The Fractured World 5

by David Aries

  Akko gulped.

  “Not that we’ll let them take this place!” Vay said, grinning.

  “All in all, this isn’t the worst location to defend,” Demi said. “As things stand, intruders can only attack from one location. Increasing the number of entry points would take considerable effort on their end, and still they would be limited in number.”

  “This facility was never meant to fall into the hands of outsiders,” DD said. “Implementing a means to retake it appears to have been neglected.”

  “That was my interpretation as well. The only way to control this place is through this central terminal. Even if our attackers were to take control of the outer core, we would still have the means to defend this inner sanctum.”

  “Isn’t that good?” Akko said. “You’re basically saying we can protect this place for as long as we need to.”

  “That’s not quite right,” Faris replied.

  “What?!”

  “Strong fortifications can be a double-edged blade. They’re easy to defend, but they’re also easy to siege…”

  “That’s what I was worried about,” I said.

  Akko’s head darted from side to side. “H-huh? Would someone tell me what the problem is?”

  “It’s food,” I replied. “We’ve got a lot of mouths to feed but no means to do so… and I don’t imagine there’s a reserve hiding down here.”

  “I am afraid not, Master Brandon,” DD said. “The Core was designed to be maintained by automatons alone. There was no need to create a food stockpile.”

  “Which means there was no reason to create any sort of greenhouse either.”

  “That is correct.”

  “Just as I feared,” I said, sighing. “If we want to grow crops, we’ll need to head back to the surface. That’s not exactly the easiest task given how far underground we are…”

  “And that’s if they’ll let us grow them,” Faris added.

  “Yep. I bet the moment we plant a seed, they’ll send something down to rip it out. That means no more veg for us.”

  “T-that’s not the end of the world,” Akko said. “We can still hunt, right?”

  “Again, only if they let us. They could easily blockade the entrance if we start acting up. Even if they don’t, do you think we’ll be able to catch enough food to feed everyone?”

  “Ain’t we done that before?” Sylvetty said.

  “Never to this extent. Back when the carborios attacked, we didn’t have nearly as many mouths to feed. After Bogdan, we had a packed storehouse to help us through the worst. Neither of those points stand in our current situation.”

  “We have a few mounts. That’s it,” Faris said.

  The other farm animals had bolted during the commotion, and we hadn’t exactly been in the mood to get them back.

  “And if anybody tries eating Rocket, they’ve got another thing coming,” I warned. She was as part of our group as anyone; I wasn’t going to sacrifice her.

  However, she needed food too.

  “Isn’t this bad?” Trez said. “Like… really bad?”

  “Without a doubt. And we’ve not even touched on getting water.” There weren’t even any rivers in the area, because things weren’t complicated enough as was. “This might be a hard place to attack, but it’s also a terrible place to live.”

  “It’s no wonder our opponents are holding back,” Demi said. “At this rate, it’ll take little over a week until we’re unable to fight.”

  “Even I can’t do much on an empty stomach,” Vay said.

  “I don’t like the fact you’ve tried,” I replied.

  She laughed and played her hard abs like bongos. “Of course, I have! What sort of self-respecting fighter would I be if I hadn’t tested the extent of what my body was capable of?”

  “I know you just discouraged me from trying to make decisions for you, but please don’t start fasting again.”

  “It doesn’t sound like we have a choice!” she responded with an unhealthy amount of cheer in her voice.

  “T-this is no time for jokes,” Akko said. “What are we going to do?”

  “Now I see why ya were thinking of accepting,” Sylvetty sneered.

  I showed her a wry smile. “We can always call back; tell him we changed our minds.”

  Casella bear-hugged my arm into her chest. “Never!”

  “That’s what I thought,” I replied, rubbing the top of her head, right between her antennae. “This is the trickiest situation we’ve ever found ourselves in. We need to figure out how we’re going to fight back.”

  “Can we?” Faris said. “Our opponent isn’t here.”

  Trez craned her head back and looked at the ceiling. “They’re up in those moons, right?”

  “That is correct, Lady Trez,” DD said.

  “And we ain’t getting up there without a ship.” She groaned and ruffled her hair. “Dammit!”

  “What’s done is done,” I said… only a few minutes removed from complaining about mistakes I’d made a decade earlier.

  If it helped Trez out, I’d be as hypocritical as need be.

  However, cheering her up didn’t fix our issue. Unless we managed to get our hands on another shuttle, there was nothing we could do; our opponent would be eternally out of range.

  “Say, DD. There wouldn’t happen to be a spare ship somewhere in this facility, right?”

  “I am afraid not, Master Brandon,” she replied. “As no organic lifeforms were supposed to operate this facility, an escape vessel would serve as nothing but an unnecessary security risk.”

  “The inventory database says likewise,” Demi said. “There’s a few hundred security bots and plenty of weapons, but no ship.”

  “I even took a look around, just in case,” Joobee added, “but I didn’t find squat.”

  “Figures,” I mumbled. “How about in the desert? There wouldn’t be another ship somewhere in that scrap heap, would there?”

  “No,” Faris said. “The Glorious only had one shuttle, unless a change was made during my absence.”

  “It was not,” Demi replied. “Bogdan only saw fit to include one supplementary ship. He didn’t even bother with escape pods.”

  “Damn cheapskate,” I said. “Even Raab’s crew had those.”

  “They’re usually standard with even Grade-2 ships, never mind Grade-3. However, they don’t become compulsory until Grade-4. The same goes for shuttles, although nearly all Grade-3 cruisers include them.”

  I nodded like I knew what any of those grades meant. “Guess we can only get so lucky, right?” We’d gotten fortunate finding one decent shuttle as was. It wasn’t like they grew on trees.

  “Erm,” Akko said as she raised a hand. “How big is a Grade-3 cruiser again?”

  “Grade-3 cruisers are four-engine vessels spanning over a hundred meters in length, capable of carrying at least five-hundred passengers,” Demi explained.

  I winced.

  I sure hope there weren’t that many people aboard The Glorious…

  “And they usually have shuttles inside of them?” Akko continued.

  “Almost always.”

  “While even bigger ships will definitely have them?”

  “What’s with the sudden interest in ship design, Aks?” Trez said with a yawn.

  “Y-you see, it’s just… there’s maybe, possibly, the chance I may know where we can get ourselves another shuttle.”

  For a moment, you could have heard a pin drop… but that changed when our voices screamed in unison, “What?!”

  Akko recoiled. “A-ah! I-it’s not like it’s certain or anything. It’s just… I think I might possibly know where we can find a Grade-4 cruiser.”

  “That hasn’t been devoured by metaleaters?” Casella said.

  “Yeah!” Trez said. “That’s impossible. You know how greedy those robot assholes are.”

  “I-it’s not,” Akko replied. “I’ve seen it. In fact, I used to live there.”

  Her words hit me like
a boxer’s jab, kicking my brain into gear. “Of course! The swamp!” In my mind, I saw a huge metal spire emerging from a lake, rising up into a smog-filled sky the metaleaters, and their masters, couldn’t see through. “That ship was easily as big as Bogdan’s. It might even have been bigger!”

  Trez gawped. “Are you serious? She ain’t making this up?”

  “Why would I make it up?!” Akko said. “I want to get out of here just as badly as you do…”

  “I know that. Just… we’ve seriously got another shot?”

  “I can’t promise that,” I said, “but there’s no doubt there was a huge ship in that swamp the metaleaters didn’t know about. If it has a working shuttle inside, we might be able to strike back.”

  My heart, which had been drained of its spirit, was back pulsing a rhythmic beat. An intoxicating brew was flowing through my veins.

  There’s no guarantee the ship is still there, or that it has a shuttle… but it’s still a chance.

  We’re not in checkmate yet.

  I didn’t care if it was a longshot, I grabbed Akko’s cheeks and pulled her into a breath-stealing kiss that ended with a wet pop. “Akko, you genius!”

  She sputtered as her face shone with a deep crimson glow. “I-I’m not. I’m probably just getting your hopes up over nothing…”

  “We won’t know until we see it for ourselves.”

  “But that place is miles away,” Trez said.

  “And? It’s the only lead we’ve got.” I grinned. “You all told me not to accept that deal. Well, call this my Plan B. If I’m not allowed to take the easy, poison-laced road out of here, I’m taking the hard, poison-aired one instead.”

  Since when was I the kind of guy content to sit back when there was action to be done? I’d rather place my bets on minuscule odds over waiting to die.

  “Will you even be able to find this ship?” Faris said.

  “Hey, I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but I reckon I’ll manage somehow. It seems simpler than finding a battery in a desert, and look how that went.”

  Sure, perhaps the existence of an underground cavern was cheating, but so was the zerrin power surging through my body.

  I was ready to show why I was the most broken character on this planet.

  “If you two are confident this will work, then I believe too,” Casella said, her yellow eyes shining like suns.

  “I-I wouldn’t say ‘confident’…” Akko said.

  Vay laughed and patted Akko on her shoulders. “To think you would save us twice in a single day. You’re just full of surprises!”

  “T-that’s not… erm…”

  I grinned as I took Akko’s hands in mine. “How would you like to go on a road trip back to where we first met?”

  Akko bit her bottom lip. “W-well, if you insist…”

  “So we’re really doing this?” Trez said with another yawn.

  “You bet,” I replied.

  Trez sighed. “Fine… then I’m coming too!”

  I narrowed my gaze.

  “What?” she snapped back.

  “You know that stuff you said about making suggestions when you do dumb stuff? This is one of those moments.”

  “Hey!”

  “I’m serious. First of all, you’re exhausted.” She looked ready to crash the moment we were done. “Even if you have a good night’s sleep, do you think you should be traveling such long distances in your condition? You know how far we’ll need to go. Then think about what’s waiting for us there. Do you really want to risk breathing in toxic air?”

  “I can’t imagine it would be very good for the baby,” Akko said.

  “Me neither,” Casella said. “I think it would be better if you stayed. You’ve been working ever so hard. It’s time for a well-earned break, yes?”

  Trez chewed her bottom lip as she grumbled under her breath. “Are you forgetting any shuttle’s probably gonna be a busted piece of junk in need of repairs? Are you also forgetting I’m the only one here who knows what they’re doing?”

  “That is not quite correct, Lady Trez,” DD said. “While I cannot match your expertise when it comes to repairing ships, I should be able to serve as a capable deputy—one who is immune to the effects of any toxins in the air.”

  Trez pouted. “M-maybe that’s true… but what about driving, eh? You know how to do that?”

  “I do not.”

  “That’s what I thought!” Trez shimmied around. “How about you, Aks? You feel confident behind the wheel?”

  “I-I do have a license,” Akko said.

  “Yeah? Think that makes you capable of giving some rusty, old mystery vessel a spin?”

  Akko mumbled as she toyed with her hands and her squirming tentacle locks.

  “See? You need me. I’m the only one—”

  “I can do it,” Faris said. “I should be more than capable of piloting any small vessel.”

  “It was part of our training,” Demi added. “Any of us could serve as a substitute.”

  Trez tried to continue, but the words didn’t come.

  I smiled and caressed my hand over her cheek. “Let us handle this. It’s not exactly like we’re heading on a picnic. Do you really want to go on a trip through a sweltering jungle before topping things off with an adventure through a foul swamp filled with poison gas?”

  She leaned into my hand. “Well, when you put it like that…”

  “Exactly. You’re better off here. I’m sure you’ll be able to keep yourself busy. Just think of how many parts you’ll have to fiddle with. It wouldn’t surprise me if we returned to find you’d built a ship from scratch.”

  Trez grumbled. “Dammit, Muscles. You seriously know how to wrap me around your little finger.”

  “Of course, I do. You’re my mate.” I cupped her chin and gave her a peck on the lips. “I get that you want to make amends, but you’ve done plenty. Leave this to us. We’ll have a new shuttle parked out front before you know it.”

  “I have wanted a chance to fix that railgun,” Trez muttered to herself before sighing. “Fine… but if you come back with some shoddy repair job, I’m gonna say ‘I told you so’.”

  I laughed. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” As much as I enjoyed watching Trez, my eyes wandered around the room. “And I presume this is fine with everyone else as well?”

  “Of course, my Brandon,” Casella said. “We shall keep this place safe why you go and get us our ship.”

  Vay pounded her chest. “If any fiends come to take this place, I’ll send them running home with their tails tucked between their legs!”

  “Too right! Ya can count on us,” Sylvetty said, brandishing her favorite hammer like a weapon.

  I grinned as I gathered up the trio I’d be working with for the foreseeable future. “Alright, girls. Let’s get ready to prove we’re not out for the count just yet!”

  It was time to earn ourselves yet another way home.

  Chapter 18

  After a good night’s rest—a well-needed night’s rest—it was time for me and my dynamic trio to set out.

  Casella waved as she saw us off at the entrance. “Stay safe!”

  I grinned and thudded my armor as I took off upon Rocket. “Will do.”

  That’s right… armor.

  The hopes of everyone in The Core rested on our shoulders, so we couldn’t afford to end up dead in some gutter. To help keep us alive, the herixes had volunteered their armor to the cause.

  Everywhere from my neck down was protected by a skintight black bodysuit and orange chunks of metal that made me look like the hero in some sci-fi shooter.

  Damn, I look awesome.

  Yet I didn’t look half as cool as Faris. It had been far too long since she’d last worn this garb, but it fit her so well it was as if they’d never been parted.

  If I’m the hero, does that make her the badass side character you wish you could play as instead?

  Which makes Akko the…

  If Faris’s armor looked like it
had been crafted especially for her—despite belonging to one of her sisters—Akko looked as if she was wearing a hand-me-down she’d grow into next term. Everything was a bit too chunky.

  There’s no helping it. Even the shortest herix is a few inches taller than her.

  As long as the armor did its job, I didn’t mind. Besides, she did look pretty cute.

  Of course, what I wanted more than anything was to avoid any trouble in the first place. As soon as we finished the long journey to the surface and emerged into the morning sun, I glanced at the sky in search of a response from our foes in orbit.

  “Be at ease, Master Brandon. I cannot detect any power influx,” DD said, who had forwent a full set of armor in place of choice of a breastplate and some bracers.

  “Let’s hope it stays that way,” I replied.

  We had a long way to go, which meant ample opportunities for our enemies to attack. Just reaching the heart-tightening remains of Ulium took over an hour, and it was another until we came to a place we hadn’t seen any need to return to in the past: the jungle.

  Sure, we’d been around the cliff’s base and killed a wyvern or two, but we hadn’t ventured into the hot humid forest up top since leaving.

  “Are you guys ready,” I asked as we sat in the precipice’s looming shadow.

  “R-ready,” Akko said as she squeezed me from behind. “Ohh, I hope the sabards haven’t been waiting for us…”

  I grinned. “Don’t worry, my heaven-blossom princess. If they so much as look in your direction, I’ll destroy them all.”

  And with that said, we charged up the cliff and returned to our old stamping ground.

  ***

  The jungle hadn’t changed a bit since we’d left.

  So dense you could lose track of someone a few meters in front of you? Check. So uncomfortable muggy it’s hard to tell where the sweat starts and the stickiness in the air begins? Check. Riddled with man-eating monsters with more stomach than brains? Check.

  It was hard to see why we left in the first place…

  Yep, the jungle hadn’t changed at all… but we had. Our power and knowledge had grown, we’d gained plenty of new equipment, and we had incredible new allies who made a world of difference.