Deathworld Commando: Reborn

"Then, shall we see what you are made of?"

Professor Garrison moved forward with increasing speed as he closed the distance on the ghost knight. With its guard high, Professor Garrison went for a straight thrust into its midsection, but the ghost knight deflected the blow and tried to come down with a slash from above. Professor Garrison dodged it and countered with a horizontal slash, and the ghost knight blocked it on his side.

The monster was strong enough to wield his greatsword with a single arm, and its movements were clean and precise. But for some reason… their attacks seemed somewhat lackluster. The two continued to exchange minor blows, as if testing the waters with each other. Neither leaving an opening nor committing to a decisive blow. It was clear that Professor Garrison wasn't even using half of his strength.

The ghost knight switched its stance to a low right, and Professor Garrison changed his to match. The two circled each other, their swords clanking against one another with every strike. It wasn't until the ghost knight had its back to us that something changed.

A broad sweep came out from Professor Garrison, and the ghost knight missed the block and stepped back, but not fast enough. The blade glanced across the ghost's pauldron with an ear-splitting screech. Professor Garrison laid into the ghost knight, forcing it further back, but still maintained an air of caution.

Could it be that these monsters are far less intelligent—no… that's not possible.

Only when the ghost knight fully separated from Professor Garison, gliding across the ground with eerie, inhuman movement, did I finally see through it. The monster had its back to us. We were mere steps away from it, only the barrier separated us.

I was going to warn the professor, but Tsarra was actually the first to speak up, "Professor it's!—"

Lord Vasquez planted a firm hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "There is no need to worry. Your teacher is far from a novice."

Professor Garrison grinned at us and confidently said, "No need to worry. I was playing along just to see what its goal was."

But his smile faded slowly as he glared at the ghost. "You must have been some kind of knight in life, yet you treat me like some common thug? A monster would never put its back to powerful enemies, which means you must understand how this all works. And you are blocking me from getting back into that circle…it must be a way for me to escape if things go bad, huh?" Professor Garrison questioned as he oozed bloodlust from him.

The ghost knight silently readjusted his grip and stepped forward. "Now that's more like it. I didn't get here on luck alone. Let's see how much glory you can send to your god. Maybe you can finally meet them after this," Professor Garrison taunted.

"Should…we be worried?" Varnir asked hesitantly.

"No, this is where your professor shines his brightest," Bowen said.

"Indeed, he is the type to be concerned about allies and innocents in a fight. His kindness often leads him to shackle his abilities. Many places put him at a disadvantage, but here there is nothing to stop him. In an open field battle, with no obstructions and no fear of hurting an ally…in a battle of pure mana enhancement…even I may struggle against him," Lord Vasquez said honestly.

I looked over at Lord Vasquez and nodded to myself. I had seen Professor Garrison release his full strength, and he was formidable for certain. But now…many events made sense. The fight with troublemakers in Flumare and his concern for the civilians. His need to rush into a Dragon despite the danger.

Perhaps, he had been holding himself back the entire time…a rather reckless and even destructive mindset for a warrior of his caliber to be worried about such things at all times, but…I see what makes him a good teacher.

The muscles around Professor Garrison bulged with power as his armor audibly creaked from the strain. He was no doubt pouring mana into his entire body. And like a flash, he dashed forward, the ground cracking beneath where he was as he shot off like a rocket.

His sword was already nearly swung down atop the ghost knight's head, but the monster blocked it from above. The boom sent a shockwave out that kicked up dust and debris as the ground split apart around them. The ghost knight sank into the floor.

Professor Garrison reared his leg and kicked the knight squarely in the chest, sending the creature back into the barrier. The monster bounced off it but already had its sword up to block the next swing. Professor Garrison had closed the gap in an instant, and he swung his sword wide. His blade struck the last of the monster's blade and the force pushed it to the side.

The ghost skid across the stone with Professor Garrison hot on its tail. Professor Garrison went from a downward strike, and the monster barely dodged it. The ground quaked as a lengthy scar was ripped across the floor from the impact.

Professor Garrison had already freed his blade as he swung it again at the creature, overwhelming it with raw strength and speed. The monster seemingly couldn't keep up. Despite that…Professor Garrison wasn't able to land a meaningful blow. The ghost was able to withstand and recover from everything so far.

Was it trying to tire the professor out? Surely that wasn't a winning strategy.

Professor Garrison was a War God, a trained one at that. His stamina, although it had limits, was immense. And each of the professor's strikes carried enough power to reduce a person to a pile of flesh and bone. Could the undead still be gauging the professor's abilities, but to what end?

The ghost dodged back and forth, struggling to cope with the onslaught. The monster managed to deflect a blow and came down with a counterattack that barely grazed Professor Garrison's cheek. However, Professor Garrison unleashed a downward slash from the right, and the ghost knight tried to parry the blade. It was a weak attempt, and Professor Garrison brought his sword back as he ducked under a counter sweep from the ghost. With a thrust, Professor Garrison pierced through the ghost's chest, his blade impaling it from the chest.

They were only a few feet from us. Professor Garrison twisted the sword deeper into the monster. But the ghost, a head taller than the professor, looked down at him. The ghost's faint blue aura flashed a radiant gold. The entire atmosphere around the monster changed. The dark, forboding power emanating trickled away.

"What is happening?" Varnir mumbled.

"Nothing good," Lord Vasquez grumbled with a scowl.

And in a serene, deep voice, the creature asked, "Young one, why do you struggle so?"

Professor Garrison forced the ghost into the air, pinning it against the barrier. "Because monsters like you keep coming for my friends, family, and home," he answered.

The ghost let his weapon fall to his side as he raised a grieved hand to the professor's face. A golden glow spread out, and the shallow wound was healed in a flash.

"I am indeed a monster now. But, young one, you and your friends must flee from this place. You have come far, but the demons that bind us here are beyond your comprehension. You will suffer and perish in vain. And even in death, you will not be freed," the ghost warned.

"Then do us a favor and vanish already!" Professor Garrison roared as he swung the monster off his sword and onto the ground.

"If only God had that plan for me…if you plan on remaining, do not lose faith as I have and know you have no hope without magic. Even so, struggle against the cruelty of the demons until your last breath," the ghost requested.

The golden light began to fade as the blue engulfed it like a raging fire. Golden chains sprang out and wrapped the ghost's arms and armor, binding it.

"I'm sorry, young one. Even so… in the end…I would have liked…to see my brothers…one last time," the creature lamented.

Once again, the foreboding darkness seeped out from the monster. Even through the barrier, its bloodlust tenfold as the raging blue fire exploded out from the exposed joints of its armor. The ghastly blue aura swept over the creature's blade. And from its back sprouted four blue wings.

"Garrison, retreat! Now!" Lord Vasquez roared.

The circle was not far as the professor had thrown the monster away. He ran full sprint toward the circle, but the ghost sundered the ground with a single swipe of its blade. The place was ripped apart as Professor Garrison dodged the ranged attack, and I only looked away for a moment but the ghost was already ontop of Professor Garrison.

I couldn't even follow the blade's path, even though Professor Garrison blocked it. The power behind it sent a shockwave toward us as the professor buckled. Professor Garrison shot backward, and the ghost raised its arm.

Lances of blue flame appeared and launched at the fleeing Professor Garrison. The impacts made craters in the ground like mortars, and he was barely dodging them even with his speed. Professor Garrison dodged a set of them, only for one to be sent right into his path.

Professor Garrison spun around and, with his sword, slashed the spell in half. The blue runes on his blade lit up, and he swung at the ghost as it closed the distance in a flash. The ghost deflected the attack, but Professor Garrison readied another swing with the pommel of his sword. It struck the ghost but the ghost wiped its arm out, slapping the professor with such force it cracked his armor, breaking one of the shoulders off.

He tumbled through the air, and the ghost followed beside him, gliding through the air. The creature raised its blade, but Professor Garrison twisted his body and blocked the strike with his blade. The strike forced him to the ground, the impact destroying the ground.

We watched in stunned silence as the professor wheezed as the air left him and blood dripped from his mouth. But he was not done. He slammed his hands into the ground, and the explosive force rocketed him up. His muscles bulged as the veins in his eyes popped, filling the whites with red.

Professor Garrison sprinted toward the ghost, and the creature swung down on him. Blue light left the sword in the shape of a blade, and the professor blocked it. The magic, whatever it was, crashed through the blade, destroying it into a shower of metal fragments. Professor Garrison kept his assault and charged the creature, and it thrust its weapon out.

My heart sank along with the blade into my teacher's stomach. Blood splashed out from the wound, and Professor Garrison let out a blood-curdling roar. He grasped the blade, planted his feet, and pushed forward. The weapon sank into him further as he let out a yell.

The muscles across his body bulged against his armor. Blood was flowing out from his wound and eyes, and yet, he began to push back the ghost. It was just one or two steps as the ghost braced itself. But Professor Garrison gripped the blade tightly as the blue light burned him and he yelled.

But he was pushing it back.

The golden chains began to move around the arms of the ghost as they snaked their way toward Professor Garrison. However, he only needed one more step. A flash of confusion momentarily passed over his face as he gritted his teeth and yelled, "My hand!"

The orange barrier pushed out the blood-stained blade as well as the ghost, leaving Professor Garrison behind. He slumped to the floor as blood pooled around him. Sylvia was beside him the second he crossed to our side, and she sank her teeth into his shoulder.

The wound across his stomach began to stitch together as blood flowed out from it. But the wound had closed within a moment, leaving a large discolored scar. The burns across his body did the same, healing but leaving the same scar on his face, neck, and arms.

Sylvia took a step back and looked at us with a worried expression. "What…is the damage, Sylvia?" Lord Vasquez asked, his voice grave.

"It's not a stigmata. I healed him, but there is something wrong with him that I can't fix," she said.

"Will he survive? Or do we need to leave now?" Bowen asked.

Sylvia shook her head. "He will wake up. He just lost a lot of blood. And passed out from the pain and shock. I could wake him up, but we should let him rest. And…it's his right hand. I don't know why, but…something is wrong with it," she explained.

"As he stepped into the circle, he suddenly said 'my hand'. Could that be…the cost of defeat?" Mom pondered.

"No point in wondering. We will wait for him to wake up. We can rest, but we need to rethink our strategy going forward. Our enemies may be far more dangerous than we previously imagined. Far beyond any Lich or Dullahan," Lord Vasquez growled as he glared at the ghost, watching us from beyond the barrier.

"Is it as strong as the Arch Lich?" Bowen asked.

"No, that monsterosity seems much worse than this undead knight. But we were able to face the Arch Lich together…one of us must handle this on our own if we are to continue," Sylvia said.

"Set up camp. We can talk on this later. I'll secure Garrison," Lord Vasquez ordered.

"I'll help," Ms. Taurus offered.

Those two went to help Professor Garrison. It was eerily quiet as we set up our places to sleep and started a fire. No one was ready for a meal, and we ate our dried rations in silence. I looked up from the salted meat at Tsarra, still cradling those eggs in her lap.

I broke the silence and asked, "Tsarra, you said early those eggs just wanted to be 'free'. What did you mean by that?"

Tsarra looked surprised at my question as she blinked a few times and looked down at them. "I—I don't know? It just…I just got the feeling that's what they wanted…does that make sense?"

No, not really. I don't think eggs can talk or have feelings.

I looked to Bowen, who was scratching his chin, but he shrugged and said, "I have no wisdom to give on talking eggs, sorry. Even so, we should take them with us. They could be something important, perhaps a clue about the ancient Dwarves who lived here."

"M—maybe…I'll take care of them for now," Tsarra mumbled.

Sylvia nudged me from the side and whispered, "Should we be worried about her?"

I shook my head. I highly doubted those eggs would suddenly hatch some dangerous monster that posed a threat. But…I could at least try one thing.

I scooted over to Tsarra. "May I?" I asked, putting my hand out.

Tsarra nodded meekly, and I put my hand on the eggs. They were smooth and cold to the touch, but they wouldn't go in when I tried to store them in my Spatil Ring.

So…something is alive in there, at least.

Varnir shifted awkwardly, and we turned to face him. He gave us an apologetic wave, "Isn't it odd that there are no Dwarves? The first monster seemed like a Human to me. The second…I have no clue to be honest, and the third…maybe another Human or Elf?"

"Yes, I was wondering the same thing. And that creature mentioned Demons? What could those be? The beings that created dungeons? And what of the 'binding' them to this place? And that symbol on the knight's chest…it is vaguely familiar to me, but I can't for the life of me remember where I've seen it. So many questions and not nearly enough answers," Bowen grumbled to himself.

Demons…a cross with wings.

The iconography and words were familiar to me. I wondered if demon was being translated correctly, but it seemed it was. Religious symbols from my old world…demon, a word I had not heard or spoken in many years, suddenly appearing here, translated into the Human language in the depths of a dungeon? And the chains around the ghost. If the ghost was a manifestation of mana and the soul…then those chains are also familiar.

This can not be a coincidence.

The pieces are all here, but I can't seem to put them together. Could I write it off as the workings of a previous reincarnated person? Are dungeons the work of people from another world, wielding powers beyond Human comprehension, bestowed by the same gods that reincarnated us? But to what end?

Why would someone do any of this? What are their end goals? If there even was one.

And what role do Amon-Ra and the Moon Mother play in it? World domination? Spreading their influence? But why haven't they done it? What's holding them back when they are the face of two major regions and nations. And if Amon-Ra and the Moon Mother were behind the dungeons, why wouldn't one of them seize power? Why is Amon-Ra and the Moon Mother only moving now of all times?

The same with the Dragons? What are they doing? There are "guardians," but against what? Gods? Then why not crush the Holy Kingdom or Tel'an'duth? Destroy the "demons" who created dungeons and seal all of them for good? That would surely protect the world. Unless they aren't actually protectors.

My head hurts…too many unknowns. And just when I thought I was getting a grasp of things, a new wrench is thrown into the fray.

I felt someone grab my arm, and I looked up from my wandering thoughts to see Cerila. She smiled at me and signed,

<I want to fight that creature next. I'm sure I can beat it.>