CHAPTER 171: The Next Enemy

Lucas could have opened a display for them to watch Adam. The way Alissa and Brittney were watching a different direction suggested that they had private windows open as Adam fought the Scyrric in the distance. Lucas refrained from using the Rift Menu to watch because it was clear Adam wasn’t at his best and he didn’t want to show the particulars to General Carmichael’s group.

Instead, Carmichael and his people were gathered at the edge of the wall, using binoculars or straining their eyes to see. Fortunately, the fight was quick. Unfortunately, it looked like Adam lost. At least up until the Scyrric freaked out and ran away, shedding parts of his armor first.

“What just happened?” asked Kevin Spence in surprise.

“It didn’t look like they fought at all,” said Jamari Gillum, using a distant view skill. “If anything, the kid lost. Then he collapsed. I couldn’t see any reason that tough lizard ran.”

“Did the kid use a skill?” asked Willis Abrego.

“Not that I saw,” answered Gillum. “There was no flash of one.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said General Carmichael with conviction. “Now that he is here, transferring the base can work. I’m sure he’ll understand the importance of relinquishing control to a better prepared group.”

Brittney made a choking sound, as she tried to swallow a giggle at the general’s words. She looked at Tom who winked and shrugged, as if he was setting up a prank.

“Your people didn’t stop that Scyrric,” said Lucas directly.

“Are you welching on our deal?!” shouted the general, rounding on Lucas.

“No. It was contingent on showing that you could protect the base by taking out that enemy. Your people retreated instead. Adam made him run away.”

“I’da beat him had he not run away,” snapped Rexus.

“Sure, sure, T-Rexy,” taunted Tom. Rexus stood tall and looked like he was going to rise to the bait. Gregor put a heavy hand on Rexus’s shoulder. A death glare was shot by Rexus before he took a breath and turned away from Tom and back to Adam, who was now being helped up by Nick.

“It doesn’t matter either way,” announced Jack Fleming, as big of an instigator as Tom. “That kid doesn’t look very steady. It wouldn’t be hard to just force him to give control to us while he’s in this state. I assume death will pass it along too.”

“What did you say?” demanded Alissa as all of Adam’s friends turned towards Fleming, hands on weapons.

The oncoming conflict was halted as barking approached from along the wall. Emily was riding Fido while Andrea and Lamar ran beside him, both using skills to keep up. Andrea had a huge smile on her face and even Lamar looked excited.

Fido didn’t stop until he ran right up to Lucas. The middle head began barking at him, like he was lecturing, while the left glared and the right nodded in agreement at whatever the middle was trying to express. Lucas was taken aback but let Adam’s pet have his say while Emily slid from the back, getting a welcoming hug from Alissa.

“I get that, but I didn’t…” Lucas started to say, when he was interrupted.

“Grrrrr…rough! Bark bark! Growl!”

“I had other things to do!” he defended.

“Woof bark woof, growl bark bark!”

Lucas brought his hands up in defense, looking a bit scared.

“I know. Was he genuinely mad?”

“Bark woof.”

Lucas sighed. “You don’t think he’ll…”

“Growl.”

“I hope not.”

“Do you understand what the dog says?” Spence asked, sidling over to Tom.

“Not a clue,” responded Tom in a loud whisper that everyone could hear. “But since he brought the boss’s sis back from the battlefield, I think it’s going to be bad. Temp boss is surely going to get it.”

Lucas glared at Tom. “It’s not like I was the only one who could have watched her,” he complained sullenly. Alissa was laughing at him while not letting go of Emily.

Everyone went back to watching Adam slowly move towards them, Nick supporting his friend.

***

Adam stumbled along. The energy in his soul still leaked when he tried using his skills or felt the river running inside, but it didn’t actively hurt as much now that the contract was destroyed. Instead, there was just a portion of his power that was lost before reaching his body. It wasn’t ideal, but he could handle it better.

The situation was more like he struggled to lift half the weight that he was used to, while also getting fatigued faster. None of that mattered though because the voice in Adam’s soul was still yelling at him.

Conquer!

He needed to protect his family, and that required him to protect Jackson.

So, he wobbled along, trying to manage his own body. He was searching for equilibrium between his body and soul, while also getting used to the unexpected weakness. Nick was staying close just in case.

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Adam couldn’t deny he probably looked like a drunken three-legged dog trying to run. This was one reason he decided to walk to the wall instead of opening a portal, which was possible now that the siege was over, to give him time to acclimate.

Adam huffed as the effort was physically taxing. All the amazing things he had done since the [System] had arrived might not have been easy, but they hadn’t required training his fitness. It was like he went from being Superman to being plagued by kryptonite, or someone sticking a yellow post-it note on the Green Lantern.

When Adam was closing in on the wall, there was a change. He pitched forward, about to fall as he also grabbed his chest to express the new intensity of pain. Inside, the river suddenly tried to flow out from his soul, finding convenient exits in the tears that had come from Cruxannith's attacks, trying to rip open larger energy leaks. At least this was a familiar experience, one he knew the cause of.

[Body and Soul Shaping] was activated as Adam flashed red with the skill use. He formed a barrier around his soul and the conduit to his body. It was more difficult than the last time he had done it, due to the gaping opening to Cruxannith’s soul. He couldn’t envelop her whole soul with the skill, nor was he able to use the skill to cut off the passage between them.

A reverse vacuum of energy formed. A swirling mix of his energy flowing into her while her energy was drawn back into him. It was concerning, but nothing he could deal with now. He’d just need to hope it wouldn’t create problems later.

Nick was right next to him as Adam fell, but waited in a protective posture as Adam used his skill and managed to catch himself mid step. Adam’s head was down as he took time to breathe deeply, to restabilize. When he stood back up and let go of his chest, he walked with hunched shoulders and a sag, while his strides were an uneven lope.

“You ok to go on?” Nick whispered with concern.

“I’ll make it,” Adam groaned as he looked up to the wall and glared at Gregor. “I have to. Our enemies must be stopped!”

“Remember, you aren’t alone, Adam.”

“I know, Nick.” Adam almost fell as he looked back with a thankful expression to his friend. “You’ve done well, and I’ll need to rely on you more from here on.”

Adam then opened the Rift Menu and used the building option. As his feet clumsily moved forward, stairs formed under them. At the same time the walkway of the wall lowered. To those watching, it looked like reality was changing on its own to support him. Even those who could guess why the land was changing found the sight amazing as the ground moved to touch his feet.

Everyone backed up as Adam approached. General Carmichael moved down the wall so as not to be close to where Adam entered from. The special forces formed near Carmichael in a reverse V formation, ready to protect should it be needed. The other officers waited behind Carmichael.

Adam’s friends stood in two rows to welcome their missing leader. They smiled at him, everyone gleeful, joy entering Adam through his connections with the girls due to his return. Until they saw his face.

Adam’s face was a rictus of rage. His eyes were intense flames, ready to burn anything in his path.

“Whoa, Adam! You look like garbage,” exclaimed Randall, not reading the room, as Adam nearly tripped from the raised ground onto the wall.

“What’re you talking about?” questioned Tom. “He looks like an angel, come from heaven to once more bless us all!”

“Gross, Tom,” chided Andrea. “If darling is an angel, then it’s one of the death kinds.”

Adam regained his balance. He was stooped over, swaying dangerously. Nick stayed on the last step to make sure Adam didn’t fall backwards off the wall. His hair was long, shaggy and filthy. Blood was mixed in, matting it in places while it puffed out in others. His face needed a shave. Blood also coated his uncovered upper body and torn pants, with metal panels taken from Sgolker’s armory dulled by splatters and grime.

General Carmichael seemed disdainful of Adam’s condition, drawing himself up tall. While the man looked short with Gregor next to him, he was still taller and thicker than Adam. Carmichael carried himself with dignity and authority, expecting that his next orders would be followed, regardless of whether the person before him was an ally or enemy.

“Now it has come to this,” the general said to Adam. “You can barely walk. We don’t know if you have been influenced by the invaders. It is beyond time that you turn over this base and leave it.”

None of Adam’s friends said anything. They watched Adam, ready to back him up no matter what happened.

“Did you know?” asked Adam’s raspy voice, his volume low.

“What?” asked Carmichael, scrunching his brow at the change of direction.

Adam ran his eyes over all the soldiers arrayed before him. He looked from Fleming to Coleman, from Zito to Rexus. Then he looked at Gregor with an extra helping of fury, before turning his look back to General Carmichael.

“DID YOU KNOW?!” screamed Adam. Inside he consciously triggered his [Intimidation] pseudo-skill, what Andrea used to call his Angry Face. This time, it wasn’t just limited to his face. A pressure blasted out from him, carrying terror to those around him.

Fido whimpered, whined, and begged as Adam’s friends flinched. Alissa had to grab Emily tightly to keep her from crying. General Carmichael’s soldiers stepped back and grabbed for their weapons. Even General Carmichael cowered backwards as the pressure hit him.

“D-did I k-know w-what?” asked the general, more cowed than at any time since his first stint in combat.

Adam inspected him. His eyes penetrated Carmichael, making him feel like a kid in front of the principal. Yet, no matter how Adam’s gaze affected him, Carmichael couldn’t take his eyes away. Adam’s head lowered but his demanding eyes stayed focused on the uncertain man.

“About the agreement.” Adam’s voice got quieter, but the pressure he projected increased even more. Bloodlust filled it, a sureness that violence was going to follow. Heat rose from his skin and the air around it once more rippled. Adam’s friends knew what that meant and drew their weapons to get ready.

“W-what a-agreement?!” shrieked the older man.

“The agreement with the Red Clan speaker. To betray me. To betray Jackson. To betray humanity.”

“No one would agree to that,” spat Carmichael, his voice at too high of a pitch. “Our caravan and trip here was to protect our country and its people! None of us would side with the invaders!”

“Someone did,” said Adam cryptically. His eyes moved from the general and locked onto Gregor. Gregor flinched, then lowered into a stance to defend himself. While Adam met his eyes, his hand rose and pointed. “He did.”

There were gasps, though they didn’t come from Adam’s side. Gregor narrowed his eyes as he looked from Adam to the person that Adam pointed to. To Detachment Commander Victor Rexus.

The general forced a laugh. It was too loud and staccato to be natural or to reflect his feelings. His shoulders relaxed a little in relief, disbelief trying to shape his expression, even as Adam’s pressure intimidated him.

“You think Commander Rexus made a deal with the aliens? Preposterous! No one has done more to protect or safeguard us than Rexus! Isn’t that right?!”

A few of the officers chuckled nervously, trying to show how ridiculous they found the accusations, even if everyone here was too tense to feel true humor. Gregor didn’t move as he and Adam kept their eyes locked.

One voice had no trouble laughing. It started with a muted chuckle. Then he stopped holding himself back. The chuckle became a full laugh, then raised in volume until it was genuine laughter echoing all around them.

The general and Gregor turned to Rexus who was bent over laughing, as if it was the funniest thing.

“Victor, what’s the meaning of this?” asked Carmichael in shock.

“Oh, general, general, general. Or should I just call you by your first name, Howard? Can you even be a general if you have no country to fight for?” teased Rexus.

“The United States of America still exists!” shouted Carmichael, spittle flying with his words. “As long as we fight, we’ll protect it and bring it back! There has to still be some of the governmental leaders left.”

“Leaders? What leaders? Even if they survived do you think they’ll be worth following? In this new world? I doubt any of them can come close to the level I’ve achieved with that vampire lady’s help. Even the leaders of the Sentinel Army, protectors of humanity, can’t compare to what I’ve become. To what I will achieve.”

Once more Rexus broke into laughter.