The Excisionists: Book 1 Page 12

  I waited for the next set of enforcers to arrive and open the lift shaft and I ducked in just before the doors shut. I slid the card into the slot and selected the main floor. Gravity took effect and pushed me downward as the cylinder flew upwards. Moments later I was back on the first floor and peeked out to see if anyone was in the corridors. There was a straight shot to the exit and I ran toward it. I didn’t want to wait until they locked down the facility, so I swiped the card again at the door which opened enough for me to exit before it slammed shut and the facility lights went red. I wasn’t sure how to get out of the main wall, so I started walking around the area to find any footholds to allow me to scale the wall and hop over. Luckily, on one side there was some slight damage to the wall leaving me just enough bent metal to grip and get to the top. I crouched down and used the sickle to slice into the wall and slow my descent as it tore a hole in the metallic surface.

  I was free again at last. I ran away as fast as my legs would carry me in the direction of Sudoria. I stopped only briefly at the transport outpost to purchase a small slider. The craft was heavily armored to withstand sandstorms yet lacked any weapons. It moved rapidly across the shifting sands by pulling sand in the front and spewing it out the back. I sat in the craft and studied the map in all its detail to give me a clue to the final objective on Stroya. I knew there would be some type of boss but how to get to it was a mystery to me. It seemed that there was only one major pathway to the palace but there was information missing from this map. It made me uneasy to go into situations where I hadn’t scoped out all the entrances, exits, guards, security systems, or treasure rooms. Often the items that were the most attractive were laced with greatest hidden dangers.

  It occurred to me that I hadn’t used one of the best assets afforded in this game. “Cygnet, what’s the objective for Sudoria?”

  Her pleasant voice surrounded me in this cramped craft. “Edan, the main objective is to find the cistern and restart the flow of water throughout the city.”

  My eyes traced the moat outside the castle. “Are there any major bosses or anything that would get in my way?”

  “Yes. Not only will players have to pass through the Greyling Knights, they will also be required to defeat the Silver Ophidian.”

  “Any suggestions to defeat them?”

  “Find the gems throughout the palace to toss at and distract the Silver Ophidian. Greyling Knights are most easily defeated through hand to hand combat.”

  I examined every detail on the map. “Do you know where the Emerald room is?”

  She paused. “That information is not available since the archives used to access that data is corrupt.”

  I studied the map more closely to see if there was an area large enough to conceal a room. There was one place in particular that seemed somewhat misshapen in relation to the rest of the palace. I knew I’d want to search this area first. By the time my slider reached the boundaries of Sudoria I’d formed a plan. I knew I’d have to cross the moat and that my slider wouldn’t do the job, so I parked it close by. When I hopped out of the craft, I was surprised the moat was completely dry. Only cracked mud and white washed bones remained in the bottom. The moat would be easy to traverse due to my climbing skills, and I could hear the clanking of the marching troops of knights ahead which made my next objective clear. I dug my claws into the dry earth and smelled the powdery dust as it wafted up with each movement.

  I traversed the distance quickly and pulled myself up high enough to see the troops ahead. They were in ranks of ten with large gaps between them. I had been given a long-range rifle, knives, and poison as my main weapons, but now I needed something that would do more damage. The only other item I had was the sickle shaped weapon and that wouldn’t take them all out. I looked around at the items I could use as weapons. There were dozens of casks of mead placed strategically on planks of wood above the knights. Another area had a large fire being tended by only one partially armored knight who was drying his feet with the fire. Near the stable was a blacksmith’s tent. I knew there would have to be black powder there. I counted the intervals between the marching lines of shining knights and when it was clear I made my move.

  First, I ran to the knight by the flames and sliced him in two. I grabbed his sword, lit a stick with fire, and ran to the tent to light the black powder. I grabbed a cask, pulled out the stopper, and then made a trail with the powder to the door. I dropped the fire stick right on the trail as I ran out to avoid the blast. Moments later, the area exploded tossing shrapnel in every direction. Many of the knights near that area were hit and dropped to the ground and evaporated leaving crystals behind. The others went running in the direction of the blast which left a large gap for me to get to the stacked barrels. I scaled the walls and pushed the casks on top of the remaining troops.

  The few that were left were easier to engage in hand to hand combat. I hopped down from the last set of planks to face the growling knights. I sliced and diced them with the stolen soldier’s sword in one hand and the sickle in the other. I targeted the soft spots of their necks that weren’t covered in any armor. One of the knights knocked the sword from my grasp and sliced my chest. It wasn’t deep enough to make me respawn, but my health dropped significantly. I turned and ran as I tossed knives over my shoulders, hitting the remaining enemies and stopping them dead in their tracks. Finally, I reached the area where many of the knights had fallen. Their weapons remained on the ground and I used every last one of them to kill all remaining shining knights. I was both shocked and excited that I’d finished this objective without any help from other players.

  Cygnet’s voice startled me as I was admiring my handiwork. “Congratulations Edan. You have defeated the Greyling Knights. Your final task is ahead inside the palace of Sudoria.”

  I just shook my head to shake of the jitters and entered the aging stone structure. Inside were labyrinthine hallways designed to confuse anyone who entered without an invitation. I pulled out the map and determined where I needed to go. I had to climb dozens of staircases, walk through darkened corridors, and locate hidden doors to enter the correct rooms. Bats came from the ceiling, rats from the floorboards, and moaning ghosts roamed the hallways. I slashed the bats, stomped on the rats, and hid from the ghosts behind closed doors or sheet draped furniture since I knew they couldn’t be killed. I had to restart the maze once again after being latched onto by a ghost, but thankfully I didn’t have to kill any knights again. When the ghost grabbed me, my health drained quickly, and I couldn’t get away fast enough to keep myself alive. This time when I was inside the castle, I hid from the ghosts sooner to prevent having to restart again. After what seemed like hours, I found the misshapen area on the map. The walls of the exterior were rectangular, but when I entered the room, it was visibly smaller on the east side. Large tapestries had been hung to camouflage the oddly shaped wall and the plaster was a different shade of gray.

  I pulled back the thick rugs and knocked on the wall until I heard a hollow sound. The sword I had wasn’t heavy enough to do damage to the wall and remove the plaster. I searched the room for something weighty enough to do the job and found a large marble statue behind a covered full-length mirror. I knew that would do the trick, but it was too heavy to move. I had to search through several other rooms to find a wheeled cart that could withstand the weight. I pulled it into the room and wedged it between the wall and the statue before using all my strength to push it over onto the cart. I thought it might break, but I was surprised and relieved when it held the weight. Once I got it situated and was able to roll it freely, I was able to push it to the wall with a running start and let it use its heft to smash a hole in the wall.

  Powder flew everywhere, and the cart broke in two but the hole it left was large enough for me to climb through. The hidden room behind the wall was too dark to see inside. I pulled the lighted orb from my pouch and found several candles. I was able to use two of the rocks from the wall to make a spark and light one of them. Once it
was lit, I was able to transfer the flame from wick to wick until the entire room was bathed in a soft glow. This was indeed the Emerald Room. Nothing had been covered with sheets, but the room remained dust free. The gray carpets were thick and patterned with flowery scrolls of hunter green. Mint colored paint clung to the stones of the wall and every piece of furniture was covered in plush emerald fur. A brass bed with soft emerald bedding was inviting, but what drew my interest the most was a vanity with an emerald encrusted tabletop.

  I neared the shimmering piece and saw a silver letter opener with a massive oval emerald on the handle. I grabbed it and put it in my belt. I kept walking around the room for more clues but couldn’t figure out what to do next.

  “Cygnet, what am I supposed to do here?”

  “Edan, the Emerald Room is rumored to be the entryway into the cistern that holds Aqua Pura.”

  I kept scanning the room for doors or clues. “What does Aqua Pura do?”

  “Aqua Pura is a coveted liquid that heals upon contact either through drinking it or by pouring it on something that has died.”

  “Hmmm. Guess I’ll want to take as much with me as I can.”

  As I continued walking, I noticed a creak in the floor below my feet. I stepped in several other locations, but only heard the noise in one area. I dropped to my knees and cut up the carpet to peel it back from the floorboards. I finally found what I was looking for. A large wooden trap door was embedded in the floorboards. When I pulled it open, I could see a long ladder. I grabbed a candle and held it inside the hole to illuminate the dark chamber. Spiraling downward were long ropes that were soaked with kerosene. I touched the flame to the nearest rope which immediately lit on fire and took off down the entire length of the rope. There was a total of four ropes and I lit them all. The flickering light was sufficient for me to descend into the unknown below. I continued downward for several minutes and still didn’t see the end. Finally, I decided to stop, wrap my hands in fabric, and then slide down the never-ending ladder.

  The floor finally was visible, and I slowed my approach to stop myself from slamming into the wet rocks below. The sound of running water echoed inside the damp chamber that lead to the pool’s edge. Perpetually burning torches lit with dark snake oil flickered on the walls as far as I could see. The water’s edge was rippling, and fresh water flowed quickly in the distance.

  Suddenly, the music switched, and I knew a battle was about to begin. I drew out the long sword I’d taken from one of the Greyling Knights in preparation but was not expecting the enemy to be so large. Something slithered below the surface of the pool and then seconds later, a gargantuan head reared up. It seemed to be both serpentine and dragon-like at the same time. Glittering silver scales speckled with cerulean and sapphire gleamed in the light of the torches. Rows of silvery teeth lined the snake’s mouth and the jaw came unhinged as it hissed at me. Sable rectangular pupils dilated in the stormy eyes that reflected my figure. Dozens of spikes ringed the head and ran down the dorsum. This thing was terrifying.

  I cried out and swung my sword at the beast. It pulled away from my attempted hits with deftness and anticipation. The spiked head twisted and struck at me, slicing deep into my left arm. I tried to jump away but ended up falling backwards as the beast’s teeth found their mark and forced me to respawn at the bottom of the ladder. I sucked in several breaths to reduce the pain. I wasn’t going to let this beast end me. This time, I armed myself with the throwing knives and aimed them directly at the eyes. Hit after hit surrounded the eyes with bloody slits. Finally, I was able to hit one right in the center. The creature screeched and pulled away while the streaming black blood polluted crystal-clear waters.

  The serpent came back at me seconds later trying to wrap me up inside its coils. I jumped out of the way and scaled the coils as I ran up the back of the beast keeping away from the razor spines. It shook and dove underwater to toss me off, but I held on. When it came back up to the surface, I reached the top of its head. Just before I could jam a knife into the spinal cord, it threw me off and drug me far under the surface. My oxygen indicator switched from green, to yellow, to red. Pain spread through my chest and my head felt as if it would burst. Minutes ticked by as I struggled to get to air but I was unsuccessful once again and respawned near the ladder.

  Before I tried to fight the beast this time, I surveyed my pack and secured the cloak of invisibility so it wouldn’t slide down and reveal my location. I walked closer to the water’s edge and placed weapons around the area and grabbed a torch before I got close enough to engage the Silver Ophidian. When the head lifted from the fluid, I tossed the torch directly at it causing the dark snake oil to splatter on the beast and light it on fire. It recoiled once again and screeched in pain. Before it could make another move, I threw the knives into the eyes and ran around grabbing each of the weapons to hurtle at it causing gaping wounds and black blood to spurt once again. It dropped underwater to extinguish the flames and then quickly returned to the surface. I ran hard and jumped onto its back. It spun and dropped below the surface as it had previously, but I let go immediately and waded in the water watching it slink around below to ready myself for its return. I could see it circling and then rushing upwards toward me. I waited until just a few seconds before the open mouth came for me and turned my body around in the water so I would be hit in the feet by the forehead.

  I braced for impact and grabbed two of the spines to remain perched on the face of my enemy. The Ophidian dropped its head parallel with the water and I swung onto its neck, sliding the blade of the letter opener into its spine. Immediately, the green stone burst into a brilliant orb of light and crackling bolts of green lightning shot through the beast. It shook violently and then fell lifelessly into the churning pool. I watched as it dropped to the bottom of the cistern and then evaporated leaving behind trinkets for me to retrieve. I took a deep breath and before diving toward my prizes. The first one I reached was a shimmering scale the size of my hand. When I touched it, gill slits opened in my neck and I began to breathe underwater. My oxygen indicator changed from green to blue and stayed full. I slipped the scale into a pocket and continued collecting crystals, coins, and a Bismuth. I found the letter opener in a corner and grabbed that too. It was too beautiful to leave, and it would likely fetch a high price if I needed money. On my map a crystalline tower warp point formed in the center of the room and I knew I’d finished the main objective here.

  As I continued swimming through the fluid, I realized that the outlets in some areas had been blocked by massive egg sacks. I pulled a few of the eggs off and put them inside a pouch in case they were valuable. Next, I pulled out a small knife to carve off the remaining sticky eggs. Water rushed out when the eggs floated away from the grates. I continued to swim around and removed each and every blockage on all of the outlets. The water level dropped and by the time I reached the main room I’d come from, there was a well that had now been uncovered. Large rocks blocked the cover of the well and when I removed them, I could see a viscous blue fluid filling the small reservoir. This had to be the Aqua Pura Cygnet told me about. I rummaged through my pack once again to find as many glass jars as I could. I only had six so filled each one of them to the brim with the cobalt Aqua Pura before capping them and placing them inside pouches in my pack. I had one last idea before I decided to leave. I pulled a cup from my pack and filled it with Aqua Pura. Instead of drinking it, I dumped it into the cistern to see what would happen.

  As I predicted, the cupful of liquid rapidly changed the surrounding water into Aqua Pura. I walked back into the cistern and ducked below the surface to find an easier way out of the palace. I swam some distance before I finally found a small hole in one of the grates that was large enough for me to wriggle through. The water picked up speed and pushed me faster into the moat that surrounded the palace. When I pulled myself up on the bank, I looked back at the stone structure. Instead of being desolate, it was now filled with joyful people who had been raised from th
e dead when the Aqua Pura had touched their bones that had been strewn about inside the moat.

  I sat watching them for several minutes as I considered what to do next. I knew that Jinx wanted me to contact her as soon as I could however, I was enjoying being alone in the game. None the other Stroyans would bother to interact with me because they were all scouts, thieves, and spies too. None of us would ever trust another Stroyan either because each of us knew what our race was meant to do and there could be no loyalty among thieves. Even the other races would be unlikely to trust any of us, but they needed us for a variety of reasons. I knew I’d have to dig up dirt on all the other players to keep them from getting rid of me if they ever decided I was a liability or no longer necessary and I wasn’t wanting to tackle that task just yet. For the time being, I’d just join the party.

  Chapter 6 – Phineas

  Before I met Jinx, I had been unsure of what to do. My planet, Kaplya was a gelatinous glowing blob with pools of clear liquid with underwater vents emitting bubbling sulfur gas into the atmosphere. Everything had an internal light ranging from pale yellows to deep greens, but not much else. Instead of fighting enemies, my objectives were to learn to create and control Calabi-Yau manifolds. I spent countless hours learning about the makeup of the universe, how everything was connected by energy tracts of heat and cold, and how to resonate with the particles around me to allow me to move from place to place through the manifolds. Eventually, I was able to manipulate space by touching the tips of my two front legs and drawing a circle. I could bristle the hair on my antennae and force the matter around me to shift and vibrate to create shields and distort the view of others while I escaped.