Book 3, Chapter 81 - The Mysterious Blade (2/2)

“No!”

But what happened next was unexpected, for as Vulture’s dagger was poised to stab his master in the back it missed. And bored right into the center of Three-Eyed Spider’s chest.

The scientist’s three eyes stared wild and angry, gaping at the man in disbelief. “You -”

Wolfblade looked at his incredulous expression with a smile wide enough to show teeth. There wasn’t an ounce of fear at his apparent brush with death.

The rest of the men under Vulture’s command turned on Three-Eyed Spider. He was too stricken to voice his rage, and could only scream as they closed in. He tried to flee, earning several life-threatening wounds for his efforts. Meanwhile Vulture’s poison had seeped into his bloodstream and robbed him of any hope.

“Why?!”

Three-Eyed Spider was gravely wounded, perhaps fatally. He had not thought that the one Vulture would betray would be him. Could they truly look upon this man Wolfblade had become and remain loyal? Were they really willing to work themselves to death at his command? Did they honestly believe all his lofty promises would offer any return? Why?!

Ten or so of the Dark Atom’s elite stood by Wolfblade’s side, Vulture among them. They had their weapons raised, ready for war. And though their expression were all different the light in their eyes was the same. There was no sliver of regret or hesitation in their depths.

The hovering blue sword returned to Wolfblade.

His body once more began to release its cocoon of power. Beneath the supernatural blue light his face lost its playful charm, and instead adopted an inscrutable intensity. “Your time on this earth is more than twice my own. Yet you still cannot see?”

Three-Eyed Spider didn’t understand. Neither did Cloudhawk, for that matter.

“These men are the backbone of the Dark Atom. Faithful revolutionaries in service to our cause. They are all willing to give their lives to defeat the tyranny of Skycloud, and revolutionary men like them need a revolutionary leader. Not a man who spends his days hiding in a laboratory, desperately searching for a way to extend his own life.”

Three-Eyed Spider’s face was a sickly pale.

“It doesn’t matter what changes befall a leader, whether they are the same as they once were.” As he spoke the sword drew in the mist of energy once again, several times more than before. Wolfblade’s voice thundered through the study as though he might blast the traitor apart with the force of his words alone. “What is important is that I can still lead. We have faith! You have none! You are selfish, and you are a coward!”

The sword lashed out!

Three-Eyed Spider knew his coup had failed. He turned and tried to run, but the sword gave chase fast as a lightning bolt. More than twenty men were reduced to dust as they tried to scramble out of the way. Wolfblade’s nightmarish relic gleamed as it caught up with its target.

But in that instant a hulking black figure appeared in the air, wreathed in a cloak of metallic feathers. One arm struck the blade and was immediately disintegrated, but it was enough to alter its trajectory ever so slightly. Another ten renegades were turned to nothing.

Raven landed, grabbing onto Three-Eyed Spider with his one remaining hand.

Wolfblade narrowed his eye. The sword was already back above his head gathering strength.

It had become clear that Wolfblade’s sword was indeed powerful, but could only release its energy all at once in a single strike. If it failed to end its target, it had to recover energy before it made another attack. While it did its bearer was protected by a powerful shield, a shield which was lost when the weapon was released.

Therefore, defeating Wolfblade first required his attacker to be strong enough to evade or deflect the sword. Then he needed to have the speed and wits necessary to take advantage of his small window of vulnerability. It was the one intrinsic flaw in an otherwise marvelous relic.

Raven had arrived, but it didn’t matter. He was too late and too weak to stop the inevitable.

The sword struck a third time.

Three-Eyed Spider’s ashen face fell, yet as he faced his own demise the entire city shook from an impact. The quaking ground was so severe that for a moment up and down were impossible to discern. Great boulders collapsed from overhead, raining down on the unprepared masses below.

“Earthquake?!” Cloudhawk shouted in surprise.

“Impossible! Nucleus id protected against earthquakes!” Hellflower’s mind raced to find the most likely cause. “We’re being attacked from outside!”

Blaring alarms screamed all throughout the city in confirmation. Someone’s terrified shouts rose over the din. “The Skycloud army is at the gates!”

At last Wolfblade seemed to recognize that the situation was critical. He frowned, for although he knew their position had been revealed he hadn’t expected an assault so soon. The other members of the Dark Atom were scared and furious. Over the last few years they had been hounded by these elysian scum, and now they were knocking down the door to their home? Fate had abandoned them.

“Evacuate!”

Three-Eyed Spider didn’t know how the elysians got here, but he was grateful. It was his chance to escape certain death. Raven opened his mouth and spat out a series of pellets. When they hit the ground they burst into clouds of noxious green smoke, which he used as cover to pull Three-Eyed Spider to safety.

Vulture and the others were ready to give chase, but Wolfblade called them back.

“Forget him.” He called back his sword and sighed. The scientist was dealt with, for now. He couldn’t allow the distraction. “Save your energy. The real fight starts now.”

Skycloud had arrived. It was the single greatest disaster the Dark Atom could suffer.

Ever since its inception there had never been a wasteland power strong enough to stand up to the elysians. It wasn’t just their superior numbers and equipment, Skycloud was home to a host of brilliant warriors. Without a doubt, this would be the most harrowing test the Dark Atom had ever faced.

Cloudhawk’s supernatural healing had been working on his injuries, and by now he was at least recovered enough to move. But the problem facing him now was especially fraught. Any decision he made was the wrong one: In a war between Skycloud and the Dark Atom, which side was he supposed to choose?

If he helped Skycloud, would Trespasser continue to wreak havoc through his body?

But if he helped the Dark Atom, was it not the same as throwing his life away? How were these wastelanders supposed to survive against the full might of the elysian army? Even if by some miracle he got away Cloudhawk would immediately be branded a traitor. They would hunt him for the rest of his life.

1. Pretty huge power-up, considering he had his ass handed to him when they actually scuffled