The pain in my chest vanished, but the persistent, dragging sensation did not let up, continuing to pull me in some direction. In just a moment, I lost sight of the Maker, his fists clenched in futile rage, frozen at the edge of the stone platform of the Abode of Knowledge. Wilflaes, stunningly beautiful from an aerial view, continued to recede. After a few moments, I grasped that the Breakthrough was definitely not going to happen in the capital. My intuition was confirmed almost immediately: soaring above the sparse clouds, I, in the form of a star, was swiftly whisked north, somewhere over the open ocean.
I had experienced something vaguely similar when I was hauled into the Golden Breakthrough. As I contemplated the possibility of undergoing the same ordeal, I noticed at least forty faint stars following the same trajectory.
Having ascended above the cirrus clouds, our small army of stars plummeted down like a meteor shower, visible only from the Break. More so, we were plummeting directly into the open sea. To be precise, I couldn't spot even the tiniest island from such a height and in the darkness. Nevertheless, dozens of raigs were being drawn into the vast ocean, guided by an unseen force. As I broke through a small cloud in my uncontrollable descent, I finally spotted where this mysterious force was leading us.
Below, a twelve-deck cruise liner was leisurely cutting through the serene ocean waters - massive, like a floating city, and aglow like a Christmas tree in the late evening. Oblivious passengers were relaxing and enjoying themselves on the upper open decks. The large rooftop pool, roughly the size of an Olympic one, was swarming with people - it seemed a party of some sort was in full swing there. And on the other decks, people were unabashedly unwinding. And here we were, several dozen Break Knights, plunging towards this unique floating utopia of relaxation. This, of course, didn't bode well for the holidaymakers and the liner's large crew.
As we neared, I saw no indicators of the Breakthrough. Most likely, we were going to arrive at the location just before it commenced. This was good, and it might help me get a grip on the situation.
In the split second before the star that was me struck the upper deck, the entire world seemed to flicker, after which I found myself standing, in the form of my Projection. Other raig-stars landed nearby, and as soon as they made contact with the ship, they instantly stood up in familiar forms: Leonidas, Shiko, Ungor, Oswald, Crixus, next to him materialized Thora and Kael, followed by Halley, who arrived along with my Padawans. To repel the Breakthrough, not only had the BKDW and independent raigs shown up, but the Masks also arrived in full force. There were even a couple of entirely unfamiliar armors; judging by how their owners looked around, these two were recent initiates, and this was their first Breakthrough.
"Maya!" I shout as soon as the girl materializes on the deck.
"Yes?!" She responds, her open hand waving in acknowledgment.
"Your father serves in the Navy, right?" I ask, and upon receiving a nod of confirmation, I continue. "Find the bridge of this behemoth and inform the shift on duty. Have them sound the alarm and usher people to their cabins."
"I'm afraid they won't have time for that," Ungor murmurs, looking upwards, as Maya dashes off in Sliding.
I follow his gaze. The spectral air high above us, about a couple of hundred meters, shimmers unnaturally. The ripples are so abnormal that it's immediately clear something ominous lurks behind them. The vibrations from the Break grow more intense with each passing second, making me feel goosebumps even in my Projection. Meanwhile, Halley and Crixus take charge, their sharp commands helping to organize the people. It's as if we're in the middle of a drill.
"Quintus," I summon the nearest raig above first level. "You see that couple over there, huddled on the sidelines, bewildered by everything that's happening?"
"Yes..."
"Find someone to assist you and ensure those two rookies survive at least the first minute."
"Will do!"
"Go!"
With a pat on his back, I turn to address Halley. But before I can utter a word, a dreadful boom reverberates above us, and a monstrous roar assaults our ears.
The ghostly ripples split open and release something I never anticipated. I was mentally braced for monsters, demons, even sea horrors, but not a colossal spaceship, bearing a vague resemblance to a star destroyer[1]. This extraterrestrial guest, though smaller than the nearly three-hundred-meter ocean liner it was hurtling towards, wasn't much inferior. Blue flames roared out of its numerous brake engines, their brightness oddly out of place in the Break.
In the last split second, the spacecraft altered its trajectory, hovering near the stern of the cruise ship, matching its speed and direction.
Maya managed to accomplish her task in time and must have been quite persuasive. A deafening alarm from reality blared simultaneously with the hissing sound of the starship's descending ramp. It was unquestionably a ramp, not a gangway; it could easily accommodate two cars side by side. As soon as its edge touched the deck, a vague command echoed, and soldiers, maintaining an orderly formation, rushed down the ramp. They were obviously not human. Donned in gray-brown tech armor, they clutched peculiar one-and-a-half-meter rods devoid of any butt, muzzle, or trigger devices. Their armor covered them from heel to neck, but their heads were entirely exposed. Such a foolish design was most likely a nod to the pop culture that birthed this fantasy.
"Reptilians!" exclaimed Ungor, standing a tad closer to the stern than I did.
At first glance, the aliens did indeed resemble upright reptiles. With elongated, slightly flattened snouts, razor-sharp teeth, eyes with narrow pupils, and small spiked crests running along the tops of their heads, their entire visage screamed that we were facing professional fighters.
And there were more than just a handful of these warriors. In the initial wave alone, I counted sixty.
Unfortunately, I had no clue what spawned this particular fantasy. It was likely inspired by some film, but it was one I had not seen. This was a problem, as it left us in the dark about what to expect from these aliens.
"Flesh Dealers!" Halley shouted. "They're from the movie 'Flesh Dealers'!"
His words sparked recognition in more than half of the raigs present, but for many others, myself included, we were still clueless about what we were up against.
"They're interstellar slavers!" Halley continued. "Don't let them take anyone on their ship. Their rods paralyze on touch and they shoot what looks like plasma."
Of course, the information was sparse, but even it was better than none at all.
Meanwhile, the first squad of aliens had dashed down the ramp and into defensive positions, dropping to one knee and holding their staffs like rifles. The subsequent squad, brandishing their weapons like clubs, charged into the crowd of poolside holidaymakers.
Though the vacationers had heard the alarm's roar, they were clearly bewildered about what to do, and besides, they couldn't see the attackers. They saw no one, but every touch of an alien rod rendered a person unconscious. The aliens didn't seize and drag the unconscious onto their ship. It appeared their plan was to first knock everyone out, then collect the senseless bodies en masse.
"Word" rose from its scabbard, the blue steel in my hand slicing through the Break's gray air.
"Attack team!" I commanded, my voice steady. "Sliding!"
Seven of our most seasoned raigs launched into the attack beside me. Only Maya was absent, but her duty was to command the defense team.
The first reptilian fell dead, never knowing what had taken his life. His severed head was simply flung overboard, sent flying by Crixus' gross messer. Ten aliens were killed in less than a second. It was only after this that their security team got suspicious and started shooting their strange weapons into the fleeing crowd. It seemed they couldn't discern who was attacking them. To the ordinary people in reality, the rod shots did no harm. But before I had chance to breathe a sigh of relief, an accidental shot struck Shiko, melting a hole in his armor and causing his Projection to noticeably pale.
"Half the reserve is gone!" the raig shouted in bewilderment, eyeing the hole in his armor - a gap big enough to fit his fist.
The best of us had gathered around me, and there was no need to state the obvious. It was already clear to everyone that we needed to close the distance as soon as possible.
"Shamrock!" My command was sharp and abrupt.
We had practiced this attack strategy countless times, and it had yet to fail us. I was the spearhead; Ungor and Shiko shielded me from the left in an arc formation, while Halley and Rex did the same on the right. From above, Crixus and Witold swooped down on the target.
The reptilian security squad, firing into the crowd, realized who their real adversaries were too late. Only one of them managed to aim his rod directly at me, but by the time he did, "Word" was already slicing towards his neck.
Less than thirty seconds had passed since the armored alien claw first stepped onto the cruise ship's deck. In that time, the invaders managed to take down thirteen vacationers, but they themselves lost all sixty fighters of the first wave, their losses irreversible.
"Ha," Crixus chuckled, shoving the headless body of a reptilian overboard. "Piece of cake."
"Even Breakthroughs should be easy sometimes!" Shiko agreed, nodding at him. "We can't always be pushing ourselves to the limit!"
However, I wasn't in a joking mood - I was seriously worried that the aliens' long-range weapons could puncture a raig's armor as easily as a sheet of paper. All experience in warfare indicated that the one who controls the range of battle is usually the victor. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but they are few and far between.
"The battle is not over yet!" I reminded the pair, bringing them back to reality. "The alien ship is massive and could easily hold an entire regiment of these creatures."
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Before I could finish, Maya's warning cry rang out. At least seven dull orange lines were converging on my chest. Instantly, I moved to the left in Sliding, simultaneously shoving Crixus aside. He understood everything correctly and dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding a continuous volley of over thirty rods shooting from above. A new squad of reptilians had taken position at the ramp entrance, but unlike the first wave, they weren't rushing down from their ship without preparatory fire.
Thanks to Maya's warning, nearly all of us were able to dodge the incoming volley. Nearly, but not quite all. Shiko hesitated and took a few more plasma blasts, this time to his shoulder and hip. Just like the first hit, his armor failed to block the plasma. Shiko's Projection immediately lost any substance, flickered, and he, dressed in ordinary clothes, fell back into reality like a ragdoll. He was alive and breathing, but clearly unconscious.
"Advance!" Crixus bellowed, directing his blade towards the ramp.
In essence, he was right: as before, we needed to close the distance and engage in melee combat. However, the current situation was far from ideal for an attack. No matter how wide the ramp was, it was still significantly narrower than the decks of a cruise ship, and besides, the aliens were now fully prepared for an attack.
"No!" I shouted, overruling Crixus's command.
But... My order was a split second too late - only Ungor heard it, and the rest launched into a swift attack. Even the most seasoned shapeshifters from special forces wouldn't have been able to reach the target under such a hail of gunfire. Moreover, a single plasma blast wasn't enough to critically injure the Break Knights. These factors, coupled with the surprise of the attack, allowed the guys to break through to the group of aliens positioned at the entrance to the ship. They broke through and slaughtered them all... But at an enormous cost.
"Retreat!" I yelled.
I called out to Crixus because there was no one else to fall back. Halley, Witold, and Rex had taken more hits than they could endure, and now their bodies were slowly sliding down the alien ramp.
"We did it!" The reckless heir of the Corsican clan roared, throwing his sword into the air. But his triumph was short-lived: he saw the limp bodies of his comrades rolling down, and his sword dropped. He seemed to grasp that his impulsive attack was too risky. He realized it just before six plasma bolts struck him in the back, causing his Projection to lose density. His body joined the others, rolling lifelessly down the slope.
"Fall back!" I ordered Maya and the others, dragging frozen in shock Ungor with me.
We barely made it back to the stern superstructures when disorganized plasma discharges began hitting the ship's deck. The third squad of reptilians was more cunning than the first two and didn't rush into the open. They congregated at the exit from their ship, assuming a defensive position, only occasionally peeking out to fire a shot. They seemed to be waiting for something.
While the situation allowed, Maya and I surveyed the deck. The bodies of the assailants we'd dispatched had already vanished without a trace, but the unconscious passengers and incapacitated raigs still lay scattered across the deck.
"Question," I voiced aloud. "Can these creatures transport people to the Break right now, or does the Breakthrough need to be fully formed first, and we need to have lost?" I pondered on the fate of those captured by such a spectral starship. Would they be transported into the plane of fantasies? If so, perhaps this fate was worse than death.
"I don't know," Maya replied, her gaze fixed on the fallen raigs.
"We're on the defensive!" I announced to the remaining Break Knights. "Avoid open spaces! Engage the enemy in close combat. Meet them in the corridors and cabins. Don't hesitate to strike through walls with your blades." I immediately demonstrated this technique, a trick I’d learnt from Maya, by piercing the nearest wall with Purity. "Pair up. This method worked well during training. Maya, you're in charge of starboard defense. Mersk," I acknowledged the head of Masks with a pang of regret, "you're on the left. He remained one of our most experienced fighters despite the loss of the strike group. Baenre, Dobrynya, you're with me. We'll hold the stern."
"How do we get our own out of there?" Timur shouted, eager to rush onto the deck and right into the line of fire.
"We need to drive these creatures away first, then rescue our own," I responded firmly. "Our main task is to stop the Breakthrough."
Taking cover behind a marble column on the upper deck, I studied the alien's movements. They had no intention of leaving, but they were definitely preparing for something. It wasn't long before a new group of fighters emerged from the alien ship. This time, they brought multi-barreled beam guns mounted on what appeared to be anti-gravity platforms, shielded by translucent power fields. They quickly rolled out six of these devices and installed them on the liner's deck, leaving two additional platform units to provide overhead cover. The space reptiles worked with swift precision. No sooner had I thought that we needed to prevent them from forming a defensive line than they had already completed it. Now, their beam guns covered the entire stern of the cruise ship, and I feared that a single shot from these emitters would be enough to incapacitate a raig.
A curt command in an unfamiliar language, sounding akin to the cackling of hyenas, and the multi-barrels trained on the liner's superstructure began to fire. The aliens probably expected the plasma to obliterate everything in its path. Perhaps it worked that way in the movie they crawled out of, but the Break has its own laws, and plasma discharges rolled impotently across real, sometimes even cardboard, walls and bulkheads, inflicting no damage. That's right: until the reality rift gained full power, the ability of the creatures it introduced to interact with the physical world was considerably limited. However, if we failed, if the Breakthrough burst into reality, then all these shots would carry the impact they "should."
Having ceased their futile energy expenditure, the lizards, scratching their crests, began to converse amongst themselves. Following a brief exchange of incomprehensible phrases, they dispatched a pair of fighters to their defensive line. This pair, clearly disgruntled with the received order, attempted to seize one of the human bodies, but the reptilians' claws simply phased through the physical body of the unconscious human. This sent the alien slavers into a blind fury. Simultaneously, reinforcements arrived for them again, two squads of sixty each. A brief command was issued, and these two squads launched their attack, attempting to flank the aft superstructures of the liner in a pincer movement. It seemed their commanders had not seen what the raigs were capable of in hand-to-hand combat.
Maya and Mersk acted wisely: they didn't confront the enemy at the entrance but drew them deeper into the ship's corridors before striking. The result was all the lizards were annihilated, and only three of us lost half our prana.
"A deadlock," Baenre muttered.
"Why so?" Dobrynya didn't understand his reasoning.
"We can't get on deck; they can't get inside the liner," my dark-haired student explained his thoughts.
I wonder, have there been Breakthroughs that ended in such stalemates before? When neither the creatures nor the Knights could secure a victory. I hadn't heard of any such instances, but that doesn't mean it hasn't occurred. In theory, as long as the defenders are engaged in battle, the Breakthrough can't reach its full strength. But that's theoretical, and the actual outcome remains uncertain. Honestly, I found the current situation somewhat satisfactory. Charging into the aliens' gunfire, which the raigs' armor doesn't block, would be reckless. However, the reptilians can't advance further and consolidate their gains. Moreover, they can't even transport the bodies right under their noses to their spaceship.
While I was in agreement to continue the confrontation, the aliens were clearly not pleased with the situation. Angry, curt orders were being issued through their communication devices. A newly arrived squad of reptilians was promptly dispatched for another attack, this time aimed at the positions my team was guarding. We used the same tactic as before, luring the attackers into the auditorium where a theatrical performance had once taken place. Following this, the Padawans feigned a head-on attack. When the enemy assumed a defensive stance, I emerged from behind them through a wall and, with a single Sliding, wiped out a quarter of the warriors. With "Word" and "Purity" at my sides, I decapitated them, charging down the aisle at full speed. The panicked reptilians were even easier to take down, especially with the assistance of the raigs from the right and left flanks.
The loss of another squad sent the reptilian command into a rage. The highest-ranking officer jumped onto the ramp and thrashed his thighs with his stubby tail; it seemed to be an expression of extreme anger. He yelled at his troops, then into his communication device, and at his soldiers again.
His shouting seemed to yield results. This time, it wasn't just another squad that disembarked from the ramp, but two combat vehicles reminiscent of traditional infantry fighting vehicles, only propelled by anti-gravity. They loaded the landing squads into these vehicles and attempted to ram the rear superstructures of our ship. Imagine their fury when their massive, multi-tonne combat vehicles bounced off a makeshift plywood barrier. They tried again, with the same result, but this time their attempt was met with derisive laughter from the raigs.
While the aliens pondered their next move, the evacuation of both passengers and crew was underway behind us. The ship's captain was hastily relocating people from the stern to the bow. During the evacuation, there were mishaps, and some passengers either panicked or refused to comply with the evacuation order. However, Mersk handled such situations with exceptional simplicity and efficiency. He simply knocked out the most aggressive individuals with the Shock Sword without leaving the Break, and the crew then loaded the unconscious bodies onto stretchers and transported them to safety.
While assisting Mersk with the evacuation, I missed the moment when the lizards became overzealous in their efforts to breach the physical barriers that were obstructing the firing lines for their stationary emitters. Maya immediately capitalized on their oversight, initiating a counterattack with her team. The loss of one of their war machines appeared to exhaust the patience of the alien command.
Gradually, the side of the spacecraft opened, revealing a gun turret on its surface. A bona fide dual-gun turret. The large-caliber cannons were trained on the rear superstructures of the cruise ship. The lizards promptly sought refuge behind the shields of their stationary emitters, and then all hell broke loose. The resulting explosion was so blinding that it momentarily impaired my vision. A deep, low rumble assaulted my ears.
Once the cannons had been discharged, the turret retreated back into the hull of the starship. To the aliens' consternation, even a salvo from their main caliber couldn't affect an object residing in the physical world. In this respect, we were fortunate. Had it been otherwise, I fear we would have perished en masse right here.
It's fortunate that this Breakthrough doesn't mirror the one where I encountered the "Flying Dutchman." During that incident, the cannonballs from the pirate ship located within the Break could easily demolish physical objects, such as police cars. Every Breakthrough has its own set of rules, but in this instance, the armor of the raigs is no match for the weaponry of the reptilians. This is despite the fact that this very armor has previously provided reliable protection against far more formidable creatures spawned by the Break.
The latest setback had left the alien slavers in a state bordering on desolation. They couldn't comprehend why all their efforts and a salvo from their main guns couldn't even topple a potted cactus, let alone cause more substantial destruction. Yet, they regained their composure quite rapidly. The lizards' demeanor had changed. They fortified the defenses of the ramp and bided their time, refraining from launching any new attacks. This suited us just fine, as every second bought us more time to transport people to a relatively safer part of the liner.
The commander of the lizard squad seemed to be listening to something before he turned towards the entrance to his starship and knelt. A gaunt figure, draped in a vivid red cloak, emerged from the dark opening onto the ramp. Clearly not a reptilian, the newcomer was distinguished by a flat face with six eyes and the absence of a tail.
At first glance, the six-eyed creature appeared unarmed, with his six-fingered hands empty. Yet, he evidently commanded the obedience of all these reptilians. Descending onto the deck as though he were out for a leisurely stroll in the park rather than in a war zone, the new alien approached one of the unconscious bodies and ran his six-fingered hand over it. Then, seemingly satisfied, he extended both hands forward and began to chant something.
His actions, baffling as they were, resulted in the unconscious human body in the real world detaching from the deck, levitating, and dutifully trailing behind the six-eyed caster. It was headed straight for the alien ship!
"Bastard!" Dobrynya bolted forward.
I barely managed to restrain him. Mersk, however, had failed to secure his flank properly, and three raigs, taking advantage of this, lunged forward only to be mowed down by extended plasma bursts from multi-barrel cannons.
"What's our move?!" Maya materialized beside me from a Sliding.
Instead of responding, I sent "Word" flying, activating the "Sword Throw" ability. But the six-eyed one merely raised his hand, and my blade got stuck in the suddenly condensed air before it could reach its target. It then returned to my hand, vibrating in apparent displeasure.
Maya's hands were balled up in helpless fury.
"I won't lose another one of us!" She declared, her gaze fixed on me, her head stubbornly tilted.
I watch as the six-fingered caster leisurely glides up the ramp, Halley's body obediently following him as if tethered by an invisible rope. I then shift my gaze to the arranged alien defences which we seem unable to penetrate...
[1] TLN: This appears to be another Star Wars reference.