by Drew Hayes
Helen didn’t actually wait for an answer; the speech had gotten her a bit more stirred up than she wanted to let on. It wasn’t just coming after Ivan and Beth, although that did set off some very un-Lodestar-like feelings in her mind. This bastard had done it in the middle of a Starscout event, endangering unknown numbers of innocent children just to piss off and test Ivan. As a cape, it infuriated her, to see them needlessly put at risk. As the one who’d promised, by context, if not words, that those kids would be safe, Helen was veering dangerously close to getting truly pissed off.
When this was done, when the traps were gone and she could move freely, there would be severe repercussions. For the criminal’s sake as much as her own fury, because locked away in an AHC jail cell was just about the only place he had an outside chance of surviving Ivan’s vengeance.
Until then, she had work to do.
No sooner had her feet touched the center of the main floor than the walls virtually exploded. From within the holes they came, appendages like mossy snakes, as the overgrowth-covered stone struck. Some of the extremities had heavy, blunted ends, like a mace, while others were sporting a mishmash of blades poking out along every angle. Helen leapt out of the way of a mace-arm, watching as it smashed into the corner of some steps, leaving a huge crater in that section of staircase.
A blade-arm wasn’t too far behind, and as Helen slid beneath, using her flexibility to pull off an Olympic-level limbo move, she noticed the flashes of red coming from the edge of the room. Tori was firing on the arms, burning off sections of foliage where she could, but it wasn’t easy to hit moving targets from her position on the ground. The efforts didn’t appear to be bothering the arms, as they continued to focus on Helen.
Dashing across the stone, she managed to zip past two more huge, smashing blows from the mace-arms. One of those, and Helen’s secret was out. Her body would use as much power as needed to survive—very rarely a subtle display. Watching the angles of attack, she altered her planned path of movement slightly, a new idea jumping to mind. Glancing over to Tori, Helen noticed that her Starscout assistant was gone. That misconception only lasted until the blast of flame drew Helen’s attention to the ceiling.
Since shooting from the ground did shit-all, Tori had elected to go skyward. Whatever hesitations she’d had about hiding her powers were long gone in the wake of that speech. This was no longer a curiosity, or a weird occurrence to puzzle out. Somebody was knowingly swinging against Fornax, against her teacher, against her guild. That changed the stakes, even without the personal aspect. The kidnapping was an accident—didn’t make her less mad, but she got it. This was different. This was that bastard looking directly at the organization she was a part of and declaring he wasn’t afraid. He was going to learn fear, for the short time he survived; until then, blowtorching his toys was the best outlet Tori could find.
She rained fire down on every slithering stone appendage she could see, targeting the bases where they connected to the wall. This had the benefit of avoiding Helen, who was sticking to the center of the room as she nimbly ducked and dove away from every blow, like a cartoon mouse slipping through her cat’s fingers. At least, that was Tori’s impression until the crunch.
One of the mace-arms had come down heavily, directly onto the midsection of a blade-arm. Somehow, amidst all the dashing about, Helen had managed to guide the appendages where she wanted them, causing the mechanism to attack itself. The half-shattered blade-arm weakly rose, shaking visibly, and Tori decided this was her chance.
Cutting off her flames, she dropped through the air, firing off an occasional blast for redirection. Just before the end, Tori shot flames from both hands and feet, killing her momentum as she landed on the crushed section of arm. Since there were no points for subtlety, Tori opted to take her speediest strategic option. Digging her arms into the stone and thick moss, she turned her whole body to flames, cascading out and in, catching aflame every piece of greenery she could find. The fire caught at once, racing through the interior of the arm, along with the outside. Tori barely had time to get back into the air before it was cracking, the front section breaking off entirely.
One down, seven to go, by Helen’s count. Too many. She looked around the building once more, wracking her brain. No matter what the client wanted, Cobblord maintained his standards. A slug-fest for the first challenge didn’t seem fitting, especially considering that this was supposed to be for Fornax. What would he have done, in this setting? Obliterate the arms, obviously. So what next?
Her eyes fell upon the forgotten firepit, and Helen felt it all click. Fornax would break the enemies, only to realize they were just a diversion. The real key would be somewhere he’d likely overlook, costing Fornax precious time and angering him further. It was an assumption that only worked if one knew Fornax by reputation as a mindless brute, rather than the kind of man Ivan really was. Trusting her instincts, Helen altered her planned trajectory.
With Tori overhead throwing flames, the arms were at least slowing down a bit as their greenery burned. Recalculating their speeds, Helen waited a hair longer to break left, sprinting in just near enough to a mace-arm that it would try to attack. She’d slowly been getting a sense of their range and what provoked a strike; given enough time, Helen could probably have broken most of the appendages with one another. This would be faster, if it panned out. If not, she’d just try something else. As an old friend had once told her: “The real secret to being a cape is just not giving up until you’ve found a way to win.”
As she ran, Helen gauged the arms. The nearest one had blades, but it was currently on fire and would drop down a few feet short. Although a mace-arm was coming from the left, two blade-arms recovering from their last swings blocked a clean angle. Tori was working hard to cook the other blade-wielder, which left the last mace-arm for Helen, just like she wanted. It tracked her as she moved, clearing the blade-arm strike that was two feet short. Right when she slowed, the way a normal person might to take a corner or grab a breath, the arm struck. It slammed down with all of its considerable weight and power, utterly destroying the firepit that Helen had leapt out in front of.
Like a hose with a leak, they could hear the hiss, some unseen element escaping from within the ground where the pit had once stood. As it grew louder, the arms began to sink, the invisible force propelling them draining away. Holding her breath, more for fear of stink than poisoning, Helen walked casually back over the shattered remains of the firepit. Her hair was blown back by the invisible gas, but all the rattling of the rubble made it easy to spot what she was looking for, though she didn’t know what it was.
The gem shined a pale red in the light of the flickering sconces, a perfect square, evidently with some sort of charge or magic. That assumption was based off the fact that as soon as Helen laid hands upon it, a door at the other end of the building began to loudly slide open. She watched as Tori came down, landing roughly near one of the now lifeless arms before walking over.
“Figure it out?”
“Yeah. The real target was the firepit all along. Classic double-up: you build something that seems like it’s only there for theatricality or ambience, then hide the prize inside.” Almost too classic, really. Helen hadn’t seen this one used for a good while. “No surprise from someone that still monologues. I mean, they happen, but doing a whole production of one has been out of vogue for decades.”
Together, they looked at the jewel, still sparkling slightly in the flickering light of the residual flames spreading across the downed arms. It was Tori who finally said the obvious, unable to see any way around it. “One gem probably means more, right? If it was a key, it might be one and done, but that feels like a component.”
“That’s my guess. And they’ll only get harder from here.” Helen tucked the jewel away carefully in her pocket. “But let’s look on the bright side. Whoever built this expected Ivan to be on his own. They assumed he’d have to abandon the kids and crack through here at top speed. That means we should be able
to finish before food or water become serious issues.”
“Except that, while we do, more and more monsters are heading to the area where all the scouts are waiting.”
There was something about Helen’s smile that tickled Tori’s brain. She’d seen one like it before, hadn’t she? Kind and warm, but with a hidden laugh just out of sight, like its owner knew a joke nobody else did.
“Monsters that were made to deal with a group of scared children. Whatever threats have been marshalled, they won’t even be close to scariest thing out there tonight.” That smile brightened, and Tori wished she could just reach in her skull to scratch the gray matter directly.
“Those poor beasties are in no way prepared to face Ivan.”
Chapter 82
The forest was moving. From this distance, that was how it looked: trees swaying in a wind that didn’t exist. Thanks to the fading light of their artificial sun, none of the others had noticed yet; the herd was still a ways off.
Ivan stood at the edge of their makeshift campground, watching the waves of emerald as the forest betrayed its hidden forces. Most of the camp was gathered around the fire, trying to ignore the protests from their stomachs. There had been a few meager snacks collected, bags of peanuts and nutrition bars, that were being shared out among the kids as best they could. Little as it was, sometimes a single bite was enough to keep going. One step, one punch, it could all be the difference between death and survival.
Slipping away in that moment was possible. Legs like his covered ground at an incredible pace when pushed; getting there and back would be a minor matter. But the fight could take time, depending on how numerous and slippery the forces, long enough for him to be missed. That in itself wasn’t so bad, but if anyone got the idea to mount an expedition, they’d be putting themselves and the children in serious peril.
Waiting was another option; it wouldn’t be too long before the young ones got sleepy. Taking a guard shift, and then killing every threat in the area had been Ivan’s original plan, and it was one that still had viability. Unfortunately, with no threats seen, Trey would go wandering off into the woods the next morning, dying almost as soon as he left the safety of their area.
Ivan had no particular care for the man, nor had he any distaste, but it didn’t matter. They were at a Starscout function, Trey was one of them, and most of all, Ivan knew what Helen would say about the matter. He couldn’t let the man die needlessly for no reason, but he also couldn’t risk letting a horde of monsters near these children.
This was why villainy was so much easier than cape-work—fewer variables to consider. When all one had was a target, it simplified things greatly. Less to keep track of, such as fellow Starscout leaders. Ivan heard the crunch of dry grass before either of them spoke, already turning toward Trey and Yuri.
“While the kids are distracted, I thought we should have a little huddle,” Yuri suggested, tossing frequent looks over her shoulder to the circle of children. “Ivan, I raised your points to Trey, but we’re both still in agreement. With no threats present, it makes more sense to send him on to help the others.”
“I understand there might be dangers further out there, I do.” Trey stepped forward, set on making this declaration himself. “But we can’t do nothing while supplies run out. I have to go try.”
Perhaps it was the people that made villain-work easier, Ivan reconsidered. If these two had been a bit less responsible, they’d have happily sat around waiting for the problem to get solved. More cowardly, they wouldn’t have had the guts to try to leave. Easily corruptible, and Ivan could have appealed to some lower urge for motivation. What the hell was he supposed to do with someone who was aware there was risk, but still determined to help?
With limited other options, Ivan decided it was time for some specific truth-telling. “We’re past the point of ‘if’ there are dangers. Seeing as there’s no wind, and I don’t feel the ground shaking, there aren’t many other explanations for that.” Pointing out toward the growing darkness, Ivan drew their attention to the waving trees.
“What? It’s just forest.” Yuri had cupped her hands to her eyes, trying to block out as much light as possible from the fire.
“Give it time, let your eyes adjust.” While Ivan’s gaze had needed no such shift, he felt reasonably sure a normal human could still catch enough details to notice the movement.
It was Trey who saw it first, the sharp intake of air almost slipping back out as an unintended hiss. “That can’t be creatures.”
“Why not?” Ivan asked.
“Because if it is, then we’re all dead. That much force, shaking trees that big, it would roll over this area like a wave.” Trey’s eyes were haunted, and Ivan suddenly wondered if perhaps this wasn’t his first meta-adventure.
Here, Ivan found himself at a crossroads. He could, in theory, continue revealing small patches of truth. The easiest route would be to admit he was a meta-human without giving away any actual details. A small display of his warding power would likely convince the pair he was keeping all the threats at bay, and continuing to sneak away easily became sellable as him reinforcing the magic. Unfortunately, that still required admitting that he was more than human, and Ivan’s identity was heavily founded on being boring and unremarkable.
The other option was to explain as little as possible, keep them guessing, and hope Helen was making good time. Riskier in the long-term, but if Ivan could shuffle through this without an overt power display, the rest would fade away in their minds. Between the fear, stress, and adrenaline, no one would have solid recall of this, nor would they especially want it.
At least, that’s what Ivan was banking on.
“There is another possibility. When Beth and I were in the woods earlier, I caught sight of a strange stone carving a ways off. It may have been glowing, though at the time, I dismissed it as a trick of the light. It was too far to investigate in the moment, but now, I’m thinking it might be essential.”
“What does some rock matter in the face of that?” Trey asked, still gazing at the fidgeting forest.
“Maybe nothing, but we’re in a place with unnatural rules. I had the notion that perhaps the reason we’ve been safe here is that there’s something special about this spot. A barrier of some sort. It’s the only explanation I can think of for why there would enough monsters to do that, yet they still haven’t come for the camp.”
The gasp from Yuri confirmed she’d managed to spot the movement as well, bringing all three adults largely on board with the knowledge they were facing a threat. Lowering her hands, she took a long breath, gripping onto her own forearms. It was a trick Ivan knew well from his younger days, a way to keep one’s hands from visibly shaking. He was glad they were both smart enough to be scared—dealing with idiots would have made the task even harder.
“I’m going to go investigate that stone, see what the glow was, and if there are others. Hopefully, I’ll find some sort of clue, or at least confirm that my eyes weren’t playing tricks.”
“I’ll come, too,” Trey said, moving to Ivan’s side. He was halted, immediately, by a surprisingly strong hand on his chest.
Careful to make no expression, Ivan shook his head. “No. If I’m wrong, then I’m walking into danger. Better one dies, than two. The kids still need us.”
For a flicker of a moment, Trey faltered, the weight of the situation fully settling in. Then, he tried to step forward once more, despite Ivan’s hand. “Then I should be the one to go. Your daughter is right over there.”
“That would make sense, if you were the one who’d seen the stone’s location.” Or if any such rock existed in the first place. “Better I go swiftly than you bumble around in the dark. And while the sentiment is appreciated, Beth being here is why I’m the one who goes. I have more reason than anyone to fight my way back.”
He turned away, deciding it was better to simply leave and trust them not to follow at this point. That wave of movement was drawing steadily closer, and might
take some time to get through. Ivan was ready to show these peons of the jungle what a true apex predator was.
The root snagged Tori’s foot, sending her sailing forward, face directly on a crash course with a nearby tree trunk. Hands snapped onto her shoulders, steadying her just before impact, as Helen gently helped her back to a standing position.
“That’s it, we’re stopping to rest.”
Even as she verbally protested, Tori’s body enthusiastically wanted to agree. Between the mediocre breakfast, abduction of the cluster, and heavy amount of activity, she was beginning to feel the drain. Hunger nagged at her belly, the first itch of true thirst was taking hold, and her muscles ached to take a rest. Most of her Hephaestus work happened in short spurts; it wasn’t often she needed to take a marathon approach.
“We don’t have time to stop. Everyone is counting on us.” At Tori’s words, Helen’s whole face twitched, though what that meant was entirely up to speculation.
There was a brief pause, then Helen found her voice once more. “Everyone is counting on us, which is why we have to stop. Blazing through recklessly could get us hurt, or worse, and if we fail, then what? Ivan has to actually leave the scouts, or drag them along through whatever dangers are still to come. It’s late, you’re tired, and even using your power to turn sticks into torches, it’s getting hard to see. Right now, you’re more burden than asset.”
The last bit especially stung, since Tori could hardly deny it. She was slowing them down; she was the one Helen had to catch. If they were in a fight, Tori could easily make some careless mistakes in a state like this. Yet every part of her screamed to keep going, keep working, stay ahead of everything.
In the end, Tori decided to split the difference. She needed to rest, but for how long was still open to discussion. A brief respite to recover, and they could get back at it. Nodding in agreement, Tori stepped out of Helen’s grip, motioning to an open section of woods not far away. “Want me to build us a fire?”
