Chapter 7: Shadow of a Doubt

He touches down right in front of me and the grass at his feet withers away. Even though I’m encased in armor, I feel extremely vulnerable. I desperately want to run far away from here but my feet are glued in place. The man wrapped in shadows turns his gaze on me, even though his face is a black hole, I can tell he’s looking directly into my soul.

“ I come as a messenger of his majesty the Demon King. It is my first time seeing a void walker with my own eyes. I am… underwhelmed. But this Dawn Relic seems to have some potential so we shall engage in negotiations.”

He seems bored with the whole situation if not slightly amused. His demeanor and tone drips with arrogance. My whole body tenses as he takes a step towards me. I can't seem to catch my breath. I feel dizzy and disoriented just by his presence. Despair envelopes all of my senses. There is nothing to do, no escape.

Without warning, the shadow man, along with the entire courtyard is engulfed in a massive explosion!

KABOOOM!

The whole area shakes with the impact.The heat sears my face even inside the suit. It's as if a bomb just went off in my face! A thick plume of smoke obscures my vision. Rina! She hit him with a fireball! Perfect timing too!

A sudden strangled scream cuts through the haze. I turn to see a horrible sight. There in the crater of the explosion is the man, holding Rina up by her neck. She chokes and sputters, throwing wild kicks and punches toward her assailant but she’s nothing more than a child in his grasp.

“An elf?” There's a spark of sadism in his otherwise disinterested voice “I admit, it is surprising to see one alive after all this time. Shall I send you to the abyss along with the rest of your filthy race?”

Rina’s eyes flutter as she loses consciousness. He’s going to kill her! I force myself to move forward dashing at the man as fast as I can. The suit’s warning messages are pushed aside by my sheer will as I throw a furious punch at his head.

“Let her go now!”

The shadowy figure puts up his hand to block the blow. More dust and debris is blasted up by the powerful impact but he doesn't move an inch. I can't believe how strong he is! He turns his attention toward me as he continues to strangle Rina. She isn't moving anymore! I have to stop him!

“This is rather disappointing. You do not know how to wield this weapon do you?”

I grit my teeth and try to push my fist into his face. The gears and servos of the suit whine under the immense pressure but my arm doesn't move forward even an inch.

[Your remaining power supply is at (7%), you will need to retreat or risk permanent damage.]

“Shut up!” I shout out. “ Put her down now or I swear I’ll-”

“You’re hardly in a position to make threats, Void Walker. Why would you care about trash such as this anyway? What sort of attachment could you have to such a lowly creature?”

With an imperceptible flick of his wrist, he wrenches my arm into a crooked position. The pain shoots through me like lightning. I cry out in agony as my shoulder dislocates. He’s going to kill us both and I can't stop him. The terror makes me sick to my stomach. The foolish dream of saving this world dies inside me. This is the end of my story.

“Put my friends down please.”

I’m utterly shocked as someone appears behind the cloaked man. Kizzik! No one sensed them approach, even this monster. The Laczerta stands right behind the demon like some kind of reaper, a wicked looking curved blade in hand.

There's a flash of silver, a spurt of blood and Rina and I are both dropped to the ground as Kizzik slices through the man’s tendons. The wizard girl fills her lungs with air in big jagged gasps. The shadow demon looks quizzically at his bleeding arms. Kizzik grabs Rina and dashes away into the smoke. I’m only a little hurt by this, but I understand. They probably wouldn't be able to carry me in this armor anyway. The terrified cries of villagers reach my ears from beyond the courtyard. Is the whole town under attack? Are there more enemies like him? I turn back to face my attacker. To my dismay, I see the shadows begin to stitch his arms back together. His wounds vanish in moments.

“A shaman blade. What a rare and nasty little thing.” His voice comes out colder, more harsh now. “I’ve gotten off track. I’ve come here to deliver a message from my liege.”

He turns back toward me. I instinctively take a step back. My heartbeat is loud and fast in my ears.

“You have been granted his Grace's most precious and limited mercy. Join the rightful ruler of this world in his conquest. As a void walker, and a Dawn Relic wielder, your services would be valuable to him. You would be handsomely rewarded for your loyalty.”

I wince as the pain shoots up my arm. “Yeah, sounds great. I just help you kill a bunch of innocent people right? Bite me.”

He doesn't have an expression to read but I can tell he’s displeased.

“I would reconsider if I were you. I have already picked up your scent. I can smell the foreign planar energies on you. Do you understand what that means?”

He looms over me, practically dripping with malice. “There is nowhere you can hide from me, no matter where you run. Beyond that, I don't think it will be too difficult for us to track down the pathetic home world you came from. Once I’ve killed you and my king has brought this plane to its knees, we will visit your world next and kill everyone you have ever known. Family, friends, lovers. They will all meet a painful end because of you.”

Something in me clicks. Maybe it’s this being threatening my loved ones, maybe it’s this world itself. Whatever it is, I feel a sense of clarity, peace even in this moment. I’ve spent my whole life fretting over all the possible outcomes, all the different ways things can go wrong. I agonized over the details until I was paralyzed by fear. But now, all those pathways are gone. I just see a single way forward. I glare up at the demon, determination fixed on my face.

“What a nasty expression. Avert your eyes, human.”

I keep staring, clenching my trembling fists.

My past was a place where I died a little every day, giving up on the future before it happened, I shambled through life like a corpse. That ends now. If I’m going to die anyway, I’ll do it while protecting people. It’s ironic that I finally find something to live for so close to death. I'll stop this demon. I’ll stop them all because that’s the path I choose to walk. Sensing my desires, Minerva’s voice speaks calmly in my head.

[New Priority Initiated. Save Provo at all costs. Safeguards removed. Calculating the most efficient strategy…]

A flood of data fills the visor in the blink of an eye.

[Suitable energy source detected. The demonic entity is in possession of a Mana Sphere. Uploading attack maneuvers now.]

Mana sphere? Minerva mentioned those before. A split second later, the exo suit feeds a strategy directly into my brain. I understand instantly what I need to do.

Amidst the rubble of the ruined courtyard, I lower my head and extend my hand out toward the demon. I do my best to look defeated and submissive but its extremely difficult. The fury surges just below the surface.

“Fine, I surrender. Please don't hurt them.”

He hesitates for a moment, seemingly taken aback.

“Well, it is rare to come across a human with good sense. The demon king will be pleased.”

The shadow man grabs my hand.

“As a show of his benevolence, he won't kill your people. only enslave them.”

I’m not even listening at this point. As soon as our hands touch, I use all my remaining power to latch on to him and myself close. The pain in my twisted arm is white hot but I won't let him go! I reach for where I can sense the most power flowing under the cloak, but the shadow is tougher than it looks! I feel my fingers graze the sphere but I’m suddenly and forcefully pushed back as the man puts his hand over my face. Dammit!

“Hmph. Foolish to your last breath. Humans are so predictable.” He digs his fingers into my helmet with a crunch. He grunts with effort. There's a terrible sound of screeching metal as he rips a chunk of it off me, revealing my face. All he sees is me staring at him as I refuse to let go. I can do this!

Not yet!

So close!

Just reach it!

The shadows of his cloak coalesce in his hand, forming a long black spike. He raises it above his head.

[Your remaining power supply is at (3%).]

“It is a shame to lose such a powerful weapon. Do you have any final words?”

[Your remaining power supply is at (2%).]

TWANG!

It's almost comical looking as a throwing dagger ricochet’s off the man’s mask, cocking his head ever so slightly to the side. He pauses for a moment and turns towards the way it came.

Several more daggers fly out of the smoke, pinging off him. They’re followed by a few concentrated bolts of fire. They slam into the demon with little effect but he’s clearly distracted. Kizzik and Rina emerge from the haze.

“Didnt think we’d leave you did ya?” Kizzik says with a grin. They both raise their arms ready for battle. I can’t help but smile at them. The demon howls in rage.

“I will deal with you vermin in due time! Stop interfering and I’ll make your deaths painless!”

I take advantage of the distraction. With one last desperate effort, I roar and jam my hand into the cloak.

“RRAAAAGHHHH!!!”

I grasp the sphere so tightly that it cracks.

[Mana Sphere Obtained. Absorbing now.]

“What are you doing?! NOOO!!”

The suit begins to shine brightly as it drinks in the mana.

The demon tries to pry me off but my grip only tightens. He brings the black spike down onto my head.

“DIIIEEE!!!”

[Absorption complete.]

The spike shatters to pieces against my helmet. The metal plates are fully reformed as if they were never damaged. I can see his cloak begin to flicker as he loses strength. The shadow man yanks his arm free, retreating from me. His shadows form a defensive web around him but they’re thinner, less substantial now. I can sense his fear.

[Your remaining power supply is at (35%).]

[Your remaining power supply is at (46%).]

[Your remaining power supply is at (67%).]

[Your remaining power supply is at (85%).]

[Your remaining power supply is at (99%).]

I rise to my feet. The power I felt before is nothing compared to this. It’s overwhelming. It’s undeniable. I feel… unstoppable.

[You have reached Full Power.]