max hadn't still been upset about missing his shot earlier, he might have laughed as Death lifted his partner off the ground and held her upside down.
The fairy shrieked with surprise before letting out a ridiculous sounding growl and shoving one hand up against her body to keep her dress from falling over her head. Max assumed it was just to keep the garment out of her face rather than to protect her modesty, considering everything that had happened in the last dungeon. She swiped at its bony hand, doing practically no damage as it carried her around to keep her out of the way while it went after the rest of the team. Although, that also meant that it wasn't paying much attention to her, so when it lunged at Corvin with a blade, she took her opportunity.
"Ha! Take that, dickass!" yelled the ridiculous creature as she cracked the boss in the back of the head with a dagger, emitting a sound that made Max cringe as her dagger scraped against bone. To his surprise, the Nightmare reeled from the hit, losing a large chunk of health as she landed a solid critical. She laughed, beaming with pride at her accomplishment.
It turned its hollow eye sockets in Kira's direction and paused for an instant, just long enough for her to get out the word, "Sorry?" Then it slammed her into the ground hard enough to crack the frozen earth around her. The fairy released an appropriate, "Ouch," as it lifted her back up and dropped her into an open grave like an empty can into the trash. That was when Corvin's poison damage ticked the boss's health just below fifty percent. From there, things changed.
Death stopped attacking and dashed backward, letting out an ear-splitting scream. Max shrank in place at the sound. The only one who didn't flinch was Kira who just yelled back as she crawled out of the grave she'd been deposited in.
The hooded Nightmare's call was answered on all sides as the various statuary came to life. Max spun in panic, gray forms surrounding him. At the same time, Death began firing off his beam attack in quick succession. It didn't seem to be aimed at anyone, but it struck the area enough to be a major obstacle and create an uneven terrain as it carved up the earth.
In the midst of the sudden chaos, Max found himself forced together, back to back, with Kira, who laughed like a psychopath. Somehow, it made him feel better, having her there to support him after he’d failed so completely just a minute before.
The statues were like miniature bosses in and of themselves, each presenting a significant problem. If it wasn't for the leftover regeneration effect and stat boosts from Kira's first contract, Max would already be picking out one of the open graves for himself. Even with that, it was still a losing battle, the others cornered by blasts from the boss's death ray. That was when an echo stone fell from the sky. On impact, it played its message.
"Find cover, fast!" Alastair's voice yelled from the stone on a loop as two transport ships buzzed through the open sky. Their boss must have decided to get off his ass and help, which was only right considering how things had developed.
Max tightened his grip on his guns, not really wanting to hear the man's voice since he was pretty sure they'd been misled by him at some point. It was going to take all his self-control not to punch the guy the next time they were face to face.
The two ships looped back and slid open their doors. Max did a double take as each ship revealed a Checkpoint employee harnessed in and gripping the handles of what looked like a large Gatling gun.
The sky erupted with a hail of bullets, cutting down the surrounding enemies while Max and the others scrambled to find cover. The ground around him splintered apart as the gunners above did their best to avoid any friendly fire. Although, with the movement of their aircraft, their aim was less than perfect.
Max ducked behind a thick gravestone and yanked Corvin into its protection by his tail. Farn followed their lead, using her shield to cover their backs. In his peripheral, he caught Ginger leaping into an open grave while Kegan drew his other silver arrow and fired it in behind her. Max could actually hear Ginger's annoyed shouting over the din around him as the Leaf teleported into her hiding place. From the sound of it, he'd landed on top of her. Behind them, Kira ignored it all, still trying to murder a statue with Rasputin's temporary daggers.
Debris flew through the air as Max huddled close to Corvin and Farn, trying to keep their bodies as compact as possible. He didn't even know guns like that existed in the game. Evidently, Alastair had been saving something special for himself. The barrage paused while the two ships looped back around for another pass. The echo stone's message had stopped, having been destroyed in the attack.
"Everyone okay?" Max peeked over the stone at his back.
"I'm good," Kira answered as if she'd been caught in a light rain, her voice still carrying a darker tinge.
Max looked back to the open grave off to the side. "Kegan! Ginger! You alive?
Two heads poked out. "For the most part," Ginger replied, shoving Kegan back to his side of the hole.
That was when Max noticed that Death had stopped firing its beam attack. As to why, he had no idea. He called to the others, and they regroup
ed near the mausoleum for better cover while they waited for the gunner's next pass. Most of the statues were in pieces, and the few that remained were brought down by a couple well-placed arrows from Kegan.
The ships returned a moment later, this time taking aim at the giant skeletal form that now stood facing the sky. The high-pitched whine of their guns spinning up blurred together with another loud scream from the massive boss as it gathered energy in its jaws. The gunners didn't even get a shot off before another crimson blast streaked through the sky, detonating both ships in its wake.
"At least it was helpful while it lasted," Max commented, looking around at the remains of the statues that were no longer a problem.
With the attack ships dealt with, Death returned to the fight, its health still at fifty percent.
One look at his wrist told Max that they didn't have much time left as Kira's contract timers ticked down. It wasn't looking good. Then he had a thought.
Max shoved in a fresh pair of mags and converted their contents to explosive rounds. Remembering how much damage Kira had done with her single critical hit, he wondered if they even needed to use something special to finish the skeleton off. In fact, after doing some quick math, he was pretty sure they didn't. All he really had to do was land a few more criticals without screwing up. That was easier said than done.
He called to Ginger, "When I say now, can you snag its arm again with a line again?"
"Ah, yeah, but that didn't work out great last time."
"I know, just be ready." He hoped he was right.
"Kira, can you continue to annoy the thing and grab its other arm?"
"That's what I do best," she chirped in a voice laced with madness.
"Kegan, can you …" Max paused upon noticing the Leaf standing off to the side looking dumb.
Kegan shrugged and pointed to his empty quiver.
Max groaned and continued, "Can you just jump on an arm or something?"
"Sure. Why not?"
"Farn, can you do the same?"
"Got it!" she grunted back as she took a hit to her shield.
"Leave its scythe arm free," Max added to everyone, who all looked at him incredulously,"and, Corvin, keep up the poison."
The mage nodded without saying a word, downing another mana vial.
With a loose plan in place, Max fired off a couple shots. They detonated, blocked by the boss's six arms. He expected it, which had been the reason he'd converted his mags to explosive rounds. He knew he couldn't land a clean hit, but he figured he could at least get some splash damage through, just enough to draw the Nightmare's attention.
Farn motioned to get between them, but he called her off with a glance as Death rushed him, its scythe raised high above its head.
Max struggled not to panic, holding as still as he could. Then he yelled, "NOW!"
Ginger fired a line, hooking a skeletal limb and yanking the thing off balance again. Kira followed suit, leaping into the whirlwind of blades and wrapping her small body around its opposite arm so that it fell to its knee. Before it could do anything else, Kegan and Farn grabbed two more limbs from behind. It had to be strong enough to shake them off, leaving Max seconds to act, at best. He unloaded one pistol into its sternum, not risking a shot at its head until he was sure. He had to be.
Suddenly, Death dropped its remaining sword the same way it had when Farn had struck it in the chest. Then a bony hand clamped around Max's wrist. He panicked. It wasn't that he hadn't expected it. In fact, it had been what he was waiting for. No, what worried him was that he had assumed that Death would go after the hand that had just fired. I didn't. Instead, it grabbed the one still carrying a fully loaded pistol, leaving him with an empty gun as it squeezed his hand in a way that forced him to let go of the one he still needed. The weapon fell to the ground, leaving him unarmed as the massive skeleton flipped him around like a dance partner and gripped him tight against its chest. All the breath rushed out of him. He couldn't believe it. He had screwed it up again!
Ignoring everyone else, Death lowered its scythe to Max's throat, and he tried to grab at the blade with his free hand on instinct, as useless as the act might've been. The voices of his party reached his ears, sounding slow and drawn out as he realized he was about to die. For him, it was over. He just hoped that they could figure something out without him.
Then, just as the scythe touched his skin, a beautiful face stepped into view, Corvin. Max could have kissed him when he saw what he held. His dropped pistol almost floated back to him as the mage tossed it.
Max caught the gun and smiled, his free hand pointing it up, the muzzle rammed against Death's unsuspecting jaw. He couldn't miss. Normally, he would've had a snappy one-liner to say, but instead, he just pulled the trigger. His virtual eardrums almost burst from the shot fired as gunpowder filled his senses. He could even taste it. He didn't see the bullet hit, but the limbs of bone holding him tight let go. He turned on his enemy, gripping Death's ribs for stability and pulling himself closer as he emptied the gun into its mouth. The Nightmare let out an ear-splitting screech as it fell forward onto him, bones coming loose in his hands as they all came down in a heap.
The robes of Death fell over his body, plunging him into darkness along with everyone else holding onto the thing, and for a moment, Max wasn't sure what was happening. Limbs jabbed and poked in search of a way out, occasionally finding a sharp piece of bone. Then Max found himself looking up at Ginger, who was crouching down, holding up an end of the tattered fabric so that she could look under. Corvin was behind her bending on one knee.
"Did we win?" Max asked the Coin from his place lying flat on his back.
Ginger snorted. "No points for style, but I guess so."
From under the writhing layer of ragged darkness, Kira howled, "I swear I will kill the next person that touches my ass. I am so not even kidding." From the dark tinge in her voice, she sounded like she might actually do it. Her daggers poked up, tearing a fairy-sized hole in the robe that she poked her upper body out of.
"Sorry, that was me this time," Farn said as she tried to wriggle her way through the same opening beside her.
Kira glared at her sideways, her daggers held at the ready. "Oh, really? That's a pretty dangerous confession right now." Her weapons dematerialized in her hands and her hair faded back to silver, making it obvious that her contract with Rasputin had just ended. She let out a disappointed sigh.
Farn laughed. "What was that now about you being dangerous?"
Kira folded her arms. "Well, I guess I can forgive you."
"That's good ‘cause it was me last night, too," the Shield added, her mouth curling up in a mischievous smile.
Kira sputtered, having trouble forming words.
Farn shrugged. "What? We'd just met; I wasn't gonna own up to it."
"Well, now that the mystery is solved, we should get back to the ship. I need to get some answers from our boss," Max said just before the familiar voice of the darkness called out a name.
"MaxDamage—"
"Yeah, yeah," Max interrupted the darkness as if it was his mom telling him to take out the trash.
"Make your offer!"
Max held his arms out wide and lifted his head to the sky as if about to speak to the heavens themselves. "I give fucks, quantity, zero."
Chapter Forty-Three
Max strode onto the bridge with his usual swagger, wearing Death's cloak around his shoulders like a trophy. The tattered ends of the dark fabric dragged on the floor as he walked. The cloak had no stats or enchantments attached to it, which was disappointing. Actually, it wasn't even equipment. It had just become a piece of crafting material, the same as the scrap of cloth that Farn had offered up as worthless earlier that night, but it looked cool, so Max wore it regardless. Not to mention that his item bag felt a little heavier with the weight of a new contract item.
The win may not have been pretty, but it was still a win. Despite that, Max struggled to keep a smile on his face as Alastair st
ood, grinning like an idiot, clearly proud of the help his men gave during the last fight.
The man waggled his eyebrows at him as if asking for approval as the party filed onto the bridge behind him.
Max's smile wavered as he approached, the corner of his mouth beginning to fall as he clenched his fist. Only when he was almost within reach did he allow the mask to drop, his face twisting in anger as he closed the gap.
Confusion hit the unsuspecting mage as Max drove his fist into his face at full force, launching the man much further than one would expect.
Alastair fell back into his chair, one hand against his face in shock. He was lucky Max wasn't a class that recognized his fists as a weapon.
"How the hell did Carver know that you would pick us?" Max yelled at his temporary employer with a rage in his voice that told the entire bridge to mind their own business.
Alastair squirmed backward deeper into his chair. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Max didn't buy it. "That castle has been there for years, so how the hell did statues of Kira and I end up in it?"
Alastair's eyes darted back and forth. "I wasn't aware there was."
That answer didn't satisfy Max either, but he did lower his voice, continuing in a quiet tone that was somehow even more threatening. It was time for the truth. "How did he know back then that you would pick us for his quest? What is it you're not telling us?"
Alastair hesitated, then sighed, letting his body sink into his chair. "You're right."
A look of panic washed over Jeff-with-a-three's face. Max caught it in his peripheral. Whatever was coming next was big.
Alastair continued, "I honestly didn't consider the possibility that Carver needed you two specifically. When this whole thing started, I didn't even know what to expect. That much I swear to you. But now that I know more, you might be right. He may have known I'd contact you." He sat up in his chair, still rubbing his face.