Prepare yourselves the climax of Act 1 is here! Death is certain...

Day 42 continued

It is a showdown. The bird watches us, bobbing it's head incrementally closer as it keeps a single wary eye on us. It isn't so much a single bird as traits of a dozen all rolled together. The kicks of a cassowary, the surgical precision of a heron's beak, the intelligence of a parrot and the aggression of a bird of prey.

It is watching me as much as the golem, it knows about the bolts now. It will evade. These heavy duty ballistas just aren't made for tracking a fast moving target. The bird may be big, but I still have to get a bead on it. The worst problem is: the bird is so agile and quick. Facing something with the striking power of a wrecking-ball and the reflexes of a peregrine falcon? I'm probably about to die.

I don't know how long my enhanced golem is going to last under that monstrosity's attacks; I do know the lone ballista isn't going to be enough. I start to reload the first in a hurry. Two shots at once down the tunnel at the same distance apart should help. After all I can't miss that way. I'm not sure if that will be enough though. But I can only try.

I have Mother aim the other ballista as I wind the handle, stretching the tendon tight as the golem and the bird begin their death match. I can only hope the golem delays long enough to be useful.

Niala appears with the arbalest, barely able to hold the weapon steady.

Behind us a flood of rats claw at the mechanism to open the rear gate and run down the escape path. So many they are knocking each other into the water in their hurry, dozens being eaten alive or trampled. This may seem illogical, it is not. The Butcher is coming. So as rats naturally do; they flee the doomed town. They have no direction, they have no hope. They will die out there, if they do not crawl back when the killing is done. When the bird sleeps.  

The little rat cowers but remains behind us, trusting in my weapons.

Ah, how naïve. I don't rate our chances highly at all. But I suppose some kind of chance is better than none.

So I crank the shaft, every moment numbered. Whether I arm the weapon before the golem falls or after may be the deciding factor of my life.

The golem is defensive, as I made it so. It lingers back trying to stall for time.

The Butcher however has no patience. It knows no fear. It sweeps into the attack, striking with the deadly beak. The turtle head however is heavily armored. The golem blocks the blow with one arm, the other holding the cleaver scrapes against the beak, chipping the hard calcium.

Precious seconds saved.

The bird shakes it's head, showing it hasn't suffered any real damage. It lunges again, kicking out with the right leg. The golem blocks again, turtle head low absorbing the blow. The golem is still blown off it's feet and crashes into the wall.

I see cracked bones and see a few secondary components snapped as it struggles to stand. The bird however follows with a brutal aggression, kicking again as it is backed against the wall. The turtle head blocks, snapping a brutal beak of it's own and cutting off the left talon of the claw. In response however the bird's beak descends and closing on the weaker arm, shears off the bones at the shoulder and the cleaver with it.

Dammit! I'm winding fast, getting close to readiness. Hold out just a little more!

The bird hops back, expecting the golem to lash out. If the loss of a talon hurt it, it doesn't show.

The golem stumbles forward, swaying unsteadily. Only a few support bones remain in the golem's chest, it was almost smashed against the wall by that last kick.

The ballista clicks into place as the bow is ready.

I reach down and grasp the third bolt, placing it in the recess. Done!

Then looking up everything goes black.

Bones clatter around me as I hit the ground.

It takes several moments to realize what happened.

Feeling blood flowing over my face and hearing white noise. Until reality comes crashing back hard at the thrumming cry of a ballista.

SHIT! I was hit by shrapnel as the golem was demolished.

I try to stand.

I look up and see the bird looming over me.

NO DAMMIT!

Then a silhouette blocks my view of the lunging predator. At first I think it is Niala... I was wrong. Mother stands there facing me arms out wide as the bird's beak sweeps down. However even as she tries to save me, she fails.

It takes us both, crushing and squeezing our torsos.

I feel ribs cracking and see the light fade in my Mother's eyes as she dies.

Then I learn how it earned the name Butcher.

As it carries us over to the twisted spike from the gate and threads us onto it. Like fucking bugs being pinned to a display.

I am first, I feel the spike tear through my shoulder-blade and out my chest. It pushes me down to the base. Then just as carefully it does the same to Mother. It presses us together and turns, looking for more prey.

Niala races up and from point blank fires the arbalest straight into the behemoth from between it's feet.

It screeches, the bolt piercing into hip bones.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

I'm feeling very light headed at the moment, probably because I'm about to die again from the blood loss if nothing else. Or the massive spike through my ribcage. Whichever.

The bird twirls, stomping as she scrambles around barely avoiding being pulverized.

She fires into a knee, again at extreme close range.

The beast shrieks as it collapses.

She stumbles as it falls.

It falls into a pitfall trap sideways.

Damn bird, die already!

The cries are bubbling and frenzied as it comes out, bearing massive wounds to the chest and neck.

As it struggles to stand and avenge itself on Niala I hear a sound of beauty. The sound of a Ballista.

Little rat, having seen the operation of the weapon twice took a shot at the bird. It wasn't a clean one, striking the breastbone of the bird it spun the creature. Then it fell once more into the pit, heavily on the spikes.

This time there was no second coming.

Not that Niala cared. She rushed over to me grabbing hold and trying her best to heal me.

However she couldn't extract me from the spike. All ten feet of it. My body was trying to recover, regenerate much like my tail did, but the metal bar stopped that. Even with her healing all she was doing was extending what little life I had left. There was no golem to lift me free. I would remain here forever at this rate and she would starve to death trying to keep me alive. At best she could only keep me lingering a cruel, painful existence.

So I begged her to let me die.

She refused to hear me.

I reminded her of the fact that death wasn't the end.

Her response was simply “Without you life isn't worth living.” So she stubbornly kept me alive.

As she did she cried, seeing Mother dead in such a brutal manner only a few feet away.

The little rat came closer.

“Hey, you did great. You killed the Butcher. Bravo.” [Rick coughing]

Yet all he could do was cry.

Yes he definitely has the wrong name. It should be 'Bold One'.

The slave girl came out and slowly examined what had happened, shocked immensely by the fact we had defeated the beast.

Niala being her usual stubborn self refused to let go of me. We spent half a day like that.

Until a caravan entered the broken town.

The merchants and their guards came up and queried the slave girl, who pointed them to the dead bird.

They immediately started to harvest the corpse, which set off alarm bells in my head. They were opportunistic. Very.

Then the girl surprised me.

She talked to the merchants, offering them treasure in return for a fair share. The treasure from our vault.

As if that wasn't enough she then pointed out Niala and the little rat, explaining just how useful they would be: Niala's healing gift and the cute little fur-ball. Both of them would make decent slaves. However she explained it was such a shame I was too far gone. Because I was worth ten of them.

Then she lead the way for them, so they could retrieve my weapons; take our riches. They didn't even drop the load of iron, keeping it. At least I used up all the gold bullion on the golems.

The worst of it was when they grabbed hold of the little rat and Niala.

They both fought back. The little guy with teeth and claws, Niala a silver needle I made into a dagger for her so long ago appeared, surprising the guards that caught her. However they were many, armored and fit, she was exhausted. They tore her from my grasp.

As they dragged her away I cursed at them, spitting blood as I did so. I was dying again and this time there would be no miraculous cure.

As they left, Niala's cries echoed. Until they faded into the distance.

I wanted so much to get her back. I only noticed then I had her ring in my hand.

The ring I gave her so long ago, that she treasured.

I hugged it to me.

I want to get her back. I want to save the little squirt too. I want to live. I want to kill that treacherous bitch and those merchants.

But I'm dying.

This can't be the end!

I won't let it be!

Then the answer comes.

I gaze at the ring and hug it tight.

Then I do what I do well. I make a weapon.

However this time is very different. The materials are coarse and broken, with the exception of the ring. But that can be changed, improved upon. Much like the golem was upgraded so can this weapon change to suit my needs.

I make myself into a weapon.

The pain is exquisite, like molten steel pouring through my veins as I modify myself.

I pause, to bury Mother.

As I do the survivors come out of hiding.

The rats see me. They flee from my gaze.

The ring used to be my compass and guide.

Now it is literally my heart.

Thus ends Act 1: Storming the Castle.

Coming soon Act 2: Rat in a Maze.

What we learned:

Treachery! It comes in many forms.

Chicken skewers for everybody!

Introducing Robo-rat.