Rise of the Blood Weaver - Chapter 79 (Patreon)

He spoke with conviction. Louis spread his wings wide, flapped them, and stomped on the ground at the same time. He moved at high speed straight for Merc. Arlo was shocked at the speed. Before he could help, he was already in front of Merc.

Louis summoned his machete in a flurry and smashed it down against Merc’s guard. The clashing of metal was ear piercing.

Arlo thought that Merc would be thrown to the floor, but she managed to parry the attack at the last moment. She responded with a snap of her leg to Louis’ knee.

It was about to hit, but Louis raised his own leg in defence. It was as if he could predict Merc’s movements. Merc’s foot struck his shin, but it seemed to do some damage anyway. Louis backed off, then stepped to Merc again ready for another attack.

An arrow tore through the air and thudded into Louis’ shoulder. Another followed, striking the same area. It was surprising. Elian was a better aim than that. Against creatures, it would have been a killshot. Maybe that’s why Louis didn’t dodge. He knew that arrows wouldn’t kill him.

“Elian get your head out the gutter,” Justin spat as he touched the floor. “Louis right now has no qualms with removing it from your shoulders.”

The moment Justin’s hand touched the floor, a spike emerged from the floor below Louis. It shot up. Louis dodged it, flying into the air.

“Shit,” Justin spat. “Louis.”

“Fine,” replied Elian through clenched teeth. He pulled back his bow, and fired. This time it was an arrow aimed to reap life. It pierced through the air straight for Louis’ skull. But Louis dodged it by swooping down.

Elian fired arrow after arrow, making it difficult for Louis to fly and attack at the same time. He had no intention of flying away. Machete in hand, he dived for Arlo.

Arlo readied himself. When Louis got in range, Arlo placed all his strength into his attack. However, Louis’ face flashed in his mind. His smile, his talk of home. He had parents and a family. Although it was instant, Arlo thought of the time he was ready to take his junior schoolmate's life. That time was different. He hadn’t really spent any time with him. In fact, he hadn’t even spoken to him before. But Louis was different. He had talked with him, fought alongside him, survived the harrowing desert…

Arlo hesitated.

Louis’ machete cut into his appendage. It sliced through one. Arlo ignored the pain as the machete continued, tearing into the other. It was about to cut all the way through when a shadowy lance pierced Louis’ thigh. It went all the way through. Another was about to bore through his other leg, but Louis leapt up.

The lance, already through his leg, mangled the flesh upon take-off. Blood spurted everywhere as Louis took to the skies again.

The fight lasted a long time. Louis, uncaring of the damage he was taking, tried everything in his power to rip and tear the trio apart.

He kept on targeting Arlo, but after realising he was in fact not the weakest of the group, turned his focus on the archer: Elian. He got a hit in, slashing a deep gash into his chest. But Merc was always in the right place at the right time to stop Louis from killing anyone.

Just like before, Justin wasn't hit once.

Apart from him, everyone else was torn up. Arlo’s severed appendage was slowly healing. The wounded one was only attached by a string of hardened blood. He had also managed to cut a nasty wound into his arm.

But Louis was worse. He had a missing wing, Merc had sliced off an arm, and Justin had pulverised his legs into an unrecognisable state.

Louis tried to fly back up, but with only one wing, Louis’ bloodied and mangled body collapsed to the floor. Surrounded by dead beasts, it was a harrowing sight. His chest violently rose up and down. He no longer had the strength to move.

Arlo grimaced as he carefully approached with Merc taking the lead.  They stopped a couple metres away from his body. Half of his face was burned from the flames of Merc’s Trait. His eyes had returned back to their normal green. His breath was so weak.

“I–I’m sorry,” Louis said faintly. “I–I didn’t want to do this.”

Arlo bit his lip. His fists trembled.

“No,” Arlo said, stepping forward. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get out of here. That we couldn’t find a cure.”

Louis, barely able to move his head, nodded.

“Pierce my heart. It’s the only way,” He said under his breath. “End the voices.”

Justin only nodded. There was no sign of his trademark smile. Only a grim reminder of the Spirit World remained. He summoned his Remembrance: a small ordinary dagger. He stepped up to Louis, but he shook his head.

“Not you,” Louis said. He looked at Arlo. “Arlo, c–” He coughed up blood. “Can you do it? I–I want it to be you.”

“But he’s–”

“It’s fine,” Arlo interrupted, and knelt beside Louis.

Arlo knew what Justin was going to say.

–but he’s never killed anyone before.

He hadn’t. But he had to do this. Arlo summoned [Dreadbane]. He placed his free hand on Louis’ shoulder.

“Wait,” Louis said, slowly reaching his hand at Arlo. “Dune’s Crest. Thank you, for your kindness. It–it was a great help.”

Arlo couldn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. So he let Louis grab hold of his wrist. He felt a familiar energy transfer within.

[You have gained a Remembrance.]

“Tell my mum and dad I died bravely.”

“I will.”

Arlo took a readied breath. It felt like something was lodged in his throat. He raised the blade up. A smile rose from Louis' bloodied and cut up lips. Arlo sank the blade into Louis' chest. Louis’ death rattle rang, the breath wasn’t like anything Arlo had heard before.

[You have slain a Tier I Awakened, Herman Stuart.]

| Your blood becomes stronger.

So Herman Stuart was your real name?

He swallowed with difficulty, then closed his eyes. I will not let this place break me. Arlo looked up at the others only after a minute had passed, and said, “Can we bury the body?”

“That’s not a good idea, Arlo,” Elian said. “Here, who knows what the creatures are capable of.”

Arlo nodded. “Then we need to cremate him, at least.”

“Are you religious?” Elian placed his hand on Arlo’s shoulder.

“No,” Arlo said. “I don’t even know if Louis was. It just feels like the right thing to do, right? A proper send off. For Frank, Louis, and the others. They deserve that, at least.”

***

Arlo used whatever firewood he had left in his bag, and placed it all around Louis’ body. Soon, the fire raged.

Arlo stood with his hands in front of his body. He gazed into the flickering fire. Louis looked so… peaceful. A piece of wood collapsed, covering his face. Embers flickered into the air.

“Uh, I don’t really know what to say, but I feel like I should say something?” Arlo said, eyes reflecting the blaze. “I didn’t really know Louis for very long. I just wish I got to spend some more time with him. He was a friend. And he tried his hardest to contribute. I think that’s a quality a lot of us respect. I do, anyway.” Arlo sighed, and continued, “Rest in peace. Herman. Frank. And the others. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know your name…”

Merc stood tall and slammed her sword into the tiles. Her muscled forearms practically bulged. She declared, “May your stars shine bright for eternity. We walk under you now. And soon we may join you amongst the stars. But for now, we shall keep fighting. Until our feet turn ragged. Until the flesh on my palms split. Until my blood spills. Rest in peace, Spirit Striders.”

Arlo bit his tongue. I will not shed tears.

Pulling her sword out of the ground, she looked at them. Her eyes said her words for her. Nevertheless, she said, “Let’s go. We’ve been in this maze for too long. Today we’ll make more progress than usual.”

“We’ll kill as many creatures as we can,” Elian said, gripping the handle of his bow tighter than usual.

Arlo nodded. He flexed his appendages. One of them was short and stubby from where Louis had cut it off, but the other was healing nicely. It seemed that completely regenerating them took much longer than simply healing a cut.

Elian was right. The only way to cut away this feeling of loss was to engulf himself in battle. And he intended on slaughtering anything in his path.

Filled with an anger that wouldn’t let up, they entered one of the passageways. Arlo glanced over his shoulder to the still blazing fire.

You won’t be forgotten.

Arlo turned and they all disappeared into the dark depths of the maze.