• Date: January 23, 2183


  
• Time: ?:?? PM


  
• Location: Unknown


  

  {Master Tale. Wake up...}

  {...Master Tale, please...}

  {...Master Tale. Master Tale!}

  The first thing Tale saw was Sarroth's avatar on his heads-up display. Then, his mind was barraged with a splitting headache though powering through it, and as he did, he remembered. The mission, their target, and where they were.

  ''Sarroth, report.''

  He asked as he got up and arranged his bearings. He still had his weapons, which was good, but it was then that he noticed he wasn't alone. Beside him were his comrades, frozen in place, their power armor locked.

  {When we traversed through the teleporter. We arrived here, and when we did, your power armor shut down immediately. Which activated the full lockdown mode.}

  ''What about Merci or the other A.I.s?''

  {They haven't responded to my calls.}

  Looking at where he was, it seemed to be a chamber of sorts. It was circular, and red lighting lit up the wall interior. Wherever he was, it wasn't the target's location.

  ''Sarroth, have you done a scan?''

  {I did...}

  {...This chamber that we are in. It seems to be an arena.}

  ''Hmm, anything else?''

  {I'm not sure, but I suspect this chamber may be an arena due to the stains on the walls}

  An arena, if he was still in the super capital and he arrived here via teleporter. Then, that could only mean one thing. They were lured into the teleporter and brought here. Sarroth had mentioned that a Kaynian had seen through the Howling Knight's cloak.

  ''We were lured...''

  ''...Sarroth, sword!''

  Immediately, the blade spirit complied and shattered her avatar to form her sword form. The realization that they were purposefully lured here via teleporter only means one thing. He was about to confront someone. This was planned when the super capital spotted them, and they all fell for it. Whoever it was, the Ghost could only hope it was the target.

  {What is the matter, my master?}

  Sarroth whispered via telepathy, still unable to comprehend why her master had suddenly ordered her to manifest her material form. She had only ever seen him act this way when Kaynians were involved.

  'You mentioned a Kaynian who saw through the Howling Knight's cloak?'

  {Yes, but I don't-}

  Then it dawned on her—she had never been so dumbfounded as when she realized what her master was pointing out. A Kaynian knew of their intent and carefully guided them to a teleporter to be brought here.

  {That particular Kaynian must have orchestrated this...}

  {...And if that's the case. This means you will face one of many Kaynians eager for revenge.}

  'Affirmative, I assume as much when you said this was an arena of sorts...'

  '...If we want to survive this, we must find a way to ensure the others awaken first.'

  The Returned Ghost pointed out, and the blade spirit agreed. Achieving their objective was only possible through teamwork.

  'Sarroth try to-'

  Cutting Tale off was the sudden disappearance of his comrade's bodies. A bright light followed before West, Nomad, and Bishop disappeared from his heads-up display.

  'What the?'

  He thought as he was now alone in the chamber. Suddenly, at the other end of the chamber. The walls opened, revealing a Kaynian.

  {Master Tale, I'm sensing great power radiating from that Kaynian.}

  The spirit warned as she sensed a massive surge of psionics. As the Kaynian entered the area, his imposing eight-foot frame became evident. In his right hand, he wielded an energy saber. Locking eyes with the operative, the alien stopped just a few meters away.

  ''Demon...''

  ''...My Arc has granted you and your comrades a chance. Face me in combat, and die with honor, and your comrades will be set free.''

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  The newcomer extended an offer, but Tale remained uncertain about accepting it. Kaynians don't do anything other than slaughter the Earth and Her People, so why would they offer his team a chance to live even though they were cornered and trapped? Something was up, and he knew it was the tip of the iceberg.

  ''And how do I know you're telling the truth?''

  Tale questioned, and the Kaynian merely twitched his optics upon hearing him.

  ''It matters little to me if you believe me or not...''

  ''...You will die, and so will your species.''

  The Kaynian responded as he ignited his energy saber and pointed it at the operative. Meanwhile, Tale took a stance and held Sarroth tightly. This was a battle that would dictate whether his colleagues would escape or not. It wouldn't matter if his adversary was lying or not. In his mind, there was only one thought: killing the alien bastard.

  ''I am Warmaster Kostas of the Arc Dominion. I am the tool for my Arc's vision of cleansing the galaxy. And you shall be the first to fall to my blade.''

  The Kaynian Warmaster introduced himself as Kostas to Tale. However, from the operative's perspective, confusion set in. While he recognized his opponent as a high-ranking individual, the rank of Warmaster was absent from the I.C.E. database. This posed a significant challenge for the Ghost, as his sword fighting skills were still novice at best. And despite gaining knowledge and insight from Sarroth's memories, combining magic with his fighting style was still a new concept.

  ''State your name, demon, so we may begin.''

  Demanded the Warmaster as he patiently waited for Tale to respond with his name and title.

  ''I am Ghost Operative Tale...''

  ''...Let's do this.''

  The two combatants lunged at each other with unyielding ferocity, rapidly closing the distance as they unleashed a relentless barrage of slashes and strikes. However, unlike his alien foe, Tale held a defensive form to his assault, as when the Warmaster delivered blow after blow, he would parry or block them with ease. Afterward, he would respond in kind with the same ferocity as his adversary.

  ''Failsafe!''

  [COMPLIANCE.]

  ''His fight pattern! Analyze it!''

  [UNDERSTOOD.]

  Commanding the failsafe program on board his MK60GV3 Power Armor. Tale needed to adapt to his new foe, as the swordsmanship shown to him by the Warmaster was something far more aggressive than the Kaynian Lord he fought on Eldrant. However, analyzing the fight pattern of his opponent would take time due to the low processing unit of the program.

  "Your skill with your blade is a far cry from mine!"

  Taunted the alien as his body glowed red before dashing forth, catching the operative off guard. Then, with his energy saber raised high, he delivered a powerful overhead swing. However, Tale wasn't one to be outdone, as his quick reflexes blocked the incoming attack, which caused a shockwave to erupt from the contact between the blade spirit and the energy saber. Magic and psionics cackled as he and the Warmaster tested each other's strength before shoving each other away.

  'He's strong...'

  '...But not invincible.'

  Tale contemplated as he saw the glowing body of his opponent, the red lining on his body bursting with psionics. However, unbeknownst to him, the Kaynian would disappear from his sight, and immediately he began to search.

  ''What the-''

  {Behind you!}

  Screamed the blade spirit as the Warmaster materialized behind the Ghost Operative and swung his energy saber. Fortunately, thanks to his eternal servant's warning, Tale parried the incoming strike and followed up with a three-pronged attack, weakening the alien's energy shield.

  ''Argh!''

  Grunted the Kaynian as he received the surprise counter of the operative after his failed sneak attack. Afterward, he propelled himself forward and began teleporting across the arena. Meanwhile, Tale found the constant materialization and dematerialization hard to track due to the speed at which it was going. Though he couldn't track his adversary's movement, that doesn't mean he was open, as when the Warmaster appeared on his left, he immediately deflected the incoming energy saber away before pushing and retaliating.

  ''Slow!''

  His opponent taunted as he teleported away from his strike before appearing behind him and slashing at his energy shield. Before he could turn to face the Kaynian, another strike landed, dwindling his defenses. What followed was a relentless assault from the alien, who took pleasure in the Ghost Operative's inability to counterattack.

  ''Failsafe- Ugh! I need- Argh! His patterns now!''

  [COMPLIANCE...]

  [...COUNTERMEASURES READY!]

  Immediately after saying those words, the operative blocked an incoming thrust directed at him. Meanwhile, upon seeing his foe block his precise attack, it was then that the Kaynian Warmaster knew something had occurred in his opponent's mind.

  'Sarroth...'

  '...Let's kick his ass!'

  {Gladly!}

  Adapting to his adversary's teleportation tactics, Tale channeled his magic, enabling him to bridge the metaphorical gap between them. Though the arena was an enclosed chamber designed for intense close-quarters combat, the presence of psionics and magic rendered size irrelevant in the battle between the Warmaster and the Ghost Operative. Both combatants would appear and disappear rapidly as their battle continued. But with a slight change in tempo. Now, the Kaynian was on the back foot as the pattern recognition system predicted his movements, nullifying his advantage in swordsmanship.

  ''Impressive, demon, but how long could you keep up?''

  Acknowledging the shift before him, the alien immediately adapted to the change. As he and the operative materialized, their blades clashed. However, a more sinister plan was already in motion. The Warmaster opened his left palm and unleashed a powerful psionic push, sending his adversary flying.

  ''Argh!''

  Tale grunted as the psionic push slammed him against the arena walls, momentarily pinning him in place. But, unbeknownst to the Kaynian, his foe had the means to counteract his psionic capabilities.

  {Master Tale!}

  Sarroth shouted as she endured the pressure of the psionic push. However, her concern wasn't for her own pain but for that of her master. Meanwhile, as the operative endured the psionic attack, he gradually channeled his magic throughout his body, enabling him to break free and advance toward his opponent, whose face displayed utter shock.

  ''Impossible!''

  Exclaimed the alien as he witnessed the Ghost slowly counteracting the psionic attack. Afterward, a stable equalizing force would deter the Warmaster's assault, which saw him being pushed by Tale's ever-growing magic output.

  ''You dare!''

  Pound for pound, the operative matched his opponent's superior psionic control and output. Thus, both would gauge one another's mastery of magic/psionic application as they pushed each other. However, it wouldn't be long before both realized neither would emerge victorious unless they took drastic action.

  'If he keeps this up, then I will eventually be outclassed by him...'

  '...Then the only way for me to win this is by disarming him!'

  First to break off was the Ghost, teleporting beside the alien and delivering an overhead swing. Surprisingly, the Kaynian swiftly parried the operative's strike and immediately countered with a precise thrust.

  ''Predictable!''

  Shouted the Kaynian Warmaster as he continued his assault while his opponent took the backfoot. However, it wouldn't be long until Tale saw an opportunity; as he dodged an incoming thrust, he immediately used his left arm to lock the alien's left arm, which held the energy saber. Afterward, he unsummoned Sarroth and followed up with a right hook, staggering his foe before grabbing his left arm with his right hand, freeing his left to smash the armored gauntlet of the alien, disarming the energy saber.

  ''Gotcha!''

  Finally, without a weapon, the operative delivered a solid punch at the alien's face, staggering him some more. Afterward, two solid jabs connected before he delivered a powerful uppercut. Without pausing, he grabbed the Kaynian's shoulder and delivered a fierce headbutt, shattering the passive energy shield.

  {His energy shield is down!}

  Sarroth shouted as her master witnessed the passive energy shield shatter before him. Thus, with his opponent open, Tale summoned his weapon before raising it and decapitating his foe's left arm.

  ''ARGH!''

  The alien screamed as his left arm was sliced clean from his shoulder. However, the Warmaster wouldn't let his wound deter him from his adversary. Using his remaining arm, he opened his palm before firing a potent psionic beam.

  {Psionic beam, incoming!}

  Hearing his eternal servant, Tale immediately blocked the incoming beam with her blade. Upon contact, sparks of psionics and violent bursts of magic erupted. Holding Sarroth tightly, he used the broadside of her blade to deny the incoming psionic attack. However, this caused the blade spirit's material form to flare like an energy shield under constant assault.

  {AHHH!}

  Screamed the Former Queen of Elvania as she denied the Kaynian Warmaster the chance to injure her master.

  'I have to...'

  '...I have to push forward!'

  And so, he took a step forward while focusing on blocking the psionic beam. One step at a time, Tale began to approach his alien adversary. Meanwhile, the Kaynian multitasked, tending to his wound while attacking his foe. However, by doing so, he hadn't realized that the operative was closing the distance.

  ''Die Kaynian!''

  He shouted as he broke free from the psionic beam and swiftly repositioned himself to the left of the alien. Afterward, he would swing Sarroth, aiming for his adversary's neck to behead him.

  ''Enough.''

  However, just as the blade spirit was about to reach the Warmaster's neck, a powerful voice resonated throughout the arena.

  'Sarroth...'

  '...What's happening?'

  Tale asked as he stood immobilized, unable to move his power armor, as though he were suspended by psionics. How could this be? His defenses were active, and while he lacked experience in magic and psionics, it shouldn't have been possible for someone to restrain him so completely without him sensing their presence or the source of the attack.

  {My master I-}

  Cutting the blade spirit was the sudden teleportation magic used on the Hero of Eldrant and the Kaynian Warmaster. Within moments, both combatants were nowhere to be found within the confines of the arena.

  To Be Continued.