The Knightpunk Code

by Kory Shen

  "How about a foreign princess? Who isn't even human?" I asked.

  Kuri's smirk vanished, turning into a scowl.

  I chuckled. "No, there really is a girl," I said. "Not you." I explained Genna's situation briefly.

  Kuri's expression grew softer as she heard my explanation. "You seek power," she said. "The power to keep your woman safe."

  I hadn't really thought of it in those terms, but I supposed Kuri was right. Power. It was what my father had, what Lexley had, and what I lacked, even with Mira. Not brute strength, but true power.

  I nodded. "Yes, and that's what both of us are missing. It's why we should stick together."

  Kuri studied me. "You're not quite what you seem, are you?"

  I tapped the helmet again, closing it, and turned to leave. "You coming?" I asked over my shoulder.

  This time Kuri followed.

  "But if you try anything," Kuri said, "I'll boil your eyes and make you swallow them."

  "Sure, sure, boil my eyeballs."

  From the safety of the closed helmet, I rolled my eyes.

  CHAPTER 12

  "You shall not pass!" I stabbed a longsword into the ground vertically. Around me three members of Lexley's division were sprawled on the ground in their tunics.

  I had washed up in the stream first, and by the time I was done, Mira had also cleaned both the inside and outside of the armor.

  Luckily, I had decided to wear the armor again while keeping watch as Kuri bathed. There was a small path to the clearing by the stream. I stayed at the path's entrance, well out of view of the bathing area.

  A couple of Lexley's men had come poking around, their timing awfully convenient, in the middle of Kuri's washing. They were currently rolling around the ground in pain.

  I had to give it to them for trying. They were brave, stupid, or simply afraid of Lexley's wrath for failing to embarrass me and Kuri. They wore no armor themselves, and only one of them had been carrying a sword, the one I now plunged into the ground. Three armorless men against me with Mira was hardly a fair fight.

  I surveyed my handiwork, feeling like a proper knight. I had saved my first damsel-in-distress, even if she didn't know it.

  "What was that?" Kuri called from further down the path by the stream. "Is someone there?"

  "Don't mind me," I called back. "Just chasing away some squirrels." I glared at the writhing men. "Scram!"

  The men picked themselves up and ran away. One of them lingered, glancing at the sword like he would regret leaving it behind.

  "My sword—" he said.

  "Your fault," I replied, shaking my head. "I'll leave it with the Quartermaster once we're back." I raised my left arm. "Now go!"

  The last man disappeared without another word.

  I paced back and forth across the entrance of the little path. It had already been at least ten minutes. How long was Mira going to take? Did elves have a special way of washing themselves? What about elven girls?

  I looked towards Kuri's direction. She was too far away, and the foliage interfered with the view.

  I wasn't trying to spy on Kuri. Not really. I had seen my fair share of naked women, but I had never seen a naked elf. Hell, I hadn't even seen Kuri's pointy ears yet. She always kept that damn headband on.

  "Mira, can you help me out here?" I asked.

  "How may I assist you?" Mira asked. There was a pause. "Need I remind you that I am not a farm—"

  "Yeah, yeah," I interrupted. "Remember when I shot the castle spire at the Open Melee? Everything suddenly looked big and up close."

  "Yes, your scope mode provides optical and digital zooming capabilities as well as a reticular overlay."

  "Right. Is there some way to see through the cracks in the forest?" I pointed in Kuri's direction. "That zoom thing. To check on Kuri."

  "Allow me."

  My vision suddenly blurred. I couldn't tell what I was looking at but then realized I was seeing a magnified view of trees and bushes. I scanned my neck to search for Kuri through the cracks in the foliage, but it was hopeless.

  "This isn't working," I said.

  My vision shifted back to normal. "I have a full range of reconnaissance capabilities," Mira said. "Might I suggest a thermal scan?"

  "Um, okay."

  My vision changed again. This time, the world became a sea of dark blue. I could barely make out the outline of the trees against the sky. Then, I spotted a reddish figure.

  "What's that red thing?" I asked.

  "That is your ally," Mira said.

  "Can you make it bigger? Focus on her."

  The red figure grew in size in my field of view until I could make out the blurry but distinctly humanoid figure.

  "Can you focus on the head," I asked again.

  The figure's head grew in size, taking up most of my vision. I watched as it swiveled back and forth.

  There. From a certain angle, I was positive I could see long pointy ears.

  "Do you see that Mira? The ears?" I asked.

  "Her physiology is rather unusual," Mira said. "Her core temperature indicates a lethal fever, yet she seems perfectly healthy. She defies all human expectations."

  "That's because she's not a human. She's an elf."

  "Elf? Are you mocking me—"

  "No, Mira. You said it yourself. She's not human."

  Mira was quiet for a moment. "I would like to have Kuri inside me."

  "What!" I coughed in surprise. "What was that, Mira?"

  Mira replied in a dispassionate tone. "I would like to perform a scan of Kuri's physiology as she wears me."

  "Oh."

  Something about that bugged me. "Don't I own you?" I asked.

  "Yes, you are the recognized owner."

  "Didn't you keep Lexley's thugs out of you?"

  "Yes, I am fully equipped to prevent unauthorized access."

  "But you'd be okay with Kuri wearing you?"

  "If you allowed it. I find her intriguing."

  "Right, intriguing." I watched the red silhouette of Kuri's head as it moved. Yes, she definitely had two long ears, kind of like a rabbit—

  "Jakson!" Mira yelled into my ear. "Incoming threat!"

  Something barreled into me from behind. I rolled to my feet as my vision returned to normal.

  In front of me was a knight in full Sentinel-class armor.

  A full suit of Rock Armor, if I wasn't mistaken. Now that was a rare sight.

  The knight in the stony suit reared up, ready to charge me again.

  "Wait!" I held up my armored hands. "This has to be a mistake."

  The knight raised his visor. A young man who couldn't have been much older than me stared back. He had a squat nose and a big jaw.

  "You're the Bastard Knight, aren't you?" the dog-faced man asked.

  "Do you have be so rude about it?" I asked. "Who are you, and why'd you attack me?"

  The man stood tall and proud. "I am Goran, the Rock Knight, here to put you in your place."

  I sighed. "Rock Knight? Let me guess, because you have rocks for brains?"

  Goran growled. "What did you say?"

  "I suppose Lexley sent you?"

  The man shut his mouth.

  "Don't bother. It's obvious."

  "Then, why yap like a woman?"

  "So I can do this." I raised my left arm. "Lightning bolt!"

  I sent the bolt of lightning straight at the Rock Knight's face.

  Despite his bulk, the knight moved quickly, lowering his visor while turning to present a shoulder to the attack.

  The lightning bolt struck a large rocky formation, then scattered.

  Damn. So that's what lightning did to Rock Armor.

  "Mira, fire bolt, now!"

  A bolt of fire shot out, striking the Rock Knight squarely in the chest. When the attack died away, his armor looked the same, unlike the metal suits that Kuri had treated like baking pans during the Melee.

  "Ice b—"

  Before I could attack again, Goran charged.
I sidestepped to avoid being trampled.

  Goran missed me but struck a tree instead. The tree split and toppled with a thunderous crack. The fuck? I knew Rock Armor granted brute strength, but I hadn't seen it in action before.

  "Mira, did you see that?" I asked. "He knocked over a freaking tree."

  "We can do that, too," Mira replied. "But as I have repeated multiple times, I am not a farming tool—"

  "You think we can match his strength?" I realized, then, that the Rock Knight was between me and Kuri's location.

  "We could certainly remove trees in a similar manner, but may I remind you that—"

  "Hey, rocks-for-brains!" I called.

  Goran turned around to face me again, brushing pieces of bark off his suit.

  I beckoned to him. He responded as I had hoped, lowering his shoulder and charging again.

  This time, I didn't dodge.

  I met him head on, lowering my own shoulder and rushing forward.

  It was like running into a mountain. I managed to stay upright but skidded backwards several feet, falling to one knee. My feet left deep gouges in the earth as I slid to a stop.

  Leaves and dust swirled in the air around us. When the debris cleared, I spotted the Rock Knight's lumbering figure also rising from a kneeling position. He shook his head, as if in disbelief. The visor popped open.

  "How the hell did a shrimp like you do that?" Goran asked. "No one stands up to an Avalanche Charge, not even the Champions."

  I stood carefully, keeping my eyes on him. "Really? What about Siege Boots?"

  Goran laughed. "Siege Boots keep you standing still. They don't prevent you from getting squashed like a bug."

  I filed away that tidbit of knight lore. While I had heard of Rock Armor, it was rather rare, and I wasn't too familiar with all of its capabilities.

  "Where'd you get that Rock Armor, anyway?" I asked.

  "Enough chattering. We fight." Goran shut his visor and came towards me, slower this time.

  When he was within an arm's length away, Goran threw an enormous fist at my midsection. Dodging the slow attack was rather easy in my lighter armor. I cut to one side, then another, dodging fists.

  I tried punching him in the side of his ribs, but my fist glanced off the Rock Armor. The next time he swung, I ducked low and aimed a punch into his armpit as an arm swung past me.

  Goran cursed in pain and grabbed the spot I had hit. If I was fighting seriously, I would have pressed the attack, not giving him a moment of rest. But he was supposed to be a fellow knight, damn it.

  "Can we just forget this?" I asked. "We'll head back to the barracks, grab a drink, and laugh this off…"

  "No!" Goran roared. "I'll crush you once you stop buzzing about like a mosquito."

  "Oh, I really hate mosquitoes. You asked for it."

  I closed the gap between us in an instant. Goran hesitated, unsure how I would attack. I feinted a kick to his groin, and when he leaned forward to fend me off, I angled my leg higher, catching him in the chin with all my force.

  His head snapped back sharply. Goran grunted and took two steps away, standing still for a moment.

  Even with a Rock Helmet, that had to hurt.

  I lunged forward and followed up with a strike using the blade of my hand to the front of his neck. The softer material at the armor's joint gave way, and Goran made choking noises.

  I stepped away.

  "No hard feelings?" I asked. "You started it. You can stop this anytime you want."

  It took Goran a good ten seconds of coughing before he could speak again.

  "I'm going to kill you." He reached behind for the large warhammer strapped to his back.

  "Are you serious?" I wasn't entirely sure what a Rock Hammer could do, but I had no interest in escalating our fight further. It was basically a tiny mountain tied to a steel shaft. Goran swung the Rock Hammer in the air several times. "What the hell do you want?" I asked. "An apology? Fucking Yora."

  "I want to see you broken and bleeding," Goran said as he charged.

  I raised my left arm, ready to deliver a triple shot, but hesitated to use it. Not only was I unsure of the best way to attack the Rock Knight, but I wasn't sure how far I wanted to go in attacking a fellow Sentinel. It was bullshit that he had started, but Lexley and the others would be looking for any excuse to make my life hell.

  "Mira, you think he can survive a full power triple shot?" I asked.

  I jumped out of the way, using my superior speed to stay out of range as Goran swung his weapon. His hammer smashed into the ground where I had been standing moments before. A tremor emanated from the spot his hammer had struck. I leaped upward and backward over the shaking ground.

  "I have insufficient data to answer your question," Mira said. "However, I would suggest that you avoid the impact from the concussive weapon your opponent is wielding."

  Goran swiveled, sending the backswing of his warhammer at me in a full circle. I dodged again, and the warhammer smashed into another tree. The tree burst into splinters as if made of glass.

  I needed a plan. Fire and lightning had failed. What about ice? The Rock Knight was already slower than me. If I could freeze his joints, I could slow him down further, then find Kuri and run away.

  I rolled to my left, dodging another swing of Goran's Rock Hammer, when I caught a glimpse of something red in the corner of my eye. Kuri.

  I tried not to give away any sign of noticing. Was she planning something?

  Before either the Rock Knight or I could react, a white-hot column of flame enveloped Goran. I closed my eyes reflexively from the blinding brilliance.

  "You can open your eyes," Mira said. "I'm compensating for the excess light."

  I peeked out. The world had taken on a darker hue, as if I was viewing it through a dark shade of glass. Even with whatever Mira had done to the helmet's vision, the column of flame around Goran made me squint slightly.

  Goran was on his knees. My single fire bolt hadn't done much to him, but Kuri's unrelenting attack was heating up even the fire-resistant Rock Armor. But that wasn't all.

  The ground and trees surrounding the Rock Knight burst into flames.

  Kuri was starting a forest fire. Shit.

  I raced to my feet and sent ice bolts into the surrounding area, trying to create a perimeter of frozen earth and trees.

  It was too little and too late. My meager ice bolts couldn't keep up with Kuri's blaze.

  I couldn't hear anything over the roar of Kuri's flames, but Goran was thrashing on the ground, possibly screaming.

  "Kuri!" I yelled, waving my arms. "Stop it! The flames are out of control!"

  Kuri's golden eyes were bright but unfocused, seeing whatever mages saw when they did their magic. Her lips moved, but I couldn't hear her.

  I raced over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Kuri! You're going to kill him!"

  Kuri blinked, then stared at the growing fire in horror. The column of flames around Goran vanished, but the ground and trees around him were still burning.

  "I…I…" Kuri stammered. Her pale complexion was even more ashen than usual.

  "Kuri, check on Goran. I'll see if I can stop the fire."

  Kuri's face hardened. "That thug? He came here looking for trouble, didn't he?"

  "Kuri, he's a Sentinel. Go!" I shoved her in Goran's direction. For a second, she looked like she was going to snap back at me, but she turned and ran towards Goran's fallen form. I could make her out tugging on the Rock Knight's smoldering armor with her bare hands.

  Were fire mages immune to burns? I hoped so, but I didn't have time to dwell on it.

  We had started a forest fire, and I had to keep it from spreading.

  "Mira, any suggestions? How do we stop this thing?" I sprayed ice bolts at the growing fire. Although Kuri had stopped feeding the blaze, it had taken on a life of its own. There was no way I could stop it with a few ice bolts.

  "We could reduce the extent of the fire, but it's too large for me to exti
nguish," Mira replied.

  "That's better than nothing. How?" I asked.

  "One moment while I map the forest topology."

  Blue lines appeared in my vision, some kind of spiritual guide marks from Mira.

  "Mira, what are these?" I asked.

  "We will perform a controlled burn to limit the extent of the forest fire. Follow the blue markings, and burn all the trees in these locations with your excitation beam."

  "You want me to set more trees on fire? Mira, we want to stop the fire, not spread it."

  "I have calculated the optimal course of action to reduce the overall fire damage." The blue lines in my vision simplified, giving me clear markings of which trees to burn down.

  Fighting fire with fire? That didn't seem too bright, but didn't farmers do something like this? I had to trust Mira.

  "Alright, it's fire bolt time." I began sending fire bolts into the trees.

  After a minute or so, Kuri rushed to my side.

  "What're you doing?" she shrieked. "You're spreading the fire!"

  "I can't stop the fire completely. Mira says this should contain it," I replied.

  Kuri's mouth pressed together tightly. "That could work, but it would require careful planning and preparation."

  "Mira figured it out. Wait, where's Goran?"

  "He woke up and left. He had minor burns but nothing serious. I wasn't going to interfere."

  Kuri watched me in silence for a moment as I sent another fire bolt into a tree. "Who is this Mira, again? A spirit?"

  Mira whispered into my ear. "Ask her if she wants to wear me."

  She was as bad as one of the boys. "Mira wants to meet you. You two can have a chat if we ever get out of this mess."

  Kuri nodded. "Yes, that would be interesting. What about now? Can I help?"

  "Mira, you hear that?" I asked.

  "Indeed. I'm very much looking forward to analyzing—" Mira began.

  "No! The part about if Kuri can help," I said. Damn spirits.

  "I'm adding another set of markings for Kuri," Mira said. "I would suggest marking her targets with a weak electron beam."

  "Lightning bolt," I said. "

  "Mark her targets with a weak lightning bolt," Mira repeated with a sigh, "while your fire bolt is recharging."

  "Got it," I said. A new set of green lines appeared in my vision, in addition to the blue markings from before.