***
Meanwhile, outside the Order's stronghold, two men stood guard. "Hey," the first guard said to his companion, "didn't you have last shift?" "Aye," the other said bitterly, "but since all the women are on sex detail, I got stuck covering Lyanna's shift." "Mm," the first guard grunted. After a moment, he asked, "What do you think of this new plan, the whole birthing-a-race-of-gods thing?" The second snorted. "I think Fanna's gone a bit mad with all the resurrections she's been through. I miss the old days, where we just ran around in costumes and - hey!" He drew blade and pistol as a figure approached, "State your name and purpose!" The approaching figure gave no answer, instead snapping his arms down to his sides. A small throwing knife slipped into each hand from deep in the sleeves of a long leather coat. He grinned from the shadows cast by his wide-brimmed hat and threw the knives at the guards. The thin blades pierced their throats, pinning them to the wooden posts behind them. Quin Revo walked quietly past them, casually reaching out to retrieve his knives. He slipped them back into his sleeves as the guards dropped to the ground. Then, drawing his twin revolvers, the last Gunfighter entered the stronghold.
To the Rescue
First was taking Mar's ship apart when the industrialist and her mechanically-enhanced protegé approached. He'd only just started disassembling the engine when they interrupted him. "Excuse me," Mar said, drawing a long knife from her boot, "but that's mine." When First turned and looked toward her voice, he suddenly found the blade of Mar's knife wedged firmly in his right eye socket. "Aaagh!" he yelled, pulling it out. "I'll devour you for- hhhuunggghhhhAAGH!" Before he knew it, Mandhe was in front of him, her metallic fist punching his chest and forcing all air from his lungs. He didn't really need the oxygen, but as he was forced to speak with the monkeys on this planet, he found respiration to be convenient. She broke two of his ribs and cracked his sternum. The last thing to break any bone of his had been a god, millennia ago. Mandhe grabbed him by the collar and threw him out of the ship. He hit the ground hard, losing what air he had left, then struggled to his feet. Mandhe was already crossing the lawn to him as he gasped in a great lungful of air, wincing at the sharp ache in his chest. "And what are you supposed to be?" he snarled through the pain. Though it was healing quickly, he found the injury unnerving in its mere existence. "I don't feel like telling," Mandhe sniped back at him. The slight echo in her voice made the remark seem eerie. First stood straight, his ribcage whole once more. He opened his mouth to speak and Mandhe punched him in the face, then did so again. Then once more and another time after that. She turned and walked away as First's face hit the ground, his mind blank and dark. "Ouch," Mar remarked when Mandhe joined her. "I just received the memory of what he did to Emfex," the transformed girl replied. "You would have done worse." Mar considered this. "Possibly," she admitted. "Come on," she gestured to her young companion, "we need to put this engine back together and get in the air." With the human Techno Spirit's help, the ship was repaired in no time. Mandhe was strapped into the back seat and Mar guided the ship into the sky as First began to rouse from his beating. The bruises and fat lip were almost gone, but he still had the ringing in his ears and a massive headache. He gingerly touched his forehead and kept his eyes closed. He didn't feel like moving just yet. Suddenly Third and that imbecile Second were there. "One!" they called in unison. First grimaced as their voices roused the pain in his head. It wasn't going away. If anything it was getting worse. He forced himself to sit up. "Shut up," he ordered. "But, but, One," Second sputtered, "F-four is... she contacted us to tell you..." First sat on the ground, head in his hands. "What, you great rambling idiot? Just say it!" "She's taken Vega City," Third said ominously. "She said to tell you we're all going to die." "She's going to kill us," Second blubbered. First sighed and pushed himself to his feet. The sudden rise caused his head to pound. He grabbed at it, clenching his eyes shut. "One," Third approached solicitously. "Are you unwell?" "Shut your festering mouth-hole, simpleton," First growled. He made himself stand and ignore the throbbing in his skull. "No one is killing anyone unless I want them to," he said. "Where is Five?" he walked away from them toward the University building. "He left," Third hurried to catch up. "He left to join up with Four." "Fine," First barked. "We'll kill him too then. We'll kill him, then her and then all the talking animals, and then this world will be ours alone." Second and Third nodded eagerly. They knew First would have a plan. "Now leave me be," he told them. "I'm retiring to my quarters and am not to be disturbed." He left them to gape after him as he slowly entered the building and climbed the stairs toward his second floor office. They did not see him clutch his head and nearly crawl the last few feet nor did they witness him collapse on the leather couch, unconscious.
***
The supersonic airship flew on, Mar flipping switches and punching buttons. Previously darkened instrument panels came to life, and a series of them lit up around Mandhe in the back. "Weapons," Mar said. "I assume with the new friend you've bonded to, figuring out how they work won't be a problem." "Already done," Mandhe answered, grabbing hold of the guidance stick and arming the guns and large projectiles. "Good," Mar nodded, though Mandhe couldn't see her. "We'll hit Baern first," she said. "I heard on the broadnet, when you were beating our host to a pulp, that Jat Loren has moved a substantial number of his flock from most of his occupied cities toward Vega. I thought we could retake the others while he was distracted by the bigger prize." "You know," Mandhe joked from the back, "this is a very interesting campaign you're running here." "Funny," Mar said "Though I've always felt one should earn the job they get, so in some way I prefer this to all that talking and backbiting." A sensor beeped and Mar glanced down at her instruments. "Something's coming up at us from Baern," she said. "An airship?" Mandhe asked. She tracked the shape on her targeting scanners, but it was too far away to lock weapons. It would be in range soon, though. Mar shook her head, flipping a few switches. The hum of the engine deepened. "Too fast and agile. I don't know what-" Then the dragon was in front of the ship, breathing fire. Mar rolled the ship left and down, barely escaping the flaming jet. "Well," Mandhe quipped, "that was certainly unexpected. I didn't think dragons existed anym-" "Less talking, more shooting!" Mar yelled. "Lock weapons and blow it up!" Mar streaked across the sky in evasive patterns, but the dragon was soon close behind, managing to elude the target lock of the weapons' systems. Mandhe fired a few shots, but even her enhanced visual acuity failed to land a hit. The dragon's maw began to glow orange as it kept pace with all of the ship's maneuvering. "What part of 'lock weapons' are you having trouble with?" Mar scolded Mandhe. "The locking weapons part!" Mandhe yelled back. "That thing can turn on its tail!" Mar pulled back on the stick and the ship shot straight up. The dragon followed. "Just kill it!" she cried. "Working on it!" Mandhe willed her mechanical coverings to snake two wires out and connect with the circuitry of the targeting systems. If she could slave the targeting sensors to her optics, she might- Then the dragon breathed fire, and the ship was engulfed in a searing inferno.
On the Edge
The temperature climbed outside the ship and the two women began to sweat. Mar struggled to steer, jamming her thumb down on unresponsive buttons. The engine still hummed, which was the one saving grace. "We're losing systems, kid!" she called back. "If you're going to shoot that thing before weapons are gone, now is probably the time!" Suddenly, Mandhe could see outside the ship, particularly behind it, through the great stream of fire and into the mouth it originated from. She felt the targeting sensors in her mind, they were like a secondary visual sense, and she concentrated, locking the weapons on the dragon. It turned and sped away when its flame was spent, but Mandhe kept her lock, unloading all the weapons at her disposal. The extreme heat had jammed the guns, but three large projectiles fired, streaking through the air toward the fleeing monster. All three were a direct hit, taking the dragon's head and punching two holes through its body. The mangled smoking carcass fell toward the ground, as did the ship. "Everything is too ho
t," Mar explained, frantically trying to revive navigation and flight control. "It all shut down. I had to shut down the engine myself to keep from tearing wildly off into space or directly into the ground." She pushed a few more buttons, flipped a switch or two and nothing happened. She punched the control panel and parts of it sputtered to life, including flight control. With a whoop, Mar started the engine, pulling the ship out of its free-fall with moments to spare. Mar fought her ship all the way to Baern. There was limited flight control and no navigation. The landing on the outskirts was just shy of a crash. It would take a bit of work to get the ship in the air again. Mar opened the cockpit and pulled a weapons case and survival packs from under the seat. She jumped out, Mandhe following after. They stepped back from the smoking battered airship and Mar opened up the weapons case. She withdrew several knives, which she hid about her person, two pistols, one of which was also hidden, a rifle and spare ammunition. She offered a gun to Mandhe, who shook her head. "I have what I need." The echo on her voice was deeper. Closer to her old voice, she said, "I'm going to go check the damage. The way our luck has been running, I expect we'll be fleeing this stop on the campaign trail, and I might be able to make a few quick repairs before we head in." She walked over to the ship as she talked, while Mar walked a little way toward the town. A crowd of people approached. Mar brought her rifle up to her shoulder. "Company!" she shouted to Mandhe. "Tell them 'hello' for me," Mandhe called back, "and extend my regrets for missing the party, but I think I might be able to make this thing flyable in a minute, so we can at least make that hasty exit we'll be needing..." her voice trailed off as she looked up at Mar, "...later." The crowd had approached, all of them in blue robes with the white lightning of Jat Loren's Church. The odd thing was that Mar wasn't fighting with them. She'd laid down her rifle and appeared to be talking with one of the crowd. Mandhe increased the gain on her enhanced ears and focused her eyes on the pair. Mar smiled beatifically. "Of course," she said, a dreamy quality to her voice. "I understand now. Now that you've explained it, it's all so..." "Clear." The man smiled knowingly at her and others approached, hugging Mar and leading her away. The man looked over in Mandhe's direction, but did not appear to see her. Mandhe remained still until the last Church member had gone, then resumed her work. They were definitely going to need this ship in good working order.
***
Kai stood before Artemis and Sar, ready to leave. The fruit of Knowledge was in one of the pouches on the belt at her waist. "Are you sure you won't come back?" she asked Artemis, who had traded her gown for one that seemed made of night sky. Artemis herself had changed as well. Her triple moon glowed white and stars danced in her eyes. She seemed taller, more like her legend than she'd been in years. "No," Artemis said, "that isn't my world out there anymore." She smiled, laying a hand on Kai's shoulder. "Amorlia needs saving," she told the young woman, "and it's your turn." Kai smiled, clapped Artemis on the shoulder, bowed to Sar, who nodded, and stepped through the shimmering doorway. It led straight to the High Queen's throne room. As Kai stepped out, she was surrounded by the shadowy creatures that had attacked Kel. She felt the Spark leave her, but then it came surging back. Her new recuperative powers saw the depletion as an injury and worked to fix it. Her powers weren't their full strength, not nearly, but it was enough. Combined with eternal life, what strength she had would be enough. The portal shut tight behind her and she wondered if Artemis and Sar had seen what happened. Kai grinned. She was certain Artemis had dealt with worse than this in her day. "You think you have reason to smile?" the question turned Kai's blood to ice. She looked toward the throne and saw Fourth seated on it. There was something different about Artemis' rebellious advisor, however. Where once she'd been grey from head to toe, now there was a subtle hint of color to her. A redness to her lips. A dark streak through her hair. She looked more solid, though not entirely. "Yes," Kai responded, her voice steady. "I'm smiling at how ridiculous you look on that throne." Fourth chuckled. "Ah," she sighed, "funny. You humans and your little jokes. Your clever attempts at masking your fear. Fine, fine," she said, waving her hand. "Let's have our fun. For example," she mentioned, "did you ever wonder what those things are?" She gestured at the milling, snarling shadow creatures. "It crossed my mind," Kai admitted. "It's a funny story, really," Fourth laughed, "so it's appropriate to the occasion. They're from an alternate Amorlia." "A what?" Fourth rolled her eyes. "Mortals," she muttered. Louder, she said, "Do you remember, about a century ago or so, when Artemis and her little Sisterhood forced all the people of Amorlia into confrontation with their Shadows?" "A bit before my time, but I'm familiar with the story," Kai replied. "Yes," Fourth said, looking up and away, as though watching the scene play out before her, "a stirring tale of victory, as all the people of Amorlia accepted the darkness in their own souls and rendered the villainous Queen Umbra powerless through their rejection." She glanced over at Kai and smiled. "Did you ever wonder," she drawled, "what might have happened if they hadn't? If those hardy people of Amorlia had all given up, and lost the battle to their Shadows? Did you ever wonder what the world would have been like after that?" Kai looked about her in horror. "Oh, I don't have to wonder," Fourth said, getting up from the throne. She came to stand at the edge of the dais, looking down at Kai. "I've been there, you see," she said to the young warrior. "It's not a very nice place. You'd never even recognize it. Anyway," she shrugged, "we brought a bunch of these poor bastards here with us and I must say, they've been awfully effective." "Why do they drain the Spark from people?" Kai asked, curious in spite of herself. "Oh, that's just their nature," Fourth explained. "The Spark stopped flowing through their world the way it once had and it couldn't flow through these creatures at all. It pains them. Some sort of defensive mechanism blocks the Spark from everything around them, dousing its light with their Shadows. But now," she walked back to the throne and favored Kai with a final glance, "the time for fun and stories is over." She turned to a Shadow standing close by and ordered, "Kill her." Kai Moxen laughed and activated her shock baton, assuming a fighting stance. "Go ahead," she challenged, "I dare you."
***
Quin Revo ducked behind a banister and reloaded, then fired up at the members of the Order above him. He'd fought his way past the entrance and into the laboratory, immediately wishing he hadn't. Bors and Kit had been laid out on tables, cut open and desecrated. He'd set the lab on fire, escaping through another door to climb to the next floor. He had to find Kel and get out of there. That fire would spread and he didn't want to be trapped in a burning lair with an army of lunatics. After a prolonged firefight, during which he took a minor flesh wound, the stairs were finally clear. He climbed them slowly, his breathing heavy. He was definitely getting too old for this nonsense. At the end of a long hall he found Kel. The Champion was naked and lying on a bed, surrounded by women in various states of undress. All appeared asleep. "Kel!" he hissed. "Kel, wake up!" Kel opened his eyes, as did the slumbering beauties around him. Kel and the women rose from the bed. Quin noticed the other man's eyes were a bit glassy and bloodshot. He wondered what they'd done to him. "Come on, Kel," Quin gestured for his friend to join him, "we have to go. We're in big trouble if we stay here." "No," Kel shook his head slowly. "No, everything is going to be fine. Amorlia doesn't need me anymore," he said, a slight slur to his voice. "I'm giving the world something better." "Kel," Quin said, "this is crazy. They've drugged you or something. We have to leave. Everything will be okay once we get out of here." He held a pistol ready. "You aren't listening, Quin," Kel came closer to the old Gunfighter, taking the gun away and dropping it. "I don't need to go with you. I'm staying here. And everything will be okay," he grabbed the older man by the throat and lifted him off the floor, "once you're dead."
Amorlia: Age of Wonder Page 8