Protector

by Sam Ryder

  “How many points do I have?” I asked.

  “Three-hundred,” she answered immediately. “Right now, you are hovering around two-eighty. A little more sleep will get you back to full strength. Or a quick dip in an ooze bath.”

  “But the ooze doesn’t do anything for you?”

  She shook her head. “Our life meters are more resistant than yours. Dying is a slow process. Almost impossible for our kind.” Except when demons rip out your hearts, I thought. She continued. “Our meters fluctuate, just like yours. Certain things help—like sex, for example.”

  Now that was a surprise but explained a lot. I thought they were using their valuable energy when they rewarded me for leveling up. But they apparently got a benefit out of it too, almost like Vrill and the Lri Ay who used intimacy for rejuvenation.

  Before I could develop the plans for a massive Warrior/goddess orgy to save their lives, however, Minertha clarified the point. “The effect is minimal. We might gain a life point or two at most. Without our hearts, the trend will forever be down.” She didn’t need to finish the thought, because it seemed to whisper in my ears: Until we reach zero.

  This was all very interesting, but she still hadn’t answered my original question. “Where is Airiel’s life meter right now?” I thought it must surely be below one hundred at this point, maybe even lower. The last ten percent of her life.

  I was dead wrong.

  “Seven,” Minertha said.

  No. I couldn’t speak because I didn’t have words. I knew things were dire, but I figured the Three had survived for years before I arrived on this planet and they would survive for years after I was long gone.

  But seven?

  “You asked,” Minertha said, and I finally understood why the Three goddesses were so secretive. They were scared. Saying things like this out loud made it feel so much more real.

  “I know, I just didn’t expect…”

  “What, human?” Persepheus spat, reverting back to the vicious tone that made one feel utterly insignificant.

  “Nothing. I’m just…I’m so sorry.” I was. I didn’t know Airiel that well, but I could tell she cared about more than herself, despite the fact it was she who was dying.

  “Your pity does nothing,” Persepheus said, and though her words were harsh, they were also true.

  “I’m going to fix this,” I said. “But I need to know what seven means in real life. How many Blacks? What can I do?”

  Persepheus huffed out a laugh, got up, and left. I didn’t blame her. Declaring I was going to fix something that had been unfixable for a hundred plus years was the equivalent to promising to lasso the twin suns and weaponize them against the Morgoss. Minertha, however, was more understanding. And helpful. “Typically, our life meters wouldn’t go down seven points in seven years,” she said, which would’ve given me hope except for the but I sensed at the end of the statement. “But without our hearts, our lives slip away faster. Much faster. The decline also seems to accelerate toward the end.”

  I could tell she was avoiding giving me details. Details I needed. “Min, I’m sorry, but…please. How long?”

  She shrugged, an expression of utter loss on her face. “I can only guess. Airiel’s life meter dropped from fourteen to seven in less than thirty Blacks.”

  Shit. At most she had a month, and our forces were still years away from being strong enough for a direct assault on Annakor to recover the goddesses’ hearts. But Airiel needed her heart now. More like yesterday. I needed to know something. The answer would determine the decision I made right here, right now. “Is it too late?” Min scrunched up her face and I could tell she didn’t really understand the cryptic question, which was as clear as a sunrise in my mind. I clarified: “If Airiel got her heart back right now, would she make a full recovery?”

  “Even I can’t answer that,” Min said, a hint of sadness in her tone. “But I am hopeful. Yes. I think she would.”

  That was good enough for me. “Where can I find it?”

  “Sam…” My name on her lips sounded so much less ordinary than it was.

  “Just tell me. Please.”

  “The Morgoss are not foolish. They’ve separated the three hearts. That way all cannot be recovered in a single fell swoop. We can sense their locations. It’s not a perfect art, but I know mine is deep beneath Annakor.”

  “Like where I found the Boomerang of Drith?”

  She laughed without mirth. “If only it was that easy.”

  Easy? I’d almost died half a dozen times on that mission. “So deeper.”

  She nodded. “Humans have a concept called Hell, right?”

  I didn’t like where this was going. “Yes. According to many of our religions, it’s the place where the evil and wicked go to burn for eternity.”

  “Think that,” she said. “Only a hundred times worse.”

  Great. “I’ll be sure to bring a fire extinguisher. Where is Airiel’s heart?”

  This time, Minertha answered my question directly. “The top of Annakor,” she said. This time, I didn’t need clarification. She didn’t mean one of the upper floors. She meant the very top. The tower’s apex.

  Before I ran off and did something crazy, I needed the facts I was still missing. “What does your life meter read right now?” I asked. I needed to know what I was working with, whether I had time to focus on saving Airiel.

  “Don’t worry about—”

  “Min.” I stepped toward her and hugged her. At first, she stiffened, some kind of a defense mechanism, but then her rock-hard body melted into my arms. She didn’t cry, but she did breathe deeply into my chest for a long time.

  Finally, she said, “Fifty-eight

  I breathed out, my lungs aching. I’d been holding my own breath while she’d been refilling hers. I was decent at math, but even if I hadn’t been, I could’ve done the remedial-math calculation in my head in less than a second. She might have a year, if she was lucky. More likely eight to nine months. Two hundred fifty to three hundred Blacks.

  “And Persepheus?”

  “Fuck you, Protector,” Persepheus’s voice rang from the other room. Followed by: “Eighty-eight.”

  Slightly better, but still bad. Very bad. A year at the most. After surviving years, decades, without their hearts, the Three were dying. All of them. Less than a year to live. Maybe even less than half a year, depending on how quickly the drop in life points accelerated.

  I only had one more question to ask. “My war hammer…it was changed by the Syrene’s pool. It…came…when I called it.”

  “Yes,” Minertha said. There was no surprise in her response.

  “It is an artifact now?” A nod, her captivating brown eyes locked on mine. “And I am the true bearer?” Translation: Are you going to steal it from me in my sleep and hoard it away in these caves for goddesses know how long?

  “Yes, Sam Ryder. You are the true bearer. Use this weapon wisely.” With that, she rose onto her tiptoes, craned her neck back, and kissed my lips.

  She pulled back.

  “I will,” I said.

  I thought of one more thing, though I felt like a creep asking. I had to, however, because even a few days could make all the difference. “Can I help add a point or two to Airiel’s life meter?” Don’t give me that look. Yes, I was asking if I could fuck her. I swear I wasn’t offering because she was mega-hot, a Victoria’s Secret model with real wings rather than fake ones. I wasn’t interested in pleasure right now. I just wanted to give the goddess of the sky a chance. A hope.

  “Yes, you can do that,” Min said. “She’s in the next room. I will wake her.”

  ~~~

  I didn’t make her do anything. I took care of everything. She made a soft sound of pleasure when I finished, her back arching slightly where she lay in a nest of blankets.

  She opened her lips as if to say something, but I put my own lips against them to keep her from speaking. She needed to save every last ounce of strength. She kissed me back, softly, w
eakly.

  Min had been watching the entire time, and when I stood up her expression was full of tenderness. She answered the question mark in my eyes. “One point,” she said. “I’m sorry, but she is so weak. Still, you may have bought her another few days.”

  It was better than nothing. I looked back at Airiel, but she was already asleep again.

  And then I left, using the hidden exit that only opened from the inside.

  It was time to plan a mission. And this time Beat was coming with me.

  ~~~

  I told Beat everything the goddesses had told me. Eve too. Even our Finder wasn’t aware of how bad Airiel’s condition was, though she had suspected as much. I didn’t purposely withhold the information from the others, but they didn’t need to know right now. They needed to stay focused on training and surviving, especially the latest two rounds of newbs.

  “I’m coming with you,” Beat said, although I hadn’t even said anything about a mission. She knew me too well.

  “I wouldn’t try to stop you if I had an entire army,” I said.

  “Good, because even that couldn’t stop me.”

  Eve said, “I should come too. You will need experienced fighters in the legendary tower.”

  “No,” I said immediately. When she frowned, I explained. “You are the only Finder. You are the backup plan. If we don’t make it, you can continue to gather new recruits and carry out our plans to build an army. With the refortified ward shields, you’ll still have a chance to protect the other two goddesses.”

  “You said it yourself,” Eve said. “Minertha and Persepheus don’t have long either. If you’re not successful, there won’t be anything left to protect.”

  “If we don’t return with Airiel’s heart, you have my blessing to mount a second mission into Annakor to retrieve all three of the hearts. But please, don’t fight me on this. This is my decision as the one and only Protector.”

  Eve breathed in deeply, and I could almost see the words serenity now, appearing in a thought bubble over her head. But then she nodded. “Stay safe, Protector. You’ve given us a little bit of hope for the first time in a long time. Come back to us.”

  Coming from Eve, those words made my eyes water. Just a little. “I promise I will do everything in my power to return.”

  “Saps,” Beat said, though I could tell her eyes had grown misty too. “Don’t worry, I’ll babysit him. Again.”

  I chuckled. I felt instantly better knowing Beat would be by my side.

  “What am I—some kind of leper?” a voice said from without the hut we’d hunkered down in for our clandestine meeting. Lace prowled inside, her tail switching from side to side. “I feel like I never get an invite to these exclusive events.”

  I felt bad. I hadn’t purposely excluded her, or Millania for that matter, but I’d needed input from Beat and Eve before I informed anyone else of the plans. Now that I’d gotten it, however, there was no reason to hide things.

  As it turned out, I never had in the first place, because Lace’s super keen ears had picked up most of it. “You’re not leaving me behind again,” she said before I could get in a single word.

  That was not part of the plan. “I need you here. You’re the most experienced Warrior and we have an entire camp full of newbs.”

  She rolled her sharp, feline eyes. “Riiiight. Now you need me. Last time I checked, you put Beat in charge. I have a better idea: Why don’t you stay here and I’ll lead the dangerous mission. That way I get Leveled-up when I return.”

  I should’ve known. With Lace it was always about what served her the most. “Lace, I’m the Protector and I’ve made my decision.”

  “Try to stop me.” It wasn’t a bad tactic. Beat had used it once and I’d given in. But this time I had a bunch of other Warriors to think about.

  “Please, Lace. I need you to do this. I need you to hold down the camp while I’m gone. Lead the Warriors into battle for as many Blacks as it takes. Protect the wards.”

  Another voice interrupted before Lace could eat my face off. “I’ll do it.” The voice was soft and familiar, but the tone had changed. There was steel in that voice.

  Millania stepped inside, stooping to avoid hitting the top of the frame. She rose back to full height once inside, the ceiling angled to a point. Her willowy form stood before us, her small chest puffed out. She held her trident in her sea-green fingers. I waited for her to speak. I owed her that much for everything she’d done to help our cause.

  “I will fill in as Protector while you are gone,” she started. Apparently Lace wasn’t the only one with keen hearing. How many of the others had been eavesdropping on our not-so-private conversation? I was beginning to regret not telling everyone at once.

  “I appreciate the offer,” I said, “but—”

  She cut me off, which was so un-Millania-like it made me really sit up and listen. “I have sat back and been a good soldier,” she said. “Now I want to be an important soldier.” I started to speak, to tell her she already was important, but she stopped me with a raised hand. To be honest, I was shocked at the change in her. She commanded attention. Confidence. Working with the newbs had changed her. Turned her into a leader. I hadn’t been around enough to see the transformation, but I saw it now.

  “When I first arrived here,” she continued, “I went through the motions. This was another misadventure in my meaningless life. I was used to bad things happening. Fighting monsters on a nightly basis? Big deal. I’d been fighting a different kind of monster my entire life.” I was learning more about her from this one monologue than I’d learned in the weeks since she’d arrived and survived the Circle. I wanted to ask her what kinds of monsters she was referring to but knew that was her story to tell if she chose. “But over time, this became my fight, my cause. It matters to me like nothing else ever has.” I understood. She didn’t mean protecting the Three, who she’d had very limited time with. She meant protecting our other Warriors. Still, I could sense she felt the goddesses’ power in her bones the same way I felt it. Without them, this planet would crumble, transforming into a place without anything but monsters and fear. At least now, we had a chance to turn things around. A slim chance, but still.

  “Let me do this,” she said. “Take Lace and Beat with you. The new Warriors are strong, capable. Floot, Guz and Jak are already capable Warriors. And Asfandiar—”

  “You rang?” the Spartacus-like Warrior said as he stepped through the door. I felt like just pushing the hut walls over. They were pointless anyway and I was pretty sure all the new recruits were standing just outside listening through them.

  “Asfandiar is extremely capable,” Millania said. Did the green skin on her cheeks darken slightly or were my eyes playing tricks? Was she…blushing? I had a feeling his ‘capabilities’ involved more than just fighting monsters. He’d only been here a couple days and he was already bedding Millania? I couldn’t judge the guy; I’d done much the same after my arrival. Vrill and I had gotten busy just before my first real Black.

  All eyes shifted to me for a decision. Even Lace looked interested to hear what I had to say, her cat ears angling in my direction.

  Sometimes being leader sucked.

  But this wasn’t one of those times. I was spoiled. I had a plethora of support, more than I probably deserved. “Okay,” I said. “Millania is in charge while we’re gone. Beat, Lace and I leave after the next Black.”

  “And me?” Eve asked, her eyebrows arched. I’d surprised her again, something that was usually hard to do.

  “Bring us Warriors. We have an army to build.”

  FIFTEEN

  OFFENSIVE

  It was strange leaving camp again so soon. Each of the past two times I’d left with only one companion. The last time I’d returned alone. Now we were a squad of three—and had one tail more.

  And a fine tail it is, I thought, unable to avert my eyes as Lace took the lead.

  “Stop looking at my ass,” she said, which made me check whether
she had eyes in the back of her head.

  Beat chuckled. “Was she talking to you or me?”

  It was comments like that that made me wonder which way my hulked-up wonder woman swung, but at this point I was too embarrassed to ask. I was thinking both ways, which seemed more common than not amongst the females on Tor.

  In any case, the brief moment of levity helped dampen the gravity of our situation. If this mission failed, Airiel was dead. Finished. No more cocoons. Which meant no more leveling up. Well, eventually. Luckily, the sky goddess had had the forethought to create a decent supply, but eventually that would be gone, especially with all the new recruits Eve would be bringing in.

  Without new Warriors, it would be game over.

  So yeah, we had a lot of responsibility resting on our shoulders.

  “Should we sing ‘Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall’ or something?” Beat asked. “Time will go faster, I think.”

  “I think Lace will strangle us before we get to ninety-eight,” I said.

  “I think we can make it to ninety-one, if we sing fast.”

  “You know I can hear you, right?” Lace said without turning around. Her ass twitched back and forth. Which reminded me of something else we could talk about.

  “How’s Jak?” I said.

  “Why are humans so obsessed with relationships?” Lace answered, firing a sidelong glance back at me.

  “Because we’re bored?” Beat suggested.

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “We have entire TV shows about this shit. Cameras following rich families around while they get pissed off at each other, make up, et cetera. People eat it up.”

  “Stupid humans,” Lace said. “But I will answer your question if it amuses you. Just like Jak amused me for a while. He is a good lay. But I’ve moved on. Maybe I’ll partake of Jak again at some point, maybe not.”

  She talked about the studly Lri Ay man like he was a type of topping for her pizza.