by Skyler Grant
“As I was saying, I know it looks bad and, yes, the procedure is painful. But when it is all said and done he’ll be stronger, sturdier, and useful. He won’t have to lurk around the woods playing bandit any longer,” Gold said.
I tried again to push myself up and failed.
“Can’t you do anything about this?” I asked Yve.
Gold cleared her throat, “I should point out that the oil is highly flammable. If you try to burn it away you’ll only succeed in incinerating us all.”
Right. Gold must have some awareness of our capabilities then, and had picked the defensive measure most likely to work well against us. Sadly, I was done playing nice.
“How many heals do you have in you?” I asked Yve.
“Three. That math work for you?” Yve asked.
If the substance was as flammable as Gold said that means anyone in the room would be taking massive burns. Yve had fire resistance enough to survive that, the rest of us were another matter. Three heals meant she couldn’t save everyone. Myself, Red, Woodcutter and Gold would all need one.
We came here for the information that Gold had, more than rescuing Woodcutter. Still, if we killed him I didn’t think we’d be getting much more in the way of help from Red.
We could let Red die and save Woodcutter. He seemed out of it, we might be able to pass it off.
“I’ll grab the others,” I said.
Yve nodded a fraction and flames flickered for a moment around her form.
Smite
The lab exploded. If there was anything I had gotten used to since coming to the Crucible Shard, it was being burned alive. It was almost familiar now the way the fire got sucked into my lungs. That moment when the air seemed to become freezing as my nerves lost all sense of feeling. The lab was in flames. I tried to save Gold, flinging her burning body into the hall before I tucked Red under one arm and Woodcutter under the other, and I ran through the door.
I hurt. I really hurt, but not as much as I should have. Yve was already advancing to deliver a heal and I shook my head.
“Get the three of them,” I said, my voice an agonized croak.
“You sure?” Yve asked.
I couldn’t manage anything but a nod this time.
Yve laid a hand on each of them in turn. They screamed and thrashed before flesh began knitting back together.
Yve and I looked at each other. We were both burned wrecks, although with our mutual accelerated healing still alive.
“You’ve gotten tougher,” Yve said.
“Guess I have,” I said.
There came a low roar from the other side of the room. I didn’t really want to look, but I did.
We’d woken the bears up—we’d woken the bears up and they’d somehow found three sets of very distinctive power armor to slip into.
“What chance do you give these guys?” asked the little bear.
“Bearly any,” said the large bear.
I hated fairy tales.
Chapter 18
So, we were now facing three heavily armed and armored bears while still half-burned alive. This was going perfectly. I checked their stats.
Little Bear: Pissed off Fairy Tale
Level 25: Type: Animal HP: 350/350
Little Bear could easily be assumed to be the weakest of the bunch. That couldn’t be more wrong. A brilliant engineer when not napping it was he that built the power armor suits and gave himself the most cutting-edge design.
Middle Bear: Apathetic Fairy Tale
Level 25: Type: Animal HP: 550/550
Middle Bear has an amazingly versatile set of armor. While it doesn’t excel in a single area it is capable of basic crowd control, damage, and healing.
Big Bear: Cheerful but deadly Fairy Tale
Level 25: Type: Corruption HP: 750/750
Big Bear’s armor offers considerable damage mitigation as well as healing over time abilities. With him in the fray you don’t want a sustained battle.
They weren’t easy. I suddenly realized that we’d forgotten Walt in the cafeteria. That was a shame as we could really use him right about now.
“How is Woodcutter?” I asked.
“Breathing, but he’s not waking up,” Red said
Three versus three then. We couldn’t say it wasn’t a fair fight. If things got too bad we could also try to call Mela, but I was reluctant to owe Mela any more favors.
“Bears, we got you your beds back. We just saved Gold’s life. We’re all friends here,” I said.
Plasma Coil
My attempt at diplomacy got me thrown across the room by a burst of energy that left my armor smoldering.
“Focus on the little one,” Yve called. Yeah, no kidding.
Between the fire and that blast my armor was already starting to come apart. Either our sales samples weren’t very good or DLC really made some crappy armor.
Hoodwinked
Red materialized behind the smallest bear and landed a nasty blow with her dagger. A blast of energy from the medium bear sent her flying back.
I picked myself up off the ground. They might have badass suits of armor, but I’d been getting stronger. I ducked under a shot fired from the little bear and grabbed his arm, my fingers tightening as I squeezed and the armor’s cannon exploded in a spray of sparks.
“Bearly felt that,” Little Bear said.
“You’ve already used that pun,” I said.
“Then let’s try something new,” Little Bear said.
Too Little
Big Bear fired a shot that took me in the shoulder and sent me spinning around, having not quite penetrated what remained of my armor.
Too Much
Little Bear was there waiting for me when I twisted around and he delivered a forceful uppercut with a fist glimmering with energy. The ceiling came apart as I hit it. I must have gone up two, three floors before falling back down. The tattered fragments of my armor came apart. It wasn’t the first time I’d been naked in a fight, but I didn’t think it had ever hurt as much as it did a moment later.
Just Right
Middle Bear was waiting for me with a pair of rapid-fire machine pistols. Bullets tore into my unprotected flesh and sent me very nearly in pieces against the far wall.
I didn’t want to die here. I wasn’t sure where I would respawn or in what circumstances. I was still alive though, somehow. I really was made of tough stuff now, my regeneration already starting to knit my body back together.
I guess I’d owe a favor then.
“Mela,” I said.
There was the briefest scent of burned engine oil and then the Goddess was lounging against the wall.
“Nice spleen. Is that a spleen? You know I’m not really a biology girl,” Mela said.
“Bad joking bears in power armor. Can you do something?” I asked.
“Sure, ignore a girl when she’s flirting,” Mela said.
Is that what she was trying to do?
“Your praise of my organs is both welcomed and appreciated. I’d invite you to touch it, but you might actually do it. About the bears?” I said.
“I was lying, it’s not nice. It looks all squishy and wet, and has a few bullet holes in it besides. I want Gold,” Mela said.
I couldn’t tell if she meant the scientist or money. She did love her mad science, but then she was also the Goddess of metal. Still, that meant she could probably make her own gold. Scientist then.
“You can’t ask for a person,” I said.
“Can. Did.”
“She’s not even mine to give away.”
“Don’t care,” Mela said.
As always with Mela, I was talking to someone who really was quite literally mad.
“Fine,” I said.
Gold vanished to the sound of grinding gears.
Sleep Mode
Green lights began blinking on the power armor of the bears and with a yawn they all went to sleep right where they stood.
“That’s unsettling,” I said.
“I didn’t design the armor. My killing machines don’t have off switches,” Mela said, with a shrug. That was reassuring.
“Thanks. What are you going to do with that scientist?”
“She is smart and of dubious morality. I’ll think of something fun. Stop nosing into my business.”
Really, I had bigger concerns—like trying to keep my organs inside my body. Now that the fight was over I was starting to heal quickly, but it would still be a few minutes.
“Mela. Timely help. I’m going to go look through Gold’s files,” Yve said.
“Could you find me something to wear?” I asked Red.
Red tossed me a lab coat. That would do, I still wasn’t going to be getting to my feet, but at least I could drape it over myself.
“So, we rescued you two. Care to give us some real answers now? Just how did a bunch of fairy tales wind up as brainwashed corporate drones?” I asked Red.
“We wanted it. At least, it was that way when Elsora was running things. We were all stuck living our same lives over and over again. I got tired of being eaten and rescued. Some of the others got sick of being in love,” Red said.
I could see that.
“And all this was better?” I asked.
“Now I kick ass. Now I can rescue him,” Red said, jerking her head towards the still unconscious Woodcutter.
“But something went wrong?” I asked.
“This, all of this was originally to help people like us. To help those that wanted something new in a new place. To get stronger, be better. We were proud of what we were doing,” Red said.
Looking a little sick Yve wandered back into the room and slumped down beside me.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. I just found out what Veros is doing here. It’s bad,” Yve said.
“We figured it would be.”
“Yeah. So anyways, this whole place mostly does just like we figured. People come here looking for a new chance and they get to lead a life of adventure. DLC has monetized pretty much every aspect of it,” Yve said.
Red explained, “Even the dead wind up raised again and turned into new opponents to fight. It’s all very efficient.”
“That doesn’t sound that bad. I mean, greedy as hell, but who are we to judge,” I said.
“The thing is, none of it really results in anything. If they get far enough along they all face Veros, and Veros kills them all. This whole big thing is a farm to help him level-up,” Yve said.
I don’t know why she was sickened by the thought. We’d never seen it done quite so intentionally, but for a very long time Liara had been an undefeated boss who just kept going and getting stronger. Still, it wasn’t like she promised anyone anything better and she generally gave them every chance to choose something else.
“So how strong is he?” I asked.
“Strong. It isn’t just that he has operations here. Just like the fairy tales originally came from elsewhere, he is pulling in other people from different worlds too,” Yve said.
“Does he have a device to travel between worlds or is he using the Silver Road?” I asked.
Red said, “He does it himself. If anything really threatens him he can just run away to where no one can follow. We’ve been doing all we can to resist him. Me and Woodcutter on the outside, and Beauty and Beast working from within.”
That complicated matters. If Veros could travel between worlds then he was a bigger threat than we’d planned for. We needed help.
I remembered the words that Malachite had told me to call. My organs seemed to be more or less in the right spots. I shakily rose to my feet and slipped on the lab coat.
“Orosakish, Malachite.”
Nothing happened.
“Can you go get Walt?” I asked Yve.
It was perhaps ten minutes before Malachite appeared, fortunately that was time enough for Yve to return with our missing member. Malachite spent a moment appraising the missing parts of the ceiling, the incinerated lab, the blood I’d spilled everywhere and the sleeping bears in power armor.
“We’ve been busy. Thank you for coming,” I said.
“Are those bears in power armor?” Malachite asked.
“Don’t wake them up. They make bad jokes and they’re sort of jerks.”
“The little one is really cute,” Malachite said.
“He also has a particle cannon,” I said.
“That’s adorable.” I’d never pegged Malachite as a nature lover. Did bears in power armor even count as nature?
Walt said, “You had a fight to the death and you didn’t come get me? I’ve been sitting in that cafeteria for hours.”
“We kind of forgot about you,” Yve said.
“I have an arcane mechanical hand of death eating my memories and I didn’t forget either of you,” Walt said.
“Walt, we’re sorry. Malachite, you can’t have him, and can you please give us a lift to see Diamond. We’ve got a killer god who can world-hop,” I said.
“I hate those. I’ve been playing messenger nonstop lately, I can take you right to her. Everyone who is going, gather around,” Malachite said.
Yve and Walt joined us and the world dissolved in a shimmer of green.
Chapter 19
We materialized on the street of some great metropolis. Buildings towered into the sky, the sides of each a work of art with brilliant colored and paneled glass. Vehicles were everywhere, but around us nothing moved. This vast city was still and silent. Beautiful, but abandoned.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“It’s called Daria, or it was. I’d never been here before, but Diamond has visited it a few times. Back when it was livelier,” Malachite said.
“Pretty. What happened?” Yve asked.
A figure leaped down from a nearby balcony and I readied myself for a fight, before recognizing Tiger.
“They died. Everyone died. You look stupid in that lab coat, Liam,” Tiger said.
“There is a lot of death in the air,” Walt said, taking in a deep breath. “Recent. A few days?”
“What are you even smelling? I don’t see any bodies,” I asked.
“There aren’t any. When the locals die they turn into fog—it’s weird. Yesterday you couldn’t even see on these streets, but it burned off this morning,” Tiger said.
“We felt someone resonate here. It happens when one of us fully comes into our Gifts. Usually it takes time, but the Nine seem to be growing up fast,” Malachite said.
“So, this was a war?” I asked.
“No, this was something else. Do you remember me being upset when Horror named herself?” Malachite asked.
I did. Malachite hadn’t even wanted to acknowledge the name.
“That meant something?” I asked.
“Who we are and what we are echo. We can’t help it. That is why you have a rock named Malachite and an animal named a Tiger,” Malachite said.
“We try not to name our kids after anything existing, and if we do, never anything bad. They start to take on those attributes and echo them wherever they go,” Tiger said.
“So, what are their names?” I asked.
“They were named by the machines of your world to bring an end to ours. Famine, Pestilence, Greed, Hubris, Despair, Wrath, Horror, Madness, and Hate,” Malachite said.
“Quite the assortment. Two of the horsemen of the apocalypse with a few deadly sins thrown in for good measure. Religious and literary references from our world,” Yve said.
“How did you find that out?” I asked.
“Diamond tore the lab apart where they were grown. The names were there,” Tiger said.
“So, each of the Nine now manifest those forces they’re named after into some kind of reality?” I asked.
“Basically. It’s a bad day for any world that shelters one for a while,” Malachite said.
Tiger led us into one of the buildings. It looked to be a clinic of some kind. Diamond was near a bed with a woman that looked partly avian in
appearance, feathers thick upon her brow.
“We’ve found one person alive so far. We’ve able to piece together a little of what happened from her,” Tiger said.
“Hey everyone. Why are you wearing a blood-covered lab coat, Liam?” Diamond asked, after looking back and giving everyone a wave.
“My clothes kind of got blown up by three bears in power armor,” I said.
Diamond gestured and a set of clothing and armor materialized at my feet.
“Neat trick,” I said.
“Magic is the solution to fashion emergencies,” Diamond said.
“So, you’re piecing it together? What happened?” Yve said.
“As far as we can tell, Despair was trying to help these people. They were being invaded and she was just passing through and stayed to help. Overwhelming odds, but—well, you can guess how that went,” Diamond said.
I could. She had the Right of War and Rule, and it would have been a magnifier to whatever forces the locals managed to raise.
“They won,” I said.
“A great victory. It’s the sort of great challenge and deed that usually fully awakens us to our Gifts. Despair fully came into her own. The locals then filled with despair at the horrors of war and killed themselves,” Diamond said.
That sobered us all.
“All of them?” Yve asked.
“Kala here was a soldier wounded the day before the final victory. She was under heavy sedation, which is why she survived. There are likely others, we’re trying to find them,” Diamond said.
“Is she going to do this to every place she visits?” I asked.
Diamond and Tiger shared one of their looks.
“I think a response this dramatic was a one-time thing. It will happen on a smaller scale wherever she goes, but it probably won’t wipe out a whole world,” Diamond said.
That was only slightly reassuring. There were still Nine of them total, and if they all did something like this, that meant nine destroyed worlds out there.
“That, however, is our concern. What brings you here, Liam?” Diamond asked.
“Long story short. I’ve got an incredibly powerful God on the Twelfth Moon that has gained the ability to shift between realities on his own. I was hoping you’d have a solution,” I said.
