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  Tad rested against a sidewall, hands in the air. He'd long abandoned his crutch and his leg had gone numb. It was just as well. What he didn't feel couldn't distract him. The buffeting wind from the helicopter blades stung the skin on his face. The rifles held by professional soldiers would do much worse.

  As the helicopter circled overhead to find a place to land, the sky echoed the sound of its spinning rotors, growing louder and deepening. Another helicopter twirled into view, black and white with the words "King's County Sheriff" emblazoned on the fuselage.

  A megaphone blared but the InLink soldiers swiveled their rifles and opened fire. The SWAT helicopter veered. Tad ducked and skipped across the rooftop, around the corner, and right up to the computer console at the base of a small satellite dish. He'd found it.

  While the SWAT helicopter pulled away, snipers on the opposite rooftop opened fire. A small explosion racked the side of the InLink chopper. They twisted out of control. The tail nicked one of three powered antennas on the roof. Seemingly in slow motion, Tad watched as the helicopter broke apart like a plastic toy. He dove to the floor to avoid the flying guillotine of the tail rotors spinning overhead. Debris hit the roof seconds before the entire chopper crashed into the north side of the building. An explosion overtook the sounds of screaming soldiers.

  Tad gritted his teeth, pushed to his feet, and limped back to the console. He rapped the keyboard and the monitor blinked on. The dish was online, but where was the satellite?

  The SWAT helicopter returned to the building, doing a lap to assess the damage. Just like the other guys, it looked like they wanted to land and couldn't find a spot. Instead, they hovered near the stairway entrance. Two ropes tumbled from the chopper doors and police officers rappelled down.

  Tad didn't have time for this. The police would never allow a launch. He moved ahead into the manual override. When the menu opened, a large storage crate on another section of roof opened up. Motorized walls collapsed and revealed a small launch pad and rocket. The microsatellite was a metal box hooked into the contraption.

  "Sir," called the first police officer to touch down, storming over, "come with us."

  Tad selected Launch and pounded the Enter key. Four large drones straddling the rocket whirred to life, their rotors a high-pitched whine compared to the chopper.

  The SWAT team rushed over and shoved Tad not-so-gently to the floor. Other officers with rifles arrived, everyone turning as the rocket lifted from the rooftop by drone power. Sixteen sets of miniature rotors propelled the rocket skyward. They watched the LEDs fade in the distance with equal parts confusion and awe. And then, without a hint of warning, the rocket engaged in midair. Every jaw on the roof dropped as the drones disengaged from their cargo and the rocket arced toward the stars on independent power.

  "What did you do?" demanded a cop.

  Tad shook his head. "It's a really long story. You're not gonna shoot me, are you?"

  A muscled officer with a biker mustache kneeled beside him. "Shoot you? You kidding? We're here to save you." He called into his radio and said, "Go ahead."

  Ramon the paramedic's voice broke through the static. "I told you I'd get you a helicopter!"

  Tad was so relieved he almost laughed. Then he realized they were far from done. "Christian Everett's been shot. He's downstairs." Tad tried to get up, but the officer held him down.

  "Hold on. Looks like you're hurt too."

  Tad fought against the military grip. "We need to save him!"

  A commander standing nearby nodded. "Don't you worry, we will." He turned to the biker. "Keep an eye on him. Make sure—"

  Shouting broke out. Despite the InLink soldiers crashing the helicopter and scrambling from the lobby, there were still plenty in the building. Two of them planted beside the stairwell door and opened fire on the SWAT team.

  Everyone dove for cover. A gun battle erupted. The lead InLink operative fell to return fire and the follow man disappeared back inside.

  "Advance!" yelled the SWAT commander.

  They rushed into the stairwell using squad tactics and short bursts of suppressive fire.

  Tad turned to the sound of harsh grunting. The mustached officer was clutching his leg. He'd been shot. Well-disciplined when under fire, he slipped off his belt and tied it around his leg above the wound.

  "You okay?" asked Tad.

  The man nodded. "It'll take more than that to do me in."

  The programmer pushed to his feet. He needed to check on Christian. The fact that InLink had gotten past him wasn't a good sign. Tad locked eyes with the officer who was supposed to keep him on the rooftop. The man winced and gave him a nod. Tad nodded back and limped to the now-empty stairwell. As he struggled downstairs, he passed the bodies of dead soldiers.

  2180 NiGHTS Into Dreams...

  It was surprisingly easy to forget but, the entire time we were battling flying rock spiders, we'd covered a lot of ground pursued by Gigas. The land under us was moistening as we neared the Godsbog and the neighboring Lake of Dreams. Night was falling.

  There was something else nearing too. A giant cyclops lumbered on the horizon, and he turned toward us with supernatural instinct.

  Izzy: Talon, you seeing this?

  Talon: Orik must be after the Eye. He's free now and it's the only thing that can change that.

  As I considered our collision course with the water, Gigas seemed to lumber more urgently. The towers crackled with energy again.

  "We're gonna need to do something about that," I told Bandit.

  We momentarily hovered to see which way the titan went. This time it was Errol who needed to flee the laser's path. As soon as the attack cleared us, Bandit twisted toward the walking island.

  The entire mountain canted our way. It was aware of us, watching us. Bandit dove and purple energy once again collected along the towers.

  "Go for it," I said.

  Dragon breath lasered into the nearest high tower. Stone buckled and broke apart, but it was the whirring violet energy that proved more explosive. As the structure of the tower failed, the electrified magic erupted. Debris tumbled away and the collecting purple charge that was the titan's ammunition winked out.

  The voice of Gigas rumbled deep and low in anger. Violet magic still clinging to the other three towers fired my way. The individual bolts were much smaller and noncontinuous, but there were multiple trajectories to consider now. Bandit dove under two of them but the third caught her leg. She screamed and twisted away.

  Another beam of light released from the dragon's mouth. It hit the far tower and caused some damage, but the violet energy had already dissipated. We weren't rewarded with the chain reaction of last time.

  Thump.

  From elsewhere within the fortress, a projectile launched straight at us. We veered aside and it rushed past, rising higher and higher in the sky until colors burst overhead like the Fourth of July. Thirty purple pulses sparkled around us. We weaved in and out, getting singed by a couple. Behind us, another tower managed to charge up. We spun away from its laser.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  Dragon breath raked a third tower, but the projectiles were coming from everywhere now. Gigas didn't have weapons so much as contain powerful energy. Hitting the towers disabled her mega attack but I wasn't so sure we could neutralize them entirely.

  "Get out of here!" I yelled.

  Explosions racked the sky overhead as we swooped to safety. In the distance, the Void approached the Lake of Dreams. The waterbed was elevated high in the mountains, a natural extension of the Oakengard terrain and the distinct opposite of the Godsbog, yet it was still a pagan holy site. The Black Army was too far out to make it in time, but anything flying or standing two-hundred feet plus had an invitation to the party.

  Bandit flapped furiously to catch up. She transformed to a bongo as we reached the airship, hooves pattering against the wooden deck. I dismounted and moved to the side rail. The normally still water of the lake was a broken mass of compet
ing ripples as Gigas lumbered nearer.

  "Brugo, the Squid's Tooth."

  The big man's brows raised. "You're determined on this?"

  I nodded. "Is the kraken down there?"

  Brugo traded study between the water surface and the blackened, empty soulstone. "There is no longer a way to know." He frowned for a moment. "Have you no reservations, Talon of Stronghold?"

  I brought open the quest menu.

  Remove Soulstones from Play

  Quest Type: Fepic

  Reward:

  The Eye of Orik, the Squid's Tooth, and the Crystal Core have the unwieldy power to dominate Haven. Collect and remove them from play.

  Kyle strolled to my side, jaw hanging as he viewed the quest for the first time. He actually read the text too.

  "Fepic!" he chimed excitedly. "Told you it was a real word."

  "Ugh," groaned Izzy. "I'll never hear the end of this."

  Kyle frowned. "I thought our quest string was invalidated after Bishop Tannen betrayed us and got himself killed."

  "I wondered about that," I said. "But that subquest was blocking the main one. With it out of the way, one way or another..."

  Izzy grinned. "Nothing else can stop us."

  "Fucking epic," he pronounced.

  Everyone stiffened and turned to the brewmaster in surprise. "What's that?" asked Vagram.

  "What?" he asked defensively. "Can't a bro say fucking without people fucking freaking out?"

  Kyle had ditched his clean-and-sober challenge at the worst possible moment, right in front of the ornery cleric. "What did you say?" asked Vagram, approaching with an indignant eye.

  "Fepic," I whispered to Kyle. "Say fepic."

  "Whatever," said the brewmaster with a shrug.

  "Say it."

  "Fucking fepic, all right?"

  I slapped my hand to my face.

  The blond-haired Vagram suddenly stopped, connecting the dots with an open jaw. "Do you mean to tell me that, all this time, I've been acting in the service of a quest that used... profanity?"

  I involuntarily chuckled and immediately stifled it as Vagram grew red. "We're Black Hats," I told him. "It's how we roll."

  Errol elbowed the cleric in the ribs. "Hate t' break it t' ye, matey, but yer on a vessel crewed by pirates an' perverts... an' worse."

  "I'm fornicatin' right now!" called Grom from below deck.

  Brugo snorted indignantly. "I'm the Papa of all Papas. Never has the land witnessed a more-feared crime boss."

  Stigg thrashed his head to metal and growled in song, "Crucifixion magician! Crucifixion magician!"

  Vagram blinked. "Well fuck me."

  Kyle grinned. "Now you're getting it!"

  "It's okay," comforted Glinda as she gave the devout cleric a hug. "They're not exactly esteemed company, but I've learned to shrug it off and roll with it." She pulled him tight and his face lowered to her bosom. Glinda's eyes went wide and she whispered over his shoulder to Lash as she led him away. "He's cute!"

  Fireworks erupted above the Void's sails. Avisa spun the wheel to avoid damage as Errol hurried back. "What would I do without ye, love?"

  She eyed him sharply. "Die ten times before lunch."

  "Aye, but it'd be a glorious breakfast."

  The crew took to the rails and drew weapons. Ropes pulled taut. Cannons reloaded. Somewhere, the sound of Grom climaxing drawled to an awkward finish. As the airship circled over the water, Gigas set a single spindly leg into the Lake of Dreams.

  "Brugo," I urged. "Drop the Squid's Tooth."

  "But the kraken," he protested.

  "It doesn't matter. Hadrian will exploit the soulstones to the limits of their awful power. We're casting them into the negative world where they'll be stripped of their strength."

  "I hate to cut in," said Izzy, "but don't you think Orik might have a thing or two to say about that?"

  I stubbornly shook my head. "All I know is I made a promise to the pagans. I'd free the titans and let Orik fend for himself. I can only hope removing the Eye from play will satisfy him. If he gets it, we might need to fight him to steal it back. Otherwise someone in the future will, and they might succeed, and everything we've done will be for nothing." I turned to the Protector of Shorehome. "Cast the Squid's Tooth into the water."

  The crime boss produced the founder relic, set his jaw, and pitched it overboard. All eyes watched the tooth plummet and splash down into the water.

  The Void lurched sideways as a violet bolt ripped through her side sail.

  "Tie the sails!" screamed Errol. "Tie the sails or ye might as well tie a noose 'round yer lanky necks!"

  Pirates scurried across the deck to repair the damage. The airship careened awkwardly toward the lake surface. Waves crashed together as Gigas took another step into the depths.

  "Fire!" called Avisa. The Void's cannons barked.

  BABOOM, BOOM. BABOOM, BOOM.

  Stone chunks tore away from the heavy Oakengard walls, but the damage was minimal. Firing at the massive brownstones was next to useless.

  "Deeper!" I yelled. "Fly deeper over the lake!"

  "Fly?" growled Errol. "I'm doin' me best not t' crash!"

  "Controlled fall!" I corrected. "Controlled fall!"

  The Void steadied with minor turbulence and blazed toward the far coast. We'd beaten the titans to the Lake of Dreams, but this was still a race for second place. The walking fortress slowed drastically once three legs were in the water, no doubt wary of our tactics. Too much hesitation would allow Orik to catch up, and the cyclops was a wildcard I didn't want to deal with again.

  I yanked the Eye from my inventory and brandished it above my head. "You want this?" I screamed to the mountainous titan. "Come and get it!"

  The soulstone was currently without a soul, but it still possessed the power to harness one. Between the Squid's Tooth in the depths, the Eye of Orik on the airship, and my brazen challenge, Gigas took a heavy step deeper into the lake.

  Carrot, meet stick.

  The plan was working, but as we sped toward the center of the lake, my heart tugged. My whole being, even. I clenched my teeth together and fought off sudden nausea. This wasn't air sickness, it was the influence of the shadow essence. It was a harbinger of what was coming.

  "No," I groaned. "It's too soon."

  A black mass welled in the Lake of Dreams.

  Another round of fireworks popped overhead. The Void madly weaved between dozens of projectiles as if part of a 16-bit shooter on hard mode. At the same time, Gigas fired several more energy bolts. Between those and the raining pulses, we had nowhere to go. A violet missile ripped across the deck, flattening Avisa and two pirates, and snapping the rear mast. The flagship rocked violently as burning fire rained from the sky. Glinda and Vagram returned to action to assist the wounded. Errol cursed and fought the wheel. Papa Brugo caught the mast in his bare hands.

  "I need all hands on deck!" boomed the crime boss.

  Bandit rushed over before Brugo's mighty strength slipped. The mountain bongo planted broad horns into the base of the broken mast, steadying it. Kyle, Conan, Stigg, Grug, and Grom in his skivvies all piled together to support the mast before it completely buckled.

  The temporary measures weren't a sure thing. The Void retained some semblance of control but was still in a dive. Against flapping wind, I trudged to the helm. "What are you doing, Errol?"

  "We need t' set down in the water," he urged through gritted teeth.

  "No. We need to go up."

  "By the Maelstrom, Talon! We either be landin' or crashin'. The lake be the only safe—" The captain stopped as he realized his words. The airship dipped to the side and he peeked timidly at the water as a gaping maw opened across the surface. I had once likened the smell of the Godsbog to a toilet. That might be true, but the Lake of Dreams was the drain pipe, and that toilet was going flush.

  "Repair the sails ye lazy scallywags!" cried the captain. "We need altitude I tells ya!"

  One of the pirat
es hit with the bolt was dead, but the other and Avisa were revived. The sergeant nodded at her captain and rushed to help Brugo keep the dying vessel afloat.

  I collapsed to one knee. With the Maelstrom open, the pull of the shadow was supreme. What I'd once feared to be an evil presence I now knew to simply be Lucifer. He was using his power, the power of the negative world, to call the shadow essence back to him. The draw was so strong it physically hurt. I could only hope that gaining some distance from the whirlpool would deaden the pain.

  Izzy leaned close and yelled over the whipping wind. "You okay, Talon?"

  I growled, "Never better."

  "How do you plan on getting the Crystal Core away from Gigas?"

  I winced. "I don't. Not anymore. You saw the Speculum. The Crystal Core was growing, reproducing. It's not something we can pocket in our inventory. The only way to cast it into the abyss is to take the whole damn city with it."

  "And the pagans? You'd be banishing their All Mother. Are you sure you want to do that?"

  I set my jaw. "I don't think that's really Gigas anymore."

  2190 No Man's Sky

  The airship lurched through the sky, nearly capsizing but somehow keeping level. The diligent pirate crew worked with impressive unity when they needed to, and the life expectancy of the Void increased from seconds to minutes. The braced rear mast was upgraded to serviceable, though we were now less maneuverable for the trouble. We wouldn't be able to sustain another direct hit.

  The Maelstrom was fully raging now, and Gigas grew wise to our strategy. The titan paused its gargantuan mass, six legs in the water but still adjacent to the coast.

  I blinked at the Eye of Orik in my hand and the vortex below. I could get rid of the second soulstone right now, but that wouldn't net me the grand slam. I cursed and leaned against Errol Oates, aiming a determined finger backward. "Fly for the titan. It's our only chance."

  His eyes widened but he saw it too. The Maelstrom had attempted to claim its sacrifice too early. Gigas was too entrenched in the shallows to be sucked in. It was up to us to execute a kick in the pants.