Chapter 4: Birth of a Hero

As the two friends continued to fight through the soldiers, Lucio split off and headed to the east side of the city.

'There are four different workshops... I hope I can reach them all in time.'

In the distance, there was a loud *BOOM* followed by the sounds of screams and laughter.

'Damn, Jalen is really going at it; maybe revealing his power to him was a bad idea. It doesn't matter though; I need to pick up the pace!'

As more and more soldiers appeared, Lucio continued to mow them down using non-lethal takedowns. He knew that he needed to get underground, but the soldiers kept coming.

"APPREHEND THE TRAITOR!"

Soon, Lucio found himself under a dogpile of soldiers. It was a slight aggravation to him and extremely time-consuming. Thanks to his passive skill, their attacks were like being hit with pillows, but he needed a way out. While it would be easy to just kill and keep moving, he did not want that. These men were his subordinates and comrades; they took him in when he first awakened in this world. As a marine in his past life, he would've never done anything to hurt or betray his brothers, so the question remained: How could he betray the kindness shown to him with death?

'I will not kill them! There has to be another way...'

Through the pile, Lucio noticed two soldiers running away, splitting off in separate directions – one ran towards the northern part of the city, and the other towards the south side. Between them was the commander who began to shout.

"As of this point, your orders have changed! You are no longer to subdue or capture! Commandment 24 is now active, and kill that bastard Lucio!"

"AYE SIR!" The soldiers yelled.

Before Lucio could move, he felt a sharp pain in his side, followed by the taste of blood and the sound of weapons being unsheathed.

"AGH DA- *COUGH*"

"Impervious to all damage except for slashing attacks. Hmmm, let's test that. All of you move at once!"

The soldiers jumped away and Lucio sprang to his feet only to be met with a slash across his chest from a sword.

"Art of a Thousand Wounds."

 Standing there unable to comprehend the pain, Lucio felt the cuts forming all over his body. Every nerve and pain receptor went off while his body just stood there, even though he had done his best to hone his passive skill he still could not reach the level needed to be unaffected by cuts and slashes. All at once the pain hit him as his body collapsed and he began to writhe in agony. 

"You didn't think we wouldn't know your weakness commander. This unit is made of the sum of its parts and even though you are stronger than us physically, mentally you're unfit to take us on alone. You lack the common sense required to understand that just like you we have studied and watched until the time came to strike."

Unable to move Lucio received a cut across his face followed by a kick to the stomach that made him cough up blood.

"And there you have it men, if you slash him enough regular attacks will begin to hurt him too. Lucio, you can either give up or die accomplishing nothing and once we kill you we'll snuff the life out of your friend too."

Seeing the sight of his blood caused Lucio to snap. Hearing the threat made to his friend's life caused him to rage. Even though his body was in more pain than he had ever felt before he stood back up to his feet and spit the blood out of his mouth.

'You know what... Fuck this.'

Gritting his teeth, Lucio spoke:

"Ultimate Skill: Silent Night."

 The soldiers began to look around in confusion; while they knew of his ability, very few had witnessed it, and no one had ever been on the receiving end. All gathered together, they stood guard, waiting for Lucio to strike. In the silence, there was an echo of a voice.

"You were all my brothers in arms, so it pains me to do this. However, NO ONE threatens my friend and with Commandment 24 being executed, I have no choice. Please remember that you all had a chance to walk away; I came to you all, and in your delusions of fear, you turned me away. I will not be the cause of your damnation… May your souls find peace in the duat."

*SHWOOSH*

The tension released as the soldiers fell onto the ground – some with simple life-ending cuts, others being horribly mutilated, ranging from detached limbs to entire bodies being turned into mincemeat. At the end of the carnage was Lucio, covered in blood, jumping to a manhole and finally going underground. Running through the dark tunnel, Lucio pulled out an earpiece.

"Jalen, can you hear me!?"

"L-Lucio? How are you in my head?"

"No time to explain! Listen, I need you to do something that will cause more soldiers to converge on your location. The King has sent out a kill order and is trying to get rid of everyone in the workshops. I am currently heading to the workshop on the east side of the city, but there are three more! I am not sure if I will make all of them in time but I'm going to try!"

"Say less, buddy! I've got it all under control! The collateral damage about to go crazy YURRRRRRR!!"

'Damnit, Jalen.'

As Lucio continued down the tunnel, he began to hear screams, and the smell of smoke filled his nostrils. Panic began to settle in his chest as his running turned into a full sprint. He didn't know what to expect – would he make it in time, or would he fall short in his attempt to save the people of this workshop? As the screams continued to grow, Lucio began to notice something.

'These voices, they sound more manly than normal. Wait, what is that!'

Now at the end of the tunnel, looking down onto the workshop, Lucio could see it all, and it was horrific. Pillars of fire erupted out of the ground; within those pillars, Lucio saw the bodies of soldiers burning to bones. As he began to run through the streets, he saw more bodies – most of them burned beyond recognition, but to his shock, some were still alive; their skin melting off their bones like chocolate left in the sun.

"H-hh-Help us."

Weakly, they tried to speak, but it was to no avail. While Lucio felt no remorse for the soldiers in his heart he couldn't let them suffer. Quickly he killed them and continued on his way. As he got closer to the center of the workshop, there they were all huddled together. With them, though, a stranger coated in smoke and fire. Lucio began to take up a defensive stance; he didn't know who this entity was, but he wouldn't let him hurt these civilians.

"Whoa! Take it easy, mate!" The stranger said.

"I'm only here to help; I ain't looking to fight with a twat like you."

"Then why are you here? How do you even know about this place?"

Lucio began to charge, but the stranger dissipated and reformed, meeting Lucio face to face.

"You of all people should know that there is not enough time in the day to have this conversation. I saved two more workshops – the north and south. I have no real motives for helping, nor do I care to join your cause. I live by the will of the Flame, and it tells me that my services are no longer needed. So with that summary out of the way, you should hurry."

The stranger then turned to face the civilians, speaking in the most vulgar tone imaginable.

"Listen here, ya mucks! Me and this twat are the reason yer all alive right now. If you don't wanna die like that lot over in my fire pillar, listen very closely to him."

"Umm... Like it was saying, I have come to save all of you. I have put everything into motion, and I promise that I will get all of you out of here... all I ask is that you trust me."

No one was sure what to make of the situation, but they all knew that a life of freedom was better than a life of bondage, not to mention the intimidating man made of fire and smoke levitating over them. Anxiously, they turned to Lucio for further direction.

"I want you all to head into that tunnel; once you reach the end, just wait. I have to rescue others, but I promise I will come back!"

With his mind and heart at ease, Lucio once again rushed off into the tunnel.

'Just wait, I WILL SAVE YOU ALL!'