Reaper

by Janet Edwards

  “It does,” I agreed.

  “I ended up dying horribly, and it was unbelievably painful. All of us who were obsessive gamers had similar experiences, and some sensibly decided to concentrate on different things after that, like socializing with the other players. They said there was no point in fighting monsters if you didn’t gain any treasure, or flashy weapons and armour that other people didn’t have. I was stubborn, and found the idea of socializing even more frightening than being eaten by lions, so I started learning to use a sword properly.”

  He grinned, and moved his eyebrows up and down suggestively. “Now would you like to fight another battle bear, or shall I demonstrate my skill with a large weapon?”

  “I’d like the demonstration.”

  Hawk did the routine of holding up his right hand and summoning Durendal by name.

  “Why do you summon Durendal like that,” I asked. “You just drew the one-handed sword from its sheath.”

  Hawk spoke in heroic tones. “Because this is no ordinary blade. This is Durendal, and it was bathed in the life blood of the Kraken!”

  He dropped the dramatic act and returned to using his normal voice. “Because you carry the sheath for a two-handed sword on your back. Drawing the sword in a hurry is tricky, and several people sliced their own necks doing it, so the Game Techs put the voice command thing in to stop them whining.”

  I gurgled with laughter.

  “Durendal is just a standard, two-handed sword. I requested a customized hand grip, but other than that it’s no different from the weapons any beginner in Game can have.”

  He paused. “Now what would you like me to fight for you? How about a tyrannosaurus rex?”

  I forced an eager smile. “I’d love to watch you fighting the Kraken.”

  “The Kraken!” Hawk stared at me. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”

  “You know I had an image of your solo fight with the Kraken on the wall of my room back in real life,” I said. “Actually being in Game and watching you fight it would be an incredible experience.”

  Hawk scratched his right ear, looking nervous. “All the chasing round after the Reaper has made me miss a lot of training sessions, so I’m not at peak fitness. I need every tiny advantage I can get to stand a chance of killing the Kraken. You’re sure you don’t want to settle for me killing a dinosaur?”

  I listened uneasily to his excuses. “If you could at least try to fight the Kraken, it would make today perfect for me.”

  Hawk sighed. “You’re a hard woman to please, Jex.” He looked around the grassy landscape. “I think the sea is this way.”

  He led the way, and I followed unhappily. Hawk had been saying exactly what Nathan had said earlier. Hawk the Unvanquished didn’t really win every fight. If he lost to the Kraken within the first few minutes, that might mean he was the Reaper, or it might just mean that he hadn’t been lucky this time. I needed a definite answer here, both for the safety of Celestius and for my own peace of mind.

  We reached a small cliff top, and stopped to look down at the waves crashing in on a rocky shore. Hawk’s face took on a grim expression. “Game command. Creature request. Named opponent. Kraken.”

  The shoreline below us changed. The rocks at the edge of the sea turned from grey to black, and then tripled in size. The beach itself turned to a flat expanse of shale.

  “Jex, you should stay on this cliff top outside the combat area,” said Hawk. “The Kraken anchors itself to the rocks when it’s fighting, to prevent it being dragged onto the land. It won’t come anywhere near you.”

  I nodded.

  He took a deep breath. “Wish me luck.”

  “I do,” I said. “I really do.”

  I surrendered to my emotions, and reached up to give Hawk a brief kiss on the lips. He grinned at me in response, and then turned to walk along a narrow path down to the beach. As he arrived, something large surfaced in the sea, with great, green, saucer-like eyes. The Kraken had awakened and was studying its opponent.

  Hawk adjusted his grip on Durendal to hold it firmly with both hands, and then shouted out to sea.

  “Lord of the waves, I challenge you!”

  The Kraken responded by moving slowly in towards the shore. Two huge tentacles wrapped themselves round the larger rocks, while its bulbous body moved into the shallow water, and the six remaining tentacles readied themselves to attack.

  Hawk was moving now, a tiny figure compared to the bulk of the Kraken. He darted in amongst the tentacles, weaving to and fro between them, slashing at them with the two-handed sword before jumping back to safety. I’d watched the replays of him doing this dozens of times, but it was very different standing here on the cliff top, with the sound of the Kraken’s piercing screeches in my ears, and the sea wind blowing the cold, salt spray into my eyes.

  This was no replay, there was no guaranteed outcome, and I could see what a deadly dance this was. One mistake, one slip, one error of judgement, and the Kraken would have Hawk in its grasp. I was counting seconds now. With each one that went by, it was more likely that it was genuinely Hawk fighting on that beach.

  My count reached one minute, and then two. I could see the Kraken’s tentacles were bleeding in a dozen places, oozing thick greenish-black blood onto the beach. That was good because the blood loss would weaken and slow the Kraken. That was bad because the Kraken’s blood could seep through gaps in a player’s armour and burn their skin.

  The silver clad figure on the beach was working doubly hard now, dodging both the attacking tentacles and the toxic pools of blood that had collected among the rocks. I was still counting seconds. After Hawk defeated the Kraken solo, all the best hunters in Game had studied the replays and tried to match the feat themselves. Many of them had died in seconds, a few dozen had made it to the three minute mark, but no one had lasted longer than five.

  When my count reached three minutes, I was almost certain it was Hawk on that beach. In another two minutes, I’d be absolutely sure. I was chanting the seconds aloud now, my words barely audible above the Kraken’s cries, but I broke off as I saw Hawk stumble on a loose rock. He staggered, fell, rolled sideways to escape one lashing tentacle, only to have another beating down at him.

  I held my breath, thinking he’d lost the fight at that point, but Hawk lay on his back, stabbing upwards with Durendal, and cut deep into the threatening tentacle. As it recoiled, he rolled sideways again to miss a cascade of lethal blood, and was back on his feet an instant later.

  I’d lost track of the seconds now, but I didn’t care about the time any longer. I couldn’t believe that anyone but Hawk could have come that close to disaster in a combat with the Kraken and managed to recover. I was jubilant now, cheering every time Hawk inflicted another wound on the Kraken, yelling encouragement that he couldn’t possibly hear.

  The battle continued for what seemed like an endless time. I could see that Hawk was tiring, each thrust of Durendal was visibly more difficult, but the Kraken was weakening too. Then the pattern of the combat changed. Hawk was feigning attacking moves but not following them through.

  I’d seen this before in the replays of his last fight with the Kraken. The long attrition fight had achieved its purpose, the movements of the Kraken’s tentacles were far slower now, and Hawk was waiting for the right moment to take the huge gamble of committing himself to the final attack.

  That moment came as a tentacle swung low across the rocks. Hawk didn’t dodge this time, but leapt forward to land on the suckered skin. He stabbed down at it with Durendal, and the tentacle drew back in pain, carrying him upwards to the vast bulk of the Kraken’s head. Poised there precariously, Hawk raised his sword and thrust it dagger like into the nearest eye of the Kraken. Not into the centre, but diagonally into the corner, where the massive blade could reach the Kraken’s brain.

  The Kraken reeled backwards, screeching and tentacles flailing, sending Hawk crashing down on to the beach. He lay there motionless, as the Kraken’s tentacles folded in l
ike a dead spider and it sank under the waves.

  I ran down the path to the beach, screaming Hawk’s name, and saw him lift his head. He struggled to his feet, and I threw myself at him.

  “Hawk, you’re alive!”

  Chapter Thirty-three

  “It was a stupid idea,” said Hawk, lounging in a chair and grinning at me. “When the Reaper changed himself into a player, he didn’t know that I’d defrosted. He wouldn’t have tried to take my place in Game when he thought I was still there myself.”

  I adjusted the single shoulder strap of my ankle length, silk dress, which glittered silver with hints of blue. I was getting ready for Cassandra’s promised party to welcome me to Celestius and formally present me to the family.

  For the last ten days, Cassandra had only been making the vaguest of comments about this party, saying it took a very long time to organize these things properly. Yesterday, I’d called her to say I was in an exclusive relationship with Hawk. Strangely enough, she’d immediately told me that everything was ready for the party to happen this evening. Of course Cassandra was a close friend of Hawk.

  “The Reaper could easily have discovered you’d left Game,” I said. “He’d have been watching your every move because you were leading the players’ investigation. He could have got suspicious because you’d stopped making broadcasts, or spotted a clue in one of the reports. After that, he just had to try tracking your identity number to confirm that you weren’t in Game any longer.”

  I still wasn’t sure if I was happy with my dress. Cassandra and Hawk had said that I should wear whatever I liked, but Celestius would probably have its own unique traditions for party clothes, and I wanted to fit in with the other Founder Players.

  “All right,” said Hawk, “it was perfectly reasonable for you to be worried the Reaper might have taken my place, but you only needed to ask me a few questions to prove I was me.”

  I wove a strand of sapphires through my feathered hair, and studied the effect in a wall mirror. “Asked you what exactly? What question could I ask where I was totally sure that you knew the answer, but the Reaper didn’t? A question where there was no chance of him guessing the right answer? If you thought that I was the Reaper, what would you ask me?”

  Hawk considered this. “Point.”

  I pinned a sapphire flower to the strap of my dress. “Is this neckline too revealing?”

  “Not in my opinion.”

  I frowned at my reflection. This dress was supposed to cling to me, but was it clinging too much? I reminded myself that my mother thought it was perfect for me, and she was an expert on clothes.

  “Anyway, it was definitely worth killing the Kraken.” Hawk had a sickeningly smug look on his face. “The way you ran down to that beach and threw yourself at me was unforgettable.”

  I sighed. This must be about the hundredth time that Hawk had said that.

  “I’m not saying that it couldn’t have been even better,” he added. “You’d probably have taken things a lot further if you hadn’t known a whole team of Game Techs were spying on us, and I’d have been in a better state to enjoy it if I hadn’t just been knocked senseless by a tentacle, but it was still a glorious moment.”

  I sighed again. “I was a little relieved that’s all. There’s no need to keep gloating about it.”

  “I’ve been watching the replays,” said Hawk happily. “I’ve seen the look on your face. You love me. You’ve met Michael, but you still love me. That’s amazing.”

  I was tempted to throw a cushion at him, but I was in a good mood. Not quite as odiously cheerful a mood as Hawk was in, but still a pretty good mood. We’d made no progress on finding the Reaper, but we’d proved he wasn’t Hawk, and that was enough for me right now.

  “I’m ready,” I said.

  Hawk bounced to his feet and put his arm round me. “Game command. Request group teleport to the Grand Ballroom.”

  There was the usual moment of disorientation as we swapped location, and then I took in my surroundings and blinked. “I thought the Grand Ballroom would be a grand room.”

  “Originally it was,” said Hawk, “but the Game Techs have given Celestius a whole series of improvements over the centuries. Somewhere along the way, the Grand Ballroom lost its roof, and turned into a dancing lawn surrounded by formal flowerbeds. After all, there was no need for a roof when we can ask the Game Techs to make the weather warm and dry. Since then, a whole series of extra garden areas have been added until it’s a bit of a maze.”

  “I see what you mean.”

  We were standing at the top of a flight of steps, which led down to a huge flat area of grass. Around it were a random scattering of tables and chairs, while a host of paths led off into the surrounding gardens. I could glimpse marbled columns, fountains, and statues dotted among the trees and flowerbeds. In the far distance, the evening sunlight glittered on the surface of a lake.

  There were a lot of Founder Players sitting in the seats around the edge of the dancing lawn. As Hawk took my arm, and we started walking down the steps, they all turned their heads to look in our direction. I instinctively tensed and stopped moving.

  “Relax,” said Hawk. “Everything should be very peaceful at the start. We’ll just be exploring the gardens and chatting to a few people.”

  I forced myself to carry on walking down the steps at his side. “What happens later?”

  “At sunset, there’ll be fireworks. After that, Cassandra will formally present you to the family. The dancing will start when the triple moons rise, and carry on all night.”

  “The night on Celestius is only two hours long.”

  “Normally it’s only two hours long,” said Hawk, “but on party nights the sun doesn’t rise until we’re ready to go home. Our record party night was forty-five hours long, but that was because Fleur finally agreed to marry Helios about seventeen hours into the party. Everyone thought it would be a wonderful idea to carry straight on with holding the wedding. Well, everyone except Hercules, and I threw him in the lake.”

  We reached the lush green grass of the dancing lawn. I looked anxiously round at the Founder Players, studying their clothes, and was stunned by the assortment of styles. The women wore outfits ranging from tasteful white cascading drapes to garish metallic clothes that flashed in different colours. There were some men in highly functional armour, others in luxurious silks and velvets, and a few wearing the kilts that were popular on worlds like Highland and Jacobite.

  Hawk laughed at the stunned expression on my face. “I told you there was no need to worry about your clothes. Everyone wears whatever they like at these parties. I stick to wearing chain mail and carrying Durendal, because I prefer to be armed when I’m near Hercules.”

  He paused. “Actually, when I look at the family in their party gear, I can see the point of the formal dress code for our meetings at the Amphitheatre.”

  Cassandra walked across the grass to join us. She was wearing a sari that had strands of gold running through its deep red material, and her long dark hair was tumbling loose around her shoulders.

  “Jex, welcome to your first party on Celestius. Your dress is beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “My mother helped me choose it. She’ll be delighted to hear that you liked it.”

  “We’re expecting all but one of the family to be here to meet you,” added Cassandra.

  “All but one?” Hawk raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean Marcus is having one of his sociable spells?”

  Cassandra nodded, turned towards me, and spoke rapidly in confidential tones. “Chiron is consistently troubled to an extent that he can’t be permitted to leave his castle, but he’s always pleased to have visitors. Marcus goes through a cycle of behaviour. He locks himself away for a long time, not answering calls or accepting any visitors, but then there’ll be a period where he wants to talk to people and is willing to control his behaviour. During those times, we try to include him in family gatherings.”

  She raised her
voice back to normal speech levels. “Jex, I’d suggest you meet Marcus relatively early in the evening, since he may become in urgent need of a rest at any time. I’m sure Hawk will be there to ... introduce you.”

  “Oh yes,” said Hawk. “I’ll be around to give Jex any ... introductions she needs. I assume you’re arranging the usual rota of people to keep an eye on Marcus. I’m sorry I can’t help this time.”

  “Of course I expect you to stay at Jex’s side this evening,” said Cassandra. “Thor, Pendragon, and Ulysses will be keeping an eye on Marcus.”

  She smiled at me, then walked away to join the bulky, blond-haired, figure of Thor. I turned to Hawk, and caught him looking round with a harried expression.

  “What’s the matter? Marcus isn’t that bad is he? Surely I’ll be safe with Hawk the Unvanquished guarding me.”

  Hawk rubbed his forehead. “I’m not worried about physical attacks, from Marcus or anyone else. I’m just concerned what the family may say to you.”

  We walked on across the grass, and followed one of the paths into the gardens. The heavy, sweet scent of lavender hit me, and I saw that miniature, purple flowered hedges lined the path. Insects flew busily between the flowers, and a hummingbird swooped low past my shoulder.

  “You mean that you’re worried what Hercules may say to me,” I said, “but you shouldn’t be. Cassandra’s messaged all the Founder Players to tell them I’m in an exclusive relationship with you. If Hercules starts telling me malicious things about you, I just have to tell Cassandra that he’s trying to cause trouble between us, and the wrath of the Sisterhood would descend on him.”

  “That’s true.” Hawk looked more cheerful now.

  “What would the Sisterhood do to Hercules anyway?”