by Tao Wong
Aron whispers to Nelia, “Told you you should have gotten another Ice spell. No, you had to go with Fireball.”
Nelia growls at Aron while Capstan and Tahar look at me.
I open my hands, shaking my head. “Nothing useful. I could hit it with Lightning, but that jumps around. I have Mana Dart…”
Aron rolls his eyes, and Tahar snorts dismissively. Fine, fine. It’s the lowest-level combat spell out there, and even improved, it’s still not particularly impressive. Personally, I think if I can improve it to send out dozens of those darts, it’d be amazing.
Capstan stays silent, scratching his arm as he stares into the distance. “We will need to stay close. The fists are dangerous, but the beam weapons are more so. Nelia will attempt to disable the upper left arm. I shall take the upper right. Redeemer, you must take the lower left. Aron and Tahar will take the last. Disable, then help the others. And then we kill it.”
The three Yerick twist and jerk their heads in unison in their traditional yes while I nod.
“Nelia, you will begin. May the herd watch over us.” Capstan stands, unslinging his axe for once.
The other pair get ready, their breathing increasing in speed slightly as they pump themselves up. I quietly activate Thousand Steps, figuring we could use the extra speed, and call forth my sword.
Nelia steps out past the door as she calls her spell into being. It takes longer than it usually does, a giant ritual circle of glowing blue lines and symbols appearing behind her as she builds and shapes her spell, Glacial Wall. Unfortunately, the Golem isn’t waiting for her to finish and is already turning, raising its arms.
The boys dash off to the right, opening up their beam weapons while Capstan steps up to Nelia’s side. I’m running to the left, cutting outward with my Skill and sending a Blade Slash directly to my assigned arm, watching as the glowing blue curl of Mana impact and create a small diagonal tear in the metal. Crap—the damage from my attack doesn’t even budge its health meter.
As the Golem lets loose with all four of its beam weapons aimed at Nelia, Capstan raises his axe, which bursts into flames. As he swings down, the flames erupt and spiral forward to meet the beams. Defying logic, they clash with the incoming energy and stop it. A part of me is sitting in a corner of my mind, pointing out that energy does not get stopped by shooting flames! Physics does not work that way. The rest of me is too busy lashing out with the Blade Strike in an attempt to disable the cannon.
When the beams stop firing, so does Capstan. In the brief moment of silence, Nelia finishes her spell and it comes into existence in a stream of cold energy from the symbol, enveloping the monster’s arm and coating it in ice. The monster attempts to raise its arm, and with a creak, the entire arm breaks off, falling to the floor and shattering.
Unfortunately, I’m running right into that mess. I have to spend the next few seconds ducking and covering up from the shards of metal and ice that fly all around me. The Yerick throw up their force shields, taking the shards directly to close in on their arm. When I’ve got a moment, I throw up my hand and throw a few Mana Darts at the creature as I regain my footing, swearing under my breath.
“Can you see this? Or this? Or this?” Ali taunts the Golem, ducking back and forth in front of the creature as he partly blocks the monster’s view.
That lasts only long enough for the Golem Boss to decide to do something about Ali, its eyes glowing and sending a pair of blasts. Ali yelps when he gets caught by the edge of one of those blasts, his body smoking. After that, he pays more attention, but his distraction lets us get in close.
For the next few minutes, things are hectic. I catch glimpses of what’s happening on the other side—Capstan jumping into the air and bringing his axe down on an arm, shearing halfway through it, Aron grabbing the attacking arm that misses him by inches and holding it steady as Tahar takes his Warhammer to the elbow joint. The damn Golem has no problem focusing on multiple attackers at the same time, so we’re all fighting our own battles. I find myself with little time to worry about the others though. The problem isn’t that the target is hard to hit, it’s that it’s so big and well-armored, I need to keep hitting the same location in the hope of cutting through.
Capstan takes his arm down next, then a short while later, the third one the boys are dealing with goes. As I finally lodge my sword in a joint and get ready to trigger Blade Strike, I find myself staggering at a sudden change of direction. The blade gets pulled down with the rest of the arm, the Golem having ejected its arms as it retreats. A few minutes later, its body opens and dozens of beam weapons appear across its torso before it opens fire again.
Caught in mid-charge, we’re taken by surprise. Capstan is targeted by over half of the beams and is blown into the ground, flesh sizzling and hair burning. The other Yerick get their shields up in time, but they have to hunch over to protect themselves. As for me, I manage to get out of the main line of fire and only eat about a third of what it aims at me. Flesh cooks off, bones heat up, and most of my armor gets chewed through. I grit my teeth, pain shooting through my body as I roll on the ground to get away.
“John, Nelia!” Ali shouts.
I stagger to my feet facing her and see the woman on the ground, whimpering with smoke rising from her body. Even as I watch, another beam targets her prone body, intent on ending her. Not again!
I snap a hand out, casting Two are One on her and taking a portion of her damage. Unfortunately, getting distracted in the middle of the fight means I get shot too. Beams that initially missed me find their target now. I sink to the ground, pain filling my existence as the damage accumulates even through my resistances. I focus, casting Greater Regeneration on myself to buy Nelia and me some more time.
The shots cut off suddenly as a bestial roar and a resounding clang occur in short order. The clanging happens again and again, and I slowly force myself to stand up as the Golem is knocked off its feet.
“Heal Nelia!” Capstan barks at me as he runs forward, smoke still rising from his body.
He jumps into the air, fire enveloping his entire body as he accelerates down onto the prone Golem. At its feet, Tahar is swinging away at a joint. That’s all I have time to see before my lurching, smoking form reaches Nelia’s still body, a Healing Spell ready in my hand.
Even as the spell wraps around Nelia’s body, I’m stabbing a syringe filled with an immediate healing potion into her neck. Her health bar inches up under both effects and I drag her into the hallway and out of the battle. Safe, I inject her with a health regeneration potion that will heal her over time before I duck back in just enough to see what’s happening inside.
The battle is nearly over. Capstan is halfway into the Golem’s body, tearing larger and larger holes in its torso, still filled with that boiling red mist, with his axe. Crouched next to him is the blond fur of Aron as he leans into the open cavity, pulling out gears and cogs with his bare hands. Beneath, at the Boss’s feet, Tahar has pulverized a knee and is working on the other one. With a final ear-wrenching squeal, the Golem stops moving. I exhale in relief, turning back to make sure Nelia is alive.
Gods, that was close. I can’t help the smile that plasters itself on my face as the adrenaline slowly subsides and I help Nelia slowly make her way into the cavern. There’s nothing like fighting for your life. Seeing Aron stand on the body of the fallen Golem and crowing about his victory and seeing Tahar’s wide grin, I can’t help but think I’m not the only one. The Yerick look worse for wear, their armor burnt and torn, flesh devoid of fur, and giant holes in the body showcasing slowly regenerating wounds.
“Thank you,” Nelia murmurs to me as she slowly pulls herself straight. “What was that you cast?”
“Skill.” I flash her a grin. “It’s called Two are One. Lets me take some of the damage.”
“Can you split it across multiple people?” Nelia asks, her eyes gleaming.
I pause, thinking about it. “Not sure. I’ve never tried it actually.”
“
Well, if you can...”
I wait for a moment before realizing that she’s forgotten about what she had to say. I shrug, dismissing it as I just can’t be bothered with that train of thought right now.
“So what’s the loot?” I ask when we finally reach the rest of the group.
Ali is silent, floating above the Boss and frowning before he twitches a hand, making the Golem’s entire body flash. When the flash subsides, parts of it glow. Oooh, that’s a new trick.
Capstan flashes me a smile, his prodigious regeneration already replacing burnt and damaged skin and fur as he walks to the body. “Let’s see.”
Hauling the Golems’ bodies back to town is a bitch of a job. It takes hours to grab and drag all the various pieces and parts to the hover-truck. I get more than one jealous glance as I make entire Golem bodies drop into my Altered Space. I still grab and haul bodies of course, though the Yerick boys generally haul about half of what I do. Pretty damn impressive considering my own Strength stat.
When we get back into Whitehorse, we catch more than a few curious looks. Not every day you see Yerick with a bunch of their fur burnt off and missing most of their armor. Xev chitters angrily when we arrive, staring at the giant mess of metal and wires that we drop in its yard before it skitters around the pile, muttering to itself. After a time, it looks at us and orders us out, promising to send a full accounting later. None of us feel particularly up to arguing, so we do as it says.
After a quick visit to the Shop to split our profits, we convene in the Nugget for dinner and drinks. Thus far, I’ve yet to be invited into their compound, but I can live with that. The Nugget’s more my speed, even if the Yerick find it slightly small for their taste.
We’re mostly done dinner, the pub filled to bursting, when trouble starts. An inebriated hunter stalks over to us, stopping a short distance away to glare at the group. The Yerick ignore him so I do too.
He shouts, “Get out!”
I tilt my head, shifting in my chair as I consider the slightly weaving, plaid-wearing xenophobe. The Yerick continue to ignore him, sipping on their drinks, though they’ve stopped discussing the dungeon run.
“You deaf as well as ugly? I said get out. We don’t want you fucking aliens here. This is a good human establishment,” the man shouts again.
My hand clenches slightly, but Capstan just shakes his head.
“You—”
“You will get out,” Lana says, her voice cutting across his, perfectly calm and quiet but somehow piercing. Stupid looks at her, mouth opening, before she continues. “Henry, you’re not welcome here anymore.”
“Lana.” Stupid’s voice is ugly, filled with hate, as he steps into her space. Lana doesn’t back down, though her nose wrinkles as his spittle and hot breath blows in her face. “You meddling bitch. You’ve got no place telling me what to do.”
“Actually, I do. I’m the owner here, and you’re not welcome. Now go,” Lana says again, her gaze turning even colder.
Stupid snarls, grabbing Lana’s upper arm to make his point. Instead of reacting physically, Lana’s face flushes slightly. Something changes in the blink of an eye as the friendly, personable, and beautiful young woman disappears entirely. Her hair seems to darken, becoming a blood red that is not entirely natural. Those violet eyes that are almost impossible to see in that color shift to a brilliant purple as her skin becomes fairer and closer to marble. More, there’s a palpable sense of danger coming from her now. Stupid whitens, his hand falling away as his jaw drops. Behind Lana, a waitress drops a tray, and nearby patrons shrink back in their seat.
Aura of the Red Queen Resisted.
Capstan lets out a low growl of approval while the other Yerick shrink back like the rest of the pub. Nelia’s face tightens before she straightens, obviously fighting and winning against the Aura.
“Out,” Lana says again, her voice a whisper that rings through the silence in the pub.
Stupid lets out a low whimper, frozen in space. Suddenly Lana steps back. The acrid smell of fresh urine reaches my nose a moment later. I have to hide a grin as Lana’s face twists in disgust, Stupid still frozen in place.
“Oh god, you did not pee yourself!” Ali laughs, obviously not affected.
I stand up, grab Stupid by the arm, and lead the unresisting man out. At the door, I shove him slightly to send him sprawling onto the ground. His friends follow him quickly, shooting fearful glances back at the young lady who continues to dominate the pub. Once they’re gone, Lana shuts off the Aura and sighs, directing one of the waitresses to clean up the new mess.
Lana walks up to me and touches my arm, smiling. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Though you might consider being a little lighter on your touch next time.” I chuckle. “Unless you like having Health & Safety get upset with you.”
“No such thing anymore,” Lana says. “I don’t have a lot of opportunities to practice using the Skill anyway.”
“Was that a Class Skill? Never seen Richard use it,” I ask.
“No. Shop bought. Watching Roxley, well, it gave me the idea,” she explains, smiling slightly. “It’s been useful.”
“I bet.” I smile slightly, noting that she hasn’t moved her hand as yet.
She catches my glance and flushes, dropping her hand to the side. “I should talk to the others.”
“Yeah.” I nod, watching her step away. I shake my head after a moment, smiling slightly as I walk back to the table. Surprises everywhere.
“Your mate is interesting,” Aron says, nodding toward Lana. “Few Adventurers bother with such extravagant Skills.”
“Lana’s not my mate. Or an Adventurer.”
“My apologies,” Aron says, shaking his head. “The mating rituals of other cultures are difficult to understand at times. Even with purchased knowledge.”
“We don’t call it mating here,” I point out.
“In John’s case, it definitely isn’t mating. Or dating. Or anything,” Ali chimes in.
“It is a pity she is not…” Nelia adds from the side, pushing aside the last of the nachos she ordered. “She has the heart of one. More than some of your...”
“Adventurers,” Capstan fills in after the silence lingers.
I grunt, shaking my head. “Don’t tell Jim that.”
“Of course not,” Nelia replies, aggrieved.
As I open my mouth to apologize, Capstan adds, “We should go. Nelia and I have duties in the clan, and Aron and Tahar must ensure our equipment is ready for tomorrow.”
I nod. “Tomorrow then. I’ll lead you guys through the dungeon I cleared. Should be very simple, so we should check out the other monster lair too.”
Capstan nods agreeably as his team quaffs their drinks. I watch them leave quietly, smiling slightly. Well, clearing dungeons with this team should be easy.
“The Minotaur was right, she was very impressive,” Bill says, interrupting my thoughts.
I look the man over then flick my gaze to Luthien and the raven-haired female who accompanies him. Ali floats back from outside, having finished heckling the poor hunter, and he sniffs as he notes Luthien.
Getting no answer from me, Bill sticks out his hand. “I’m Bill. We haven’t met yet, but I thought we should talk.”
“Oh?” I glance at his hand then nod to him, not releasing the grip on my pint of beer.
“John, you can be polite!” Luthien snaps.
“Toots, why don’t you take your skanky-ass back to your man?” Ali says before I can say anything. “Looks like you still haven’t told him you’re rubbing naughty bits with this guy, so perhaps it’s time to do that?”
Luthien snarls, raising a hand to blast Ali, but he just smirks at her.
Bill doesn’t even twitch, staring at me. “John, you should control your fairy. Accusations like that could get him hurt.”
“Go ahead.” I wave, leaning back and smiling slightly.
“What?”
“Go ahead and beat him,” I clarify, gestu
ring to the smirking Spirit. “He deserves it.”
“Hey! I’m helping here,” Ali says, spinning to look at me. The backhand that sails through his body, thrown ever so casually by Bill, makes Ali stick out his tongue at him.
“I see,” Bill says.
“I know something that will hurt!” Luthien smiles viciously, pulling a dark cloud into her hand.
“No fighting in the pub,” Lana snaps as she strides over, glaring at the group.
Bill shoots Luthien a look, and she subsides, her lips curling up as Lana approaches.
“Thanks, Lana. At least someone appreciates me,” Ali says.
“Ali, shut up.” Lana glares around the group. “Now, will you all calm down? Or do I have to kick you out too so I can have an evening of peace?”
“Can it, Ali, she’s not kidding,” I send to Ali.
He thinks back, “No shit. I’m not the one who doesn’t understand women here.”
Gritting my teeth, I raise my glass to my lips while Bill speaks. “My apologies. We were just here to speak, peaceably, with John.”
“About what?” Lana says, foot tapping.
“Oh, just the city. I was led to believe he and I might have something in common.” Bill continues to smile at Lana, facing the redhead fully.
“Well, do it quietly.” Lana casts a worried look at me then at Luthien before she walks away.
“So, John, are you working with the Minotaurs at this time?” Bill says.
“Yerick. And yes,” I say, deciding that answering might be the fastest way to get rid of him.
“Oh God, you going PC on me now?” Luthien mutters, rolling her eyes.
For a moment, I wonder what the hell I saw in her. She was always biting about people being careful about terminology. After all, they just needed to grow thicker skin! I have to admit, I never said a thing, never objected or argued with her about how words can grate on you, chip away at your ego and control. How simple insults, delivered dozens, hundreds of times can get under your skin until even casual, non-vicious use can anger you. I should have said something. Could have. I stare at her then smile. All right then, if they want to underestimate the Yerick, they can.
