Choices

Reeve charged the two men. He wasn’t using Synaptic Acceleration, but his implants gave him more than enough speed to close the distance.

He used the momentum of his sprint to drive a powerful punch forward. His fist, however, struck a barrier resembling frosted glass that had formed in midair. Neither of the men in front of him seemed to have conjured it. The bearded man still holding Elise captive had.

He held the translucent rope in one hand while keeping the other open before him. A circle the same color as the barrier spun in front of his raised palm, moving so quickly that the symbols across its surface blurred together.

The barrier shattered the instant Reeve’s fist struck it.

“What are you waiting for, you fools? Finish him!” the bearded man shouted.

The hooded apostate pointed both hands at the ground. A moment later, stones gathered around one of Reeve’s feet, locking it firmly in place.

“Hit the bastard! I’ll hold him down!” he shouted to the man closest to Reeve.

The short, balding man approached recklessly. With Reeve immobilized, he believed he had the advantage. He aimed a hand at the mercenary’s face and launched another jagged stone.

The projectile shattered against Reeve’s Subdermal Armor, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Immediately after the impact, Reeve crouched and seized the man’s shin with crushing force. The apostate howled in pain. With one swift motion, Reeve yanked his leg upward and slammed him onto his back with a dull thud.

Reeve didn’t let go.

With the added strength of his implants, he hoisted the man into the air and used him as a weapon. He swung him sideways into the hooded apostate. The two collided violently.

The moment the caster was struck, the stones binding Reeve’s foot crumbled apart, and the large circle of the same hue vanished from his hands.

{SUBDERMAL ARMOR INTEGRITY: 94%}

Without wasting a second, Reeve leapt at the pair before they could recover from the fall.

He seized both men by the head and smashed their skulls together. A sharp crack echoed through the woods. A moment later, they were both unconscious.

Reeve turned toward the shirtless, bearded man.

The apostate stared in shock at what he had just witnessed. Apparently, seeing one man use another as a weapon wasn’t normal even by his standards.

The rope in his hand no longer bound Elise’s legs. It was wrapped around her neck.

Judging by his expression, he had lost any desire to fight. He had no intention of releasing Elise either, afraid he would become Reeve’s next target.

“Stay back, freak, or I’ll hang her if you come any closer!” he shouted, pulling the rope upward.

The skin around Elise’s neck buckled under the pressure.

“You’re not going to kill her and throw away your only bargaining chip, are you? That wouldn’t be very smart.”

rAIven, if he tightens that rope any further, activate Synaptic Acceleration.

{AFFIRMATIVE}

“Come on. Don’t you think it’s a pretty shitty plan to get rid of the only thing stopping me from beating you until there isn’t a hair left in that beard?”

Reeve pointed a clenched fist at him.

“You’re not the one I have a problem with!” the apostate replied, his voice trembling.

“Funny, coming from the man who ordered those two geniuses to kill me.”

A mocking smile spread across Reeve’s face.

Before the man could open his mouth again, an arrowhead burst through his left eye. His body dropped beside Elise instantly.

He was dead.

The rope around Elise’s neck vanished the moment the corpse hit the ground.

Farther ahead, pounding hooves and grinding metal echoed between the trees. Elise immediately looked at the arrow. Its tip glowed with a soft blue light, now tinged red by the man’s blood.

She sprang to her feet and moved beside Reeve, fully alert.

The source of the noise was already highlighted on his HUD.

Five horses approached. Each carried a rider clad in heavy armor made from overlapping metal plates. Black fabric showed through the gaps at the joints. Engraved on every breastplate was a sword framed by a pair of black wings.

Elegant black leather scabbards hung from their waists, adorned with what appeared to be highly reflective metal.

One of the riders gripped a black bow covered in golden detailing.

He was almost certainly responsible for the shot. The quiver on his back held dozens of white-fletched arrows.

Reeve couldn’t help noticing that their scabbards were curved. Not as sharply as the one that had held his sword in Nova Tokyo, but there was a resemblance.

The similarities ended at the hilts. The swords’ crossguards were shaped like two curved wings and appeared to offer excellent protection for the wielder’s hands.

The rider at the head of the group dismounted. His metal boots struck the ground with a heavy clang, stirring the leaves around them.

He approached Reeve and Elise at a measured pace. The engraving on his breastplate was far more elaborate than those of the other riders, and countless golden ornaments adorned his armor.

Elise immediately lowered her head and forced Reeve to do the same. Instinct made him resist, but he relented when he saw her expression. As he bowed his head, he felt Elise’s trembling hand against the back of his neck.

Whoever this man was, he inspired a profound terror in the mage. It was strange. Only minutes earlier, she had been bound and helpless without showing the slightest hint of fear.

The man kept advancing. The plates of his elegant armor creaked with every step. Combined with his imposing presence, the sound was deeply unsettling.

When he stopped before them, the details of his armor became even clearer. Yet neither Reeve nor rAIven could decipher the meaning of the symbols decorating it.

The man kept one hand resting on his sword’s hilt. His helmet turned slowly from side to side. Its eye slits were so narrow that nothing could be seen behind them.

“Inquisitor,” Elise said, her voice trembling.

The hand against Reeve’s neck trembled even more.

The man ignored them completely and walked toward the unconscious apostates.

“I see our intervention was unnecessary.”

His deep male voice sounded slightly muffled behind the helmet.

“Assisting the Inquisition in the capture of apostates is noble work. The Goddess would be pleased.”

He turned his helmet toward Reeve.

What the hell is this lunatic talking about?

{INSUFFICIENT CONTEXT}

Reeve sighed.

The Inquisitor resumed walking, the plates of his armor grinding against one another. Listening to that sound while watching the massive man approach the fallen apostates was unnerving.

When he reached them, he drew his sword in one sudden motion. The curved blade gave off a faint blue glow, much like the arrowhead.

With two swift thrusts, he pierced each man through the chest.

A moment later, neither of them was breathing.

Wasn’t that a little excessive? They weren’t a threat anymore.

{WARNING: CONSIDERING ELISE’S REACTION AND THE OBJECTIVE OF AVOIDING UNNECESSARY ATTENTION, I RECOMMEND THAT YOU AVOID CONFLICT WITH THIS INDIVIDUAL}

I’m not an idiot, rAIven. I’m not picking a fight with these people. Not without a reason.

“In the end, it doesn’t matter how much power you possess. If you fall on the battlefield, you’ve lost. I hope you still remember that basic lesson, former Inquisitor Elise.”

The man stared at Elise. His hand returned to his sword’s hilt, as though he could draw it even faster if he wished.

“Lord High Inquisitor.”

Elise bowed her head even lower and removed her hand from Reeve’s neck.

Keeping his head bowed before an armed stranger who was clearly more than capable went against everything Reeve believed in. Even so, he followed her lead. He bowed only slightly and kept his eyes fixed on the man’s hand atop the sword.

“Judging by that wound, I assume you grew careless around the apostates. You should be grateful someone so capable was nearby to assist you.”

The Inquisitor examined the cut above Elise’s eyebrow, then turned to Reeve.

“A man capable of neutralizing three apostates without suffering a single scratch. Another talented individual wasting his abilities as an adventurer, I presume.”

Even through the helmet, the intensity of the Inquisitor’s stare was unmistakable.

“I’ve had more than my share of scratches. After a while, you learn how to dodge.”

Reeve raised his chin, his expression defiant.

Even though I didn’t dodge a single one. And how does this guy know about the other apostate? He came from the opposite direction from where I left the man.

{INSUFFICIENT DATA. HOWEVER, I WOULD NOT DISMISS THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME FORM OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY}

{THE PHENOMENON THE INHABITANTS REFER TO AS MAGIC MAY ALSO BE CAPABLE OF FACILITATING COMMUNICATION}

While Reeve was distracted by rAIven, he failed to notice the Inquisitor’s sword flashing toward his face.

The strike was impossibly fast. Nothing Reeve had seen since arriving in Olliria compared to it. Even so, he managed to turn his head aside with only millimeters to spare.

The blade’s blue glow reflected in his eyes.

Reeve pulled Elise behind him, placing his own body between her and the Inquisitor despite having been the target of the strike. An instant later, he raised both fists to face level and settled into a fighting stance.

“It seems you truly have learned to dodge well,” the Inquisitor said, keeping his sword suspended in the air.

“I’ve learned to throw a pretty good punch too,” Reeve replied defiantly.

The other Inquisitors drew their swords from horseback and began to advance. They stopped the instant the man before Reeve raised a single index finger.

If the obvious differences in his armor hadn’t already established him as the group’s leader, that gesture and the others’ immediate obedience erased any doubt.

“You seem to possess a strong spirit, young man. When you reach Gardenia, seek out the Order. I can offer you a position that would put your abilities to better use.”

“I appreciate the offer, but Gardenia is only another stop along my way.”

Reeve tried to sound polite, but the sarcasm in his voice was obvious.

“Consider the offer.”

The Inquisitor sheathed his sword. This time, he didn’t leave his hand on the hilt. He turned and walked back to his horse.

Before mounting, he watched Reeve for several seconds. Then he galloped away, followed by the other Inquisitors.

“Only lunatics follow this Goddess of theirs,” Reeve said, rubbing his cheek.

Although the blade hadn’t touched him, he could still feel a strange sensation where it had passed.

“Who are you to call anyone a lunatic? Threatening a High Inquisitor is an excellent way to end up in pieces in a canal—or chained inside a cell for the rest of your life.”

Elise’s voice overflowed with fury.

“And you know quite a bit about the Inquisition, don’t you, Inquisitor?”

“Former,” Elise corrected coldly.

“And don’t those bastards hunt mages? How were you ever one of them?”

Elise remained silent. She didn’t even deign to look at Reeve directly.

“I just saved your life. I know you don’t like me, but you could at least answer a simple question. You know, common courtesy and all that shit.”

“I didn’t ask for your help!” Elise snapped, rage spilling into her voice.

“Good, because I didn’t offer it.”

Reeve flashed a sarcastic smile, which only made her glare more furious.

“Why are you following us, anyway? You’re clearly capable. You could reach Gardenia on your own if you wanted.”

“I can assure you it isn’t for the pleasant company,” Reeve muttered.

Elise apparently didn’t hear him.

“And how did those men manage to disarm you? Why the hell would you follow three men into a place like this by yourself? Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one in the group?”

Elise stopped and stared directly at Reeve. Her pupils looked like tiny black points at the center of her violet eyes.

Then she turned and quickened her pace, leaving him behind.

Shit. It’s impossible to get a single useful piece of information out of that woman. How much power do I have left, rAIven?

{IMPLANT POWER: 72%}

Deactivate the Subdermal Armor. I don’t think we’ll need it now.

{AFFIRMATIVE}

After walking for several minutes, they reached the place where Reeve had fought the first apostate.

The man lay in a small pool of his own blood. A narrow cut pierced his clothing over the heart. The blood soaking the fabric had already begun to dry and darken.

Hoofprints surrounded the body.

“Looks like they found him too.”

Reeve stopped before the corpse and studied the compound fracture he had caused.

“Maybe if I hadn’t used so much force, he could have escaped.”

“There is no escaping the Inquisition,” Elise replied.

She was looking at a small heap of wood not far from the body.

Her staff lay in pieces. The horses belonging to the men who had killed the apostate appeared to have trampled it repeatedly.

“And those damned apostates only make the rest of us—the mages who simply want to live in peace—targets for the Inquisition.”

Elise’s words were bitter, but her eyes betrayed a quiet sadness.

Reeve chose not to respond. He merely stared at the wound in the chest of yet another man who had died because of one of his choices.

They left the woods in silence.

Elise carried the remains of her staff.

Reeve carried the weight of his choices.

New chapter Friday at the same time. Thanks for reading!