3, 2, 1 . . .
We sprinted.
We reached the roof’s edge in sync and pushed off together. We slid through the air, our weapons trailing a blazing arc of gray fire across the sky. Halfway through our descent, Ascension turned to face us, weapons out, stance ready.
Oh shit.
They knew. They had prepared for the vertical and been waiting for us to attack from exactly that angle.
Game on.
We slammed together.
My feet hit the pavement, my sword hit my opponent’s, and we started a bloodthirsty duet. We swirled and danced all around the glowing blue flag, our weapons trailing gray smoke, theirs arcing with gold.
I knocked my opponent’s arm open and slammed a foot into his ribs. He stumbled back, lost his step, and crashed into the pavement. I pounced on him, reeled back my blade, and drove it straight into his heart. He seized, gripping the sword where it disappeared into his chest, and went limp.
Damn. Wasn’t even winded. I grinned down at his lifeless body. Hope you took notes, junior.
I retrieved my weapon and turned to find my teammate pulling her own axe out of her opponent’s skull. A pool of blood soaked the street beneath his cracked cranium and glassy eyes. Lily caught my eye and winked.
She zipped through the flag and continued her pace down the street. A flash of blue consumed her, and the horn rang out. Two down and we already had our flag. Maybe we did deserve to be in this tournament, after all.
I sheathed my sword and pursued Lily as she headed for our base.
“We’re coming in,” I said into the mic. “Lily’s got the flag.”
“No sign of Ascension on our side yet,” Derek answered. “Keep an eye out. They might be planning to ambush you.”
I dropped back a little and followed Lily from ten feet back, guarding her from the rear. The soft glow from the flag rippled behind her like a mermaid’s tail in the ocean. We made it two blocks from the enemy’s base before I heard the footsteps. Derek was right. Ascension was planning an ambush.
I unsheathed my sword as I ran. “Keep going,” I told Lily through the mic. “Get as far as you can until we have to fight.”
“Got it,” she huffed.
I gripped my sword tight and smiled.
Bring it on.
The footsteps drew closer, closing in at a steady yet incredibly quick rate. Just how fast were these guys? Then the constant beat tapping against the pavement grew heavier, more mechanical, like our pursuer was wearing metal boots.
A digitized voice spoke out.
“Target acquired.”
What the hell was that?
Lily glanced back, and skidded to a stop ahead of me. She froze, her lips spreading into a silent scream. I nearly crashed into her and jerked to the side just before a full-on collision.
“Lil, what . . .”
My voice trailed off as I whirled around, and my body turned to ice. Running down the street toward us was a seven-foot-tall mechanical beast with six-inch-long blades for fingers. Metal from head to toe, it ran on two legs and looked like an alien had mated with a cyborg.
It closed in, now twenty feet away, maybe less.
My feet were concrete blocks, refusing to move. Cold sweat slid down the back of my neck. My mouth was an open hole, and all I could do was blink.
All I could see were its blades.
It narrowed its sights on Lily. And smiled.
“Target acquired.”
A chilling, high-pitched scream ripped from Lily’s mouth as it drove into her, slamming its six-inch claws through her body. She spasmed and gagged. Her body convulsed, and blood spilled out of her mouth. The machine hoisted her off the ground as its blades protruded out her back. Lily convulsed once more, her legs kicking wildly, then suddenly went rag-doll limp. The machine dropped her to the ground.
The glow faded from her body.
The flag reset.
Damn it. Now I’d have to backtrack to Ascension’s base just to pick it up again.
Derek’s voice sounded in my ear. “What the hell just happened guys? Why did the flag reset?”
Hannah’s voice followed. “Is Lily out? Why did she scream like that?”
Then Rooke. “Ascension’s still not here. Did they attack you?”
Nope. Definitely not Ascension.
Lily’s body slowly faded from view, and that machine, that thing, turned to face me. Lily’s blood dripped off its claws.
I backed away as my heart thrummed in my heart. What the hell was this? Nonplayer characters, or NPCs, were common in standard games, but never in the VGL had players faced anyone but each other.
“Kali?” Derek’s voice echoed in my ear again. “Kali, come in.”
“Something else is in the game,” I told Derek as I pedaled backwards. “It just took out Lily.”
“Something?”
“Some kind of NPC. I’m looking it now.”
The machine stared back, its head slightly tilted, just watching. Why wasn’t it attacking me?
“Can you get our flag back?” he asked.
Good question. If I went for the flag, would that thing stop me? I halted my backwards retreat and shook my head. What the hell was I doing? Backing away from a fight? That wasn’t Kali Ling, the warrior. I stood my ground. Fought every battle. The tougher, the better. Besides, ten blades against one . . .
Now, that sounded like fun.
“I’m on it,” I told Derek.
I gripped my sword and charged for the machine. Come on, tinman. Let’s dance. The machine stood its ground, waiting for me to come to it, if it was really waiting at all. It took no stance, made no preparations for my pending attack. It simply stood there.
As I closed in on the machine, my teammates’ voices came through the mic.
“Where did he go?”
“I lost sight of him.”
A horn rang out. Ascension had our flag.
“Damn it.”
“What the hell just happened?”
“Where are they?”
Judging by the frantic, confused sounds of my teammates’ voices, Ascension had pulled some rogue move on our flag. On my side of the game, just as I reached the machine, its head twisted around, snapping to attention elsewhere.
“Target acquired.”
It bolted toward the right and soared away, never giving me a second glance. The metal thwacking of its feet clanged down the street. Uh, did it just . . . refuse to fight me? No one refuses to fight me.
I charged after it, and as my feet pounded the pavement, I had a realization about where the machine was going. It had entered the game when Lily picked up our flag and came back to life just as Ascension picked up ours.
“Guys, get back to our base,” I said. “Let Ascension go.”
“What?” Derek shouted. “Let them go?”
“Trust me on this. They won’t make it far.”
I cut west across the map, hoping to intersect Ascension on their way north back to their base. Technically, right now Ascension’s flag would be unguarded and an easy take, but I had to know what that machine was up to if I had any chance at defeating it.
I rounded a corner and discovered a hodgepodge path of boxes, storefront awnings, and fire-escape stairs leading up to the rooftop. I charged for it, bounding up the boxes and taking the steps two at a time. As I hit the first roof, the distant sound of clanking metal footsteps tugged at my ears, guiding my journey.
At a major intersection, I found them.
All three of Ascension’s remaining players were running the flag in. The machine was right there with them. The two players without the flag had jumped on its back and were hacking away at its metal exterior. The machine hauled them along, ignoring their attacks, its focus only on the flag carrier. He stood about five feet ahead,
glowing faintly blue, shifting back and forth like he was fighting his own two feet. One wanted to run, the other wanted to fight.
Hannah’s voice sounded in my ear.
“What are we doing?” She sounded panicked. “Kali, do you have eyes on them?”
I pressed my lips to the mic. “I do. The NPC is after them.” I smiled as I watched the indecisive flag carrier and the NPC closing in on him. “They’re about to lose the flag.”
A foot away from the flag carrier, a player on the machine’s back rose and swung his blade, slicing clean through the machine’s neck. Its head clanged on the pavement and rolled away while its body collapsed to its knees and face-planted on the ground. The machine, in all its pieces, slowly faded from view.
Oh shit.
That machine was out. Ascension had our flag and was only a few blocks away from their base. We were one point away from being out of the match and out of the tournament. Now the only thing that stood between us and defeat was me.
Three on one. Sixty seconds from the base.
Did I say I liked a challenge? I swallowed.
Adrenaline pumped through every vein. I backed up several steps, gripping my sword, and sprinted forward. But when I reached the roof’s edge, Ascension erupted in a chorus of panicked cries. I stumbled to a halt and peered over the edge. In the exact spot where it had been defeated, the machine was reappearing, only a faint outline at first but growing more opaque with every passing second.
An instant respawn.
Great.
So, that meant there was no way to defeat this thing. Good thing for us, it was about to take out Ascension’s flag carrier. Bad thing for us, my only chance at scoring and winning the game was to outrun it.
As soon as the machine fully materialized, it lunged for the flag carrier, completely ignoring the other players hacking away at its back. The machine swung its massive arms, and its claws ripped through their flag carrier. Blood sprayed out in every direction, like a sprinkler system gone haywire. He crumpled to the ground, dead before he even hit the pavement. The glow faded from his body.
“Our flag’s back,” Derek announced. “Did you take them out?”
“Nope. That thing did. It’s targeting the flag carriers.”
I backed away from the roof’s edge and turned north, heading for the enemy’s flag. I’d have a minute’s head start if I was lucky. Probably less.
“I’m going for the flag,” I told the team.
“Do you need help?” Rooke asked.
“Just stay where you are. Guard our base.”
“Kali—”
“Guard our base,” I said through my teeth. “I’ve got this.”
I raced along the rooftops, jumping between the gaps in the buildings. I had the advantage. The two remaining members of Ascension would have to double back and get their flag from our base. And that was if they even made it there and figured out what was happening inside the game first. So, all I had to worry about was that . . . thing.
Easy, peasy. Right?
My stomach spun.
I reached the northern edge of the rooftops, where their flag sat below. No one was guarding it. I glanced up and down the street. No one was even close. That machine had them scattered. Scrambling. Point for me. At least until I picked up the flag.
Here goes.
I backed up several steps, ran full speed, and jumped as I reached the end. I arced through the air, rolled as I landed, and sprang to my feet in one smooth movement. I zipped through the flag, powered up, and bolted down the street. This time, I got about halfway to our base before I heard the words.
“Target acquired.”
My stomach turned into a bundle of nerves, but I pumped my legs and pushed onward. The clanking metal footsteps echoed down the street, gaining on me with every stride. Can’t kill it. Can’t outrun it. How the hell was I going to defeat this thing?
Clank.
Another foot closer.
Clank.
I was running out of time.
All around me was nothing but buildings and storefronts, glass windows, and neon signs. If I stopped running to fight that thing, I’d lose my lead on it. But I was losing my lead anyway.
There had to be a way. This was a game, and there was always a way to win.
What if there wasn’t?
Sweat streamed down my back as I ran. My breaths came in faster and faster pants, and it wasn’t just from the running. The footsteps closed in. A swiping sound cut through the air behind me, and I could practically taste its metal claws ripping through my throat.
Derek appeared from a side street and slammed into the machine. It ignored him, still moving, reaching toward me. Damn it. He was going to get himself kicked out of the game.
“It’s an instant respawn,” I shouted over my shoulder as I ran. “Leave it.”
Derek thrust his sword through the machine’s spine. It seized up, its metal bits grinding together, and it collapsed to the ground and faded from view.
Derek looked up at me. “What?”
I skidded to a stop. “It respawns,” I repeated.
On cue, the image of the machine started to materialize. I scrambled backwards.
“Guard our base,” I told Derek, as I turned around to bolt. “I’m bringing it in.”
“But—”
“Now!” I shouted over my shoulder, as my feet pounded toward the west.
“Kali,” he called. “The base is south . . .”
His voice faded as I disappeared into the tight alleyway corridors of the map’s western edge. Metal footsteps clanked on the pavement behind me.
This was planned chaos. I could just picture the announcers.
“. . . Both teams scrambling . . . Defiance is all over the map . . .”
I zigzagged through the alleyways, darting between corners, like a skier on the slopes. After several sharp turns, I slipped behind a corner, drew my sword, pressed my back against the wall, and crouched, listening. Counting. The thing about machines is they’re more predictable than most people realize. They’re like clockwork, and this one was no different. Its footsteps were a constant, perfect rhythm. Too perfect. One footstep exactly every half a second, in fact.
Clank, clank, clank, clank.
I counted. Three . . . two . . . one . . .
I lunged just as it rounded the corner and sliced through its knees. It tumbled forward and crashed against the alley floor, metal screeching against the pavement. I pounced on its back, raised my sword, and hacked off its remaining limbs. The metal monster was now a limbless heap of parts. Its abdomen and head remained intact, so it was still technically in play.
Couldn’t fight me. Couldn’t chase me.
Couldn’t respawn, either.
I walked around the machine and stopped a foot away from its head. Its teeth snapped at me. Like a zombie, it inched its way ever forward, still hungry, still locked on its prey.
I took a knee before it and grinned.
“Get me now, bitch.”
It did.
In a blink, one of its missing arms re-formed, latched onto my ankle, and sunk its metal teeth through my boot.
I screamed.
I slammed my sword down, slicing through its newly re-formed hand, and started backpedaling, my ankle protesting with every kick. I scrambled to my feet and bolted in the opposite direction, gritting my teeth against the pain. Metal grinding against metal filled the air, and I glanced behind me.
Big mistake. Rule one of being chased: Never look back.
Parts re-formed around the machine, swirling and linking together. Its missing arm stretched into molded hands, each ending in a set of claws. It pushed itself up and was running before its legs were even fully formed, clacking on thigh stumps, then knee stumps, as more of its limbs self-repaired with every step.
“Target acquired.”
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
This was a nightmare.
I pressed my lips to my mic and screamed something I’d never expected to come from my mouth.
“Help.”
No one answered.
My ankle screamed, my breath panted through my lungs, and sweat streaked down my face. Lightning jolts of agony shot up my leg every time my foot smacked against the concrete. The clanking of metal footsteps grew closer.
It’s not real, I told myself. The pain isn’t real. That . . . thing isn’t real.
The footsteps closed in, and each became another whispered promise of death. Clank. I’m coming for you. Clank. There’s nowhere to hide. I pushed my legs as hard as they would go and braced myself for the attack. Waiting for the blades to slice through my body, pierce through my abdomen, and spill blood down my body. I went weak.
My vision swirled.
Ankle gave out.
Knees buckled.
I slammed into the wall and crumpled to the ground. My hands slapped the pavement as I fell. My skin burned as it slid. Grunting, I pushed over to my back and looked up.
It towered over me, seven feet tall, glowing in the moonlight, like some mechanical god. Or a demon.
It closed in.
It reached for me, its blades glistening. I backpedaled, ankle howling with each kick. It stayed right on top of me and slammed a foot down on my bad ankle. Bones crunched and snapped. I cried out. The taste of vomit burned the back of my throat.
It reeled back, its claw aiming for the final strike.
I cringed, waiting for the blow.
A flash of blond-red hair soared past me. Hannah slammed into the machine just inches from me and sliced its head clean off. It faded from view.
I shoved down the sick feeling in my throat as Hannah helped me to my feet.
“It’s an instant respawn,” I told her.
“I know. Can you run?”
The machine started to materialize. With a snarl, Hannah chopped off its head again just as it fully materialized.
Could I run?
My foot throbbed and pulsed, and any weight on it sent a shock wave of agony up my leg. So, of course, my answer was . . .
Gauntlet Page 19
