Chương 26: 25 Trajectory

Wind howled in my ears and tore at my clothes. I tried to scream, but gagged on a blast of air. Stories ripped past me as I plummeted. The tower tapered near the base. I'd turn into a smear on its side long before I hit the ground. Something speared into my shoulder, ripping my gaze up. Bianca's foot morphed into a digitigrade bird talon, and the point dug into flesh. Feathers still sprouted from her arms, and she beat them furiously to little effect.

We pulled away from the tower, my weight dragging her down like an anchor. I dropped the pitcher, seized her ankle, hauled on pebbly, dry skin, trying to take pressure off the hooks. Something impacted us, flinging us apart. A Young Efreet cursed us as he swerved on his carpet, jerking the corners to regain control. Then it was the wind's roar again. The maneuver had pulled me away from the tower's slope, dropping me toward the lava moat, probably buying me half a second.

"Hard System Link!" I choked on the wind, dumping mana to strengthen the link. Her connection came through, sharpening like a silhouette stepping through smoke.

"Tony, are you sure now's the time—""Level up—Martial—Lesser Aerial Combatant—Minor Trajectory Read. Now!"

"Ah, clever boy." My terminal flashed. <<System Notice: Level Up—Martial Level Six>> <<System Notice: New Feat—Lesser Aerial Combatant>> <<System Notice: New Feat—Minor Inventory Boost>> <<System Notice: New Feat—Minor Trajectory Read>> Details populated under the notices, but I swiped everything away, clearing my vision. I wished I hadn't; the fiery glare of lava rushed up at me.

"Tony!" Bianca shrieked, beating her arm-wings, which now were developed enough to guide her non-aerodynamic body. Minor Trajectory Read triggered. A path carved out before me, an arc of yellow light visible only to my eyes. Anything in motion now cast a cone of projected movement along its path, growing less accurate the farther it traveled. My hand gripped the gilded scimitar, and I dismissed it to my inventory. Lesser Aerial Combatant triggered, and a laugh escaped me. Thrill replaced the dread.

Deadly thrill, yes, but no longer crippling terror. Gravity was now familiar, and motion, my weapon. I snapped my arms to my sides, diving headfirst. I bent my spine, and I curved to the side; the cone of my Trajectory Read angled before me, projecting my new fall path. More Minor Trajectory Read cones snaked through the air below me, racing ahead of two carpets flying past the lower levels. The Primord riding the higher carpet glimpsed me, then he banked with a cry of alarm.

The cone from his Trajectory Read shifted abruptly, not reading the future or telling me where he would go, but only vaguely mapping the direction of his movement. I couldn't fly. Far from it, but I understood the fall. Drag, lift, stability, and momentum—they were all tools, and now they were mine. A grin spread across my face despite the adrenaline. I dropped a shoulder and extended a leg. The drag pulled at that side, redirecting me. My Trajectory Read cone bent as I angled toward the Primord.

With a cry of panic, the carpet flyer angled sharper, shifting our paths so they couldn't intersect. Without the ghostly tracks outlining possible trajectories, I would have tried to close the gap—and failed. I spread my fingers and extended my other leg. My body yawed the other way, angling to intercept the lower carpet. A young Efreet sailed on that one, racing at a much higher speed. I couldn't afford to focus on the flying textile, so I forced myself to study the trajectories.

I made an adjustment, steepening the dive and reducing drag. Aerial Combatant and Trajectory Read synced, feeding off each other.

"Tony!" Bianca's cry barely reached my ears. Her wings beat furiously, far above me as she tried to catch up. She struggled, fighting the wind like a chicken with clipped wings. That was the difference between her and me. She was a patchwork amalgamation of bird biology stitched onto a being meant to stay on the ground—I wasn't a prisoner shackled to gravity's yoke; I was a surfer, riding her currents. I snapped my arms back, shooting at the Efreet like a cannonball. The young elemental lord saw me too late.

I snarled, flipping through the air and rocketing into him, heels first. Agony flared through my legs, a shock tearing through the joints, but the joy of snatching the carpet's corners as I blasted the fire Djinn into open air instantly doused it. The Efreet screamed as he fell, then he morphed into a pillar of fire, slowly gliding downward. The carpet dropped, sagging under my weight like a tarp pulled tight. The carpet slowed in its descent as it adjusted to bear my weight. Then, I wasn't falling; I was hovering.

Bianca fell past, beating wings with all the grace of a plucked chicken, slowing but not stopping. I tugged on the carpet's corners, but it just drifted in a lazy circle.

"Get her!" I shouted, and we were off. The Trajectory Read cone sliced the air before us. I leaned on the carpet, tugged the corner, and this time, it responded to my touch. I streaked down, darting into the mote gully and snaking under her. Her weight sagged the carpet, and the trajectory cone shrank, denoting a loss of speed under the new load. Heat scalded my knuckles as we dipped toward the lava, then began to pull back up.

"Tony!" Bianca gasped into my ear, wrapping partially transformed, feathered arms around my midsection.

"That was amazing."

"Wasted three feat points! Probably'll never use these feats again," I called as we laced under the stone arches supporting the bridge to the gate. As we shot out the other side, cries of panic blended with the alarm bells above. We sailed up, curving back around the tower. The buzz of the wind filled my heart with something delightful. We were flying. Gunshots cracked the air. Primord Riflemen rushed to the balconies that pockmarked the tower's surface. Dozens of Trajectory Read cones spat from their weapons.

These projections lanced from gun barrels, much thinner and longer than the carpet's cone.

"Let's get out of here!" Bianca cried. Four figures zipped from the spire. Primord soldiers sailing on carpets of their own. I gritted my teeth. Of course, they'd have more carpets. Then a fifth figure carved a path behind them, white system light trailing from his feet.

"Doesn't this guy ever give up?" I cried as the Auditor skated toward us through the open air.

"Tony, get away from the tower!" Bianca shouted. A bullet's trajectory cone washed past us, and hot lead zipped past my ear. My jaw tightened as I scanned Obcity. The Obsidian tower stood, a lone monument in an otherwise flat landscape. Where would we hide? Against five airborne opponents in the open, they'd run us down in minutes. What playground could we leverage to our advantage? There was none, only the black spire we hoped to escape.

"Hold on," I called.

"I'm going to thin the herd." I released the corners, snatching the carpet's front frill in a single-handed grip. I hopped to my feet rather than my knees, allowing my weight to sit further back. I drove with my heels, legs flaring with agony as I twisted my body. Bianca's arms tightened as we corkscrewed, wrapping around the tower and losing our pursuers to its curve.

"Take control," I shouted. The golden scimitar I'd snatched from the trophy room winked into my off-hand.

"What?" Bianca cried.

"Tony, no—""It's all in the wrists and how you shift your weight," I said.

"If that doesn't work, it responds to verbal commands as well." She gritted her teeth as she climbed past me, clutching the corners with a death grip. I slunk to the rear.

"I'm going to get another carpet," I called.

"Then we'll—Down Now!" A Trajectory Read cone snaked around the tower ahead of us, its projection intersecting with ours. Bianca's reaction was slow, but we dipped down just as a lance-wielding Primord angled his weapon at me. The scimitar rang from its sheath, and I chopped overhead as we passed under the other flyer. The blade parted the carpet down the middle, and the Primord screamed as he plummeted, clutching two halves of flapping fabric. The scimitar hissed, a line of violet light snaking from the handle.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I yelped, dropping the enchanted blade. It didn't fall, but it flew alongside us, as if tethered in place. The purple lines wove into shape, outlining an arm, then a shoulder, like a drawing in the air, but without a pen. The violet contour lines scrawled outward, spreading until a sketched warrior crouched in the air beside me. His illustrated hand clutched the gold-handled scimitar.

Line-drawn eyes narrowed expectantly under his turban-wrapped helmet.

"What's that?" Bianca cried.

"A souvenir!" I called as a notice flashed in my vision. <<Superior Artifact: Projected Vanguard>>"Tex, yeah!" I grinned.

"You follow orders?" The soldier's head bobbed. There was no shading, only the edges of his skin and clothing. Obcity blurred visibly through the lines of his hollow body. A Trajectory Read cone flashed over my shoulder before a firebolt zipped past. I glanced back to see our other three carpet riders flying at us in a V. The Auditor darted past the others, slashing at the air. A white arc flashed before us, and Bianca screamed, jerking the carpet down. We dove, dropping below the system scythe.

The Projected Vanguard remained in a crouch, sideways from my perspective as we shot down, entirely affected by the speed of the wind.

"Pull up!" I gasped. Bianca over-corrected, jerking the carpet's corners. My gut lurched at the sudden climb. The warrior remained at my side, matching my speed as he thumbed the edge of his blade.

"Climb!" I barked at Bianca as I studied the trajectory cones behind us. A musket ball punched through the carpet, and it shuddered in protest. I shifted back to the radiant line warrior.

"See that guy?" I called, pointing at the Auditor.

"Kill him." The Projected Vanguard shot away, scimitar arching as he slashed at the Auditor. The Exploit's trajectory cone snaked and shifted as he danced through the air to avoid the threat. Much better, I focused on our three other flyers, quickly gaining on our more burdened vehicle.

"Hey, if I miss this, circle back and catch me!" I called.

"Wait, what?" I didn't explain; I lunged. Then I was an arrow in the wind again, my flight projecting ahead in semi-transparent light. A fireball zipped from one of the Primord's wands. I rolled. The heat washed past, and I braced. I patted a wand aside with my golden sheath as I caught hold of the pilot. The other two carpet flyers peeled away, seeking a safer angle to deal with me. The carpet wavered as the pilot released it with one hand.

A fist to my face made the world flash red, then wet warmth pooled in my nose. Sliding around him, I answered with an elbow to the ear. The carpet lurched sideways as his body jerked, whipping me out of the path of another firebolt. Thumb pinning the sheath to my palm, I reached past and jerked the carpet's left corner with my free fingers. We banked toward the tower, and the pilot shoved me. I climbed his back, planting an elbow into his ear and forcing his head toward our tilt.

Teeth gritted and blood trickling down my lip, I studied the trajectory cone and let off his ear ever so slightly. The riflemen on the rapidly approaching balcony threw themselves back, and I gave the pilots a final shove. The Primord, too busy resisting me, didn't see it until it was too late. He clipped the masonry of the balcony's rail, ripping off the carpet. I'd underestimated our speed. His impact threw me spinning, free-falling through the air.

I spread my arms and legs, canceling out my spin, then I angled for the carpet, flapping inert in the wind. The other two carpeteers banked, aiming for me. My free hand caught the falling carpet's edge, dragging it under me.

"Fly!" I shouted. It animated, dipping under my weight before rising again. Wind howled, and I dove as the trajectory cone of a firebolt intercepted me. I dropped just as the flaming ball snapped overhead. Bianca circled the far end of the tower, leaning on her carpet with a little more confidence. She angled for me. I pulled up, eyes locking on the Auditor. Blood soaked the sleeve of his arm as he parried the Projected Vanguard's scimitar with the flash of a radiant system scythe.

His teeth bared, and his brow knitted with concentration, he clapped his hands together, incinerating the Projected Vanguard in a cone of green flame. The Projected Vanguard vanished, and the scimitar darted away, flying right at me—a razor projectile point-first. I yelped, rolling and leaning forward. The carpet bolted with a surge of speed, but the scimitar locked onto me, point gleaming as it closed the distance. Another cry found my lips as I shielded my body with my arm.

What kind of magic item tried to kill its owner after use? The blade's trajectory snaked, and the scimitar whipped around my body, snapping back into its sheath. Oh. Balancing on my heels, I drew the scimitar again. The lines sketched and scrawled again, the Projected Vanguard conjuring a second time. Two summons? A laugh escaped me. What an incredible artifact. I'd never let it go.

"Finish the job!" I ordered, pointing at the Auditor. The swordsman saluted, then shot toward the Auditor, whose lips curled into a growl. Bianca pulled abreast of me as I completed another circuit around the tower.

"I'm useless up here!" she cried. I shot a fleeting glance at our pursuers and nodded.

"Only two," I said.

"And the Auditor is busy." Raising stacks of smoke from the docks signaled to me that Snapfist had begun his attack. Two Scorched fleet ships blazed like torches in the harbor.

"Incoming!" Bianca cried. Massive trajectory cones painted us, and we banked as a fireball washed over us. I leaned hard, pushing the other way with my hands. We curved away from the tower, darting down toward the city as fireballs detonated in the air. I afforded a glance back, catching sight of the Sultan and a handful of other Efreet perched on the tower's balconies. They pointed, hurling upcast fire spells at us. The two carpeteers shot after us.

The Auditor battered the Projected Vanguard aside, then followed at their heels, but the projected warrior caught up, tying the Auditor's attention. Firebolts lanced from wands, detonating on roofs below us. I drew my final loaded pistol and twisted. At this range, the Trajectory Readings from my pursuers and my gun overlapped in vague, shifting masses. I'd hoped to line up a clean intercept with the trajectory cone.

I re-holstered as the minor feat revealed the truth: speed, airflow, and a smoothbore bullet made it a near-impossible shot. A detonation of frost from a different sector of the city turned my head. Screams followed. I swallowed. That would be Naomi and Ingred's diversion. Too many pieces, moving all at once. A firebolt impacted Bianca's shoulder, pulling a cry from her as feathers on her shoulder ignited. My jaw clenched, and I dropped into the street.

I jerked the carpet to the left, then to the right, curving sharply along right angles of the road's turns. Primords and Vulcans screamed, scattering as my path whipped up a channel of dust. I glanced up, sighting Bianca on her Carpet. She turned, and I pulled, leaning hard. My trajectory cone didn't make the turn, so I groaned as I strained, pulling harder. The curve's angle sharpened, and I hooked around the buildings, clipping a fruit stand. My carpet wobbled under me, then stabilized. I spotted Bianca again.

My grip tensed at the sight of firebolts streaking after her, then I came up behind her pursuers. They'd lost sight of me in the streets. My carpet climbed fast, my legs burning from my crouch. Firmly above the carpeteers, I lunged. My trajectory cone landed me on the back of one of the carpets just before I slammed down. I swung my golden sheath, striking the pilot's helmet. He staggered, the carpet veering off Bianca's tail.

"Sustain altitude!" The Primord pilot ordered before whirling on me, both hands available. I struck again. His arm caught the blow, and his other hand darted forward, seizing my throat. I gagged, body throbbing with pain. Streets blurred beneath us, the tops of buildings coming dangerously close to the carpet's bottom. He executed a sweep, taking my legs out from under me on the spongy surface. His weight landed heavily on my chest as he took the mount.

His second hand joined the first as he crushed the air from my throat. I clawed at his arms, the lack of oxygen fanning the panic within. The scabbard in my off-hand batted at him weakly. He ignored it completely. My head tipped back over the carpet's edges, forced down by the Primord's weight. In the distance, upside down from my perspective, the Auditor decapitated the Projected Vanguard with an arch of white light. The warrior blinked away, and the scimitar zipped away.

"Not bad!" the Primord sneered in thickly accented common.

"But not good enough." The scimitar streaked after us, seeking to reunite with its sheath. My vision wavered, and my trembling hand weakly tapped the scabbard to his chest. The flying scimitar spat past, arched around, and punched through the rider's back, crossguard and all. The pressure on my neck released. Furnace air had never felt so cool on my lungs. I shoved the limp corpse off me, and he toppled into the blur of buildings below.

"Tony!" Bianca cried. My wavering vision latched onto her. Flames sputtered from the back of her carpet. Its movement devolved into a series of spasmodic jerks. My breath grated, like a file over burred steel, but I willed my hands to direct the carpet onto an interception course. Bianca leaped as her carpet dropped, now a flaming mass of cloth. My carpet bowed as she landed, and her arms wrapped around me.

"Auditor, coming in hot!" Her voice climbed with panic. I didn't need to look back to make my hair stand on end. I dropped back into the streets, hoping to break his line of sight. I held the scimitar over my shoulder.

"Draw it!" I called. She did. The Projected Vanguard snaked back into existence. This time, the lights outlining its form flickered weakly.

"Don't—kill him!" I rasped, not even turning my head. My gaze locked onto my projection cone. People lunged from the street as we streaked past.

"Hold him off. Buy us time. Survive!" The Projected Vanguard launched away, and I took a curve, bobbing and weaving through the streets. I couldn't rip down the corridors at the same speed with Bianca on my back. My strength wavered, vision blurring.

"Tony, pull up!" I hadn't even realized we were drifting down until the carpet brushed the road. The vehicle ripped out from under us. We rolled, limbs whipping around as we tumbled across hot cobbles. The world darkened, but I forced my eyes open to find Bianca pulling me to my feet. Elementally appropriate citizens rushed to doorways and peered from windows around us.

"Tony!" Bianca said, voice cracking as she hauled the carpet behind her.

"Tony, we need to go!" Road rash in half a dozen places stung in the heat, dull aches swelling on my sword arm. Her eyes darted to the sheath trembling in my hand.

"The blade! It'll lead him right to us!" The panic granted me a little lucidity.

"The carpet," I croaked.

"Make a hole in it." She nodded, catching my plan. A claw sprouted from her fingertip, and she punched it through the rug.

"Hey!" A Primord man jogged over.

"Are you okay?" Bianca whirled on him, hissing through barred fangs. He yelped, falling back. She grabbed the gilded scabbard and rammed it through the hole, so it stuck through the carpet. I sank to a knee, my breath oddly loud to my own ears.

"Wake up!" she pleaded to the carpet, and it animated, rippling as it drifted a few feet off the road. A scythe of system light struck a nearby roof, detonating and spraying the road with shattered shingles. The onlookers shrieked as they rushed for cover.

"Listen to me," Bianca said to the carpet.

"You're going to fly to the nearest active volcano and hide in the smoke, do you understand?" In response, the carpet rose several inches.

"As fast as you can," she said, gripping a bloody spot on her leg.

"Do it now!" The carpet streaked away, taking with it what was possibly the coolest artifact in the Sultan's collection. Her head dipped under my arm as she supported me on her shoulder, and she dragged me out of the alley. The ground rumbled again, this time further. Our legs went out from under us as we collapsed behind what appeared to be a garbage bin.

"Tony," Bianca said, hands swiping me in search of blood.

"Tony, tell me you're okay." How could my lips be so cold in a place so hot?

"I'm fine." The flying scimitar darted over the roof, streaking towards the fleeing carpet. She dropped low, covering me. Her lungs froze, breath held, but I felt her heart racing. A flash of robes and blue skin followed moments later, zipping away. She exhaled and then rolled off. The walls on either side spun.

"Tony, we can't rest," she whispered.

"We have to get out of here."

"Two minutes," I said, eyes drifting closed. In two minutes, I'll be ready to run. My vision tunneled, and I slipped into unconsciousness. <<Time to Seal Collapse: 04: 02: 01: 05: 45: 24>>