Desolate Escape

I couldn't see. I could't hear. And I definitely couldn't feel.

Turning into lightning and travelling across the nails deprived me of all my senses. I was flying blind. And I didn't regret the decision I made. Running was the most optimal option there. I was in enemy territory and in a closed off environment. And it would not be a one on one anyway, Maurice would join in the moment a fight started.

The moment it had asked me that question the atmosphere changed. It was like I was staring right into my death. That pressure from the creature triggered every single survival instinct in my body. And I wasn't going die in vain trying to act brave. Living meant fighting another day and I wasn't going to let my story end today. I was willing to take injuries yes, but I wasn't going to walk into death like that.

BZZZT

The end of the nails was here. I had expected near instantaneous travel but it was no where near that speed, even with my senses missing I could still sense the passing of time and I estimated that a minute or two passed to cover the distance.

Still I managed to display a surprising level of speed, it had taken me and Maurice around two hours to reach the cave, but I made it back in aound two minutes.

BZZZT

I landed rolling across the ground as my body materialized back from its lightning state.

The Jager appeared just a few feet away as my vision stabilized.

Pushing myself up, I prepared to get in the Jager and move locations as soon as possible. Since Maurice knew where I was and nothing could stop the dragon from following him here.

SKKRRRRR

SKRRRRRRRRRRR

A loud sound of something scraping across metal could be heard. I looked up.

Laying on top of the Jager, with half its body hanging off the side was the dragon, its claws stopping as soon as it made eye contact with me. 

How?

How was it here?

How did it catch up to me?

My heart dropped as I looked at it. No, it had not followed me here. It was waiting for me. It arrived here before me. Its relaxed state was just it showing me the insurmountable difference between us.

The pressure I has just escaped decended again. I felt breathless.

I wasn't one to spot nuances and emotions in facial expressions but I knew from the creature's eyes, it was enjoying this, its eyes were smiling.

"Nice Waking you got there." 

Well fuck, it knew about Wakings as well. The one card I held against this creature was something it knew about already.

I started thinking, trying to come up with something. Anything. Anything that would let me escape.

Only one option seemed viable. 

One I had only theorized, but it could work. 

I grabbed my spear and used my fingers to poke holes onto the sharp ends. The filling I put in poured out, cooling the ends as it fell.

This time the heat didn't hurt my fingers rather it just felt a little warm.

My eyes alternated between spear and the monster, in fear of it making a move.

TAP

TAP

The creature started tapping, like it was looking forward to what I might pull out my hat. It viewed me as a source of entertainment. It just watched me completely relaxed. 

TAP

Now I had an empty hollow pole in my hands.

TAP

You see... lightning and electricity had a ton of properties. Being in control of this power gave me access to those properties as well. And the one with the most potential was the ability to magnetize metals.

TAP

I passed electricity through the pole, slowly increasing its strength. With my free hand, I reached for one of the nails I had in my bag. I would have preferred a better item as ammo but this was the only thing I had. And this would have to do.

TAP

I aimed one of the ends of the pole at the creature. I could barely move now, lifting my arms and this apparatus felt like lifting mountains. The travel here had taken a lot more out of me than I thought and powering this pole took everything I had left to offer and more.

TAP

My pendant flew up to the pole, the string straining as it stopped the pendant. Using the hand that held the nail, I pushed the pendant into my mouth and bit down on it. I also felt my bag pushing me towards the electromagnet. The nails in the bag ripping through the cloth and sticking to the pole, some of them even pierced my hands as I powered the pole.

TAP

ZWWWOOOOOPPP

A sucking sound came from the pipe as I fed the nail through the other end.

The rythmic tapping felt like a countdown, a countdown to my last hopeful attack before the dragon moved to end me.

"Please work." I whispered. Hoping my attack would actually work and wound the creature.

POP

BAAAANGGG

I heard a popping sound come from the end of the pole, I watched it split apart from the sheer force of the nail being shot out. My hand went flying back due to the recoil from the shot. My pendant slipped out my teeth and flew away as well. 

The second bang came an instant later, as the nail broke the sound barrier.

Everything slowed down as I watched the nail fly, my all or nothing bet, one that was literally carrying my chance for a future.

Then it disappeared. The nail disintegrated as it neared the dragon and with it so did any chances of my survival. My choice of ammo had been my downfall, I sat down, completely drained.

My body was done, I was beyond exhausted. I had also dislocated the hand which held the pipe. But I still kept thinking. My mind had gotten me out of every situation before, this would be no different. 

Despite willing to move my body, there were no changes. I had fully lost control of my body. My final option was to force movement.

I shocked myself. I tried to use my ability to force myself to move. I felt my okay hand twitch. 

I was doing it, the situation was acting as a catalyst to help me evolve. I felt strength welling up from inside at this prospect.

My hand lifted up an inch.

And then dropped.

The electricity coursing through my body halted. And I felt my Waking stop functioning. But the strength that welled up didn't dissipate.

This wasn't strength. It was hope. And that faded as my powers went away.

I was in the most vulnerable state I had ever been in. 

The sky was the only thing in my vision now, that too was slowly disappearing as black spots appreared in my vision.

The physical strain extended to my mind as well. 

Facing my now inevitable death, I recalled what Mama Kemp said, she had not asked me to climb the food chain of the desolate lands, she just asked me to survive. 

Ah, she knew of creatures like this. The world knew of creatures like this. Otherwise why would this jungle go unchecked. I understood why this place was called the desolate lands, not because of the environment but because all that awaited anyone who entered was desolation.

The sky slowly blackened, my vision fading. My revenge didn't matter anymore. My life didn't as well. I had accepted what was coming.

I embraced the all to familiar darkness.

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~3rd person pov~

Dragoon looked at the kid on the ground. Floating off of the truck, he landed next to the child's body and scanned it.

"Not dead..." 

It waved its hand.

POP

Stryke's shoulder popped back into place and his body slid upward.

It then observed its surroundings, 

"Technology has developed this far, has it." It softly said as it examined the Jager and the things inside it through the windows.

Then it looked around further and observed all the exploits and landscaping due to the child near it. 

Its eyes went over the pendant.

"What do we have here? The child has a piece of Null on him. Anddd.... this symbol. I'll ask the kid why he has this symbol on him when he wakes up. Some old school interrogation."

It spun the pendant around. And looked back into the Jager, spotting the box inside," More Null? How does this boy possess this much Null? Is it that easy to obtain these days?"

"Oh Maurice you have introduced something fun haven't you." Turning its head toward the forest, it said.

SH SH SHSH

The trees and bushes parted revealing the giant feature of Maurice lumbering through. He seemed to have travelled here in a hurry, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"What happen King?"

Maurice heaved as he spotted the child's body on the ground.

The body which started floating as soon as it said those words. Along with the body, the truck slowly lifted off the ground.

"Still alive Maurice, this kid is something else...." Dragoon said. "I'll bring the kid and the vehicle along so lets go back. Also, I want you to be the good cop in the interrogation we will be doing."

"Good cop?"

"Don't worry just be you. It's fine."

Maurice dropped his hands in exasperation.

"Sorry I ended the fun before you came buddy."

"Fine."

The giant turned around and trudged back through the dense forest.

WHOOOOOSH

A giant gust of wind came by as the dragon flew into the sky with the child and the truck floating closely beside it.

As the dragon flew, it looked back at the campsite and waved one of its massive claws. THe movement triggered a massive change in Stryke's territory. Earth shifted, the walls around the inside of the trenches collapsed outwards and filled up the trenches. 

With a single wave of its hands it eliminated any and all evidence of a human child living in that location. Burying all of the spoils of war and the water collection set up under the Earth.

"That last attack.... the child created a railgun on the spot. It could have caused some damage if I let it hit me." The dragon mused to itself as its body waved and slithered through the sky.

"So, electricity as a Waking? Not bad. And considering how he used it to escape and this railgun idea of his, he seems to underestand his ability as well. I want to see his growth now. Will he just be confined to his Waking or will he go further?"

"He has a lot of Null on him and he seems to have a connection to those rats as well... If he is their pawn, he dies.... otherwise.. lets see."

"How fun fu fu fu....."

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