The Dark Tower

IV

Surprisingly, the Bloodmage's forces are indeed formidable. I did not expect such resilience from the traitors, and their loyalty to the Bloodmage was most impressive, if not misguided. Maybe they should've been born the Hero instead of me. Even though I wasnt born, I still remember tales of the Eclipse. It haunts my dreams and evidence of its existence plagues my waking hours. But sometimes, I can forget. Pretend that it never happened, that the world is still just fine. But I always remember once more. Always.

I cursed, swiping at the door's general direction with Rift. I missed of course, sword crunching into a painting. Shards of ceramic came from behind, spraying everywhere. I spun, but nothing more came. I advanced warily, holding my blade high. Then I sensed a presence behind me, creeping slowly. I proceeded to elbow the figure, and to my astonishment I made contact. 

"Ouch! Arcus, was that you?" The figure said. It was Val. Oops.

"Sorry!" I sliced Rift through the air in front of me, probing the darkness. Then, for some reason, my instincts kicked in. I pivoted, and felt a rush of wind against my cheek. 

"Val? Was that--" I ducked, narrowly evading something. I guess I was lucky, but that also confirmed that it wasn't Val.

"No. Where are ya? I'll stay here the clock, okay?" She called out. Thankfully I had a general mental layout of the room, so I was able to move towards the door. I glimpsed a peek at the Wyvern's statuette amid the darkness. Somehow it managed not to get smashed in the wild melee. Wait. I could see? Of course! It wasn't total darkness, just collected shadows from the Sliver. I tapped the Amulet's power, enhancing my vision. Now, I was able to make out hazy shapes. Now we had a chance! I saw the Sliver without a cloak of shade for the first time, and it seemed to sense that I was looking at it. However, the pain in my shoulder flared intensely, and I barely managed to stand.

"Let's see how you do without the shadows," I said to the Sliver. I heard a primal growl, resonating from the Sliver's throat, and it charged with blazing speed. It also held a colossal blade, almost as tall as I was. I held Rift with both hands, prepared for a mighty strike. What I wasn't prepared for was the brutal, numbing blow that was dealt by the Sliver. I was knocked back, tumbling into a cushioned chair. It was pretty comfortable. I couldn't feel my arms, but they appeared to be sort of functional. At least the pain is gone, I thought grimly. Rift had fallen a few feet away from me, so I dove pand picked it up. I felt the pain of skidding across the carpet filled with ceramic shards magnified tenfold, bringing me to my knees, gasping. The Sliver came towards me, its massive sword raised. I somehow managed to evade the blow,  but the Sliver swung it once again with inhuman speed. I was forced to parry, but thankfully I held on to my weapon. I regained my balance, springing to my feet. It was a strange sensation that I was experiencing. I'd never used my amulet with enhanced senses in combat, for even the smallest wound had the power to knock me down. But it was also an advantage, I came to realize. With my enhanced senses, I could hear the whistling of the blade, the positioning, the velocity. I remembered when Parsath showed me the blind swordsman at the carnival, and how he skewered thrown apples midair. I always wondered how he did it, and now I knew. Sight was overrated, it appeared. 

I brought Rift up in a widely angled position, designed to block a wide variety of blows. It never hurt to be too safe, and I couldn't afford for my guess to be incorrect. Thankfully, the Sliver's weapon crashed into my own, forcing me backward. I riposted quickly, striking out in the span of an eyeblink. I felt my blade cut through something solid, then into a portion with less resistance. Virtually none, really. Although the cut was shallow and insignificant, the fiend roared in fury, angered by the fact that a mere human could wound it. It swung again, horizontal blow hisssing through the shrouded air, but I had already dropped to the ground in anticipation. I feinted a thrust, but the Sliver ignored my halfhearted attack. It countered with a feint of its own, swinging a giant fist. I focused on the dual-handed greatsword instead, and it came next. I parried preemptively bracing for the extreme shock.