An Expected Betrayal |TBATE

Chapter 27 - I'm back?

GREY

The world around me shifted again. The walls warped and the floor shifted up and down like a wave. A bright light enveloped my eyes as the ceiling turned into a sky. By the time the environment settled I noticed I was in a vast empty desert. It was completely flat, it wasn't the sandy kind of desert, but the kind where the ground is solid but completely cracked. The sky was purple.

Bruce manifested in front of me. "Here is where I will simulate the battlefield. Prepare yourself."

Suddenly Bruce disappeared as golems climbed out of the ground, each one holding a different weapon. Some had green colored lines lining its body while others had yellow. "The green ones are allies and the yellow are enemies,"Bruce's voice sounded in my head.

My body acted on auto pilot as I rushed towards the nearest yellow golem, Dawn's Ballad drawn. I knew Bruce wanted to mimic the style of war so I acted as if the golems were humans.

I stabbed one of the golems where the heart of a human would be on a human and it died instantly, red liquid flying out. I dodged an incoming spear that was aimed at my head so I pivot my foot and bent backwards as I pierced its head.

Regis leaped from my core and attacked a golem that came from behind. He dug his claws into its arm, his purple flame slowly eating the golem away as he moved onto the next one.

I dodged a bash attack from a shield, raising my fist and shattering it with one punch. The fragments flew into the golem holding the shield causing the golem to stubble backwards into another golem.

I could've used godstep to get sneak attacks in but that would've cost too much aether so I would've run out quickly. When I started to run low on aether I would absorb some from the golems. While I wouldn't be able to implement this strategy out in a real fight it would work well in this situation.

This environment is vastly different compared to war. Here, there are just golems made of stone. In a real war there are dead bodies with a stench that invades the body and slows you down. The pain of watching your comrades die in front of you,

As the hours ragged on me and Regis finally killed off all the enemies, not without a lot of our own soldiers dying. "3,000 enemies killed, 1789 allies fallen," Bruce spoke into my head. "I must say I am disappointed, I expected you to have kept more alive."

"Well, they didn't look human so I wasn't exactly pushing to keep them alive," I retorted. "So if they looked like humans you would be more inclined to save them?" Bruce questioned.

I nodded in confirmation. "Very well, get some rest." I complied, and took a nap on the ground, using Regis as a pillow. "Here I am, a great weapon forged by the Djinn being used as a mere pillow," Regis complained.

"You said you were forged by the Djinn, can you tell me about your creator?" I questioned.

"I can't remember much, just that my creator was a Djinn. Nothing more, nothing less. All of the stuff I know comes from your memories," Regis explained.

I just shrugged it off since I could tell he wasn't lying and went to bed.

***

I woke up to the ground rumbling and a girl screaming. I shot up and looked for the source; I was well rested thanks to my aether assimilated body. What I saw shook me to my very core.

There was Dicathen's strongest lance, Varay. And in a choke hold was Caera, her horns completely exposed. "G-Grey, s-save me," she begged, as she stared into my eyes, the hope slowly draining.

Why? Why is Caera here? How is Caera here? Why is she in the hands of a lance?

Questions whirled around in my head, I didn't know what to do other than run forwards and fight. But I couldn't, I would risk hurting Caera and I can't do that. I love her, she's someone who kept me sane, someone who accepted me despite my past.