Overdrive

Opening my eyes, I look around at the rubble lying all over the floor. Pushing myself up, I wince as pain spears through my head. Holding my hand to my forehead, I pull it away, letting out a sigh as my hand comes away covered in blood. Ignoring the aches and pains coursing through my body, I get to my feet shakily, looking around at the damage. Blinking the dust from eyes, I look around and see Hannah lying on the floor, the hole in her side bleeding onto the floor. Staggering over to her, I fall down next to her, adding more cuts and bruises to my body, putting my hand on her side to stem the bleeding.

"Hannah! Hey, open your eyes, look at me." Moving her gently, my heart leaps as her eyes flutter and open. Holding her tight as she cries out from the pain in her side, I lean over and look her in the eye.

"Easy. Don't move."

"It hurts." Moving my hand, I wince as fresh blood spews from the wound.

"I know. But you've got to stay still for me." Biting her lip, she nods, and a tear of pain runs down her cheek as I move my hand and inspect the wound. Concentrating on my magic, I channel it briefly.

"Healing wave." Watching as the golden light covers her, I curse inside my head as the wound refuses to close and more blood leaks out of it. Dammit, it's a cursed wound, like mine. Looking around for anything to help stem the blood, my heart leaps into my chest as the rubble nearby moves. Crawling out of the wreckage, Saetaen brushes the dust off his body. Looking towards me, an evil smile crosses his face.

"She's finished Outlier. I promised you it would end like this, and if nothing else, I am a demon of my word."

"Shut the hell up. She aint dead yet, but you? You're a walking corpse."

"Big words, but how do you plan to back them up?" Opening up my inventory, I pull my Glock from it. Sliding the magazine from the gun, I toss the gun to the side and pull an unused bullet from the mag. Using a nearby rock to crack the bullet from the shell, I hold it up for Hannah to see.

"Hannah, this is going to hurt like all hell, but it will tide you over until I can get you to the healer. Okay?" Waiting for her nod, I move my hand and upend the bullet into her wound, watching as the black powder fills the cavity. Gripping her hand tightly, I slide the hammers of the gun right about the wound and pull the trigger. With a flash, the gunpowder bursts into flame. Holding her hand tightly, I wince as she screams out in agony, her cry cutting through me like a knife. Looking down at the wound as she sobs into her hand, I breathe a small sigh of relief as the blood only drips out slowly. Picking her up carefully, I look around and see Ella coming to from under another piece of rubble. Moving over to her, I lay Hannah on the ground and look her in the eye.

"I love you, Hannah. Remember that." Turning to look at Ella as I stand up, I can see the recognition of what I'm about to do in her eyes.

"Take care of her, will you?"

"Oscar. Please, anything but that. You promised."

"I'm sorry, Ella, truly. I love you." Walking away as she pleads for me to stop, I pick up the broken remnants of Hannah's sword and drive it into the stone in front of Saetaen. Looking at the smirk on his demonic face, the rage builds inside of me.

"You're done. There's a certain line you don't cross, and you crossed it. You fucked with my daughter. And that, is unforgivable."

"Oh."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Let's find out, shall we?" Opening up the menu, I scroll down my skills to the one I've feared since I learned of it. Reaching out a finger, I click the skill, and a screen pops up in front of my eyes.

"Do you want to activate?" Clicking yes, I wait a moment as a voice fills my mind.

"Activation of Outlier skill, Overdrive unlocked. Please cast the skill to activate." Smiling, I close the screen down and look Saetaen in the eye.

"Overdrive!" For a moment nothing happens, then energy explodes through my entire body. As the power courses through me, blue crackles over my skin, and my armour changes from black to white as a lightweight breastplate appears on my chest and the holsters with Thorne and Aetheris disappear in a burst of sparkling light. Forcing myself to reign the power in under my control, I smile at the uncertainty on Saetaens face and in an instant, I cover the distance between him and I. before he can react, my fist crackling with energy strikes the side of his face, sending him sprawling into the dust. Shaking my hand from the impact, I walk steadily towards him, watching the rage crackle over his face as he gets back to his feet. Roaring with anger, his claws extend, and he comes at me with speed. Dodging the claws, my years of training guide my instincts as I keep the claws away from my body, driving impacts into his chest and head at every opportunity. Stepping back, I duck under a swing and, pushing the energy to my fist, I drive a blow into his midriff, sending him spinning into the far wall. Waving my hand, Final Testament appears and in one smooth motion, I aim down the sights at his form on the ground and pull the trigger. From the barrel, the round releases and crackles as it covers the distance. Disappearing into dust a split second before the round hits, he appears on the other side of the cavern. Getting to his feet as the round from the Final Testament blows chunks of the rock wall into dust, he sheathes his claws and draws his sword.

"It seems I underestimated you. It won't happen again." As he swings his sword, energy crackles around him, and his body changes, getting muscular. Watching his horns grow longer, I ready myself. For a second, a shimmer appears around him, and he disappears. Turning on instinct, I bring Final Testament just in time to block the blade coming down. The shock from the impact causing my arms to go numb. Stepping back, I twist his blade to the side and drive a punch to the side of his face, wincing as my fist stops as if I'd punched a steel girder. Turning his head, he smirks and swings his sword back at me with ferocious speed. Leaping backwards, I feel the blade draw the thinnest line across my cheek as it whistles past. Staggering back a few steps as a trickle runs down my cheek, I point Final Testament and fire it at the weapon in his hand. Before he can move, the round unleashes, meeting the Demonic steel with a piercing scream as it shatters the blade. Covering my face from the explosion, I feel the ground disappear as it throws me backwards, landing heavily on the ground, the wind knocked out of me. Scrambling to my feet, I look up to see Saetaen, bloodied and bladeless, launching himself through the smoke and dust. Before I can react, I feel pain in my chest as his horns pierce me. Lifting me up above his head, I cough and taste blood in my mouth. For a moment my vision swims, and then light bursts behind my eyes. Seeing images flash through my head faster than I can comprehend, they stop as a beautiful woman reaches out a hand to me. Taking it, I feel power flow through me, and the pain lessens. With a wave of my hand, a shadow version of Throne appears, and twisting myself clear of his horns with a cry of pain, I fire two rounds, watching them shatter the bones on his head. Landing on my feet, Thorne disappears from my hand, and I move as if guided by a force I can't explain, I shadowstep and grab Hannah's blade with my left hand, Final Testament reappearing in my right. Looking at the counter, I watch as it ticks back up to one. Shadowstepping back in front of him, he roars at my appearance and takes a swing. Sidestepping the swing my left leg moves on its own delivering a powerful strike to Saetaens midriff, watching as he slams into the wall, Hannahs blade releases from my hand at the same moment, and whistling across the room, pierces his shoulder pinning him to the wall. Moving in front of him, I look up at Saetaen, desperately trying to pull the blade free from his shoulder. Pointing the Final Testament at him, something feels different. The gun seems to grow larger and crackles with white light and blue energy.

"You think you've won? I will be back." Screaming at me with bloodshot eyes, spit comes from his lips as he struggles to keep his rage under control.

"And when I come back, you're the first ill come for. You hear me, Outlier?"

"I hear. I just don't care. Adios." Pulling the trigger, everything turns white. For a moment, the beautiful woman I saw earlier runs forward and hugs another woman, as beautiful as the first. There is something ethereal about them, almost godlike. The pair of them were crying. Turning to me, she bows, and I hear the voice in my head that had been there all along since Hannah was summoned.

"Thank you." As the scene fades from my eyes, reality comes crashing back. Looking ahead, my chest tightens as I look out over the valley. The entire side of the wall or mountain, I should say, is just gone. Saetaen along with it. Feeling a tingle in my arm, I watch as the grip of the Final Testament disappears from my hand. Looking down at the armour and the battle vestments, I smile giddily as they flake away in sparkles of light. Taking a few staggering steps, a warning flashes up in front of my eyes.

"Overdrive Limit Exceeded. Removing all skills and abilities. Standby." As the voice finishes speaking, pain lances through my body, and I fall to the ground, vomiting blood onto the floor as I collapse. As my vision wanes, I look over and see Hannah's eyes wide open and full of tears.

"Daddy, No!" I'm sorry, baby. I'm clocking out. As my vision fades, I try to reach out my hand to her, but my arm won't move. So this is it. After everything I've been through, this is where I die.

"Not today, Oscar. You have much more living to do." As a woman's gentle but firm voice fills the room, I see a white paw lands on the ground in front of me, and my body is filled with warmth as it all fades away.