Part-1 “The Chase”
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The pounding of our footsteps merged with the distant howls of the undead, a relentless rhythm that urged us forward. Drax’s skeleton made us a walking target. Warzheil had sealed it inside his dimensional pocket Earlier in the day, but that didn't mean we were free of concerns.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhF4HePKLG
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I could feel the tension radiating from him as his expressions were tensed. If the pocket got damaged somehow, the skeleton would be forced back into the physical world, and we'd be slowed down at the worst possible time.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhLehAYnlp
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“Hey, What if the lich catches us? Will he turn us into undead too? Or can he control living beings too?” I ask, glancing back nervously as I see a black aura rise inside the forest as if something ominous was approaching.
Warzheil ran ahead of me, his breathing controlled but heavy. “We just need to keep running and not second-guess ourselves. Don’t get any ideas.”
I glanced at Warzheil. “We can’t keep running forever. We need an actual plan.”
“My plan is simple—keep running, without wasting breath.” he said bluntly. “You have one better? Then cough it.”
“I have one and it may be good, its just- I just wanted your opinion on it.”
He gave me a wary look. Noticing my strange way of speaking as I hesitate. “That’s not reassuring.”
I hesitated. “Look, hypothetically speaking… if someone could take in another’s power, like, say… absorb their energy—”
Warzheil slowed mid-stride. “Lad,” he said, his voice low, “tell me you’re not suggesting what I think you are.”
“I mean—Drax himself chose me,” I said, dodging the real answer. “Wouldn’t he want me to use his power if I must?”
Warzheil scowled, shaking his head. “I feared you thinking something like that. The moment I saw your ability.”
I blinked. “Wait, you knew?, and when did you see it?”
He let out a slow breath. “I had my suspicion,” he admitted. “When you were half-asleep, I saw the grass near your demon arm… wilting. The colour drained from its leaves, like something was pulling the life out of it.” He shot me a hard look. “That’s not normal, lad. I’ve only heard of an ability similar to a Bone Demon’s.”
“It’s not like I was hiding it. Even I don’t fully understand these abilities. And it’s not like I want to use it. I hate the very idea of absorbing other beings when I am supposedly a veg myself.” I say as I circulate my breathing as we sprint.
Warzheil continued, his voice lower now. “I’ve met my share of… unconventional warriors. Some of them thought they could control powers like this.” His eyes darkened. “None of them died a good death.”
I clenched my fists. “And when exactly will I be ready, then?”
“When we have no other choice,” Warzheil said firmly.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOgWLAlYeV
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“But-” Before I could respond, Warzheil snapped at me, yelling as he ran.
“Suggest that again, and I’ll feed you to those monsters myself,” he snapped, irritation thick in his voice.
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I know he won’t do that to me, knowing him.
“Oh, come on! You’re just stalling, waiting for the perfect moment to tell me to absorb Drax’s powers anyway.”329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3lAka5KHm
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“Ronin, I thought maybe you were different from other humans, but Guess I was wrong to hope you’d think any differently than those zealots in the Holy Sickdom.” he replies, disappointment lacing his words.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSnmadFlkU
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Warzheil remains silent, clearly angry.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbMy1ot3QS
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I realised it but I am late now, I shouldn’t have framed my thoughts like that, I need to mend things up.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0bmyTB0o2
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We continue running, but he’s slowing us down. If I were to carry him, I’d need a constant supply of energy to keep from exhausting myself, and my strength would improve as well. But he’s not wrong either.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7w83E69KSo
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Just when things were going smooth, I see green light coming from a bush just ahead near the border of the forest I focus my eyes and barely see an outline but something is there definitely and not a friendly being, then 1 pair became 2 and then 3.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfmYbna0hL
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My hair shot up as déjà vu makes my skin crawl.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4rpVRE2Z6
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I sped up and yanked Warzheil to a stop before he stepped into their range.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHo0km3InK
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“Have you lost your mind Ronin?, I told you-” Warzheil shouts at me but soon enough his anger turns to alertness hearing the strong rustling of the bushes as three monstrosities emerge from the woods.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrXQPxBgjs
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“I had a feeling it was them.” I blurt out loud329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKhcPxZq10
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“By the ancients!, Crazed sheep?! things couldn’t get worse. These are the fastest beasts in the Kobe forest!” Warzheil said329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pp5wAy7AN
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I saw the sheep, Their legs twitched unnaturally, as if some unseen force was yanking them forward faster than their bodies should allow, They had black hair-like wool on a rotten rag-like skin hanging over its ribcage, providing it with negligible protection but making it look no less menacing.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnCjEOeaeo
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They sound like a combination of a rattle snake made of bones and grunting sound of a bull.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkrpWisBPK
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"C-Crazed Sheep? Fastest? You sure it’s not a demon-possessed, rabid bull drowning in its own spit? Because that’s what it sounds like." I asked329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9EA86tIPt
“Yes, they are magical spirit beasts who are born when a Mountain sheep dies in an area with dense mana--” Before he could continue, a sheep lunges at him at speeds that it looked like a blur but Warzheil dodges it while also hitting it.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kmfxgL3fe
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The old Dwarf is up to his game it seems.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzw0Kxi3Yau
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The sheep lost momentum and crashed to the ground, its head landing right in front of me. I slammed my foot down, expecting to crush its bones—but nothing. It didn’t even flinch. Instead, it swept its leg at me like a tiger’s paw. I barely dodged, and that’s when I realized—this thing was on a whole different level.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLm2e0JUI9A
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“Wait, I think I know these beasts! Drax had the ability to control undeads too, and he used these sheep to guard our village. But their eyes used to be purple, instead its green, that must mean they are under the lich’s control” Warzheil says329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTnCMmbkpj
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“So that’s why?!” I said as it dawned on me329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0rbUWQpkS
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Warzheil shot back “What?” in a confused tone as he launches a small ray of lightning forcing the sheep back and keeping them at bay.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhL2eXCFsk
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“When I arrived in this world, these 3 were chasing me, I felt something was off, Their eyes were purple at that time, But all they did was chase me and not hurt me, even though it’s hard to admit but I was scared out of my wits, so I didn’t think much of it, after that a giant wolf jumped me too. It all fits now. Drax must have been controlling them.” I say and notice clouds forming above us.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFeFiOXd5p
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“Obviously I would be scared too, no shame in that lad, but you wouldn’t mind getting electrocuted once right?” Warzheil asks329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaGCNqLbsp
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“What’s this about all of a sudden…. wait! Don’t tell me, you-” I realise Warzheil’s Idea of escape bit late, his hand swing down as a huge lightning bolt hits between us and the sheep monsters, I fall back electrocuted and unable to move and so are the sheep as the green colour in their eye flickers, I feel like a current had separated all my nerves from the flesh, my muscles apart from the bones, all I could do was keep lying like a puppet, I did try to force myself but it did little as I could barely move. Although the sheep looked like they were slowly getting better.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthNQiM8pGN
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Warzheil doesn’t look like he is affected by it at all, instead he grows bigger in size once again and pick me onto his back which is broader now.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02o5PVdGUC
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He runs fast and soon we are away from the sheep, but Warzheil’s size starts to decrease and his breathing becomes rough.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNGOM28mg4
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I can finally move my fingers properly so I hoop off his back but little did I know, I fell on my face as my legs are still sore from the shock.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAEAzkrxJU
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“You trying to get us killed, lad?!” he yells329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUxCTb2TA2
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“What are you think I am doing? You are out of steam, I will carry you instead.” I say as I stretch my legs.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3O1nw7j9RA
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Warzheil is still breathing heavy.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrU5OKVCjR2
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“No questions allowed old man, you used your lifeforce again, didn’t you? Next time I see you use that, forget running I will hand Drax over to the lich myself, got it?” Warzheil steps back with a retaliating expression but is too exhausted to argue so he lets out a sigh as he hops on my back.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kuvzqDnv4
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I flex my legs ready to run at my best, And when I start, I feel like I am a falcon tearing through the wind. I have never been so fast in my entire life. That transformation must have affected my whole body, not just the arm or the eye.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4EZDrZni3
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After a few more minutes, we finally reach the bridge. Thankfully I don’t see those sheep.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, about absorbing Drax” I apologize, hoping to mend things.
“Don’t worry. You’ve must have been in a field that clouds one’s emotions for far too long. I won’t blame you,” he replies, though his tone suggests he’s still hurt.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRexNS9IPzY
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“Yeah, I was a hitman, a modern term on Earth used to address hired assassins. I killed many.” I said329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfKNdnH4sG
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“That explains your flexible fighting style.” Warzheil replies but then a long awkward pause stands between us.
As we run a few more kilometres, I spot a statue nearly double my height329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0b1frhyJLx
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Why do I feel like it’s watching us?329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGMxviMdvJ
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“That’s a Dratnir Bot, the keepers of order on the Dratnir bridge.” Warzheil says329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhM22jJGSt
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I have my own questions piling up but I cannot waste my breath on them just yet, I am already starting to feel an uncomfortable stretch in my leg and my back.
As we approach the Dratnir bot, its eyes and body suddenly glow. It lifts its sword from a downward position to an upward one, covering its face, startling both me and Warzheil. I step away as a reflex for just a moment to observe what it intends to do but then continue only to hear it speak.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNllUJHcyX1
“I almost had my heart jump out of my chest.” Warzheil sighs with relief.
“The cosmos have blessed us again. Long live the Creator.” it intones, then lowers its sword back to its original position, the glow fading.
“You could have told me that they could speak!” I exclaim, astonished.
“Do you think I would be so surprised if I knew? I didn’t know they could speak until just now, and what was that about cosmos and King?” Warzheil admits, equally surprised.
“Is it something to do with me?” I ask, curiosity piqued.
“I don’t know, but what I do know is that some Ancient relics tell of Legendgod, a mysterious being who made this world. Maybe the robot must have mistaken you or me for him. The current gods of this world forbade the worship of any entity other than themselves. They thought Legend God was an imaginary being invented by someone, at least that is what their temple heads say.”
“Imaginary huh, cults seem like a thing here too.” I say329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmh61ScRkFM
“Focus on your breathing now, lets talk once we are in the clear.” Warzheil suggests.
We continue our journey across the bridge, and I notice screen-like devices displaying numbers on the closest divider of the lanes near the left wall.
“What’s that?” I say, pointing at the display.
“Oh, that tells us how many beings are currently on the bridge. I used to think it counted by detecting mana, but since it’s counting you as well, it must use some other method we don’t know of.”
“Hmm, I might have answers to that, but you are on my back and yet it can tell that we are 2?” I reply, intrigued.
“I’d gladly hear your Otherworldly knowledge when leisure allows it,” he says, eager to learn.
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We chat for an hour as I run, but soon we reach a place that looks as if it’s a toll plaza on a highway.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BTjgPB4Zu
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“This is the only supply stop on this bridge. Some have two, but this Dratnir bridge has one. Wait a moment; I’ll buy something to eat since we can get vegetarian food too. I don’t know how but The food is always fresh here, and the thing you order gets teleported on the counter once you pay, without mistake.”329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzKHlEkD9l
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I must admit, I didn’t expect such high technology in this world of swords and magic.
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I am exhausted, thankfully this place serves as the only supply stop on this bridge, it’s a life saver nonetheless.
“How you hanging in there, lad?” Warzheil asks me329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsnzsbPVDu
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“Ignoring the exhaustion? Totally fine.” I say hint at Warzheil to reconsider his choice.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAAPjs5aHV
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I wait for Warzheil to return for a few minutes, I notice a gap in the walls on the bridge’s edge and look out of it, the air is blowing harder on the outside of the bridge and not so much on the bridge itself, who even made these long and advanced bridge?329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULzk8weL9Q
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As I am done looking outside the gap, I turn around and notice the counter on the lane again. This time, I see the numbers increasing rapidly, and the lanes turn red.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaSMRZOhHF
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Suddenly I hear an alarm blaring sound seeping into my ears, I look for the source and my eyes fall on the display on the bridge’s lane borders. And I see the numbers rise rapidly.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEXOAnBp9t
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“Warzheil! We need to run! The number is now 8376!” I shout, alarm rising. Warzheil starts hording all things he ordered in another dimensional pocket.
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Suddenly a big skeleton bird like being with rotten flesh and wings fly over our head, I focus and realise it’s a wyvern and it has a delivery for us. One of the sheep monster lands Infront of me, but it seems like its alone this time.
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