Chapter 64 – Of Body and Soul
*twitch*
That’s what Matt had been waiting for. The twitch of the icons’ shoulder preceded the lunge and the tip of the sword swiftly angling upward toward his throat. Matt tried to sidestep and parry the blow, pushing it to the outside as he tried to get inside the guard. He was forced to abandon this tactic as the icon brought its elbow down, rotating his wrist to turn the stab into a weak slash. A slash that likely would part the flesh if it connected.
The icon still didn’t get away unscathed. The uniform and pouches had started to smoke and char in the areas that were closest to Matt. His skin was also starting to feel the heat, flushing a brown color as the surface burned.
Matt once again stepped in, hoping to bait the icon and succeeding. The sword came in low, sweeping toward his leading leg but was stopped by the haft of the tomahawk. He twisted, forcing the blade into a bind between the haft and the bearded blade.
With the sword controlled, Matt stepped in close and lashed out with a straight kick that caught the icon in the side of his knee. Hearing a crunch from the impact, he tried to close and press his advantage, but a flash of steel forced him to back away again, yanking the tomahawk out of the bind with a pinging sound. This time he couldn’t dodge fast enough.
A razor thin line of pain erupted from Matts shoulder where the armor has a gap between plates. He looked at the icon as they both stumbled back, one with a crushed knee and the other with a deep cut. The icon hadn’t been expecting a kick, while Matt hadn’t been expecting a dagger held in one of the lower hands. Matt was about to reengage when he noticed something.
The point of the icons saber was wider. No, not wider. The point was gone, and he was seeing the full cross section of the blade. A quick glance down showed the last 20 centimeters of saber blade lying in the grass. Apparently when Matt had broken the bind, he had literally broken the bind. The leverage must have found a weak point and broken the blade as he twisted.
“Heh, I have drawn first blood.” The icon said. “Heh. The advantage is now mine. Heh.”
Matt didn’t know about that; he didn’t see much of an advantage to having a major joint crushed while he was only bleeding. Ok, so he had to give it to him, it was technically first blood. He didn’t respond, his wrath was starting to overcome his other senses. Instead, he put that energy to use and vanished.
If Matt could see the commanders face, he would have seen the wide-eyed expression of shock. Instead, Matt could only see the back plate of the icons armor as he lashed out at the already injured leg, drawing the bit of the tomahawk through the tendons at the back of the knee.
“AAAAAHHHH.” The commander screamed, lashing out with his truncated sword before he was buffeted by an inferno of heat and his skin began to crisp. Matt had teleported once again, this time leaving a wave of plasma to buffet the icon.
Matt reappeared in front of the icon once more, already swinging an overhand strike at the crook the icons neck now that he was kneeling. Before the blow landed, his blow seemed to slow and the icon moved backward, like he was being dragged by his belt. His blow delayed; the head of his tomahawk found only the dirt at his feet.
Looking up, he saw the icon come back into focus 50 meters away, half hidden by the barricades. Matt began moving forward in a loping run as the orang giant began fishing in one of the pouches on his belt. Before Matt could reach him, the icon retrieved 2 items. The first item was clearly a healing potion while the second was a silver rod that he snapped and threw it to the ground where it billowed a cloud of smoke.
The smoke obscured Matts vision for only a moment before he switched to thermal. The change happened just fast enough for him to catch the shape of the icon disappearing into the obstacles and walls. Unperturbed, Matt slowed his run and stalked forward in a more measured pace. He pushed mana into his weapon, coating the blade in roiling plasma. He was planning to make the next exchange the last one in this farce of a duel.
*
The icon downed the healing potion and felt his leg begin to regenerate. He was at a disadvantage without the normal soul attacks and mind games. While he was familiar with using another’s body, he wasn’t accustomed to actually having a physical challenge.
Still, he was thankful that the commander had some useful items such at the smoke screens that were now filling the area. The dome would keep it from dissipating too. He was just beginning to plan an ambush when he saw 2 bright blue dots floating toward him. Dots that were at head height for the veiled abomination.
The thought made his blood run cold. The veiled could see him. He could feel those eyes staring right at him, completely ignoring the obscuring cloud. The icon raised his blade, prepared to fight when he saw another light. A bright blue crescent with a matching inverted V floating around knee height. The movement of the shape grabbed his attention, and he wondered what it was until the shapes swung up and into a ready position. The axe, it was imbued with that burning mana. The icon readied himself for what would surely be their last clash.
*
Matt teleported forward, appearing within the guard of the icon. He felt an odd resistance as he appeared, like a pressure that he had to fight against. He then realized it was his mana being consumed. He had felt the pressure the first time he used the skill against the icon but didn’t think anything of it. He made a mental note to ask Tori about it when he had a chance. For the time being, he swung his tomahawk in a horizontal attack.
The attack was blocked, and he was forced to pivot his hand farther forward to keep the icon from sliding his blade down the haft and into him. He stepped in, easily getting under the guard of the taller being and punching out at his elbow. His fist connected with the icon’s joint and there was a snap before Matt was forced to teleport away from a knife blade aimed at his armpit.
Matt reappeared to the opposite side as the icon became overextended, no longer having anything to push against. He flipped the spike of his weapon forward and drove the plasma imbued blade into and then through the armored breast plate. Matt twisted and yanked the blade back, tearing a large rend in the steel. Matt could see blood seeping out of the wound beneath the armor before he vanished, leaving a thing beam of plasma behind.
Withdrawing straight back, Matt watched the commander being bowled over by the concentrated plasma wave. The vertical line smashed into him and threw him away where he fetched up against one of the barriers. Matt was a little shocked by the force of the attack but realized he only used that on large enemies before and hadn’t tested it on anything his size.
Sprinting to conserve mana, Matt ran to where the icon had crashed through the barrier. As he approached, he saw the figure suddenly sit upright and a shape flying at him. A section of wooden log crashed into his shoulder as he tried to duck the attack. Matt was jostled but was able to push on after a slight stumble. The distraction proved enough for the icon to regain his footing before he was able to get to him.
The icon was looking rough to say the least. His uniform was in tatters, both charred and torn from Matts last attack. Matt could see the coarse details through his thermal filter, which highlighted the damage better than the naked eye. His skin was split and bleeding in several places, staining the edges of his grey uniform. The hole in the breast plate was also still leaking a steady flow of blood.
As Matt closed, the truncated end of the saber flicked out to meet him. Instead of trying to parry or bind the blade, he took only a half step, slowing just enough to lean in and under the blade that was over extended. Seeing an opening, Matt struck out.
The edge of his tomahawk made contact with the icon’s upper leg, cutting clean to the bone just above the knee. The giant of a man dropped, the sudden severing of muscle causing his already bent knee to fold. The icon shouted and dropped his elbow onto Matt, knocking him aside but missed the follow-up attack as he rolled away from the tip of the sword.
Matt came up from the awkward maneuver, regaining his footing and launching himself back at the kneeling enemy. He swung his tomahawk again, aiming for the shoulder. Rather than trying to block, the icon stabbed forward, the blunted point of his blade scraping along the armor over Matts stomach as he closed.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Feeling the pressure and a pinch, Matt finished his attack. He swung down and buried the axe blade in the icon’s shoulder, severing the arm just past the edge of the armored breast plate. The icon screamed in pain as the arm holding the saber was removed. He tried to lash out with the off-hand dagger but Matt had already kicked away, using his kneeling body as a platform to spring off of. He landed just outside what was once arms reach for the icon before vanishing.
The icon looked around franticly, trying to spot where Matt would strike from. He held the dagger in a fencers grip as he tried to pivot, using his wounded leg as a central point. A moment later, Matt emerged from the smoke directly in front of the icon. He didn’t say anything, not a single word but the icon could feel the weight of his aura. He could taste very essence of the veiled condensed by his wrath into a suffocating presence that promised utter oblivion.
As Matt approached, he could see the enemy starting to fade fast. He was listing slightly to one side, arms barely held in a defensive posture. His movements were slow and clumsy while trying to brandish the dagger. Matt broke into a run, not bothering with subterfuge as he closed, swinging the spike of his weapon in a downward strike, landing atop the Icon’s head.
He looked up and quickly backed away after he dealt the killing blow. The impact had thrown blood, brain and bits of skull in every direction. The worst part, by far, was the burning and the smell that came from his plasma affinity. It was a smell that somehow made it through his helmet filters. He saw the smoke start to rapidly dissipate and the barricades shrank back into the earth.
Turning around as the smoke faded, Matt saw the barrier come into view and saw the crowd gathered outside. With a ripple the barrier faded, and Echo bolted in from where he had been sitting with Jess. Matt was just turning to welcome his familiar when a System Message forced its way into his field of view and a golden light washed over him. “Oh, come on.” He groaned, before vanishing.
You have killed Possessed Commander. Level 51
You have defeated Icon of Conquest. Level N/A
Class Pilot- Gunfighter is now level 55.
Stat Points Awarded
Soul integration of Iconic essence beginning in 3… 2… 1
A host of notifications assaulted Matts mind, but the system forced through 5 of them for reasons that were unknown to him. He paid particular attention to the countdown. A countdown that was moving way faster than…
Pain. Unimaginable pain. The feeling that washed through him wasn’t physical, instead burning his soul. The searing sensation swept through his metaphysical body in an instant before vanishing.
Matt opened his eyes and found himself staring at the very battlefield he was on before the System pulled him away. The only problem was that this grass field was almost clear. Everything seemed to be in faint, an almost ghostlike projection of the real world. Everything except the people.
As Matt turned in a full circle, he saw that the classers and pilots that had gathered outside the barrier all had a glowing core at the center of their being. The colors varied and the light fluctuated as they moved around but still it persisted, an effervescent core of their being. He then saw Echo appear next to him, back again in his own soul shape that Matt had seen when they first met.
“Welcome, Matthew Shultz.” A voice suddenly said. The words echoed in his mind, like he hadn’t actually heard them, and they were projected directly like how Van spoke to him.
Matt flinched at the words and whipped around, very confused and slightly disorientated at not having a physical body again. The being he saw was a humanoid shape made entirely of a very familiar golden light. It was without gender or even a distinct shape other than 4 limbs and a head attached to a torso that stacked up to around 2 meters in height.
“What the hell are you?” He asked, tensing his muscles though he had the distinct impression that fighting it would be pointless. Not in a ‘I cant hurt it’ sort of way but more of a ‘it cant be hurt’ situation. He had a suspicion as to the being’s identity but wanted to be certain.
“I am an avatar of the System. In a way, I am the System.”
Well, I was half right. Matt thought to himself.
“In some ways, you were completely right.” The avatar answered. Matt just gaped at it despite knowing he shouldn’t be surprised. “But we must press on. Our time in this sub-layer is limited at your grade.” Matt decided to do the smart thing and closed his gaping mouth before gesturing for the System to continue.
Nodding, the avatar began speaking as it turned and slowly walked toward the corpse of the icon. Matt and Echo followed along as it spoke. “You have defeated an icon of conquest. An impressive feat considering the aspect of this projected icon. While it does exist in the over world, its body is restricted like all of its unbound kin, thus the projection.” The avatar knelt and shoved its ethereal hand into the corpse before them.
“So, these icons or aspects or whatever can just possess people?” Matt asked as he and Echo came to a stop next to the avatar.
“Yes, but they risk this.” The avatar pulled out a ball of light and held it to Matt. “This is known as iconic essence. The icon must wager a piece of itself which it will lose should it fail in its challenge. It is their nature to try and steal power from mortals but often they lose and sacrifice a fragment like this. This heavy penalty is what brings balance.”
Matt inspected the ball of light. It was perfectly round and without color unlike those of the other classers and pilots, or even Echo.
Iconic Essence (Unbound)
That was it, no description, no flavor text, just a name and qualifier. “And what does this do?” He asked the avatar. He figured that would at least give him some answers.
“It will anchor your aspect to your body.” The avatar explained.
“Great and what does that mean?” Matt deadpanned back.
The avatar paused, hesitating for a split second before speaking. “It will take you one step further along your inevitable path. I will not say more, lest I ruin the balance.” The avatar once again extended its hand. “It will not harm you, that I can promise. This essence will only enhance that which you already employ.”
Looking to Echo, Matt got only a head tilt in return. With a shrug, he extended his hand and touched the ball.
Just as he made contact the avatar spoke again. “Oh, and this might sting a little.”
As far as understatements went, that would place amongst the all-time greatest. Once again, pain rippled through Matt, searing his soul as the light was absorbed. Unlike last time, where the pain was only the briefest of moments, this one seemed to last forever. The worst part was he wasn’t the only one that seemed to experience it. Echo sent him a cacophony of images and sensation, none of which conveyed pleasure.
After what felt like hours, the burning faded, and he was able to return to his senses. He glared at the avatar that still stood before them while both Matt and Echo had fallen to the ground, locked up from the experience.
“Congratulations on achieving what few gods have even achieved. You will find… some information in your messages when you return to the over world.” The avatar said as they stood. “Be cautious, for there are others who may have absorbed the iconic essence. Those individuals will seek to challenge you to remove competition and take your essence.”
Matt was still experiencing phantom pains as he choked out a reply. “How do I stop that?”
The avatar seemed to smile, despite its face remaining blank. “Grow stronger and develop your own iconic essence. Good luck Matthew Shultz.” And with that, he was once again enveloped in the golden light.
“Its just Matt..” he tried to say before both him and Echo were completely engulfed and whisked away.
*****
Jess stood watching the duel with the rest of the commandos. After the bubble had gone up, the remaining Tikshir had fallen quickly, overwhelmed by pilots and supporting infantry. They had managed a few pockets of defense but those quickly fell to cannon fire while they had no artillery to defend them.
Naturally, the main host of classers has swept through the area, collecting anything and everything of value. The commandos had pushed through the objective and gathered at the edge of the barrier where Van was patiently waiting, and Echo was… not. The drake was incensed, clawing and attempting to bite at the shimmering barrier. No matter how strong the strike, it was not enough, and he was forced to wait with the others.
The pilots all gathered and watched as Matt and the commander suddenly appeared on platforms inside. Neither took notice of the spectators, instead they seemed to be in a sort of stasis for a few moments. Suddenly, some of Matts equipment began to vanish and he was left only with his strange axe.
“Oh, he is not going to like that.” Jess said aloud to nobody.
“Indeed, I think that umber bastard is in for it.” Jahrain, one of the other commando pilots said.
Jess didn’t say more as the duel began. They saw the opening moves then heard the talking, a strange, cadence and gurgling coming from the commander. Matts voice was fine as he responded in a short, clipped tone. Then the fight was on in full.
They watched rapid series of exchanges, both parties engaging then breaking away only to come back together. They also could feel the aura that had begun to seep out from Matt. The other classers that had joined started backing away while Jess and the commandos, remained in place, already familiar with the sensation. The commander clearly was not a fan as his eyes went wide and fear began to show on his face.
It was at that point Matt began using skills to take the orange giant apart. They saw the commander flee, deploying a sort of smoke that did absolutely nothing to either Matt or the spectators. It seemed that the dome wanted them to be able to witness what was happening. It was at this point Jess knew the fight was over. Matt had scored a psychological victory and now just had to deal… and there it was. A tomahawk to the skull.
Jess heard someone near her start muttering.
“What an absolute monster.”
“Yeah, I am not sure what to think…”
Jess was about to give them an ear full when the barrier dropped. Echo took off like a rocket, headed right for Matt. Just as the drake got within arm’s reach, both of them were enveloped in golden light and vanished. Jess was wondering where they went when, after only a few seconds, they suddenly reappeared. She immediately knew something significant had happened after just brushing against his aura, it felt sturdier, defined more of who and what he was.
Before anyone could do more than say a word, Van lunged forward, falling to one knee. Luckily there was nobody in front of him because the impact sunk the mech’s knee into the ground on force alone. Jess looked over to the kneeling mech and was about to see what was wrong when she felt the aura, Matts aura magnified 10 times over, begin to billow out.
Her trait as an empath made her naturally sensitive to auras and emotions. When hit with Matts aura, she felt wrapped up in a cocoon of emotions and intent, a mixture that she couldn’t quite put words to. It felt incredibly dangerous but also reassuring like a campfire in the dark of night. Just before she blacked out, she heard Matts voice. He was talking to someone. Was it her? She didn’t know but slipped into the warm embrace of sleep knowing she would be safe.