Chapter 18: Meteor's Ignition

A black-robed priest yelled in pain as Necron's elunium arm's hand clenched tightly around his neck. The lord knight tightened his grip and made the gauntleted fingers bury deep into the sinewy neck. His eyes showed no emotion when blood splattered on his face. After the dark priest's scream faded, he withdrew his hand and stared at it for a while.

'Bloodstained…'

The pointed ends on his gauntlet's finger guards were dripping with crimson liquids. His heavy black zweihander strapped to his back on the other hand, was smoking after being waved at the hollow suits of armor that the raydrics have become.

"Lord Knight Necron, we're completely surrounded!"

"Shut the hell up and die if you're too scared!"

Necron and a small group of knights were cornered in an alley that was ankle-deep with blood by thirty to forty hollow suits of armor. The lord knight stood in front of the other knights with his zweihander drawn.

"These raydrics are making their move, it's over!"

The raydrics stood motionless for a second then shifted their heads at the knights all at once. Then, they simultaneously drew their claymores and charged without missing a beat.

Some time at the Elven Extermination war, the mere mention of "raydrics" would encourage the soldiers to fight on. Now that the raydrics were nothing but hollow suits of armor, it was a different story.

"Damned beasts!"

His zweihander sliced through a raydric's helmet and sent it flying. Flames exploded from the black edge as it was swung towards a squad of raydric-hunters. The lord knight was surrounded with the bloody corpses of his men yet he continued to hack through the screens of empty walking suits.

"You unforgivable…"

Zweihander's tip stuck out of a raydric archer's breastplate.

"Damned bastards!"

The perforated armor was hurled at a group of raydrics who stumbled backwards. Before they could get up, roaring flames shrouded on them.

Necron was covered with wounds all over but he smiled in triumph. Hundreds of broken armor pieces lay scattered like leaves everywhere. The lord knight bent down to pick up a raydric-knight's helm but that was when black-robed priests from Abraxil Sovivor's lackeys came out from warp portals.

"Let it all end already…"

Necron's gauntleted fist struck a dark priest's head with much force from the star crumbed joints that it was knocked off. An orb of what seemed to be Holy Light exploded against his back. The lord knight turned around without showing any signs of pain.

"Die!"

He yelled as his battlecry then charged. The dark priest that had cast the spell stared at him in astonishment. The lord knight was covered in so much blood yet he kept dismembering any enemy he sees.

Light coming from the lantern posts reflected on the elunium hand as it stuck out of the black-robed man's head, spraying away brain tissues.

Another orb of light struck Necron on his side. The lord knight dropped the impaled form on the ground and turned to the attacker. His gauntleted hand glowed with blazing fire. The arm was all elunium and star crumbs but his hand was flesh and could feel. Necron, however, did not feel the flames his gauntleted hand was holding nor did he feel anything when he scorched off the dark priest's skin and dragged his organs out.

The lord knight dropped the bloody organs before the flames in his hand died out. He looked around for more dark priests. It was in the dead of night and the only light came from the lantern posts.

"Come now…let me kill you quickly."

Necron turned to the dark priest he found cowering behind an upturned cart. His zweihander was already in his hands as he approached. The dark priest trembled more violently as he listened to the lord knight's loud footsteps made by his greaves.

"That's right…die violently…"

The black-robed priest's painful scream was cancelled out when the lord knight swung his heavy sword at his head, cleaving his body into two vertical halves.

"Suffer…like what your lords made the raydrics undergo…"

Blood trickled down zweihander's edge as Necron placed it on his back. There was no need to use the sword all the time when his arm was just as deadly and more efficient.

"Yes…suffer like the raydrics…"

"Is that what it is now, Necron Lorthiras, soldier of Glastheim?"

Kael's burning form atop his spectral horse looked at him. His amethyst eyes flashed.

"It's because you are a lord knight."

Necron shook his mind empty of memories of that day's battle. It had been a day since the Lord of Death blasted Kael with continuous heliotrope lightning, turning him into the abomination called Raydric General. Since then, the city's streets were crawling with raydrics out for blood.

"You'll pay dearly for this, Lord of Death…"

From where he was standing, he could see a figure clad in the brilliant silver mail of a lord knight but wasn't as bloodstained as his was.

"Lord Knight Salendriel?"

"Necron! Necron, are you mad?"

Necron realized whose voice it was.

"Ark…"

The figure of Arkyhm approached him. The green-haired lord knight looked at him in astonishment.

"Necron, what were you doing here? You're a stone's throw from hostile territory and…what in blazes were you doing?"

It didn't take longer for the younger lord knight to notice the disemboweled corpses littered around.

"Ark…was there a report of Lord Knight Salendriel's location?"

"Considering your condition, I can't let you go out on reconnaissance especially in the middle of the night!"

"Answer me!"

"No…we haven't found any signs of him in the safe areas."

Necron nodded and started to walk towards the barracks. Arkyhm looked at him in unease.

"Aren't you going to find him?"

"It's hopeless…"

Arkyhm turned to the bloody corpses scattered everywhere. It wasn't common for Necron to fight as brutally as this…

'Necron…don't undergo what you shouldn't.'

………………………………………………….

"Are you feeling alright now, Lord Knight?"

Necron had his armor rebuilt and since sleep wouldn't come to him, decided to try to check the number of supplies available in that region. Kathris was following him closely behind, as if she was observing him.

"All is well…"

The lord knight seemed so calm all of a sudden. Everyone from the order of lord knights knew how Necron's attitude changes from one battle to another. Soon, he found himself in one of the supply rooms. It was close to being empty since only a few crates were stacked inside.

"You're still following me, Kathris? I'm alright now…"

"Hearing that makes me glad…"

"What the…"

The lord knight whipped around but the huntress wasn't there in the tent.

"I'm right here, stay calm. I'm not going anywhere…"

From behind him, the figure of Kathris stood still. The huntress looked at him hungrily…as if she wanted him badly.

"Kathris, it isn't like you. What is it you want?"

Suddenly, the room slowly began to darken. Necron placed his hand on zweihander's hilt. Even if this was Kathris, he wouldn't allow any harm on the unsuspecting civilians or whatever she's up to.

"Necron, don't…I just want to…"

The red-haired huntress slowly approached him. Necron drew zweihander from his back and took a defensive stance. Kathris was emitting some sort of aura that was…eerie.

"You what? This isn't the time for anything."

For some reason, the lord knight wanted to toss away his heavy black sword. The huntress approaching him looked…lovely. Her lips seemed more pleasant and her waists looked a lot finer. Her breasts appeared to be well formed than before…

"Hold me Necron…"

"W-wait! What are you…?"

Zweihander slipped off the lord knight's grasp when Kathris threw herself at him. The huntress placed her arms around him, his silver armor preventing any other contact.

"Make love to me…"

'Damn, what is she trying to…oh shoot!'

Kathris's clothes slid down to the wooden floor and her half-naked form clung to Necron tightly. She was forcing him to the ground.

The lord knight raised his hand to scrape her off but he was feeling quite relaxed and dismissed the idea. After nearly going insane in one bloody fight to another, it was simply what he needed. He could just…

"Necron, no!"

The door practically exploded and a barrage of arrows flew towards Kathris. Necron suddenly sprang into action and clenched his elunium hand around the red-haired huntress' neck.

"And to think I actually liked it!"

The lord knight tightened his grip and managed to pull her off and held her between him and the arrows.

"Necron, get away from her!"

Another red-haired huntress emerged from the downed door and aimed her enormous crossbow at the one Necron was holding with one hand. They looked exactly similar to each other.

"Kathris? Just who is…?"

The lord knight kicked zweihander off the ground and caught it with his free hand then pointed it at the huntress he was holding in front of him.

"Unforgivable."

As if on cue, a pair of bat-like wings sprouted from "Kathris's" back and her nails started to extend to terrifyingly long talons.

"You're a succubus!"

Zweihander's tip stuck out of the demoness's back before she could lash her claws at Necron. The lord knight hurled her away.

"Kathris, finish her off!"

The red-haired huntress aimed her large crossbow at the succubus's impaled form and launched a large bolt at it. The demoness vanished in a wisp of smoke as soon as the heavy oridecon tip punched through her skin and smashed through her bones. The room had started to turn brighter now.

Kathris looked at the lord knight beside her. He was astonished.

"Necron…look, I'm sorry for this but…"

Necron put away his zweihander and placed his hand on the huntress's shoulder, trying his best not to squeeze her too tight. His grip alone is terrifying.

"It is I who should apologize, Kathris. I was too confused with all that's going on."

"I know and I was supposed to be guarding you."

The huntress leaned closer to him and held him in a tight embrace. A slight smile crossed Necron's face.

'I'll keep that in mind…'

Kathris looked up at Necron's face. Tears were starting to form on her eyes.

"You're mine, Necron. I won't let anything steal you away."

The huntress's lips were closing in on his. Necron was further surprised when he felt the softness of her lips as they touched. He felt the warmth all throughout him then Kathris kissed harder and he "returned the favor".