by Kory Shen
"Mira!" I yelled. "Naked woman!"
Yora bless that spirit. She didn't ask for clarification, and an instant later, the Rock Knight yelped in surprise, and his grip on me relaxed for a split second, just enough for me to slip my arm free and leap away.
"Kuri!" I screamed. "I'm coming!"
I turned into the main hallway leading to the dungeon's entrance. I half-expected the hallway to be filled with more of Lexley's men, but it was empty.
Was this a secret operation? Did the king know about it?
A gust of wind knocked me forward, sending me tumbling down the hallway. I somersaulted to my feet, then sent a lightning bolt and fire bolt in rapid succession over my shoulder, not bothering to check if they connected.
"Thanks for the lift!" I shouted as I continued running towards the dungeon's entrance. I realized I still looked like a naked woman. "Back to normal, Mira," I whispered as I ran toward the dungeon's entrance.
The dungeon's doors had been blown open by force. Wisps of smoke still hung in the air. Several guards in armor were on the ground, moaning. Kuri's handiwork. I dashed through the jagged opening, then paused to turn.
I blasted the ceiling above the doorway, then collapsed the doorway itself with a few well-placed punches. I added a coating of ice before turning to run towards the castle gates. My only hope was that Lexley had kept the whole business secret, so the other guards wouldn't be alerted until we made it past the gates.
I rounded the final corner before the gates.
"Warning," Mira said. "Threats detected."
"Damn it, Mira!" I skidded to a stop.
Kuri stood in front of the gates, panting from exertion. Around her were a handful of fallen knights, but across the drawbridge stood Lady Dyann and Sir Hurik. Both had drawn their weapons. Kuri raised one hand in my direction, then saw that it was me.
"Jakson," she gasped.
I ran up to her. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head. "I've used too much. Throwing flames is costly, far more than my Burning Fists." I moved to give her my arm, but she stepped away. "No. We still have to fight."
I looked to the two Champions on the other side of the moat. "Any chance you'll let us past?"
Lady Dyann's spear point moved to aim at me. It didn't waver. "I'm sorry, Sir Jakson."
Sir Hurik held two blades, one long, the other short. "If you lay down your arms and surrender, I'll do my best to vouch for you," he said.
"I thought I told you last time. We don't have arms." I waved my hands to emphasize the point. "But come on, you know this is all Lexley's bullshit."
"Then, surrender," Sir Hurik said.
"You think you can protect us from Lexley?" I asked. "Fat chance. Lady Dyann, please. Let us pass."
Lady Dyann shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't."
I stared in frustration at the two Champions. I didn't have long before Lexley's men would arrive. I whispered to Kuri. "Do you have enough strength for something bright? A blinding flash?"
Kuri whispered back. "I'll manage. Tell me when."
"When you're free, don't wait for me. Remember, the Tavern District."
Kuri nodded grimly.
"I take it from your whispering that you intend to fight," Lady Dyann said. "I'm warning you. I won't hold back."
"And I'm warning you," I said. "Lexley's going after my family. I have to leave."
Sir Hurik tilted his head. "Your family?"
Well, both of them, if he was after the king. But they wouldn't believe me.
"My true family," I said. "An old man and a ragtag group of kids." I whispered into my helmet. "Mira, any advice?"
"I am not familiar with their combat abilities. However, crossing that bridge is imperative," Mira replied.
Lady Dyann and Sir Hurik were still on the far side of the bridge, across the moat. Were they giving me a chance on purpose? They should have approached and cut me off. I glanced at Kuri. Or were they simply afraid of Kuri dropping them into the bridge when they crossed?
"How far can I jump?" I whispered.
"Vertically or horizontally?" Mira asked.
"Can I clear the moat without the bridge?" It must have been at least twenty yards across the watery gap.
I must have spoken louder than I thought, or Kuri's sensitive hearing picked up my whispers anyway. She gave me an alarmed look.
"I believe so," Mira said.
"With an elf in my arms?" Now Kuri stared at me. The two Champions shared a worried look, then slowly advanced.
"You would need to leap from a higher vantage point," Mira said.
"Higher? You better be right about this." I shouted to Kuri, shielding my eyes with an arm. "Now!"
A blinding blaze flashed in front of us. At the same time, I sent a triple shot into the drawbridge, then grabbed Kuri's arm. "Follow me!" I screamed.
I ran back inside the castle, but this time darted to the right. I rushed to the first staircase leading up and climbed. I risked a quick glance backwards. Kuri was right behind me.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Higher."
Kuri cursed as we raced up the staircase, spiraling up one floor, then another. She faltered after the third floor, tripping. I paused to let her catch up.
"Get in here," I said, holding out my arms.
"I'm not one of your weak human women," Kuri protested.
We didn't have time for bickering. I scooped her into my arms, and thankfully, she didn't resist. I ran up two more floors. We burst into a room with two guards lounging on the ground, playing cards. They looked at me in confusion, apparently unaware that we were two prisoners on the loose.
"Sentinel emergency," I shouted at them.
I spotted a ladder. "Sorry about this," I muttered to Kuri before throwing her over my shoulder like a barmaid. This time, she pounded her fists against the back of my armor, but I ignored her and climbed.
We were on the castle walls. This section of the walls didn't have any guards at the moment. I peeked over a battlement and spotted Lady Dyann and Sir Hurik still at the front gates.
"What are you doing?" Kuri shouted.
"Quiet!"
"No, no. You're not going to leap, are you?" Kuri hammered my back even harder. "Let me go, you fool!"
"It'll be fine." I ran along the castle wall as I spoke. I wanted to reach the other side of the castle, but it was too far away. I had to settle for turning the corner so the Champions wouldn't see us.
"Jakson! This is crazy!"
"Don't worry. Mira says it will work, and Mira's always right, remember?"
"That bloody spirit. I'm going to give her a piece—"
"Hold that thought, and don't scream."
"No—"
I had turned the corner on the castle wall. A few guards were standing there, mouths gaping at me running with Kuri over my shoulder. I shifted her back into my arms in front of me, covering her mouth with my right hand as she started to yell.
"A downward blast will soften the landing," Mira said as I approached the wall's edge.
"Got it," I said. With that, I leaped off the wall, pushing against my last foothold as hard as I could.
I heard gasps and a shout behind me as I sailed through the open air. I shifted Kuri so that I could point downward with my left arm.
"Triple shot!"
The shot slowed our descent for a fraction of a second before we landed in a cloud of dirt. My feet hit the ground first, but I rolled with the collision, wrapping my arms tightly around Kuri. We rolled for several seconds before stopping. Kuri was still in my arms.
"Kuri? Are you okay?" I asked cautiously.
She slapped my arms away and crawled out from under me.
"Don't you ever do that again!" she snapped.
"Her physiology is amazing," Mira said. "I did not know if she would survive the impact."
"You didn't know she would survive?" Kuri eyes widened as she heard me. Her glare intensified.
"What did Mira—" Kuri b
egan.
"Warning. Incoming threats," Mira said.
"Oh, fine time to change the subject," I said. I looked at Kuri's angry expression. "Or perfect timing. Come on, we're not out of this yet."
Judging from the location of my triple shot's crater, we had landed several yards beyond the edge of the moat before rolling further along. I spotted guards on top of the wall yelling and pointing at us.
Lady Dyann rounded the corner of the castle walls, with Sir Hurik not far behind.
"Run!" I screamed.
Kuri dashed towards the city streets. I kept pace with her for a few seconds.
"You go ahead," I said.
"What?" Kuri managed between panting breaths.
"Lady Dyann has a speed boost. We can't outrun them." And it didn't look like Kuri was in any condition to outlast them, even if they were ordinary knights.
"Fool," Kuri wheezed. "Make sure you survive, so I can slap you for manhandling me."
"You got it." With that, I slowed to a stop, watching Kuri run further down a street, then disappear behind a building.
When I turned, as I had expected, Lady Dyann and Sir Hurik were both already behind me, ten yards away, waiting.
"So," I said, shrugging.
They were professionals. True Champions. Neither wasted time. They rushed forward from both sides, Lady Dyann with her spear on my left, and Sir Hurik with his two blades on my right.
I hoped Lady Dyann would go easier on me and hedged to my left. I barely saw her as she charged forward with frightening speed, her spear point scratching the edge of my side.
Shit. Her Heaven's Strike. She wasn't going easy on me.
"Fire! Ice! Lighting!" I launched a quick trio of attacks to buy myself space and time. Something felt unusual in my left side, where Lady Dyann's spear had hit me.
"Warning!" Mira shouted. "Suit integrity is compromised."
I glanced down at my side, touching it with my gauntlet.
The suit was damaged. To my horror, there was crimson blood on my gauntlet's fingertips. My side throbbed.
"She can pierce the suit?" I whispered frantically to Mira. That had been a glancing blow, not even a direct hit.
"Avoiding further suit damage is recommended," Mira said. "I suggest that you evacuate."
"I can't!" I whispered back fiercely. "I need to buy Kuri time to get away."
"Understood. Judging from the attack and your combat abilities, further damage is likely."
"You sure know how to cheer a guy up."
I retreated backwards as Lady Dyann attacked again. She was fast, too fast for me to follow, but when she committed to an attack at full speed, she couldn't change her course. Her feet and spear point signaled her next attack right before she launched it.
I kept on the balls of my feet, dancing one way, then the other, with every little movement that she made. She adjusted by feinting before launching her true attack.
I couldn't keep up with Lady Dyann's feints and attacks, though.
Sir Hurik attacked from the side, a whirlwind of glowing blades. Whereas Lady Dyann's attacks were pinpoints of destruction, Sir Hurik wielded his two blades like a raging storm, creating a wall of deadly steel. Literally.
His longer blade twirled in his hand, too fast to be anything but an enchantment. I didn't dare let his blades cross my body after what Lady Dyann had done.
"Fire bolt!" I sent the fiery attack at Lady Dyann, who dodged it nimbly, while I, in turn, scrambled away from Sir Hurik's swirling sword. I had barely stepped to my right when his smaller blade swung at me. I twisted to avoid the brunt of the attack, but it grazed my right thigh.
I screamed at the searing pain from the cut. It was worse than the lightning attacks from before.
"Warning!" Mira shouted. "Further suit damage. I'm also detecting second-degree burns on your right leg."
I tried freezing the ground beneath Lady Dyann to keep her at bay, but she was too fast, changing position to solid ground immediately. I sent a lightning bolt at Sir Hurik, but he caught the bolt on his short sword, sending it skipping away harmlessly to the side.
"The fuck?" I knew he could use his blades offensively or defensively, but I had never seen him in action.
I barely dodged the next Heaven's Strike, then sent a fire bolt at Sir Hurik when he got too close.
The odds were stacked against me. I tried to position myself subtly so that Lady Dyann's attacks would interfere with Sir Hurik's, but they were both too skilled, repositioning themselves in tandem without speaking. Instead, I received a slash across my back for my efforts
I gritted my teeth, whirling to send a backhanded strike at Sir Hurik. He easily caught my arm on the flat of his short sword, then stabbed me in the meat of my left calf.
"Warning," Mira said. "Suit has been breached by a foreign object of unknown properties."
I fell to one knee, screaming, with Sir Hurik's blade in my leg.
"Warning…"
My head pounded with pain. I couldn't make out what Mira was saying.
Sir Hurik bent low. "Yield, boy. While you live, you still have a chance."
He could have easily skewered me through my lungs right then.
I tried to raise my left arm, but a sharp pain pierced it. I screamed again, my throat already hoarse. I glanced up to see a spear impaling my arm.
"Yield, Sir Jakson," Lady Dyann said. Her tone was pleading. "Sir Jakson!"
Was it over? These were the true First Champions of Evercrown. There was no shame in losing to them. I closed my eyes.
Lexley!
"I can't," I gasped, opening my eyes. "He's going to kill them." I struggled to rise, despite the searing pain in my leg and arm.
"Then, we'll stop him," Lady Dyann said.
"There's no time." I turned to her. "Please. I'm begging you. Let me stop him. Save my family." I rose a few inches.
Sir Hurik twisted his blade slightly. I screamed and collapsed again. "You're in no condition to help them," he said. "If what you're saying is true, we'll lend our aid."
Lady Dyann shouted urgently. "Sir Jakson. Yield! Just yield, damn it."
I shook my head slowly. "It'll be too late."
I whispered to Mira. "Mira, that thing you did the other day. When the page boy touched you. Can you still do it?"
"Yes, despite the damage to the suit, your basic deterrent is still functional. I have to warn you, with your suit's compromised integrity, there will be some backlash to yourself."
"I don't have a choice. It's lightning based?"
"Affirmative."
"Can you set in on maximum?" I had no idea if it would kill them, but I couldn't risk going light on two Champions.
"Yes, whenever you are ready."
I pushed on my left arm, letting the spear pierce further through my forearm. I reached past the wooden part and wrapped my hand around the metallic lower part of the shaft. I screamed as I reached down to take hold of the sword in my calf.
"Sir Jakson!" Sir Hurik shouted. "Your spirit is commendable, but—"
"I'm sorry, Lady Dyann." I nodded at Sir Hurik. "Sir Hurik."
"Mira," I whispered. "Do it."
A shock ripped through me, setting my entire body on fire. I would have screamed, but every muscle, including the ones in my throat, clenched hard. I tasted hot, salty blood as I bit down on my tongue. The muscles around my spear and sword wounds clenched around the impaled weapons.
Everything went black. I thought I had gone blind, but bright spots floated in my vision.
"Mira?" I croaked. "Mira?"
My vision crackled back, then disappeared again. A distorted voice whispered in my ear. "The suit has suffered severe damage. Self-repair will require…" Her voice trailed off.
I tried to move my right arm, but my muscles spasmed. I forced it to move, then reached across, still blind, to grab hold of the spear again. Something heavy was around it. Lady Dyann's hand. The hand didn't move, though. Was she dead?
I touched the spear he
ad. Shit. It was barbed. For a moment, I was terrified, but then I remembered Vimm and the others. An insane desperation welled up inside me.
I pushed the spear through my left arm, slowly, trying not to scream. I didn't know if it had taken five seconds or five hours, but I finally pulled the spear butt out of my arm.
I reached down for the sword in my leg. This one was easier, and I withdrew the blade.
"Mira, if you can hear me, can you open up the suit?"
The suit flowered open, although the arm and leg weren't working properly. I could finally see again as my helmet opened as well. I crawled out of the broken armor.
Lady Dyann and Sir Hurik were on the ground, unmoving, but I didn't have time to check them. I heard shouts somewhere in the distance.
I crawled several feet on the ground before my strength gave out. I collapsed in pain. I crawled another few feet, then stopped again.
I heard more shouts.
I wasn't going to make it.
"Jakson!" a woman's voice cried. It was familiar. Lady Dyann? No, she was down. Genna?
My thoughts became thick, and I closed my eyes to rest.
CHAPTER 25
I woke up. Something hard was against my back. I turned to check behind me.
"Yora's tits!" My whole body trembled with pain at the motion. I was leaning against a building, in an alley somewhere.
Someone approached. I tried to stand but could barely move. I lifted my head, staring as my suit of armor emerge from the shadows.
"Mira? What the hell?"
I ignored my pain and pushed myself to a crouch. "Mira? Who the fuck is wearing you?"
The helmet opened. Kuri's face looked back at me.
"She insisted I put her on when I found you," Kuri said. "It was the fastest way to get you and your armor out of there."
I glanced down at the suit. The left arm had a tear, as did the right thigh and left calf. There was another small tear on the left side.
"Is Mira okay?" I asked.
"She's sounds funny but seems okay."
I had a moment of relief before I panicked. "What about Vimm!"
Kuri's voice faltered. "I…I turned back to check on you. I brought you here only moments ago."
