Paranoia ate away at my heart.

I had acquired my target. I had several people watching my back. There shouldn’t be anything that would threaten me, let alone something I couldn’t even pinpoint.

Hell, it didn’t really feel like a threat. It wasn’t even my Aura that was going off, just good old intuition telling me I would attract unwanted attention if I pulled the trigger.

It was like I was being looked for.

Somehow, an unknown enemy that didn’t exactly know where I was held me in check. If I were actually being watched, my Aura would’ve felt it. Even if there wasn’t a threat to my life now, that didn’t mean there soon wouldn’t be.

Everything was crashing together, even when nothing had really happened yet. The spirit in my dimension was practically screaming at me to push a little more and grab it.

Through my scope I continued to look around the camp. There were only two structures, both of them tents, that I assumed the Royals were residing in. Both of them emanated powerful Auras, neither of which I could handle.

The briefing touched on the presence of Royals, but didn’t have a number. I wasn’t exactly sure, but two tents for two Royals seemed right. I wouldn’t have to worry about them; I’d leave them to the knights lying in ambush.

All I needed to do was take out the Cyclops.

Despite my importance to the battle overall, I wasn’t to play all that large of a role. It was completely out of scale with the immense foreboding cloud hanging over my mind.

I couldn’t afford to think through my thoughts now. The clock continued to tick, and everyone was waiting for my go-ahead.

I shook my head, casting away the distractions.

My jacket flared to life. Time slowed. My reticle, zeroed from my estimations, rested square on the Cyclop’s eye.

I pulled.

The rifle shuddered in my hands. On the other end, I could see the head of the Cyclops Scout…

Intact.

I had missed.

The bullet buried itself in the fur of the escort right behind the Scout. I couldn’t see where it actually landed, but all I knew was that the Scout was alive and well.

Both reacted fiercely, starting in alarm and looking around.

My heart pounded as I chambered another round, instinctively readjusting for the minor deviation in angle.

The world slowed down even more, my hyperawareness taking full control along my instincts, as if I was making this shot with my life on the line.

With another pull of the trigger, a flower of blood bloomed from the side of its head.

Still slightly off, but at least I hit my mark.

I sighed, unable to hear my own breath, before looking back out toward the camp.

I saw two figures emerge from the tents, both humanoid, and look around calmly.

I didn’t like how they were so casual, and I wasn’t stupid enough to give away my position by shooting them. That would be useless anyway.

So I found another random target, a scampering furry escort, and shot it.

The target on the other end didn’t go down, continuing to run like nothing even happened, but that was fine.

Three explosions marked the start of the battle.

For a brief moment, uncomfortably magnified by my coat, nothing happened.

Then, night turned to day as four streams of superheated plasma coalesced from the ether, curling into densely packed spheres of fire.

They flung themselves with uncharacteristic force into the camp, sending a blazing inferno thousands of feet into the air.

Umara did away with the sound barrier, thankfully after the shockwave had passed, leaving only the rampaging winds to buffet our ears.

I shook my head.

“Fucking ridiculous. You could set a city on fire with the wave of a hand. If it weren’t for the distance, I’d be terrified. ”

“I know. Hard to believe that I can reach that level.”

Umara muttered, watching the blaze, enamored.

I was a bit quicker than her to get over it though. This time, my Aura spiked with a faint sense of danger, confirming my worst fears.

“We’re not done. Get ready for battle.”

“What? Are we going down there?”

“No. Something’s coming.”

“Shit.”

Umara cursed as we both picked ourselves off from the vantage point, running back to our unit.

The Captain nodded at me.

“Good job. We’ll wait here since there’s no possible way for you to provide any support like this.”

“Great…”

I responded a bit harsher than I intended, sitting myself down by the truck.

I looked into my dimension while scratching the back of my head. I didn’t use much Psyka earlier, but also didn’t have much left.

I took a deep breath and dove back in, Projecting for the weapon that so desperately called to me.

A minute or so passed. The feeling gnawing at my mind grew. Part of me just wanted to take the truck and start running, anything to get away from the constant paranoia.

It only fueled me to push my Projection further.

Then something changed.

“Hm?”

The Captain snapped up in confusion.

That something had a direction.

I could practically see it through the wall of the truck, my Aura locking onto an entity, a nefarious smile plastered across its face.

“Found you.”

“Move!”

I yelled, grabbing Umara as I dove out of the truck.

A beam tore through it a moment later, the two glowing metal halves sagging for a second before the White Crystal blew up, scattering our squad.

“Agh!”

“It’s an attack! Form up!”

The Captain shouted as Umara and I tumbled across the floor.

I immediately jumped to my feet, steering my gaze to a strange creature.

It had no eyes, only a massive mouth and several flaps on its head that I couldn’t fathom the purpose of.

Beside that thing was a humanoid, just one, that walked toward us while twirling a longsword.

A Royal, an intelligent humanoid born of the Scourge.

At first glance, it seemed to be an Authority 7. However, numbers didn’t tell everything; it felt a lot more menacing than the two knights with us.

My breathing slowed as I watched the mount scamper off. Shockingly, it was the Royal that had let off that laser.

Time slowed as I felt another buildup of power in the Royal.

I dove at Umara, forcing myself between her and the beam, a slight warmth emanating from my back where my coat was hit.

I looked down at her.

“Prepare your Christmas gifts, sweetheart. Shit’s hitting the fan.”

“Right. What should we do?”

“Regroup and get ready to run. Come on!”

I pulled her up when it was safe, sprinting in the opposite direction of the Royal until we found some trees.

We slid behind them, finding the rest of our squad waiting for us.

“We’re here!”

“Good. We need to stay far away from that thing. Let the others handle it. In the meantime, we’re going to run to the other checkpoint the First Commander used.”

“Got it.”

“Give me a second.”

I spoke while equipping my Springfield, aiming from the tree’s side to find the that fleshy creature the Royal came with lingering to the side.

It was watching us, and it fell under my reticle because of that.

With an explosion, the thing’s head received another gaping hole. One shot, one kill. It was too easy.

But what I saw when looking back wasn’t pretty.

The Captain, his other Authority 7 knight, plus the Authority 6 warlocks, were all entangled with the Royal.

Well, the knights were anyway. The warlocks were on the floor, body mulched into a fleshy mass beyond comprehension.

“Fuck, it hasn’t even been a minute!”

It was a chilling sight. These people were supposed to be protecting me, yet they were being killed off so easily.

As for the two knights doing battle, the Captain seemed to be the only one capable of meeting it head on. The other one was drifting around, barely redirecting the occasional kill strike the Royal threw at him.

Yet despite being entangled with two enemies, that Royal still found time to lock eyes with me.

Bold golden eyes bored into my soul.

“There’s nowhere to run to! Just be good and stay still while I end these amateurs.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Its voice echoed into everyone’s ears. The Captain responded with a roar, heavily increasing the intensity of his attacks. His partner did the same.

Their battle became so fierce that my eyes couldn’t actually keep up. Each strike of the blade let out sounds that rivaled the explosions of my guns. Sparks would occasionally fly that reminded me just how much power was behind every one of their blows.

That thing was right. We couldn’t run. Their battle would end well before we could even get close to the other checkpoint. And it was too fast for any of us to outrun.

I knew first hand what one of these battles entailed, and that was only between two humans. This Royal could fight well above its level, its suicidal vigor allowing for much riskier moves.

“John!”

“...Hang on.”

I ignored Umara, watching the fight.

The Royal already had several wounds across its body, bleeding profusely. But the knights had suffered for it too, similar gashes littered across their armor and arms, breathing heavily from the exertion.

And my Aura was still screaming at me to do something. That something, however, wasn’t running.

I turned and sat against the tree, facing Vetsmon.

“Carry us and run.”

“Alright.”

He nodded, scooping me up while Feiden took Umara.

We immediately started running, the Royal’s laughter mocking us from behind.

I yelled.

“Tana! Stick around and expect a battle. Stay hidden until you’re needed.”

“Got it!”

“John, are we really going to get to the checkpoint?”

“No.”

I shook my head at Vetsmon’s question.

“Like I said, expect a battle. Now run a bit softer. I need to concentrate.”

I focused back on my dimension with those words, following that screaming instinct to find the weapon.

The desire to see what was happening behind me tugged at my mind, but nothing would matter unless I could find that weapon.

At least Vetsmon tried his best to run softly, minimizing distractions.

I used what I had left of my reserves to charge forward, feeling the spirit get closer until I could practically touch it.

My heart pounded, feeling the power of the battle in the distance as well as the spirit’s beckon.

“I’m coming for you, filthy summoner!”

I heard the scream of the Royal, ignoring it as I blew past some new weapons.

Then, I found it.

A large metal platform with a short stock and wooden grip, two long barrels shooting out of the front, and a thick pan magazine sitting on top of the receiver.

The Lewis Automatic Machine Gun, invented by Issac Lewis in America, widely adopted in the United Kingdom, and used extensively in WW1 and WW2.

This particular one in front of me was a variant, one upgraded by America after they adopted the weapon. Chambered in 30-06, the rifle wasn’t equipped with the barrel shroud of the earlier models, had a thicker pan magazine capable of holding 97 rounds, and had a skeleton stock and bipod.

After staring at it for a second, I immediately made contact.

I realized that this variant had some strong memories to give. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of time to appreciate the tale of the original owner.

Instead, I received a rudimentary understanding on how to operate the gun, nothing more than small details like operating the bolt and reloading the pan magazine. Everything else had to be pushed away.

Sure enough, not long after I got the weapon, I felt the Royal barreling toward us.

The only thing that gave me solace was the fact that my Aura no longer screamed that I was going to die.

I shouted.

“Stop running!”

“What?!”

“Get ready to fight!”

I yelled, punching Vetsmon’s armored chest and prompting him to reluctantly come to a halt.

I knew they could all feel the Royal coming. It didn’t seem feasible to actually fight it, but we didn’t have much of a choice.

Once I was set down, I hoisted the gun, pounding down the pan magazine and racking the bolt.

“Treat this thing like the beast it is. We’re killing it, so act like it! Vetsmon, Feiden, to the front! Umara, prepare your spells!”

“Got it!”

They yelled their affirmatives, taking up their positions with me at the back.

That’s when it appeared.

The Royal, haggard and seriously wounded.

It was missing an entire arm, blood still pouring from the wound, while a knife was skewered through its leg.

There were gaping wounds across its body, including one large stab wound through its gut. How it was still standing was beyond me, but clearly it couldn’t completely outclass the two knights.

Despite all that though, I still felt like this thing could kill me with a flick of the hand if I got anywhere near it. Vetsmon and Feiden were the only ones who could hope to go toe to toe with it.

“Time to use that Aura…”

“You actually decided to face me? At least you’re not an idiot.”

The Royal cackled, blood coating its chin as it walked forward.

I responded.

“You apparently think awfully highly of me if you’re willing to go this far.”

“No, my boss thinks highly of you. But she wants you dead, and she gets what she wants. So unless you want your friends to die, I suggest you just give yourself up. I’ll get an extra treat if you’re alive.”

“Fuck, so you’re really nothing more than a dog. Eat shit!”

With a clenched jaw, I raised the Lewis Gun, grabbing the barrel and taking aim.

I jammed down the trigger.

The light machine gun spewed out rounds rate far surpassing anything I had previously fired. I empowered every round with as much juice as I could give, each bullet smacking into the Royal with prejudice.

Vetsmon and Feiden stood back, stunned, as the Royal was actually suppressed. Bullet holes riddled its body, its remaining energy not enough to completely block them out.

“AGH! What the fuck is that?! Stop doing that!”

After just a few seconds, dozens of holes riddled its body. The Royal screamed in irritation before bolting off to the side.

My coat lit up as I followed, continuing to pelt it with rounds.

It tried to get closer, but doing so only made things worse. Earlier, I wasn’t landing every shot, but the closer it got the more I hit.

It was too weak to take me head on, but only I knew that this couldn’t continue forever.

So when it retreated a bit, I stopped.

“Vetsmon, Feiden, pin it down!”

“Got it!”

(Umara, hold fire. I’ll need you to stall for time in a bit, and they’re too close for you to not accidentally hit someone.)

Umara met my telepathy with her assent.

The two charged forward with my call. Vetsmon hoisted his shield and charged it, while Feiden circled around for a better position.

“Shit! You think you can fight me?! I’ll fucking gut you!”

It screamed while meeting the two knights head on, swinging down its sword at Vetsmon.

The blade rang, a spray of sparks bursting out from where the sword dug into Vetsmon’s shield. Even with his sturdy legs, he buckled a little before driving the sword back. He rose back up while driving his sword forward, forcing the Royal to dodge while unlodging its sword.

That’s when Feiden came in, swinging at its legs.

It twisted in midair, dodging the thrust and backing away. It took a moment to recalibrate, then went after Feiden with a vengeance, snaking its sword toward him.

Like he had seen it coming all along, Feiden deftly batted away the tip of the sword while swiping out with his spear.

“Ah! Son of a bitch!”

Feiden sliced across its remaining arm, leaving a long but shallow wound before backing away.

Vetsmon dove back in, but by now, the Royal had been suitably enraged.

“Fuck off, metal pile of shit!”

It raised its leg, kicking Vetsmon’s shield at just the right angle to launch him several yards backwards.

Then it refocused its efforts on Feiden, a storm of killing strikes forcing him onto the back foot. He was trying to keep it at a distance to use his spear effectively, but failing due to its sheer strength.

That’s when a figure dove in from behind, Tana deftly shooting her blade forward.

The Royal noticed, but couldn’t quite react before Tana’s sword stabbed straight into its back.

“AHH!”

Its scream of pain rent my ears, but it didn’t even flinch, using Tana’s momentum against her to lunge and grab her neck, longsword all but forgotten.

She didn’t panic even as I did and brought out a knife to drive into its arm.

“Shit! Fuck!”

It cursed and had no choice but to let go, delivering a fierce kick into Tana’s gut that launched her several yards away.

Feiden tried for another attack, sticking his spear into its shoulder, but was met with heavy resistance when he tried to pull back. He tried to abandon it, but was met with a quick kick at his chest.

It caved his armor in, sending him as far as Tana, blood pouring from his mouth.

I contacted Umara with my telepathic connection.

(Now! Keep it busy!)

(Got it!)

She responded, blades of air already making their way towards it.

The Royal was bombarded, slashes appearing across its remaining limbs. The occasional blast of pressurized air also knocked it around, nowhere near enough to kill it, but plenty enough to distract and unbalance him.

“Stop it! STOP IT! Warlocks are nuisances! I should’ve killed you first!”

It screamed, planting its feet and charging at Umara.

I panicked again, but with a light kick, a gust of wind lifted her up as she kited the Royal.

Unfortunately, the terrain was rough. She also couldn’t move fast or far, and she surely wasn’t as agile as the Royal, so it closed the distance quickly.

I slammed the bolt back into place, another round ready to fire.

“Get out of the way!”

I pulled the trigger when Umara launched herself out of the line of fire, pelting the Royal once more.

Umara joined in by launching the most devastating attacks she could, most consisting of pressurized air that blew holes or left gaping wounds behind.

There was hardly a part of this Royal that wasn’t wounded. I could almost see its organs. But it was so incredibly resilient that it continued to try and get one of us.

By now, Vetsmon had recovered and was prepared to dive in again.

“Vetsmon, go! He’s still trying for Umara!”

“Hah!”

He let out a cry, launching himself on my word right as I let up on the gun.

Umara, who was trying to outmaneuver the Royal between trees, was about to get caught when Vetsmon came flying in.

He tackled the Royal to the floor, taking out a long knife and driving it into its body repeatedly.

Umara ran away as that happened while I hefted up the gun to get closer.

Vetsmon continued to attack it, but it retaliated quickly.

It drove its hand up, letting the knife stab it before grabbing Vetsmon’s fist around the grip.

“I’ve got you now.”

It smiled before opening its wide mouth and biting down.

Vetsmon blocked with his other arm, but the Royal’s teeth shredded through the armor and clamped down around his bones.

“AHH!!”

He yelled, blood spraying from the wound as he tried to back away. But the Royal had him solidly in his grasp.

And yet it let go, tearing away Vetsmon’s flesh before headbutting him, denting the helmet.

Then, as he was dazed, it raised its leg for another kick. One so devastating that it warped his abdomen and sent him flying off into a nearby boulder that cracked under the impact.

“Vetsmon!”

“Tana, stop!”

I called out as I saw Tana diving in, her blade snaking in to stab the Royal’s chest all the way through.

It was a solid blow, but the Royal didn’t care and swiped down with its arm.

Tana abandoned her weapon to block, raising her arms. But, preoccupied with that, she didn’t notice the knee being driven into her stomach.

That alone raised her into the air, the Royal moving so fast that it was able to back away and deliver a follow up kick before she could even touch the floor.

I raised my gun, about to take advantage of the opening with nobody around until I saw Feiden diving in with his spear.

“Fuck! Feiden!”

“Finish him!”

Feiden yelled as he drove his spear into the other side of the Royal’s chest. This time, it seemed to put the Royal on its last legs.

And yet, it still managed to grab Feiden’s leg and start whipping him around.

Like a ragdoll, the Royal slammed Feiden into trees and the ground repeatedly, only stopping when some precise blast of pressurized air disrupted it.

Feiden was thrown, landing a distance away.

That’s when Umara appeared, a massive spell circle in front of her and gathering power.

Before I could even say anything, the spell completed and launched an impossibly dense projectile of air, one that shot toward the Royal at the speed of sound.

WIth a loud crunch and a splat, the Royal collapsed to the ground, an entire leg missing. It almost seemed harmless with only two limbs, despite the bloody fight it had been putting up earlier.

But against all odds, it rose back up on its remaining foot, turning its blood soaked face toward me.

It spoke with a blood curdling, guttural voice. Its golden eyes pierced straight into mine.

“One last mission.”

“Try me, you dog.”

I met it head on, pulling the trigger.

Its body twitched as dozens of bullets shredded what remained of its torso, many of them shooting straight through. Yet it still threw its body toward me like some kind of zombie.

“Ahhhh!!!”

I yelled even as the gun continued to fire, punching a massive hole in its chest that left behind nothing but a mess of gore.

Its bounds were slowed to a crawl, and by the time it was in front of me, it could do nothing more than twitch.

It took me a second to realize I was pulling the trigger to an empty magazine, a mechanical click ringing out in the suddenly silent forest.

My rapid breathing let out some fog as I dropped the gun. My Psyka was utterly spent.

Still, I looked down on the Royal, seeing its golden eyes that continued to stare up at me. It wasn’t quite dead yet.

I smiled a bit, placing my boot on its neck and bending down to speak.

“You know, I could’ve killed you earlier if I had aimed for the head. But I hear that Royals can be made into some good Crowns, and you seem to have just what I’m looking for. Congratulations, you scum. I’m going to brew you into a nice little treat. You can die knowing that you utterly failed.”

“Graahhh!!!”

The Royal let out one final cry before I summoned my shotgun and placed it on its neck.

Its head and body were a lot easier to fit into my spatial sack separately.

Slightly tinged with insanity, I chuckled to a forest returning with sound.

“Time to make up for my mistakes.”