Steamforged Sorcery - Chapter 31 (Patreon)

The moon arced overhead, its pale light illuminating the desert sand in shades of shimmering gray and silver. Stars blinked down at them from their spot in the sky. Angel had spent many hours staring up at them, wondering which ones the humans that lived before the Great War had put up there.

On particularly bright nights, if one was lucky enough, a star would occasionally pass before the moon. On one occasion, Angel had caught a glimpse of copper and metal that made up some of the stars. He’d needed a telescope to do it, but the memory had stuck with him ever since.

The cloudless sky seemed to grow a shade darker. Angel’s skin prickled, but it wasn’t from the cold. He glanced over his shoulder and cursed. “So much for a head start. Pick up the pace! Vita is right behind us.”

The bandit’s chopper flew through the air behind them, its four rotors spinning in surprising silence. A small stack of smoke rose up from it and into the night sky. With every passing second it gained a little extra ground on them.

“How did they find us so quickly?” Vanessa asked as all three of them drove their artifacts to the max.

“Doesn’t matter,” Cowl said tightly. “Focus on escaping.”

“I’m not so sure we’re going to be able to outrun them,” Angel replied after another glance back over his shoulder. The chopper had gained on them. He wasn’t certain, but there was a small form on the edge of the vehicle’s railing that looked like it might have been waving at them.

“Then we’re going to die,” Cowl said. “I can handle five of them at once on a good day. Can you deal with the other five?”

“Probably not,” Angel admitted. “Two or three maybe, but my magic isn’t fast enough to take on five.”

“Just leave me,” Vanessa said, pressing her lips together. “They’re only after me, and I don’t want you two to die on my behalf, especially if it’s pointless.”

“Your mother would kill me right afterwards,” Angel said. “You need to get rid of those heroic ideals. They have no place in the Barren. Sacrificing yourself isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

“Do you have a better idea?” Vanessa snapped. “I don’t know how to fight!”

“We’ll fix that if we escape,” Angel said, clenching his hands. “Cowl, what direction are we headed relative to Silver Sands?”

“North of it. Why does that matter?”

“Trust me,” Angel said, a determined grin stretching across his face. “We’re turning a bit to the east.”

He leaned to the side, sending up a spray of sand. After a moment, Cowl and Vanessa shifted to follow after him. Behind them, the chopper did the same.

“What are you playing at? Do you know this area of the desert?” Cowl yelled.

“Not in the slightest,” Angel replied. “I don’t travel this way often. Too far from Bronze City.”

“Then why are we going off course? There’s nothing to the east but empty sand!”

“That’s not entirely true,” Angel said, reaching up and placing a canister into the slot in his arm. “Just get ready.”

“For what?” Vanessa and Cowl asked at nearly the exact same time.

Angel twisted and pointed his arm back at the chopper, taking a moment to aim. A bolt of yellow lightning ripped out of his palm and howled across the sky with a loud crack. The driver of the chopper yanked it back, but it was pointless.

By the time Angel’s magic had reached the chopper, it had already faded to little more than a spark. It hadn’t bought them more than a second or two.

“What was that for?” Cowl yelled. “You’re just wasting magic! You’ve only got six of those, don’t you?”

Angel ignored him. This wasn’t Cowl’s area of expertise anymore. He loaded another canister into his arm and pointed it into the air, firing it off again. Lightning cracked for a second time, but the chopper didn’t even try dodging this time.

“Have you lost your mind?” Cowl yelled. “You’re throwing away any chance that we had to beat them!”

“Shut up and let me work,” Angel replied, flicking his eyepiece down and scanning the desert floor. “Get ready to stop on my signal.”

Angel loaded his third and last canister of lightning magic into his arm. He turned slightly more eastward and leaned forward, drawing every last drop of speed out of the board. Cowl and Vanessa strained to keep up with him, but their relics weren’t quite as fast as the board.

He pointed his hand at the ground in front of them. Lightning leapt forth, scoring the sand in a line in front of them. The eyepiece let out a small ding, outlining a large portion of the sand in front of them in faint orange light.

The chopper was growing closer and closer behind them. Angel could now hear the large motors whirring. Vita and two other men stood at the railing. The bandit captain’s hat was so ridiculously large that his subordinates had to stand an arm’s length away from him to avoid bumping into it.

“Why do you run?” Vita called. “It’s pointless, friend! It will not change the outcome. You did not strike me as a fool, so this pointless waste of time and effort does not become you.”

Angel ignored the man. “Get ready to stop. We’re almost there.”

“Almost where?” Vanessa asked, her face pale from the chilled air.

“Now!” Angel urged, bringing his board to an abrupt halt. Cowl and Vanessa jerked to a stop as well, both staring at him. The Seeker flicked his eyepiece back up as the chopper closed the distance between them in seconds, slowing to a stop in the air above them.

“I’ll be honest,” Vita called down. “I didn’t actually think you’d stop. You really are quite a pleasure. I don’t suppose you’re looking to join a bandit crew?”

“Thanks. I’ve always prided myself on being unpredictable,” Angel replied. “I’ll keep the offer in mind, although I think I have to respectfully decline right now. I’ve currently got a job.”