I was in the room filled with cylindrical mechanisms. However, before I could do anything, I began to suffocate as if being strangled. I heard Echo’s voice say, “Warning, warrior. Where you are currently at is a restricted area. You cannot be here. Please, leave this area immediately or you will be executed.”
My vision was darkening very quickly, and I could barely breathe. I had to get back as soon as possible. I spun around and ran through the wall back into the corridor.
Vlad stood at the same spot, staring at the wall. When he saw me burst back into the corridor, he exclaimed, “Wow. I didn’t know you could do that, Davey.”
At this moment, my Ultimate Ability got disabled. Vlad wasted no time opening fire on me.
I used my Active Ability to blink farther down the corridor and found myself next to the door that led to the hangar.
Bullets whizzing past my head and exploding on impact with the walls, I ran through the door and instantly used my Active Ability a third time, blinking to the middle of the hangar. The room was spacious but there was only one way out of this place—the door I had just rushed through.
My Active Ability on cooldown now, I spun around just in time to see Vlad burst in. When in the berserk mode, he was incredibly fast. He took several steps into the room, then stopped and pointed his assault rifle at me.
That was it. There was nothing I could do to prevent him from killing me. Both my Active and Passive Abilities were on cooldown. Sure, I could dart to the side to try to avoid his bullets, but chances of being successful in avoiding being hit were slim.
Vlad frowned as if mulling over something. He then lowered his assault rifle somewhat and said, “You know what? You made me kill Tamerlan. He was my friend. You bastard, you don’t deserve an easy and quick death.”
He employed his Active Ability, causing his battle drone to materialize above his head. He then had the flying robot get to the door behind him.
He said to his drone, “Guard this spot, Kolobok. If David gets within three meters of the door, open fire on him.”
The battle drone did not reply, of course, but it was obvious it would do as instructed. Vlad also had Kolobok deploy several mines in the area in front of the door.
So he had just made a lot of precautions to make sure I could not get out of the hangar.
He then dropped his assault rifle to the floor and kicked it, sending it skittering backward. It came to rest a little way away from the door.
Vlad then drew a knife. It surprised me. We had never used melee weapons on our missions. I had not even known Vlad had a knife on him. Even when he used his Ultimate Ability to turn himself into a berserk, he used his bare hands to kill our enemies, tearing their bodies apart or beating them to a pulp.
“I never told any of you this,” Vlad said as he stared at me with a nasty grin on his face, “but I really like knives. And I’ve always been very good with them. I mean, in my past life. I once had a knife fight with some guy. You might not believe me, but I killed him.”
I believed him, all right. Vlad was a piece of shit. He was pure evil. He was downright crazy.
“I got it wrong,” Vlad said, sounding a little confused. “I didn’t actually kill that guy. But I cut him bad. You should’ve seen him. He was bleeding from so many cuts, and he was crying like a baby, calling for his mommy. It amused me at first, but it quickly got annoying, so I began kicking him in the face until he finally shut up. I laughed my ass off when he spat out his teeth.”
I was silent, trying to figure out a way to extricate myself from my predicament.
“That guy’s name was David too, by the way,” Vlad continued. “That’s probably why I dislike you so much. You remind me of him. Or maybe his name wasn’t David. I honestly can’t remember. For some reason, I don’t remember much from my past life. Anyway, the point is that I’m gonna kill you as slowly as I can. I’m gonna cut you as many times as I cut the other David, or whatever his name was. You’re gonna die very slowly, Dave. I can promise you that.”
And began advancing on me. I noticed that he no longer was in the berserk mode. Not that it mattered. All his wounds had completely healed up, so he was in a good shape again.
I took a step backward.
Vlad rushed forward. He was running fast, closing the gap between us quickly. He was very fast even when his Ultimate Ability was deactivated. He lashed at me with his knife, and I instinctively employed my Active Ability to get away.
He looked around, spotted me, and rushed in my direction again. I blinked two more times to avoid being hit by his knife. After that, my Active Ability went on cooldown.
While Vlad was running toward me, I was thinking hard, trying to come up with a plan of action. I could not escape from this room. If I went through walls, I might end up in a restricted area. Going to the door, the only way out of the hangar, was also no option. All I could really do was fight Vlad and every now and then use my blinking ability to avoid being slashed and penetrated by his knife.
Vlad approached me again and jabbed upward aiming at my neck. I dodged to the side, hearing the whoosh of the blade slicing through the air. I used my left forearm to divert a follow-up thrust to my stomach, hitting the blade from the left with the back of my wrist and deflecting the blow to the side.
I threw my right fist forward, hoping to hit Vlad’s exposed jaw. He jumped back, using his left arm to block the blow. Simultaneously, he whipped the knife up. I saw it coming but did not have enough time to do anything. The blade cut through my jacket sleeve and cut my arm. The knife was so sharp it barely hurt.
We stepped away from each other in unison. Vlad realized something now. I was no some guy he had almost killed some time ago. No, I was an experienced warrior with lots of battle experience under my belt. Even having no weapons and abilities available at the moment, I was no easy opponent to defeat.
Vlad had just realized it, so he decided not to take any unnecessary chances. He might have been crazy, but he was not stupid.
He was watching me intently as I was watching him. I probably had a slight chance of defeating him. However, if he employed his Ultimate Ability, he would become way stronger and faster. I had to deal with him before his Ultimate Ability recharged and he used it.
He leaped forward again, bringing his knife across, aiming for my eyes. I did not take the bait, though. Instead of ducking, I jumped backward out of my opponent’s reach as Vlad swung the knife downward. The blade sliced through the empty air where my neck would have been had I ducked instead of jumping back.
The next attack followed the previous one without a pause. I dodged the blow, but Vlad kept attacking, thrusting forward with frightening speed and keeping me on the defensive. All my efforts were focused on avoiding having the knife cut into my flesh. I blocked and dodged, constantly retreating.
Vlad managed to slash the knife across my abdomen when I was not fast enough to get away. The wound hurt, but I did not show it. The warm blood seeped from the wound. While the cut on my abdomen was not too deep, I could feel it tear more every time I moved.
Vlad had twice wounded me, which was the proof that he was really good with knives just as he had told me. I had to quickly develop some sort of strategy. If I did not, Vlad would cut me to pieces as he had promised.
I concentrated on dodging and blocking while trying to come up with a plan of action. My jacket was cut in a dozen places, but it did a fairly good job of protecting me. So far, Vlad had managed to inflict only two wounds on me.
Vlad stopped attacking, allowing me to take a few steps backward. My enemy was playing it safe. He was not eager to waste his energy. Attacking was more strenuous than defending.
Or he was simply waiting for his Ultimate Ability to recharge.
I looked away from my enemy to quickly scan my surroundings. We were in the middle of the hangar. Behind me was our dropship. There was nothing I could use against Vlad. It would do no good to try to run away because as I alre
ady knew there really was nowhere to run.
Before I could come up with a plan of action, Vlad charged at me again. He slashed at me, but I managed to divert the blow. He thrust again, and this time the knife cut into my forearm, slicing through my jacket sleeve. As he struck again, I tried to grab his hand. Vlad was faster, though. He intercepted my arm, taking hold of my wrist with his left hand.
I rushed forward and before Vlad could do anything, rammed my forehead into his face. Grunting, he stumbled back, letting go of my wrist. His eyes watered, blood flowing from the split on the bridge of his nose. As he staggered backward, he swung his knife frantically back and forth, slashing the air in front of him to prevent me from stepping any closer to him and taking the advantage of him being in a stunned state.
Vlad recovered and attacked again. I sidestepped, throwing an elbow at the right side of his head. He blocked the blow with his arm and instantly slashed at my face. I ducked down to avoid the blade and threw my fist forward.
Vlad lurched backward, dodging the attack. I punched again, this time my fist connecting with his jaw. It was a glancing blow, though, so he managed to keep his balance. My enemy was way too experienced and fast.
He recovered his footing and stood up straight. Vlad looked tired now. His mouth was open, taking in large gulps of air with each intake of breath. Blood ran down either side of his nose and dripped off his chin.
I was bleeding from the two fresh wounds on my body. The pain was extreme. I could no longer keep it from my face. My shirt was soaked with blood flowing from the slash across my abdomen.
I had a feeling the fight would be over soon. The question was who would be the winner. If I did not defeat Vlad before his Ultimate Ability was available, I would be done for, that was for sure. I could not help but wonder how much time was remaining before his ult was ready for use.
As I blinked the sweat from my eyes, Vlad lurched forward. I used my left forearm to block the blade, feeling it cut my skin. Before he could follow up the successful attack with another one, I took a swing at his bloody face. He was not all that keen on having his face punched again, so he jumped out of my reach.
Vlad lunged again, slashing at my midsection. I faked a punch and then instantly threw another one, hitting Vlad on the side of his head. Vlad stumbled but did not collapse. I stepped forward to strike him again, but he managed to dodge the blow. And as he did so, he lunged at my neck with his knife.
I threw up my left arm to deflect the knife to the side. But I failed. Either I miscalculated the angle or Vlad was faster. Anyway, I failed to divert the blow.
I felt the point of the knife pierce my forearm, cutting through the skin and muscle, severing ligaments and tendons, and slicing blood vessels. The blade scraped between my ulna and radius bones.
The point of the knife came out of the other side of my forearm, the blade stained with red.
Drops of my blood splashed my face. My legs buckled. The pain was excruciating. I fought back the urge to scream.
I grabbed Vlad’s wrist with my other hand, trying to pull the knife free. I did not succeed, because most of my strength was gone. Vlad wrenched the knife from side to side, intensifying my agony. More blood poured from the wound. I used all my remaining strength just to keep on my feet. There was no fight left in me.
Vlad sensed it, and his lips curled into a cruel smile. The end was close. We both knew that. He did not even need to wait for his Ultimate Ability to recharge anymore.
He pushed the knife, driving it deeper into my forearm.
My Active Ability was available for use. I could employ it to get away from Vlad. Sure, the knife would remain stuck in my forearm, but at least I would buy myself a few seconds to catch my breath.
I was about to use my Active Ability to blink away from Vlad when an idea crossed my mind.
With my right hand, I grabbed the front of his shirt and toppled backward, deliberately making myself fall on my back.
Vlad did not have much choice. He had only two options. He could let go of his knife and tear the front of his shirt free of my grasp to prevent himself from collapsing. Or he could fall on top of me, cushioning his own fall and pinning me down to the ground so it would be easier for him to finish me off.
Predictably enough, he elected the latter.
Before we hit the floor, I bent my right leg at the knee and brought it up, wedging it against Vlad’s sternum.
I grunted as I collapsed onto the unyielding ground. Vlad fared no better. My knee hit him hard into the breastbone, knocking the wind out of him. Vlad cried out and for a moment all his strength was gone.
I took the advantage of it instantly. I reached upward with my right hand and took hold of the right side of Vlad’s neck. I then brought up my left arm, penetrated by the knife, and drove the tip of the blade inch deep into the flesh on the left side of his neck. I wrenched the blade back and forth, tearing his flesh and suffering from the pain in my forearm.
Vlad’s eyes went wide as he realized what was happening.
He gagged as he threw himself away, pressing both his hands to the side of his neck, trying to stanch the flow of blood from his carotid artery I had just brutally severed.
He took a step backward, then another one before tripping over his own feet and collapsing to the ground.
I just lay on my back for a moment or two, panting and recovering from the pain.
I then heaved myself into a sitting position and then struggled to my feet, cradling my impaled arm. Vlad lay a few feet in front of me, a crimson pool rapidly expanding under him. He was still pressing his hands over the wound in his neck, trying to do the impossible––stem the torrent of blood from his destroyed carotid artery.
He employed his Ultimate Ability so his regeneration ability could heal it. Only it was too late and the wound in his neck was too severe. Vlad was no healer, so he could not heal himself as effectively as an experienced healer like Tamerlan could have.
I walked up to him and looked down at him.
Vlad met my eyes. He was looking at me without blinking. There was no fear in his eyes, only a calm acceptance of his fate. After all, he was a warrior. He had always been prepared to die in a battle.
Vlad made a croaking sound, blood bubbling from his mouth. It would not be long before he died.
He tried to say something. His attempt resulted in a fit of coughing. He was choking on his own blood. He glared at me with hatred in his eyes.
His lips moved, but no sound was produced.
Yet it was obvious what he was trying to say. Fuck you, Dave.
Then his eyes glazed over, and he died.
I took a step away from him and looked down at my wounded arm.
The knife was buried to the hilt in my forearm. Blood oozed around the blade. I used my right hand to slide off my belt and wrap it around my left bicep tightly. I forced the metal catch through the leather to create a new hole to fasten it.
I did not try to remove the knife. It would have been suicide to do so. The belt would decrease the flow of blood, but I had to get medical attention as soon as possible. At the rate I was losing blood, I had about half an hour before I bled to death. The problem was that Tamerlan, our healer, was as dead as Vlad was.
Then I remembered something. After our mission on the wandering planet, I had learned a very useful skill for my Ultimate Ability called Regeneration. It allowed my wounds to heal by themselves, and it should do so very quickly since I had fully upgraded the skill.
My Ultimate Ability had already recharged, so I employed it. I lifted my left arm and took a look at it. The wound was healing, and very quickly at that. I grabbed the hilt of the knife and after taking a deep breath, pulled it out of my forearm.
Blood instantly began to pour from the wound. However, within three seconds the flow slowed down and then stopped entirely. The wound continued to heal. It was not long before the edges pulled together, and I no longer felt pain. My arm was as ne
w as if it had never been pierced.
I deactivated my ult.
The headless body of Tamerlan lay where I had left it. Nate’s dead body was spread out on the floor in the Preparation Room. Both my friends were dead, killed by Vlad. I just stood next to Nate’s body, looking down at it. When Vlad killed Alyson many months ago, I was devastated. But now, though, I did not feel much of anything. After witnessing so many deaths in the many months that I had been working for The Weaponized, I had really become numbed out.
When I returned to the Control Room, Echo said, “Warrior, let me inform you that all your teammates have passed away.”
“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock,” I said.
“I could start looking for new teammates whose levels match yours,” the AI said.
“Yeah, you do just that,” I said, not caring much about anything at that moment.
“It might take some time, though, because this time I have to find not one but three teammates—Damage, Front Line, and Healer,” Echo added.
“I don’t care,” I said.
To my surprise, it was not long before Echo spoke up again.
“Warrior, I have just found a team that is currently looking for a Flanker,” the AI informed me. “They have recently lost their own Flanker in a battle with pirates. The average level of that team approximately matches yours.”
I did not say anything.
“If you would like to join their team, please get in one of the teleportation chambers so I can teleport you to their space station,” Echo finished.
I was silent. After a few seconds, the AI said, “Let me warn you that you should make a decision soon. If that team finds another Flanker, who knows how long you will have to wait before I find three teammates for you. You will not be able to do your job until you have all four members on your team.”
The Weaponized: The Complete LitRPG Series Page 43
