Center of the Deadlands: 936, December 31st, Monday, 7:00 AM.
Looking to flee from the very core of the hellish zone, Bloodhound was quick to load the wounded knight into the back of their transport, using its bed to extract him from the area. Fortunately for the group, their escape was met with no resistance from either the specters, or the giant daemon that kept their wary eyes glued to their surroundings. Scott drove the vehicle as always, assisted by Eric on the passenger’s seat—scanning on the lookout for any sort of trouble. Giving their guest some company, Tori sat in the back to perform constant checkups on the gladean knight—who’s fighting spirit had dwindled over the course of their escape.
Riding her motorcycle next to them was Claire, almost anchored to the left side of the truck in her advance. She kept constant guard on the crimson fog of the Deadlands, utilizing her gear to look for any dangers that could be lurking around her group. Despite the terrible state of the knight, her preoccupied eyes still moved towards the young medic on occasion, as she alone would not be able to defend herself against the injured man.
“How… did you even get here?” Loki asked his caretaker. “Even… a knight… would have issues finding this place…”
“Ah, well… we um…”
“Got lucky,” Claire replied to his question. “Our vehicle was caught in a dense fog, then we emerged somewhere close to you and King.”
“Really…”
“Don’t believe me if you want, the only thing that matters now is getting out of here.” She narrowed her eyes, thinking about the stranded units that may still be idling in the north.
“I have a… Urk! Few questions about those… weapons of yours…”
“Don’t bother. I won’t be answering any of them.”
“Heh… then I’ll just… ngh… have to rip… the words… argh…”
“Stop, mister knight. You have to rest.
“Shut up…”
Tired of his own protests, Loki silenced himself to concentrate on his breathing and relaxing his muscles, allowing for an easier ride home. Bloodhound’s escape continued without issue, and while their attempts to contact the other forces of Cerberus—as well as the Kaldstein reinforcements, ended with failure, the lack of specters in the area allowed for a smooth trip back towards the northern region. However, their throbbing hearts found no rest among the silence, as the daemon’s presence may be lurking around without their knowledge, with the only being capable of facing him lying injured in the back of their transport.
Being next to him, Tori saw through the pain behind his wide azure eyes to notice a concerned gaze that met hers. He failed to speak at that moment, but the constant stare he threw to the side screamed at the young medic. A gasp escaped Tori as she figured out his intent, one that reached the ears of the lieutenant from the seat of her bike.
“Lieutenant, to your left!” Tori hastily announced.
“Left!”
Claire was quick to react to the urgency of the redhead’s words, materializing one pistol in hand to aim it directly to her side. She rapidly pressed the trigger before she could even see her target, but despite her quick thinking, the lieutenant’s reactions simply could not compare to the inhuman speed displayed by the terrifying daemon. She covered her face with one arm, as a gust of wind suddenly struck her with aggressive force—caused by the giant that had just appeared next to her motorcycle. He took the barrel of her pistol in one hand, and with the strength of his fingers alone, demolished the demonic pistol in a single squeeze.
“…!”
The gun erupted into pieces in Claire’s hand, the instinct to avoid its flying shards from tearing her face forcing her to avoid her gaze. Not giving her enough time to respond, King crossed a shaking fist above his shoulder, and launched it against the staggered lieutenant in an attempt to smack her head off her shoulders.
His fist connected successfully, as his knuckles found their way into Claire’s jaw with a backhand strike. The ground shook on impact, and the girl was propelled away from her motorcycle in a violent burst that guaranteed her death. Her spectral bike dispersed into crimson particles, leaving only the truck and its passengers for the giant to deal with.
“Lieutenant!” Tori screamed in horror—her eyes glued to the flying woman until her body was lost in the distance to the crimson fog.
“Ah!” Scott almost jumped off his seat with a terrified scream, as King’s face suddenly popped on his window. “Dammit… Take this!”
In a valiant attempt to stop him, the man steered the wheel towards the giant to ram him over with the armored truck, and though brave in his attempt, the reinforced vehicle lacked any power to butch its target even slightly. Their transport came to a complete halt once colliding with King, almost flipping over as one of its sides was lifted off the ground. The daemon tore through the steel plates of Bloodhound’s truck with his fingers, holding them in place before ripping the driver’s door open in a single pull.
“Ah! H—” Scott tried to call for help, but his yelps were quickly drowned by the strong grip of King’s fingers around his neck. “Grh…”
“Foley!”
From the passenger’s seat, Eric grabbed the sword next to him and quickly unsheathed the blade to lunge himself at the daemon—ignoring the world of difference between their strengths. The young noble plunged his weapon into the arm of his opponent, a feeble attack that would leave no scratch on the monster’s skin, as the impact caused its steel to erupt into glimmering shards instead.
Some of its fragments embedded themselves into the noble’s face, forcing a painful grunt from his lips as he recoiled back into his seat. The rest came dangerously close to blinding Scott, though to the young man’s fortune, the sturdy lenses of his glasses served to prevent them from shredding his precious brown eyes—despite having escaped the exploding blade however, a threat worse than any sword still gripped his life by the throat.
King forced Scott out of the truck and slammed his back on the dirt, forcing a painful cry out of him, and though ready to put a stop to his heart, King’s intentions were suddenly halted by a powerful electric wave that shook his entire body. The giant’s muscles contracted slightly—enough to release the young man from his clutches, and watch him retreat in a hurry. His displeased groans exposed annoyance towards the dart incrusted in his shoulder, turning himself around to fixed his glare on the one responsible.
Tori trembled in fear at the imposing height and appearance of the daemon, his stern and rough expression almost reducing her to tears. She held her taser with both hands, her breaths and legs quivering as she struggled to keep a steady aim on the giant. Assuming her foe remained afflicted by the electrifying power of her weapon, the girl loaded a second charge through the fear before extending her arms towards him—ready to discharge a second dart.
“Ah!” she screamed, as the tip of her taser bumped into King’s abdomen—who was now mere standing inches away from her.
“Tori!” from behind the giant, the young noble rushed into her aid while holding no weapon in hand. His face was covered in blood, with a few shards of steel still incrusted deep in his flesh.
He ignored the pain of his wounds, and with no fear behind his chase for the daemon, Eric launched his best punch at the back of his foe. His knuckles connected successfully with the giant’s spine, yet the strike failed to make him flinch even slightly. Resolute in his assault however, the young noble clobbered the daemon’s back with a combination of hooks and uppercuts, all to no avail.
Unbothered by the man’s feeble attempts to stop him, King gently swung his arm backwards to swat Eric off of his back like an annoying fly. The back of his hand smacked the face of the noble with little force, enough to fling the man away into the truck, and take away his consciousness in a single strike.
“Eric!” Tori screamed once more, unable to command her petrified legs to move away from danger.
She was consumed by fear like never before, a feeling that reminded her of the battle they experienced while at sea, when an enormous underwater serpent threatened to sink their vessel. However, whatever she felt at the time could not compare to the horrific thoughts that crossed her mind, as it had already resigned itself to death at the hands of the terrifying beast. The thought of being torn to shreds on the spot, never to leave the hellish Deadlands ever again, forced the tears out of her twitchy eyes.
King pressed his fingers into a tight fist, looking down at the horrified expression of the young redhead. He found no joy behind the tears that rolled down her face, though his mind never struggled to justify his actions, as reuniting the girl with her goddess delighted him beyond words.
“No!” Tori covered her head with both hands, curling up into a sitting position as she waited to be torn apart by the giant.
“Agh!”
A familiar scream reached her ears, forcing her teary eyes to open with a gasp. The young medic looked up at the figure that protected her from death itself, his body adorned by both old and fresh injuries from the battles he had endured. The man trembled just as she did, yet he stood in between her and the daemon like an indestructible barrier. He turned to look at her from over his shoulder, the bright azure glow in his eyes revealing the stern expression he refused to change. The bandage around his torso was soaked in fresh blood, but King’s fist tearing straight through his chest was all her eyes could focus on at the time.
“M… m…”
“Get the hell… out of here…” Loki told her before moving his eyes back to King.
The giant glared furiously at him, his body shaking in quick bursts as blood began to pour from his mouth. “Loki…” he growled before a series of coughs interrupted his words, spilling his own blood on the face of the knight.
“Hehe…” Loki chuckled, a wide and satisfied smirk forming in his face. “You dared let your guard down… with me… around?”
Having noticed the distracted daemon, the knight took the opportunity to strike before he could cause any harm to Tori. He jumped into action with the aid of his teleportation abilities, moving himself in front of the young medic in a blink, and launching a powerful punch against his foe. Although he took the hit in Tori’s place, Loki was able to perforate the giant’s chest with his fist as well—ripping a hole straight through the man’s rotten heart.
“Urk…” King struggled to breath as blood accumulated in his throat, forcing him to take quick and shallow breaths.
The shock and agony behind his eyes brought a smile to the gladean knight’s expression, who’s breaths matched the speed of the daemon’s. “Where’s your sword, huh?” he mocked his opponent. “Thought you wouldn’t need it… did you?”
“You… Urk!”
“I’m getting tired of you, King…” Loki twisted his fist further into King’s chest, drawing a few agonizing grunts out of him. “I… Will end… Your miserable life… right here…”
A thundering roar echoed nearby, a furious sound that both the knight and daemon had become acquainted with. Jumping from the top of the armored truck, Claire’s spectral bike commenced its assault with a powerful tackle against King, separating both fighters from each other in the process.
“Argh!” King cried in pain as he was carried away by the motorcycle, leaving a trail of blood in the air as he disappeared within the shadows of the fog.
Having been gifted with some time to rest, Loki dropped on one knee while desperately gasping for air. “Ugh… ah… kuh…”
“Mister knight!”
“I told you to—urk!” the knight almost snapped at Tori, who rushed in his aid with a tiny white box she carried in her bags—painted with a red cross at the top.
“Stay put…” she told him, repelled immediately with a swatting motion from her patient.
“Get the hell… off me!”
Tori tripped backwards and fell on her butt, dropping her kit on the ground in the process. Her watery eyes met the stern look behind the gladean knight’s azures, as she cleaned the tears that rolled down her cheeks with a sob. She exhibited a sad and fragile appearance, having no intentions to hide the horror that afflicted her mind. Such honest emotions soften the expression in Loki’s eyes, who released an exasperated sigh in an attempt to calm his own rage.
“Tori!” Claire’s voice called out, lifting up the young medic’s spirit in instant.
The lieutenant emerged from the fog in a hurry, praying to Gladea for the safety of her Bloodhound. The horrific sight of an unconscious Eric, a startled Scott and crying Tori sunk her heart with worry, though having witnessed no casualties relived the pressure in her heart. The young redhead met her with a tight hug, yet the time for celebration had yet to come.
In one half of Claire’s face, where King had struck with a powerful attack, the black exoskeleton of her spectral gear covered her skin like an impenetrable armor. Loki narrowed his eyes at the sight, yet he failed to even speak as is injuries became an unbearable torture.
“Tori, try to get everyone in the vehicle.” The lieutenant commanded, dispersing the armor in her face into particles of crimson. “I’ll distract King while you—”
“I’ll get him…” Loki interrupted with a groan, as even moving his mouth became an arduous task. “I already told you to leave…”
“Not in your st—”
“Enough!” snapped the knight. “King… is mine…”
Claire flinched at his sudden outburst, wary of the man’s capabilities even when at death’s door. Still determined to save his life however, Tori took her kit off the ground and rushed in Loki’s aid—only to be rejected a second time. Though instead of swatting at her like before, this time, the knight simply snatched the kit off the girl’s hands, only to return it immediately by gently slamming it in her chest.
“Ah!”
“Get out…” Loki told them both, his voice almost silent in a defeated tone. He looked at both girls with a lowered head, trying to make out their expression through a blur. “He’ll be back soon… that thing… won’t hold him for long…”
Tori voiced her protests at the knight’s decision, and while the lieutenant resisted at first, waiting any longer could cause them all their lives. There was no negotiating with Loki, and they could do nothing but prepare their escape. Claire quickly moved to check on Scott’s well-being, who assisted her in carrying Eric’s unconscious body back into the truck. All ready to leave, the lieutenant returned to the dying knight to offer her assistance a second time—ready to give it her all just to keep the man alive.
Her offer was met by the Loki’s stern protests, closing his mind to any suggestions that Claire could offer. As he had predicted before, King eventually remerged from within the fog—a wide bleeding hole in his heart. Unlike before, he now carried the gigantic azure sword in his hands, its radiating energy combining with the intense crimson glow of the daemon’s spectral eyes.
“Are you sure about this?”
“I am the knight… here…” replied Loki, turning to look at Tori from over his shoulder. She looked at him with great concern, a gleam that he chose to forget through decades of rigid combat, one that reminded him of the true value of the tile he carried with pride. “It’s my job…” he told Claire, pushing her aside to redirect her towards the truck.
“Right, I’ll… I’ll leave some assistance behind…”
Running back to her team, Claire hopped on the truck in a hurry while keeping her ambers on the gladean knight’s back. “Good luck…” she told him, proceeding to knock on the vehicle’s window to signal their leave to Scott.
“Mister knight?” Tori called out to him one last time.
“Loki…” he told her. “Just call me… Loki.”
END OF CHAPTER
