"Yeah, whatever man." Jason burst into motion, ignoring his aches and pains. He teleported behind Thod and released his last throwing knife right at the back of the man's head. His emotions surged when Thod didn't move, didn't even glance back. Maybe he'd caught the bandit by surprise? The blade hit the back of Thod's head. Jason's jaw dropped as the tip bent and the knife bounced away. What the...?
Thod turned and swung his sword so fast that Jason barely had time to react even with his perception of time slowed down. He barely teleported fast enough to avoid getting cut in half. He reappeared a short distance away, making made a small "Eep!" when he realized Thod was already almost on top of him again, swinging his giant sword. The man was unbelievably fast! Jason teleported straight up into the air and thought he would be safe until a softball-sized stone glanced off his shoulder, breaking his other arm.
This is ridiculous! Jason teleported behind Henry, near where Rark-han still crouched, growling and holding the stump of his arm. The wolf man rumbled, "He moves so fast I don't think we could even run away. He's been toying with us the entire time." The Mo'hali warrior was obviously terrified out of his mind.
Jason agreed with him, Thod was handing them their asses, and he wasn't even breaking a sweat. Still, there was hope. Henry attached his largest tube, his exocannon, with one of the heavy, finned weapons loaded. He lined up a shot at Thod, and the other man just cocked his head in curiosity. Henry fired.
Jason was expecting at least some noise but the sonic boom the big missile created was deafening. Thod was completely blown off his feet, pieces of his armor scattering everywhere, whizzing around at high speed. The bandit's leader slid about twenty feet away and came to a stop. Did we get him? Jason dared to hope.
His stomach dropped when Thod got up, dusting his armor off like nothing important had happened. A large hole was open on his chest, dozens of thick lamellar plates blown off. His clothing underneath was torn too, but there wasn't even a mark on the man's skin.
While he cleaned himself off, Thod said, "You know, a Dolos priestess told me a couple years ago that the first generation of modular orbs like I have were strong with physical skills and weak with magic. The second generation was the opposite--heavy on magic, weak on physical skills. Third generation orbs, like you have, are somewhere in between."
He continued, "Knowing that, in hindsight, I'm glad I chose to specialize in strength, speed, and durability. After I got a spirit stone and I was able to choose more skills, I specialized further. I'll admit that attack just now probably would have killed me if I wasn't wearing this armor. Unfortunately for you, I was.
"Now I won't let you attack like that again. It's not personal. Repairing this armor is going to take forever now. It weighs as much as a wagon, you know. Nobody is strong enough to fix it but me."
Thod sprang forward, swinging his giant sword that he'd somehow retained. Henry blocked with his shield, angling it to absorb the blow, but the strike still hit so hard his shield dented and split. Henry howled as his arm shattered.
Thod wound up for another blow, but Jason teleported himself forward and put up a null-time shield again. He was so tired he accidentally placed it in the wrong spot. Thod's sword hit the side of the shield, and the blade's tip neatly sheared off. Jason blinked in surprise. He hadn't known his shield could do that.
UIuula took advantage of the confusion to lunge forward, jabbing her spear at Thod's eyes. He caught her spear in one hand, dropped his sword, and casually smashed her away with a fist.
Jason felt his eyes grow wild when he saw Uluula go down. He dropped his null-time shield, teleported behind Thod, and drew his sword. His was arms were numb. He knew he'd pay for abusing his body so much, but he didn't have any other options.
Thod turned and easily caught his wrist. Jason cried out as the man crushed his bones, dragging him forward as he took two quick steps to close the distance with Henry. Henry was about to spring away, but Thod was unbelievably fast. He grabbed Henry's broken shield, still attached to his broken arm, and pulled him forward. Henry screamed in pain, and his eyes widened in surprise as Thod swung an armored fist. The blow connected with Henry's head, knocking him back like a rag doll. He didn't get up.
Then Thod turned to Jason again. The whole time, Jason had a dagger in his free hand, using all the strength he had in his broken arm to stab the bandit, but he couldn't even scratch him. Even the portions of Thod's body that weren't covered in armor felt like trying to stab through rock.
The last thing Jason saw was Thod smiling widely before punching Jason in the face. It felt like a tree had been dropped on his head. He passed out, the darkness welcoming him for the second time that day.
* * *
Bezzi-ibbi crouched behind a rock and watched Jason and Henry fight Thod. He desperately wanted to help, but he didn't want his brothers to know about his Hero power. He was afraid they'd hate him.
He'd still been able to assist his brothers during the larger fight. The short sword he'd drawn from his metallic arm was incredibly sharp and fast. Bezzi-ibbi had killed two bandits earlier. The first time he killed a person, he'd been amazed how easy it was. He hadn't felt any remorse or any of the sorrow he'd heard other adventurers or soldiers speak of. They said they were haunted by their first kill. Bezzi-ibbi didn't understand. Some people just needed to be exterminated.
These were bad people. They hurt women; they hurt children; they hurt his Clan. They deserved death. To Bezzi-ibbi, it was simple.
What wasn't so simple was what he should do now. His indecision was about to cost him his brothers' lives. Thod had knocked Henry, Jason, and Uluula unconscious. Rark-han quivered in fear, unmoving, the stump of his arm leaking blood past his fingers.
Bezzi-ibbi felt deep shame. He'd hesitated, and now his brothers were on the ground. Thod went back and bent down to pick up his ruined sword. He was obviously going to kill Henry-ibbi and Jason-ibbi.
The Mo'hali boy snarled and jogged forward. Thod raised his eyebrows and smiled as he read Bezzi-ibbi's Hero status over his left eye. "Now a Mo'hali Hero child? This day keeps getting better and better!"
The man chuckled, but Bezzi-ibbi didn't waste any words. This wasn't personal--at least he told himself that. The man had hurt his family and needed to die.
Bezzi-ibbi unleashed his power. It made the air hum and his skin crawl; his whiskers hurt too.
Without warning, Thod collapsed on the ground under the weight of his armor. He tried to roll over and lift his sword, but all he could do was awkwardly wave the heavy, oversized weapon in the air. His arm wobbled.
"What did you do?" he gasped.
Bezzi-ibbi shook his head. "I am Hero. Heroes exist make Mo'hali strong. Bring balance. You are arrogant with orb, with power."
Bezzi-ibbi took a deep breath and prepared to say the ritual words. Honor dictated he use correct Luda for the official pronouncement. He didn't enjoy speaking Luda correctly, but for something this important, he could not buck tradition. "I, Bezzi-ibbi of the Jaguar Clan, Clan Heir and current Mo'hali Hero make this sentence in the day. Through the wisdom of the ancestors that came before, I sentence you to death for crimes numbering too great to list."
Thod opened his mouth to speak and grabbed at Bezzi-ibbi's ankle, but the Mo'hali boy ignored him. He thrust his short sword through the man's eye. Bezzi-ibbi rather liked Uluula, and he thought the small, fierce woman would have approved. He turned away from the dying man, the corpse's body spasming as it clung to life. The scene was scene unpleasant.
Bezzi-ibbi flicked the blood off his sword and reabsorbed it into his arm. He had to remain vigilant. There were still bandits around he had to watch for, but with Thod dead, the next item on his to-do list was to find Mareen. He also needed to send a magic messenger bird back to his Clan on behalf of Henry-ibbi and Jason-ibbi. Hopefully he could find Mareen quickly so she could send it.
He sighed and got busy. He had a lot of work to do.
Bandages in Bed
Henry was
standing in a desert. A ruined tank and pieces of old Soviet airplanes poked out of the sand in the distance. Oh hell, not this again.
Henry turned around in annoyance, but he already knew what he'd see. A man was standing in the desert wearing slacks, a button-down shirt, a tie, and a halfway-unzipped sweater vest. He was an older man, standing about six feet tall, and his smile was friendly. His eyes twinkled. "Welcome back to my neighborhood, Henr--"
"We talked about this, motherfucker. You are an orb, some sort of Dhu-controlling device. You are not my childhood hero. I refuse to call you by that man's name. He was a great man. You are just Bob. No 'mister' either. Just Bob."
"Well, that's fine, Henry, but--"
"And stop calling this your neighborhood. This is a desert in Afghanistan. Why couldn't you appear as a bikini model or something?"
"We already talked about this, Henry. I appear as a character from your childhood that will put you at ease. The setting is to relax you too. Your mind is very complex, so I'm not sure why images of this place where you experienced so much grief would also put you at rest. I just know it does. You told Jason that I appeared as a bikini model. Why did you lie?"
"It doesn't matter!" Henry snarled. "Why are you here?"
"Well, your mind is in a unique state right now, so we can talk. I decided you would want to have a little get-together, neighbor. You know, I don't really have my own mind, not really. I'm just a tool. But I do passively watch what is happening in your life. My main job is to help you merge with your orb.
"I sensed you still have unanswered questions from the last time we met, and it seems you might get a spirit stone soon to raise your abilities. Now we can have a nice little sit-down and chat."
Bob-in-the-sweater waved his hand, and chairs instantly appeared out of nowhere. Henry eyed the nearest leather recliner with suspicion before gingerly sitting. "Okay, I'll admit I have some questions. I also don't remember what all my choices were if I level up again. Let's talk."
* * *
Henry woke up in a rustic wooden bed in a house made of logs. Jason was sleeping in a similar bed a few feet away. He did a double take. Did I just go back in time? But no, this was not George's house in the farming village. For one, this building was significantly bigger.
Henry looked around and noticed Mareen sleeping on a bed in another room. Bezzi-ibbi was half-asleep in a chair across from Jason's bed. The boy jumped forward when Henry tried sitting up.
Henry's entire body hurt. He felt like he'd gotten hit by a truck... Well, either a truck or a man with superpowers wearing a truck's weight in armor. He was amazed he was still alive. His last memory was of getting his ass kicked by Thod, the walking bandit-tank.
He groaned and rubbed sleep out of his eyes. "How long have I been out for, Bezzi-ibbi?"
The Mo'hali boy drummed his curiously padded fingers on his metal arm, not looking Henry in the eye. "Early next morning."
Henry nodded and said, "Okay." He held up an arm swathed in bandages. "Can you also tell me why I'm wearing splints on my arms and legs?"
Bezzi-ibbi became noticeably agitated. "Want tell you and Jason-ibbi. Same time."
"Okay, I'm assuming this has something to do with why we're still alive, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay, where're Keeja and Uluula? Are they okay?"
"Yes! Keeja! Uluula!" Bezzi-ibbi nodded and practically ran from the room. Is he avoiding me? Henry shook his head. He was still half-asleep, but something weird was going on. First of all and most importantly, he knew he should probably be dead.
Henry had a feeling he was about to be involved in a serious discussion, so he wanted another pair of ears involved. His fuzzy head made his thoughts feel heavy. He really needed to find a good source for whatever the Ludus version of coffee was if such a thing even existed. What a terrible thought. Coffee had better fucking exist on this world, or he was going on strike.
He grabbed his sheathed sword leaning against the wall and hit Jason with it a few times. "Wake up, you lanky bastard. We're alive."
Jason groaned and didn't open his eyes. Henry smacked him a few more times, eventually pushing the tip of the sheath into his friend's nostril. Jason pushed it away irritably and sat up, glaring at Henry. When the covers slipped down, Henry could see that Jason had even more bandages than he did.
What the hell was going on?
Jason slowly dragged a hand over his face and said, "I can see we are still alive and you are still seriously testing my patience. Dear God, why must I be shackled to this Asian idiot? Also, why are all these bandages on me? Don't we heal really fast nowadays?"
"That's what I just asked, and Bezzi-ibbi ran out of the room. I think he went to get Uluula and Keeja. I saw Mareen in the next room--"
He stopped talking as Mareen walked into view. She seemed wide awake, and her eyes were haunted but sharp. She was wearing a loose robe and holding a beautiful steel dagger. That's new, thought Henry.
"Hi, Mareen, how are you--"
"I have some things to say to both of you and to you alone, Henry. Please listen."
Suddenly, Henry's head didn't feel quite so fuzzy anymore. A surge of adrenaline coursed through his body. He patted his scarred leg and gave Mareen his undivided attention. He wasn't sure why, but his instincts were screaming at him to wake up as fast as he could.
Mareen cleared her throat and said, "I got a Dolos orb. During the attack, I killed Jeth. He had the orb and this blessed steel dagger in his possession." Mareen held up the dagger in her hand. It was still sheathed, but Henry could tell it was a very high quality weapon. Mareen's hand trembled as she regarded the weapon with mixed admiration and distaste before she dropped her arm.
"I am an employee of Delvers, LLC, and as the adventure company leaders, you have first pick of any treasure. However, I claimed the orb as mine. I believe it was technically my right since Jeth's attack could be considered a vendetta.
"On the other hand, I am an indentured servant, and... I already swallowed the orb a few hours ago. I am prepared to be punished if you feel it's necessary."
Henry blinked. That was a lot of shit to process right after waking up.
Of course, Jason had no problem keeping up--the bastard. "That's fine, Mareen. I would have preferred that you asked one of us first, but what's done is done."
Mareen's stern expression cracked a little. "Don't you at least want to know what kind of orb it was? What it was worth?"
Jason smiled. "I guess those would be good questions. Do you even know--like, did it come with instructions? Did you visit with someone in your dreams?"
"What? Huh? No. Keeja said it was an older body-strengthening orb. It will make the Bonded stronger and more durable, help some with coordination. She actually said it's really old so the effects won't be anywhere near as powerful as newer orbs'."
"How did Keeja know?" Henry frowned.
"She's a high priestess. She can just look at an orb and identify it."
The whole thing sounded shady to Henry, but he kept his mouth shut. He might have been tempted to sell an orb and invest the money in Delvers, LLC prior to Dolos' little battle royal announcement. However, now they needed allies more than money.
He probably would have wanted to give the orb to Mareen anyway. She did her best to help, and she was obviously serious about her debt. Henry idly rubbed the mark on his finger with a thumb.
Henry nodded when Jason glanced a question at him. He was content to let his friend keep doing the talking for the time being. Henry's mouth was dry, and despite his best efforts, he still wasn't mentally feeling a hundred percent yet. Maybe it had something to do with his orb's visit while he was unconscious.
Jason assured, "We're fine with you taking the orb and the dagger. You've helped us ever since we came to this planet."
Mareen nodded, but she didn't relax. "Good. Now I have something else to say. I was almost murdered. I've been an idiot, and it took getting stabbed in the back, almost murdered, to realize li
fe is fleeting."
Mareen turned to Henry and looked him straight in the eyes. "Henry, I have a feeling this won't go well, but I have to say it anyway. I like you. You're disgusting, you're flippant, you have terrible manners, you're harsh to your friends, you're emotionally stunted, you have deep wounds from your past, and you can't take a hint. And yet, I still care about you. I want you to start courting me. I don't want to be alone again when this world is cruel..."
Mareen's eyes misted up, and she swallowed, visibly keeping her emotions under control. Henry's mind was unfogged enough to wonder, What in the hell happened to her? Mareen nervously tucked her hair behind an ear, and Henry saw it was notched at the top from a cut. That was definitely new.
He dragged himself back to the discussion, trying to fight through his surprise as Mareen continued, "I don't know if you'll have me, but from the moment you saved me from the goblins, I've been hearing my heart song. Please consider my request."
Henry stared at Mareen, and she stared right back. She bit her lower lip, but other than that, her gaze was steady and her shoulders square. Henry didn't know what to say. He was definitely attracted to Mareen, but would she really be happy with someone like him? Every fault she'd listed he had was the truth. He couldn't deny any of it.
Henry shook his head. "I'm almost thirty years old in Earth years. You're what, nineteen? I'm too old for you. I have too many issues I haven't resolved yet and--"
"That is your reason for turning me down? Age?" Mareen's eyes flashed, and Henry felt a stab of worry. Was she going to blow up like before in the carriage? "That is the stupidest rotting reason I've ever heard. We are living on a cursed monster world. People die from demon plants. Are you seriously suggesting that we can't court because you're ten rotting years older than me?
"I already asked Jason about this too. Couples with our age difference are common in your world.
"Lastly, you're orb-Bonded. Now I'm Bonded too. We're going to live a long, long time. How impossibly narrow-minded could you be? Not only that, all your experience is on a different world. In this world, I'm older than you and obviously more mature!"
Delvers LLC: Welcome to Ludus Page 27
