In the hours that followed, Gideon explained his encounter to Mia and then gave the shortened version of the story to Red when he woke up and stumbled into the mess hall groggily. The little creature itself was undergoing a series of tests with Maddox and Bullseye as they tried to figure out what it was and why the Stalkers had brought it with them to the moon’s surface.
“We need to focus on the guy standing outside,” Gideon said as Red worked his way through a second plate of eggs and bacon.
“This is gonna be different to what we faced before and I’ve got a feeling we’re gonna be significantly outmatched, so we’ll need a clear strategy going into the fight.”
Mia nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that. This whole guy’s thing is fire, right? So, maybe we should be attacking with some kind of frost or water attack?”
“Dowse him with a hose?” Red suggested, chuckling as he shoveled egg into his mouth.
“I’ve only really got venom and explosive attacks in my arsenal,” Mia went on, ignoring the comment. “But if I could work out a way to construct frost projectiles, maybe that would be better.”
“Maybe,” Gideon agreed, “but we’re assuming that this all works the same as it does on Artemis and that might not be the case. Just because he’s a fire guy doesn’t mean that he’s gonna have a weakness to frost. There’s also no guarantee that he’s resistant to fire. He could take just as much damage from an explosive shot as any other enemy.”
Mia slammed her hand against the table. “Damn it. We need more data. How can they expect us to fight this bastard if we don’t know enough about what we’re facing?”
“Exactly,” Gideon said, “we don’t have data. So, I say getting as much information as we can as quickly as possible should be our main priority. The second we’re in range we need to start hitting this guy with different kinds of damage.”
“So, stick with venom for a few seconds and see how that does before changing to explosive rounds?”
“Yeah, exactly. Once we’ve tried everything we have available, then we start with combinations, like venom and fire, or a mix of melee and ranged damage.”
Mia nodded. “Okay, but we’re pretty limited though, right? No frost damage, no lightning damage, just venom, conventional physical damage, and explosive or fire. I mean, we can infuse attacks with ether to modify the damage a little, but it still doesn’t give us a wide range of different attacks to try.”
She threw a thumb in Red’s direction.
“And this guy’s only play is to hit stuff hard.”
“Hey!” Red objected. “I hit stuff exceptionally hard!”
A figure moved near the doorway and one of the station soldiers came walking over holding Bullseye in his hands. Without a word the soldier deposited the turtle on the table, at which point Bullseye immediately began speaking.
“I have been listening in on your conversation and concur that gathering data within the opening seconds of the fight will be paramount to victory. I will be able to perform a rapid analysis and alert you to the most effective damage types and combinations.”
He looked over at Red.
“In addition to his hitting stuff hard, it should be noted that Red can also employ earth damage with his attacks as well as a bleed effect which may prove beneficial.”
“Can I?” Red asked.
“Your Rupture Slam ability generates earthen AOE damage, and Bloodmist Crash causes a bleed effect which can also spread to additional enemies.”
“Sweet,” Red chirped, sticking a slice of bacon into his mouth and chewing noisily.
“So,” Bullseye went on, “that gives us physical damage, bleed and earth damage, venom, explosive and fire damage.” He turned toward Gideon. “And something else.”
Gideon frowned. “I’m guessing my attacks are physical damage as well, right? I mean it’s blade damage.”
The little turtle shook its head.
“Ordinarily that would be the case. It should be the case in fact, but my analysis of your recent outing has revealed that your attacks do not register as purely physical in nature.”
“Okay, what kind of damage is it then?”
“Whenever you utilize a stealth skill whilst attacking, your talons demonstrate an etheric signature that we haven’t been able to identify. There is no record of it within the Artemis archives and we can’t match it with anything the Harrow Collective has sent us.”
Gideon turned to Mia then back to Bullseye. “So, what the hell does that mean?”
“It means that you are utilizing a type of damage dealing capacity we have not witnessed before. You are doing something new. It might be because of the way you failed to adequately merge with your echo in the beginning or the fact that I was forced to extricate myself from your mind in those formative moments. Perhaps it was because yours was the first echo to actively combat the Stalkers and begin absorbing their ether.”
The turtle moved over to Red’s plate, sniffing the food before Red pulled the plate closer to his chest, hunching over it protectively.
“The fact is,” Bullseye went on, “we have no idea why your attacks are reading differently nor why we can’t yet identify the nature of the damage you are dealing.”
Gideon pointed to Red. “What about when we fought? Was I using the same kind of damage then?”
“You were, but there is also a good deal of physical damage in your fighting. I initially thought that the strange etheric signature I was picking up had more to do with our unique situation and the fact that our integration into the Artemis System was still working through several kinks.”
“Right,” Gideon said, “well, I guess that gives us another source of damage to try out.”
“Mystery meat,” Red offered. “That’s what we should call it.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “You’re an idiot.”
“I’m serious!” Red protested. “Think about it, we know it does damage but we don’t know what’s in it. Just like a hot dog. You know it’s good. You know it works, but you’ve got no idea what it’s made of. Mystery Meat. Or I guess we could go with Wiener Power?”
Gideon snorted with laughter. “No way we’re going with Wiener Power.”
“Right,” Red confirmed. “So, we’ll just call it Gideon’s Mystery Meat attack.”
Mia groaned. “That doesn’t make it sound any better, Red.”
Keen to move on from the topic and conscious that they were rapidly approaching their deadline, Gideon turned to Bullseye.
“What else can you tell us about the guy we’re going up against?”
“Not much. According to the information we’ve already received he has three primary abilities. Cinderstrike, Ashen Veil, and Eruption Surge. Of course, these are simply terms that the System has applied to his abilities. Cinderstrike and Eruption Surge will both do AOE damage whereas the Veil acts as a protective measure. We presume that’s what he’s using at the moment to make himself impervious to attack.”
Gideon frowned. “But he’s been using that for hours.”
“Precisely. The ability gives him a formidable advantage, but it will most likely be broken when he chooses to attack.”
“What if it isn’t broken?” Mia asked. “What if one of this guy’s abilities is just that he can ignore damage altogether? How do we beat that?”
“Unfortunately, I have no answers for you,” Bullseye offered. “Not with regards to how The Ashen Harrow might be defeated at least. But I do have orders directly from Commander Moynahan that concern each of you.”
They all leaned forward as he continued.
“If we are unable to defeat the enemy and there is an opportunity to withdraw from the fight, we are ordered to do so.”
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
A map showed up on Gideon’s HUD, showing an area near the lunar station where the Stalker army had attacked, and they’d taken out the three Striders. A green box blinked to the top left of the map.
“That’s the alien ship,” Gideon said.
“Correct,” Bullseye confirmed. “In the event that we are unable to defeat The Ashen Harrow, we have been instructed to retreat to that craft and exit the moon’s surface. We are to head to earth where we will rendezvous with Ministry command and aid in the defense of the planet.”
Gideon shook his head. “And leave everyone in this base to die?”
“Yes. If it comes to that. Understand, Gideon, that this option is only to be taken when it becomes clear that there is no path to victory. It is vital that the three of you survive this encounter. Earth cannot afford to lose you, especially this early in the fight.”
Red grunted, holding a fork up like he intended to stab someone with it.
“Feels like running away to me.”
The turtle turned to face him. “Yes. That’s exactly what it is. Our orders are to run away if it becomes clear that we cannot defeat the enemy.”
SIDE MISSION: Flee to Earth
If victory is not attainable against The Ashen Harrow you are to board the alien troop carrier and fly it to earth.
SURVIVING ECHOES: 3/3
REWARD: 10 Enhancement Points Each
“Well, that’s a little depressing,” Gideon said with a sigh.
“It’s a reality of war,” Bullseye said. “Not every fight will end in victory, and you must be prepared to take bold action for the good of the larger war effort. It may not feel courageous or heroic, but obeying commands such as this is paramount to eventual success in this campaign.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the group as they considered Bullseye’s words. He’d spoken the truth, of course, but none of them wanted to face the reality that they might very well be heading into a situation that they couldn’t win, a situation that would demand retreat and ultimately mean the death of a thousand or so Ministry personnel and the destruction of a key asset in the fight against the Collective.
“Something else of note,” Bullseye continued. “It seems that the System has uncovered the nature of the Harrow Cores you collected from the Striders you defeated. They are similar in function to the augment sigils we use to modify the body with special skills and abilities. When applied to a suitable Stalker host, the core will imbue said host with a variety of physical and neurological augmentations required for their given role within the Collective. In the case of the Striders the Harrow Core gifts them the capacity to access and utilize psionic abilities.”
Gideon nodded. “Can we use them? For a weapon, or to augment ourselves?”
“Perhaps, with time, we will understand more, but at this stage it seems that the cores are hardwired to function with Stalkers. Once environmental sigils for your team are complete, Maddox will be devoting more time and energy to uncovering further uses for the cores. They have been returned to your inventory in the meantime however. Given that retreat may be necessary.”
“And what about Blue?” Gideon asked.
“The alien is with Maddox and seems quite content to remain there. It has demonstrated no aggressive tendencies, but the Commander has ordered a guard to remain with the entity as a precaution. As you have already determined, the creature seems to ingest and exude ether, though we are yet to understand the exact nature of this function and why the Stalker brought the creature here in the first place. The current theory is that it is a kind of living ether reserve, a battery, if you will, that the Stalkers draw upon while they are engaged in military action.”
Red leaned back in his chair, punctuating an end to the conversation with a loud burp. He smiled, slapping his stomach contentedly.
“That hit the spot. Eggs and bakey!”
Mia waved a hand in front of her face, pushing back her chair and standing. “Oh God, I can smell your insides.”
“Enjoy,” Red offered with a broad grin.
There were still many unanswered questions, but the clock on Gideon’s HUD confirmed that it was time to get moving. He felt a mixture of excitement and trepidation as he stood and walked with the others toward Maddox’s workshop, Bullseye held under one arm.
Gideon: This could be bad. This fight I mean.
Bullseye: Correct. We do not have a reliable measure of how strong this enemy will be and even with all your team has accomplished thus far, we are unprepared for such a powerful foe.
Gideon: I thought you were supposed to be my tutor? Doesn’t that mean you should be encouraging me?
Bullseye: There is no benefit in deception, Gideon. I will be brutally honest wherever possible because anything less may put you in grave danger.
Gideon: Great. Thanks for being honest I guess.
They entered the workshop where Maddox handed Mia and Red their environmental sigils. Blue watched them as the sigils were attached, waddling over to stand next to Gideon and hold his hand as they both watched.
Mia grinned as she caught sight of the little creature.
“That’s adorable,” she cooed. “You look like you’re taking him to his first day at school.”
“Yeah,” Red said, “except it’s an alien so that little bastard’s probably a thousand years old.”
It took a few moments for Gideon to extricate himself from the alien at which point the group moved to the airlock where they were met by Book and Commander Moynahan.
“You’ve got about twenty minutes left on the clock,” the Commander said. “Plenty of time to get around to the front of the station and face this bozo.”
She looked them up and down, tight lipped. “I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that the fate of a thousand souls is in your hands. If you fail at this, we all die.”
Moynahan looked straight at Gideon.
“But you need to know that the most important aspect of this fight is that you survive. We’re significantly outmatched in this fight and you three are the only echoes we currently have engaged in combat. That makes you the most precious commodity on this base. So, when I tell you to get off this rock the moment it looks like the fight can’t be won, I’m being deadly serious. Do you understand?”
Her eyes were locked on Gideons as he nodded. The truth was, he didn’t feel confident at all that he’d make the right decision if it came to it. He didn’t even know what the right decision was. Follow orders and abandon the base and everyone in it or keep fighting a losing battle and risk losing everything.
Hopefully he wouldn’t have to make that decision.
Commander Moynahan moved from person to person, shaking their hands firmly and nodding to each. Book stood behind her, head bowed as though in prayer.
“Alright, get out there and give this guy hell,” Moynahan barked. “We’re all counting on you.”
Gideon led the squad out into the barren surface of the moon. Mia and Red took a few moments to adjust to the fact that they no longer needed an EV suit or Gravity Tether but they quickly adapted. Gideon was holding Bullseye with one hand, leading the group towards the front of the base where The Ashen Harrow was waiting.
“As soon as we figure out the most effective kind of damage to deal against this guy, we pile it on,” Gideon said. “If that turns out to be poison then it will be on you to keep the damage going Mia while we keep him away from you.”
She nodded. “And if it’s earth then Red will need to keep triggering his AOE attack. Got it.”
Red frowned as they rounded the corner of the base, and the enemy came into view.
“What if none of the damage works?”
“Something will work,” Gideon said with much more confidence than he was feeling. “We’re just trying to find out if this guy has a special weakness, something we can exploit to do more damage faster. If he doesn’t have weaknesses then we’ll just need to keep hitting him until he’s dead.”
“One more thing,” Bullseye said. “To date, most of the enemies you have faced have used limited AOE attacks against you. A poison cloud is about the worst of it, but from what we know of The Ashen Harrow, he will produce considerably more AOE damage, so movement will be key in this fight.”
Red raised a hand while he was walking. Gideon turned to him with a smile.
“What’s up?”
Red shrugged. “Just one thing. What the hell is AOE and how to I stop it?”
Gideon and Mia chuckled.
“Area of effect damage,” Mia explained. “It means the ground is gonna be on fire, or there will be a cloud of ash, or something like that. Like Bullseye said, it will be like the poison cloud but with different types of damage. The longer you stay in it the more damage is dealt, so you’ll need to keep moving to get out of the danger zones quickly.”
“Basically,” Gideon said, “don’t stay still. Keep moving from place to place and if you sense that something is coming, try to get your ass out of the way before it hits.”
Red nodded. “Keep moving. Got it.”
They walked out in front of the base and the enemy came into view. He was standing where they had seen him hours earlier, wreathed in smoke, standing a foot or so taller than Gideon.
As they approached the enemy Gideon kept one eye on the mini map on his HUD. They were already well within the figure’s AOE damage zone if the System had correctly estimated it.
That wasn’t what made Gideon feel most nervous though. The fact was, they knew next to nothing about this enemy aside from a few painfully brief ability descriptions which didn’t really convey the strength or scope of any of the attacks. That left Gideon with a bunch of questions.
Would this guy have bladed weapons, guns, or was he just going to fight with sorcery. Did he only use AOE attacks or would there be single target strikes to deal with as well. Was he a summoner, did he have damaging DOTs or debuffs that could drain Gideon and his companions, reduce their resistances or deal direct damage?
Too many questions and the only way to find the answers was to fight and quickly adapt to whatever they experienced. It was a dangerous method at the best of times. On Artemis, they would have the benefit of dozens of years of history where the fighting patterns, defenses, and abilities of every major enemy were catalogued and easily researchable. Here, they had a life and death struggle with an enemy of unknown power and only one chance to get it right.
They walked to within twenty yards of the enemy and Gideon felt the now familiar buzz of etheric power emanating from the Harrow Lord. The figure stood motionless, red eyes staring unblinking at the group as they spread out in front of him.
Mia move back and to the left, her rifle already out and ready to fire. Red moved to the right, staying close to Gideon and holding his maul in one hand as he grinned like a lunatic, obviously hoping that The Ashen Harrow might be intimidated by his moronic display. Gideon placed Bullseye down on the ground at his feet.
Gideon: You gonna be good down here?
Bullseye: Yes. That will be fine.
Gideon noticed that the little turtle was missing its bubble.
Gideon: How are you still breathing out here?”
Bullseye: Maddox was good enough to build a fourth sigil for me. She modeled it on yours, so it was a little faster to construct.
Gideon noticed a second tattoo just behind the first one on Bullseye’s shell. He turned back to the enemy, waiting to see who would make the first move and checking his spell options.
“Greetings, soulless,” the Harrow Lord said, voice deep and resonant. “I am pleased it is you I will contend with before destroying this settlement. Our meeting was brief, but instructive.”
“It was you then?” Gideon replied. “Back on that black planet.”
The figure nodded, its head moving almost imperceptibly.
“Indeed. You drew our attention because you were the first. You also seem to possess something of the Null, so we thought it wise to converse with you. But you were unwilling to treat with us, and you seem unaware of your gift.”
“Null? What is that? What does that mean.”
The smoke surrounding the Harrow Lord lessened and he seemed to become more real, more solid. Slowly, he raised his hands to either side and blades slid out from his sleeves glinting with molten fire that dripped from their edges like poison.
“It matters not, for you will soon be dead and your story will be at an end.”
Gideon was about to reply when the stone beneath his feet erupted with fire.