Drake wrestled with the voices in his head and the amused woman egging him on.
"I won't do it!" he screamed, his hands pressing down on his ears, "You will not force me to kill as you please!"
"Fight them! The half-bloods will make grand sport and bring you great honor! To progress you must fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!!"
Drake crumbled to the ground, exhausted from using his Archon's Decree depleting his strength just as much as overusing his Endowment for the first time.
This feels worse than when I used it when I fought that Goblin King! Ahh!!
"Get out of my head!!!"
Mir'phyra snickered next to him, her hand pressed against his cheek, "Now isn't this a familiar sight. It reminds me much of when I first met you. And the memories this brings back of Han… He also had to struggle through such things, it has been so long I had almost forgotten."
"He is hearing the voices of the past!" his younger self shouted, apprehension on his face, "We must do something!"
"I will do nothing… The mud monkey succumbing to insanity was always the expected outcome. Han may have managed to make it to S-Rank as a dual class Primordial, but there is only one Han Kol."
Mir'phyra sneered down at Drake as he writhed in pain in front of Silvester and the others looked on in confusion.
"And you are certainly not him."
Drake shook violently in an attempt to clear his head, but the voices were strong, more powerful than when he was in the tutorial.
He had thought they were a thing of the past as he hadn't felt anything this significant during his time on earth.
His jaw clenched so tightly it threatened to break, his eyes snapped shut in an attempt to fight off the searing pain in the back of his skull.
The voices became louder, drowning out the surroundings and bickering of both his younger self and Mir'phyra. As well as the group members he had met before that were here.
"Fight them and test your strength! For the good of our people you must grow! There is no stopping, only forward!"
The deafening voices would not subside and it did not seem that his father Han Kol, would intervene this time. It was on him to relieve himself of them, struggle and subdue them.
Drake rose to his feet, his vision blurry as his eyes opened. The world around him looking and feeling like a fever dream painted in a shade of monochromatic colors.
Every breath was a struggle to maintain, the fight with the massive lions still catching up with him and his use of his skill.
When he thought it couldn't get any worse he felt something strike his face. Drake turned his head again seeing only one of the wolfmen from the group before. His head so muddled that he could scarcely remember his name, but the sickle and chain in his hand he had no problem identifying.
Drake's instincts kicked in even if he had not wanted them to; he saw a woman behind the wolfman, a shorter man next to her. He narrowed in on the woman and the luminescent flan she held. His body was setting off alarm bells.
This woman was going to be a problem.
However Drake's body was already at its limit. Channeling Darri was well beyond its ability at his rank but if he did not fight back, something told him he was certain to die.
He felt nails grate against his back as he growled in pain and anger, his body arching forward away from the searing injury.
Behind him the other wolfman stood, however he looked much different than Drake foggily remembered. He looked more savage, wild, hysterical even.
The wolfman clawed and racked that air in his attempts to slash Drake, but even with his exhaustion. Drake was able to parry the strikes well enough.
His body screamed at him to counter attack and finish the fight immediately to address the problem of the woman. However, Drake was vehemently against it. These people were supposed to be his teammates going forward. Turning against them here wasn't an option, not if he wanted to gain their trust and complete his quest.
"Do not let these feeble half-bloods insult your authority! Beat them down and put them in their place permanently! Your line, your blood demands you give them a glorious end! Their strength becomes our own!"
Drake raised an arm, the sound of shearing of metal entering his ears as he battled with the voices in his head hounding him.
"I won't do it!" he screamed.
He parried another strike, sluggishly slipping his arm under the deflected strike, putting the wolfman into a rear naked choke. Only for a moment later to be struck in the small of his back by a blunt object.
Growling in frustration, Drake was in an uphill battle restraining himself from going crazy and killing the group. While also trying to drown out the voices goading him.
"W-why are you doing this?!" he managed to yell, "I thought we were on the same team!"
But there was no reply.
The group continued to attack Drake. The wolfmen attacking both close and far as the woman and remaining man stayed at a safe distance.
Beginning to feel even more drained and without his skills of regeneration he was used to, Drake was beginning to lose out to the onslaught.
Taking on two half primordials was a task he was not prepared for.
He slipped under a strike from the wolfman clawing at him only to be cut off by a chain wrapped in a monochromatic luminescence. The chains moved with accuracy he had only seen from Clotho, both cutting off his escape and binding him.
The chains wrapped around him, the ball at the end slamming into the base of his spine with enough force to bring him to the ground.
"Ahh! Oh, fuck my back!"
Drake gritted his teeth in pain, his body slamming to the ground, his eyes moving up to see the wolfmen close in on him. Mir'phyra sneering down at him close by.
"So this is all you amount to? I was right, you are no Han Kol. You are not even close…"
His younger self looked down in concern, unsure of what to do.
"Get up! An Asuran does not know defeat! You must get up!"
Drake growled again, "Will you both shut the hell up!?"
The voices stilled and the surroundings froze as the smell of something Drake had pushed to the deepest parts of his subconscious bled through.
A smell of sickness, death, bleached blankets, and medicine wafted their way into his nose. The sound of machines beeping began as a slow distant timber, every one louder than the one before.
Until the area changed in the blink of an eye.
Drake was no longer on the ground. He looked at his hands, and he immediately knew where he was.
Slowly looking up there was a man in a medical bed, a grieving family surrounding him.
"D-dad…"
He was back in the hospice room. The day his father had passed. His family surrounded him as each of them took their turns saying their goodbyes. That was until it was Drake's turn.
He moved to the bed.
"I-I'm sorry dad…I…" he bit his lip, "W-why did you leave? You promised to be here for my next birthday. You promised me…"
The old memories flooded back, the grief, frustration. The insurmountable uncertainty of what was to come next. How would their life look like without their father. Drake as the oldest, how was he going to take care of them. He wasn't their father, he was still just a teen.
Drake remembered the chill that ran through his body as he stared at his father, motionless in the bed. His mind turned to the worst.
If only I had noticed earlier. If only I had paid more attention. If only-
"If only you were stronger."
Drake's body stiffened. He recognized the voice, but it was impossible.
"Why didn't you save me Drake? Didn't you care?"
Drake stared back at his father, his eyes suddenly staring back at him, devoid of the warmth and love he once had and remembered in him.
"I-I did-" Drake tried to say.
His father scoffed, "Why are you lying son. Be honest with yourself, you were weak. Incompetent, uncaring. Too busy with your own life to care for dear old dad."
"I was a child!" Drake defended, "What did you expect me to do that the doctors couldn't?!"
"We both know you could have done more. Just like you can now. You didn't save me Drake, but are you going to let the same happen again?"
The faces of Claire, Sarah, the kids. His unborn child flashed in his mind.
"I should have expected it. You were always lazy, giving up at the first sign of hardship-"
"Shut up…"
"Too busy with your flippant ideology, watching cartoons and daydreaming to ever do any hard work-"
"I said stop! Why are you saying this!? My… My father would never say something so cruel!"
"That's because I'm not your father Drake. Not really. Maybe that's why you let me die. And that's exactly why they are going to die. You don't really love them, you don't really care. Because they aren't really your blood."
Drake's body tensed, "You're wrong… You can choose family. I can choose what to love and who to protect."
He raised his head, looking down at his father, "You're right! I guess you might not have been my real father, but I loved you all the same! Those memories we had are times I will always hold dear! Those days you welcomed me home, those long hours at the pointless doctor appointments when I tried to skip school. All the dumb fights over not buying me those video games I wanted. Those are things I won't ever forget even if they weren't real! I loved you and you're right I couldn't protect you!"
Drake felt his blood boil, the sight in front of him fading like a heat wave, "I might not have been able to save you, but I can save them!"
The surroundings reverted back, the wolfmen closing in around him, the lukewarm jungle floor on his skin.
"I'm not going to die here! And I won't be distracted from my goal any longer! I will make it back to my family! To my home!" Drake roared.
He spotted the glint of something near the body of the Moon and Sun Lion a few inches away. Struggling but able, he got to his knees and pushed off of the ground. His mouth wide as his face slammed to the ground.
You wish to consume Subtree Stone: Lunar Body Resonance [Rare]
Confirm?
Yes/No
You've unlocked Primary Subtree Celestial Alignment [F-Rank] [Weakened]
Passive effects have been applied.
You've unlocked 5 new Skill Slots in Celestial Alignment [F-Rank]
You've unlocked 1 of 2 Primary Subtrees.
Celestial Alignment has been forcibly increased to [E-Rank]
Celestial Alignment [E-Rank] P1(0%) 0/5 [Weakened]
The heavens smile down on you, descending upon you the might and fury of stars.+75% to Strength, Dexterity, Endurance. (Increases with Proficiency)Skill: Celestial Enhancement - Allows user to use a portion of their Mana and Stamina to temporarily increase their status.Cost: For every 1% of Mana and Stamina consumed (Decreases with Proficiency), increase overall status by 2.5%. (Increases with Proficiency)
Drake's body welled with power, dumping his status into the new skill. His body hummed with strength. His vision cleared, sound returning to his ears as he stood.
He felt the slight give of the chains warped around him.
"Hahaha!" he bellowed, pressing his arms against the chains, hearing them creak against his strength.
However, the chains would not break despite the increase in power. Drake could see now the light they emitted was a force fiery red. And he could guess exactly where it was coming from as he looked at the woman behind the wolfman.
Drake moved the chains just enough to maneuver his hands, gripping the chains with both hands as he roared. With a grunt he pulled bringing the wolfman and all with the lengthy chains.
He roared as he swung them, the wolfman holding on desperately as the other did his best to dodge the chaotic mess flying through the air.
Once the chains had gained enough momentum Drake hurled the wolfman and weapon. The pair slamming into the woman and man, throwing them all to the ground. A moment later the chains around him slacking, the sound of the clanging weapon hitting the jungle floor.
He dashed forward, leaving the still disoriented wolfman next to him as he rushed for the woman.
His head was clearing, the voices had stopped for now and he was beginning to focus once again. The color of the area had returned and he could clearly see the red of the woman's fan. The same red that matched the light surrounding the chains.
She is some kind of support class. Without her I might actually be able to manage. Drake thought.
Glancing at his status, he had dumped more than half into his newly acquired skill. And while his health was fine, his stamina and mana were beginning to look dismal. He needed to subdue this group of whacked out half bloods before he got himself killed.
Unfortunately for him, it wasn't going to be that easy. His body tensed, feeling the backlash of using his Asuran Archon skill slowing him momentarily. Just enough for the man next to the woman to get up, using a skill to vanish from view.
Great, a stealth class and now I don't have any detection skills.
Drake pushed through the pain, he had to reach the support class before the stealthy had a chance to attack. Assuming he had the same level of strength as the others but was tailored to an assassin type class, Drake would be in trouble in a prolonged fight without a full set of skills giving him more options in a fight.
On top of that, because of the Asurans' race not being able to use magic, his own was something he couldn't afford to use until he found a skill to manipulate them.
In the split second it took for Drake to process his options while fighting against the pain, the other three had recovered as well. Being E-Rank halfblood Primodials was not something Drake could underestimate.
I've been holding back too much it seems.
He heard the wolfman behind him growl as his feet tore through the jungle floor to charge him. The sound of the other's chains clamouring to life would spell even more problems now that he didn't have the advantage of surprising them with his strength.
But Drake had to face the immediate threat. He braced himself for the charging wolfman. In the now more vibrant light and with a clearer head, he remembered the man's name, Gnobin. He was starkly different now, drool pooled at the sides of his mouth, his eyes were bloodshot with his fur standing on end.
"Stop this you four," Drake shouted trying to reason with them. However it seemed whatever happened to them while he was crazed had removed all reason from them.
The wolfman pounced, striking with his right aimed right for Drake's chest.
Drake moved like it was second nature, his left hand moved upward to snatch Gnobin's wrist mid strike. The blow followed through grazing Drake's shoulder as his gauntleted right hand cracked into Gnobin's extended arm breaking it at the elbow.
Gnobin wailed in pain but didn't stop, growling through his teeth and moving in closer to strike with his working left.
"You can't be serious-" Drake winced, feeling his muscles ache from the quick movements.
Drake turned dodging the serrated nailed left hand as it came down mere inches from his face. Bending down he barely dodged the heavy metal ball of the other wolf man as Gnobin's claws swiped upwards.
With two quick jabs Drake struck Gnobin, one right to the stomach, another to Gnobin's chin with his left hand toppling the wolfman to the ground.
Without a second thought Drake pivoted on his foot, pushing off and crushing the ground below him. Heading straight for the remaining two, doing his best to stay acutely aware he could find a knife in his back at any moment.
Drake gained ground quickly as he closed in. He saw the faces of the two clearly now. Silvester and Vale.
Silvester's eyes were bloodshot like Gnobin's, his teeth bared while he pulled back on his chain, reeling in his weapon.
Vale on the other hand had abject fear painted all over her face at Drake as he rocketed forward. Whatever the wolfmen had taken she had not.
"Give up now! I don't want to hurt you!" Drake shouted.
Silvester actually responded, "Just you being here is going to kill us!"
Drake was momentarily taken aback but stayed determined, he had his own reasons for not dying here.
"I've done nothing! Can't you see I'm strong enough to take down monsters, I can help-"
Silvester twirled his chain above his head, throwing it out at the charging Drake, "That's just it! The stronger you are the worse it is! That's why you have to die kid! I have a family waiting for me and I won't have you fucking it up!"
Silvester's chain glowed bright red and it moved once again as if it was alive.
Drake ducked, trying to dodge the incoming ball, but it quickly redirected, slamming into his side. He moved to grab the chain, but it quickly retracted.
"You think I don't have a family to go back to?! Screw you."
Gritting his teeth Drake pushed forward, trying to close the distance but taking a beating as he went.
Silvester had adjusted since Drake had grabbed the chain earlier. The weapon now went in and out just enough to deal a critical blow and then retreat to repeat the process.
But Drake's health was just enough along with him dodging the ball every so often with his increased speed.
A mere step away from Silvester, Drake reeled back his fist, dumping the remaining stamina and mana he had to end the fight.
His fist careened forward, the air seeming to bend around the blow as it moved.
Only for the blow to stop cold. The sound of Drake's metal gauntlet slamming into something solid, reverberating through the jungle.
Drake let out a breath.
Tan had stopped his fist in its tracks with his bare hand.
"What is going on here?" he asked.
Drake looked over his fist, still in Tan's hand. An exhausted Silvester breathing heavily with a petrified Vale sitting pigeon legged on the floor. Norris shimmered into view, his face caked in sweat.
So he went to get Tan?
"Nothing," Drake said finally, "They helped me kill some monsters because I was new to the team and needed skill stones."
Tan turned to Silvester, "Is this true?"
Silvester didn't answer right away, but eventually nodded.
Tan looked dubiously at the surroundings. Obviously not buying what both of them were selling, but sighed.
"Fine. Clean up this mess and get everyone back. You have two hours to get your things in order, we are moving out to a new planet. New orders, the brat of the first tree wants to take a planet."
Tan released Drake's hand, walking past Silvester and Vale back in the direction of the camp. Not turning back once to see if they were moving.
Drake felt his body shiver in agony from the overload on it. Every breath felt like needles. But he had survived. He looked at his gauntlets, seeing jet black dirt on the knuckles.
Curiously he looked at the jungle floor, thinking he might have gotten some on the weapon, but the dirt was of a reddish brown.
He looked back at Tan.
Someone has some secrets…