“I will never let you harm them.”
Skill boost! You have developed your valor. +5XP
“You won’t be able to stop us. Just as with us hoplites, there are the strong and the weak in the city itself. We can’t all win.”
“And I suppose you are one of the strong ones?” said Clio sarcastically, her angry gaze drilling into Ajax’s face. “Well, your captain would tell you that, if he wanted you to do his dirty work.”
“Your words, not his,” said Ajax. “Anyway, I am not like you. The quest for the hydra is over, and now we each need to look out for ourselves. I have the potential to win this thing.”
“Win.” Clio shook her head.
“This is useless,” said Troy quietly to Clio, stepping back from Ajax and looking around. “Let’s head along the banks of the river. This might be the best crossing point, but it can’t be the only one. Or else we could just find a place to hide until nightfall.”
“No,” she said simply, still staring at Ajax and clutching the dagger. “We are going this way. Let us pass, Ajax. You owe me. Without Europa and myself, you’d have been dead in the swamp.”
Now Ajax scoffed in response. “There is no debt, girl. You just did what any Spartan should do – fought the enemy. Why would I owe you for that?”
“We were comrades.”
Just then, Troy heard faint sounds of movement from the path behind them. He chanced a glance back in that direction, and saw that one of the groups of Spartan warriors were indeed behind, no more than a couple of minutes away now.
Skill boost! You have developed your survival skills. +5XP
Their time was up – and Troy realized at that moment that Ajax had been stalling. Ajax still held the path. And for as long as he held them at spearpoint, there was no way to overpower him or get past with their shorter weapons.
Just then an arrow whizzed past them from behind; in response, Troy rapidly took a step back, turning and keeping his shield between both him and Clio and the position of the approaching warriors. A second arrow deflected off it with a thump. However, at that moment a third arrow flew low, hitting Troy in the leg. He yelped and grimaced in pain:
Skill boost! You have developed your weapon skills. +5XP
Health update! You have lost 5 hit points.
He looked down; the arrow hadn’t embedded into his leg, and had instead deflected off his greaves and away. All the same, it had hurt like hell, and he knew he would be limping for some time to come.
As the pair of runaways continued to shelter behind the shield, an arrow bounced off a nearby rock and ricocheted just past their faces. Another whistled towards Ajax, glancing off the tall hoplite’s light armor. He yelled out in pain, staggered backwards off the path while raising his own shield, and then called for the approaching troops to cease firing.
“Now!” Troy gasped, realizing that the momentary distraction was what they needed in order to overpower Ajax. They had to make a move if they were to escape to freedom.
As Ajax scrabbled to regain his position, Troy raised his hatchet and hit out not at the hoplite himself but at the shaft of the spear. His blade clanked against the base of the spearhead, and although Ajax tried to respond by thrusting it towards Troy’s chest, his blow was wild, passing by Troy on his left-hand side.
At the same moment, Clio leapt forward, bringing the dagger down hard towards Ajax’s face. It looked set to be a deadly blow, but at the last possible moment the young man raised his shield to defend himself, and the weapon skimmed off harmlessly to the side. Clio had been trying to strike with the haft of the weapon, Troy then realized, rather than aiming for a killing blow.
Troy had now got hold of Ajax’s spear shaft and was gripping it with both hands, leaving Ajax unable to use the weapon. He clutched it firmly as Clio struck again and again with the dagger; Ajax blocked each blow with his shield, but his movements were slowing and his teeth were clenched. Soon he dropped the spear entirely, staggering back a few feet from the path before pulling his sword from his belt.
But this was all the space that Clio and Troy needed. Clio sprinted for the path. Still holding Ajax’s discarded spear, Troy hurried after.
* * *
Clio was already a few dozen paces ahead of him, and Troy now did his best to close the gap, sprinting as hard as he could. He listened for Ajax’s footsteps as he ran, knowing that their foe would soon be pounding the earth behind him.
The bridge lay ahead, narrow and ornate and made of blocks of Grey granite. It was only wide enough for pedestrians; no wagons traveled this way.
The pair crossed the bridge, heading towards the stony mountain path beyond. The path, too, was only a yard wide, just enough for single file at best, and was made of compacted earth. There were rocks as well as more thorn bushes on either side, and it was dry and exposed. It curved around to the left, getting gradually steeper, and Troy did his best to keep his pace up as Clio continued to sprint ahead.
After a few seconds Troy chanced a glance over his shoulder, and was surprised to see that Ajax was no longer actively pursuing them after all. Their rival had followed them up the slope so far but had stopped just before the bridge, and had even sheathed his sword. But what Troy saw next made his blood run cold.
An angry red flame was streaming out from each of Ajax’s hands, with the two streams meeting and then coalescing into a fireball that floated in the air between his palms, inches in front of his chest
“Look out!” called Troy, glancing up at Clio on the path ahead of him. On hearing his warning, she, too, stopped to look below them.
Skill boost! You have developed your survival skills. +5XP
The other Spartan warriors who had been charging along the path had stopped too, below and to the left from where Troy now stood. They were in formation, and had their spears raised, still around a minute’s march back from the scene. It seemed that they, too, were uncertain about Ajax’s motivations…
And rightly so, Troy thought.
Troy edged a little further down towards the bridge in the hope of gaining some cover. He raised his shield, and Clio hurried down to stand beside him. Just then, Ajax released the flame, and it shot upwards towards the pair of fugitives. A streak of orange flew towards their faces, and it was all Troy could do to duck down, shield raised high on his left arm as he crouched, Clio tucking in behind him.
The fireball shot over them, partly deflecting past the shield and filling the path ahead with a roaring inferno. Troy could feel the intense heat on his shield arm; not enough to burn through the metal, but he wouldn’t have been able to stand it for long, that was certain.
A moment later, when it was clear that the flaming attack had largely passed over them, Troy cautiously stood up. “Are you all right?” he asked Clio.
She nodded. “All right. And you – what about your arm?”
“It’s all right, Clio. Thanks.”
Above them, however, the flames were still filling the path a couple of yards uphill from where they stood – a roaring inferno three feet high. Troy and Clio watched on, powerless, as the yellow tendrils flickered and danced as if the path were covered with burning logs. Even from a distance, Troy could feel its ferocious heat on his face. There was no danger of their injuring themselves on the fire from where they were, but it entirely blocked them from making any further progress uphill.
Dismayed, Troy turned back the way they had just come. Ajax stood there motionless, appearing to taunt them, a fiery glow still visible on the palms of his hands.
“Those warriors will be here soon,” muttered Troy to Clio. “What are we going to do?”
“If we want to escape,” said Clio, standing at Troy’s shoulder and staring down, “we might need to take Ajax out. It’s just a pity that I no longer have my bow.”
“You’re right. The magic that Glaucus had disappeared when he died. If Ajax could even be knocked unconscious…” Without finishing the thought, Troy looked around at Clio and then raised the spear
which he had taken from Ajax. “You’re pretty damn good at throwing these,” he said. “If someone’s going to take the shot, I trust you to do it.”
She looked in his eyes for a moment, and then nodded, taking the spear. “Come on, then. Back me up.”
Level: Hoplite (Level 4)
XP: 1095 (unspent: 0645)
Hit points: 10/27
Luck points: 1
Mana points: 4
Equipment: basket of olives; belt; blanket; coin pouch; greaves; hoplon shield; iron hatchet.
Chapter 34: The Bridge
Together, they began to walk back down to the near end of the narrow bridge, Clio weighing the deadly weapon in her hand as she moved. As he walked just behind her, Troy pictured his friend’s athletic performance in the training ground the previous night. Throwing the spear and hitting the center of the target. Again, and again, and again.
And then he pictured the spear entering Ajax’s chest, the hoplite falling… and unbidden, an image of Glaucus’s limp dead body came into his mind.
“Wait,” he said, stopping and taking her arm.
She looked at him again. “What is it, Troy?”
“I, well…” He hesitated. “Okay, Ajax is an asshole, but he’s still just a kid. Just like us, you know? I don’t want you to have that on your conscience, Clio.”
She shrugged, still weighing the spear in her hand. “That’s my choice. Besides – I’m not killing him. Just sending him out of Sparta Online and back to boot camp. It’s no more than he deserves.”
“But it’s the captains who really deserve it. Ajax is just an idiot who does what he’s told. Captain Theseus and Captain Semele are the ones who have been beating and humiliating us since day one.”
“I guess. But we can’t actually kill the captains – they are NPCs, and they would just respawn.”
Troy shrugged. He glanced at the still-raging fire uphill from where they stood, and then down at Ajax and at the soldiers beyond. It really didn’t look like there was any other way out. And Plato and the others would be well ahead on the mountain path by now, unable to help them.
“Here,” he said to Clio, handing over his shield and hatchet. “Take these for a minute.”
As she took them from him, Troy moved onward towards his rival. “Ajax,” he called out. “Put down your weapons. I challenge you to a test of strength.”
“What?” Ajax eyed Troy suspiciously.
“You heard me.” Troy raised his hands to show that they were empty, and kept approaching. “A wrestling match. It’s Spartan tradition, and a matter of honor to accept.”
Skill boost! You have developed your valor. +5XP
“I beat your friend Plato in a wrestling match,” called out Ajax, still holding his spear. “Don’t you think I could beat you too?”
“You might,” Troy replied, still walking. He knew how much danger he was in now; not only was Ajax capable of summoning fire – and he had no way of knowing whether the boy had expended all of his mana – the other Spartan warriors were now very close behind. “I’ll take that chance.”
“And why should I risk it?”
“Come on, man,” said Troy. “Fair’s fair. It’s an ancient Greek tradition, after all. A form of single combat.”
“Perhaps,” said Ajax. “But on the other hand, I could stick my sword through you right now. I’d enjoy it, too.”
“If you wanted to kill me, you’d have thrown your spear as soon as you saw me on the path, Ajax. We may disagree about a lot of things, and you and your friends were brutal to me at times. But you didn’t actually kill me, did you?”
Ajax shrugged.
“This is it.” Troy stopped, still around five yards from Ajax. “Sheath your weapon and let’s fight. If you really believe in yourself – really think that you deserve to be winning hoplite – then prove it. Wrestle me to the ground.”
Ajax clenched his teeth, his anger and contempt for Troy showing in every line of his face. “I didn’t kill you before,” he called out, “and that just shows that I was too soft. A true Spartan warrior doesn’t show mercy to his enemies! Die, you dirty traitor.” With this, Ajax raised his sword and charged at Troy.
But Troy was ready for this. He knew that Ajax would expect him to flee, and might aim an attack at his unprotected back. But he had one last throw of the dice. Inside his mind, in much the same way that he summoned his profile or health status, he called out, spend my luck point!
He then ducked down and burst forward towards his rival, jinking under the blade just as Ajax adjusted and attempted to stab downwards.
Soon he had gripped Ajax’s sword arm and twisted it, forcing the weapon back towards the tall hoplite’s own face. The sword clattered to the ground. The two boys then began to wrestle one another in earnest, each one trying to grip on the other’s arms and neck.
Had his luck point been activated, and if so, had it made any difference? Troy wasn’t sure. If nothing else, no more flames were coming from Ajax’s hands, though nor was there any more of Troy’s own white energy. Again, it seemed to be finite, connected to his mana score which still needed much more time to recharge.
For around a minute the pair struggled and flailed, punching and grabbing at one another in the center of the bridge.
Health update! You have lost 2 hit points.
Before long, however, Troy found himself on the back foot. His initial surprise attack had forced Ajax backwards, but now the momentum was shifting, and Ajax forced him towards one side. Troy then felt the stone edge of the bridge digging into the small of his back. Ajax’s leering face was very close to his as he pushed further, trying to tip Troy right over.
Damn, Troy thought to himself. Perhaps I should have asked if there’s a way of putting XP into strength upgrades…
He heard Clio’s running footsteps off to his right, and grunted. “Leave us, Clio,” he shouted. “It’s single combat, and a matter of honor.”
“The fire is gone now, Troy!” called Clio. “We can join the others.”
“I can’t stop this now.”
“Yeah,” snarled Ajax, looking up to his left towards where Clio was waiting. “Keep out of it you stupid cow.”
Clio stopped; Troy managed to thump his elbow hard against Ajax’s sternum and elicited a pained squeal, but still the taller boy still had a firm hold around his neck and shoulders and was pushing him backwards against the edge of the bridge. He glanced downwards; the jaws of the ravine below the bridge appeared to be filled with very sharp rocks.
Perhaps boot camp wouldn’t be so bad?
Visions of hiding in the manholes back home flashed before Troy’s eyes, and he suddenly wondered if there could be another way out. Could there be some means by which he could cling on to the bridge itself, escaping a fall that was starting to look inevitable? He looked below him again, and saw that they were near the point of three of the upright piers that supported the bridge. Each had a statue installed, with a ledge below each one. It wouldn’t be easy, but it might be possible… The only problem was that Ajax’s force would push him outwards, with his momentum carrying him well away from the side of the bridge.
He would have to be smart.
As suddenly as he could, Troy ceased resisting against Ajax’s force and allowed himself to be pushed backwards. He tipped and pivoted against the edge of the bridge, beginning to fall. As he did so, however, he raised his knees upwards as high as he could and clamped his lower legs and ankles around his rival’s neck. And so, as he fell backwards, face down towards the ravine, he was able to slow his own descent and reach for a handhold on the outer edge of the bridge itself.
Ajax, meanwhile, was now finding himself being pulled forwards over the bridge itself, and he grunted in pain and distress. Knowing that he needed to get clear of his rival, Troy released his grip on his enemy, though not before taking a couple of painful punches to the legs.
Health update! You have lost 1 hit point.
Health update! You have lost 2 hi
t points.
Now finding himself face down on the exterior of the bridge, he allowed himself to slither downwards, reaching for the ledge that protruded a couple of yards below.
As he reached it, it was all he could do to reach out with one arm, and the jerk of holding on to it led to a phenomenal wrench to his shoulder. All the same, he managed to cling on, and then secure his other hand on the ledge, too. It was just as well he wasn’t weighed down by his equipment, he reflected.
Health update! You have lost 2 hit points.
Skill boost! You have developed your quick thinking. +5XP
With a grunt of exertion Troy pulled himself up, and found himself face-to-face with one of the statues which was set into the side of the bridge. He looked up. There should be enough handholds to make his way back up to where Clio was. Her face briefly popped over the edge to look down, as did Ajax’s, though he wasn’t sure whether either of them saw him. Hopefully Clio would be well able to defend herself if Ajax decided to attack; she still held the spear, as well as his shield.
But how long would it be before the squadron of troops advanced to intervene? He would have to hurry. And he also knew that he was now perilously low on hit points.
Moving to the right and the edge of the cavity, he reached his fingers into the first handhold, and then the next, his feet momentarily scrambling for purchase until his left leg found itself resting on the statue itself. This allowed him to push himself upwards more securely. Around six feet of stonework now remained between him and the top of the bridge. And when he got there, what then? He could only hope that Ajax wouldn’t stick a weapon through his chest if and when he managed to pull himself up.
Nemesis (Sparta Online Book 1) Page 26