by Liandra Jake
"Then tell me why he let its blood on his skin?" Drae retorted.
"What's wrong with that?" Nojeski asked.
"Their blood makes even grown men cry out from its horrific pain." Drae replied darkly. He glanced back at Arend. "How he isn't affected I haven't the slightest idea."
"Trust me." Arend said with heavy breath. "It's affecting me."
"You're suffering from such a pain and you don't even flinch?" Nojeski said with an impressed look.
"I had my heart ripped out. This is nothing compared to that level of pain." Arend replied.
Drae turned forward. "We're almost there!" Rusty called out.
A rope ladder was hung from the wall, invisible from far away. Drae jumped onto the ladder without pause and hurried up it with speed that rivaled Arend'. Nojeski and Wake followed, the children clinging close to them as they went over the wall.
"Arend!" Rusty yelled.
"You first Rusty, I'll be right behind you." Arend replied as he drew the Dragon Drive.
"You better be right behind me!" Rusty yelled as he started up the ladder.
A loud whistle pierced the air. Two thick armed men pushed through Wake and Nojeski, pulling up the ladder with Rusty still on it. "What about Arend?" Wake asked the men.
"I'm sorry about your friend, but we can risk one of those things getting past the wall." One of them replied with a sad look.
"Damn it Arend!" Rusty yelled before Nojeski helped him over the wall.
"Shut it!" Arend snapped back, now surrounded. Arend swung at waist level and cleaved three of the lizards in two. Arend was now coated in their burning blood. "You know I'm very hard to kill!" Arend yelled as the white shell around him was pounded by the lizards.
"Can either of you use long ranged attacks?" Rusty asked Nojeski and Wake. They shook their heads. "This is not a difficulty eight request." Rusty said as he watched Arend fight.
His shield was losing its integrity very quickly. 'I won't be able to keep this up' Arend thought. 'C'mon… I need it to work.' Arend tried to break out of the circle he was trapped in.
The lizards were getting more and more aggressive as the scent of blood from their brethren filled the air. Arend' shield fizzled out as he forced his way from the circle of lizards. His back to the wall, Arend had no way out. Just as one of the lizards readied to pounce on Arend, the aura surrounding him changed to a deep purple. Arend leaped over the lizard, driving the tip of his sword deep into the ground.
He gripped the hilt with only his right hand. "Overheat Release Level One!" He called out, pulling back his left hand. As he dug his palm into the center of the spinning Korvan, he called out again. "OVERCLOCK!" A metallic click echoed and the Drive quickly increased speed, as well as sinking to a deeper level into the base. Arend' dark purple aura shifted to a dark blue. Arend kicked the blade from the ground, sending a chunk of the stony street into one of the lizards.
The sword cart wheeled high into the air. Arend caught it in his left hand; spinning counter-clockwise, Arend grabbed it mid swing with his right hand and continued on, cutting through seven lizards mid-air. Sliding his foot out, Arend stopped, facing the mass of lizards. Without a second thought, Arend charged into it. As Arend danced in the rain of blood he created, he left an electric blue trail of light from his eyes.
With each strike of his sword, blue electricity sparked from the blade, through the Drive, and into Arend. Arend spun to a stop. He was surrounded by a pool of blood. No trace of the lizard's flesh was left. A small number of the lizards stalked Arend from outside the red pool he stood in. In his chest, Arend' heart was pumping incredibly fast, and felt extremely heavy to him.
The lizards hesitated, sniffing the air with their tongues. A strange whispering filled the air, heard only by Arend. As the whispering got louder, the lizards slowly began to back up, retreating into the shadows. Arend was paralyzed, his heart now felt like a lead weight in his chest. Just as he passed over the edge of passing out, a voice called his name in his head. 'Arend…'
Arend smiled. 'I can't believe it worked.' He thought as his consciousness was shrouded in darkness.
-King-
Arend woke up in a large poster bed. His head and most of exposed skin was wrapped in white bandages. Rusty and Nojeski were talking quietly on the corner. Arend sat up, the back of his head throbbing.
"You're awake!" Rusty said with a surprised look. Arend held his head in his hands.
"What happened?" Arend asked.
"When you passed out, you hit your head pretty hard. You've only been here about an hour." Nojeski explained.
"I called Kronth and she said those lizards are slightly outside a Rank eight, but you didn't have any problems clearing most of them out. She says we can finish up here if you wanted to." Rusty said, walking over the Dragon Drive, which was set against the wall.
He picked it up. "This thing has an incredible amount of power, but what exactly is Overclock? I've never heard of that kind of Overheat." Rusty asked.
"It's not quite a normal type of Overheat. It's based off a mechanical design, so it's technically not an Overheat. I had to install limiters since the power created by both the Drive and what it can absorb is beyond insane. There are four; Overclock lets the Dive spin at full speed, the change in my aura's color is just to show that the second limiter has engaged.
"Five Pillar is the second. Four Mithril rods pop out from each corner of the Drive, each blessed by a single element; Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. A fifth rod tipped with grey Adamtinium sets itself into the bottom of the Drive. These rods stabilize the Korvan inside the spinning ring. The Adamtinium rod changes the gear ratio, allowing the blade to absorb more Orenth.
"Next is Supercavitation. It coats the blade in high density Orenth, with each swing the air is filled with it, eventually allowing you to send a powerful shockwave through it by swinging at lightning speed." Arend explained as he inched off the bed.
Nojeski caught him as he stumbled. "And the fourth?" Rusty asked.
"Limit Break. It disengages each one of the limits put on the Drive. With how Overclock preformed, Limit Break will be utterly devastating." Arend replied.
"I can see why you and Jacob spent so much time on it." Rusty said as he casually spun the metal ring of the Drive.
He suddenly collapsed onto one knee. "What the hell was that!?" He exclaimed as he breathed heavily.
"You said it can absorb Orenth right? Nojeski asked.
"Yeah, but it shouldn't-" Arend stopped. "If you switch the polarity of the Korvan, then it could drain the user's Orenth. But that's only if you spin the Drive the wrong way." Arend said.
"I take it counter-clockwise is the 'wrong way'."Rusty said as he got back to his feet.
"We need to go now. The king is waiting for us." Nojeski said as Arend stood up on his own. He took his sword and followed Rusty out the door
. A woman in an elegant dress was waiting outside the door. "Great Knight Arend, our King wishes to speak with you." She said.
"Show me the way!" Arend replied.
"Are you sure you are well enough?" She asked, looking at the bandages covering most of his body.
"This is nothing to losing a heart. Now let's get going. We don't have time to waste." Arend replied.
She led them down the hall and a spiral staircase into a large, dome shaped room. Wake was in the corner, playing with the kids they met before. The walls and ceiling of the room were covered in a colorful mosaic, depicting each part of the known world differently. An old man was sitting in a wooden throne at the other side of a large circular table.
"King Phille the fourth, I present you Arend, the man who fought off the lizards." The woman said, kneeling in front of him.
"It was more like liquefying than fighting off." Arend commented.
The woman glanced back at Arend, a surprised look on her face. "So help has finally arrived." The king said as he looked over Arend and the others.
"What can you tell us about those lizards?"
Rusty asked.
The king shook his head. "The lizards are unimportant. Our people have dealt with them for years. They aren't why you were called here." He replied. Arend glanced back at Rusty. He shrugged. Wake stopped playing with the children and focused his attention to the king. "It's something bigger, something that destroyed our village eleven years ago. It devoured our village's treasure and disappeared into the mountains." The king explained.
"Bigger? We can't handle something bigger." Nojeski said.
"Please, we need your help." Drae said from a nearby doorway.
"Drae…" The king started.
Drae held up the request. "They think it's just difficulty eight, part of the paper was ripped." Drae said as he brought a second piece of paper up to Rusty.
Rusty took the two and looked at them side by side. He only took a second before dropping them on the table and pulling out his phone.
"Thirty eight…" Nojeski said quietly.
Rusty repeatedly held down the third speed dial. "C'mon..." He said as he only got static. "God damn it! No signal!" Rusty growled as he moved the phone back and forth.
"What's wrong? Arend asked.
"This request is meant for high C or low B, both me and Rusty are mid D and Wake still hasn't past E. You're still a zero F!" Nojeski replied.
"What can you tell us about it?" Rusty asked as he tried to make a call again.
"We don't know. No one -" The king replied.
"I do." Drae cut in.
"Shit…" Rusty said as he put away his phone. "I need to get somewhere out of this place. Drae, come with us and tell us what you know." Rusty said as he disappeared into the staircase.
Arend and the others quickly followed him. Drae began describing it. "It's about seventeen feet tall at the shoulder. It has thick white fur and a face like a wolf. It has two sets of serrated teeth and a flat tongue. Its claws can cut through rock and its large ears curl backwards."
"So it's like a wolf." Wake said.
"Except it can fly." Drae replied.
They stepped out into the hallway they were in previously. "How did the gate get such narrow holes in them? With its large size, it shouldn't be able to do that with its claws." Nojeski asked.
"Oh! That's right! I forgot that it can shoot spikes from its mouth." Drae exclaimed.
Arend stopped. "Let me guess," Arend started. "Its voice is that of nightmares."
Drae blinked. "How did you know that?" Drae asked.
"Arend?" Rusty said, turning back.
A dark chuckle filled the hallway. Drae's eyes bulged; Arend was already drawing the Dragon Drive. "KING!" Arend shouted out at the top of his lungs. A white wolf burst through the roof at the far end of the hallway. Its red eyes pierced through the dust it created.
"It's nice to see you again Arend." Its voice enticed the darkest fears of one's mind, beckoning them into a world of terror.
Wake and Rusty were surprised, taking their fighting stances. Drae retreated down the stairs. Nojeski stared blankly at the monster.
"You've got some friends it seems." King said as his gazed passed over Wake and Rusty. He paused on Nojeski.
"Now you are a rare sight. One of the last of the Shadow Clan?"
"You're one to talk, Pendragon." Nojeski replied as he drew his double bladed katana.
"Pendragon!?" Rusty exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I won't fight you here, there's a coliseum on the other side of this castle. It's perfect for a fight like this." King said. Two blood red wings sprouted from King's back, made of pure Orenth. Arend ran down the hall.
"Arend!" Rusty yelled, chasing after him. King disappeared out the hole in the roof.
"Wake, protect the people here and prepare to fight those lizards." Nojeski said to Wake before running after Arend and Hunter.
Arend had swung out onto the other walls of the castle and was making his way up them. "Arend! What the hell are you doing?!" Rusty yelled as he leaned out the broken wall. Nojeski climbed out beside Arend.
"Nojeski." Rusty said, surprised.
"Rusty, this is important. If Arend knows this Pendragon, he has to fight alongside me and only me." Nojeski said as he tried to follow Arend up the wall.
"Shit… I guess I'll just have to call Kronth and join you on the other side." Rusty said as he disappeared into the castle.
Arend helped Nojeski up onto the castle roof. "Thanks." Nojeski said as Arend pulled him up. The two quickly turned to the short mountain top that separated them from the other side.
"How do you know the Pendragon?" Nojeski asked as they ran down the roof.
"He's the one who killed my parents and my little sister." Arend replied. "Why does it matter?"
"Because Pendragons have a unique ability that prevents death from anyone except those who share a strong connection to it." Nojeski replied. "The connections strength depends on how heavily the event affects their lives."
"How do you know so much about Pendragons?" Arend asked.
"I used to be a Beastmaster." Nojeski replied solemnly.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Arend said.
"No, I need to get this out. I was foolish in my early years and tried to tame a Pendragon. It went wild and destroyed half my village before I could kill it. What I didn't know was that Pendragons have to be near death by your hand before they would respect your orders." Nojeski replied.
"Hmm…" Arend said quietly.
"I know what you're thinking and no, it wasn't the cause of the disappearance of the Shadow Clan."
Nojeski said. "Then what was?" King asked from behind them. The two whipped around, weapons in hand. "Relax, I said I'll fight you in the coliseum. I only want to talk before we end this." King said, walking in the direction of the coliseum.
Nojeski lowered his weapon. He placed a hand on Arend' shoulder. Arend slowly lowered the Dragon Drive. "What do you want?" Arend asked.
"There is a connection to the disappearances of the Shadow Clan and the Pendragons." King replied.
"What?" Nojeski said.
"This involves you as well Arend, and I'm sorry about what happened that day. I only wanted to take you and leave the rest of your family alone." King said, looking to Arend.
Arend twitched but didn't reply. "As you know, Axis has had numerous controversies throughout its existence; scandals, deaths, and mysterious disappearances. Eleven years ago I learned something horrid. Axis had been experimenting in combining humans and monsters in twisted experiments. Arend, your father was working on a way to mix the two without death or Changing." King explained.
Arend stopped. "I don't care if what you say is true or not, but I want you to say it all right now, and never mention my parents again." Arend said darkly.
King stopped and sat down. "Very well then, get comfortable." King replied. Nojeski sat down. Arend continued to stand. "You were born very sick, and died shortly after birth. Your father had just joined Axis on the project and when you died, he lost control. He placed you in stasis and worked tirelessly for the next three days, before the stasis chamber failed.
"As a last ditch effort, he mixed all the Orenth of a Pendragon with your own. Lo and behold, you came back healthy as ever. Eight years later I learned of this. I wouldn't have acted so rashly if it wasn't my brother your father sacrificed to save you. I decided to spirit you away and become your guardian.
"The idea was possible as long as I could erase your memory before your ninth birthday. It wasn't that simple however. Your parents never wanted to lose you again so they trained to fight off anything that might cause you harm. After that I tried to knock you out with my attack, but you stood steadfast. Celestial Rim, who I know you know, were the hunters of Pendragons under Axis' control. So when they detected me, I had only a short time to act before they would reach me.
"A panicked and tried to end it quickly, in my haste I almost killed you, and made a grave mistake by killing your parents and little sister. Around then, Nem showed up. He was a young and
promising newbie hoping to find the right Guild. I tried to explain things before he would act, but he would have nothing of it. We were both surprised when his attacks almost killed me.
"I managed to scar his face before your sister awakened as a Possessed along with your parents. My Orenth would be unable to do such a thing in my weakened state, so it had to have been yours. Nem and I defeated your parents, and then watched as a heartless child fought and killed his sister. I told Nem to look into Celestial Rim before Alexander showed up and attacked me.
"Now that I think about it, it's funny how two unrelated people could hurt me so much. I then escaped into these mountains. I stole and devoured the Korvan they had in their treasury and hid in the many valleys surrounding this place to recuperate and avoid Celestial Rim." King explained.