“Aaugh!”
“Hold still, and I’ll bandage it.”
“Oh dear God…it hurts!”
“I’d imagine. That damn thing nearly bit your foot off!”
Odessa bandaged up Les’s mutilated foot, compressing it to stop the bleeding.
“We need to get you out of here,” Odessa said to him. “Though how will you walk?”
“With his feet,” a hoarse voice hissed.
Odessa turned around to see an extremely aged man, almost appearing skeletal, garbed in a gray robe. His skin was a mottled green color, and the hood hid his facial features.
“Dear God in Heaven!” Odessa exclaimed. Les had passed out at the sight of this man. Either that or from blood loss. “Where did you come from?”
“Around,” the robed man said. “It truly is a pity.”
“What is?”
“The dear human body. Such a frail vessel, no? Yet so many continue to push its limits to the breaking point. This poor fellow here, however, suffered something different, I see.”
“Well, yeah… This black snake thing with huge teeth snuck up behind him and bit him right in the back of the foot.” The fresh white bandages had already turned deep red, saturated with blood.
“Like I said,” he replied, “he shall walk with his feet.” He waved his hand. “Remove the bandages.”
Deciding he would humor the eccentric old man, Odessa obeyed the his wish. To his surprise, the bite wound was completely healed, as if it had never happened at all.
“My God, that’s amazing,” Odessa said. “Who are you? What are you?”
“All in due time.”
Carmine was taking care of Estacado’s injuries. From what he was able to see, Estacado had several broken ribs from taking a direct hit from a fruit cart earlier. Alex had really wore them down.
“Adam, you still with me?”
“Yeah, boss,” Estacado grunted. “That Alex is nothing to sneeze at.”
“Agreed. I think I’ve found something out though. He’s always in the dark when he’s using that demon shit, so if we can get him into the light, he’ll be out of luck. Thing is though, morning’s too far off… We gotta bring daytime to him. Question is, how?”
“It’s truly a wonder how one promotion can change a man, isn’t it?” the same hoarse voice whispered, behind Carmine.
“What the…” Carmine turned around. “Do I know you?”
“Possibly. The real question is, do you know yourself?”
“…de Sade?”
“Riding high on a promotion, I see,” de Sade hissed. “So predictable, you humans. I was never a fan of military pride.”
“My God,” Carmine said, “where have you been? It’s been days…”
“There were greater mountains to climb than the defeat of Alex. I almost found a challenge.”
“De Sade, Alex is still out there. He’s got a new weapon, possibly several. We could really use your help.”
“Alex...? He can barely stand in a gentle breeze, and yet I am a hurricane. You almost surprised me by letting him live for this long. Mortals... I suppose Alex is ready for his next lesson: humility.”
“They’re not coming back…I guess they learned their lesson.”
Do not underestimate the enemy, Alex…they may exploit your greatest weakness. Overconfidence has felled many warriors in the past. Do not fall victim to it.
“They’re down three men,” Alex said. “It would be suicidal to attack again.”
War is not just statistics. Every warrior has his purpose. Theirs is to eliminate you. Yours is to survive. Which has the upper hand? Which will emerge victorious?
All Alex could really do was wait for the next attack. If he tried to flee, they would find him. If he stayed, he would be forced to endure another duel. Could he? Between a rock and a hard place, was an undesirable spot. In that spot sat Alex, torn on what to do.
At your fingertips is great power. You have just yet to master it. Mastery comes from experience, which comes from practice. What better way to practice than on your foes?
If Alex got on the offensive too much he could find himself in a much harder place.
Lying in wait like so many other predators. The night is your playground, the dark your home. Embrace it, and it will embrace you. Don’t you see, Alex? You have the upper hand.
The Shroud was under his control, not the other way around. He intended it to remain that way.
I see you have different strategies in mind. Very well. It is your gift, after all. Do with it what you will. Just remember, the warrior always adapts. Should the time come, will you be able to?
He would have to. Chances are the next attack would be in broad daylight if they had learned anything from the debacle they just suffered. Aware of his situation, he proceeded to return to the lab and gear up. The Shroud would do him no good next time.
