Page 111 of The Only Way Out Is Up

“Long story,” I shoot back, fighting a grin. “Tell you later.”

The dance goes on, now with a new step. The shield-arm is articulated and adjustable, and Star uses it to block Bitey’s swipes and get in close enough to land a telling blow. The tiger, accordingly, has to be more cautious. More of its decorative coating spalls away with every blow.

[Query: now?]

Wait. It’ll be most effective after she pulls her trick.

[Uncertainty: what is she waiting for?]

I think she’s enjoying herself.

There’s a pause for another exchange of blows. [Realization: I, also, find this pleasing. To fight without anger.]

It’s a change of pace, that’s for sure. Just stay focused.

Niami shouts a command. Bitey pounces. Star raises his shield to block, but there’s something different this time—the tiger’s paw hits the impenetrable surface and sticks, locked there by a hidden BIND working. Star can’t dodge, and the second paw grabs one of his legs, pulling him in close for a bite. Niami glances at me, an apologetic look on her face.

If this doesn’t work, I’m going to feel very, very stupid—

“RESIST won’t block it?” Ky says. “What if you link a RESIST to another BIND? Would that turn it into a…‘resist binding’ sort of thing?”

I shake my head. “It doesn’t work like that. RESIST doesn’t take verb or noun modifiers like EXPLODE. It just absorbs force.”

It’s the night before my match with Niami. I’m trying to figure out a way to overcome her trump card, and Ky is trying to help.

Trying, because the combination of her having only a layman’s understanding of sigwork and my own less-than-systematic understanding of the principles is frustrating us both. I often can’t explain why something won’t work, only that I know it won’t, while Ky sometimes comes back with jargon I don’t understand but is apparently common knowledge.

Ky sits back in her chair, a wheeled contraption that rolls easily across the smooth floor of the workshop. She takes advantage of this by spinning herself slowly round and round, chewing on her lower lip.

“Let’s take this from the top,” she says eventually. “Bitey has BIND sigils in its paws.”

“Right.” I’m sitting at a desk, staring at a paper covered with messy wiring diagrams.

“It uses those to get ahold of someone and then bite them while they can’t evade.”

“Right.”

“And its core is in its belly, so once you’re caught it’s hard to strike back effectively.”

“Probably.” I yawn. “That’s how I’d build it, anyway, and Niami knows what she’s doing.”

“You don’t think Star can just avoid getting hit?”

“Star?”

[Analysis: unlikely. In order to deal damaging blows, I will need to engage at close range, where taking at least glancing attacks in return is unavoidable.]

“Star says no,” I translate. “Not if he has to get in close enough for a solid strike.”

Ky sends herself around another few spins. I’m impressed at how quickly she’s grown used to including Star as a participant in these conversations; from her point of view, it’s as if I insisted on consulting my sword on battle tactics. That’s mostly down to Star’s body language, I figure; spend time with him and he’ll make it clear he can understand you, even if you can’t hear his voice. I have to admit it’s a profound relief to have someone else who knows all about him and doesn’t think I’m insane.

“So we need some way to get out of a BIND. Star’s not strong enough to just tear free?”

“Not if she’s reinforced it properly.”

“What about some kind of ablative piece?” She gets an excited look. “Like a lizard’s tail.”

“Sorry? What about a lizard’s tail?”