Ch 37

  Taking one quick look at his exhausted comrades, Matt realized they were all running on empty—the fleeting, victorious rush they’d experienced when the wind began to die down had now faded, replaced by sheer exhaustion. It was clear that everyone was ready to collapse any moment, so he turned his back to the forward path and bellowed one decisive order: “Break through past me, and I’ll hold the rest back.”

  Their initial hesitation vanished the moment they met the fierce determination in his eyes. Even if they were leaving him to face five skeletal foes, they would still have to confront two of their own. Still, without delay, they engaged the foes ahead while Matt hung back, waiting for the other five to close in. Almost immediately, however, Matt found himself on the backfoot as he was forced to cede ground while blocking the first skeleton that attempted to pursue the others. Part of his struggle was due to the impossibility of guarding all eight feet of the narrow path without yielding space. More importantly, he needed to reach the area just beyond where the wind had once held them back before he became completely surrounded.

  The major flaw in his plan was that it required the other six to push their two opponents back just as far—a daunting task given their current state. Yet, as he kept a wary eye on them, a smile tugged at his lips. Greg had finally discovered a practical use for his spell. After Yumiko fired her arrow and Emily thrust her staff, Greg’s magic sent one of the two adversaries tumbling off the side of the path. This left only one skeleton for Zara to duel solo, while Eleanor and Rose appeared poised to charge in and aid Matt if necessary.

  “Finish off the other one and get to where the path narrows,” Greg called out, clearly observing Matt’s planned maneuver. “Yumiko, save your last four extra arrows for later.”

  Hearing those words, Matt allowed himself a brief smile as he continued his slow retreat, ignoring the pained yell from Zara just moments before she managed to best her opponent with Emily’s assistance. Now, Matt had to contend with the final five. He dodged and parried their attacks, trying desperately to force them to interfere with one another. Sadly, his plan began to unravel when his parry was slightly off; a sharp cut grazed his hand, causing him to lose his grip on his knife. In the next instant, a rapier hurtled straight for his heart, another aimed for his eye, and yet another threatened his neck.

  In a desperate bid to survive, Matt dropped into a crouch and moved his palm into the path of the blade headed for his heart. He grunted in pain as the rapier pierced his palm between his middle and ring fingers. With a surge of determination, he lunged forward, impaling the weapon even deeper until he could grasp the hilt with his wounded hand. Then, with a burst of raw strength, he punched the attacking skeleton in the face while yanking the rapier in an effort to free it from its wielder’s grasp. Yet, as he executed this maneuver, the other four skeletons seized the opening, all four thrusting their weapons towards his heart.

  Two opponents were easy to dispatch. The skeleton whose blade was in Matt’s hand held fast, allowing him to spin and force that adversary into the two beside it. However, the other two proved far more challenging. Gritting his teeth, Matt rose onto the tips of his toes just as both blades pierced him. Ignoring the searing pain and the screams echoing behind, he dropped back into a crouch as the rapier, finally freed, was driven through his palm—its presence compelling the two skeletons to drop with him to avoid releasing their grip on their blades. Even as both adversaries lunged forward with their daggers, a move that Matt knew he had to counter or face death, he twisted his body, forcing them off balance despite the worsening wounds in his stomach and liver.

  Still, a smile played on Matt’s lips as he struggled to stand. The skeletons lost their hold when their wind barriers activated, throwing them apart and away from him. Seizing the moment, Matt freed the rapier from his mangled hand and tossed it into the abyss below, followed by pulling out the other two blades that were buried into his flesh. He hoped desperately that his regeneration would save him once more. Yet he also knew that he had only moments left to finish the fight. First, he turned his attention to the two opponents still clutching their rapiers—recovering from a chaotic, three-skeleton pileup. With four quick thrusts aimed at their heads, both crumbled to the ground. The exertion, however, forced Matt down to one knee just as the battle cries of other foes rang out in defense of their comrades. Still, he managed another smile as darkness began to overtake him, confident that the remaining skeletons, now devoid of their rapiers’ reach, were far less threatening.

  In the next instant, Matt found himself alone in a sea of ever-shifting darkness. This void seemed to have physical form, continuously morphing as if adapting to an unseen force. He could feel the three wounds that had pierced him reacting violently, as if the darkness were consuming the flesh that once protected him. Instead of his own body, an alien power now coursed through him. He struggled desperately against it, feeling it try to take control, but its force was overwhelming. The agony was so intense that all his thoughts narrowed to one singular focus: resisting the insidious spread of the darkness through his body.

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  Gasping for breath, Matt found himself looking up at a distraught Emily, who was frantically administering chest compressions on him. In the next moment, he felt her arms wrap around him, her warm, trembling embrace accompanied by tears streaming down her cheeks, mingling with his as she babbled incoherently. Glancing to the side, Matt noticed the others staring at him in silent disbelief—as if he were a ghost—each sporting their own wounds. None looked worse than Zara, whose shirt had been hastily fashioned into a sling for her injured right arm, while she clutched her sword tightly in her left hand, as though her very survival depended on it.

  "Can you calm down?" Matt whispered quietly into Emily's ear. "I'm alright."

  "You were dead," stated Greg, having walked over briskly. "You weren’t breathing at all, and none of us could find a pulse."

  "I told you he wasn’t," Emily retorted defensively. "My new skill told me he still lived."

  "Ah, you reached level 3 then?" Matt asked, still struggling to catch his breath as Emily lay on top of him.

  "We all have, save for Rose and Eleanor," Greg added with a wry smile. "Still, you’re definitely the main character now—you were run through twice and survived, even without breathing."

  "I think we have Emily to thank for that," Eleanor commented, her tone both relieved and admiring. "She refused to stop performing CPR even when you seemed unresponsive."

  "As I said, my new skill is called Sense Life," Emily countered with a hint of pride.

  "Yeah, but we weren’t entirely sure you knew how to use it," Greg remarked while scratching his cheek. "You didn’t exactly explain how it works."

  "It just works," Emily shrugged. "I can’t really explain it any more than that."

  "What path did you choose?" Zara asked, her curiosity piqued.

  "Healing," Emily replied firmly. "I made it clear from the start that was my intent. Now, Matt, do you still hurt anywhere?"

  "Everywhere," he admitted with a wry smile, "but are you telling me that the only new skill you gained from choosing the path of healing is the ability to sense the life force of others?"

  "I know, such a rip-off," Emily sighed. "I was hoping I could at least heal minor wounds."

  "No way," interjected Greg. "Sensing life is far more powerful. Just think how difficult it will be to sneak up on you for any monsters! With you on watch, I’m sure that—"

  "How long can you keep your skill active?" Zara cut in sharply. "Don’t assume that Emily will always be able to sense life without limits. Besides, wouldn’t all those trees blur her vision if used the way you're imagining?"

  "Who knows," Greg mused, "but I’m sure she’ll find some really awesome ways to use it."

  "If she wants to," Matt stated firmly. "Emily wants to walk the path of healing others—don’t force her to use her abilities in ways she doesn’t want, as that could affect her path in ways we don't understand yet."

  "It’s fine," Emily said reassuringly. "I don’t mind doing what I can to reduce the number of injuries that need healing. Besides, we should all strive to explore the limits of our abilities and expand upon them."

  Matt smiled and allowed himself a brief moment of relaxation as he glanced down at his body, noting the crimson stains that coated his shredded clothing. It was then that his eyes fell on a peculiar patch of black flesh where his hand had been stabbed through. Hastily, he pulled up his shirt, and beneath the clotted blood he discovered two similar dark spots on his chest, where the other blades had exited his skin. Swallowing hard, Matt’s thoughts drifted back to the unnerving sensations he’d experienced while engulfed in the deep sea of darkness. His reverie was suddenly broken by Greg’s observant tone as he commented on the ominous markings.

  “Is there a reason you have those black patches? At first, I assumed they were just scabs, but now that I’m getting a closer look, they’re too dark and unnaturally smooth for that,” Greg noted, his voice heavy with concern.

  At that moment, Emily ran a cautious finger over one of the marks on his chest. As she did, Matt felt as though she was touching nothing at all—a hollow sensation that intensified the worry written across her face.

  “They seem like voids in your life force, Matt,” she explained, her voice trembling slightly. “I can feel your body fighting against them, even if just a weak struggle. You’re clearly weakened right now.”

  Eleanor interjected, her tone firm yet gentle. “Then we should rest here. I believe Matt is right—we’re bound to face a barrage of fire soon, and it would be unwise to engage until we’ve recovered as much as we can.”

  Matt’s voice trembled with uncertainty. “But what about those of us who can’t recover as quickly? Zara, is your arm getting worse the longer we wait?”

  “Only slightly,” Zara replied, her voice edged with resignation. “Whether we move immediately or wait an hour, the truth is that I’ll just be dead weight moving forward.”

  Yumiko added supportively, “You’ve done your part already, Zara. Now it’s up to Greg, Emily, and me to pick up the slack.”

  Rose countered sharply, “The three of you were already doing that during our last fight. If anyone is dead weight here, it’s Eleanor and me—we could only manage to block a few attacks while you all took them down.”

  “Enough!” Emily shouted, her voice echoing with frustration. “We fought as a team in that last battle. The only person who should be held responsible is Matt, for taking on more than he should have at the end.”

  Matt opened his mouth to protest, but Emily’s look stopped him, once more with a look that was reminiscent of his mother’s worried gaze from his childhood. With a heavy sigh and a reluctant nod, Matt closed his eyes, resigning himself to rest a while longer in hopes of regaining some strength.