Chapter 51: Round Three

  [Item Acquired: Time Plane Memory #5 – Added to Inventory]

  As I snapped back to reality, fear and anger closed in on me.

  Dolos. He said Dolos.

  The Primarch and the Prime of House Security knew about him. And with this Memory Fragment likely being from around a year ago, Dalton Rose mentioning “all those years ago” only deepened the confusion.

  Chronos had warned me about his interferences…but more than a year ago?! Were one of them his Champion?

  But more importantly, that was Thea.

  They tortured her! And then what? What were those devices? What did they do to her?! She’s a damn kid! Had they lost their humanity? Their sense? Their morals?!

  Was she…dead? Did they kill her? Had I already lost my sister before I even met her?

  No. No, no. Don’t jump into conclusions. The way Dalton Rose spoke…it could mean anything. But thinking about it more, the alternative to death was even worse. What if they fried her brain?

  My heart twisted even harder at the thought.

  “ – talking to you. Answer me!”

  A loud voice pulled me out of my thoughts. It was the Enforcer again. He was still waiting for me to explain how I made a COG vanish and reappear.

  He didn’t look happy. I didn’t care.

  I sent Thea’s COG back to the Inventory and summoned my own, quickly strapping it on and activating it.

  I checked the time.

  [12:11]

  The Enforcer grabbed my shoulder, getting more aggressive.

  I knocked his hand away and bolted before he could react.

  Once outside, I slipped into an abandoned alley. Not to hide from the Enforcer – he was too lazy to chase me anyway – but from the soon-to-arrive Crow.

  It still felt insane that he only appeared after I watched a Memory Fragment.

  What was it about that action that drew him? And was it me he tracked, or the location where I activated the memory at?

  I leaned toward the second.

  In past encounters, he’d gone out of his way to enter buildings conventionally – opening doors, searching like a human. Both times – I couldn’t remember where exactly – he could have leveled the entire place without a thought for civilians. He didn’t.

  I needed to test this hypothesis. If he came here and headed straight for the station, I’d be right. If I was wrong…and he found me here in this alley…so be it. I already placed the safety net – Checkpoint was ready.

  I also wanted to see how long it would take him to get here so I’d be ready for the next time.

  Minutes passed. Enough that I started thinking Chronos and Pixelle had been wrong, and he wasn’t coming.

  Then he did.

  Not that I saw him first. No. The warning came as a System notification that made my knees tremble.

  [Quest Available: Outlast]

  [Immobilize the Obsidian Crow chasing you]

  [Reward: 5 Level Upgrades]

  W-what?

  But Pixelle said my COG was clear of outside interference. And yet…there it was. That damn quest again. Dolos was still inside the Déjà vu System…at least to some extent.

  And then, before my mind could spiral into the implications of this revelation, he arrived.

  A sharp crack rolled through the air a second before I spotted him – high above the rooftops, a dot against Skyhaven’s underside. By the time my eyes fully locked onto him, he was already dropping lower, the noise swelling from a distant rush to an astounding roar that filled the street.

  People rushed to the side as they saw him approach, afraid for their lives.

  He cut in over the station, then landed, boots slamming into the pavement with enough force to spiderweb cracks outward, tearing off a small section of the tramrails. His momentum carried him into a short slide before he stood upright. Dust curled in the wake of his landing as he faced the station, his back to me.

  I scanned him quickly.

  [Obsidian Crow #13: level - ??]

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  Same guy.

  The few people still around scattered in all directions, because seeing an Obsidian Crow could only mean trouble – likely Libra. Not this time, though. Just lil’ ol’ me.

  A shiver like nothing I’d never experienced in my life followed. My knees were shaking, no matter how much I tried to keep a brave face reminding myself of my plan.

  I ducked against the wall – as if that would hide me better – and checked the time again.

  [12:26]

  Fifteen minutes.

  All Obsidian Crows were stationed in Skyhaven. For him to get here that fast, he’d have to go close to transonic at least – which was technically possible with an Aero, a fully upgraded COG, and an Aetherguard Mark III – or already be in Orlinth, though that was unlikely considering the previous time, in Skyhaven, he arrived just as fast.

  He stepped forward from where he’d arrived, bent over with his hands on his knees, then did a few casual stretches.

  Holy shit…how fast was he going for it to leave him like that? This might give me a small advantage.

  He straightened and walked toward the station.

  It looked like I was right. He was drawn to the place where I’d seen the Memory.

  Looks like I won’t be using Checkpoint this run after all. I just need to get away from here while he’s inside.

  Suddenly, as if hearing my thoughts, he stopped at the entrance.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  Then he turned – slowly – like following an invisible trail, until his eyes landed on me.

  I blinked, hoping he’d go inside the station anyway. He didn’t. He began approaching me slowly.

  So…watching a Memory Fragment wasn’t just leaving behind a blip that drew him. It also left a trail behind me – something he could follow.

  I swallowed hard but stood up. There was no point running away – the memories Chronos left from previous loops confirmed that. But they also reminded me of something…else.

  I needed to check something before Checkpoint sent me back.

  He raised his armgun, closing in.

  Quickly, I summoned a Foldable Sword, snapping it open with a flick of my hand.

  Normally, that would’ve been plain suicide – bringing a blade into a gunfight – but this time…it worked. Now it'd still be suicide, but with extra steps.

  The Crow froze, lowering his weaponized arm.

  I let out a breath through my nose so he wouldn’t see how relieved I was that my gamble had paid off.

  I remembered what he’d said in our previous meetings – how he “appreciated” people who fought back and compared those who ran to dogs.

  “So, a fighter?” he said suddenly.

  I nodded, hand trembling slightly. “You said those who run away deserve to be put down like dogs, right?”

  “That I did.” He extended the blade on his armblade.

  Exhausted from flying at high speed or not, I didn’t expect to beat him. I’d never even used a sword in my life. But this wasn’t about winning – it was about gathering what I could before the real run. The Checkpoint run.

  He stepped forward.

  “Wait,” I called out. “Before we fight, can you answer a few questions?”

  I needed to know – was he Dolos’ Champion, or someone sent by Dalton Rose and Prime Security?

  He remained silent at first – in my eyes, it wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no – so I kept going.

  “Why are you killing me?”

  He shook his head slowly. The visor hid his face, and his body language was completely neutral.

  “I got my orders. That’s all you’ll get,” he said. “I know what you’re trying to do – looking for advantages for future runs. It won’t work with me.”

  So…the second looper?

  “Did the Head of House Security tell you that?” I asked, remembering the new Memory Fragment. “Casten, right? He’s the one moving the Crows. Now he’s utilizing you to kill a nobody like me instead of searching for Valdemar. Does that make sense to you? To send a fucking Crow for someone like me?”

  He tilted his head, assessing.

  “Prime Vorrick didn’t want to take chances,” he said eventually, and then moved. “Now let’s get this over with.”

  So…not the second looper?

  He lunged, blade aimed forward.

  I rolled aside as steel tore through the space I’d just vacated. I didn’t even have to use Slow to dodge this.

  He wasn’t using crystals – that much was clear – but even without them, a piston-assisted lunge like this should’ve been faster than I could track.

  I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but how could I not? Coming here this fast had probably made his suit go into Overheated.

  If that’s the case, maybe I could –

  No. Don’t get tempted. Don’t waste cooldowns. Don’t waste crystals or Aetheris Bullets. Save it for the second try – when you have more control.

  He turned to me, swinging the armblade down. I lifted my sword with the flat side up to intercept the strike, raising my right arm to use my COG as support for the block.

  Steel clashed against steel before he leaned in and pressed harder. Then his leg twitched, and Déjà vu rang in my mind – he was about to kick me in the gut.

  But the kick never came.

  The joint in his right knee locked, freezing mid-motion.

  I didn’t think. I drove my shoulder forward, throwing my entire weight into his chest. It was like slamming into a wall – knocking all the air out of me – but with his leg jammed, it was enough to knock him backward. He hit the ground hard, his armored body crashing against the stone.

  My heart hammered from excitement. I was doing it! Who cares if he’s weakened – I was doing it!

  I was about to summon the Armor-Piercer, ready to put a bullet in his head while he was still down, but he regained his composure too fast – sweeping a low kick into my legs before I could call on the weapon.

  I crashed face down, my hands breaking the fall, dropping the sword in the process. Pain screamed through my right leg – broken, no doubt. But before I could even curse, my peripheral caught his boot coming straight for my head.

  I immediately threw myself away from him, barely dodging the strike, then tried to stand….and confirmed it. My leg wasn’t just simple broken – it was twisted at a wrong, ugly angle.

  Fuck. I wanted to throw up just looking at it. The adrenaline and fear of dying somehow dulled the pain, but only just.

  Meanwhile, the Crow moved. Still on his back, he drew his knees to his chest, the jam in his joint gone. Planting both palms against the ground, he snapped his body upward – kicking forward and pushing off with his arms in a single motion – landing hard on his feet like a trained fighter.

  He was strong, in peak human shape - lifting both himself and the weight of that suit without using a Kinetra was proof of that.

  Now, towering over me, he lowered the armblade until the tip hovered in front of my face.

  “I’m not so easily impressed,” he muttered, “but that wasn’t half bad, considering everything.”

  The pain from my leg came rushing, but I still spoke, gritting my teeth. “T-the best is…yet to come, fucker!”

  “Oh, I somehow doubt it,” he said and drove the armblade forward, straight into my face, killing me almost instantly.

  [You’ll now reawaken at the Anchor Point]

  ***

  I reawakened back in the cell, hands flying to my face.

  Both body and mind screamed at me, certain I was dead, certain the pain was still there.

  But it wasn’t.

  I was alive and well.

  For now, at least…

  “Halegrim,” Devin said, sounding annoyed. “I told you to get out. Stop being a weirdo.”

  I realized I was breathing too hard. Way too hard.

  I forced a slow inhale.

  “Say, Devin,” I said, drawing another breath. “Can you lock the cell back, buddy? I’m not leaving yet.”

  Devin’s brow furrowed. “What?”

  But I already summoned the Red Ribbon into my hand.

  [Temporal Trace: Time Plane Memory #7 - Available]

  [Would you like to watch the memory?]

  [YES / NO]

  Yup.

  The world around me was washed away, replaced by another memory.