Banished Pt. 03

"Of course, you are; playboy," she added, winking, and I sighed again.

"Do you really intend to duel Caleb?" Casey asked. "Even with superior armor, better fighters always win."

"I'm not really trying to 'fight honorably' here, or anything. The duel will hopefully let the others let their guard down. As soon as the hostages are safe, I say we attack them with everything we've got."

"That's more like it," Francesca said, winking at Casey, and Casey nodded, eyeing me carefully.

Francesca wandered off, doing a few lunges and getting herself acquainted with her weapon and gear.

"What?" I asked, noticing Casey's eyes still on me.

"Nothing. I'm still trying to figure you out," she explained.

"Are you gonna keep your promise?" I asked, and she sighed.

She took my left hand and placed it on her chest, over her heart, and my implant began to glow.

"Nathan, I pledge myself to you," she said. "Assign me a name, in recognition of my pledge."

"Can I just use your name?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"It can be anything, but it'll be the name you use when you command me as your servant."

I thought about it for a second, then nodded.

"Cassandra," I said, and I gasped as the familiar feeling of Casey's shadowy form appeared in my mind, just as it had with the princess earlier that day.

Was this what the princess had done? I thought.

Pledged herself into servitude?

"What exactly is the extent of my control over you?" I asked.

"When you think of my name, in your mind; you'll see an image of me as I am, even if we're on other sides of the planet from each other. Concentrate on any part of me, and you can cause me varying degrees of pain, unless I do as you wish."

I studied her, as she explained.

"You must have really wanted that revenge, huh?"

She sighed.

"I dunno... maybe," she replied.

She looked off into the distance, a sad look in her eyes.

"We're never leaving this place. So... what does it even matter?"

Casey wandered off, and I took up my place at the entrance to the little encampment, but as time seemed to wear on, and eventually, the sun began to sink low in the sky, Caleb's group never came.

"Auslander," Gisela called to me, as she approached, cautiously. "If we are to arrive before dark, we should depart this place."

I turned, looking around at the camp.

"If we had to stay here for a night, would we be fine?" I asked, and she rubbed her chin, apprehensively.

"I will consult the runners. There is better knowledge amongst them than mine."

She walked over to a group of Kobalt, and after speaking for a bit, she returned.

"They say dangerous monsters do not venture near. The Auslanders can easily slay anything that could arrive. The danger is fake-gods. The robber, hunter, trader; often pass by stream."

I nodded.

"Do we have enough supplies? For everyone" I asked, and she nodded.

"The runners carry enough rations for three nights march. It will be enough for tonight; and we can resupply tomorrow."

As we passed the food around, Vanessa's group seemed initially reluctant to eat, but Jeannie began speaking to the others, and soon enough, they began to come around.

"What do we do with the girls? Tie them up?" Francesca asked, and I pondered the matter as Casey came over to join us.

"No. I don't want to cement our status to them as an enemy. One guard with a weapon should be enough to keep watch. I don't want the Kobalt to do it, though... it might set a bad precedent about them as a people. Can you and Casey do it in shifts?"

Casey shook her head.

"Francesca is your second fighter. The two of you need to sleep at the same time. I can keep watch, and when the girls sleep, I can take a break, and you can let your green buddies keep a lookout. Just get them to wake me up if anything happens."

"I guess," I conceded. "What do we do with Vanessa?" I asked. "I get the feeling that she might cause problems if we keep her around the others."

"Yeah... maybe you can get your goblin girlfriend to watch her," Casey said, and Francesca shot me a suggestive look.

"Ooh la la. The princess, and her handmaiden? I can't leave you alone for one night, can I?"

I pretended to ignore Francesca's interjection, as I waved Gisela over.

I figured it would be best to set up a shift system for the Kobalt to keep watch as well, but she insisted that they would not require rest for the night.

"Even at your suggestion, Auslander; the runners will not rest for a journey lasting one day-cycle. It is the custom."

Francesca was shooting suggestive glances between me and Gisela, so I quietly pulled her aside.

"The girl in that tent. Can you keep an eye on her?" I asked, and she nodded.

"She is dangerous?" Gisela asked, and I nodded in response.

"Don't give her the chance to pull any stunts," I said.

When Casey wasn't looking, I also gave Gisela one of my cloaks to cover Vanessa up, and I noticed her looking at me uncomfortably.

"That ritual you performed... with the angry eyed goddess. Was that one of punishment?" Gisela asked, and I sighed.

"Yes."

She shifted uncomfortably.

"I never imagined such rituals could be used to inflict suffering," she said. "Is this the way of the Gods?"

I shook my head quickly.

"No. I was against it, but Casey... the angry-eyed one, as you call her. She has important knowledge. I did it to appease her."

She glanced over at Casey.

"What did the dangerous goddess do to deserve the punishment?" Gisela asked.

"She forced Casey to engage in a ritual against her will," I explained, and Gisela nodded, understanding.

"Then her punishment was her own crime? The Gods are truly wise."

As we spoke, darkness fell, and Francesca came over to join me as Gisela set out to keep an eye on Vanessa.

"We should sleep, you know," Francesca said, and I nodded.

We headed to one of the tents, and I inspected the inside.

Earlier I had noticed sleeping bags in a few of the tents, but as I began to prepare to get some rest Francesca offered a suggestion.

"You know, it's not particularly cold outside... even at night. Can we sleep out there?"

I eyed her, questioningly, and she shrugged.

"My dad always promised me to go camping; to sleep under the stars. But we never did," she explained.

"Sure. Why not?" I conceded.

We dragged our sleeping bags out to the elevated bit of land that jutted out just above the stream, and began to settle in.

As we looked up at the stars, Francesca made a little humming noise.

"I never looked at the stars like this before," she said. "Eighteen years of life on earth and I don't think I looked at the stars even once."

"Where did you live? In a big city?"

I glanced over as she nodded in response.

"You can't even see the stars like this from the cities," I explained. "The lights hide them away."

"Oh~. Did you and someone special take a romantic trip to the countryside and stargaze?" she teased, and I snickered.

"No... I kind of did the same thing as you, just for longer."

"It's nice," she noted, and I eyed her as she literally stared off into space. "Do you ever feel as if you're just... small, and insignificant?"

I shrugged.

"In reality, we probably are. But I don't really feel that way most of the time."

"Of course not," she said, a little smirk on her face. "You know, I felt a lot smaller when you left. It's like I just went back to being a scared, little kid."

"Having the presence of mind to leave me a message was a pretty strong move. Besides, being scared in this situation is normal," I reminded her, and she sighed.

"I know... I thought acting tough would make me seem cool, but I really am scared. You know... I was right there when they did those things to Casey. All I could think was that they would probably do that to me as well... Just that thought, and I was paralyzed with fear."

"Oh? Is that why you supported Casey's revenge case?" I asked, and she nodded.

"I wanted to see you break her... like they did to Casey. But it wasn't the same at all. Even when you hurt her, you were nowhere near to the level of savageness Caleb acted with. Psychopath or not."

"I think I feel a little insulted," I replied, and she snickered.

"Well... we are gonna be fighting him soon. So, just keep it in mind?"

Francesca shivered a little as she spoke.

"You don't have to fight, you know," I offered, and she shook her head.

"I want to. I've depended on people all my life, just as I did with you on our first day here. I want to fight, to prove my worth."

"You don't need to prove anything to me," I said.

"Not you. To myself," she clarified.

She didn't speak again, and soon enough... I drifted off to sleep.

***

A familiar chill ran through my spine as I shot upright and into wakefulness.

"Francesca," I said, shaking her awake, and she woke up with a start as well. "Go get Casey."

She nodded, and I headed quickly towards Gisela's tent.

"They're coming," I told her, and she nodded, darting off to signal the watchers.

All of the fighters gathered with me at the center of the camp, but as we waited, no-one seemed to come.

"Can he tell if they leave?" Francesca asked, and Casey shook her head.

"The 'danger sense' ability only detects approaching danger."

We waited for several more minutes, when in the distance, we heard a cry, and less than a minute later, two of the Kobalt came towards us with Jordan and Nolan in custody.

The two wore expressions of fear, but as they spotted us, it was replaced by a visible look of relief.

"You came for us?" Jordan began, as Nolan looked around.

"Where's Cameron," he said.

"Safe. With their people," I responded, gesturing toward the Kobalt.

Nolan seemed unsatisfied with the explanation, but quickly let it go.

"How did you get away from Caleb?" Francesca asked, and Jordan bit his lip, nervously.

"We didn't. There's another otherworlder. Like us. He killed Caleb and the other two."

"And Vince?" Francesca asked.

"He left him at the edge of the town."

"And he just let you go?" Casey asked, and Jordan shot Nolan a quick look, and he nodded.

"He wants you," Nolan said, staring at Casey, and as she backed away, she bumped into me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He said he's hunting Casey. He'll let us all live if we give her up."

"No... you can't let them," she began, hyperventilating, and I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"Relax," I said to her, before turning to Nolan. "How does he know she's here?"

"He has a little tracking device," Nolan explained, and I let out a sigh.

There goes running as an option.

"A tracking fob... I'm fucked," Casey said, falling to her knees.

Tears were streaming down her face, as she looked up at me, helpless and afraid.

"The otherworlder. He's alone?" I asked, and Nolan raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah...

"And what kind of weapon did he fight with?"

"A spear... wait, you're not seriously considering fighting?" Nolan said. "He killed Caleb and the others like they were nothing."

"We have the advantage in numbers," I explained, and he ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. "Casey. What tier are most survivors."

"Two, to three," she said, her voice sounding hollow and deflated.

"Gisela. Have the Kobalt hold off until I signal," I ordered, and she nodded.

I turned to the Kobalt runner who had been chosen to fight with one of our spears.

"What's his name again? The one with the spear?"

"Franz," Gisela answered, and I nodded.

"Tell him to make slashing attacks with the spear, aimed at the chest," I said, and she nodded, relaying the command.

"Francesca. Time your attacks to land just after he attacks, okay?" I said.

As I turned to Casey, I noticed her hands were shaking.

"Can either of you fight?" I asked, turning to Nolan and Jordan, and Jordan nodded, so I relieved Casey of her spear, which she relinquished without complaint, and handed it to Jordan.

"Attack in tandem with Francesca," I said, and he nodded, gripping the spear firmly.

As I turned around, I caught sight of the approaching figure in the distance, his armor glowing a pale grey against the blanket of darkness.

It's the man from earlier, I thought, as he came nearer, and I quickly put my helmet on.

"Two sets of armor? I fucking hate you guys," the man called, as soon as he was near enough to catch sight of me.

He carried a sack as he walked, and as he came closer, he threw it onto the ground, and it fell with a noisy metallic 'clank'.

"You can have your friend's armor too," he said, indicating to the sack. "Just hand over the girl."

I shook my head, readying my halberd, and he smirked.

He spit at the ground, then without warning; he charged in, thrusting his spear at the weak point in my armor near my shoulder.

As the attack came in, everything seemed to slow down, and I easily moved out of the way, countering with a thrust of my own at his chest.

Sparks flew as the point of my halberd glanced off of the armor, and I leapt to the left, circling him a bit, and trying to position him between me and the rest of the group.

"Even the other guy knew better than to throw attacks right at this armor," the man said, sneering at me derisively and thumping his chest with his armored fist.

His eyes darted momentarily to the rest of my group, as if anticipating an ambush from the sides, but as no attack came, he smirked, and charged at me again.

I got ready to evade the thrust of his spear, but this time instead, he closed the range, coming right up to me and using the butt end of his spear, he aimed a jab at my face and-

*Clang!

-my ears began to ring as the blow glanced off of my helmet, leaving a metallic ringing in my brain.

He followed up the surprise move with a slash at my knees, and I leapt backwards, just narrowly evading the blow; but he quickly followed me, and this time as he lunged, I evaded the tip of his spear and swung the bladed head of the halberd at his neck, and he leaned back, narrowly escaping decapitation.

He took a few leaps backwards, panting as he studied me.

"You're quick... too quick. That's no T-1 gear, is it?" he asked, and I smirked.

"Come kill me and you'll find out."

He grasped his spear, a different look in his eye now as he circled me.

Too late, I thought to myself, as I was now certain my plan would work.

I signaled to Gisela's guard; Franz, and the man momentarily eyed that direction as Franz charged, and I moved in as well to attack.

He smiled, ignoring Franz as he kept his eye on me, but as I pulled up short, he stabbed at my shoulder again, and as I evaded, he took in Franz's position, and spinning around, he stabbed at him.

Franz tried to evade, but he was much too slow, and the spear sliced through his shoulder; but even so, he sliced his spear in an arc, and the man cackled as he allowed the weapon to crash harmlessly into his breastplate.

Attacks from Jordan and Francesca immediately followed, and they both managed to strike, and get out of the range of his weapon's arc, and I charged in, stabbing at his chest again.

His eyes followed the trajectory of my weapon, and he took the blow to the back, stabbing immediately at me, and I winced as the blade grazed my shoulder.

I signaled to Gisela this time, and the man grimaced, as he steadied himself in preparation for whatever new onslaught we had planned; but as the first rocks crashed into him, he grinned.

"Useless," he muttered, and I signaled to Franz, as we all moved in to attack again.

I watched him carefully; one single counter attack was all it would take for him to end Jordan or Franz's lives, since neither wore armor; so I waited until they were poised to strike, before firing my attack at him.

This time, however, he focused on evading us as we struck; but he continued to ignore the swings at his breastplate, opting to counter attack after each strike, and as his spear sliced wickedly at Jordan's legs, I just narrowly managed to block the blow, allowing Jordan to retreat to safety.

The man tried to close in to me again, but this time I was ready, and as he jabbed at me, I slammed my own body into his breastplate, knocking him off his feet, and as he scrambled to his feet, stones striking him constantly, I stabbed at his breastplate; hard, and a blue wave of energy pulsed outwards from the piece of armor.

He seemed confused; overwhelmed. His eyes were flashing across to the various sources of attacks coming at him, but he was frozen in place; and as I sped in towards him, he didn't move, so I grabbed him by the neckline of his breastplate, and tugged with all my might.

As I ripped the breastplate off of his body, his jaw dropped, and his eyes went wide; but the expression was short lived as a spear burst through his chest, then sliced out of his side, and a spray of blood gushed forth from the massive wound.

He fell, and Francesca stood over him, her eyes wide as she took in the outcome of her own strike.

The fight was over, and the man's panicked eyes quickly darted between me, and the sack he threw down onto the ground.

"Heal... me," the man said, clutching at his side. "Green... vial."

I followed his gaze to his sack, and Casey quickly picked up the bag and rummaged through its contents.

Eventually she produced what appeared to be a syringe, containing a green, glowing liquid.

"I'll pledge," he pleaded, reaching his hand toward me, and I quickly looked to Casey for some guidance.

"He tried to kill us," she warned.

"He'll know a lot," I countered, and she sighed.

There was no time to deliberate... his life was fading, and fast.

I placed my hand against his chest.

"Nathan," I said, and he nodded.

"Nathan. I pledge... myself," he said, and my hand began to glow.

"I name you 'Walking corpse'," I said, and as the shadowy image of the man appeared in my head, I nodded to Casey, and she jabbed the needle into the man's chest, then injected the liquid into him.

He screamed out, seemingly in pain, and I stared with interest as the wound began to close up on itself.

He writhed about in agony as the wound healed, and when it was done, he went still, passing out.

It was done.

Francesca and Jordan were already on their knees, trying to recover from the heightened intensity of the fight; but Casey was rummaging through the bag, and this time, she pulled out a little, round device, attached to a chain.

"Well... how much are you worth?" I asked.

There were tears in her eyes, and she slumped down to the ground, letting the device slip from her fingers.

"Two thousand credits," she muttered. "I'm dead..."

"They can track you?" I asked, and she nodded blankly.

I pondered the info, then studied the implant on my wrist.

"This? Is this how they track you?" I asked, and as she nodded again, her eyes followed mine to the little dagger she carried, and a different look appeared in her eyes as she held her hand up.

***

"Does it hurt?" Francesca asked, as Casey cradled her arm.

She shook her head.

"Just feels numb," she said, and I studied her, as we walked.

Just above her wrist, and tightly wrapped in bandages, was a little stump where her left hand should be...

A small price to pay for her life, I guess.

"We've been walking for hours! How much further is it?" Francesca called out to me, and I glanced around.

"Not much longer," I replied, glancing around.

We'd seen the massive trees from off in the distance for at least twenty minutes now, but I couldn't quite tell which trees were part of the town and which weren't just yet.

We walked for a few more minutes when finally, I caught sight of the little bush which led to the city entrance, but to my surprise, there seemed to be a small gathering there, and as I caught sight of Cameron among them, my stomach tightened.