by Tyler R Lee
And then, the pair emerged and continued to rocket towards the airship. “Incoming!” Streak called as the group retreated in multiple directions to give their friends room to land. Gunner began to slow as they approached, but they still came in hard. With a thud, Gunner hit the deck of the ship, sending him tumbling, which sent Peter flying off, skidding to a halt near the stairs to the lower deck.
“That was fun,” Peter moaned as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. Ariel and Lysander rushed over to help him up and give him a healing potion.
“Hell yeah!” Gunner exclaimed as Streak and NoScope hauled him to his feet and also offered him a healing potion.
“Uh, guys,” Tony stammered, and the group heard the trepidation in his voice. “Maybe celebrate later. We got company.”
When the party looked, they saw the still large number of enemies moving towards their airship. As the pirates began to move apart, readying for an assault upon the party, cannonballs and missiles leapt from their bikes and came screaming at the ship.
“Now’s the time!” Lysander cried as he moved to the railing facing the pirates, eyes burning with electricity, staff pulsating with power as he swung it out in front of him as if to bat the incoming danger away. Lightning leapt from the staff and crackled as he shot out in a chain, hitting all the incoming projectiles and exploding them in midair.
“I can’t do that often,” he said as he turned to the group. Tony, Val, one of you go get Glitch. We’ll need everyone. Then, get back up here and help me. Gunner, you and Val get ready to take to the skies. Everyone else, do whatever works if they come on board.”
“Right,” Tony and ValCary said, simultaneously. Both ran for the stairs, but Val was stopped by the first pirates to board the ship. “Go,” she said as she shoved Tony. “I’ll be behind ya.” Tony nodded and hurried downstairs to find Glitch.
“Let’s go!” Val cried as she swung a glowing longswords at the two pirates that faced her. They parried her attacks and came at her, but she was quick and held their attacks off.
Across the deck of the ship, combat had begun. Lysander shot bolts of magic and lightning at the closer airbikes, taking pirate and machine alike out of the sky, and making sure to stop as many missiles as he could. Streak entered combat with three pirates as they jumped on board. His speed was more than they bargained for, and he was able to knock them over the edge. The speedster then began using his speed to jump to nearby airbikes, knock the pilot off, then quickly speeding to the next one, leaving a blue streak of lightning in his wake. Gunner resorted to his other favorite weapon, his gatling gun, mowing down pirates that tried to board the ship. Once his energy was fully replenished, he took to the air with his automatic weapon and began dismantling those on bikes. NoScope used her speed and deadly sword to take out any pirate near her that decided to board the ship, and was even able to take out some of the airbikes that moved close enough for her to teleport onto thanks to her ninja abilities. Peter and Ariel fought back to back, taking on any pirate dumb enough to get close, and keeping the center of the deck clear of any enemies.
After several minutes of fighting, Lysander called out to Val, who had taken to the skies with Gunner. “Val, go check on Tony. We need everyone. There are too many and the damage is starting to show on us.” He was right. Despite everyone doing well, there was no avoiding they were outnumbered. As he said this, a wayward missile hit the side of the airship, sending an explosion out that sent Lysander to the side. Similarly, he watched Streak hit the ground from a cannonball explosion from across the ship, and Gunner throw up a shield in midair to block incoming fire from the airbikes as his HP was chipped away.
“I’m on it,” Val said as she finished off a nearby pirate by slicing him and his bike in half. She watched them fall to the sea for a moment before she flew back to the ship and headed downstairs.
***
“Glitch?” Tony called out as he searched the rooms. “Glitch, where are ya? We need you out here. Where could she be?” he asked himself aloud.
As he rounded a corner, ready to go back downstairs, Glitch popped into view with a worried look on her face. “What’s up? Is something happening outside?”
“Man, your motion sickness must really have rocked you. Yeah, we are under heavy attack from a ton of pirates. Any chance you can get your sickness under control and lend us your blades?”
Glitch grinned. “You know I love a good fight, Tony. I’ll give it my best. Let’s hit it!” She finished with a slug in Tony’s arm.
“Ow! That’s what I like to hear,” Tony smiled as he turned to head back up. He then felt a familiar sensation coursed through his body as a sharp pain shot through his back. He wanted to turn to look, but he couldn’t. All he could do was fall face first to the ground and the familiar paralyzing feeling, those bolts of pain and electricity that kept him from moving his body, shot through every fiber of his being. “Wha...what…” he was barely able to stammer out.
“Ah, poor Tony,” Glitch said with mocking pity. “I guess you have to be the first.”
Tony barely managed to turn his head as bolts of shock ran through his body. He saw Glitch, wearing a grin he had never seen her wear before. It was one of sadistic pleasure. She was enjoying what was happening, he could tell. In her hand, he saw a small blade that coursed with yellow electricity. He recognized it as a paralysis knife.
“Oh, now, don’t give me that look,” Glitch said as she casually put the paralysis knife away. “I’m only doing what Yoshitsune asked me to do.” Tony’s eyes went wider, and a tear ran down his cheek before it fell to the floor. “Well, I mean, don’t get me wrong,” she added as she knelt down beside her paralyzed prey, “I am really enjoying myself.” As she said this, she let one of her long wrist blades slide out. Then, she stabbed Tony through the back. Pain wracked Tony’s body as he groaned in agony but was unable to move. His health bar drained almost completely due to his vulnerable state.
“Now,” Glitch continued after she took a moment to watch Tony writhe in agony against the pain and against the paralysis. “I really hope you don’t take this personally. Honestly, I have had a lot of fun with you guys. You and Val are cool in my book. But,” she raised her other wrist blade into the air. Tony closed his eyes as a few more tears escaped. He couldn’t decide what was worse. The fact that he was about to die, the betrayal from someone he had considered one of his closest friends, or the fact that he wouldn’t be able to warn everyone. He didn’t have time to ponder it long as Glitch’s blade pierced the back of his head all the way through, piercing through the floor. Tony’s lifebar fell to zero, then quickly dropped all the way down.
Glitch smiled at her work, then stood up as she pulled her blade free. Then, she heard a cry of rage from the other end of the hallway.
“NO! TONY!” Val cried, tears running down her eyes as she shot glances from her dead brother to his killer, her close friend, Glitch.
“Ah, this is awkward,” Glitch said with a feigned expression of apology on her face. “I can give you a minute if you need.”
ValCary’s eyes filled with a rage that even made the cold blooded Glitch stiffen a bit at the impending approach. There was not much time for preparation, however. The holy warrior’s wings burst forth from her back as she dashed towards her new enemy, her fett not even touching the ground as a beam of light was left in her wake. “I’LL KILL YOU, YOU BITCH!” she screamed as she unsheathed both longswords and swung at Glitch, who readied her two wrist blades for battle.
***
The deck of the airship was a picture of chaos and carnage. The sky was filled with smoke and falling pieces of metal, as well as bodies falling from their vehicles, but there were still several left functioning and ready to fight. The ship was littered with bodies of fallen pirates and those still boarding. Among the wreckage, the party breathed hard, standing their ground, but wondering if they had the strength to fight them all off.
“There numbers have dwindled,” Lysander offered.
“They don’t have much more left.”
“Neither do we,” Streak added.
As if waiting for that moment, several of the pirates made for the tired players, who retaliated in kind. For the next few minutes, battle continued. Peter charged and engaged several pirates with Streak by his side. Ariel leapt and brought her greatsword down on a group while NoScope picked off those who dodged. Lysander and Gunner continued to eradicate the airborne threat with lightning and a seemingly unending stream of energy bullets.
It was here that the party noticed the declining number of pirates boarding the ship. “They aren’t coming on board anymore,” Lysander called out.
“Nope. They are just firing on us from a distance,” Ariel replied.
“Guess someone should take care of that,” Gunner chided as he and Lysander continued to do just that.
“Where the hell are Tony, Val, and Glitch?” Streak asked.
As if in answer, the stairwell and deck around it exploded in a storm of metal, wood, and debris. Every party member was thrown to the ground from the explosion as ValCary and Glitch erupted from the lower deck, gripping the other tightly as the holy warrior flew them up through the deck with energy exploding around her. As they breached the deck, Glitch landed a kick in Val’s gut and leapt free.
Chapter 17
With the pirates retreating back to their airbikes, and with no other assaults coming from them at the time, the party mimicked Val and Glitch's silence as the two stared at each other, one face overcome with hatred and sadness, the other with a subtle excitement of what was to come. After what felt like an eternity to the confused group, Lysander finally asked, "What the hell happened?" When the only response he got were the confused looks from his battered and battle weary friends, he asked again, "Val, Glitch, what the hell is going on?"
"She...she..." Val stuttered out, choking back tears as she attempted to explain what her one time close friend had done. However, she just couldn't seem to say the words.
"Tell them, Val," Glitch prodded as she stood up straight and turned her excited look into one of curiosity.
"Tell us what?" Streak asked, looking back and forth between the two players.
"She...she killed Tony," ValCary finally choked out, no louder than a whisper, but Peter, Ariel, NoScope, and Streak heard.
"What!?" Ariel asked as she placed a hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide.
"She...killed Tony!?" NoScope asked, her expression matching Ariel's, Peter's, and Streak's. The rest of the group heard her statement, and all followed suite with expressions of shock and disbelief.
"You're not serious?" Gunner asked, barely able to register what he had just heard.
Glitch, who had now started absentmindedly dusting herself off, seeming bored with the situation, looked up in mock surprise, as if someone had called her name and she had just missed it. "What? Me? Yes, I did do that."
The collective gasps and intake of breath was palpable. "No way," Lysander said. "No, Glitch, I can't believe--"
"I'm going to stop you right there, Mr. Wizard," Glitch said as she casually held up a hand to silence the dark elf. "Before we head down this long, winding, and frankly boring road of 'I can't believe she would do such a thing,' I'm just going to set the record straight. I totally killed 4TonyBlazeIt, right down there." She motioned down into the lower deck, now visible thanks to her and ValCary destroying the stairwell.
Glitch waited to make sure everyone on the ship was paying attention. When she took in each shocked, horrified, and enraged face, she continued. "Now, I want to be clear, while it was fun," Val's face noticeably twitched in anger, "this was nothing personal. Just orders from the boss."
"Boss?" Ariel asked, her face shifting between horrified and confused.
"Creator guy," Glitch clarified. "Yoshitsune."
"He told you to kill us?" Val asked through gritted teeth.
"Well, no. He said I needed to make this more challenging for you all. See, you were all doing so well, he wanted to make sure you were earning every foot of ground you gained. But, he did leave it up to me to choose how to challenge you. And this way, I got to have a little fun, and follow orders. I mean, what could be more challenging than working through grief and a sabotaged airship?"
"Sabotaged?" Streak asked as he and everyone else looked at each other in panic.
"Well, I didn't quite get to that part. Ya see, Tony kinda got in my way--"
Whatever else Glitch was going to say was drowned out by the loud cry of anguish and rage erupting from ValCary's throat as she burst forward towards her enemy, both swords a glow with holy energy, the same glow that was bursting from her wings and her eyes. Glitch smiled and readied her weapons as she retreated onto the railing of the ship after dodging a swipe from the holy warrior. "Ya gotta be faster than that, Val."
When Val charged again, Glitch leapt from the railing and landed on one of the many piloted airbikes still hovering near the airship, the pirate struggling to keep it steady. Val, without even thinking about it, flew out after her.
"Wait, Val!" Lysander called, but before he or anyone else could act, the pirates began firing upon the airship. "Shit! Everyone who can, return fire, fight back, anything!" he called out as he threw up a shield to protect himself from the barrage of projectiles.
Gunner threw up a shield as well, which NoScope and Streak dove behind. Peter did the same to shield himself and Ariel. When the projectiles stopped, Lysander gave the call to attack. Gunner turned both arms into a single gatling gun and began to open fire, cutting a wide swath against the enemy. Lysander called down lightning strikes to individual airbikes, his energy being nearly depleted at this point in the fight. NoScope, Streak, and Peter used their individual skills to jump to the nearest pirates and begin battling them upon their own vehicles.
Peter leaped nimbly between airbikes, peppering pirates with more punches and kicks than they had bullets. His ability to keep airborne as long as he was dealing damage kept him from falling, and his speed and power made short work of his targets. NoScope's ninja ability to disappear and reappear several feet away made her a terror to the pirates, as none could get a sense of where she was going to turn up next, not until her sword had already done its work. Then, in a puff of gray smoke, she was gone again. Streak, much less elegant than his companions, simply ran between the airbikes with his insane speed, leaving a blue streak of lightning to match his suit in his wake, pummeling the enemy with a plethora of blows before they could react.
Ariel, not possessing a ninja's, speedster's, or martial artist's agility and movement, quickly slid over to Gunner and tapped him on the shoulder. "I've thought of something way more fun. Wanna hear?"
"All ears," Gunner answered as he continued to target incoming pirates.
"You got enough energy to fly again? And enough room for a passenger?"
Gunner turned and gave a grin to the dark elf warrior. "Hop on," he said as his wings and thruster extended.
Without a second thought, Ariel jumped onto Gunner's back, who immediately took to the skies. It took only a couple of seconds to reach the first group of pirates. Ariel wrapped her legs around the cyborg, gripped her greatsword in both hands, and concentrated on one of her special techniques. When the blade began to glow a bluish purple, she swung hard. The first pirate lasted only a single swipe as the bike was cut clean in half.
"Damn!" Gunner smiled as they continued to the next enemy. One by one, Ariel sliced and diced any airbike that got near her, none of them lasting more than a single stroke while her blade burned with purple light.
* * *
ValCary chased Glitch from airbike to airbike, as the nimble rogue leapt between pirates, taking careful swipes at Val as she charged in, missed, and followed. Val's anger was making her reckless and clumsy, and Glitch knew it. However, the smile she wore drove Val on even harder. Despite the battle, many of the party could hear the desperate, angry cry of ValCary as she did battle with Glitch atop the airbikes.
&n
bsp; "This is almost too easy," Glitch called out as she sidestepped a powerful but obvious downward slash from Val. On the edge of the bike, Glitch stabbed in with her right blade. However, Val pulled up on her sword she had just attacked with, parrying Glitch's thrust. She then swung her other blade horizontally. Glitch flipped sideways in the air, narrowly dodging the blade. When she landed, she leapt backwards to another nearby airbike to put some distance between her and her opponent.
Val, rage still building, slashed down through the bike and pirate with both swords, then flew at Glitch once again. And, again, Glitch dodged the powerful attack and gave one of her own. This one slashed ValCary across the hip, which caused her to cry out in pain. "Thanks for playing," Glitch said as she lunged for Val's throat, confident she had a killing blow. However, Val corkscrewed while in the air, sending the rogue's attack high and putting her completely off balance. To follow up, Val continued spinning, hitting Glitch in the abdomen with both blades, one after another. The impact sent Glitch sailing off the bike. Ever the quick thinker, the rogue thrust a blade into a nearby bike, stopping her decent to the sea below that would have meant her death.