Firesign 1 - Wage Slave Rebellion

by Stephen W. Gee

  “Keep it up!” yelled Rynthe as the god lowered itself to the ground. He and several other adventurers were glowing with power as they kept the god rooted in place. More adventurers rushed over, adding to the bindings and firing spells, taking advantage of the god’s predicament to hit it, and hit it hard.

  Rynthe blanched as Amougourest turned around. Its eyes were glowing. “Spread out, spread out you idiots, it’s about to—!”

  Indigo beams shot out, racing from adventurer to adventurer and knocking them off their feet. Bindings began to shatter as their casters tumbled, first a set of red, then pale yellow, then two sets of blue—and then Amougourest leaned down and ripped the others apart. Rynthe sagged to the ground as his spells were broken.

  “Again!” called Rynthe as he fought to stand. He began weaving the necessary spells, mana flowing through him in the right pattern as the magick bent to his will—and then a spell hit him from the side, sending him tumbling.

  Crimson lowered his hand like it was a smoking gun, and looked to see if Rynthe was still alive. He was. He lined up another shot.

  As the cultists descended on the adventurers, with the aku keeping the others busy farther away, Amougourest turned back and hauled itself into the stands like a swimmer exiting a pool. The seats cracked but the building neither sagged nor crumbled, despite Amougourest’s size.

  The deity hiked up the sheer cliff of the arena, its eyes already locked on the city beyond.

  *

  The three of them were on the topmost floor of the Catacombs now. Raedren was inspecting the metal chute that would take them topside while Mazik and Gavi looked down into the cavern Amougourest’s magick had created.

  Gavi thought about Mazik’s plan again. “I’m going to die, aren’t I?”

  Mazik’s grin grew wider. “Hey, the other day you said you wanted to be more help next time.” He spread his hands wide, palms up, like he was presenting her with a brand new car. “Here’s your chance.”

  Gavi appeared to think about this for a second, and then punched Mazik on the shoulder, softly. “I guess someone has to keep you from getting yourself killed.”

  “Isn’t that usually my job?” said Raedren, coming up behind them. “I’ve been replaced already…”

  “Thanks,” said Mazik, ignoring Raedren in favor giving Gavi a quick hug. “Oh, and if it makes you feel any better, if you get killed then we’ll probably be dead shortly thereafter, so we won’t have much time to be mad.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better, no,” said Gavi, her cheeks flushing red. She thought about it. “Okay, maybe a little.”

  “Clearly, you’re a horrible person,” said Raedren. “No wonder you two get along so well.”

  “Quiet you,” said Gavi.

  Mazik laughed and walked over to the chute. He pointed at it. “Are we ready?” he asked Raedren. “Can we get out okay?”

  In lieu of answering, Raedren reached up and pushed at the chute. Not only did it raise several centimeters into the air, the hinges popped out of their housings.

  “And I suppose it hasn’t been killed since we last looked a minute ago?” asked Mazik, though he already knew the answer.

  Raedren shook his head.

  “Damn,” said Mazik. He nodded, and Raedren lowered the plate back down.

  The three listened to the sounds of battle above as mana streamed back into their bodies, bringing them ever closer to the moment they would act.

  “I never imagined I would be in a situation like this,” said Gavi, rubbing her injured arm. The sounds above were starting to get further away.

  “I did,” said Mazik. “I just never expected it to actually happen.”

  The trailing mana pool, Raedren’s, climbed past the three-quarters mark.

  “You know, we could always wait for backup,” said Gavi.

  “Yes, we could,” said Mazik as his body glowed a soft blue, “but the longer that thing’s alive, the more people who are going to suffer and die, and for some reason I find myself caring about that,” he added, flashing her a roguish grin.

  Gavi shook her head, smiling wryly. “Idiot. You just want to be the star of the show.”

  Mazik laughed. “Well, that too.”

  Raedren’s mana pool edged up to 85 percent.

  “So, what do you think is the most fate-tempting thing I could say right now?” asked Mazik as his personal mana barrier melted away and his mana pool swelled. He shuddered, feeling completely exposed. It would be hours before he would be able to reconstruct his MPB, even if he started now.

  “‘There’s no way we can possibly lose,’” said Raedren, throwing his arm around Mazik.

  “‘I’m not going to say goodbye, just see you later,’” said Gavi. “No, that doesn’t make sense here….”

  “‘This will be a piece of cake,’” said Raedren.

  “‘At least it isn’t raining’ is always a good one.” Gavi leaned against Mazik’s other shoulder. She grabbed Raedren’s arm and gave it a squeeze. “Oh, or ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’”

  “Ooo, that’s a good one,” said Mazik.

  “How about ‘I’m going to retire after this mission’?” said Raedren.

  “Pffft, no way,” said Mazik. “We haven’t done this enough to talk about retiring. Plus, I’m never going to retire. Or die.”

  Raedren snapped his fingers and pointed. “Now that’s a good one.”

  The three of them laughed.

  Gavi playfully punched Mazik again. “Idiot.” She reached up and tousled his hair. “You’re suuuch an idiot.”

  “That’s what—” Mazik stopped to consider. He nodded. “That’s what she said.”

  Gavi sighed. “Of course. Even at a time like this.”

  Mazik grinned. “Of course.”

  “I’m ready,” said Raedren.

  *

  A hush fell across Kitpicc Square as Amougourest’s body crested the top of the arena, its bulk eclipsing the moon and plunging the streets below into darkness. Its arm swept through the uppermost wall, ripping away the leather awning and sending rubble tumbling to the square below. Guards scattered as falling masonry exploded around them. The divine interloper leaned over the shattered parapet and leapt down to the square below.

  Amougourest’s knees nearly buckled as it landed, the meaty slaps of its feet striking stone echoing across the square as it froze. The god held itself in a tense squat for a time, finally rising when its knees had enough time to heal themselves from the impact.

  As Amougourest rose to its full height, bystanders looked up at the looming deity, looked at each other, and then ran. There weren’t many people out at this time of night, but those who were decided to make themselves scarce. There was no panic, nor any accidental tramplings as they fled—Houkians were a hardy people, and this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. They just ran.

  Amougourest grinned, its teeth glowing bright white against the torchlight. “GOOD. BE AFRAID!” it roared.

  Behind the deity, Rynthe and the other adventurers emerged from the arena and sprinted into the square. “Go!” said Rynthe. The adventurers with him began casting the spells they had prepared. But Crimson, Savage, and the other remaining cultists were right behind, and after a single salvo they leapt on the adventurers again.

  Amougourest appeared to wince as the spells struck, but it ignored them. Rynthe cursed as Amougourest casually ripped the bindings off its legs. Rynthe moved to pursue the deity, but Savage lunged at him, forcing him to tear his gaze away from Amougourest as it headed away from the arena.

  Rynthe swore. They needed to do something, anything to keep Amougourest from getting out into the city, or they would never be able to catch it. He scrambled to cast another binding spell, but Savage moved in front of him. She raised her sword and—

  “Mazik Missile Massacre!”

  The air filled with killing light, mana arcing into the night sky and streaking back down to Aegis like fire falling fro
m the heavens. Only this time, it was mortals doing the smiting.

  Amougourest roared as explosions rippled across its back. Other bolts curved around and struck the god from the front, each bolt hitting the same spot with unerring accuracy, while still others exploded against the back of its legs, dropping the deity to its knees.

  Amougourest snarled as it tried to rise, only making it as far as one knee. It turned around, its eyes flashing as it searched for its tormenters.

  It didn’t have to search long. Striding out of the arena like a beacon of pure power, Mazik blazed with the energy of a vengeful sun. Mazik looked like a man aflame, blue and green mixing around him as his hair and tattered robes lashed his body like he was strolling through a wind tunnel. Raedren walked beside Mazik and slightly behind, one hand locked on Mazik’s shoulder as he fed him mana. In front of the pair was Gavi, the main plate from one of the metal chutes back in the arena held in front of her, the nearly two-meter-wide plate hiding most of their bodies behind a thick layer of m-tempered steel.

  “AH, SO YOU’RE STILL ALIVE!” said Amougourest, rising as it turned to face them. The god stared down at the three adventurers like an elephant over a mouse, or perhaps a lion that was just bored enough to squash one of the creatures skittering about its feet. “I WILL NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE!”

  “No. No you will not,” said Mazik darkly. He lowered his voice. “I don’t think it’s going to run. All mana to me!”

  “Right!” said Raedren as he poured all of his mana into Mazik.

  Gavi dropped the metal plate and kneeled behind it, bracing it with her entire body. “Ready!”

  Mazik grinned as his body sang with power. “Good. Let’s kill a god!”

  Mazik raised his hands over his head, and twin spheres of mana flashed to life above each palm as he rapidly expelled all of the mana he had been holding at ready. As Amougourest took a deep breath, another breath blast forming in front of its split lips, Mazik’s spheres grew and combined, blue and green mana intertwining as the single spell grew as large as the god’s breath blast, then larger, growing until it was big enough to engulf any of them in an instant.

  Mazik leaned forward and rested his hands on the top of the metal plate, one hand wrapped around his wrist while the other aimed at the distant god’s chest.

  “Mazik Mega Cannon!”

  A sound like the heavens cracking open ripped across the square, and the spell shot forward, trailing a tail of mana behind it as Mazik and Raedren poured everything they had into the spell.

  Amougourest roared as it reeled from the unanticipated force. Cracks spidered through the god’s barriers as the spell drilled into it, mana arcing across its skin and raising welts that immediately disappeared. Amougourest’s breath spell dissipated as it held up its arms, absorbing some of Mazik’s spell as more barriers appeared in front of it. It began to push back.

  “I thought that was supposed to kill it!” yelled Gavi as she braced their only defense. “That doesn’t sound dead to me!”

  “Minor setback!” said Mazik through grit teeth. “Rae, give me more mana!”

  “Got it!” said Raedren, though he was already at his limits. He tried anyway, filling Mazik’s mana pool as quickly as he could channel it into his own.

  Amougourest tried the breath blast again. Mana formed in front of its lips as it pushed back against the trio, and before long it had had enough. It sighted along Mazik’s own spell and—

  “Incoming spell!” said Mazik. The breath blast shot straight at them, causing the tall Raedren to duck as Gavi used all of her magickally enhanced strength to brace the shield.

  “What the hell am I doing!” yelled Gavi as the plate bucked in her hands, the spell hitting with such force that she was almost thrown into Mazik. The chute vibrated dangerously and began to heat up, until Amougourest expended all of the spell’s mana and it cut off.

  Mazik continued casting. With Raedren at his back, he had no such limitation.

  “TENACIOUS MORTALS!” snarled Amougourest as its hands glowed bright indigo. The mana boiled out from around its fingers and began to push Mazik’s spell back.

  “C’mon, die dammit!” yelled Mazik as he forced a surge of mana into the spell. Raedren all but sagged behind him, but it was enough to overwhelm Amougourest’s spell, and the blue-and-green stream slammed into the god again, tearing at its barriers.

  Amougourest tried another spell, leaving only one hand to hold off Mazik’s nuke as the god fired. Its spell crashed into the metal chute, the metal shrieking as it absorbed the punishment.

  “It’s going to crack!” yelled Gavi as she leaned into the panel, clinging to the handle for dear life.

  “Rae, more mana!” yelled Mazik.

  “I’m at my limit!” said Raedren.

  “Go past it!”

  “I already am!”

  And that’s when Savage dropped out of invisibility a few steps away, her twisted sword raised to strike. Mazik started to raise his hand to defend—and that’s when he remembered.

  We have no barriers, and if I don’t keep this spell up then everyone is toast, thought Mazik. There’s no way we can block this.

  Mazik’s lip twitched. “Fuck. Game over?”

  “FIRE!” yelled a voice from behind, and the air lit up with magick. Savage cried out as nukes tore into her, acrid smoke rolling off her body as her barriers broke and her skin began to burn away. Mazik watched as other cultists were blasted out of invisibility in front of them. Crisscrossed barriers appeared around them, absorbing Amougourest’s spell and giving Gavi a much-needed reprise.

  Major Rur ran over, her sword raised. “Are you okay?”

  “N-not as bad now!” said Mazik, relief flooding his voice.

  “Where are the aku?” Gavi slumped to the ground. She could barely hold up the metal barrier anymore.

  “They couldn’t fit through the stairs in Gladiator’s Way,” said Major Rur as other guards and soldiers surrounded them. She and Captain Ankt kneeled down and took the metal plate from Gavi, causing her to scoot back until she was leaning against Mazik’s legs. “They’ll be here soon though, so hurry up.”

  A hand landed on Mazik’s shoulder, and he looked back.

  “You better not screw this up,” said Rynthe as mana flowed from his good hand into Mazik. Others joined, and soon the spell was a riot of colors as more casters contributed. Raedren had to step forward to avoid being accidentally pushed out.

  Amougourest fell back, collapsing into a building as the spell burned brighter and hit harder. The walls buckled and hissed as the god’s damage shield unloaded into them. Glowing bindings appeared and dragged Amougourest to one knee, wrapping around its lower body and keeping it pinned in place.

  Gavi stood on shaky legs and turned to Mazik. She smiled. “For what it’s worth, it looks like you get to use my mana after all,” she said as she laid her hand on Mazik’s wrist. Her mana pool opened up and flowed into Mazik.

  Mazik let out the breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “You know, I was just thinking that we might be a little short,” he said with a roguish grin.

  Gavi shook her head. “Dork.”

  Raedren stepped forward, keeping one hand on Mazik as he laid his other atop his two friends’ hands.

  Amougourest fired another spell at the trio, trying to batter down the barriers protecting them as it struggled to rise. Its spell was turned aside as the magickal bindings continued to chain it to the ground.

  Mazik, Gavi, and Raedren ignored Amougourest’s spell entirely, all of their attention focused on the mana steaming out in front of them. In addition to the swirling blues and twisting greens, and colors of a dozen different hues from the casters feeding them mana, a stubborn streak of brown appeared in the spell, adding depth and definition and just a little more power. The colors wove together and danced like nymphs. It was beautiful and terrible, its garish lights burning the eyes of those whose hopes rested upon it, just as it did to those whose dreams it was se
t to destroy.

  Amougourest did not balk. It straightened as much as it was able and glared defiantly. “COME! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY THIS MUCH!”

  Behind the city’s defenders, the two aku lumbered up to the top of The Pit and hurled themselves into the square. As soon as their bodies struck, their legs folded and broke. They began to thrash, their legs knitting back together as they struggled to stand.

  Mazik smirked. “We’ll see about that,” he said, his voice deep and low and supremely confident. He channeled his excess mana into a second spell, and multicolored spheres began appearing around him by the dozens. Mazik flashed Amougourest a reaper’s grin as the spheres elongated, forming small missiles.

  “Mazik—!” he started to say, but stopped, shaking his head. “No,” rasped Mazik as more mana than he ever thought possible boiled within him, crying out for release. He planted his feet firmly, his two best friends on either side, and his allies all around him. They braced him and gave him strength.

  “Let’s call this one like it is!” yelled Mazik, a wide grin across his face as the spell burned brightly. He laughed as he leaned forward and flooded mana into the spell.

  “FIRESTORM GODSLAYER!”

  The night burned, seeming for a time as bright as the surface of the sun as a group of lowly mortals gave everything they had to topple an immortal god.

  Mana ripped into the god Amougourest, tearing at its skin, boiling its flesh, and eating into everything beyond. As the beam surged with mana and the missiles slammed into Amougourest from every angle, light roared as it spread through the god’s body, searing the sight of the mortals looking on. They snapped their eyes away, shielding them from the blinding glare.

  KRA-KOOOM!

  The light and the sound were deafening, staggering. They tore at the defenders as they braced themselves. Then, as they began to clear, the mortals stood to find—

  Amougourest, still standing. The god was still standing, but now there was a great gaping hole in its chest, one which had burrowed through until it began cutting into the building beyond. Amougourest stepped forward, the bindings falling away as it teetered, its legs wobbling … and then it fell, its eyes dimming as the spell claimed the god’s corporeal body and sent its spirit back from whence it came.