Every single gas globe in the building flicked off at once plunging us into darkness which was quickly lit by flying sparks as the ticksteel arsenal the Crawlers had acquired began to fire itself. Clockwork crossbows discharged at full speed, chain chakrams careened off the walls, bombs burst and filled the darkness with streaming fire and shrapnel. What was a second ago a ceremony became a bloody brutal riot as ferals turned on one another and operatives wrestled with their weapons. Bellows of “Betrayal!” and “Traitor!” arose on every side as the building became a warzone.
I turned to congratulate Blood on her quick thinking just in time to see her vanishing in the distance towards the wall. She hit a side door, knocked it off its hinges and vanished out into the moonlight. At the time of course I couldn't understand why, she loved to fight and she always took the time to gloat when her ideas worked out this well. But before I could do much more than wonder, Ara grabbed my hand and pointed upwards.
“There!”
Looking up I saw the catwalk just above us even in the all consuming darkness, months of rooftop running had left me with eyes a cat would envy. Really to be honest with you it wasn't much of a catwalk it was more like a hanging shelf formed by several pieces of in transit cargo that had just been left on their ropes when the warehouse went bust eons before. But it would do.
I lead the way leaping onto a rack of tacky candelabras and using them like a staircase. When I hit the top I jumped kicking my legs madly in mid air and landed hard on what in retrospect I think was the hull of a fishing boat. Waving my arms for balance I ran along the back of a stuffed alligator then down and across a packing case full of fine china (left significantly less fine by our passing) and on and on we dashed from rope strung case to hanging crate across the room toward the ziggurat.
Usually we would have been very conspicuous even in the darkness (three growing girls wearing steel toed shoes running along wood... not quiet) but luckily for us the riot below us was, if anything, growing more violent. The sound of madly firing crossbows and bursting bombs had been joined by the mad howling of ferals as, overwhelmed by blood and noise, they threw themselves at the operatives and each other desperately trying to tear apart anything and everything they could.
As we neared the ziggurat I saw Red-Razor trying to restore order bellowing and threatening his men next to him I saw the Physician, still tied up, trying to inch away from the madman. As the rioters charged the platform, as Red-Razor turned towards his captive, we leapt.
I attach a short excerpt here from Blood's diary that I hope will help your understanding of the situation -Skull.
Yes I know it's cowardly.
They were outnumbered a hundred to one and I'm the best fighter... I’m supposed to be perfect. I have deadly flame magic, superhuman strength and speed, incredible regeneration and iron hard skin. I have all this... But it can't help me against my own head.
I know it's cowardly but every hero has a weakness and I couldn’t bear for them to see mine. They only saw the me that I wanted them to see, the laughing dancing Blood... the girl I have always wanted to be.
But at that moment pathetic little Lilith was the only one home. I could feel the fear rising from the thick purple sweat pouring off my shiny red skin as my saliva began to taste like copper and acid.
Yes I’m perfect but I still ran. I can't face that... thing and when I see it I get like this.
I ran out of the room, kicking a door off its hinges... I think. Look I remember the exhaustion of running, the painful fear in my veins, my heart trying to beat its way through my rib cage but nothing much else until suddenly I was staring up at the moon. I knew I had been for a while, maybe three minutes as my sweat dried and my breath had returned but for that single perfect moment as the panic attack faded, as I came to my senses all I knew was the moonlight as the two sisters beamed down at me as glorious full moons.
I turned away for a moment to pull my mask off and wretched into the gutter then I looked back at the moon's entranced by its beauty as, behind me, the gutter slowly dissolved.
Back to me... and I just want to say she isn’t a coward. We all have weaknesses and none of us have ever thought less of her because of that.
Anyway as I recall when I left you we were falling?
I landed with a dull thud onto the very peak of the weird-pyramid thing[102] nearly spraining my ankle and just barely managing to roll. Nathanial Red-Razor stood unmoving across the platform from us, a shining steel razor held in a loose grip just above the Physician's bowed head. The apothecary had been dragged back to the centre of the ziggurat by Red-Razor and his heavy iron manacles hastily chained to a hook in the stone floor. He raised his head up and stared as I landed.
“And who are you?!” Snarled the gangster in utter bewilderment. Being this close to him let me see something, something I couldn't see before... The man was insane. He was polite, yes even charming maybe but he was also definitely totally and completely insane, rats in the attic level insane but the rats were dead and the attic was on fire.
“I'm Bright!” I said pointing at him with my mace in what I hoped was a defiant manner, “and I'm one of the...” I paused and shrugged lamely. “Look, we've not got a name yet... I’ve come up with one but I think it might be a little violent and...”
Nathanial looked at me for a long second then he burst out laughing, “how... how...” he stopped and wheezed. “How old are you girls?”
I took a step back and glared at him. “Old enough to know this is wrong.”
He shrugged, “and that's where you’re wrong, what I do... all that I do... every kill, every mission every drop of blood spilled and fury sold,” suddenly, as if a switch had flipped in his head, his languid stance evaporated and he hurtled towards me both razors drawn and flashing. “I DO FOR THE TRUE GODS!”
The steel blur flew towards my neck and I raised my mace to block it. In my defence I did block one but I forgot this guy had two razors. The first crashed off my mace head but the second carved a line down my bodice and across my chest. If I hadn't been wearing light chainmail underneath my clothes I would have been standing knee deep in my own guts instead the razor deflected with a scream of metal on metal and I jumped backwards.
Red-Razor didn't of course; he just laughed and came at me faster both arms slashing and thrashing. I managed to knock away two more strikes but... I had forgotten this wasn't a well paid guard or virtuous knight I was fighting but a hardened criminal, as far as they’re concerned fair play is something that happens to other people. As I darted backwards he stepped up and lashed a boot into my knee knocking my leg out from under me, as I tottered he followed up with a kidney shot that left me panting for breath on the floor. I looked up terrified at the laughing maniac above me as he raised his blades then brought them both streaking down towards my throat. I don't mind admitting I closed my eyes as my hand flew up reflexively to shield my face.
*Swish* *Thump* *CRASH*
For a long heartbeat I stayed frozen in place expecting at any second to feel a burst of white hot pain shoot through my arm as the razors struck home. Instead I felt nothing at all, not even a scratch. One heartbeat passed then two then three then finally I opened my eyes and looked up. Ara stood between me and Red-Razor, a single knife holding both of his razors on its blade, her hand wasn’t even trembling.
“Get. Away. From. My. Friend!” Ara snarled and flew at him. Nathanial laughed and met her head on.
Within seconds the two were locked in frantic combat, daggers flying and razors sparking and this time it wasn’t only Nathanial who went for the cheap shots. You see, Skull and Blood had taught me how to fight, with a sword or fist, but the fighting was the important bit, the clash of will and still but Ara never bothered with fighting, just winning. All that mattered to her was making sure she was still standing at the end, no matter what. Even as I watched Nathanial stagger backwards from a flung torch, Ara tumbled and swore from a gouged kidney, Nathanial screamed and staggered from a kick to a particularly vulnerable part of his anatomy as Ara had to shield her face from a handful of flung sand. All in all the two engaged in the dirtiest and most brutal fight I had ever seen as they danced back and forth across the platform using every trick they had to injure, incapacitate and maim their opponent.
Looking at them I wasted a second wondering if I could dart in and do... something but even as I thought that I realised I was being stupid and irresponsible. Ara had saved me instead of the Physician and so it became my job to rescue him in her place. I’d lost track of Skull in all the confusion but she was a big girl and could handle herself so I ran past the fight, ignored the shadowy riot around me and slid to my knees next to the Physician.
“Do you know where the key is?” I asked, always a good question.
Now I was close I could see how pale he was, he was far more scared than he had been letting on, but there was a spark of hope in his eyes now as he shook his head. “One of them has it.” he muttered pointing into the fighting throng around us.
“Bugger.” I swore and then taking a firm grip on my mace I swung it at the padlock on his shackles. I know what you’re thinking will happen and in the theatre this does result in an almighty clang and the lock falling off... but in real life the person whose wrist you’ve just nearly broken swears at you as they fall over and your mace goes juddering out of your hands as your muscles lock in agony. I sat there on the floor rubbing life back into my fingers and watching as my precious weapon went skipping away across the warehouse floor.
But I wasn’t going to give up, not ever... Blood had taught me that. I dashed across the platform and ducked under a swung razor as Ara and Nathanial sailed past me. Ara was down a number of knives from her bandoliers I noticed but Red-Razor seemed to have lost both his smile and his scarf, I assumed the two were related.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Landing hard on the lip of the lit platform I swung my torso over the edge and leant downwards. Grabbing my mace I headshot an overly Inquisitive feral into unconsciousness with its pneumatic grappling hook and then dashed back to the Physician who cowered somewhat at my approach.
“Mrs Bright whilst I appreciate your help I’d rather not have my wrists broken.” He whimpered as I grabbed his arm.
“I know,” I snapped, spinning my mace and grabbing the lock pick attachment. “Hold still.”
Grabbing the manacles I knew instantly I was in over my head now the lock itself wasn't anything special, just a normal type three, but I had enough trouble getting through one of the training locks back at our base and that was in a nice bright quiet room completely devoid of dangerous people.... well actually that's not true it had two very very dangerous people in it but they’re my best friends so that doesn't count.
I cursed as a pin slipped; my variable spikes were beginning to bend under my clumsy caress.
Realigning my mace I tried again sliding in the correct spike and nudging a tumbler just so.
I nearly got it. I even heard the pin click, when the handle of my mace slipped out of my sweat slick grip. As I flailed my arms madly trying to catch the weapon, I lost my grip on the lock and then just to add insult to injury I heard the pin I had fixed pop back out again with an insolent pinging sound.
I was just about ready to try smashing the lock again when I heard a girl scream behind me.
I didn't look around; instead I used the fear to steady myself pulling the cold out of my heart and pushing it into my hands which moved with careful purpose and a second later I heard a faint click.
Then I looked around; readying my mace as I did so (and recapping the lock picks). Ara and Nathanial stood atop the ziggurat again, both blood and battered, I couldn't see them being able to keep this fight up much longer but I had no idea how shortly it would end.
As I watched, trying to see some way to help; some angle to charge in from, Ara made her move. She feinted low then cut high driving Red-Razor backwards, the man anticipated the move and swung around to readdress but Ara knew he’d see through it and, wrapped in the muscular fin of her long tail, was a third dagger. There was a deafening clang of steel and the two fighters sagged, almost companionably, onto one another. After a moment they pushed away Ara with a long bloody cut across her belly and Nathanial with a knife embedded up to the hilt in his torso. He took three halting steps backwards then collapsed, lying there like a puppet with its strings cut; he seemed so small and old.
Ara turned to us and smiled.
I saw a flash of movement and my growing joy turned to abject panic in an instant. “Watch out!” I bellow but it was already too late. Ara turned just in time to see one of the operatives level a crossbow[103] at her. My feet screeched on the floor as I ran toward her, but I was two slow... far too slow.
I saw the operative’s finger tighten, I saw Ara tense and then... I heard a sound like a colocia[104] nut being split and saw the operative collapse into a pain wracked heap. Behind him Skull sheathed a steel baton and nodded at us.
“Let’s go!” she bellowed. “We should have just enough time to get out!”
And since few things are more potent than irony that was when the lights flickered back on.
Aether disruptors are very potent tools. Incredibly dangerous (by one removal obviously) if used correctly since their hyper-aetheric field can both deactivate and overcharge all ticksteel in a large area; however eventually the excited aetheric particles fade away and the field... collapses.
All across the warehouse clockwork crossbows ceased to blind fire, sputtering gas globes reignited pure and bright and just behind me I heard a number of very large gears begin to turn again.
Even after all these years I remember that moment, I can see it when I close my eyes. Ara lifts the Physician onto one of her grey shoulders, his long white coat stained with grease and blood... her blood[105]. Skull charging towards me and tackling me to the floor with a yell and most vividly of all I remember the whistling crunch as the ground I had just been standing on was pulverised beneath a brass claw the size of a steam-carriage.
Landing hard on the floor the older girl was able to drag me halfway down the ziggurat before I even got my breath back. As I was on my back being hauled away by my friend I realised just how deeply in trouble we were. With the shadows gone we had nowhere to hide, the ferals were still fighting each other but now that their crossbows weren’t randomly killing people the operatives were restoring order bit by bit and cutting off any possible escape routes as they did so. The second the Crawlers got organised again they would overrun us... in the end our salvation came from the most unlikely source imaginable.
A dozen metres above us lying on the top of the ziggurat Nathanial struggled and coughed then he managed to raise himself off the floor and took a tottering step towards us.
“You think... you think you can just... stop us... stop the true gods?” he laughed a long, low wheeze accompanied by a spray of blood; Ara must have hit a lung. “Fools... the crimson kings are coming... soon... soon they will arrive... and... and then this pathetic city will fall.”
Throwing his head back he took a deep wracking breath. “GOLEM! INITIATE CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL... KEEP OUR SECRET... KILL EVERYONE IN THIS WAREHOUSE... STARTING WITH THAT HALF-BREED.” His last energies exhausted he tumbled backwards off the dais and down into the melee landing.... well where he landed will become apparent.
Above us the Crawler rumbled as its inner gears came to life in a deafening symphony of metal, giant punch cards chattering like the rattling chains of the damned. The vast towering monstrosity, a golem worth more than a medium sized city and which stank of raw fish guts, raised its pincer like cargo lifters and stomped forwards slowly menace dripped from its every armour plate (along with sea water and some seaweed but mainly menace).
I cast my eyes around the room but I still couldn't see Blood; or an escape route. As I desperately scanned the shadows I caught a flicker of motion and a spike of panic shot through me. I turned and saw Ara (who was still trying to carry the Physician away) striding along obliviously as the Crawler loomed behind her. I tackled her (just as Skull had done for me) and rolled, just in time, the Crawlers claw missed us by inches, rather than flattening the brave gangster girl it only succeeded in crushing the Physicians coat flat (which actually gave it a very nice freshly ironed look).
I quickly rolled Ara away from the Crawler and we scrambled to our feet both looking at each other. “Thanks.” Ara managed to look up at me.
“Talk later, run now!” I bellowed, reaching down and pulling the Physician to his feet. Together the three of us dashed across the rapidly emptying warehouse, cultists they may be but the Crawlers weren’t stupid; they had all heard the order their boss gave and they didn't intend to stick around and get crushed by the golem. They poured out of the decrepit warehouse like rats fleeing a sinking ship leaving shattered windows and broken doors behind them.
I pulled Ara towards one of these as quickly as I could. The two of us pounded across the vast open room, wove between crates and leapt over rigging. We were nearly there, nearly free, when a massive wooden cargo pallet fell from the sky and crashed into the ground before us. It landed so close that I half fell over as I tried to slow down, my hands shooting out instinctively to grab a handhold on the aisle shelves, I still wasn’t quite fast enough and I smacked my forehead into the wooden debris hard enough to see stars. I would usually have complained at this treatment but I could see twitching hands and pooling blood leaking out from under the container so instead I thanked my lucky moons and staggered upright again. I briefly wondered why the Crawler hadn't thrown another and finished us off but, as I helped Ara up, I saw why all too clearly.
Skull was trying to fight the Crawler, now I knew she was brave and skilled but that was just suicide. She was darting around its legs like a wasp that had been immersed in coffee and set on fire, moving like living lightning as the Crawler brought its pincer down again and again trying to swat her. Even though she hadn't been struck one I could see she was fighting a losing battle, she had to be lucky every time the Crawler only had to be lucky once.
And of course as I thought that her luck finally ran out. Skull had spun around a stamping leg and thrown some sort of glowing blue rock at the crawler. The impromptu grenade exploded with a dull thump causing even this mighty machine to shudder but the blast had unbalanced her and as the Crawler pivoted she went to dodge... and tripped. And with that it was all over, sweeping its huge claw around in a flat arc the Crawler slapped Skull into the air and across the room like a mid-tantrum child throwing a doll. The black masked girl flew through the air and slammed into a crate next to me causing it to collapse into a pile of sawdust.
I rushed over to Skull’s side and pulled her upright with a significant effort (she is much taller than I am) and placed her on her feet. She managed to balance there for a moment and even wave her sword but then she began to sway drunkenly side to side. Even with her armoured mask the impact had obviously rattled her badly.
“We need to get out of here!” I bellowed as the Crawler stomped closer. “Maybe we can...” Looking around I realised it was hopeless. Ara’s stomach wound had opened up again in her flight and now she was half collapsed against a wall, one trembling arm holding the bloody tear together. Meanwhile Skull, usually nearly unflappable always with a plan or stratagem was just staring at me vacantly barely seeing the world as above us the golem loomed.
Futility can do strange things to a person, make them laugh or cry, make them dance or run. People in a situation where death is certain have an admirable tendency to do anything and everything in their power to change this fact. I am sure you are all aware of this and as such no matter what Skull says I think my attempt to club the Crawler to death whilst ultimately futile was understandable.
Yes... I know... building sized golems are not known for being overly vulnerable to teenage girls with maces but still I charged in, screaming like a banshee, and slammed my mace down with all my might onto a piece of the golems leg plating. I didn't even dent it obviously; this automaton was designed to walk along the bottom of the sea. The pressure down there made my mace strike look like a falling leaf.
As I came back to my senses I saw my hands were shaking, whether it was from terror or the bone jarring impact of mace on metal I couldn't tell.
I felt a deep shadow fall across me; looking up numbly I saw the huge pincer of the Crawler hovering over my head, ten tons of steel and brass ready to crush me utterly. The Crawler regarded me for a moment with its baleful candle lit eye holes then it snapped its claw once and brought it hammering down.
I raised my hands futilely against the onrushing steel, closed my eyes and... I heard a crack like a whip and the grinding screech of metal under strain.
“Bright!”
I opened my eyes and gasped. Less than a metre from my face was the Crawlers vast pincer but it was frozen in place and bound tight in... rope. Ordinary rope, hundreds or thousands of strands of ordinary rope in fact it looked like every piece of rope in the entire warehouse from old fishing nets to mooring lines had suddenly flown across the room and wrapped around the pincer clamping it back together and freezing it in place... somehow, that part I couldn’t see whilst it was bound up and anchored to the nearby shelves the golem didn't even seem to be trying to break the bounds instead it was staring at its own arm with an air of what almost looked like confusion.
As I watched the Crawler seemed to reach a decision (which golems shouldn't be able to do). It raised its other arm and snapped the pincer shut on the ropes, several ripped and twanged away but most stayed strong; for a moment the other pincer froze as well but, as it fell down limply, it suddenly came to life again and hacked at the ropes once more but the creaking threads held together bolstered by unbreakable... magic.
“Bright!” Bellowed the voice again.
I turned and saw Ara hand outstretched pointing at the golem, the ropes around her chest writhing like a nest of vipers.
“I... I can't hold it... much longer.” She gasped her hand trembling, I didn't have time to question, to marvel instead I nodded and ran towards her. The second I left the shadow Ara sagged and behind me the Crawlers claw hammered into the floor sending up a spray of rock fragments and a cloud of dust.