04 / 04 / 2019 - Althr Baldr, Khtonres
"Haahhhh… Hahhh…"
Breathing heavily, eyes narrowed as if from weariness, lying sideways — the scene of the fallen Acolyte still imprinted in his mind; the body was protesting under the pain and overexertion.
'The repair is still going on… all he needs is a breather.'
Swish
Or maybe that's what he thought.
His pupils shrank as he heard the slicing wind. Gritting his teeth, without thinking much, he rolled forward under the strain.
Clang
"AGhhhh!"
Rising on his knee, his face grimaced, blood flowed from his lips; under his gaze, a dark corrosive spike rose from the ground and impaled him in place.
Pushing his feet, he jumped backwards to distance himself. Lifting his head, he watched the robed man cautiously.
The world paused, eyes on the spear that sank into the ground. He needed a breather and time to think; amidst the throbbing, he forced himself to analyse.
'Analysis. Two cycles of Sampling, two of Micro Spike. My neural response hasn't reset yet. I can't do it anymore.'
'Analysis. Body function expected at 60% — partially slow movement, twitch, or accuracy error expected.'
Then the solution would be easy — no, the edge of his sight began to blur, his head overheated; something burst, blood would flow from his nose.
'Solution. I need a wide range of motion, timing, and attacks to avoid uncertainty. No need for stabbing or other things requiring precision and accuracy.'
'Trade damage for critical strikes.'
'Decision. Neutral Neural Firing Response.'
The world resumed; without waiting, he raised his right hand and simultaneously fired four bullets in a scatter as a warning.
ThumpThumpThumpThump
ClangClang
Under his sight, the unknown man spun the spear to deflect two bullets, tilting his head to avoid the others — fast reaction and heavy movement, noted.
The unknown man dashed forward. On this, the index finger pulled the trigger; three bullets whizzed past, one bullet hit his left arm, and the man stopped in place.
Disruption achieved. Pushing his feet, he dashed forward — his eyes flicked towards the dropped dagger — but then his face tightened as wind blew against his cheek.
Expecting the incoming sweep, he did not look at it. He ducked low, rolled past the unknown man, and back to his initial position.
Swoosh
Turning his body as he fell, he did not take the dagger — hands raised, aiming at the standing unknown man — a dark projectile visible, unavoidable.
Thump
"GHhh…"
Biting his lips hard, he ignored the gnawing pain in his stomach, pulling the trigger — another four bullets in an instant, an exchange of injury, that's it.
"GAhhh!!"
Clang
Under his gaze, two hit the man's shoulder and stomach, while the others were blocked and ricocheted off the ground.
Recovered, the unknown man dashed forward once again — arriving fast, a heavy long-range incoming sweep.
Dropping the P226, his intact right hand grasped the cold dagger at his side; he dashed forward to match the unknown man, head dizzy and blurry.
But…
Seeing no chance to avoid the low sweep, the unknown man adapted to the mistake. He planted his right foot at the right time, sliding into the range of the unknown man.
Gaze forward — the long spear above. Passing by the man, he turned sideways and planted his toes; now was his chance as he saw the unguarded back.
Pursing his lips, eyes narrowed, reverse grip — he pushed off his toes and jumped into a low posture with force.
Swish
Pushing his wrist, blood surged out to the front — but once again, gaze to the lying gun — in a planned motion, he rolled forward to reach for the P226. The chance to end it all.
"*Aghhh— You!!!"
Thud
Hearing the roar, light-headed, eyes narrowed to a slit, assuming the man's collapse, he rose to his knees and faced him.
But—
"GAhh!!"
Uncompromising, breathing heavily — a dark spike rose once again, impaling his shoulder, thighs, and stomach in place — his head swayed as he looked at the kneeling man, unsteadily.
'Desperate, aren't you?'
Heh — thought at last — the corner of his mouth upturned; he pulled his hand forward, thumb and index pinching the tip of the dagger, making sure the man watched.
Then—
Clank
Dropping the dagger as the man raised his spear, he grasped the P226 on his back near the lying dagger. Raising his right hand, he aimed at the man — too late to react.
Thump
The final bullet — smoke rising through the muzzle — one eye open; there was a hole in the robed man's head.
Until it slowly fell, lying on the ground, blood spreading.
Thud
"Is it over?"
Whispering under his breath, breathing low, his gaze blurred, head hanging low — the spikes dissolved as his body also fell.
Hands slumped at his sides, lying on his stomach, the dim bloody-ashen eyes watching the corpse of the unknown man; it was too dark, and wriggling — why?
'Ahh…'
It was not the end after all — his arms trembling, right hand propping his body up as the corpse of the unknown man dissolved into shadow. Shadow? That's right!
Buzz
"Pshhhhhh"
Shadow rising, enveloped by the rising darkness; his eyes gazed upon the mass that towered high, its body bent, looking at him. A giant snake made of darkness, its eyes flaming red.
Swishh
Breeze fluttered amidst the chill — the head disappeared in an instant, too fast to track, eyes blurred as he gazed at the sky of the Rivers.
Boom
"Cough"
Rammed and slapped by the head of the snake, now embedded into the walls of the Bridge. Blood flowed from his lips, strength drained from his body — exhaustion, weariness.
Thud
His body fell from the hard rock, head sideways, body limp but trembling — the owner trying very hard to rise and fight once again despite the odds, but alas—
"Hahhhhh—"
He could scream no more, his throat and body immobilised in place, eyes in a slit cast in shadows, his ears could only make out the slithering and rumbling sound.
Then—
Cshhhhhh
"AAggghhhh!!!"
Impaled, his eyes opened wide, struggling in place like a worm — unsure where he found the strength — he tried to kneel and look down at his hands while gasping.
That seemed like a luxury.
Tears welled, he sobbed and choked in his throat, gasping hard as if it were his last — and under his gaze, there was no sound, only all-consuming silence.
The skin on his hand was sickly pale — numbing yet sick as his nerves could no longer feel — a groaning sound escaped, his body bending as more and more of his flesh melted.
Falling to the ground, like wax. His hair, flesh, and even blood coagulated. The process continued as a shadow droplet drilled into his body, melting his innards.
He froze, kneeling — eyes hung low — half his face melted, jaw hanging without a trace of flesh on his cheeks, a lump of pale skin on the ground.
There was only silence, and it was all he could hear at the moment.
Clink, Clink, Clink
Whosshh
His ears had fallen off, fingers leaving only bone, body exposed to the air — cold. Should he be afraid? The ringing in his ears was like a bell.
Hahahaha
Whooshh
A familiar sound — how was he still alive? How could he be still alive? This time it was a tide, and a laughter — a mix of sound in his non-existent ears.
His dead heart fell to the ground, the intestines and guts — smelly, but also purified under this droplet of rain, washed, cleansed.
He watched it all calmly — a bone clacking sound, his fleshless finger twitched as the sound grew more urgent.
'Wash and cleanse — it is rebirth after all.'
The body hollowed, leaving white bone, until finally the eyes fell to the ground, leaving the kneeling skeleton, and that was it.
Silent.
He was not done.
…
The breeze rustled and drifted to his ears, caressing his cheeks with warmth and chill.
Blowing his hair, he slowly opened his eyes. It was dark and then dazzling, as a spot of light managed to pierce the leaves and shine upon his face.
"Ahhh…"
Adapting to the light, eyes wide open, the vertical pupil was particularly visible; the eyes bloody-ashen.
Silent, he took his time with everything — green grass tickled his bare feet and his eyes narrowed to the sight of a lonely tree.
Thought empty — in one second, he should be dead; in the other second, he arrived here, the place he had dreamed of.
Clarity and memory slowly returned as his eyes fully opened. Looking at his body, he was wearing a white gown — the one he had first awakened in.
Perhaps he would ponder its implications, but now—
"I have no time…"
There was unfinished business yet; as much as he wanted to laze around and bask in the sun, it was not the time — he had to return to Althr Baldr.
Then, he lifted his head and took a step towards the tree that was constantly calling him; the strong wind blew his gown and hair, fluttering.
Reaching out towards the trunk of the lonely tree, he smiled softly, narrowing his eyes.
'It's because I promised to return to them after all, so…'
"Please."
Touching the warm bark, he closed his eyes as the light and wind surged, enveloping him — along with a storm of memories, or perhaps inheritance. He lost his footing.
But he did not fear anything, as he felt warmth, like his mother's embrace. He couldn't make out everything, but he needed something for his predicament.
[Derivative of Dragon]
…
[Manifestation: Formlessness]
…
That was about right — smiling as he sank towards the endless depth, ambience in his ears.
'I'm sorry Akane… please don't be sad…'
His heart crumpled. Soon it would be… soon. Drowning. Falling.
…..
'How did this kid appear here?'
Curious, slithering — his huge head closing in, body lowered towards the remains of a skeleton still kneeling even in death, as if he couldn't understand what had happened.
Psstt
How could a human child appear here? Wasn't Perrest supposed to guard the Passage? And how could this child have arrived in Althr Baldr after all of this?
Flicking its tongue, lowering its eyes, it studied the remains — though remaining indifferent; deep down there was still an ache despite the confusion.
'You are a brave child, but soon… as Lord ascends, there will be no more suffering.'
Its eyes lowered, thinking about it again — from the past to the present, it was always their own future being sacrificed, generation to generation.
Children were always the ones who bore the brunt of facing the mistakes of the past.
'Rest assured…'
As it bowed its head and turned its body to go back to the Terminal, it suddenly heard a clicking sound.
Its head froze — eyes opened wide, then narrowed — perhaps it had mistaken its ears; it looked towards the skeletal remains.
Under its surprised gaze, the skeleton slowly stood, body shrouded in dark mist and red flame, thread by thread, pink weaving itself within the white bones.
Fully standing, it turned its body to face him — eye sockets empty, only darkness and flaming red, resentment, hatred.
Darragh was stunned, looking at the child who should be dead now alive once again. But—
He could not be left alive. Seeing potential danger to the Lord's plan, Darragh opened his mouth wide and decided to consume the boy alive, pouncing forward.
Swoosh
The boy side-stepped lightly but fast — crashing into the ground in its wake — body swaying, the jaw missed, crashing to the bridge and sending a wave of pain and dizziness to Darragh's head.
Then on the left side of Darragh's eye, the skinless right hand — full of red muscles, reconstructed — pulled backwards, then—
Boom
"HISSS—!!!"
Hissing and screaming, Darragh's head sticking out, wrecking the bridge and arriving near the pool of magma; feeling the power contained within that punch, coldness resurfaced.
Deciding to reset and reassess the threat, Darragh let itself fall into the magma as coldness and chill enveloped its body, shielding it from the ever-eroding flame.
….
"Haahhhh…"
'One minute — that's all I have…'
Before his energy was drained and he fully entered total death, one minute was all he had; and it was consumed rapidly as his body reconstructed.
Standing still, Akane let the snake be, eyes tracking it. Rapidly closing his skinless hands as flesh and blood were constructed, with nerves and pain.
The centre of his bone marrow pulsed with crimson light, emanating heat; thick white-silver threads wove themselves around the spinal column.
'10'
[Formlessness: Vessel Reconstruction - 20%]
Prioritising nerve functions and strengthening them, he watched the snake swimming on the left, cautiously sizing it up.
Lowering his posture — his legs still partially bone — red and blue veins manifested, tracing their path around the skeleton like roots.
The engine beat loudly within the ribcage, pushing and pulsing in red along the network of veins; pink raw muscles began to build.
[Formlessness: Vessel Reconstruction - 90%]
'2'
The eye sockets filled back, thread by thread. Glinting, bloody-ashen eyes shone — vertical pupils at their centre — looking calmly ahead, taking back his gaze.
Since the snake wanted to wait on the side, he just had to bait it by going to the First Terminal. After all, could it stop him? He didn't want to fight near the magma, though.
[Formlessness: Vessel Reconstruction - 100%]
'1'
Pushing his right foot, feeling the breeze against his bare body — the ground cracked.
'0'
[Analysis: Micro Window Spike - 15 milliseconds]
The world frozen mid-air — this time, he issued a series of functions with his new ability, tinkering with his body as it transformed once more.
'Time Left: 40 seconds.'
[Formlessness: Projection Modification - Skin Function: Impact Resistance]
[Formlessness: Projection Modification - Leg Function: Muscle and Bone Endurance]
[Formlessness: Projection Modification - Hand Function: Muscle and Bone Endurance]
[Formlessness: Projection Modification - Signal Transmission: Enhanced Nerve Transmission]
'Deactivate. Neutral Neural Firing Response.'
The peripheral of his vision blurred as he sped up. In one step, the open circular platform with a rectangular object visible in the middle came into sight.
It was just one step ahead — reachable — but that was not the goal right now.
A mass of blotted darkness fell in his path, like a log in the middle of the road.
[Analysis: Procession Acceleration - 1000 Ticks]
This time the world slowed, but did not completely stop. His fingers twitched as he tried to adapt to his accelerated thinking.
'Body can now bear the impact of acceleration and the brunt of synchronisation.'
The decision was clear at the very least — high-speed movement paired with high-speed thinking — his head lightheaded.
[Analysis and Formlessness: Procession and Adaptation – Synchronization, 500 Ticks]
Firing a neural response into his punch, raising the right hand and pre-planning mid-motion — accumulating momentum instead of stopping the burst.
His fist clenched at the side of his face — the movement readable — and then the moment of impact, his arms trembling.
Thud
Boom
Narrowing his eyes, crimson flesh and blood burst in front of him, dyeing his dark hair red once more; hearing a roar in his ears, he pushed backwards to jump and avoid the shadow spike.
Spitting and standing, his eyes could take in the snake's full condition — like a titanoboa or perhaps bigger — near its tail or stomach, half was missing.
Lifting his head, he jumped left then right, avoiding the enraged snake. He did not want this body hurt any more — every unit of energy was precious.
While reading the movement, his steps suddenly faltered as he stumbled, feeling pain in his right leg as he fell.
"KHHHH—!!"
Blood flowed from his lips as he quickly jumped forward — for a moment, his body fell into contradiction.
'Time Left: 15 seconds.'
Lifting his head, the snake's body was close — he pushed his feet hard and jumped onto the slithering body in front of him.
Swaying, his left hand clawed into the flesh; gritting his teeth as the big head now faced him, jaw open.
Swooosh
From the jaw, a cloud of dark red quickly enveloped his body, melting his repaired body once more — energy rapidly drained.
Keeping hold with his left hand as it melted at a visible rate, but—
[Formlessness: Vessel Reconstruction - Priority: Legs, Arms, and Face]
'Time Left: 5 seconds.'
Fighting the corrosion as he regenerated, he narrowed his eyes, grabbed the snake scales with both hands, then pulled himself up hard, flying into the air.
Out of the smoke — the eye as big as his body, red in his sight. His palm opened, then clawed at its eye. The snake tried to shake its body, but before it could—
His fingers clawed deep inside; his right hand pulled and raised high — his nerves firing in error with no correction.
'Time Left: 4 seconds.'
Boom
Blood splattered along with a piece of flesh, stuck to his face. Licking his lips as the head fell to the ground, the downward breeze swayed his hair.
Then, left hand freed and raised — second punch.
Right hand raised — third punch.
Alternating — a hundred punches.
'Time Left: 1 second.'
His eyes full of blood, drilling deep inside — he felt through the blood the same warmth in his palm, sticky as it poured out.
Gaze blurring, his mouth agape, hands beginning to slow, movement rusting — but there was one last instruction to hold.
'Time Left: 0 seconds.'
Teeth sinking into the warm flesh — crunch — he pulled his head hard and chewed, bit by bit, until he fell limply, head crashing towards the mass of flesh.
Unmoving and silent, leaving to be submerged by the pool of blood.