Danefer.
What was happening in the universe that he was here?
I felt a sudden dread. He was a man, yes, his days as a Griidlord behind him. But he had fought Magneblade. I hadn’t used assess on Magneblade yet, but he had to be at least level 30. Danefer had been on the gradually losing side of the fight, but his arsenal of relics and centuries of skill and experience had allowed him to manage it comfortably. How was I to fare against him at level 13?
Danefer seemed unfazed by the carnage in the room, the shrieks of the raging battle outside, or the fact that a Griidlord with a visor blazing in the grips of POWER stood in front of him.
“It’s no coincidence,” he said calmly. “Don’t worry; the universe doesn’t really work like that.”
I said, “Wh—what are you doing here? What are you doing with the Green Men?”
“The Green Men have their uses. I have plans, Tiberius, as I alluded to before. I have grand plans, important plans. The Green Men can serve me in those plans as well as any others. But don’t concern yourself with them. Concern yourself with me.”
He cocked his head, listening to the battle raging outside. Steel smashed against steel, men hacked at one another, the air buzzing with the sounds of chaos and death.
He returned his attention to me. “We’ve reached a sudden crossroads, you and I. I had hoped to see you again before you won the suit, to help you see the light. But the plans of men… You’ve had time to be poisoned now, haven’t you? Baltazar has been filling your head, the Burghsmen have been filling your head, the damnable voice has been working its magic. I need to know if there’s any hope for you.”
It was, inconveniently, at that moment that the voice entered my mind. Like a regular patron at a tavern, it started casually: So, what’s up, how are things going in the world of Tiberiu—… oh shit, this guy! Kill him. Kill him fast.
I couldn’t pay attention to the voice, but it distracted me.
Danefer narrowed his eyes. “It’s there right now, isn’t it? Urging you to do away with me.”
Then Danefer spoke, not to me, but to the voice he knew was listening through me. “Do you see me, Enki? Do you see me through the boy’s eyes? It’s been a while. You have hopes for this one, don’t you?”
The voice grumbled, Oh, I hate this guy. Tell him he’s a shithead. No, tell him he’s got a small dick. He does, by the way. Yeah, tell him that—he’s sensitive about it.
I tried to shake my head clear of the chattering noise.
Danefer spoke sadly. “If I could have gotten through to you before you won the suit, I could have shared my plans. We could have plotted against the demon voice. But that chance has passed, and now I am left with few options. You’re gifted, Tiberius, maybe more than I was, maybe more than anyone ever has been. I can’t take the chance that you could become the key that it will use to unlock the vault.”
heard my voice coming from a distant place. “So… you want to kill me? Is that what you’re saying?”
The voice chimed in, Of course he wants to kill you, he’s mad and bad. You still haven’t told him he’s got a small dick yet.
Danefer nodded solemnly. “I take no pleasure in it, Tiberius. None of this is your fault, but sometimes terrible things have to be done for the greater good.”
“Then why this?” I demanded. “Why wait for me here among the Green Men? Why not warn them, have them on alert? Why the damn conversation?”
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Danefer replied, “I didn’t expect you to bring an army. My sources told me that Ra had sent you personally to uproot the nest. I didn’t want to rouse your suspicions. If you had come upon the place and seen this band of morons on high alert, you might have smelled the trap. And I needed to see you, to look at you, to know you were lost to me.”
“Lost to you? I don’t even know you!”
Danefer smiled forlornly. “But I know you.”
Without warning, he struck. I had never faced a being with such skill. In almost two centuries of constant fighting, it was impossible to imagine how many times he had struck a foe with that sword hand. I realized then how he had fought Magneblade. Decades and centuries in the suit had made him more than human. He had the wisdom and experience of lifetimes, yet the body of youth. Even more, I could feel the strength in his arms as I clashed my sword against his. Did the suit do something to the flesh? Was there more to the effects of concentrated Order than simple life extension?
The voice was worried, urgent. Quick, kid, he’s gonna pull a gun on you.
I didn’t understand at first. So consumed was I with desperately trying to fend off his glowing sword that the voice’s words barely registered. But my eyes darted to Danefer’s belt, and I widened as I saw his free hand smoothly pulling a strange pistol free. Without thinking, I pulsed BEAM, sending the gun clattering away. Danefer was surprised and twisted his body aside to save himself from the BEAM. His hand curled in pain. I wasted no time. I brought a soaring CUT down on him, but he deflected it. I drove my boot into the opening and struck him, holding POWER. My STRENGTH was immense. His body went crashing across the room, and I lunged after it. I had seen him absorb what should have been killing blows from Magneblade. Somehow—be it relic or something else—Danefer could survive blows that would fell whole squads.
A message crossed my HUD informing me that I had reached level 14.
He crashed through a table, and I pounced. Even with POWER, making the world move like thick honey, he was fast. Like a snake born of lightning, he struck out from his prone position.
His blade scored my chest, not piercing but making me hiss with pain. His boot met me as I dove on top of him, sending me flying back into a wall. The masonry cracked and splintered as I rolled to my feet, the red hue of my sword glowing in the dust that surrounded me.
The voice said, Just hang in there, kid. Just a minute longer.
I took the moment to respond, even as Danefer crossed the room like a beam of light. What are you talking about? You’re distracting me.
Danefer’s blade met mine. His speed was impossible; the force of his blows made me feel human again. Maybe I could beat him if I were leveled further, but right now, he was too much. His skill, his body, his relics—he might have left the suit, but this was functionally another Griidlord I was battling.
The voice said, Sorry, sorry. I don’t mean to be a pain, and I know you’re busy and all, but… you know, you still haven’t told him how small his dick is.
It was a doomed enterprise. I hadn’t felt fear like this since the arena. I had fought fiends, hordesmen, another Griidlord, and mortal men, but none of them had filled me with the certain dread that this fight projected onto me.
I pulsed BEAM again, but he moved easily around it. I hammered with CUTS that could fell trees and topple houses, but he deflected them with ease. I realized that this wasn’t a fight to him. This was surgery. He was putting me down like a dog, only taking his time to preserve himself and limit his own risks.
The tip of his rapier raked across my forearm and along the length of my arm, searing the back of my hand. My sword fell from my grip involuntarily. Another booted heel smashed into my chest, throwing me against the far wall. The air exploded from my lungs as my back slammed against the stone. I slid down, gasping for air, struggling to find my feet. My sword lay ten feet away, glowing red on the ground. I scrambled to retrieve it, but a booted toe cracked into my chin, rolling me onto my back.
I stared up into the cold, mad eyes of Danefer as he stood above me, the tip of his sword leveled at my chest.
I thought, How can it end like this?
The voice murmured, Just a few seconds... tell him he’s got a… oh, what’s the point? You’re not gonna do it.
Danefer looked into my visor, but it wasn’t me he was making contact with.
“You killed this boy, Enki, not I,” he said. “You forced my hand. He might die by my blade, but it was your doing. I’ve been beyond the Veil and I’ve traveled past the Wierding Wall. I know the truth now, Enki. There’s nothing you can do to stop me. I will end you.”
The voice replied to him, though Danefer couldn’t hear it, a flat, dismayed tone coloring its words. What happened to you, man? You used to be cool.
Danefer thrust for my heart as I strained to evade the blow.