could not yet see, I lunged forward blindly with both knives and had the satisfaction of feeling them penetrate deep into the body of the wraith.
My vision returned in time to see the third wraith swinging its claw towards me. I dropped my weight backwards, which pulled the wraith impaled on my knives over on top of me. Using the struggling wraith as a shield I planted both of my feet on its chest and pushed hard. The wounded wraith flew right into the path of the third wraith, effectively blocking its attack.
I sprang back to my feet, just in time to witness the remaining wraith cast away the body of the injured wraith who had now died. Free from that entanglement, it charged. I jumped forward directly into its path with my knives extended in front of me. As my knives made contact with its chest, I separated my hands quickly, ripping the wraith in half.
As soon as I had extricated myself from the body, I turned to see Narcion finish off the last wraith on his side. “Clear,” I called.
“Clear,” he responded as he turned to check on the magi.
Two of them were out cold but Felix was standing, using the wall to hold himself upright. He said, “You guys are incredible,” in a very weak voice.
“Yes, we are. Now we have to get you somewhere safe to rest. Know a good place?” he asked.
“We have a safe room. It’s shielded due to its proximity to a central power junction. Let me send you the directions telepathically. I don’t think I can make it to guide you,” said Felix.
Narcion nodded, and a moment later Felix collapsed.
“Let’s go. I got the directions,” he said, picking up Felix.
I did not begin to understand how he had got the directions, but I dutifully hoisted the other two and we set off to find Felix’s safe room.
Chapter Six
Felix’s safe room was a small power closet far from Engineering. We laid the three magi down and took turns standing watch. Narcion explained that they would need rest before they could use their powers again, and we would need their support on account of the number of enemies we were encountering here.
Hours ticked by as we sat there. Eventually I could not take the silence any longer. “Are you sure we are safe here?”
“No,” said Narcion. “We definitely are not. The power conduits are packed with energy that will prevent the wraiths from finding us, and might even keep them out, but that will not stop the various other enemies we have come across so far.”
“What was that bug thing?” I asked.
“I am not sure; I have not seen its like before. Much easier to kill than the wraiths, though,” he said.
“What is going on here? We have already killed eight wraiths, and I feel that there are more around.”
“You’re right. I can feel them searching for us. They are getting worried. They know we are here to take them down and they are not used to that.”
“But why are there so many?” I asked.
“I suspect that something in that computer core is more important than our employer let on. The big question right now is: who controls the core?”
He seemed unusually talkative, so I decided to keep asking questions. “Are these knives special, or does it have something to do with who we are?”
“What do you mean?”
“If I were to lose this knife, would any random blade work? Or if any random person picked up this blade, would it work for them?” I asked.
“Yes, any non-energy-based weapon that you use would work. They work because they pick up some of your essence, not because of anything special about them. The energy bolts from a blaster never come directly into contact with you, so cannot pick up anything from you.”
“But their magic works?” I asked.
“They are magi. They have their own tools to fight with, different from yours but still very effective. You see, they channel the energy for their spells through their bodies, and that has the same effect as you picking up a knife. They were born with a gift, just as you
My vision returned in time to see the third wraith swinging its claw towards me. I dropped my weight backwards, which pulled the wraith impaled on my knives over on top of me. Using the struggling wraith as a shield I planted both of my feet on its chest and pushed hard. The wounded wraith flew right into the path of the third wraith, effectively blocking its attack.
I sprang back to my feet, just in time to witness the remaining wraith cast away the body of the injured wraith who had now died. Free from that entanglement, it charged. I jumped forward directly into its path with my knives extended in front of me. As my knives made contact with its chest, I separated my hands quickly, ripping the wraith in half.
As soon as I had extricated myself from the body, I turned to see Narcion finish off the last wraith on his side. “Clear,” I called.
“Clear,” he responded as he turned to check on the magi.
Two of them were out cold but Felix was standing, using the wall to hold himself upright. He said, “You guys are incredible,” in a very weak voice.
“Yes, we are. Now we have to get you somewhere safe to rest. Know a good place?” he asked.
“We have a safe room. It’s shielded due to its proximity to a central power junction. Let me send you the directions telepathically. I don’t think I can make it to guide you,” said Felix.
Narcion nodded, and a moment later Felix collapsed.
“Let’s go. I got the directions,” he said, picking up Felix.
I did not begin to understand how he had got the directions, but I dutifully hoisted the other two and we set off to find Felix’s safe room.
Chapter Six
Felix’s safe room was a small power closet far from Engineering. We laid the three magi down and took turns standing watch. Narcion explained that they would need rest before they could use their powers again, and we would need their support on account of the number of enemies we were encountering here.
Hours ticked by as we sat there. Eventually I could not take the silence any longer. “Are you sure we are safe here?”
“No,” said Narcion. “We definitely are not. The power conduits are packed with energy that will prevent the wraiths from finding us, and might even keep them out, but that will not stop the various other enemies we have come across so far.”
“What was that bug thing?” I asked.
“I am not sure; I have not seen its like before. Much easier to kill than the wraiths, though,” he said.
“What is going on here? We have already killed eight wraiths, and I feel that there are more around.”
“You’re right. I can feel them searching for us. They are getting worried. They know we are here to take them down and they are not used to that.”
“But why are there so many?” I asked.
“I suspect that something in that computer core is more important than our employer let on. The big question right now is: who controls the core?”
He seemed unusually talkative, so I decided to keep asking questions. “Are these knives special, or does it have something to do with who we are?”
“What do you mean?”
“If I were to lose this knife, would any random blade work? Or if any random person picked up this blade, would it work for them?” I asked.
“Yes, any non-energy-based weapon that you use would work. They work because they pick up some of your essence, not because of anything special about them. The energy bolts from a blaster never come directly into contact with you, so cannot pick up anything from you.”
“But their magic works?” I asked.
“They are magi. They have their own tools to fight with, different from yours but still very effective. You see, they channel the energy for their spells through their bodies, and that has the same effect as you picking up a knife. They were born with a gift, just as you
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