Umbral Rune (Rough Draft)

Umbral Rune: Chapter 10 - Fallen Hero

[Skell]

The gap between us closed in an instant.

Hyland appeared before me, a silver blur in both body and sabre, reeling back for a beheading slash.

It didn't connect. Before it struck, I dove - the air hissing just overhead. I fell into a clumsy roll, getting a brief look at Hyland's stunned face before I clambered to my feet and kept running.

He was faster. But not incomparably so. My Shroud filled me with raw mana. Along with augmented strength and resilience, I moved quicker, observed more details in less time.

Hyland surely hunted many skeletons over his career. But I wasn't typical prey.

The Knight only paused for a moment, following as I sprinted clockwise around the main room. Another slash came as I reached a stone pillar, one of a dozen circling the floor.

I hastily slid around it, hearing a loud thunk close behind my neck.

And I kept moving, gaining distance, fists tight. Until I glanced back to find Hyland stuck.

Or more accurately, his sabre - embedded in the stone. He struggled to force it out. "Stand and fight, coward!"

My anger rivaled his, but I put on a sneer. "Nah. I prefer living."

"You don't know what life is!" He unearthed his blade with a grunt, flinging rocks into the air.

I pushed myself faster toward the next pillar. But it wasn't enough. Hyland closed the gap again, and this time he struck. Partially.

I wormed back in time to avoid losing my entire arm, but his sabre slid into my shoulder like butter - despite my armor. Blood leapt from my skin. And yet, I felt nothing. My real body - my skeleton - was underneath the fleshy illusion. But it wasn't safe either.

Hyland delivered a series of methodical slashes - all swift. The few I couldn't slink away from were only skin-deep. Harmless. Except for the gash across my throat. That one grinded against my neckbone.

My hand clutched my neck before I even told it to. His sabre barely reached bone, but the pain bit fiercely. For just a moment, my eyes shut. When they opened, a sabre leapt toward my arm.

I stumbled sideways, realizing far too late that the strike was never meant to land.

The Knight sent a seamless kick into my chest, knocking me off my feet. The pillar behind me met my spine quickly and painfully. I screamed, agony shooting through my body as I slid to the floor.

"No! Skell!" Oliver shouted from behind my cell's door.

Hyland's shadow loomed over me as he stepped closer. "All that bravado, just to flee?" He regarded me with a disgusted scowl.

Shade, no more waiting... It has to be now!

I forced a mocking laugh through the intense pain. "Took longer than I expected to corner a weak skeleton. And here I thought you were a Templar."

A vein bulged at the Knight's forehead, and he punted me in the gut. Something inside lurched. I held my yell inside sealed teeth.

"A second chance at last words, and you squander them," he lifted his sabre.

I lifted my head, putting on the most punchable face I could muster. "...Worth it."

Come on, hero. Smite me with your biggest, baddest strike.

Anger further boiled in his eyes, and he raised his sabre completely overhead. "Enough! Prepare to meet the other side of eternity, skele-"

Hyland shrieked. His sabre came down, but by the time it dug through the stone where my skull rested, I'd already tumbled past.