The Butcher of Sargon (LoL x Arknight Fanfiction)

The moment Garde entered, he quickly took down the surrounding mechanical guards. 

During Saria's battle with the centaur knight, these guards had been mere cannon fodder. But now that the fight was over, they began their final sweep. 

Had Saria not been drawn into the Nightzmora's dream, or if someone hadn't alerted Garde, he might not have made it in time to save her.

"Garde, you owe me two favors now," Ho'olheyak's lazy voice echoed in Garde's mind. 

He hadn't expected her to still be watching over them after the events in the Nightzmora's domain.

"I know, but now's not the time for small talk. Do you know what's happening with the other person? Is she trapped in the dream too?" Garde asked.

"That, I'm not sure. I only marked Saria, which is why I can see her. The other woman doesn't have that mark."

Having grown more proficient in the use of his Ascension power, Garde had entered the Nightzmoras' dreams twice now, and he was experimenting with how to analyze these realms. 

His current conversation with Ho'olheyak was one such method, using the Nightzmora's dream as a medium to communicate over long distances, despite Ho'olheyak being far away in Columbia.

Ho'olheyak called herself a historian, so she probably knew quite a bit about the artifacts in the hotlands. After all, while Garde trusted Kal'tsit, she had an annoying habit of keeping things to herself. 

Conversations with her were often cryptic and vague. Ho'olheyak, on the other hand, had enough entangled interests with Garde that it was clear she'd rather see him safely escape the hotlands than perish there—especially since he now owed her two favors.

The fact that Kal'tsit hadn't yet destroyed the factory's terminal suggested that something unexpected had happened to her. Otherwise, there was no reason for such a delay, especially when the mechanical guards were still functioning and moving in an organized manner.

As more guards gathered around, Garde picked up Saria and headed toward the elevator door that Mon3tr had sliced open. 

Saria was seriously injured; even as Garde lifted her, he could hear her broken bones crackling. 

The pain caused her to let out a muffled groan.

"Does it hurt?"

"I can handle it!"

"I'll be more gentle."

It's usually best not to move someone with a broken bone, as a misplaced bone could puncture a blood vessel, which would be fatal. But Garde couldn't leave Saria where she was. There were still many enemies, too many, in fact. He had fought so many that his Ascension power was almost exhausted, but the foes kept coming.

Leaping into the elevator shaft, Garde realized that the lift had already taken Kal'tsit up, leaving the shaft open. 

Holding Saria with one arm, he punched into the alloy walls to keep from falling, then began climbing up.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The sound of Garde's relentless pounding against the metal walls echoed throughout the shaft as the crocodile-man climbed upward, scaling the walls of the vertical pit.

Saria leaned into his chest, feeling his body heat. 

Despite her injuries and blood loss, her mind wandered in a daze. 

Was this the warmth Kal'tsit had felt when they were in the transport vehicle together?

Hmph, lucky her!

Saria couldn't see the expression on Garde's face—a somber, storm-like intensity, like dark clouds refusing to dissipate. 

Garde wanted to become stronger. 

He knew he was still too weak, so weak that he couldn't even protect Laurentia from the Sea Terror. It was then that Garde had vowed to grow strong, stronger than any being on Terra, so no organization, country, or even gods could take away those he cared about.

Yet, he had still failed to protect Saria.

Garde admitted that he didn't care for Saria as much as he cared for Gavial or Laurentia. He didn't like her in the same way. But liking her less still meant that he liked her. And seeing her wounded, he felt pain, heartache, and hatred for his own weakness.

He still wasn't strong enough.

Thud!

Garde's head hit a piece of steel—it was the bottom of the elevator. He had reached the top of the core section, his destination. 

Using his feet to push off the walls, Garde pressed against the surface of the elevator, sinking his claws into the base, and carefully ripped it open piece by piece.

Clang!

A piece of metal fell from above, and it took several seconds before the sound of it hitting the ground echoed back. Garde pulled himself into the elevator and kicked open the door.

"Kal'tsit should be in there."

"I know, and please, say less, my dear Saria. I'd rather not arrange your funeral before I can marry you."

"Well, you've got two wives already. One less won't make a difference."

"But neither of them could handle me in the bedroom. They need a beautiful Vouivre girl like you to share the burden."

"Pervert! We're not even married yet!"

"Should I regret not accepting your marriage proposal sooner?"

"Regret it?"

"Mm, I regret it."

If he could go back even a day, Garde would give his hesitant self a slap. 

What was all this talk about being a girlfriend? He should have just gotten married already. Only when faced with the potential of loss did he realize how much he cherished this girl who liked him.

Garde gently touched Saria's forehead with his long crocodile snout. 

Due to its length, he only needed to tilt his head slightly to kiss her, which helped bridge the height difference between them. 

Sadly, French kisses were out of the question with his snout.

Feeling the warmth of the crocodile's kiss, Saria's heart raced. 

Was this a side effect of blood loss? Her body felt hot. 

If she wasn't injured, she'd want to bury her face in his chest. 

Was this... joy?

When they reached the top of the core section, Garde noticed there were no mechanical guards around, not even signs of heavy combat. But as he approached the central area, he heard faint sounds of fighting beyond a thick door. Kal'tsit was clearly in trouble.

With a deep breath, Garde pulled the large axe from his back and, with a powerful swing, struck the thick alloy door.

Boom!

The door cracked open.

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