51
The Lifeline
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The scales of the high-lizardman were coated with water - a muddy layer manifested by its attribute.
The water was evaporated by the heat of its energy circulation. Hypothermia couldn’t chain this cold-blooded monster down. The water became mist. The mist stuck to the creature as a cloak - much like the lighting and darkness of the opponents it faced.
Shining blue pupils shone through this haze.
Bright golden pupils met their challenge.
Two spears clashed once more.
Each clash resulted in an explosion of vapor. Droplets were evaporated with currents of light. The coat of lightning met the coat of water. And each clash was followed by a raging shriek of the high-lizardman.
But still, Alduin felt the tension rise. The high-lizardman went on the defensive. Waiting for its reinforcements to arrive. Not only that, the pressure they started with was slowly fading.
Daggers hit their target after each clash they had.
Ise’s figure was swallowed by darkness after each hit. Her territory was the night, her presence elusive. Yet each assault lowered the magic signature she had manifested.
Their intensity was lowering, even Alduin felt the currents dissipate.
‘There’s no time!’ Alduin knew - with the approach of the shrieking creatures - that several lizardmen had almost arrived at their location. ‘Two of us,’ Alduin thought, ‘Don’t tell me even two of us aren’t enough!’
He couldn’t let this creature go - its spear would reach their backs the moment they turned - yet they couldn’t prolong this fight either. A large wave of lesser-lizardman followed their superiors closely.
The three of them knew it, time was on the high-lizardman’s side. Its laugh mocked their situation. It knew its presence was enough to hold them back.
Another clash resulted in an explosion of mist.
Lightning countered water. However, Alduin had no way to break through this opponent. ‘Don’t tell me I need to use the third manifestation?!’
But before he even thought so, a malevolent smile showed.
The clash wasn’t followed by Ise. She had missed a beat. The presence of her attribute faded. Her manifested cloak of darkness vanished. The attack the lizardman was anticipating, never landed.
A hissing voice echoed in their ears, “You’re dead!”
With webbed toes, the high-lizardman showed extreme mobility. Its rapid steps momentarily allowed it to step on the surface of the mud.
Quick movements allowed the creature to close in on Alduin. The terrain didn’t allow for him to evade. A shriek was accompanied by the thrust of a spear.
Alduin’s eyes opened wide. His thoughts fell silent.
The spear aimed at his torso, but this time Alduin didn’t parry. He dropped his weapon and opened his arms for the approaching creature.
His breathing became still.
A twist of his waist allowed him to narrowly dodge the tip of the spear. His eyes locked on his target. His arm clenched and grabbed the weapon.
His steps moved backward as he used the opponent’s spear to keep his distance. The malevolent gaze of the Reptile was met with mockery.
They had closed in on each other. The lizardman noticed its mistake too late and dropped its weapon. Its jaws opened wide as it aimed for Alduin’s head.
“Fool!” Alduin yelled.
The greatest strength of darkness was to hide its presence. Ise had disappeared before the lizardman even knew. A final burst of energy arrived at the top of its head. Like the reaper cloaked with death, Ise arrived with daggers to claim its life.
Blood erupted. Two eyes burst with a fountain of blood.
The spear in Alduin’s arm became a pole that pushed the Reptile to the side. And before it could react - with a twist of his weapon - the spear pierced the creature’s navel.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The darkness and lightning faded. Their energy no longer manifested outside. Two activations of Ise’s attribute as well as the second one of Alduin’s was necessary to take down a single beast.
“GO!” Ise was the first to yell. Her face was pale but her hands were already moving.
Blood erupted from the wound in its stomach. Alduin didn’t look back. The lizardmen were closing in. Their stomping shook their balance. But he ran and left Ise behind, she was faster than him even after this fight.
The door to the university was covered with blood. The severed tail lay next to a lifeless creature. And for the first time, Alduin heard his footsteps clearly.
Traces of mud were left behind, yet this place - located in the heart of the swamp - hadn’t been devoured yet.
‘Two spears,’ Alduin thought, ‘I have two spears left, and a single attribute manifestation.’ His breathing had escaped his control. And while he had regained some energy since saving Bertrand, exhaustion always followed a fight.
‘Come on, Ise,’ Alduin stared back. His feet never stopped moving. His dark brown eyes turned to the footsteps of mud that led him forward.
A loud crash was heard behind him.
His heart clenched. For the first time since leaving his home, he was all alone in enemy territory. He didn’t want to leave Ise behind, yet they all had their own strengths, and he had to believe in them.
“Alduin!” a voice rang out from behind him.
The young man turned his head. A haggard woman with loose black hair was rapidly approaching him. Her voice shouted out once more, “Run faster!”
The destruction rang even louder. The back entrance of the university was completely destroyed as multiple lizardmen entered. But unlike high-lizardmen, these creatures weren’t completely freed from the oppressive cold.
“I’m running!” Alduin shouted back. If the fight was a warm-up, the real challenge would come now. Like a well-oiled machine, Alduin’s limbs pushed him to his limits. There was no longer anything holding him back.
Wide corridors. Long hallways. The route in front of them didn’t wind much. The ceiling was high, and the walls were white. The paint of mud hadn’t yet reached this place.
But the further they went, the more traces they saw. Impacts on walls. Claw marks on the concrete floor. Long lines of a lizardman’s tail left traces on the floor. But most importantly, fading footsteps of mud covered all.
“They’re close!” Alduin yelled behind him but Ise had already reached his side.
“Don’t yell so loudly,” Ise laughingly said.
“This is not the time to laugh!” Alduin berated with a smile.
“Is it?” Ise smiled even brighter, her mood couldn’t be masked. “Did you see where we just escaped from?”
“Are you fine?” Alduin felt relief, excitement, and fear all combined as adrenaline carried shivers through his body.
“I’m fine,” Ise replied, her pale face formed a beaming smile as she continued, “How could I not be if I got this?!”
A blood-soaked arm pushed forth. A radiant blue gemstone became visible in Alduin’s eyes. His exhaustion was rejuvenated and his thoughts rang out, ‘Not a sky-blue one!’
“That’s an attribute!” Alduin exclaimed. His breathing became even rougher as the sprinting and his excitement stole his rhythm. “You-“
Ise’s cold expression had completely melted, “I know!”
“You’re crazy!” Yet Alduin couldn’t help but rejoice.
Both of them knew, out of all the setbacks they experienced, this might be what changes their fate.
“Yet you left me behind!” Ise continued to run, her steps showed her joy as she almost skipped through the hallway.
“Well, I wouldn’t if I didn’t trust you,” Alduin said back. The trust they felt in each other’s capabilities became a strength that pushed them forward.
The satisfaction of this moment washed away the fear of the colony chasing them. And steps - with a rhythm of joy - painted these empty hallways.
The cold woman stared at Alduin with a warm gaze.
“Now, we just need to catch up,” Ise said, “Follow closely!” And Ise, once again - as was her nature - took the position of a scout.
The back of this woman never felt so reliant. The weight of the burden he carried was supported by the strength of his friends. From the strength Ise and Leon showed, to the support Veleda gave him.
His purpose was clear, his mind was made up. The thoughts he carried continued to solidify, ‘Now it’s my turn to make sure they’re safe.’
The final lifeline was clutched tightly.
***
The time it took for Alduin and Ise to slay the high-lizardman was enough for Veleda and her group to pass several hallways in this university.
Hilda took Ise’s role, and Hati followed closely. Yet not a single lizardman was seen on their path.
“Is this normal?” Leon asked, he was unsure of what to do now that Alduin and Ise weren’t with them.
For the first time the tall man spoke up, “I don’t know, we were also aiming for the army.” Uncertainty made him pause before he continued, “But we saw their preparations, at least several hundred soldiers have entered the colony. They used the passage between the east and west district to head deeper.”
“There’s no way they’re not safe!” Hilda couldn’t bear the tension. Her voice lashed out in anger, “Listen, we’re almost there. We’re about to see them. Stop worrying!”
Yet her claims gave them no comfort. Traces of lizardmen marked this entire hallway, yet not a single creature could be seen.
“The swamp hasn’t entered here,” Veleda said through her erratic breaths, “The temperature here is significantly colder, the floor itself is also made out of cement. That might be why.”
But whatever they came up with didn’t matter. The front entrance was not far in front of them. And as if anticipating the worst, all of them slowed down, if only to make sure they had enough energy for whatever was waiting for them.
***
Unlike the first group, however, Ise and Alduin didn’t slow down in the slightest. The longer they ran, the more their energy increased.
Anticipation turned into worry as they started questioning the same thing. Frowns painted their faces where joy used to reign.
The seriousness of the situation forced them to control their breathing. The relief of a single victory was suppressed. Their navels seemed to burn as energy flowed through their muscles. But both were death-silent. Only their increasing haste echoed the hallways.
A corner was passed.
Shards of glass littered the ground. Large open windows waited at the end of their path. And bright flames gave a glimpse of what was outside.
And finally, in front of them, the group they were catching up with was waiting.
The lifeline they had clutched led them to this place.
And a single voice broke through the quiet entrance.
“Midgard - Thunderclap”