The Lost Doctor's Soul - Chapter 32 - A fighter’s Will

Wrapped in a raincoat hiding under the cover of the wild winds and rain, my heart raced as I waited to hear back from Starlight about how the infiltration was going. With Arashi and Nisha hiding in the blacked out waiting room, I felt completely isolated despite being only an arm’s reach away from someone.

I just stared down at a small hourglass Vildost had given me before he and Kanako had gone in. He told me to turn and run if the hourglass ran out, that he’d be using a backup plan… or dead. The sand slowly dripped down grain by grain as the time limit passed, both painfully slow and agonisingly fast. Maybe it would last about half an hour? That meant that I had to wait here alone with my thoughts for thirty minutes not knowing if my new friends would die or not, or if a flood of armed guards would burst out the door and hunt me down. Everything was just too much. Everything just felt wrong, too many thoughts were dancing around in my head, it was like I was stuck in a dark room with hundreds of noisy crows scratching, pecking and clawing at the windows, their loud caws piercing my ears, making it impossible to focus.

It’s because I’m worrying about things I can’t do anything about. I’m just having a breakdown. My own internal voice was the only thing I could clearly make out much clearer than usual, trying to bring me back to rationality. That was right, I just had to focus on the problems that mattered and what I could do, just like last time! I was worried about my friends, but I couldn’t charge in myself. That wouldn’t help, it would just make it harder to run away. Could I set a trap outside instead? Did I have anything I could use for that? But I’m worried about something more, aren’t I? My own thoughts startled me, and made me think more about the cacophony of other worries and thoughts that drowned each other out… It all boiled down to one thing: I was worried about having to kill someone again. That was the final answer buried under my churning emotions that had never really settled after visiting my Soul Hospital.

Breaking me out of this spiral was the shockingly pained and furious voice of Starlight. [Things have gone horribly wrong.] I heard her voice like a strained whisper. ||What happened?|| I asked back, as I waved at the open door of the waiting room for Arashi and Nisha to approach, where I tried to communicate with them over the deafening sounds of heavy rain and howling winds. [That bitch knew! She was waiting with the sword ready, and those other two are going to get caught in a trap. You need to do something, now! Before we lose the sword forever.] hearing her filled with such clear malice and that her focus was only on the sword and not the two lives that could be lost, I once again remembered that this was a devil. She then quickly recounted the events, giving me a rough idea of the layout and how many guards would be along the way. Then the connection cut.

Arashi and Nisha jumped out from the waiting room into the pouring rain, already wearing their rain coats. “What is the situation?” Arashi quickly asked, half shouting to be heard through the storm. “Starlight was forced back by the sword, and the others are in a trap.” I explained it as quickly as possible. From there, we had to quickly make a decision and a plan: What do we do and how do we do it? Time was of the essence, so we had no time to use any of the other entrances to the shelter, we had to attack the guards head on. Arashi suggested I approach using the cover of the storm and my anti-magic to get close, before she and Nisha attacked. I had nothing to contribute plan-wise, so it was quickly approved.

Covering myself tighter in my dark raincoat, I made my way to the front where those two guards were, keeping the door to the completely dark waiting room by my side. I felt like I was walking towards death, and god only knew if I would make it out as myself, whatever the outcome.

[POV - Arashi Kurohana]

Sitting in a dark room, weighed down by my own armour as I stared out into the storm outside, I felt… tired.

The anticipation of battle kept me tense, just wearing my own armour tired me out, but beyond that, there was an odd sereneness within me. I couldn’t feel my insides churning with pain from the Black Furnace. For the first time in a long time I was able to peacefully sleep in Fischer’s strange hospital.

But this small respite before the storm was not long to last, as we approached the first of the several battles that awaited us today. Readying my trusty naginata, I stared down at the black fox mask in my hand. Turning it around, the magical characters engraved on the inside glimmered in the faint light that poured in through the door, reminding me of the night my father bestowed it upon me. The rain swallowed that night too.

“A true warrior does not solely rely on tools or tricks.” were the last words he said to me when he gave me this tool and exiled me from my home. I swore I wouldn’t use it, that I would one day become a ‘true warrior’... but I had to accept that that was nothing but hubris. I wasn’t strong enough to even wear my own armour in combat without lightening it with gravity magic. Both Nisha and I had thrown off our rain coats in preparation for combat. Fighting in this storm would be bad enough, being obstructed by the bulky coats would be an unacceptable hindrance.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly put the metal fox mask on then turned my eyes to look around.. I could see Nisha beside me looking as tense as I felt. Looking forward, I could make out the forms of the two guards on watch at the front through a wall of rain, a light nearby highlighting them. One wielded a spear and the other had a sword and shield, both were in armour. We waited, silently preparing as Fischer brought us into position, and I gave a hand signal when we were as close as Armin could get.

Both Nisha and I rushed out of the small room, bursting out into a wall of freezing cold rain and muddy ground. Nish pounced forth like a wild animal while I was slowed down under the weight of my gear. When I took my first step, my foot sinking into the muddy ground, Nisha was halfway to the two guards, kicking up mud and splattering puddles. When I took my second step, he ducked low and charged, only an arms length away from the two guards who just noticed him. And when I took my third step, everything happened at once.

Stepping out from the anti-magic, time slowed as magic surged through me and my mask suppressed my emotions, reducing the risk of me losing control. Nisha sprang up and slammed his fist into the right guard who managed to put his shield between himself and the elf at the last possible second. Metal dented under the overwhelming force of Nisha’s attack as the man was nearly knocked off his feet. The left guard lashed out with his spear before Nisha could even recoil from his punch, swinging his spear at the elf’s head.

Within a blink of an eye, I closed the distance between us and swung my naginata upwards, catching his spear and making it swing over Nisha, who ducked his head as he grabbed the right guard’s leg to topple him onto the muddy ground. Using the momentum of my upswing, I spun my naginata around as I took a step forward to slam the shaft into my opponent’s head. He was incredibly quick, however, and abandoned his weapon to raise an arm to block my strike. There was a sharp cracking noise as the shaft collided with his armoured arm, but he didn’t even hesitate as he reached out with his other hand which crackled in icy magic. 

He must have been using chronomancy to speed up his reflexes like I was, while also using evocation magic to fight without a weapon. He was a strong warrior, however I could do the same. I simply let go of my weapon as I swept his hand aside as I sidestepped the blast of ice that shot out from his palm, then I struck with the other, slamming an open palm into his chest as I released a burst of gravity magic to slam him against the wall behind him. He crumpled to the ground after that attack, still conscious but too winded to act.

Nisha had barraged his own opponent with attacks so quickly he didn’t even have a chance to react before he passed out. It was incredible, though his movements had too many openings. A skilled fighter would be able to play him like a puppet. I didn’t have time to properly fight myself, so I kicked the man I knocked to the floor to knock him out. It wouldn’t put him out of commission for too long, but it was enough.

I picked up my naginata and turned to look at Fischer, who maintained his distance. Despite the fierce winds that tried to push him around, he was staring at us with cold eyes as he clutched the sword he took from one of yesterday’s opponents. I felt like I truly knew nothing about this man, even ignoring that he was from another world. From his strange hospital to his ability to completely suppress magic, and now his sudden calmness… even suppressing my emotions, he seemed dangerous. But he was necessary.

Turning away, I entered the storm shelter, immediately feeling a lot warmer as I dripped water with every step I took. There was a small entrance area to act as a buffer room, with a few marked packages of protective gear like raincoats or heated vests and first aid kits if people had to venture out. There were also three doors that led to different sections of the shelter. Behind me, Nisha entered wielding his opponent’s shield like he intended to use it as a weapon. He emanated warmth through his magic, and the water seemed to evaporate from his drenched clothes before my very eyes. Fischer entered last and pointed out one of the doors.

We didn’t have time to discuss a clear plan, so Nisha and I quickly decided that I would be the vanguard and he would follow behind to give me space to use my weapon. Then, we entered through the door, running through a catacomb of wood and stone with dozens of rooms to either side. It was exceptionally dry despite the storm outside, and the several it must have endured since it was built.

“I hear three guards ahead of us, take the left path.” Fischer quietly chipped in now and then, his exceptional hearing finding our enemies before they could notice us. He also seemed to be communicating with the infernal Lady Aurora to find the fastest route. I had trouble believing someone in this shelter had banished Lady Aurora, but they had, and it was likely that Kanako and Vildost were dead. If they were that strong, we would likely die too.

However, a warrior's duty is to risk life and limb for a better future. I truly believed that this would result in a better future, so I was ready to die for it. It was better than living a coward’s life amounting to nothing more than being a cursed wretch in exile. I couldn’t let a war start over an artifact we had in our possession. 

We must have run about two solid minutes following Fischer’s directions and avoiding guards before he let out a groan and pulled us to a stop. “Out of twenty guards, they took down seven and we took down two, so there are only eleven left. We passed at least five so far, but there are six people in front of us, and they’re moving with some urgency. There’s no way around. If we fight them, we might get sandwiched between them all.” he quickly explained, before pulling out his blood smokebomb and looking down at it. As confident as I was with my skills, I didn’t have the hubris to think we could fight those odds.

“Last ditch resort, we can throw this then try to run past them…” he suggested, clenching his fist over the vial. “No.” I vetoed the plan. There would be no escape after slipping through the enemy with our one trump card, and no chance of success fighting straight forward. We failed. The only valid option was to leave. I couldn’t give them a suicidal order. “We turn back-” “I hear fighting!” Fischer interrupted me, stepping forward.

Entering his anti-magic, I felt my armour press down on me, and the effects of the mask were suppressed, flooding me with the emotions it had been pushing down. Fear, anger, desperation… it all hit me like nausea. This was why I hated this mask, the side effects only got worse the longer I had it on, the calmness was like an addicting drug. “I hear arrows, and people are throwing things and using magic!?” he exclaimed. We all knew what that meant even without him saying anything: Kanako and Vildost were there, being chased.

“Then we push forth!” I ordered, starting to run before the words even left my mouth. As soon as I was out of the anti-magic my head cleared, and I questioned just how Fischer was so sure where these sounds were coming given the echo he must have been hearing. There was more than simply good hearing at play, but I decided to question him later.

Running forward, it only took a few seconds to reach a long corridor that stretches to the left and right, possibly all the way up to the entrance of the shelter. But on the other side of that, I saw Kanako and Vildost running towards us. She didn't have her cloak and only had a hood covering her hair and horns, while he ran with a strange posture. Three arrows suddenly shot out from behind them, one of them slashing Vildost’s shoulder, as they flew out at us! Slowing time down, I unsheathed my naginata and spun it around, slashing through one of the arrows and deflecting the other two in a fluid motion.

Nisha dashed past me, quickly diving between Kanako and Vildost like some kind of wild beast. He was even faster out of the rain, moving as fast as an arrow as he reached the three guards chasing behind our two companions. In a split second, he smashed the shield against one of their heads and spun around to block the guard next to him trying to strike him with the pummel of her crossbow.

“Five, coming from behind us!” Heeding Fischer’s words, I stepped forward, sending my mana to my feet in a single explosive burst of gravity magic. I was hurled forward between Kanako and Vildost as I started to swing my weapon. In the few seconds that Nisha had been in combat, he had gotten caught up in the fray between these  guards and held up extremely well. The guard he struck out first was out for the count, but the other two were much more prepared and skilled.

The human woman who attacked him with her crossbow had suddenly conjured twin shortswords out of thin air and was aggressively attacking the elf. He was barely blocking her strikes with his shield and dodging with wild movements. The other guard was a dwarven man who used gravity martial arts as well. He tossed aside his crossbow and was charging in with gauntletted fists. He was likely the reason Kanako and Vildost hadn’t outrun them. I could also see more guards approaching from further behind these two, so I decided to focus on the dwarven gravity user first.

The distance between me and him shrunk to zero in less than a second and I used gravity magic to push my naginata even stronger as I swung it at him. The intense strain on my body felt like I was about to be torn apart and  my vision blurred as metal hit metal. No, I hit an invisible wall, a magic barrier!? Still, I had enough force behind my strike that the barrier shattered, but my attack lost most of its strength before it even hit the dwarf, where his heavy armour took most of the remaining impact. The recoil from the blow violently raced up my arms, and I had to grit my teeth to push past the pain and quickly spin my weapon around for a second swing. The corridor was thankfully wide enough for my weapon, but I was pushed close to the wall so my movement was limited.

“That was a good strike!” the dwarf retorted as he threw out a fist to meet my weapon, metal colliding with magic and gravity distorting gravity causing an explosion that pushed us both back. “But you’re too green…” he spat, as he slammed his foot into the ground, releasing a wave of force that I had to cut through, but my naginata struck the wall behind me and recoiled with a loud clang! I lost my awareness of the environment. He was too skilled, the extra centuries of his lifespan giving him experience I couldn’t hope to surmount.

He was about to push forward with another strike when a vial struck his invisible barrier and exploded, splattering blood on the dwarf that completely ignored the barrier. “What is this!?” I didn’t hesitate for even a second as I quickly stepped in and struck him in the face with a gravity empowered high kick, sending him flying back.

The moment our bodies connected, I felt my magic cut off for a few brief seconds and I could feel my boiling emotions threaten to swallow me as the sudden weight of my own armour nearly pulled me to the ground. I staggered back a step, pushing my surprise at the potency of Fischer's blood. My mask still worked, so there was a short range. And so I quickly stepped forward and struck out with my naginata. Despite losing his magic, the dwarf quickly raised his arms to meet my blade, deflecting my blow.

I switched to a wider stance as I saw Vildost rush past to help Nisha with his opponent. Kanako was saying something about running, but I couldn’t focus on it. Using gravity magic on my feet, I quickly pushed myself to the side, circling around past the dwarf’s guard as I struck again. With no magic to supplement his skills, I had the undisputable upper ground, lashing out with blow after blow. Not every strike could be blocked or deflected and cuts started to build up on his exposed skin as scratches marred his armour. Still, he was incredibly skilled… there was no way this man was just a guard. “You’re skilled, but your body is too weak!”  he suddenly exclaimed before suddenly dropping his defence to throw out a fist. My naginata struck his shoulder, breaking loose his pauldron, but didn’t break through to his skin. His fist, however, dug into the side of my armour, denting it and sending a wave of pain through my ribs.

At the same time, Fisher’s blood forcefully turned off my active magic, making my head spin as everything returned to normal time. “Relying too much on chronomancy makes you predictable.” the dwarf chuckled. “You hit hard for an old rock.” I spat out, only standing tall because my armour’s weight kept me from being knocked back. I pushed his gauntleted arm aside with a palm strike and then pressed forward and elbowed him in his face, pulling us into melee as I dropped my weapon.

Smiling at me with a bloody nose, he started throwing out punches. Without magic, I had to rely on my experience to guess where he was aiming and dodge or deflect, before responding with kicks and elbow strikes. Our physiques were in different leagues, without magic I couldn’t hope to match his strength. This was a doomed fight unless I could step away and regain my advantage. Every one of his strikes felt like they could break bones if a single one landed cleanly, while my own attacks only made him stagger briefly.

“Arashi! We need to run!” Fischer’s words broke through this desperate exchange of blows along with the sound of glass shattering. Then quicker than I could blink, a sea of red smoke engulfed my vision, cutting off my sight and making me gag as I felt completely cut off from my magic.

Taking advantage of this sudden distraction, I turned on my heel and ran, reaching down to grab my discarded weapon. Even if he was surprised, I expected an attack from the dwarf as I tried to make distance, but instead I only heard a laugh. “Arashi, was it? We’ll settle this fight later.” he simply stated, and I didn’t understand his reasoning.

I still couldn't see anything, so I only had to hope that my companions had fled towards Fischer’s voice and headed that way. While still struggling to run in the bloodmist, I reached up and pulled aside my mask as the fear, adrenaline and exhaustion made my legs want to give out. Even breathing was hard.

I kept running, even after I left the bloodmist and reunited with the others. Everyone seemed injured, but alive, and so we saved our words for later as we ran. I noticed that Vildost had the sword, but one of his arms seemed to hang loose. Likely broken or fractured. It wasn’t just him, Kanako had several cuts including a large one through her back, the back of her clothes ripped and covered in blood. Even Nisha was limping as he ran. Fischer was only one unhurt, but he was in the backline.

As someone raised to be a leader, I felt incredibly ashamed that I couldn’t keep track of the situation clearly just because of antimagic… no, it was also because I was relying on the mask as a crutch to not go berserk. Every step hurt more and more as we ran, and I was sure I must have cracked a rib.

I was lacking, in too many ways.

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