Delvers LLC: Obligations Incurred

by Blaise Corvin

  “Even when you made room for yourself before with the stone, you only hit my shoulder. You are a very honorable opponent.”

  “Uhhh…yeah,” Henry muttered. He figured this would be a bad time to tell the giant lizard-crocodile-thing that he just didn’t want to use his very last exogun bullet unless he absolutely had to. Also, he wondered why the universe seemed to somehow illustrate his crappy throwing aim on such a regular basis.

  “Yes,” the creature continued, “the ground is littered with stones. The power you can throw with means this fight would be in your favor if you were less honorable. I have eyes to see.”

  Henry coughed into his fist. The conversation was not making him feel better about his aim. “So…what now? I really need to get going.”

  “And my mission is to destroy the Hero you are with. I suggest we agree to an honorable duel with no distractions.”

  “Okay, that sounds good and all, but, well, what even are you?”

  Bezzi-ibbi grinned and growled, “Female Adom. Reptile. Powerful warrior. Tracked me down and was about to kill!” He hit his palm with a closed fist. “Very impressive!”

  The giant lizard person blinked, the membrane nictitating from the bottom of her eyes. “Yes, I am female Adom.”

  “So Adom are giant lizards?”

  “No, I am part of the reptile tribes. You are surprisingly ignorant.”

  “Yeah, well, people tell me that a lot,” Henry grumbled.

  “What is your name? I would know that name of a worthy adversary.”

  “My name is Henry Sato. What about you?”

  “I am known as Anz’wei.”

  The entire time they talked, Henry did his best to draw even more strength from the earth. He felt good about his new arm weapons. The feel of the blades on his outer arms reminded him of tonfas he’d learned to use in karate school as a teen.

  “Okay, buddy,” Henry said to Bezzi-ibbi out the side of his mouth. “You need to stay out of this one, alright?”

  The Mo’hali boy hissed, but after a moment, he slightly bowed his head and backed away.

  “More bravery than sense, that one,” Henry muttered. Still, at least now he had one less problem. He knew he’d be wasting his breath if he told Bezzi-ibbi to run, but at least he wouldn’t have to watch the kid die now. The boy would still be toast if Henry failed, though.

  He would just have to not fail.

  Soon he was squaring off against the big Adom again. Anz’wei gripped her giant disc weapon with one hand, her other hand held chambered at her hip. Her tail thrashed behind her.

  Henry knew that this time, with Anz’wei prepared and focused, the fight would probably not last long. He narrowed his eyes and focused without focusing, and the technique came to him after years of practice.

  The worst problem he had with his opponent was that she had weapons all over her body—the disk, the claws, the tail. She hadn’t tried to bite him yet, but he knew it was possible.

  Anz’wei moved first. With a roar, she attacked overhand with her huge bronze weapon. Her speed was even more startling this time. In a detached sort of way, Henry noted that she was using her tail as a counterbalance. He also knew intuitively that if he dodged the big, linear attack, Anz’wei would be able to get her claws on him.

  That would be bad.

  Henry gritted his teeth and braced himself, crossing his blades as he blocked. The impact rattled his whole body; his arm went numb, and Henry’s steel forearm blade bit deeply into the Adom’s bronze weapon.

  Henry grunted with effort, his legs screaming as his shoved his opponent away. He blocked her weak return strike with one arm and opened a wicked cut on her other arm as she tried to go for his face with her claws.

  The reptile warrior’s eyes widened and her slitted pupils focused on her damaged weapon after springing away. She hissed, and it took Henry a second to realize she was laughing. “It is real steel after all? I am further impressed.”

  Henry didn’t reply. He knew the next exchange would probably determine the outcome of the fight. He was stronger than the lizard woman now, but not by much. She also had a few hundred pounds on him, greater reach, and probably faster reflexes, too. He’d have to think his way out of this fight.

  He really didn’t want to use his last exogun bullet, but he definitely wasn’t going to die and let Anz’wei get Bezzi-ibbi, either. He knew if he had to, he could attach his exogun and fire in a split second, and he was considering doing so. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him and he narrowed his eyes.

  Henry watched his opponent carefully; he’d have to time his move perfectly. Anz’wei tensed, ready to spring forward.

  When the huge reptile person finally attacked, Henry moved, diving forward and low. The big Adom roared in surprise as Henry passed right beneath her, taking advantage of his smaller size. He used his wickedly sharp forearm blades to gore the side of her body.

  Henry hit the ground hard and immediately rolled away. Anz’wei’s huge, taloned foot barely missed his head as she hissed with rage and pain. Henry jumped to his feet, covered in dirt and dodged Anz’wei’s backswing. He sliced her other arm, his enhanced strength providing enough power to overcome her thick, scaled defense. Her arm went limp and he slammed both of his blades on top of her bronze weapon, knocking it to the ground. He spun and smoothly placed the tip of a forearm blade against the reptilian warrior’s throat.

  Anz’wei grew very still. Henry and the Adom warrior looked into each other’s eyes for several heartbeats, breathing heavily. “What are you waiting for?” Anz’wei asked. “This was an honorable duel. I have no regrets.”

  Henry was conflicted. He ignored Bezzi-ibbi hissing in delight behind him and tried to think. His lungs were pumping like bellows; adrenaline suffused his body. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t already gone for the killing blow in the first place. He looked in Anz’wei’s eyes and thought, Why did I hold back?

  He realized that his gut was telling him not to go for the kill. He wasn’t sure why he got that feeling, but he thought back to the bush he’d avoided right after arriving on Ludus. Ignoring his gut was dumb.

  Henry slowly lowered his wrist blade. Anz’wei made her strange, hissing chuckle again. “I almost killed your young Mo’hali friend, you cut me up, and then show mercy? What a strange monkey man.”

  Henry somewhat stiffly retrieved the giant bronze ring weapon that Anz’wei had been carrying, watching her warily the whole time. “I’m keeping this,” he said. “I’m not sure why I’m letting you go, but that’s what my gut is telling me to do. Of course, you should probably start walking the other direction and never come back, or I’ll have no choice but to punch your ticket.”

  Henry ruefully realized that Anz’wei might not understand the expression, but she nodded, a strangely human gesture. “I understand, Monkey Warrior. Truth told, I hated this job. This has been the most dishonorable work I have ever done. Now I have an excuse to leave my position without violating pride or contract. Farewell.”

  With a stiff back, the reptilian Adom limped away, her mighty body trailing blood. Henry watched her go until he couldn’t see or hear her anymore.

  He shook his head. That had been one of the most dangerous fights he’d ever had in his life, and one of the strangest. Bezzi-ibbi walked up behind him and patted him on the shoulder. The boy chucked and said, “Not sure if smart, but definitely interesting, Henry-ibbi.”

  “Yeah, people tell me that sometimes,” growled Henry. He absentmindedly rubbed his scarred leg and sighed, hefting the giant bronze ring weapon. “Let’s head back. Everyone still needs us.”

  Henry wasn’t sure if he’d made the right decision, but deep down, he knew that a part of himself was glad he’d chosen mercy. It made him feel more human. He wasn’t sure what he was anymore. Calling himself a vanilla human these days simply wouldn’t have been accurate. The little choices he made, showing compassion and empathy sometimes, helped him feel better about whatever he was becoming.

  * * *


  Mareen strained to see past the fog. Thirsty kept trying to expand her shield, but the byproduct of pushing the fog back was that it was especially thick right outside the barrier.

  The tawny-skinned farmer turned adventurer hefted her hammer and clenched her jaw in worry. She knew it was part of who he was, but she hated when Henry went tearing off after something on his own. Sometimes she thought he forgot that he wasn’t invincible.

  She laid awake at night sometimes wondering if her husband was going to get himself killed and leave her all alone. Lately, the feeling had been getting stronger. Sometimes she woke up next to Henry in a panic and had to reach over to touch him, to make sure he was still there.

  He was the last family she had left. Even in the middle of a battle, the hurt and anger from her grandfather’s death rose out of nowhere, but she suppressed it. She could examine her feelings later.

  Out in the thick fog, an occasional animated corpse was able to push through the thin barrier, but every time one did, it was easily dispatched.

  Mareen held her hammer tightly and continued to look for movement or any sign of her missing husband.

  * * *

  Mourad frowned, her shoulders tense. She held her flamberge in sweaty hands, the huge sword’s blessed steel blade was beaded with perspiration from the fog. She hated this. She wasn’t opposed to violence, or even murder, but working for Liangyu made her skin crawl.

  Luckily, it would all be over soon.

  The full attacking group was gathered together, far enough away from the bubble of air their enemies had created that they couldn’t be seen. Mourad found the entire situation ironic. The big woman paused to spit. They should have all grouped up to attack to begin with.

  Now their position had been weakened. Most of the thralls had been destroyed and the enemy was no longer surprised. I bet Liangyu still thinks she’s some dark, evil genius, though.

  The plan now was simple. On Raquel’s signal, they’d all began to move forward and Raquel herself would take down the barrier with magic. At that point, the entire group would follow the last of the thralls in to kill their enemies. Liangyu and Ghinsja would be supporting from the rear.

  Mourad breathed deeply, trying to dispel her jitters. She was forty-one years old, she’d been a mercenary for over a decade, and she still got the shakes. It was ridiculous.

  The big woman settled in to wait. Raquel would be giving the signal any second now.

  * * *

  Mareen was startled when one side of Thirsty’s protective dome suddenly became wreathed in flames. Behind her, the music device on the Battlewagon was playing some song she didn’t recognize, a “rock” song. The song’s beat seemed to match the waves of fire outside the barrier.

  Thirsty called out a warning, “My bracelets are breaking! They’re breaking fast!” Mareen glanced over and noticed that tall drag queen was only down to three bracelets. As she watched, another crumbled, leaving Thirsty with only two more. Mareen wasn’t sure what was happening.

  Luckily, Uluula kept her head and seemed to understand what Thirsty meant. She shouted, “Drop the barrier! Save what you have!”

  “Okay,” yelled Thirsty. “Get ready!”

  The barrier faded away. The fog started rolling in again, and with it came a flurry of motion. Dark shapes hurled themselves out of the grey wall, and it was all Mareen could do to figure out what was even going on.

  In the next few moments, everyone would have died if not for Vitaliya and Gonzo. Balls of fire came flying out of the wall of fog, but Gonzo met each one with a thick burst of snow. Steam began to create open patches in the grey, suffocating blanket.

  Vitaliya and Uluula destroyed the walking dead as they appeared. Vitaliya’s fire withered their legs and Uluula took their heads. Mareen sprinted forward to deal with an undead soldier, but spun as an arrow bounced off the back of her armor. The arrow had hit with so much power that even at an angle, it still ripped several wooden plates off of her lamellar.

  “Watch out, honey!” yelled Thirsty. Another arrow buzzed out of the thick fog, but bounced off a shield Thirsty had erected around Mareen.

  Mareen tried to nod in sincere thanks, but she was almost thrown off her feet by an explosion of steam as Gonzo stopped yet another fireball. It was madness. Mareen didn’t know if the moisture covering her skin was perspiration, or water, or blood, or all three. It didn’t matter. She continued to fight for her life.

  * * *

  Liangyu dispassionately watched the battle before her and made a decision. Their enemies were surprisingly powerful and resourceful, but the thralls had worn them down. It was a good thing, too, as she was almost out of them.

  “Ghinsja, start attacking with the fog again before the steam makes it impossible to do so anymore. I think they’re softened up enough now.”

  She glanced over at Matilda. The pretty archer was drawing another arrow. Liangyu ordered, “Target the tall, dark pervert. He is the one creating the barriers.”

  “But the barriers will stop my arrows,” Matilda said, frowning.

  “Just do as I say, you fool girl,” Liangyu hissed, and the other woman blanched. It seemed she was stupid after all. It was good she was at least pretty, but Matilda needed to learn to play to her strengths. Anyone with a brain would have found it obvious that keeping the shield mage busy was necessary for Ghinsja to do damage with the fog.

  Liangyu wanted a report of what else was going on around them on the battlefield. Anz’wei should have been back by now. However, she knew that Ghinsja didn’t have an unlimited amount of power and a lot was going on. She decided not to bother her second-in-command for the time being.

  Liangyu glanced around and noticed that not all of her mercenaries were engaged yet. “Mourad,” she snarled. “What are you waiting for? Get out there and do your job.”

  Mourad’s face held no expression at all as she answered, “Yes, Lady Liangyu.”

  Liangyu watched the large, cow-like woman jog forward. It was hard to hire good help these days.

  * * *

  When Uluula saw the hands made of fog begin to attack again, she knew what might come next. She smoothly cut the head off a dead, rotting monster with her blazing jaalba and located Thirsty. Then she flicked her arm out, activating her enchanted bracer. A line shot out and pulled Uluula through the air, much faster than she could run.

  She barely got there in time, interposing her enchanted shield between Thirsty and the vicious arrow that whizzed out from the fog. Thirsty’s eyes widened and he said, “What the—”

  “Silence, degenerate. I do not agree with anything you do. However, you are part of my team, and my husband will be angry at me if I let you die.”

  Thirsty sputtered. “Bitch, please. You—”

  Uluula ignored Thirsty and yelled, “Gonzo, come protect Thirsty! Thirsty, deal with the fog hands! Vitaliya, start working with Gonzo to create more steam and clear up this fog! Mareen, you’re with me. Let’s take out the dead things.”

  Her orders given, Uluula shot out towards one of the remaining animated corpses. She heard Thirsty grumbling behind her and secretly grinned.

  Her situation was dangerous, she very well may die, but damn the Maker did she feel alive!

  * * *

  Mareen heard Uluula’s orders, but she already had her hands full fighting the undead abominations. In fact, she was so focused on her task, she nearly missed a big woman coming out of the fog with a huge sword. She barely saw the sword swinging at her head out the corner of her eye.

  Mareen got her hammer up in the nick of time to block. The two weapons met with great force, the sound making Mareen’s ears ring. The other woman narrowed her eyes in surprise. If Mareen had been a normal Terran, the middle-aged woman’s strength coupled with the inertia of the large, wavy sword would have ended the fight right there.

  Mareen had no idea who the other woman with close-cropped hair was, nor where she’d come from. All she knew was she was trying to take her life. />
  In the next few moments, nothing existed in Mareen’s world other than the big woman in camouflage armor. She was deeply thankful for all the drills and training that Henry had put her through. She was stronger than her opponent, but far less skilled. As orb-Bonded, she was tougher than any human had a right to be, but she knew without a doubt that the warrior she faced would be able to end her.

  All that saved her was her training. However, the other woman’s blessed steel sword still opened nasty wounds on her arms and legs. Mareen blocked a quick strike at her head, using the hook on the back of her hammer to lever the blade to the side before striking with the flat of her weapon.

  The woman just danced to the side and Mareen growled in frustration. Despite all her orb-given strength, there was a huge gap in experience between her and her opponent.

  Mareen wasn’t sure she could live through this duel. She might survive a clean strike to the body due to her natural armor, but she wasn’t in a hurry to test the theory. She narrowed her eyes and growled. She wasn’t going down without a fight.

  However, luckily for Mareen, there were other people on the battlefield. A wave of fire flashed past her head and impacted the camouflage-armored fighter. The woman screamed and, without thinking, Mareen kicked forward, delivering a glancing blow with all her augmented strength.

  The big woman flew out into the fog, her large, wavy sword clattering to the ground in front of Mareen. She blinked and glanced behind her. Vitaliya waved briefly before shooting another tongue of flame into the fog.

  Mareen quickly glanced around but couldn’t see any more walking dead.

  Suddenly, the fog began to clear. Mareen looked around in confusion until she realized what was really happening. All the nearby fog was flowing down to the ground, creating a thick, roiling blanket close to the earth.

  She panicked and jumped back, trying to get closer to the other members of her group. In horror, she felt a fog hand reach up and grab her ankle, tripping her.