by Peter Glenn
One could never be too careful.
I strapped Grax’thor into a sheath on my back and buckled the katana around my waist, then went into my closet to grab a handful of magic trinkets. I didn’t have much to work with; a flash-bang charm, a muting charm, and a minor illusion charm, but it would have to do. I scooped them up along with my keys and trudged out the door, bringing up my Ryde app as I sped down the stairs.
Rick’s office wasn’t too far away - maybe ten minutes by car. I couldn’t walk it in time, though.
Fortunately, there were several Ryde cars in my area. One of them responded to my request almost immediately. I stood there on the corner of the street, rocking back and forth on my heels in the warm night air. It was maybe seventy out, which wasn’t bad, considering it had been mid-eighties all week.
It didn’t take long for the car to show up. I piled into the back of the dark sedan.
“Take me to Sixth and Olive, please! On the double!” I told the driver.
“Yes, sir,” the Ryde operator said, giving me a quick salute. “Just as soon as you buckle your seat belt.”
“Oh, of course.” I flashed her a grin.
My hands were still shaking pretty badly, and I fumbled with the buckle for what felt like a solid minute before I managed to get it to latch with a loud click, then I placed Grax’thor on the seat beside me.
To the Ryde driver’s credit - her name was Erin, according to the app - she didn’t even blink at the fact that a man with two swords had climbed into her back seat. I’d have to remember to leave a generous tip.
“Let’s get going, please!”
Erin shook her head. “Whatever you say.”
She sped off, merging into traffic like a pro. One of these days, I swore to myself, I’d get an actual license and a car of my own, but obtaining documents like that raised questions like where your birth certificate was. And those were a tricky forgery, especially with today’s protections in place.
Several streets passed by in a blur as the car sped on. Traffic seemed to be particularly light tonight, which worked well for me. I glanced at the app to see how long I had until I reached Rick, counting down the seconds as it went.
Five minutes. Now four. Three. We were getting closer.
I looked out the window when I spotted a particularly well-dressed man walking down the street on the other side of us. He was wearing a dark brown jacket with a briefcase and a ruffle of papers underneath one arm.
You probably caught on before I did - it was Rick! He’d left his office! And after I’d told him so nicely not to move and everything.
The nerve!
“Erin!” I barked at the driver.
She turned her head slightly to look at me. “Yes?”
“Let me off here.”
“But you’re not at your destination. The app says-”
“I know what the app says.” I groaned and pulled on the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “Just let me off already!”
“Okay, Mr. Hasty.” She tsked, but pulled over onto the side of the road, cutting off a blue SUV in the process.
Blue SUV honked at us, and I winced at the sound. I fumbled for the buckle once more and barely remembered to grab Grax’thor in my haste to leave the vehicle.
“Thanks, Erin!” I said, waving at my driver. “Five stars!”
She saluted me again and peeled off, her tires screeching as she weaved back into the heavy traffic.
My phone buzzed at me to leave a tip and a review, but I shoved it into my pocket. I’d get to it later. First, I had to track down Rick.
I raced down the sidewalk, practically shoving a couple out of the way in my haste. They glowered at me, but I just grinned and kept going, scanning the crowds on the other side of the street all the while.
At the first opportunity, I crossed the street at a crosswalk. Hey, getting hit by a car was no fun. Trust me, I’d tried it forty years ago. Not a repeatable experience.
My eyes searched for Rick’s brown-colored hair and jacket. I thought I spied it about half a block in front of me, so I picked up the pace, speeding forward, squeezing through another knot of loiterers.
“Sorry!” I shouted back at them as one of them backed into the side of a building to avoid me at the last minute.
The brown-colored head turned at the sound of my voice. His eyes were narrowly open and he looked confused.
My heart soared. It was Rick, all right. I hadn’t lost him yet. And he was still safe, to boot.
“Damian?” Rick said. “Why are you following me?” He looked wary.
“Thank goodness you’re safe!” I called after him. We were maybe fifteen feet away from each other now.
“I’m going home, Damian. Don’t follow me,” he said, sounding disgusted. He turned on his heels and kept walking.
“Wait!” I demanded. But it was no use. He wasn’t listening to me.
I started forward again, determined to catch up to him, when something grabbed my attention not five feet in front of Rick. A rather tall, lanky individual was standing with his back against the window of an abandoned record store, looking a bit off. At his side, I could see a hint of metal gleaming in the light of a streetlamp overhead.
My stomach lurched. I recognized that guy. It was Mei’s kidnapper, and he had a weapon!
I reached for Grax’thor and lunged forward, closing the remaining gap in just a few strides.
“Rick! Duck!” I cried.
He spun on his heels at that exact moment, and Lanky Guy’s blow went a little wide, missing him entirely.
“Get out of the way! Hide!” I demanded, waving my hands like mad.
Rick finally ducked down to avoid my hysterics as I practically careened right into him.
Lanky Guy’s sword swung again, coming in a downward arc for Rick’s head. I brought Grax’thor up just in time to deflect the blow, our blades meeting with a loud clang that reverberated throughout the street.
Rick looked up at me and Lanky Guy with a bewildered expression. “What the hell is going on here?”
“No time to explain!” I chided, straining under Lanky Guy’s strength. “Get behind me!”
For once, Rick actually took my advice and scurried into place behind me, cowering like a cornered rat. I felt a little bad for the guy, but I didn’t have much time to console him. That could come later, when our lives were safe.
I turned my attention back to Lanky Guy. “You messed with the wrong guy, buddy.”
Lanky Guy grunted. “We’ll see about that.”
He came at me then with an overhand swipe of his sword, swinging hard. I brought my own weapon up to block it, and the blades collided, bouncing off one another.
I stepped in and slid my blade downward, aiming for the guy’s overly-long neck, but he backed away at the last moment. The tip of my blade slashed through his shirt, almost cleaving it in two. The tattered remnants of the garment flapped in the slight breeze.
Lanky Guy shrugged and the material fell from his shoulders, revealing a mess of bluish marks all over his chest and shoulders, much like Half-Naked Guy had had earlier. In the same motion, he lunged forward, coming underneath my guard.
But I was too fast for him, and I brought my blade across, knocking his away.
Lanky Guy’s lips curled into a snarl, and he growled at me, rushing forward with his shoulder low.
The move caught me off guard, and I wasn’t able to fully dodge his lunge. His shoulder hit my sword arm, and I flew backward a few feet. I was worried I’d topple into Rick, but he’d backed away quite a bit by this point and was now cowering next to a parked car.
I groaned and stumbled a few steps, trying to regain my balance. Lanky Guy shoved harder, and I ended up careening into the wall of a nearby restaurant. The Pho ‘Que. An Eastern/Western fusion restaurant that served smoked meats in its pho. It was very popular up here.
The air left my lungs as I slammed into the large, glass window and my vision blurred for a half second. My mind raced. This
guy was half-decent with a blade, but he also didn’t mind getting physical. I’d have to switch up tactics a bit.
Lanky Guy came charging for me again a moment later, but I was ready for him this time. I turned my blade in my hand and side-stepped him. Right as his bulk was charging past me, I rapped him across the back with the flat of my blade.
This time, it was Lanky Guy that went flying into the glass, head-first.
I heard the clattering of glass as it shattered, and a hail of tiny shards flew into the air, spilling all over the damp ground as Lanky Guy’s head went through the window and slammed into one of the patron’s tables.
The patrons gasped and backed away, their steaming bowls of pho quickly forgotten. One of them pulled out a phone camera to record the whole thing, which made me groan. I did not need a recording of this showing up later.
Fortunately, Lanky Guy didn’t either, and with one hand, he smashed the patron’s phone.
I huffed and held my sword over his neck. “Not so confident now, are you bud?”
Another patron gasped, and I flashed them a quick smile. The lighting out here wasn’t great, and I kinda hoped they wouldn’t recognize me for the police report that was sure to follow.
I raised the blade up in the air and prepared to bring it down, but Lanky Guy disappeared before I could do anything, slinking out of the broken window faster than my eye could follow.
The restaurant patrons quickly forgotten, I spun around to look for Lanky Guy. A grunting noise from behind me alerted me to his continued presence. I spun again and saw his gory face, covered in sheets of blood, with tiny glass shards sticking out of it, grinning at me.
“I won’t go down that easy,” he spat, spraying blood and spittle on my suit jacket. He looked like a mess, but his sword hand was steady.
Besides, anyone that could withstand having their head shoved through a glass windowpane and still stand moments later deserved to be feared.
I yelled something unintelligible and hacked at him with Grax’thor, coming in hard. Our blades met and clashed, time and again, their clanging noises the only sound shattering the still night air.
Sometime during the duel, I managed to get turned around, and I spared a half-second glance at Rick’s hiding spot. He was still huddled by a nearby car, face ashen white, looking like he was about to hurl, but otherwise no worse for the wear. I could handle that.
I made a low swipe with my blade, slashing at Lanky Guy’s outstretched leg. He darted backward and my blade sang through air instead of flesh. I snarled and came at him again in a back-handed strike.
This time, Grax’thor found purchase, and I noticed a new rivulet of blood flow down Lanky Guy’s leg where my blade had nicked him.
I expected the dude to howl or recoil in pain, but I wasn’t so lucky. I should have guessed. Having his head smashed into a window hadn’t done anything. Why would a tiny nick to his leg?
My momentary lapse was all the opening Lanky Guy needed. His sword arced down, slicing into my stomach, tearing through fabric and skin. I felt a thin line open up in my abdomen as hot blood poured out of the wound, staining my outfit.
I was no Lanky Guy. That wound stung. I placed my free hand over the wound and staggered backward a few steps, barely managing to fend off Lanky Guy’s renewed offensive as I went.
I took another step backward and realized I was up against a shop front again. The record store this time. Not a great spot to be in, but at least there were no patrons to gawk at me. Still, backed up against glass like this, my options were dwindling.
Lanky Guy came at me again, his blade whooshing through the air, aimed right at my head. I freaked and ducked under the blow at the last minute, then rolled to the side.
The sound of metal crunching and a minor explosion filled my ears as my surroundings suddenly dimmed a half degree. I looked around to notice Lanky Guy’s sword had collided with a nearby lamppost. Sparks flew everywhere as the wires fizzled. Better yet, his blade was stuck in the mess of metal and plastic from the wires.
As Lanky Guy struggled to free his weapon, an idea came to me. I’d seen it work in movies, at least. I took my free hand off my stomach wound. It hurt every time I moved, but it didn’t appear to be deep.
Then I covered my hand the best I could with my sleeve and reached forward to grab one of the cut wires. I grabbed it and thrust it into Lanky Guy’s arm and… nothing happened. Not even a jolt.
Honestly, it was a bit of a downer. Where was the electrocution? I’m telling you, we’ve been lied to all these years.
Lanky Guy’s elbow flew backward and smacked me right on the bridge of my nose. I staggered backward again, almost toppling over onto a white sedan.
Hot liquid ran down my face and stars swam in my vision, but I fought to keep conscious. I had to protect Rick so I could find Mei. The fate of the world depended on it.
I inhaled sharply. The action inflamed the wound in my stomach again, but I fought against it. Slowly, my vision began to clear, at about the same time Lanky Guy managed to free his sword.
Lanky Guy spun on his heels, sword at the ready, but this time, I was faster. I crouched low and lunged, sword held fast in both hands and I pushed.
Grax’thor greedily bit into his unprotected stomach, sinking in several inches before Lanky Guy could even change direction.
My opponent grunted and twisted his body, and Grax’thor went with him. My grip was slick with my own blood, and I hadn’t expected a maniacal move like that.
I freaked for a moment, then remembered I still had my katana. My non-wet hand went to the katana and pulled it out, bringing it to bear just in time to block a heavy downward thrust.
I slid the katana down the shaft of Lanky Guy’s weapon, turning it at the last moment, and swiped at his arm. The blow connected, tearing off a rather impressive chunk of flesh.
But even that only phased the dude for a moment. He seemed to stare down at the fresh injury again, then shrugged and renewed his offensive. Would nothing stop this fiend?
I let loose a battle cry and ran toward him, but at the last moment, I turned to the side, smacking him on the back with my weapon again, leaving a nasty gash.
This time, Lanky Guy went flailing into the sedan I’d almost tripped onto earlier. I heard a groan and the sound of metal grating on metal as I watched Grax’thor pierce through his spine, his abdomen crunched against the metal of the door.
Lanky Guy spun on his heels and grinned at me once more, then he slumped down to the ground. The sedan looked like it had survived the encounter, but for once, Lanky Guy had not.
I was panting heavily by this point, but at least I was still standing.
“Humph. Told you,” I muttered. Then I shuffled to where he was laying and pulled my sword out of his belly.
I looked at Grax’thor in awe for a moment. It had taken a beating in that battle, but it looked no worse for the wear. Whether it really was magic or not, it was at least good craftsmanship.
My strength was starting to give way, but I wasn’t done just yet. I raised my sword over my head in my good hand and brought it down, cutting Lanky Guy’s throat. I wasn’t about to take any chances with that guy. After he’d survived the last few injuries, there was no telling what he’d come back from.
It wasn’t quite as good as a full decapitation, but hacking through bone was harder than it sounded, and I was already pretty exhausted. Plus, I had to get Rick to safety.
Rick! I’d almost forgotten about my buddy in the scuffle. I turned to my head to see him still cowering in the darkness near that same car from before. Good. At least he hadn’t done anything stupid yet.
“Rick! Buddy! We’ve got to get going.” I called to him, beckoning him onward.
I sauntered over in his direction, cleaning off my weapons and sheathing them as I walked. Once I’d reached him, I held out my hand to the guy. He didn’t take it.
Rick slowly rose to his feet, his beady eyes never leaving mine. There was something reflected in
there. Fear? Revulsion? It was hard to tell which. His face looked a little green, like he was going to throw up or something, and his knees were shaking pretty bad.
In fairness, this probably was the first time he’d seen someone die in a sword fight. They weren’t all that common in Seattle. They happened, but it was rare.
Not to mention that the cops would be on us soon, and a crowd was starting to form. Neither of those were good signs. We didn’t have much time.
“Come on, man! We’ve gotta get out of here, and fast!” I offered him my hand again, only then realizing that it was the one covered in my own blood.
I retracted the hand quickly and flashed him a grin, then held out my other one instead.
Rick’s jaw opened wide, but no words came out. Couldn’t really blame him. I’d probably do the same if the tables were turned.
I stared down at him again, trying to look as pleasant as I could. “Come on, Rick. We don’t have time for this now. We need to go.”
I’d never realized it before, but Rick wasn’t that tall. Maybe 5’ 6” or so. Kind of short for an American dude. I think I only noticed because I didn’t have to look up into his eyes like I did most Americans. Hey, I wasn’t that tall, either. I was born three hundred years ago, remember? People were shorter back then.
Rick’s eyes darted toward my hand for a moment and seemed to regard it like it was a dangerous weapon. I didn’t like to brag, but that wasn’t far off. I knew several forms of martial arts and had used them to great effect on occasion.
His hand snaked toward my own for just a moment, then he retracted it and went back to staring into my eyes with that pained expression of his.
We stood there like that for a full minute, neither doing or saying anything. It was uncanny to watch.
Then the darndest thing happened, leaving me thoroughly scratching my head.
Without warning, Rick spun and bolted in the opposite direction.
7
