by David Petrie
There was no way to reach her, not with the constant need to protect her distracting him from trapping her. Not while she could focus all of her attention on him.
“Quit using yourself as a hostage, damn it!” He placed his gun against the temple of one of the players lumbering toward her and fired, blowing the darkness from their skull.
“What can I say?” She shrugged as if trying to be as annoying as possible. “I trust you.”
Max pulled his scarf up over his mouth to activate his sub-class. He held his breath and the spectral swords of death blurred into the air around him as the emblem on his hand shifted from the Fury’s icon to the Reaper’s coffin.
His health began to tick down every three seconds.
- 30 HP
- 30 HP
Nix fired a round in his direction, only to have it deflected by a translucent blade.
“If you’re not going to let me get close, I’ll fight you at range.” Max swung one end of the Duelist’s Manacles in a circle. “You’ll slip up eventually.”
“Oh really? How long can you keep that sub-class active?” Nix weaved between the dark forms that used to be players. “Think you’ll have enough time?” She pulled up her hood and stepped back into a shadow, vanishing into the darkness.
Max darted for the stairs and climbed two levels to get a better view of the deck. Nix couldn’t have gone far. He just had to think like her. With his Reaper class active, she couldn’t touch him at range. Unfortunately, that helped her just as much as it did him. They were in the same boat, both unable to win without closing the gap.
They were at a standoff.
Or were they…?
Max immediately raised his house ring.
“Okay, I know not everyone is on board with this, but Nix is on the main deck and I need help.”
Silence answered back.
“Damn.” His heart sank. “I guess Ginger was serious about not helping.” That probably meant that she was serious about not staying with him too. He had been hoping she might forgive him, but it was pretty clear that their relationship had ended before it even had a chance. A pang of guilt echoed through his chest as he slammed a fist into the side of the stairway.
Nix had ruined everything.
That was when Farn’s voice reached him over the line.
“I heard the gunshots, I’m already on my way.”
Max placed a hand over his chest, grateful that he still had a friend that understood what they had to do. That was when a strange pop came from one side of the deck. His heart skipped a beat as Ginger emerged from the fighting. Max ducked to the side just as a grappling line flew past his head.
What the hell is she shooting at? For a second he thought it might have been him. Then she raised her house ring to her mouth and spoke a single word.
“Yoink.”
Max spun around to see the claw-like joints of Ginger’s new thief tool as it held onto a shadow behind him. Suddenly the grappling line retracted, pulling the hood of Nix’s coat down, leaving her standing stunned only three feet away.
“Oh, fu…” Her voice trailed off as she raised her gun in defense.
“Too late!” Max slapped her weapon away with his own and swung the chain coiled around his other wrist up.
All the color drained from Nix’s face as his new contract snapped around her wrist.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“You’re not going anywhere.” Max shoved Nix back against the wall of the platform.
“Yes, but you are.” She planted a foot against his chest and pushed, sending him into the railing behind him. She lunged forward and forced him over.
The ship tumbled end over end as he fell, the twelve feet of chain between them pulling tight just above the deck. Nix let out a howl of protest as his weight almost yanked her over as well. She immediately pulled her gun and unloaded it at him. Sparks flew as spectral blades swept into existence to deflect it all.
“Nice try.” Max righted himself and planted his feet against the wall as if he was rappelling down. He pulled back on the chain with all of his strength, ripping Nix off her feet and over the side.
She let gravity take her and thrust an elbow down, ready to drive it into his gut. Rolling at the last second, Max dodged and Nix hit the deck with a sickening crack. Her arm lit up crimson as she hobbled back to her feet and limped away.
Max pulled the chain tight to halt her progress. She continued to run, yanking him forward in a desperate attempt to escape. Max grinned. There was nowhere to run.
He gave her some slack, letting her go for a dozen feet before stopping her short. She fell and reloaded, firing back at him uselessly. The blades of his Reaper sub-class canceled everything out as he stalked toward her. Her eyes widened, then she turned her weapon on herself, shoving the muzzle to the side of her head.
Max shot her in the hand, sending her gun flying. It fell to the deck, where it was kicked away by one of the many players still fighting for their lives. Nix pushed herself back up, spinning in a frantic attempt to make eye contact with the closest pair of black eyes she could find.
Max simply reloaded and shot any creature that noticed. Nix kept moving until she reached the side of the ship near one of the Night Queen’s massive wings. Without hesitation, she climbed up on the rail and threw herself over. Max braced himself to hold her weight. There was no way he was letting her take him over the side with her.
He stepped forward, letting each link of the chain slip over the edge, sounding like a saw as it chipped away at the wood. Approaching the side, he made sure to look as smug as he could.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He peered over the edge, letting her dangle from the chain. Crimson lines spread across his skin as the manacle bit into his wrist. He ignored the pain.
For once, Nix didn’t have a comeback. Instead she just hung there, looking like a deer in headlights. Max dragged the chain to one side along the railing until Nix hung over the ship’s wing. Then he climbed up over the railing and down the rungs of a ladder that ran down the side.
Nix scuttled away as soon as he lowered her to the wing’s surface. She scurried up the inclined surface, using handholds built into the wing. Max let her go, watching her struggle, waiting for her to run out of room.
He reached for his knife. It was time to make her talk.
“Wait!” Ginger climbed down the side of the ship behind him.
“You don’t have to be here for this.” Max didn’t look back.
“Yes, I do. We can still find another way.” She fired her grappling line into the wing for stability as she inched her way up behind him.
“You know there isn’t one.” Max continued climbing after Nix.
“Damn it, Max! We have her, we can figure something else out.”
“There’s no time. The Void will probably kill everyone aboard the ship. If we don’t make her talk now, we may not get another chance.”
“Then we stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“The Void. That’s what we do, right? Fight Nightmares?”
“That’s not our problem.”
“The hell it isn’t, just look down there.” Ginger threw a hand back toward the deck of the ship, their position on the wing giving Max a clear view of the scene.
Most of the players on the deck were already dead. Those that remained were searching for safety wherever they could, many attempting to enter the theater. They banged on the doors to no avail. All they were able to do was draw the horde to the lobby doors. It was only a matter of time until the creatures made it inside to where Noctem’s rulers hid.
“You know as well as I do what will happen if those things make it inside and kill everyone. Everything will fall apart. It’s not just this ship on the line, but all of Noctem.” Ginger lowered her hand to her side before looking up to Max.
“It’s just a game, it doesn’t matter if a few lords fall. More will just take their place eventually.” Max looked away from the deck, shu
tting the thought out of his mind.
“That’s right, it is a game. One that you used to care about.” She stomped one foot. “I mean, you risked everything to save it twice over. You loved this game. And I loved that about you. I miss that. I miss going on adventures with you.” She let out a frustrated growl. “I miss you, damn it.”
“I know.” Max softened his voice. “I miss all that too. But things can’t just go back to the way they were. Nix stole that from us when she took Kira.”
“I know, but I don’t want to lose you to her as well. I didn’t help you catch her just so you could torture her.”
That was when Nix started laughing.
“Torture me? Really? That’s your plan? How the hell do you plan on doing that here?”
Max gripped the silver dagger and held it so she could get a good look at it. “This is a contract item; it bypasses the system’s pain management.”
Nix suddenly shut her mouth.
“Please, Max! Don’t do this.” Ginger shouted from behind him. “This isn’t you.”
“I have to.”
“I don’t want to lose you.” Ginger’s voice cracked, almost becoming a sob. “We have something good, and I want to see where it goes. But I can’t if you go through with this.”
Max turned around to see the wind blowing through her hair, carrying a tear off into the night sky.
“What about Kira?” Max pulled his scarf down so she could see his face.
“I could ask you the same thing.” She wiped away her tears and bared her teeth. “Kira wouldn’t want this and you know it.”
“She’s right,” a voice called from the deck. Farn began climbing down the ship to the wing. “I thought I was okay with this. I thought that as long as I got Kira back then that was all that mattered.” The Shield stepped onto the wing as Echo floated down behind her. “I thought I could handle it if Kira never looked at me the same again. That I could handle losing her as long as she was alive.
“But I need more than that.” Farn anchored herself to one of the indents on the wing and pulled Echo close to keep her from falling. “I need to be a part of her life. I need her to look at me the same as before.”
“Be realistic, Farn.” Max held out his hand toward her. “Do you think Nix will just give her back to us? No harm done?”
“I don’t know. But–”
“But nothing. We don’t even know if Kira’s still alive.” Farn flinched as Max spoke the biggest fear that had been gnawing away at him for months.
“I can’t.” Farn’s eyes welled up. “I can’t give up.”
“That’s right, we can’t give up. We have to know for sure.” Max turned away from Farn. “And you don’t have to help. I’ll do this alone if I have to.”
He took a step toward Nix, his hand trembling as he forced himself forward.
“Max, please.” Nix seemed to shrink, looking smaller than she had before. “I’m begging you not to do this. You know as well as I do that you don’t have the stomach to torture someone. You’re not a monster.”
“But you are.”
“That’s right. If the situation was reversed, I wouldn’t even hesitate.” Nix sat up straight like she thought she could talk her way out of it. “But it isn’t too late for you.”
“You’re just trying to save yourself.”
“No, I mean it. You’re not like me.”
“Enough.” Max readied his knife and climbed closer, keeping the chain between them taut.
Nix lowered her head in defeat.
Max’s heart raced. There was no turning back. It was already too late. He was going to get answers even if he had to sell his soul to get them. He owed that much to his friend.
After all, it was his fault she was gone.
That was when the last person he expected to get in his way planted themselves between him and his captive.
Max’s breath froze in his throat as her whispered her name.
“Kira?”
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Get out of my way, Echo.”
Max couldn’t help but growl at the avatar blocking his path. Pixie dust drifted into the night as the wind blew through her silver hair. For a second, he actually thought she’d been real, somehow appearing before him in the nick of time so he wouldn’t have to go through with his plan. The brief moment of hope slipped away the instant he looked into her dull, lifeless eyes.
His heart ached like it was being crushed in a vice.
Echo threw both arms out to her sides as wide as she could, the same way that she had earlier that night to protect Max from Tusker. Now, though, she was facing the other way with a surprised Nix behind her.
The system was cruel, choosing now of all times to represent Kira so accurately. Max knew his friend would never have gone along with what he intended to do. Kira didn’t have it in her to torture anyone, not even Nix.
“Move! I’m not going to ask again. You’re not even real. You don’t get a say in this.”
Echo stomped one foot and shook her head, making it clear that she wasn’t budging.
“Fine. Be that way. You’re not strong enough to stop me.” Max reached forward to push her out of the way.
Echo slapped his hand away. Max flinched, pulling back for an instant. It hadn’t hurt, but he hadn’t expected her to be so forceful. Echo immediately threw herself against him, taking advantage of the moment of hesitation. She shoved with all her might to hold him back. It wasn’t enough.
It never would be.
She couldn’t stop him.
The little mage pounded on his chest with tears in her eyes. Max’s insides twisted at the sight. He refocused his sights on Nix to remind him who he was fighting. No, that wasn’t it. He just didn’t want to look Echo in the face, even if she wasn’t real.
“Max, please!” Ginger shouted from behind.
“You have to stop.” Farn’s voice piled on. “Echo is proof. Even you know Kira would never let you do this.”
“She isn’t real! It could be any of us making her get in my way.” Max caught both of Echo‘s wrists to put an end to her useless rebellion. “The system uses all of us to control her. It listens to your minds as much as it does mine.”
“No, Max. I don’t think it does.” Farn stepped closer. “I already told you. Kira is my future. Echo is just a representation of the past. I’ve moved on, and I have hope. I don’t need a reminder of her to keep me fighting.”
“So what? You think it’s me that’s holding her here. That I can’t let go?”
“I’ve suspected it for a while now, but it wasn’t until the fight with Tusker that I was sure. Echo practically flew to your defense in the space of a heartbeat.”
Max froze, remembering the moment. He had only thought about Kira for a second, but Echo had responded to his mind in an instant. His knees started to shake.
Could it be me?
Max shut his eyes tight, letting the thought wash over him.
Maybe?
Echo settled down, her fists no longer struggling against his grip. They both held still until he snapped his eyes back open.
“It doesn’t matter.” Max threw the fairy to the side, forcing her to materialize her wings to keep from falling off the wing. “I have to do this.” He pushed forward, tightening his grip on the knife until his knuckles turned white. His heart raced and stomach churned.
Ginger and Farn cried out but their words couldn’t reach him over the sound of his own frantic breathing.
Suddenly, a burst of shining dust nearly blinded him, covering his skin in a gentle warmth. Echo’s wings hummed as something soft flew past him. Max reached for the chain connecting him and Nix to make sure they were still tethered. He couldn’t lose her. Not now.
Wind swept the pixie dust away, leaving Max staring down at Echo and Nix together. The mindless avatar trembled with her body draped over Nix’s to cover as much of her as she could. The villain underneath sat stunned, clearly at a loss for words. Echo turned her he
ad to look up at Max, her dusty blue eyes glistening.
Max froze, the sight of her almost too much for him to bear.
“Please…” He reached down, unsure what he intended to do.
She shrank away from his touch, holding onto Nix tighter. Pain streaked through his chest like an iron spike as the truth hit him all at once. His legs buckled, dropping him to his knees. He almost fell over but caught himself with his hands. The knife scraped against the wing’s surface. It sounded like a voice sobbing.
“Why?” He sniffed. “Why can’t you just let me save you? It was my fault. I have to bring you back.” He lowered his head. “I need to bring you back. I can’t do any of this alone.”
That was when a hand touched his chin to pull him back up.
“It wasn’t your fault.” Echo mouthed the words, crouched in front of him. “So maybe stop being selfish and pretending to be something you’re not.”
Her silent words cut into him like a scalpel, slicing away at everything weighing him down. She was right. He wasn’t even sure why he was doing it anymore. Kira might not even be alive, and torturing Nix wasn’t going to bring her back. Even worse, it was a disgusting way to honor her memory.
“Why do you all have to be right all the time?” Max exhaled, letting out as much tension as he could before breathing back in. “I can’t do it.”
“You jerk, you scared the hell out of me.” Ginger rushed to him, dropping to her knees and throwing her arms around him.
“I knew it.” Farn joined them.
Echo looked at the three of them, then shrugged and leaped into the mix, nuzzling against him and Farn.
“Okay, okay.” Max let her be. “I’m sorry I went off the deep end there. We’ll find another way.”
“Good.” Ginger tugged on the silver chain that hung from his wrist. “So what do we do about this?”
Max glanced down at the confused reynard still sitting a few feet away as the sudden group hug drifted apart. Nix stared up at the bizarre scene like a cat seeing snow for the first time.
Then she started laughing. It was the sort of awkward chuckle used to cover for something embarrassing.
