Part 38: Once More Into The Breach

Chapter 32: Once More Into The Breach



"Shir!" I shouted. "I was worried sick about you! Why did you leave? Where have you been? How did you get here?"

Shir reached her hand out and placed a finger over my lips. "Now, now. One question at a time. Hanging around you guys was starting to cramp my style, so I did a bit of exploring on my own. I got sick of Dezo pretty fast, so I stowed away in the cargo hold of the spaceship when you went back to Mota. I've been having a grand old time seeing all the sights on Mota while you were freezing your rear end off in some gloomy old dungeon on Dezo. But, well, eventually I ran out of places to go and so I ended up back here. So let's get going already."

"'Let's get going'?" I echoed. "That's all you have to say?"

Shir grinned wickedly. "Why not? Can't we just act like nothing happened?"

Her words stung me. When I came back home after running away to Dezo, I'd wanted Shir to act as if nothing had happened. Now our positions were reversed. We were locked in orbit around each other, each of us constantly accelerating toward the other but never getting any closer.

"If that's what you want to do," I said. "Now, if we're going to go out and fight evil, we need a strong team that can work together. I've chosen Anna for her fighting ability, and Amy--"

"You don't need Amy," Shir interrupted. "I lifted some Star Mist and Moon Dew while I was away. If we all keep a couple of doses on hand, we can do anything she can."

Amy looked alarmed. "But--"

"Good thinking, Shir. Hugh, do you want to come along instead? Dezo is full of strange, unnatural monsters, and if anyone can tell us anything about them, it's you."

Hugh nodded. "It's the least I can do. I must admit, I found all of this business about ancient evils and legendary weapons hard to believe. But when the proof is right here before me, all I can do is accept what I see and try to understand it."



"It's settled, then. Rudo, Kain, Amy, I'll be keeping you in reserve. If I need you, I'll come back for you, and I want you to be ready. Kain, that means no drinking. Understood?"

"Ehhh," Kain slurred noncommittally.

"Take care, Rolf," Rudo said gravely. "Take care of everyone. Their lives are in your hands now."

"I..." Amy took a deep breath. "Good luck, Rolf. Whatever's out there, I know you can face it. I believe in you."

"Thank you, everyone. I will be back."




With the artifacts of Nei, we were well-equipped to face almost anything: Shir's defences were nearly impenetrable, Anna was a killing machine as always, and Hugh had a balance of strong offence with his techniques and solid defence with the Neishield. Anything we couldn't use I carried with me to show to Lutz.



I braced myself for the now-familiar jolt of the spaceship's launch, and resisted the urge to stare out at the remains of Palm. I needed to think of the future, not the past.



The spaceship touched down in Skure, and I stepped out onto the surface of Dezo for what could be the last time. In the course of our travels across this icy planet, I'd learned to appreciate its harsh beauty; it was a shame that the disaster in Skure had marred it. But there was no time for sentimentality -- we had to see Lutz and bring him news of our success. I teleported us all to Aukba.



We set off to the west, toward the chasm where Lutz lived. Now that I had all the artifacts of Nei, what task would Lutz set for me? I couldn't wait to end the troubles plaguing Algo once and for all.



A pack of mutant apes galloped toward us across the snow. Shir closed her eyes and raised a hand. The sound of a howling gale filled my ears, and the mutants were tossed bleeding and broken into the air as Shir's Nazan technique did its brutal work.

"Impressed?" she said. "I'm not just a pretty face, you know."



Hugh had been training as well; with a mere wave of his hand, most of the survivors of Shir's attack instantly dropped to the ground, lifeless. Anna and I put the last surviving apes out of their misery before we continued on.



The crevasse greeted me like an old friend, protecting Lutz from interlopers and from those who would do him harm. I knew its twists and turns now, and it granted me safe passage to the Esper mansion.



Once again I was in the presence of the master. I approached him and laid the artifacts of Nei at his feet.

"It is done," I said. "I have found the legendary weapons and armour."


succeed the power of light and the memory of darkness."

"Thank you for your faith in me, Lutz. It won't be misplaced. Whatever evil you wish me to fight, I am ready."

Lutz continued speaking. "One thousand years ago, after the battles of Alis, Algo obtained peace for a short while. People were satisfied with what was given to them by those they loved, and did not ask for more. And it was their pleasure to give to their loved ones more than they wanted. However, when Mother Brain arrived, Algo changed. We got confused because Mother Brain created so many things, we didn't really know what we needed. People started to fight for what Mother Brain created. They no longer thought that kindly about Alis. People even thought that they could not live without Mother Brain."

"I understand, Lutz. I have seen the consequences of Mother Brain's rule for myself; although the people of Mota lived in wealth and comfort, too many of them have also grown weak and selfish. And so, when a crisis arose, only a loyal few" -- I gestured toward my friends and allies -- "were willing to make a stand against evil."

Lutz nodded. "I think that a devil's trap is behind Mother Brain. This caused the people's mind to weaken. The trap also leads Algo to destruction. I don't know who made the trap, or why."

A trap... it made a terrible kind of sense. Why did nobody know who built Mother Brain, or where she was located, or how to maintain her? All of these questions had one painful answer: her builders didn't want us to know.

In the era of the ancient heroes of legend, before the time of Mother Brain, the people of Algo were strong and independent. To defeat us would have required overwhelming force, and massive loss of life on both sides. But anyone who wanted to conquer Mota now would find it an easy target. There would be no need to subjugate us. We had subjugated ourselves.

Two of Lutz's followers came up from the basement, carrying a plain wooden chest.

"There is a Neisword in the box," Lutz said. "When you pick it up, it will rescue you from the evil side."



Inside the box was a sword, as Lutz had promised. Its blade was a deep sea-blue colour, its hilt was crafted of the finest titanium alloy polished until it shone like platinum, and it was perfectly balanced in my hands, as if it had been custom-made just for me.



Nei... so this is how your name is immortalised. You were a more loyal protector than any shield or armour could ever be. You gave your life to save Mota -- no sword could do that. You live on not in my sword, but in my heart.



I realised what Lutz was asking me to do. Even if Mother Brain could be repaired, people would only come to rely on her again, leaving them weak and vulnerable when the next crisis arrived. The people of Algo had become addicted to Mother Brain's gifts, and there was only one way we could be cured.

Mother Brain had to be shut down forever, and I was to be her executioner. Was I ready to bear that burden?

"I don't know."




I felt Lutz's power flowing into me. Even now, when I balked at the call to fight for Algo, he was willing to give me his strength. How could I live with myself if I let him down?

"I've made my decision," I said. "I'm ready to shut down Mother Brain. Shir, Anna, Hugh, will you come with me?"

"What has Mother Brain ever done for us?" Anna said with a smirk. "Everything that's happened to Algo has been her fault. We've been fighting against her every step of the way. I'm just glad you finally see it."

"Rolf," said Hugh, "if any ordinary man were to tell me he wanted to destroy Mother Brain, I'd think he was insane. But you're no ordinary man. Every time that I doubted you in the past, you turned out to be right -- and trusting in Mother Brain has only led to disaster on all three planets of Algo. I'll throw my lot in with you until the end."

Shir laughed. "I never thought I'd meet an agent who wanted to shut down Mother Brain. Do I want to join you, you ask? This is going to be the craziest thing that anyone has ever done in the entire course of human history. Why the hell would I not want to be there to see it?"

"Then it's settled. Lutz, we're ready to go."




"Outside of Algo? Wait, what does that mean? Where are we--"



"-- going?"

"Into space, apparently," said Shir, looking out a porthole.



Hugh stared at the walls as we walked past. "The technology here is like that used in Mother Brain's systems, but it seems... older. That's certainly consistent with this ship being the home of whoever built Mother Brain four centuries ago."



The Neisword began to glow with a soft blue light, and a moment later four monsters approached from around the corner. The sword's blade cut effortlessly through their bodies one by one, while Anna attacked the others with her slashers. The battle was over within seconds.

"Are those the 'unnatural monsters' you spoke of?" Hugh asked, visibly shaken. "They're unlike anything I've ever heard of before."

"Yes. Mother Brain must have introduced them to Dezo from here. As for how they got here in the first place... well, I was hoping you could answer that."

"Are you two ever going to stop talking?" Anna asked. "It doesn't matter where they came from. They're made of flesh and blood, they start with the flesh on the outside and the blood on the inside, and by the time we're through with them it's the other way round. That's all we need to know."



Anna was right that we needed to keep moving, but she was seriously lacking in curiosity. Who could have built such a massive spaceship without anybody in Algo ever finding out about it, and then disappeared without a trace? Hundreds of people, maybe thousands, could have lived here once. Now, only monsters wandered its vast halls.



Had the creators of Mother Brain and of these monsters been destroyed by their own creations? Were Mother Brain's recent "failures" the result of her operating unattended for so long, or was she blindly implementing the first steps of an invasion plan, unaware that the people on whose behalf she was destroying Algo were long dead?



Probably the former, I decided. Any force that wanted to conquer Algo would have no reason to destroy Palm. The would-be invaders had paid the ultimate price for their hubris, and left behind a mad machine who was slowly devouring the docile humans she had raised.



A huge black iron chest stood in the centre of the path. I grasped its lid with both hands and pulled it open.



I felt a sudden pulling sensation, as if the chest was drawing me in. Then, everything went dark.



I couldn't see a thing. I tried to move, but my arms and legs refused to respond. I couldn't even speak. It was just like my recurring nightmare, but this time it was all too real. What an idiot I was, to go so far only to fall victim to such an obvious trap.

A mocking voice echoed in the blackness.



The Neisword began to glow, piercing the darkness. I could see, and I could move. And if I could see and move, I could fight. / Backup



We stood on a solid but invisible surface, and a great black void extended out in all directions. Before us was a chaotic mass of demonic flesh, sinew, muscle, exposed bone, glowing eyes, giant claws snapping open and shut with a sound like clashing swords, yellowed needlelike teeth in mouths like great stinking cesspits, all twisting, wriggling and pulsing grotesquely.



I concentrated on a Nathu technique and fired a laser straight down the abomination's throat, but it was barely fazed. A clawed hand bore down on me from above, and I rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed.



The demon turned its largest head to face Hugh, and stared directly into his eyes. Hugh stood transfixed, seemingly unable to avert his gaze.




When the creature broke eye contact, Hugh returned to his senses, but he still seemed distracted and confused. He ran forward and swung his mace at one of the fleshy protrusions that hung down from the demon's body, breaking off a chunk of veiny muscle. The piece fell to the ground, still twisting and writhing like a beached fish.



The demon's many mouths opened, and forked bolts of lightning arced out of each of them, tearing across our bodies like flaming whips. White-hot pain assaulted my nerves, and angry red welts instantly rose on my flesh where the lightning had touched me.



Anna, seemingly oblivious to her own wounds as always, threw both her slashers, cutting deeply into the demon's main throat.




Anna's attack succeeded in attracting the demon's attention. Seconds later, Anna had dropped her slashers and begun rifling through our packs.

"What are you doing, Anna?" I shouted. "Concentrate! Fight!"

It was no use; even if she could hear me, she wasn't listening. Now we had to worry not only about fighting a demon, but keeping Anna away from our vital medical supplies.



Vile-smelling purplish blood, thick and lumpy as if already half-clotted, spurted from the demon's mouths as Shir used her powerful vacuum technique to crush its body from the inside out. A droplet of blood fell on my hand; it burned like acid.



Moments later, she too fell victim to the demon's beguiling powers.




Shir began to flee, but there was nowhere to go. The monstrosity's vast bulk extended out to block her path in any direction she tried to escape to. Soon she was running blindly in circles, holding her shielded arms over her head to protect herself as the demon rained blows down on her.



Anna and Shir, my strongest allies in this fight, had betrayed themselves, betrayed me, betrayed all of Algo. Hugh was still swinging wildly at the demon with his mace, and I had my techniques and my sword, but how could the two of us hope to stand against such a monster?




This was all my fault. I had led my allies into a deathtrap, and doomed everyone in Algo to a slow death at the hands of Mother Brain.



The fiend's lightning tore through our bodies again. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the inevitable happened.



Hugh pulled a flask of Star Mist from his belt, opened it and poured out the contents. The volatile liquid quickly evaporated, filling the air with a fresh, invigorating scent. The pain from my wounds faded away, and I forced myself to fight on.



But even with my wounds healed, my strength was waning. I was reduced to using Nafoi, burning away the outer layers of the demon's flesh only to reveal more pulsating flesh underneath.



Soon, I was too fatigued to use even that technique. I charged toward the demon and began slashing at any part of its body within reach, shielding myself as best I could from the spray of caustic blood that came with each strike.



The Neisword's blue glow brightened each time it tasted the demon's blood. Finally, it released its holy power in a blinding flash of blue-white radiance. The demon shut its eyes, threw its heads back and howled in pain.



I felt as if a veil had been lifted from my eyes. This demon, for all its power, was mortal: we had the power to destroy it, if only we had the will to fight.



Anna, once again fully in control of herself, picked up her slashers and hurled them at the demon with all her strength. One of its eyes, struck directly by the blade, burst open and oozed yellow fluid.



Shir too had come to her senses, and was using her techniques to slowly twist the demon's already-warped body to pieces.



Hugh was fighting with renewed fervour. He swung his mace down onto one of the demon's heads, striking it directly in the temple and crushing its skull.



The demon's hulking form heaved in great agonised waves. Its movements revealed a ball of flesh as wide as I was tall, sitting at the centre of its body and contracting rhythmically and powerfully. I stood below the heart and thrust my sword directly upwards, bracing myself for the rain of deadly blood that was sure to follow.



The rain never came. The instant my Neisword pierced the demon's heart, its blood stopped flowing. I felt the sword vibrate in my hands and heard a clear, ringing tone in the air. Pieces of the demon's body broke off, fell to the ground and dissolved into black mist.



The next moment, we were standing back on solid ground, on the floor of the spaceship. The black chest was gone. No sign remained that the demon had ever existed.

Shir took hold of my hand.

"Rolf... I thought we were all going to die for a minute there, and I just... I just lost my head. I didn't know what I was doing. I started running and I couldn't stop. I'm sorry for putting you in danger."

I stroked her palm reassuringly. "It wasn't just you; we all fell victim to the influence of that demon. Besides, maybe you've learned something from this. When you try to run away, you only end up running in circles."

Shir's smile returned. "So as long as I never run away again, will you do the same?"

I matched her grin with my own. "That sounds like a promise."

Shir hugged me, and looked up into my face with a sparkle in her eyes. "Deal. Sorry for getting all serious on you there."

I kissed her forehead, just above the bridge of her nose. "We might have to be serious for a while longer; our job's not done yet. But for now, I'm tired, and it looks like everyone else is too. I think we should call upon Lutz's help one more time."



I raised the Neisword into the air and formed an image of the Esper mansion in my mind. After a moment of disorientation, we all found ourselves standing safely back in front of Lutz. We hadn't yet shut down Mother Brain, but if we had the power to defeat that demon, nothing and nobody could stop us. Our victory was only a matter of time.