Chương 53: Gustav vs Enigma
The grand hall of the sword echoed with the clash of steel as Gustav, axe in hand, faced off against the figure of Enigma. The air was charged with an electric tension that seemed to make the very stones vibrate with anticipation.
Gustav's axe swung in a wide arc, its blade casting a silver arc through the shadowy room. Enigma was a blur of motion, seemingly appearing and disappearing as they danced around the battleground. With a flick of their wrist, he conjured a wooden staff, its end glowing with a soft luminescence that contrasted starkly with the starkness of Gustav's weapon.
Gustav's axe smashed into a pillar, sending chips of stone flying. Enigma's staff parried the blow, and he spun away, creating a whirlwind of shadows that grew into a living shield around him. Gustav's eyes narrowed as he assessed his opponent. Enigma was more than he had anticipated, a master of both energy and illusion.
„What exactly is he? Magician? Artist? Or a demon with a special power?" Gustav thought about the possible path of the opponent.
The grand hall's chandeliers swung ominously overhead, casting wild shadows that danced on the walls like ghosts. Gustav used the shifting light to his advantage, blending into the darkness before reappearing in a flurry of steel. His axe sliced through the air, aiming for Enigma's unguarded flank, but the latter was already gone, leaving only the echo of his laughter.
The floor beneath them was scarred with the battle's fury, chunks of marble flying as the two combatants traded blows. Enigma raised his staff, and the floorboards around Gustav warped, rising into a spiked barricade. Gustav leaped over the wooden spikes, his axe cleaving through the air where Enigma had been moments before. The room was a blur of motion, the air alive with the crackle of unseen energy.
With a smirk, Gustav feigned a charge, only to dodge to the side at the last second as the wall of spikes closed in. He slammed his axe into the ground, the force causing a shockwave that shattered the wooden barricade. Enigma reappeared behind him, the end of his staff now a blade of pure light. Gustav spun, catching the blade with his own, the two locked in a stalemate as sparks rained around them.
"You fight with the passion of a man defending his beliefs," Enigma said, his voice a chilling whisper in the cacophony of battle.
Gustav grunted, sweat beading on his brow. "And you, with the cold detachment of a monster," he spat back, his grip tightening on the axe's handle.
"Perhaps," Enigma mused, the blade of light flickering in his grip. "But even monsters have their reasons. Tell me, Gustav, what drives you to oppose the Baron?"
Gustav's eyes flashed, his axe quivering with restrained power. "Honor. Duty. And the lives of the innocents he seeks to claim."
Enigma's smile grew colder. "Innocents? There is no such thing."
With that, he flung the light blade from his staff, and it grew into a whip of searing energy that cracked through the air. Gustav anticipated the move, ducking low and rolling under the whip's fiery embrace. He swung his axe at the floor, shattering the marble into a cloud of dust that blinded his opponent.
Gustav took this opportunity to scale the wall, using the dust as cover. As Enigma waved his hand to dispel the cloud, Gustav emerged from the shadows above, axe raised high.
With a flick of his staff, Enigma conjured a wooden platform beneath Gustav's feet, redirecting his attack and knocking the axe off-course. Gustav landed with a thud, the platform collapsing under the weight of his armor. Enigma took advantage of the opening, his staff crackling with energy as he lunged forward.
Gustav rolled aside, the wooden shards of the platform embedding themselves into the marble floor. He swiped his axe in an upward arc, aiming to catch Enigma mid-leap. The light blade met steel, a shower of sparks illuminating the hall as the two forces clashed.
Enigma's staff grew in size, turning into a mighty tree that branched out, the limbs sprouting into a cage of wooden spikes around Gustav. He didn't flinch, instead using the momentum of his attack to swing around the tree, his axe cutting through the limbs as he moved, creating a dance of destruction around him.
Enigma conjured a storm of leaves that swirled around Gustav, obscuring his vision and leaving a trail of sharp edges that sliced through the air. Gustav roared, charging through the storm, his axe a silver streak that left a path of splintered wood in its wake.
The leaves grew denser, forming a cocoon of natural chaos that seemed to shrink the very space around him. Gustav felt the pressure building, his breathing labored as he hacked away at the wooden prison. With a final burst of strength, he shattered the cocoon, sending a blizzard of leaves and splinters outward.
Out of the destroyed entrance, a horde of twisted creatures emerged, their forms a macabre amalgamation of flesh and metal. They looked like the very essence of industrial nightmares brought to life, each step echoing with a cacophony of clanking chains and grinding gears. Their eyes, if they could be called such, glowed with a malevolent green light that seemed to pierce the very soul.
"What the..." Gustav shouted, shocked.
"A pity, our fight has been interrupted," Enigma said with slight sarcasm. "I'll take my leave and let you do the dirty work on your own. I don't have any more use for you anyway!"
With those words, he vanished, leaving Gustav to face the horde of twisted abominations that had flooded the grand hall. His heart hammered in his chest, his thoughts racing with the implications of Enigma's words. What did the Baron want with the lives of Helgarde's citizens? And what was the true nature of the creature he fighting?
....
Aldwyn descended into the bowels of Helgarde, the stench of decay and despair filling his nostrils as he navigated the mazelike sewers. "why I didn't think of this before... The first time I met Caius, his hiding place was in the sewers. After I killed him, I should have come here immediately. Maybe there's something here that will help me."
The water was ankle deep, and the air was thick with the scent of mold and rot. The flickering torches cast eerie shadows on the slick walls, their light revealing a path of blood and gore that led deeper into the tunnels. The whispers of the lost souls still lingered in his ears, haunting his every step.
„It also gives me a break from the struggles out there..." He mentally added.
Following the trail, Aldwyn's instincts were on high alert. His eyes scanned the environment, noticing every detail that could serve as an advantage or a hiding spot for an ambush.
Suddenly, a creature emerged from the darkness ahead.
It is a humanoid and resembles an average human in size and shape, but its skin is pale and decayed. It wears torn, animal skins covered in various places with bloody stains and strange symbols. It has a deformed head structure from which several blackened horns protrude. The creature carries a large, worn walking stick connected at one end to a living, blood-drinking worm that occasionally crawls out of the stick.
"You can't be serious...." Aldwyn seemed desperate.
„What the hell is that? It doesn't look like the other creatures... But it doesn't look human either."
The creature's eyes, sunken and hollow, fixed on him with a hunger that seemed almost tangible. It raised its stick, the worm writhing in anticipation.
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