The hulking figure stepped calmly toward Damien, a mischievous smirk growing on his face. This ex-military operative was different than the one Damien had faced before, but he too, carried himself with the same air of arrogant certainty that had easily defeated Damien before. It was the unquestionable swagger of someone who’d triumphed over countless battles.

Even though the pirates had assaulted the facility by surprise, this guard didn’t seem troubled in the least. Instead, a bemused look grew on his face as he finally broke the silence. “I’m guessing you guys are the ones behind all this chaos. I dunno what trick you pulled to freeze us all back there, but I sure don’t appreciate it. On the other hand, it’s about time we had a little fun around here.”

The mercenary grabbed the hilt sticking out behind his back, and swung a wide sword over his head, aiming the tip straight at Damien. Jagged edges ran along the black blade and met up at the center in the shape of a lightning bolt. Streaks of yellow ran along from the length of the sword, similar to the red and black streaks on Damien’s own katana; the mark of a weapon that was far from regular.

Damien took a deep breath as he pushed out any doubts of victory from his mind. As much as he wanted to exact revenge for his previous defeat, the sight of this opponent brought back bitter memories of the failed battle, as well as the unpleasant aftermath. A part of him wanted to avoid the battle entirely, but he knew he couldn’t do it.

Unlike last time, he was in enemy territory with nowhere to run off to if things went bad. And even if he could run, there was no way he’d let down his new friends. The very thought of betrayal didn’t last for more than a second. It was his job to keep anyone from reaching Kat, and as much as the uncertainty of this situation plagued him, he wouldn’t let anyone get near her in her current, vulnerable state.

He steeled himself in preparation for battle. This one may be different, but I have to get revenge all the same, he told himself. With my new gear, I might have a chance.

Feeling somewhat hesitant by the opponent’s confident demeanor, Damien lunged forward. The ex-military easily sidestepped the initial attack and swung his own blade in a wide arc. Without thinking, Damien moved to defended himself by blocking the black blade with the edge of his own weapon. Instantly, a jolt of pain ran through every inch of his body as his grip on the hilt of his katana was pushed to the limit from the force of the impact.

A small notification popped up in the corner of his vision.

Electrical Damage

HP: -7

Before Damien could react to the small warning, another black and yellow slash came his way. Again he instinctively deflected it, and again the flash of pain jolted through him, dropping his HP by another 7 points. He darted backwards, gaining some distance to gather his thoughts and compose himself.

That Volt Blade must have the ability to send electrical charges through anything it makes contact with, meaning that I can’t keep matching him blow for blow. Not only that, it feels like he’s faster than the previous ex-military I fought… He has the upper hand in melee combat.

The mercenary took the offensive, closing the distance and swinging his wide sword in a barrage of vicious slashes. Damien skirted around each of them, narrowly avoiding the electric blade as he waited for an opening. Finally, he found one, and he countered with an overhead slash of his own. The enemy drove his sword upward, bringing the streaked-blades in contact once again, and sending another shock through Damien’s body and lowering his HP by another 7 points.

Damien cursed at the advantage the lightning blade gave his opponent. We could evade the enemy’s attacks, but his own strikes could still be blocked, and he’d be the one taking damage.

Distracted by his frustration, the ex-military was able to sneak into Damien’s guard and deliver a sweeping blow to his side. Damien bent his elbow and moved his arm to block the attack, letting the Volt Blade clash into his armor.

Electrical Damage

HP: -7

Armor Rating: -18%

As the follow-through of the attack continued to clash with his arm, Damien retaliated by swinging his own sword into the exposed side of the enemy. The red edge of his blade cut through the skin and into the ex-military’s sub-dermal armor, but it didn’t get very far.

A heavy palm slammed into Damien’s chest, knocking him back a few feet. He recovered quickly and scanned his opponent to find that his attack had only dropped the mercenary’s armor rating by 5%. He cursed again under his breath.

Even with the armor penetration from my new katana, that’s the best I can do? Just how strong is stage 3 armor? These guys are like walking tanks…

“That’s all you got?” the mercenary asked as he stepped forward once again, the grin on his face showing that he was enjoying the fight. “You’re gonna have to do better than that.”

Distant shouting rang out around them, the echoes arriving to Damien’s ears through the tunnels. Due to his concentration on the single enemy before him, he had forgotten about all the other chaos within the research facility. This realization reminded him of his goal for this mission.

I don’t have to defeat him, I just have to stall and keep him occupied, he mused.

The mercenary charged once again and let out a savage swing. Reflexively, Damien ducked under the strike and rolled into a defensive crouch. Another set of slashes came at him, but just like before, he danced around them and skirted backwards, inviting more attacks. This was his new plan: lure the enemy towards the inner ring and away from the control room.

It sounded good at first, but he quickly realized that the echoed voices were coming from the inner ring. Go too far, and he may get surrounded by enemies. Without the Blizzard active to freeze all the guards, he’d certainly be overpowered. But it was a risk he had to take for the sake of the mission, Damien decided, and he continued with his evasive plan.

After a few more failed attacks the ex-military stopped, then let his weapon fall to his side. The smirk had disappeared from his face, and in its place came a look of disappointment. “Not gonna bite, huh? That’s no fun. Guess I’ll find the other one that was with you.” He turned around and took off toward the control room.

Damien’s heart dropped. This person had seen that Kat was running with him earlier. Did that mean that the mercenary was going to look for her? The echoed voices from behind grew much louder; they weren’t too far behind. Gritting his teeth, he followed after his target.

Thoughts raced through Damien’s head as he rushed to close the distance and capture the mercenary’s attention once again. He’d already lost more than a quarter of his HP, and as far as he could tell, he had no way of defeating this opponent. As long as his attacks were blocked, he’d be the one taking damage. But he couldn’t simply avoid the enemy anymore, either. He had to think of something, and quick.

As Damien caught up to the ex-military, he remembered the two most recent abilities he’d unlocked. The talent, Backstab, and the skill, Tempest Flurry. The first allowed him to do more damage by attacking an enemy from the rear, and the second was a powerful but risky attack that would deplete virtually all of his stamina. If he could combine them, would they be enough to get through stage 3 sub-dermal armor, he wondered.

It would be incredibly risky… he thought to himself. Too risky.

The mercenary caught sight of Damien and turned to face him once again. “Oh, you’re following me? You’re not gonna waste my time and fight back this time?”

Damien nodded as he decided on his new plan. He had to outmaneuver his opponent and strike from the rear. Combined with the thermal capabilities of his new weapon, that might be enough to actually damage his opponent. But he couldn’t make his plan obvious.

The ex-military lunged at Damien once again. “Let’s see what you got!”

Damien stood firm, letting the black and yellow blade crash into his midsection. The impact tore violently into the armor, chipping a large section off and launching Damien to the side.

Electrical Damage

HP: -7

Armor Rating: -24%

Torso: -4%

Damien ignored the searing pain and worked with his momentum to swoop around the mercenary, catching the large man off guard. He activated the Thermal Cell on his katana, and an fiery orange lit up the edge. His weapon blurred in a streak of red and orange as it cut into the enemy’s back, and a notification appeared swiftly afterward.

Backstab Bonus!

Lethality: +1

A scan of the enemy revealed how much damage the attack had done, and a look of disbelief crossed Damien’s face as his heart dropped once again. Even with the combination of the Thermal Cell and the Backstab bonus, he’d only damaged the stage 3 sub-dermal armor by 9%.

That settles it, I’ve only get one option left… Damien thought in resignation as his opponent prepared to strike once again.

He’d already used up 8% of his stamina on the assault so far. Using Tempest Flurry would leave his body with virtually no fuel, meaning that he’d have no more combat use after this. It was his final play, and he had to make it count.

Gritting his teeth and praying that his ace in the hole would be enough, Damien charged at his opponent. He feinted to his left and then cut in to the right, motioning for a wild, upward swing. Caught slightly off guard, the mercenary wound up his blade and brought it crashing down in a fast overhead strike. Damien rolled out of the way as the black blade slammed down into the ground. He lunged around to the opponent’s rear.

With a desperate will, he activated Tempest Flurry, and relinquished control of his body. His arms moved in a whirlwind of vicious swings, the ferocity of which caught him completely off guard. A dance of blazing red and orange flashed before his eyes, each strike cutting deeper and deeper into the ex-military’s body, until finally, the savage barrage ended, and his opponent fell limply to the floor.

Damien’s breath escaped him as control of his body returned to him, and the realization of what he’d just seen slowly sank in. It had worked. He’d actually killed an ex-military. He went to take a deep breath, when another notification popped up.

Warning!

2% Stamina remaining!

Physical actions severely limited!

He went to take a much needed deep breath, but he found that it did not come easily. That’s when he started to feel the consequences of his desperate actions.