The Iron Pillars

Chapter 32

The clamor of constant gunfire hammered in Brant's ears as he fought across the room. They rung when a dying guard fired off a bullet right by his head as he fell. The projectile whizzed right by the side of his face and penetrated one of his Kemarian comrades. Brant winced and stopped his momentum. With gritted teeth, he ended the perpetrator's fading life in an instant, with one stab with the razor sharp point of his shield. 

With a sigh, he glanced up and witnessed Aaron leaping atop a table to gain a vantage point. He dual-wielded two pistols and nailed his numerous opponents with surprising proficiency. One Iron Hallway guard snuck up behind him with a dagger, but the moment he began clambering onto the table, Aaron leapt off. The excess weight on the one side of the table caused it to come crashing down onto the guard, along with all the utensils, condiment bottles, and wine glasses. Brant found himself unsure if it was red noodle sauce or blood oozing onto the floor. 

His attention was snatched back into the fight when a machine gun sputtered gunfire his way. He blocked them while charging forward, sword poised to remove the man's head. Once he swung, the guard ducked and resumed his shooting, always backing up to keep distance. 

Brant felt one of the bullets speed by his leg, and a quick glance revealed it had actually torn into his pants, missing his flesh by a mere inch. He hurried his pace, forcing his opponent to practically run backwards to keep away. Then a loud bang rung out and with a grunt, the man dropped dead to reveal Hannah standing behind him. 

She gave Brant a somewhat forced smile and hurried over. They banded together, Brant watching Hannah's back and vice versa. She often cleared a path with her shotgun, which Brant took advantage of to get close and personal in his dealings with the guards. 

Brant's eyes widened when a metal object clanged against his shield. With slight relief, he realized it was just one of Ryder's shurikens, but then that emotion transformed into amazement. The perfectly calculated ricochet sent the blades spinning into one guard, slitting his neck as before, and then it hit a nearby wall, bounced off again, and buried itself into the belly of another who had snatched up a sniper rifle. 

The fight continued on for several more minutes. Brant and his comrades slowly thinned the numbers of their opponents inside the restaurant while Aaron and his helpers performed admirably in keeping reinforcements at bay. Even Baird now involved himself, swordless but certainly not helpless. Every single punch or kick he sent his enemies' way sent shockwaves of pain and regret into their bodies, or at least so Brant gathered from their contorted faces. 

By and by, the last drop of blood spewed from Brant's latest kill. Then he glanced around and realized with a mixture of confusion and relief that they had succeeded. Hannah squealed and embraced him, which he gladly accepted. 

Out of necessity rather than desire, he quickly separated from her and stepped over to where Aaron, Baird, and Khemera stood in a huddle. 

"Last time we were here, it was you who saved my bum." Aaron remarked with a smirk, eyes locked with Baird's. 

Baird chuckled. "I guess you're right. But to be fair, you got shot last time too, which I can't claim." 

"Oh, I got hit this time too." Aaron said calmly. 

Baird, Brant, and Khemera all gasped. "Where?" they asked in unison. 

Aaron lifted his pant leg up slightly to reveal a small, circular perforation in the skin. "The dude thought he had bullets in his gun, I'd guess. But he just had those restraining darts they use." 

Baird narrowed his eyes. "You just gave me a heart attack." 

"I may or may not have had one of those when I was here last, too." 

Brant shook his head. "Alright, back on task, guys. We're not outta here yet." 

"Yeah, you're right." Aaron agreed, glancing up at the empty balcony where Ryder had been perched. "Where's our tour guide?" 

"I'm here." the deep, booming voice called from behind Aaron, causing him to jump and spin around. 

"Careful, man! I was about to shoot you, you know." 

Ryder shrugged and motioned toward the south exit. "It seems guard activity is lower over this way. We'd better go while we can." 

After a wave of affirmative statements washed over him, Ryder led the way out, with Brant's insurgents, the rescued prisoners, and his own Underground agents trailing behind. Outside of the restaurant, curious and panicked people tried to peer in and see what they could, while authorities struggled to guide them away. A few of the law keepers eyed Ryder's party with suspicion, but apparently realized the futility of their own involvement and let them go. 

They went a ways before Ryder sent a number of his men off to what he called the "confiscation department". Their numbers dropped noticeably, but still, a good chunk of their forces remained. 

Brant stretched his back as they stepped onto a covered bridge spanning between two buildings. Glass panes graced the walls on either side, as well as the ceiling above and floor beneath their feet. Glancing down, he noticed a trio of behemoth sharks chasing after a speeding submarine about the size of a car. Considering it was shaped like a fish, he could understand their error. 

Then he glanced out the window to his right and gasped. A man in flowing green robes the color of seaweed drifted through the spaces between buildings, head darting and eyes searching. He had a pale, bald head and wore a substantial necklace ending in a small capped vial of liquid. 

Brant tapped the nearest shoulder, which happened to be Aaron's. Wordlessly, he pointed out at the man, to which Aaron seemed confused, but not concerned. 

"Yeah, what's up? Who's that?" he asked. 

Brant gulped. "That's Cormorant, god of the waters. And he's got his artifact." 

Aaron blinked twice. "Good grief."

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A/N: Wow, so in the space of ten minutes (or however long it takes to read this chapter), our main worry went from "can they fight off all these guards and rescue Baird & co.?" to "can they really face off against the god of the waters in the ocean?" I don't know what to say for myself other than that I like drama, so...you're welcome. 😝 

Anyhow, if you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to demolish the "vote" button and leave a comment! (And yes, I'm aware I sound like a YouTuber right now.) 

Speaking of YouTubers, that'll be our random inquiry for the day! What's a channel you've been binging lately/otherwise enjoying? 

(I've been watching a good few episodes of the Infographics Show, actually. They've got some really neat videos on niche topics, and sometimes it's fun to learn really bizarre facts, lol.) 

Well, that'll be all for me this morning. I hope you have an amazing weekend ahead of you, had one behind you, or are in the middle of one right now! Now let's spread our wings and fly outta here!