The Bleak Walker

Spring came fast and none were able to break the barrier protecting the Tower of Nimrod and its cities. On the front of the tower, there was a fiery woman who trudged alongside the melted snow. She stood with staff on hand and she wore a shawl along with her dress. The cowl covered her head until she pulled it back.

She had amethyst colored eyes and hair that reaches up to her waist, braided into one tail. The braid was wrapped around her waist and she had a thin smile while facing the barrier. Her companions were standing far from her. The rumble of the air around her showed her power. It was the same as watching thunder itself stand still.

“Open this barrier.”

She spoke the words with authority. Three words were all she needed. She was confident that many would obey a favored children.

“No.”

So she didn’t expect that she would be answered back by a nonchalant voice. Calmer than an unmoving crystal lake. She pointed her violet eyes to the source of the voice. She saw a young man walking calmly outside the barrier, passing through the thin light with soft steps.

“I am Einar Elior. The City of Nimrod and its sisters are not accepting any visitors that are hostile to our city-states. Kindly leave our air. You are polluting it.”

She didn’t hesitate and called thunder from the sky. Einar Elior sheathed his blade and threw it on the ground to his right. The thunder swaying to the blade, acting as its lightning rod. When the thunder was done he calmly took his sword back and looked at the woman again.

“Lady Rubina, you will only get a word from us and that word is ‘No’.”

“I heard of you.”

Einar didn’t reply. She continued.

“You defeated that Astra Being? How?”

Einar stared with his sword on his hand. Just a straight look on his face without a tinge of emotion. Lady Rubina wasn’t as calmed. She said to Einar.

“It seems you are not willing to say anything other than a word.”

“Yes,” Einar replied.

“Then know that we have all come here to pay the debt this city owes. I have come here hoping that you all would kindly remember it. Yet, you all don’t pay the favor back. I shall take this as your refusal? You are fine giving us the right to take this city by force then? All of us suffered the price when you ASKED for our help. We acknowledged that you might have defeated the Astral Being, but you must acknowledge our involvement in the matter. Or are the city-states too afraid of paying their debts?”

Einar was like an idle statue with a woman rambling to him. He stared at the woman without saying a word. He was true to his words that he wouldn’t say anything other than a word. Lady Rubina was being watched by all the forces and she wouldn’t be shamed like this. She will not allow it.

“Then I have no choice but to!”

When she said those words a figure appeared in front of him with a raised fist. Pulling his fist, Einar Elior landed a right hook on Lady Rubina’s face, her body rotating twice, and almost falling face-first on the ground. Lady Rubina jolted forward, pointed her staff on Einar, and blasted a lightning bullet to his face. Einar evaded by instinct and followed his punch with a jab to her throat.

Lady Rubina held her throat, draw a runic spell on the air and blasted it to Einar’s location. Einar scoffed, ducked under the threat of the explosion, and pointed his palm to Lady Rubina. A rock was on his palm and he circulated two electric currents around his elbow and suddenly pushed the rock forward. The rock flew and created a bolt of lightning that punched through Lady Rubina’s shields.

Einar pounced forward, pulled his fist back, and throw it towards the liver area of the Lady. The Lady kneeled on the ground, she glared, healed herself, and escaped to the sky. Einar recalled the feeling of the wraith body and jumped to where Lady Rubina was. The cost of jumping hurt his body even though he only did it for a second. Lady Rubina flinched and released a shockwave that blew Einar away.

However, Einar grasped her thigh and with a pull, threw her to him, landing a blow to her left armpit which was then followed by an elbow to her liver, again. After landing a blow, Einar pulled her forward and threw her down. He raised his right leg and stomped it on Lady Rubina’s stomach. Einar flicked his finger and covered his body with an earth-like scale.

Einar was merciless towards the favored woman. She was a being that has not lost. She probably wasn’t expecting Einar to strike fast and hard. If there is one thing that Einar learned from Nolan. It was to never let a strong being think straight. She could level the entire city so he had no choice but to do this. Pulling her backward, she grabbed hold of her hair, and clawed her face, running a bolt of electricity to his hand straight to her head. With her shields disrupted, Einar was able to subdue her completely. Letting go of her face, he looked at the fallen favored woman, drew a seal on her chest. The seal was the same seal that Nolan used to convert Tania of the Obsidian Flower into his. He had bonded his soul and now this woman had no choice but to talk.

Einar felt the burning of his soul. He was trembling and he felt like something was burning on the arm he used to propel the railgun. Einar knew that he could heal but the backlash was hard on his body. He was lucky that it took him only a few minutes to take Lady Rubina down. If Lady Rubina resisted more after he used the wraith body phasing. He would have just fell from where he jumped and die with all of his organs melted and heart exploding from the pressure of the jump.