Science and Sorcery Box Set

by Ryan Tang

  Steel's eyes widened as she approached. His first instinct was to grab at the controls, but then he realized that the two of them so close that any move would splatter them both. The Paragons weren't subtle weapons.

  "What the hell! What the hell is wrong with you? Why won't you just give up!"

  He swung a fist at her, but it only bounced off of her Eternium spacesuit.

  Then the leech hydra lashed out. She twisted to avoid it, bringing her makeshift dagger forward.

  She and Steel slammed into each other.

  All nine heads of the monster's heads wrapped around Alex's other arm, piercing clean through the Eternium. Fever pulsated through her body. She could feel her veins rotting from the inside. The blood in her arm seized up, and for a moment, she jerked just like Leanne did. It was a haunting and horrible feeling. She couldn't believe her friend had fought it for so long. The blood in her veins surged traitorously backward. Her opposite arm reached out to try and stop the knife.

  But it was already too late. She had too much forward momentum.

  Steel's suit wasn't made of Eternium. There was nothing mere fabric could do against the holy metal.

  The dagger went straight through his heart.

  Steel burbled. This time, it was his turn to have blood drip uncontrollably from his mouth.

  "You! You!"

  He sounded more surprised than anything else.

  The creature in his arm writhed and squealed. The heads drooped, and then it fell off of his arm. It melted into a pool of purple blood. A foul stench emanated from his arm, which twisted and shriveled. Within moments, there was nothing left of his forearm but withering rot.

  Steel stared at the blade in his heart and blinked.

  "You!"

  He shook his head again, as if he still couldn't believe what had happened.

  He reached out and grabbed Alex by the arm, his hand curled over where the leech's heads had penetrated her skin. The strange blood seizing feeling had disappeared as soon as the creature died, but Alex still felt terribly feverish. Her throat was so hot she could hardly speak.

  Steel's fingers were very weak, nothing like the leech's mouths. He was already halfway to the grave.

  His entire arm crumbled to dust. The handsome man turned and stared as blood continued oozing out of his mouth.

  "Oh."

  He kneeled and grabbed for the leech, then cursed when all he scooped up was the mass of gelatinous purple blood.

  "It's a shame. I had your blood."

  Then he turned to Leanne in the back and sneered.

  "You killed me for her, and she's just a poisoned pill. We have her blood. Any one of us can control her. Any one of us can see into her mind. You killed me for a poisoned pill. Do you know what you've brought down on yourself? On my blood, my Family will avenge me. On my blood, Plenty will burn."

  Alex snarled back.

  "We'll kill everyone you send at us."

  But Steel didn't hear her. He'd already died with a serene smile on his face.

  ____

  And so it was that on the day the Gate should have opened, there was no music, no guests, and no events.

  There was only a news article from Generosity detailing the bloody murder of Director Stock, a good and innocent man who Plenty had framed for horrific crimes. They'd attached a demand that Plenty immediately allow an external investigation. Until it was resolved, other colonies would be strongly discouraged from allowing their citizens to visit.

  The people of Plenty gathered and solemnly sealed the Gate.

  It'd been a good dream to open their colony for everyone to enjoy, and it was a dream they would live again one day.

  But for now, they had to prepare for the upcoming attack. The hands of the Peacetime models were converted for war. The shards of Leanne's shattered Paragon were gathered so it could be forged again. Its pilot was still unconscious in the hospital.

  When Alex returned to her apartment, the girl was there waiting for her.

  "Is everything going to be okay?"

  Alex took a deep breath and decided to be honest.

  "I don't know."

  The girl stumbled forward.

  "We fought so hard. I still can't believe it. How did we fight so hard?"

  Alex smiled and hugged her tight.

  "Leanne's our friend. And that's everything."

  Credits

  Continue reading by ordering HEIRS TO SHATTERED STARS, the third book in the Science and Sorcery series, coming out on June 4th, 2020! (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086L2T5LT)

  In addition, visit my Twitter page (https://twitter.com/ryantang203) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ryantang203/) to find out how you can get the prequel novella, THE DOUBLE LAST STAND, for free!

  Cover Art by Vincent Lefevre (ptitvinc.com)

  Part 1 Art by Aedel Fakhrie (@KontrolAltDelt on Instagram)

  Part 2 Art by Taira (@taira.san.no.atowaku on Instagram)

  Part 3 Art by Benedick Bana (@banabenedick on Instagram)

  For more amazing artwork, please check out the following artists, who have been featured in other installments of Science and Sorcery.

  Mikaela Keung (mikaelakeung.wixsite.com/website)

  Peter Balogh (deviantart.com/peterprime)

  Theotime Galmiche (https://www.artstation.com/theogm)

  Julio Bencid (@julbenart on Instagram)

  If you liked my work, please follow me on social media!

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  Email me at ryantang203@gmail.com

  HEIRS TO SHATTERED STARS

  Book Three of the Science and Sorcery Series

  © 2020 by Ryan Tang

  CHAPTER 1: ETERNIUM WIT

  His name was Eternium Wit this time, and his colors were black and red. His name before had been All Brains, and he'd fought with purple and gold. He had a true name like all the Nobles did, a four-letter name that harkened back to the glorious days of Old Earth and the height of his people's power, but he'd been made to forget it, to protect himself from rogue would-be Namers.

  He usually called himself Lonely, but he'd never use that name - nor his usual black and gold - for a fight like this. His fellow Nobles would never rally around such an infamously weak warrior. He was the first man since the Exile who'd been born without a Familiar. There'd been a few others after him, but he'd been the first, and nobody ever let him forget it.

  Lonely whispered urgently into the microphone of his Paragon. The Tooth Man was very close.

  "Is everyone at their positions?"

  Drowsy's Castlecraft home looked like an asteroid, and they'd tucked themselves into the countless nooks and crannies. It was the perfect site for an ambush.

  Three respectful voices called back to him.

  "Yes."

  "I will do my job."

  "I'm in position."

  The voices would immediately turn into sneers if they ever found out who he was. Lonely smiled ruefully. In battles without a Familiar, he was stronger than all three of them combined. His allies were always feeble warrior with poor reputations. It was the best he could do. Worthy Nobles would never work with a masked man.

  Lonely anxiously gripped his Paragon's controls, and the humanoid war machine's fingers tightened around the enormous poleaxe. This time, he would not fail. It was his seventh attempt, and seven was a holy number. Seven gods had followed the Nobles to their Exile in space, where there'd gone from mankind's rightful rulers to Lost Lords.

  His men's low individual strength didn't matter. The point was how strong they were together. He'd carefully selected them to complement his skills and exploit The Tooth Man's many weaknesses. Despite the risk, Lonely felt a surge of pride. He was the only person who could have arranged something like this.

  Lonely had memorized the Familiar and Aspect of every Noble, and he knew the details of every single Castlecraft drifting through the night sky. He knew the skill of every pilot. He'd even learned the strengths and
numbers of each House's Sinsworn army, despite the fact that a true House battle hadn't been fought for over a century. Nowadays, the Sinsworn were only used for keeping score. There was no need for them. All battles were Ransom battles, and all the Sinsworn were good for was paying tribute.

  That's what this was really about. Tribute. The Namers told everyone to call them ransoms, but it was only so they could pretend that all the Lords were equal. The truth was that some Nobles were more equal than others, and those Nobles demanded tribute.

  The Tooth Man was one of those Lords.

  What a stupid name. Only an idiot would pick a name like that.

  Somehow, The Tooth Man was even more stupid than his name suggested. It was only luck that he'd risen to his current standing. The same sinful gods that had given Lonely nothing at all had blessed his enemy with an all-powerful Familiar, a gigantic shark with thousands of teeth. The Tooth Man's fighting style relied entirely on headlong assaults predicated on his Familiar's strength. In a fair Paragon battle, Lonely would kill him within seconds. Not having a Familiar had forced him to train his control skills. He could move the massive humanoid war machines better than almost anyone in the Constellation.

  In his darkest times, he'd even thought about killing the shark. But the taboo against slaying Familiars was one of the very few laws the Namers enforced. Killing Familiars would hamper the Conquest. Lonely wasn't ready to die yet.

  He wouldn't kill The Tooth Man. He only wanted to disgrace him so severely that he could never call on his Familiar again. The brutish man's Aspect was Pride, and if Lonely's plot succeeded, The Tooth Man's weaknesses would be laid bare for everyone to see.

  Then it'd be time for Lonely to collect some ransoms himself.

  If all went well tonight, it wouldn't be long before every Noble in every Castlecraft started thinking about the mysterious masked pilot named Eternium Wit. They'd never suspect that behind the mask was a man they'd all dismissed as a pitiful loser.

  ____

  The Tooth Man's harsh laughter boomed through space. The brutish man rocked at the controls of his machine, jerking his banner up and down.

  "Battle for ransoms! Battle for ransoms!"

  It was a grave injustice that The Tooth Man was ranked in the top ten while Lonely himself struggled to scrape up enough Eternium to pay tribute. The Tooth Man's control skills were pathetic. He was laughing so hard that his hands rocked the controls.

  Even though The Tooth Man haphazardly swung his flag, the banner didn't ripple in the void of space. His crest was clear as day - a clenched fist with countless razor-sharp teeth jutting out of it. The mutated fist was dark gray, and the background was a sea of indigo. The ancient rod that carried his flag was a beautiful creation, forged with a subtlety The Tooth Man could never hope to attain. Thousands of sharks twirled into each other. Their fins jutted endlessly outward and shimmered in the light of the stars. The banner was The Tooth Man's creation, but the blue and gray were the colors of his House. The Houses were Nameless now, but the same colors had once flown proudly on windy Old Earth, supported by that grand staff The Tooth Man had inherited from better Nobles.

  Lonely's banner was not nearly as grand. After The Tooth Man's last attack, he'd disenchanted his rod, returning it to plain Eternium so he could pay it for ransom. His House had fallen into ill-repute since he'd become heir. That was why he needed to fight. His sister deserved better than he did. And she had a great Familiar, one that would one day shine even brighter than The Tooth Man's if it was well-fed.

  Drowsy whimpered, his voice growing higher-pitched with each word.

  "He's here! He's here! Oh no! Not him again!"

  Lonely shook his head.

  "Not us yet. Wait. Maybe the House before him will wear him down."

  "I don't like it! He's going to get us! It's his Paragon! He's going to get us!"

  Drowsy trailed off before Lonely could tell him to shut up again.

  The masked pilot gulped. The Tooth Man's Paragon was a frightening sight, but he'd prepared for this. When he stared at his enemy's machine, he didn't just see the awe-inspiring power. He saw the weaknesses too.

  The Tooth Man's boxy Paragon was a masterpiece of close-range combat, adjusted and honed from innumerable battles. By now, it was almost more of a tank than a humanoid robot. Spiked treads ran down the Paragon's arms and legs, and thick armor padded the vulnerable joints. The machine's shark-like head was a homage to his famous Familiar, and it frequently surprised his enemies by suddenly lashing out and biting them.

  The Tooth Man's infamously poor dexterity meant the machine carried no weapons. Lonely's allies all had long-range Finishers, and his poleaxe could keep those enormous fists at bay. The Tooth Man had only recently added the protection around the joints after a crushing defeat against The Surgeon. The legendary metal Eternium responded to your heart's desires, and your Paragon could be adjusted each time you summoned it from a block of raw Eternium. But modifying your machine and fighting well with the changes were too very different things. The Tooth Man wouldn't be accustomed to the new armor, and the padding would hamper his mobility if he tried to execute complex maneuvers.

  Lonely fiddled with his mask. Drowsy was just some idiot who happened to have a useful Finisher. They were going to win. The Tooth Man had haunted him for the last two years, taking countless ransoms, but that would end today.

  The Tooth Man's obnoxious voice rang out as he waved his flag from side to side.

  "Battle for ransoms! Battle for ransoms!"

  The Tooth Man had a voracious appetite. Lonely knew he'd challenge every Castlecraft before reaching theirs. They still had time to make further preparations.

  But now it seemed like Drowsy's fear had infected the rest of them. Now Forever was whining too. The squat woman breathed heavily between each word.

  "Oh god. What if this doesn't work? What if what we practiced doesn't work?"

  "We should surrender! We should just surrender!"

  Lonely pointed his poleaxe at her, and she stopped. She quaked, and for a moment, it seemed like she'd flee. But then she took a deep breath, stopped talking, and stayed in place.

  Lonely shook his head. He could only control them through intimidation. There was no loyalty among the Nobles. It was every man and every woman for themselves. Only the strongest would survive and reclaim Old Earth in the Conquest. That was how it'd been since the Exile.

  But against The Tooth Man, they had a common interest. It'd taken a brutal series of fights, but Lonely had cowed the three of them and created the alliance that would finally free them all.

  Forever was the key to their entire gambit. She was the sort of Noble that Lonely could easily recruit to his cause. Forever's Familiar and Aspect were seemingly nothing to be frightened of - all she had by her side was a tiny shrimp and her Aspect was Sloth, the weakest of the Surviving Seven. Technically, it was the weakest of all Thirteen. The Abandoned Six, the gods they'd left behind on Old Earth, had been among the most powerful.

  The raw power of Liquid State Eternium, the godlike strength granted to Paragons when Familiar and Noble fought as one, meant there was no time or place for stragglers. But if Forever got the opportunity to gather her strength, Forever's little shrimp could unleash a force far greater than even The Tooth Man could ever muster.

  Scry True was the bravest of the three, but that wasn't saying much. The thin man nervously turned toward Forever's bright pink machine.

  "Are you ready yet?"

  "More time. I need more time. Just give me some more time."

  She'd been preparing all day, but that was the curse of a Sloth Familiar.

  Lonely turned back to The Tooth Man's approaching machine. There were three Castlecraft in between them, but the amount of time it took for The Tooth Man to arrive depended entirely on what their inhabitants chose to do. If they accepted the ceremonial strike from The Tooth Man's banner without complaint, they would simply pay their full ransom and withdraw to their Castle. If t
hey fought, then Forever would have more time to prepare her attack.

  Lonely had thought about paying the Nobles before him to fight, but that was a lost cause. Even when promised compensation, a Lord would never take a losing fight, especially against an ill-tempered opponent like The Tooth Man. As of an hour ago, they were all planning on surrendering.

  "Have the Houses changed their mind? Any last-minute decisions?"

  There was a brief pause, and then Scry True responded with a strangely flat voice. When Lonely first met him, he thought that meant he was calling on his Familiar. But over time, he'd realized that was just how the strange and sallow man spoke. The thin seer's companion was the angler fish, and the bizarre creature allowed him to see things ordinary people couldn't. It was the sort of skill that must have been treasured once upon a time, when the Nobles fought actual wars. Now it was harshly disdained. A Familiar that provided military intelligence rarely proved useful in single duels.

  "The first Castle has adjusted its plans."

  Lonely fought to keep the hope out of his voice. Eternium Wit was a stoic warrior. He was as cold as void black Eternium, the holy metal's raw color before a potent soul touched it.

  "They're going to fight?"

  "They are pleading, but with a lesser tribute. If The Tooth Man refuses, then they'll fight."

  Lonely smiled. The Tooth Man always refused to accept a lesser tribute.

  "The second Castle has already given up hope. The third Castle is still whirling back and forth. They are unsure of what they intend to do. They are running short on Eternium."

  Lonely knew that feeling very well. He felt another stab of doubt. Perhaps he should have reached out to the inhabitants of that Castle. There were no particularly strong pilots or unusual Familiars, but the home had five Nobles, an unusually high number. It was almost like they were a family. He'd been mulling it ever since they chose Drowsy's home for the ambush. Five more pilots were an obvious game-changer.

  Lonely shook his head and dismissed the thought, just as he'd done countless times before. Five more pilots meant five more people who might sell him out in exchange for leniency. The Nobles only served their best interest. It was not worth the risk to expand his group further. Lonely had all he needed right here.