Forged

by G S Michaelson

  Almost immediately Matthias noticed something was wrong, but it was too late. All the wires binding the duo snapped almost immediately.

  “How…what did you…” That was all a stunned Matthias managed to get out, as Rachel, no longer bound, closed in on him.

  Light Tonner Slam!

  Her staff swung out, and she caught him in the chest, knocking him into a wall and knocking him out.

  Reuben yelled with rage as he leapt towards her to avenge his fallen comrade, only to be blown away at the last second.

  Hephaestus: Concussion Shock!

  “What did you do?” Simon asked, lowering his arm as Reuben collapsed to the ground unconscious.

  “Maybe, I’ll teach you my tricks, someday soon,” She said. “But for now, I prefer it remains part of my mystique.”

  * * *

  5 Minutes Ago

  Zeke had made a run for it but found himself getting tired. One of the blades had nicked him, and he was finding it hard to concentrate. Sophia had left him to talk to Douglas, but even without her actively monitoring him, he wasn’t yet out of the woods.

  His head snapped around suddenly, powered solely by reflex as he heard the knife fly. Zeke deflected the first blade, and then the next. Sophia was unrelenting, she was defending the honour of the Marauders.

  “If you won’t be a cooperating captive,” Sophia said, with malice in her voice, “Then I’m sure the corpse of a deserter is just as good for the Rune Knights.”

  He blocked her next knife, but the other slipped past him, and he almost fell to his knees. If only he was armed and rested, he’d have won in a second. He was sure of it.

  “What’s wrong, Zeke?” She mocked, green eyes flashing. “Are you in pain?”

  A knife zinged past him, spinning in the air, somehow curving and embedding itself in his thigh. And then another slipped through the air, cutting the skin just under his eye. Another still stuck itself into the ground in front of him as he barely darted backwards.

  His Runes were weakening, and he was panting. Tired and exhausted, and he now realized, poisoned, he was having trouble keeping up with Sophia.

  “Where does it hurt, Zeke?” More faux concern masking very real anger, she was using him as a substitute for Douglas at that moment. “Let me check it out for you.”

  A knife stuck his other thigh.

  “There? Or perhaps a little higher?” Another knife appeared in his left forearm. His Runes had failed, breaking apart as he lost his concentration.

  “Or maybe here.”

  This knife sang in the air. It would have struck his chest, piercing his heart, had a web ball not deflected it.

  Derek and Douglas had made their entrance. Derek picked Zeke up from the ground, tossing him over this shoulder like he weighed nothing.

  “We keep running into each other,” Zeke mumbled, recognising him, but half delirious as well. Douglas poured something down his throat.

  “He’ll feel better in a few minutes, from the poison I mean. He needs some rest for the antidote to take hold.” He advised Derek as he stepped forward to face Sophia. Derek nodded, holding Zeke as he convulsed, the antidote taking its effect.

  “They let you two pass, did they?” Sophia observed, “I was just taking a minute to deal with some unfinished business.”

  “Sophia! Don’t do this.” Douglas said, his eyes pleading.

  “You don’t understand!” She shook her head in response. “Douglas, we have to do this.”

  Chapter 8 - Douglas West: Captain of the Marauders

  5 Years Ago.

  Pesque.

  Douglas’ fist smashed into Reuben, sending him spiralling into the woods. Sophia and Matthias were already too beaten down to continue fighting. All three had gotten up to charge him on his way to Pesque. It had taken him roughly half a minute to plough through them. He examined the serrated knife that had been buried in a tree next to him, holding it gingerly between his fingers.

  “Guess Pesque will never change,” He said. “Why did you think to attack me?”

  “You wouldn’t realise how many people want your head,” Sophia spat defiantly. She looked like their leader. The other two remained silent, clearly content with her speaking for them. With that in mind, Douglas addressed her as such, extending his open palm towards her.

  “Here’s a better idea.” Douglas said, “Why not work for me instead?”

  “Huh?” The confusion painted itself on her face. ‘Why would he make her that offer instead of finishing her off?’ Douglas guessed a series of thoughts like that would be running through her mind.

  “Think about it, you’ve seen how powerful I am. Who would challenge whatever organisation we form?”

  “Even if we accepted, just four of us wouldn’t be enough.”

  “That’s fine for now. We just need to project strength.” He said. “You know me, and now that I think about it — I’ve heard of you before. The four of us teaming up in here with the bounty hunters guild nearby? It would be a bold statement. In time, more will come.”

  Sophia thought long and hard about it. She would later tell Douglas that she had been thinking of stabbing him while he slept — a possibility that he had considered — but decided to give him a chance. He was someone who had made a name for himself. Enough to be considered a starred bounty even before he had done anything big.

  “Fine. I’m in.” She had been walking towards retrieved her knife from his hand and sheathed it. “My thousand knives are at your disposal.”

  “A thousand knives? That’s more than excellent. Well, you know my name. What are yours?”

  “I thought you said that you had heard of us.” Sophia said, “My name is Sophia. These two are Matthias and Reuben.”

  Douglas laughed.

  “Sophia, Matthias and Reuben right? Very well. Dust yourselves off, I’ll take care of you from now on.”

  The Marauders were formed within a year, devoting themselves to serving Douglas and protecting Pesque — not exactly knowing why. Not even Sophia, who had ties to the town could explain why Douglas wanted to keep it safe. He had travelled around the continent before setting up roots there, but there were no other obvious links.

  When she asked him, he was hesitant to respond. Like a skilled gymnast, he would dance around the answer.

  “In time,” he said. “Give it time.”

  * * *

  Now.

  Douglas and Sophia stood facing each other while Derek and Zeke hovered behind them.

  For both parties, this was a clash of ideology, and at its core, a battle for respect.

  Sophia had felt Douglas had dishonoured the Marauders and was seeking to rectify it with the tools that could restore their standing. Douglas was different, he was fighting for something he had always felt was greater and he was ready to win.

  Sophia moved first, her arm lancing forward as she threw three knives at Douglas.

  He dodged them all.

  “Come on Sophia!” He yelled, “This is pointless, and you know it. You can’t win.”

  “Is that what you think?” She replied, “Weak, foolish little Sophia. Your acolyte. The one who you planned to abandon eventually?”

  Another knife flew past, Douglas dodged it. It was too far off to have ever hit him.

  Then he realised it wasn’t aimed at him. The four knives had all hit their targets, core points in the floor that obscured a pit in case of enemy incursion.

  He fell as the ground under his feet gave away, landing at the bottom of the pit with a thud.

  A small object followed him. A quick glance at it confirmed it. A concussion grenade. For a second, he was blind and deaf, the light and vibrations stunning him.

  One thud. Two thuds. The knives pierced his torso, sinking in a little, but not quite enough to kill him.

  Sophia leapt down, this time she was done with throwing knives, gripping two in her hands. One step on the ground, and she dashed towards him, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

 
She sliced and hacked at him. Her knife cutting through the smoke and taking advantage of his slowed reactions.

  Douglas had to admit, he was impressed. He had thought himself head and shoulders above all his lieutenants. However, Sophia hadn’t been content to stay where she was. She had already been amazing when he first met her in the forest, and now she had advanced.

  She thrust again, this time he caught the knife. A hand movement later, and his hand covered hers.

  “Stop Sophia,” he cautioned her, “Or I’ll break your wrist.”

  “Somehow, even now, you still arrogantly believe yourself to be in charge.” She pulled out another concussion grenade with her free hand.

  She wouldn’t detonate it so close to herself, would she? Douglas thought as he moved backwards. She kicked him in the stomach, and rolled backwards as the grenade fell. In a brilliant flash of light and sound, it exploded. Now, they were both blind and deaf again.

  Another knife caught him in the leg.

  This was Sophia’s dance of a thousand knives that had earned her the epithet. She would sling knives at an opponent from a distance to slow them down, and then finish them from close range. Often, they were poisoned, but he had taken care to inoculate himself at the same time as he had given Zeke an antidote.

  Another knife, and then another, and then another, he blocked them all. Then he began to feel woozy. She must have used some other poisons to account for him. Again, clever.

  His feeling began to go, as his limbs became insensate.

  Another concussion grenade exploded, stunning him once more.

  If this was a strength contest or conventional fight, he would have had the edge. But Sophia was taking out his senses with poison and bombs, neutralising his advantages, and fighting him as if he was an equal. He had to admit, he was impressed.

  But that was the end of it. He could die if this went on, and he wouldn’t permit that.

  Sophia charged towards him. She would pierce him in the heart with her poison-tipped blade. He would die in seconds as the blade slipped through him with no resistance, as he was blind and deaf, he wouldn’t even see it coming.

  Butterfly Style: Flapping Wings!

  Douglas had been stunned by the grenade, or so she had thought. Sophia hadn’t expected Douglas to suddenly turn around at the last possible moment. His legs lammed into her several times. Another kick and she was launched vertically, flying above the pit, and back to higher ground.

  Douglas leapt out after her, propelled by powerful legs, landing beside her.

  Sophia stabbed him almost immediately in the stomach.

  He spat blood as he groaned. The poison was getting to him, and he was finding it harder and harder to move.

  He swiped at Sophia, but she had already moved out of his reach.

  She reared back and threw her final knife.

  Derek moved quickly, deflecting it. Barehanded would have been folly. He had wrapped his hand in his own webs, the steel silk providing a makeshift armour for him.

  “Sorry for interfering, but I need you alive,” he said to Douglas, who simply nodded as his recovery kicked in.

  “So, you’re the one who’s causing all this trouble,” Sophia looked at him with contempt. “I guess I’ll have to kill you too.”

  “You could try.” Derek said, “But you won’t succeed.”

  Thousand Knives Storm.

  Sophia threw several knives at rapidly increasing speeds at Derek, he dodged them and began to run towards her.

  She kept up, but he was too fast for her. As she reached back to throw another knife, Derek now stood in front of her. He prepared to punch her.

  “It’s over.”

  Before he could touch her, Douglas kicked him away, sending him reeling towards one of the adjacent walls.

  “I had her,” he coughed, “What are you doing?”

  “No,” Douglas said, “I’ll take her. This is my fight, not yours. It has to be me.”

  “Ah, I see. This is the story of ‘The Man Who Made Too Many Commitments and Now Has To Choose’, or something like that.” Derek stroked his chin. “Well, in that case, I won’t intervene. This is your story, not mine. Let’s see how it plays out for you, Douglas.”

  Douglas cocked his head to the side at Derek’s odd statement.

  “You’d better pay attention to your fight,” Derek pointed. “She’s coming.”

  His reflexes reacted before his eyes noticed Sophia, and her foot collided with his forearm as he blocked her kick.

  She reached for a knife, he stunned her with a strike to the shoulder.

  She swiped at him with the other knife, but she had let him get too close, and he was ending the fight. His light and flexible Butterfly fighting style allowed him light and fast movement. That wasn’t enough for him now. He planted his feet in the ground, and placed his arms in the pose reminiscent of a dragon. This stance was primed to bring out as much power as he could muster into his blows. For Sophia, it was only respectful that he met her with power. She realised this at the last second, a small smile forming on her lips despite herself. An acknowledgement that he had discarded sentiment for once.

  Dragon Style: Twin Crushing Fang!

  His knuckles exploded into her torso, the sound from their shockwave mixing with the crack of bone. Blood trickled from Sophia’s lips, and the she was flying backwards, flying until the wall met her back. She wasn’t unconscious, but they both knew she would not be moving anytime soon.

  Regaining his breath, Douglas spoke softly now, “It’s over for real this time. You’ve lost.”

  Rachel and Simon stepped into the building at this point, and Sophia knew that the other lieutenants had just been defeated as well.

  She cursed Douglas, but he just sat down next to her.

  “I’m sorry Sophia,” he said, “For everything. I never meant to cause all this trouble.”

  Simon nodded at Zeke. Zeke tilted his head back, they didn’t need to exchange any more words.

  Rachel gestured to Douglas, “Do you need a moment?”

  “Yeah.” He said solemnly, “Please.”

  The others filed in a different room, while Douglas and Sophia sat silently on the floor. More accurately, Douglas sat. Sophia lay on her back. She had slid off the wall to the ground and Douglas was leaning with the ruined wall as support.

  “The antidote is taking longer to work than usual,” Douglas said, “You really did a number on me.”

  “Yeah, I prepared. Of course I did. I’ve been betrayed all my life by everyone, so I became a bounty hunter. That way you know at least not to trust anyone. You took me in and made me trust again. I guess — in the end — you’re just a man.” Sophia said weakly, “So, I guess you’re going to leave us now.”

  “I never meant to bring down the Marauders like this.” Douglas said, “I’m sorry, for all of this.”

  “As if that makes it any better,” She scoffed, “You’re finally going after the Arche?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I always thought you’d do it with us.” She said, “You know what’ll happen to us once this news gets out. That we were deserted by Douglas The Invincible, our flagship masthead.”

  “You guys are strong, you’ll survive. ” Douglas said, “You can become bounty hunters again or something if this gig doesn’t work out.”

  “Or something. The first bounty we’ll be taking will, of course, be yours, you do know, that right?”

  “I’m counting on it.” He smirked, “So I guess, I should kill you to prevent that.”

  “You’re not a murderer,” She replied. “Killing me in a fight is something you avoided, there’s no reason for you to execute me now.”

  She knew him too well. Well enough to know that he had a better idea. Being spared from death by an opponent was one thing. However, another idea popped into his head. One that would save the Marauders from humiliation, and help him later on in the future.

  Sophia’s face grew aghast as he told her. But she ag
reed after all. Her pride demanded it.

  * * *

  Later, Douglas stood in his main office. In his hands was a box he had been given years ago. The map which would lead them to the Arche was hidden there. He sighed. Once they began their journey, there was no going back.

  Douglas walked out to the main room where the others were waiting. Nodding at Derek, he gestured towards the door. “Shall we leave?”

  Chapter 9 - The Journey Begins

  “Why did you save me?” Zeke had asked, once they left the Marauders compound, just before he passed out again.

  Derek looked at him strangely before he replied. “Why would I ever need a reason to help someone?”

  * * *

  It was the day after the events at the Marauder base. Douglas had come to an agreement with Sophia, as he would tell it. They weren’t privy to the specifics of the deal, but they were told not to speak of the incident to anyone. The Marauders dignity would be kept intact, but Douglas was no longer welcome there.

  Zeke had quickly agreed and parted ways with Douglas and Derek, both of whom had gone off on their own.

  The Thunderdome was parked just inside of Pesque, where there was enough space for them to have privacy.

  Simon had set up a table and chair space, and Rachel had come along with Simon, as she had been doing over the past two days. They had been fast friends over the past few months and helping to save Zeke had only strengthened their bond.

  “That fool.” Zeke said as he sat with Simon and Rachel outside the Thunderdome, “He didn’t have to do anything. I had it under control.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes at his attempt to save face. “I’m sure you did.”

  “I’ve spoken to Douglas and Derek,” Simon began solemnly, “However you feel about him, you owe them a debt.”

  “I don’t see it that way,” Zeke mumbled.

  “It doesn’t matter how you see it.” Simon replied, “They’re going after the Arche, and after yesterday, I think we should go with them.”

  “Are you crazy?” Zeke sat up straight at this. “The Arche is the number one most wanted thing in the entire world. Almost no one knows where, or even what it is. And you’re going off with some random person we met yesterday, who wants to find it? Just like every other wannabe Arche finder?”