by Riker Kane
I stared at the digital scoreboard on the wall as Brooke explained everything to me. My eyes narrowed as I realized what it meant. “Those numbers are in reach,” I said. “I can get to the Apex.”
“It’s possible. But results are weighted depending on the difficulty of your Junction. Otherwise, people would be farming low-level Junctions just to run their numbers up. You should always be fighting at your level for maximum efficiency. Don’t let guys like Rhys get you into thinking this is a competition. We’re all just trying to protect the innocent.”
I gave Brooke a nod. “Doesn’t mean we can’t do both.”
She bit the corner of her lip, holding back a grin but not stopping the dimples from appearing on her cheeks. Her fingers twirled around a few strands of her wavy brown hair as she looked me up and down. “For a new recruit, you’ve got a lot of guts. Not bad. Maybe one day we’ll squad up.”
“Maybe.”
Brooke gave me a wink before turning around and leaving. I watched her walk away and grinned. My smile left me when I turned to Nina. She crossed her arms and gave me a blank stare.
“What?” I gave her a shrug.
“Now isn’t the time to be flirting.”
“I wasn’t flirting. I was just… being friendly.”
“I suppose I can’t blame you. You’re twenty-one. You can’t fight your hormones.”
My eyes narrowed at her. “…How much of my file have you been reading?”
“All of that information is readily available. Everybody has to know who their squadmates are. Speaking of which…”
We turned toward Quentin stomping toward us. He’d barely finished strapping on his armor. His hair was messy and wet like he hadn’t bothered drying off after his shower. In one hand, the remnants of some type of breakfast pastry disappeared into his full cheeks.
“Did I miss anything?” he said with his mouth full.
Nina calmly walked over to the gate next to us and pointed at the display.
Pandora Junction
Level 7
Threat Level: Low
Precautions: Soft Rain, Flying Shadows
Status: Open
“What do you think?” she asked.
I didn’t hesitate in giving her a nod. “Let’s do it.”
17: Is That a Bird?
I held my palm out and caught some of the soft drizzle from the cloudy gray sky. The scene wasn’t as dreary as it could have been though, with the grass and trees as green as ever.
“There.” Nina pointed down toward the valley next to us. The Obelisk resonated half-a-mile away from us.
“Sweet,” Quentin sighed. “A downhill walk.”
“You know, we’re gonna have to walk back uphill after we’re done,” I said.
“But then I won’t have to save my energy. I wanna see what I can do now that I put all my points in speed.”
“Wait a second. Don’t tell me…”
Quentin winked and pointed at me. “Gotcha.”
I rolled my eyes and began my descent into the valley. “Let’s go.”
“Remember. We’re in battle. So it’s code names from here on out.”
Quentin moved by my side while Nina trailed just behind us. The grass was slick underneath my soles but my armored boots sank enough into the soil to keep me stable. I propped my sword over my shoulder and waited for some enemies to run into us.
“The display warned us about flying things,” Quentin said. “What do you suppose that means?”
“I think we’ll find out soon enough.”
I’d only just finished saying it when the air began to thicken right in front of me. The white energy formed like lightning and flashed. A lion burst out and immediately began galloping toward us.
“Time to see what those levels did.” Quentin extended his right arm out. The compartment on his forearm opened up and thick sheets of metal popped out, forming his rectangular shield.
The lion moved closer and leaped into the air.
“Come on!”
Quentin charged with his shield up but the lion suddenly fell to the ground with a roar. The beast was impaled on the grass, one of Nina’s katanas skewering its torso. The blood gushed from its fur down to the grass as the lion flailed. Its life left it quickly and it faded into Mana.
Nina calmly walked up to the katana stuck into the grass and picked it up.
“Nice toss, Rose,” I said.
“Yeah, nice toss, Rose…” Quentin mumbled to himself. I chuckled and patted him on the arm as Nina took her place back behind us.
White energy began to swirl in front of us again. A burst of bright light was followed by the growl of a cat leaping out of the opening.
“Cheetah,” I said. “Fastest thing we’ve fought so far. Let it come to us.”
The cheetah growled to show off its sharp fangs like so many beasts I’d seen before. The black spots on its yellow-golden fur were all a blur as it raced toward us.
“All right,” Quentin said as he raised his metal shield up. “Let me handle this—”
He hadn’t even finished when Nina was already in front of him. Her katana found its way into the cheetah’s mouth, pushing it down its throat so deep it couldn’t even growl. It exploded into Mana and every remnant it might have left behind faded.
“Oh, come on!” Quentin put his hands on his hips. “Seriously? Hey, Soul, you really gonna let her do all the work?”
I gave him a shrug and walked over to collect some of the Mana. “We’re a team. The Great Defenders. It was your idea, remember?”
“We’re not much of a team if the Strider is doing all the work. Stupid Sorting Hat…”
Quentin scratched the top of his head with his armored glove. I looked over at Nina and saw even she was slightly amused.
“The next thing that comes at us,” Quentin said. “Lemme test my durability.”
“Give him what he wants, Rose.”
Nina gave me a nod. “It’s all yours, Q.” She twirled her katanas as she took her place back behind us.
We continued our walk down into the valley toward the Obelisk. Nina continued spinning her blades around, making the wind whistle around her. Quentin stomped on the grass and made divots in the soil. I kept my saber resting against my shoulder as I enjoyed the casual stroll for as long as it lasted.
“It’s weird,” I said. “Not even a week ago, I was sitting in front of a computer monitor. Now I’m out here in the middle of a grassy valley enjoying the drizzle.”
“Sitting in front of a computer, huh?” Quentin said. “What were you doing?”
“I don’t know. Whatever people do on computers.”
“Watching porn, huh?”
“Actually, I wasn’t.”
“Oh, come on, Soul. Don’t tell me you haven’t gotten a little curious.” His armor was thick enough that the nudge he gave me almost knocked me off balance.
“Uh, I don’t think now is the time to be talking about that.”
“Why not? Afraid you’ll offend the lady? Rose doesn’t mind, do you, Rose?”
“Stay focused,” Nina said bluntly.
“Whatever,” Quentin said. “This Junction was a lot easier than I thought it would be. We’re already at the Obelisk.”
The towering, jagged purple stone pulsed softly a few meters away from us. Quentin put his hand up to hold both Nina and me back.
“Lemme run through this thing,” he said. “It’ll be cool watching it shatter in every direction.”
“If that’ll make your day, have at it.” I stepped aside and held my hand out to him.
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about.” Quentin stomped one foot into the ground over and over like a bull getting ready to charge. He raised his shield up in front of him. Destroying the Obelisk wasn’t any challenge, but Quentin made enough of a spectacle of it that I had to laugh.
SCREE!
A thunderous squawk like nothing I’d ever heard before filled my ears. I looked up into the sky and—SCREE—the sq
uawk boomed again, piercing my ears and making me grimace.
“What the hell was that?” Quentin gritted his teeth and turned up toward the cloudy sky.
“There.” Nina pointed straight above us.
I narrowed my eyes and could barely make it out. Something black circled the air, flapping its wings but still too far for me to make out.
“Q, take down the Obelisk already. Rose, start heading back to the gate.”
Quentin quickly followed my orders, dashing toward the Obelisk and shattering it into pieces.
I moved back up the hill with Nina and—SCREE—the piercing squeal was loud enough to shake the ground and make me stumble. I looked up and slowly sat it growing larger. All black, its wings were wide as it flapped over and over.
Quentin rushed up behind us. “What is that thing? Do you think it’s a dragon?”
“Whatever it is, it’s coming right for us—get down!”
I pulled Nina to the grass as the creature shot toward us. Quentin stood in front of us and raised his shield. The beast thunked against his metal shield and knocked him back but he managed to stay on his feet.
“Hey, look at that,” Quentin said. “Durability. Not bad—”
“Look out!” I yelled just as the creature zoomed toward us again. I raised my saber up and slashed at it. I didn’t land clean but just grazing it was enough to make it flap its wings in pain and ascend.
It hovered in the air just above us, finally giving me a chance to get a look at it.
“It’s a… bat,” I said. “A giant bat.”
The thing was the size of a car. It splayed its wings wide with every flap. It was completely black except for the feral yellow eyes locked on us. It opened its mouth to show off glistening sharp fangs long enough to poke through us.
SCREE!
Its squawk made us all of us grimace in pain. I put my hands up to my ears to try and stop the ringing. Even just the wind from its flapping was strong enough to make me unsteady. I kept my eyes open long enough to see it getting ready to dive down on us.
“Shit… What do we do?” Quentin said.
“Shield up!”
Quentin followed my orders just as the bat descended upon us. The creature’s claws scraped the metal of his shield as it tried to take him down.
“Rose! Go!”
Quentin managed to distract it long enough for Nina to take advantage. The redhead ran forward and twirled into the air before thrusting her katanas deep into the bat’s wings. The beast screeched and ended its assault on Quentin’s shield. It ascended back into the air, circling just above us.
“That’s it,” I said. “You got it.”
“It’s still flying around,” Quentin said. “Those katanas are like toothpicks to it.”
“Even a toothpick can be deadly in the right hands.”
“I hope you’ve got a plan for this…”
I watched the creature circling above us. Another screech rang out to remind all of us it was getting ready.
“Soul,” Nina said. “The Obelisk is destroyed. We can leave and close the Junction.”
The bat circled around, moving toward the gate in the distance.
“I don’t think it’ll let us,” I said. “The only way out is through it… So that’s exactly where we’re going to head.”
“You got a plan now?” Quentin said.
“I’ll draw its attention.”
“Uh, are you sure about that? I’m the Vanguard, remember?”
“And I’m squad leader. Just trust me.”
“I got your back.”
“Rose, use Q’s shield. Get as high as you can.”
“Use his shield?” She arched an eyebrow at me.
“You’ll know it when you see it. On my mark.”
I ran up the hill as fast as I could with Nina and Quentin in tow. We ascended up toward the plateau, getting closer to the gate and the bat in the process. I watched it begin to fly lower to the grass toward us.
“That’s it… Just a little closer… Right where I need you to be…”
The bat continued its descent, circling closer and closer toward us. I gritted my teeth through another loud squeal. My grip tight around my saber, I waited until the bat was close enough.
“Q! Get down! Shield up!”
Quentin fell to a knee and raised his shield over his head.
“Rose! Go for it!”
She hesitated as she looked at Quentin. But her hesitation lasted only a split-second before she raced toward him.
I ran forward with my saber up to draw the bat’s attention. It bared its fangs and shot toward me with its claws aimed right at my head.
“Come on!”
Nina leaped toward Quentin’s shield and dug her heels into it before bouncing into the air. She twirled through the sky with both katanas extended and managed to sink both of them into one of the bat’s massive wings. The creature shrieked as it struggled to break free from her. But she was relentless, tugging on it until it lowered to the grass.
“Q! Now!”
Quentin charged forward with his shield down. Nina leaped away just as he slammed into the bat. He hit the beast like a battering ram, sending its giant frame flying toward me. I pressed my soles into the grass and thrust forward, sinking my saber into the center of its body. There was no resistance as the tip of my blade punctured its leathery black flesh. Up next to me, the bat’s deafening cries made me fall to my knees.
“Come on! Rose!”
I gritted my teeth and shut my eyes, keeping my grip tight around the hilt as I pushed the blade forward. Nina leaped and stabbed her katanas into the bat’s head. Its body exploded and the blood evaporated, replaced by a shower of colorful Mana in every direction.
The weight of the bat gone, I pulled my saber away. Nina fell to the grass on her feet.
“The Great Defenders, baby! Yeah!” Quentin pumped his fist in the air and danced around the orbs of Mana surrounding us.
Nina brushed away her bangs. Underneath the sweat, there was a look of relief in her eyes accompanied by a satisfied smile.
“That was a bit of a challenge,” she said.
“None of us are injured but that was harder than the other Junctions.”
“Maybe you should level up a bit.”
“I think it’s gonna take more than a few levels… I have to do something else.”
18: The Drawing Board
The chiseled cheekbones. The neatly coiffed brown hair. The mustache trimmed with precision. Even the way he stood, he managed to make his chest look puffed out without actually doing it. I had to remind myself Captain Hamilton was actually an Omega capable of taking down high-level Junctions and not an arrogant instructor.
“Humility. It takes a strong person to admit their own shortcomings. I respect that.”
A knowing smirk curled onto the corner of his lips. He put his hands behind his back and nodded before walking toward the display at the side of the Drill Room.
I stood at the side of the room with Brian, Douglas, and Paige next to me. The other Cavaliers all watched patiently as he began swiping his fingers over the display.
“Thrust. Slash. Parry.” Hamilton held up a finger for every word he said. “No matter what enemy you face, those are the three moves everything else you do will be based upon. But Private Aldridge poses an interesting question. How does a Cavalier deal with a flying beast? Parries might be effective when it swoops down and aims its claws at you. But thrusts and slashes will do you no good when it circles the skies.”
Hamilton slid his fingers over the display and a screech filled the room. I looked up toward the ceiling and saw a large hawk flapping its wings. I wasn’t as alarmed as I could have been, since the creature was all blue and transparent. The digital hawk circled up above the Drill Room.
“How do to deal with a flying enemy?” Hamilton drew his sword. “The most obvious way. Go up and meet it.”
He walked a few steps forward and crouched to a knee. Suddenly, he sto
od up and propelled himself more than a dozen meters in the air like jumping off a trampoline. He straightened his body out and stuck his blade up toward the hawk, piercing it just as it circled above him. The digital beast screeched before fading away.
Hamilton fell back to the ground as quickly as he leaped, showing no signs of harm.
“Whoa…” Brian muttered. He ran his hand through his shaggy hair like he couldn’t believe what he just saw. Douglas twisted his brow in confusion. Paige’s eyes were wide and filled with excitement.
“Upper Thrust,” Hamilton said. “Good for dealing with those pesky flying enemies above you. It takes a great deal of precision to land it though. What other options do you have?”
Hamilton moved back to the tablet at the side of the Drill Room and programmed it. Another giant digital hawk appeared and circled above.
“Maybe the terrain makes it impossible to leap into the air.” Hamilton tossed his saber up next to his head then caught it before quickly hurling it like a javelin. The hawk screeched as it took the blade through the neck before fading into nothing. The saber spun through the air and Hamilton moved to meet it. Watching him catch it by the hilt was just as impressive as his throw.
“Saber Throw,” he said. “You’re not a Strider but you can make your weapon as fast as one.”
He moved back toward the tablet at the side of the room and brought up another hawk.
“Now consider you’re not able to throw your weapon out of fear of having to defend yourself from other adversaries around you. Maybe you don’t trust your precision to land an Upper Thrust.”
He jumped into the air and tightened into a ball. He twirled around so fast, his saber looked like fan blades as he moved to the hawk. He rolled in the air toward the hawk, end over end, with his sword twirling in every direction before turning the hawk into digital dust. His enemy defeated, Hamilton untucked himself and landed on his feet. His saber found its way back onto his hip in one smooth motion.