Chapter 68: Damnation Part 3

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Jesse dragged the last, injured soldier onto the platform of stone that's hovering above the burned, blood-soaked ground. "Thank you," The wounded soldier muttered, holding his bleeding side, before Jesse rested him with the rest of his comrades.

"Don't talk," Said Jesse as he jumped onto the ground, turning around to face the soldier. "Just save your strength, I'm going to get you to that outpost in the north."

"The Clockwork Fortress?" Grunted the same soldier, sitting up. "Why would you...?"

THUD!

He collapsed, and fell off the platform. Not moving as Jesse ran towards him. "Hey, are you-!"

SHLEEK!

A black scythe flew low across the ground, the dark blade impaled the soldier's head and caused Jesse to jump back in surprise. "What a pain..." said a voice. Dead. Empty. Hollow.

Jesse looked to the left, following the disturbing voice to see a familiar three-blocks-tall man, with black dust floating out of him as he wears a grey metal cloak. His left, metal-clawed hand is outstretched towards the soldiers.

"Y-You?!" Yelled Jesse. "I saw you explode!"

"Exploded, yes." The man acknowledged, his sleeve on his outstretched arm flapping . "But not dead, unlike those soldiers you pointless tried to save."

"Pointless?" Whispered Jesse as he flipped up his eye patch. Looking at the soldiers on the platform, reading the familiar blue screens that told Jesse that they're all dead.

How did they all die so quickly? Sure they were injured, but it wasn't life threatening. How did that cloaked man kill them without even going near them?

"What did you do?!" Jesse immediately channeled his Mana as a second later, spikes of stone emerged around Jesse. "Who are you?!"

"Why don't you Scribe me and find out," The cloaked man's tone became mocking. "Oh that's right, that won't work, just like the runes in your right eye can't identify me."

"H-How do you know that, the only person who does is... are you working for my sister?"

"Technically, I'm not." The killer clarified, much to Jesse's surprise. "But I am in debt to her for turning me into a shadow of the one thing which none can escape." With a flick of his wrist, his scythe flew back into his outstretched hand. "Care to take a guess?"

"I honestly don't," Admitted Jesse, a bit of fear in his voice. "But I can assume you're on a task for Jess to repay that debt, right?"

"Again, technically no." The killer reminded. "But she did admit that I'm being used by her for her own agenda, even though I'm not aware of it."

"But you are being used like a tool!" Said Jesse. "If you know you are being used, then why are you doing this?"

"Why do we do anything, Jesse?" The cloaked man replied, much to Jesse's surprise. "Why do we continue to struggle, why not end it all? Well... you can. That's a privilege I can never have."

"I don't understand." Said a confused Jesse before shaking his head. "Why did you kill everyone here?"

The killer shrugged casually. "I only wanted to kill the soldiers from the Kingdom of the Forest... but other people tried to intervene, and got in my way."

"You're attacking their home; of course they're going to fight!" Screamed Jesse.

"I tried not to hurt the citizens of this town," Admitted the man before pointing his scythe at Jesse. "But I will defend myself."

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