Station, стр. 96

Elsewhere, every Setter seemed to be fighting atleast two Risers, a disadvantage even seasoned warriors would havea hard time overcoming. Friends died wherever Hadder looked. Montythe Mod floated just over the battle on his light disc, strikingdown at Risers with the Ophidian, which was no longer dispensingpsychoactive smoke but fast-acting poison through its curved fangs.Riser faces swelled up like balloons when they were bitten, cuttingoff air passages and leaving suffocated bodies dead on the ground.Monty celebrated one such successful strike before a spear thrownby the unfaithful Caesar Tiberius caught him in the chest and drovehim from his disc. Monty disappeared into the crowd of Risersbelow, never to be seen again.

Hadder's body began to betray him as blood continuedto leach from his multiple wounds. Stumbling his way towards Glen,whose mace was thick with Riser flesh as he faced off with threeRisers, Hadder tripped on something and fell hard. Looking back ashe rose, he found both Helen and Nestra butchered on the ground,holding each other in a death embrace. Hadder shook off thedisturbing image and limped towards his friend, who still managedto swing his weapon like a madman, holding the Risers' attentions.Hadder slipped in behind Glen's combatants, driving his swordthrough the back of one and taking the arm of another before anyoneeven knew he was there. Glen took the final Riser in the face withhis mace as the man stared at Hadder in surprise.

"How you holding up, brother," asked Glen.

"I don't know how much more I have in me."

"Me neither. But we've had a good showing, no?"

"Absolutely."

"Then let's finish strong, shall we?"

"Absolutely."

"See you on the other side." And with that, MarlinHadder's friend Glen waded back into the fray. It was the last timeHadder would see him.

An especially loud fracas caught Hadder's attentiontowards the edge of the battle. Lester Midnight faced off with sixRisers, his scimitar dancing in the air, blocking a sword here,taking a finger there, sending a knife wide here, removing the tophalf of a Riser head there. By the time Hadder got there, Lesterhad narrowed it down to four Risers. One peeled off to face Hadderwhile the others continued to wear down Station's most notoriousartist.

The Riser woman with the bladed whip cracked herweapon towards Hadder, testing the distance. With very littleenergy remaining, Hadder disregarded any strategies that requiredsudden dives or quick dodges. He was just going to have to take oneto give one and hope that he gave better. Remembering what theRiser woman did to Star, Hadder baited his foe, dropping his swordlow to the right, with no chance to parry the blinding strike. Thewoman screamed in triumph, showing fangs, and cracked the whip inHadder's direction. The whip flew true, as Hadder knew it would,heading straight for his left eye. Anticipating the move, Hadder'sleft hand was up, palm out, even before the Riser completed her armmovement. The blade drove into Hadder's palm and stuck. Using thepain to fuel the Rage, Hadder circled his wrist around the whip andpulled forward suddenly, catching the woman off-guard before shecould release her weapon. She stumbled forward, no defense inplace, and met Hadder's samurai sword with her head, which fellwith a thud to the crimson ground.

Hadder turned back to where Lester was fighting andfound the man lying on the ground, four Risers dead around him andanother hovering above him, poised for a killing thrust. Hadder cutthe Riser in half from right shoulder to left hip and chuckleddarkly as the top half slid from the bottom. The laugh quicklystopped, however, when he saw Lester on the ground. He dropped tohis knees next to the artist, whose guts were spilled out onto thegrass next to him.

Lester smiled as he recognized Hadder. "So good ofyou to come, darling. You're the only one to attend myfuneral."

Hadder began to choke up, pushed it down. "You'regoing to be fine, Lester."

"Lying doesn't become you, darling. Just tell methis. How does it look?"

Hadder looked down at his strangest friend'sentrails, a sticky mound of red and pink, glistening curvescatching the rays of the Solay, sending starlight back into theair. "It looks beautiful, Lester. A true work of art."

Lester's smile widened, his eyes now looking atsomething far past Hadder, at something more beautiful than Haddercould ever imagine. "Ahh, thank you, darling. That's all I everwanted." And with that, Lester Midnight died.

Hadder spun away from his friend, sat on hisbackside as hell played out around him. Setter blood was spilledacross the battlefield, and even the Caesars were beginning tofall. Hadder watched as Jules was piled on by ten Risers with longspears, looking like a pincushion when they fell away. Riserslaughed as they chased after retreating residents and cut them downfrom behind. Despite battle continuing across the Grasslands, bothsides knew. The Battle for Station was effectively over.

Risers now took their time, their victory all butensured. They chanted the name of their king as they carved uppleading Setters. They sang crude songs about what they would do inthe Before. They pounded fists as Setters were raised into the air,impaled on long spears. Hadder put his head in his hands, thesounds of mockery too much to handle, cutting him deeper than anywound he had received.

Then all went silent.

Hadder removed his face from his hands, wasimmediately confused. The battlefield had grown dark, and Hadderlooked up to see black clouds moving in to cover the Idol Moon,something never before seen in Station. Lightning jumped betweenthe charcoal clouds, and thunder shook the Grasslands. Risers andSetters alike had stopped their fighting, all now facing east,staring slack-jawed. Hadder limped through the remaining warriors,finally reaching the edge of bodies to glimpse a view.

Manikins lined up and down the Skirt, more thanHadder had ever seen in one place. In the center of the manikinsstood Albany Rott, his red eyes ablaze with fire and hiscrystalline hatchets in each hand. Lightning continued its danceabove their heads, and thunder threatened to crack open the groundbeneath their feet. Hadder felt a drop on his arm, then another asthe skies opened up, sending a deluge of liquid to assault