Dullahans and Tablets

by Daniel Kolade

  Under the hail of elemental attacks, they remained untouched, but when Nitro changed the very face of the course, some weren’t so lucky, namely Mila.

  She tripped on the unsteady ground and unfortunately for her a burning rock was on its way to greet her. Its trajectory and estimated time of impact was all too certain. She had no escape… then, through the shadows, Remi stepped forth.

  The redhead looked up at the boy lending her a hand.

  “Oh thank you,” she smiled, reaching for it, but before a word could leave his mouth, they’d already been crushed by the meteorite and engulfed by its lingering flames.

  That was anticlimactic. Hyde thought, watching the ordeal take place. Somehow, seeing his new friends getting crushed under a boulder of fire didn’t faze him.

  Maybe it was because he’d died so many times, or maybe it was because they had been responsible for a good amount of his deaths. Either way, he raced ahead paying little attention to the fallen, and instead looked ahead, trying to stay out of the grave himself.

  Nitro disappeared once again with a loud crack of lightning, leaving the remaining runners in peace and silence as the elemental tempests came to an end for a moment.

  In the distance, Hyde finally saw the first placer. Zora. For some reason she seemed like she was slowing down, or maybe she was just letting him catch up. But when he arrived shoulder to shoulder with her, she said, “You’re doing well.”

  “Hey, where’s Abe?” Hyde asked.

  “Oh, he miscalculated one of his Blinks when he tried to teleport to me and ended getting hit by a meteor,” she shrugged.

  “That’s anticlimactic…” he said, letting his shoulders fall.

  “Get ready, we’re in the home stretch,” she said, picking up some speed.

  “Wait there’s more?”

  In that moment, Nitro reappeared in front of them, at the finish line.

  “None shall pass!” she cried. “Hallowed flakes, I beckon thee. Gather before me and my foes.” A stream of darkness cloaked her and small crystals came from every direction, gathering overhead.

  “What is that?” Hyde whispered, looking at the huge icy spike far in the sky.

  “Good luck,” Zora smirked, rushing ahead.

  “From the heavens, thee shall fall, laying waste to all creatures. Bury them underneath a comet of ice! Glacier!” Nitro commanded and the massive body of ice fell from the sky. It was so huge that merely running in any direction wouldn’t be enough, however, under the effects of Weightless, there was a chance, albeit small.

  They activated Rush and desperately sprinted with all they had. The comet was getting closer with each passing second. It may not have been traditional but it was one of the least forgiving time-attacks either of them had ever experienced.

  Their Weightless bodies were worked to the bones, as the only other option, aside from running, was dying. The shadow of the falling glacier encompassed everything around them. Its freezing surface sent chills down their spines.

  At the edge of the impact site, Nitro stood watching her prey desperately sprint in the shade of the icy comet. Their desperation was a treat in and of itself, even if they survived, watching them cower before her awesome spell was a sight to remember.

  Shit! Hyde looked up at what seemed like the sky itself was falling. It was so close now, that if he’d reach out to touch it he probably could. Yet, it didn’t stop. It simply continued on its downward path to crush everything underneath its overpowering weight.

  One second. Two seconds. Now, if he stood straight his head would be touching it. Three seconds. Standing straight was no longer possible. Four seconds. He crouched lower as he ran. Five seconds. Even lower. Six seconds. Zora finally made it through. Seven seconds. That was it. By the skin of his teeth, he threw himself at the gap of freedom that was steadily closing. Eight seconds. The glacier collapsed and the crash it made was enough to produce a squall and send anyone standing a little too close flying, namely Hyde.

  He was launched, catching up to Zora and passing Nitro at the same time. In that split second the two victors had made it to the finish line. Their competitors had all been taken out of commission.

  After his rather dramatic arrival to the finishing line, after a little bit of a stumble and a tumble, Hyde rose dusting himself.

  “I made it…” he whispered, touching himself all over, making sure he was still in one piece. “I made it—I MADE IT!” he exclaimed.

  “Congratulations, Hyde,” Zora smiled. “It seems we’re the only ones.” She turned to the monumental body of ice that only moments ago, was their doom. It sparkled in a special way, the way water does in oil paintings. Something about it was soothing. Bit by bit, it fell apart, turning into a stream of snowflakes fading away with the wind.

  “Wow—hey, wait, I thought you said there was some special prize,” he remembered.

  “Oh there is, stay calm and hold on,” she said, taking a step closer to him.

  “What—” before he could finish, the ground moved or more accurately the platform under their feet was rising.

  Soon they were taken up into the night sky. It was so close that if they reached out they’d surely hold it. But the platform didn’t stop there, it kept going for a little more.

  Wow. He thought, realising that this was the prize. Being able to see the entire course without having to be bombarded by all kinds of elemental attacks. Somehow, with the fading icy monument, it seemed worth it. The glimmers of snowflakes against the dark sky was absolutely breathtaking.

  “Yeah, it’s really something to behold,” Zora smiled. “Fun fact, the guildhall obstacle course is completely controllable from Skill cool downs and stamina use to paraglider restrictions.”

  “Oh really?” Hyde turned.

  “But this wasn’t the main prize, you know?” she smirked.

  “What? There’s more?” he said, with a glint in his eyes.

  “Yeah, the main prize is participating in an experiment.”

  For some reason those words didn’t induce excitement in him, but rather something very, very different. His smile disappeared but hers remained. The gleams left his eyes and went to hers.

  He didn’t want to ask, but something inside urged him to do it anyway. “Which is—”

  His voice stopped and his body tilted back over the edge of the platform. His feet lost their footing and in the next moment he was in a free fall.

  “Let me know what you think about on your way down?” Zora exclaimed, grinning like a child who’d just been given candy.

  You little…

  CHAPTER 10

  “What you did yesterday was dirty,” Hyde muttered, taking a seat on the sofa.

  “What were you thinking about on your way down?” Zora asked, ignoring his distaste.

  “About what a jerk you are!” he grumbled. “What kind of experiment is that even?”

  “Well, I’ve always wondered what people think about when they fall to their deaths,” Zora began. “Isn’t it interesting?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Do they regret falling? Do they think ‘damn I should have done this or that instead’? Or is it just ‘Shit! I dun goofed up now!’” she said.

  “Who cares!” he exclaimed.

  “I wonder what I’d think about,” Mari said, accepting cash from the other guild members.

  “Are you serious—hey, you won again? What was the bet this time?” he asked.

  “If you would fall victim to one of Zora’s experiments,” she explained.

  “You guys are such assholes!”

  “We’ve got to pass the time somehow,” Remi whispered.

  “It’s nothing personal,” Abe grinned.

  “And it’s amusing,” Nitro smiled.

  Three of them sat with gleams in their eyes as though they were trying to convince Hyde to join them. Something about them was alluring to him, for a second he considered the idea. However, only for a second.

  “You guys are a bunch of loon
ies!”

  “Loon Man Group, maybe?” Mila asked.

  “Hey! We’re not all men,” Zora retorted.

  “Are we seriously doing this again?” Hyde muttered.

  “No guild names now, we’ve got other business to talk about,” she began. “We’ll reconvene for the name later.”

  “We’re doing it later?” he sighed. “This never ends, does it?”

  “Mm-mmm,” Mari shook her head.

  “Anyway, today is a special day, we’ll be taking a trip out of the city,” Zora explained.

  “To show Hyde the ropes, I take it.” Remi said.

  “Show me the ropes?” Hyde repeated.

  “How to fight in a party,” Mari smiled.

  “Oh.”

  “We’ll be starting off with two cell units—” Zora began.

  “Two cell?” He repeated.

  “Two man units.”

  “Two—what?”

  “The party will be split into small groups of two.”

  “Oh.”

  “You’ll be with Mari. Remi with Mila and Abe and Nitro are with me, any questions?”

  “Hyde, that wasn’t too bad for a first time,” Mila smiled, standing in the open grassy field with the other guild members after their first little engagement as a group.

  “Are you kidding? I choked…”

  “Yeah, you’re right, it was pretty awful,” Remi said bluntly.

  “See! And thank you for coming to my rescue.”

  “No worries, just try not to be the damsel in distress.”

  “And, don’t worry, this is your first time fighting outside since your NPC friend died, right?” Abe asked.

  “Something like that.” Hyde answered. Wait, how does he know that?

  “Try not to spam your attacks and you’ll be fine,” Mila added.

  “If you do, two things will happen. You become predictable and most of your attacks may get blocked, second you’ll probably get Exhausted,” Zora explained.

  “Exhausted?” he repeated. Where have I heard that before?

  “Exhaustion is what happens when your stamina hits zero,” Remi clarified.

  “Okay, what does it do exactly?” Hyde asked.

  “You become very vulnerable,” Abe explained.

  “Useless is more accurate,” Remi added.

  “When that happens, you can’t fight anymore until your stamina recharges,” Mila noted.

  “Oh, so that’s what happened.” Hyde nodded.

  “Are we going to start again?” Nitro muttered. “There are goblins out there I need to incinerate,” she grinned.

  “Soon,” Zora said. “Hyde, remember, stay mobile, breathe between advances and take it nice and easy. Mari will support you if anything goes wrong.”

  “Okay, sounds good,” he nodded.

  They found another group of goblins to face. Five to be exact. The two cells made up of Abe, Nitro and Zora, and Remi and Mila took on four out of the five, while Hyde and Mari had the last one.

  Mari will support me if anything goes wrong. He thought, standing in front of the armed green creature. Like Levi did… he gently cringed and for a second his grip around his sword loosened.

  In that moment, an attack came. The goblin drew a wide stroke with its dagger. Hyde backed away from the assault, however, a second strike came. The dagger changed angle and with the momentum of the first attack, the second one was thrown.

  Fortunately, it only resulted in a graze. But something was different about this creature. The other goblins he’d fought weren’t as ferocious. This one on the other hand knew what it was doing. Its daggership wasn’t anything to laugh at. It was smooth and fleeting.

  Although Hyde had the upper hand when it came to reach, the goblin found a way to get close enough to make some of his slashes awkward and punishable. However, he stood his ground and refused to let up.

  Instead of waiting for another attack to come, he hardened his resolve and slashed from a top guard. With both hands tight around the hilt, he inflicted a small cut and quickly capitalised by Shoulder Bashing his way into a second heavier attack.

  The small three hit combo ended up being successful and the goblin fell to his blade, leaving behind black crystal dust and a little loot.

  “Hey, I did it!” he cried, turning to the others who had already killed their prey long before he had.

  “Good work,” Mari said.

  But even though her kind words came in, he knew just like he’d always known, he was weak in comparison to them. They were strong and he… not so much. His eyes fell to his feet.

  I want to change. He thought. I don’t want to be the weakling who needs to be protected. I want to protect… He tightened his grip around his sword and looked up. What he saw made him flinch. His fellow guild members stood smiling at him. It was almost like they knew what he was thinking. They knew that he wanted to become stronger and their smiles said, “we’ll be waiting”.

  “Shall we continue?” Zora asked.

  “Sure, let’s keep going,” Hyde replied.

  He watched them fight, vanquishing all that stood before them. Even in outnumbered fights. Their reasoning, skill and judgement were all so much greater than his. When they fought in a party, they all had a job. No one needed to say anything, it was all clear.

  Mila deployed the drone that hung around her and then Rocket Jumped into the action. The deployed robot sent out a pulse of Barrier. This Architect was, by herself, providing defensive support while poking their enemies in the distance.

  Remi stood firm like a vanguard, pushing back the enemy force while taking out key targets with his superior output of power. Mari, on the other hand, was not just a defensive support but more like a healer that granted Regeneration and cured their Conditions, keeping everyone in tip-top form with her glowing book. Unlike her, however, Abe was the offensive support. He lifted his sword up, conjuring a flash of light with a single word, Blinding all that stood before him and granting Insight to the party. Under the cloak of light, they took that opportune moment to strike.

  Zora’s role was slightly different from Remi’s but more like Abe’s. She controlled the engagement with her polearm and made commands in the heat of battle which the other party members heeded without question. Her presence was incredible. She was a frontline commander with the skills to hold her own in a one vs one fight and the know-how to command an army of her own. She was even skilled enough to single handedly support them when needed.

  But where did Hyde fit in? He could fend off one, while she could handle tonnes. He couldn’t make those snappy decisions in order to tip the scale in their favour. And he wasn’t even able to protect anyone else.

  His merit seemed nonexistent. Why would she even invite me to their guild? he thought when the fighting stopped and they took a break. He had nothing to offer, had been empty-handed and pretty much a novice at everything in Eden, but yet she was kind enough to offer him a spot. To train him. To teach him. They were all nice enough to pitch in for his schooling. It may have been a lot, but at least now he could tell up from down.

  I want to be like them. He thought, looking at his party as they walked back to the city. He glanced down at his feet. I want to be strong.

  “Hey, why are we walking exactly?” Nitro muttered.

  “Because Hyde still hasn’t gotten used to it yet,” Zora explained.

  “Seriously? How is Mari winning all of these bets?” Abe added.

  “We should have learned by now,” Remi said, forking over some cash.

  “Even though we always lose, it’s still fun,” Mila smiled.

  Hyde stayed silent.

  “Is everything alright?” Mari whispered.

  “Oh, yeah,” Hyde fronted a smile.

  “Hey, want to try teleporting again?” Zora asked, glancing back at him.

  “Sure,” he replied monotonously.

  “Really?” Nitro looked back.

  “Yeah, I need to get used to it at some point, right?” he a
dded.

  “Finally no more walking—I mean—uh. Good luck!” she said, taking out her tablet.

  “Thank you,” he smiled and navigated to the map screen on his tablet where the teleport functions were.

  “We’ll see you on the other side,” said Zora and dissolved into blue light along with the other party members.

  However, one person remained. Hyde didn’t teleport. Instead, he hooked his tablet back onto his belt. He sighed in relief and looked up at the city that was a good distance away.

  I want to be strong. He told himself and without a shred of hesitation, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

  CHAPTER 11

  “I’ll get stronger. Strong enough to stand beside them!” Hyde said, standing before a group of goblins. He could tell that they were lesser ones from their cheap equipment and their dull weapons. He looked from one green face to another, watching the ferocity in their eyes and the silent breaths escape their fanged mouths.

  He held his sword tightly, stepping closer and maintaining his composure. C’mon! His muscles screamed with adrenaline and his chest thumped like the drums of battle. His ears rang with the song, Tension Rising.

  Before long, one of the goblins let out a loud scream, prompting the others to heed its cry and jump at the lonely Dragoon.

  They came like a swarm of bees. One may not have been a problem but six… that was pushing his limit. Each goblin with a short sword or dagger in hand flung themselves at him without the fear of death to stop them. Instead, they had the desire of survival carrying their spirits.

  The first, second and third dagger strokes were blocked, the fourth and fifth grazed him while the sixth was a clean stab to his side.

  Blood dripped from his open wound as the blade was pulled out and the goblins backed up, dancing with the taste of victory on their lips. The pain was indescribable, yet he was able to stand through it all. The blows he suffered dented his life bar, but the pulse in his chest only grew louder along with the glow of his heart.

  The moment, they noticed that he was under the effects of Regeneration, their victory dance came to an end and another onslaught was upon him.