Jerod had been the luckiest bastard in his whole town, even when he moved to the city he had uncanny luck. The day his wagon broke down and the merchant he was working for fired him was at the time terrible. When the next day, the barmaid who’d always given him a free ale when he was copperless was being mugged in an alley, Jerod counted himself the luckiest man alive to be able to intervene.

  They had spent the next two nights together, and by the third they were so exhausted and spent that they just cuddled and talked about a future. Three kids, a small farm, maybe a few live in caretakers if they made enough money. They had both wanted to get away from the town that knew nothing but hardship and cruelty. The Capital Grea was supposed to have been a stepping stone on their way to the life they had talked about.

  After ten seasons of working a small store front, they had amassed enough coin to afford everything they wanted. The children wouldn’t be their own, Jerod was always torn between knowing he couldn’t spread unintentionally, and wishing he could have at least one true son. Luck had given him other boons though. Alleria ran the small shop with the brightest smile and most cheerful laughs he had ever known. It wasn’t exactly what they had talked about so long ago, but they were happy nonetheless.

  Luck had kept Jerod from having to register with the military, he had been barely past his sixteenth cycle when they got to Grea. They had spent the first season squatting in taverns and warehouses. The last warehouse they slept in had been where Jerod had found those odd trinkets. The golden monkey and the brass instruments in the box with it.

  He hadn’t meant to pry into it, but they had seemed to call out to him. Jerod had taken the items, leaving a few rocks in the box to keep the movers from noticing the emptiness. The season turned to spring the next week, and with a stroke of luck a merchant sat next to them at a breakfast table. Having a mouth that could talk and eat at the same time, the merchant introduced himself as Gastov. He was a part of the group responsible for the construction of the Space Needle in Grea. The foundations he told them, were buried deep into the surrounding mountains that surrounded the city.

  In these mountains, they had found many buried treasures, and Gastov went on to reminisce over several of them. When he mentioned the monkey and instruments, he noted that they had an odd power about them. He had meant to ship them to a collector who could identify what they did, but they had disappeared in transit before leaving the city. Jerod and Alleria both kept their smiles and secrets.

  By the time breakfast was done, Gastov had offered to let them help in opening a new shop he was setting up. They could sell whatever wares they came across or cared to trade in, just so long as they served his favorite tea and were always open for breakfast. He would take twelve percent of the profits at the end of each season, and they would be allowed to keep the rest as payment for their labor.

  To Jerod, this was a lucky break that he jumped at instantly. Alleria knew chances like this were like sugar in a trap, but they had very little left and couldn’t turn down the offer.

  When the knocks of soldiers rang out in the market square, every shop owner feared it was their door being knocked on. The military confiscated all the supplies and coins it needed. When they needed fresh bodies to throw at the front lines, they took the sons first, then the fathers; if they decided the body count on any day wasn’t enough, they would take the daughters as well.

  Jerod had been lucky his whole life, thinking he had avoided the worst of anything that came his way. When something bad came at him, he had always risen on the other side of the problem with a better life. When the market square around him was silent for the third rotation in a row, he didn’t feel as lucky anymore. No customers, no shop owners, no children playing in the fountain. Their bright Capital had become gray and desolate.

  The soldiers had all been sent down to Safe Harbor and the bay. To stop an invasion they said. They hadn’t mentioned that it was going to take nearly the entire male and half the female population to do it. Children had been left in the care of grandparents. Some had to be handed to other families when there was no one left to care for those too young to train for war.

  Jerod had thought he was lucky to miss out on the recruitment. They had been spared for some reason, and now they were the only shopkeepers left in the market square around them. They didn’t bother expecting customers too often, but they did still stay open for breakfast every morning. The children ate free, and only those who could afford had to pay. Jerod and Alleria had plenty to survive on, they could afford to pay for some food for a while.

  Hizumi walked alongside the horde as it progressed up the road. The mountains grew larger on the south side, and the grand peak of the Star Needle was visible on the north. Minotaur berserkers ran past her on both sides, the spark of her lightning on their skin keeping them from rushing over top of her. The stampede heading towards Grea had an open pass, with little to no Empire or Federation forces left to stop them.

  She let thoughts wander as she strolled up the road to the capital city. She might as well have been strolling through a serene garden. Her smile was genuine this time. She had secured the world despite her Mistress adding last minute reinforcements. It had happened even after Kuru had usurped her elite fighters.

  Hizumi’s purple eyes were wide with glee, staring up into the dark skyline where the Star Needle was nearing completion. The small pupils dilated, and the colors in her eyes shifted and spun. Millions of stars, of colors of all shades and hues, around two black holes.

  Kuru didn’t know that she had gifted the Minotaurs power. Nor did she know that Anunt had been a plant in the test. So many strings to pull, and yet, Hizumi played them like a magical melody. She was getting so close to what she wanted, and having won this world, it was even closer. The chess match between her and her Mistress was moving forward again, she would make her move with the council next.

  Hizumi walked on, humming to herself happily as destruction marched forward around her. Her thoughts on the future and how she could shape it.

  SarthDarah ran in and out of range with Tartarus. She could hit him with a solid punch or kick, then use some energy to push herself away before Kuru’s shot landed. With the attacks of both of them landing in succession, Tartarus and his shadow simply flailed about. His attacks kept falling short. When the green beams of energy flew out from the shadow, SarthDarah dodged and let Kuru take extra shots.

  They had started with a huge blast, then moved in and tried to overwhelm the giant beast. It had worked only enough to keep him from moving too far. He had cleared out a huge section of earth with his blast. When SarthDarah struck him with flame, his body seemed to absorb it, and what had been solid hits became glances that barely left a mark.

  SarthDarah had tried to use wind instead, but the tough skin of Tartarus resisted her blows. If she could just stay in close and do more than one or two small hits, she might have started doing damage. Kuru’s shots became less powerful the longer they went. Tartarus just roared his anger and his body seemed to recover just as fast as the damage piled up.

  “We need to think of something else!” SarthDarah shouted as she landed on the opposite side of Tartarus from Kuru.

  They both held out their firearms, charging them with energy. Kuru looked like she was starting to get exhausted from the constant effort, but she pushed through to build the attack.

  “We needed more of you. More like you. To survive I mean.” Kuru was shouting as Tartarus chose his target and sprang for her. “It would have been much easier.”

  They both fired, Kuru’s shot hitting first. It stopped Tartarus’ charge, the Minotaur stumbling slightly as his body was rocked off balance. SarthDarah’s shot hit in the next instant. The piercing wind bore into his back, carving out a section of flesh.

  As SarthDarah watched, she blinked at the damage done to the raging Minotaur. Then thought of what it had looked like when she had carved through so many others. When the silver horned one had been opened, he had bled and spilled entrails. Only the vessels of the other players had taken damage and not shed blood. The Pirate Queen, she had been a vessel somehow. Was Tartarus one as well?

  SarthDarah wasn’t ready to take the time to find out the hard way. She rushed in while Tartarus stood still. She let her fists fly when she got within reach, the air currents rushing by her gave her extra energy. Blast after blast bounced off of Tartarus’ hide, only a few of them finding any soft spots. Tartarus began to laugh as her punches rained. Then a second voice began to laugh as well, coming from below them.

  “I told her you were an interesting specimen.” The shadow below Tartarus shifted and began to flow like water away from him. “If only you would have joined me on that ship, then we wouldn’t have to kill you now.”

  “Like you weren’t gonna kill me anyway.”

  “You are strong enough that we would have used you to train young warriors. Until you became broken or proved strong enough to earn your right to more freedoms.”

  The Captain materialized out of the shadow, coming to stand next to Tartarus. Another shadow figure slinked in between them and stood guard in front of them. The long inky figure reached out two appendages that each ended in a set of sharp claws.

  “I told you no then, and I’m telling you no now.”

  Both Minotaur’s sneered, then put their hands up to their heads to cover their ears. SarthDarah only had a heartbeat to be confused as to why. The shriek that split the air next deafened her. It came from the mouth that ripped open from the shadow creature. It was about midway down its torso and full of finger length teeth.

  “Oh shit!” SarthDarah wasted no time in throwing out a Napalm Strike.

  The flame burst around the shadow and dissipated quickly. Steam rose from a spot near the ground. SarthDarah looked down, the long claws of the shadow had begun to cover in frost. Before she had a chance to be worried about the ice claws, Tartarus had charged at her again.

  With the piercing shriek still ringing in her ears, SarthDarah had trouble focusing as she ducked the heavy blows. Tartarus gave her no room to escape, charging in and attacking relentlessly each time she tried to back away. SarthDarah tried to hit back, but Tartarus caught her arm and held her close.

  “I think that should about do it.” The Captain made sure to keep his Shadow in between himself and Kuru. “She can’t hit us with her ranged weapon so long as you are here.”

  Tartarus squeezed SarthDarah to his chest. The vice tightening down on her armor, pressing it into her uncomfortably. The material was strong enough not to crumble under the pressure, but air was getting harder to move in and out of her body.

  “King Tartarus, I congratulate you on yet another successful battle. Kill her and let us move on. We have a long way to go to catch up with the front of the army.”

  The Shadow moved to intercept the shots that Kuru let off. They were small in comparison to earlier, she was trying not to hit SarthDarah. It made the shots ineffectual against the Minotaurs, and barely seemed to do much damage to the slithering Shadow summon.

  “Rythorn, do not tell me what to do.” Tartarus spoke calmly despite the rage burning within him. “This fight is not yet over.”

  The earth erupted around them, sending showers of debris all around. The upheaval sent Rythorn in one direction and Tartarus and SarthDarah in another. Shots rang out from Kuru’s rifle as the world tumbled around. SarthDarah hadn’t seen or heard the attack coming, but she knew Jorn’s handiwork. The large man was suddenly letting out a war cry as he came crashing in.

  “Eruption!”

  Jorn’s hammer fell, and the world around it rose up. The already obliterated landscape of the cliff side was once again rocked with a massive magical attack. The shaking that started with the latest blow didn’t subside like it had previously. This time SarthDarah felt as the rock below her trembled more and more.

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  SarthDarah rushed at Tartarus, not letting him get a chance to steady himself in the wake of Jorn’s attack. One step had her flying straight at the Minotaur, her fists outstretched as her body went parallel with the ground. There wasn’t time to pool energy for a Napalm Strike, and she wasn’t clear headed enough to control the winds. This attack was her own spirit and rage lashing out at his own.

  Tartarus roared as he took the hit. He had barely stood when SarthDarah bowled him over again. The damage was minimal, he let the small girl roll him over a few times. The rage inside him built, growing hotter and redder with each punch he let her land. Tartarus began to laugh when the girl's eyes began to burn a different color.

  He had seen her red and white flames, they meant nothing to him. His own body was built to withstand the heat of the planet's core. He could swallow one of her bursts of flame and burp the smoke back at her if he wanted. This time he saw the flames turn blue, with a golden aura rising from around each trail.

  “Bwahahahaa! Burn hotter for me little rage girl! I wanna dance!” Tartarus stopped letting SarthDarah hit him, instead he swung his own fist up and away.

  Like a batter hitting a home run, Tartarus cleared the space in front of him. SarthDarah took the blow and spat out the remaining breath she had. Her feet lifted off the ground and all the heat in her fled.

  With one punch, Tartarus had scattered all of the fire energies from the space around them. SarthDarah blinked, it had hurt, but the lack of fire left her feeling like she had just had her sense of touch taken away. She couldn’t feel the wind anymore, the dancing life that the planet naturally had went silent. The hum of her generator wasn’t even noticeable anymore.

  “Sarth!” Jorn yelled.

  SarthDarah heard it vaguely. She was still trying to find the energy she had been so attached to,

  “Duck!” His voice again, but she still didn’t register it.

  The crushing kick to her face was felt. It was felt just the same as she felt the ground a half heartbeat later. Pressure and pain followed. Tartarus had placed a knee down on her waistline, digging it in until she was forced to scream out.

  When her voice finally let loose with a sharp cry for help, Tartarus let his clawed hands sink deep into her back. Pain and shrieks came anew. SarthDarah felt the sting all the way into her lungs. Her panicked mind was racing to tell her this wasn’t a mortal body anymore. She didn’t have lungs, but she did have pain.

  The ringing sound of metal on metal resounded. And a slight relief was granted to her as Tartarus was forced to pull his hands away to block Jorn’s hammer. The gauntlets that Tartarus wore rang in response to the heavy blow. Jorn wasted no time in pulling the hammer around for a second attack.

  SarthDarah felt Tartarus’ weight disappear from her back, she immediately flipped and tried to get on her feet. Jorn had forced Tartarus a few feet away, but the Minotaur was still laughing, barely grunting at each strike he took. Jorn wasn’t hitting hard enough to do any damage. His strikes landed, but Tartarus just let them bounce off himself and attacked back.

  “Draining Bolt!” A small female voice from above called out.

  The black energy that struck down from the sky next hit Tartarus square on the top of his bull head. The glimmering shadow energy broke the dark sky with a shimmering translucence. Tartarus spasmed for a few moments as the energy ran from his head down through his feet.

  Jorn hadn’t had time to dodge the attack, his large hammer the only thing between himself and the energy bolt. Lyria had fired it off from above without giving any warning. SarthDarah watched as the energy dissipated into the ground, pooling around the two men. Her sense of the energy around her was starting to come back.

  “Jorn…” She said weakly, wanting to warn him.

  “Necrotic Pull…” Lyria’s voice had calmed and was barely audible from so far away.

  The pool of energy under Tartarus and Jorn spiked upwards. The black needles growing up and piercing into everything above them. Jorn let out a silent cry, his face showing the shock of being hit from below. Long spikes of shimmering black held he and Tartarus in place as it began to siphon energy from both of them.

  SarthDarah watched, still unable to get up, as the energy that once radiated so brightly from Jorn faded to a dim pin prick. The large man couldn’t move. When his body went limp he couldn’t fall. Her eyes saw the black pool of necrotic energy grow thrice fold what it had been.

  Tartarus bellowed out a cry of pain and anger. His body was pierced through in nearly a dozen spots. Turning his face upwards, his scream only growing in intensity. SarthDarah watched as he unleashed a torrent of flame straight up into the sky. It roared a few dozen meters up before it spread outward.

  “Lyria!!” Kuru was yelling, her voice wasn’t far away from SarthDarah.

  Looking away from Jorn and Tartarus, she saw Kuru skidding to a stop only a foot away. Kuru was looking up as well, watching the flames as they grew in intensity instead of dying down. Tartarus pumped more flame into the sky with each passing second.

  SarthDarah looked up at where the jet spread out into a sphere. She could see a shimmering something in the flame. The name Kuru had shouted out, clicked into place finally. SarthDarah watched as if in slow motion, as the shield that had kept Lyria safe for a few moments winked out. The flame undulated where it struck her.

  “Twice I stopped to offer you a conversation, this time I offer an introduction before I finish what we started.” Rythorn was walking up with his shadow creature in front of him. “I am Rythorn, Captain of the new Naval forces of the United Labyrinth Coalition. We claim what we have conquered, and plan to conquer everything this world has. For one last time I offer you this, surrender, or die.”

  Kuru’s attention was split, she was looking up at where Lyria was now screaming. Her hand was pointed out at the shadow and Rythorn, her rifle glowing intensely as she overcharged it.

  “Mortals do not command Gods.” Her voice conveyed the disdain she had for him.

  Rythorn had one chance to blink as the shot fired off. His shadow creature dissipated into nothingness. The blue lance that had shot through them had passed quick enough that he did not see it. The pain in his right shoulder as he heard the thunderclap that followed was real enough for him to know he had been hit. His reaction was to dodge to his left, his body moving without thought.

  Kuru fired again, it followed her first shot in a rapid succession. She moved her aim only slightly, to follow Rythorn’s movement. Her second shot went straight through the Minotaurs throat. Blood welled and began to arc into the air.

  “So only Tartarus got one? Then you definitely went too far in speaking to me like that.” Kuru walked up to the Rythorn as the Minotaur fell to a knee, trying to hold his life in with little success. “In fact, you had crossed the line when you laid hands on my toys.”

  Kuru leveled her rifle at Rythorn’s head, aiming directly between his eyes. SarthDarah found that she was regaining her stamina, and her focus was coming back. She was sitting up just as the shot rang out. Rythorn’s body fell sideways limply, the missing section of his head leaking its contents all over the dirt and rock. SarthDarah gagged slightly at the sight, her stomach forcing her head to look away.

  Only when she opened her eyes again, did she realize she had looked straight up. Above her the bright flames that had lit up the sky went out. A shimmer fell, looking like glitter being spread out like ash on the wind. SarthDarah choked when she saw a small crystal fall back to the ground.

  “Lyria…” SarthDarah whispered.

  “DIE!!” Lavia screamed as she came blasting through the air.

  She had aimed herself straight at Tartarus, sending her spear straight down into his left leg. The black energy needles had all dropped, releasing Tartarus and Jorn. With Lavia’s spear holding Tartarus’ leg down, she turned and grabbed Jorn as he fell. Lavia wasted no time rushing the big man away and towards where Duerlin still lay.

  Kuru twisted herself around to aim at Tartarus just as the Minotaur snapped the spear holding his leg down. No blood, no sign that his leg was even hurting him. SarthDarah watched amazed at the difference between the ones that fell and bled, and how Tartarus stood and took the hits. Then she remembered it was the same type of body she had, and that she was also capable of taking lethal blows without actually getting killed.

  As Kuru fired, SarthDarah charged. Staying low, she raced the bullet to the Minotaur. Flaring the wind behind her to give her more speed, to sharpen and un-restrict the pathway in front of her. The bullet beat her by the smallest fraction, tearing a new hole into Tartarus just before her fist met his body. SarthDarah felt the satisfying crunch of the vessel giving way to her attack.

  “So that was your secret.”

  He was using energy to reinforce his shell. Fire energy burned within him, but she could clearly see the earth element that gave it a thin crust. He was like a diamond the way he compressed the earth with the fire’s natural heat. He was full of high pressure areas that would be impossible to break through, but if he was focused on high density in one spot, he had to have a lower density area as well.

  “Shoot him again!” SarthDarah yelled, slamming her fists into the Minotaur’s torso over and over.

  Kuru fired, her shots coming in quick, peppering his head and arms as he tried to block. Tartarus was holding his ground, but SarthDarah felt his body slowing. This was a fight of endurance. She had to keep hitting the bag until the beans popped out. Tartarus could only win if she stopped hitting him.

  The shots kept firing, her fists kept punching, and Tartarus’s bellow was as satisfying as a mournful cow bellow could be. She had dented in a few locations around his midsection and was working on landing blows to his knees and shoulder. If she could slow and stop his movement’s it would be a lot easier to strike damaging blows. Tartarus began to forgo trying to block or defend.

  He swung his arms out recklessly and aimed random attacks at the area around him. His hands became clawed, the tail he had grew a few feet and started snapping out when SarthDarah got behind him. Green beams of energy shot out randomly from his body as he ragged on.

  SarthDarah was still ducking in and out, hitting him when she could. Kuru had slowed her shots, and now was taking her time to carefully place each one. Tartarus swung around and around, when he had SarthDarah and Kuru both lined up in front of him, he stopped.

  A few shots rang out, he ignored them. SarthDarah came in and punched at his abdomen, he ignored her. He raised both hands into the air, looking up to see the stars shining in the dark sky above.

  “Father, fore-fathers, hear me!” Tartarus intoned with a shout.

  When he brought his hands down, he swiped them swiftly to his side and away from himself again. SarthDarah flinched, expecting it to be a heavy blow from above, but nothing physical hit her. The rush of energy that washed over her from behind felt oddly comforting at first.

  Then she felt the violence and pain in the wave she could no longer get away from. The fire that followed seemed to swarm everything around them. Oranges and reds, yellows and whites, fire became all that SarthDarah could see. Heat overwhelmed her senses, she watched as the energy intensified until it encompassed everything she could see.

  Tartarus laughed, letting the fire consume him. His body was made to withstand his attacks. There would be nothing left except for himself and the dust settling to the ground when the flame was done. It had been his birthright to reclaim the surface for their once great nation. His father had named him for the long dead warrior king that had once dominated this world. History would now repeat itself.

  Kuru stood her ground as the flame passed her. The heat was nothing more than pain to her. The exhaustion of expending energy for ammunition was more of a drain than this attack. It still added up to be more than she was capable of withstanding though, and she was forced to once again pull herself into her pocket dimension.

  Lyria was pulling Jorn, his limp body sagging and making it awkward for her to run. She could see the small barricade that Jorn had made earlier to protect Duerlin. They just had to get to that small spot of safety. If she could just get them there, then SarthDarah would save them. They would have to come up with a new plan, but maybe they could survive here instead. The game had to be about over.

  Ironfiddle stood with nervous energy, he had kept watch over Duerlin and the barricade. No one else had come around, and other than the fight raging between SarthDarah and Tartarus, it was quiet on the cliff side. The beach below was devoid of life, plenty of bodies around, but none lived. Even the vultures and deep sea carnivores seemed to be staying away from the carnage. Almost like they knew it wasn’t over yet, and the dinner bell had yet to be rung.

  Ironfiddle flipped the small dagger over and caught it. Again and again he did this, trying to keep his mind from those dark thoughts. He really hoped this fight would end and they could leave soon. He wasn’t made for combat, he was made to be a showy performer. This wasn’t a place for a performer.

  “Long roads… High hills… Heavy loads… Strong wills…” Ironfiddle sang softly, hoping the magic would still work. “Breaking backs… Loading Rock… Swinging axe… Pushing block…”

  It was a slow and somber tune, it was meant to drive work at a steady pace and to lift spirits. The miners knew their work was hard, it was their resolve to overcome even the most difficult task that this song was for. They knew the effort would better themselves, the same was true for this situation.

  Duerlin stirred as Ironfiddle hummed out more of the song. The swordsman blinked a couple times and reached for the sheath lying next to him. Ironfiddle wasted no time in helping him sit up and handing him a flask of water. Duerlin took a small drink, then looked around at the surroundings.

  “Did we win?”

  Ironfiddle just shook his head, then pointed to where the battle was still going on the other side of the rock barricade. Duerlin peeked over to look. He saw just in time as the black needles fell from Jorn and Tartarus. The flame in the sky fading out, and Lavia leaping for her attack.

  “Looks like an even fight.” Duerlin popped his sword out slightly. “I need to help finish it.”

  “Hold on.” Ironfiddle placed a hand on Duerlin before the swordsman could get up. “You were almost dead a moment ago. Are you sure you can do anything to help? Or are you just gonna get killed the moment you go out there?”

  Duerlin looked down in frustration. His body was sore, he could tell he had very little energy to use. The sword in his hand was vibrating with the energy resonating between it and himself. He was weak, and could barely keep his connection to it. He hated to admit that he couldn’t do anything. He had made it so far, survived so much, and now he had to hope his friends saved him.

  “Let’s hope they can do it then.” Duerlin said as he turned back to Ironfiddle.

  They shared a look for a long moment. Then poked their heads back up to see what was happening. For a moment, it looked like Lavia and rescued Jorn and was running back to them. SarthDarah was landing several solid blows on Tartarus, while Kuru peppered him with shots. Ironfiddle smiled, and was about to say something encouraging.

  Tartarus looked up, his hands raised straight above him into the air. SarthDarah was still using him like a punching bag, but the Minotaur was shouting and ignoring her. Ironfiddle’s smile dropped faster than the bolt of radiant fire that came down.

  “DUCK!!” He shouted, pulling at Duerlin as he dropped to the ground himself.