“Err, what song are you talking about?” Ren asked.
“You’ve never heard of it?” Kanuka asked.
Ren shook his head. “No.”
He looked around the room. Everyone was staring at him with amused smiles.
“Seriously?” Kanuka said.
“No, I haven’t. Just tell me.”
Kanuka grinned. “It’s a great song, Ren. You’ve got to get out of your lab more often.”
He suddenly slammed both hands down on the table, making Ren jump.
THUD THUD.
Luke’s heart sank as the song started. His face flushed bright red. He dropped his head into his hands and remembered exactly how the song had been made.
***
About a week ago, Luke and his friends had spotted Wei Lin sitting on a low concrete barrier, surrounded by a few orphans who were listening to him talk about Towerbound like he was explaining the secrets of the universe.
“Hey, man,” Luke had called out. “Haven’t seen you in forever. Thought you’d be deep in the Deadlands with us.”
Wei Lin had smiled faintly. “Mira made me Mr. Education. I take care of these little rugrats now.”
“Who are these guys?” Wei Lin asked.
Luke gestured beside him. “These are my squadmates. They were three of the ten. Helped keep everyone alive.”
One of them stepped forward immediately, puffing out his chest.
“Ben.”
The other straightened, giving a short nod.
“Ira Johnson.”
Ben squinted. “Who’s this guy?”
“Wei Lin’s one of my buddies,” Luke said. “We fought mobs together in Towerbound all the time.”
“But he’s not a Black Mask, right? Or Cracked?”
“No,” Luke said. “But he’s tough. Smart.”
“Nyah, he don’t look that tough.”
“Chill,” said Luke
Wei Lin waved a hand. “It’s fine. I’m not really a SmokeShard anymore. What I’m doing now is important.”
“Yeah, important…” Ben muttered.
“I think what he’s doing is good, right guys?” Luke said quickly.
A couple of the kids stared up at him like judges waiting for the correct answer.
Johnson shrugged after looking at the kids. “Yeah, man, it’s cool. I’m just saying, Black Masks are badasses. But sure. Someone’s got to stay home nursing the kids, right?”
“Yeah, someone’s gotta change diapers,” Ben added with a chuckle.
Wei Lin’s jaw tightened. “Yes. I suppose some of us do.”
Luke saw the tension forming and cut in. “What are you doing out anyway?”
“Uniform fittings,” Wei Lin said. “Then we’re visiting Madame Lavas. Candy day. It’s a good day. Mira’s teaching private lessons later for the ones who’ve earned it.”
“Ooh, Mira,” Ben said. “She’s hot as fuck.”
Wei Lin replied tersely, “And smart.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Wicked Hot,” Johnson added.
Wei Lin ignored him and looked back at Luke. “What about you? What have you been up to?”
Luke told them about the rescue. The rescue by Nico. The teleport sickness. Protecting the squad.
Wei Lin listened carefully. “That’s impressive. You pushed through the sickness and protected your team?”
“Yeah, we did,” Luke said.
“So you guys are like hero’s?”
“Yup,” said Ben.
“We were just lucky,” said Johnson.
“Yeah, not heros just men doing their duty,” said Luke.
Wei Lin tilted his head. “And none of you got sick? You were just strong, standing there, firing off rifles?”
Luke hesitated. “Well… Ben lost it a bit. He might have peed a little.”
“I absolutely did not,” Ben snapped.
Johnson pointed at him. “You definitely did.”
Wei Lin laughed. “Hey. You’re still heroes.”
“That’s right,” Ben said proudly. “Black Mask. Hoo hoo hoo.” He thumped his chest.
“And the squad all survived?” Wei Lin asked.
“Barely,” Luke said.
Wei Lin nodded slowly. “That’s amazing.”
“People should sing songs about us!” Johnson said.
“We’re pretty badass,” Ben declared.
Wei Lin’s smile widened just a little. “Ben, I think you’re right. People absolutely should sing songs about you.”
Luke swore he noticed it then, that the smile on Wei Lin’s face didn’t look harmless.
Luke shook his head, ‘Nyah I’m just being paranoid.’
He was not being paranoid. His instincts were sharp.
***
It was proven a few nights later, when Luke walked into the bar.
Trailing right behind him were Johnson, Ben, and a couple of other Black Masks who had just finished a run in the Deadlands—one where everything had gone well—but they were still bruised, battered, and badly wanting a beer.
The room went quiet for half a second.
They had just walked through the doorway and hadn’t even had time to look for a table or order a beer when they heard Wei Lin yell, “Look, everybody! It’s Luke, Ben, and Johnson—the original heroes, the Three of Ten!”
Then—
THUD THUD
After being stunned for a second, watching everybody slam their hands on the tables with that THUD THUD rhythm, the song started.
He didn’t know who had started it.
He would put money on Wei Lin.
??
THUD THUD
We all hit teleportation
Some of us called it TP
Seven hugged the forest floor
Vomiting pathetically
Seven down and groaning loudly
Cursing space and gravity
Three of us were still upright
Shaking visibly
THUD THUD
?
Seven hugging filthy ground
Faces pale and green
Three were swaying, rifles up
Like unstable men
?
THREE OF TEN
THREE OF TEN
THUD THUD
Seven puked and lost their aim
But three stood strong and fired again
Including Ben, who peed again
THREE OF TEN
THREE OF TEN
THUD THUD
Ben was one among the men
Though Ben pees now and then
?
Boars came charging through the fog
Tusks and snapping jaws
Johnson fired through the spin
Luke ignored the nausea
Treants cracking with their bark
Rifles splitting wood
Three of Ten still held the line
As Ben dampened where he stood
THUD THUD
THUD THUD
Pigs went down and hares went down
Treants were split in three
Hard to look like fighting men
When Ben leaks constantly
?
Seven crawling, begging air
Swearing they were done
Three still firing shaky shots
Somehow getting it done
?
THREE OF TEN
THREE OF TEN
THUD THUD
Rifles kicking in our hands
Like unstable men
THREE OF TEN
THREE OF TEN
THUD THUD
Ben with Luke and Johnson
And Ben pees once again
?
THUD THUD
THUD THUD
We killed the pigs
We dropped the hares
Treants split across the floors
History will write it clean
It will not mention
Ben’s wet jeans
?
We all hit teleportation
Some of us called it TP
Seven hit the floor so hard
Vomiting and leaking pee
Three of Ten still shot mobs dead
Boars and treants falling free
THREE OF TEN
THREE OF TEN
THUD THUD
Heroes of the battlefield
No fleeing
Look at Ben.
Still peeing.
THUD THUD
THUD THUD
THREE OF TEN
By the time they reached the final chant—
THREE OF TEN
THREE OF TEN
THUD THUD
—the bar was on its feet.
Ben tried to shrug and hide. Johnson leaned into it.
The Three of Ten had become famous. The song was catchy. It spread through the MegaPatch first, then into the other districts through Wei Lin’s MetaTube.
The only people who hadn’t really heard it were guys like Luke and his squad, who had been out in the Deadlands, or potion nerds like Ren, who hid in his laboratory.
Everybody else had heard it.
And they loved it.
It was a perfect mix of Deadlands monster fights and District 1 humor all done to a badass metal/bardic mix, which turned it into something more than a joke.
It became their anthem.
Luke caught Wei Lin smiling across the bar and made his way over.
“So. You wrote our song.”
Wei Lin lifted his drink. “I thought it was well deserved. For you heroes.”
“You made half of it up!” Ben said.
“I did not,” Wei Lin replied smoothly. “I pulled it straight from our conversation.”
“It doesn’t exactly make us look heroic.”
Wei Lin shrugged. “You already said you weren’t a hero.”
“There’s a difference between not being a hero and getting celebrated like this.”
Luke jerked a thumb toward the noise. “What’s it called, anyway?”
Wei Lin took a slow sip. “Officially? Three of ten.”
Luke stared at him.
“But everyone just calls it Thud Thud.”
“Thud Thud?”
“Yeah.”
“You want to hear it again?” Wei Lin asked mildly.
Luke exhaled through his nose.
“You know what? Yeah. Sing it again.”
Wei Lin stood up on his chair.
“Hey! The heroes of the Three of Ten didn’t expect the song! What do you say? One more time!”
The whole bar slammed glasses and bottles down in rhythm.
THUD THUD
“One more time!” the bartender shouted. “Thud Thud for the heroes!”
THUD THUD
