Shard Warrior

by Rick Scott

  She looks at me and gives a little smile, but still she doesn’t speak.

  Val Helena: I don’t think I ever got to tell you but… thanks for what you did.

  I’m not sure what she’s referring to and I furrow my brow.

  Me: What I did?

  Val Helena: For giving my sister back to me.

  She looks away from me toward Aiko, who is now standing with Rembrandt and Maxis as they scour the dunes. I shrug but smile.

  Me: Hey, I just happened to be the guy with the ninja skills to pull it off. No biggie.

  Val Helena: No. I don’t just mean you saving her back in Stormwall. Although I’m grateful for that too, of course. I mean getting us to heal our relationship.

  Me: Huh?

  Val Helena: When we made up it was like a burden was lifted from my soul. I didn’t even realize how much resentment I was harboring against her. And how stressed I was over losing my relationship with her too. She really means the world to me. Both of them do.

  I’m not too sure what to say that, so I just smile. I then feel her hand take mine and she gives it a squeeze.

  Val Helena: Thank you for that, Reece. For caring about her when I couldn’t. I really owe you. You’re truly a special guy.

  I blush a little but managed to squeeze her hand back.

  Me: I’m not sure I did too much, but I’m glad you guys are a family again. Soon we’ll get Becky back too.

  Val Helena gives me a little nod and smiles, before standing again to join her sister.

  “What was that about?” Gilly asks once she leaves, no doubt noticing our silent conversation.

  “She wanted to thank me for saving Aiko,” I say. And then I chuckle. “I should be the one thanking her for saving me, though.”

  “Who?” Gilly asks. “Aiko or Val?”

  I laugh. “I meant Aiko, but honestly both I guess.”

  Gilly laughs at me with a snicker. “You and your fan girls.”

  That gets me laughing even more, but then Rembrandts voice cuts through my mirth.

  “Guys, you need to see this!”

  My heart skips at the alarm I hear in his voice. Gilly and I get up and we all crowd around where Rembrandt is peering into the semi-darkness of the rolling dunes.

  “What are we looking for?” I ask, seeing nothing but gray sand and dark sky.

  “There’s a structure out there.”

  “Like a watchtower?” Gilly asks.

  “No, much bigger.” He then points. “There. About half a mile away.”

  I strain my eyes and finally I do see what he’s talking about. As the clouds shift I see huge curved spires twist into the air, like the bones of a giant rib cage. They have to be close to a hundred feet tall. Around their base I see dogs and other humanoid things that are bigger. Guardians, I guess. But then I see something that causes my heart to slam against my chest. An enormous figure, nearly the same height as one of the rib bones lumbers through the skeletal remains. It’s hard to make out the details from this distance, but its humanoid, with skin covered in metal plates like armor. Its head looks more like a helmet and in one hand it drags a massive sword the size of a semi-truck.

  “What the heck is that thing?” I say absently, too awestruck to even comprehend it.

  “It’s that dead builder,” Rembrandt says. “Remember? The one Blacktop told us about. Like the skeleton of a giant snake. Made of metal.”

  “No,” I say. “I mean that huge thing walking through it.” Although there’s only one thing it could be. “Is that an Omega?”

  “Yeah,” Maxis says. “That’s what they look like.”

  Aiko darts her violet eyes to me. “Is that the same giants you saw, Reece?”

  My stomach lurches as my chest freezes with ice. I never told Aiko to keep it a secret! My mind races to think of what to say next, but all I come up with is a stupid. “Huh?”

  “The giants you saw down in the mines,” she says. “And the ones you saw when you died. Did they look like that? Were they Omegas?”

  Oh crap!!

  “Died?!” My brother shoots me a hostile glare. “What the heck’s she talking about, man?”

  “Oy and what giants?” Rembrandt says. “You saw something when you fell down that mine shaft?”

  Maxis then gives Rembrandt the tenth degree. “He fell down a mine shaft?!”

  “Oh bollocks…”

  “What’s going on?” Val Helena says looking more concerned than perplexed. “Reece?”

  “Oh my…” Aiko says with a stupid little grin. “They didn’t know?”

  Gilly: Uh oh… D:

  Uh oh, was right. I’m in hot water now.

  Maxis gets in my face, grabbing me by the scarf. “You got two seconds to explain this, Ryan. What’s she talking about?”

  “Max, please.” Gilly jumps in. “He was just trying to do what was best for the group.”

  Maxis points at Gilly. “She knows too?”

  “Yeah… well, kinda. Yes.”

  “Darn it, man!” Maxis shouts. “What’s with you and these secrets? Tell us what happened? Tell us right now!”

  My stomach goes sick when I see Val Helena, Rembrandt and Maxis grilling me with their stares. They’re people I’ve come to trust with everything and now I feel like I’ve betrayed them completely. Gilly shrugs at me apologetically while Aiko merely shakes her head.

  “You want me to tell them?” Aiko says.

  “No,” I say quickly, before my brother blows another gasket. I’ve got to put this straight. It’s not how I wanted this to happen, but it’s too late now. “I’ll tell them. I’ll tell them everything.”

  I spend the next twenty minutes recounting what I saw down in the mines as well as what I saw when I nearly died. No one says anything as I talk, and I do so near automatically. Almost like it’s someone else talking. My heart is racing with anxiety when I finish, not knowing what kind of reaction to expect.

  “Bloody hell,” Rembrandt says eventually. “You actually saw, Amanda?”

  I nod. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t do anything for her.”

  “My God… Reece.” Val Helena reaches out to me, taking my hands in hers. “I can’t believe you went through all that and didn’t say anything.”

  “He did it for a good reason,” Gilly says.

  “Which I’d definitely like to know,” Maxis says, his words pure ice. And then he explodes at me. “What the hell were you thinking, Ryan? You nearly die and don’t say anything? Geez man! What the heck would Mom think if she knew I’d let something like that happen to you?”

  His mention of Mom pains me with even more regret.

  “And then keeping secrets about what you saw? How could you keep something like that a secret, man?”

  I flinch from his words as my soul comes undone. I knew my brother would be mad, but hearing those words come out of his mouth somehow hurts way more than they should. Or more than they used to. Before, they would have flowed like water off a duck’s back; mutual resentment simply rearing its head. But I actually care what Mike thinks of me now.

  And I just made myself a fool in his eyes.

  “I wasn’t keeping it a secret like that,” I say, trying to explain. “I was just trying to keep us from getting side tracked.”

  “Side tracked?” he shouts. “Do you realize what you found? I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that before. You know how important that might be? We need to head back there and check it out!”

  “See!” I shout. “That’s exactly why I didn’t want to say anything!”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because of you!”

  “What?”

  “Because I knew you’d go back on your promise of helping Val first if I did.”

  Maxis’ mouth opens for a second, but nothing comes out. His eyes dart toward Val Helena for a moment and then back to me. “That’s why you kept all this a secret? Because of me?”

  I don’t feel good about saying it, but it’s the truth. “Yes.�
�

  His blue eyes blaze with hostility. “So I’m the bad guy, huh?”

  He continues to glare at me and I melt under his stare. My head lowers in shame.

  Val Helena reached out to touch his arm, but he snatches it away with a scowl. “Leave me alone. All of you.” He then gives me a special glare. “Especially you, you little punk.”

  My stomach falls though the floor as he turns quickly and storms away.

  “Oy, Max, where you going, mate?”

  “I said piss off!”

  Shame and guilt creeps up my spine as I watch him walk away. “I’m sorry you guys. I was going to tell you all, I swear. I just didn’t want it distracting us from saving Becky.”

  “Oh, Reece…” Val Helena pulls me into a hug and my eyes sting with tears. “Don’t worry about it, okay? You did what you felt was best and you did it for a good reason.”

  I shake my head. “I’m not so sure anymore.”

  “Want me go keep an eye on him?” Aiko says, jerking her thumb towards my brother as he heads up the side of a dune.

  “No, I’ll go,” Val Helena says. She looks back down to me. “Max will be fine, okay? We’ll all be fine. I’ll go talk to him.”

  I look back to my brother as Val Helena trots off after him. He has his back to me still, approaching the top of the rise, his distinctive walk full of piss and vinegar. I catch a glimpse of something large and fast racing across the dune towards him and my heart stops.

  “Mike!”

  My call goes unheard as whatever it is slams into him, sending my brother sailing into the air. Val Helena screams and so do I as I see his HP bar all but disappear. My soul comes undone as I watch his body hit the ground and not move afterwards.

  “Mike…?” I whisper my brother name skin prickling, not knowing whether he’s alive or dead. “MIKE!!”

  Chapter 37: Escape

  My heart jumps into my throat as I see the thing that attacked my brother rise up from behind the dune. Rusted plates of armor form a roughly human figure that stands about ten feet tall. It looks similar to that Omega except smaller in size. Beneath the armor I catch a glimpse of raw red muscle with no skin. Its head is covered by a rusted chainmail cowl, and within is a full-faced mediaeval helm with a T slot on the face for where eyes, or however this thing saw, could see out of. Where one of its arms should be is instead the massive barrel of a gun that’s five feet long.

  I know what it is before I check it.

  Guardian Type B

  Level: 130

  No data available

  Affinity: N/A

  At that level I’m not sure I can even hit it much less damage it. I check for my brother next and see he hasn’t moved from where he landed on the ground a few feet from the Guardian. I’ve got to get to him! I start running and the giant suit of armor lowers the barrel of its weapon towards my brother’s head.

  NO!!!!

  I act without thinking, flying forward with a Charge Strike. I kick up sand as I sail through the air and slam into the Guardian with my Kunai. I land a critical hit, but its HP bar doesn’t even budge. It accomplishes what I wanted it to though and I knock the huge barrel away from my brother.

  “Reece, be careful!” Rembrandt shouts already pulling his pistols. “That thing is seriously high level. It can kill you in a hit!”

  The thought already crossed my mind when I saw it hit my brother and I pray it’s not too late for him. “Gilly! Get to Maxis! I’ll keep its attention.”

  “I’m on it!” she cries and raises her bow to cast a heal spell.

  I look at the Guardian up close, a thing nearly twice my height and with capabilities yet unknown. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I can’t stop to care right now.

  I need to save my brother!

  “Fight me!” I scream with a War Cry and the Guardian faces me, its T shaped visor glowing red.

  Oh crap…

  I brace myself for a serious fight as it swings its huge gun barrel in my direction. I cast Shadow Haste and manage to squeeze in a Shadow Copy right before it opens fire. The barrel flashes with bright orange flames and my adrenaline surges as the world seems to slow. I pop Active Dodge to avoid whatever it’s shooting at me. I’m not sure if it’s the effect of my now 160 Agility or the Wild, but I move much quicker than I expect, shifting in a blur of nanodust as the projectiles pass right through me.

  But then something happens that scares the heck out of me.

  I dodge the shots but where they land explode into balls of fire that wipe my shadow clean.

  AOEs!!

  “Reece!” Aiko shouts, spraying a cloud of nano-dust from her palms as she runs towards me. “Get out of there!”

  Aiko casts Shadow Mist

  The Guardian resists the Slow

  The Guardian resists the Paralyze

  The Guardian resists the Poison

  No surprises there. This thing is probably way too high level for any of our spells to land. My heart jackhammers in my chest as I struggle to plan my next move. I look for Maxis again and am relieved to see Val Helena now carrying him away on her shoulder. Gilly casts her heal spell and while I don’t see the usual white swirls of magic, I do see his HP bar go up to full and a wave of relief rushes through me.

  My brother’s safe, but I have this Guardian to contend with now.

  I swoop in and chop at its armored thigh to keep its attention. I land critical hits but again I don’t see it’s HP bar move at all. This thing’s armor is either impenetrable or it’s got a ton of HP, or maybe both! I use Retreat to gain some distance from it and then sprint away in a zig-zag pattern as it opens fire behind me again.

  The ground explodes around me left and right, the projectiles landing where I’d been a split second ago, shooting sand high into the air. It stops shooting and begins running after me. Luring it away worked, I guess, but now I need some way to survive this thing’s attacks. I cast Shadow Copy and get an idea. If the Guardian is shooting constant AOE’s then I need some way to mitigate it.

  I materialize the Witch Spider’s ring in my palm. It’ll drain my HP with poison, but I’ll be able to get Shadow Copy up twice as fast. I’m about to place it on my finger when another round of explosions go off right at my feet. The first one takes my shadow and the second one knocks me into the air with the force of a truck. Blinding pain radiates through every bone in my body as half my hitpoints disappear. I land on my back about twenty feet away, winded, my head spinning.

  What the heck just happened?

  I struggle to lift my head from the ground to find out what hit me. It didn’t come from the Guardian. I never saw it shoot another barrage. Thankfully, Aiko has its attention now, tanking it while Rembrandt peppers it with explosive blasts to its shoulder.

  I stand to my feet and glance about and spot another Guardian running in my direction. But it’s all the way by the carcass of the Builder. Over a half mile away!

  Holy Crap! It managed to see and target me from that far?

  And then I see more coming, at least two or three, along with a pack of dogs that’s well ahead of them.

  My heart jumps into my throat. “Guys! More are coming!”

  “Bloody hell!” Rembrandt cries looking toward the Builder. “We got to run, NOW!”

  “Disengage!” Aiko says and uses a Retreat and a Shadow Cloak to make the Guardian lose sight of her. I run toward Gilly who is with Val Helena and Maxis, the giantess helping my brother to his feet.

  “Come on, guys!” I say. “We need to go!”

  My brother focuses on me, but his eyes are unreadable. I can’t tell if he’s still mad or embarrassed or what. “Rem, get us out of here,” he says, assuming a position of leadership again. He then looks over my shoulder to where the dogs and Guardians are approaching in the distance. “We’ll have to go for broke now. There’s no stopping until we hit the safe zone.”

  Crap! I look to Gilly. “You okay?”

  She gives me a nod. “You don’t look so good though.” S
he raises her bow and I feel the pain in my body ease as my HP goes to full. “There.”

  “Thanks,” I say. “Let’s move!”

  We begin to run and I get about ten feet before something digs at the back of my mind. Like I’m forgetting something. I look back for Rem, to make sure he’s with us, but the cyberpunker is already running next to me.

  “I managed to land a stun on the Guardian,” he says taking the lead. “This way!”

  I take a few more steps and then my stomach drops through the floor as I finally remember what it is.

  The ring!

  I never got to put it on and it’s no longer in my inventory.

  Crap!

  I stop dead in my tracks and turn about, helplessly scanning the dunes. “Guys! We need to go back! I lost the ring!”

  “What?” Maxis says slamming to a halt. “What ring?”

  “The Witch Spider ring!”

  “You’ve got to be kidding!” Aiko suddenly reappears next to me. “You lost it?”

  The Guardian reanimates and my brother lets loose a curse. “Forget about it! We’ve got to go!”

  “No!” Aiko says. “We can’t fight the Shadow King without it!”

  Rembrandt steps forward his shades already glowing as he scans the sands. “Keep that thing busy, Max. I’ll find it!”

  “Damn it all!” my brother mutters, but he flexes in a martial pose. “You got 30 seconds!”

  Maxis uses fists of Rage

  Damage and critical attacks greatly increased.

  Defense and health greatly reduced.

  Val Helena grips his shoulder with concern. “Maxis, what are you doing?”

  He gives her a tough guy grin. “Relax. That first hit was a lucky shot. I never lose to these things.”

  I watch half mesmerized and half horrified as my brother charges across the sand toward the Guardian as it raises it weapon to shoot at us. He flies forward with a triple kick, knocking massive gun barrel into the air. He then begins to wail on its armored leg with his fists, the sounds of ringing metal echoing across the desert like he’s punching a church bell. Its hitpoints still don’t move, but then its leg explodes and a two-inch-thick plate of armor comes flying off.