Adams did not feel the ground underneath him.
He did not feel anything.
A wave of pain radiated throughout his body like an oncoming tidal wave. His lungs felt like they were on fire with every breath he took, a sharp pain radiated from his left arm and it felt as if an axe had split his skull open.
"Adams!"
Elena fell to his side, frantically feeling his chest for broken bones, ruptured organs anything that would explain what had just happened. Her hands came away slick with blood.
"Stay with me."
Adams did not respond, his eyelids fluttering.
Elena placed both of her hands on his chest. A warm and comforting feeling flowed from her palms onto Adams, the feeling slowly filling his lungs with air. The sensation of pain that had radiated from his ribs slowly subsided.
"Come on..."
Elena focused more of her energy into the healing process, feeling the broken bones mend, the mended muscle re-knitting itself back together, but she abruptly pulled her hands away. A look of frustration crossed her face. "I can not fix all of this at once."
Riven landed next to them, the sound of his boots slapping against the broken glass echoing in the silence. "Is he alive?"
"Still breathing."
"Good."
A deafening roar echoed down the street. Both Riven and Elena turned to look. The World Boss was rising from the ground, its massive frame shaking off the gravel and dirt that had stuck to it when it fell. The creatures pale blue eyes locked onto the two warriors.
Riven instinctively reached for his weapon. His fingers brushed against empty air. Stupefied, Riven looked down at where his weapon should have been, then back up at the handle of the curved blade that had fallen to the side of Adams’ motionless form.
Riven crouched down to pick it up. A sickening sensation of immense pressure surged throughout his arm the moment his fingers wrapped around the handle, as if he were attempting to lift an abandoned skyscraper. With a grunt, Riven dropped the weapon, the tendons in his arm straining from the force.
"What?"
Riven attempted to pick the weapon up again. This time, it refused to budge from the ground. "What is going on?"
Elena glanced at the weapon. "That is the one you were telling me about. The weapon the Last Archon used."
Riven looked up at Elena, then back at the weapon in his palm. "Right, I told you all about the Archon and what the System told me about the weapon, the little information it had on the Last Archon." He gave her a bemused look. "Are you not surprised by any of this?"
"I am not surprised at all."
Riven turned back to look at Adams. "You think that it chose him?"
Elena remained silent. She did not need to say anything. Riven understood.
Another roar shattered the silence, and the World Boss charged at the pair.
"Get ready."
Riven grabbed Adams by the front of his shirt and pulled him out of harms way as the creature swiped at the ground where he had been lying a second ago. A plume of concrete shot into the air, the individual pieces whizzing past Elena’s head as she pulled Adams with her.
"Riven!"
"I have him!"
Riven yanked Adams behind a pile of rubble that had been strewn across the ground. Elena followed suit, pressing her back against the pile of concrete. As the World Boss turned to look at them, its massive body looming over the two survivors, Riven raised the weapon he had taken from the ground, ignoring the fact that it was not the one meant for battle.
"Go behind me!"
Elena shook her head. "No."
"I can still fight."You’re already exhausted."So are you."
Riven allowed himself a smirk. "Fair enough."
With that, the two survivors moved. Riven dashed forward and drove the weapon into the World Boss’ injured leg, the thick metal plates of the creatures armor opening up to reveal the rotted and decaying sinew underneath. The World Boss howled in rage, the sound rattling in Riven’s very bones. Riven staggered back, narrowly avoiding the creature’s swipe.
Elena raised her hand, the power within her veins surging to the surface of her palm. A bright beam of golden light shot from her hand, burning away at the exposed mass of sinew and nerve. The creature recoiled, not from the pain, but from the fact that it had finally found a weakness.
Noticing this, some of the other survivors who had survived the initial onslaught of the World Boss rushed forward. "They hit it! They hit the weak spot!" The survivors jumped forward, concentrating all of their efforts on the wounded limb, throwing every ounce of fury and hatred they had at the monstrous creature. The World Boss howled in rage once more and swung at the group of survivors, the claw of its undamaged hand slicing through the brick and mortar of a nearby building. Riven grabbed Elena and shoved her behind cover as the building collapsed.
"Get back!"
The two crouched behind the rubble as the World Boss stumbled, its injured leg giving way and sending it crashing to the ground. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd of survivors as they witnessed the mighty beast fall. Just as they prepared to finish the creature off, the World Boss pushed itself up off of the ground, its healthy legs steadying the mass of muscle and sinew. Its pale blue eyes swept over the battlefield, taking in the maimed survivors, the fallen soldiers and the wounded buildings.
Then, the World Boss turned and walked away.
Those present did not move. Riven lowered his weapon, his chest heaving in and out with every gulp of air he took. "It’s leaving?"
Elena watched the beast disappear beyond the haze of smoke that had formed around the battlefield. "We did not kill it."
"No." Riven turned to regard the scene around him, the destruction that had been wrought upon the city. "But maybe it decided it did not want to stay."
As the creature disappeared from sight, the survivors let out a collective gasp, some cheering and others simply collapsing to the ground in disbelief. Riven turned back to Adams. Elena was already crouched beside him, her hand pressed against his chest.
"He’s still breathing."
Riven turned to the weapon that had fallen at his side. "Try picking it up."
Elena grabbed the handle, her movements fluid and graceful as she lifted the weapon with it. She handed it back to Riven, who took it with ease, as if the odd sensation that had occurred moments ago had never happened
Riven turned back to look at Adams. "Why him?"
Elena glanced down at her unconscious boyfriend. "I do not know."
Riven frowned. "But the System does. Maybe it knows what happened."
Adams let out a sudden cough, both of them turning to look. His eyes fluttered open, his vision blurry.
"Elena?"
"I’m right here." Elena took his hand into her own.
Adams attempted to move, wincing as a wave of pain shot through his body. "What happened?"
"You lost."
Adams narrowed his eyes in confusion. ’Against what?"
Riven let out a humorless chuckle. "Good question."
Adams’ vision focused on the weapon laying next to him. "What is that?"
Riven picked it up, holding it where Adams could see. "You tell me. It chose you."
Adams looked at the weapon in Riven’s hands. "I’ve never seen it before."
Riven studied the young man. "Do you know what an Archon is?"
Adams turned to look at him, confusion evident on his face. "No."
Riven said nothing. Elena studied the interaction between the two men. She understood what Riven was getting at. The weapon had been created for the legendary Last Archon, a warrior whose very existence had been shrouded in mystery and misfortune. It had been a warrior of immense power, spoken of in hushed whispers throughout the ranks of the military, the only known information on him being the few obscure references scattered throughout the System. Yet somehow, it seemed this weapon had picked Adams Albert. A young man, who had no idea what an Archon even was.
Riven turned back to regard the young man. For the first time since he had awoken, he had absolutely no answers.
Adams’ eyes slid shut once more. Elena gently squeezed his shoulder. "Don’t fall asleep."
"Just give me five minutes."You don’t get five minutes."
Adams managed a pained smile. "Worth a try."
His eyes closed. Elena did not attempt to wake him. Instead, she held onto his hand, her thumb gently caressing the back of his hand. Riven sat down beside them, regarding the weapon in his hands. Somewhere in the distance, another roar echoed through the streets. Neither of the survivors knew what it meant or where the creature was going, nor did they know why the weapon had picked Adams Albert. But whatever it was, it had already happened, and there was nothing anyone could do to change it.