Chapter 11 – The Soul's Corruption

Tusk

"Why are you doing this!" yelled Zed, as his sword crashed against Noa's.

"Why not?" answered Noa, smirking. He lunged suddenly at Zed, the wicked tip of his blade hungering for blood. Zed parried the brutal stab and skidded back several inches from the force of the blow, dust curling around the toes of his boots.

"What's the matter, Zed? Too craven to fight me for real?" taunted Noa.

Zed's jaw tightened and he did not answer.

Noa laughed and continued his relentless assault, with Zed struggling to defend himself from the roving slashes.

Roia and Sebastian stood tensely together, blades drawn, as the three Spirit Eaters circled them like sharks around their prey. Roia stared in barely subdued horror at the grievous slash that Sebastian's greatsword had inflicted upon one of them. "How are they still alive?" she murmured.

"They're not entirely human," growled Sebastian.

As if to affirm Sebastian's words, they snickered shrilly, and one lunged at Roia. "Your spirit," it rasped. "Your spirit, your spirit, your spirit, it is mine!"

"Go away!" screamed Roia, gouging her daggers into the Eater's eyes—but still it grappled her, unmindful of its sudden blindness.

"Graaah!" Sebastian roared, bringing his sword heavily upon the Eater's head, severing it from its body. Only then did the Eater collapse, with Roia shoving the corpse away from her.

The last two Eaters pounced.

The sharp clash of their swords rang out, over and over again, as Zed and Noa parried and slashed endlessly. "Noa, stop this madness! It doesn't have to end like this!" Zed pleaded.

"Stop? Now? And why would I do that?" Noa snarled. "Because we are 'friends'? Because we have always been 'friends'? Don't feed me lies, you self-righteous bastard!" He swiped viciously with his sword, sending Zed reeling backwards.

"Do you realize," Noa continued with a breathless laugh, "Do you realize how much stronger I feel now? After so many years—after so many goddamned years—I can finally walk without a shitting brace…I can finally confront you without shame…I am no longer a cripple in your eyes!"

"You've become a monster," Zed gasped out.

At this, Noa laughed. "A monster? Oh, no, no. You're wrong…I've been reborn!" He summoned a spirit shard to his hand, and tossed it into the air. "Come forth…Sachira!"

Zed stared at Sachira in shock and sudden comprehension. "You sacrificed your own soul…just for power? You, and all these other Spirit Eaters?"

Again Noa laughed. "Kill him!" he shouted gleefully, pointing at Zed.

Sebastian heaved the body of the last Spirit Eater on to the ground and turned to sheath his sword when he heard Noa's frenzied command: "Kill him!"

Zed stared at Noa in disbelief as Sachira lunged at him, its spear-like arm lancing toward his heart. His sword clattered on to the ground, and Zed dropped on to his knees, stricken into silence, awaiting the inevitable.

"No!" bellowed Sebastian, charging in front of Zed. Sachira's arm knifed into Sebastian's body, plunging through it with tremendous force—only to halt inches away from Zed's face, splattering his face with hot blood. Sebastian's eyes widened, then narrowed, and he spat at Noa in contempt.

"To try…and murder…your own friend…to succumb…to Sachira's corrupted…strength…you are not the Noa that I have taken under my wing!"

He raised his sword, and with a great cry, lashed out at Sachira's arm, gouging the blade into it. Sachira reared back in pain and swatted Sebastian away as if he were no more than a leaf.

"Sebastian!" Zed yelled, galvanized into motion. "Sebastian, I—"

Sebastian quelled Zed's words with a feeble gesture. "You…Noa…you must—"

There was a low rumble, and Zed was swept aside as a glowing ring of energy slammed into the cliff above Sebastian, burying him under a ton of solid rubble.

"Such a touching reunion," sneered Noa. "A pity it had to be cut short."

Zed rolled to his feet, sword in hand, his eyes snapping to Noa's face.

"But there is no need to worry," continued Noa, as if nothing had happened. "You'll be joining him soon, after all."

"So…it's come this, huh?" Zed answered quietly, his face and resolve hardening. "We'll see about that, then." He summoned a spirit shard into his hand.

Noa grinned and began to sprint toward Zed, his sword raised, thirsting for blood.