Wayfarer - Yaena the corrupted guardian

Chapter XXIX - An old friend

Chapter XXIX

An old friend

 Tears of joy rolled down my cheeks. I wanted to rush into his arms, but Eliza held me by the shoulder. I was about to send her away, when Keyn raised his head. He plunged his demented eyes in mine, translating an unusual aggressiveness. His gestures were more ambiguous than normal.

Panic-stricken, Eliza made her wires come back to her. They slipped on Keyn's back, tearing him a grunt. Enraged, he charged straight at my friend. She tried to protect herself by wrapping her star dust around herself, but to no avail. The demon threw her into the air with a backhanded blow, without even paying her any attention.

Protected by my ally, I had time to roll to the side. I had just exited from the trajectory of Keyn, avoiding me to finish encastrer in a wall. I looked around for my mentor, fearing for her life. I saw her lying on the ground face down, motionless.

Smelling the air around him, his movements still showed some hesitation. His body showed no sign of infection, except for the presence of glowing eye veins. The savagery of his blows, unpredictable, forced me to move back. Soon I had my back to the wall, a fist shooting towards my face with rage. His hand finished its trajectory in the steel wall, sinking it on several centimeters.

Taking advantage of this distraction, I began my ascent of the steps. I faced the top, my hair blowing in the wind. Keyn appeared, walking slowly, swaying his body with each step. The gleam in his eyes had increased. Was the contamination gaining ground?

This possibility made me act in haste, without taking the time to think. It was a big mistake. He deflected my claws with ease, rushing into the opening. His power was such that he sent me flying for several meters. I fell heavily on my back, a terrible pain in my chest. I quickly got back on my feet, sensing the approach of danger.

The repeated assaults began to make themselves felt, without my being able to regain the upper hand. The deluge of fists shattered the scales on my arms, almost breaking them. As I began to weaken, a blast hit Keyn hard. The explosion nearly knocked him overboard. A second explosion followed, shattering the stone slabs. The stairs vanished, leaving a gaping chasm.

A flash of light from a roof revealed to me the origin of these attacks. An ebony-skinned woman lay behind a sniper rifle with a scope on it. I had the feeling I had seen her somewhere before. Her shots were far more dangerous and devastating than any rifle. But this was not the time to worry about it.

Keyn had withstood the two consecutive bursts without harm. Only his shirt had disintegrated, leaving his body covered in thin, dark scales. There was little chance that I could achieve the same high. He took advantage of my distraction to emerge from the flames. He reached me in a leap and slammed me hard to the ground, his hand clamped around my throat. My hands grabbed his forearm, tearing the little skin with my claws.

I managed to push him away with my legs, freeing myself at the same time. For the first time, his blood flowed from my hand. I watched as blood trickled from his wounds down to his wrist. A third blast finished destroying the top of the ramparts. The force of the explosion threw me into the tower behind me, sending me rolling to the ground. I protected myself as best I could before coming to rest in the middle of the room.

The flames had taken a portion of my clothing with them, leaving a nasty burn mark on my side. I hobbled to my feet. Keyn appeared again, his torso completely exposed. He hadn't been shot at all and seemed truly invulnerable to fire. In the center of his rib cage, his heart was glowing with a bright hue.

A little too much pressure on my wounded leg made me suffer in agony. My opponent took advantage of this to lunge forward, his guard wide open. It was a golden opportunity to slash him from the bottom to the top. As I expected, my claws only slid along his skin, without inflicting any damage. I quickly changed tactics, realizing that this attempt was ineffective. I carefully placed myself on a pillar, high up, in order to look for a loophole in his defense.
I looked for him, but he had suddenly disappeared. Panicked, I almost missed the projectile that shot towards my head. It slid down my arm and into the wall behind me. I was almost caught off guard by this exceptional throw.