Chapter 15 - Devourer of Souls Part II

Author's notes: I ask your kind forgiveness. I posted an earlier version but omitted an important plot point. I had no choice but to take it down. I apologize if you've read the previous version. I hope you enjoy this one even better!

“Mommy.. hungry..”

I swallowed a groan and instead let out a sigh as I resigned myself to Shia’s constant whining. I could understand that it was only a child, so I couldn’t really get mad at it.

Still, it was driving me crazy. Did I mention I am not good with kids? As in, I’d rather be strung up against a wall facing five overzealous torturers than have to spend a lazy afternoon looking after some slimy, noisy, nosy little kid.

“Mommy..”

If only there was a book that I could feed to Shia without compromising another priceless pearl of knowledge or wisdom. Something utterly useless despite the fact that someone had taken the time and care to leave a meticulous written record of it.

“There there Shia, you shall have an overabundance of delightful written manuscripts and journals for you to sate your appetite on. Just bear with it for a while longer,” Zephyr murmured consolingly.

And just like that, I had it. Rid the world of an artifact of incomparable evil, and feed the needy children of the world. That’s what I call efficiency.

“Zephyr, might I have a word?”

“Of course, Lord Seth.”

“I’d like to compare some of the figures from your sales last year in the region of Iria. There are some concerns I’d like to address,” I continued jovially, patting Zephyr on the shoulder.

The priest-turned-merchant’s expression immediately brightened. “Why, it would be my pleasure, Lord Seth. I am particularly proud of the many hapless souls I was able to succor in Iria. Why, if you will look at this tally column here, you can clearly distinguish the sore need for..”

Not one to let easy prey slip away, I pounced on the ledger book Zephyr held out and snatched it from his hands.

“Why, this is indeed very interesting..” I murmured while pacing towards Shia. Just a few more steps..

“Ah, I’m glad you are in agreement with me, Lord Seth. Indeed, I had begun to doubt whether I would be able to aid those poor souls in need of..”

I held up a hand and feigned surprise. “Oh, but there is another need which we have neglected thus far. Poor Shia has taken ill and needs immediate sustenance.”

The color drained from Zephyr’s face as he realized the situation. “Eh, but there is already..”

“You would not suggest that we simply watch on as this poor, helpless child suffers while we hold the remedy in our hands?” I asked, raising my voice to convey shock and disappointment.

“Ah, of course not. That will not do. Why, the Lady Arabelle, whose mercies are many, commands us not to withhold what is good from others, should it be within our power to do so,” murmured Zephyr, sighing deeply.

“Really? Are you sure?” I was doing my best not to gloat.

“Yes, Lord Seth. I realize you’ve put me in this position on purpose. Still, I should thank you, for I may have been temporarily blinded by my own selfishness. I should have offered my book of records of my own accord,” confessed Zephyr, his eyes bright with seraphic light.

“Hah? You should?” I repeated, dumbfounded.

Zephyr resolutely nodded to me, so I shrugged and offered the abominable ledger book to Shia.

“Yay, a book! Thank you momm.. EWWW!”

I almost dropped the ledger book in surprise. “What is it? What?”

“Mommy, that’s so gross..”

I must admit I finally felt vindicated. At long last, someone else openly admitted that I had not been exaggerating at all about Zephyr’s book of mercantile sins. It really was pretty terrible. Still, if I didn’t take this opportunity to rid the world of this artifact of evil..

“Now now Shia, be a good girl and eat what mommy gives you,” I cooed gently.

“No! Never!” came the vehement reply. “Mommy hates Shia!”

“Come now, it can’t be that bad. This is a labor of love, my child,” I murmured while placing the ledger book on top of Shia.

“Agh, noooo.. must.. get.. away..” came Shia’s frantic voice. “No.. too weak.. can’t run.. so disgusting.. eww.. nooooooo!”

It was the first time I’d actually seen Shia eat a book. She didn’t have a mouth, of course, but it was almost as though the ledger book were slowly sinking into Shia’s cover. It wasn’t a smooth process by any means. In fact, Shia actually tried to spit it back out several times. Still, I dutifully held the ledger book against Shia until it was all gone.

After the deed was completed, Shia’s color slowly turned a sickly green, and the smiley on the cover conveyed the fact that despite being an artifact of untold magic power, Shia could indeed feel very sick. Even the lines were squiggly and smudgy.

DX

“Aw Shia, it was all for you. You’ll thank me when you get all grown up,” I said soothingly, beginning to feel just a little guilty.

Gagging noises were all the response I got. Zephyr stood to one side with his brow furrowed in concentration. Perhaps he was finally realizing the depth and breadth of his sins. Repent, ye sinner!

“Mommy hates.. argh.. Shia..” came the tremulous voice from the book.

Alright, I may be a mean bastard at times, but that doesn’t mean I’m completely heartless. Case in point, I began to feel pretty terrible about forcing the ledger book on Shia. I mean, I’d thought a book would be a book, and I hadn’t considered that it would be quite so disturbing and traumatizing an experience for the little one.

“Mommy wants to kill Shia..” came the mournful cry.

Sighing deeply, I rummaged around my pack until I found what I was looking for and dug it out, then extended it to Shia. “Here, in this bundle there are several very detailed maps of the town and its surrounding areas that I had considerable difficulty in obtai..”

*CHOMP*

The little brat.. its cover actually opened wide, then jumped up from the ledge I’d laid it on, and closed its pages on the precious maps I’d been saving for our expedition. I barely extracted my hand in time, and stared as the book’s cover rippled and swayed while loud chewing sounds could be heard.

“Mmmm! Yummy! Thanks mommy!” came Shia’s cheerful voice, dapper as ever.

I scowled at the book and focused on several very dark thoughts, but Zephyr slapped me on the shoulder as he chuckled genially.

“Why, Lord Seth, I do believe I begin to see a distinct resemblance..” Zephyr quipped.

“Don’t even go there,” I warned.

Zephyr just laughed and held up his hands in front of his chest. “Just thought you might wish to reconsider the matter of dubious paternity. Or shall we say, maternity?”

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” I intoned in a flat monotone. “Goes to teach me..”

I left the rest unsaid as a child dashed around the corner and almost bowled me over.

“Whoa, hold up there,” I cried, while holding the kid at arm’s length. It was Kyren! He was covered in sweat and could barely get a word out while he struggled to catch his breath. “What’s going on?”

“Reaver.. Sol.. Market..” the boy panted.

“Tarik!” I finished, and cursed loudly. Of course, what had I been thinking. I should have known better than to send Sol and Reaver by themselves. Tarik had probably posted men at the market to watch for them.

Buckling on my sword and dagger, I nodded to the youth. “Where and how many are they?”

“By the Weaver’s Well.. Reaver trapped in net, Sol caught.. three men, but more on the way..”

So, they’d finally wised up and decided to arm themselves properly. Of all the times for them to start using their brains, this was the worst.

I nodded to Kyren and patted his shoulder. “I know you’re tired, but I need you to guide me to the closest location where we can intercept them. They will be heading back to Tarik’s place.”

The boy nodded but was still struggling to breathe.

“Zephyr, we might need the authorities to get involved in this. It’s a little early, but I can call in a favor from Watcher Vyse. Get some guards, go to Tarik’s and make your way to the Well so we can cover all bases,” I asked my partner.

“Of course, Lord Seth,” Zephyr nodded. “I will bring them to the Weaver’s Well with all due haste.”

“Mommy, the closest vector to intercept the baddies will be at the intersection of Artisan’s Way and Tumbler Alley in approximately eleven and a half minutes, with a 45 second margin of error.”

We all stopped on our tracks and stared at Shia.

“What? How did you get that?” I asked, unable to quite believe my ears.

“Shia can calculate the rough towing speed of three adult men under a combined load of 312 pounds based on uncle Zephyr notes on his.. bleh, thing. Using the city map Shia put together while moving with mommy and integrating it with the yummy map mommy fed Shia, Shia can extrapolate their approximate position if they move in a straight line to the bad man’s house.”

“Huh,” was the only possible answer I could find in that situation.

“Shia told mommy Shia was smart!” came the bright reply, full of pride.

“Well, no kidding,” I agreed. “Hell of a lot smarter than your old man. Alright Shia, can you guide me to that interception point?”

“Yay! Of course! Shia will help mommy punish the baddies!” chirped the excited book-turned-supercomputer as I gingerly picked her up and tried to accommodate her bulk in a one-handed grip. That is, until the book shrank in size until it fit comfortably within the palm of my hand. The smiley on Shia’s cover was just the cherry on top of the cake.

; ]

The cheeky kid, hahah.

“This is beyond all expectations, Lord Seth,” mumbled Zephyr, with a dazed look in his eyes.

“Hey, save the kids first, gawk in wonder later,” I pressed.

“Ah, yes. Of course, Lord Seth. Then where shall I..?” Zephyr trailed off.

“Shia?”

“The nearest guard post is located at the Well of Haman, near the basket weavers. It will take uncle Zephyr 8 minutes to reach with his running speed and an additional 10 minutes to reach the interception point,” came Shia’s automatic reply.

“Well done, Shia,” I congratulated my daughter.

“Yay, is mommy proud?”

“Hell yes I’m proud,” I answered enthusiastically, then chuckled ruefully as Shia’s cover turned a deep pink shade.

I could really get used to having her around.

"How about.. me?" Panted Kyren.

I looked at his shaking legs, and shook my head. "You'd be more of a liability the way you are now. You'll be the backup plan. Gather some of your gang and follow as soon as you can."

"No, I can do it!" Kyren cried out, and tried to stand, but the adrenaline had worn off and his trembling legs wouldn't hold him up.

"You did good kid, now let me show you how it's done."

Kyren uttered some expletives I didn't even know they had here in Aeterna, much less the kind a kid should be using, but he nodded.

"Please, you must save Sol!" Kyren cried out to me, and the vehemence in his tone gave me pause.

Huh? I thought they had some sort of rivalry there..? No matter.

Nodding to all my companions, we quickly set off in our rescue mission.

***

“How much.. farther..?” I wheezed, wiping more sweat off my brow.

“Just three more minutes. You can do it mommy!” Shia cheered me on.

“Agh, damn useless.. huff.. body..”

“You should exercise more often, mommy..” came Shia’s concerned observation.

“I don’t want to hear that from you. When’s the last time you had to run?”

“Shia has mommy for that,” came the chipper reply.

“Of course,” I grumbled, then changed the tack of the conversation. “Any suggestions on how to deal with Tarik’s men?”

“Sorry mommy, Shia doesn’t know much about fighting. Uncle Zephyr rather abhorred any such inclinations of the baser side of humanity.”

“Hah. Here’s another question. Why do you talk like Zephyr, on and off?”

“Shia can use everything she learns,” Shia replied, then went on in a more subdued tone. “Does.. mommy not like that?”

“No, no, I’m happy Shia.. err.. you are learning so quickly. I’m proud of you,” I added quickly.

“Thank you mommy,” Shia murmured, and I didn’t have to look down to see the book was turning pink again.

“Shia, can you describe the layout of the place where we will.. Whoa!” I cried out as a miniature hologram sprang to life directly in front of me. Suddenly, the alley I had been traversing vanished as it was overlaid with the grainy image of a completely different street. I almost ran into a discarded crate until I realized it wasn’t part of the image being projected by Shia.

“You.. you can do that?” I stammered.

“Mm-hmm,” Shia almost purred. “Shia can perfectly recall anything Shia eats, sees or hears.”

“Amazing,” I breathed, and the picture of the alley lost focus for a moment as the edges began to bleed with a pink afterglow.

Coughing to mask my laughter, I was slowly able to reconcile the task of running through an unknown alley while taking in the details of a completely different place.

“ETA?” I asked casually.

“Huh?”

“Estimated..”

“Time of Arrival,” Finished Shia for me. Clever girl. “Two minutes fifteen seconds mommy, though your speed has been drastically declining for the past minute and thirty five seconds. We will fall outside of the error margin at this pace.”

I cursed loudly as I picked up the pace. What use would I be if I arrived too tired to do anything? For that matter, would I be able to fight them off in my current condition? I’d already made a fool of myself against these men. I would not be able to intimidate them. Nor would I stand a reasonably good chance of defeating them.

True, I didn’t need to defeat them. I merely needed to stall for time. However, I was tired of being the mouse, turning tail and running away from the cat. Just because I could use my brain didn't mean I wouldn't much rather use my brawn to simply smash things to a pulp from time to time.

Or, slice and dice, I noted, stroking the hilt of both my new blades. If only I could fight them one on one, fight on ground of my choosing, on my own terms. Then a thought sprang into my head.

“Shia, can you pan up the view so I can see it from above?”

The angle shifted accordingly. Excellent, this could work.

***

“Damn beast is heavy. Why can’t we just kill it here?” grumbled one of the men.

“Because Tarik said to bring it back alive,” muttered the man who was toiling beside him. On their shoulders they bore the ends of a long wooden pole that had been looped through the top of the net. “Something about bait.”

“We should have just killed that foreigner while we had the chance,” complained the third man, who was carrying a neatly trussed up Sol on his shoulder. He also bore Sol’s giant sword, “Malky”, strapped across his back.

“Just a little further..” I whispered, watching their progress as they walked up the deserted alley. It stood to reason that they’d try to avoid crowds, as what they were doing was not only illegal, but very risky in light of what had happened just one day ago. Apparently, Tarik and his men were a lot more foolhardy and temperamental than I’d expected. I tucked away that information to use another day.

“How come you get the brat?” complained one of the men hauling Reaver.

That’s it, just a couple more steps and.. Now, shove!

“Because Tarik put me in command, and..” The rest of the predictable explanation would never be heard, because a brick half the size of a melon smacked him right on the forehead. I noted some red numbers I hadn’t noticed before pop up on top of his head.

*TTIRING*

Surprise Attack Success!Your surprise attack succeeds and deals critical damage!Damage Dealt:25

*TTIRING*

Status Effect Success!You have successfully applied the status effect: KO on your targetDuration:2 mins

Accordingly, I saw a red flashing number on top of his head. Holy crap that’s a heavy rock! The poor devil didn’t even make a sound as his eyes rolled up and he crumpled to the ground. Sol tumbled to the ground as well, but at least he was out their immediate of reach for now.

“Zehad!” cried one of the men, drawing his sword and rushing towards his fallen leader, while the other snarled some rather colorful curses as he scanned the area around him, hand on the hilt of his sword. Thankfully, the leader had been walking behind the other two men, so they had no idea what had just hit him. Which is why I had high hopes for missile number two.

I waited until he knelt beside his downed leader, then let go of my other hastily prepared projectile. I wasn’t quite so fortunate this time, as the brick bounced off his shoulder instead of his skull. It still produced a satisfying THUD, accompanied by a scream of pain.

*TTIRING*

Surprise Attack Success!Your surprise attack succeeds and deals critical damage!Damage Dealt:15

Third time’s the charm, and since I had run out of things to throw down, I jumped over the railing of the rooftop I was in, half-spinning in the air to slash my dagger across his undefended eyes while he was still clutching at his injured shoulder.

Ideally, I would have liked to down at least two of them before engaging them in hand to hand combat. However, after some quick testing I’d discovered that my current body couldn’t aim for crap. I literally couldn’t hit a human head-sized target with a rock while standing ten feet away. That only left dropping a heavy load directly down from a great height, such as a roof. No way to miss there. Only apparently I had still managed to do exactly that.

No matter, that had only been the setup for my real attack. Normally, I would have jumped right on top of him and simply driven my dagger down into his spine. A little twist and easy as that, the fight would suddenly be a good old one versus one. However, with this puny body of mine there was simply no way I’d be able to nail the landing. I’d probably end up breaking both legs in exchange of a mildly annoying paper cut.

So instead of making a fool out of myself again, I’d extended a rope I’d found on the way so I would swing in a pendulum off the roof, and use that momentum to deliver a slash with the kind of speed and momentum I was no longer able to command by myself.

Of course, I didn’t nail the eyes. My hand was simply unable to grip the weapon solidly enough while also swinging from a rope. Also, something was definitely wrong with my aim. In any case, I had also allowed for just such an event. So, instead of slashing his eyes and blinding him, I cut open a decent gash across his forehead and achieved the same end result.

*TTIRING*

Status Effect Success!You have successfully applied the status effect: Blind on your targetDuration:5 secs

Forehead cuts bleed profusely. So much so, that in no time at all you are unable to see anything through the copious blood entering your eyes. Case in point, Tarik’s thug screamed like a stuck pig and started to swing his sword wildly around. Poor cretin, like I’d be stupid enough to get tangled up in that mess.

Instead, I sheathed my dagger and picked up the two bricks I’d used to such good effect.

Encore, anyone?

I did mention my aim at 10 feet out was atrocious. Not so much at 5 feet. Especially when the alley is narrow enough that there’s basically no room to dodge or miss. So, even though it took me two solid throws with all my strength behind them, I managed to nail the second guard right on his pretty little mug and grunted in satisfaction as I saw the numbers on top of his head.

-3

-4

*TTIRING*

Status Effect Success!You have successfully applied the status effect: Dazed on your targetDuration:2 secs

While he was still dazedly trying to orient himself, I drew my sword and drove it straight into his heart, angled so as to avoid the ribs. I was awarded with a red flash as I scored another critical hit.

The poor fellow barely even squeaked as he fell to the ground, blood gurgling between his lips.

*TTIRING*

You have gained 240 xp!

Woa, nice bonus XP since these guys were supposed to be higher level than me. Hah. Easy pickings when I can fight in ground of my choosing.

That left the third thug, who had been frantically trying to get past his blinded partner in order to help. I was ever so grateful I was able to pick the exact place where the alley was narrowest, so as to catch them at a bottleneck. It had been a risky move, since it involved lengthening the pursuit for four minutes, during which Tarik or the guard could arrive.

While I could see myself convincing Watcher Vyse that I’d acted on behalf of Sol and in defense of my own life, I could also see Tarik using his influence and friends to free these scum in no time and stir all kinds of trouble with their “testimony”. Better that these three specimens of the darker side of this little hellhole never saw the light of day again.

“Zephyr’s ETA?” I muttered, drawing my dagger in my other hand.

“Three minutes, give or take thirty seconds,” came Shia’s reply.

I nodded, then advanced on the last remaining thug, who paused to take in his unconscious leader with his head caved in, and his other friend, or rather at the pool of blood that had begun to gather under him. Then he stepped back once, twice, while keeping his nervous eyes on me. I couldn’t believe it would be this easy.

“Now Reaver!” I cried, while looking over his shoulder. Reaver, clever beast that he is, snarled convincingly. The poor cretin bought it.

Of course, Reaver was on the ground, still confined within his net where they’d dropped him. However, the moment the thug took his eyes off me I dashed forward and used my dagger to trap his sword while delivering a vicious slash to the inside of his thigh. There was no flash for a critical hit this time, but that’s not what I had been going for.

*TTIRING*

Status Effect Success!You have successfully applied the status effect: Bleed on your targetDuration:10 secs

A surprised person’s first instinct when attacked will be to protect the head and torso. It’s just naturally ingrained in us, and for a good reason. Most vital points are located there. Most, however, definitely does not mean all. Since protecting some parts means others are neglected, experienced fighters will take full advantage of that.

People like me.

The guard stumbled back with a cry of pain, and lowered his free hand to try to staunch the blood gushing from the wound. While I was satisfied that I’d been able to nail the femoral artery, I was disappointed to see the bleeding effect would only last for 10 seconds. Perhaps the cut had just been too shallow?

No matter, it would be enough. The thug was truly panicking now, and with a few feinted thrusts and slashes, I drove him back until he slipped on his own blood and fell to the ground. Not one to reject a freely offered gift, I deflected the desperate thrust he used to keep me at bay with my dagger, and returned it with a flickering slash to his wrist.

While normally I would have aimed for a finishing blow, my hand was already growing leaden and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep hold of my sword if I swung with too much force. That was the main reason I’d used only feints. I only had a couple more real swings left in my arms. In situations like this, cruel as it may seem, the most efficient way was to aim to disable your target and weaken him enough that you could finish the fight safely.

Now that he was on the ground, and overcome with panic, it was time. I lifted my sword high for the killing blow, when I heard Shia scream, “Above you!”

I was caught completely by surprise, but I instinctively knew that a half-second’s hesitation would cost me dearly. Jumping backward, I barely managed to avoid a deadly slash that would have split my head neatly in half as a shadow landed between myself and my would-be victim.

Glancing up, I saw what I’d feared the most. Tarik’s reinforcements had arrived. The new thug was recovering from his swing and cursing his bad luck, while another man was jumping down a dozen feet behind me.

I was trapped.

“Looks two dead, and one almost there,” the man facing me called out, while sending probing attacks with his sword, which I barely had the stamina left to deflect.

“Let’s finish this and get out of here before the guards get here,” called the man at my back, and I could hear the sound of a sword leaving its scabbard.

“Careful,” my opponent called out. “I heard someone warning him right before I nailed the bastard. He has help.”

The other man cursed as he stopped his progress. I assume he was surveying the alley around him. At least that bought me some time.

Judging from his posture and the way he held his sword, the man I was facing knew what he was doing. This wouldn’t be an easy fight, even if it were a one on one, which it wasn’t because the other man would soon realize no one was helping me and would happily drive a couple inches of steel into my back. If only I’d been able to free Reaver, at the very least.

Too late for regrets now, it was do or die. Gripping my sword with renewed resolve, I feinted a couple times, but he didn’t buy it. On the third, he made me pay for it with a quick stab that almost nailed my hand to the wall. Growling under my breath, I kicked a loose pebble at him, then rushed him in hopes he’d let down his guard. However, he didn’t even flinch as the rock hit him, and swatted my sword aside hard enough that I almost lost my grip on it.

Realizing I was off-balance, he pressed his shoulder against mine and shoved me against the wall, pinning my sword-arm. Just as he drew his own sword back to stab it down at my neck, I headbutted him square on the nose, but there was no real power in the blow and he kicked me away more in surprise than in actual pain. The blow was enough to throw me off my feet and expel all the wind from my lungs.

I crashed against a nearby crate and could only cough desperately as a cloud of flour rose from the bags in it. I grabbed one of the bags and threw it at his head, stalling for time. The man disdainfully blocked the bag with his arm, but I had managed to run the edge of my blade on the bag before throwing it, and the impact tore it wide open.

A flurry of white powder covered the alley, and as I lifted my right hand to protect my eyes, I noticed something unexpected. The glyphs on my hand were pulsing with a deep red glow. Surprised, I backed away blindly and managed to stumble on the body of the man whose heart I’d pierced with my sword.

Abruptly, dark flames swirled around the man’s corpse and were drawn towards the glowing sigils on the back of my hand. Their light grew in intensity the more flames they absorbed, faster and faster until the last of the flames were absorbed and a blinding flash emanated from my hand. At the same time, in my ears I felt a titanic roar, as though a gigantic waterfall were smashing against bedrock hundreds, no thousands of feet below.

I looked up in surprise as a notice box popped up in front of my eyes.

*TTIRING*

You have successfully absorbed the soul of fallen enemy!You have absorbed the soul of an opponent whom you have defeated in battle. Your Soul Points are refilled by one.Soul Points:1 / 5

“Mommy, a soul! Burn it!” came Shia’s urgent call.

“What?”

*TTIRING*

New Skill Acquired: Flame of the SoulboundYou have acquired a Soul, and as one of the Soulbound, you are entitled to burn its power to empower your own.

Utilizing this skill stabilizes the core soul of the Soulbound and grants a boost to different stats depending on the soul consumed.

In addition, certain souls have a chance of unlocking new skills

Restriction:Soulbound only

Burn a soul? Hell, I had nothing to lose.

“Flame of the Soulbound!”

*TTIRING*

You have activated “Flame of the Soulbound”!Strength +5

Agility +3

Constitution +3

Special Skill Acquired: Overkill

Duration:Special

The burning sigils in my hand blazed with newly kindled light as power I beyond all expectation infused every cell of my being. It was as though my body had been frozen in the deepest recesses of winter for all this time, and for the first time a blazing fire had been brought to roaring life in my heart. I felt short of breath as my chest pumped like bellows and my pulse hammered like anvils in my ears. Veins visibly pulsed as liquid fire roared through them, and suddenly I was ready for this.

“Shia, interpose real time location of target enemy over current locale.”

Immediately, the impenetrable cloud of fine powder was gone and the somewhat grainy image of a clear alley with a man blindly retreating while shaking his head back and forth could be seen as clearly as if he were standing right in front of me.

Without pausing to think about it, I deftly drew my dagger and flipped it in the air, then grabbing it by the blade, took aim and let fly with a powerful throw using my whole body as a whip. The image Shia superimposed showed the deadly blade flying straight to its target and striking true, right in his eye.

A dreadful howl could be heard echoing from his lips, but I was already moving and beyond caring. While the man desperately clutched at the bloody dagger driven into his eye, I dashed toward him and leapt to his left. The man heard the sound of my steps and when I took the leap, he let go of his ruined eye socket to blindly swing his sword in the direction of the sound. Sparks flew off his sword as his blow collided against the wall just under my foot. Without stopping, I pushed off the wall and leapt even higher, holding my sword in a two-handed grip. In my mind, I could see the blow before I executed it, the way I had to grip the sword just so, the singular focus to bring it all into this one strike. I cried out as I brought my sword down with all the power I could muster.

*TTIRING*

Special Attack: Overkill Success!By harnessing all your power and explosively focusing it in a single blow, you are able to deal tremendous damage at the sacrifice of greatly increased stamina expenditure and leaving yourself vulnerable to a counter-attack!Damage Dealt:120

*TTIRING*

You have gained 460 xp!

The resulting impact created shockwave that cleared a ring of all powder as my blade neatly cleaved the man in half, starting from his shoulder and coming out at his hip. It was an instant kill. As soon as I landed the blow, I was already withdrawing the sword and turning around calling out, “Shia, track next target.”

In the alley beyond I could see the other man frowning in my direction, no doubt trying to make out the shapes within the fine mist. No need to draw this out any longer than I had to. I retrieved my dagger from the dead man and calmly walked out of the mist, towards my next opponent.

The man blinked as though he couldn’t believe his eyes. “It can’t be! Jaskel, are you there?” He licked his lips anxiously as he shifted the grip on his sword.

“Jaskel’s gone,” I called out while lightly swirling my sword around in one hand, the dagger in the other. It all seemed so easy, when seconds ago I’d barely been able to hang on to them. It was all coming back to me, the supreme rush of confidence, the spike of adrenaline, the intoxicating taste of blood and metal in the air. “Perhaps you’d care to join him.”

“I.. ah..” The man flicked a glance over his shoulder, probably weighing his chances of making a getaway.

“You can try and run,” I nodded to him, as I casually stabbed my sword down into the spine of the man whom I had cut down earlier but could not finish off thanks to these interlopers. “You might even make it, if you want it enough.”

The man could only stare as I experimentally held out my hand towards the body of the man I’d just killed. Obligingly, dark flames sprang to life from the corpse and were rapidly absorbed into my hand, until it was all gone with an audible SWOOSH. I threw my head back and exhaled as if I had just downed a triple shot glass of tequila.

*TTIRING*

You have successfully absorbed the soul of fallen enemy!You have absorbed the soul of an opponent whom you have defeated in battle. Your Soul Points are refilled by one.Soul Points:2 / 5

It was just so invigorating.

“Wh.. what are you?” cried out the man, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

And I finally understood who I was.

“Why, the Deathwalker, of course,” I drawled out, leisurely walking toward him, flicking my blade to one side to clean the blood off. “The Devourer of Souls.”

A few seconds later, he was dead and another mass of dark flames gathered into my hand and hissed quietly as they were absorbed.

***

In the end, I absorbed a total of 5 souls, all the men I’d killed in that dark alleyway. Light smoke still swirled from my hand, and on its back there were now five glowing circles of sigils slowly spinning in place, four clockwise and counterclockwise. I didn’t know what it meant, and Shia had been strangely silent for a while now.

“Shia?”

“Mommy?” came the somewhat hesitant voice.

“Are you.. alright?”

“Shia’s glad mommy is not hurt but..” Shia began, but trailed off.

“Did the fight scare you?”

“Only because I was afraid mommy would get hurt!” exclaimed Shia.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“...”

“Is it because of.. because I took their souls?”

“...”

“I thought you wanted me to burn that soul.”

“What is a soul?,” came unexpected question.

“I don’t know.”

“What happened to those men?”

“I don’t know.”

“Will mommy be alright?”

“I’m not sure.”

“But you will keep using them,” Shia continued, more a statement than a question.

“I will. Look Shia, I wish I could consider options and have all the answers before choosing my path, but that’s a luxury I’ve never had. I can only move forward and deal with everything else as it comes, one step at a time.”

“...”

“Shia?”

“Shia trusts mommy,” came the firm reply, and that was that.

Just as I’d finished rolling a piece of cloth around my hand to conceal its glow, I heard steps quickly approaching from the alley’s entrance along with voices I recognized. I promptly searched the bodies, leaving the cheap weapons for the guard to find, although I did keep Jaskel’s sword - that one was of a whole different class from the others. I still had an image to maintain, though looking at the mangled corpses at my feet, it’d be hard to explain that I truly had not been intentionally playing with my prey.

I found a few coins, but what truly interested me was a note I found on the man named Jaskel. I studied it for a moment, then put it in my pocket. This would come in handy. I turned around just in time.

“Lord Seth!” cried Zephyr as he saw me covered in blood.

“I’m fine,” I assured him, moving towards Sol. He was still unconscious, but other than a big lump on his head he seemed fine. “See to Sol, if you would.”

Zephyr quickly complied. As soon as I freed Reaver, he rushed over to Sol’s side - not without first giving me yet another of those damn slobbering kisses, of course.

Catching a thoughtful hum behind me, I turned around to find Vyse and his men stepping into the alley. I nodded my greeting to Watcher Vyse, who examined the scene with a professional’s eye.

“Perhaps you are as deadly as the word on the street says,” Vyse commented, bending down to examine one of the bodies. “Clean cut to the femoral artery. Very precise. I’m impressed.”

“Stroke of luck, as it was almost too shallow,” I replied, shrugging off the compliment. “As you can see, I was acting..”

“On behalf of the little ones, and in defense of your life. Yes, I can see that,” Vyse interrupted. Then he turned to look at me in the eye. “As to whether the men in Tarik’s pocket will agree, now that is a matter of debate.”

I let out an exhausted breath. “Thank you, Vyse. We’d planned to be gone this morning.”

Vyse shrugged. “We do what we can, my friend. I wish there was more..”

I quickly shook my head. “It is more than enough. I just need time. In a week’s time, I hope to put an end to Tarik’s schemes once and for all.”

Vyse’s eyebrows shot up. “That’d be quite a deed, if you could manage it. The whole town would sleep a little easier for it, too. However, don’t underestimate Tarik. These men were just street scum, wearing rags and wielding rusty scrap metal. He has plenty more where these came from. He will be ready next time, and it will be his enforcers you will face then. Deadly men, who spill blood like water from a well, equipped with the best Tarik can afford.”

I nodded to Vyse. “I will take your words to heart. However, he’s not the only one who will be ready.”

Vyse looked around the scene of the carnage, and let out a dubious laugh. “If this is you unprepared, then truly I feel pity for Tarik and his men.”

I shook my head ruefully while Vyse offered me his hand.

“A few days, you say?” whispered Vyse.

“One way or another, this ends in one week,” I repeated, then clasped his hand in mine. “Count on it.”

“Why all this bad blood, if you don’t mind the question?” Vyse asked as I turned around to leave.

I paused for a moment before answering over my shoulder, while tapping the pocket where I’d put Shia. "Because eventually, everyone has something they must protect at the cost of all else."

"..."

“Besides, the bastard stole a kiss from my daughter.”

"Mommy can be kinda scary sometimes.." came Shia's soft voice from within my pocket. "But Shia will protect mommy!"

I ignored Vyse’s puzzled expression as I headed for the exit, laughing the whole way.