Iron Prince: A Progression Sci-Fi Epic (Warformed: Stormweaver Book 1)

by Bryce O'Connor

  “Fatal Damage Accrued,” he heard this time, and with a thrill knew he had—at the very least—surpassed himself.

  Then Rei realized he’d wasted a second grinning at nothing, and he launched towards the D0 man.

  It took a few moments more to down this opponent. Rei tried to replicate his last kill, but the man’s thicker arm proved less conducive for grabbing hold of, and he couldn’t get a good grip before the D0 smacked his hand away. The projection blocked another blow, then another before Rei changed tactics on the fly. Jabbing in a blurred thrust at the man’s face with the claws, he read the sidestep intended to be a dodge. Rei’s left leg swept around with a sharp twist of his body, flipping up the heel of the D0’s weightbearing limb to bring him crashing to the floor. From there, a few seconds of ground-and-pound had the Arena speaking up again.

  “Fatal Damage Accrued.”

  Rei didn’t let himself get distracted this time. Leaping off the defeated man as the hologram depixilated, he barreled at the D5 who’d just materialized. He opened with a standard punch, testing his opponent, only to have the strike batted away like it had been nothing more than annoying. Gritting his teeth, Rei hunched and set himself.

  Then he launched into a furious flurry of strikes that might well have made the Gatekeeper himself proud.

  Quick and nimble as the D5 was, she wasn’t fast enough to move completely out of the way, and couldn’t back-peddle without breaking her defenses. 10 seconds passed, then 15. Finally, a dozen small wounds from near misses against the claws took their toll, and the woman failed to bring an arm down in time to block a low haymaker to the side of her chest. Steel cleaved open her shielding to cut into ribs and muscle like paper, biting through projected lung and heart. The D5 went rigid from simulated shock, and could do nothing to stop the steel-clad knuckles of Rei’s left hand that collided with her face with all the force of a sledgehammer.

  “Fatal Damage Accrued.”

  Rei wrenched Shido free and whirled, definitely a little winded now. Just the same, he bolted across the field, making his choice as the D5 man bent behind his hands, ready for the incoming volley.

  Instead of throwing any kind of strike, though, Rei full-on tackled the projection around the waist.

  They went to the ground together, tumbling over each other in a jumble of confused limbs, but Rei didn’t let go. The D5 thrashed in his bear hug, and he realized he probably would have been dead had his opponent been armed—or even just been willing to attack him. Ignoring this twinge of guilt, Rei threw his body sideways and tossed the man over until he was on top of him.

  When the D5 was struggling between him and the ground, Rei jerked Shido loose from where it was pinned under his opponent to deal three quick punches to the man’s undefended side.

  “Fatal Damage Accrued.”

  Rei staggered to his feet, definitely feeling the fatigue now. He turned as quickly as he could and ran at the C0 woman who stood waiting for him. With his arms starting to fade, he could tell the drawing back for his opening blow was sluggish.

  It was rendered all the more useless when the C0 stepped into his range, rather than dancing away.

  Rei was so surprised that he hesitated in his punch, nearly slamming into the woman before finally bringing the strike down. As close as she was now, though, he didn’t have half the force he wanted behind his fist, and the C0 had little trouble deflecting the claws past her, leaving Rei to stumble sideways a step. He caught himself, then came in again, going low this time. The woman stepped back, and his first slash caught air, as did the spinning kick he turned the missed strike into. Within seconds Rei found himself chasing his opponent backward, the grey feet prancing below her like she was some professional acrobat. He didn’t have a prayer of catching her, her Speed and Cognition simply out-performing him on every level. He ended up cursing his reach, cursing the lack of range Shido’s form limited him with. If she’d wanted to—or been programed to, rather—the C0 could have run circles around him from 20 feet away, and he would have never gotten close enough no matter how hard he pushed himself.

  He certainly still had a long way to go…

  “Time!” Bretz’s shout came in the same instant the woman blinked out of existence, marking the 30 second mark to the fight and the end of the attempt. “First C0 reached! Total time: 4:42.87! Excellent first run, Ward! I want to see that same effort on the next two!”

  Breathing like the bellows, Rei didn’t have the ability to do more than raise his hand in thanks as he took a moment to bend over his knees, gulping in air. Only when he heard the pat of bare feet on the field did he force himself to straighten, finding Emble making for the center of the ring with a determined look on his face. Deciding trying to catch the boy’s eye was in no one’s best interest, Rei took the shortest route out of the ring, then walked around the outside buffer zone as Bretz told Emble to call.

  The other Types were about their own business, as ever, but it was fun to take a few seconds to see how the groups were faring. Most of the other fields were into the Offense & Endurance test, like the Brawlers, and Rei had a chance to glimpse Viv going at what he thought was the second C0 before he reached his ring and took a seat again. Looking to Emble, he found the cadet cleanly dispatching the first F5, moving on to make short work of the second, then the E0s and on.

  Rei might have imagined it, but he rather thought the Brawler ended up having a harder time of the D5s than he had. Perhaps it was only that Emble was trying to be more careful—likely trying to make up for his blunder during his third attempt at the Speed & Agility course—but his strikes, as clean and calculated as they were, seemed forced, even a little rigid. He managed the tier in the end—taking out the D5 man via a heavy knee to the forehead after doubling him up with a punch to the gut—but as soon as he engaged the C0 woman Rei knew with a thrill that they were going to be a match in this test as well, if only for the first attempt. Sure enough, Emble’s rigidity cost him, and despite being able to keep up with his opponent better than Rei had been, he still didn’t manage to land any sort of finishing blow before his 30 seconds were up.

  “Time! First C0 reached! Total time: 4:41.43! Not bad, Emble. Senson! Up you get!”

  Perhaps in part due to Bretz’s rather lacking praise, Emble looked a bit disheartened as he walked off the field, deliberately avoiding all eyes again. Rei couldn’t blame him, of course. The Brawler had technically bested him with his faster time, but it was by less than 2 seconds, whereas Rei’s first-quarter parameter testing had had him losing by a minute.

  It would be interesting, too, to see how the rest of the attempts went…

  Sense tore through the ranks in two-thirds the time either Rei or Emble did, then took down the two C0s in about 20 seconds each. Even his improved Endurance had him gasping for air when the first C5 showed up, though, and barely 10 seconds into his allotted 30 Sense’s swings were wild and unfocused, costing him the tier. He wrapped at just over 4 minutes, though, and collapsed to his spot with a groan after giving Rei a weak grin of thanks for a congratulatory thumbs up.

  Gisham, in the end, was the one who surprised them all.

  “Time! First B0 reached! Total time: 5:04.98! Great job, cadet!”

  She had barely managed it—just as she barely managed to make it back to her seat without crumpling from exhaustion—but it was still a well-deserved record. It had taken nearly a full minute for Gisham to take down the C5s—applying what had to have been an exceptional Speed spec to excellent use—and the B0 had outpaced her like she’d been nothing more than an annoying fly. As she half-sat, half-fell to her ring, Rei tried to catch her eye while he stood for his second attempt, but she was heaving in breaths from her back too desperately to take note of anything else.

  The F0s fell for him without issue, as did the F5s, then the Es and D0s. He took a little more time with the D5s, this time, trying to pace himself, and he faced the man head-on rather than tackling him to the ground. It took
some time, but Rei managed to down him with three claws to the heart in the end, and when he turned around to face the C0 woman he was a bit less exhausted then he’d been upon reaching her during his first attempt. He hated to think it, but maybe Emble had the right of it…

  Still… Even with his reduced fatigue, the C0’s Speed proved too much to overcome, and his run ended with Bretz’s call once again.

  “Time! First C0 reached! Total time: 4:56.05!”

  The chief warrant officer pointedly made no address of the slower time, though he did raise a questioning eyebrow when Rei had caught his breath enough to lift his head from between his legs. Rei only shrugged, hoping his silent attempt to say “was worth a shot” got through, and Bretz offered no additional comment before he called for Emble.

  Emble, this time, took things even slower. After tearing through to the D5s, he took nearly 30 seconds on each of them, dropping the pair so late in Rei’s mental count he started to wonder both times if the boy was going to fail to even make the C0s this attempt. Emble managed it, though, and demonstrated his strategy when he launched himself at the C0 woman with everything he had, barreling into her so fast that even her superior Speed and Cognition failed to get her out of the way in time. A feigned jab at her face had the projection flinching back, and Emble took advantage to drive his other fist into an exposed thigh. Immediately the woman’s agility reduced, leaving her limping as the simulation must have registered damage to the tissue and bone below her hip. She was left with little more than her blocking and deflection speed, which might have been enough had Emble not redoubled his assault, then, tearing at his opponent with a gatling flurry of blows that started to blur as they came. At the very tail end of his allotted time one punch finally got through, taking the woman squarely in the temple, and the call of “Fatal Damage Accrued” was echoed by a quiet hiss of “Yes!” from Camilla Warren.

  She shut up quick, though, when Rei saw Sense give her a glare from where he sat to the girl’s left.

  On the field, Emble was out of gas. He managed a good sprint towards the second C0, but his fatigue—which had obviously built up fast with his newfound aggression—proved the end of him. The C0 man gave him no opportunity to limit his mobility, and as soon as the projection was out of reach Rei knew the fight was done.

  Sure enough, Bretz’s call came not long after.

  “Time! Second C0 reached! Total time: 5:10.46! Good improvement, Emble! Let’s see if we can’t do the same a little faster, next time.”

  “Yes, sir!” the Brawler actually managed to wheeze out, looking all too pleased with himself. As he started moving off the field, he actually looked directly at Rei this time, smirking.

  Rei stared him down until the Brawler had glanced away again, feeling an anger he’d only just begun getting over gutter, then blaze to life in his chest.

  Two can play at that game, shithead, he thought quietly, making up his mind.

  Sense managed to reach the second C5 this time, and after him Gisham shaved a few seconds off her run in reaching the B0s. It felt like too soon before Rei was walking across the field to take his starting position, calling Shido up at Bretz’s command. The countdown started, and at 3 the first F0 materialized.

  At 0… Rei jogged towards her.

  There was a choking sound that probably came from the sub-instructor, as well as a laugh that might have been Gisham’s, but Rei ignored them. It wasn’t the first time he’d taken advantage of the parameter testing’s design, and he very much doubted it would be the last. As expected, the F0 didn’t move from her starting place in the black circle that marked where she’d materialized, watching him approach with eerie, unblinking grey eyes. When he reached her, Rei didn’t pause to drive Shido straight into her chest, his Speed not even allowing her to dodge or drop her hands in time to block.

  The moment FDA was announced, Rei turned and trotted over to the F0 man, taking him out in much the same way.

  By the time he’d downed the E5s in a similar fashion—and with only minutely mounting difficulty—more than 4 minutes had passed. Rei could practically feel the chief warrant officer’s eyes on him, and suspected that if this gamble didn’t pay off in some way that he would get an earful come the end of the attempt. There was no changing things now, of course, but he did pick up his pace a little as the first D0 showed herself. He was still careful to conserve his energy dealing with her, on the other hand, overpowering her with the same grab-and-pull he’d used to deal with the D5 woman in his previous attempt. She went to the ground hard, dying to a steel boot crushing through her chest, and the D0 man fell much the same, with Rei careful to go for his wrist rather than his arm, this time. The D5s required a bit more intent, of course, but three chances were more than enough opportunity for Rei to learn from his successes and mistakes.

  As well as those of others.

  The moment FDA was announced for the second D5, Rei whirled and put every ounce of Speed and Endurance he’d been saving up into launching himself at the female C0. His approach must have been minutely different, this time, because she didn’t dodge into his range, and instead hopped back a step away from him, batting away his testing slash at her face.

  Rei, though, had done everything he could to stay as fresh as possible for this fight, and so it was with a different level of fire that he chased her down.

  He didn’t go for the launching, sweeping kill this time. Emulating Emble’s tactic, he led the C0 back, waiting for the right moment, studying the pattern of her movement, of her retreat. When the opportunity came, Rei put just a bit more power into his forward lunge, gaining himself no more than 1 or 2 unexpected inches on the D0.

  It was enough for Shido’s middle claw—the longest of the three—to catch her trailing leg just above the knee as she stepped back once again.

  The effect was immediate, even more-so than when Emble had managed the same trick. Rei must have severed the heavy quadriceps muscles of the woman’s thighs, because the instant she tried to put weight on the limb it collapsed under her, bringing her to the ground. Rei was on her in a blink, and despite superior Defense and Strength specs the C0 only last a few seconds against razored steel, awkwardly immobilized as she was.

  “Fatal Damage Accrued.”

  Rei whirled and sprinted full tilt across the field at the second C0. This was his chance, his one opportunity. That fight had taken its toll on him—chasing the projection around like that after what had to have been nearly 6 minutes of fighting—but it didn’t matter. All he needed was a little more. Just a little longer.

  In the back of his head he counted, closing in on the C0.

  1 second. 2 seconds. 3.

  He slashed, and his opponent sidestepped even as he batted aside the blow. Rei punched, and the projection dodged backward.

  6 seconds. 7.

  A kick, and another dodge. Rei could feel the threat of fatigue building in his arms as he slashed again.

  12 seconds. 13. 14.

  At last the pattern shifted, the C0 starting the backpedal with every striker.

  18. 19. 20.

  Rei chased, forcing himself to be patient, looking for the opportunity.

  22. 23.

  There.

  The right time. The right moment. A back step that left the projection’s right thigh exposed, if only for a half a breath. Shido slashed, and the man’s thicker leg proved a disadvantage as the precise cut of the claw split even more muscle and tendon. Like an echo of the first C0 the man brought his ruined leg down as he finished his back-step, the limb immediately crumbling underneath him.

  26. 27.

  Rei lunged, leaping at the C0 even as he fell, desperately leading with Shido at grey eyes, taking the opening offered.

  28. 29…

  “Fatal Damage Accrued.”

  The projection flickered and faded on the end of the black claws. Rei was gasping again, heaving in air as he shoved himself to his feet. He pushed down the excitement,
swallowed the elation. He wasn’t done yet. Not yet. Some distance from him the grey woman had risen on the north starting point, the black “C5” contrasted against her chest. Gathering himself, Rei forced his legs to move, forced himself to take a step, then another, until he was running at the woman.

  30 seconds later—and not even a hint of a landed blow to his name—Rei heard the merciful call of the attempt’s end.

  “Time!” Bretz yelled, and before him the woman blinked into nothingness. “First C5 reached! Total time: 6:47.82! Way to finish hard, Ward!”

  Rei just barely managed to throw the man an almost-proper salute, grinning at the disgruntled smirk playing across the sub-instructor’s face. He might not have been impressed by the method of the attempt, but he didn’t seem too keen on arguing with the results.

  Nor, clearly, was Bretz intent on cutting him any slack.

  “You can gasp your lungs out off the field, cadet. Emble! You’re up!”

  Rei was still smiling when he passed the brown-haired Brawler, who’d finally come out of his shell of self-pity enough to glare in annoyed frustration as they crossed paths. Rei couldn’t stop himself from mouthing a sarcastic “Good luck”—earning himself an even deeper glower—before stepping outside the perimeter and taking a seat in his ring. He didn’t look around at Sense and Gisham this time—though he thought he could tell they were trying to catch his eye to shoot him silent congratulations. He was too focused on watching what was about to happen, too interested in seeing if Emble could rise to the challenge.

  Almost unfortunately, just as the boy started to tear into the F5s, a familiar notice began to script itself across Rei’s NOED.