บท 49: Colossus
It was morning when Lila and Roger climbed the ladder and left the ruin behind.
The sun's luminous rays barely peaked over the treeline, shining down on the river and causing the water to sparkle.
Birds chirped in the distance, creating strange melodies. Roger stretched his arms and yawned as he drank in the natural splendors of the woods.
'I never thought I'd miss the forest so much.'
His back was sore after sleeping on the hard stone floor, and Lila didn't seem to be faring much better. Both of them just wanted to make it back to the glade and enjoy their dirt beds once more.
Glancing at his companion, Roger's eyebrows furrowed as he quickly looked away.
Her words from the night prior had been rolling around his head for hours.
They had all seemed to be innocent and well-intentioned, until she had connected them to her parents.
The more he considered it, the more he realized his choice to keep his true situation hidden from her was a smart one. Even if she was kind enough to help him, he didn't think her parents were, a fact he should have realized sooner.
'It's no wonder she always seemed awkward when talking about her brother or history. If her parents are opportunistic, he is probably the same, which couldn't be healthy for someone growing up.'
Roger would know, his foster parents had been like that, and it had made his life more difficult every day since.
'If she tells them about my Relic, and they try to use her to take it from me, what should I do?'
The easy answer was to give it up and let them take it.
It seemed pretty clear Lila came from a powerful and well-connected family, and if they tried to use their resources to come after him there was little he could do.
At the same time, the thought of giving in made him feel sick to his stomach.
'Screw that! I earned this Relic, and I'm going to keep it! If they want to take it from me, they can try! What are they going to do, bribe someone to try and hunt me down? The Government is already doing that! What can a couple of rich people do that Earth's greatest power can't?'
He stomped on a leaf as he walked, enjoying the crunch that followed. It helped vent some of his frustrations and drew Lila's focus.
"Is something wrong?"
He shook his head, disappointed at his own show of emotion.
"Not really, no. I just hate how weak I feel here. It's like anything can kill me at any time."
It wasn't the full truth, as his fears were more regarding humans than the magical creatures of Avar, but it was close enough to pass as real.
Lila smirked, giving him a sideways glance.
"That's just life. You'll get stronger with time, sure, but there is always a bigger fish. The goal is to make it so you enjoy every step along the way, not be the best at the end of it all."
Her smile wavered just a little, something Roger noticed.
"At least that's what I think it should be."
Unlike previous times, he quickly connected her addition to her prior comments.
'I wonder if her parents view things more like I do, and she doesn't? Is that why she keeps clarifying everything she says? It's like she isn't allowed to think what she wants.'
In a strange twist of fate, he found himself agreeing with her parent's theoretical viewpoint.
Lila made sense, but only so far as living a normal life. If he tried to just coast and enjoy the journey, he would almost assuredly get captured.
He wasn't allowed the luxury of peace.
'Not yet, but I will eventually. She is wrong, there is always someone who is the strongest, and that someone will be me one day. If that means embracing my Archonic Legacy and facing down the whole planet of Earth, so be it.'
A loud bang echoed around them, causing both teenagers to stop in their tracks.
Without thinking any more about it, Roger grabbed Lila and pulled her away from the river and into the nearby bushes, hitting the ground with a thud.
They lay there for a moment without moving. Another bang sounded, followed by a third. Looking around, he saw a familiar rock formation on the other side of the river and realized it was where he had crawled out of the water after first using his ability.
Crawling off Lila, he whispered in her ear.
"It doesn't sound too far off, but it's not coming towards us. I'll scout ahead and see what I can find. If anything attacks, I can block it, and I'll yell out for you."
She nodded her agreement, and leaned in to respond.
"Got it. Be careful, whatever it is, it sounds strong. I'm guessing two apex predators are fighting. I'd bet on the Earth element being involved."
Roger didn't know anything about that element, but he kept it in mind, hoping it would help him if they attacked.
Crouching down, he kept to the tree line as he crept his way through the vegetation.
Every couple of seconds another bang echoed out.
As he grew closer, the sound of ringing metal accompanied every strike.
'Metal? Lila was right, it's probably some kind of Earth ability! If it can control iron, my swords might become a liability.'
Despite his worry, he kept his swords close, not trusting his theory enough to abandon his only weapons. If he had more proof, however, that would quickly change.
A new noise reverberated through the area, one Roger knew intimately well.
'Gears?'
The clanking and shifting of gears was unmistakable. Each one twisting to a new position, accompanied by a creak, was something he had heard every day for years.
'What kind of animal has gears? Just what kind of magical beast is this thing?'
His question was quickly answered by the sound of a human shouting.
Roger's eyes widened, realization dawning on him.
'Unless it's not a beast at all, but humans!'
Moving quicker, he streaked across the dirt and grass, trying to muffle the sound of his movements as much as possible.
After another hundred meters passed, he finally caught sight of something new.
On the opposite side of the river, two men were standing and chatting. They were wearing simple military fatigues, coupled with a few pieces of black armor to cover their vitals. It was sleek and thin, a clear sign of modern protective fibers.
Their faces were exposed. Clean-shaven and with strong features, the telltale look of young soldiers excited to fight for their home.
Roger quickly hid behind a tree, hoping he wasn't spotted.
'What the gods are soldiers doing out here!? Didn't Lila say this was a zone very few people would dare to explore? How come they are here?'
He took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself but he wasn't very successful.
'Are they here for me? Did the government find where I am? Of course they did, they have magic, Roger! They can probably use it to locate anyone, especially if they have my DNA!'
His knuckles turned white as he gripped the pommels of his swords tightly, ready to draw them at a moment's notice.
He peeked out from behind the trunk and scanned the shoreline.
The men were still chatting and turned to face something further downriver. The action revealed their hip holsters, both boasting charge pistols.
The gun barrels glowed an ominous yellow from the energy packed inside, ready to be fired out in a deadly ray.
Roger had only seen them used a handful of times, but each one was memorable for their devastation, even though they were common, standard-issue, weapons.
He shuddered at the sight, and realized his swords wouldn't help him here.
Even his ability to absorb mana wouldn't do anything to the ionized energy of the blasters.
Another loud bang drew his attention to the right, but he couldn't see what was making the infernal racket. Gritting his teeth, he darted out from behind the tree and moved to the next one.
Pausing for a moment, he waited for the next strike before craning his neck to see what could be making the booming sound.
His breath escaped him the moment he saw what it was.
Standing at five meters tall, a large humanoid object knelt on the opposite bank. Its body was made of a shining white metal, with a bulky torso and thick legs. Intricate symbols and runes covered its back, melting together into an incomprehensible declaration of strength.
Large sheets of armor covered the shoulders, with two long arms protruding beneath each of them. One ended in a large fist, with hydraulics whining and hissing as the limb pulled back before launching to hit the stone beneath it. A series of cracks webbed from the point of impact, sending pebbles flying into the air.
The machine stood up and stepped back, each movement accompanied by gears rattling and cogs twisting. Wires thrumming with power stuck out from multiple gaps, connecting each piece of machinery to the others in an endless labyrinth of modern Earth engineering.
It extended its second arm, revealing a gaping hole where its palm should be. Vibrant yellow energies coalesced into a single point, creating a large sphere, before being unleashed, shooting into the ground with a loud buzzing noise that shook the nearby trees.
The terrifying personification of war jolted with the burst but held its ground, a ringing noise emanating from its body as batteries were recharged for a second blast.
Its head twisted as it faced the nearby soldiers, as if looking for approval. Two glowing orbs of molten gold peered out from a spartan faceplate, staring unflinchingly at the comparatively small humans, before turning back to its destructive task.
Roger knew what it was, he had helped build these very machines for years.
It was a Colossus.
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