by Charles Dean
“Alright, we have a date to keep. Shall we--” Lee was going to suggest that they get a move on, but that thought was interrupted by a cacophony of shouts. The door to the cafe that they were standing in front of slammed open, and a mob of people rushed out of it and the two adjoining buildings. Strangely, the streets began to empty at almost the same time, and the few pedestrians who had been about on business took off running as well. It was as if someone had given some unheard, universal cue to start a panic.
“What’s going on?” Masha asked, instantly wrapping herself around Lee’s arms.
“What in the hell?” Olga reached out and placed her hand on Masha’s shoulder as if to keep track of her while turning her head to take in the mass exodus of people. Lee knew that look: she wasn’t just trying to figure out what had happened, she was looking for any potential threats from the fleeing bystanders.
Whatever was going on, safety wasn’t far off. Masha’s home, while on a rather large piece of property that looked like a park, was actually located near the center of town just down the street from where they stood.
“I don’t know what’s wrong, but we need to stay calm,” Lee said quietly, turning his head from side to side as he peered around them. “Something is definitely not right.” He really wished that he had the aid of his little flying golem in times like these. The rodents’ eyes and ears were far more sensitive than his own, and Lee could use them to pick up sights and sounds that were much farther away than his own senses could ever detect. Even with just his own terribly-inept, non-magical human senses, however, he could already see what was happening: someone had laid down traffic cones and blocked off the streets. The only people not fleeing in panic were pulling masks down over their heads, and they seemed to be preparing themselves for something.
It’s not . . . Lee glanced at Alexander’s compound. It’s not the old man testing me again, is it? He remembered all too well how his first venture to her home had been met with a rather severe physical combat aptitude test. No, if he was doing another test, he’d still wait for them to reach her yard, where it wouldn’t attract attention. He wouldn’t hold a trial on this scale. That old man won’t even leave his home for a fancy meal at a restaurant on his anniversary, so there’s no way he’d pull this much attention to himself, especially this close to his own home.
Lee scanned their surroundings again, trying to figure out where the first attacker would come from and if it was safe enough to try and leave with the throng of people. He knew that the chaos wouldn’t last long, and the modicum of cover the fleeing bystanders provided would disappear with them.
“We need to get her back to the compound,” Olga said urgently. Then, in a much lower voice, she said, “Alexander will have prepared for this.”
“No.” Lee shook his head subtly but firmly. They could see the gate from where they were standing, and it was still over a block and a half away. It was too far for them to run. They’d be wide open to a flank attack that entire run. “If this were the other world, I’d try to lure them into an alley, fight them one at a time and prevent them from surrounding me. The more I limited their ability to approach from multiple directions, the more effective my shield would be,” he said quietly, forgetting to keep his thoughts silent and strategizing aloud.
Masha squeezed his hand lightly, clearly a bit stunned by what was going on, and asked, “The other world . . . you mean that LARP-style fighting you practice?”
“Yeah, something like that,” Lee answered.
“So, you want to bust into one of the shops they’ve occupied, try to limit the amount of space we’re exposed to and control the terrain. That’s not a bad idea,” Olga responded, correctly interpreting Lee’s thoughts. “You want to go to . . .” She trailed off and signaled the cafe she had just come from with a nod of her head.
“No.” Lee shook his head yet again and then nodded to the deli behind him. The coffee shop might have been closer, but there was no realistic cover once they were inside. Contrary to most action movies, paper-thin wooden veneer and tables wouldn’t stop a serious round of bullets, and hiding behind them was almost useless. Bullets had a way of punching holes through flimsy sheets of wood, and that cafe counter was just that: flimsy plywood. On the other hand, Lee was pretty sure that he could stack up metal serving trays and craft a somewhat-bulletproof shield if they were to get behind the counter at the deli.
Olga squinted for a moment as she looked around and then nodded her agreement. “You’re right. Let’s do it,” she said softly, trying not to let anyone know that they were on to them.
Lee could already see that the people in masks were now intently focused on his small group, and if it weren’t for the fact they likely wanted to take Masha alive, they’d probably have already opened fire.
Lee grabbed Masha’s arm with one hand and slipped his other arm around her waist, hoisted her into the air and darted straight for the deli at full speed. He just didn’t trust her to be able to move quickly enough with heels on, and she would never be as fast as he was due to the increased strength and speed he had gained in the game world. Olga fell into step behind a moment later, and the race for cover began.
Doors to surrounding shops burst open as soon as he made his move to lift Masha, and he heard a chorus of loud voices from numerous men. “They’re running! They’re running! Secure the target!”
Yup, they’re here for Masha, Lee concluded as he burst into the deli. There were two men inside waiting for them, and Lee instantly dropped down and ducked to the side as soon as they were through the door. He turned away from the two men protectively, shielding Masha with his body so that she wouldn’t get hurt if they opened fire, and hoped that Olga was as accurate with a pistol as he thought she was. The bodyguard burst through the door a second later, and four loud shots rang out in succession as she shot each of them twice in the chest.
Without more than slowing down, Olga pushed farther into the building, seemingly unphased by what she had just done. The deli was now empty, save for them and the two corpses, but that didn’t stop her from stalking around every corner, weapon held at the ready, just to make sure that it was clear. Once she was satisfied, she removed two spare clips from her purse and moved them to her front pocket, presumably for easier access. “Grab one of their guns,” she instructed.
“Oh my God!” Masha squeezed onto Lee tightly before he could even move for a weapon. “Oh my God! Oh my God! They’re dead!”
“Deep breaths, Masha,” Olga ordered in a low, patient voice. She made her way back to the two bodies and quickly removed their weapons, pausing only for a moment as she rifled through their pockets. “Lee, put her down. We need to be preparing.”
Lee ignored both the weapons and Olga’s instructions as he carried Masha to the back of the deli. The young woman may as well have been weightless for all she hindered him as he leapt over the counter and landed on the other side. He set her down so that she was facing away from the building’s entrance and then grabbed a large stack of the metal trays. He slid them in behind her so that they were stacked against the counter and then began layering them on top of one another. Each time he added a new serving tray to the mix, he quickly infused it with a small dose of his spirit, effectively spot-welding it to the others so that they wouldn’t fall apart. It was a rough, crude and incredibly-quick use of his powers, but it was effective in keeping the makeshift barrier together, and he hoped that it would be enough to save her from any stray bullets that made it in her direction.
Masha remained frozen the entire time, doing little more than shivering and shaking as she hyperventilated. “Oh, God,” she muttered to herself, trying to take several more deep breaths.
“Hey,” Lee said softly, grabbing her by the shoulder. “Look at me. Look at me right now.” She took another deep breath, but she met his gaze. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay. Just close your eyes and stay right there.”
Olga tossed one of the dead men’s rifles to him
over the counter and then joined him.
Two men positioned themselves outside the door, and Lee overheard their orders to ‘secure the target at all costs.’ He mentally prepared himself for what was about to happen, casting one last glance at Olga as he did so.
“The gun,” she mouthed at Lee, looking down at it pointedly. But he didn’t go for it. He had no experience with such weapons, so while the weapon was guaranteed to be deadly, he had no idea how bad his aim would be, how strong the recoil would be or what to do if it jammed. His expertise was limited to medieval weaponry, not modern-day firearms.
Lee set the gun down on the tile beside him and snatched up one of the water glasses from the cabinet drawer behind him since he couldn’t make a knife out of nothing. Without worrying about explaining what he was about to do to either girl, he quickly infused the glass with his spirit, producing three throwing daggers. “What in the world did you just do?” Olga asked as she watched the glass transform into three perfectly-balanced throwing knives. “How did you do that?”
“Bad guys, Olga,” Lee said pointedly, getting ready to stand up.
“Before more come,” Olga agreed with a nod. The bell above the door tinkled as the men entered the store, and Lee made a move. Both he and Olga popped up from behind the counter, dropping back down just as quickly. It had only been for a second, but it was enough for Olga to squeeze off two rounds into one man and for Lee to send a dagger straight into the other’s head.
“What the hell, Lee?” Olga asked, clearly in shock. Her surprise and his answer were cut short, however, as another round of men pushed inside.
Lee grabbed another water glass and quickly transformed it into three more throwing daggers. “I can only get one,” he responded in a hushed tone, completely ignoring her question. “I need more than a second for two.”
Olga risked a peak around the corner of the counter before jerking her head back. She held up four fingers, indicating the number of men, and nodded.
“Follow my lead and get yours,” he said as quietly as he could. He grabbed one of the extra trays that he hadn’t had time to set up behind Masha and then, without waiting for her reply, tossed it into the air. Shots rang out the moment it cleared his hand, and the room was filled with the loud pings of metal on metal as it was struck by a flurry of bullets, instantly making him happy for the fact that he hadn’t tried to handle these new guys the same way he had the last. The two sprang up from cover for the second time, and the throwing dagger was out of Lee’s hand and sailing toward his target before he had even fully turned around, and he heard Olga fire off two shots from beside him. Lee and the bodyguard began dropping back behind cover, and then Olga screamed out in pain as a bullet tore into her shoulder.
Lee twisted around so that he could look at her wound and grimaced. It’s not serious, but . . . You know what? Never mind. Lee reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” he mumbled habitually, hoping this didn’t shake the good Christian woman’s faith as he used his spirit to heal the wound. It was an injury that--contrary to the ridiculous recovery speeds seen on television--should have taken at least six months to properly and fully heal, and it was stitched back together in less than three seconds. The bullet even expunged itself from the bloody hole in her shoulder as Lee pushed it out with his spirit and closed the wound behind it.
“Lee . . .” Olga reflexively grabbed onto the hand that he had healed her with and stared at him in amazement.
Masha looked just as shocked. “Lee, are you . . . What are you? What’s going on?”
“Calm down, Masha. Take a deep breath and relax. I’ll get us out of this just fine,” Lee said, taking a deep breath himself.
“I . . . I’m healed. You healed me,” Olga said slowly, her wide-eyed gaze filled with a mixture of reverence and disbelief.
“Well, put the shoulder to good use. We need to get out of here soon, or we’re going to be sitting ducks. We have no clue how many of these guys there are exactly, and those two at the entrance won’t wait long after others show up.”
“Okay, then what do you--?”
Lee held up a hand and then pressed a single finger to his lips, cutting her off and signaling for her to keep quiet. He leaned in around Masha until his lips were pressed against Olga’s ear and whispered, “Hold this up when the moment is right. This trick might not work twice, but keep it up there until it gets shot out of your hands or until a good minute passes.”
Olga nodded, and he gathered from her reverent expression that he could ask her for anything at that moment, and she would do it. Olga’s sudden blind trust and willingness to obey an order was a scary prospect, and he was afraid of what it might mean in the future. Her willingness to take action and put herself in harm’s way a little more than his word was also a stark contrast to Masha, who had her face buried in her hands.
Lee swapped the two daggers to his other hand and then crouch-walked to the far end of the counter, carefully keeping his head behind cover. He could move without making any sound thanks to Sneak, so he was able to hide his new position from the two remaining gunmen.
He nodded once at Ogla, and she instantly threw the tray up from behind the counter. Shots rang out and were just as quickly followed by the sound of metal bouncing off the serving tray for the second time, and it was then that Lee stood up and hurled the two daggers as swiftly as he could. One blade tore through the air, nailing one of the men right in the forehead and the other in his jugular. The powerful and well-aimed blows killed them both, but Lee felt like the one with the knife in the forehead got the better end of the deal, given that the other guy had to spend his last few seconds bleeding out on a cold deli floor.
“Alright,” Lee said, leaving the man to die and moving back to Masha. She was shaking like a leaf in a storm, and she hugged her knees against her chest as she rocked back and forth. “We’re going to have to move. I’m going to carry you now, but I need you to stay as quiet as you can. We don’t want the bad guys to know where we’re going. Do you think you can do that for me?” Lee knew that he sounded patronizing, like he was talking to a child, but after all that Masha had seen and gone through in the last ten minutes, he was worried that he might as well be talking to one. He couldn’t imagine exactly what it must be like for her, but he had an idea. He had been ripped from a comfortable, non-violent existence like hers and been tossed into the bloody, death-filled reality that was the other world, but that felt like it was so long ago that the recollection had lost much of its poignancy. He had no idea how he would have coped with it if he hadn’t already been desensitized by video games. As insane as it sounded, those games had helped him deal with the transition.
Masha nodded her understanding and took a big gulp of air when she opened her mouth, but she didn’t answer.
“Good.” Lee slipped an arm around her back and another under her legs. “I’m going to keep you safe,” he said reassuringly. “You don’t have to worry. Everything is going to be okay, alright? Just focus on me. Olga, you ready?”
“Yes, sir,” she answered, replacing the clip in her magazine and shifting her legs so that she could bolt quickly.
“Let’s go.” Then, as he stood up, he added to Masha, “Close your eyes now. Don’t look at anything.” The last thing he wanted was for her to see the grotesque scene that he and Olga had created as the three of them made their way to the back of the deli. Thankfully, the small shop had a rear exit that led into an alley. He popped his head around the corner, once again sorely missing his Little Ethans as he checked to make sure that the coast was clear.
At first, he was happy that there was no sign of an ambush or people waiting and no signs of enemies nearby, but that faded quickly when he realized the alley was a dead end on one side and opened into the street on the other. There was a fire escape and back doors to a couple other shops, but the doors were all locked with deadbolts fat enough to see from a distance as he passed them. No one is here because they thin
k we’re going to be heading to the compound, or that if we leave through the back alley, we’ll be funneling into the street. That thought re-assured Lee as he checked one more time and then dragged the two girls to one of the back doors. He wanted to get to the compound, but if he went toward the street, they’d have anticipated that possibility and be waiting for him.
Okay, Lee, one more magic trick . . . Lee reached out and touched the deadbolt with one hand without setting Masha down. He used his Spirit Smithing skill to practically melt away part of the deadbolt, allowing him to easily open the door with his foot and carry Masha through. Once all three of them were inside, he fused the remainder of the bolt to the door, effectively turning it into a permanent lock, and made his way inside. He instantly recognized the small kitchen they were in since it was almost exactly the same as the one that they had left on the opposite end of the block. Apparently, the downtown of any city needed at least two or three cafes on every block.
Olga moved ahead of him then, quickly making her way into the dining room so that she could make sure it was empty of threats. She returned a moment later and nodded, indicating that it was safe for him to continue.
This place is empty, Lee noticed as he crept in as quietly as he could despite the floorboards creaking underneath him as he carried Masha through the back room to the front of the cafe.
Olga looked over at Lee like he was her boss. “Where to next?” she asked expectantly.
“Well, what’s the security like on that?” Lee asked, nodding through the window toward Masha’s home. They could now clearly see the massive stone wall that bordered the park-like home from their new vantage point through the large, plate-glass windows, and he knew that there were two entrances, one in the west and one in the east.
“It’s just a stone wall, if that’s what you’re asking. It’s the fact that it’s flat and high with no footholds that makes it tough to get over. Scaling it wouldn’t be a problem if we had a ladder, and there should be guards on the other side to take over if we can make it across. They should be able to help us if someone hasn’t already seen or heard what is going on and sent some of them to check it out,” Olga explained.