by Riker Kane
She looked around. The tables outside the coffee shop were full but everybody was minding their own business. But Alisa still whispered.
“It’s about Castleberry. He talked to me the other day.”
“The other day? Did you plan on telling me this?”
“I’m telling you now. He asked me if I got a location on you. He knows I’ve been spending time around you. Told him I was trying to get close and get the info. Told him I needed more time.”
“And did he buy it?”
She shrugged. “With a man like him, you never can tell. The guy’s only got one facial expression. I bet if you ripped his skin off, you’d find out he’s just some robot built in an LOD lab.”
“That’s a possibility…”
“He told me he’s coming after you. And he gave me a little more incentive to turn you in.”
Alisa’s focused stare was something I didn’t usually see from her. The blond was always so carefree I knew something was up.
“And how much is this incentive of his?”
“Twenty-five thousand.”
Twenty-five Gs. I couldn’t compete with that. I made an honest living in Newmire and it wasn’t exactly hard to do that. For a moment, I thought that was it. Alisa would take his offer and that’d be the end of it. They’d scoop up all of us and the mission was over.
There was no harm in making sure though.
“You gonna take it?”
Alisa’s eyes narrowed. Her brow furrowed like she was about to blow. “I thought you knew me by now.”
“That’s a lot of money. I couldn’t ask you to turn it down. Even with everything on the line.”
“The money’s important… But I’m already in too deep. I’m with you until the end.”
“Good—”
“As long as we can come to an agreement.”
There’s always a catch. Especially with someone like Alisa.
“What is it now?” I asked.
“I want money.”
“You’re already getting money but if you want twenty-five grand…”
“I don’t need that much. I just want your share. Every mission we finish. It’s a nice chunk of change. We all get the same rewards but I want yours, too.”
Raising her asking price. It was a little strange. But nothing I couldn’t accommodate. Small price to pay to get this done. Whatever it took.
“I don’t know if I can get you Jade’s mission rewards. She’s got debts to pay. But if you want my cash, it’s yours. I would’ve given it to you if you asked nicely.”
“I did ask nicely.” She grinned and put her straw back between her lips.
“You have a way with words.”
“There’s something else I want.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Alisa knew she had me right where she wanted me. I wasn’t in any position to refuse. Might as well keep playing along.
I held my hand out to her. “Yes, your majesty?”
“It’s pretty dull around Newmire. Nothing exciting ever happens. And as you know, fighting in Pandora is dangerous and exhausting. I’d like to take a break.”
“You’re taking a break now.”
“That’s not what I meant. I mean… Really take a break. I want…” Seeing Alisa suddenly so sheepish was weird. Her eyes shifted to the side like she couldn’t look at me straight. “I want you to take me somewhere special. You know, take me out.”
I froze in place. I couldn’t move so I could go over it in my head. Even after thinking about it, I still wasn’t sure I heard her right.
“You mean… like a date?”
She sighed. “You can call it a date if you want. I just want something to make me forget about everything for a moment. I’ve never had a guy treat me special before. I don’t see anybody around. You can do it.”
“Hmm… You know we can’t afford to take too much time off. Not with Castleberry closing in on us. It might have to be after we get to Anarchy.”
“I’m sure you’ll find the time somewhere.”
Alisa wasn’t giving me a choice. But all of her demands were possible. They were better than the alternative, too. She seemed satisfied with our arrangement, sucking on her frap endlessly while she watched the people walk by us.
“One more thing,” she said.
I clenched my jaw to stop myself from jumping up from my seat and flipping the table.
“I need the night off. I’m… I’m really tired. I don’t think I’d be much help to you and Jade if you went in tonight.”
I let out a sigh, grateful her last request wasn’t as crazy as the others. “Get some rest. We’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Champ.”
Alisa didn’t smile as she looked off into the distance. She just silently sucked on her drink while the city walked by.
I sank deeper into my seat with my arms crossed. My eyes started to get heavy. My head started to droop. I was more tired than I expected.
Suddenly, my communicator rumbled and woke me up.
SYNERGY with ENZO DRAKE
Jade Conrad - Level 4: 10% power increase to all abilities
Alisa Bosworth - Level 3: +5 to Speed
After the quick confirmation, I put my head back down and rested in the peaceful ambiance just outside of the coffee shop while Alisa enjoyed her drink.
34: Homestretch
“Let me get this straight. Alisa wants you to take her out on a date?” Jade stared at me, catty eyes narrowed and arms crossed. She was a police detective interrogating me. Her lips were quivering like she was trying to hold back a laugh though.
I put my head down and stared at the small stat boosts I received.
Enzo Drake
Level 36 Slayer
(0 levels available)
Hit Points 100
Endurance 50
Strength 24
Speed 22 (+5 Synergy Bonus)
Durability 18
Control 17
“It’s not a date,” I said. “She just wants to hang out and have a moment. And not one that involves traveling through a dimensional gate and fighting monsters.”
“Hanging out and having a moment. That sounds like a date.”
“Not a date… Why? You jealous?”
Jade didn’t bother holding her smile any longer. Her body shook with a laugh. “Why would I be jealous?” She moved in close enough I could smell her. Some kinda faint perfume on her neck. It was almost enough to distract me from her breath on my cheek. “I’m more than willing to share.” Her whispered words floated into my ear.
For a second, I forgot I was in a dusty storage facility. I knew better than to let a woman make me lose my focus.
Jade pulled away from me, her eyes locked on mine as she sauntered toward the workbench to take care of her staff. Her body was slim but she moved her hips in a way that would’ve made any man stare.
I shook away all of the lingering thoughts she was making me have then headed over to Redgrave. The scientist finished polishing off the gauntlets and stepped away from the table.
“Try them on.”
My hands slipped into the rubbery grip inside and the material tightened around my fingers. The display lit-up blue.
SP-002 SLAYER GAUNTLETS
*Amplified Melee Damage
*Amplified Strength
Added Core Abilities:
Revolver Drill
Swing both gauntlets 360-degrees, hitting targets on all sides
Power Shield
Activate a frontal energy barrier that blocks damage
Seismic Quake
Strike the ground to cause a tremor that stuns all grounded enemies
“I was finally able to apply the Core you gathered from the Sepia Fiend. Another ability has been activated.”
“Should be useful… The Potent Mana?”
He shook his head, a bit of disappointment in his eyes. “It’s proving to be more troublesome than I realized. I don’t have the skill of a crafting e
ngineer, so I’ll need more time. I promise you I won’t stop working until it’s done.”
“I know. We’re not at Anarchy yet. Until then, I think the gauntlets will do. Speaking of which…”
Redgrave and I walked over to the map. The digital display was wide but most of it had been traversed. Only a few lines remained connecting the blinking blue dot to the red one.
“You’re getting closer,” he said. “As you get closer, the fork is starting to thin. You only have two paths to follow.”
“Lay it on me.”
“The Wild White Plains are the first zone. A grassy field. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to traverse, even with the snowfall.”
“Snow… Haven’t been to the mountains since I was a kid. That’ll be something different.”
“Get to the end of the plains and you’ll encounter the Glacier Lion.”
“A lion? That doesn’t sound too dangerous. Something tells me this thing isn’t ordinary.”
“The LOD bestiary can be spotty at times. I can’t offer you any further insight.” He moved his finger to the other path on the map. “Your other option is the Crystalline Flatlands. Flat, earthy terrain that has been frozen from the cold.”
“Wait… Both options are freezing?”
“That’s correct. There’ll be less snowfall but the temperature won’t be any more hospitable. Diamond Demons guard the end of the zone.”
“Diamond Demons? As in more than one?”
He nodded. “They’re not large but a swarm of them could equal the size of any beast you’ve ever faced.”
“Right…”
Jade walked up next to me and examined the map. “Snow or ice. At least the decision is a little easier. What’s your call?”
I stared at the blinking blue dot and the paths leading to the next destination. The truth was, I was only more determined to get where we were going. I could’ve flipped a coin and been fine with it.
“We’re on the homestretch,” I said. “Nothing is gonna be easy. Let’s get going.”
“If I might make a suggestion,” Redgrave said. “The next zone you’ll be traveling to will be quite harsh. I recommend minimizing your time, especially considering it’s only the two of you.”
“Good advice,” Jade added. “No need to hurry.”
Redgrave bowed his head and smiled. “Good luck, Slayer.”
~ ~ ~
The clouds billowed across the sky with only a hint of the sun managing to peek through. The light-blue tint in the air was mostly blocked out by the snowflakes drifting down. There wasn’t enough of them to block my view but there seemed to be no end to it. The grass was covered in a thick layer of powder. Blankets of the soft snow covered the trees in the forests to my sides and behind me. There was nothing but a blank slate in front of me. A bluish-gray horizon that seemed to head toward nothing.
I let out a deep breath and the steam wafted from my mouth. My hand out, I caught some of the flakes on my palm. There was something peaceful about the snowfall. Seeing all of the flakes gently flowing in the breeze and blanketing everything… But damn was it cold.
“Shit. We should’ve been better prepared for this.” My pride wouldn’t have let me back out though. Not when we were only just getting started.
Jade was wearing a pair of jeans and a tank-top. No matter how confident she tried to look, I knew she was cold, too. Her pale skin almost matched her surroundings. And her green eyes seemed that much more striking.
She smirked as she caught some of the snow in her hand. “It’s definitely cold. We should warm ourselves up.”
“Is that right—”
She held an index finger up. “Not in the way you’re thinking. I’m talking about getting to our destination.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” I gave her a wink. Her grin hadn’t left her. But now wasn’t the time for that. “The map says we’re heading the right way. Looks like it’s a straight shot through the plains.” The Wild White Plains were definitely white at least. Now it was time to see if they were wild.
I walked forward then moved into a jog. The synergy bonus I got made me feel even lighter on my feet. The weight of the gauntlets on my hands was barely noticeable. It was like they were a part of me at this point.
Jade and I kicked away the snow, plowing through it without much trouble. The soft wind whistling by me was drowned out by our huffs and puffs.
“This reminds me of road work,” I said.
“Road work?”
“Before a fight, during training camp. You always gotta run. It’s the best way to build your endurance. When you’re going toe-to-toe with a guy, you gotta do everything you can to make sure your gas tank is as big as possible. Haven’t run in a long time.”
“We’ve got bigger fights coming up. We need as much training as we can get.”
“Even with the snow, it’s a lot easier to run.”
“That’s Red Mana for you.”
Jade kept pace with me as we crossed the plains and made footprints in the snow. There was a trail behind us but our surroundings didn’t change much, so it was hard to tell if we’d made any progress. Sweat dripped down my brow and my body warmed despite the bitter cold.
I breathed hard through my nose to keep my focus. Even if we didn’t encounter anything, we wouldn’t get to the end in just a few minutes.
A burst of energy cracked the sky.
Of course, things were never simple in Pandora.
I stopped in my tracks and watched the swirls of white energy form. Jade lowered her staff down and pointed it forward.
“If I’d known we’d be wandering through the snow, I wouldn’t have leveled my Zero Blast. Whatever is waiting for us probably has some resistance.”
“They might be cold but you can always get colder.”
The energy flashed in a blinding light and disappeared in a snap. I stared through the falling snow, searching for whatever it was. Goblins. Lizards. Skeletons. I didn’t find anything.
“You see anything?” I said.
“Nothing but the snow.”
“I saw that energy. There have to be Shadows here—”
The ground rumbled. The snowy grass in front of me began to rise in small divots. The powdery flakes fell off the clumps of grass as clawed white fingers rose from the ground. They dug into the snow and pulled up the rest of the arm attached to it. More of the figures emerged all around me.
“Goblins,” I sighed.
White-scaled creatures stared at me with their empty blue eyes, shimmering like jewels. The claws on the tips of their toes and fingers were sharpened to a piercing point. And their crude stone hatchets and wooden clubs looked dangerous. But these ones were different. They wore some type of leather armor to cover their bellies.
“Armor,” Jade said. “It looks like these guys are serious.”
“Twenty… Twenty-one… Twenty-two… They might be serious but so am I.”
The white goblins circled us. They were waiting just for the right moment.
“How do you want to play this?” Jade asked.
“I always liked going on the offensive. After you.”
I held my hand out to her. She smiled then twirled her staff around. She slammed it into her palm and sent a Solo Spark right at one of the unsuspecting goblins. The massive green fireball was as big as the goblin and consumed it whole.
“Ahhhh!” It screamed in pain before exploding into Mana.
“So much for armor,” I said.
“Gaaaaah!” The goblins yelled and charged in unison with their weapons raised.
“Let’s try this out. Seismic Quake!”
My gauntlets shot up above me then—WHAM—they smashed into the ground so hard the snow went flying up. The plains shook and all of the goblins lost their balance.
“Let’s go!” I dashed forward while they tried to regain their footing. The added speed boost from my synergy meant I covered the distance fast. One goblin got its head knocked off before it could react
. Another took a punch to the jaw. I swung at the nearest goblin and caught it right in its chestpiece.
“Aaaaah!” The armor didn’t provide much protection as the goblin went flying into a couple more trying to regain their balance.
“Set ‘em up… Knock ‘em down!” Jade spun her staff in her arms like she’d been doing it for years. Every blast hit its mark, hitting the goblins in their chests and igniting their whole bodies. Those that managed to survive the burns were easy pickings for me to slam my fists into.
BOOM!
Another burst of white energy filled the sky. I expected more goblins to climb up from the snow and they did. But along with them, white vultures flew down from the sky.
“Buzzards,” I muttered.
“Caw-caaaaw!” A dozen shimmering white birds swooped down and headed right for me. Their white beaks pointed down like long daggers.
“Power Shield!” I raised my gauntlets up to block them just before they got to me. Sharp thunks against my blue barrier made me dig my feet into the snow to hold my place.
“Gaaah!” A goblin swiped with its axe and caught me from behind, digging the dull edge into the back of my leg.
“Dammit,” I grunted and spun around to hammer the goblin with a backfist.
Another goblin came and swung its club at my knee. The hard thud didn’t buckle my leg but damn it didn’t feel good.
“Motherfu—” I leveled it with a right hand that snapped its neck in two.
The vultures circled above to gather for another dive.
“Jade! Get those damn birds!”
She knocked away a nearby goblin with her staff then aimed up. The green energy flowed like smoke and gathered around her tip. She was charging a big one.
The vultures were lowering down, trying to pick their spot so I wouldn’t have time to react. The goblins trying to cut and club me down made it hard for me to focus.
Speed. Power. Those were all good. But nothing beat timing.
The buzzards went into their movement.
“Solo Spark! Now!”
I called it out as soon as I saw it.
Jade grunted and fired. WHOOSH! The fireball bigger than her whole body shot through the sky, ripping through the snowfall and growing big enough to consume the whole flock. The birds moved so fast they couldn’t stop their momentum as they ran right into the flames. Ash and smoke filled the sky as Mana rained down on the snow around me.