For the Destroyer
'We are all going to die if I fail. Fast, I have to be faster, it's not enough.'
His body was already at its limit. Breathing hurt, his sight was foggy and his muscles ached. Adrenalin and determination fueled his crazy sprint as he reached the staggering top speed of a supercar. That was fast, even for an experienced knight, and the rank that only a few humans could reach. He was faster than he ever was as his red hair danced in the wind. His stoic face was determined even though it was constantly assaulted by black snowflakes. To a normal human, this snowstorm would feel like a barrage of bullets, considering that he was travelling at high speed but for a knight, it was nothing but a breeze.
He rapidly approached his destination. His home, his wife, his kid. That's also where his thoughts were but he pulled them back. He still had to edge out the details of his plan.
'David, please… fuck, that won't help me now. Concentrate, damnation. Go over the plan again and see what's missing. Arrive at home and go inside. There is no time to check whether they are already approaching but make sure to be calm while you enter your home, so that you do not alarm Elena. Now, write the text for David. He has to know. Someone has to after all. Even if it puts him in danger… right? Next comes the hard part talk...', his stream of thoughts had to end as he arrived at his doorstep. The inertia he was not used to almost made him fall into the wooden door. He regained his balance quickly and tried to catch his breath for a second.
His home was a secluded hut in the mountains. It was covered in snow and if not for the lights that came out of the freshly cleaned windows, it would look just as abandoned as the rest of the dark mountain slope. Yet it gave off a warm feeling. The minute details carved in the wood and the fence that stood in the garden for decades gave the hut a beautiful charm.
Finally, he opened the door. Elena was sitting in her wheelchair in the living room as always. She was knitting something, it looked like a very long red scarf but it was too long for that. It was so long in fact that it could surround the entire hut. Elena was so focused, well maybe even distracted, that she did not even realize that her husband was home earlier than expected. He was still wearing his lab coat. There was no time to change into something more comfortable, after all escaping that kind of pursuers should be done quickly.
Remembering the plan he crafted meticulously he went to work. So, he sneaked past Elena to his office. The living room was now to his left. To his right was the kitchen and in front of him was his office and David's room. Now that Elena could not see or hear him anymore he went back to being in haste.
It did not even take him 10 seconds to write his text and seal it into a small necklace, he had prepared, displaying a small arrow. He was a scientist and a genius using N-stream so he only had to write a single rune on the little amulette and fill it with his N-stream, to create a complex spell. When he was done he grabbed the chain and opened a drawer at his desk. In the drawer was a large sharp tooth with a makeshift handle on it. 'This has to do the job' he thought while taping the tooth to his right leg. He walked out of his office and slowly looked inside David's room. He was sleeping in his cradle. He admired his son for a second before he slowly took David in his arms and put the necklace around his child's little head.
Now came the hard part. He walked calmly out of David's room, still holding his son in his arms. He tensed up a little, it felt like his entire body started to cramp. However, since he was not used to his new strength yet he had to loosen up to not hurt David. Now he was almost standing in front of Elena.
"Hey Elena, I'm home again and I have a special surprise for you," he said as joyful as he could.
"Oh, I missed you, honey. I've been busy today cleaning the house. Did you know that our vacuum cleaner, our lawnmower and our dishwasher are broken? Can you believe it all in one day? I had to clean all the dishes by hand, so I only had time to make a single carrot puree for David. Do you think he minds? And please have a look at the broken things so that they work again." She said that as she turned around. She always has that pleasant smile on her lips. It could calm anyone down. Yet it failed this time. Her husband probably did not even register her smile. He was too overcome with guilt.
"Yes of course I can do that" -he couldn't- ". But I told you I have a special surprise for you. We ..."
"Are you sure you can do that? The lawnmower made a really weird sound, like a coughing tractor."
"Yes I can do that: we are going to visit your mother over the weekend" his voice started to shake
"I am confident in your mechanical skills, but I think it is a serious problem. Cough syrup won't help and it smelled like the alcohol Joe used to make in his basement."
"Don't worry about that it is just an old machine and for a scientist like me it's practically child's play. I'll do it when we return. This weekend however, we are going to visit your mother and Lisa will also be there" Finally tears were running down his face as he had to lie to his wife about their trip, her mother and his dead daughter, Lisa.
"What? Really? But I think we can't leave today. I should clean the house tomorrow and I have to pack all our things first"
"Oh don't worry about all that. Lisa wants to see you again, she told me over the phone" he could not bear it any longer. He prayed that she would finally agree to come with him. He knew lying was the only way to get her to come with him. Elena was crippled after an accident that also killed her daughter Lisa. Since then she was stuck in the same routine every day, not accepting her daughter's death. She could not. It was just too painful. So, she convinced herself that her daughter was still alive and living with her mother. Of course, she had to clean the house for when Lisa might visit. Every day she cleaned the house. Every day she tried to figure out how the vacuum cleaner and the dishwasher worked. She still cared for their little kid, David, but she also knitted a scarf for Lisa. The cycle never changed. And Komaróv, her husband knew that. But he knew her well enough to break the cycle eventually. He had to. Today. To save David and Elena.