Rogue Adventures - A Tale from Neverbeen Universe

11

They had been walking the dark corridors for quite some time, maybe hours, choosing directions seemingly at random. By now Gene felt utterly lost in this labyrinthine building. And they were still treading so very carefully in order to not activate any more traps, which might or might not kill them. Gene wasn't sure. If they were already undead, would they still be able to die?

'No, you won't,' insisted Raphael in his mind, 'you can only cease to exist.'

That didn't sound so good either, at least not to Gene. So they rather should be careful what the were doing, he figured. Thus they avoided the traps to the best of their abilities, and in the dark it was a pretty advanced task. Which was rather exciting and thrilling. It reminded Gene of the many computer games he had played back on Earth, where the protagonist had to solve puzzles or run through a course unscathed.

Only this was more than a first person gameplay, this was reality.

Luckily, Raphael had such a good nightvision that he could maneuver Gene around anything he detected. For that Gene was very grateful. And he was even more grateful when he could see a dim light at the end of the corridor. It became brighter as they approached. It flickered and shone so warmly. Gene couldn't help smiling.

However, his lover drew his longsword. 'Careful. Whoever is there might be after the treasure, too,' Raphael warned telepathically, 'So prepare for a fight over it.'

Gene could have laughed. He had lost the dagger made of heavenly steel, which Trébol had gifted him, so was pretty much unarmed in a world where everyone seemed to be some kind of supernatural being with superpowers, Raphael included. Anyway, he doubled his fists and mentally prepared himself for an ambush.

And when they reached the end of the corridor, it opened into a larger chamber barely illuminated by the torchbearer. There were actually two people there, Gene noticed at once. The torch was clutched by a pale and frightened looking boy, who Gene guessed to be about ten years old. The other person in the chamber was a tall and slender silver-haired man who wielded a spear and grinned at them cruelly as he noticed Raphael and him.

"Young Master," the man greeted almost happily and licked his lips as he traced the scar on his collarbone, "the Lord said, there'd be others, but I didn't expect to meet you here. Are you here to play with me?"

Gene noticed Raphael's grim mien as he readied his sword. The shadows of the torch fire danced on his features. "Hand over the Ruby Shard of Celia, Sendrith," he demanded.

The man, who Gene assumed was Sendrith, twirled his spear around and stopped in a battle-ready stance as he threw a cubic ruby into the boy's hands, who let out a surprised yelp but held both gem and torch protectively. "I'm afraid I can't do that, even if it's you, Young Master," Sendrith grinned, "I have orders from the Lord to retrieve the Ruby Shard of Celia at any cost and deal with anyone who opposes me. That includes you, obviously." He stepped like a lurking panther, while Raphael took his own measured steps.

"I'm not asking again. Hand over the artifact," the Daemon said evenly but Sendrith only smirked like a madman. "Come and get it. Let's dance!"

Gene decided to stay out of their purview and observe their enemies closely. Maybe there would open an opportunity to grab the artifact. But for now he could only watch and root for Raphael.

Without further warning Raphael leapt the man, who swerved and swung his spear in a fast succession as Raphael struck and parried. Sparks flew as metal collided with burning metal. Sendrith had a longer range and was incredibly flexible and nimble, but the Daemon was also very fleet-footed and drove his longsword at a fierce pace to close in with every step. Gene whispered the number of strikes as if he was a combo counter in a game.

"Sendrith! Look out!" the boy cried as the stranger took a blow to the shoulder, which opened a nasty gash. It stank of burned flesh. The boy looked as if he quarreled with himself about joining the fight and helping this Sendrith guy or staying put. Gene on the other hand knew he was no help at all, except for maybe a mental support. And he did not dare blink as he watched the fight between Raphael and the stranger for fear of missing anything. Because it was really breathtaking and exciting as they both were so skilled at fighting.

With every swipe and every strike Raphael drove Sendrith further back, and Gene had never seen his lover fight as fiercely or as grimly. Then suddenly Raphael leapt backwards, somersaulted and thrust his sword at the boy, who let out a frightened cry and ducked only just in time to evade Raphael's blade. The sword swooshed over the torch and carried the flame along in a fiery arch, casting an outburst of light through the otherwise dark chamber.

But Raphael didn't get to attack the boy again as Sendrith dashed towards him and thrust and swiped his spear at him. So this time the Daemon had to duck and swerve, then managed to parry the spear and slided along the shaft with his blade. The friction of metal against metal made a shrieking noise and white hot sparks flew as Raphael closed in on the other man. He pushed the shaft of the spear away so he could wind up for the killing blow.

Gene held his breath.

But instead of beheading Sendrith, Raphael teleported and suddenly was behind the boy as he struck. A sickening sound echoed through the chamber which reminded Gene of the breaking of glass, but more...organic. The boy let out a gasp, while the artifact shattered into thousands of sharp slivers as Raphael's sword tore right through it. A ghastly moan wafted through the chamber as a blast scattered the slivers all over the place, as if some kind of force was released. The torch fell to the floor and rolled uselessly around, illuminating the shimmering slivers in the colour of freshly spilled blood.

For a moment Gene just stared in cold shock, until he realized the boy had not been harmed at all. He sighed a heavy sigh of relief. Then it dawned on him why everybody stared as speechlessly: Raphael had just destroyed the artifact they were all so set on attaining.

"Oops?" Gene smiled weakly, then scratched the back of his head after an awkward silence. "I guess in the end none gets to have this gem. Too bad." He cleared his throat as still none said anything. "If nobody is hurt I suggest we just forget this incident ever happened and go our separate ways. No hard feelings, right?"

The boy scrambled to his feet and hurried to Sendrith's side, hid behind the tall man. "That sounds like a good idea, right, Sendrith? There's nothing we can do now. Let's go please," his tiny voice pleaded.

Sendrith lowered his spear slowly and harrumphed as he held his injured shoulder. "The Lord will not be pleased to hear the target object is gone," he murmured. "Anyway, it was a pleasure dancing with you, Young Master," he bowed before Raphael, then the two of them escaped through one of the corridors at the other side of the chamber.

Gene sighed and approached his lover. "Well, that was quite unexpected," he smiled leisurely and put his hands in his pockets. "What do you think? Shall we collect the ruby slivers?"

"No", Raphael said with a grim face, "they are useless now. Let's go find another treasure instead." He held out his hand to Gene, and he gladly took it. When Raphael teleported, he was already curious what might await them next.