The Knight in Dark Armor

Chapter 5

I laid there motionless hoping he only knew I was in the room.
"Stand up." The gruff voice said.
Knowing I was caught I decided to just see how it would play out. I tried to stand but found I couldn't because of my shoulder. "I can't." Is all I said.
I heard a small scuffling and I heard the mans voice much closer to me. He must have leaned down or something. "What are you doing here?" I heard more scuffling and there was light as a flashlight was flicked on. "What's wrong with you?" He motioned to my hand holding onto my shoulder.
"I fell." I grimaced. "Through the ceiling and landed on my shoulder."
The man sat next to me seeing how I wasn't going anywhere it seemed he felt he could relax a little. "Well that's one question answered." He smiled a little. "How bout the other one."
"I don't know..." I said slowly. I wasn't exactly sure how to explain to this guy everything that had happened in the past day, which was still surprising even to me.
"You don't know?" He asked. "You just stumble in here then?" As he came closer I could make out his features. He was much older than I was looked to be in his late twenties and he didn't look unfriendly. He had a kind smile and his dark green eyes looked concerned. The only thing off about him was the color of his hair which was jet black and covered in what looked like soot. Almost as if he went up or down a chimney. His voice was very gruff though and didn't match what I would think he would sound like.
Clearly I had to do some thinking to get out of my predicament. I couldn't exactly call upon whatever I had done in the alley to my knowledge and so it was left up to my choice of words. "Look sir." I began. "I saw there was a ladder on one side of the building and I haven't eaten in a while and was hoping to find something."
The man sat forward coming a little closer to me. "In an abandoned building?"
Shoot he had me there. "I was desperate." At that moment I wished I could have shrugged.
He shines the flashlight at my face, possibly to see if I had a lying expression of some sort. "What's your name?" He asks me.
At this point I wasn't sure just how much information I should tell him as I didn't even know who this was. However I didn't live in this state and so I decided he probably wouldn't be able to find me anyways.
"It's Caden." I said almost sheepishly.
"I am Joss." The man who I now knew was Joss said. "I actually live here for the time being. I have to scrounge for food myself actually."
I tried to listen to him but my hand was freaking out as it pulsed like crazy. I was very surprised Joss hadn't called me out on it yet. I willed my hand to stop best I could but it just wouldn't. Finally I decided to just accept it and ignore it and for some reason that's when it stopped. Something else was happening though as I could feel the metallic material forming over my fingers. It made a small sound and this was enough for Joss to shine the flashlight toward it.
"Ah, well you see that makes things so much simpler." His smiled widened. Suddenly he looked very unfriendly as his smile kept widening until he looked very creepy. He then started cackling like an insane person. His eyes became bright blue and his hair very spiking the soot falling off almost instantly. I started to crawl back.
"You're kidding me!" He started to shout. "A dark one stumbled into my abode!" His body became a very bright light as I heard metallic scraping while the light became ever brighter. Suddenly the bright light subsided and all that was left was a very tall metallic figure. Eye sockets were in the figures head big and round a devilish looking smile on the face and spikes in the back of its head. It's whole body was white and gold a little hard to look at in the piercing darkness.
"Oh boy I have been waiting to consume my first dark one for some time." He laughed again. "Did you know that Cermon though another wouldn't be chosen for still a century?" His voice sounded quite robotic and menacing. He stepped towards me. "Here you are though right in front of me!"
I was now rightly terrified and crawling backwards rapidly.
"I am Kisen." His smile somehow got even wider. "Prepare for your end."
I don't know why but the smart ass in me decided to come out that moment. "You're very dramatic you know that?" I said snidely. I quickly threw my hand over my mouth to stop anything else that would come out.
Kisen chuckled. "Flattery will get you nowhere boy."
The whole time I had been crawling back I was testing my shoulder to see if my new healing ability would kick in. I still felt a little pain but definitely a lot less than before. Suddenly it was enough as I quickly stood up just as Kisen decided to charge me. "Where are you going?!" He shouted deliriously.
I took off into the piercing darkness trying to shine my hand once more to give me light when it didn't my hope for getting out of this started to diminish.
I must have crashed through a glass door because I heard a great crash and then felt sharp pain in both of my sides and my forearms. Followed quickly by a wet substance running down those areas. I heard loud footsteps behind me.
"Come back here!" Kisen shouted. He was nearing me and I knew it. Trying to run away in darkness seemed impossible. I slammed into some kind of wall and I fell to the ground. I was quickly swept up by Kisen by the ankle and dangles in front of his glowing white body. I had to shield my eyes as I was forced to look at his face.
"That wasn't very fun." He sounded almost sad. "I thought you would put up more of a fight." He then smiled wide. "Well goodbye little Caden. Luck does not favor the bold today." I felt a searing pain on my ankle as Kisen's hand seemed to heat up and burn my flesh. I felt very nauseous quickly and I felt I needed to throw up. The feeling was so unbearable the whole time Kisen was laughing. I had to think of something fast or I was going to pass out or worse die.
I looked around in the darkness while also trying to come up with some idea. It was very hard to think as I had what felt like a life force sucked out of me. I vomited and Kisen took a step back but still held on to me.
"If you struggle less it'll be quicker." He said matter of factly.
This was it... I was gonna die at the hands of this thing. Somehow it felt strangely like it did in that alley with that man who stabbed me and tried to rob me. As my blood pooled on the floor from my injuries I was also reminded of the puddle in the alley. My only comfort as I was bleeding out in that awful situation. Now it was my horror and it showed just how damaged my body was. I felt so weak as Kisen drained me of whatever it was he wanted. My fingers lost the metallic material around them and were normal once again. I knew I was losing any will I might have had.
Suddenly I became very angry. I was pissed Merimidon had sent me on this quest. Pissed at my bully back at school for calling me clumsy Jack, pissed a the man in the alley and at any one else who had done me wrong. Most of all though I suddenly became super pissed about being woken up this morning at all in the first place.
I screamed out in defiance and my right hand covered itself in the metallic substance it felt like an armor protecting my hand. I lashed out at the now surprised Kisen, knocking him off balance by connecting with his left foot. He fell to the ground and lost his grip on me. I rolled away from him up against the wall and kicked off it landing behind the now fallen Kisen. Blood was no longer leaking from my now gone injuries and I stood tall and confident as I stared seething at Kisen.
Kisen stood up slowly and turned around to look down at me. His smile widened even further. "That's more like it." He said.
In response I smiled at him.