Chapter 15. Berserker

THE ARMOUR OF THORNS

The armour of thorns is a symbiotic entity that exists as a set of chitinous plate armour, with leathery, elastic joints between the plates. The armour is of unknown origin, and no other variants or copies of it exist. The armour is most certainly alive, however, with a discernible soul, but no real intelligence.

The function of the armour is simple, it allows the user to transcend physical limitations, nullifying pain and natural inhibitions, at the cost of higher thinking and self-preservation instinct. As such, the armour is only entrusted to highly skilled warriors, and only for a limited time.

The armour itself benefits from this ability by feeding on the cortisol, adrenaline and sweat of the wearer, derived via the skin and by means of two sharpened probusci that enter the wearer's blood vessels along the spine. This allows it to rapidly self-repair and produce its namesake thorns. The user is almost entirely unaware of this process as it does little permanent damage, and leaves no scars.

Another trait of the armour is its ability to rapidly grow ironlike spines to close wounds and hold the wearer together in combat. These spines vary in size from hairlike to the thickness of one's finger. They serve to let the wearer keep fighting well beyond what should be fatal for them.

The wearer also loses any ability to feel exhaustion within the armour, their mind seemingly controlled purely by bloodlust, fear and rage. Speech is often lost when the armour is in use.

This is, however, not true healing and the user will eventually burn out as a result of blood loss, or die trying to remove the armour without help, as they tear apart organs and flesh alike. For this reason, the armour must be removed under the supervision of numerous healers after use.

It is theorised that the armour's life cycle may demand a corpse to reproduce, hence why it robs its wearer of their self-preservation instinct when used.

Rhodri didn't approach immediately, taking up a defensive stance. Neither did Dolorem. He sensed deep malice emanating from Rhodri's armour. A presence separate from its wearer, one that cared only for bloodshed. White scales spread across Dolorem's body, his senses sharpening. He sheathed his sword, rendering a deep draw stance, focusing entirely on his weapon. He dashed forward with inhuman speed, drawing into a deadly upward slash, his blade extended by razorlike winds, surging toward Rhodri.

Rhodri placed his own weapon between himself and Dolorem's, stopping the blade, but suffering from the aftereffects of the slash, the exposed skin on his face lacerated, his forearms and shoulders violently rattled by the clash of blades.

He kicked Dolorem squarely in the chest, knocking him back enough to prepare a running thrust at him. He charged, blade focused on Dolorem's heart.

Dolorem put a hand between him and his opponent, the spiraling rapier ripping through it, but stalling as Dolorem closed his impaled hand, blood trailing along the spiral, to Rhodri's visceral disgust. Dolorem hardly felt the pain. Compared to Aeonis' sword, it was barely a scratch. He swung the blade out of the way and struck Rhodri with the hilt of his sword.

Rhodri staggered back, his nose bleeding profusely. He pulled the faceguard of his helmet down, revealing an almost insectoid visage, eyes burning insidious green. Rhodri shuddered as the armour's curse took hold. The armour could allow him to surpass his human limits, dulling his ability to feel pain, even holding together a shattered body, but the longer the fight dragged on, the deadlier that same lifeline became. Even so, it let him stand on par with someone like Dolorem. It was a living entity in itself, nourished by Rhodri's rage, reveling in the destruction that its use brought.

Dolorem analysed his target. There were no exposed soft spots. A katana would be useless. The Helice had a range advantage, and would be nigh-impossible to parry. He needed something different. He sheathed his blade and formed the hand seals of a fire jutsu. He'd negate the range advantage of the Helice by keeping himself and Rhodri separate. He raised pillars of fire around Rhodri, hoping to confine him to that area.

He had a few seconds to think, he thought. Instead, Rhodri barreled through the flames, totally unfazed, catching Dolorem by the collar and knocking him down, the Helice piercing his heart. Dolorem's vision swam as he coughed up blood. He feebly kicked at Rhodri, and grasped at the Helice's spiral, slick with his own blood.

Rhodri raised his weapon again, driving it deep into Dolorem, over and over again, slowly eroding his life. Rhodri felt nothing, pure, feral rage wrapped about his heart, smothering his brain.

As Dolorem lay bloodied, fading out of consciousness, a cold impulse gripped him, reptilian survival instinct. He gripped the Helice once again, and wrenched the blade apart, his strength enough, if only barely to shatter the bonelike armament.

He took the pointed end and rammed it in beneath Rhodri's bevor, seeming to hit flesh. Making use of the opportunity, he kicked the behemoth of a man off, his wounds already healing.

Dolorem wasted no time once Rhodri had been put off-balance, grabbing his outstretched arm and delivering a palm-heel strike to the elbow. The sound of snapping sinew and ligament confirmed it was broken. He didn't stop. With blinding speed in spite of his already-healing injuries, he twisted Rhodri's broken arm behind him, forcing him to the ground, and ripping the shoulder out of socket.

Dolorem kicked his opponent across the ground, drawing a pair of narrow kunai once he had the space to do so.

Rhodri sprang to his feet with alarming speed, seemingly ignorant of the state of his sword-arm. The surface of his armour writhed, and there was a sound of metal piercing flesh. Rhodri's broken arm twisted and contorted at unnatural angles until it sat back in its place. Rhodri opened and closed the hand. It seemed repaired, save for the rivulets of blood dripping from the gauntlet. His lungs expelled a bestial howl, one that shook Dolorem's very bones.

Dolorem analysed his situation. The armour sustained him structurally, and dulled his pain responses, but didn't heal him. "I have two options," he thought. "bleed him out, or have him burn himself out."

"Why not both?" The Orochi offered. "Do we not have a venomous bite?"

"How the hell would I bite through cloth armour? Let alone platemail?"

"Use your imagination Dolorem, are you not holding a steel substitute?"

Rhodri was bearing down on Dolorem once again, shattered Helice in hand. Dolorem sidestepped the charge, licking caustic venom onto one of his kunai, then the other. He dropped into a low stance, awaiting Rhodri's charge. "That venom is something like a Mamushi," The Orochi explained. "It'll…"

"Dizziness, internal bleeding, organ failure, gangrene, death. I know, I've used it before."

Dolorem braced himself for the next charge, he'd have to take the hit. Rhodri lanced him, dead in the sternum, shattering Dolorem's ribs. Fighting the urge to scream out, he gripped the crossguard and pierced the insectoid eye of the armour, driving the toxin deep.

Rhodri staggered back, clutching at his face. Once he'd established the severity of the wound, his humanity seemed to briefly resurface. Dolorem lowered his kunai, hoping that he could reason with him. Rhodri drew a ragged, bloodied breath. The venom would take hold soon. He raised the Helice in front of himself. "For… the… glory of… the Empire." He croaked.

The armour sank its fangs deep an instant later. Each thorn worsening the hemorrhaging. They pierced the shell of the armour itself, mangling his limbs. Rhodri was no more. He ran at Dolorem, now wreathed in thorns, Dolorem activating his metal seal, dashing in. He'd exasperate the venom by forcing internal bleeding. He started to unleash a flurry of jabs, straight into Rhodri's chest, punch after punch, hammering into the breastplate of Rhodri's armour. Rhodri stood resilient, absorbing the punches, barely reacting.

Standing there, amidst the clamorous bell's toll of fist on armour, Dolorem realised that he and Rhodri were one in the same. While their ideologies differed, they were both fighting for the same ideal.

Dolorem finished his fusilade of strikes with a deadly uppercut, knocking Rhodri back. He heard the burgeoning growth of thorns within the armour. Rhodri struggled to stand as ironlike claws pierced his flesh, tearing organs and sinew apart. A pool of crimson expanded beneath his feet. Dolorem could hear his heart, hammering, raging against the rapid loss of blood.

Then it fell silent. Rhodri collapsed, seeming to disintegrate as he fell, little more now than a pile of offal.

Dolorem lowered his fists and collapsed to his knees. The battle had drained him entirely, physically and mentally. He looked at the crushed body of his enemy, no, his reflection. He'd have to give the body some sort of dignity. Weaving earth seals at the roadside, he opened a pit in the soft ground. The intention of the technique was to save time on digging pitfall traps, but it was sufficient in creating graves.

He dragged Rhodri into the pit, and released the jutsu, the walls of the pit collapsing in on the body. Next, he cast a wood jutsu on the ground over the body, red spider lilies springing forth on the makeshift grave. Dolorem offered a silent prayer before turning in the direction of the camp. To his surprise, both Lilith and Venari had emerged at the treeline.

Dolorem said nothing as he approached, nor did Lilith or Venari. Once they were face to face, Venari broke the silence. "Did you kill him?"

Dolorem nodded gravely. The image of Rhodri's terrified eye beneath the faceplate of his armour still stuck in his mind, like a wound. "Good." Venari grunted, turning away from the pair before putting her hand over her eyes.

Lilith just hugged Dolorem. There were no words that would better help him. She'd seen that same haunted look in the eyes of soldiers returning from war. The battle had taken something from him. A part of him. Dolorem put his hand on her shoulder. "I need to finish this, but I don't need to put you in any more danger."

"What do you mean?"

"You needn't come with me to Red Pines. It'd be better for you to lay low with Venari. Can you do that?"

"Of course, just come back alive." She said, tears beginning to flow down her face. Lilith knew she'd be less effective in combat now, and that Dolorem would never back down from his plot for revenge. "For our family."

"What family?" Dolorem asked.

Lilith just nodded. "Venari could smell it on my blood."

Dolorem said nothing. He struggled to stop himself from trembling. His head was swimming. He drew a deep breath to quell his nerves. It was his child, his responsibility. "Our child will be raised as the heir to the House of Mist. Once I take back our home, no more war. Both of you are all that matters."

Lilith hugged him again, head down across his shoulder. "I'll return to the House of the Adjudicators with Venari. My parents can grant us sanctuary. In a month's time I'll return. Until then, don't get yourself killed."

"Of course." Dolorem said, picking up his sword. He gazed at the road to Red Pines, turning to leave. "Lilith." He called, before starting the trek. "No matter what happens, I will always love you."

Lilith waved goodbye, as Dolorem walked off into the horizon.

Venari returned, with a face visibly reddened. "Where's he going?" She asked with a broken voice.

"To finish the fight. What's gotten into you?"

"As much as I hated his cause, Rhodri wasn't a bad man. I just never acknowledged it. I wish we parted on better terms. Not much point trying to change things now, eh?" She said, looking out at the grave.

"No there isn't. Come on, we're going somewhere safe."