Chapter 21: Diamonds

“Was that you?” Hiro asked sharply.

Tayo shook his head, stunned.

From the side of the house, Henry and another gamer—Brando—came sprinting around the corner, panic flaring in their eyes. Behind them, the city was stirring. Screams and hurried footsteps echoed through the narrow streets as NPCs and gamers alike fled from something unseen.

Hiro threw open the front door. “What happened?”

Henry spoke. “Those greedy bastards went after the boss themselves. Do you have your weapons?”

Without a word, Hiro turned and disappeared into the house.

Tayo stared in the direction of the rising smoke. His expression hardened. “That’s where the tourists stay.”

From the second-story window, Hiro returned with her bow. She took quick aim and loosed an arrow. It struck the beast cleanly in the torso—but the kilobon barely staggered. It kept charging.

Another shot. The arrow struck its shoulder.

Still no effect.

She fired again—this time, the arrow found a weak point in the creature’s leg. The kilobon roared, stumbled, and collapsed in a thunderous crash pushing the first arrow deeper into its body. Its body lay twitching for a moment before going still.

Henry stood nearby, watching people flee in every direction.

“Everyone’s leaving,” he muttered.

“But there are still people back there, right?” Tayo asked, eyes locked on the smoke in the distance.

Henry said nothing, already moving back into the house with Brando to grab their gear.

Tayo remained rooted in place. Then, with a sudden whoosh, a fireball scorched the street not far from him, sending debris into the air. He flinched. In his mind, he saw Guy falling again from the sky. The memory cut deep.

He tightened his grip on the sword.

Hiro emerged from the house with a bag slung over her shoulder. “The general is almost here. We’ll come back and kill this thing.”

From the balcony, Henry’s voice called out.

“Catch!”

Tayo turned and caught the bag Henry tossed. He glanced at it, then dropped it to the ground.

“You guys go on,” he said. “Let me check out the situation.”

Henry vaulted over the balcony railing and landed beside him. Brando came through the front door a moment later.

“No, not advisable,” Henry said, pulling up beside him. “We’ll stick with the general’s plan a bit longer.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“No, Ray. Let’s meet up with the general.”

“There are people I could help,” Tayo said, voice quiet but firm. “I won’t do anything crazy. You guys head out.”

Without waiting for permission, he turned and sprinted toward the smoke.

Henry cursed under his breath. “What the… we aren’t diamonds yet.”

Brando looked at him. “What do we do now?”

Henry sighed, already walking.

“We follow him.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Hiro?”

Hiro slung her bow over her shoulder and fell into step beside them.

“Let’s go,” she responded.

Tayo ran, his feet barely touching the ground. The city around him was chaos, broken market stalls ablaze, panicked screams echoing through alleys. He sprinted faster, vision narrowing.

Ahead, a small cluster of goblins—feral and green-skinned—were chasing down civilians. Without breaking stride, Tayo drew his sword and sliced through them in a swift, brutal arc. There was no hesitation.

A scream cut through the air—a gamer, pinned beneath an armored kilobon, was moments from being torn apart. Tayo veered toward them.

“I can do this,” he whispered. “I can do this.”

The kilobon turned as Tayo neared. Its form was shorter than usual, more compact, but its armor was dense and its speed great. Still, Tayo didn’t falter. He struck with calculated precision, aiming for the vulnerable joints in the beast’s plating. But the kilobon was quick, dodging or deflecting each attempt with snarling efficiency.

Steel met steel, again and again. The clash was relentless.

Then—wham—a kick. Heavy, sudden, brutal. The kilobon’s iron-plated foot slammed into Tayo’s arm. He stumbled back, breath caught in his throat, certain something had cracked. But when he moved it… it responded.

He blinked. His training with Daro had paid off.

“Focus, Tayo. Focus.”

He said it aloud to anchor himself to the moment. His pulse slowed. The sound around him faded a bit. The kilobon pulled out a knife in its other hand.

A faint glow shimmered along his skin. Overhead, thunder rolled in the clouds.

Tayo rushed forward. He raised his sword high, and swings, the kilobon parries. It grinned and swung the knife in its other hand at Tayo’s head and as if pulling something from above Tayo brings his free hand down.

Lightning split the sky.

The blade came down with blinding force, and with it, a bolt of raw, crackling lightning shot from above, lancing into the kilobon like divine judgment.

When the dust and sparks cleared, the kilobon was gone—disintegrated, scattered to ash.

And at the epicenter of the blast, lodged into the ground, was the sword. Luminous. Radiating the light that had hummed against his skin.

The professor’s sword—the Sword of Light.

Tayo, gasping, knelt and pulled it free. Now he held two swords.

“Where’s everyone?” he asked, the gamer he had just saved.

“They’re still fighting over there!” The gamer pointed down the road.

He nodded.

“Where’s Frank?”

A pause. Her face darkened. “He’s dead.”

Tayo gritted his teeth. “Help as many people as you can get away.”

And with that, he hurries down the burning street.

Elsewhere in Deni Brando was pacing, weapon drawn, eyes scanning the chaos. Hiro was busy firing her arrows. Every shout and clash of steel pulled his attention in another direction. But something else was eating at him.

“Henry,” he called, over the din. “Keep a lookout for Jim.”

“What?”

“Jim. He arrived here yesterday.”

Henry’s expression went blank—then fury surged into it.

“Shit! Why didn’t you tell me?”

Behind Deni’s Gates Jim knelt in a crowd of hostages—gamers and NPCs alike, all terrified. The area had become a pit of death.

Gotar stood in front of them with a cape covering his blackened armor, his face obscured by a cruel helmet. Beside him were three more armored kilobons, silent and ready.

“Where is the holy warrior?” Gotar’s voice rang out.

No one answered.

He stepped forward and drove his blade through an NPC, who fell dead.

“Where is the warrior of light?!”

Silence again. Then Gotar's gaze landed on a gamer standing beside a girl—Jim’s NPC girlfriend. He raised his sword. 

“No!” Jim stumbled to his feet on seeing this. “Please, don’t hurt us! We’re just tourists. We—we’re not players! We don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

Gotar looked at him for a long moment. Then, with slow, deliberate motion, he struck the gamer down anyway.

Jim cried out in horror.

Gotar turned toward him.

“You don’t know?” His voice was mocking. “Then of what use are you to me?”

Jim shook his head. “No… please… don’t.”

The warlord raised his blade.

About the same time, far down the road, Tayo arrived, panting, the Sword of Light glowing faintly in his grasp. Daro’s sword was sheathed across his back. His chest heaved. Sweat poured down his face. The lightning he’d summoned earlier had drained him—he could barely stand.

Then he looked up—and froze.

In the distance, he saw Gotar. Saw the raised blade. Saw Jim.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came. He willed himself to move with all his might.

Then something shifted.

The world slowed.

Time itself crawled. The wind seemed to stop mid-gust.

And Tayo moved.

His first step covered meters in an instant. Another step—closer. A third—and he was there, his blade intercepting Gotar’s, just before it could strike Jim down.

Clang!

Steel rang out like a bell.

Gotar stepped back, surprised.

Tayo staggered. His body trembled from the unnatural speed. He could barely hold on.

He reached behind him, drew Daro’s sword, and shoved it into Jim’s hands.

“Go!” he rasped.

Jim stared for a moment—then nodded. He scrambled up, dragging his girlfriend with him. A few others followed.

Henry and Hiro arrived moments later at the scorched intersection. Another kilobon was wreaking havoc, but they made quick work of it. Henry’s spear plunged deep into its side as Hiro loosed arrows with surgical precision.

The gamer Tayo saved—was now leading a group of wounded players and civilians. She fought off stragglers, using her shield to protect them as much as possible.

Brando rushed through them, voice hoarse.

“Jim! Jim!”

Nothing.

Henry turned to a player. “Have you seen a tall black guy? A player. No armor, just a sword?”

The man shook his head.

The gamer Tayo saved over heard Henry. “He went ahead.”

Then—a roar. Goblins. Dozens of them. And leading them, another kilobon. They surged around the corner like a living wave.

Hiro nocked an arrow.

“Let’s go.”

Henry hesitated. “Go on ahead. I’ll deal with these. I’ll catch up.”

She looked around. The wounded. The fire. They would need help.

“Okay,” she said.

She pulled up her hood, and in a shimmer of distortion, vanished into the smoke.

Henry turned, spear raised—just in time to fend off a goblin lunging at him. He parried, then caught sight of a green-glass vial in the disintegrating kilobon’s belt. He dove, grabbed it.

His breathing was now getting heavy.

Tayo stood before Gotar.

The Sword of Light hummed in his hand, resonating with a power he barely understood.

He fought to calm his breath. Every limb trembled. His vision swam was shaky.

Behind him, Jim stood firm, gripping Daro’s sword. Between them, a kilobon blocked their escape path. Scattered around were other gamers—trapped, wounded, desperate.

Gotar watched him, then stepped forward.

“So… you are the Warrior of Light,” he said. “Hand over the sword—and I’ll spare your life.”