Bard to the Bone

by Cid Banks

  I grabbed Cedric and dove. I pantomimed, pointing to my mouth. Cedric waved magical energy across my face, which made my SILENCE status disappear.

  “Thank fucking god.”

  Cedric nodded. “Thank me, not your gods.”

  Warm rain peppered my skin.

  “What in holy hell did you do?” Naomi asked, running over. “There’s no way down!”

  Chunks of flame fell, tearing pieces from the castle. The sky was a sea of orange that spread to the horizon.

  Had I set the world on fire? Oops.

  “You madman!” The Storm King yelled. “You-You worm! You’ll pay for this! No one defies me!”

  He swung his battle axe. Amy blocked the attack. The force of their blows sent a concussive blast, knocking us down.

  The ground shifted. Cobblestones shattered Amy’s feet. A crack splintered her greatsword as her biceps strained. Sweat streaked her cheeks as she roared in fury.

  Guitar in hand, I leaped into a riff. “Fuck him up, girls!”

  Amplify

  I played the AC/DC classic, which seemed appropriate.

  Thunderstruck.

  Fire streamed from Naomi’s wrists, blasting the Storm King. Amy shoved him back, slamming her shoulder into his mail. The multiplied hit sent him hurtling into the keep. A fissure opened in the stone, and then the upper tower collapsed.

  “We have to get out!” Naomi screamed as the ground shook.

  A chunk of roof fell. Behind us, the stairwell crumbled as the inferno raged.

  We ran to the edge and jumped to the lower ramparts. Rebel soldiers were in full retreat from the burning fortress. A tornado tore across the wall. A flying rock caught me in the ribs, knocking me down. I faced the courtyard.

  Teleport

  Instead of plunging into flame, I reappeared six inches off the ground. My chest seared with pain. My ribs felt broken.

  9HP

  3MP

  Barely hanging on.

  I rolled upright as Amy heroically landed beside me, caked in blood and covered in scorch marks. She spat blood as she swirled her greatsword. Naomi swept damp hair from her head.

  The Storm King burst from a wall. He was wreathed in flame, roaring in fury. Damage numbers danced across his body. Desperate to put the fire out, he ripped off his cape. Ablaze, he charged us.

  “You’ll all die!” He was too close. “Kill you all!”

  His axe chopped down on the rebel captain. The axe sundered Cedric’s shield. Steel screamed against mail as the blow crushed Cedric’s armor for 56. Cedric’ eyes went wide. He inhaled a shocked gasp.

  “NO!” Amy’s horror sent a thrill to my heart. “No, Cedric!”

  “Dead!” The boss laughed as he tore the axe from Cedric with a spray of blood. “He’s finished!”

  Cedric slumped to the ground, his eyes no longer seeing.

  Dead.

  A blast of fire and ice blasted The Storm King. Naomi unleashed an elemental barrage, beautiful face frozen with rage.

  Amplify

  With my last drop of MP, I screamed the chorus of Thunderstruck.

  Amy raged against the Storm King, wailing on him with her cracked sword. She slashed at the weakness on his chest. She unleashed a fury so intense, the greatsword shattered.

  Amy’s eyes widened.

  The king wheeled, punching her. Crimson sputtered from her lips as she tumbled. A blast of lightning surged into Naomi, lifting her with a scream.

  Sound waves erupted from the guitar. Every note coursed with extreme energy as the storm became a wall of fire.

  The Storm King lifted his weapon to the heavens, but this time the lightning wouldn’t come. The sky was devastated with fire. Enraged, he looked skyward. The skies were red.

  This was the real battle.

  My song against his magic.

  Wind ripped my jacket as I stood in a tornado of chaos. Fire, lightning, and smoke whirled in a frenzied inferno, the Storm King and I in the center. Only my music held it back.

  I planted my feet and howled, “Thunderstruck!”

  The hard rock blew the fierce gusts. The Storm King was flattened as a shockwave rippled across the courtyard.

  “NOW!” I yelled at the girls.

  “Fuck you.” Amy plunged the halberd through him.

  Naomi poured a torrent of fire into the Storm King. He wailed, writhing on the ground, and raised his battle axe. A pillar of flame bolted down. It slammed into the tyrant king. Stone split as fire engulfed him. The torrent zipped through his chest for 9999 damage.

  The girls leaped from the rapidly spreading fire.

  I stopped playing, and the gusts abated. Having consumed the Storm King, the flames guttered and went out.

  “I can’t believe it,” Naomi gasped. “We beat him.”

  Steam poured from the Storm King’s burnt husk. Around him, the rock melted into a smooth crater. Rain sprinkled as the storm cleared, the orange fading from the horizon. A snaking trail of lightning forked and vanished.

  Amy’s soft sobbing dragged my attention.

  “Please, no.” She was cradling Cedric’s head, crying. “Don’t let him be gone.”

  I knelt at Amy’s side and held her. Naomi did the same.

  Bone-weary exhaustion settled over me. It was finally done. The pain at losing Cedric would come, but for a moment I was calm.

  The girls were alive. That was all that mattered. Popups jumped in my vision, but they could wait. It was probably another level up.

  A loud pop echoed behind us. We whirled on an empty crater, the Storm King’s husk nowhere to be seen.

  Alarmed, Naomi stood. “Where the hell is he?”

  He was gone. That made no sense.

  Eyes widened, Amy stared at the spot where he disappeared. “No.”

  Then it clicked.

  Oh fuck.

  Twenty-Eight

  The Storm King wasn’t an NPC.

  Recovering from my shock, I grabbed my guitar and readied my crossbow. “The fight’s not over yet.”

  9HP

  2MP

  My MP was regenerating too slowly.

  “That’s not possible.” Amy still stared where the body vanished. All that remained of the Storm King was his axe. Her confused gaze crashed against mine. “How?”

  “He’s not dead, Amy.”

  “Great.” Naomi blanched. “We only have a couple minutes before he respawns.”

  She scrambled upright, throwing back her scorched cape as she rummaged through her pouch. “Empty, empty.” She tossed empty vials, and they pinged on the ground. “Damn it. I have nothing useful left. What do we do?”

  This wasn’t part of the plan. He was supposed to die, and that was it. Kingdom liberated from the evil tyrant. Check.

  Except he wasn’t a boss.

  He was a person.

  “He’s back!” Amy shrieked.

  A figure in plain black mail popped into existence, tumbling onto a rock heap. He grunted as he righted himself, adjusting his helmet’s eye slits. He raised a trembling hand and made a fist. A gust picked up, wrapping around him.

  A guttural growl burst from his throat. “Die.”

  Amy vaulted up the rocks, screaming. Seizing the halberd, she slashed against his armor for 22. He fell down at the giant axe. He grabbed it, staggered to his feet, and lurched wildly.

  “Wait!” We didn’t need to do this. “Stop for a second!”

  He lunged forward with a roar, head-butting Amy. Her head whipped back as blood streamed from her nose. Summoning a hailstorm of ice, Naomi shot the Storm King for 18. He shrugged it off and threw out his own hands, knocking her with a wall of wind.

  “Hey, dude. We’re not NPCs!” I waved to catch his attention. “We’re real people, just like you! Let’s talk about this. No one needs to die.”

  The Storm King released a wordless cry and swung at me. I ducked, firing a crossbow bolt. It thudded into him for 6.

  I pulled his character information. The respawn had knocked
him to level 21. He was still much stronger than us.

  “Listen to me, all right?” I holstered the crossbow and played Song of Smashing. “Put the axe down, and we’ll release our weapons.”

  “Like hell, we will!” Amy kicked the Storm King, and her buffed attack made him fly into the ruined keep for 36. “He killed Cedric!”

  He struggled to his feet. “I… you… I’ll not be stopped.”

  Amy’s golden halberd soared through the air. It snapped his armored helmet. It crashed against his face for 42.

  “How do you like it?” Electricity surged from Naomi’s wrists, striking the Storm King. Without his special armor, he writhed and screamed in pain. The axe flew from his hands. He slumped onto the cold stone, unmoving. Dead again.

  Naomi collapsed. I rushed to her side.

  “My MP is out,” she gasped. “I might rejuvenate enough for one last spell.”

  This was bad. “We have to make him stop fighting.”

  “I’ll use this to chop his head off.” Amy lifted the axe but dropped it with a grunt. “Too high a level. I can’t use it. He probably can’t either.”

  This was crazy. They were both acting like he wasn’t worth trying to save. “Girls, I think we—”

  “We need a plan,” Naomi blurted. “He’s coming. He’ll still be stronger. We’re out of magic and have nothing for powerful weapons.”

  “Let me talk to him! I have the highest charisma. Maybe I can put an end to this shitshow.” I racked my brains for ideas. “He must think we’re NPCs. This is a huge misunderstanding.”

  “Misunderstanding?” Amy’s grip whitened on the halberd. “He killed Cedric! He’s killed hundreds more innocent people. He wants to paint the map black and gold! You know he’ll keep doing it!”

  This wasn’t an NPC or a soulless, digital monster. He was dangerous, but he deserved a chance to surrender.

  “Let’s at least try to reason with him. There are three of us and one of him. I think I can get him to stand down. Don’t attack him when he respawns.”

  “No.” Amy’s eyes flared like two suns. “We kill him. End of story! Death is what he deserves.”

  “What choice do we have?” I took her shoulders, willing her to understand. “Every time he dies, he’ll come back!”

  “G-good. Then I’ll keep killing him.” Amy’s lip trembled before she releases a shuddering breath. “He took everything from me.”

  “Guys!”

  He had returned. The crown icon still hovered over his head. He wore chainmail armor and a spiked helmet. Confused, he gazed at his surroundings before spotting us. He lifted his hand, staring at the rusted battle axe clutched in his grip. He noticed our bloody clothes. Our raised weapons. Confusion hardened into fear.

  I held out a hand. “Hold on!”

  The Storm King charged. Amy parried the cleaver, spinning to strike him. He caught the shaft, and they grappled for the weapon. My MP slowly ticked up. If I could hold out for a couple minutes, I could cast a spell.

  “Amy, be careful!”

  With a grunt, she tore the spear and moved to stab him.

  “Amy, wait! Just wait a second!” The blade hovered over his throat as I approached the Storm King, who sprawled on the dirt.

  “I-I am the king of this land.” Blue eyes darted frantically within the open slits. “I rule—”

  “No, you’re a real person. You’re from a different land. Brought here against your will, right? Do you remember where you came from?”

  He blinked, releasing a steady breath. “I-I don’t know. I am the Storm King. High Lord of the Valley of Storms. King of the Nightstorm Kingdom. Feared across the world.”

  He was reading his character page.

  “No.” I reached out with a tentative palm, touching his shoulder. “That’s not the real you.”

  A torrent of wind blasted me.

  “Get away from me!” The Storm King stumbled upright, yanking at his skull. “I can’t—what have you done to me?”

  “We didn’t do anything!” Amy screamed. “You did this to yourself.”

  Whirling the axe, he charged at Amy. I strummed the Song of Smashing, focusing on the Amy.

  She parried the first attack. The knight kicked Amy, and she backflipped out of harm’s reach. She lunged at him. Her blow missed, and he smashed her spear in two.

  “Fuck!” Amy’s foot crushed his shoulder. She kicked. The axe went flying as they tumbled. Amy made fists and growled a challenge. She was a tiny ball of fury. He swung at her. She caught the first blow in her hands. Her counter missed. They traded punches, ducking and dodging like boxers at a ring match.

  As I wailed a power cord, Amy landed a punch. His helmet spun, blinding him. I drew my dagger.

  Teleport

  I reappeared behind him and slashed. The blade cut him for 9. He collapsed with a pained grunt. He looked up at me, and I felt static building in the air.

  “Please don’t do this, man.”

  “The Storm King yields to no one—ugh.” Blood dripped from the helmet. Electricity streaked between his fingers.

  I stabbed his chest for CRIT26. Crimson blossomed from the wound. The black knight took a shaking breath and fell. The sparks died. He went limp.

  I wrenched my dagger from his body, horrified by the blood.

  This was wrong.

  Amy seized his rusty axe, examining it. Her knuckles were raw with cuts.

  “What should we do?” Naomi asked, stepping in between us. “The guy has lost his marbles. He thinks he’s the villain!”

  “He is!” Amy burst.

  “He’s not,” Naomi shot back. “He’s a guy who’s stuck here. Just like us! How do we reason with him?”

  The Storm King’s body blinked from existence. A flock of crows watching the flight took wind, scattering in the skies.

  “We can’t reason with him.” All the warmth disappeared from Amy’s voice. “So he dies.”

  Naomi looked upset.

  “He’s brain-damaged. We can’t keep killing him over and over.” What about Amy? Her mind was clouded by too many respawns. What if she was also lost in her role? “It’s not fair.”

  Amy made a few practice swings with the axe. The effort seemed to tax her. She wobbled, breathing in sharp gasps. I brought up her character info.

  7/68HP

  “Holy shit, Amy. You have less health than I do.”

  Her fiery gaze crashed against mine. “I have enough to finish this.”

  A lump rose in my throat. I faced Naomi. “Will you have MP to cast a spell?”

  “One… maybe.” Naomi rubbed her shoulder. “A simple one.”

  A deep pop echoed across the courtyard.

  This time he wore black rags. Lean muscle rippled underneath the clothing. All he had was a curved hatchet. No helmet.

  The Storm King had chosen a beardless, young face for his avatar. Waist-length raven hair flowed down a muscular chest. His lips trembled, mouthing words soundlessly. He twisted the hatchet in his hands. Around his neck was a golden chain with a pendant shaped in a lightning bolt. Silently, he touched his hair. His face. The necklace. Stroking it, he looked skyward.

  Naomi watched, her voice thick. “We can’t.”

  “Amy, don’t kill him.” I grabbed her wrist, but she shook me off.

  Amy walked to the man, who observed her approach with apprehension. She punched his jaw.

  I sprang forward and yanked her back. “Stop it!”

  The Storm King collapsed, his hand lifting to his lip.

  “You murdered him!” she screamed, struggling against me. “You murdered Cedric and his family.”

  The man was trembling violently, clearly terrified. “Who?”

  Amy froze, axe shaking in her fist. Her grip whitened as she lifted it above his head, tears skating her cheeks. For a moment, it looked like she’d hack him to death. Then she hurled the axe across the courtyard, embedding it in the crumbling wall. Amy sat where it fell, sobbing. “He doesn’t even remember.
”

  Panic edged in the man’s surprisingly high voice. “Please don’t hurt me anymore.”

  I offered him a hand, but he flinched. No doubt he was struggling with a tangle of confusing memories. He probably recalled bits and pieces of our battle.

  Ash snowed from the heavens, sticking to his dark hair. His jaw went slack as he stared at us. He sat there, shuddering like an aspen leaf.

  I pulled up his character information.

  [Unknown]

  Level 6 Paladin

  HP: 28/28

  Strength: 6 Reflex: 4 Willpower: 6 Charisma: 4

  Traits: [none]

  Relationship: [unknown]

  His titles, the crown icon, the storm, and black armor—all of them were gone.

  “He’s not the Storm King anymore, Amy.” I joined her side, slinking my arm around her shoulder. “He’s just a confused, broken man.”

  I took her hand. She brushed tears from her ravaged cheeks.

  Naomi stopped in front of him, peering at him curiously. “He could be our age.”

  “How many times do you think he died before he became the Storm King?”

  “No idea.” She shook her head. “If he can’t remember that, how could he remember the real world? His mind is broken beyond repair.”

  “Where are we?” the olive-skinned boy asked.

  What would we do with him?

  I slid the guitar to my lap. The smooth body glistened, unblemished by the battle. Strings pressed against my fingertips.

  I played the saddest song I knew.

  Hurt.

  The rock song of 1995 should have won Nine Inch Nails a Grammy, and decades later Jonny Cash performed a beautiful cover. It started softly. I sang the painful lyrics, fighting the panic burgeoning in my chest.

  We might never get out of here, and every death would bring us closer to madness. We would lose our minds if we didn’t do something.

  The final lyric tugged my heartstrings.

  I would find a way out of here.

  The music faded.

  His eyes welled with tears. “That is a sad song.”

  “Have you heard it before?”

  He shook his head.

  “That’s all right.” What should I call him? “Do you remember your real name?”