Frank stared at Ollie, unsettled by the young man's sudden change in demeanor. The manic grin plastered across Ollie's face sent a chill down Frank's spine.
Frank followed Ollie's gaze and felt his breath catch in his throat. Standing just inside the castle entrance was a towering figure clad in obsidian armor. Its empty eye sockets glowed with an eerie red light, and a massive sword that looked to be just a chunk of metal hung at its right side.
"What the hell is that?" Alan whispered, his voice trembling.
"Death knight," Ollie replied, his eyes never leaving the creature. "They're guardians, protectors of specific areas. It won't hurt you if you don't enter its area."
Frank frowned. "So what do we do?"
Ollie's grin widened. "I'll go in alone and fight it. You two stay here."
"Are you crazy?" Frank hissed.
Ollie ignored him, continuing, "These things usually guard something valuable. Could be treasure, could be our way out. But whatever it is, it's worth a hundred. Enough to make me rich if I take it out by myself."
Frank shook his head, worry creasing his brow. "Can you beat it?"
"I've taken down a couple before," Ollie said with a shrug. "Although... I was with at least three others at my level then. But we need to get past it anyway, so what's the difference?"
Frank studied Ollie's face, noting the wild look in his eyes that contradicted the logic of his words. The deranged smile never wavered, and suddenly, Frank understood.
"You're just a battle maniac, aren't you?" he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"More or less. I just enjoy fighting, like how kids like playing games," Ollie said nonchalantly. However, this wasn't a game, it was real life. One wrong move could end his life and he wouldn't respawn.
Suddenly, something materialized in the air. It looked like a sniper rifle, but much bigger and more rugged.
"This is my baby, I call her Anti-tank rifle," Ollie smiled as he looked at his baby. It's total length was longer than the young suit's height. "Last time I almost died to that huge ghoul, not this time. I got my baby with me."
"That's not a proper name for your baby, why not call it Ariel?" Alan commented on the side.
"Sorry, not taking suggestions." Ollie then laid prone on the floor, aimed his baby's barrel onto the unmoving death knight. The young suit chanted something inconceivable that neither Frank nor Alan could understood. Multiple circles with symbols lit up and centered itself around and extended beyond the barrel itself.
Ollie squeezed the trigger. A giant pillar of pure white light erupted from the barrel. The beam engulfed the death knight, bathing the entire area in an otherworldly glow. As the intense light gradually dissipated, the group blinked away the spots in their vision, straining to see the outcome of Ollie's attack.
To their astonishment, the death knight still stood. Its once-imposing armor was now a pitiful sight, tattered to bits and bent at impossible angles. Everywhere they looked, the metal was warped and twisted, barely recognizable as the fearsome protection it had once been. Yet, despite the devastating damage, the creature moved. Its left hand, seemingly unaffected by the blast, held up a chunk of metal vaguely resembling a sword with disturbing ease.
As they watched in disbelief, the pressure around them intensified, growing heavier by the second. The air itself seemed to thicken, making it difficult to breathe.
Ollie's smirk widened as he launched himself skyward. His anti-tank rifle vanished, giving way to the familiar rugged shotgun. He pulled the trigger once more, unleashing a shockwave blast that forced the death knight to buckle on one knee, its armor creaking in defiance.
He could really do it, Frank thought.
As the shockwave relented, the death knight briefly disappeared from Frank's view, only to be seen again above Ollie. The knight hurled its chunk of metal downwards. Ollie blocked it with his shotgun, hurling him downwards, his body leaving a small crater on the stone floor. The anti-tank rifle had already appeared on Ollie's hands, aiming up in the air at the knight. Another pillar of light escaped the barrel, piercing through the air and through the stone ceiling. However, this time, it did not make contact with the knight. It had already jerked its body to the side as if anticipating its opponent's action.
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Ollie sucked on his teeth, his armaments switched again to a pair of Bizon SMGs. He flipped backwards, avoiding the chunk of metal that had been slammed at where he was. The magazines of the Bizon ejected at the same time, and two pairs of cylinders with aquamarine color patched themselves onto the guns. Then a slew of ice shards barraged the death knight, entrapping it into a case of ice. Without hesitation, Ollie aimed the anti-tank rifle again, the pillar of light once again engulfed the knight. The light dissipates again, this time it had done more damage than the last. The knight was missing half of its body, yet it still tried to get up with unwavering fighting spirit.
Ollie had already closed the distance to the death knight, its formerly imposing presence now reduced to a mere shell of its former self. After aiming the anti-tank rifle downwards, the youth squeezed the trigger once more, and a column of radiance pulverized what was left of the fallen warrior. A black orb was remained at where the death knight died. Its dim white glow eerily beat like a heart, similar to the one in the door.
"Easy peasy," Ollie's expression radiating avarice, his body slouched to one side. He knelt down and extended his arm closer to the orb. As his fingers enclosed around it, the glow faded away.
Bloodcurdling wails pierced the air from outside of the castle. Frank detected a muted sound, reminiscent of a thundering herd, and it seemed to be approaching rapidly.
"Ollie! They're coming! We need to go now!" Frank shouted.
Frank's heart pounded in his chest as they raced through the winding hallways of the ancient castle. The red marble in Ollie's hand guided their frantic escape, its soft light a beacon of hope in the oppressive darkness.
"Left!" Ollie shouted, his voice strained from exhaustion.
They veered sharply, Alan stumbling under Ollie's weight. The thunderous roar of pursuit grew louder, echoing off the stone walls. Frank risked a glance over his shoulder and immediately wished he hadn't. A sea of writhing, monstrous bony forms flooded through the shattered entrance, their inhuman shrieks chilling him to the bone—ironically.
"Move it!" Frank yelled, urging his companions forward.
They reached the end of a dark corridor, lungs burning, when a beast lunged from the shadows. Its razor-sharp claws raked across Alan's back, shredding his shirt and drawing blood. Alan cried out in pain but managed to keep his footing.
In a flash, Ollie produced a revolver from thin air, firing a single shot that dropped the creature mid-leap. The young man clutched the black orb to his chest possessively, his eyes wild with a mixture of pain and triumph.
"Ollie, for Christ's sake!" Frank shouted as they rounded another corner. "Store that thing like your guns or let it go! It's slowing us down!"
Ollie hissed through gritted teeth, "It doesn't work like that, old man!"
They burst through an open doorway into what must have once been a grand throne room. Now, it was a crumbling ruin, thick with dust and decay. But Frank barely registered any of it. His eyes locked onto a shimmering distortion in the air at the center of the chamber—a rift, an exit, their ticket home.
"There!" he yelled, pointing. "That's our way out!"
The marble in Ollie's hand glowed a bright red pointing at the exact location, confirming Frank's assessment. They sprinted towards the rift, the sounds of pursuit growing deafeningly close. Frank's mind raced, wondering if they'd make it in time, if the rift would stay open long enough, or if it even worked like the way he was thinking.
All 3 touched the rift at the same time.
Frank's vision stretched and the nauseating feeling crept into his stomach. Warm air permeated to his skin and the smell of boxes filled the air. He opened his eyes and saw a metal ceiling, boxes all around had been wrapped around with yellow tape with red markings. He quickly got up and vomited bile from his empty stomach. Alan did the same, but Ollie seemed fine as he stuck the black orb close to his chest. As he struggled on his feet, a familiar voice cut through the air.
"Welcome back," Yu Mo said, his tone casual as if greeting old friends.
Frank's anger flared, memories of their earlier encounter flooding back. "You asshole!" he spat, glaring at the man who'd put them through hell.
Yu Mo raised his hands in protest, seemingly unfazed by Frank's outburst. "No hard feelings," he said smoothly. "We're even now."
Frank opened his mouth to argue, but Yu Mo's attention had already shifted. His eyes locked onto the black orb Ollie clutched tightly to his chest.
"Well, well," Yu Mo murmured, genuine admiration creeping into his voice. "Impressive, young man. It seems the Path has quite the rising star on their hands."
Ollie preened under the praise, his exhaustion evident with a mix of smile, a sort of deranged greed. Frank fought the urge to roll his eyes.
Yu Mo clapped his hands together, all business once more. "Now then, allow me to offer you a ride back to my home. You look like you could use some rest."
Frank hesitated, unsure if they could trust this man. But before he could voice his concerns, Yu Mo called out, "Xiaoli! Our guests need some attention."
A young woman in a qipao and overcoat stepped forward. Her face expressed clear disapproval of the group. Without a word, she gracefully lowered herself into a lotus position on the warehouse floor. She extended her hands towards Frank, Alan, and Ollie, her eyes closing in concentration.
Frank watched in amazement as a soft, golden energy began to radiate from Shen Li's palms. The warmth washed over him, seeping into his tired muscles and soothing away the aches and pains of their ordeal. It was slower than the syringe gun Ollie had used earlier, but infinitely more pleasant. Frank felt the tension in his body melting away.
As the healing energy worked its magic, Frank caught Alan's eye. His partner looked equally stunned, relief etched across his features. Even Ollie, still clutching the mysterious orb, seemed to relax under Shen Li's ministrations, albeit his eyes still focused on the black orb.