by Thad Ward
“Son of a bitch!” came Boudica’s voice. “I’ve got a casualty. Looks like a player. He’s wearing a mask and his armor’s all black like some sort of vigilante.”
Ada grabbed Ike’s arm and spoke as much to him as to the group over the ear cuffs. “That’s one of our scouts.”
“Sounds like contact to me,” Ike said. “Where are you at, City Team B? We’ll head your way.” He gestured for Ada and the other Strike Team members to follow, then started heading up the main thoroughfare at a fast walk.
“Near an old tannery,” Boudica said. “It’s along the river close to the east wall. Ugh. It smells like an outhouse stuffed with dead bodies. Other than this dead body, I mean.”
The streets were clear of bystanders, but Ike did spot lights in houses and scared citizens peeking out through their windows. “That could be it,” he said, deactivating his ear cuff so he was just talking to Ada. “A place near the wall most people would avoid.”
Ada nodded, keeping pace alongside him. “It’d cover for the goblins' smell, too. Perfect spot to sneak in. They could be using the water.”
The team rounded the market square, passing Warren’s Whiskers. Ike glanced in the windows but didn’t see any sign of Hamish. He resisted the urge to double-check, pushing the vision of the blind painter’s death to the back of his mind.
“This is City Team A,” came Sky’s voice over the ear cuff. “We just met up with one of the Recon Team. What’d you say your name was?” There was the sound of muffled conversation on the other end. “Tsuki Hana? I’m just going to call you Hana. Hana says no sign of goblins, but she did spot something big and furry running through a back alley.”
“Copy that,” Ike said. “Gate Team, do you see any animals with the goblins? Mounts, maybe?” Ike couldn’t ignore the old fantasy trope of goblins riding giant wolves.
“No,” Adger said, drawing the word out as if he was checking something. “They’re all on foot unless old age is doing to my eyes what it’s done to my back.”
Ike’s party had reached the stone bridge spanning the commercial district and the cheap side of town. He looked down at the water, black against the night sky, then raised his gaze east. In the distance, he could see a group of figures holding torches. “We’re almost to you, City Team B,” he said.
Then all hell broke loose.
“Fires! I’ve got fires on the north side of town!” came Sky’s voice.
“The goblins are charging!” came Adger’s voice.
“Fuck!” came Boudica’s voice. Ike saw the torches in the distance start to dance around along with their wielders. “We’ve got goblins! Goblins at the tannery!”
Ike’s heart leapt into his throat. So much of his leadership up until now had been an act. It all sounded reasonable, and he knew how much it could hurt their chances for him to show uncertainty, but the truth was he felt like an imposter. He was just making it up as he went along, pretending to be the commander everyone needed. He didn’t know what he was doing or if any of his ideas would work.
Ada put a hand on his arm, meeting his panicked gaze with a gentle smile. “Take a deep breath. You’ve got this.”
Ike breathed in and closed his eyes, pushing the doubt to the back of his mind. Ada was right. He was a programmer, a natural-born problem solver. This was just one more tight deadline with a client ready to eat him alive if he didn’t pull off a miracle. Just another day at the office, with a team depending on him to be brilliant.
“The fires must have been the signal,” Ike said into the ear cuff. “City Teams, we’re splitting up to support you. Sky, send Hana along the river. The same goes for anyone else who meets up with a member of Recon Team.”
Ada nodded to Ike and turned to the rest of their group. “You guys head across the bridge. Help Sky and his group put out those fires. Stay together and keep an eye out for whoever set them.”
The Strike Team nodded their assent and rushed across the bridge. True to their name, they were gone a moment later.
“That leaves the two of us to help out Boudica,” Ike said to Ada. He turned upriver and started sprinting. “Come on!”
“Ike!” Ada said the moment his back was turned.
Ike recognized the fear in her tone and stopped dead in his tracks. He whirled around, partisan at the ready, to see a cloaked figure standing behind Ada with a dagger pressed to her throat. Ada held her neck as straight as possible and her hands up in a reflexive gesture of submission.
“Damn. Here I thought I offed you back at the grotto,” the man said. “Not only are you alive, but you’re messing up another quest.”
From the casual smugness in the voice’s tone, Ike didn’t need to check the man’s stats to know who was talking. “London,” Ike said, narrowing his eyes. “Let her go right now!”
“Or what, newb?” London said. He leaned down and sniffed the hair next to Ada’s ear, causing her to grimace. He pressed the dagger a little closer to her throat. “I’m going to own this town come tomorrow morning. I take what I want.”
Ike wanted nothing more than to skewer London where he stood, but a wink from Ada made him freeze in place. He saw her slipping one of her hands into a pouch on her bandolier. “Another quest?” he said, trying to draw London’s attention. “So you’re working with the goblins?”
“Ha! As if I’d stoop to their level,” London said, sneering at Ike. “We’ve just got the same boss is all. I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
“And the plan is, what, to sneak goblins in to ambush the west gate while the army attacks?” Ike said. Ike nodded over his shoulder toward the fighting at the tannery. “How well’s that working out for you?”
“Oh, you’re wrong if you think that’s the whole story,” London said. “My boys and I have this town wrapped around our little finger. It never mattered how many people you got to fight. They’ll all be too busy to do a thing.”
London’s eyes drifted down from Ike toward Ada. Ike took a step forward and spoke quickly. “We both know what’ll happen if you try to hurt her. The peace bond will…”
London leaned his head back and let out a full-throated laugh. “Do you seriously think this is real?” He raised his hand where the peace bond was visible.
“What? I’m supposed to believe Adger just let you waltz in here without one?” Ike asked, taking another step. “Or that it’s just your ‘leet skillz’? Who are you trying to kid with that character sheet?”
“Oh, you want a peek at the real thing, do you?” London said. “Fine, read it and weep.”
“Smuggler, huh?” Ike said as he focused on London’s character sheet. Ike had no way of knowing if London was trying to con him, but London seemed to enjoy gloating and the stats fit Ike’s expectations. “Makes sense,” Ike said. “So you’re in the business of smuggling goblins into the city? And that peace bond is some sort of forgery ability?”
“You’ve got it,” London said, grinning wickedly. “I do this job and I’m set for life. And I’m free to gut your little damsel in distress any time I want.”
“I’m going to stop you there,” Ike said, smiling and casually setting the butt of his partisan back on the ground. “Do you want me to explain all the ways you messed up? I can think of three off the top of my head.”
“What?!” London said through clenched teeth, pressing the dagger against Ada’s throat so hard that a line of blood began to form along its edge.
“First,” Ike said, holding up a finger, “you talked about your plan. That’s just villainy 101. Bragging about your evil scheme before it’s complete is guaranteed to make it fail.”
“You don’t know anything!” London spat.
“I know you’re smuggling goblins into town, London,” Ike said. “I know the goblins have a non-goblin leading them. I suspected they'd be ambushing the west gate from inside the city and you all but confirmed that. And I know that you've got accomplices creating distractions. Like, say, setting fires on the far side of town. And now,” Ike poi
nted to his ear cuff, “everyone in our raid knows, too.”
“Why that little…!” Adger said.
“Roger that,” Sky said. “We’ll wrap up here and head back to the west gate.”
“I’ve got just the thing to keep that Porter guy busy,” Dusty said.
“None of that will make any difference!” London continued to fume, gesturing angrily toward Ike with his dagger while holding Ada with his other arm.
Ike ignored him and held up two fingers. “Second, you never bothered to learn how the peace bonds work. Sure, you can do whatever you want to us, but we can hurt you right back. Peace bonds only activate if you attack someone else who has one, and you don’t qualify.”
“You’re bluffing!” London snarled. “You’d never risk me hurting her!”
Ike held up three fingers. “Third – and pay attention, because this one’s key – you made the mistake of thinking Ada was some sort of damsel in distress.” Ike laughed. “You couldn’t have chosen a worse hostage.”
Poison-tipped wooden spikes exploded out of Ada’s cloak in all directions, giving her the momentary appearance of a porcupine. London didn’t have time to react as his arms, chest, neck, and face were skewered by Ada’s cactus needles. He gasped and choked in sudden pain, falling backward onto the street into a rapidly expanding pool of blood.
The spike-covered cloak came clattering to the ground as Ada shook it off. She turned, spat on the prone London, and kicked him in the ribs. “Slimy son of a bitch!” She began a long string of angry curses, each more colorful than the last.
Ike stood by and watched with his arms crossed, letting Ada work out her anger. He wondered if London would survive without really caring one way or the other. Ike wasn’t a fan of wanton killing, but London had it coming on so many levels. Whatever the case, it was clear to Ike that London wouldn’t be getting back up any time soon. The smuggler’s eyes had rolled back in his head and foam was bubbling from his mouth. The only sign of life was occasional twitching in response to Ada’s kicks.
Ada stopped after a minute and took a deep breath. “That felt good,” she said, turning around to face Ike. “Thanks for distracting him.”
“Happy to help,” Ike said. On pure impulse, he stepped up next to her and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Ada smiled, blushing slightly in the moonlight, then shook her head. “No time for that now. We’ve got a city to save.”
Ike activated his earpiece. “Sorry for the delay. The saboteur is subdued by the bridge. What’s everyone’s status?”
“City Team A is still fighting fires,” Sky said. “Every time we get one under control, another one pops up.”
Boudica cursed. “City Team B is getting overwhelmed. Every time we kill one, two more come out of the tannery. A few slipped by just now. It’s like plugging a hole in a sinking ship.”
“The gate is holding,” Adger said, breathing heavily, “but just barely. They keep trying to scale the walls.”
“We’ve started taking wounded from the wall,” Dusty reported. “Things are getting crowded in the common room.”
Ike shook his head slowly, his eyes wide. “Okay, so what’s the good news?”
Ada’s face went pale. She touched Ike’s shoulder and pointed skyward. “I think I found the boss.”
There, against the moonlight, Ike saw the shadow of a huge, winged, serpentine form. It let out an unmistakable roar that shook the rooftops. Smoke trailed from its maw as it began descending toward the city.
Ike’s mouth suddenly felt dry. “Good news, everyone,” he said, a little breathlessly. “We get to slay a dragon.”
Chapter 27
Weight of destiny
I ke clenched his partisan and furrowed his brow. “Okay, change of plans. Sky, forget the fires for now.”
“What!?” Sky said. “We’re just going to let everything burn!?”
“I don’t like it any better than you,” Ike said. He strained to remember his encounter with London’s goons. “Fan out and find the arsonist. You’re looking for a guy with a lanky build. Once you deal with him, you can get back to fire fighting.”
“What about us!?” came Boudica’s voice. “We need backup!”
“And you’ll get it,” Ike said, turning to Ada. “I know just the thing to plug that hole.” He tapped the pouch on Ada’s bandolier.
Ada raised her head in sudden understanding. “I’m all over it,” she said. She leaned in, kissed Ike hard on the mouth, and lingered a second longer, sharing a look mixed with longing, worry, and determination.
“Good luck,” Ike whispered. “Don’t die.”
Ada drew out a pair of vials from her bandolier and slipped them into Ike’s pouch. “You, too.” Then she turned and began sprinting down the riverfront toward the tannery.
Except for London’s still-twitching form on the ground, Ike was standing alone at the end of the bridge. “Dusty,” he said, “send your defenders to reinforce the gate.”
“Won’t that leave the Weir Crest defenseless?” Dusty said.
“Half a dozen fighters won’t matter if the gate falls,” Ike said. “The tavern is far from the fighting within the city at the moment, and Adger needs every hand he can get.”
“Okay then,” Dusty said. “In that case, I’m going, too. I’ll put Fu in charge of Tavern Team.”
“Sounds good,” Ike said, though his mind was no longer in the conversation. He looked skyward, tracking the dragon’s movements.
Ike had expected a boss monster to defy Identification, so the lack of information didn’t surprise him at this point. “That’s one hell of a name,” he mumbled to himself as he broke into a jog, splitting his attention between the road and the sky.
Ike was nearing the market square when Morkenstradivix suddenly swooped. Though Ike was nowhere near, he could see fire pouring from the dragon’s mouth, setting a line of rooftops ablaze. He heard people in the distance begin to scream and shout.
The sensations of the moment washed over Ike, temporarily overwhelming him: The smell of smoke, the distant fighting, screaming and shouting, the roar of the dragon, the wind from its wingbeats. He remembered Hamish’s words about astrals, “appearing during times of great change, with calamity and upheaval following in their wake.”
Ike had seen all of this before. It was coming true right before his eyes, like some twisted, terrifying sort of deja vu.
Ike didn’t realize that he’d stopped moving. He caught his breath, coming back to the moment, and realized that one of the screams wasn’t just a memory, and it was close. He looked down the alleyway leading to Twig’s Collection and saw a trio of stout, green figures surrounding a little girl. Even in the meager light, there was no mistaking little Myra’s spare frame and ample red mane.
Ike was moving before he realized it, shouting at the top of his lungs to draw the attention of the goblins. As he moved, he activated his light stone, sending shadows dancing along the alleyway.
As Ike’s light fell on the group of goblins, the one at the rear seized Myra by her hair. The creature grinned wickedly as it dragged her off her feet. The other two squared off against him, one brandishing a spiked mace and the other wielding a pair of mismatched knives.
“Myra, it’ll be okay!” Ike called out, thrusting his partisan at the mace-wielding goblin. It leapt sideways, hitting the door to the shop but avoiding the blow. In his haste, though, Ike had over-extended his reach. The other goblin drew both of its blades across his upper arm, managing to hit the less protected area above his bracer.
Health: 5 / 6
Ike took a reflexive step back, wincing at the pair of shallow cuts. His cloak shifted to a metallic gray color. He saw the goblin in the back raise a rock over its head, preparing to bring it down on the struggling girl. Ike raised a fist, bracer out, and willed a Shield of Faith into being directly between the two of them. The transparent shield blocked the blow and surprised the goblin, causing it to drop her and stumble back
ward.
“Myra, run!” Ike called as the goblin with the mace took advantage of his distraction, clubbing him on his left shoulder. The blow landed hard. Ike’s vision narrowed to a tunnel for a moment as he dropped to one knee.
Health: 2 / 6
Ike was forced to drop his partisan and draw his short sword, making a wild sweep at the knife-wielding goblin to make it abort an attack. He saw his cloak in the corner of his vision, now a shade of brown, and realized he was in trouble. Lesser Reactive Ward only protected against the most recent type of damage he’d received, so it wouldn’t help when the goblins were alternating slashing and bludgeoning attacks. He also couldn’t risk taking the Shield of Faith off of Myra. He might be able to outlast them if he could activate Minor Vampirism, but he had just dropped his partisan and it was hard to land a hit with the odds against him. As the third goblin turned away from Myra and raised its rock toward him, Ike knew he was going to lose this fight.
Something behind the goblins, just at the edge of Ike’s light, caught his eye. A body dropped into view that Ike recognized as London’s other goon. The man’s eyes were vacant and transfixed and his throat was a tattered mess of gore. Blood dripped onto the body from above it, and Ike could make out the shadowy shape of a four-legged creature standing there. A pair of dark yellow eyes reflected the light from Ike’s stone.
The goblins, who had been preparing to rush Ike, heard the body fall and cautiously glanced over their shoulders. Myra got to her feet, saw the beast looming over her, and let out a relieved giggle. “Sick ‘em, Sunny!”
Ike didn’t have any time to process the girl’s statement before the wolf leapt over her and atop the rock-wielding goblin. The creature let out a yelp as it was driven to the ground, then the wolf’s jaws closed around its throat, blood spurted over the cobblestones, and it fell still.
The other two goblins went down in much the same manner. The knife-wielding goblin attempted to attack the wolf and died first, falling beneath a barrage of claws and fangs. The mace-wielding goblin tried to run past Ike to escape the wolf. Ike knew he probably should have done the same, but he took a risk and blocked the goblin’s path instead. The wolf fell on it from behind, worrying the goblin’s corpse before raising back up. It regarded Ike with a bloody, panting maw.
