Chapter 102: Second Patrol, Finale.

Crystal songs filled the court. As did the crash and bangs of stone being smashed. Followed by the sound of pops and crackles of frost exploding and crawling along stone. Seconds ticked on, while we did the best we could to keep them at bay.

Thanks to the ice, I had a chance, a moment, almost an eternity to take it all in. To take stock, to remember Éclair’s words and begin to assess our situation.

We were surrounded. We were also stuck in a dire quandary. We had no idea what to do. How to finish this. My knights kept a firm hold on the marble gargoyle. The pair, enhanced with my ice, were capable of going toe to toe with it. Well, just barely.

If I were to join in, it would be comparable to the three brothers taking on Lu Bu. As it was, they were even, not ahead, nor behind, just even. Without my enhancement, they’d be losing. Badly.

Then there was the immortal statues attacking us. The stone imps individually weren’t an issue, but their numbers, combined with how they kept coming back was becoming one. I could smother the golden light with my ice, buying us time, but it was very touch and go.

Our magic fought, almost like two participants of an auction going at it over the same item. Only, my pockets were nowhere near as deep as the marble gargoyles. In terms of magic quantity, I was dirt poor compared to that gold clad marble statue. Heck, it almost felt like bullying. If it were converted into cash, that thing would be smacking me with those fat stacks and laughing.

Which meant, it was at least Mid-Silver. It didn’t feel oppressive like the Bronze Minotaur had, if anything, it didn’t feel that much stronger then me. Only, I wasn’t exactly fresh, and neither was Talia…

Worse still, with every pulse of its halo, my ice was pushed back and the stone imps would once again, start reforming. Clearly, the thing knew it had an edge in magic quantity and was using it to its fullest extent.

Then there were the four obsidian gargoyles. Well, there was good news. Their forms were smoking, burning. Slowly, but surely, they’d be rendered into ash. Demons were supposed to be hard to kill. The statues were merely anchors for them to exist in the material realm, but…

The marble gargoyle had forced them back into the mortal coil, as it were. Only, its holy energy was the very antithesis of what made a demon, a demon. Which meant, they were literally re-enacting the bronze bull torture. Their souls being tormented in a searing body, slowly cooking them alive.

It wouldn’t be long before nothing was left. Unfortunately, until that happens, we had to contend with four physical brutes that wouldn’t die. I could somewhat cut them, but the golden light animating them made them mostly resistant to my silver bayonet. What damage I did was rapidly healed, to the ever-increasing agony of the demons.

Tallying the pros and cons, it became apparent. We needed a clincher, something to shift the tides…

My knights were already doing their best. Talia was… Talia was a true all-rounder and this entire patrol has only proved that. She can do three things, take hits, make hits, and dodge hits. Only, she did them all poorly.

She wasn’t the trump card I needed.

Using different munitions didn’t really help either. Explosive scattered the stone imps’ bodies apart, but that mattered little when the golden light glued them together to remold them into being. Piercing required precise control, but it didn’t do nearly enough damage to be worthwhile. Especially when they didn’t have cores or vitals. Standard? Shot? Ricochet? Nope, none of those were worth the mention either.

My magic was running low and even if I were to join the fight with the marble gargoyle, I didn’t think I could change the tides all that quick. It would take time, and even if Talia joined in, we’d have to whittle it down. The damn thing was huddled up, covered in layers of barriers, each needed to be peeled away with extreme prejudice.

Eventually we could break through. Only we needed time. Time we clearly wouldn’t have. As it is, we are surrounded and outnumbered. The stone imps, again, weren’t much of a threat, but getting cornered by the bigger obsidian gargoyles was a death sentence…

Not unless I had a method that could reliably wipe the board… Which, I didn’t have. Most of my rime had been spent grounding the marble gargoyle. What was left went to slowing the imps and obsidian gargoyles, or empowering my knights and me.

It was frustrating. Infuriating, but… it was obvious what I had to do…

“What’s the plan Prima!” Talia shouts, literally punting away a stone imp with her feet.

Instead of answering, I took one glance around. I let the ice comfortably settle. Cooling the emotions burning in my heart.

“We’re going with the final resort Talia!” I shout out.

“Right, and what is that? Do you have some move, a final trick up your sleeve?”

“Of course I do.” I say, far too confidently for what I was about to do, we were about to do.

“What we’re going to do, is give that marble gargoyle a good, long look.” I spoke, both my knights jolted back, earning a quizzical glance from the gargoyle…

“And…” I snap my fingers. “RUN!” All the hovering rime explodes. Every ounce of magic I have, goes right down the drain. My feet move, pounding under me as I eat the distance. My uniform breaks into particles, floating into the air, returning be back into my original form. Behind me, I hear.

“WHA-!?” Talia’s surprised exclamation could be heard, followed by the clear sound of an enraged being.

Though, by the time it reacted, we were already far too gone. At a full dead sprint, we managed to not only escape the central court but make it to the edge of the park. Right past a set of stairs and back into the alleys we knew oh so well…

I pant and lean against an alley wall. My eyes take in our numbers. On seeing that everyone made it, a knot in my stomach loosened.

“What, what was that?” Talia asks between breaths. She was still in uniform, but the suddenness of it, and being in the thick of it had taken its toll on her.

“A strategic retreat, obviously.” I answered back. “We had no chance of winning. We were outnumbered and outclassed.”

“It was just a silver though.” She exclaimed.

“A silver with way more energy than us and it knew that. I imagine, that if we hadn’t broken the imps and gargoyle’s beforehand, we would have been in serious trouble… and may not have been able to even escape.”

Talia didn’t retort. Just frowned. After a minute or so of silence, she spoke up. “So, what now?”

“We finish. Or rather, we head back to the car and call this patrol off. I’m out of energy and these two need a break as well.” I point to my knights.

The repeated fights took their toll on them. Even with my limited healing, and the rime buffering them, they still weren’t in good condition. They looked rickety, about to fall apart under a hard glare.

“And what about the money?”

I shrug. “I’m not sure, but that bridge will be crossed at a later time.”

She gave me a long look. She was probably confused, not that I blame her. I risked my life against the obsidian gargoyles, and yet, I fled against the marble gargoyle, who, admittedly, we might have had a chance against if we went all in.

The problem was, it was a gamble. If we put our all into beating it down, it would get to the wire, we’d both be at death’s door. Our fate might even be decided by a coin flip at that point. Better to not bother. Ironic, considering all my other, recent gambles. But those bets, had been hedged. The chances were worth it, and I wasn’t exactly bad at math.

But, it wasn’t like I needed to explain that all to Talia… Either she’d accept, or not.

Eventually, she just nodded.

“Fine, I guess I should just be happy you didn’t throw yourself into that fight like a suicidal idiot.” She mused.

“Right? Now, let’s head back. I have work tomorrow.”

Again, she gave me a look but said nothing. The drive back was quiet. I dropped her off and the knights at the warehouse. I went back to my house and crashed right into bed.

Morning came all too quickly. I worked through my morning routine, a cold shower and a hot meal before heading to work. It wasn’t anything special…

Or at least, that was what I told myself.

Having to flee, run with my tail behind my legs like that… It was disgraceful. It burned. Yet, it was the best option…

It made me think. Consider my past. Analyze it further. How many times in my life had I hit a wall I couldn’t climb or break through?

Far too often… Getting a job was often an exercise in futility. Requiring me to, in some cases, literally, bash my head into the floor to even be considered for a position.

Shame? Would that help me eat? Would that put clothes on my back? Would that pay the bills?

Sure, after I fled from Alex… It got easier in some ways. Being under an assumed name, a new identity had its own issues though. That and my own self-loathing kept me down. Plus, my rapidly worsening addiction to nicotine…

The first job I got after running from her was exactly that factory job I told Talia about. In order to get my new identity, I had to make deals with certain groups. That put me in sizeable debt, with the only way of possibly paying it off, without losing a kidney, was that particular job.

It didn’t help that I’d left all our combined assets behind, all to make sure Alex could pursue her own dream. Not that it made up for what I did. Without money, or work history, even getting work at that factory could be considered a blessing.

The turnover rate was awful. People were crippled and maimed daily. It was dismal. Yet, despite how dark it was, it was also a place that helped reaffirm my goals.

How could I die there? How could I let myself stop here? My goals were still so far away, and hadn’t I already sacrificed love for it? And so much more?

I counted the days, the hours, the minutes, and the seconds until my debt was paid off and I was gone. I moved onto better paying work and saved up for college. Got a degree, and well, the rest is history… Minus the bumps and curves on the way.

If anything, the pain of loss just reminded me that life wasn’t always easy. Nor was it straight and narrow. Sometimes, it could be callous and cruel and honestly? I liked it that way.

Like the uncaring cold of that froze lake, slowly smothering me. That dark abyss. There was something comforting in knowing that not everything will go my way. Like losing the second event. Not getting first in the first event, or even in the top three. Only getting a gold coin out of what was essentially a consolation prize.

Work wrapped up quickly enough. In the last few hours, I went back to organizing the archive. Going over abandoned projects as usual. As the day ended, I went back to my building.

On exiting the underground parking structure the condo had, I entered the main area of the building. Normally, it was sparsely populated. With the occasional puzzle sitting out, or small groups of people doing this or that, or possibly a few lone readers sitting in a corner.

Tonight was not like that. Food was being put out, along with drinks and other items. Games, board games were being set out, along with cards.

It reminded me, that today, was Friday. Tonight was game night. On seeing me looking over everything, someone approached.

“Hey there! You must be the new owner that moved in over the weekend!” A overly enthusiastic man practically yelled as he approached. Before I could even speak, he continued, though, in a slightly more normal tone.

“All of us have been eager to meet you. It’s been all week and nobody even saw you move in.” He said, and I noted a few people nodding.

“I’ve been busy, unfortunately.” I say, trying to pivot, but…

“Well, that’s fine, but tonight’s game night, why don’t you join us?”

“I’d much rather…” I don’t get to finish before he walks up and throws an arm around my shoulder. His size and strength throw me off, as does the over familiarity.

“I’m Eric, the person that helps plan these events.” He blabbers on, all the while I’m stuck on what to do. Eyes were on us, gazing at me with a mix of curiosity and something else.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you Eric, I’m…”

“I know who you are, as I said, you’ve been the talk of the building. A young woman like yourself moving in here and managing to get such a good unit at an absolute steal!”

At his words, I understood… I understood all too well… These people, I don’t know how this city works, but… what if, to them, my room had always had an ocean view?

To them, I had bought an expensive room for little to nothing. Of course the gossip would go crazy. A young woman, working a normal job, somehow getting what was considered a luxury unit.

Even as a man, I’d garner interest, but as a woman? I’ve already gotten a taste of how the rumor mill could hurt me. Only, how do I circumvent such rumors?

“I got lucky.” Was all I could say.

“Your damn right! Everyone heard about it, and frankly, nobody believes you even moved in.”

“Is that right? Even with me actively entering and exiting?”

“Well, yeah, nobody saw you move any furniture in.” Eric presses.

Oh… My silence was telling. Eric practically threw me into a chair and pulled me up to the table. The game on the table was a somewhat common board game. However, at the table there were a lot of older folks.

They went around saying their names, while Eric basically wandered off and just started chatting with people. Eventually they asked my name and well, it devolved quickly into probing questions.

“What do you do?”

“I work at Taurus.” I say, earning more nattering.

“Is that so, and what do you do at Taurus?” Someone else presses.

“Right now, I’m working on a major project. Which I’ll be the lead on.” I say, not quite lying.

A few rounds pass back and forth. Trying to get more out of me, but I keep vague about what the project itself is. I do a fairly good job keeping them on topic, though… it appears my reputation does precede me.

“I’ve actually heard some salacious rumors regarding you.” One of the older women says. “Like, something about you sleeping with your boss?”

Like a firecracker going off at a vigil, it sparks a commotion. The rumor mill begins to churn.

“There is nothing going on between me and my boss. We have a strictly business relationship.” I say, though, I don’t think it helps.

“I’ve actually heard you accompanied him to a party, as his date.” Someone else says. Quickly, more stories began to appear, even some people mentioning that I had a moment with him in the rear garden of the manor, during the party. Then there was the whole other part, where I was seducing his father…

It was all…

I don’t even know where to begin. These women… they talked in circles. They spoke kindly at times, but their tone and words rarely matched. They were more duplicitous then even the skeeviest of businessmen.

Every time I thought I took a step forward, shaking off even a bit of the allegations, I instead find myself further buried in the bog.

Was it intentional? On purpose? Did they have issues with me, were they jealous? Had they actually looked into me before this meeting, is that how they knew all of this?

No matter how I tried to pose the question, it was like trying to punch a ball of cotton. No real answer, redirected, misconstrued.

Step by step, they built a whole new set of events.

I was apparently secretly going out with a known playboy. He was the one to finance my room. Even got my deal. There were talks that I may or may not have seduced his father as well. That the executive might have had eyes on me as well, that me leading a project was done through seduction, not through skill.

It was like a bucket of crabs. The more I tried to pull myself out, the more they pulled me in.

In the end…

I slammed my hands into the table.

“I don’t need this.” I state. “Your free to believe whatever you want, but none of what your saying is true. As for proof, I don’t need to provide any, nor do I care enough about any of you to even try. So, ever so kindly, leave me alone.”

And with that, I left the stunned table. Eric made to cut me off. Like a linebacker trying to cut off a quarterback with the ball. He even barred my way, but when he slung his hand out to once again stop me, my body moves.

A flicker of thought ran through me. My first response was to throw him aside, but my newly gained talent gave me another option. A less, violent option. Instead of gripping his arm and throwing him to the ground, I shift, subtly pulling him in like we were partners in a dance, his hand misses me by just a hair. With another step, a minor, subtle turn, I lead him into moving forward, right past me, granting me just enough space to blitz right out.

Leaving him to stare, bewildered, at my back.

I don’t stop for anyone as I go to my room. The moment I enter, I close and lock the door.

I breathe, in and out…

Frustration bubbles up inside me. Only ice keeps it at bay, but only just…

That night, when I take my hot bath. I scream into the water. Loosing the tension in my belly, letting it all out.

Looks like, this place wasn’t going to be very comfortable…

Figures…