Last Bastion

by Rachel Aaron

  "I won't die that easily!" Ar'Bati roared, grasping the silver swords that were still wedged into his sides with his hands. Then, as James and SilentBlayde writhed on the ground, the head warrior rolled away, taking his body--and the Assassin's swords still trapped inside it--out of SB's reach.

  SilentBlayde did cry out then, screaming in rage as he lost his grip on the blood-slicked handles. But other than the blood, this was no different from all the other jujitsu matches James had been in, and he held tight. The Assassin twisted violently, trying to kick and elbow, but James just adjusted with him, keeping him at bad angles that rendered his superior strength useless. Anytime SB got out of one lock, James had already managed to worm himself around for a different hold, keeping him relentlessly trapped on the ground.

  After five minutes of this, SB stopped trying to escape and started trying to kill him. His body turned hazy as he activated his Shadow Dance ability. With eellike flexibility, the Assassin was able to get a hand on the brace of daggers wrapped around his leg. The blades, which had been purely cosmetic back when this was a game, came out with a flash, sending James into a panic. He was trying to get on top of SilentBlayde to keep his arms pinned when the Assassin lurched up and knifed him in the ribs--twice.

  James yowled as hot pain shot through his side. But while it hurt like hell, the short dagger wasn't legendary like SB's silver swords, and despite his terrible gear, James was still level eighty. It took more than two hits from a mundane weapon to put him out. He'd already started working his way around for the next hold when the furious Assassin peppered him with two more stabs to the leg and a slash down his arm.

  Bleeding and cursing, James still managed to get his knees around the shadow-wrapped elf's neck. Using his arms, he grabbed SB's right arm and bent it nearly backward across his chest, cinching it in place with both of his.

  As he started to apply the pressure that would cut off the Assassin's air, it occurred to James that he should probably offer SB a chance to surrender. He dismissed the idea just as fast. He couldn't trust SB right now, not one inch. The wild, murderous look in his friend's eyes through the living shadows proved it, so James clamped down on the Assassin's neck with all the strength in his legs, pulling on SB's right arm at the same time to crush him as hard as he could. He was praying the elf would pass out before he did when Shadow Dance ended, revealing SB's pale face as it started going purple, even as he jabbed James yet again with the tiny dagger in his free hand.

  The worst pain yet exploded in James's right knee as SilentBlayde stabbed him straight through the kneecap. James screamed in agony, his grip loosening for a fraction of a second. Just long enough to hear SB gasp as he sucked in precious air.

  Damn. I just lost.

  He felt done for. The dagger was tiny, but SB still wielded it with the full might of his ultra-geared strength and speed, and the damage was adding up. James's only chance had been to choke him out before he lost the feeling in his arms, but now that SB had gotten a breath, that chance was slipping away. The Assassin had already managed to rip his arm free of James's blood-slicked grasp. One more limb, and the elf would be free. Then he'd kill Ar'Bati out of pure rage and drag James back to Tina by the bloody scruff of his neck. It was all over, but just as James was clenching his teeth for one final squeeze, his heard his brother say his name.

  His head shot up. Fangs in Grass was only a few feet away, his hands still clutching SilentBlayde's silver swords in his chest, which was now black with his blood. But though pained, his orange eyes were clear when they locked on James's. "Brother," he panted, his eyes intent. "We die as Claw Born should."

  He flicked his ears as he finished, and James clenched his sharp teeth with a hiss as he realized what Ar'Bati meant. He didn't want to do it, but there was more riding on this than just their lives, so James turned away from his brother and switched up his hold, yanking SilentBlayde's right arm up until the elf's wrist was right in front of his nose.

  "With our fangs in the enemy," he growled, closing his eyes. "Sorry, SB."

  His mouth flashed open, and then he sank his new fangs into the elf's wrist, biting straight through the gap in the Assassin's armored glove and into the artery beneath. Hot, salty blood exploded into James's mouth as SB tore his hand free but not before James had taken out a sizable chunk. There was a musical clatter as the little dagger SilentBlayde had been using to stab him hit the cobblestones next to his head, and then the elf's weight vanished from on top of him with a roar.

  James's eyes shot open again, but SB hadn't gotten up for the kill. Ar'Bati had. In a last surge of strength, the warrior had launched off the ground and tackled the Assassin clear off James. They landed in a tangle in the middle of the bloody street with Ar'Bati on top. Frantic, SB grabbed for the silver swords that had been lodged in the warrior's chest, but Ar'Bati had already thrown them across the alley, leaving two gaping holes in his sides as he bit down like a lion on the thickest part of SilentBlayde's good arm.

  The Assassin screamed in pain. Ar'Bati's eyes were already rolling back in his head as the blood loss hit, but he did not let go. Like a true wild cat, he clung to his kill, forcing SB to rip his arm free. Bleeding like a faucet, SilentBlayde fled for the shadows, but James caught his foot and dragged him back out. Tossing the elf into the middle of the sunlit street, James grabbed one of the silver swords Ar'Bati had thrown away earlier and raised it high over his head.

  "James..." SB said fearfully, his blue eyes wide above his bloodstained mask.

  "Think about your choices, Haruto," James said, and then he plunged the sword into SB's leg.

  The supernaturally sharp silver blade went straight through the elf's flesh into the ground, splitting a cobblestone and stapling the Assassin to the road. SilentBlayde screamed as it hit, and then he cut off, his body slumping sideways as he finally passed out.

  Panting, James collapsed beside him. He was dizzy and weak from blood loss, so he had to move carefully, rolling himself onto his knees to crawl across the street to the Eclipsed Steel Staff he'd dropped at the beginning of the fight. He knew he'd regret this later, but Ar'Bati and SilentBlayde were both bleeding to death in front of him, and Flameboyant didn't look much better. He needed full healing power, so he bit through the wards Gray Fang had placed around the head of his cursed staff, ripping through the white binding cloth to release its full potential.

  The moment he set it free, the dark staff's nihilism roared back into his mind.

  Kill them.

  "Kind of hoping to do the opposite," James muttered as he started gathering up flows of life magic.

  Petulant child, the staff scolded. They are so close to peace already. This is your chance to end their suffering forever.

  James ignored it, focusing on his magic instead as he wove the flows into the Naturalist's big healing spell.

  You wield mana so inflexibly, the staff said irritably. Is this what you think magic is? Twelve narrowly defined spells? The ghostly voice tsked in his head. You are capable of so much more. The black staff twitched in his grip. Let me show you.

  "No, thanks," James said sharply, whacking the Eclipsed Steel Staff on the street. "I had more than enough of your 'help' back in Red Canyon. But I'm not the weak person I was then, so piss off."

  Vulgar fool, the staff muttered, but James wasn't listening anymore. He just took the glowing flows of life he'd been weaving together and shoved them into his brother, dropping the biggest heal he had onto the unconscious Ar'Bati's head.

  It was barely enough. Despite being level fifty, his brother was a two-skull with a mini-boss's health pool. He couldn't believe how much damage SB had done with that one stab. If they hadn't gotten his swords away at the start, James knew they'd all be dead. Tired and spending mana faster than he should, James sent heal after heal into Fangs in the Grass until, at last, his brother gasped and rolled over, hacking up blood as the air was forced back into his lungs.

  James collapsed with a gasp as well, wiping the sweat from his
clammy fur. Not for the first time, he wished he had more Intelligence gear to enhance his healing power, but he'd had to make a choice, and he'd chosen not to wear the smothering, leg-trapping healer's robes. That choice had saved their lives tonight since there was no way he could have gotten SB into all those holds while wearing a dress. He just hoped it didn't cost him everything now as he turned and spent the last of his sad mana on a spell for SilentBlayde.

  Again, it was barely enough. James watched as the Assassin's wrist and leg closed up just enough to stop the bleeding. SB was still unconscious and slashed up, but he was alive, and that was what mattered.

  He was about to lie down again when Ar'Bati grabbed him. The head warrior's eyes were still dilated from the healing high, but the fury in them was classic Fangs as he started shaking James like a rag doll. "What are you doing? Don't heal him! Heal yourself!"

  "I'll live without healing," James said weakly, nodding at the unconscious elf. "He won't."

  "So?" Ar'Bati bared his bloody fangs. "He tried to kill us!"

  "He did," James said tiredly. "But he's still my friend, and Tina would kill me if I let him die."

  The warrior cursed in of Wind and Grass and shot to his feet. "Don't move," he ordered, running into a nearby building. "I'm going to find something to bandage you with!"

  Happy not to be getting yelled at anymore, James lay back down. Without much hope, he glanced at the dead knights, but the fight with SB had taken too long, and the life energy was long gone from their bodies. Sighing at the stupid, pointless waste, he glanced at the bloody Sorcerer next. "How you doing, Flame?"

  "Not bad, all things considered," Flameboyant said, lifting his head. "He got me in the legs, but I don't think he was actually trying to kill me, or I'd be dead. I can probably walk if someone helps me." The elf flashed him a grin. "''Tis but a scratch!'"

  James laughed at that then grimaced as the motion sent waves of pain through his ribs.

  "Ouch," Flameboyant said with a wince when he saw the look on James's face. "Can I do anything to help you? I don't have heals, but..."

  He trailed off with a shrug.

  James frowned thoughtfully. "Actually, maybe you can. I don't suppose you have the Sun Writing spell, do you?"

  "Of course I do," Flameboyant said proudly. "Maybe you haven't noticed yet, but fire is kind of my thing."

  "Great," James said, forcing himself to sit up one last time. "I want to leave a message."

  Five minutes later, a disgusted Ar'Bati came prowling back carrying a bolt of cloth. He tore it into strips and bound James's numerous stab wounds with rough strength. He bandaged Flameboyant's legs as well, his face dire. "There's no food," he said as he tied the Sorcerer's wounds tight. "This area has already been looted out. We need to get to actual safety."

  When he was satisfied no one would bleed out, Fangs reached down to help his brother to his feet, but James shook his head. "Wait," he said. "We can't just leave SB in the street."

  Ar'Bati recoiled with an open-mouthed hiss. "You can't be serious."

  James looked at him pleadingly, and Fangs rolled his eyes. Walking over to snatch SilentBlayde out of the puddle his blood had made, he looked around for a moment, and then he shoved the Assassin into a nearby barrel.

  "There," the warrior said, slapping the wooden lid down to hide SB's head. "Satisfied?"

  "Yes, thank you," James said, holding out his arms for Ar'Bati to help him up.

  Fangs hauled him onto his shoulder one-handed. He did the same to Flameboyant next, tossing the crimson elf over his other shoulder. "You sure did leave me with all the work here."

  "Not my fault," James said, tucking his unwrapped staff under his arm so it wouldn't smack Ar'Bati in the face. "You have too much HP, bro. You took all my mana."

  That earned him a snort as the head warrior set off down the alley, pausing only long enough to sneer at the glowing golden letters Flameboyant's Sun Writing spell had carved into the wall directly across from SilentBlayde's hiding spot.

  Chapter 8

  Tina

  The only good thing Tina could say about the march to the bank was that at least she was too busy to worry about her brother and SilentBlayde.

  Despite how easily they'd cut the Royal Knights down, the battle had taken its toll. Mana was low, which meant all her casters looked like college students the night after finals. The Rangers had refilled their ammo from their stores, but there wasn't enough left in the bags they'd brought with them from the Order's fortress to do it again. Food was short, water was running out, and there were more mouths to feed than ever.

  Between the survivors of Founder's Square and the players they'd rescued from Malakai's slaughter camp, they'd added over a hundred people to their ranks. They now had more players under level forty than over. Since there wasn't enough room in the street for all of them to walk in a clump, her Roughnecks had to spread out along the column to make sure everyone was protected. But the added distance meant the players at the front were out of reach of the people at the back and the middle, which meant Tina now had to make sure her healers were evenly spaced out so that no section was left without support, and on and on and on.

  It felt stupid even to think, but Tina literally could not believe that running an army could be this complicated. Every time she turned around, someone needed her to do something or answer a question or give an order. She was just grateful Zen was leading the way, because with all the running back and forth she'd had to do, Tina hadn't been paying attention to where they were going at all, which meant she was now totally lost. Since the buildings looked less expensive and the cobbles on the roads were more worn down, she presumed they'd already entered the less fashionable southern side of the city, but they could have been about to walk out the East Gate, for all she knew.

  Even in the game, Bastion had been a large and confusing city. Now that everything was ten times bigger, the place had exploded into a warren. Other than the Royal Mile, which ran straight through the middle from the castle in the north to the South Gate, all the roads looked like they'd been made by people slapping down buildings wherever. Clearly, the concept of civic planning hadn't made it over to this world yet. As a huge, player-important building, the bank shouldn't have been too far from the castle, but with all the new distances, nothing was conveniently located anymore. Tina just hoped it wasn't too much farther and that Zen knew where she was going. It was already getting into the afternoon. People were starting to drag their feet, and Tina was never forcing a Deadlands-style death march ever again.

  At least they hadn't had any more problems with the Royal Knights. There were no big armies or camps down here. Just small patrols that were easily killed from a distance by the Rangers, and even those thinned out the farther they got from the castle. Horns were still blowing from the hills behind them, but if there were reinforcements coming to chase them, they were being damn slow about it. She was just hoping their luck held out when the raid shuffled to a halt.

  "Roxxy!"

  Tina looked up to see one of Zen's Rangers waving her over. Getting a firm grip on her shield, Tina jogged to the front of the raid, where Zen was perched on top of a second-story balcony, scowling at something in the distance.

  "What's up?"

  "We've got movement," the Ranger said, pointing down the street.

  Tina sighed. "Well, can you describe it?" She looked pointedly at the wooden balcony's flimsy supports and then down at her boulder of a body. "I don't think I'll fit up there."

  Zen rolled her eyes and jumped down, landing the two-story drop with a graceful roll. "KillerKat's been going on about flashes of light for blocks now," she said, nodding at a jubatus Ranger, who looked painfully smug. "I just saw it too. Looks like someone's spying on us with the Grand Schtump's Golden Binoculars."

  Tina couldn't help but grin with amusement. The Grand Schtump's Golden Binoculars were a player-crafted item that let you see farther than the game's render distance usually allowed. They didn't have a l
evel requirement, but they were stupidly expensive, difficult to make, and difficult to use, which meant whoever was up there wasn't a casual. The only ones who cared enough to spend that much gold on a few hundred feet of extra vision were serious players who knew FFO's mechanics and were stacking every advantage they could. Her sort of people, in other words.

  "Looks like we've made a friend."

  "I don't know if they're friendly," Killbox said, hefting his ax, which he'd clearly been holding the entire walk.

  "Why wouldn't they be?" Tina asked. "We're all players. That puts us on the same side."

  The Berserker snorted at her. "You don't PVP much, do you?"

  "Nope," Tina said proudly. "I hated player versus player. Too stressful."

  "And raiding isn't?"

  "To each their own, dude," Tina said. "And I've experts like you on hand now, so tell me what's up with this situation."

  The Berserker huffed, but the compliment worked. "When you wear your PVP tabard, you can attack and be attacked by anyone else wearing one," he explained. "That means you gotta look at everyone you meet as a threat, 'cause they're probably an asshole who'll kill you for the laughs if they think they can."

  Tina chuckled. "Why do I get the impression you were that asshole, Killbox?"

  "Hell yeah," Killbox said, flexing his giant biceps. "The strong pwn, the weak get owned. Nothing's better than stomping down people who think they're hot shit. Anyway, we're a pretty big group. Way too big to sneak around, so those guys have probably been watching us for a while. Since they haven't attacked yet, that means they don't think they can take us, or they're not sure if they should. Either way, the smart move is to keep their distance and watch for an opening."

  "Well, that doesn't get us anywhere," Tina said, squinting at the place Zen had said the flash was coming from. "If there's an organized group of players out there, we need to be getting together, not playing chicken." She turned to Frank, who'd been staying up front just in case something needed tanking. "Hold the line here. I'm going ahead to talk to them."