The Death Walker

Home for Kindling

After consuming the souls of the other two Sacratyr, I enter a catharsis. It is a process that happens to Death Walkers after killing something. It helps me maintain my sanity as I would slowly lose it with every day if I did not kill something. Without a soul to consume, I would become a Reaper—a monster, something that would kill everything around it instinctively, without question. I would be nothing more than a beast that hunts its prey until its eventual death.

But that is something I cannot allow to happen to myself, as it is my duty to protect. I am a secret guardian to this village, to my home, hidden for my own protection so that one day I can lead as a symbol to end Raider's tyranny. Before that day I must first ensure that my people are not all killed by the Sacratyr. I gaze up to the flames as they begin to roar, slowly swallowing the Lockfort family house. Jova hits the door with his shoulder, but it doesn't budge, and slowly the screams of his family fade.

"Where are they?" I shout, unable to sense where their souls are beneath the flames.

"On the second floor!"

Without another word, I kick the door hard and push aside a burning beam that was blocking the way. I hurry my way up the stairs as another beam nearly falls on my head. The flames spray against my metal skin, but I feel nothing. Fire can hardly do a thing to a Death Walker, except provide a muffled level of warmth in the harshest winters. I hear coughing and screams coming from the next room. I rush to open the door only to find two young girls weeping over the sight of their mother.

She's lifeless, crushed beneath two burning beams.

The eldest daughter looks up to me as her sister clings to her mother's face. Suddenly I notice the ceiling cracking, ready to fall from above them. I dash forward and pull them from their mother as the ceiling covers her body in flames. I then pick up the youngest daughter and order her sister to move.

She rushes across the room but beneath her the floorboards fall. I take a moment to breathe through the smoke as the little girl cries into my shoulder. The older sister hesitates.

"Go! Now!" I yell to her, and she steps back before sprinting down the stairs.

The gap in the floor is just too far to jump and below are scorching flames. Not enough to do any damage to me, but certainly enough to badly hurt the little one. While the flames spray and swallow the breathable air with every passing moment, nearly suffocating me from all the smoke, I step back, keeping the little girl tight in my arms, and I sprint to take a leap. I land across but the floor cracks beneath my weight and I instinctively toss the girl forward just before I fall, barely catching myself with my claws.

I try to pull myself up, somewhat hesitant if I should let myself drop and go around for the girl or keep trying here to save a few mere moments. But even a single moment could mean death. I continue to claw hard, but the lack of air weakens me, and I nearly fall back into the floor below. Before I do, the young girl grabs at my dark metal hand and tugs hard to pull me. She lifts with all her might, helping me somewhat, and I manage to get level with the floor.

I then lift the girl back into my shoulder and rush down the stairs as the building collapses. Bursting out the door into the winter snow I find Jova and his eldest daughter standing around in tears.

Jova nearly lunges himself at me, clinging at his youngest daughter. The little girl is crying, but her father holds her tight, calming her somewhat despite having seen the death of her mother. He kneels in the snow as tears fall from his eyes. I lean over my knees, taking a moment to catch my breath as I cough out the smoke. "I'm sorry. There wasn't enough time."

"I know. Blake mentioned." Jova stands up, grimacing at me, "I tried not to tell him where you were Death Walker. I protected you and it cost me my wife."