Blue

by David Walker

  “...So, I found one of hell's fortresses. It was full of orc demons. I took them out and toppled the fortress. Afterward, my armor changed like this,” Shade informed Isaac, showing him his right, armored finger.

  “Ah, it seems you've unlocked one of your armor's seals. Every Holy Armor set is embedded with seventy seals. Each seal contains a portion of the armor's potential power. Your armor already boosts your attributes; every seal that you unlock adds to that effect. Alternatively, you can use your seals to add to your arsenal,” Isaac explained as he detached his long, sheathed sword from the side of his hip.

  “Holy Armors are dynamic; they adjust to fit the combat style of their bearers. This is my primary weapon, which is included as a part of my base armor. I can use one my unlocked seals to form additional weapons,” Isaac said as one of the glowing glyphs on his pauldrons dimmed. His sheathed sword transformed into an ornate bow with a bowstring comprised of golden light.

  “I've used one of my seals to form a bow. If I wanted, I could've formed a bow independent of my primary weapon. However, I've opted to use my seal to modify my primary weapon, so that my bow is able to draw power from it. Focused thought is all that is required to form a weapon with your seal. Keep in mind that once you've used your seal to form a weapon, it cannot be reshaped into a different weapon. You can alter it if you'd like, but the base weapon cannot change,” Isaac explained.

  Shade carefully considered the weapon type that he would form with his seal. He thought about forming another version of his sword so that he could wield one in each hand. He also thought about forming a roped dagger, recalling the usefulness of the one that he used to carry. Ultimately, he decided that a pistol with elemental rounds would be the most useful weapon to have. He concentrated and formed a chrome pistol with a pearl handle and a shoulder-mounted holster. He formed multiple ammo clips composed of each element and attached them to his armor.

  “Awesome, how do I unlock the other seals?” Shade asked.

  “Seals are unlocked through Holy Trials. The fortress that you saw was a demonic stronghold. When the armies of hell have a powerful, consistent influence, they are able to fortify that influence through their strongholds. You unknowingly passed a Holy Trial of courage when you conquered one,” Nathanael explained.

  “As you make your way through the ranks and explore the spirit world, you'll encounter plenty of Holy Trials, each of them will give you an opportunity to increase your combat effectiveness,” Isaac added.

  Shade got excited at the thought of enhancing his Holy Armor. He was already amazed by its current power. His determination to become stronger had been renewed. He resolved to become the most powerful warrior in the service of the King of Heaven.

  * * *

  Shade was nervous about going back to Callisto. He was about to enter into enemy territory. Defeating all of the demonic forces in a dynamic realm was one thing, defeating all the demonic forces in a shadow soul state realm was an entirely different matter. He could mask his spirit spectrum to avoid enemy attention, but what would happen when he revealed himself in the Ordered Chaoz guild hall? Shade focused his thoughts to form black clothing, including a mask and gloves that concealed his spirit body's illumination.

  He entered a rift into the orange underworld, appearing at a comfortable distance away from Callisto. The realm was much hotter than he had remembered. For the first time, he could feel the smoldering heat of the realm's fire pillar, which he guessed was probably a connection to the shadow fire realm. The sweet aroma that he remembered on his first trip to Callisto was replaced by a putrid stench. He marveled at how differently his illuminated senses perceived the beguiling city, which had once been magnificent in his eyes.

  Shade cautiously made his way into the city. He noticed that a number of centaurs, elves, and orcs eyeballed him suspiciously. He recognized the creatures as demons. He wondered if his black-hooded attire was too conspicuous, or if it was simply unable to hide his light sufficiently. He decided to mask his spirit spectrum, which surprised those who were watching him and sneaked into the Ordered Chaoz guild hall.

  Shade took a moment to observe his guildmates in stealth-state before revealing himself. Aftershock was as beautiful as he had remembered; her hair was still highlighted with a shifting, glittering rainbow. Her spirit spectrum was predominantly dark red. In Shade's brief experience observing spirit spectrums, he had learned that certain color hues correlated to specific soul states. Aftershock's spirit spectrum revealed that her predominate soul state was hatred. Of course, she still wants to avenge her family.

  Pride was Trance's leading trait, similar to Shade's own spirit spectrum, which was vibrant nonetheless, although only slightly. Foolishness stood out the most in Stormspiral's spirit spectrum. Crescent's spirit spectrum was harder to read. It bore a mix of lust and greed. Shade understood the orange-green combination as covetousness. He wondered what someone as even-keeled as Crescent could possibly want to covet. Shade startled his teammates when he stopped masking his spirit spectrum.

  “It's okay, guys. It's just me, Shade,” he said, holding his hands out in a non-aggressive posture. Aftershock ran up to him and hugged him tightly. Her spirit spectrum, along with Crescent's and Stormspiral's, glowed with the golden hue of joy. Trance's spirit spectrum glowed with the greenish hue of envy.

  “Welcome back, hun. What's up with the mask?” Aftershock asked, peering curiously at it.

  “I've changed quite a bit since the last time I saw you guys,” Shade said while taking a step back. He was anxious about how they would perceive his illumination.

  “Are you too good to wear the guild colors now?” Trance snidely remarked.

  “I can see that Trance is as charming ever,” Shade smirked beneath his mask. “Is Victor around?”

  “Nah, the GM is out doing Guild Association stuff,” Stormspiral answered.

  Shade slowly unmasked his face. He was not surprised when his guildmates gasped. Crescent looked at him curiously, while the others seemed shocked and confused. Shade could see the bluish hue of fear glowing in their spirit spectrums.

  “Shade...what happened to your face, bro?” Stormspiral asked, seemingly concerned.

  “What do you see?” Shade asked, curious about how the non-illuminated eye perceived him.

  “It's like you're on...”

  “Fire,” Aftershock said, finishing her brother's sentence. She hovered her right hand over Shade's face as if to check for heat. “You're not hot though. I can't see your facial features...all I can see is a blue flame.”

  “I can see him just fine. He is glowing, though,” Carmen said.

  “That's what I see!” Shade exclaimed, a bit relieved that someone else was able to see what he saw when he looked at his own reflection. Aftershock glanced skeptically at Crescent and then looked back at Shade.

  “What happened?” Aftershock pressed.

  “I've pledged my allegiance to the King of Heaven and it changed my spirit body,” Shade answered. Immediately, he saw disappointment cloud her face.

  “So, you're into fairy tales now?” Trance mocked.

  “Weren't you the one who told me that most of the myths and legends that we were taught are based on real events? Well, that's the case with the King of Heaven,” Shade countered.

  “Shade, this is different. Don't you understand that the Clave made up the King of Heaven to control the populace?” Aftershock urged.

  “That's what I thought, but my own experience proved me wrong. I've seen the power of heaven first hand.”

  “The Barilian crusaders fought for their King of Heaven in the Great Holy War, just like Obfuscation fights for their Prophet of Heaven now. These are two sides of the same bloodied coin!” Aftershock maintained. Her spirit spectrum flared up with rage and disrespect, a combination that Shade understood as disgust. He was saddened upon the realization that his allegiance genuinely upset her. He stood silent for a moment, trying to carefully select his next words.

&nb
sp; “Aftershock, I can't speak for the evil that others have done. I can only speak for myself. I plan to serve my king with integrity.”

  “Are you still with us?” Aftershock asked with a sorrowful tone. Shade could almost feel her heart breaking, as her spirit spectrum shifted through multiple dark colors. His heart was also bruised.

  “I can't commit to being a member of the guild, but, if you guys will let me, I will fight alongside you when I can. Obfuscation clearly works for the forces of hell, and the forces of hell are my sworn enemies.”

  “That's not how it works, Shade. You have to be a member if you're going to fight with us,” Trance rudely interrupted.

  “You think it's smart to reject help from our strongest ally? Would you even be alive if it weren't for Shade?” Crescent countered.

  “She's right,” Stormspiral added in an uncharacteristically serious tone. “We can't break up our crew.”

  “He is going to fight with us, Trance. Take it up with Victor if you have a problem,” Aftershock insisted, daring him to challenge her.

  “Whatever,” Trance scoffed in concession.

  “Sorry guys, I didn't mean to cause problems,” Shade said, smiling faintly at Aftershock. He was discouraged when he realized that she could not see his expression. “What did I miss?”

  Aftershock proceeded with the official start of the guild meeting. They reviewed the leads that they had on Obfuscation's base of operations. One of the leads pointed to the Cavern of Akzar, the supposed home of the most terrifying monster in the Golden Badlands. Shade's instincts led him to believe that the ominous cavern was their best lead. No one agreed with him, so he offered to check the lead out by himself. Crescent, however, volunteered to go with him.

  * * *

  Crescent felt the conflicting emotions of anxiety and confidence when she followed Shade into the Cavern of Akzar. She had heard terrifying tales about Akzar's victims. They were supposedly tortured to the point of insanity, unable to return to their normal lives in the physical world. Akzar reportedly only targeted those who wandered alone; however, no group of adventurers had ever been brazen enough to walk right into his cavern. Despite the danger, Crescent felt safe around Shade.

  Before his transformation, she had never known anyone as strong as Shade. She recalled when the Maelstrom's Edge came to life in his hands during Operation Titan. She had only seen a glimpse of his frightening power before she had lost consciousness. Now, he was a completely different person altogether, seemingly more powerful than before.

  His appearance had changed in many ways but remained the same in others. His face glowed like warm honey in the sunlight, yet retained its symmetry of well-placed features. He still had dark, heavy eyebrows and long, thick eyelashes. His dark brown eyes, however, had lightened to a golden, hazel color. His muscular chest was still prominent underneath his loose, white bright robes, which lit up the dark cavern.

  Crescent remembered how happy she had been when she had seen him at Clove Street Cafe months ago. Her happiness quickly turned into disappointment when he flirted with Aftershock. Crescent was not surprised though. Her sister was dazzling on the stage that night and she had captured everyone's attention.

  Crescent wondered how things would have turned out if she had decided to put her song request in first. Shade was uncharacteristically bold that night, maybe he would have approached her first, had he heard her sing. In their typical interactions at Industria Systems, Shade carried himself with a shy, childlike charm that had grown on her. She had hoped that he would eventually ask her out. Now, he was dating her sister.

  While Crescent was happy that her sister had found a quality man, she was not convinced that Aftershock could truly appreciate someone like Shade. Aftershock was notorious for abandoning sweethearts who were unable to keep up with her boldness. Once Aftershock lost respect for a man, her relationship with them was as good as over. Crescent could see that her sister had already reached that point with Shade. In truth, Crescent did not think that Aftershock deserved him.

  “So, what made you decide to choose a new path in life?” Crescent asked Shade as they trekked through the vast cave.

  “You think I'm crazy too, eh?” Shade chuckled.

  “Nah,” Crescent laughed. “I'm just curious.”

  “...I stared death in the face and an angel saved my life. Afterwards, I went down a rabbit hole that eventually led me to the King of Heaven.”

  “Serving the King of Heaven is what makes you glow like that?”

  “Yes.”

  “How come I'm the only one in the guild who can see you like this?”

  “That, I'm not sure about. Maybe the kingdom of heaven is calling you.”

  “I doubt that,” Crescent replied politely. She was not convinced that he was right about his views on heaven, yet she did not want to insult his beliefs as her sister had.

  “You're probably already doing work for the kingdom at the community center. It's not all about spiritual war. Much of heaven's work is practical like your volunteer work,” Shade said with a bright, endearing smile.

  She took a moment to consider his words. Maybe there was something about the 'heaven' that he had claimed to find. Maybe it was a state of mind, which could be expressed in tangible actions. She lost track of her thoughts when they walked up to half a dozen spell blades garbed with sashes of tans and browns. They were unmistakably from Obfuscation.

  “I'll make this simple: Give me the coordinates to Obfuscation's hideout, or I'll be forced to make every one of you exit the realm,” Shade commanded. Crescent could not help but be captivated by his resolute confidence.

  The spell blades opted to let their curved swords speak for them as they lunged at Shade. He nimbly dodged their swings, making no effort to counterattack. When it seemed that he was cornered, he smoothly weaved in and out of their ranks, causing some of them to hit each other with their slashes. Occasionally, Shade used their momentum against them, shoving them off balance, causing them to stumble. The only time Shade struck any of them is when they went after Crescent.

  Crescent did not want to feel useless in the fight, so she peeled one of the spell blades off of Shade with a shoulder tackle. She swung her Flame Arc at the spell blade, clashing sword to sword with him. After a heated exchange, she was able to down her opponent with an opportune, spinning riposte. She marveled at how easily Shade managed the spell blades, compared to the effort that she required to defeat just one of them. After a while, the spell blades disengaged in their melee with Shade.

  “This is pointless, let's show this fool our true form!” one of the spell blades hissed. Flames consumed the spell blades' robes, as they transformed into fiery monstrosities. Grisly froth oozed out of their mouths, which were filled with sharp, angular teeth. Shade dashed over to Crescent, interposing himself between her and the creatures.

  “Crescent, your weapon is useless against them, get back!” he shouted.

  She ran to one of the cavern's larger rocks and took cover behind it. Her eyes were strained by a white light that appeared around Shade. The light circled around him and covered him in a shimmery suit of armor. It was slim and flexible, suitable for his agile fighting style, yet also seemingly sturdy. He unsheathed a diamond-bladed sword that put the Maelstrom's Edge to shame. Crescent was mesmerized by the vivid colors that were bouncing off of his armaments.

  She was unable to follow the speed of Shade's movements. She caught traces of a blurred form whizzing around the flaming creatures. Chilly winds swept across her face. The dizzying motions stopped, and only a single monster remained. Shade clutched it by the throat. There was a fierceness in his eyes that she had never seen before. He spun his free hand in a circular motion, creating a rift to a dark, foreboding realm.

  “Give me the coordinates to Obfuscation's base of operations, and I'll let you go,” Shade demanded.

  “The Lord of Obfuscation hasn't given us his coordinates,” the monster screeched.

  “Well, you better
give me something useful. Otherwise, you're going straight into the abyss,” Shade threatened. His eyes grew dark and menacing. The rift tugged at the creature as if a vacuum existed on the other side of it.

  “No! Have mercy! Aren't you the servant of a merciful king?” the creature pleaded.

  “You'll find that I am nowhere near as benevolent as my king. Talk. Now!”

  “Close the rift! I'll give you the coordinates to my stronghold!”

  Shade closed the rift that he had created and eased his grip on its throat. The demon drew glowing symbols in the air with its fingers. Shade studied the pattern and used it to create a new rift. Shade briefly peered into the rift to verify that the demon had given him what he had promised.

  “Alright, get out of here,” Shade said. The demon dashed into the newly opened rift. Shade's countenance mellowed as he looked over at Crescent.

  “So, now you've seen the forces of hell. I had no idea that they could take on human form. That demon will probably alert his allies and they'll most likely fortify their stronghold. I'm going to attack it anyway. Maybe I'll get lucky and find some useful information. Want to come?”

  “I...don't think I'd be of much use,” she replied timidly, still trying to process everything that she had just witnessed.

  “Of course you will be. If anything, you can be my moral support,” he teased with a radiant smile. She laughed. How could she resist?

  “Sure, why not.”

  * * *

  Zoltav stretched his arms and sprawled out in his comfortable chair. He was seated behind a thick, oak desk inside of the office den of his luxurious home. His den was furnished with exotic plants, unique baubles, and priceless occult artifacts, propped up on pedestals. The walls were lined with bookshelves that were stacked with books full of mystic knowledge. Zoltav's extensive library even contained a few books from the hidden archives of the Order of the Clave.