Endless Online: Oblivion's Blade

by M. H. Johnson

  Val laughed. "I see you can finally spar properly."

  Alex grinned. "That's right. It's a wicked power blow if you seize the Vor and want to tear right through them. But if you act in the nach, and strike their blade with your forte just as they are lashing out for you, their blade is off line and it's a quick twist and lunge and you've run them through."

  Val nodded. "A two-beat version of the Zornhau. I almost forgot how good you are with a blade, Alex. I'm glad I got to see you give your newest opponent a run for his money."

  "Yup, I'm teaching part-time. Helps pay the bills, you know?"

  "And you're doing what you love."

  "Exactly."

  Val shared a pained smile, thinking back to a time when he could move free and easy about the gym just as Alex did, his sparring blade held in an easy, sure grip. The exhilaration he felt, measuring his opponents' movements, flicking quick, teasing blows before springing back, happily waiting for his challengers to overcommit before sending them reeling with perfectly timed blows that seemed to slip through their guard with a dancer's grace and a serpent's speed. That's how he liked to remember it, anyway.

  Val gazed down at legs even now throbbing with pain, having taken only enough medicine to take the edge off.

  "Valor, how are you feeling?"

  Val smiled into his friend's concerned gaze. "Not too shabby, Alex. Were I not a man of leisure now, I'd be more than happy to put you in your place with blade and buckler or longsword."

  Alex chuckled good-naturedly, exchanging a glance with Val's father. "I was sort of hoping you'd say that. Hold on just a moment." He then hurried off, Val shrugging and turning to gaze at the score or so of students and masters, half of them free-sparring, the other half going over forms with a solemn-voiced instructor. Only a few gazed at Val for more than a few considering seconds before nodding their heads as if paying tribute, honoring a wounded vet come home.

  Val grimaced. He was younger than most, he could tell that just by catching their gazes, helms and fencing masks aside. But their eyes. How goddamned young and naive they all looked, for all that most moved as men in their late twenties and thirties. For all they knew, Val had wiped out in a stupid ski stunt. It had only been a few years since he was training his heart out at this very club. Three short years that stretched forever, a gulf he could never hope to bridge.

  But then again, who was he to complain? No one could relive their childhood once they left, and his had been sweeter than most, despite his losses. Only at the end did everything change. And he, at least, was still alive. Not all his friends could say the same, for all that he had fought damn hard to keep them all together.

  He sighed then, his thoughts turning to Julia, smiling in memory of how passionate she was about life, adventuring, and her future. He knew she had dimples, a beautiful smile, and eyes that flashed and sparkled like emeralds. And he only knew that because she had sent pictures to all her friends, enjoying cosplay almost as much as she did adventuring.

  If he was back in high school, he'd ask her out in a heartbeat, but he wasn't, so shook those thoughts away, happy just to have her as a friend.

  "Hey Val, if you're done staring at the cute redhead, who is my student, by the way, I have something to show you."

  Val grimaced, realizing he had been zoning out, grateful to see no one staring back, all too able to imagine what they'd say if some grizzly looking cripple seemed to be leering at them.

  "Lighten up, I'm joking," Alex assured. "Now check this out."

  Val blinked, now focusing fully upon the spadroon Alex held out with solemn reverence. Val whistled, impressed despite himself. Most smallswords that incorporated a cutting blade failed miserably at both. This blade, however, had been built to exacting standards with a backrib down most of its length. It would give the blade rigidity, and when Alex solemnly put it in Val's grip, it felt perfectly balanced, not heavy at all, yet still had a fine edge even if narrower than most cutting blades. Val was impressed by the exotic hilt, a hybrid between a three bar hilt and a clamshell, protecting against cuts and thrusts while still allowing for remarkable balance and point control.

  Val gazed up at his friend. "This must have been privately commissioned."

  His friend nodded. "That much I learned upon coming across the piece, though the name of the officer it was commissioned for is all but illegible. What's remarkable is that this blade has actually been used in three duels, the officer in question emerging victorious after each."

  Val's eyebrows raised, appraising the blade carefully, light flashing across the polished steel. "It looks well cared for, and sharp, but there is no way this blade was used as a cutter."

  "You'd be surprised, actually. It's no 1796 light cavalry saber, of course, which could easily lop your head off and hack through light armor. This blade won't slice through an enemy soldier in a thick buff coat charging at you with a bayoneted rifle, not a chance. But the back ridge and tapered point means that the blade won't flex like most spadroons, and you can run your charging opponent right through his heart. And the cutting edge, modest as it is, is perfect for flicking cuts without ever being off balance, giving you perfect control in a duel, especially if you're among gentleman wearing silken finery, dueling to first blood."

  Val nodded, considering. "Against an unarmored man, a quick darting slash to wrist or neck could win you the duel, even if you didn't bite much past the skin."

  "Exactly. It's all too easy to nick an artery or cripple the wrist, and a quick slash doesn't leave you open to counters the way fully committing yourself to the lunge does."

  Val laughed. "Good point. Thanks for showing me the blade."

  Alex smiled. "Would you like to try it out?"

  Val gazed at his friend before looking down at his wheelchair. "That would be kind of hard, wouldn't it?"

  Alex shrugged. "Not necessarily. So much is done from the wrist. Think of it like fencing on horseback. The 1796 is a dedicated cutter because lunges are such a poor idea fighting from horseback, save in the actual charge, and that breaks wrists as often as not, if you're not properly trained."

  "For all that the 1916 was a dedicated thruster."

  "Yes, but by that point, it was all strictly hit and run tactics. You didn't engage sword against sword, you just used it like a lance, basically. Now hold that thought, I've got a target for you."

  Val nodded to show that he was game, reservations aside, purposely turning to gaze at his father.

  His dad shrugged. "I know how much you used to love to fence. Alex said he had an idea to help you get back into your favorite hobby, even from the wheelchair."

  Val smiled, knowing his father's heart was in the right place. Yet he had never missed the simple joy of effortless mobility more than he did at that moment, unable even to fake a smile as Alex came back, holding a rolled tatami mat with a paper target taped onto it. "Good for thrusting or cutting. Give it a go, Val, why not?"

  Val shook his head, feeling the entire class's eyes upon him, before gamely pushing it out of mind and with slow, tentative movements that rapidly gained in assurance, he began to slash the mats, every once in awhile following up with as deep a lunge as he could, almost a bow, knowing his wheelchair was now firmly braced.

  He blinked to hear applause, forcing a smile for all that he feared it was pity, finding himself feeling surprisingly energized for the modest workout, realizing he had actually enjoyed himself. And for all that it was no saber, his slices had not been completely ineffective, and his lunges had gone through without hindrance.

  He turned to his friend. "Thanks, Alex, I enjoyed that."

  Alex clapped his shoulder. "Come by anytime. We'll get you sparring with blunt smallswords before you know it. It will be fun."

  Val promised to consider it, feeling a contentment that lasted all the way home.

  "It was nice to get out of the house, wasn't it?" His father said after assisting him back to his own room, Val legs cramping furiously, added agony to the consta
nt fire caressing his limbs. Val thought the pain a worthy trade for a chance to see his friend and handle that beautiful blade.

  "It was," Val admitted. "Thanks for taking me."

  His father smiled. "Least I can do for a soldier who served his country, son."

  Val grimaced. He had been the farthest thing from a hero as could be. An ugly little secret, that dark necessity that got things done that no one ever talks about. No one even thinks about. Unasked for leave and miscellaneous combat pay, and sometimes they didn't even bother to hide it. Just a stack of bills and orders to have a good time for a week. Blood money to wash their sins away.

  He drew a shuddering breath, hissing with pain. "Damn it, dad. You were a colonel yourself. You know what really makes these wars tick. What it's really about."

  His father stared with the hard eyes of a commander, pinning Val with his gaze. Gone was the loving, almost doting father. What Val faced in that moment were the granite-hard features of a man Val was now utterly certain had once ordered soldiers just like him, doing god knows what ugly deeds for a cause one could only hope was somehow just.

  Val swallowed and looked away.

  "Get some rest, son. You've had a long day." And not another word from his old man, bedroom door shut quietly behind him.

  Val trembled and closed his eyes to bitter tears, never having felt so weak, so bitter, as he did at that moment, and he wasn't even sure why.

  3

  "Okay, Finn, I've got him in my sights. He has the flag. On my mark 3…2…1… now!"

  The screen flashed with Val's power attack, his Guardian Shield slamming the rogue who had stolen his army's flag while their own troops had launched a full offensive, the pair of them holding back just in case things got interesting from the rear, which they suddenly had.

  "Nice, casting Rupture... okay, he's pinned. Finish him!"

  Val grinned darkly, mashing his keyboard in a sequence of power blows that left his opponent in the red, Finn casting area effect slow heal which did little for the high dps of PvP but served to disrupt cloaking spells, catching their rogue right before he could flee, having used his own Primal to teleport back into the shadows even while stunned and bound.

  "Yes!" Finn roared as a final shield bash and flurry finished off their foe. "That's one bastard out of the match for tonight. Good call waiting behind. We get the glory of covering our team's butts, like what happened just now, even while the rest of those idiots are zerging for chicken scraps."

  Val grinned even as their team leader congratulated Val on his second channel, Finn using a private one with Val as he liked to talk shit, and tended to piss off anyone who didn't know him.

  Val muted his second channel before addressing Finn. "It was a shot in the dark, but I refuse to waste my time zerging about when I could be running a dungeon. And since John hasn't come online and neither has Julia..."

  "Yeah, John's furious, by the way," Finn said, and Val could sense his shit-eating grin. "Called you ten kinds of fool when I chatted him up a while back. It seems that stupid thief sold the artifacts he found for a king's ransom. Literally. He now has enough gold to buy one of the sanctuary baronies."

  Val whistled and laughed away the bitter spike of jealousy in his gut. "Which are untouchable, cannot be taken over by other players, and earns him scores of NPCs stroking Salevin's ego with phrases of 'my lord' and 'master.' I have no doubt John's been steaming for days after losing his own artifact in that damned fight, which is why I didn't even bother saying hi. It would have been nice to hear from Julia, though."

  It had been several days since their last chat, and he knew how excited she was about beta testing the hottest game since Elerium had first come out, just a few short years ago.

  "Endless, that was the game, right?"

  Val nodded, but of course his friend couldn't see that. "Yes. She seemed really excited. I wasn't going to bother checking it out until it got the Julia seal of approval."

  Finn laughed at that. "She's totally hot for you, you know."

  Val smirked. "She's seventeen."

  "Ah. There is that. She'll be eighteen soon enough though, right? And you're what, maybe twenty?"

  "Shut up, Finn."

  Finn laughed. "No problem. Hey look, another fool thinks he can actually sneak past my healing fountain spell so conveniently placed on the ledge there."

  "I think it's time we disabused him of that notion," Val said before doing just that, suddenly feeling better than he had in days.

  As satisfied as gaming was with his friend, he and Finn having PvP'd together for as long as they had dungeoneered, what he was particularly proud of was making it six hours without needing a single bloody pill. He lied down with a sigh only partly from pain, trying Dr. Haussman's meditation exercises; slow, deep meditative breaths easing into true sleep within seconds.

  He felt strangely happy, in a body bursting with energy. Everything had a certain vivid brilliance that was strangely surreal. He grimaced, realizing he must be dreaming, hoping this time he would have control and only sweet contentment would be his. Not that he could relax completely with finals coming up, but still.

  Finals. He blinked, not knowing where his wandering thoughts had taken him, just happy to be enjoying a lakeside drive in a cherry red convertible, Julia grinning at him as she coasted along the drive, auburn hair thick and wavy and flowing with the breeze.

  His heart was racing, as it always did when he could steel away from his studies and visit Julia, excited as hell to have placed high enough in enlistment testing that his father's friend assured he was a shoe-in for his alma mater. It was ivy league, and Val was no straight A student. He had a knack for problem-solving, however, and the critical thinking tests the school administrator had personally given him as a proxy test for success there made it clear Val wouldn't be just another gentleman C student if he actually got in. His grades though... no one would doubt that connections alone had gotten him in if he couldn't average at least a B on his finals.

  Val frowned and shook his head. He had finished his finals, hadn't he? He had forgone college for reasons he adamantly refused to think about, enlisting instead with the help of another of his father's friends, and passed the physical demands of his elite military unit with flying covers. He had made a lot of fast friends, warm memories, and that was just during basic and advanced training. Then everything had changed, once they saw action together.

  Val frowned and shook his head, gazing into Julia's worried eyes, knowing she hated it when he would zone off, and if he wasn't careful, he'd forget all about the test tomorrow. And calculus was no joke.

  "Sorry, Julia. I don't know where my head is tonight."

  Her worried expression turned to a relieved smile, eyes once more on the road, passing slowly by the grassy park where young families were picnicking on even now, near everyone enjoying the beautiful view of the crimson and gold sunset mirrored on the pristine lake, the cry of seagulls in the air. The water was fresh, of course, but he swore he could smell it, cold and clean.

  "I'm glad you were able to make it. I was wondering what it would be like to go out with you for the longest time. Since we began playing, actually, and I realized your dad knew my own."

  Val's eyebrows widened at that. "Wow. Really? What was his name? Maybe pops told me some stories."

  Julia shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal, but it did make me curious, and when I found your profile online, well, I thought you were cute." Her voice softened, the faintest of blushes caressing her cheeks.

  Val grinned. "If only. You should see my legs, they're a mess. It's an agony to walk. And my face looks like I got in a tussle with a wolverine." Even as he said this he frowned, feeling as healthy as he ever had as his mind flittered from school wrestling to fencing with his friends. He didn't have that much time for online gaming, but nothing beat feeling like he could actually be the characters in the game he loved. Elerium, released just a couple months ago.

  Julia turned her deep green eyes
upon him once more. "I think it makes you look strong. And I saw how cute you were in your yearbook. It's not too hard to get used to the scar if you feel something for the person underneath. Then you don't even see the marks. All you feel is the warmth in your heart. If that makes sense."

  Val laughed. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?" He sighed. "It is a beautiful dream."

  Julia grinned. "Admit it, if this were real, you'd be happy, right?"

  Val nodded. "Deliriously so. And I'd feel guilty as hell. I'm twenty and go to sleep with legs that burn and a soul that howls with the things I've done. You? You're seventeen, a bright flickering flame of hope and possibility with your whole life ahead of you." He chuckled then. "But if I were seventeen again, filled with life's possibilities, I'd snap you up in a second, win your heart, and marry you the minute we turned eighteen."

  Julia laughed out loud at that, and even sleeping, Val knew how outrageous a statement it was.

  "You're sweet," Julia sighed. "And I wouldn't promise marriage, not a chance. I know what happens to most couples that go too far, too fast. But would I want to see you again? Enjoy another ride by the lake as the sun sets? You bet I would."

  The car had stopped. Soulful eyes gazed into his own. Heart hammering, breath coming out in ragged gasps, feeling a sudden wave of giddy joy and terror. It was as great a rush as the first time he had pulled the trigger in earnest, with none of the horror.

  Only sweetest jubilation, as his lips softly pressed against her own.

  Val?

  Yes, Julia. - Not saying a word. No words were necessary as they lost themselves in the tenderest of kisses.

  Please. Don't do what I did. Promise me.