[THE HAVEN]
KNOCK KNOCK
The Healer Killer’s bloody knuckles withdrew from the metal door. Like most of his body, his knuckles were bare. Only a thin pair of yellow underwear protected his most sensitive bits. That underwear had seen better days and those days were long gone.
Tattoos of terrible things graffitied his flesh: roaches in the shape of human hearts. The lower half of a jaw, walking on sea urchin teeth. And a human belly with an elephant trunk, stretched out like a tank barrel. Yet somehow, his smile was subjectively more grotesque. It was a cold corpse grin, arching below both eyes like a jump rope on the downswing.
KNOCK KNOCK
Still no answer. That was knock number ten. The Healer Killer was all out of knocks.
He drew his shotgun.
BANG
Those heavy metal unit doors survived a single shotgun blast –
BANG
Two blasts did the trick.
The door folded inwards like a closed book, shaving the carpet before popping a bean bag chair.
The Healer Killer lurched into the unit, trampling a troop of action figures. One figurine drove a plastic sword through his bare sole; the Healer Killer barely flinched. He simply continued on his way, leaving a little trail of bloody black dots.
Several glossy posters watched his every move, their eyes aglow in the dim fluorescent light. These were posters of Haven influencers. Fashionistas. Musicians. Streamers. Each poster came with a hand-written note: “To Bez, my favorite subscriber.” Thousands of rep points hung on those walls; the signed posters were worth triple.
But the Healer Killer sought a greater prize. That prize might be under the computer desk. Or perhaps behind that closed bathroom door. Maybe it lurked beneath that Dane-sized lump in the bed.
The Dane-sized lump held perfectly still. Most people would have grown suspicious of a Dane-sized lump, but the Healer Killer wasn’t like most people; he was barely people at all. He was a creature of habits and routines. Possibly subroutines. Those behaviors were exploitable, and nobody knew them like Dane.
The Healer Killer rolled the office chair sideways, unveiling a glowing green computer tower. That computer was just big enough for a bullet. Or even better - a whole spray of bullets.
Dane slithered out from the bed covers, reaching forward with yellow armored arms –
CREAK
The Healer Killer glanced back. The bathroom door cracked open, revealing a trembling terrified eye within.
And in front of that door was Dane.
“Bez!” shouted Dane. “You idiot –”
BANG
Dane flew back about fifteen feet, his yellow backside crumpling part of the wall. His body tore across several posters before landing with a limp thump below.
“Mister Dane!” shouted Bez. “No!”
The Healer Killer’s head turned backward towards Bez - too far backwards..
Bez yelped, diving into the bathroom.
BANG
The bathroom door splintered from its hinges, sliding across beige tile before caving in a cabinet.
Bez backed into a corner as the Healer Killer’s wet footsteps drew near.
“P-Please Mister Healer Killer,” said Bez. “P-Please stop.”
The Healer Killer offered Bez a cold smile and a warm shotgun.
Bez closed his eyes tight.
BANG
Drywall and plaster exploded five feet from Bez’s head.
Bez peeked upwards –
The Healer Killer stumbled sideways with Dane strapped to his shoulders like an overstuffed backpack. Both of them wrestled in place, the shotgun nozzle orbiting their bodies like a windmill in a windstorm –
BANG
The mirror exploded into a thousand shimmering fragments.
BANG
There went Bez’s shower.
BANG
And his toilet.
Both combatants stumbled out of the bathroom, vying for shotgun dominance.
“Get him, Dane!” shouted Bez. “Get him!”
Dane found his footing, seizing the Healer Killer’s thumb –
Dane twisted his wrist –
Then in one well-practiced motion, Dane parted the Healer Killer with his shotgun, turning it against its master.
“Freeze!” shouted Dane.
To Dane’s surprise, the Healer Killer froze.
“This is an enforcer weapon,” said Dane. “An old one – how did you get this?”
The Healer Killer remained silent and compliant. But Dane wasn’t taking prisoners.
Dane pulled the trigger –
Click
Dane winced.
“Figures,” said Dane.
The Healer Killer sprang forward –
Dane brought the shotgun down. Hard.
Hard enough to split the weapon in half.
Hard enough to split the Healer Killer’s skull.
The Healer Killer fell like a sack of bricks, displaying an equal amount of emotion.
“Stay down,” said Dane.
The Healer Killer lay unconscious, black blood trickling from his puffy lips.
Dane took a deep breath, then whipped out a walkie talkie.
“I’m in unit 32022,” said Dane. “I requested back-up. Where’s my back-up?”
Bez peeked out from the bathroom.
“Just send somebody,” said Dane. “Anybody! Someone must be free. I’m with the Healer Killer. I need help!”
“Mister Dane,” said Bez. “You’re alive!”
Dane scowled.
“Of course I am,” Dane said.
Dane massaged a bloody crater in his chest. His armor took the brunt of it, leaving a few peepholes for his bare flesh.
“Enforcer armor is made for static,” said Dane. “It can handle other Enforcer weapons. Mostly.”
Gurgle…
Black foam bubbled from the Healer Killer’s lips. The Healer Killer’s arm twitched, followed by his other arm. Then a leg. Then both legs. His waist, torso and shoulders coiled inwards like a jostled throw rug, rising up as if dragged by invisible strings.
“Bez,” said Dane. “Back in the bathroom. Don’t come out until I say so.”
Bez yipped, retreating to his usual bathroom corner.
The Healer Killer reached into his underwear, pulling out something long and hard - a knife. That knife lowered towards a particular tattoo: a tattoo of an inverted dog without legs –
Dane darted forward, seizing his wrists.
“Not this time,” said Dane.
The Healer Killer’s knife turned to Dane. Serrated steel plunged into Dane’s chest once, twice… seven times in total.
The seventh stab snuck past Dane’s armor, twisting like a key in an attempt to unlock Dane’s ribcage. Dane gasped, catching the Healer Killer’s forearm between both palms.
He seized the Healer Killer’s thumb –
Then twisted his wrist –
In one smooth motion, Dane parted the Healer Killer with his knife.
Dane didn’t bother saying “freeze” this time. He simply brought the knife down –
CRUNCH
A rubber handle protruded from the Healer Killer’s skull. Its silver blade tunneled through flesh and bone, finding a home in whatever gray or dark matter lurked within.
Black blood dribbled from the Healer Killer’s grinning lips. His knees plummeted to the floor, followed by the rest of his body.
The Healer Killer stopped moving. Again.
“Please,” said Dane. “Stay dead this time.”
Bez gave a shrill cheer, causing Dane to nearly leap out of his armor.
“Holy snap, Mister Dane,” said Bez. “You did it!”
Dane sighed deep; this was a hollow victory. Static or not, the Healer Killer looked a little too human. The only experience Dane had fighting humans was the occasional enforcer sparring match. And those didn’t usually end with a knife through someone’s skull.
Gurgle…
Black foam dripped from the Healer Killer’s forehead. Then his lips. And his eyes. Suddenly, those eyes were aimed upwards. His torso bent at ninety degrees. All at once, the Healer Killer unfurled like a cracked whip, snapping to his feet.
Dane groaned, exasperated.
“What’s it going to take to kill you?” asked Dane.
The Healer Killer wobbled forward like a gelatin zombie. His smile was the same as ever, yet a new light lingered within his dark pupils, focused and centered like a pair of crosshairs. If the Healer’s eyes were empty before, something was definitely behind the wheel now. That something stared directly at Dane.
Dane clenched his fists.
“Bez,” said Dane. “Back in the bathroom. Now!”
Bez technically complied, peeking out just beyond the bathroom door frame.
Dane circled the Healer Killer, lashing out with a right hook –
The Healer Killer dodged left, blackening Dane’s eye with a rising fist. It carried enough weight to carry Dane’s weight across the unit.
“Mister Dane!” shouted Bez. “No!”
Dane groaned - that punch felt like a shotgun blast to the face; he almost would have preferred the shotgun. Wiping blood from his lip, Dane climbed back to his feet. Time for round two!
He closed the distance with a lunging punch –
The Healer Killer swerved back like a lumberjack’s ax, then chopped Dane down with an elbow to the chin.
Dane fell faceup, down for the count.
One second…
Two seconds…
Three seconds –
Dane crawled back to his feet.
“Get him, Mister Dane!” shouted Bez. “Get him!”
A side-hook from Dane –
A side-step from the Healer Killer.
The Healer Killer nailed Dane with a hammering blow. Dane’s face smashed against the side of Bez’s desk, cracking his visor and jaw wide open.
“Mister Dane!” shouted Bez. “No!”
Dane spat out two teeth in rapid succession.
The Healer Killer was fast. Inhuman fast. And strong. Superhuman strong. Dane’s enforcer training hadn’t prepared him for an opponent like this –
But Zero Space had.
This was just like battling Tambien back in the guild clash, only this time, Dane played the part of Tambien. He was a larger, stronger opponent, up against a fragile speedy one. Tambien won back then, and Dane needed to know why.
He attributed it to one simple reason: Tambien was in a different weight-class. About three times Dane’s weight, to be exact. Dane lacked the strength to pry Tambien off; even enforcers like Dane had to follow laws of gravity.
Gravity certainly favored Dane here; he had about four hundred extra pounds on the Healer Killer. The Healer Killer was strong, but was he three layers of enforcer armor-strong? It was time to go big or go home, and Dane was certainly bigger.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
The Healer Killer slumped forward, dragging his limp wrists like a pair of butcher cleavers. The ceiling light flickered, masquerading his stare in an extra layer of eyeshadow. A rip in his cheek revealed rows of oblong teeth. Foul musk drifted from several holes in his body.
Dane tracked the Healer Killer between strobes of light. Each time the lights dimmed, the Healer edged closer. He was waiting for Dane to make the first move. Fortunately, Dane had a good idea of what that move should be.
Dane’s eyes narrowed - the Healer Killer was a creature of habit. Predictable, exploitable patterns and behaviors. Each blow had been to Dane’s face - it was the barest part of Dane and he was willing to bet the next blow would land there too.
This would be Dane’s last shot. A missed shot would spell his end. And subsequently, Bez’s end.
He took a deep breath –
Then dashed forward!
The Healer Killer braced himself, reading hard into Dane’s body language –
Dane presented a flashy fist –
The Healer Killer bent low, launching an uppercut towards Dane’s chin –
Dane leaned sideways –
The Healer Killer’s knuckles whiffed. A trail of air carried away Dane’s cracked visor and ruffled his dark brown hair. Just a few inches to the right, and that would have been Dane’s nose, jaw, and at least one cheek.
Dane’s arms wrapped around the Healer Killer, giving him a tight, unfriendly hug.
And then, Dane flopped forward across the Healer Killer’s body as if it were a shallow pool of jelly. Dane couldn’t feel much below his enforcer armor, but he heard plenty. The sickly sound of a dozen bones breaking simultaneously, pulverized like crispy rice beneath his saffron suit.
What remained of the Healer Killer’s body thrashed like a startled squid, slapping and scratching at whatever it could reach. Dane cocooned around the Healer Killer’s arms, inching up his torso until he straddled the Healer Killer’s chest, compressing his ribs like a hydraulic press.
With a furious shout, Dane brought one fist down into the Healer Killer’s cheek. And then the other. One after another, his fists alternated and accelerated.
The Healer Killer’s spongy flesh bounced back like a trampoline. This was like wailing on a stress-ball, except each blow added to Dane’s stress.
Gurgle…
Fractured bones realigned and reattached, worming back into place. Soon, the Healer Killer would have enough bones to throw Dane off. And then the Healer Killer would break every bone in Dane’s body; Dane’s bones didn’t regenerate.
Bez watched Dane from the bathroom door; Bez’s bones were far more brittle than Dane’s. They’d be much easier to break - Dane was certain the Healer Killer would take his time doing so.
Dane had to finish the job. The job that enforcers were paid to do –
Protect the people of this Haven.
He glanced at the Healer Killer’s head. The knife remained wedged in there, like a lever waiting to be pulled. Mutilating static monsters was one thing, but this static monster looked an awful lot like an awful human. Same fleshy membrane. Same slimy eyes. Same veiny throat. This was uncharted territory that Dane had hoped never to explore.
Dane gripped the knife, giving it a frantic jiggle.
“Bez,” said Dane. “Look away.”
“Mister Dane,” said Bez. “What are you going to do?”
Dane grimaced.
“Whatever I have to,” said Dane.
Gurgle…
The Healer Killer’s bones re-set. Dane felt heavy hands at his hips, like a rock-climber seeking the perfect grip –
Dane roared and ripped the knife free. He plunged it into the Healer Killer’s throat, carving through it like Thanksgiving dinner.
“Holy snap!” shouted Bez.
“I said, look away!” shouted Dane.
Black blood splattered against Dane’s unprotected eyes. He gagged as obsidian fluid leaked across the carpet, dripping down his saffron armor and pooling around his knees. The Healer Killer didn’t seem to mind. He just lay there smiling, staring up at Dane with those cold cruel eyes.
Dane twisted his head like a joystick, pulling it up, down, and sideways, as if inputting some complex fighting-game technique.
Gurgle…
Crack –
POP!
Dane uprooted the Healer Killer’s head like a stubborn weed. Black roots dangled from his neck, leaking oily sap across the floor. The smile remain etched across the Healer Killer’s jaw like a cave carving, but that strange presence in its eyes was no longer present.
Bez puked across the bathroom floor. It was an endless stream, consisting of all his meals that day, and possibly the day before. Dane was tempted to follow his example, but refrained from staining Bez’s carpet further.
“I told you not to look,” said Dane.
“Holy snap, Mister Dane,” said Bez. “That was brutal!”
“Just pretend it's Zero Space,” said Dane. “People get decapitated there all the time.”
“My gore settings are on low, Mister Dane,” said Bez. “I don’t want to see things like that!”
Bez stumbled out of the bathroom.
“So, it’s over then?” asked Bez.
Dane glanced at the Healer Killer. He looked pretty dead. Then again, the Healer Killer always looked pretty dead, even when he was alive.
“Maybe,” said Dane. “Most static creatures die if you take off their head.”
Dane chucked the head into an empty wastebasket - three points.
“You should leave,” said Dane. “I’m still waiting for reinforcements. I don’t know what’s going to happen here.”
“But Mister Dane,” said Bez. “If my character’s still alive, our Zero Space friends need me!”
“You’re a liability,” said Dane. “Take your computer and go.”
“I have nowhere to go, Mister Dane,” said Bez. “And I can’t just move my computer. There’s too much stuff.”
Bez gave the Healer Killer a wide berth, taking the scenic route to his computer.
“We’re fighting for the Haven,” said Bez. “This is important!”
Bez leapt over a stream of black blood, perching on his chair.
“I have to protect everyone,” said Bez. “That’s what healers do!”
“Healers need protection,” said Dane. “If something else happens, I don’t know if I can protect you again.”
Bez reached under his desk, reconnecting his headset.
“Just do your best, Mister Dane,” said Bez. “You’re my friend. I believe in you!”
Dane grimaced at the Healer Killer’s headless body. Like most decapitated things, it wasn’t moving. But the Healer Killer wasn’t like most things. His head grinned at Dane through the wastebasket’s diamond grating. He bore the same expression while he was alive - Dane couldn’t be positive he was dead.
“Come in!” Dane shouted into his walkie talkie. “Anyone. Unit 32022. Please. I need support!”
Bez sighed on Dane’s behalf, then tucked his face into his headset –
[ZERO SPACE]
Bez wiggled his scaly fingers and wagged his reptilian tail. He was back on solid ground. Still a dragonoid, and somehow, still alive.
A silhouette stood beside him. It was two feet tall, clicking like a rabid stapler, and resembled a squashed jellybean.
That jellybean flapped its wings.
“Miss Kezzle!” shouted Bez.
Kezzle flapped her wings.
“Did you save me?” asked Bez.
Kezzle flapped her wings.
“Thank you so much, Miss Kezzle!” said Bez. “Where’s everybody else?”
Kezzle took to the sky.
“Wait, Miss Kezzle!” shouted Bez. “Wait for me!”
Bez chased Kezzle through a fiery fairground, littered with player corpses. Some players were impaled. Others were burnt. There were players in multiple pieces. And pieces of multiple players. All of them nestled together on the bedrock, resting below a smothering blanket of ash.
Kezzle perched upon what appeared to be a sproutling tree. That tree looked awfully familiar. It bent at an odd angle, and wore striped regal pants –
“Kezzle, that’s Dalli!” shouted Bez. “That’s Dalli’s leg!”
Kezzle flapped her wings.
“CARE STARE!”
Dalli erupted from the ash, booting Kezzle into the air.
“Get the hell off me!” shouted Dalli. “Where the hell is that damn wizard! Where’s Tambien? Where’s Umi?”
Umi answered that question from a hundred yards away, his laughter booming across the battlefield.
“I think they’re thataway, mister Dalli!” said Bez.
Dalli cursed, kicking up ash with his slender boots.
“Where the hell is my spear?” asked Dalli.
Kezzle perched on another tree - that tree was oddly spear-shaped.
“Give me that!” shouted Dalli.
Dalli shooed Kezzle away, kicking his spear into the air. It flipped several times before landing in his outstretched hand.
“Alright,” said Dalli. “Let’s go kill that stupid wizard!”
***
A hundred yards away, Umi and Tambien plowed through the fire demon horde.
“GRAVITY DOME!”
Umi gathered up five fire demons, then flattened them with his warhammer.
Tambien flattened another five with his armor alone.
“You’re not too bad, buddy!” shouted Umi.
“An astute observation,” said Tambien. “Your skill rivals that of my own.”
Umi scratched his bulky head.
“You always talk like that, buddy?” asked Umi.
“As often as possible!” said Tambien. “My knightly vocabulary doth have its limits.”
A trio of players attempted to aid them, but soon needed first-aid.
One player ate a pitch fork.
Another swallowed a pitched-knife.
The third –
“FURY STRIKES!”
Tambien shielded the third player with a hundred lance strikes, shredding a dozen demons.
“Leave this infernal battlefield, my friend!” said Tambien. “This battle belongs to the Deadly Skulls!”
The third player hurried away, hanging his head in shame.
Umi patted Tambien’s armored shoulder.
“Nice save, buddy!” shouted Umi. “But we gotta save our SP for that wizard! Ledgess can protect everyone else!”
“It’s our sworn duty to protect these people,” said Tambien. “Recall Master Valdi’s words: if too many players die, our efforts are for naught!”
A crimson light weaved within the fire demon ranks –
Fire demons shuffled sideways as the wizard tore through them. His body soared with a bullet’s stiffness, his long red cloak blazing behind him like a meteor’s tail. The strange hole in his face vacuumed incoming wind, filtering it into a piercing whistle.
“The fiend hath returned for further punishment!” shouted Tambien. “FURY STRIKES!”
Tambien’s ability however was still on recharge.
“Ah, I see,” said Tambien. “I have erred.”
“Sorry buddy, can’t help you!” shouted Umi. “I’m on recharge too!”
Tambien chuckled.
“How unfortunate,” said Tambien. “It’s been an honor, my friend.”
The wizard tore through Tambien, melting him like a wax candle.
Smoke and ash erupted by the wizard’s feet as he pivoted towards Umi.
“Yesssssssss,” said the wizard. “I have destroyed your friend. Now I shall destroy you!”
“You’ve done enough friend-destroying today, buddy!” shouted Umi. “I’ve destroyed lots of your friends too! Maybe we can stop fighting and just talk it out!”
“Yesssssssss,” said the wizard. “You want to talk –”
The Wizard pounced upon Umi, gripping his shoulders. Pale eyes and pasty cubes twisted beneath the wizard’s cowl, funneling down into a deep dark void.
“You’re all alone now,” said the wizard. “It’s all your fault. You’re reckless. Foolish. You have no friends in Zero Space. Soon, you’ll have no friends in the Haven.”
Umi scratched his own nose with a free arm.
“Something terrible has happened on floor three,” said the wizard. “Something unfathomable. Your friends, your family, and you too. You’re all in mortal danger. Little time remains.”
Umi attempted to wrestle free, but the wizard squeezed him with the strength of three Umis.
“Zero Space is done for,” said the wizard. “Return to the Haven. Be with your friends and family. Before it’s too late. Not even Ledgess can save you –”
Umi booted the wizard back.
“You’re saying some strange stuff there buddy!” shouted Umi. “NPCs sure have weird dialogue these days!”
The wizard’s warped face descended into his cowl.
“Yessssssss,” said the wizard. “Ignore my warnings. Your ignorance will destroy you –”
“Not if I destroy you first!” shouted Umi. “GRAVITY DOME!”
Umi reeled the wizard in for a warhammer wallop.
Fire Wizard
The wizard’s head turned one hundred and eighty degrees.
“You’re a lot less scary with your head on backwards!” shouted Umi. “Zero Space is very important, but it’s still just a game! Games don’t scare me!”
The wizard’s head turned another one hundred and eighty degrees.
“Yessssssss,” said the wizard. “Just a game. A game I’ll win when I destroy you –”
“CARE STARE!”
Tambien and Dalli ascended above the wizard like a sunrise over mountains.
“FURY STRIKES!!”
“SHADOW STAB!!”
Lances, spears and all manner of pointy objects deflated the wizard from every direction.
Fire Wizard
The wizard skidded across the ground, his crimson cloak slapping against concrete like a paralyzed tongue.
“Take that, asshole!” shouted Dalli. “The Feather Birds are back!”
“Sir Dalli,” said Tambien. “We are the Deadly Skulls now. But yes, the sentiment is accurate.”
“I love it when you all save me just in time!” shouted Umi.
“Mister Wizard,” said Bez. “We’re gonna kick your butt now!”
Kezzle flapped her wings.
“SPAGHETTI SINGE!”
“LOVELY LASER!”
“ICED PICK!”
All five Deadly Skulls glanced back in confusion –
A barrage of abilities battered the wizard: tortellini tentacles that hurt terribly and smelled incredibly. A romantic pink beam, laced with flowers and little plasma hearts. And an ice pick that made more ice than it picked.
Fire Wizard
No change.
Each ability deflected off the fire wizard’s steel-wool cloak.
Tambien formed a barricade with his long metal tentacles.
“Cease this at once, fellow players!” shouted Tambien. “You must not strike him. The wizard is our burden to bear!”
With a simple gesture of the wizard’s hand, all three players spontaneously combusted.
Tambien stomped the ground, swinging his lance in a wide arc.
“Enough, you ignoble sorcerer!” shouted Tambien. “Your grievance is with us! Leave those foolish players be!”
“Yesssssss,” said the wizard. “My grievance is with you –”
The wizard swooped in, snatching Tambien mid-flight. Both of them toppled across concrete. Tambien landed on his back; the wizard landed on Tambien’s front.
Two charcoal palms pinned Tambien down.
“Unhand me, foul fiend!” shouted Tambien.
The wizard’s pale spiral face emerged like a turtle’s head from its shell.
“You can’t save them,” said the wizard. “All those players will die. And then you will die. You’re not a knight. You’re a poser. A wannabe. A squire.”
Tambien released an indignant gasp.
“You can’t stop it,” said the wizard. “You can’t save anyone. You never could. Not here. And not in the Haven.”
Tambien thrashed, but the wizard weighed heavy on his heart.
“You’ll watch them die, helpless to intervene,” said the wizard. “History is doomed to repeat itself. They’ll suffer, as your family suffered. Then you will suffer –”
Umi’s warhammer clubbed the wizard straight in the fire-balls.
Fire Wizard
The wizard flew back fifty feet, smashing through a sponsored billboard. “NOW FEATURING…” the billboard once said. Now it just said: “NO EAT”
“Don’t intimidate my buddies, buddy!” shouted Umi.
The wizard spiraled into the sky, leaking ash from a questionable place.
“Yessssssss,” said the wizard. “I’m at half-health. Phase two shall begin. A phase that will destroy you.”
The fire wizard blasted off towards a giant burning tornado in the center of the city. Pale streaks of lightning raced through the tornado’s darkened funnel, eager for its master’s return.
“Holy snap,” said Bez. “I think we did something!”
“Something bad,” muttered Dalli.
“Let’s get him, gang!” shouted Umi.
Kezzle flapped her wings.
Tambien froze like the statue of an ancient hero.
“You doing alright, buddy?” asked Umi. “You need a hug?”
Tambien crossed his armored tentacles.
“Y-Yes,” said Tambien. “I-I am fine. The wizard’s words. They are cutting.”
Squeak
From below –
Tambien stomped a horned rat flat, venting furious steam from his visor. These rats didn’t belong here - they belonged deep in the hellish depths of the catacombs. Now it was hell on earth. But if hell had finally spilled over, that meant those catacombs were rat-free.
The catacombs were empty –
Tambien’s eyes widened.
“My destiny is clear,” said Tambien. “The wizard’s words ring true. So in turn, the truth must ring louder.”
Tambien gazed up at the belltower. There it was - the sacred monument of Trader Town. It was the first building ever constructed and soon to be the last one standing. Flames and explosions tore through its concrete flesh, but it held itself together. An unyielding symbol of hope, bearing the weight of the whole town on its brittle shoulders.
It was everything Tambien stood for. And it was still standing.
Tambien tapped the ground with his lance.
“There is something I must do,” said Tambien. “Alone.”
Dalli slid his spear in the way.
“Oh, no you don’t!” said Dalli. “We need everyone we can get!”
“Alas, that is why I must bear this burden,” said Tambien. “You all must focus on the wizard.”
Tambien pushed Dalli’s spear aside.
“I am Trader Town’s sacred knight,” said Tambien. “I shall defend this city to my dying breath!”
Umi laughed long and loud.
“I don’t know what you’re on, buddy!” said Umi. “But that sounds epic! Ledgess has your back!”
“I hate this team,” Dalli muttered.
Kezzle flapped her wings.
“Mister Tambien,” said Bez. “Please don’t leave us!”
Tambien saluted Bez with a tentacle.
“Fare thee well, squire,” said Tambien. “I shall rejoin you on the battlefield shortly.”
Tambien tipped his visor up.
“And if I don’t return,” said Tambien.
Tambien’s tentacloid teeth twinkled in the twilight.
“Tell my story.”