Tier 15 barriers could not hold out long against the primal ferocity displayed by the Titanian. It was as if having to fight off a vicious wild animal in its own habitat, with little familiarity of the battleground. If typical Titanians were hounds, then this Abnormal one was an untameable wolf. Not only were its assaults far more relentless than a normal Titanian, but they seemed to be considerably stronger, too.
The back of Stefan’s shirt and sleeves were torn up, revealing gashes across his arms and back. The tier level that was five times more powerful than the one he had just only gotten exposure to in training did not save him from being thrown around like a doll. The barrier would save him from direct hits from the Titanian, but due to them being locked together, the Titanian was still able to push them around, quite literally.
Tier 20 barriers seemed to have little effect, and 20 minutes after he had begun his solo fight against the Titanian, he realized that tier 25 barriers, halfway from the most powerful barrier possible, were draining his energy faster than he could end the fight. Gareth was right in saying that he should’ve waited for his natural Reserve barriers to increase before learning how to cast barriers, but he had no choice. He had to protect himself against the clutches of the Titanian Empire which had razed the largest village in north Yeupis just to draw him out. But how could he do that when he could barely hold his own against just one of their number?
He tried raising his rifle again, but his fingers felt a hundred times heavier than they were. The gun slipped out of his hold and clattered against the ground. Staring into the blank, fully white eyes of Titanian which continued hammering against his barrier, he could not afford to pick it up. The barrier in front of him flickered as if to reflect his waning strength. Too exhausted to even stand up, he fell to his knees, the Titanian’s violent fists only inches from his face.
What now? he thought. Do I just… give up?
“Have faith,” a voice spoke in his head. “Have faith in your brethren. Have faith in your comrades.”
Whose voice is that? Mum’s?
“You can hold out for a few moments longer. You’ve been protecting your friends for this whole time, so don’t falter until they can pay that back.”
I almost forgot. Meinrad’s keeping the fire going on this windy night, and Klaudia’s making sure we still have smooth communication with the base and the other hunting groups.
“I should’ve told you,” Kallista’s voice spoke, her tone somber. “I should’ve told you how real this is.”
At that moment, a hand grabbed the collar of his shirts and pulled him backwards.
“They’re on their way,” Meinrad said as soon as his body was in full view, the barrier having gone away immediately. “Thanks for holding down the fort.”
As Meinrad ferociously took the fight over from Stefan, the boy found himself laying on the ground. He tried planting a hand to his right to push himself into a seated position, but it wouldn’t budge. He tried craning his neck forward, but all he could see were the shaking branches of a tree above him.
What’s going on? he asked himself. Why can’t I move? It’s like my whole body’s… frozen.
He tried to call out for Klaudia, but his lips remained shut. As he heard the now familiar whirring of engines from nearby crafts, Stefan realized that the only parts of his body he could move were his eyes and eyelids.
Holy shit… I’m paralyzed.
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A storm of footsteps encircled him as sixteen other soldiers had come to back up Meinrad. None of them had stopped to check up on Stefan as he lay motionlessly on the ground, confused and afraid. As the stampede had cleared, moving forward to Meinrad to provide him with extra openings to deliver a final, decisive blow, a whirring noise became louder and louder until he could hear it just above him. A second later, he found himself floating off the ground, but realized that it was not of his doing at all.
“I’m going to have a really hard time trying to explain to Gareth how this happened.” Anwen said in a disappointed tone as her arms were wrapped tightly around the boy’s waist, being propelled through the air by a jetpack fastened to her shoulders.
If only I could speak…
“Are you not going to say anything? You almost died out there… no, you already look dead. Anyhow… we’ll see if you stop your silent treatment by the time we head back to the base.”
-
“You think you can get him to move?” Detlef asked shyly as he observed Leon’s hands hovering over Stefan’s body as he lay in the infirmary.
“With this contract, I don’t need to even touch a patient. The healing Reserve just falls off my skin and it absorbs into their body; all I need to do is bandage them up after. But with Stefan here being the source of my contract… I don’t know how much that rule applies to him. We still have to try though.”
A person waltzed in through the room’s doors and joined the two young medics.
“What’s his status?” the masked Anbieter said. He was angry about Stefan and Meinrad disobeying orders to go and accompany Klaudia, but his concern over the former boy’s health took precedence.
“He has multiple bruises and scrapes over his arm and back, but no injuries that would indicate paralysis. We don’t know why he can’t move.” Leon said.
“Could it be… a side effect of his Initiation?” the Anbieter speculated.
“…right now. You have to see him!” a voice outside the infirmary cried, getting closer to the room.
“Anwen?” Leon wondered. Sure enough, the girl and her father entered the infirmary. For a few moments, Leon and Anwen maintained eye contact. The two hadn’t spoken to one another since Anwen had returned to the base, but Leon’s eyes spoke of his desire to apologize to her due to his rude behaviour when Stefan had taken her to see Isabel’s grave. Words could not be exchanged, however. Gareth nudged his way between the two medics so that he could observe Stefan’s condition. The boy’s eyes locked with his, but they quickly closed, hinting at his embarrassment for being in such a circumstance.
“I’ve been told that he was engaged in battle with an Abnormal.” Gareth commented.
“You’ve been told right.” the Anbieter said.
Gareth scoffed as he turned back around, staring the slimmer but slightly taller Titanian right in the eye.
“I couldn’t give less of a shit if he disobeyed your orders. This is on you. You made me train him in barrier casting too early, and now look at him. As for how he ended up like this… it was no injury—
“He would be dead if he had no barrier training… Sir Angel Slayer.” the Anbieter said contemptuously.
“Let him finish speaking, please.” Anwen beckoned. She wanted to know why Stefan couldn’t move. She was aware now that he was not jesting.
“My apologies, Miss.”
“When warriors of Utrium utilize casting techniques that are beyond their Reserve quantities, their bodies gradually shut down. This goes on until they either die from exhaustion, or until something stops them from fighting any longer.”
“So he doesn’t require medical attention?” Leon asked.
“Medical attention will do him little good,” Gareth answered. “It’ll take 24 hours to regain his mobility. All we can do is let him wait it out.”
“I’ll leave him alone, then,” Leon said before departing from the infirmary. Detlef followed him. “Hang in there, Stefan.”
“Now…” the Anbieter said, crossing his arms. “I think I know what must be done.”
“What would that be?’ Anwen asked.
“In this state… it’ll be impossible for him to react, well, negatively after he hears about the truth. Gareth, you’ve waited to tell it to him, right? This is your chance. No, in fact, as the head of the Black Shield, I am making it an order for the truth to be told to him.”
“Perhaps… you are right.” Gareth muttered.
“What? What are you going to do to him?” Anwen gasped. She had heard and seen the interaction between the Anbieter and Gareth, but she knew there was also more questions to which the answers she did know.
“My origin, Gareth’s origin… but most importantly, we will find out what happened to his family. We have to go to his hometown.”
“You’re going to Derban?” asked Anwen.
“We have no choice. We need to find evidence,” said the masked leader. "And it’s only right, because the rest of our comrades need not involve themselves in this personal matter. Anwen, I would like you to accompany Gareth and me. Also, Vigdis will come with us, since she personally knew Stefan’s mother. I’m sure she would like to know what happened to her old friend.”