“The portal is still open!” I yelled. It was much smaller, but it definitely hadn’t closed as it should have.
“We cleared all the corridors,” Olav said after my yelling threw him from his musing. “Unless another Grendel is hiding out somewhere.” “There!” The berserker thrust a finger to my right.
I whirled around to face a tiny scaled creature almost camouflaged beneath the lizard corpses, and I realized it was a Bloodrat. If that thing bit me, we were in trouble. The portal was still open, so another trigger of my ability would increase its level even further. We were already running short on time, so we couldn’t deal with more Grendels.
The Bloodrat scuttled along the floor and burrowed beneath the mounds of lizard corpses. I scanned the area in front of me for any sign of activity, but all was still safe for the moving turrets.
“Kill that fucker!” Olav yelled as he weaved around a spinning sentinel.
There were only a few buzzsaws still moving around the room, but it was enough to slow me down while I searched for the Bloodrat. I spotted movement top my right as I spun out of the way of a sentinel’s blades.
“This Naga is still alive!” I yelled as I readied my falchion for a killing blow.
Suddenly, the Bloodrat shot out from the Naga’s skull, and I angled my blade to cut it down. Midway through the critter’s dive, Olav’s axe hurtled through the air, thunked into the lizard’s flesh, and pinned it to the wall.
“That should do it,” Olav said, and the tiny portal blinked out of existence. The roaming sentinels halted, and their spinning blades ceased to move.
We’d narrowly avoided a serious calamity, and my hands were shaking with adrenaline.
Then the portal zone burst with a golden light, and I cursed myself for thinking this was finally over.
“More Grendels,” I muttered.
Olav rocked his head back and let out a booming laugh. He slipped his axes into the clips on his prot-belt as though the fight was finished.
“It’s a Seraphic portal, lad,” the berserker said. “Ain’t no more Grendels coming through that one.”
My eyes widened at the golden rift as it grew increasingly bright. I turned away so the dazzling light wouldn’t sear my retinas.
“We’re in for some serious rewards,” Olav said as he approached the portal.
The light flickered for a moment, and then a large object was cast out in a shower of golden sparks before the Seraphic portal vanished. I crept over to it and saw that it was a golden chest like the one the gateway on Tachion had left behind. The elaborately gilded box was a meter high and twice as wide, and I wondered what it might contain as I ran my hands over the sigils.
“Does it have a piece of King Justinian’s armor?” I asked Olav after turning to him.
“Not this one.” He nodded his head at the box. “Go ahead, you can open it up.”
I pressed the sigil on the center of the lock, and lid sprang open. Inside were three items: a silver crossbow, a tower shield, and a black surcoat.
“Why aren’t they Grendel items?” I asked. The crossbow and tower shield were clearly modified for human use, and I’d never seen a Grendel wearing a surcoat. The arcane sigils inscribed on the items were also cleaner and less brutish-looking than Grendel runes.
“None of the items from a Seraphic portal’s chest ever are,” he said. “Enough questions. Choose two.”
I was confused by Olav’s avoidance of the question, but the chance of selecting two of the glittering items lying within the chest made me forget everything else.
“Two items?” I could hardly believe how nice the man was treating me after our past interactions.
“You did most the killing,” Olav said. “And it was your plan that defeated the Nagas.”
I stared in wonder at the golden chest, and my eyes shifted from one expensive item to the other.
“I reckon I might have judged you poorly, Squire Lyons. I want to make it up,” the berserker said. “In truth, I have a bit of a past with traitors. The woman in the holo album, she was Captain Cross’ daughter. But she was also the only woman I ever truly loved.”
“Captain Cross’ daughter was the traitor?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Olav said. “The holo album was the first time I’ve seen her face in years. I don’t know what it was doing in that residence, but I’m guessing Treyin and Melanie had a little agreement of sorts. I always knew she had help on the Stalwart, but I never would have thought Treyin was the one to provide it. The two never stopped bickering.”
“How long has Melanie been dead?” I asked Olav with a little caution. I figured it was a sore spot for him, but I needed to know because the name was familiar to me. I couldn’t remember where or when I had heard it.
“A very long time,” Olav said, and he avoided my eyes.
“It can’t have been that long,” I pressed. “The Space Knight Tournaments I watched with Sir Uram were only a few years old. Three at the most.”
“Someone else must have stayed in the residence and updated the hard drives,” Olav said.
Then I remembered where I’d seen the name before.
“The video files were all inside a folder titled, Melanie C’s Favorite Games.”
Olav’s shook his head in denial, and then his eyebrows squeezed together. “None of this makes sense. Unless she’s still alive. I always thought she’d been killed by . . . ” The berserker trailed off, and his eyes sparkled with unshed tears. I felt wrong peaking into the inner life of the man, and I looked away.
“Enough chit-chat,” Olav said. “Choose two items, and we’ll get out of here.”
I took the crossbow, hitched it on my shoulder, and stared through the sights. The stock was made of a synthetic material and wrapped in dark leather. A large battery extended from the base of the weapon, so I guessed the crossbow fired energy bolts. I had never seen a Grendel wielding an item like this, nor had I learned about energy weapons like this at the Academy, other than as ancient relics. When the Grendel prot-fields grew stronger, Space Knights stopped using almost all forms of ranged weapons except to clear the really low-level portals.
When I scanned the item, my visor displayed the details.
Weapon type: Arcane Arbalest
Additional damage: Energy
Power class: Knight (Marksman)
Weapon effect: Fires energy bolts.
Runes inscribed: Encased Projectiles
Rune class: Knight (Marksman)
Rune effects: Covers projectile in a prot-field coating.
The marksman specialist role had gone out of fashion, so I didn’t imagine there would be anyone to train me after I became a knight. The Encased Projectile rune gave my mind a workout trying to determine its purpose, but then a thought came to me. If the energy bolts were surrounded by a prot-field casing, then they would penetrate an enemy’s forcefield. I stared in wonder at the crossbow and turned it over to see a complex rune. The lines were dull, so the enchantments needed significant repairing before use. The sigils were among the most detailed I’d ever seen and each wrapped around the other, so it was impossible to tell where one started and the other begun.
This rune must be exceedingly rare and almost impossible to craft; otherwise, the entire RTF would enchant their ranged weapons with it. Regular firepower proved ineffective against prot-fields, so close combat became paramount in our war against the Grendels. But this weapon and its rune could change everything. Still, I wondered why the Encased Projectiles rune wasn’t more prevalent.
With the question lingering in my mind, I carefully placed the crossbow back in the chest and removed the tower shield with both hands. The front was embossed with a human skeleton holding a sword with glowing runes along its edge. The shield curved around my body, and there was a small fiberglass window about fifteen centimeters from the top. I’d seen Moses using a similar item, and I imagined he would be impressed with this one’s stature and craftsmanship. The readout displayed in front of my eyes afte
r scanning the shield.
Armor type: Guardian’s Blockade
Absorption rating: Advanced
Power class: Knight (Shield)
Armor effect: Increased prot-field regeneration by 300%. Contains 3x advanced prot-field batteries.
Runes inscribed: Dome
Rune class: Knight (Shield)
Rune effects: Uses wearer’s prot-field to summon a solid dome impenetrable to all attacks.
The shield had a serious weight to it, and there was no way I could wield it in battle. If I did decide to keep the item, I would need Strength runes on all my equipment just to lift it with a single hand. I could pay for Gravity runes to be inscribed on the shield to make it easier to carry, but reducing its weight might affect the item’s integrity.
I put the shield inside the chest and picked up the last item: a black surcoat. Unlike the one I was wearing, this item bore no scuffs or bloodstains. It sparkled like a galaxy filled with stars, and a golden trident marked its center. The emblem of the Royal Trident Forces glowed like a sapphire sun, and I looked closer to see that it was woven with tiny rune circles.
“I wonder why this has the RTF emblem.” I said.
“It’s magic and it probably just shows the emblem of whichever kingdom opens the chest. Let’s hurry this up, Squire!” Olav roared from behind me.
I’d completely forgotten about the berserker being in the room with me, and I remembered we were on a mission to find the Stalwart’s crew. I suddenly felt a little selfish about taking my time to inspect these items, so I hurriedly scanned the surcoat.
Item type: Summoner’s Veil
Runes inscribed: Minion Speed (+1)
Rune class: Knight (Summoner)
Rune effect: Increases movement and attack speed of all minions by 15%.
The item’s Minion Speed rune would make my Lightning Sprites and Bane Bears zip around the battlefield. Not only them, but the doppelgangers my Shadow Self rune summoned would also be much faster. Summoning had become a large part of my fighting style since becoming a squire, so the cloak would be a great addition should I choose that specialist role.
Still, it would mean not wearing my father’s surcoat anymore.
With a long sigh, I removed the jetpack from my shoulders and the weapons from my rear magnetons before taking off my old surcoat. I bundled the garment tightly and tucked it beneath my prot-belt. Even if I would exchange my father’s item for the Summoner’s Veil, I wouldn’t leave it behind. Dad inspired everything I did, and it was the only thing belonging to him that I still possessed.
I slipped my arms into the Summoner’s Veil and tightened it around my waist. I wouldn’t be able to use the rune until after my knighthood, but I could wear the item until then. If I didn’t decide to take the summoner specialist role, then I could sell it for KPs. I figured all the gear from the Seraphic portal was worth a lot of currency.
Olav had allowed me to take two items from the chest, so my next decision was between the Arcane Crossbow and the Guardian’s Blockade. They were both Specialist Knight class items, so like the veil, I would have to wait until after knighthood to use them. Unless I chose to activate their runes with the Overlord’s Heart, but I didn’t think either of the items were powerful enough to warrant the cost of activating the amulet’s low-durability rune.
The tower shield would come in handy when I wanted to protect my friends in battle since sometimes running headfirst into the enemy frontlines like Olav didn’t always work. The energy shield I’d used effectively on this mission, so I imagined this tower shield could also come in handy. Even if I didn’t end up choosing the shield knight role, this item could be better than the one Moses wielded. He would probably appreciate me giving it to him, and it’d be a good gesture after all he’d done for me.
Still, the Arcane Arbalest would make for some interesting combat situations. A Grendel wouldn’t expect a projectile to evade their prot-field, and by the time the lizard realized what had happened, they’d have an extra orifice. Captain Cross might also find a use for the Encased Projectiles rune. If the Stalwart’s enchanters could learn to perfect it, then we might have a serious advantage against Grendels. I doubted even the best enchanters could imitate the complex sigils, and I wondered whether Casey would possess powerful enough Dust in stock to attempt to retrace it. She had made a cannon using the runes from my Longsword of Propulsion, so I didn’t want to underestimate her abilities. If the crossbow’s rune could be duplicated, our entire crew would become far more powerful.
I couldn’t use either item right now, so the choice came down to what would grant me the most KPs or which role I was mostly likely to take after becoming a Space Knight.
If the crossbow were in better condition, I figured it would be the most expensive item to sell. The shield would probably give me more KPs initially, but I would prefer gifting the item to Moses than selling it. The shield knight role wasn’t something I was either familiar with or attracted to, but I would be hard-pressed to find someone to teach me the prerequisites for the marksman role.
The choice between the shield and the crossbow made my stomach churn, and I glanced up at Olav as he approached.
“So, you’re taking the crossbow?” he asked. Grendel items covered his armor as though he was a walking magnet. Even I didn’t have quite as many objects on my person as the berserker did, and I wondered how he could move with so much weight burdening him.
“I’m not sure,” I said.
“It looks like a good item,” Olav said after he performed a quick scan of the crossbow. Then he did the same with the tower shield. “Moses would want this; it’s not better than what he’s currently carrying, but he could add the Dome rune to one of his items.”
My decision was made.
I grabbed the crossbow and slung it over my shoulder. “Crossbow it is,” I said.
The berserker gave me a sarcastic smirk as he held the shield. “There’s always more room for items. There are so many Kingdom Points just lying around in here. Maybe you can grab something else? But be quick about it!”
I scanned the vast chamber, and Olav was right. There were at least a hundred Grendel corpses in the room, and they all possessed equipment I could sell for KPs. The more I earned, the closer I became to my knighthood examination.
The limited spots to attach gear on my rear magnetons and my prot-belt were already full, so I couldn’t turn myself into a pack mule like Olav. My heart ached with all the KPs I would be leaving behind, but I spotted an item I wanted to scan, even though I couldn’t take it with me.
I knelt beside a Naga corpse, peeled back its webbed fingers, and the trident in its hand clattered to the ground. I seized the weapon and grunted as the weight revealed itself. It was heavier than I expected, and it would need serious modifications before I could wield it in battle. The runes, at least, might be logged and applied to another weapon. I knew I didn’t have much time, so I quickly scanned it.
Weapon type: Undocumented Trident
Additional damage: [unknown]
Power class: Master
Weapon effect: Can be inscribed with multiple runes.
Runes inscribed: Writhing Plague
Rune class: Master
Rune effects: Summons 3x [Void Serpent].
[Void Serpent]: Deals void damage to enemies and inflicts degenerative wounds. Remains until killed.
Warning: Undocumented. Use with extreme caution. Abusers will be prosecuted.
The Writhing Plague rune explained where the three purple snakes had come from, and I was glad none of them had scored a wound on us. Elle would have to approve the trident as Squire class, and the rune would need to be modified by Casey so it wasn’t too overpowered for a squire. Even if I couldn’t wield the item, I could probably sell it for a significant amount of KPs.
Olav folded his arms behind me and tapped his foot. “I have beers to drink and Dax to slay, Squire.”
I looked at the trident then at my hands before smiling. Eve
n though my magnetons were full, I could always hold the item until we returned to our stolen Dax skiff.
Before I could pick up the trident again, the sound of marching filtered into the chamber from the passageway behind me. I turned to see a troop of enforcers charge into the room. They were followed by the translator and a grinning Senator Rovin.
“Warriors!” the senator said as he acted out a sword thrust.
“Senator Rovin very pleased with you!” the translator said in broken Caledonian while the enforcers started raiding the Grendel corpses for equipment. “He wishes for you to stay on Bix Ark for a long time!”
The senator gripped both hands like he was begging and dropped to one knee.
“You just said this is the Bix Ark, but when I asked whether this was the Gor Ark, you answered ‘yes,’” I said to the translator. “Did you understand me?”
“Uhh . . . I speak little Caledonian,” the translator grinned. “My translation . . . not so good.”
“He’s lying,” Olav said as he severed a Grendel’s arm at the elbow and then pried off its gauntlets.
“Great warrior!” the senator said to the berserker. “Fight like madman!”
I sighed and stared at the mohawked man. “Let’s get out of here, sir. We’ll go to the other Ark and find the crew.”
“You leave?” the translator asked. “Senator Rovin pay you much! Beautiful women! Many beers!”
Olav raised an eyebrow. “You make an attractive offer, but I think it’s time we leave.”
“Portal?” the senator asked.
“We’ve cleared it,” Olav said. “You’ll have at least seven days to get everything repaired. You won’t have to worry about it getting upgraded after that.”
Senator Rovin listened as the sentences were translated, and then he frowned and offered a few words.
“Not portal here,” the translator said. “Outside Ecoma.” He pointed upward.
“Shit!” Olav said. “The fucking Dax have opened an LR here!”
Space Knight Book 2 Page 30