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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvAjyjxDA1
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5VipjNCtT
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEqV8rA2Yf
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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.”176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2V4A9M0Ki
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLIKe0uomW
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Warzheil remains silent, clearly angry.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPHJI666ko
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCPQxcTObB
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8kCLmauLy
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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 3.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kNV49pmPD
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My hair shot up as déjà vu makes my skin crawl.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡge982b6vNs
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I sped up and yanked Warzheil to a stop before he stepped into their range.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPrErMalUW
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfQWvnqDsN
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“I had a feeling it was them.” I blurt out loud176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJ0zAUFumg
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“By the ancients!, Crazed sheep?! things couldn’t get worse. These are the fastest beasts in the Kobe forest!” Warzheil said176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbtJPNoqgH
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbKJ8g8jbD
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They sound like a combination of a rattle snake made of bones and grunting sound of a bull.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLP70XVHuTE
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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 asked176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKQwwopFhv
“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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdIUamy3sl
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The old Dwarf is up to his game it seems.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShk5SCIKLc
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0wQtOOiuS
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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 says176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPyfI5go2G
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“So that’s why?!” I said as it dawned on me176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZ54oq7MDm
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVlxB2gC6E
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWP5nnqZOHD
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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 asks176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiC82You7r0
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fXeV1DXqE
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Jqjle9HVQ
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1769KuGAU
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLqT61AZF5
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“You trying to get us killed, lad?!” he yells176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWbUNAys4c
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJQsotkcfd
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Warzheil is still breathing heavy.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTyWoOUpjC
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAPlVEqSUF
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPgh6TY7kX
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxoX7DbHw1
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“Yeah, I was a hitman, a modern term on Earth used to address hired assassins. I killed many.” I said176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuuDO6BWjz
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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 height176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG445WkMNQz
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Why do I feel like it’s watching us?176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOn82iQUYe
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“That’s a Dratnir Bot, the keepers of order on the Dratnir bridge.” Warzheil says176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoj2omvf9p
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsLqCLO3LS
“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 say176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDP8UQW1BzX
“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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMTsbtbOwt
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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.”176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdKxgx94SX
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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 me176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxBshVRymZ
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“Ignoring the exhaustion? Totally fine.” I say hint at Warzheil to reconsider his choice.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRn1OgWzLt
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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?176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvB9C2xrEm
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmLdt1pQPQ
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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.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVz1f0l41e
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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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