“Is that really the wisest thing to say? After all, that attack was intended for you. If anything, you only have yourself to blame for his death.”
“He had a name and it was Paul Fehren,” Keenth announces. “Now, say his name, Fallon.”
“And if I refuse,” Fallon mocks. “What will you do about it?”
Keenth vanishes from his opponent’s sights, only to reappear several feet behind him. As Fallon turns to Keenth, a pool of blood is seen beneath his boots.
“Consider that as your only warning,” Keenth taunts. “I’ll be sure to actually cut off your arm this time the next time I attack you.”
“Tsh...As if you’ll have the opportunity to do that again!”
Fallon furiously unleashes a barrage of blasts, only for Keenth to dodge them all with little difficulty.
Realizing that Keenth’s strength and stamina were no longer dwindling, Fallon doubts whether or not he will be able to defeat him after all.
“Him surpassing me is completely out of the question,” Fallon thinks to himself. “A lowly savage like Hedstrom could never compare to my power.”
“Hit me, Fallon.”
“What’s this foolish nonsense you speak of?”
“I’m serious, Fallon. I’m returning the favor by giving you the same opportunity that you gave me. Fire a blast directly at me. Right here, right now. Even with all of your strength, I’ll prove that you—”
Fallon abruptly fires a direct shot at his opponent. Keenth holds back the blast with his bare hand and launches an attack at Fallon.
However, the blast didn’t reach its intended target as Fallon led a band of Phantoms to serve as shields.
“The Metallic Siege is led by my hand and my hand alone,” Fallon says, as he summons an arsenal of Phantoms. “I don’t care what type of power you think you have, there’s simply no way that you could defeat all of these while dealing with me!”
Keenth dashes forward, only for a mech to engage him. He grabs the Phantom by the neck and exerts his Auraen to the point where the entirety of Fallon’s machines combust.
“You made mention of sensors, didn’t you? Do you really think that your little puppets would be a match for me anymore? Do you even have any shame left?”
Keenth winces in pain from the injuries that he has endured.
“There’s a reason why I didn’t solely rely on the path to enhance my strength. It is clearly a short-term method. Too much power would simply destroy inexperienced entities. But by combing it with the technology to my disposal, I can bypass such restrictions.”
“Oh, really? How do you explain me almost chopping your arm off?” Keenth confidently retorts. “This doesn’t change anything. All I have to do is focus on finishing this quickly.”
“You won’t get the opportunity to,” Fallon proclaims as he aims several blasts at the roof above Keenth. “It is a simple matter of draining and killing you!”
“Damn, he’s right about that,” Keenth thinks to himself as he dodges the falling debris. “It feels like my body is breaking under the pressure of all of this Auraen. But if I let my guard down, then I’ll be defenseless to his attacks.”
Keenth attempts to engage Fallon, but his foe is adamant in following through with his strategy. Seeing Fallon aiming at Paul’s body, Keenth rushes forward and takes a direct hit through his stomach.
“No! That’s the last thing that I need right now,” Keenth screams, while applying pressure to his wound. “I really have no choice, but to focus my power on striking him down once and for—”
Keenth stumbles, but catches himself before he falls to the ground. Fallon fires a storm of blasts at him.
“It’s over, Hedstrom! You were just delaying the inevitable,” Fallon bitterly taunts. “The only thing that awaits you now is death itself!!”
Fallon’s wicked laughter is heard throughout the Academy Ruins as Keenth struggles to realign himself for battle.
Before he could deliver the final blow, Fallon is interrupted by a massive wave of light-blue Auraen fired from above. In his anger, he directs his focus to the person responsible for the ambush.
“You dare knock on death’s door,” Fallon shouts. “Well? Speak for yourself, you damn coward!!”
The unknown warrior continues to bombard Fallon with waves of Auraen until they reach their limit.
Having reduced themselves to firing from one knee, while panting for air, the individual finally reveals themself.
“This is your chance!” Kendra shouts. “Do it now, Keenth. NOW!!”
With those words, Keenth immediately launches himself into the air, flying through the smoke. Fallon looks up in astonishment as Keenth’s Auraen miraculously flares to its most vigorous heights yet again.
“What in the world is going on with his Auraen?? It isn’t simply increasing...But it is flickering...As if...No, that’s impossible,” Fallon surmises as he increases the energy output of his armor.
“This is nothing at all to me. All of the power in the world doesn’t mean a thing if the user is inexperienced,” he continues to himself. “All I have to do is strike the instant before he releases his attack. With all of his strength focused on his sword, his defenses will be lowered.”
One of Fallon’s main power generators explodes then, having hit its limit. He attempts to remedy this, but a massive boom is heard as Keenth’s sword is surrounded by an intensely sharp, blue Auraen.
“Well, you’re up early. Is there something on your mind, son?”
“It’s about this sword that you gave me...I don’t think I’m ready for it.”
“Not ready? Nonsense! You’re my boy, aren’t you? You were born for this!”
“I don’t know, Dad. Part of me just feels too afraid to have something like this.”
“I get it and that’s natural. But! As Larkin M. Hedstrom is my name, I swear that you’ll overcome those fears one day.”
“Do you really think so, Dad?”
“Absolutely! You’re a special one, son. Your mom and I were blessed with gifts and I expect big things from you in the future.”
“The future? Why are you thinking that far ahead, Dad?”
“Because just like your mom, I won’t be around forever. There will come a time when you’ll have to decide the type of person you’ll be. Don’t let the world choose for you.”
“It sounds like a lot to think about…”
“It is, but you already have everything you need to press forward. There’s more of the world for you to see outside of Colonia. I just pray that, when necessary, you’ll use your abilities to help others.”
“Say Dad...You said I have everything I need, right? How will I know what kind of abilities I have?”
“Keenth, you have your whole life ahead of you to know what kind of person you’ll turn out to be. But your power, a gift from your parents to you, is a particularly outstanding one. Remember this and remember it well, Keenth. Your power is—”
Light continues to erupt from Keenth’s blade as it crashes down, ripping through Fallon’s armor. With both feet firmly on the ground, Keenth shouts one word to the heavens as his opponent howls in anguish.
“RAIZEN!!!”
A gargantuan blade of thunder discharges from Keenth’s sword, completely obliterating half of the Academy Ruins. Having used all of his power, Keenth collapses to the ground.
With his sword destroyed in the attack, Fallon’s mask cracks in half and slowly falls as he looks down at the gaping hole where his abdomen used to be.
“I see...So it really came down to this,” Fallon says. “So, their strength was able to reach these heights, after all…”
“Still, I will see this through...Whether it is the last thing I do,” Fallon bitterly declares, using the last of his strength to aim his crossbow at Keenth’s head. “One way or another, I will fulfill my legacy.”
“To what end?” James weakly asks, making his way toward them. “Is this really where you want your legacy to end? Killing off the one who def
eated you in an act of spite?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, James. The battle isn’t over until the last warrior falls.”
“He’s just a boy, damn it! Neither of us will survive for much longer. Do you really want your last act in this world to be something as despicable as this, David?”
“…Then what do you suggest instead?”
“J-just leave him be, David. After all of this, after everything that he’s gone through, he’s earned that much. Please just be the bigger person and let him go.”
“Let him go? To what end? The world won’t nearly be so accepting towards someone with power like this. If anything, taking him out of his misery right now is probably for the best.”
“I’m sure he’ll certainly have challenges ahead. There will probably be suffering and pain that he will have to face too. But it isn’t our place to decide for him; it’s up to him to choose how he lives his life.”
“I see...So you’re really determined for him to live on, aren’t you, James? Keenth Hedstrom...Paul Fehren...You two really turned out to be exceptional ones, after all.”
“Wake up, Tortuga! This is W-NJFM with our top story. After being rocked with massive power outages throughout all three regions and reports of attacks from a rogue militia, we’ve received confirmation that the unknown assailants have been defeated.
“I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty good news to wake up to. So, go out and enjoy yourselves, people! We’ve lived to see another day, and if there’s anything to take from this, it’s that we shouldn’t take life for granted!
“That’s all for now, folks! We’ll follow up with an official statement from the Tortuga High Council herself, Madam Chambers at 10AM, so stay tuned!”
“Where do I even start?” Kendra thinks to herself. “Lady Aida told me that Benjamin and the others were able to defend our village as promised, with Richard eventually joining in as well. Beth and Cory left early in the morning, so the fellas were stuck with Lady Aida’s wrath for battling so recklessly.”
“Cory, in typical fashion, went back into the forest. She promised she would come back to visit. What a sweetheart that girl is. I can’t wait to see her again. I’ll be sure to talk to Lady Aida about throwing a huge dinner for everyone sometime soon.”
“Beth made it back to the Tortugan Capital City, where she was greeted with open arms by Madam Chambers and damn near hugged to death by her friend, Aya. It’s good to know that she has support out there. Maybe I should pay her a visit and thank her in person before I make my way out to home.”
“That’s pretty much what Lady Aida filled me in on. I guess all that leaves is you,” Kendra tells Keenth as he begins to open his eyes.
“K-Kendra? Where are we?” Keenth asks with his head still resting on Kendra’s lap. “How long was I out for?”
“Hmm...I’d say about twelve hours. You really pushed yourself earlier. It isn’t much, but I found some dorms that were still intact for us to rest in. It’s truly a miracle the Academy is still standing after everything that went down last night.”
“Yeah, we got pretty lucky after all. Come on, there’s somewhere I want to take you,” Keenth replies as he picks himself up. “Hopefully it wasn’t damaged too much between everything that’s been going on.”
Keenth and Kendra take their time to carefully navigate through the Academy until they eventually reach his old room. Fortunately, it was mostly left intact, despite the odds. Kendra begins asking Keenth about his space, but he remains silent as he reflects on the events leading up to this moment.
“It’s been quite the journey, Kendra. I’m grateful to be standing here but, I don’t know, something isn’t sitting right with me.”
“Really? You’ve made your way from hell and back. I wasn’t even here for half of it, but I know that you’ve worked so hard to get to where you are. I’m proud of you for that and you should be too. Appreciate the good that you’ve seen as you’ve gone through your path.”
“I understand all of that, I really do, but there were things that Fallon said that I can’t shake out of my head. Before you start, I know I should take his words with a grain of salt. But I felt that had it not been for certain people in my life, then there’s a chance that I would have ended up like him too.”
“If you ask me, I think that there’s way more to us than the people we associate ourselves with, Keenth. I truly believe that you decided to be the type of person you were a long time ago. It was just a matter of you realizing that on your own. Took you a bit, but you got there.”
“Thanks, Kendra. I appreciate that. Well, anyway, here’s my room. You probably won’t believe me, but I swear it normally isn’t this dirty.”
“I was going to give you grief about how dusty it is, but I decided to give you a pass because you barely have a roof over your head. What you need to do, my friend, is switch your clothes. Let’s see what kind of horrible attempts at fashion you have here.”
“But, Kendra, aren’t you the same person who’s basically worn nothing but purple cloaks every time I’ve seen you?”
“Hush, you wouldn’t get it! Now hurry and wear this before I choke you with it!”
“Jeez...I must’ve struck a nerve,” Keenth responds as he puts on a dark blue hoodie before slinging the Fehrenblade over his shoulder. “Great, it still fits like a glove!”
“You sound surprised. It’s probably because you’ve lost your focus, haven’t you? Nice try, but I’m not one to let my apprentices get all soft and lazy! You know the drill. We’ll use a tougher version of my training program as soon as we get back to Azoco.”
“About that, Kendra,” Keenth explains. “I’ve decided not to head back to the village.”
“I see. So, it’s time for you to head back to your real home then?”
“Hey...I’ll always consider Azoco village like a second home. But no, I’m not going to Colonia either. I think I’m going to spend time in Tortuga for a while.”
“Is there any particular reason for you to do this? I figure you’re a few years too young to be having some sort of a quarter-life crisis.”
“Everyone that I’ve met along the way has changed my life forever. I feel as though I still have so much to learn from Hasania and its people. If I was able to grow as much as I have these past couple of months, I can only imagine what’s next for me.”
“Alright, sounds good to me.”
“Really? You aren’t upset with me or anything?”
“Do I really look like the type of person who would get upset over something like...On second thought, don’t answer that. Look, I completely support your decision. If it came from the heart, then I’m all for it. Just be sure to take care of yourself, okay?”
“You already know, Kendra. I’ll be sure to drop in here and there to see how you guys are doing. If I run into Cory and the others, I’ll let them know you said hello.”
“No, you won’t because I didn’t! Tell them if they are wondering how we’re doing, then they are always welcome to see for themselves.”
“Will do! Well, I guess this is goodbye for now...Isn’t it, Kendra?”
“I suppose you’re right,” Kendra agrees as she softly kisses Keenth on the forehead. “It goes without saying, but we’ll always be here for you if there’s anything you need.”
“Thank you...Thank you, and the same here. Hey, since most of the Academy is destroyed, I think I’m going to go ahead and make my way out of this window. It’s always something that I wanted to do, but—”
“I’m going to keep my comments to myself with that one, but I think you should take this with you,” Kendra says, handing a photo over to Keenth.
“It’s a picture of you and your friend, Paul, that I found on your desk. You should really hold onto this with care.”
“Wow, would you look at that? Thanks, I appreciate it. Be easy, Kendra.”
Keenth reflects fondly on the memories of his Academy days with Paul, his journey with Cory,
the camaraderie shared with Benjamin and Beth, and Kendra’s friendship throughout his time in Azoco village.
“Thank you for everything,” Keenth thinks to himself as he leaps out of his window, dashing through the sky.
“Hasania! A new adventure awaits!!”
Acknowledgements
Hello, and thanks for reading Fighter’s Fever: The Metallic Siege!
The process of writing out this story has been an absolute blast, and I hope you enjoyed reading this story just as well.
This is dedicated to those who showed me that anything is possible if you follow your dreams.
The mentorship, editing, and design help that I received was crucial in bringing this story to life.
Many thanks to those involved and for the support throughout the years; I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
Last but not least, a special note to my girls: The sky is the limit only if you allow it to be.
-R. Nazaire (MrNazaire)
About the Author
Ricardo Nazaire is a writer born in New Jersey, and raised in the New York Metropolitan Area.
Constantly aspiring to faithfully reflect his experiences across the country and abroad Africa, Central America, and Europe, he wishes to share stories using the people he has met along the way as inspiration.
Aside from traveling, Ricardo enjoys improving his craft, pitching underappreciated jokes, and looking towards the next adventure.
For more information about the author and the story, please follow on Twitter:
Copyright © 2021 by Ricardo Nazaire
The right of Ricardo Nazaire to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author, except in cases of brief quotations embodied in reviews or articles. It may not be edited amended, lent, resold, hired out, distributed or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s written permission.
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