Data file 210: Data Vault

  Inventor: Killian Blade

  Type: Facility

  [The Outpost 42 Data Vault was created by the Terran Knight Killian Blade to amend the lack of historical records and datasets after his rule. It is now a mass storage facility for all recorded history on relics and weapons on Aljia, though Embershard citizens may access it at designated times.

  Note: Terran Knights are advised to place any and all information concerning the Shadowbane Amulet in this location.]

  ***

  “Okay, just slow down!” Sophia demanded. She paced from one end of her room to the other, listening to my usual, rambling method of presenting information.

  “You always interrupt me when I talk slower," I panted. She had a point, though. I was talking so fast it was exhausting me.

  She sighed as she sat on her bed, “The Shadowbane Amulet, you think it’s real?”

  “Undoubtedly; the situation with the dropship was one thing, but time energy obviously opened that cave.”

  “Coincidence, maybe?”

  “Not this time," I assured her. “I know I give false alarms frequently, but Gears agrees with me.” As I said this, she groaned as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. It almost was, given the circumstances.

  “Rasil,” she continued, “I have a war to win, and I can’t help you look for this thing.”

  “I’m not asking you to, just give me a ship and I’ll look for it myself.”

  Jason, who was standing in a corner of the room holding Sophia’s staff, interjected, “I can easily get Rasil to Outpost 42.” After a moment of a more neutral face, I smiled triumphantly. If he could do that, I could reach the outpost before the next attack and access the old data vault. Which was more than likely to have the information we needed.

  “There’s no stopping you, is there?” Sophia asked.

  “Nope," I answered. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Jason mouthing the same word. Some people never do change. Sophia studied my determined resolve and then agreed.

  ***

  Jason and I went to the hangar, where Gears was waiting for us. Gears said to me, “I’ve gotten everything loaded in a chopper and ready.”

  I responded, “Is a chopper better than a gunship?”

  “It’s one I made.”

  “So?”

  “Have you seen the stuff I build?”

  “Yes, and it builds on my concerns.”

  “Very funny, you know what you’re looking for?”

  “Yeah, an Amulet.”

  “I’m serious," he said. His tone indicated a problem with mine, so I stopped joking around.

  I silently let him tell me the plan: land at the Data Vault, get the coordinates of the Amulet if I can find them, and don’t tell anybody about its existence. But that was assuming racazoids didn’t try to stop us. And Outpost 42 was at the very edge of the border, straight in the line of fire. After Gears was done, he handed me a small box. “What’s this?” I asked him, opening the box.

  Contained inside was my old Q-3 recon pistol. “I thought you might need it after your gun broke," he said cautiously. He knew the pistol was a powerful weapon, but he also knew that I designed it just before the first attack, before my father...

  I shouldn’t let reminders of the past slow me down. I slipped the pistol into my right hand, its black-plated armor gleaming in the light. I probably couldn’t have asked for a better weapon.

  ***

  The chopper rumbled towards the outpost at the pace of... a lazy dog. Helios was, strangely, sitting on my head for nearly the entire flight, in an almost protective position. He hadn’t run off when I explained the situation and seemed eager to participate, free of pay. This was almost the weirdest part of the past week.

  Meanwhile, I sat staring out the window at the open expanse of jungle we were leaving behind. Towards the Western coast, the land changed rapidly. There were fewer trees, more hills, and a distinct smell of saltwater. A rocky plateau began where the plants ended. A beautiful, branching pattern of rivers could be seen weaving through the rocks and hills. I was disgusted. you could say that I feel homesick whenever I leave the terrain I was born in.

  Fortunately, we were headed to the Outpost 42 Data Vault. And in the distance, the outpost stood like a mighty tower in the surf. The waves on the coast could get to be almost fifty feet high, yet another reason I admired the construction of the city. These monstrous waves would simply crash harmlessly upon the massive walls surrounding the outpost, never touching any inside.

  After we landed, Gears, Helios, and I disembarked from the chopper alone, leaving it to the soldier escorts. Gears took the time to unexpectedly snatch his rifle and bring it with him. This disturbed me somewhat, as I had never known him to like combat. I decided to comment, “Find much dust on that rifle? You haven’t used it since we were kids.”

  Gears playfully responded, “Like when I decided to shoot you out of the air during a flight lesson?”

  “Hey!” I almost yelled. I stopped walking and turned towards him.

  “It was a stun shot. It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

  “Actually, I think my arm’s still sore!”

  ***

  The vault contained all the archives of our nation’s events. Everything that had ever happened in the Aljian Empire could be found in this massive library. While most civilians were denied access before noon, I had the all-access pass. I was free to browse the entire vault at four in the morning, I just never thought such a privilege would be useful, until now.

  Gears and I went to the sublevels to check the files on the Relic Wars. The Relic Wars had been fought over control of several magical artifacts located not long after humans arrived on Aljia. Among them were many objects rumored to control time, so I figured maybe the Shadowbane Amulet might have a similar file. Gears asked me while I was searching, “Why did you bring him along?”

  “Who?”

  “Helios.”

  “Because I think he might prove useful.”

  “Perhaps.” He cast Helios a suspicious glance. It was already out of character for Helios to be an ally; seeing me trust a known criminal must have been pretty weird. But it was also unlike Gears to question my crazy ideas with such a determined face.

  “What’s the matter, Gears? He might be genuinely invested in this, and he hasn’t done anything wrong yet.”

  Gears glared fiercely, stating, “He could be useful, but you didn’t bring him to, perhaps, change him, did you?” That’s what this was about! No wonder he seemed upset since finding us in the cave!

  “Maybe?” I shrugged, not wanting to argue.

  “There is no maybe, Rasil. He is a mercenary, and if you trust me at all, you’ll treat him as one.”

  He stormed into another section, yanked a file off a shelf, and started reading. Such an action from Gears was equivalent to anyone else exploding in anger.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Somehow I felt there was no point in continuing the conversation. But while I was pondering, Helios landed behind me, one leg clutching several files, and said, “Wow, It’s a good thing these aren’t paper, right? Digital screens display a ton more.” I turned and nodded as he went on to explain how the workers told him he could have the files for several weeks to search for evidence of relics, with verification from royalty. Out of the corner of my eye; however, I saw Gears scowling at him as if only for me to notice.

  I would have tried to talk again if warning sirens hadn’t started ringing through the building. The three of us rushed to the top of the internal vault and I said, “The racazoids might have figured out why we’re here.”

  “And they want the Shadowbane Amulet too," Gears agreed.

  I faced Helios, “Your cannon is operational?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’ll need it.”

  ***

  Gears said to me, “Rasil, you and the stupid bird help defend the gate.”

  Helios growled, but I nodded, then hurried down towards the entrance. The sounds of gunfire could be heard outside. I gripped my pistol and hoped that it still worked. The sounds intensified as I reached the front gate and took a position behind one of the corners.

  I pointed the pistol forward as the crystal in the chamber glowed a deep red. Helios readied his cannon and we both watched the gate. Gunfire could no longer be heard, which could only mean the guards were either victorious, or dead.

  The gate shook with a thunderous crash. “They have a bruiser!” I cried as the gate flew open and half a dozen racazoids marched through, led by the bruiser. It stood about twelve feet, and was holding a large chunk of metal as a weapon. I fired a bolt of energy from my pistol at one of the smaller racazoids. It exploded in its face, leaving nothing but scrap metal where the head had been.

  The others looked on in shock, until Helios fired at them. A hail of cannon blasts struck the racazoids. I laughed and fired another shot as the racazoids turned and ran. The bruiser held its ground, but Helios quickly grappled the beast’s face and fired into the eyes to distract it.

  I rushed to help, but stopped when I heard the growling. “Not again” I grimaced. A familiar silhouette appeared, and I saw Flameye step through the open gate, spotting me immediately. “I must admit I’m surprised to see you here," he said with a wicked grin. He lifted his claws intimidatingly and opened his mouth to continue the monologue, but I wasn’t in the mood to listen anymore, so I fired. Helios winced as he watched the blast hit, but when the dust settled, Flameye was still there. He said, “Oh, was that supposed to hurt?”

  An orange glow coursed through his body, and his eyes brightened. “Run!” I yelled to Helios.

  “I’m a bird, idiot! My legs are like twigs!”

  “Fly then!” I grabbed his leg and practically dragged him towards the nearest staircase. Footsteps sounded behind us as Flameye gave chase. “Don’t worry, I’m just here to find the location of the Amulet," he thundered. I turned and blasted him, but like the first time, the bolt did nothing to slow the advance.

  The sounds of more bruisers could now be heard echoing in our ears, the racazoids were invading the other gates as well. A full assault on this exact position definitely showed his desire to find the Shadowbane Amulet, and that it was his top priority.

  Helios and I rounded a corner and ducked into a storage room. Flameye was slow, and we had outrun him for now. When I heard Flameye digging through the files a floor above us, we decided to split up.

  I gripped his wing before he left and said, “Go help Gears.”

  “How do you now I won’t just fly off?” was the response.

  “Trust. Now go.”

  Helios’s eyes flashed green for a second, and he flew towards another staircase to find Gears, while I stayed. I could hear Flameye approaching now, so I surveyed the room I was in, looking for any terrain advantage. The room was barren, as it was an abandoned storage space. There were flat walls, no exposed wiring, and nowhere to hide except one computer console.

  Not my favorite kind of situation.

  The footsteps grew louder, and I saw the glow of fire outside. I readied my pistol, clutching it so tightly as I charged a blast. This was it. He was going to step through there and I was going to blow his smug face off! The footsteps grew closer and closer.

  Flameye poked his head through the doorway and immediately spotted me. Before I could respond, his wings flapped and propelled him forward. I grunted from the shock and fell as his fist pummeled me to the floor. I tried to get up, but he simply flapped his massive wings again and blew me down. Amused, he continued the back and forth until I managed to rise, then I sprinted to the side, scoring several shots just below his chest.

  He swung a clawed hand that whipped over my head as I ducked. His claws were out now, so I had to avoid any further contact with his hands. Next, he pounced at me and puffed fire from his mouth, but I dodged again, reaching the console. The gust of wind from his wings fanned the flames harder, but he stopped before the console melted.

  Excellent, I was now only mostly in mortal danger.

  “I would kill you now,” he informed me, “were it not for my sense of pride.” Taking a peek from behind the console, I saw him leaning casually against the wall, wings folded.

  “What do you have to be prideful of?” I asked him calmly, trying to recover while we talked. Besides, sometimes, Flameye shows his hand at the beginning of the hunt to give his prey false hope. Maybe I could use that.

  “I have this," he answered, as he lifted one of the files. They weren't exactly labeled when you had the raw data, so I simply stared for a moment.

  While considering my options, I admitted, “I don’t get it.”

  “You see, Rasil, I am one of the few who has used the Shadowbane Amulet before. Though it was certainly a long time ago. I knew very well the human who took it from me, and since his file was stored in the same place, I knew where to find the right information.”

  He sighed in relief, then went on, “Make no mistake, I know you’re recovering right now, but soon your strength will hardly matter to anyone! As soon as I read this, I will find the Amulet and use it to bring an end to the filth of your kingdom, a kingdom built upon the fragile dreams of the five Terran Knights!”

  Call me overemotional, but I lost it. Almost by itself, my pistol blasted bolt after bolt at Flameye, my wrist twisting and swinging the weapon as if it were a dagger. He blocked the first volley with his armored gauntlet and swiped with the other claw. It missed me by a good distance as I jumped back and kept firing.

  This time, a bolt struck his heat vent below his ribs, rupturing his temperature system. He staggered backwards and started to breathe fire. I noticed it coming, rolled to the side, and let off the strongest burst of attacks I had ever fired from a gun. The sound resembled a chainsaw as I let loose the full power of the gun’s internal crystal. The projectiles soared towards him and hit the side of his head. An inhuman shout of pain followed. Brimming with adrenaline, I vented my gun and charged to fire another shot in a moment, but then I stopped.

  I saw a cracked metal horn on the ground next to him. His face was scarred from the explosion, and the horn that had been on the left side of his head was no longer there. His shielding had been overwhelmed for a brief moment, and my final shot had torn the entire armor plate off!

  His jaw shook. In a burst of fury, he sprayed more flames at me. I ducked beneath the stream and rolled back to my cover behind the computer console. Flameye was reasonably upset now, so he kept the flames going. The heat grew and grew, and then finally dissipated.

  Flameye was no longer attacking. When I peeked around the console, he wasn’t there. I stood and remembered that Flameye still had the file, but when I rushed out of the room, all I saw was the vault ablaze as racazoids stormed through it. The guards were holding the center point of the area, and seemed relatively safe for now, but the racazoids already had what they needed. Flameye had escaped, and he had the location of the amulet.

  I swiftly ran upstairs, keeping out of sight, to find Gears and Helios. The communication relay wouldn’t work when I tried it, so I headed to the nearest exit from where I split off from them. Running through the tunnels on the far side, I suddenly saw something. I fell on my knees as I picked up Gears’s sniper rifle.

  I held the rifle in my hands, shaking my head to reassure myself that Gears was fine. He had to be, he was smarter than me, so he had to be. The sound of footsteps spurred me into action. I rolled behind the nearest possible corner just as a squad of racazoids walked by. Linking the rifle to the magnetic holster on my back, I formulated a path out of the room. While I could beat one, I wasn’t sure I could beat them all at once, and if they brought in another bruiser, I’d have an even worse time. Stealth was optimal.

  Something grabbed my arm, and I was pulled into a small tunnel inside the wall. I wrestled the claw off and turned to see Helios.

  “Come on," he whispered.

  “RIght," I replied. I drew my gun and pointed it behind us cautiously as we crawled down the passageway. He didn’t notice my sigh of relief at seeing him alive.

  As I followed him, I remembered where we were. The building had been originally designed for more uses than as an archive, and had many utility tunnels running through it. Ours was headed for the outer barrier, past the racazoid blockades.

  I whispered, “Helios, synchronize your emergency beacon with mine. Jason can screen the building for an air strike once you’re in the sky again.”

  “Any way to catch up to Flameye?”

  “He’s too far ahead, and electrosense vision is a high level technique, so I can’t track him myself.”

  “Go figure," he chuckled.

  We reached one of the grates in the wall, so I leaned on my side and kicked it. The metal collided with my boot and gave way. Helios gave a mildly impressed look as the grate fell to the ground, then we both dropped out.

  We had moved down a full three levels of the building using the tunnel, leaving us outside of the battle. So why did I hear footsteps? I got worried again. Readying my weapon, I ran to the nearest hallway. Helios followed close behind, pointing back us with his cannon.

  I heard a rattle in the ceiling and we both stopped. I charged a shot and waited. More banging and rattling came from the ceiling. The sound grew louder as we aimed at the the panels above.

  To my surprise, it wasn’t a racazoid. Rather, Gears tumbled on top of me. Helios chortled as I fell to the ground beneath Gears. The panel above us was left dangling from a single hinge, while a plasma saw clattered to the ground. I guess that explains his rifle getting left behind.

  He just couldn’t fit it inside the vent...

  “Ooow," I coughed as Gears helped me up.

  “Rasil," he scoffed, “Where on Aljia have you been?” Internally I answered, ‘Fighting Flameye, how about you?!’ That probably wouldn’t help the situation, though.

  I stood back up and warned gravely, “Flameye has one of the files.”

  “Which one?” Gears questioned.

  “The one with coordinates to the Shadowbane Amulet.”