by Ryan Conway
Sean, Marcel, and Wakana all drew their weapons. Wakana raised her crossbow with a bolt loaded and ready; Sean ran ahead, clenching a firebomb in one hand and pocketing a few others for quick access. Two solid metal batons sprouted from Marcel's sleeves, sliding into each hand. Sean, Tom, and Lynn would have to make do with their various hand-to-hand combat skills, if it came to that.
The bat-winged Rakshasa wasn't far behind, but Sean was ready. He finally caught up to Spencer, and they dashed down the Agarthan street toward the bay and the pier where they'd docked earlier in the day. Overpassing walkways, connecting edifices on either side of the road, partially protected them from aerial attacks and made the way a maze for the airborne Rakshasas; as it turned out, the hawk Rakshasa had survived and was rapidly gaining on them, relentlessly soaring and looping through the massive, multilayered latticework of walkways.
Finally, they reached the bay, and the pair began running the parameter toward the pier. Unfortunately, the way was clear for the fliers; the huge black bat fluttered and flapped as he swooped down to attack his target as Spencer sprinted onto the narrow pier, ignoring Sean—a terrible mistake on the Rakshasa's part. Sean halted and yelled, "Spencer, get down now." Spencer trusted Sean enough to obey instantly; he dropped flat onto his stomach, and rolled behind some nearby cargo crates at the edge of the dock. Sean, meanwhile, pitched his second fire pellet in a direct line down the pier as the bat began to alight on the platform. The pellet whizzed past the cargo behind which Spencer had taken cover and exploded at the bat's feet. It singed his legs as he pulled up to avoid Sean's defenses, screaming what were surely curses in the Rakshasa’s language.
Spencer saw the rest of their crew race onto the pier, the wolf pelting all-out in their direction after having sprung over the temple courtyard wall. Sean glanced at Marcel with a look of desperation and called, "Is that something you might be able to address for us, Marcel?"
"Only by conventional means, I'm afraid," Marcel responded. "But don't worry—I'll slow him down. Just get everyone to the ship, okay?"
As Sean and Wakana corralled everyone and got them aboard the Starmican, Marcel sprung up the tall stack of cargo boxes at the beginning of the pier. He leaped up and struck a thick chain holding boxes and crates in place with one of his Satyarakshatian batons; the chain burst immediately on contact as sparks flew in all directions, causing Spencer to wonder what kind of metal it could possibly be made of. Then Marcel pushed the crates and boxes, initiating a domino effect that toppled the heavy cargo over, blocking the four-legged Rakshasa's path and almost crushing him in the same instant.
Marcel jumped down from the mountain of cargo and sprinted for the ship, on which the engines were already rumbling, ready for departure. The Rakshasa wolf scaled the mountain of fallen boxes in three large bounces and cleared the summit to land on the pier, advancing immediately on Marcel, who dodged its momentum-filled charge by diving lithely behind pier-side cargo crates. He simultaneously whipped a baton back, striking the Rakshasa wolf's right front leg in mid-stride, causing it to flip head-over-heels and slide on its back into another pile of cargo, knocking the crates over and pushing some into the bay.
As soon as Marcel boarded the vessel, the hatch closed and the ship released from the pier. The thrust of the engines pushed it immediately into the river's flow. The Rakshasa wolf, meanwhile, recovered from his hard spill into the cargo, shook off his disorientation, and ran to pounce on the vessel cruising away from the pier. It barely latched onto the back of the ship with his long, sharp claws, but slid off the back into the water.
The ship sped away from the pier much faster than it had arrived, cutting waves across the tranquil bay of lights in a direct line toward the tunnel they had traversed earlier. The speeding vessel swerved around other ships and boats in its path across the busy traffic of the bay. They nearly brushed a dozen ships, and actually clipped a few others on the sides; but if their captains complained, they stopped when they saw what was chasing the Starmican. The vessel cut through small waves as it skimmed across the water's surface nearly as fast as a hydrofoil. Finally, the small ship cleared the crowded area of the bay, and coursed in a straight line toward the tunnel.
The hawk had regained its ability to fly, and the bat was circling back for another attack on the fleeing ship. Wakana aimed her crossbow carefully and launched a bolt with a bulb-shaped tip at the bat-creature; the missile missed its target, or so it seemed—but its trajectory swerved upward and around, and the arrow began to circle back, as if it were a guided missile recalculating its target. Spencer was astounded. "That arrow is like a heat-seeking missile!"
"That's exactly what it is," Wakana said dourly. "And when shot from a crossbow, it's called a 'bolt' or 'quarrel'. A special kind of arrow indeed. That bulb on the end is a high-explosive warhead."
The bat-winged Rakshasa seemed to recognize that; it desperately fluttered up and down and circled around over the bay, trying to evade the missile, but it was locked on with laser-precision. Wakana reloaded her bow just in case her first bolt failed to eliminate the Rakshasa; and in fact, to everyone's frustration, the flying Rakshasa guided the missile into the side of the wall near the tunnel entrance, where it exploded safely over a tranquil area of the bay. They entered the tunnel, only to look back and see the Rakshasas fluttering after them. Wakana took aim once again, shifting to and fro to match their erratic flight pattern. She pulled the trigger firmly, launching the missile; and not a minute later, a fireball lit up the tunnel, engulfing the bat-winged Rakshasa in flames. It writhed in agony, screaming into the painful ultrasonic level; its burning body battered the ceiling and walls before dropping into the heavy currents of the canal.
Spencer, fortunately, had seen none of it. He remained securely in the lower cabin with Lynn, Tom, and Li, despite the rough boat ride. As the captain maneuvered the vessel at its full velocity, swerving back and forth as an evasion tactic, the team members in the cabin fought to keep their balance or find cushioned seats to fasten themselves in for the bumpy ride. Li found a cushioned bench and took a seat; Spencer and Lynn stood on opposite sides of the cabin table, trying to make their ways to the bench, but the turns and tilts were too quick and unexpected for them to make any progress. Tom just clutched a door jamb, jaw set in determination.
“Tom, it was him,” Spencer exclaimed excitedly. “That was Drake back at the temple waiting for us!”
“What!?” Tom questioned, astounded. “Which one?”
“The one dressed like the Angel of Death with the hooded cloak!” Spencer responded.
“That was in your bedroom?” Tom questioned in disbelief. “Wow, you’ve definitely got my respect, Spence. He certainly is what nightmares are made of.”
Suddenly, a small, rectangular black box dropped from Lynn's pocket onto the floor and bounced under a table. As the vessel leveled out, the box popped open, revealing a ruby-colored, octagonal jewel centered and inlaid inside. The design, surrounding the jewel, looked like a small Chinese dragon holding the gem in its mouth; the dragon's fangs stabilized the gem's position. Spencer knelt down to retrieve the box for Lynn, but she quickly dropped to her knees and snatched it up before he could even touch it. She climbed out from under the table, stood up, and sought a chair with a seatbelt as quickly as she could.
"Is that a family memento?" Spencer asked.
"Yes," Lynn replied curtly. "It's a charm."
"Well, I was just going to give it right back to you, you know," Spencer assured her. "I have my own charm," he noted, touching the chain holding the medallion.
"Oh, I know." Lynn responded. "I just hate dropping it, and my natural reaction is to jump for it. It's special to me."
"Understood."
They finally exited the tunnel into the other side of Agartha, speeding through the winding canal and again dodging other vessels transiting the river. Watching from behind, they witnessed the hawk-like Rakshasa glide out of the tunnel and soar upward into the open heights of the cavern
. The Starmican headed back toward the city.
In the distance, Spencer and Tom noticed two flying machines, one larger than the other, emerge from the tunnel mouth. It soon became clear that both were crewed by Rakshasas; one creature operated the smaller craft, while two others flew the larger one. As three of the six Rakshasas who had waited for them in the temple courtyard had chased after the group in various, shape-shifting manifestations, the other three had acquired airships to pursue their prey.
The ship's captain turned to Sean and urgently yelled something in Agarthamol; Sean then turned and addressed the rest of the group. "We've got an escape route off the boat—we don't have to wait 'til we get to the pier," he told them. He pointed to the windowed second floor of the cabin. "The upper section of the cabin is a flight pod." He directed the rest of the group to start entering the pod as Marcel, Wakana, and the captain fended off the relentless aerial attacks from the dive-bombing hawk Rakshasa, the captain with what looked like some sort of large fishing gaff. He proved it was lethal when it slashed a gushing wound across the creature's chest.
Wakana loaded her crossbow with another special bolt from her quiver, while Marcel kept his batons ready for any attack. As the hawk swooped down from the side for a surprise attack on the vessel, Wakana launched another heat-seeker in its direction. The bolt didn't hit the Rakshasa directly, but brushed a wingtip; its explosion disrupted the Rakshasa's flight, sending it into an aerial tumble.
When Wakana and Marcel saw the two airships closing in on the Starmican, they knew it was time to board the flight pod with the rest of the crew. She boarded first, strapping herself into her seat as Marcel entered. Captain Pharris put away the gaff and flipped a lever on the side of the wheelhouse; trapdoors pivoted upward and revealed small deck cannons, which he immediately fired toward the pursuing aircraft with a thunderous whoom that shook the entire boat. At this distance, they were little threat, but they caused the aircraft to back off, giving him time to ram new shells down the cannons' throats. As soon as Marcel was in place, Sean secured the hatch and got into the pilot's seat, taking the controls with a confidence and easy familiarity that proved he was familiar with their use. The rest of the crew nervously waited for takeoff.
"No checklist to worry about with this baby," Sean muttered. He sent power throughout the pod, pulled the release lever, and hit the thrusters. "Everyone hold on and stay buckled in… We're going up fast."
The flight pod launched straight upward, like a surface VTOL jet, and immediately changed direction as the Rakshasas shifted course in pursuit of their craft, leaving the Starmican behind. Though he was still worried about his own fate, Spencer breathed a sigh of relief; at least the captain would be safe. The rapid ascent pushed him deep into his seat and left him feeling a bit woozy, but the feeling passed as they proceeded forward… at least until Sean began a dizzying flight through the network of buttresses and bridge pillars that crisscrossed the chasm.
He made a valiant attempt to elude the Rakshasas, but their monstrous adversaries were gaining; their airships were more powerful than the escape pod, which was carrying the weight of seven people. The airships danced about in the air among the buttresses and multileveled walkways, and Sean made every effort to steer his pod around the obstacles in a way that prevented the pod from getting too close to the vertical city. The two Rakshasan aircraft cared nothing about the safety of the Agarthans, which helped close the distance between them and the flight pod. However, they also nearly suffered several midair collisions as they tried to catch up and knock the crew from the sky.
After several failed attempts, the Rakshasa pulled back and began launching projectiles at the crew's pod. Flaming pellets strafed the side of the Agarthan craft, damaging one of the stabilizing fins; as a result, the pod became difficult for Sean to control—especially as more bullets strafed one of their engines. Advances by the Rakshasa pilots forced Sean to steer the pod closer and closer to the city, even as the monsters closed the distance. In one heart-stopping instance, the smaller Rakshasan craft clipped the side of their pod, sending the crew teetering on an upward trajectory. Sean swerved their pod toward a buttress and almost crashed through the side of it.
During the pod's teetering ascent through the ravine, Sean's control of the pod became tenuous, and he swerved ever closer to the residential and commercial levels of the vertical metropolis. He gritted his teeth and announced that he intended to exit the ravine as close to the cliff as possible, for a direct and expedient return to the Satyarakshatian headquarters. He tried to maintain enough distance from the city to keep the inhabitants safe, but was unable to avoid the Rakshasa hawk as it delivered one last blow, smacking into the side of the pod and causing Sean to lose all remaining control. The pod toppled over in the air and crash-landed sideways in the middle of a spacious marble terrace. Luckily, it wasn't moving very fast by then, and the terrace was empty of anything but plants. "Everyone all right?" Sean asked as he hurriedly unstrapped.
As it turned out, everyone was shaken up and a little sore, but otherwise no worse for the wear, and all were ready to continue their perilous escape. Sean popped the hatch, and they emerged from the pod quickly but in good order. Marcel was the first out, brandishing his batons, ready for a confrontation. Wakana followed, her crossbow already locked and loaded, followed by the others. Sean brought up the rear, Satyarakshatian saber drawn, and they all sought refuge in a nearby marketplace. They weren't exactly inconspicuous, but they soon found a good place to lie low and watched from a distance as the Rakshasas flew around through the airspace of the Agarthan city on a search pattern that would soon locate the wrecked flight pod.
It didn't take long. Sean, Marcel, and Wakana took cover behind statues and short walls in the presence of the circling Rakshasan vehicles. They hovered and glided from side to side, searching for their targets. Sean jumped out from behind his wall, hurling a fire pellet up at the larger Rakshasan aircraft; before the firebomb even reached the airship, it began firing down on Sean as he rolled across the terrace floor and partially down a flight of stone stairs. The occupants of the large Rakshasan craft was so determined to eliminate Sean that neither of the two Rakshasas occupying it noticed Wakana step out from behind an Agarthan statue and take aim before launching one of her exploding bolts accurately into one of their engines. The explosion from the right side of the aircraft stunned the two Rakshasas, blew up the engine and jet thrusters, and caused the enormous craft to slowly drop, lopsided and smoldering, into the depths of the ravine. Fortunately, the explosion also took out half the craft's weapon systems, and they were incapable of strafing their targets on their accelerating descent into the abyss.
Agarthan law enforcement and emergency teams arrived in time to confront the smaller craft. They received direction from Sean, who in addition to being a Satyarakshatian also benefited from his privileged status as a multi-regional Agarthan agent, with jurisdiction throughout the subterranean world. The small aircraft strafed the face of the vertical metropolis with pellets as Sean, Marcel, Wakana, and the Agarthan law enforcement teams took cover and fired back when the opportunity presented itself.
While the Satyarakshatians and Agarthan LEOs engaged the aircraft, Shin Li began looking around warily for something else. Spencer was curious to find out what had her so concerned, so he murmured in a low voice, "Ms. Shin, what's the matter?" She answered without ceasing her surveillance. "One Rakshasa is currently unaccounted for," she noted, her head on a swivel. "We must keep watch for him."
"The hawk," Spencer realized.
"Yes. He was not defeated like the rest."
The smaller Rakshasan craft was still drifting up and down, strafing the face of the city, even though it had endured some damage from the Agarthan attacks. It was mostly aiming for Wakana, though, since her weaponry had been inflicting the most damage on the Rakshasas and their airships. Remaining in a crouched position, Spencer crawled toward an Agarthan coffee shop with a better view of the action. When he entered
the shop, he stayed low; but the Rakshasa in the craft spotted him through the large front windows, and began approaching the face of the shop at an accelerating speed. Suddenly, one of Wakana's quarrels turned the Rakshasa's airship's back tail-wing into a ball of flame, causing the pilot to lose control of the craft. Gasping customers sitting inside the coffee shop saw the craft drifting out of control toward the front windows, jumped up, and ran out of the way.
The Rakshasan ship went barreling through the front window of the shop with an enormous crash, shattering the window's crystal pane and utterly destroying the face of the shop. Spencer dove out of the path of the crashing vehicle and over the counter, where he was showered by coffee beans, grounds, milk, and all the other accoutrements of the barista's trade. When the aircraft came to a complete stop, the Rakshasa's bright red eyes instantly fixated on Spencer. It opened the hatch and rose slowly out of the wreckage; but as it proceeded to stalk toward Spencer, the Rakshasa was suddenly swarmed by Agarthan law enforcement and dealt with through the appropriate use of force, which for Rakshasas was apparently a great deal, involving repeated taserings.
Sean and Marcel burst into what remained of the coffee shop. "Are you hurt?" Marcel asked Spencer, who regretted having moved into the shop in the first place.