My vision blurs momentarily. The knight stands over me with his arms raised, ready to strike a finishing blow. I roll away from the blow as his armored fists slam into the grass, kicking up clumps of dirt. The knight is off balance now, so I take advantage of that, springing onto my feet and tossing myself in a sideways flip onto his back, pinning him to the ground.
“Roger!” I shout over to Roger. He catches my eye and fires a bolt in my direction. I leap into the air, flipping, catch the bolt, and slam it into the knight’s back. He shatters into pixels and shimmering code. I collapse to the ground, breathless. Roger runs over to me.
“Nice move back there, normally when we try that I just end up hitting you,” he said.
“Thanks.” Roger helps me back up.
“You should really try picking on enemies your own size.”
“Shut up…” I turn my attention back to the battlefield. It was supposed to be a small rescue mission, just a small infiltration team breaking into the castle jail and freeing Maggie. But…well…we kinda had to…improvise. Hey, not my fault the King retaliated by sending out the biggest fighting force of guards I personally had ever seen in my life pouring through the gates. The king sent out his armies. So we responded with one of our own. A signal into the sky brought grassy colored rogues spilling over the castle walls like a wave of green water. Iron clad knights met leather and cloth clad rogues.
Pandemonium, of course, ensued, as men fell on both sides. Hails of arrows from the battlements plagued the armies of knights while iron swords met rogues in close combat.
Another knight deleted the rogue he was fighting and rushed me. I backflipped over to where my bow lay in the grass. Kicking it up into my grasp, I yanked an arrow out of the ground, nocked it, and fired it into the gap in the armor just beneath the knight’s helmet. He staggered backward, grasping the arrow, then broke into pixels. I sling my bow back over my shoulder, pick up my swords and begin running towards the castle, deleting enemies along the way. Roger follows close on my heels, accompanied by Don.
I drop down through the window onto the guards shoulders, deleting him quickly. Roger and Don drop down behind me. A crossbow bolt whistles past my face as a guard shouts for help. Roger returns fire with his own bolt, deleting the guard mid-shout.
“Well bricks, there goes our element of stealth,” I mutter.
“We never really had one to begin with,” Don comments.
“Fair enough. Roger, watch the hallway. Don, you’re with me, the dungeon is just down those stairs,” I say.
“Hey, I’m the senior rogue here, I should be giving the orders!” Roger protests.
“You have a better plan?” Roger pauses for a moment.
“…just…do what he said…” he says, reluctantly conceding.
“Thank you,” I says. Roger just grumbles to himself.
Don goes down the stairs first, despite my protest, and I follow close behind.
The dungeon is surprisingly unguarded for a dungeon. Like, there is literally no one here. I mean, I’m not complaining or anything, it’s just, well, I kinda expected more guards. The hallways are completely empty. We walk through the seemingly endless hallways and corridors. Pause. I hear two voices. Both female. I recognize one of them immediately. I rush down the hallway past Don.
“Nexo!” he cries, “Nexo wait!” I stop at the iron bars if a jail cell. Maggie is inside, huddled up next to another figure in the corner of the cell. I faintly recognize the other figure, but barely.
“SSTO? Is…is that you?” I choke out. Both figures look up, sharing the same face. The twin sisters have been separated for as long as I could remember.
I duck just in time. A large broadsword rushes over my head, clanging harshly against the iron bars. Bricks. I recognize that broadsword, the same one that had mercilessly deleted hundreds of my fellow rogues. I roll out from under the sword. Not him again. I stand to my feet, staring down my opponent.
“Nexo? Is that you old friend? My oh my, how you’ve grown.”
“Can it Blavier, I’m getting tired of you.”
“And I of you, Nexo. Oh, the numerous times you’ve evaded me. Today it all ends, doesn’t it?”
“I wish I could say so, but past experience has taught me otherwise.”
“I think it does. Today, you elude me for the last time!”
“And if that’s how it’s gonna be, today I finally get to watch you dissolve…”
Are you saying I'm not allowed to, or that I am incapable of producing melodic sounds from my mouth?
You are incapable.
I'd sing and prove you wrong, but I happen to have a horrible temporary lung disease the prevents me from doing so. Just take my word for it, it's a breathtaking sound.
I'd sing and prove you wrong, but I happen to have a horrible temporary lung disease the prevents me from doing so. Just take my word for it, it's a breathtaking sound.
MOAR! 