“A few trees and scattered leaves won’t keep us safe forever,” Emil said, regaining his constitution.
“I’m well aware...however, it does play to our advantage. I’m sure by now they’ve already begun their search. The only reason another shockwave hasn’t hit us is because the scouts are within the blast radius.”
“I’m not so sure about that, Omari. That’s a strong assumption. We can’t be so trusting. Hugo burned a whole village along with his men without hesitating.” Emil grimaced. “If we’re to do anything, it should be right now. There’s no way to tell what the enemy is thinking or if my brother even wants us back alive. Another blast could be detrimental and Skye is nearing exhaustion.” Marona’s eyes widened as she looked back at Skye, who hid behind the base of a tree with Crane. From the angle where she stood, Marona could see Skye’s chest heaving, and her visible fatigue. “We fight here and now and make it to Molken,” Emil said as he gripped the hilts of his blades. “I’ll run out and be a distraction. It should be enough to lure them away from the others. My target is the Abnormal, but running straight at him will only draw an attack. I’m going to charge the foot soldiers and then swing around.” The forest boomed from the sound of gunpowder exploding, the earth trembling seconds after as the steel projectile crashed into the ground. “If the Abnormal is as structured as you say he is, Omari, then I shouldn’t have to fear him unless he has a clear shot. I don’t know how many are out there, so I’ll need you two to cover me once I draw them out. After that, we’ll go after the Abnormal.” Another crash echoed behind them and the ground quaked. “Marona, are you ready?”
“Yeah,” Marona said and readied her crossbow for a second time. Bolts of light began to jump across Emil’s extremities while he began to aggregate his energy. As his aura grew in intensity, the blue bolts began to crackle as they traveled across his body at an accelerated pace.
“Okay,” Emil exhaled. “Let’s make this count.” Marona nodded at Emil, confirming she was prepared, and aimed down the sights of her bow.
With a grunt, Emil’s energy intensified and he kicked off the ground, propelling himself out into open.
“There he is!” a soldier cried out. “Get him!” There were five in front and more in the back manning the artillery.
“It’s just one man!” yelled another.
Emil smirked as he increased his speed, his hands extending behind him, dangling the blades that gave testament to his power. From over Emil’s shoulder, the sound of an arrow swished past his ear as it hurtled into the forest, finding its mark within the neck of a vanguard scout. Behind him, Emil saw Omari’s frayed cape flicker in the wind before he disappeared, only to appear again behind another soldier, ushering him into death via a knife to the back.
Emil cleaved through another soldier as another set of arrows volleyed from behind him. The sound of cannon fire boomed in the distance and seconds later Emil found himself staring down the steel sphere that sped his way. With no time to dodge, Emil swiped his sword in front of him, cutting across the cannon ball, splitting it in two. A smile of satisfaction emerged on Emil’s face but was quickly removed by a wave of confusion. Almost instantly, the gunpowder from inside the cannon ignited after touching Emil’s light, engulfing him in a cloud of smoke and shrapnel, marring his body as he absorbed the explosion.
From the cloud of debris, Emil emerged with a visceral scream, his aura ablaze as he charged towards the origin of the attack.
“Gwah!”
“Ah!!”
Omari continued his progression amongst the soldiers with the prowess of an elite assassin, striking with precision before fading back into the void from which he came. Whenever possible, he made their deaths as painless as possible, but he, without fail, was sure to bring them to their end.
Marona found herself in the background laying cover fire whenever the opportunity arose. She was human, and had no way to keep up with Emil and Omari’s pace of combat. The task was especially daunting due to the unique set of abilities they possessed.
Stray bolts of Emil’s energy pecked at the ground, remnants of the surge he produced earlier. Jolts of sky-blue energy bounced back and forth between a set of carcasses and their array of scattered weapons. Further down the trail, clean-cut slices cascaded across the necks of another set of soldiers. Their bodies were more spread out than Emil’s lot and handled more efficiently—Omari’s signature handiwork. And then there were arrows, all of which Marona had shot. In passing, it ruffled her conscience, bringing an uneasiness that she fought hard to push back. She wasn’t a killer, but as of late, her life’s mantra seemed to adopt the philosophy of ‘kill or be killed.’
In the bushes to the right she heard a faint ruffle and swiveled her head as a man emerged in the vanguard’s colors, his sword held high and approaching fast. Without hesitation, she fired a bolt from her crossbow that sunk into his solar-plexus and then another into his thigh.
The soldier screamed as he slumped and lurched forward, the steel-tipped arrows sending waves of pain throughout his body. The soldier looked up, his face searing with agony as he reached for his sword that lay a few inches in front of him. As Marona and her assailant locked eyes, something stirred within her, a vision of the man who tried to rape her. This man wore the same face as the man who attacked her that day, a visceral snarl filled with a smug sense of superiority. He noticed that Marona had hesitated and continued his advance towards his weapon, all the while another man appeared from the same trove, ready to kill.
It was different to kill someone who was right in front you. Watching their life leave them was intimate in the most perverse form of the sense, even in the line of self-defense. Though her heart fluttered with rage, she found it difficult to further harm the man who had sought to end her life. Finally, despite her inhibitions, she let go.
Remember what they did to you. Remember what they’ve done.
An arrow shot from Marona’s bow and lodged itself into the guard’s forehead some meters away. Almost instantly, his life left him. In Marona’s solstice, the second soldier grew closer, Marona none the wiser.
“Di—” the soldier began, but his words remained forever frozen, for The Saint of Everrmore had appeared and drove his hidden dagger into the soldier’s heart.
“You okay?” Omari’s blade retracted as he stepped back, allowing the dead weight that rested on him to fall to the floor. Marona’s eyes snapped to Omari after hearing the thud of the fallen soldier.
“Yeah.” Her eyes grew slightly misty but she suppressed her oncoming tears. “I need to make stronger bolts.” She sighed as she regained her constitution. “Their armor weighs against my shots.”
Omari examined Marona, noticing the quakes that began to form in her eyes. “Marona, it’s understandable if you want to fall behind. We still aren’t sure exactly what we’re up against.” Omari and Marona turned to face the sounds of screams and cannon fire that echoed further north where Emil continued his plight. The angst Marona felt faded and she found herself empowered by Emil’s courage.
“No, I want to go. He needs us.”
Omari nodded and anchored his hand to Marona’s shoulder.
Together, they disappeared from plain sight.
I’VE FOUND YOU. Emil dashed through the remaining soldiers as he pinpointed the Abnormal who hid among the trees. He stood alone, apart from the other soldiers. The seal he wore was blood-red, marked with high regard. At the sight of his enemy, Emil’s aura blazed and he ran parallel to him, keeping the soldiers nearby. He won’t make a move as long as there’s a risk for casualties, Emil thought as he observed his foe. But that doesn’t apply to me. With a grunt, Emil broke off from his adjacent path and ran towards his enemy with the intent to kill.
Noticing Emil’s advance, the Abnormal clapped his hands together and the ground began to rumble. It’s through sound? The trees howled as they began to creak and bend, unveiling the invisible force that hurtled towards the hero. Emil cut to the right, avoiding the sh
ockwave as it continued to tear through the forest. He’s strong, Emil thought as he glanced over his shoulder, mystified by the ravaged path of destruction behind him. That was barely any effort. Another clap echoed in the forest, grabbing Emil’s attention. Got to keep moving. Another shockwave crossed through the forest behind Emil as he continued to run. They’re narrower than before, but more destructive. Emil gritted his teeth as the sound of fallen trees that trailed behind him grew louder.
“What?” The bark of a nearby tree exploded in front of Emil, causing him to shield his face from the chunks of wood and debris that were carried by the unseen force. Damn it. He shot ahead. Emil snarled as his frayed cloak dangled in the wind.
From the ground, a vine wrapped itself around Emil’s ankle, tightening its hold as it drove its thorns into his skin. “Omari!” Emil yelled as he struggled against the vines that snaked up the length of his body. “There’s another Abnormal!” His aura blazed but he was already too drained from his last fight to break free from the vines that had now constricted him. “Ah! I can’t shake them!” Emil groaned as he continued to struggle against the thorns piercing his skin. Emil released more of his light and tried to expand his arms laterally. Stray bolts of his energy leaked between the coils and shot wildly into the earth around him as more vines amassed from the ground to entrench him. Emil fought as hard as he could to resist the grip of the swarming vines but their hold pinned his extremities together no matter how hard he refused.
Emil’s face tightened when he heard a small clap in the distance and the earth began to rumble once more. The destructive wave of sound raced to find him. Emil twisted his head to the sound of the deafening boom and braced himself as it collided with his confines. Emil wailed in pain as he was thrown back into the forest, his body crashing through a series of trees until finally skidding along the earth and coming to a complete stop.
Tattered from the blast, his bindings weakened and Emil was able to break free, but his body had sustained injuries. His bleeding head tinted the side of his face and his muscles ached all over from the thorns that dug into his flesh. “Somehow, I’m alive...” Emil mumbled to himself as he overlooked the trail of dirt his body had made in the earth. Beside his feet, Emil watched the remnants of a mass of withered vines squiggle until he pressed his boot against them, causing them to cease. That Abnormal’s vines must have soaked up most of the damage, but that’s not saying much, Emil thought as he studied the deteriorated weeds. So, there are two of them. One who can generate shockwaves and another who can use plants...
The ground trembled, momentarily snapping Emil from his train of thought while he surveyed the land. Even if I don’t know where they are, I can’t afford to keep still. It was wrong to assume he wouldn’t attack his own men, Emil thought as he began to run. Even if he shrunk the size of his attack, he’s still attacking. More of the forest fell as Emil continued to weave through the mass of trees, ignoring the sting of the air against the abrasions on his skin. I can still take him, I just need to get close. As Emil ran parallel to the fault from the initial blast, he sheathed his second sword and pointed his hand in the direction of the Abnormal’s ongoing attacks.
“Rah!” A volley of Emil’s energy pulsed from his hand. The earth rumbled in response as another shockwave tore through the ground and ravaged the landscape, barely missing Emil as it brushed the tail of his cloak. “Come on, Omari. Where are you?” He stressed as he glanced over his shoulder. “I need you to buy me some time.” A series of vines stitched themselves between a set of trees forming a wall, impeding Emil’s path. Without stopping, Emil blazed through the barrier, slicing out a sovereign path with his sword amidst the greenery that had somehow come to life. Rather than lay idly, the vines reanimated and lunged towards Emil, fumbling over the fallen trees and scattered rocks in their pursuit. Emil fired an orb of his light back at the swarming vines as he fled, headstrong to make his way back to the Abnormal who boasted destructive force.
The swarm of vines staggered as his light cut through the mass, but new life was quick to replace the dying weeds. In front of Emil, a downed log covered in vines jutted from his peripherals, sweeping in from his right side. Emil vaulted over the tree, slicing at the vines that grabbed at his feet while he traveled through the air. The other one has to be close, Emil thought as he landed, the plethora of vines not far behind. I need to put some distance between us.
From his side, Emil pulled out a set of shuriken and began to charge them with his light, ignoring the pit he felt in his stomach. Though he had recovered a portion of his energy in his retreat from Everrmore, whatever energy Emil had amassed was quickly being depleted as he continued to battle in the forest. With a flick of the wrist, his charged shuriken soared through the air and implanted themselves into the persistent growth. “Ha!” Emil grunted and extended his hand behind him as he ran, igniting the mass of energy that remained dormant in his throwing stars. Emil’s energy coalesced before exploding, creating a matrix of jarred bolts that gnawed at the vines that imprisoned the blades.
The forest trembled as stray streaks of Emil’s light jolted throughout the sky.
“Marona, did you see that?” Omari asked. He towered over the fallen Abnormal who had just breathed his last breath seconds before.
“Yeah, and I felt it too,” Marona called out from above, her body perfectly balanced on the branch of a tree with her bow leading her stance. “I think that was Emil.” Marona stared harder into the desolate forest from her vista, scanning the broken landscape as far as her eyes could follow. “I hope he’s okay.”
“If he had to use that much energy, chances are there’s another Abnormal out there.” Omari’s face sank as he tilted his head towards the ground, his eyes managing to connect with the dead-man’s gaze of the Abnormal he had just killed. The blood was still fresh along his neck from Omari’s incision. His short black hair soaked in the pool of blood that the ground had not yet taken into its roots. It was an effortless kill; the unnamed Abnormal was distracted with Emil. Omari and Marona were able to sneak into a position unnoticed, Marona in the trees with a clear shot from behind and Omari from the side. After Omari pierced him with his gauntlet there was a struggle, but a well-placed arrow from Marona was quick to nullify any resistance before it became lethal. “We should get going, Marona.”
“Yeah, most definitely,” Marona said from the tree top. “The sooner we get to him, the better.”
“I agree.” A gust of wind blew by Marona’s side and Omari appeared beside her. Together, they returned to the forest floor. “And I know exactly where to start.”
“WHY WON’T YOU JUST give up already?” Emil grunted as he continued to run from the mass of wicked weeds that chased him through the forest. Emil launched an orb of his energy into the hub of vines, the forest shaking as his light exploded. They just keep coming! Emil thought as he glanced back at the new growth that swam over the withered tendrils. Emil lurched over in pain, momentarily derailing the momentum from his steps. From the mass of vines, a tendril shot out and tethered to his hand, driving its spikes into his wrist. “Get...OFF!” Emil pulled at the vine before pivoting and slicing at the foreign tentacle with his sword. The vine broke off as it seized with Emil’s light but still, the colossus charged forward.
Without missing a beat, Emil hopped backwards and slung another set of shuriken from his belt. The silver spinning discs crackled with his light and exploded once they made contact with the plant’s core. More of the plant’s tentacles withered as Emil landed and skid across the earth, his light warming his face as he observed the raging behemoth. His cape ruffled in the wind as he dug his feet into the ground.
“I’m ending this...” Emil said as he drew his second blade from the sheath that rested on the rim of his hip. The air grew dense and sparks of Emil’s light began to materialize around him, his aura violent as flecks of light shifted and crackled along his body. The twin swords that he fervently clutched began to chirp ferociously as his light began to
pour into them while he studied his foe. The colossus had staggered from his last attack but was far from defeated. With a grunt, Emil kicked off the forest floor and dashed towards the mass of vines, his swords behind him, pulsing with his power. Emil’s energy trailed behind him, streaming like jagged bolts of lightning desperate to return to the evening sky. The ground fissured as he stepped across the dying land.
With a thunderous roar, Emil raised his swords to his chest and pierced through the heart of the tangled vines. What? In the conclusion of his attack, something managed to catch his eye.
With a roll, Emil emerged on the other side of the mass of vines, but he wasn’t alone—someone else was resting between his arms. He turned to watch the mass of vines wither and fall helplessly to the ground as they began to deteriorate behind him. Emil laid down the woman he held is his arms before rising to his feet. “Wake up,” he barked. The red-haired woman groaned as her eyes fluttered and refocused to Emil towering over her. The blood from his injuries had dried but his clothing gave testament to the many battles he had endured since noon that day. In his hands, Emil carried only one sword and it was pointed directly at her. The other had been tucked away safely in its sheath. The red-haired woman tried to move but Emil could see the pain that accompanied her ambition. The deep cuts and bruises that outlined her silhouette told him that she was in far worse condition than he was, though her wounds were far from fatal. In the moment that he could have taken her life, Emil had instead decided to spare her.
“Don’t move,” Emil commanded as traces of his energy crackled across his chest. “I’m not playing around.” The red-haired woman froze and relaxed as her green eyes met Emil’s. “Did Arius force you to do this? Attack us?!” Emil clenched his teeth. The female Abnormal remained silent. “Well, did he?” Emil boomed as his energy grew more intense. “Did he make you join Legion?” The woman said nothing as she continued her hollow stare. ”Did you have no other choice?!”
The Last Light Series Omnibus One: - The Dreamer and the Deceiver - All Things Eternal - Ode to the King: A Superhero Epic Fantasy Collection (The Last Light Collection Book 1) Page 31