Chapter 12: Counterattack

Chapter 12:
Counterattack

 

THE SIX CHURCH KNIGHTS left standing on Flum’s side had Dein’s men beat for stats—and she wasn’t the least bit worried. She had no intention of losing.

CLAAAANG!

Her blade thrummed with prana as it caved in a knight’s armor. She could hear the shock wave liquefy his insides. He spewed blood, keeling over onto his back. Another knight lunged, his spear leveled at Flum’s head. She leaned back as far as she could, and it left a deep gash in her nose as it passed.

Yet another pressed in with his own spear while she was still off-balance. It was hard to keep track of the remaining knights all at the same time, but Flum channeled prana into her legs and somersaulted through the air to evade the strike. Riding the inertia of her jump, she drove her black blade into the spear-wielding knight, crushing his helmet and scattering its contents.

The moment she landed, Flum heard the familiar fwip of an arrow barely missing her, but she stopped to steady her breathing and regenerate her prana anyway.

Gadhio, on the other hand, was relentless in his attack on the remaining adventurers and eyes. He unleashed his massive reserves of prana energy in another powerful storm that cleared away everything ahead of him.

“Remember, visualize the strike! Focus all of your energy on one point and push it through!” His instructions were blunt but clear.

Following his lead, Flum turned back to the knights and focused on Gadhio’s instructions.

This technique was called Prana Sting. It was meant to pierce through to the soft, mortal part of an armored foe. The knight took a few halting steps, trying to cover the hole in his armor with his free hand before he fell with a heavy thud.

Only three more to go.

The knights hesitated for a moment, giving Flum a chance to catch her breath again. “Hey, Gadhio, what’re you doing here?”

“It should be obvious.” Gadhio motioned with his chin in the direction of the eyes that chased Flum mere moments ago.

“You mean they were chasing after you, too?”

He laughed sheepishly. “Yep.”

Flum thought back to her last conversation with Ottilie. Could Gadhio have been the other person looking into the church?

He looked absolutely exhausted, like he’d been on the run for several days now, and yet, he could still unleash such powerful attacks. She was beyond impressed. She decided to put the specifics aside for now and focus on the remaining knights. This was a chance for her to finally use all the techniques Gadhio taught her.

Gadhio slammed his blade into the ground, and a wave of prana battered the oncoming enemies; Flum followed suit. Next, with two strokes, they each left a protective cross of prana hanging in the air in front of them. Try as they might, none of the knights’ spells could get through.

Flum generated yet more prana, letting it flow straight into her blade; her next cut split a knight from stem to stern.

“Last one!”

Against a single opponent, Flum was assured of her victory. She cleaved the man in two. His left and right sides fell to the ground with a wet thud. Thanks to her enchantment, the man’s remains began to freeze over.

Her battle resolved, Flum turned her attention back to Gadhio.

“Hyaaaaaah!!” He tore through the wave of eyes and made the incoming adventurers falter. “Anngh!”

Gadhio cut the men down with a single slash. It wasn’t even a battle at this point. Flum knew he was powerful, but she was still impressed. He’d always been kind to her throughout their entire journey, showing little care for whether she was actually “useful” to the party or not. He always held a special place in her heart.

“Looks like you’ve finished up too, yeah?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Thanks a lot for saving me, Gadhio. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t shown up.”

Gadhio smiled warmly. “Heh, I certainly didn’t do it alone. You’ve gotten a lot stronger, Flum.”

Hearing that made her so happy she could dance, but Flum decided to show a little restraint for now. She was still weak. She couldn’t save anyone, after all.

“I’d love to talk over everything that’s happened, but I don’t think we have time for that quite yet…” she said. The eyes continued their ceaseless procession toward the two heroes.

“We’d better go,” Gadhio agreed.

Together, they took off in search of Dein.

 

***

 

The peculiar pair ran all over the darkened town but found no trace of Dein. As they searched, the two exchanged the scraps of information they gathered.

“So that Ink girl is the one who’s making all these eyeballs?”

“That’s right. She’s one of the church’s creations.”

“A Spiral Child…”

“These Spiral…things, do they have something to do with the church’s research?”

“So you’re investigating the church as well, Flum? To answer your question, they replace the children’s hearts with Origin cores.”

“An Origin core…in place of their heart?”

If Flum were to destroy the core inside Ink, the young girl would die. But as long as the core survived inside her, she would continue to create eyes.

“How do you know this Ink girl?”

“I just happened across her in the street and helped her out a few days ago. She’s been living together with us ever since.”

“So you want to help her, then.”

Flum looked down and nodded weakly. “…Yes.”

If there was a chance Ink could survive without her core, Flum had to save her, regardless of how hard it would be.

“I don’t know how to do that. But I do know we can’t leave her in Dein’s hands. He sold his soul and his friends to the church.”

“That won’t do him any good. That man is drawn to whatever benefits him most. He’ll never be able to turn his back on wealth and power.” Gadhio practically spat out the words. It seemed he had at least a passing familiarity with Dein.

Once again, eyes began to shower from nearby rooftops on either side of them.

“Hyaa!”

“Haaah!”

In a flurry of blades, the two reduced the incoming wave to burst membranes and spattered humors before they touched the ground.

“By the way, were you the one who threw the knife at my windowsill?”

“That’s right. I’d figured out you were living there, but I didn’t think it wise to talk to you directly. Was it that confusing?”

“Well, the handwriting was pretty awful, and you didn’t exactly leave your name.”

“Sorry, I was in a bit of a hurry.”

“I thought it was one of Dein’s pranks.”

“Looks like it didn’t have much effect, then.”

“I mean, it’s a little late to tell me not to go outside. I’m pretty well involved in this whole situation.”

“You’re involved?”

“As far as I can tell, Origin is after me. Honestly, it seemed strange that a weakling like me would even be put on the party to slay the Demon Lord in the first place. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

Flum hopped over another group of eyes that appeared at her feet. The two ran full tilt and took the next available left.

“I don’t know why that’d be, but I assume it’s something to do with my affinity.”

“Reversal?”

“Right. You know those Origin cores you mentioned? I’m pretty sure they can’t be destroyed through any normal means.” Flum remembered Neigass’s reaction when they met at the research facility.

“That’s correct.” Gadhio had learned as much through his previous research into the church.

“But I was able to destroy one.”

“You’ve already fought one?”

“I was getting pretty desperate, and I dumped everything I had into the core.”

“So, you think your magic may be the key?”

“If Origin is involved with these spiral beings, then I’ve been thinking—something might happen if my Reversal power was used to change the spirals’ direction.”

“I can’t say I fully understand it, but if you were able to destroy one, that definitely says something. If it were prana alone, then someone else should have been able to do it already.”

“Only I can do it. Which means that Ink…” Flum glanced down at her palm. Even if she wasn’t able to save Ink, she could at least put an end to her suffering. Was that really the right choice?

Gadhio’s booming voice interrupted her thoughts. “What’s that?! Flum, jump to the side!!”

Flum didn’t know what was going on but did as she was told. Looking ahead, she spotted two young boys in their path, holding their hands out and chanting.

“Rotation!!”

“Distortion!!”

The air around them began to twist and deform. One of the boys unleashed a blast of energy that swirled like a tornado, blasting past Flum and boring a hole straight through a nearby wall. When the other’s energy blast hit the wall, it twisted into a large spiral pattern.

Flum had seen both of these abilities before. “Spiral Children!”

“Eh, you know ’bout us? Are the church’s secrets already out?”

“We best tell Mother to give them a good scolding. Ha!”

Though they sounded like any other kids, they had the same gory, pulsing spiral where their faces belonged.

“I’m Luke, the scary one. This here’s Fwiss, the oblivious klutz.”

“Man, I can’t believe how much that dummy Ink told you about us.”

“At least she’s only a first ge-ne-ra-tion. She doesn’t know anything important.”

“Listen, you’re not allowed to go any farther, ’kay?”

“So we’re gonna stop ya! Rotation!”

The boy punched his fist into the air, sending another cyclone after Flum. She dodged, mowing down more eyeballs that were getting too close for comfort.

“Well, guess you’ve left me no other choice!” Flum cast Scan on the children.

 

Fwiss Tours

Affinity: Wind

Strength: 2341

Magic: 3923

Endurance: 2371

Agility: 5712

Perception: 4117

 

Luke Fuloop

Affinity: Earth

Strength: 3298

Magic: 3792

Endurance: 3512

Agility: 3148

Perception: 4215

 

She was completely stunned by these. Ink had completely normal stats. These second-generation kids were something else entirely.

“I’ve got this, Flum.”

“There’s no way you can take them on your own, Gadhio!”

His voice was unwavering and confident. “They’re just kids. I can make up for the stat difference with skill and experience.”

Gadhio held his sword at the ready. He looked completely confident in his victory. Luke and Fwiss looked unbothered.

“Whaaat? You think you know it all just ’cause you looked at our stats? Papa’s power can’t be measured, y’know.”

“Papa’s amazing! Even just a small connection to him can make you more powerful than any human ever known. A hero doesn’t stand a chance against us.”

Could Flum really leave Gadhio behind and continue her search for Dein alone? Should she stay here and fight them together, even if that meant Dein’s trail might go cold? She stood there, paralyzed with indecision, when she heard several voices call out from above.

“Who do you think you are?”

“Try getting a bit older before you talk big, huh?”

Flum looked to the rooftop, where two women were silhouetted against the night sky. “Eterna… Ottilie?!”

The newest arrivals wasted no time going on the offensive. Their ice arrows and blood slashes only missed by the slightest of margins as the Spiral Children jumped away.

“I thought I heard a ruckus, but I never expected to find you here, Gadhio,” Eterna said.

“Flum and I reunited under similar circumstances.”

“We’ll take care of these brats. You two go on ahead!”

“Whooooa, you’re still alive?” one of the children marveled.

“Who do you think I am?” Ottilie demanded. “I refuse to die at the hands of even God himself until I win my sister’s approval!”

“I guess Ink really isn’t strong enough. We should report back to Mother.”

“No way. I’m beat from running around all night, and those eyeballs are super gross. I wanna have some fun with these ladies!”

So the boys were also being pursued by the eyes? They didn’t have time to figure it out, or to have a longer reunion, as the terrifying orbs in question were still closing in. “Let’s go, Flum!” Gadhio said.

“Right! Good luck, Eterna and Ottilie!”

They took off, resuming the hunt for Dein.

 

***

 

The pair still continued to come up empty-handed as they continued their search, though it was becoming evident where Dein was headed.

Milkit’s still okay…right? All Flum could do was hope and pray for now.

“Flum, there’s one thing I need to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“I’m guessing you already heard those Children’s names from Ink, right? Has she ever told you any of the others?”

“Hmm… I’m pretty sure she said something about some other kids named Nekt and Mute. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing, really. I was just wondering if maybe that was them.”

A boy’s laughter echoed from the dark behind them. He clenched his small hand into a fist as he cast a spell. “Connection!”

Gadhio stopped and turned.

“Gadhio…?”

“Keep going, Flum!”

Flum wasn’t sure what just happened, but she did as she was told.

BWAFWOOOOOOOOOOM! A massive explosion shattered the silence that hung over the city as the walls on either side of them blew in.

“Aauuunnnnngggg…” Gadhio’s arms shook and veins bulged furiously in his forehead as he struggled to hold the collapsing slabs of brick and stone at bay. Making matters worse, eyes crept ever closer to his feet. He desperately wanted to join in the battle against Dein and help Flum…but if he let up his grip now, the walls would crush him. At least Flum had made it to the far side by now—though this also meant they were completely cut off from each other.

“What happened to the walls??”

The young boy in the dark replied, “They’re trying to connect, you see. Physical object or empty air, it makes no difference to me. That’s my special ability.”

Gadhio finally got a good look at the kid. He looked young, not even ten years old, and was wearing a white hospital gown.

“So…you were the one who teleported…those other Children out to us…earlier…weren’t you?” Gadhio got out through gritted teeth. Something had seemed off to him about their earlier encounter, as if Luke and Fwiss had appeared out of nowhere. “Teleport…wait. You did it to Milkit, too?!”

“My, my…how observant you are, hero. Yes, that was me.”

“So Milkit’s still alive??”

“Hm, who can say? Perhaps you should ask Dein. I just did as I was asked. I have no interest in what he did with her.”

Knowing Dein, he would have held off on killing her, just to do it in front of Flum. At the very least, if the boy hadn’t killed her, it was likely Milkit was still alive.

“You’ve probably already heard about me from Ink,” the boy said. “I’m Nekt Lyncage, the leader of the Children.”

“How polite of you to actually bother with introductions.”

“I figure my victims should know who killed them, no?”

Gadhio snorted, earning a scowl from Nekt. “Precocious little punk.”

There was one last thing he needed to tell Flum. He shouted as loud as he could, hoping Flum could hear him through the wall.

“Flum! Sara Anvilen is still alive!”

“Sara’s alive…?”

Flum’s shock gave way to tears that stung the corners of her eyes and blurred her vision. She desperately wanted to ask how he knew, but with the eyes closing in, they didn’t have the luxury of continuing the conversation. Some of the crushing weight on her heart was finally lifted.

“She’s…she’s alive! Sara’s alive! Thanks, Gadhio!!”

She shouted loud enough to be sure he heard her before taking off again, weaving her way through the pooling eyeballs and pushing herself even further than she’d gone before. Somehow, all her exhaustion had drained away.

 

***

 

“Heh.” Gadhio smirked at the sound of Flum’s voice as he readjusted to press his back up against the wall.

“Still able to work up a smile, old man?”

“Eh, I’m hanging in there.”

Gadhio’s swift answer only seemed to annoy Nekt even more. He reached up to run a hand through his chin-length hair and shot Gadhio a menacing look as he sized up his opponent. “I think you’re underestimating me, no? I could kill you anytime I want, Gramps.”

“Confidence is a good thing, kid, but too much will get you hurt.”

“Gah. I hate when adults treat me like a little kid.” A cold, cunning grin came to Nekt’s face as he slowly stuck his arm out, palm to the sky. His face began to twist into a blood-red spiral.

Gadhio drew his sword and stood at the ready. He let out a deep breath and summoned up his prana, letting it loose as a blast of force that held the eyes at bay. “Well, let’s get going.”

Nekt lifted up his hand and balled it up into a fist. “Connection!” His voice rumbled from deep in his throat. It faded almost as quickly as it came.

The young boy moved so fast that even Gadhio couldn’t keep track of him. More accurately, he never moved—he simply was elsewhere. Gadhio sensed a presence behind him and brought his sword down in its direction.

“Wow, pretty good for an old man.” The blade only barely missed Nekt. “But… Connection!”

He disappeared again, reappearing where he was just a moment ago. Nekt formed another fist. He put some more force into his voice this time.

“Here you go… Connection!!”

The gyrating muscles in his face twitched, and the very air around them trembled under the immense power. Both walls of the alley crumbled and bowed once more, straining to come together and crush Gadhio in the process.

“I’ve seen this trick before, kid.”

“Oh, but I added a little something extra to make it more interesting. Now, prepare to be crushed! Connection!!”

An entire house materialized above Gadhio’s head. With massive forces bearing down on him from all sides, Gadhio had few options left to him. It seemed impossible for a mere mortal to survive.

Nekt laughed, confident in his victory. “Looks like you’re done for, hero!”

However…

“Resolute Cavalier Arts Expansion!”

Even under such tremendous pressure, Gadhio kept his cool and steadied his breathing enough to launch an attack of his own. His technique wedded his prana to his earth affinity; magic coursed up his arms and into his blade, enveloping it in stone until it was three times its original size. Without the prana running through him, he could never lift such a weapon.

Once the first step was complete, he let his prana flow into the sword itself. This was an expansion of his very will, his personal capstone to the Cavalier Arts.

“Titan Blade!”

Time seemed to stand still and the world was silent as he shifted the immense blade. That silence was destroyed a moment later by an ear-shattering explosion as the walls and house were blown to rubble. With a single swing, he’d undone Nekt’s best attack.

Yet the boy only laughed as bricks rained down around them. “Huh, I guess I should take back what I said. That’s pretty impressive for an old guy.”

“Now that I don’t need to worry about Flum getting hurt, I can show you what I’m really made of.”

“Well, well, I’d love to see it. Though I should tell you now that I’m far superior to any normal human.”

 

***

 

Flum could hear an epic battle unfolding off in the distance. She worried whether Gadhio could really hold his own but suppressed the urge to turn back. Somehow, she knew that Dein was waiting for her at the West District church. The nave was almost certainly empty at this hour. What better place was there to meet in secret?

The more she thought about it, the more exhausted she felt. Without the possibility of her friends’ survival dangling in front of her, she doubted she ever could have pushed herself this far.

Flum shoved through the church’s massive wooden door and into the darkened nave. On the other side, a statue of Origin’s human aspect stood watch. She felt its eyes on her.

A man lounged with his legs crossed at the head of the pews.

Flum closed the door behind her and readjusted her equipment to buy herself just a bit more time before approaching. About halfway down the carpeted aisle, the man finally spoke up.

“I figured you’d be here any minute now. You’re just that annoyingly persistent. Besides, as you know, I’ve had quite an illustrious adventuring career. I’ve got a good sense for this kind of stuff.”

Flum had no interest in hearing his speech. She was here for his head, not answers. There weren’t any eyes in the church yet, but she knew that was just a matter of time. She needed to take care of this before her fortunes reversed.

“I didn’t figure you’d show up before I had a chance to meet with my boss, though,” Dein continued. “That was a miscalculation on my part. Man, I’d just crawl in a hole out of embarrassment if I could. I’m sure you’re probably thinking the same thing, huh? Who can tell with you. I don’t get you.”

Flum didn’t stop.

“Oh, right. That little brat and the bandaged girl are in the room in the back. I made a promise to that little punk Nekt not to hurt either of them, so rest assured they’re all fine and dandy. Though who can say when she’ll lose consciousness and that creature will reawaken, eh Flum?”

Flum raised the Souleater and brought it down on his neck.

“Whoa!” Somehow, Dein anticipated the attack and dove out of the way.

The two finally faced each other—Flum with a murderous look in her eye and Dein with his usual sly grin. They couldn’t continue like this. One of them was going to kill the other soon.

“You look different. Something good happen?”

“You could say that. Knowing that Milkit and Ink are all right has finally put my heart at rest.”

“Huh, well, good for you. Not that it matters much.” Dein leveled his crossbow at Flum. “You’re going to die here.”

Even staring down the tip of the bolt didn’t shake Flum’s resolve. “Not today, Dein!”

She ran full tilt toward her opponent. Dein smiled and squeezed the trigger. The bolt shot straight for her heart. She made no attempt to block, taking the broad tip straight to her chest.

Until…

“Reversion!!”

The bolt flew back at Dein. He jerked out of the way fast enough to avoid being skewered through the head, but it left a gash along his cheek. His expression contorted with rage.

Flum was closing in by the second. The moment she was within striking distance, she swung for him. Dein stepped around her blow, composed and smiling again. “You need to try harder than that, Flum!”

She glared back at him. All the hate in her heart crystallized around his widening grin.

The battle had only just begun.