The Fractured World 5

by David Aries

  “You’ve got it, stud!” Vay roared as she threw herself in like a woman possessed.

  I did the exact opposite; I got the hell out of there.

  Was I giving up? Of course not. I rushed to where the woodcutter’s blades had yet to reach and the trees were still standing.

  When it came to destroying stubborn foes, there was one tactic I loved to use.

  I bolted up as fast as I could and immediately took aim. Missing was not an option, both for myself and everyone relying on me.

  Here goes nothing…

  With a cry, I jumped as high as my legs allowed. I punched through the treetops and up into the metaleater-filled sky before coming down with gravity’s assistance.

  My target? The woodcutter’s exposed chrome dome.

  I put my arms behind a swing that smashed into the robot’s head, crumbling the entire thing as if it had been hit by a comet.

  The woodcutter hadn’t stood a chance; it hadn’t even noticed me. It had been far too busy trying to keep its legs safe from Faris and Vay.

  What good were four intact legs if your brain was reduced to pulp?

  Yes! Old reliable works again.

  Now for the other.

  It was ripping a path straight through the forest. With its speed, it would reach the clearing within seconds.

  There was no time to waste.

  I hopped out of the wreckage and charged for the nearest tree, practically running up its length before leaping back into the sky.

  The metaleaters were there to greet me.

  A robot menace swooped, tackling me in mid-air. It snapped, sinking its jagged fangs into my shoulder.

  I winced as electric agony raced through my nerves. “You damn…” I growled as I prized its jaws open and open and open until its upper beak snapped clean off.

  The metaleater lost composure, dropping me from the sky.

  A bed of leaves broke my fall, but it was no reason to celebrate. I’d been dumped on the wrong side of the clearing.

  It gave me a perfect view of the moment the woodcutter forced its way inside, sending everyone within range scampering away.

  “No!” I yelled as the wicked bot approached the ship. One slice with those saws, and it would all be ove—

  Bam!

  A laser shot fired from the shuttle, striking the woodcutter in the face. And then came another and another, each striking on the mark.

  The blasts were much larger than what any of our handheld weaponry could muster, and they stopped the woodcutter in its tracks. In fact, the only reason they didn’t total it in the first place was because it raised its saws to block.

  My jaw had gone the opposite way.

  W-what’s happening?

  “Brandon!” Trez yelled from inside the ship. “Get a move on! I can only hold it for so long!”

  The shots were powerful, but the woodcutter’s defence was too strong to puncture. It inched forward as its blade dissipated the brunt of the impact.

  “Got it!” I replied as I rushed up another tree.

  The metaleaters charged toward me.

  “Get away!” I said, dodging one charging bull before smashing another snappy bot with my axe.

  These ratbags! I’ll never be able to jump like this.

  They were practically setting up a defensive line designed at stopping my movements. There was no way through.

  Alone.

  A pale shooting star drilled into the blockade and started smacking the metaleaters around with her hammer.

  “Leave my man alone, ya fecking blighters!” Sylvetty said as she gave them a good clobbering.

  The metaleater bulwark crumbled.

  I jumped through the gap, rising up as high as I could.

  A metaleater soared toward me.

  Sylvetty struck first, tackling its head while shoving her weapon down its throat. “What the feck did I just say?!”

  I sailed on by, grinning from ear to ear, and flew toward the woodcutter millimeters from tearing up our ship.

  “Eat this, you bastard!” I roared as I swung.

  Smash!

  The woodcutter’s head crumpled like its brethren before it… but our attack wasn’t done. Trez kept firing and didn’t stop until the woodcutter didn’t have a torso remaining. By the time she eased up, all that was left were a pair of legs and dismembered arms scattered on the glade’s floor.

  We… we did it?

  A single slice sullied the ship’s hull, but it was a surface level scar rather than a demolishing slash.

  My lips curled into a grin.

  We did—

  An internal alarm warned me to get a grip. Sure, the woodcutters were dead, but they’d already done what they’d been sent to do.

  They’d created a huge passage for the metaleaters to utilize.

  A massive rush of black metal poured down the new path like sewage exploding from a burst dam. Numbers which put what had previously been able to attack at once to shame soared forward, mouths open and ready to destroy our ship.

  However, Trez was waiting.

  She opened fire, unloading the full strength of the shuttle’s cannons into the incoming mob.

  The powerful lasers blasted the flying pests to smithereens, turning what should have been a route for the metaleaters to exploit into a robot graveyard.

  “Cover Trez!” I yelled as I jumped on top of the ship and smashed an incoming fiend outside of her reach. “This is the final hurdle. Let’s do this!”

  Keith and the others had done a valiant job of keeping the metaleaters at bay in my absence. With me there to assist, the winner was obvious.

  And that wasn’t taking Vay and Faris into account.

  There was no longer any way for the metaleaters to get at us. Be it from above or through the road made by the woodcutters, all paths ended in death.

  After losing a good few dozen of their number by throwing themselves into the firing line, the metaleaters finally stopped attacking. In fact, they did one better than that; they pulled out altogether and flew back into the sky.

  “Are they seriously leaving?” I said as I struggled to catch my breath.

  Vay laughed. “That’s a cowardly retreat if I’ve ever seen one! The towel has been well and truly thrown.”

  The communicator on my arm buzzed. “Can you hear me?”

  My heart pulsed. I’d completely forgotten. “Demi?!”

  “Brandon,” she replied. “I’ve got good news. We’ve managed to fend off the attackers. I believe they’ve just retreated.”

  “Seriously? There too?”

  “Too? Does that mean what I think it does?”

  I nodded… not that she could see it. “The ship is ours!”

  An eruption of sound spread through the clearing and the forest next door. It didn’t matter that half of us were gassed, the urge to celebrate was too great. We’d just won the most important battle of our lives.

  All that remained was to escape.

  Chapter 15

  The metaleaters were gone; the coast was clear.

  At least, that’s what I wanted to believe.

  I didn’t buy it. This had to be some sort of trick. Any moment now, the metaleaters would return and attack while our guard was down.

  They didn’t.

  I waited, and waited, and waited, but there was no sign of a second wave. Eventually, I had no choice but to accept the truth.

  We’d won.

  It was a hard battle, well-fought. So many brave souls had put their bodies on the line and came through the other side as victors. The clearing was filled with them, mainly those still catching their breath, like Faris and Vay.

  In fact, there was only one tireless soul keeping busy.

  Trez crawled over the shuttle, checking every nook and cranny while humming a tune.

  “Sure you don’t need a break?” I said.

  “You seriously expect me to sit still without knowing how much damage we took?” she replied while darting around.

&nb
sp; I sighed. “So how’s it looking?”

  “Not too shabby,” she said, grinning. “I’ve spied a couple of bites and scratches, but nothing that pierces deep. They shouldn’t compromise the internals.”

  I whistled. “Amazing. It’s hard to believe we got through incurring so little damage. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t gotten the guns working. Did you fix your connector issue?”

  “In my dreams. Right now, we’re beached.”

  “Better that than eaten.”

  Eaten…

  While our ship had escaped becoming a feast, the same couldn’t be said for all our possessions. After taking one last look to make sure our foes weren’t lurking nearby, I plucked up the courage to take a look at what remained of Ulium.

  It wasn’t pretty.

  Our wall was more stumps than pillars, our farmland looked as if it had been ravaged by a hurricane, and any building still fitting that loose definition was a rare exception in a sea of rubble.

  The carborios and herixes had both made their own attempts at destroying this place, but their efforts couldn’t be compared to what the metaleaters had achieved. There was more of our home being washed away by the disturbed rapids cutting through Ulium than remained standing.

  I ground my teeth.

  Why did it have to be this way?

  Even though we’re leaving, I wanted to give you a proper send-off.

  I’d built Ulium with my own hands. It meant a lot to me. And even if it hadn’t, it still deserved a better end than this.

  I didn’t know for certain whether or not everyone shared my opinion, but the atmosphere suggested as such. We should have been gripped by victory spirit. Instead, it was like I was surrounded by zombies.

  Not that I was acting too spritely myself.

  My feet took me to where our tent had once stood. In its place was a punctured sheet of fabric, a pile of mud-stained junk, and two beautiful girls weighed down by dark clouds.

  “Our home,” Akko mumbled under her breath.

  “All gone,” Casella added with similar enthusiasm.

  I rubbed their shoulders. “Don’t worry. It won’t be our last.”

  “I know that,” Casella whispered. “But… we shared so many wondrous memories here. Now I can’t even recognize the place…”

  “We’ll make plenty more. As many as you want.”

  My words weren’t enough to lift her spirits.

  Akko squeezed Casella’s hand. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get back to the ship. We shouldn’t stay here.”

  “Okay,” Casella said, letting herself be dragged along.

  My heart tightened as I watched them go. I couldn’t stand seeing my mates that way… and it wasn’t a scene I’d managed to escape.

  “Those fecking… feckers!” Sylvetty complained from nearby as she stomped on the cinders that had been her workshop.

  “Sylvetty,” I said as I approached.

  “I know,” she replied. “We’re about to bail on this place anyway, so it’s not like it matters… but, dammit, it deserved better than this! It deserved better than dying at the hand of those fecking blighters.”

  My thoughts exactly.

  “Beep boop,” someone said behind me.

  I jumped from my skin before swiveling around.

  It was just DD. She curtsied and said, “I apologize for making you jump, Master Brandon.”

  I laughed and rubbed the back of my head. “No, it’s fine. Blame me for not noticing you.”

  “Then instead allow me to apologize for what has become of your home. I know it meant a great deal to you all.”

  “Hey, it’s not your fault.”

  “Logically, you may be right, but I cannot help feeling I failed to offer adequate assistance.” She performed another courteous bob. “This was an attack launched by those behind my creation; I should have done more to take responsibility.”

  “I’m telling you, it’s perfectly fine. None of us expect you to fight. You do plenty in your own way. I bet you gave Trez a big helping hand with getting those guns online.”

  “Not to mention ya helped us out of that damn labyrinth in one piece,” Sylvetty said before giving DD a thump on the back. “I wasn’t sure about ya at first, but you’re an alright lassie.”

  “Thank you both for the kind words,” DD replied with another of her trademark curtsies. “However, my desire to make amends for this incident remains. If it would be okay with you, I would like to make a request.”

  “What is it?” I said.

  “May I have a spot on the maiden flight?”

  “Huh?” I blurted out, my mind was taken off guard.

  “While I understand it may seem impertinent of me to ask for one of the limited available spaces, I do believe there is merit in taking someone with my skill set. There is no guarantee what we will face once we leave this planet. It is highly likely I could prove to be useful.”

  My mouth moved, but no response came. A whirlwind of thoughts jumbled around my head I was struggling to get a grip on.

  “Do you disagree, Master Brandon?” DD asked.

  “N-no, not at all.” It was hard to. Everything DD said seemed logical enough. “It’s just… you know.”

  She tilted her head. “Know what?”

  I clicked my tongue. How did I put this gently?

  “Ain’t summat bad gonna happen to ya if you leave here?” Sylvetty said.

  That’s one way to do it…

  DD’s warm smile persevered. “That is no reason to concern yourself, Master Brandon. I have made my decision and will not allow anyone to persuade me otherwise.”

  “Isn’t that like asking me to sign your death warrant?” I said.

  I’d done that enough for one lifetime.

  However, DD didn’t hear it. She grabbed my hands and started deep into my eyes. “Please, Master Brandon. I must come with you. I must get on that ship. It is what I want more than anything.”

  Her intensity left me speechless all over again. How was I supposed to argue against her when she was so determined?

  “If that’s really what you want…” I said under my breath. “Still, it’s not like it’s up to me and me alone. It’s not my place to pick and choose who gets out of here first.”

  “Are you sure about that, bro?” Keith said as he sauntered over, hand in hand with a puffy-eyed Millith.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Keith laughed. “Ain’t it obvious, bro? If you request someone gets a spot, nobody’s gonna disagree. Not after everything you’ve done for this place.”

  “We wouldn’t be escaping if it wasn’t for you,” Millith said, not that she sounded ecstatic about our impending breakout. “You’ve earned the right to choose.”

  “Yeah. We know you won’t ditch us. Missing the first flight just means a little extra waiting is all.” Before continuing, Keith checked to make sure nobody was listening in. Even though the coast was clear, he still whispered, “But if you could do your best bud a solid, it’d be hella appreciated, bro.”

  I struggled to reply. Even after all this time, it boggled my mind how much trust everyone had in me. Didn’t they realize I was a clumsy clown bundling his way through this? Without Casella’s power, I’d be a nobody.

  Yet I’m so close to saving them all.

  Just a little more, and I’ll have my girls out of here.

  Just a little more until I’d saved them all.

  At last, I smirked. “Maybe… or perhaps it’s finally time to get you back for dragging me up that mountain in the first—”

  “Brandon,” DD exclaimed as she stared at the sky.

  “What is it?” I said, feeding off the edge to her voice.

  “I do not mean to alarm you, but I am sensing a large heat signature developing above our location.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “H-huh?” I finally said.

  “The feck are ya on about?” Sylvetty helpfully added.

 
; “While I cannot be certain,” DD explained, “I believe the source to be an orbital cannon.”

  “An orbital what-now?” Keith said.

  “If I am correct, in just under ten minutes, this location, plus the surrounding area, will be destroyed.”

  After another short pause, I joined Sylvetty, Keith, and Millith in screaming, “What?!”

  “Yer pulling me wing,” Sylvetty continued. “Tell me yer pulling me wing.”

  “I am afraid this is no joke, Lady Sylvetty,” DD said. “I suggest we evacuate the area this instant. If we make haste in that direction, it may be possible to escape annihilation.”

  Her words turned my ice cold blood to molten lava. I pointed to where DD had indicated while running in the opposite direction. “Get everyone out of here, now!”

  “Wait, where are ya going?!” Sylvetty replied.

  “The clearing!” Somebody had to tell everyone there what was happening.

  Someone had to get my mates to safety.

  Dammit, I should have brought that communicator with me.

  Instead, I had to rely on my legs to carry me and my booming voice to warn everyone in range. “Evacuate, now!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, at a volume nobody could ignore. “This is not a drill! Run! Get out of here!”

  By the time I reached the glade, my girls—all of them bar Sylvetty—were on high alert. Even Vay had a serious expression.

  “My Brandon!” Casella said. “Whatever is wrong?”

  “This entire area’s about to blow! We need to leave, now!”

  Trez jumped out of the ship. “W-what are you talking about? We can’t leave. What about the ship? It’s still grounded.”

  “I am afraid there is no time, Lady Trez,” DD explained as she caught up to me. “This area will be vaporized within minutes.”

  “That’s… I-I can work with that!” she said as she jumped back into the doorway. “If I work fast, I can totally get it back online.”

  I grabbed Trez around the waist. “No, you don’t.”

  “Brandon, the fuck?! Let go of me!” She struggled the best she could.

  Fortunately, my arms were strong enough to keep hold. “We’re going.”

  “Not without the ship, we ain’t! This is our only way off this planet. We can’t just leave it!”

  “We can when it’s that or death.”