Page 38 of Only Rogue Actions
“Jeffrey is indisposed.”Vesper’s voice sounded through the device.“Siya and Asterin rammed a table into him.Poor Jeffrey is currently sleeping off a concussion and a couple of cracked ribs.”
Roderick recoiled in shock, although he quickly lifted the screen back to his lips.“Pierre, report,” he commanded in a low, urgent voice.“Nasir.Eden.Macie.”
“I’m assuming those are the four Hammers you left in the control room to subdue Siya and Asterin.”Once again, Vesper’s voice crackled through the device.“I stabbed one of them with a trident that I took off a mermaid statue in the maze, then shot the other three with a blaster.”
“Iker, report,” Roderick barked into the screen.
“If that’s the guy in the transport garage, then he’s dead too,” Vesper replied in a cheerful voice.“Another death by trident.I also grabbed the box of explosives he was going to plant on the House Collier transport so you could blow up Siya’s ship and make our deaths look like an accident.I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with the explosives yet, but I’m sure I’ll think ofsomething.”
I grinned.Now you’re just bragging, seer.
She grinned back at me.Absolutely, Arrow.
Vesper looked over at Roderick.“Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I also locked you out of the main control panel.”Once again, her voice floated out of the holoscreen on his forearm.“Which means I’m in full command of the maze now, along with all its hazards and booby traps.”
Roderick angrily stabbed the holoscreen a few times with his right index finger, but it didn’t respond to his commands.He stared at the device in disbelief for a few seconds, then shook his head, as though flinging off the dregs of a bad dream.“It doesn’t matter what you do, Vesper.I’m still here with Kyrion, and once I kill him and shatter your truebond, you’llwishyou were dead.”
Vesper’s voice didn’t sound through the holoscreen again, but the flickering image of her glared at Roderick with a murderous expression that made my inner monster rumble in satisfaction.
“Nothing to say?”Roderick called out in a mocking voice.“I thought not.”
Another cruel smile twisted his face, and the other warrior moved toward me, once again swinging his hammer from side to side.With every step he took, more psion power sparked to life and crackled around the lunarium weapon.His rage also scraped against my telempathy, burning just as hot as the bubbling lava around us.
Hold still, Vesper’s voice sounded in my mind.
I did as she asked.Roderick’s steps quickened.He growled and raised his hammer high, and psion power spit, hissed, and crackled around the weapon like crimson lightning.The warrior leaped forward and brought the hammer down, aiming for my chest, but I held my position, trusting Vesper to protect me.
Whoosh!
A jet of water spewed out from a hidden wall nozzle.The powerful blast hit Roderick in the side and knocked him back.He lost his balance, and for a moment, I thought he might careen into one of the cauldrons, but he dug his armored boots into the ground and steadied himself.Pity.
The water kept spraying, hitting the permaglass pools and bronze cauldrons.A crusty black film formed on some of the lava, partially solidifying it, while massive clouds of steam erupted from other spots, making the biodome even hotter.
The jet of water abruptly cut off, although steam kept hissing and rising in spots.
Drat, Vesper said.I was hoping for a little moreoomphthan that.
The velvety ribbon of her vibrated, and a series ofclicks,clanks, andclack-clack-clackssounded in my ears, like I was standing beside Vesper and watching her operate the main control panel.
Roderick snarled and whirled around.“It’s going to take a lot more than a little water to kill me, Kyrion.”
Once again, I didn’t bother responding.Roderick still thought he was going to win, but he had lost the instant Vesper had taken control of the maze.The other warrior should have been trying to escape, not wasting time insulting me.Fool.
Roderick snarled, tightened his grip on his hammer, and headed toward me again.
Whoosh!
This time, instead of water, daggerlike chunks of ice shot out from a different nozzle.The chunks slammed into Roderick’s chest and knocked him back again, although the ice quickly melted into nothingness.
Roderick growled and charged forward yet again.For the third time, I held my position.
Whoosh!
Flames shot out from yet another hidden nozzle.This blast was much wider and stronger than the water and the ice had been.The fire zipped right in front of Roderick, who yelped in surprise.He stumbled to the side, and his elbow clipped one of the cauldrons.A bubble of lava erupted straight into his face.Lava also sloshed out of the container and splattered onto his armor, and the acrid stench of melting polyplastic filled the air.
Roderick screamed and staggered away from the cauldron.I backed away from him, not wanting to get caught in a spray of lava.
Roderick whirled toward me.The left side of his face was horrifically burned, a patchwork of scalded red and charred black skin, and his red armor now featured several large smoldering black pits.
