by D N Meinster
Yuurei stood beside her, his broadsword out and his face hidden beneath the hood of his silver cloak.
Doren scooped up his shield and readied an attack. Aros stood on one side, brandishing both of his clawblades, while Rikki had her staff pointed at the two Roamers and a denhare on her back.
"Give us the Keys," M'dalla ordered, bobbing her head in Aros' direction.
"You know, the Bellish have one of the Keys," Rikki said. "Why don't you worry about that one first?"
"Because we're an easier target, and they're cowards," Doren answered for her.
"You have no idea what we are, or who we are," M'dalla growled. "If you did, you wouldn't be saying that."
Another cylindrical transport came in as the two groups stared each other down. As soon as it settled down and released its traveler, the Bellish man belted away, whimpering at the sight of the outsiders' weapons.
"How does this not overwhelm you?" Aros asked, motioning toward the empty cylinders with his blades.
"Because we have a mission," M'dalla answered. "No distractions." With that, she was done talking and charged at the trio.
"I got her," Doren said, and he dashed forward, leading with his shield. As M'dalla whipped her flail through the air, Doren jabbed the enchanted weapon at it so it collided with the spiky head. Though she briefly lost control of the flail as the chain spun wildly, she was able to kick Doren back to prevent him from landing another hit.
Yuurei twirled in place, disappearing and then reappearing at Rikki's side. He went to swipe her, but Ji-Ji's whistle alerted her to the attack, giving her just enough time to duck and avoid it.
Aros' clawblades retaliated, as he swung both at the Roamer. Yuurei easily deflected the assault, but took a rather painful prod to the stomach as Rikki lashed out. He took a few steps back and considered his options.
CLONK. CLONK.
M'dalla and Doren's weapons were bouncing off each other every few seconds. They swung viciously at one another, but even when their strikes landed, they had little effect. Doren's armor absorbed the flail's pummels, and M'dalla brushed off the occasional blow from the shield.
"Switch!" Yuurei called out, suspecting the flail would have a better chance of taking on multiple opponents.
But M'dalla ignored her partner even as Yuurei closed in. She was not about to let Doren think he had the upper hand.
Rikki took the moment's reprieve to take control of multiple cylinders, which promptly soared toward her. Aiming with her staff, she sent both hurtling at Yuurei.
In a display of his impressive swordsmanship, Yuurei sliced clean through the center of the first cylinder, sending both halves off their trajectory so they missed him entirely. The second one he dove into headfirst, shattering the glass but coming out unscathed on the other side.
Rikki was so taken by the performance that she didn't see the elbow targeting her head. Yuurei knocked her out of the way and then went for Aros.
Aros was better prepared and matched Yuurei's attempted strikes with his own blade. He went low at first, trying to knock Aros off balance. But even when he managed to nick his legs, the Bellish armor protected him.
As Yuurei directed his focus to Aros' head, the clawblades cut into Yuurei's cloak, but failed to leave any tears in the silver fabric.
"What is that made of?" Aros asked as he continued trying to create holes in his opponent's outfit.
With two swift swipes, Yuurei displaced both of Aros' clawblades and jammed his sword into the middle of Aros' armored torso. "Do you see how easy it would be to kill you?"
An ice-cold jet of water streaked through the air and pounded into Yuurei, drenching him as he flew off to the side and landed on his arm.
Rikki's green eyes were as vibrant as her channeling crystal as the water subsequently began to freeze, leaving Yuurei's cloak frosted and stiff.
M'dalla was done playing fair, spinning every few seconds and disappearing. She would subsequently reappear behind Doren and send her flail into his back.
Doren would just manage to graze her before she disappeared again, but it was clear she was doing more damage based on the scratches that were forming in his bronze armor. To try and prevent another assault, Doren ran inside the nearest glass cylinder. It would not be so easy for her to maneuver inside it.
It only took a single swing for her to demolish the transport, sending bits of glass flying while the metallic top came crashing down.
Doren dove out of the way and almost knocked his head into one of the chrome men. It extended its hand to him, which then curled back to reveal its weaponry. "Please do not resist. Lethal force has been authorized."
M'dalla's flail bashed into the peacekeeper's head, decapitating the metallic being and sending its body crumpling to the floor. "There's always a distraction," she whined.
Doren stood up, readying to resume his battle with M'dalla. But she no longer seemed interested.
"If you had just given us the Keys, we could've been out of here."
Two more chrome men appeared on the floor. Though their weapons were already out, they were not prepared when Aros impaled both from behind, the curved tips of his swords emerging from their chests. "Maybe we should leave," he advised.
"I'll shift us!" Rikki offered, and she held out her staff so her friends could grab hold of it.
Yuurei promptly rose from the ground, sending chunks of ice and pieces of his coat flying. As he started to raise his sword, he let out an earsplitting sneeze, which somehow lit his blade on fire. He was entranced by the flaming sword, which he whisked through the air in a demonstration of its ferocity.
Rikki pulled her staff inward and pointed at the Roamer. How had he managed that? She had seen them shift, but she had never seen them use any other form of magic.
M'dalla was less in awe and more concerned by Yuurei's enhanced weapon. "What happened?" she shouted at her partner.
But he ignored her and went for Aros.
Aros got into position and braced for the incoming flames. He tried to keep Yuurei as far back as he could, but the Roamer came out him with a fury that only seemed to hasten the expanding fire on his weapon.
Taking advantage of the situation, M'dalla spun and shifted herself until she was near Aros' side, and she reached for the Keys on his waist while he was distracted.
While Doren's shield missed her completely, a metallic arm wound up slamming down on her head. She collapsed, but Yuurei got her retribution, slicing through the chrome man's body with his flaming sword.
Rikki, recalling how she extinguished the last fire she came upon, sent bursts of wind at Yuurei, but even when they made contact, they failed to put out the flames.
More chrome men were arriving. There were at least ten in the immediate area now. Rikki raised shards of glass from the floor and sent them in their direction, but the sharp fragments hardly slowed the peacekeepers down. They were firing their weapons now; beams of light went streaking through the air.
Doren just managed to retrieve his shield and block one before being hit.
Rikki rushed at the peacekeepers. She was not afraid of the beams, which missed her completely even when they were on course to make a hit. She rammed her staff into the body of one the chrome men, which rusted over until it resembled a reddish bronze statue.
Yuurei was going wild in their midst. His sword had begun to shoot out flames, engulfing hordes of the chrome men until their charred and melted remains were left in piles on the ground.
Aros regrouped next to Doren, and they did their best protecting each other from an incoming assault. "Rikki, let's get out of here!"
M'dalla was the only one that refused to engage. She seemed completely lost on how to proceed, and absentmindedly swung her flail near the ground as she debated her options.
The location quickly filled up with chrome men, as endless supplies ran in to engage the foreigners.
"MR detected," the peacekeepers started saying when they arrived.
Rikki and Y
uurei continued to confront every peacekeeper that advanced on them. She was quick to bring each one down with her staff, causing them to rust or implode with just a touch. Meanwhile, Yuurei burned huge segments of the metallic beings with his own weapon. But more kept coming to replace those they took out.
"Rikki!" Doren cried. They had to get out of there. The chrome men were arriving in numbers that made it impossible to keep up with. Eventually, they'd be easy targets to trample, or worse.
"MR detected," a peacekeeper said right before Aros eliminated it.
"MR?" Aros repeated, thinking it sounded familiar.
"The plague!" Doren recalled. Someone nearby had it. They really needed to leave. "Rikki!"
Rikki finally acknowledged Doren and headed toward him. The whole floor was flooded with chrome men. She had to fight her way back to her friends, but was first to state the obvious when she reached them. "We can't take all of them on. There's too many."
"Ya think?" Aros mocked as he sliced through another metallic torso.
"Where should we shift to?" Rikki asked as she extended her staff.
"Anywhere!" Doren replied as he grabbed on.
Another excruciatingly loud sneeze vibrated through the air. The trio turned to stare at its source before they could depart.
Yuurei's sneeze had not only doused the flame on his sword, it had frozen every peacekeeper around him in sheets of ice. Yuurei began to violently shake before he toppled over.
M'dalla ran to her partner, and took him from the floor and into her arms. "Yuurei," she moaned.
Doren, Aros, and Rikki all gazed at one another. What were they supposed to do? The Roamers definitely weren't their friends, but there was something going on that may have been worth learning about.
Rikki pulled her staff back and made her way over to the two Roamers. "What's wrong with him?" she asked as she closed in.
"The MR," a chrome man answered. More of them arrived to swarm the floor and occupy any remaining space. Two of them retrieved Yuurei from M'dalla's grasp. "Protocol dictates he must be quarantined."
M'dalla followed them as they took Yuurei from the area.
One of the peacekeepers came up to Rikki. Both of his hands were whole; his weapon remained hidden. "New directive: we will bring you to the Director."
"That's all we wanted," Rikki sighed, and the chrome men escorted the trio from the area.
Chapter Eight
The MR
Ten chrome men crammed into the round room with the trio. Though they were only supposed to be escorts, there was a distinct impression that they considered Rikki and her friends to be a threat. Why else would they send so many to accompany them?
Despite their composure, Rikki still considered these peacekeepers to be dangerous as well. She had her staff ready in case they turned on them, and her friends also had their weapons in their grasps. They had no reason to trust the word of these metal men. They had no eyes to indicate their intentions, nor hearts that would allow them to empathize. This could be a trap. They could be taking them to a trap. She had no idea. But there were less of them than there were before, and that meant she and her friends could take them down.
She looked to Doren, appreciating how impressive he looked in the bronze armor the Bellish had provided. Rikki was ready to have those unexpectedly bulky arms wrapped around her. Of course, first they might have to discuss how they felt about one another, and there didn't appear to be time to do that, as constantly seemed to be the case. Something always superseded that.
Maybe if she just slipped her free hand into his...
A peacekeeper stepped between them as the room they were in slowed down.
Rikki glared at it and tried shaking the thought from her head. She glanced at Aros, who had a mystified expression on his face since almost the second they arrived. That was for their benefit, she supposed. It only meant he wasn't thinking of Leidess and her untimely demise. And that would prevent any repeats of their problems in Faunli. But it could've been more than that. Perhaps he was finally starting to move on.
The doors slid open, and the chrome men basically pushed the trio out of the room. They entered a hallway that was brighter than most, with only one side painted in a drab white. The other had been crafted out of glass, letting the sunlight pour in. It was a short corridor, with only one door at its end. It swung open as the group neared, but for once, it did not do so on its own.
A middle-aged woman with pink and blond hair was holding it open. She smiled warmly at the trio as the peacekeepers nudged them inside. "It is a pleasure to meet three Kytherans," she said, closing the door after they entered.
"Director?" Doren asked.
"I'll get her," she replied, her silky dress fluttering slightly as she hurried to another room.
This place was not like any they had found in Belliore. It was welcoming, homely even, with carpeting and striped wallpaper. There were potted plants set near the windows and fluffy white couches waiting for guests. Adjacent rooms were hidden away, but Rikki got the odd sense she'd find a kitchen in one and a bed in another.
"Do you think she lives here?" Rikki asked.
Aros inspected one of the couches, pushing his hand into the cushion and then watching it rise back into shape when he moved away. "I could definitely sleep on this," he said.
Doren looked less relaxed than his friend, though both of them had returned their weapons to their backs. He stood near Rikki, not joining Aros in his exploration of the room. "It's too nice."
"I'll take that as a compliment," a smooth female voice replied. The woman it belonged to wore a dashing maroon outfit, with matching coat and pants and a tight white blouse underneath. Her hair was a dull gray, woven into multiple dreadlocks that fell down her back. She sat down on the couch Aros had been engrossed with and then studied her guests with an amused curl of her lips and eyes that matched her outfit.
"Is this your home?" Rikki asked.
"Yes," the Director replied succinctly. "I prefer to work at home when I can, given that I don't get the opportunity very often. My wife's waiting for me to retire, but I'm not ready to do so yet."
"Wife?" Aros asked, tilting his head.
"She answered the door earlier. She was once with me on the Directorate, but she grew tired of the bureaucracy."
"The what?" Aros asked.
Doren let out a chortle, and he and Rikki finally moved closer to their host.
"I'm sorry," the Director said. "I forget you may not be familiar with our ways."
"No, that's just Aros," Doren replied.
Rikki tried not to burst out laughing.
"Hey!" Aros cried out in offense, and he plopped down onto the nearest seat.
"Yes, please sit down," the Director said. "And where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself. I am Maevus Trustt, Director of Implementation. Please call me Maevus, especially when we're in my home. Now, may I get you dears anything?"
Rikki and Doren situated themselves next to each other on one of the couches. She gave her focus to the Director, not wanting Doren's close proximity to distract her. "Water would be fine."
"That's it?" Maevus said. "No, no, no. Alicia!"
The Director's wife came into the room. "You called?"
"Let's get a round of appange juice and some cheese-filled crackers please." As soon as her wife left to fetch Maevus' request, she said, "We prefer to do things the old-fashioned way around here. Not that you would know the difference, I suppose."
"What's an appange?" Aros asked.
"My, my," Maevus said. "You really must spend time on the eDat. I'd wear myself out explaining all that's happened in Belliore in the last three hundred years."
"But what is it?" Doren followed up.
Maevus blinked a few times at him. "It's a hybrid of multiple fruits, designed to maximize taste and nutrition. I promise you, it's delicious."
Alicia returned within minutes, carrying a tray with four filled-up glasses and a plate stacked high with circ
ular crackers. She placed it in front of Maevus, where it remained hovering while she left the room.
Maevus picked up a glass filled with a bright orange liquid, and then pushed the tray over to Aros. He took a glass and more than a few crackers before shoving it over to his friends.
Rikki lifted a glass to her face and studied the translucent fluid within. She didn't take a drink until she saw Maevus swallow some, though Aros had already finished half his glass by that time. The appange juice was very sweet but also refreshing, and she found that she had finished it all off without intending to.
"To business then," Maevus said as she set her glass down. "What are you three doing here?"
Rikki was taken aback by the question. It seemed like she would've already known the answer.
"We're here for the Key," Doren replied.
"I understand that," Maevus said. "Why have you come to see me? And why did you cause a disturbance in the IPT hangar?"
"There are others after the Keys," Aros said, his hand falling over the ones hanging from his waist.
"They call themselves Roamers," Doren told her. "That's about all we know about them."
"The chrome men, your peacekeepers, only made the situation worse," Rikki stated. "They've been attacking us since we arrived."
"You're a mage?" Maevus asked, leaning toward her.
"What's that got to do with it?" Rikki asked
Maevus didn't answer, instead leaning back on the couch and getting lost in thought.
Rikki tapped her fingers on the staff resting across her lap as she waited for a response. When she didn't get one as soon as she expected, she grabbed a cracker off the tray and started munching on it. She eventually bit down into the cheese filling, which was probably the best cheese she had ever tasted. She devoured the entire cracker and was reaching for another when Maevus finally spoke up.
"It's the MR," she said, and her demeanor immediately sank.
"The plague?" Doren recalled.
"Those things said Yuurei had it!" Aros exclaimed.
"He might," Maevus said before pointing at Rikki. "But they probably think you have it."
"Why?" Rikki asked, though she felt she might know the answer already.