by Riker Kane
“For what—”
“Just listen to me.”
I ran toward the water and dived into it.
“Enzo!” Jade called out. “What are you doing?”
I ignored her and kept moving forward. I didn’t have to wait long until something happened. One tentacle snatched me by the waist, curling around me.
“Shit…” It squeezed hard enough to push the wind out of me. My increased durability stopped my bones from breaking completely but there was definitely some unnatural popping going on. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
The Sepia Fiend lifted me from the water and held me up. It stared at me with a frozen white eye that was bigger than me. The thing was even more menacing up close. A slimy, slippery squid just trying to decide how it was gonna kill me.
It was squeezing me so hard I could barely breathe. But I just had to give the signal. Enough to break free.
“Alisa…” I groaned. “Now! Fire!”
I yelled as much as my lungs would let me. Alisa didn’t let me down though. A blast of white energy caught the fiend on the top of its head and its grip loosened on me enough to give me another breath.
“Jade!”
She followed up with a Solo Spark, sending a massive fireball bigger than me right at the beast. It hit the same spot Alisa hit and again the creature’s grip around me loosened.
“Don’t stop! Keep going!”
They pelted it with shots. Slowly I started to slip out.
I just had to get close enough. Slip forward. Time my shot.
The tentacle finally unraveled around me. I only had a split-second. But a split-second was all you need to land the punch that ended the fight.
As I fell from the sky, I moved toward the beast’s frozen eye. With all my strength, I reared back then—CRASH—a right hand shattered the eye like glass. Immediately the creature began to flail wildly. I managed to stay clinging on the rim of its eye socket, close enough to climb into it and start hammering away. One hand gripping its slimy flesh to stay balanced, my right hand pounded against the fiend’s insides. Its brain matter sprayed black with the foulest stench I’d ever smelled. But I kept punching. Through all of the flailing and shaking, I stood in the eye socket and slammed my fists into the Sepia Fiend until I was punching nothing but wet mush.
I pulled my hand back for another punch when suddenly everything gave out underneath me. I tumbled through the sky with orbs of Mana all around me splashing into the water. The only strength I had left I used to rise above the surface to catch my breath.
I collected the Mana then slowly swam back to where Jade and Alisa were waiting for me.
“Holy crap,” Alisa muttered. “You actually punched that thing to death.”
I raised my right gauntlet and shrugged. “Never get tired of how strong these things are…”
“No kidding.”
“Look.” Jade pointed out to the other side of the water where an Obelisk formed on the coast. Next to it, a portal of blue energy appeared. “We’re at the end of the zone.”
“Huh…” I glanced down at my map. “It looks like Redgrave’s calculation was off again…”
“Good,” Alisa said. “I’m all for the beach but I think I’ve had enough of the Crimson Coast for now.”
“What do you say? You two up for a swim?”
We moved toward the edge of the water, ready to dive in. Alisa looked down and shook her head. “Still looks like fruit punch…”
“Interesting.” A voice came from behind us. We all spun around to stare at the figure suddenly standing there like it had appeared out of thin air.
It was a man. Or a woman. I couldn’t really tell with the plain black robes draped all over its body. The bottom of its disheveled robes shifted in the sand. The soft wind blew against its hood. But underneath, I couldn’t see anything except a pair of glowing red eyes.
“Very interesting,” the figure spoke again, its voice like it was coming from somewhere else.
“What the hell?” I narrowed my eyes, trying to get a better view of what I was looking at.
Long white fingernails extended on its pointed fingers as it reached up and lowered its hood. The glowing red eyes had stopped. Now they were plain and white. But they weren’t any less disturbing. The guy was pale. Whiter than the moon. Black lines trailed over his face like scars. And there was more black around his eyes like he put on too much eyeliner. His head was bald, making him look like some creep who didn’t realize it wasn’t Halloween yet.
“It’s true,” he said.
“What’s true?” I said. “What are you talking about? Who are you?”
“I can sense it in you. The power. It’s not like the others who are trying to fight us.” His eyes shifted toward the gauntlets. “You possess the same weapons as the other one.”
“The other one… My dad…” I started walking forward. “You know my dad. Where is he? What happened to him?”
“The previous one met the fate he deserved. As will you. Your destruction is inevitable. Curious as to why you try to resist.”
“Asshole, where is he?” I ran up to him without thinking then threw a right hand. It caught him right in the chest. I knew it did because my fist stopped moving. But the pale man just took a step back, looking down like getting punched was an inconvenience.
“Very interesting, indeed…” He slowly began back-pedaling. “It is inevitable whether you continue on your path or not. I see nothing but pain in your future…”
“I’ll show you pain…” I reared back with another punch and swung. But I didn’t catch anything this time. My momentum took me down to a knee. I looked up but there was no sign of him, like he’d vanished into thin air.
“Enzo.” Jade walked up and helped me to my feet.
“You saw him, right? I’m not going crazy or anything. Do you—”
“No.” She shook her head. “But maybe Redgrave can explain this.”
28: To The Beat Of A Different Drum
Enzo Drake
Level 26 Slayer
(6 levels available)
Hit Points 100
Endurance 50
Strength 19
Speed 16 (+3 Synergy Bonus)
Durability 16
Control 15
Six levels. It was the biggest boost I’d seen in a long time.
Strength 23 (+4)
Speed 16 (+3 Synergy Bonus)
Durability 17 (+1)
Control 16 (+1)
Even with synergy gains from Alisa, all of the increases weren’t enough to distract me from what I just saw.
Some asshole took a full gauntlet punch and didn’t even flinch. But what was weirder was he fucking talked to me.
I set my gauntlets down on the workstation next to me and let out a sigh. “What the hell is going on?” I muttered to myself.
Alisa sat slumped in her seat. Her shorts and top were wet and muddy. Her hair was out of place. The look of exhaustion in her eyes was clear along with an obvious frown.
Jade leaned against the wall. Her usually glossy black hair had a dull shine to it. The combination of seawater and sweat on her face hadn’t dried completely. Her clothes were just as soaked as Alisa’s. But her brow was furrowed with more frustration than anything else.
While all of us went over what happened in our heads and stayed silent, Redgrave peered over his tablet. He looked as astute as an old scientist who was stuck in a warehouse would. His clothes were disheveled. What few strands of hair threatened to grow decided not to. The bags underneath his eyes looked like he hadn’t slept in a long time. I wondered if he had answers for us.
“I haven’t been with the Legion in a long time,” he said. “Not since Oliver was lost in Anarchy. Seventeen years. I’ve kept tabs on their progress of mapping Pandora and locating the threats. But I haven’t gotten all the details. There wasn’t much for me to find, however. The higher-ups insisted on doing things as they’d been done since the beginning. Wait for the nearest threats of Pandora to co
me within range then send Omegas out to close them. It’s been an endless stream of Shadows. For nearly half-a-century now, crossing generations.”
“Playing defense the whole time,” I said. “The problem is you’re going to get tired eventually.”
“Your father and I came to that realization a long time ago. That’s what inspired the Slayer Project… Even back then, there were rumors of a talking Shadow. Most of us, even those in charge, passed it off as nothing but a tall tale. But there’s always some kernel of truth in even the biggest fabrications.”
Redgrave tapped and swiped on his tablet. “This thing you encountered. This pale man. I’ve searched the LOD databases and found that encounters have increased. It’s no longer a rumor. They’ve been classified as Heralds.”
“Heralds… Heralds of what?” Jade asked.
The old man shook his head. “Nobody knows for certain. This is a recent phenomenon. It appears the Legion has put them on notice and now these Heralds feel it necessary to make their presence known.”
Redgrave spoke with an uncertainty I’d never heard in his voice before. That wasn’t enough for me though.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, shaking my head. “We’ve come too far. We cleared three zones. I’m not gonna stop now, regardless of what’s happening.”
“These Heralds have rankings. Some are weaker. Some are stronger. If one was able to withstand a blow from the gauntlets, it would seem this one is one of the more elite Heralds.”
“It mentioned my father. Said I wasn’t the first one to venture into Pandora with gauntlets. It had to be him. That means I’m on the right path. And if I’m on the right path, I’m gonna keep going.”
I looked over at Alisa. She worked her frown into a forced smile and nodded. “It’d be pointless to let all of our work go to waste.”
“We’re too close,” Jade added. “And if what the Herald said was true, then we know for sure your father is out there.”
“Getting to Anarchy was my initial concern,” Redgrave said. “But the appearance of this Herald has… complicated things. I won’t allow you to travel all this way just to fall short.”
“What are you saying?” I walked up to him and shrugged. “Do I just give up?”
“Not at all. I want to save Oliver as much as you. But I will need some time. Perhaps a day or two. Venturing into Anarchy ill-equipped does nobody any good, including your father.”
He shuffled up to me and squeezed his hand around my arm. I never met my grandfather but I imagined he would’ve smiled at me the same way Redgrave was doing now. That was all I needed at the moment. A comforting smile to let me know things would be okay even if they weren’t.
“Stop. Rest. Breathe. You’ve made a lot of progress, Slayer. I promise you it won’t be in vain.”
~ ~ ~
Ruthie sniffed into the air and gave all of us a stink eye. “You all just get back from the beach or something?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Something like that.”
“Heading to the beach after midnight. Oh, to be young and wild and carefree. Ha!” The pudgy lady waddled over to the next table to take their order after setting our food down.
We all sat at a booth this time. Alisa sat on one side, leaning forward with her elbows propping her up. Jade was opposite of her. She crossed her arms as she stared out of the window. I pulled up a chair and sat at the edge of the table, my thoughts still wandering.
Alisa squeezed out half the bottle of ketchup like she always did then dipped her fries into it. “C’mon, guys. It’s not so bad. We got to the end of the zone. All of the missions are finished. You can’t tell me you’re not hungry.”
I reached forward and grabbed one of the fries from her plate. Jade began picking at her fruit bowl.
“That’s the spirit. It’d be awkward if I was eating while you two just watched me. I wouldn’t be able to finish.”
“Don’t lie,” I said. “You’d finish your food even if the whole world had their eyes on you.”
“You know me too well, Champ.” She winked and took a heaping bite out of her hamburger. “Maybe I should start a YouTube channel. I’ll post videos of me eating!”
“Now there’s an idea.” I let out a laugh. “People would love to see you stuffing your face.”
Even Jade smiled a little bit. “What would you eat?”
Alisa smacked her lips and stuffed more fries into her mouth. “I don’t know. Maybe I could start with Newmire. Burgers. Burritos. Pizza. Sorbet. Then I could start traveling the world. Going to exotic places to sample the local cuisine.”
“Only you would travel all around the world just for the food.”
“The food is the best part! Jade, what would you do if you got a chance to travel around the world?”
Jade stared at her bowl of fruit, shaking her head softly. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it… I guess I’d just wanna see everything. The old buildings. The architecture. See the history of the foreign lands. Learn what it was like to live there.”
“Not bad, not bad. How about you, Champ?”
I munched on another french fry. I had to laugh at how much Alisa’s question was making me contemplate it. “The people. I’d want to meet the people out there. See what they’re like.”
“Maybe you could train them. Show them out to throw a punch and beat people up.”
“Yeah… My dad used to do that. Not the beating people up but the throwing punches part.”
“Your father,” Jade said. “Was he a fighter like you?”
“He was a fighter. Golden and Silver Gloves champion. He was good. At least, that’s what the footage and the results will tell you. I wasn’t around when he was doing it. He was only a teenager. When he got old enough, he had a choice. Turn professional or join the Legion… We all know how that turned out.”
The table fell silent again. Even the rest of the diner was quiet with the only sound coming from the ceiling fan above us. I took another one of Alisa’s fries to distract myself.
“Maybe it was meant to be,” Jade said. “You were the pro who succeeded where he couldn’t.”
“Hmm… I wasn’t much of a pro.”
“But you’re still following in his footsteps, succeeding where he didn’t.”
“…I’m not finished yet…”
Jade gave me a look. A smile. A focused stare. Whatever it was, I knew she meant it. Talking about my dad wasn’t the happiest topic in the world but at least she knew better than to try and push it.
She got up from her seat and put a hand on my shoulder. “Do you mind if I talk to you outside? There’s… something I have to ask you.”
I gave her a nod.
“No hanky panky out in the public, eh?” Alisa called out.
I chuckled as I stepped out of the diner with Jade. Newmire was as quiet and peaceful as always this late past midnight with everybody sleeping. The assholes hiding between the alleys of the broken-down buildings wouldn’t try anything until I moved within range. And even then, they knew better than to mess with someone who wasn’t at least in their sixties.
But Jade was still nervous for some reason. She twisted her fingers around each other, locking her eyes on the sidewalk. “I talked to Tim. I… I told him it was time for me to go. With the money I’m making from the Legion and even this mission now, I can afford to get a place to stay for myself.”
“That’s good, Jade.”
“Good for everybody but Tim. He’s not too happy. And I… I can see where he’s coming from.”
“Jade… You’re gonna have to let him go.”
“I know. It’ll be good for both of us. But I don’t know how to convince him it is. I’m meeting him tomorrow morning to try and talk to him. I was wondering if maybe you could come with me. Maybe a different perspective will help him see this is the right thing to do.”
“Whatever you need.”
She smiled softly. “Thanks.” She suddenly moved toward me and kissed me. Her hands wra
pped gently around my face. I was expecting a quick peck on the lips but she kept her mouth on mine. I didn’t mind. My tongue moved out to wet our kiss and she finally pulled away.
She smiled softly at me. “It’s late. I’m tired and I smell. I’m gonna go home and get some rest.”
I didn’t say anything. I just watched her walk down the street and head toward her apartment building.
Back inside, Alisa was cutting up a quesadilla and dipping it into some salsa. “Jade left already? She didn’t even finish her fruit.”
I plopped back into my seat, exhausted. “You know… Back when I was in training camp for an upcoming fight, I never ate at night. I always went to sleep on an empty stomach. It was the only way I could make weight.”
“Sounds pretty miserable. How’d you have enough energy to fight if you were always starving yourself?”
“Because my opponent starved himself just like me. It was always a fair fight.”
“Well… If I ever step into the ring, I’m going in on a full stomach. I don’t care what weight class they put me in.”
“With the way you’re eating, they might put you…”
Alisa stopped mid-bite just to glare at me. “Careful, Champ. I’m a lady.”
I wanted to say it. The snide remark about her eating habits was trying to get off my tongue. But the satisfaction of getting my point across without saying it was enough for me.
“Alisa… You’re pretty good with that hand cannon back there. A real natural.”
“Oh, shut up!” She rolled her eyes and smiled as she chomped on her quesadilla.
I took her plate of fries for myself to satisfy my hunger before my fatigue could finish me off.
29: Moving On From Moving On
The autumn leaves fell from the trees and landed on the streets in a swirl of orange, red, and yellow. They kept falling until you couldn’t walk a step without hearing the crunch underneath. Nobody ever bothered sweeping them up. They just waited until the winter rains to come wash them away because they had more important things to do. Judging from how broken down most of the buildings in Newmire were, you had to wonder if even the people running this city knew this place existed.