Deadline Page 43

  [Bishop Tannen] cast Glorious Beam

  A golden laser seared into Hadrian's side. The newly appointed god emperor dropped to a knee and grunted in pain.

  "You deserve nothing less than a slow death," chided Tannen, "but the White King is merciful."

  "There will be no White King," spat Hadrian in defiance.

  The bishop cocked his head. "Perhaps not in form, but in spirit. It will be up to me to force his acts upon the land."

  Vagram's face darkened. Kyle and the others regrouped as Tannen confronted Hadrian. Once within range, the spymaster released a spear from his forearm and thrust it upward.

  Tannen smashed it aside with his gauntlet, snapping off the crystal bone protrusion. Then he once again raised an open palm.

  [Bishop Tannen] cast Continuous Glorious Beam

  The charge of light held on the deposed tyrant for several seconds this time. Hadrian screamed wildly as the laser forced him lower until he collapsed on his face. When the attack ceased, his shoulders and back were black and smoking. His breath came in rasps.

  "There now," said the nasally bishop, equal pity and pomp. "In the end, you lie prostrate before your superior, the new and forever Protector of Oakengard."

  Hadrian sniggered coarsely. "I don't need the paltry mantle of Oakengard," he spat. "I. Am. Oakengard."

  Poles of crystal emerged, not from Hadrian but from the frozen lake itself. Surface ice cracked away. Tannen barely had time to drop his head before he was speared clean through five times. Purple energy ran into him like an electrical current, and it was Tannen's turn to scream.

  Amazingly, the bishop still had fight in him.

  [Bishop Tannen] cast Divine Cleansing

  Despite being strung up like something out of a Hellraiser movie, rays of gold washed through the bishop and stalled the purple plague. Hadrian gnashed his teeth and redoubled his effort. Vagram took to his feet and raised his hands to help.

  But then, slowly, he lowered them back to his side. He bit down, exchanging eyes with Kyle.

  As the two despots struggled, Crux snuck close. Purple and gold nearly blinded them for several moments as Hadrian pushed up to his knees and then feet. The battle of wills was violently intense. Finally a scowl of resignation overtook him.

  "If you won't be mine, you won't be anyone's!" Hadrian's fists went white and more pointed crystals shot through the floor, spiking the holy man through the back, neck, and heart. Bishop Tannen jerked before his outstretched body settled limply, like a scarecrow, suspended on a twisted web of spikes.

  [Bishop Tannen] is dead!

  Quest Error: Restore Oakengard's Glory

  Quest Type: Fepic

  Reward:

 

  Quest Abandoned!

  The Speculum went silent. The lights dimmed. Kyle and Lash turned to each other.

  The respawn errors. Mara and Gent may have been dead or worse, but there was still the faint hope of revival. But Tannen? He'd been partially infected by the plague. Even now, his limp body dripped with violet. His death resulted in the permanent corruption of his being. Bishop Tannen was gone forever, and with him, the possibility of restoring the Trinity.

  Hadrian's breathing settled. Bars of light ran along the icy floor, pulsing like a heartbeat. Burnt and blackened chunks of crystal fell away from the Whisperer as new rocks floated from the ground and took their place. Below, deeper than the layer of ice, colorful crystals stirred.

  Hadrian may not have had the trijewel, but he still had the Crystal Core.

  The Whisperer snapped his head to his flank. "Thief!"

  Crux sped away with a giant ruby in his hands. The Eye of Orik. Hadrian fired a spear from his arm.

  [Lash] cast Shield Wall

  The crystal hit the yellow energy barrier. Wild sparks flew and the wall flickered, but the attack was stalled. Hadrian growled in anger and teased fingers in the air. Several spears floated upward and pointed to the thief. A greataxe spun like a hatchet and buried itself in the Whisperer's crystal chest. Hadrian fell to a knee. His floating crystalline weapons clattered back to the floor.

  "To the stairs!" ordered Kyle. "Get that soulstone to Talon!"

  Crux nodded and bolted. Hadrian stood, pulled the axe from his chest, and dropped it on the ice, looking none the worse for wear.

  Lash backtracked. "We'll cover your retreat!" She raised her cleaver and set her jaw.

  "Idiots!" snarled the god emperor. As Crux reached the foot of the stairs, a boulder of crystal ripped through the ground and smashed the stairway and pretty amethyst banisters to bits. The only way out was up, and the exit was now blocked. "Now hand over the Eye."

  Jagged crystal spears floated into the air again. Vagram leapt into the fray, bronze swords blazing in his hands. He sliced the projectiles in half, one, two, three. Instead of pausing after the last blow, Vagram spun around and slashed at Hadrian himself.

  The emperor's rocky arms widened into shields. Sparks careened from the deflected swords. The three broken crystal spears sprang to life again, now six distinct projectiles.

  "Get behind me!" warned Kyle, equipping his mirror shield.

  The cleric's eyes widened. He dove away from the incoming bullets as an arrow from Dune knocked one off course. Kyle charged forward, managing to catch two of them. They reversed bearing and popped apart onto Hadrian's chest. They failed to penetrate his rocky armor, but his frustration visibly grew.

  Hadrian's eyes went bright purple. He spread his arms and collected energy. Kyle considered swapping out to his dual crossbow, but the moment had passed. Slivers of jagged crystal popped through the floor everywhere, opening craters in the smooth lake surface that grew pockmarked, as what must have been a hundred projectiles rose into the air and spun in unison to face them.

  "Reflect this," spat Hadrian.

  "On me!" cried Lash.

  [Lash] cast Bastion

  Everyone in the room dove toward the paladin as a dozen projectiles fired at each of them. The slivers of crystal exploded against Lash's yellow dome. The repeated blows did nothing against the might of the legendary ability, and in seconds the last of Hadrian's brutal hailstorm had crumbled to dust.

  The Whisperer twisted his lips in frustration. Then he repeated the maneuver, calling on yet more weapons.

  This time, as with Tannen, the spikes came from underfoot. Lash's all-protective dome failed to cover the floor. Ice erupted into jagged spears. Hadrian chortled as the companions scrambled from multiple attacks. Kyle was punched in the shoulder, spun around, and thrown onto his back. He stared up as the bastion expired and blinked out of existence, thinking their bold stand was over. Above him, he could see the opening the stairway had led to, the opening that was too far away for them to reach.

  The opening that a chestnut dragon peeked a growling head into.

  Kyle's eyes went wide as Bandit took a mighty breath and let loose a stream of blinding light. The attack ripped through parts of the ceiling and tracked to Hadrian, who braced himself and extended his shield armor to max protect. Boulders of ice and stone kicked up and wrecked the once-great Speculum. Then the damaged ceiling rumbled as centuries-old mortar failed. The roof collapsed around them as everyone retreated to safety.

  Tad yanked himself up the stairs, almost dropping his crutch for the third time. That would be a death sentence. Back on the fortieth floor, he opened the door to Kablammy Games, wishing the damned magnetic locks would come back on, and pushed inside.

  The stomping and yelling InLink operatives were not subtle about following him.

  Tad weaved between administrative desks as the soldiers nearly broke the door down. One, two, three men breached the west wing.

  "Stop right there!" yelled one as Tad rounded a wall.

  They were faster than him but he didn't have far to go. The disabled programmer beat them to Christian's office. He shut the door and clicked the deadbolt just as the operatives converged. Tad
searched around in a panic before sliding his crutch between the door and the neighboring bookcase. The heavy piece of furniture wouldn't budge.

  The soldiers pounded at the door. "Let us in! We just want server access. We're not going to hurt you."

  Tad locked eyes with Christian Everett. The CEO was pale, the bandage on his stomach soaked with blood.

  "We'll destroy it!" Tad yelled. "If you come in, we'll delete the servers!"

  "You won't do that," returned the operative. "It's too important to you."

  "Not to me," swore Tad. "Christian's dead. I'm all that's left, and I swear I'll wipe everything if you try to come in."

  Cursing erupted outside the door. Tad slowly hopped away without his crutch. He sank to the floor beside Christian, feeling worse than the CEO looked.

  "You're not serious," asked the visionary under his breath, "are you?"

  Tad panted, exhaustion taking over, but he shook his head. "After everything we've been through, I couldn't do that."

  The corner of Christian's mouth crooked. He leaned forward with an animated whisper. "I finished. The code integration. The patch is queued up and ready to go. All that's left to do is transfer my consciousness to the black box. Once we launch, the patch and my digital brain will be broadcast into the sky."

  "Are you sure you want to do this?"

  "Why wouldn't I?" exclaimed the CEO. "We could die at any moment. Here, help me up."

  Tad did his best, though it was more like them helping each other up. As Christian stood, a line of blood trailed down his leg. The two men limped through the side door, into the private space of Christian's office Tad had never been in. It was a dark room. Instead of a wall of windows there was an array of local servers, the CEO's personal EXSIL unit, and another door on the far wall. How big was this guy's office anyway?

  Christian sat on the machine and leaned back. He didn't bother with the bed's safety straps or the electrodes that monitored vitals. "Okay," he said, pointing, "I need you to man that console right there. The process has already been prepped." Christian slid the CAT-scan device over his head. "Proceed with the backup."

  Tad wet his mouth and swallowed. He'd never actually done this part before.

  "While I'm undergoing the scan," called out Christian, "you should really think about doing this yourself, Tad. There's a very real chance we won't be alive much longer."

  The programmer swallowed again. "You ready?"

  Christian nodded once and closed his eyes.

  2140 Dragon Warrior

  Dust intermingled with ice and felt cool against my face. Izzy and I leapt off Bandit's back and landed on the rocky Speculum floor, waiting for the room to clear. We couldn't see a thing.

  Talon: Everyone alive?

  Lash: Bravo Team's good.

  Dune: Stigg and I are okay.

  Kyle: About effin' time you got here, bro.

  I cracked a smile. As far as entrances went, that one was at the top of the leaderboard. Unfortunately, as ripped apart as the high ceiling was, Bandit was too large to squeeze inside. She remained on Oakengard's second floor and craned her neck low. Her subdued growl filled the room, a warning to any standing against us.

  "Hey girl," I called up, "can you do something about the view?"

  The dragon released a staunch snort that gusted the mist from half the Speculum. The destroyed staircase and some of the Black Hats behind were still obscured, but the forward section of the throne room was immediately revealed.

  Mara lay dead on the floor. Bishop Tannen was strung up and impaled, the trijewel hanging from his neck. A blackened form of rock huddled close to the ground with a piece of collapsed ceiling on top.

  Hadrian.

  The smoky crystal jutted upward, throwing debris aside. The rock cracked—no—transformed. Sandy and spiky pieces shifted until they reformed into a suit of crystal armor over Hadrian the Whisperer. The god emperor.

  "That... fucking... hurt," he snarled.

  I shrugged. "Then why change what works?"

  Bandit coughed up another beam of light. Instead of shielding against the blow, Hadrian dove aside. The dragon arched her neck around the room but the Whisperer's powered armor propelled him to safety. The breath weapon cut short as Bandit approached her limit.

  "There's always the old fashioned way," called out Dune. From somewhere within the cloud of dust behind, a silver arrow emerged and punched into Hadrian's head. The enchanted arrowhead split in half without effect. Hadrian sneered at us.

  "So let's make it a party," called out his Viking companion. The red robe strolled from the dust and plugged headphones into his ears before banging his wooden staff to the floor.

  [Stigg] cast Berserker's Frenzy

  For the next 30 seconds, your physical skills do not require cooldown.

  I grinned.

  The Speculum erupted into frenetic battle. I dashed to the left and immediately dashed to the right. As Hadrian tried to zero on my position, I dashed up to the ceiling.

  Izzy sent a barrage of ice spikes to keep him suppressed while Stigg and Conan charged. Lash initiated a series of group buffs and Hex sent her zombie keepers forward. Even Cleric Vagram joined the action. Apparently he had chosen sides. I knew there was something redeemable about him.

  Hadrian fired a burst of crystals toward my midair position. I dashed straight toward him and triggered spinshield, plowing through his spears like a cannonball. An enlarged crystal fist swatted me from the air.

  42 damage

  As I rolled on the floor, a sliver of crystal fired my way. Before it could connect, a silver arrow knocked it from the air. I leapt to my feet and nodded at the green ranger. With his normal attack failing to cause damage, he'd taken to assisting the defense.

  A quartz spear extended from Hadrian's forearm. I sidestepped and batted it aside with the dragonspear. I reversed my thrust but Hadrian backtracked. A giant spike of ice slammed into his chest. He snarled at Izzy.

  Crossbow bolts exploded into his side, dousing him with sticky yellow liquid that ignited a second later.

  [Kyle] dealt 17 damage to [Hadrian]

  [Kyle] dealt 18 damage to [Hadrian]

  DoT: 10 dmg/10 secs

  As flames danced across his torso, Hadrian spun to meet Stigg and Conan in melee. Like the keepers of Oakengard, his armor seemed impervious to normal attacks. His arms turned to clubs to block their strikes and bat them away. At the same time, the rocks on his back shifted to smother the fire.

  I nodded behind us. "Izzy, the stairs."

  "Right." She did an about face and pointed the winter staff. Loose chunks of the frozen lake rearranged into a makeshift staircase.

  "Dune, get Crux to the high tower."

  A jagged line of crystal punched through my leg.

  67 damage

  Leg Break!

  Your leg is broken. You cannot move unassisted until it is fixed.

  My dash failed as I crashed to the ground. Bandit growled and snapped at Hadrian, but he was out of reach. The usurper lifted a stony hand and twisted. A chunk of ceiling above me rocked loose and fell.

  Strong hands yanked me free as the boulder crashed down. A rain of crystals shattered against Kyle's mirror shield overhead.

  "I knew there was a reason I gave you that thing," I laughed.

  "You really gotta watch yourself, bro."

  I chugged a health potion. Not only did my leg instantly heal, but all my missing HP was restored.

  "That's my soulstone," called Hadrian.

  Crystal bullets plowed Crux over. The depths of the lake beneath us lit with dizzying colors, and the Eye of Orik shone bright red as it propelled into the air away from the thief.

  [Glinda] cast Minor Healing on [Crux]

  "You're all dead!" screamed Hadrian.

  As the artifact hovered his way, his eyes spiked with purple. The entire room cooled thirty degrees and went a shade of blue. I searched my notification window as the debilitating effect forced me to my knees, but nothing wa
s reported.

  "Ugh!" snarled Dune. "What's he doing?"

  Izzy whipped her head around. The extreme cold didn't seem to have an effect on the frost mage. The only other combatants standing were Hex's two zombies. They momentarily kept Hadrian busy but the god emperor was wielding the same stout crystal they were made of. The difference was he could reform. His spears eventually cleaved them apart. Izzy planted her winter staff and a large blue rune overlaid the ice beneath her feet.

  [Izzy] cast Sleet Storm

  A rush of Christmas cheer engulfed Hadrian, but the temperature in the room continued dropping. Cleric Vagram gritted his teeth and used a bronze sword to force himself up.

  [Vagram] cast Aura of Protection

  You have 50% resistance to magic for the next 30 seconds.

  I felt an immediate boost to my constitution. The cold wasn't as oppressive, but it still beat down on me. I tried to stand but couldn't find the strength.

  [Lash] cast Spell Armor

  +25% magic resistance for the next 30 seconds.

  Another wave of power returned. I took to my feet. Izzy's spell died down and Hadrian stomped forward angrily.

  "You can only fight this so long."

  [Glinda] cast White Circle

  +20% magic resistance and +10% non-physical damage resistance for the next 60 seconds.

  The white witch stood. Dune and Stigg, Lash and Hex. Conan helped Crux to his feet. Kyle held the shield by my side as Vagram carved his swords together like a butcher. My eyes narrowed. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing."