by Atlas Kane
“The intruders have come. Spread out and eliminate them,” the leader said in a soft, female voice. A woman then, Cade thought. Satemi is going to enjoy this more than she should.
The room transformed from a study in tension, everyone poised in a display of kinetic potential, to a riot of movement.
The shorter warrior sprinted out first, running along the far wall before kicking off and making a beeline toward their flank. Minda and Sholl broke off to meet the challenge. Sholl took the lead, his long spear the wiser choice to keep the rogue as far away as possible. Fear tugged at Cade’s guts, fear for Minda and their new friend, but he had to trust them. They were all due for a nasty fight. He just had to hope they would be strong enough to overthrow their foes.
In a terrifying display of power, the massive warrior jumped a dozen feet ahead, brandishing his huge hammer as if it weighed nothing at all. “Come! Come and fight!” the brute screamed inarticulately. Well, he isn’t the brightest spark in the fire. Hopefully that will make him easier to defeat. Ketzal and Gemma charged to face him. Again, worry about how the two women would fare gnawed at Cade’s nerves. He remembered though, Ketzal had the whip and the shield, both of which could help her keep her distance and protect her. Gemma’s bow would do likewise, though what damage she might be able to cause through such armor, he couldn’t guess.
The leader waited, still and imposing. Somehow, Cade knew that was the badass that would give them the most trouble. So much confidence and ability emanated from the figure. Again, she reminded him of Satemi. Knowing his ally’s own vast capabilities, the association did nothing to ease his worries.
As the commotion began, Cade summoned his most valuable skill. Screaming out his might, he triggered Alpha’s Call, boosting every one of his allies. Afterwards, just to be certain their advantage played true, he triggered Earthen Assault as well. The axe in his hand shimmered, an edge of dense mana forming along its blade and at the back of the hammer. It was time to retake this city, and that task began right here in this room.
Sholl’s spear clashed with the rogue’s short sword, initiating the first moment of the battle. Minda fell into position behind the spearman, lifting her staff high and summoning a clutch of daggers in the air. She wisely staggered their attacks, flinging a dagger at the rogue’s face in between each of Sholl’s darting attacks. The tiny guard stood no more than five foot tall, yet their blades blurred with terrifying precision as they deflected each and every threat. In a liquid grace, the guard held off Minda and Sholl, making the task seem easy.
Cade strode forward with Satemi at his side. The leader remained still, waiting for their approach. Only a clenching of their fists gave away their humanity. The soul weapon gloves were ominous. What kind of weapon could a glove be? Cade worried. Not knowing the ability or even the kind of threat they might be facing unnerved him.
To their right, the massive warrior smashed the ground with his hammer, a ripple of stone rising from the ground and racing toward Gemma. In a flash, she transformed into the tiger form and rebounded to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow. Just as quickly, she was back in her human form, her bow singing. The first arrow glanced off of the warrior’s mask harmlessly.
He stamped forward, screaming his hatred and violence. The hammer shone in the golden light of the room, then he spun and smashed it into a nearby column. A chunk of the Tanrial metal tore free and flew toward Ketzal. She held up her shield and activated Dauntless Block. The projectile incinerated on the force shield that formed before her.
“Focus, Cade. We have our own battle,” Satemi hissed, walking boldly beside him. He nodded, and he shook away all thoughts of the others, already lost in the tide of their own individual battles. He hefted his axe, turning it around and firing an experimental Slug Shot at the leader’s chest. In a blink, the guard flicked up her hand and stopped the projectile.
The mana bullet spun slowly in the air a few feet away from her chest, then she squeezed it, crushing it and releasing the condensed mana that gave it form.
Satemi ran forward, swinging her sword at the woman’s face. Again, another glove was held out, this time deflecting the sword from three feet away. Bringing up her opposite hand, she sent a pulse of power into Satemi’s gut, pushing her back several feet.
Force gloves? How are we supposed to fight this?
As if in answer, the elite guard twisted, one foot sliding back, then with both hands, she sent a wave of force at Cade. It hit him like an unyielding wall. Cade tumbled back and lifted up his head in time to see another blast coming his way. Satemi shot forward and brought her swords together. Her skill triggered just in time, the bubble shield stopping the attack.
Back on his feet a second later, Cade activated Wyrm’s Wrath, calling upon an increase of speed to avoid the guard’s attacks.
Satemi’s sword blurred, raining down blow after blow, but each was turned aside with a flick of the guard’s force gloves. Cade leapt over a concentrated blast and swung his axe at the guard’s leg. He used Culling the Pack, but the skill was blocked once more. Growing frustrated, he flipped his weapon and fired an Armor Piercing round. Seeming to defy the laws of Antinium, the guard spun on a heel, dodging the projectile while catching Satemi’s sword in between two tendrils of force. She tugged the weapon, wrenching it free from Satemi’s grip.
Cade’s girl didn’t react so well to being disarmed. Satemi screamed in fury and reached behind her back, unsheathing Vormer’s blade.
At the sight of the stolen weapon, the guard let out a cry of outrage, and the two women clashed once more.
The sound of a geyser exploding to one side of the room caused Cade to flinch and look over. Minda stared in horror at a plume of burning water that writhed in the air before her before lashing out like a serpent. The beastkin disappeared, leaving Sholl and the rogue alone. Scalding water splashed against the wall behind where Minda had stood. Then sparks of light, Minda’s new dagger Cade realized, began darting out and cutting into the rogue’s body.
The strikes were impossible to track, her stealth skill cloaking all hints of movement until the blade landed once more. To make matters more dire for the rogue, the blade sunk through the armor, a few inches of metal piercing their body with every attack.
Sholl didn’t hesitate, but seemed to activate a skill none of them knew about. He held his weapon to his chest, squatting deeply and breathing in audibly. Then a ball of power launched from the center of the spear and struck the rogue in his chest.
Weakened by a dozen knife wounds, and unable to dodge the blast, the small figure flew into the wall, their armor cracking like a shell, and slumped to the ground.
Minda appeared close by and snatched the mask from the rogue’s face. A lovely face was revealed, feathered and delicate. The rogue, a woman Cade guessed, was unconscious and for now at least, no longer a threat. “Sholl! Reinforce Satemi and I. Minda, go help out with that giant!”
As Cade turned back to his own fight, he saw the guard curl their hand into a fist and send an arm of power out, punching Satemi in the thigh. She fell to one knee and grunted in pain. A second attack was thrown at her face. He triggered Shroom Shield and pushed forward, taking the diminished blow on his buckler.
Sholl stepped into Satemi’s place and snaked out his spear in a dozen quick attacks, keeping the guard busy. Using this time reprieve, Cade used Electric Touch before selecting Spider’s Kiss. The attack not only had a venomous effect, but increased the likelihood his blow would land. Thank the gods of Antinium, it was a success. In a flash of arcing mana, his axe nicked the guard’s ribs, cutting through her armor. Just a trace of the venom could be seen, but when the woman cried out in pain, he knew the attack was effective.
Her movements slowed noticeably, and though his Wyrm’s Wrath had worn off, he felt confident they could end the battle. With Satemi back on her feet, Cade turned to see how the other match was proceeding.
Minda was dodging a deadly hammer strike, and Gemma launched arrow after
arrow at the huge man’s invulnerable armor. Ketzal’s whip flashed out repeatedly, but none of their attacks seemed effective. Growing frustrated and worried that one of the man’s attacks might eventually land, Cade took a gamble.
He summoned a single Blast Stick from his Inventory and shouted to those opposing the giant. “Back up! I’m gonna make a mess of things!”
Trusting their leader, the three jumped back a few steps as he chucked the small bomb. Cade didn’t aim for the man’s chest, but threw it behind him. The man had been fighting close to the wall, using it defensively. As the bomb erupted behind him, it forced him to his knees. Cade fired a second blast, an Explosive Shot, directly at the man’s breastplate. The successive blasts stunned him, and he wavered a moment.
In that window, Gemma dashed forward in her tiger form. Her vast opponent held up his hammer to prevent the clawed attack he expected, but she twisted in the air, transforming once again into her fair human body, and plucked the mask from his face.
Underneath, his face was writhing in fury, twin gold domes covering his eyes. Then Ketzal stepped closer, her whip rising in an arc before her. She snapped it out like a fiery tongue. And as the tip cracked over the man’s forehead, she screamed in her mind so loud all could hear. Begone, Vormer! This one is not yours!
Everyone staggered from the mental attacks, even the guard facing Sholl and Satemi faltered, allowing a spear to plunge into the shoulder joint of her armor.
The giant, bleeding from a gash opened up by the whip on his forehead, gaped. His eyes were clear, and he blinked at those standing around him. Holding up his hammer and staring at it as if he didn’t know where it had come from, the big man fell onto his back, dropping his weapon.
Satemi used her teleportation skill, blurring forward and tearing the guard’s mask off of her face.
Everyone was still as they beheld a face both terrible and lovely. A woman stared back at them, her face like Satemi’s but for a stone-like quality to her skin, gray and segmented. She ground her teeth together and fury kindled in her eyes. “He’ll kill you all! Too late, the lot of you! And none are worthy. None!” she spat, her eyes white and flashing. No golden domes covered them, no mind control was present. The woman was in complete control of herself.
Pressing the tip of Vormer’s blade to her throat, Satemi growled back. “Too late for what? And how could you follow such a monster?”
“Vormer is the light. He is the pure light of this world. If you cannot see so then you are all blind!”
Cade held up his hands, attempting to calm the situation. “Hold on. Surely you have been influenced to follow him. Have you sworn fealty to Aten?”
The woman’s laughter echoed through the chamber. An eerie sound to hear as it was empty of joy or humor. It was a song of triumph. “Aten’s power is in Vormer’s hand. I didn’t have to bow to the god, for Vormer knew my worth and valued it. I am his in heart and soul. Something you could never understand.”
Ketzal moved closer, and Cade felt her mind probing the woman. You can still survive this. Just let go of the man. He is evil, and deep down, you must know.
Instead of relaxing or relinquishing her hold on the glorified idea of the lion of Tanrial, the woman lifted one of her hands and aimed it at Ketzal. A ball of energy formed in her palm, but fizzled out when Satemi slid her sword up into her skull.
Blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, and the woman fell limp to the ground.
It was over.
What followed was a methodical and caring recovery of two lost souls. The small rogue had regained her wits, and was clutching Sholl who knelt before her. Cade looked the lizard man in the eyes and saw there a spark of hope and intimacy he hadn’t expected. It would seem that love might not be done with Sholl after all, Cade mused. And the idea brought warmth back into his heart.
Seeing the proud leader of the elites die was not a pleasant experience. Though Satemi showed no sign of regret, she was dutifully laying the woman out on the ground, her helm and face mask lying beside her. Satemi had cleaned the blood from her lips, and after removing the force gloves from her hands, had laid them beneath the woman’s surprisingly slender fingers.
In the opposite corner, the giant man was speaking with Minda and Ketzal. Both women were consoling the hulking elite, patting him on the back even as he wept. His tears were for time lost in mindless servitude, for those who had served alongside him, and for the woman who lay dead in their midst.
The man’s great body was wracked with injuries, the bomb having blown fragments of his own armor into his flesh. And the Explosive Round had only compounded those wounds. He coughed up blood and seemed close to death.
All that could be given to him were herbs and a Healing Tincture. Cade’s Restoration of the Grove was on Cooldown, but it did not matter. The man seemed well enough to survive on his own, which showed either some healing skill at work or else incredibly high Constitution.
At last, Cade called to Minda, Gemma, and Sholl. “You three, take our new friends and help them escape. Go back the way we came and meet up with the Kotani Ma. I am sure their forces are looting the city, taking back what was stolen from them so long ago. But if safety is to be had in Tanrial, it is with the apes.”
“What of Vormer? You three will go after him?” Minda questioned, gesturing to Satemi and Ketzal standing at Cade’s sides.
“Yes. Ketzal knows the way forward. And Satemi is strongest. We will stop him, whatever he is up to, and return when we can. Go now. There is still much to do before we can rest and hopefully return to Camp Casmeer.”
Minda searched his eyes, fear making the bridge of her nose wrinkle slightly. He could see her desire to stay at his side, but the fact was that the two elites they’d freed were in need of support. She sighed, swallowing her own desires and sacrificing them for the others. “Okay,” she said at last. “We will do as you ask. But if you die, Cade… just don’t, okay?”
He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “We will be fine. Satemi will keep me alive.”
The groups parted ways, and Ketzal showed them the entrance to the armory. Cut into the cold stone of the bedrock below Tanrial, an ancient tunnel ran deeper still. It was cold, the air stale and unmoving, as if none had stirred in this place for lifetimes.
They came to a large door, a ring hanging from it. Cade took the cold metal in his hand and pulled it open. Soundlessly, it hinged open, and beyond was a small chamber filled to bursting with equipment, armor, and weapons beyond counting. Dozens of sets of Silver Guard armor lined a far shelf alongside shields, spears, and gladius-style short swords. It was enough to outfit an army. That their Inventories were limited caused Cade to regret sending the others back. Yet they would have burden enough, especially trying to get the huge man out of the city.
As his mind struggled to consider what might be most important for their cause, Ketzal cleared her throat and called his attention.
“What is it?” he asked, eyes still clinging to every blade and polished surface.
“Here. This is the real treasure, Cade. As well as the tragedy.” The sound of her mournful voice pulled his eyes away from the weapon racks, and he looked to see a huge chest. It was large enough to contain two of him kneeling side by side.
Within it gleamed swords, knives, rings, maces, javelins and every other kind of weapon and armor he could imagine. Many were mysterious in form, too strange for him to imagine how they might function. Each and every one shone silver, an undying color that indicated a kind of metal that would not break or dull or erode.
Cade gasped, for he was looking at the greatest prize in Antinium, a horde of hundreds of soul weapons, each once bonded with a person now either dead or left powerless.
26
The Hangry Hetacomb
They spent several precious minutes looking through the trove of soul weapons. None of them knew what Vormer would be capable of when they faced him next, but it was obvious he would have grown in power once more. They needed an edg
e, something to guarantee their victory.
Cade found a necklace that granted a unique skill called Finger of the Sun God. Its description sounded devastating, so he took it and put it around his neck. Satemi put a ring on her finger and slipped a fingerless glove around her hand, grinning like a fool.
Ketzal fished through the pile patiently, and at last, held up a thin and elegant diadem. She placed it on her head and gave Cade a wink when she caught him admiring her beauty. “You like the way it makes me look?” she said.
“I’ve always known you were a queen, Ketzal. It is good you’re finally wearing the trappings of one.” She grinned back, but when she told him its function, he nearly choked. The demoness looked like she could step up on a stage and tell an audience how her greatest hope would be world peace, but with the crown on her head, she would be strong enough to demand it.
Then Satemi gasped, dropping a heavy mace into the hoard unceremoniously. She held a long cord, almost like a vine, but of course, made of soul steel. On each end was a sphere the size of a large marble. The woman held it up, allowing Cade and Ketzal to examine her find. It was called Lasso of Cleaving, but the skill it bestowed was far more significant. When they read the description of the weapon’s capabilities, they understood why she’d been so enthralled. If anything could help them win the upcoming battle, it was this.
Heading deeper within the bowels of the golden city, Cade felt the pressure of the stone, the soil, and the tons of golden metal above him. He was afraid of tight spaces, but the endless tunnel they jogged through felt like a tomb. His tomb to be exact.
It’s just your imagination. Snap out of it, Cade. Yet the further they went, the tighter his chest felt.
At last, the group came to a silver door, simple in make and seeming out of place compared to the overwrought glory of the city above. It stood out in a jarring way. Was this how the city looked long before the travelers messed with the Interface? Considering the thought made his mind whir. Tanrial had been here for a very long time. All the while, people were messing with it. When he’d first come to this place, he simply thought of the city as what it was, not how it had become that way. What would happen to any city if a mana-empowered Interface could change its shape continuously for a thousand years?