Skyborne Raider

*Blast*

*Rainfall noise*

Astrid screams in terror as her partner disappears in the blink of an eye.

*Bloody, heavy rain falls on us for a few seconds.* I keep my mouth and eyes shut, trying not to breathe.

*Mike's saber spins on the ground.*

“Now get the hell out!” the merchant says angrily.

Frightened to death, I quickly grab the spinning saber and Astrid by the hand. We run away from the shack. She’s shaking from shock and can’t walk anymore.

“Astrid, I know. Please, pull yourself together. He’ll be alright. Back at the starting point.” I try to calm her down by reasoning.

“At least his first time wasn’t painful at all, look at me!” Blood and tiny pieces of flesh are all over my front and in my hair. Astrid is soaked with blood and matter. As she trembles, tiny pieces of intestines slide off her.

I try to wipe the blood and flick pieces of meat from my hair and hers too. Wiping the blood from my shirt with my bare hands only makes it worse, soaking it further into the fabric.

We’re almost completely covered in red. It smells terrible—raw and nauseating. I nearly vomit but hold it in for her sake.

I drag her down the road and into the tall grass. “Do as I do.”

I lay down in the tall grass and start rolling from side to side. It cleans me as best it can. She does the same, and we sit for a bit among the long stems.

At least we’re somewhat safe. After a few moments of processing, she starts to speak.

“You saw that too, for a brief moment? Right?”

“You mean that long French-sounding name, starting with ‘Sir’ and ending with a three-digit level number?”

“Then yes,” I answer.

“That means he’s the same as us?” She shakes her head.

“It seems like it. All those missing limbs and everything suspicious. It’s just speculation, but it all seems to fit together,” I guess.

We talk for a bit, speculating about the guy, trying to process what just happened.

“He’ll be alright, well-rested at the fire. Believe me.” I comfort her again before we move on.

We’re walking down the path, almost forgetting about the knight.

“That damn knight again. We just need to wait until he does his patrol and then run!”

“Crouch and take a breath,” I say, leading the way.

The knight stares into the distance for a while before starting to walk left at the crossroads, opposite where the forest we slept in is. He’s almost halfway across the meadow from the crossroads.

“Wait, wait. A bit more.” Crouched in the tall grass, I whisper to Astrid.

“Would it be dumb to try attacking him with our new weapons?” She hesitates.

“I know. You want to try shooting at him. There’s a small chance you’ll hit an unprotected spot. His armor seems very tight, even at the joints. And after that, you’d never recover those arrows.” I shake my head in disagreement. She nods.

The knight starts to turn around, probably ready to march back to the center of the crossroads. He’ll stand there too long for us to wait. Mike could storm in and unleash another unwanted battle in the meantime.

I tighten my shoelaces, dried blood cracking and falling off them.

“Now!” I whisper.

We both stand up and sprint like madmen. Ignoring everything around us, I occasionally check on Astrid. She’s a bit slower, but only because of her shorter legs. He’s spotted us. I don’t know this by sight but by the loud sound of metal plates grinding against each other. He must be sprinting.

Not turning around, just focusing on the distance, I concentrate on running. The sound of metal grows louder, and I imagine all the terrible scenarios. Is this guy a terminator? How the hell can he catch up to us in that armor? The increasing stress pumps more adrenaline; I’m going beyond my limits.

Astrid is slim and fitter than me. Despite her size, she outruns me.

Her casual summer dress flutters in front of me, and occasionally, a piece of mud hits my face from her sneakers. Thank God we’re not in the 90s. Combining Nikes with dresses would be a faux pas, and she’d definitely be wearing shoes impossible to jog in.

At least I don’t need to worry about her and can focus on my own struggles. The pain in my chest becomes unbearable, and despite breathing like a bull, I can’t get enough oxygen.

Just before I faint and collapse like a sack of potatoes, I notice the sound stops. Coasting on inertia, I finally stop and throw myself into the tall grass. I hope no nutria jumps out; that would be a hell of a coincidence.

“Mike. Mike! Are you there?” Astrid shouts, jogging towards the flame.

Breathing heavily I feel ashamed as something whistles in my chest. I lean my arm over my knee.

“I woke up. *Inhale* Over there, at the bowl. *Inhale* I don’t understand it. *Inhale* How could he have left so fast? *Inhale*” Damn. Darth Vader without a mask sounds healthier.

“What if he’s at the other one? In the cave,” Astrid suggests, clearly worried.

“Why? Because we visited it last? *Inhale*” I reply, curious.

“The flame and the bowl are identical; I checked out the cave one thoroughly. It could be a checkpoint of some sort.” Astrid suggests, considering the possibility.

“Good point. We can return, but only as a backup. Your partner is fit and knows how to handle things.” I suggest.

“Eh, come on.” She shrugs, waving her arm dismissively.

We’re squatting in the grass near the knight’s position, peeking through the stems. I kneel on one knee to avoid the pressure and the inevitable fart.

A few moments pass, and meanwhile, I keep peeling off pieces of Mike from my clothes. Astrid looks extremely worried.

I bet she’s thinking, what if not everyone comes back? I don’t interfere or try to reassure her; I’m not sure myself.

Her expression finally changes as she focuses on the horizon. A relieved smile appears on her face, and she visibly relaxes. The wrinkles on her forehead fade as she spots Mike’s silhouette.

“Listen! Grab these rocks. What if he engages the knight? I bet a good shot could dent that armor, at least.” I suggest, burying my fingers deep in the soil, fishing for the largest stones.

No. God, please. Just go and sneak! I try to manipulate him with my eyes alone. He keeps walking straight, not noticing us. Astrid sighs.

I hold up my folded shirt, filled with rocks and pebbles.

“Come and face me!”

“Aaargh!”

*Clang*

*Ring*

Mike’s saber bounces off the shiny, heavy metal cuirass. There are no visible gaps. He stands no chance. This calls for blunt weapons. This knight could only be taken down one way—compressed into a cube.

“Wait. What the heck! Didn’t we take the saber?” We look at each other, confused. I quickly open my inventory and check the miniature. His saber is still present.

The knight reaches for his claymore on his back. A quick nod is enough, and we know what to do.

Standing up, rushing to a safe distance, we begin the meteorite rite.

*Bang* *Clang* *Thud* *Ring*

A hail of rocks provokes him, and he starts to flail, losing aggro on Mike.

Mike sprints, and we shout at the knight. After a few dozen dents, he starts sprinting toward us, trampling the grass. I drop the shirt, and the remaining rocks fall at my feet.

Another cowardly run. I’ve sweated so much today. This dirt on me is soon better protection than armor. Not to mention how thirsty I am. It’s annoying and feels stupid, repeating the same scenario in such a short time.

Breathing heavily, sprinting the same path.

*Wild squealing* just as the sound of metal stops.

“God!” We witness the true sharpness of his claymore.

Apparently, there was a nutria in the grass, and they clashed. It’s a truly unsettling sight as the upper torso, including the paws of a giant rat, flies through the air, cut cleanly with one slash.

We don’t watch for more than a second and then sprint to safety.

Mike stops in front of us, catching his breath, bent forward. Pointing his curled index finger, he tries to stop Astrid from launching into a lecture, but he’s not successful.

“Michael! What were you thinking?” she yells, extremely angry.

“You think you can just threaten and underestimate anyone like that?!” she continues, snapping her fingers.

*Soft Ding*

*Woosh! Poof*