Slayer

by Riker Kane

  “Red Mana is fine for fighting monsters or beasts or whatever it is you do with the Legion,” I interrupted him. “But you don’t need Red Mana on Earth. Some good training will do just fine.”

  The confident blond stared at me. I was half-expecting the guy to challenge me to a duel with the way he raised his pointed nose at me.

  “What’s your name?” he asked me.

  “Enzo. If you’re looking for some training, I’d be happy to help. I’m with another student right now though, so we’ll have to schedule.”

  “Enzo… You think training is enough to deal with an Omega? Why don’t you prove it?”

  “Yeah, prove it!” Alisa chimed in suddenly.

  I looked at her and she sheepishly took a step back after realizing how much she’d raised her voice. It seemed like everybody else in the gym wanted me to step up. And honestly, there would’ve been nothing more satisfying than to beat up an Omega. Especially one like Ethan.

  But I told myself it would be a waste of time.

  “You’d probably win, Ethan. Can’t compete with an Omega. But you’re free to train in the gym. Just pay the fee.” I turned around and started walking back toward Alisa. Everybody else who gathered around decided to go back to their training.

  “C’mon, Alisa. Let’s get this—”

  “Yeah, that’s what I figured,” Ethan said, not so subtly saying it loud enough for me to hear. “You probably couldn’t hang with an Omega. Some guys make their parents proud. And some don’t.”

  He said it. He just had to say it. I closed my eyes for a second, not sure I’d heard him right.

  “Hey, Champ? You all right?” Alisa’s eyebrows scrunched, her eyes filled with a little concern.

  “I’m just fine,” I sighed. “Perfectly fine.” I spun back around and walked right up to Ethan and his two guys watching his back.

  “Protective gear,” I said. “Keep going until the ref stops it.”

  “How long are the rounds?” Ethan asked.

  “One will be long enough.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Everybody in the gym surrounded the ring to watch. There were some murmurs among them as they wondered what would happen. Alisa was among them, her fists clenched in front of her as she stared unblinking. The only other sound came from the AC blowing the smell of sweat all around me.

  I clenched my fists to loosen up my gloves. My headgear was tight around my head. Across from me, Ethan stood with his shirt off, bouncing around on his toes as he shadowboxed. Just from a few punches, I could tell he didn’t have much real training. He was in pretty decent shape, but it was hard to tell what level he was at exactly. If he was pumped up on Red Mana, it’d be tough. But considering he was so young, that wasn’t likely.

  He stepped forward and held his hands out. “You ready, Enzo?”

  I put my hands up and moved toward him. “Let’s go.”

  “Show ‘em what Omegas are made of!” As soon as Ethan’s boys yelled out, the rest of the gym joined in. Cheers came from the crowd, urging both of us on to give them a show.

  I stayed with my hands up, waiting for Ethan to make the first move. No sense in rushing into this.

  Ethan shot a left jab forward. The thing moved like a snake and I was barely able to get out of the way. Faster than I thought. But it wasn’t straight.

  Another left hand and I ducked to the side, slamming him in the side of his stomach with a right hook. His body bent slightly but he stayed on his feet, angrily throwing another punch I was able to move away from. Most guys tried to use their aggression to their advantage. It made them that much easier to predict. Funny how he fought just like all the goblins I’d killed. Only he didn’t have any claws.

  The growing look of anger on Ethan’s face was already apparent. He gritted his teeth in frustration, his hair falling out of place as he winged another punch at me. I moved out of the way. I did it so fast I even surprised myself. I guess my own Red Mana was doing its job.

  I continued dancing around the ring, countering all of Ethan’s punches with shots to the body. He showed some signs of slowing down but he was still moving forward.

  “C’mon, Ethan! Stop playing with him!”

  Only a minute had gone by and Ethan apparently had enough. He rushed forward and wrapped both arms around my waist, pushing me against the ring ropes. My arms free, I reared back and slammed him in the side of the head with a right hand.

  The punch reverberated and knocked him down to a knee, freeing me enough to get away from his grip. Ethan stayed on his knee as he regained his composure.

  “All right,” I said. “That enough for you?”

  Ethan looked up at me like a bull wanting to gore me. He popped and screamed as he charged forward. I didn’t have much time to react. Less than a split-second. But right as he got to me, I shot a right hand down the pipe and caught him right on the chin. The punch stopped him in his tracks and wobbled his legs.

  “Whoa!”

  Everybody in the gym gasped as Ethan stumbled back and fell on his ass.

  One.

  Two.

  Three.

  I counted the seconds in my head until getting to ten. And at that point, Ethan was still unable to get up.

  “Yeah, I think that’s enough.” I took my gloves off and tossed them to the side.

  Brandon and Sergio hopped into the ring to help Ethan to his feet. I walked over and held my hand out.

  “Good fight,” I said.

  Ethan looked like he didn’t have his wits about him. But he still managed to stare angrily at me as he shook my hand. “Good fight,” he grumbled.

  As the three of them left the gym, everybody resumed their workout like nothing happened. Alisa stood just outside of the ring, her eyes wide as she looked around.

  “Did I really just see that?” she said. “You knocked that guy on his ass.”

  “I guess I did.”

  “No guessing. You did it. He was an Omega, too. That was a risk.”

  If only she knew.

  I gave her a smirk and patted her on the shoulder. “Wrapping your hands,” I said. “Why do we do it?”

  “To protect ourselves.”

  “Exactly.”

  14: The Grand Terrapin

  “You sparred with an Omega? You know that was a risk, right?”

  There was some concern in Jade’s tone but all I could do was chuckle at it. “Omegas stop by the gym from time to time. It’s easy to tell who they are. You know how?”

  “How’s that?”

  “They tell you. Even when nobody asks. These guys were some new recruits. Probably some punks who weren’t anything until they became part of the Legion. I knew I could handle ‘em.”

  “It helps that you have some Red Mana yourself.”

  I gave her a wink. Jade’s coy smile let me know she wasn’t completely upset with me, despite making her disapproval so obvious.

  I slid my hands into my gauntlets and moved over to the Junction Gate. The steel circle began to light up and the waves of blue energy pulsed from the center. Jade rested her staff on her shoulder as she moved next to me.

  Redgrave stood next to the map on display and rubbed his chin. “You should be able to reach the end of the Viridian Vale on this trip. Just as I expected. I have something for you, Enzo.” He shuffled over to me and tapped on his tablet. My left gauntlet vibrated and I looked at the display.

  Available Missions

  Defeat the Zone Shadow

  Reward: $1,000

  “Zone Shadow? What’s that?”

  “You’re at the end of the zone. There’ll be a significant threat waiting for you. A guardian. Defeating these particular Shadows deals a significant blow to the threat of Pandora. The LOD will pay handsomely for your efforts.”

  “Sounds kinda serious. Any idea about what this Shadow is?”

  “I’ve scoured the LOD databases. They have a bestiary recording every Shadow encountered. Judging from the readings I’m getting, it appears you’ll
be facing something called the Grand Terrapin.”

  “Grand Terrapin… I don’t suppose you can tell me anything about it.”

  “I’m afraid the bestiary only lists a short description. Suggested battle tactics have yet to be updated.”

  “Figures,” I sighed. “What do you think, Jade?”

  Jade thought about it for a moment, her lips twisted. “A terrapin is like a turtle or tortoise. Other than that, we won’t know until we see it.”

  “Well, whatever’s waiting out there, it won’t stop us. Time to head for the end of the Viridian Vale.”

  ~ ~ ~

  I looked at the path behind me. The grass went for miles until it reached a hill, blocking the horizon from where we came. “Crazy to think how far we’ve gone,” I said. “All those goblins we’ve beaten. We’ve covered so much ground. I don’t remember the last time I’ve walked through the grass like this.”

  “I guess when your father’s an Omega, you don’t get much time for vacations.”

  “I was too young to appreciate it anyway. I was just fine playing at the park with my dad.”

  “I can imagine. Probably spent time sparring with him, scaring all of the other kids away.”

  “Can’t speak for the other kids but he always took the time to show me how to do it. The irony of following in his footsteps to try and find him isn’t lost on me.” I glanced down at the gauntlets. The silver steel shimmered underneath the sunlight. It made me realize just how bright the sun was today.

  We descended into a valley. The tall grass started to become shorter. Divots in the dirt were spread out across the ground all around me. “Looks like the rabbits are out…”

  We’d been walking for several minutes but hadn’t encountered a single goblin. “I wonder… Maybe we’ll reach the end of the zone without another fight. This guardian Redgrave’s talking about might not exist.”

  “That’s a possibility. The map says we’re not much farther from our destination.”

  “Then again, we won’t get the mission bonus… Is that what it’s like in the Legion? You go through gates and complete missions?”

  She nodded. “The life of an Omega can be exciting and routine at the same time. You keep leveling up and even the harder challenges become beatable.”

  “And they still haven’t managed to get to the end.”

  “Looks like we’ll have to be the ones to do it first.”

  “I like the way you think.” I winked at her.

  Jade stayed poised and composed as she walked alongside me. She was a few years younger than me. I had to remind myself of that because of how disciplined she always looked. I kinda wanted to tell her to relax but figured it wouldn’t make a difference. Funny how in a world where goblins were trying to kill me, the woman next to me was the one I had the most trouble figuring out.

  We managed to reach the valley basin before our path leveled off. The trees around us had disappeared with nothing but the short grass in every direction. Without the map blinking on the display on my arm, the only indication I was going the right way was the dirt in front of me.

  “Something’s up,” I said as I shook my head. I slowed down a bit and kept looking around.

  “What’s wrong? You see something?”

  “No. But it’s been too long. The end of the zone is just ahead. We should be able to see it. We haven’t even seen a rabbit.”

  “Maybe if we go just a little bit farther—”

  BOOM!

  Thunder cracked in the sky, louder than I’d ever heard it before. A few more steps and our intuition was proven correct.

  Jade quickly twirled her staff and pointed it out in front of her. I readied my gauntlets, watching the lines of energy crackle in the sky. Bright bursts of white flashed with goblins leaping out and landing in the grass just a few meters ahead. The creatures looked the same as they always did. Their bellies hung out over their loincloths while they locked their beady eyes on us.

  “I count about thirty or so.” Jade charged her staff with a Solo Spark, the green flames gathering around the tip. She shot a fireball out before any of the goblins could react. One creature squealed out in pain as the flames engulfed it. An explosion of Mana littered the grass. The other goblins remained undeterred.

  “Looks like twenty-nine now.” I slammed my gauntlets together. “Try to leave some leftovers, eh?”

  “Look who’s talking.”

  She raised an eyebrow at me. We’d already fought enough to know what the other was thinking. I gave her a nod before jogging forward to meet the goblins trying to advance on me.

  Jade fired more blasts to keep the goblins around me at bay. Those who got close slashed to try and cut through me. My shirt was off, so there was no fabric for them to destroy. Not that they would have gotten to it. The gauntlets blocked all of their attacks. I countered quickly, sending away any goblin unfortunate to stay in path.

  It was all habit at this point. The goblins were vicious. Relentless. Endless aggression. Sharp claws and feral screams were more familiar than frightening. And so was their poor technique.

  A few swipes got through but not enough to take me down. And I responded with hard counterpunches. The added strength from my levels was noticeable. Punches that would’ve stopped when colliding with them kept going with no resistance, ripping through their scales and spilling blood. Thankfully, the stains didn’t last for long before they burst into Mana.

  My increased speed helped me turn around quickly, just in time to see two goblins leaping toward me. I raised my hands and caught them both in the chest at the same time to send them moving in the opposite direction. I turned back around to hammer another goblin in the chest before it could sneak up on me.

  One goblin caught a hard fist to the jaw. Another took one to the skull. The next caught it in the stomach, making it keel over so I could slam the gauntlet into the back of its head. With Jade firing from a distance, the goblins were more of a nuisance than an actual challenge.

  The last goblin remained, its thick brow furrowed as it raised its claws.

  “Really?” I held my hands out to it. “After all this time, why do goblins think they’ll be the one who can take me down—”

  BOOM!

  Another burst of thunder cracked the sky. I looked up at the white energy flashing and two goblins riding on rhinos leaped out, quickly stomping toward me.

  “That’s more like it.” I punched out the last goblin and readied for the two charging rhinos.

  “Watch out!” Jade yelled out and fired a Solo Spark to knock one of the goblins off. Another blast slowed down the rhino, giving me just enough chance to run forward and move out of the way.

  “Just like last time…” I dodged the horns then timed a punch right into the rhino’s side. It roared as it tumbled into the beast next to it. Their combined momentum sent them tumbling across, ripping up the grass and dirt.

  “Follow up!” I rushed forward as Jade got my back. A fireball engulfed the last goblin before it could get up to its feet. While the rhinos struggled to get up just the same, I slammed my gauntlets into their sides. Hard punches were fast and easier to throw when the target wasn’t moving. Left. Right. Left. Right. The gauntlets moved my hands like jackhammers. One rhino down. Then another.

  I sighed a deep breath as more sweat dripped down the sides of my face. But sweat getting into my eyes was the worst of my troubles.

  Jade stood in the distance, her staff still readied at her hip.

  “Too easy…” I whispered to myself. “That can’t be it…”

  BOOM!

  The loudest thunder I’d ever heard filled the sky. The ground shook as the white energy formed like a giant cloud in the sky. I stood my ground, my eyes locked on the energy beginning to take shape in front of me.

  “What the…” I squinted as the figure slowly emerged before me.

  It was larger than anything I’d ever seen in Pandora, about as long as a bus and twice as wide.

  “Terrapi
n…”

  The giant turtle stomped its four feet into the grass and shook the ground. Its green scales were thick, weathered with cracks like it was old. On its back, a brighter green shell looked hard enough I wondered if I could break through with the gauntlets. But my biggest concern was its mouth.

  “RAAAAAAAAAAAH!” It let out a roar that echoed through the sky. It didn’t have any teeth. There was nothing but darkness in its mouth. An endless abyss with a sharp, pointed beak ready to cut through me to satisfy its carnivorous appetite.

  It locked its empty white eyes on me. The thing was big but it didn’t look like it was moving very fast.

  “All right… Let’s see what you got… Jade! Let’s go!” I ran forward and watched the green fireballs the size of globes shoot over my head. The flames bounced off the turtle’s giant face and made it scream again.

  I got next to it quickly, realizing just how tall it was. I figured about ten feet. But not tall enough I couldn’t reach it. The giant turtle looked down at me and reared back with its head. Suddenly, it moved forward with surprising speed.

  I timed it just right though. Both of my fists shot forward and slammed into its mouth, making it retract its head back into its shell.

  “Didn’t like that, did you?”

  There wasn’t much time to celebrate my victory because it was already stomping toward me. I couldn’t describe what it was like to have a giant turtle hiding its head and trying to stomp me into the grass. I was surprised I was even able to think about how absurd it was in a situation like this. But I just managed to get away as Jade distracted it with another volley of flames.

  The turtle backed up, its head still retracted as it steadied itself. Jade shot another fireball into its shell and it took another step back.

  “I don’t know if I can keep this up,” she said. “There’s only so much Mana I can shoot at it before I use all my endurance. And I don’t think I can do enough damage.”

  “I can hurt it. But not while its head is in its damn shell. Maybe if I can get inside…”