Chapter 84: Evolved Blade
The newly enhanced sword moved differently in Mark’s grip than his fists ever had. It was lighter somehow, despite the visible shimmer of energy still clinging to the blade, and he closed the distance to the Makara Golem with a speed that startled everybody watching.
The first strike bit deep, clean through armor that had shrugged off every hit before now, and the creature reeled back with a shriek that tore across the riverbank.
"That’s new," Bertram managed, still down in the mud as he watched with open surprise.
Mark didn’t answer. He was already moving again, blade carving a second wound alongside the first, driving the Golem backward step by step.
The creature, cornered and enraged, finally broke and lunged — full bodied and desperate, its jaws opening wide enough to swallow him whole.
But Mark didn’t dodge.
He planted one boot against its lowered horn and vaulted, landing hard onto its armored back as the momentum carried both of them crashing into the river in an explosion causing water to spray everywhere...
What followed was less than a fight and more of a drowning contest with a blade attached.
Mark drove the sword down again and again, half submerged with the Golem thrashing violently beneath him.
The water churned, black with blood and mud both flowing into the river.
He lost his grip once, caught a blow from a thrashing tail that opened a gash along his ribs. But he didn’t back down...
He dragged himself back ontop the creature’s spine before it could fully throw him, slashing at it again with more strength than the last time.
He wasn’t smiling anymore. His face carried just a focused look as the blade cut violently, rising and falling as blood began spraying across his face and arms with every strike that injured the beast.
He plunged the sword into th beast’s eyes earning a shriek before he swung to the other side and piercing the other eye.
The Golem shot upwards with a pained shriek and mark slid down its back with the sword tearing from its head to its tail.
The Golem fell, finally going still beneath him as its chest heaved one last shuddering breath before falling silent entirely, its blood spreading in wide across the river’s surface.
Mark stood there for a moment, still on the corpse, breathing hard with the enhanced sword still clutched loose in one bloodied hand.
Then his legs gave out causing him collapsed sideways into the shallow end of the river. He mustered what little strength he had left and dragged himself back to the riverbank, pulling himself upwards before falling back down on the muddy floor.
***
"Phew," he said, breathing heavily. "That was intense..."
"Okay," Sera said, once Mark had seemed to catch his breath. "I thought your ability was purely defensive. What was that?"
"My ability used to be defensive." Mark grinned weakly, wiping blood from his face with the back of one hand. "Evolved a while back, during the fortress the whole hypnosis thing. The gauntlets picked up something when we were fighting one of his men."
"What, exactly?"
"Turns out I can enhance weapons now. Same general idea as yours, honestly." He gestured loosely at the sword still resting in his lap. "Whatever I’m holding gets a boost as well."
"That’s...that’s basically identical to my ability." Sera stared at him, equal parts impressed and mildly offended. "Except I have a random timer I can’t control."
"Mine doesn’t have a timer," Mark said
Sera looked at him outraged. "Then why didn’t you use it from the start?!"
"Because it comes with a catch." Mark held up the sword, and even as he spoke, the blade’s shimmer began fading and the metal itself began turning brittle and pale. "Whatever I enhance falls apart once I’m done with it."
As if to prove the point, the sword crumbled entirely in his grip, disintegrating into grey dust that scattered across his lap and drifted away on the breeze.
"See?"
Kai’s jaw dropped. "You just turned Sera’s sword into dust."
"Not my fault. Didn’t have a choice anyway. We couldn’t beat that thing unless we had some kind of way to overpower it".
He stayed quiet holding the crumbling hilt before turning to Sera. "Sorry about that, by the way."
"You destroyed my weapon," Sera said flatly.
"I destroyed your weapon while killing the thing that was trying to kill all of us," Mark corrected, holding up a finger. "I feel like that context matters."
She exhaled. "Fine. That’s fair, I suppose."
Mark pushed himself upright, wincing at the gash along his ribs, and turned to survey the forest ahead, where the Gateway’s twin spires were just barely visible through distant trees, still a considerable stretch of unexplored ground between here and there.
"We should keep moving," Bertram said, following his gaze.
"We should," Mark agreed. "But we’re heading back to the fortress first."
"What? Why?" Kai asked. "We’re so close—"
"Because Sera’s unarmed, and I’m not marching anyone into unknown territory without a weapon or at least someway to stay alive."
Mark tapped a hand on Sera’s shoulder twice as he passed. "We regroup, get you something sharp and pointy, and try again when the others get back."
Sera studied him for a long moment, genuine surprise crossing her face. "I didn’t realize you actually knew how to lead."
"Wow. Rude." Mark rolled his eyes. "I have LAYERS, Sera. I contain multitudes. Sometimes those multitudes include actual competence"
"Sometimes," she repeated, failing to stop the smile tugging at her lips now.
"See, this is the bonding I was talking about earlier. Look at us. We’re practically best friends now."
"Don’t push it."
Mark laughed, wincing a bit, and turned to lead the group back the way they’d come, the Gateway’s distant spires falling back into the distance behind them as they walked.
[Ding!]
[You have slain a Makara Golem.]
The notification appeared in his view, dry and refusing to acknowledge the fact that they had almost died to an overgrown sea snake.
"Heh," he scoffed. "Failing to recognize my greatness. What a bitch..."