Infestation VII / Who I Am

We dashed back the way we’d come, but as I slid to a stop at the first juncture in our route, it finally hit me how badly we’d been duped.

“… Do you remember the way out?”

“No.” Kerne’s response was solemn, in a way uncharacteristic even for him.

Footsteps echoed from the open door just yards away, followed by the low growl of a monster not of this world.

“Crap. Let’s just go this way then!”

Despite the hefty shield on his arm, Kerne managed to keep pace with my run as I raced past corner after corner at random.

After who-knows-how-long, I curved around another intersection and braked, leaning against a wall to catch my breath.

“This isn’t gonna work,” I said between huffs. “We may have to fight our way out.”

Kerne shook his head. “Neither of us can cast long-range spells. We cannot engage him without first felling the Fragment, but we cannot handle the Fragment if he supports it from a distance. It will be a loss no matter what we try.”

“We have to do something though. I don’t think we can bank on escaping.” I bit down on my lip. “I get that both options suck, but which is less bad? Focusing on him or the Fragment? Shit, and I guess Anita’s probably working with him too.”

Kerne remained silent.

“Come on, man! You’re the strategist here!”

“… Raplin was my friend.” Kerne slumped against the wall. His eyes were glazed over, and I doubted he was taking in my words.

Ah… what am I saying?

I couldn’t pretend like I understood personally; I’d thankfully never been betrayed by a friend, on account of how few of them I had. But if the rejection of a stranger was enough to sting, this pain must’ve been unfathomable.

“I’m sorry. I—”

A woman’s loud scream suddenly bounded through the labyrinth.

“Y-you better show yourselves! I’ve got a nice dagger with her name on it, so be quick about it!”

My heart sank. This was probably a trap. In fact, it almost certainly was.

But Anita never attacked us. She would’ve had the chance to fire off a spell, but she didn’t.

I couldn’t leave someone behind who might be innocent, who might get hurt because I failed to act.

I conjured my sword and turned in the direction of Anita’s cry.

“Wait!” Kerne called. “What are you doing? I already told you; we cannot beat him, even together. What makes you think you can do it alone!?”

“All you ever do is blindly rush into danger like an idiot.”

“Mara’s right,” I said, not altering my course an inch. “Plans are your thing, and being a reckless fool is mine. I know it’s stupid. But it’s me. It’s who I am, and I refuse to be ashamed of that.”

I broke out into a sprint as I uttered the final word. A part of me hoped he would follow, but my footsteps echoed alone through the dismal stone prison.

Muffled screeches informed my path as I ran onward. For how winding and vast this structure felt, the clarity of Raplin’s threat meant they couldn’t have been too far. In fact, this entire area was probably smaller and less confusing than it seemed, but I was too overwhelmed and short on time to navigate it properly.

“Mmmrrrrgh! Mmghhh!”

There!

I slammed my front foot into the ground and skidded past a corner. As my body came to a stop, I turned to face the figures at the other end of the corridor, readying my sword.

“Let her go!”

A long dagger was pressed against Anita’s neck. For as much as she was trying to scream, she kept her body motionless, knowing any careless movement could result in an immediate and grisly end.

From the other side, Raplin covered her mouth with his inner forearm, holding her in an awkward, headlock-esque grip. It didn’t look like the most effective or stable hold, but the presence of the blade made that fact irrelevant.

The look of naked fear in her eyes dispelled any notions I might’ve still had about her working with him. I refused to believe someone with that expression could be putting on an act.

“I said—”

“D-do you really think you’re in a position to be making demands?” He couldn’t quell the shakiness in his voice as he tried to intimidate me. “Drop your weapon, or she dies. You don’t want that, do you?”

Although I had only seen them interact for a short time, I wanted to believe his affection toward her was genuine and that he’d never actually do anything to hurt her.

But what kind of sick person would hold a knife to their girlfriend’s throat, even as a bluff?

I couldn’t rely on those hopes.

He’s too far away. If I charge, he’ll have more than enough time to do something. Maybe I can—

“Don’t ignore me!” The dagger shifted even closer to her jugular, likely biting into the top layer of skin. “Toss the sword near me, and don’t you dare unconjure it. I won’t fall for something that obvious.”

Dammit. He read me like a book.

I knew that every moment I hesitated could be Anita’s last, so I couldn’t justify wasting any more time. Acquiescing to his demands, I slung my sword forward, and it slid to a point about halfway between us.

“There. You can let her go now.” I tried to remain calm as I spoke, but it was becoming difficult to maintain my composure. I held no cards, and I was alone. He, however, was not.

As if first waiting for our conversation to draw to a close, a dark figure shot past the pair. I had no idea how much control a summoner had over their Fragment, but, as I dreaded, it ignored Raplin entirely and surged straight at me.

Unarmed, I had no choice but to rely on evasion to keep myself alive. Praying Raplin wouldn’t use my self-preservation instincts as an excuse to harm Anita, I bent my knees to lower my center of gravity.

Blasting to the side as its first talon swipe curved downward, I slammed into the wall, underestimating how narrow this passageway would be for a fight. It was only when a violent pain exploded in my left shoulder that I recalled it had sliced into me earlier.

I gritted my teeth to beat down the agony and refocus. No more than a second later, the Fragment swung its tail laterally toward my head, and I barely managed to duck in time to avoid a brutal decapitation. Breaking into a roll to put distance between us, I tried to think of anything I could possibly do to turn the tables.

Raplin’s focus was directed onto my struggle, yet he did nothing to intervene himself. Maybe he didn’t want to risk loosening the grip on his hostage, or maybe he wanted to conserve mana to use against Kerne. Or, just maybe, he didn’t want to bear the weight of ending a life, delegating that sin to the monster instead.

I noticed the dagger in his hand lower, just slightly. It couldn’t have been more than an inch, but I’d need to exploit every opening, however small, if I wanted to survive.

Kerne was right; I can’t beat him alone. Not with the Anomaly Beast holding me down.

I sprang backward off the ground to dodge an incoming bite, landing on my feet.

If I can’t win by myself and Kerne isn’t here, then…

I recalled something I had heard a few days ago, a piece of small talk I had all but forgotten. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had.

My eyes locked onto Anita’s as I slid past another of the Fragment’s attacks. As much as I wanted to draw her attention without making a show of it, I doubted she was in any condition to interpret the intent behind my gaze.

If that’s the case, then I’ll have to do something dramatic and hope she figures it out.

I had no other choice. This would be my gamble, and I’d be staking my life on it.

I’ll make an opening! Let’s take him down, together!