Chapter 2: Clarke’s Third Law
“Well, this is disappointing.†I groan. My companion whimpered and I replied by swatting him in the back of the head with the pummel of my knife. He fell to his knees, cradling his skull only to gasp in terror – blinded by his pain; he almost collapsed over edge of the precipice overlooking the ruins of a giant golden statue.
Many posters around this strange city illustrated the tower as an immense Hyur woman with wings. But instead of a beautiful deity, what I saw was the mutilated corpse. The head and left half of the upper torso had fallen off – this Lamb of the Prophet was worth going to war over, apparently. My dissatisfaction quickly faded, however. Dancing exempted, I was never fond of fine arts, anyway.
 Disappointment aside, that dark-skinned woman on the airship was using my target as bait for someone named Comstock. But to me, it was like a colossal party invitation for tea and crumpets, and I loathed refusing a free meal with a hearty serving of blood-letting for dessert. I grin eagerly at the thought.
“So then, what to do with you?†I ask my companion. He turns to look up at me, horrified.
“You said you’d let live!†He cried. I playfully waved my knife at him, slapping his cheek with the flat.
“No, no,†I corrected with a sneer, “I said I wouldn’t run you through.†I used the guard of my knife to kill an itch behind my ear. “Well, time to see if you lied to me about those clouds, eh?â€
The man’s eyes widened but I gave him no time to react further. He could only scream as I kicked him off the side of the platform. I leaned over the edge to watch him plummet past the clouds, although his screams echoed for some time.
“Well, I’ll be damned. It is a city in the sky.†I confirm replacing my knife.
For most of my journey to Monument Island, I snuck through the backalleys of Columbia, taking a long, roundabout path to my destination. It didn’t take me long to realize I had stepped into some kind of civil war between the Vox Populi and Comstock. Normally, I would simply walk through hell and slaughter my way to the other side, but I was unfamiliar with the weaponry of this realm and I didn't want to chance unnecessary risk.
I observed over a dozen skirmishes between the two factions and grimly noted that Garlemald’s firearms were mere firecrackers compared to the guns of the Vox Populi and Comstock’s followers. Even the Empire’s airships failed to compare in pure destructive power, although an Imperial Juggernaut could easily outmaneuver these cumbersome airships. As I watched two opposing fleets engage in the sky overhead, I started to wonder if I could somehow bring a cannon or two back with me. Such a weapon would fetch a hefty sum if sold to the right buyer.
My musings came to an abrupt end as flaming cannonballs rained down from above. I cursed and leapt through several broken houses and buildings, sprinting for cover.
“Bloody flying city!†I snarled as I slid to a halt at the edge of the area’s platform. I pivoted quickly only to be blown over the edge by a rogue cannonball. My reflexes saved my skull from being pelted by debris and shrapnel, but since my arms were guarding my face, I could not reach for the ledge in time and fell through the clouds.
“Ugraah!†I howl in agony as I landed on my back and bounced once off of a wooden surface. I clutch my entire body, content in reveling in my pain. A small shred of my mind that could ruthlessly analyze, calculate, and plan regardless of how broken the rest of my mind and body was, noted that I landed on the deck of another airship.
“Hey! Hey! Who are you?†Demanded a male voice. I force my eyes open and my vision is greeted with a barrel of a pistol trained between my brows. Rather than answer, I batted away the gun with strength and speed that surprised him – I don’t think he expected vigorous retaliation from someone half-dead.
I swept the man’s legs from under him and scrambled to stand, but he tackled me back to the ground with a spinning hook-contraption in his left hand. With a roar I slammed my knee into his floating ribs and forced his lungs to collapse. I landed another blow across his jaw and hammered him off me. Groaning, he rolled away from me, giving me time to drag myself up and draw my sword.
My body sagged under the weight of my wounds and I found it difficult to stay conscious. The conditioned mentality of a warrior brandishing his favored weapon was the only thing keeping me standing.
“Drop the… sword,†he ordered hoarsely, albeit bewildered at my choice of weaponry. I ground my teeth as the man reaches down to retrieve his pistol – that was why he rolled away. He aimed the barrel squarely at my shoulder. “Drop it!†He repeated, his strength returning. I refused to yield and after a few moments, he fired.
I could feel my entire body surge with power as I infused Aether into my back. With my spine as the focal point, Lightning Elemental Aether coursed throughout every inch of my body, boosting my speed and visual perception threshold far beyond Hyuran limits, and reducing my reaction time to infinitesimal degrees. It was a botched enchantment done without proper preparation and under extreme duress, but even so, I could tell the man was dumbstruck when I deflected the bullet with the flat of my blade.
I had to give the gunman credit. Instead of gaping like a wide-eyed Aldegoat, he fired shot after shot, intending to overwhelm me. Despite the power of my enchantment, I was forced into the defensive, swatting away gunfire like a man trying to fan down a forest fire. Worse still, firearms of this realm had negligible reload times. With my body as broken as it was, I couldn't manage a single step forward.
But soon I discovered there was nowhere to step backward, either.
“You cheeky bastard!†I screamed as I fell over off the deck of the airship.
================
“Never seen a man block bullets with a damn sword. This place gets worse and worse.†Booker lamented with a pained sigh of relief while clutching his lower ribcage. He carefully gazed over the side of the barge, pistol reloaded and held at the ready.
The swordsman fell one story below, onto the foot of Monument Island. He landed on a thick patch of bushes, but after nearly getting blown to smithereens by rocket fire and falling onto the deck of an airship from three stories above, Booker was sure the swordsman was dead.
“Didn’t think people actually fought with swords up here,†Booker mused sardonically as the barge automatically docked at the foot of Monument Island. A series of explosions overhead reminded him of his purpose and urgency; while Comstock and Fitzroy blew each other to kingdom-come in the skies above, he would be free to infiltrate the Island. His gaze drifted up toward the tower and his eyes narrowed resolutely.
“I’m coming, Elizabeth.â€
“Well, this is disappointing.†I groan. My companion whimpered and I replied by swatting him in the back of the head with the pummel of my knife. He fell to his knees, cradling his skull only to gasp in terror – blinded by his pain; he almost collapsed over edge of the precipice overlooking the ruins of a giant golden statue.
Many posters around this strange city illustrated the tower as an immense Hyur woman with wings. But instead of a beautiful deity, what I saw was the mutilated corpse. The head and left half of the upper torso had fallen off – this Lamb of the Prophet was worth going to war over, apparently. My dissatisfaction quickly faded, however. Dancing exempted, I was never fond of fine arts, anyway.
 Disappointment aside, that dark-skinned woman on the airship was using my target as bait for someone named Comstock. But to me, it was like a colossal party invitation for tea and crumpets, and I loathed refusing a free meal with a hearty serving of blood-letting for dessert. I grin eagerly at the thought.
“So then, what to do with you?†I ask my companion. He turns to look up at me, horrified.
“You said you’d let live!†He cried. I playfully waved my knife at him, slapping his cheek with the flat.
“No, no,†I corrected with a sneer, “I said I wouldn’t run you through.†I used the guard of my knife to kill an itch behind my ear. “Well, time to see if you lied to me about those clouds, eh?â€
The man’s eyes widened but I gave him no time to react further. He could only scream as I kicked him off the side of the platform. I leaned over the edge to watch him plummet past the clouds, although his screams echoed for some time.
“Well, I’ll be damned. It is a city in the sky.†I confirm replacing my knife.
For most of my journey to Monument Island, I snuck through the backalleys of Columbia, taking a long, roundabout path to my destination. It didn’t take me long to realize I had stepped into some kind of civil war between the Vox Populi and Comstock. Normally, I would simply walk through hell and slaughter my way to the other side, but I was unfamiliar with the weaponry of this realm and I didn't want to chance unnecessary risk.
I observed over a dozen skirmishes between the two factions and grimly noted that Garlemald’s firearms were mere firecrackers compared to the guns of the Vox Populi and Comstock’s followers. Even the Empire’s airships failed to compare in pure destructive power, although an Imperial Juggernaut could easily outmaneuver these cumbersome airships. As I watched two opposing fleets engage in the sky overhead, I started to wonder if I could somehow bring a cannon or two back with me. Such a weapon would fetch a hefty sum if sold to the right buyer.
My musings came to an abrupt end as flaming cannonballs rained down from above. I cursed and leapt through several broken houses and buildings, sprinting for cover.
“Bloody flying city!†I snarled as I slid to a halt at the edge of the area’s platform. I pivoted quickly only to be blown over the edge by a rogue cannonball. My reflexes saved my skull from being pelted by debris and shrapnel, but since my arms were guarding my face, I could not reach for the ledge in time and fell through the clouds.
“Ugraah!†I howl in agony as I landed on my back and bounced once off of a wooden surface. I clutch my entire body, content in reveling in my pain. A small shred of my mind that could ruthlessly analyze, calculate, and plan regardless of how broken the rest of my mind and body was, noted that I landed on the deck of another airship.
“Hey! Hey! Who are you?†Demanded a male voice. I force my eyes open and my vision is greeted with a barrel of a pistol trained between my brows. Rather than answer, I batted away the gun with strength and speed that surprised him – I don’t think he expected vigorous retaliation from someone half-dead.
I swept the man’s legs from under him and scrambled to stand, but he tackled me back to the ground with a spinning hook-contraption in his left hand. With a roar I slammed my knee into his floating ribs and forced his lungs to collapse. I landed another blow across his jaw and hammered him off me. Groaning, he rolled away from me, giving me time to drag myself up and draw my sword.
My body sagged under the weight of my wounds and I found it difficult to stay conscious. The conditioned mentality of a warrior brandishing his favored weapon was the only thing keeping me standing.
“Drop the… sword,†he ordered hoarsely, albeit bewildered at my choice of weaponry. I ground my teeth as the man reaches down to retrieve his pistol – that was why he rolled away. He aimed the barrel squarely at my shoulder. “Drop it!†He repeated, his strength returning. I refused to yield and after a few moments, he fired.
I could feel my entire body surge with power as I infused Aether into my back. With my spine as the focal point, Lightning Elemental Aether coursed throughout every inch of my body, boosting my speed and visual perception threshold far beyond Hyuran limits, and reducing my reaction time to infinitesimal degrees. It was a botched enchantment done without proper preparation and under extreme duress, but even so, I could tell the man was dumbstruck when I deflected the bullet with the flat of my blade.
I had to give the gunman credit. Instead of gaping like a wide-eyed Aldegoat, he fired shot after shot, intending to overwhelm me. Despite the power of my enchantment, I was forced into the defensive, swatting away gunfire like a man trying to fan down a forest fire. Worse still, firearms of this realm had negligible reload times. With my body as broken as it was, I couldn't manage a single step forward.
But soon I discovered there was nowhere to step backward, either.
“You cheeky bastard!†I screamed as I fell over off the deck of the airship.
================
“Never seen a man block bullets with a damn sword. This place gets worse and worse.†Booker lamented with a pained sigh of relief while clutching his lower ribcage. He carefully gazed over the side of the barge, pistol reloaded and held at the ready.
The swordsman fell one story below, onto the foot of Monument Island. He landed on a thick patch of bushes, but after nearly getting blown to smithereens by rocket fire and falling onto the deck of an airship from three stories above, Booker was sure the swordsman was dead.
“Didn’t think people actually fought with swords up here,†Booker mused sardonically as the barge automatically docked at the foot of Monument Island. A series of explosions overhead reminded him of his purpose and urgency; while Comstock and Fitzroy blew each other to kingdom-come in the skies above, he would be free to infiltrate the Island. His gaze drifted up toward the tower and his eyes narrowed resolutely.
“I’m coming, Elizabeth.â€
