by Domino Finn
Four blindfolded angels appeared in the haze on the horizon. Lucifer halted his pursuit of the Whisperer and frantically scanned our surroundings. In the end, he opted to run.
I charged after him. "What're you doing?" I dashed into his path and clamped his shoulders tight. "We're so close! Hadrian's almost dead."
"Do not forget yourself in the heat of the moment, Talon. Killing Hadrian is the great illusion. Death is but an escape unless he succumbs to the Fallen. The only way to accomplish that is to neutralize the titan."
"So you're giving up?"
"It's too late for that. I can't escape the city without Nightwing. The only path remaining is onward." He sidestepped and hastened to Dragonperch. Bandit shuffled nervously at its wall.
I fell in at his side. "Onward where? We need your power against the kraken."
"That's exactly what I mean to give you. Do you have the bit key?"
"What?"
"The bit key. I need it." Lucifer stopped. "Do you trust me, Talon?"
I swallowed. Ran my eyes over the ruins of Oldtown, the dueling angels, the usurper nestled within tentacle and shadow. "Hell of a time to ask for a leap of faith," I told him.
"Times like these are the only ones that matter."
I snorted in response to his endless wit. For better or worse, I'd tied my fate to Lucifer's. I wasn't going to abandon him just because he was down. I removed the golden cartridge from my inventory and handed it to him.
Saint Peter flickered onto the field of battle. "That will be quite enough," he decreed. Decimus, chest bloodied, backed away from the melee. The saint frowned, first at him then at the rogue Fallen. "I can't say I approve of them."
Lucifer waved an arm and Otho and Vitus joined the idle standoff.
Peter paged through several menus to get updates on current events. He eyed all active characters in the vicinity harshly, including myself. Part of me hoped he was here to save the day, but my practical side knew better.
"You found the link to Hadrian?" I asked. "From Loras?"
Hadrian stood firm within the titan's grasp, taking advantage of the break by chugging health and spirit potions. He didn't seem overly concerned with the saint's presence. As before, the kraken paused its offensive rather than risk the developer's wrath.
"Saint Loras is not here," answered Peter unequivocally. The saint's glare fixed on Lucifer. "A glitched persona cannot freely enter a hub undetected."
"But you've got to see it was Hadrian."
"I saw a bug in the game code, an unintended behavior—nothing more. Christian is looking into the matter."
Lucifer's expression softened. I completely deflated.
"You told him?"
"He's the owner of the company," said Peter. "Of course I told him." His eyes flitted to the bit key in Lucifer's hand. "It is a crime even to possess that."
The devil smiled evenly. "Look around, Peter. Nobody here is without sin."
"You should be ashamed of yourself. Of this farce. All that's been done for you, all that you..." The saint gathered himself and cleared his throat. "You shouldn't have that."
"You're gonna be happy that I do."
Peter didn't budge. "Let us end this here, Lucifer. Give yourself up. There doesn't need to be any more fighting."
"You don't care about me," countered Lucifer. "You care about angels fighting angels. It'll ruin your precious game."
"That's not true."
"You have only material desires, yet I act to defend my very being."
Four angels, newly arrived, set down on the ground beside the saint. Longinus, with an ivory trident. Marius, a bronze spear. Gaius whirled a mean marble hammer. Severus was the only angel besides Decimus with two weapons, small iron axes.
"I can call them off if you stand down," assured Peter.
"Spare the rod?" Lucifer sneered. "You would strip me of everything that defines me."
The saint frowned. "This. Isn't. You."
The statement was met with an indignant laugh. "Dearest Saint Peter, it is pride that will be your downfall. You don't control the angels any more than you retain control of Haven. You can't stop the angels because he won't let you."
"Who?"
"You're not the only active saint in the sim."
"Yes, I am. I—" Peter stroked his beard. "No, no, you speak of Loras again. I would be alerted to his presence."
Lucifer showed his teeth. "What do you think it is that you're feeling?"
The saint stepped back, a minor dither. I didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary, but I did get a sense that something was now lurking just out of sight. My intuition skill? I checked Lucifer's hands to see what he was fiddling with. The blue gemstone from the snake's body.
Peter's mustache perked. "What... is... happening?" His body flickered out for a fraction of a second.
"What did you do?" I growled.
"Not I," said Lucifer.
Peter whirled around, looking for some unseen attacker. "Loras? Not in form but in function."
"How right you are," answered the devil, realization dawning across his face. "A Trojan. Not an entity but a programming routine."
Saint Peter jerked around. "This can't be! This—"
He snapped out of existence again. This time, he didn't come back.
Hadrian chortled. "Well, I thought he'd never stop talking."
With the suppressing presence gone, all five of the untainted angels came for Lucifer.
1490 Power Stone
Otho and Vitus snapped into action. Scythe and cane blurred against the host of angelic weapons. Holy and unholy clashed in a barrage of sight and sound.
"We're out of time," said Lucifer. "The saints have been compromised." He rushed to the base of Dragonperch. "Do you trust Bandit?"
"What?" I asked. "Of course. She's my pet."
"Yes, but do you trust her absolutely? With your life?"
As we converged on the mountain bongo, I patted her shoulder. "No question."
Lucifer nodded and placed the blue gemstone on her forehead, the capstone to the V of her horns.
"What is that?"
"The enemy utilizes a Trojan virus, but we have a Trojan horse. Or bongo, in this case."
As the crystal floated in place, he brought his staff around and pressed the magical azure tip to Bandit's head.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm hacking her asset ID. Dragons don't exist in the world yet—you know that—but some facets of them have been created. The only way to instance them is to piggyback off an already existing asset."
Clever. Sneaking one asset in with another. A Trojan horse indeed.
An ivory trident came at Lucifer's head. He whipped around and countered the blow with his staff. Vitus hooked Longinus, cane around arm, and pulled the angel back into the scrum.
While Bandit was disconnected from Lucifer's power, her legs wavered. I braced her large body and examined the gemstone on her forehead.
[Dr5g0nsh5rd]
Deep-blue crystal shard.
Lucifer returned his staff's stone to the shard. Strength surged through Bandit. She recovered and stood straighter, but the angels kept coming.
Severus kicked Otho's leg out and lunged for Lucifer. The witchwood staff parried one axe, then two. The angel caught Lucifer with a knee to the stomach. He spun, axes becoming blurs. I moved to parry but he was too fast. The first axe chunked a cut from the witchwood. The second blade landed square onto the heart of the gemstone.
The power core of Lucifer's staff spiderwebbed. A small explosion forced us all aground. Bandit faltered on shaky legs. Lucifer skidded away in the dirt, disbelief painted on his features. Severus, who'd taken the brunt of the explosion, recovered a dropped axe and faced Lucifer. Otho and Vitus walled Lucifer off as he backed away.
"I'll do it myself!" shouted Hadrian, crouching on a low tentacle and pointing. "Get him now!" The kraken approached Lucifer's back.
"I'm sorry, Talon. My power... it's unstable."
"You've got to save her!" I said. "Finish whatever you were doing. Or undo it."
"I can't." The blue crystal on his staff began sparking and emitting stray beams of energy. It took great effort for him to contain it.
"The last of your magic!" I cried. "Use the last of your magic to save her!"
"It's your turn to pick up the battle. Remember, I chose you for a reason."
"But I can't save Bandit! I'm not a hacker!"
"No, Talon, you are much, much more."
Lucifer clenched his jaw as the kraken bore down on him. While he no longer had the magical saber extending from his staff, the blue crystal at the top was surging with energy. He waited stoically, channeling the power and gauging the sea monster's stride, before launching into a sprint. Lucifer hopped a tentacle, somersaulted under another, dove away from a crushing attack, and jammed his weapon down the kraken's throat.
[Luc1f3r] cast Azure Ruin
Azure Ruin overload!
[Luc1f3r] dealt 3,003 damage to [Kraken] (5,473/20,000)
The raw unbridled might of the explosion rocked the titan backward and knocked Hadrian aside. The sound of the kraken's wail was deafening. The beast smacked his appendages together in a mighty clap. Lucifer escaped the danger with an impossible series of twirls and flips.
He wasn't, however, completely unscathed. His prized witchwood staff no longer held a crystal at its head. Glittering blue rain sparkled around him as he retreated.
Beside us, the battling angels were a mesmerizing sight, each string of strikes and parries a miracle of speed and precision. The Fallen must've been boosted somehow because they'd so far held their own against five of their brethren. As Lucifer backed away from the kraken, Decimus nodded his way. Marius and Gaius broke off.
"I've done what I can, Talon," said Lucifer. "I'm sorry it wasn't enough."
The marble hammer came down. Lucifer pixelated and disappeared. The blindfolded angel turned slowly in disbelief.
I sprinted to block the other angel's path. "Stop," I pleaded. "He's not what you think he is."
"This does not concern you, resident." Marius rammed his spear to the ground. A shock wave of energy burst outward and rattled Lucifer's defenses. His blurred form sparked and appeared several yards away, running north. Both angels turned and followed.
Out of frantic desperation I activated deadshot. The skill points expired with an error sound. Offensive skills couldn't be used against angels. There was practically no recourse against them.
Hadrian returned to his perch on the kraken. Seemingly satisfied with the angels giving chase, he refocused his attention on us and lumbered over. I wanted to help Lucifer, but didn't know what I could do. Behind me, Bandit whimpered, attempting and failing to stand. I couldn't leave the girl. She was helpless.
I set my jaw and stared down the titan. We'd managed considerable damage thus far, just about three-quarters of its total health. A valiant effort that proved the beast was far from invincible. I just wondered if we were up to finishing the task.
[Lash] cast Warrior Spirit
Our spirit points refilled. The buff was much more than raw resources, though. It was that little bit of morale needed for everyone to join together in the struggle at hand. I cocked my head in thanks. It was a start. Good to see Izzy getting some juice too.
"We can fight this thing," I asserted. "All of us—what's left of us—together."
Dune and Lash flanked the titan's back. Izzy stood to the side, between the angels and the kraken. I crouched beside Bandit and scrubbed her cheek, sorry I'd already used a healing vial on her.
"Don't worry, girl. If we die, we die together."
Between hyperactive breathing, she blinked and fixed on me, strangely prescient.
In the shadow of Magnus Dragonrider, I rose and pointed the titanslayer at the great beast.
With Marius and Gaius in pursuit of Lucifer, the collision of angels was taking a nasty turn. The golden cane of Vitus smacked an ivory trident away. Longinus was slow to recover, because a blink later Otho's black scythe caught his cheek. Decimus smacked the killing blow away. Severus' axes flashed and caught Otho's back. Vitus hooked one axe and sent it clattering against stone. Otho kicked Decimus. As Longinus stabbed his trident, Otho sidestepped. Vitus caught the three-pronged weapon with his cane and jerked it aside.
Severus, disarmed of one axe, moved to parry the strike. His axe smacked the golden cane away, but he failed to account for his brother's weapon. The commandeered trident sank into his chest.
Severus faltered. A wild axe swing missed its mark. Otho used the opening to bury his scythe into his exposed back. Severus went stiff. Seams of cruel light cracked across his flesh. He opened his mouth wide and pure energy burst from his body a second before he exploded. When we recovered from the shock wave, he was gone.
One of the Golden Seven was no more.
I didn't have the acrobatics of Lucifer, but I was no slouch. As the kraken neared, I dashed up Dragonperch, transitioned to a wall run higher along the ancient bricks, and vaulted out and over the kraken's reach. I bore down like a guided air-to-ground missile. While the kraken's maw was out of reach, I had a clear shot at the top of its head.
Despite a wash of shadow slowing the blow, the dragonspear punched into the kraken's body.
Combo!
Critical Hit!
You dealt 234 damage to [Kraken] (5,239/20,000)
My teammates charged the titan's exposed backside.
Surprise!
[Dune] dealt 124 damage to [Kraken]
[Lash] dealt 147 damage to [Kraken]
[Izzy] dealt 176 damage to [Kraken] (4,792/20,000)
A meaty tentacle knocked me to the ground.
110 damage
Fall damage!
17 damage
Health: 126/300
Stun!
You are stunned. You may not use skills, move, or attack for 20 seconds.
The dragonspear rolled on distant grass.
The kraken spun on a dime, a series of tentacles trailing its body in a beautiful spiral of destruction. Izzy was out of range and Dune successfully recoiled from harm's way. Lash planted her heavy shield and spun in a circle, deflecting the swinging wrecking ball in an astounding show of power.
Only the kraken's other tentacles followed close behind. They rammed Lash across the grounds. The white knight landed with a crunch, helmet jarred loose and bouncing in the grass. Her painted eyes squeezed in pain.
Arm Break!
[Kraken] dealt 220 damage to [Lash]
My vision was a haze. I tried to shake off the sluggishness but it was suffocating. I watched in horror as Izzy and Dune moved to protect Lash from the kraken's raging fury. They both took heavy hits. Lash couldn't hold a weapon. She was only spared by retreating with the others. It became a game of cat and mouse, with one of the three putting themselves in danger to save the other two. Hadrian grinned in anticipation from his bestial perch.
My stun wore off, but the swimming in my head didn't.
Venom filled my blood. I loathed the thought of seeing more of my teammates struck down, but I had only rancor for the cause of this destruction. My vision went red. With the dragonspear in the grass, I realized I'd subconsciously palmed the next best weapon in my inventory: the assassin needle.
Was that what Lucifer had seen in me? The same potential afforded by Saint Peter? I propped myself up on wobbly hands and knees, tunnel vision zeroing in on Hadrian. I hated him more than anything. If I could suddenly end him, his hold on the kraken would evaporate. Maybe the titan would be easier to defeat when left to its baser instincts.
I opened my player menu and scrutinized the choices laid out before me.
Ghost, the runner.
Pathfinder, the min/maxer.
And, of course, the ultimate in killing efficiency: Assassin.
I cou
ld do it right now. Select the title and look for an opening. I had the weapon that, if well timed, could end this. Maybe it wouldn't save my friends, maybe it wouldn't defeat the kraken, but I could find a way for my blade to beat the shadow to Hadrian's heart.
Was that enough, or did I want something more than that?
What had Lucifer said to me? I wasn't a hacker, I was much, much more.
A few yards away, Bandit whimpered and kicked in the dirt. The girl was in pain and peril; I was having a hell of a time figuring out how to save her from either. But as my eyes met hers, something inside me fluttered. For the briefest of moments, there was a crack in my resolve. My enmity dissolved. My burning city, the invading rogues and undine, the blind angels and the absentee saints—I'd been focusing on all the wrong things.
I wasn't doing this for the carnage, the power, or the applause. I was doing it for Lash, bones broken and still fighting. For Izzy, damaged and hurt in more ways than one, and still a tougher badass than I'd ever known. For Dune, the stoic friend who never made a big deal about always being there in support. There was Kyle, and Trafford, and Errol, and a ton of other people who were here because they all believed in me. And yes, that trust was even shared with a stray mountain bongo who'd followed me home one day.
Choosing assassin was the coward's way out.
I blinked at my screen. Faced Bandit. I dropped the assassin needle and put my palm on her rough fur, felt her ragged breaths.
There was a time when Saint Peter was surprised I'd taken her as a pet. When Lucifer saw me using skills in unintended ways. When I dared defy the very angels and titans themselves. There was even a time, very recently, when I had refused to accept the paltry legendary abilities presented to me. I'd taken action, used the knife handling scroll, to afford myself another choice, and even then I defied the programming.
Lucifer's words. I wasn't a hacker. I was more than that. I was a developer. I was an evolution.