Chapter 90

  A Blunted Chance

  The world seemed to fold in and compress itself around me, as all existence became one straight tunnel. A tunnel that allowed me to surge forward and strike deeply at the monster rising up before me. Rising to strike at Luna’s unsuspecting backside.

  There is just one problem, my movement attracts Luna’s attention causing her to focus on me, and not the monster crawling up from her backside. As I’m running, I know there is an issue, as my eyes pick up what has to be a second Luna. A Luna who never moved and stayed standing still next to Mr. Yi.

  Yet, I am already committed to this strike, to this attack. That’s when disaster strikes, for the monster that had been rising up within Luna’s ringside shadow strikes with supernatural speed and precision. Long razor-sharp fingers rake out and claw at Luna’s unsuspecting backside. This is when the true miracle happens.

  My greatest fear, the idea of Luna being struck down from behind like all the others horrifies me, causing my mind to not fully think and react versus act.

  As it turns out, it was a trap, one that not only caught the rising Death Eater, but also caught me and my irrational fear of anything happening to Luna. As the illusion breaks, so too does the odd sensation of the world around me that seemed to shift and force me into a long tunnel. There is almost a shattering effect as the rest of the world around me to open wide and reveal that the other members of the team who I thought were just standing around have all moved and are in fact acting. That’s how I apparently missed the signs. Signs like why Luna would do something so stupid as walk to the edge of the ring and glance over, knowing that her shadow would be right there for a shadow monster to travel up and attack. Then the added stupidity of turning her back on such a monstrous opponent.

  My mind is barely able to take in the subtle effects of an illusion shattering around me. An illusion that was so subtle that it was hard for my mind to distinguish, particularly for the first time seeing one done to such a massive scale.

  Deafening shots race past my left ear. Markan true to form, is already opening up fire, for once Luna is sliced at, the illusion that had been so carefully woven together suddenly shatters. With the shattering of Luna’s illusion, the shadow, which I’m guessing was also an illusion also breaks, forcing the monster up for all to see and strike at. This is why Markan is already firing waves of precise shots forward at the monster, striking it and causing it to rock back from the supercharged impact.

  Markan had been waiting for this exact moment apparently, the entire team had, which would explain why no one other than me charged forward to help Luna. Still, I was already committed to the attack. From the corner of my eye, I could see Mr. Yi even now coming forward to help, his own blade glowing a solid golden hue. However, the assistance will come far too late, at least it will come after the monster that appears to be still stunned from magically enhanced bullets will recover quickly. That’s when I begin to slash and slice my way through the monster.

  With movements that seem to be far more fluid than I can imagine, I aim for a dark indention. A spot where I know one of Markan’s bullets clearly landed. They landed with enough force to cause the monster to lose its balance and lean back and caused a noticeable dent in the flowing black cloak that covers its body, but little else.

  Still, it is a dent, a known area that might be hurt, which is why I purposefully aim for that exact spot with my own blade. For a moment the world seems to stop, as I continue to charge, arms extended and braced for impact as continue with my initial stupid idea of impaling the monster on my extended sword tip. To my defense the blade itself is a blunted practice blade that seems to be made of dense stone like materials that are specifically made for collecting and absorbing energy. Leaving the odd triangular point at the end as the only real threat, which is why I am using that tip now as my main focal point for this attack.

  Yet, the creature is fast. Far faster than it should have any right to be. Which makes sense given that it can apparently move at the speed of shadows, or in layman’s terms, it can recover and move faster than me.

  Clang. A sharp jolt of pain rockets up my arms, as I feel my momentum carrying me forward, only to be halted. Well the blade was halted, as my legs continued to kick forward, resulting in possibly the most embarrassing moment of my fighting career. Even more embarrassing than the moment I got eaten by a giant serpent. This time I charged forward, the blade stopped as it was grabbed and forcefully stopped in mid-air by one cloak covered hand. As my body continued to charge forward, I felt the moment of impact as my stomach and diaphragm ended up crashing into the hilt of my practice sword, causing me to lurch forward a step.

  That’s when something odd happened. The cloak covered hand that had been holding the extended blade began to bubble and sizzle away. As the cloak faded, the golden boney fingers of the underlying monster appeared, yet they were being rotted and healed simultaneously. It was only the force of my body impacting the blade that caused cracking along finger bones to appear and split apart. The grip that had been like crashing into a mountain earlier, began to buckle and break. Then next thing I knew, my momentum was still pushing me forward, even as I was slumping to the ground.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Yet, my impact was enough to force the monster that had been at the edge of the ring to drop, its body crumpling inward and through the ropes. During this mad fall, I made the mistake of looking up, trying to lock gazes with the monster. That’s when I saw its possessive glowing green eyes burning and staring intently at the green glowing blade. Looking into those eyes, I saw what had to be a mindless hunger taking over its now mostly visible features, a sign that the thick black cloak that had shrouded the beast was now melting away faster than it could be repaired.

  That look of hunger was the beast’s and my own undoing, as it reached up with its undamaged left hand, desperately clawing at the blade. Only to have the same burning, healing, and crackling effect take place. It was a monster driven solely for the lust of owning this blade. Looking down, I could see why the faint green light of life energy permeated this blade, making it appear to be too irresistible. Like a moth drawn to the glowing blue light of a bug zapper, this creature was adamant in taking this blade from me.

  Unfortunately, I should have let the blade go, taken the loss, and let the blade burn away the monster as much as possible. However, I couldn’t let go. My hands, my conditioning told me to hang onto my blade, that holding the blade meant life. By giving up the blade I would be defenseless. That’s how I too ended up being pulled down by the monster over the side of the ring and into the unknown.

  Fear gripped me, as I felt that pit in my stomach violently lurch upward and then twist as my body began to tumble and fall down into the waiting arms of a monster.

  Still this was my one chance, even with brittle and broken fingers, the monster, this Death Eater raised its arms up to desperately grab at the sword. Grabbing it and hungrily opening its mouth to try to bite at the weapon. As it does, I help, shifting the point of the blade up so that it focuses directly on the monster’s mouth.

  The monster lands with a light thud, as the shadows impact the ground and cushion its fall, yet it never loses focus for a second as bright green eyes are forever locked onto the blade. That’s when I shift my weight backwards, towards the ring, forcing the blade to move diagonally towards the beast’s skull, away from the vast and endless abyss that is its mouth, and towards those haunting green eyes that send chills down my spine the more I continue to stare at them.

  The entire act takes a fraction of a second, but feels like a lifetime, as in my lifetime is being determined by these last few actions. Then it is my turn to crash into the ground. . .

  ***

  (Markan)

  Chills.

  It is one thing to hear a prophecy and reverse engineer the pieces back so that they all make sense. But to be told the exact sequence of events, and witness them firsthand is entirely different.

  Everything was just as the General said. Everything from giving the Apprentice the old war relic sword, a sword that was too big and bulky to be of any use. Especially as its blunted blade made it little more than a bludgeoning item to most. Yet, the general had sworn that the greatest hero to ever live had used that sword in combat. A hero that saved even the general countless times.

  When Markan first heard of how many resources they were using on the apprentice, he thought the general had gone mad. Desperation caused by her wanting to pass on the torch of ability to the next generation. An old oath she swore to those that came before. While there had been many attempts since then, few had panned out. The most recent failure to be forced was Ithica, a girl who had marginal talent, but nowhere near the speed or experience that Madame Bloom required. Ultimately burning her out due to wanting too much from her.

  Now though, now he was seeing firsthand what the type of drive and perseverance that Madame Bloom required from a future successor. Watching the girl go, Markan could only sit back and wonder exactly what drove this fearless girl. Charging forward to take out a Death Eater by herself, knowing that it would be held hostage by an illusion.

  Truth be told, Markan felt his own body held tight with fear. Then again, he had always hesitated when it came to the start of battle. Not that he would ever shy away from a fight, but that he always needed a second more to react, especially when staring down a Death Eater. Yet, this girl had no fear in her at all, recklessly charging forward like she had a vendetta against these creatures. That type of rage, that immediate cause for action, it was inspiring.

  “NO! Stop!” Lucia and Luna both yelled out, but it didn’t matter that girl was already charging forward. Mr. Yi was already running forward, but he was well behind the girl who was using some type ghost step, or movement increasing Skill, as if she couldn’t wait to get close to the monster. A monster who already had half a dozen or so deaths to its name already.

  Given a second to adjust his heart and realize that he too needed to join the battle, Markan also began to move. Pulling out his pistols, Markan took aim and stepped to his left twice, getting a wider angle towards the beast that would go around the recklessly charging girl. Pop-pop. Two quick shots fired from his pistols, the sound dampened due to the speed of events unfolding around him. In a fraction of a second his shots erupted onto the torso of the beast, which was all the General’s protégé needed, for she used that moment of impact to strike on her own. Hitting so hard that she tried to impale the monster over trying to slice through the beast. Which made sense given what blade they had actually given the apprentice. A blade that was a true heirloom of the DiVoratore family line. A blade that General Bloom refused to give to the current house members of the DiVoratore family. For a moment, it seemed that she would rather the blade collect dust in the attic. That was until the general made Markan spend half the night rummaging through the old boxes and war relics until he finally found the blade. A blade that now glowed with its signature three glowing hues of power.

  A blade that had now found its way back home once more.

  Markan watched as the glowing blade pierced through the Death Eater. A monster so powerful and feared that everyone seemed to forget that they were little more than barely constrained feral beasts. Beasts drawn to the light of life, which was why the true members of the DiVoratore family line were so prominent. While Markan had heard the stories, about how the monsters would literally rip themselves apart trying to grab at the sacred thrice coated blade, he always assumed the General had been waxing poetic. Overly dramatizing the capabilities of the person who she said single handedly saved her life multiple times.

  Yet, watching a direct true blood ancestor of the DiVoratore line wield the sacred blade as described, and seeing its immediate effects, Markan was a believer.

  Even watching as a reckless conviction propelled the DiVoratore ancestor through the roping and over the side of the ring, Markan was a believer. As the two fell in a tangled heap, Markan could only hold his breath at what he was seeing. As a tangle of dark shadow and cloth covered limbs fell to the ground, Markan knew.

  There was a crisp thump, a slight pause, and finally an explosion of glowing green light erupted. Letting Markan know that it was all as the General had described.