With an objective in hand, I now had a point in the future to focus on. Similarly to when I had been in captivity, a tactic to keep your sanity was to keep a point to hone in on. The next meal time. The next bathroom break. Don’t focus on the fact they chopped your arms off. Don’t focus on the fact you’re now a caged animal.
Compartmentalization I believe the term was. That’s what I was doing now. Despite how I reacted, and believe me I was aware of how I seemed, I would have probably had a breakdown now. And damn, there would be a shit ton to unpack later.
Moving forward, we ended our discussion since I did not want an info dump about the world. It wouldn’t help me navigate the narrow riverside road that bent with the adjacent river. A few spots required us to pass through shallow crossings. And mind you, the emperor was not designed for it. Yang at the last crossing had to rip off the side steps before we left them on the bank. It may have hurt me slightly to see it happen. But afterward? The next two crossings went smoothly.
After three hours, we broke free of that valley and found ourselves at Y-shaped crossroads in another, more shallow, valley. It was clear there had been heavy foot traffic recently from all the kicked-up mud in the daylight.
“I wonder if we can come back here…” Peter said in an almost heartbroken tone.
“You can do whatever you want,” I said as I pulled to a stop at a wide-open crossroads.
I stopped because the ground had been torn up with what I suspected was foot traffic. It went from east to southwest. There was a path leading west that looked to go up into the mountains proper rather than the valley behind me.
“I am feeble and the world gets more dangerous by the second… This was the first time I had actually found myself in danger….” He sighed as he looked out his window.
I tapped the dashboard in front of him. “Focus. We’re going that way, right?” I pointed to the east.
“No, that is to the rift. I suggest you head to Amberose to seek out more information.”
“Yeah, I got that from our earlier conversation. Given the information regarding the government official in charge, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“How so?”
I stared at him for a good solid 10 seconds. When he hadn’t figured out what I meant, I gestured to the emperor.
“Oh… Yeah… I can see that. Is it possible to leave it somewhere hidden and walk the rest of the way there?”
“Fort Amberose sits a few miles beyond the opening of the mountains. Its about a day’s journey from the town. From here, it should be about half a day. If we go from the mouth of the valleys, then most likely a few hours' walk.”
“I don’t think that’s –”
[Message - A: Do as he asks. M is on standby to intervene if it gets out of hand.]
I sighed. “Fine.”
“... Excuse me…?” Peter asked.
“Your goddess just told me I have to do as you ask.”
“When —”
A distant howl cut the conversation short as we both looked out our respective windows. Yang pinged a wolf rider up on a ridge to our forward left.
“Goblinriders,” I called.
“Where?!”
“On the ridge,” I pointed it out. “Let’s get moving.”
“Let’s do so, that’s most likely a scout. I’ve read about goblin riders before, but I haven’t actually encountered them. In the wild, they’re only found in Goblin armies, however, they appear often in low-level dungeons.”
“That’s preem,” I said as mud and dirty geyser out from the back wheels.
We moved forward slowly for a moment then sped off toward Amberose. While I wanted to head directly to the heart of the issue, the appearance of the goblin riders and the message from A steered my path to the town. To say I was displeased was to put it delicately. That too was also wrangled, shoved into a compartment, and closed. Being upset with a goddess would be more pointless than being annoyed with my father.
“This thing goes faster?!” Peter yelped as the emperor rocked side to side over the uneven path.
“Yup.” My answer was monotone.
Yang watched our rear as best he could while I navigated this stretch. The road continued to follow the river but offered longer stretches of road. It continued on where the mountains parted and gave way to hills. From here, I could briefly make out the outline of a large settlement in the distance. At the very least, I had the general direction in mind. I could at least —
A goblin rider slammed into my door. The emperor jerked towards the river then jerked the other way as another slammed into that side. Their mounts barked and yipped. Crude spearheads clinked against the windows and reinforced doors.
“Brace!” I called out and slammed on the brakes.
Peter flew forward and crashed into the dash before sliding down into the footwell. In the same fashion, something crashed into the back of the emperor. A thud overhead sounded before a goblin rolled down onto the roof of the SUV. 5 goblin riders flew past us. As they started to circle back, Yang received an order.
His window slid down before he stuck his upper torso out as I handed over my SMG. 3 enemies on the left and 2 on the right. He opened fire on the first one on our side. The gun barked, startling the priest as he was pulling himself out and he fell back down.
One rider on the right jumped onto the hood just as the SMG clicked. The robot slid back into the cabin and fished two fresh magazines out of my rig after he dropped the empty magazine onto the seat next to him. A goblin slapped against his door, screaming as its spear stabbed into Yang’s side. Its lanky hand held onto the window as the goblin pulled the spear back in confusion.
Yan reloaded the SMG, pointed it to the monster’s forehead, and fired a short burst. Goblin bits and blood exploded outward across the wolf and goblin riding beside it - the body fell away as Yang pulled the spear out. He stuck himself out the window, aimed the spear, and threw it at the mount of the rider that was just bloodied. The spear pass pierced through and disappeared into the foliage.
The wolf dropped a second later, taking its rider with it.
Yang took that moment as the wolf of the goblin that’d mantled onto the door jumped onto the back of the SUV. Yang swung around to engage as its maw closed around its left shoulder. It attempted to pull Yang out of the window but only got the robot dislodged from its perch when Yang stuck the SMG up to its eye and unloaded half the magazine into its head. The wolf jerked with each shot. It slumped forward, crashing into the roof before sliding off to the right and scaring Peter as the limp body slid past his window.
“AHHH!”
I ignored him as the remaining wolf riders on the right disappeared into the forest on their side as the river bent left.
“They went in the woods!” Peter announced.
“I know!” I said without looking in that direction.
“How do you know?!” he asked in a panic.
It wasn’t worth trying to answer his questions as the road came turned sharply to the right. I braked and swerved to stay on the road. The vehicle turned, front going right, but because I braked and didn’t give it gas, the back end continued going forward - just at an angle. It would have flipped if not for the loose dirt causing it to just go 180.
“Fuck!” I cursed at the stupid move.
I floored it and the emperor pushed forward at an angle as the tires dug themselves into new ruts. The vehicle jumped when it freed itself several moments later. Ahead was the first bridge I’d seen so far. Built from stone, it was wide enough to fit the SUV side by side. Full throttle, we headed towards it while Yang reloaded.
I didn’t see the riders next so I figured I was in the clear—
Two loud thuds erupted on the right side of the emperor as we touched the stone bridge. It jerked violently to the left as we reached 70mph. We plowed through the short side wall of the bridge and down into the river below. The water rose and met us. Yang was thrown from the vehicle when it came to a dead stop with a loud crunch.
The robot twisted and turned through the air before it crashed onto the opposite riverbank. It took a moment to regain its equilibrium. It was a moment too late. Just as it readied the SMG, a large maw clamped down on its gun arm. It then trashed the robot side to side and I cut the camera feed as it also began to make me sick. I could hear the fight as I pushed down the airbag.
I looked over to Peter who weakly fought against his now deflating airbag.
My body arched from the jolt but I powered through it, released myself, and then fell onto the cabin roof. I popped out my sidearm and then popped the door open. Water pooled through my door as I unbuckled Peter. He plopped into the water and struggled. I pulled him by his arm as I unholstered my pistol. From where the SUV flipped, I could see Yang beating a slowing wolf. Oil spilled from the wolf’s maw mixed with the wolf’s blood and the river water below them.
“Yang!” I screamed as I finished pulling out the panicking Peter. “Finish up!”
I knew it was stupid to tell the robot to “Finish up”. The robot lost its gun and was using its monstrous strength to kill an equally monstrous wolf. Its rider was stabbing at Yang’s head, but its spear only scratched the cerakote finish – as if it wasn’t obvious enough to the panicking monster. A state I quickly relieved it of as I placed four shots into its upper chest and head.
It fell over just as its wolf took one last blow to its temple before it slumped into the water. Yang immediately alerted me to the remaining enemy. As I turned, it was already on me.
Standing atop the wreckage, the large wolf bit down on my right arm as I aimed the pistol. It then yoinked me to the side, but the metal arms allowed me to retain my grip on my weapon. It tried to shake me. I, in turn, unloaded the pistol into its disgusting maw. Dull pops went off in succession inside of it.
The first caused it to stiffen mid-shake and we both went down into the water. There, I continued to squeeze the trigger. The goblin could only go under the water as I emptied the magazine into the wolf… One tiny green hand clawed at the air just above the swirling water as its leg trapped it beneath the now dead wolf. Once the wolf slackened, so too did the hand as it fell into the murky river water.
Peter struggled threw the water. His dazed expression before was now replaced with panic as he jumped at the wolf. His hands pried apart the jaws and then helped me out of the water. The water was only hip high, and with a slow current where we had landed. The emperor was almost on the bank of the river I now saw. I appreciated that we hadn’t landed in a deeper part.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“I-I’m sorry I wasn’t any help…” He whispered when he let go of my arm. His soaked clothing revealed his aged body. Which was surprising for a man who’d hidden from those riders and walked quite the distance. But then again, I figured that walking for years would amount to him being able to do it the same as we breathe.
I waved him off as I caught my breath. I wasn’t fatigued, more so that my heart was racing. My HUD even displayed a heart monitor with a red “WARNING!”. I felt fine, however. Well, the artificial skin on my arm was torn up. Large gashes had been ripped into the plating, but the base internals was fine. I ran a check-up regardless.
“Heh… The bank actually has more pebbles than sand.” I thought as I stared down at the bank as I rested my hands on my knees as I took deep even breaths. I originally thought it was just a sandy bank, but… It was kinda pretty.
He took a step back before wringing out his robes while appearing modest as he chuckled nervously. “You must have been a fine warrior back home.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Well… Its… Just that you smile like someone who enjoys’s fighting?”
I didn’t bother continuing as I turned to Yang, who now stand across from me. I brought his feed up and made him kneel.
Slightly raised eyebrows. Dilated pupils. Smirk. Blood smeared… “Where did the blood come from…?” I thought as I realized how I looked. Definitely looked like some battle-junky cyberpyscho. I’ve met enough of them in the security division to know it. But me enjoying it…? Now that was definitely a strange turn of events there.
I dismissed Yang and had him use his good arm to pull cores as I a notification appeared.
[Store Notification: You got mail!.]
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Original chapter
With monsters on our tail, the situation became chaotic. The people began to push and shove their way up the trail. The soldiers no longer tried to keep order. Rather, they urged them to go faster. I didn’t blame them. The snowy landscape around the trail that led down to us slowly became awash in dull greys.
They had torches at first, but upon seeing us, they threw all of it to the wind. They charged down the hill at a frightening speed. I estimated they’d be here far faster than the originally projected speed. I mentally kicked myself since I didn’t have an actual point of reference aside from humans. The projection was flawed from the beginning. Even Hembree’s estimation was off.
I readied my TP9 the way I’d been shown before. It only occurred to me that maybe I should’ve brushed up on my shooting skills more… Maybe a tactical class or two…
My thoughts were pushed away as the tip of the horde reached the fork. It was a jarring chorus of screams, calls, and the number of bodies moving towards us. The sound stepped up as they pushed through the thin forest below. The monsters crashed against the mountain. Its rocky face showed its difficulty as most of them struggled to climb up. Though, the ones who were lucky to run up into the trail had no such problems as they poured up it.
They were small - about the size of the average lanky seven-year-old. But their faces resembled old men with glowing red eyes. Their features varied greatly, though always wrinkly and weathered. Only a few had weapons and clothes. They kept back, taking their time up the trail while keeping constant surveillance on our group.
I kept my eye over the side while I mentally ordered Yang to prepare for combat. The top of his forearms opened up, revealing two long mantis blades.
We were posted on a three-fourths the way up on a bend. This was on Hembree’s request. Since he was familiar with the geography and what we were up against, I listened. I was in the bend itself while Yang took up the lower part. His men took up spears on the higher part. I assumed it was to stab at any climbers…
The first of the monsters arrived.
Yang’s swung forward with its right arm as if it were reaping wheat, sending multiple heads flying. It spun, lowering itself before swinging its left, slicing open the ones it missed. All in the span of four seconds, which startled Hembree and his men. It was short-lived as the monsters began to climb up several feet of the rocky side. I turned away from them to focus on my own climbers.
I aimed the 9mm pistol down and pulled the trigger.
Bop-Bop-Bop-bop
I methodically aimed, placed on target, then fired. Each shot left a dead goblin falling down over their comrades. After the tenth shot, I realized this wasn’t going to work. With 10 down, 20 more took their place…
Holstering the pistol. I willed the manowire to unreel. It glowed a vivid purple as it is danged from my left arm. I carefully gripped it between my fingers, pinching it before I whipped it upward - then down at the monster that got within 3 feet of me. I gave it a small charge, enough to burn wood. It slapped against the monster’s face, slicing the skin clean. It recoiled and fell backward. The next attack was less effective.
Now expecting the attack, the monsters braced themselves for the strikes. I had to up the charge to medium. The next strike was far more effective as they tried to block it with their arm. It bite into their upper forehead and pulled away with a trail of blood. The monster hissed as more monsters climbed around them.
Yang began to struggle as well purely by the unwavering push of the little monsters. It was forced back every other second just to ensure nothing got past it.
“Back up! Back up!” Hembree called out from behind. “The orcs are pushing up now!”
Yang pinged for confirmation and I pulled from the fight, accepting it. I pulled my wire back in and took up my pistol again. Our connection allowed a subroutine to keep track of both our corners, which gave us both updates in our HUD. A small circle at the top left of our vision pinged targets in our line of sight red. Once out of our sight, their last location is marked with a yellow diamond.
My entire side turned yellow for a few seconds before it turned red as Yang kept close behind.
The monsters began to pull themselves onto the trail ahead. There was a large gap between us and the soldiers. They had run up the trail while we both moved slower. I needed to keep tabs on Yang’s side to give him. He worked like a junkyard shredder, except for meat. Blood spotted the rocks around it as bits of pieces flew in different directions. I could have read into anything that was happening through Yang, though I didn’t think I could handle that level of violence.
“Hurry up!” The soldiers called.
Yang also echoed these. I didn’t want too, and Yang could tell. It still urged me forward. I cursed mentally and sprinted up the trail. About 40 feet to the next bend. The strain on my body was heavy. It had to have been less than 5 minutes into combat, but it felt like it’d been going on for 20... Compounded by the hours of hiking earlier. I knew for a fact that if I had none of my enhancements right now, I would be dead in the water.
Well, maybe way before I even got here.
I emptied the rest of my magazine and reloaded, fumbling with the empty magazine as I tried to catch it with the full magazine. I lost both of them…
I pulled another just as another ugly monster clawed its way onto the trail. I punted its head and it flung backward with a screech. I missed the reload and tried to contain my nerves as three more began to crawl onto the trail. On the third attempt, I managed to reload and racked the slide.
One came at me from Yang’s side. It flung itself with a cry and I pulled out my last resort. Short thin claws extended from the fingertips of my left hand. I raked them across its face and knocked it off course to the ground. It twisted and cried in pain as I turned to face the next two that were behind me. More were already almost up here as well.
I turned on the light attachment.
The sudden flash of light blinded me, but it did it to them as well. My optics readjusted immediately, though my brain ached from the suddenness. My attackers were not fortunate. They recoiled back and one even fell back over the edge. I finished off the last one with one to its head. I swept it back to the others, stunning them momentarily before I domed each one.
The downside of turning on the light for me was that it made it hard to see my surroundings. My eyes could adjust to the light level quickly. It could not, however, allow me to see in two different light levels. They were just high-end cameras in essence, which meant that they adjusted to one point. And that point was within the light. So everything in the low light became near darkness so as not to blind myself as the light did to everyone.
Yang finished moving back to me so I moved up to the last bend - the end of the road.
We were at the back of the column now. The soldiers struggled to position themselves as they had before. People were in a panic. They were shoving and pushing their way up the final stretch. I didn’t want to imagine what was going on with them on the other side.
“Go! Go!” Hembree called to the civilians. “Get your fucking ass over that ridge!”
His voice was hoarse as he shouted at them. They were moving quickly enough, but the group was large; the trail bottlenecked them, and there may be more bottlenecks after. I turned my attention back to the situation below. The monsters had caught up and Yang engaged them without prejudice. Each swing of its arm caused several to die. We had no more room to back up. We were fighting with our backs to the wall.
It was time I did the same.
I holstered my pistol and brought out the monowire again - pinching it between my index and thumb.
The horde was getting more proficient in climbing since they were already at my feet. Then, they weren’t after I whipped the wire across their faces with a medium charge. The next row was just as unprepared as I brought it back over my head and down again. Then again, and by the fourth strike, the monsters had grown weary of the glowing wire that set their fellows over their head.
A warning came over that I’d reached almost 20% battery life.
I hissed through my nose and reeled the wire back in. I unholstered my pistol - light still on - and blinded the next wave. A few fell back, tumbling down off the backs of their friends from letting go of their handholds. The ones that didn’t were executed…. They weren’t the only ones becoming proficient. For an entire minute, I had killed one after another when I felt a hand grab my shoulder.
My skin went cold as I swung around and tried to swipe at whatever grabbed me. It was Hembree.
“It’s me, it’s me!” Hembree screamed. “You have to move!”
He yelled over the chorus of death and cries. He had grabbed my wrist, stopping my bloodied fingers inches from the side of his head. Behind him, the trail had mostly cleared. Though, it was because the goblins had already climbed higher up and were mixed in with the end of the column. People were tangled with the monsters, and a few rolled off into the horde below.
The horde slowed as more bodies fell into the horde. It was… It was terrible.
“Yang!” I screamed as I pushed past Hembree.
Yang quickly pulled back while keeping on his killing spree.
I threw myself into the fray, resorting to using my claws to stab into the side of a monster’s neck that was attacking the closest civilian. The monster let out the beginnings of a scream but was cut short as I used all my strength to fling it away. I turned to check on the civilian, but Hembree was there, pulling them up and pushing them away from the edge. I focused on attacking now.
The neck one had already killed its target and was gorging itself on the person’s flesh with three others. The first closest one was executed with a shot to the back of its head. I then racked over the next one as it tried to counterattack. The third was run through with Hembree’s sword as I brought up my pistol to kill it.
He moved on to the left to assist one of his soldiers and I continued up.
The next one was easy as I only had to kick one off the edge and rip the second off the person. It too, went over the ledge. A soldier quickly took up the edge and back to kill the climbers. I moved on to the next, but it was too late. It was one of the soldiers. One of the monsters had gotten ahold of his dagger and was using it to shank the side of his neck. He was already falling as I pierced the back of the monster’s neck with my claws.
I let out a frustrated scream as a climber lunged and managed to cling to me. It brought up it pulled at my white hair. I grabbed it, digging my claws into its face. It released me and tried to pull my hand off its face before I threw it over the edge. Another one was mid-lung and I moved aside, bumping into another fight.
A monster had grappled another soldier and it leaped to me as I turned around. It clawed at my face, drawing blood before I pulled it off and unleashed four shots into its chest. I dropped it as the soldier finished off his other attacker. He quickly secured his spear and moved to kill off the other climbers with Hembree’s command. I moved up.
By now, as we began to take control of the upper part of the path, the civilians were able to fend off the goblins. With no new reinforcements making it up, their ability to overwhelm was lost. That still left Yang, who was expending battery quickly and was holding back the large part of the horde.
Yang threw out a distress signal as it took a hit.
I turned and saw that two human-sized monsters pressed the attack on the robot. Each of them was broad-shouldered and clad in rough metal armor and furs. Their heads were exposed along with wicked grins. Both of them had shields One had a long sword and the other had a mace. The mace was the one that had knocked Yang.
I hissed just as Hembree called out “Orcs!”