Escape

Almost immediately the sound of gunfire racketed through Blade's ears. She dropped to the floor, reflexively, ducking behind a pillar and yanking out her pistol. She pulled the trigger rapidly, taking out the three guards on the gantries with five well-aimed shots, swinging around and throwing out a burst of Will, sending two more on the opposite side flying back into the sea.

Garth stood firm in the middle of the platform, his Will lines glowing fiercely in the low light. He raised his hands, and light pulsed around him, a deep, golden light, and then he pushed it out, sharply.

Blade ran over to him, following the light with her eyes, "Wait, what... what are you doing?"

"Watch."

He pushed the light further, and then fire came out of his hands, not the fireballs she was used to, fire in huge, long streaks, streaming across the sky like blades, pummelling down on two of the three boats in the quay. The effect was overwhelming; fire burned across the decks and snapped the bows completely in half, the boats folding in on themselves and sinking, cracked, down to the sea.

Garth lowered his arms, his eyes moving over the carnage he had wrought, "I fear perhaps I was a little over zealous..."

Blade looked at them for a moment, eyes wide, and then turned to him, "You blew up a boat! You blew up two boats!"

He glanced at her, "Intimidating?"

She shook her head, still amazed, "Well yeah! Nothing says 'stay out of my way' better than blowing up a method of transportation!" she shook her head and laughed, not without a slight tinge of nervousness, "Oh, Garth, I like you."

"Thank you. Shall we proceed?"

She shook her head again, and moved past him, drawing her pistol and fluidly shooting the nearest Spire guard through the forehead. The next ran towards her far too quickly, and she easily speared him with her sword, spinning around and taking out the next in the same smooth movement. This new blade was far more suited to her tastes, deceptively light with a broader blade, and much stronger, with a fierce, augmented kick.

Before long, Blade was completely swallowed up in the battle, hearing the fights bursting out between Garth and others around her, the smell of blood and the sound of screaming clouding her senses. The constant fighting was both wearying and exhilarating, and the unexpected strength of the Spire Guards was keeping her on her toes.

Blade slashed her sword around, cutting a soldier behind her straight in the stomach. He leant over, reflexively, blood pouring from both the wound and his mouth, and she yanked her sword back again and rammed it straight into the middle of his forehead. She didn't stop to watch, instead choosing to pull her sword around again, taking a quick step back as the watching guard deflected it, and then driving it deep into his throat.

Ooh, that's a lot of blood... her mind 'informed' her, impulsively, and she immediately crushed the thought back down. Maybe it wasn't their fault. Maybe it was their collars that had turned them into the monsters they were now. But that didn't change the fact that they were attacking her, and she needed to get past them to get out of this place.

She shook her head in a mostly symbolic gesture to rid herself of any lingering squeamishness, and then hacked off a nearby guard's hand without even the slightest hesitation. Another fell to the ground, and she ended it with a swift stab to the stomach. The chipped blade caught in the guard's carcass, so she put a foot on his chest, yanking it back with a distasteful squelch.

"On your right!"

She reached out without thinking and threw out a hand, the bubble of power sending the guard screaming over the edge and down into the sea.

She glanced up, shaking her blood-stained hair out of her eyes, shooting Garth a small smile of thanks. They were almost at the boat, almost clear. She pulled out her pistol and shot two more men that were guarding it, and then moved over to it, quickly, putting a foot onboard and clambering up, holding onto the railing, throwing bolts of lightning at the guards still onboard.

She jumped back off and then turned around, swiftly, her eyes catching onto Garth. He was fighting solely with his Will, throwing fireballs and bolts of lightning at his opponents, a shimmering field around him protecting him from attacks and three golden ghost-swords deflecting the guards' assaults.

Blade turned back to the ship, throwing off the ropes that moored it, chucking them deftly aboard. Then she turned to the group of men, the new recruits, and gestured to the ship, urgently, "Well, go on, then, get onboard! Get this ship ready! Hurry, go go go!"

She turned again, one foot on the deck the other on the pier, "Garth, we're leaving, come on!"

She pulled out her pistol and shot the man he was fighting against in the chest. He doubled over, and Garth deftly finished him with a pulse of lightning.

Then he turned, urgently, and began running towards the ship. She held out a hand and helped him up, pulling him down onto the deck just as the guys pulled up the anchor, readying the ship for passage. He shot her a small smile and she returned one, and then quickly turned to the man at the helm, "Get this thing moving, Captain!"

The guy nodded, quickly, and the floor juddered as the boat left its quay.

Blade grabbed wood, stabilising herself, and then shook her head, wearily, "Looks like it's gunna be a bumpy journey."

"We can dock at Oakfield." The 'Captain' said, slowly, "But the wind is low. It will take at least a week to get there."

"Really?" she thought about it, and then shook her head, slowly, "Well. We'll see about that."

Garth glanced at her, "Your Will is rusty," he said, neutrally, "Can you be sure of not hitting the ship?"

She shook her head, slowly, "Only one way to find out, right? Get me a shield up."

He paused for a moment, and then nodded, closing his eyes and calling on his Will.


Blade sat down, her hands resting on her knees, her eyes fluttering closed. She felt the first breath of wind on her neck, cold, carrying the sharp, salty smell of sea air. She concentrated, feeling more flutters of air, growing stronger until it was constant at her back. She felt cold go over her as the sky clouded, black thunderclouds moving over them. She started to shiver.

"What the heck is she doing?" one man whispered, and she could hear the unease in his voice.

She shook her head, frowning slightly, forcing herself to concentrate. She heard the first crash of thunder, and rain trickled down over her, making her shiver even more. She opened her eyes, looking up at the sky, allowing the rain to pour down her face. She relished the feeling. She hadn't felt fresh rain for some time.

She forced out more, more power, and she heard the sails getting whipped back against their masts behind her. A thick streak of lightning cracked across the sky, followed quickly by a roar of thunder. The wind had picked up, throwing her hair to the sides, spraying cold rain across her face, soaking her through. Another bolt, another crash. The storm was strong now, very strong, they were rocketing along, Garth's shield only just protecting them from the tempest around them. The Captain was managing to keep them steady, but only just.

"I can't hold her for much longer!" he yelled, his voice harsh over the sound of the wind, "You've got to calm it down!"

Blade shook her head, barely listening to him. She had to push, had to go harder, faster, they had to get away from that place.

The world outside these marvellous walls is a corrupt, rotting husk. Reason is absent. Instead of order... there is chaos.

She shook her head, feeling panic break out in the people around her, not caring. She frowned, her teeth digging into her lip, blood trickling down her neck, her hands clenched into fists on the floor.

You stand in the centre of a great instrument of change. With it I shall remake the world, and my creation shall be unrecognisable... in its perfection.

You are Recruit 273. That number is not random - it was assigned to you because I have broken two-hundred and seventy-two recruits before you. You are nothing more... than the next link in the chain.

Her whole body tensed, pain moving through her, feeling the wind whip violently around the ship, the whole vessel shaking, groaning, swaying dangerously. But she couldn't stop. She had to keep going.

You will obey! You must obey!

A hand landed on her arm. She glanced at it, and then followed it to its source. Garth nodded at her, slowly, soothingly, "It's okay. It's alright. We made it. Let go."

She looked up at him for a moment. And then nodded.

The rain dried up. The lightning stopped. The hurricane around them faded to a strong wind, enough to keep them going at a fast pace. She let out a long, slow breath.

Garth gave her a small, encouraging smile, "There. Feeling better?"

She nodded, slowly, "Much."

He held out a hand and helped her to her feet, "We're leaving it, Blade. We're leaving it all behind."

She nodded, slowly. She turned, and watched the Spire, already quite far away, sink into the distance. She turned to him, her eyes locking onto his. Then she looked back again.

But it's not the only thing I'm leaving. She thought, slowly.