by Riker Kane
“I can only stun it for so long. Jade’s blasts aren’t slowing it down long enough.”
“I only need a second. I just need the perfect shot. Jade!”
The Harbinger slowly got back up to her feet. She reached for the staff on the ground and looked over to me.
“Aim for its legs.”
She gave me a nod and sent a Solo Spark at its legs to draw its attention. She switched to a Zero Blast and managed to slow its path though it stayed in pursuit of her.
“It’s gonna try to grab me,” I said to Alisa. “Counter it.”
“What? I don’t know—”
“When it swings. Time your shots. Okay?”
Despite the uncertainty in her eyes, Alisa gave me a nod. I clenched my fists and ran forward just before the skeleton swung at Jade.
“Power Shield!” I put up a barrier just in time to block it. The weight of the blow knocked me over a few steps but I was still right where I wanted to be.
Jade kept freezing the skeleton’s legs in place. I hammered its knees again, forcing it to bend down. I didn’t need to break it. I just needed to get close.
“Keep going!”
Jade focused the stream of energy up the skeleton’s legs. I stomped my feet into its frosty bones and started climbing it. My fingers dug into its ribs as I pulled myself up.
“AAAAAAAAHHHH!”
The skeleton yelled out and swung as I hung from its chest. Its blade stabbed me in my side. The sharp pain was followed by more blood pouring from a new wound like a faucet. But I held my grip as I neared the glowing orb in its chest.
I kept climbing, high enough to see the red energy pulsing in its chest right in front of me. I just had to get through its sternum.
One hand gripping its bones, my other hand moved back and slammed into its chest. CLANG!
“AAAAHHHHH!”
The skeleton yelled out loud enough to shake the entire room. Cracks appeared in its bones. CLANG! I threw another punch and the bone couldn’t resist my steel. CRUNCH! Another punch and more lines appeared until the bones started chipping away.
I looked up at its empty eye sockets. It stared at me. There was no expression on its face but that didn’t make it any less menacing.
“Enzo!” Jade yelled. “I can’t hold it for much longer!”
“I just need one more…”
The skeleton tossed its sword to the ground. It started reaching for me with both of its hands.
“Alisa! Counter!”
She fired right as the skeleton grabbed at me. The tips of its bony fingers grazed against me before it pulled away because of the stunning shot.
“Now!” I slammed my fist into its sternum and—CRUNCH!—shattered the bones completely. As soon as I saw the glowing red energy in front of me, I reached out and grabbed it.
“AHHHHHH!”
The creature roared, trying to shake me free. The damn thing was stuck in place. Barely giving.
“C’mon…” I clenched my jaw and pulled until suddenly tugging it free.
The bones all around me collapsed and I went tumbling to the cavern floor with a thud.
“Dammit…” I groaned as Jade and Alisa helped me up from the ground.
I watched as the skeleton’s bones turned into dust then faded into Mana to collect. But more important was what was in my hand. A small red jewel glowing with energy in my palm.
“What the…” It suddenly shifted and turned blue.
“That’s weird,” Alisa said. “It changed color…”
“It doesn’t matter. We got the Potent Mana.”
“That’s… not Potent Mana.” Jade took it from my hand and looked at it closer. “This is a Core.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve seen Cores before. You have, too. Look at it. Redgrave said we’d know what it was when we found it. Does this look different to you?”
“Even if it’s just a Core, it’s still useful,” Alisa said. “That’s what you use to strengthen the gauntlets, right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “But that’s not what we’re looking for.”
I took the jewel back from Jade. All that trouble and we still hadn’t found what we were looking for.
“Dammit…”
I looked around the room and it quickly caught my eye. The lever on the side of the wall. “Maybe…”
I moved over to it and examined it closer. At the top of the lever, there was a small hole. “There’s a compartment here… Big enough for…” The Core we found quickly found its place on the lever. I tugged it down and the room began to rumble again.
On the other side of the cavern, the wall began to shift. A small stone doorway appeared. Inside, there was a light coming from it. Purple. Red. Green. Blue. It seemed like every color of the rainbow was shining.
We headed toward the doorway to see where it led. But there was no pathway. There was only a small podium carved out of stone. And on top of it, there was a jewel, shining with every color I could imagine.
Jade picked it up. She stared at it for only a few seconds before turning to me with a smirk.
I finally let out the sigh I’d been holding this whole time. “Let’s get back to Redgrave.”
32: Habits
The bright crimson blood leaking from the gash on my arm pulsed with every thump of my veins. The stinging pain from it wasn’t as bad as the feeling I got from staring at it. Redgrave didn’t seem to mind one bit, buzzing over the wound with his dermal regenerator. The blue beam sealed up the injuries inside and closed my skin until it was back to normal with a few drops of blood.
“Good as new.”
“Thanks, Doc.” I let out a deep sigh and walked over to the display tablet to the side to level.
Enzo Drake
Level 32 Slayer
(4 levels available)
Hit Points 100
Endurance 50
Strength 23
Speed 16
Durability 17
Control 16
Just four levels. After all those skeletons and the giant one, you’d think there was more. Now wasn’t the time for complaining though. The job we needed to do was done. I confirmed the levels and went over my new stats.
Strength 24 (+1)
Speed 17 (+1)
Durability 18 (+1)
Control 17 (+1)
A balanced wave of levels had me satisfied.
“Sorry about that Core,” I said. “It was stuck in the lever.”
“No troubles. I’m still processing the last Core you recovered from the Fiend. I’ll get to work synthesizing the Potent Mana.” Redgrave looked over the shimmering jewel at his workstation without missing a beat. I thought about telling him to take a break but there wasn’t much time left. The old guy probably wouldn’t have listened to me anyway.
“You sure this’ll work?” I asked.
“When it comes to Pandora, nothing can ever be done with absolute certainty. But I’m confident. I’ll temper the gauntlets as best I can and you’ll be able to deal with the Herald you encountered. In the meantime, I suggest you get some rest.”
“That’s funny. I was just about to tell you the same thing.”
He smiled without taking his eyes off his tools. “Oliver was the same way. Looking out for me just as I looked out for him. I suppose I was the one who failed in that regard…”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll make it up to him.”
Jade and Alisa stood next to the exit of the warehouse.
“It’s still early,” Jade said. “We’re not usually done making progress at this time.”
“I’d take you back to Beatriz but I’m sure she’s done for the night.”
“Still on about that tuxedo, huh?” I said. “How about we get a meal and call it a night?”
“I won’t argue with that.”
~ ~ ~
Alisa twirled the noodles around her fork into a massive ball the size of her mouth. Actually, it was bigger. She managed to squeeze it in,
covering her lips with sauce in the process.
I wasn’t about to make fun of her. Not when I was as hungry as hell. I took a big bite of my burger and let out a sigh.
“There you go, Champ.” Alisa gave me a wink. “Fighting off a herd of skeletons can make you work up an appetite. Let’s see how much you can eat.”
“I don’t eat as much as I used to.”
“I’ll bet. Holding pads for someone isn’t as hard as throwing the punches yourself.”
“One of the reasons I decided to stop. It’s not all about the fame, glory, and riches.”
“You’re a regular stand-up guy. How about you, Jade? Would you ever be a pro fighter?”
Jade chewed on a forkful of her salad, her lips twisted as she thought about it. “I don’t know. I suppose I’m already a fighter in a certain way, being an Omega.”
“I can see that. What’s the best part of being an Omega? The money? The fame? Or is it the levels and picking your own class like the commercials always talk about?”
Alisa leaned forward as she chewed. Her eyes widened in anticipation.
Jade smiled softly. “It’s not any of those. Maybe it was before I applied. But when I was there, I realized the most satisfying thing was just… doing it. I was actually making a difference. For the good of humanity.”
“You two,” Alisa sighed. “Such altruistic goodie two shoes. I’m having a little trouble keeping my spaghetti down.”
“What’s important to you? The money?”
“What else matters? As a wise man once said, money rules the world. Omegas get a pretty decent stipend. Or so I heard. Maybe I should apply. I mean, I’m already pretty good at it and I haven’t even had any formal training.”
“Fighting in a squad is a little different. You don’t have a Slayer to fall back on.”
“Maybe Redgrave should commission those gloves to the Legion. Imagine a whole army of Omegas with gauntlets. Those Shadows wouldn’t stand a chance.”
I laughed at the maniacal look in Alisa’s eyes. “Redgrave’s getting older. The man spent years making a single pair of the gauntlets. They’re handcrafted tools made for a specific person. I don’t think he has the energy or the time to do it.”
“Well, if the Legion is who I hear they are, they shouldn’t have any problem figuring out how to make ‘em again. If I was in charge, I’d divert all resources to making another Slayer.”
Alisa slurped up another satisfying heap of spaghetti. Opposite from her, Jade did her best not to make a mess with the salad she ate. I chewed on my burger contentedly at the end of the booth.
The diner was a little more crowded at this time. More of the tables were filled and the conversation was chattier. Ruthie actually had to walk around and do more than look like she was working. But everybody minded their own business and we could talk freely about the mission without anybody overhearing.
Jade looked at the communicator on her wrist. “The map… It’s amazing to think of how much progress we’ve made. Anarchy is close enough it fits on the same side of the display.”
“It’s funny,” Alisa said. “We’ve been working so hard to get to our destination. After we’re done with this, I’m gonna miss it a little bit. Not the whole fighting skeletons and giant squids but working with you guys. It’ll be all over once we find your pops. Hell, this whole thing with Pandora could be over once you shut everything down. It’s kinda sad.”
My focus hadn’t changed. This was all for my dad. Looking into Alisa’s eyes though… There was some disappointment. And I felt it, too.
“It’s a habit,” I said. “When I was a fighter, I went through the same routine. I’d sign up for a fight. Then I’d go through a training camp. Four weeks. Six weeks. Sometimes eight. I’d push myself, losing weight, dieting, sparring, running. The fight would come. I’d let it all go until it was over. Take a break for a few days then you’re back in the gym, looking for another fight and scheduling another training camp. But the time between fights… sometimes I asked myself ‘what now?’”
“What happened after you retired?” Jade asked.
“It was weird. I went to the gym and went through my usual workouts. Didn’t push myself as hard. I tried but I couldn’t. There was no opponent to measure myself against. No purse I was being rewarded. No belt to aspire to. I was training just to train.”
“Must’ve been rough,” Alisa said.
“I wasn’t sure what to do. Thought maybe I retired too soon. Kept going though. Before I realized it, I was training people. Seeing their progress. Watching them improve right before my eyes. That became my habit. Just replaced something old with something new.”
The table fell silent again. Alisa tapped her plate with her fork like something was on her mind.
“This is different though,” she said. “You were a fighter. You’re not fighting but you’re still training. How am I supposed to go from battling the threat to humanity to… my life?”
“You could always join the Legion,” Jade said.
“I could… But you said it yourself. There are no Slayers.” Alisa looked at me, a half-smirk on her lips. Her eyes were filled with the same disappointment I saw earlier though.
I knew better than to try and get caught up. I couldn’t lose focus. Couldn’t distract myself from the goal.
Jade gave me the same look Alisa did. She tried hiding it but I could see it in her eyes. She was thinking the same thing.
Neither of them gave me much of a choice.
“My father used to tell me that you can’t control what happens in the end. But you can enjoy the now. We’ll get to Anarchy and smash it. That doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.”
Jade nodded slowly as her smile came back to her. “Yeah… You’re right.”
“I got an idea,” Alisa said. “I say we get together. We save your pops then finish with Anarchy. But we still hang out. It can be right here in this diner. Something simple just to remind us of everything we’ve been through.”
“I’ll remember all of this. Hanging around you two is special enough.”
They both looked at me. All of this was hanging on my answer. I hadn’t let either of them down before. Couldn’t do it now.
I shrugged. “Okay… Something simple.”
“Let’s hope the Fancy Diner lasts as long as we’re around.”
“It’ll take more than a broken foundation and some rats in the walls to take this place down.”
“Wait…” Jade closed one eye in disgust. “There are rats in this place?”
I took a bite of my burger but it wasn’t enough to hide my smile. Alisa burst into laughter, making her whole body shake. Jade sighed before laughing just the same.
33: The Alisa Bonus
Alisa called me the next morning to meet up with her. Said it was important, as everything was with her. Our mission had exhausted me more than any training camp I’d ever been through, so taking another day off from the gym wasn’t a problem.
My body was changing as much as any workout would change it. My muscles were swelling and getting firmer. I was lighter on my feet. I could throw a punch faster and harder than ever before. Felt like I could take a better shot, too. Not that I was in the mood for testing it.
I sat outside of the Starbucks and pressed a finger into my bicep. The vein ran over the round muscle that was as hard as a rock. “Crazy…” It was no wonder why guys who served as Omegas weren’t allowed to compete. The advantage was so lopsided it wouldn’t even be a contest. All of their glory had to come from serving humanity. The rest of us were just mere mortals.
“Pretty buff.” Alisa walked up to me and smiled. The blond had her hair tied back over her head in a messy ponytail. No makeup on her face. Her light-blue shirt was wrinkled. She looked like she just jumped into her shorts and sneakers then headed over here. The slight bags underneath her eyes told me she didn’t get enough sleep.
“Where’s my frap?”
“Your frap? You didn’t ask for anythi
ng.”
“Why do you think I’d tell you to meet me at Starbucks if I didn’t want a frap?”
“You want a frap, go get one.”
“Lemme borrow some money.”
“What?” I laughed at her. It was probably a good ten seconds before I realized she wasn’t gonna laugh with me.
“Castleberry,” she said. “Remember our deal.”
“Fine, fine,” I sighed as I pulled a ten out of my pocket. She swiped it from me and disappeared inside the store.
I looked out toward the streets next to me. There were a couple other storefronts lining the roads where the traffic was moving through. All of them looked like they’d seen better days. Of course, nobody was actually dumb enough to invest in any of them. Everybody got used to how broken-down Newmire looked. It’d always been that way. At least the weather was okay with the sun out and the clouds clear.
Alisa showed back up and plopped into her seat in front of me. Her lips wrapped around her straw as she leaned forward across the table.
I crossed my arms. “Good?”
The satisfied smack of her lips was loud. “Nothing better than a mocha frap. Doesn’t matter what Starbucks you go to. You always get what you want.”
“You said this was important.”
“What’s more important than a Starbucks frap?”
I rolled my eyes and sank into my seat. My fatigue was enough to stop me from getting annoyed.
“You’re tired,” she said.
“Speak for yourself.”
“That’s why you need a little caffeine and sugar to put some pep in your step.”
“I’m good…”
Alisa let the straw fall from her mouth. “This whole mission… It’s tiring.”
“We finished earlier than usual the other night. You had time to sleep.”
“…Don’t act like spelunking into dark caves and fighting skeletons is a normal day at the office. I’m seriously exhausted.”
“After how far we’ve come, it’s not surprising. It’s almost over, Alisa. We’re right there.”
“Yeah… There’s something else I needed to tell you about though. Something serious.”
