Path of the Slayer B3 15. Nemeses & Bastards

The first instinct was to push aside the others and face Rory by myself.

I ignored that instinct and took an energized step back, allowing Merlin to cast a magic shield reinforced by telekinesis. The bright blue, oval-shaped barrier sprung in front of the hurtling monstrosity as my party counter-maneuvered automatically.

Still mid-flight, Rory howled even more with maddened glee. His Path Energy burst with a reddish and turbulent effect. His muscles bulged with even more girth, his flesh thickening with rocky slabs that coated him like plates of armor.

With his massive arm swinging forth, he blast-punched his way through Merlin’s telekinetic magic shield. The barrier erupted like a bomb going off in a thick plane of glass, showering the area with bright fragments of fading magic.

It was a blinding display and a fulfilling distraction.

Thumper was already in motion with both of his Wolf Commander Fangs coated in Path Shadow. After threading himself between me and the lunging Nemesis, the Perfect Rogue activated a Martial Legacy: Cornered Wolf Void Fang Strike.

The shadows on the curved ivory blades became darker than dark, like an all-consuming void. The points landed on Rory’s heavily armored side, and the void shadows slipped through his defenses, cutting off his joyful howl and making him grunt in pain.

But it was at a cost to Thumper.

A reflective red blast shot back, and the Perfect Rogue got swept away hard. For nearly a hundred feet, Thumper tumbled across the disheveled courtyard until he used Shadow Step. Only then did he break free and disappear somewhere among the scattered debris and broken statues.

As for Merlin and me, the wizard was rocketing up into the air with telekinetic fire tracing beneath his boots while I was yanking on Hellion’s pull cord for the second time.

Even after facing an enhanced barrier and the martial void fang strike, Rory’s single-minded lunge at me remained mostly undeterred. His second punch careened toward my head, promising to crush my helmet and pummel away a heap of my Path Energy.

The snap, pop, and whoosh of Merlin’s Path Magic, Blink Companions, took me out of Rory’s destructive reach. The teleportation power dropped me off hundreds of feet away, safe and sound.

Missing the strike, the Nemesis landed so heavily that the disheveled courtyard rumbled like it was suffering an earthquake. Broken statues that had been standing upright collapsed all the way into spilled fragments.

Rory bellowed. “You can run! But you can’t hide! I’ve got my Nemesis Link on you! You’re mine, Arden the Nomad!”

I responded by yanking the pull cord a third time. Hellion Half Ripper came alive with a thunderous growl and belching dark green smoke that fumed out from the forearm vent.

Looking up, I saw Merlin hovering in the air. His Epic Profound Calculator was already summoned, the magical abacus bobbing next to Merlin’s head. With its beads clacking rapidly, it enhanced the wizard’s genius to greater heights.

Glancing around, I noticed Thumper remaining out of sight. Behind multiple mounds of rubble and broken statues, the shadows grew darker and fiercer. Something, maybe even several somethings, hid like prowling wolves, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

I remained in the open as the hulking red and hardy Nemesis dashed at me with nearly blurring speed. In the time it took for him to reach me, I eliminated most of my options for this encounter and came to a few important understandings.

Shooting at Rory wasn’t worth the ammunition and would force me into a more reactive position. My Rank 4 Savage Slayer Greatsword wouldn’t survive a fight like this, and I would hate to break it.

Bombs and javelins would take too long to prime and launch. Summoning V wasn’t a good idea. Summoning Sabretooth wasn’t a good idea either.

If my limited options weren’t bad already, I had to contend with the problem poised by Path of the Nemesis itself. I had no idea how far Rory could go.

I only had a vague understanding of his Nemesis Link being attached to me, and that was only one power when he would have up to seven, possibly more. 

There was no doubt I would have to outlast the initial rush for my party – this wasn’t just a fight for myself, after all. This was a test to prove ourselves worthy of Sharia’s help.

Hence why I stood still, letting the massively strong punch with my name on it careen toward my shaded visor. Only at the last split second did I dodge aside with all of my intent and energy funneled efficiently and explosively through my body.

I barely made it out of his way as I pivoted mid dodge. I swung my half ripper around like it was holding a sword.

Energy from Hooker Slaughterhouse and the transformed Doom Brand mingled with Path Magnetism, Path Lightning, and Hellion’s autosaw magic. Then, with my Path Energy and Slayer Intent serving as the fill and mold, a new weapon was born into my metal hand, something of pure devastation that went without a name.

Rory screamed as I slashed open his side, sparks flying between his immensely hard body and my newly forged energy weapon. When he crashed down like a meteorite, shaking the entire courtyard, he turned to face me, his eyes burning with wrath.

I held out the newly manifested blade for all to behold: it was seven feet long and vaguely shaped like a thick and heavy greatsword. At its spiraling center was a toxic green core lined with racy red hell runes. On the flickering edges were dark gray doom teeth mingled with purple strings of magnetic lightning.

The amount of energy required to keep it running was drastic, so I didn’t wait long before throwing myself at Rory for a turn. Swinging the hugely intense sword, I aimed for his head, a small and elevated target compared to the rest of his grotesquely shifted body.

The scowl on Rory’s face flipped into a deranged smile. The wound on his side sealed up rapidly as the hulking Nemesis swung his arm around to bat at my energy greatsword. His forearm clashed with the churning teeth and magnetic lightning; a mix of gray, purple, and red sparks went flying.

A burst of energy entered Hellion, feeding him, slowing the drastic drain from me, but at a cost. Rory’s arm batted the energy greatsword aside so heavily, I had to readjust my footing to bring the momentum under control.

Seeing the opening, Rory punched down at my chest.

Fortunately for me, Merlin operated with the mentality of a tactician: bright green vines sprouted from the floor to entangle Rory’s legs. Another telekinetic magic shield slid in the way of the Nemesis’s punch.

But neither spell could stop Rory. They could only slow him down as he ripped free of the vines and smashed through the barrier. A shower of magic sprayed both of us as his fist collided with my left shoulder.

By this point, I had as many powers activated as I could, but Rory’s Path of the Nemesis didn’t seem to care.

My pauldron crumpled like it were made of tinfoil. My shoulder shattered into many pieces, the flesh turning into pulp, my arm forced to whip about like a wet noodle.

The pain wasn’t as bad compared to the force of the blow. It sent me spinning like a top, my Path Energy raging from the loss of control, my heart hammering as I lost focus on Rory.

With me struggling to keep my feet under me, Doomie came to my aid. She flapped her wings even harder, churning the air while staying clung to me from behind.

Together, we came to a stop and refaced Rory, the Nemesis already flying close with an even stronger punch. I let loose Tyrannosaurus Roar, barely slowing him much, as I dove under his reach. Merlin’s spell for entangling vines kept roping up Rory’s legs while staying out of my way, helping me move just fast enough.

The Nemesis struck the air above my head with a thunderous crack, and I swung at his exposed torso with a horizontal slash. The strike landed, and sparks flew between us while my energy greatsword nearly blasted apart from the collision.

It was too large. Too unwieldy. I made the only decision that made sense, shrinking it down from seven feet to five feet.

In my mind’s eye, I imagined Grimmy watching even more intently as I fought fast with a one-handed sword.

Rory twisted around to track me, his every step a blast and rumble that ripped apart the spell vines. His overt movements contrasted my fleet and light steps as I observed his next attack.

Once he came around with a wide-swinging arm that was all power and no technique, I ducked down and went below again.

I slipped underneath and slashed along his exposed thigh before darting in the other direction. Another punch cracked like a bomb over my head, the shockwave battering down at my helmet, my dreadlocks flailing.

Jaw clenched, focus kept, I slashed along his armpit. I drew more energy, a thin trail of blood, and countless flashy sparks.

By that point, the cascade was beginning in earnest, and my rhythm was picking up.

My agility, dexterity, strength, and other attributes grew further and further. My manifested longsword shone brighter and brighter while churning faster and faster.

The damage built up with more fervor as I dodged, slashed, dodged, thrust, dodged, and cut. My every move hacked and hurried all around the Nemesis.

Rory didn’t give a damn as his wounds kept healing.

More power kept gushing out of him like a growing inferno.

Then he attacked even faster and harder, nearly interrupting me as I pivoted out of the way. The vines entangled with his feet ripped apart even faster. His attacks cracked the air even louder than before.

Despite all that, I was still in the proper position to punish his brutish attempts.

The next hit should’ve been an easy one, but everything went wrong when the world warped around me with a screeching snap. Suddenly, a hostile power jerked me back from Rory’s flank with a loud whoosh, thrusting me out in front of him.

The magic effect was akin to a spatial shift.

The bastard could teleport me!

Warrior Nomad Mentality blunted the shock, and I was already swinging my sword to redirect his next punch. His hard flesh and my churning blade collided, and his attack barely nudged aside, forcing me to dodge with an E.M. burst from my feet.

He still caught me on the side of my helmet, and I became incapacitated, my vision covered with stars, a loud ringing filling my ears. My entire body shut off for one blink.

Path Energy and Slayer Intent cleared my vision and the ringing noise.

I found myself on my back, my manifested longsword gone. Hellion growled while still in his active state. Doomie looked down at me as if my head were in her lap.

Standing up, I saw diamond-colored beams made from radiant fire, melted ice, and solidified lightning come down with the wrath of a wizarding god. The courtyard rumbled heavily as Merlin unloaded the collective power of his interwoven spells stored inside his Conqueror Wizard Wands.

It was all aimed at one spot hundreds of feet away from me, and it looked like the wizard had no plans to stop. He destroyed a large swath of the broken courtyard, digging further underground with his elemental fury.

He didn’t even slow down as one of his wands burst apart into shattered ruins. Instead, he grabbed another and unloaded it on the spot where I assumed he had the Nemesis pinned.

That granted me time to do a self-check.

My shoulder was healing up, albeit slowly. My face had a harder time healing because of the malformed metal that my helmet had become on one side.

Hell, I was still a little off balance, my equilibrium taking a while to correct itself.

Apparently, the Nemesis could slow my healing, devastate my bonded armor, and leave hidden debuffs while empowering himself based on me. And he could teleport me around!

He truly was a bane to Slayers.

The bastard.