Chapter 18: A New Way To Battle

Unknown lets out a disconcerting laugh that vibrates throughout my whole being. He waves his cane and charges towards me, his cloak blowing at the wind as it drags behind him.

"We can take him," Abhartach says confidently as my fangs grow longer and I hiss.

"No, we've been doing that this whole time and we have been losing. I can't use your whole arsenal of abilities and skills, even if I could, I wouldn't be as efficient. We have to be smart about this," I respond and my breathing calms, my heartbeat slows and my eyes focus on their target.

"Think, Sam, think. I have used my head before I got these powers and that shouldn't change."

Unknown attempts to kick my side and I block, the impact sends a shock through my arm. I notice the blood dripping on his arm from the torn cloth. He is human. I retaliate and try a counter while he is still airborne. I aim for his chest with my claws and a cloud-like layer forms right above his chest, I swiftly change my direction and slash at his right arm on his open wound. He grunts and uses his other leg to push me away while doing a backflip.

"You little shit!" He grunts as blood gushes from his arm, he grasps his arm as it loosely hangs.

His eyes glow and a shadow emanates from his chest and encroaches to his arm, the shadow looks like it is digesting his arm and when it draws back inside him, I see his unhurt skin, like it never happened. This is bad, he has a healing factor, I need to attack fast and use the chance to escape and lose him.

"Abhartach, teach me how to create constructs with the darkness," I say in my thoughts.

"That's an ineffective attack against this opponent, it doesn't even need a lot to use."

"No time, just tell me," I retort.

I rush towards Unknown, he assumes a battle position, I feel something different, he is serious, I made him angry. I attempt a punch that lands on his crane, he gracefully turns and attempts a punch in my abdomen, I block with my dagger and grab his arm then flip and lock my legs around his neck and use the momentum to throw him to the ground and immediately unsheath Excalibur and with a powerful thrust, I aim for his chest. The blade sinks in the rooftop concrete as Unknown moves out of the way and thrusts a fist straight for my jaw, I react but he ducks lower, throwing me off with his feint, he kicks me on the right cheek.

His leg moves past my head and he nimbly lands to show off his flexibility, he doesn't give me time to recover from the shock, he sends another fist this time into my gut, I wince, he sends two more punches and a third to my face. My head feels woozy as he unleashes a barrage of attacks on me. Blood rushes into my mouth, my chest crackles as a hit cracks one of my ribs, Abhartach forms a layer of darkness as his net hit lands, giving me a window and I retaliate with a gash at his chest.

I aim for his chest again and make two gashes with my dagger. He laughs once more and blocks my following attacks, he attempts for my face, I block sluggishly, the toll of his previous assault making me dizzy.

"Focus, mastery over darkness is like breathing to us. Think about it as an extension of your being, a second body, when you take control of it."

I create a wave of darkness around his face use Excalibur to slash at him, he bends backwards to dodge the attack instinctively.

Unknown breaks out with a growl and emits an overwhelming shadow that binds me in place. "Enough, I am bored now," He says as a retractable blade pokes out from his cane. He places the tip on my adam's apple and menacingly demands once more.

"Give me Excalibur or die."

I stare at him with my mouth shut and shake my head. He squints his eyes and runs the blade through my neck. the clone of darkness falls apart into the shadows. Unknown stares silently as he looks around and realises I am not there anymore and just before the last of my shadow dissipates I hear him mutter "Interesting."

I break into Carol's room through her window and drop onto her bed. Panting hard, I feel the impact of the exchange earlier, blood runs on my cheek and my mouth, my chest feels like it got hit by a wrecking ball and I feel dizzy once more. The adrenaline was keeping me up but now it all hits hard at once. This is nothing I've faced before, this is different and he was holding back. I could have died if I had faced him head-on for a second longer and recall switching myself with the clone when I momentarily blinded him with my shadow. I couldn't risk using Excalibur on someone with similar abilities either.

Carol walks in carrying some papers and immediately drops them as she rushes to my side. "What the hell?! Sam?" She shakes me about, trying to wake me. She begins to sob.

"I thought you said this would be easy," I joke as her tears land on my cheek.

"What happened?! Stay with me, Hold on, Sam, I've got you," She panics. She frantically uses her abilities to try and heal me, I see her hand glow a bright green light and I catch a glimpse of her emerald coloured eyes, wait, weren't her eyes red? and I pass out.