Hammer Out A Future (Cart-Dragger Saga Book 1) Read online

  Abaddon picked them up, set them on his shoulders and headed in the direction of the Rift carrying the cart in his hand. Along the way, Cart-Dragger told him of her most challenging foes, and they discussed how hypothetical fights between them and Abaddon might go. "See this isn't so bad," she said to the other humans while the wind whipped past them. "Doesn't this breeze feel nice?"

  "Breeze?" Ruth asked, holding onto a bump in one of Abaddon's plates. "Feels like it's going to blow me off to go plummeting to my death."

  "You're too light. You need to eat some more and get meat on your bones."

  "I feel like I'm going to get blown off too..." Lars said from the other side of Abaddon's neck, clinging to it.

  She put her hands on her hips. "You mercenaries complain too much. Right, Scott?"

  "I don't know, I haven't been paying attention with my butt getting burned. Hopefully I'll still be able to have children with my balls being cooked too."

  "It's not that big a deal, people. This is a once in a lifetime experience, enjoy it."

  "Will it still be once in a lifetime if we have to chase Maximilian somewhere else?" he asked in a flustered tone. He vomited onto Abaddon's shoulder next to her. "Sorry, the height..."

  She leaned away in disgust. "You better clean that up!"

  Despite the others' grievances, they had to admit it was much faster going this way than on foot. It only took several days instead of over a month before they spotted the massive crack in the earth. "Now we just have to look for Behemoth," Cart-Dragger said.

  Scott frowned. "I hope he's here. If our guess was wrong..."

  Ruth patted his back. "It's not necessarily the end of the world if it was. Maximilian might not know where to find him either."

  "You're a nice person," Allen said to her. "Sorry about beating you when you couldn't fight back."

  "It's alright, I was just temporarily rocked. I did shortly recover and start kicking Lars' ass."

  "That didn't happen!" Lars protested.

  She grinned. "It would have if the fight continued."

  "Yeah, sure. You were still half knocked out and my punches were throwing you around like a rag doll."

  "So who would win in a fight," Scott asked, "Ruthless Ruth or Awakened Allen?"

  "You mean Allen after getting knocked silly and battling like his old self? Allen."

  "No, I would," Ruth said.

  "You've never even seen Allen fight like that."

  "So? He's not that strong or fast. How much better could he have been before getting hit in the head?"

  Lars looked sadly at his friend. "You'd be surprised. He was better than me, and I'm more than a match for you."

  "I disagree with that assessment. But even if it was true, hand to hand combat isn't my forte. I'm better with weapons."

  "It looks like our talk is contagious," Abaddon whispered, although it still came out pretty loud.

  Cart-Dragger replied, "Yeah. Maybe we should talk about how whining is bad so they can internalize it."

  They searched along the Rift for some hours before spotting enormous footprints, similar in size to Abaddon's but more squarish. "Those must be Behemoth's," Scott said happily. "He might be close by."

  They heard Behemoth's booming footfalls before they saw him. His brown back appeared over a distant ridge, followed by his head. He looked like a gigantic metal armadillo, a good bit shorter than Abaddon but longer than he was tall and bulkier. The King Elemental of Fire should be more agile, though; Cart-Dragger couldn't help wondering who would win a battle between them.

  "Abaddon," Behemoth greeted him, his slow, deep voice laced with... contempt? "You treat with humans?"

  Oh great, Cart-Dragger thought. It seemed like he might hold a similar attitude to Leviathan...

  Abaddon replied, "The Empire rises and threatens to enslave us once more. They will likely seek to use you again for their Rings' core, and we wish to protect you."

  "I do not need protection from filthy humans or one who would be friends with them. You should leave, back to your fiery lands and away from my home."

  "If you don't listen to us," Cart-Dragger said, "your home may end up being the inside of two stationary rings."

  "You puny insect, how dare you speak so impudently to me. I could crush you any moment I wished."

  She pouted. "I may be small compared to you, and most people for that matter, but I did beat Leviathan."

  "What did you say?" Behemoth looked her over. "It should be impossible, yet your demeanor carries the air of truth..."

  Abaddon confirmed it. "She is as formidable as any warrior, human or elemental."

  "In that case, you should take care of the problem of the empire yourself."

  "That's what I'm trying to do!" she said. "I'm going to wait here for him and when he comes for you, I'll kill him."

  "Why must you humans involve us in your petty struggles? Can't you just settle things among yourselves?"

  "You think I wanted to get you involved? Of course I didn't. But now that it's imminent the empire's rebirth is everybody's problem, you could at least cooperate with those trying to solve it and not make things worse."

  Behemoth lowered his head towards her, still trying to cow her with his size. "You should leave here. I will deal with the imperials if they come, in my own way."

  She crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, I need to catch that bastard, so we're not leaving. You can try to force us if you want, but I don't think you want to fight me and Abaddon at once."

  Behemoth reared up before her and roared, making her human companions step back. She and Abaddon didn't flinch though, and rather than attempting to physically impose his will, he turned and stomped away. "What now?" Allen asked. "Do we just follow him around and wait for the imperials to show up?"

  "Exactly. We'll give him a decent amount of space so as not to antagonize him too much. And when he sleeps, that's when we'll sleep. Though one of us will have to stay on watch at all times to make sure he doesn't try to lose us."

  Abaddon let Behemoth's body recede into the distance before starting after him. "I'm surprised he's willing to do so much for you just because you two fought before and like talking about fighting," Lars said.

  "The elemental race cannot fall again under the sway of the empire," Abaddon replied with simmering fury in his voice, "whose power must not be rekindled. Besides, I do not have much else to do in any case."

  Cart-Dragger slapped his shoulder, though he probably didn't even notice. "Yeah, otherwise he'd just amble around all day doing nothing. This is like an adventure for him."

  "By the way, how did Zephyr die anyway?" Ruth asked. "All the rest of you King Elementals survived the destruction, but something your size that could fly perished?"

  Abaddon answered, "When everything fell into chaos, Zephyr attempted to fly away from the world. The cold froze her wings, and she fell miles to her doom."

  "Heights we cannot reach," Cart-Dragger mumbled. "They exist for all of us, I suppose."

  Scott put an arm over her shoulders. "Yeah, but we won't know how far we can go unless we keep trying." She smiled widely and hugged him. It was true. She didn't need to fly to the stars anyway, as she just wanted to see a happy place on this world.

  They tailed Behemoth for a few boring days, and Scott grew anxious. "What if they see us here before we can see them, and decide not to approach? Are we just going to wait forever, hoping they run out of patience first?"

  "I don't think that's likely," Cart-Dragger said. "Maximilian's pride will probably have him itching to settle things with me, and besides, they need that core for their Rings. Both of the last King Elementals are with us, so they'll have to make a play for one of them sooner or latter."

  They didn't need to wait that much longer. A couple days after Scott expressed his concerns, they heard a whirring sound from beneath the earth in the morning. The imperial digger emerged from the ground, closer to Behemoth than Abaddon but keeping its distance from both. It was so
much smaller than either elemental, yet Cart-Dragger's pulse quickened as she knew the greatest danger might be within it. Abaddon put her and her friends down on the ground, not wanting to throw them off with large movements if he had to fight. A hatch opened on the digger's roof and out climbed Maximilian Rouge to stand atop it. The smirk on his face unnerved her.

  "What are you so confident about?" she demanded. "We all know what you're here for. You don't stand a chance against us together." Both King Elementals advanced on him. Yet despite her words, she didn't feel assured at all. If he dared to show himself, he surely had a plan.

  "Behemoth!" he said with no hint of worry. "You side with these humans?"

  "You are human too! You support that which hurt me, and they do not. Even if they are human, it does not change our mutual wish to destroy you!" Behemoth's words calmed Cart-Dragger somewhat.

  "You may wish to destroy me, but can you? You should know that without us, you will never be free of your pain."

  Behemoth's great eyes widened. "Hmm?"

  "Uh oh," Scott whispered.

  Maximilian's grin grew. "Yes, if we are stopped, you will continue living in eternal anguish. But if you aid us once more, we will relieve your suffering."

  "No, don't listen to him, he's lying!" Ruth said. He must be, right?

  "Think back, remember when you served as the core before. Even though your hide had already been replaced, did you feel pain back then?"

  "No... no. I cannot stand this agony any more—I must be rid of it!" Behemoth continued to walk towards him, but with a more submissive posture in place of his recently aggressive one.

  Everyone stared. "It's really happening," Lars breathed, "he's turning on us..."

  Allen pointed out, "He was never really with us."

  "What are we going to do now? Will Abaddon help us stop him by force?"

  Cart-Dragger tried to convince him with words. "If they can cure your pain, why can't we find a way to do it too? We have bright minds among us as well. Right, Scott?"

  "I'm an engineer, not a-"

  "Shut it!"

  Maximilian laughed. "As you see, their ability to fulfill their promises may be questionable."

  "You can't do this!" she pleaded. "If you go with him, you'll be a slave!"

  "You do not understand the torment I feel each and every moment. I would prefer to be a slave than endure this for one more day. The value of mobility is overstated... I would rather just have peace."

  "You coward," Abaddon roared, "do I not experience the same agony you do? How dare you betray our race out of selfishness, and buy release from your pain with our freedom?"

  Behemoth glared at him. "You call me a coward? You are a fool, who has taken in too much of humans' ideals! Let me show you why their notions of valor and honor mean nothing, as for all your pretensions my greater strength destroys you!" He careened forward and headbutted Abaddon in the chest. Pushed back a step, Abaddon grabbed him by the head and lifted him over himself before slamming him down in a thunderous suplex.

  "Go Abaddon!" Cart-Dragger said while the two titans wrestled in the dust, which their struggle kicked up in a massive cloud. Behemoth got on top and stomped on Abaddon with his forelegs, but then Abaddon landed a punch to the neck that knocked Behemoth off him.

  "Aren't you going to try and break that up?" Ruth asked Cart-Dragger.

  "Me, break up a fight between things of that size?"

  "Er, since you're able to beat them in combat, I thought maybe..."

  "I can beat them by hitting them really hard. I suppose I could do that to help Abaddon if it looks like he's in trouble." She drew a javelin as something else caught her gaze. "But right now, there's someone else I want to hit!" She threw the javelin at Maximilian, who jumped high with the aid of magic towards Abaddon while the latter stood punching down at Behemoth. His extended sword glowed with blue flame no doubt to help penetrate the King Elemental's hide, but he was forced to turn in midair to deflect her spear. It knocked him off course and he dropped to the ground. The javelin landed smoking before him.

  They regarded each other. "I see the hatred in your eyes," he said. "Come, then."

  "Are you going to run away from me like last time?"

  "No. I will kill you and take what is mine."

  "Nothing here belongs to you." She charged drawing back her hammer. Somewhat to her relief, he leapt to meet her. He ducked her swing, retaliated with a powerful two-handed cut that made her wrists ache to parry—then before she could throw a strike in return, hopped back out of reach. "So you're still doing that elusive shit."

  He came back in with a flurry of blows, but seemed to leave his midsection open to attack. However, when she tried to take advantage and kicked at his body, he spun around her and nailed her with his own boot to the back of her head. She stumbled, turned just in time to block his followup thrust at her spine. "Not quite the same way," he said. "Every time we fight, I learn more about you and adjust my style accordingly. It's only a matter of time before I overtake you and-"

  "Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?" she asked resting her hammer over her shoulder. "You've barely touched me yet, are you that desperate for justification for believing you can win?"

  "Of course I can win! I'm the most perfect person who has ever lived!" He dashed at her, but this time after trading a storm of blows, she smashed him skidding through the dirt with a straight punch.

  "If any line is asking for humiliation, it's that one."

  He scrambled to his feet with an irate scowl, and they went at it again.

  #

  "So are we just going to stand here and watch these four monsters go at it?" Ruth asked.

  Lars frowned as Cart-Dragger and Maximilian darted around each other in a blur as they fought, the rapid clanging of their weapons like violent music, while Abaddon and Behemoth's brawl caused shockwaves that threatened their footing and shook the very earth. "I want to contribute too, but Cart-Dragger warned us in one of her fights before not to interfere since we'd only get in the way. I think this might be a similar situation."

  "Maybe we can do something to help besides attacking them head on?" Allen asked.

  Then Maximilian shouted, "Driver! Kill those weak fools so that their friend can go to her grave knowing she has failed them too." But Lars knew his motive was more to demoralize her with their deaths, so it would be that much easier to kill her. The digger turned on Cart-Dragger's companions and bore down on them.

  He gripped his axe tightly in defiance. "I guess we can help her by staying alive and taking out this piece of junk, then!"

  Maximilian slashed an already distracted Cart-Dragger on the chest, knocking her down, and chortled. "You think you can? Then let the final battle... before the dawn of the New Empire... continue!"

  Chapter 11

  Cart-Dragger flipped up, the fire across her bosom only fueling her rage. But her heart skipped a beat as she saw her friends dive aside from the oncoming digger after their ranged attacks bounced uselessly off its drill. She threw a javelin at its wheels, but Maximilian dove in and batted it off course. "Not so fast. Are you not looking forward to the spectacle of their gory deaths?"

  She knew he wanted her to worry, to take her off her game, but couldn't stop herself from doing so. Seeing the close call made images of Jen's demise flash through her mind. Reminded of that tragedy and the pain she had gone through, she didn't want to lose anyone else. "Get out of the way you fiend!" She launched into a hammer-swinging frenzy. He dodged her blows, probably telegraphed in her haste to smack him down, and stabbed into her side. She thrust the head of her hammer into his sternum, hurling him to his back. "I can't help being distracted. I'm just human after all. But I don't need to fight at one hundred percent of my skill to beat you. I'll make up whatever I lose in focus with my will!"

  He stood and laughed. Yet unlike the malicious laughter of before, it sounded more genuine now. "That is good! You really are something, aren't you? Even though I hate you a
nd will be happy to see your death, I'm glad I got to meet a person like you. Without such a magnificent foe, how could I ever know if I was truly the perfect emperor? Fight like you never have before then, crusher of gods. I welcome the challenge!"

  She didn't stop hating him either, but she felt as if they were, perhaps, very slightly kindred spirits then. Battle against the strongest opponents made her spirit burn brighter, too. "I just hope when you lose, you'll die satisfied and not go making excuses to yourself about why you failed."

  He ignited his sword with eldritch flame and they smashed away at one another's weapons, Cart-Dragger noticing nicks quickly accumulate on hers. "You are immensely strong, but I'm better than you. You're too limited. As versatile as I am-"

  "Your magic is annoying!" She evaded an upward slice and struck his crossguard so hard, it nearly tore the hilt from his hands. He backpedaled and she rushed after him. He pointed a fist her way. She tried to jump aside, but the edge of the explosion caught her and she was slammed to the ground with painful burns. Raising an open hand, Maximilian created huge icicles in the air which rained down at her. She rolled away from some and ran to avoid the rest, swung her hammer in a great arc at him. Before it could connect, he vanished. What? He had jumped up so fast, she didn't fully register it. She looked above just in time to block his falling downward chop. He seemed to become heavier as he descended, and the force drove her to one knee with a grimace. "Geez, you can adjust your attributes that much?"

  "Hahahaha! I underestimated you before. You are a worthy opponent, but with everything taken into account, you have no real chance of winning."

  She grabbed his ankle and yanked it out from under him. As he flew off his feet, she hit his back in midair and sent him tumbling away. "No real chance? I think you underestimate the uncertainty of a fight. Besides, who even says you're favored to win? More knowledge or versatility isn't a guarantee you can use it better." He rolled up and stood hunched over coughing blood. She pressed the advantage, battering him back on the defensive with little chance to retaliate. "Besides, if your magic is so limitless why don't you cast it more often? I bet it drains you more than swinging a blade, and that's the reason you use it sparingly."