106 It Comes (1/2)
I frowned, “What?”
Ajax spoke with a voice like metal,
“We need to escape, before he awakens. You cannot fight him.”
I kept my guard up, “I don’t trust you.”
Ajax stepped forward, “Good. You shouldn’t. Not yet. I can promise you that there are other ways of handling Yawm besides fighting him. I can show you those ways, for something in turn.”
Althea skulked up, her form invisible and without sound. Ajax turned towards her, “I can see you, hunter. Understand that I’m not in a position where I fear either of you.”
He finished speaking and disappeared. It was a complete and utter erasal of his existence. Nothing remained, not his scent, the heat off his breath, not even his effect on gravity. A second later, he appeared beside Althea. He grabbed her skull, lifting her with a single hand,
“I could squash your head ike crushing a ripe fruit.” He set her down, “But I’m not. That alone should warrant some kind of discussion.” He turned to me,”Should it not?”
Althea stepped back, fear written over her face. She touched her face with her hands, making sure she was still alive. Ajax laughed, “Come now, I already know you revive after death. There’s no need to act in front of me.”
Althea’s fear disappeared, a grimace replacing it. Ajax turned to me, “I can hide in places neither of you can see. I am the eyes and ears of Yawm, and I have watched you since your time in BloodHollow.”
I whispered, “There’s no way.”
Ajax raised a hand, “There are things that exist that you know nothing of. There are places that you are blind too. I can share them with you. I can open your closed eyes, and give you what you need to fight Yawm, but I need something first.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, “Like what? Our souls?”
Ajax laughed, “Hah hah, No. I need my soul back instead.”
Confusion leaked onto our faces before Ajax continued,
“Yawm has experimented with all of us followers. I am the most sane of us, but I still carry scars.”
Ajax took his hand and plunged his fingertips into his own chest. They broke through the bark as Althea grimaced. Ajax pulled, opening up his chest. Within him, there were bloodshot eyes, grinning mouths, and whispering voices. Ajax lowered his hand, letting his chest heal.
“This is what has been done to me. I ask you to cure it, just as you cured Kessiah.”
I frowned, “Cure that? I didn’t cure anything...wait...You mean after Dakhma infected her?”
Ajax nodded, “Precisely. Heal me of my affliction and I will give you what you need to know against Yawm. Otherwise, every person here will die in moments.”
Above us, Yawm stirred within his shining green prison. As he moved, the ground quaked beneath us. Ajax raised his hands,
“Trust me when I tell you this. You do not have time to hesitate. You have two options. Help me and I will help you, or Yawm obliterates you both. That is-”
Ajax rolled his shoulders, “Unless I kill you first. What is your decision, Harbinger?”
I raised a hand towards him, “You have to explain everything before I help you.”
Ajax leaned back and laughed, “And tell me why you’re in the position to make demands?”
I pointed up at Yawm, “Because I can tell him that you let three of his followers be killed.”
Ajax lowered his right hand, “I’ll kill you before you can.”
I banged my fists together, “I told you what I would accept. Good luck finishing me off that fast.”
Mana charged into my runes, the red aura of energy radiating out,
“I'm very, very hard to kill.”
Ajax raised his right hand and clasped it. The fluid movement split reality at my neck. It was an odd sensation, like he was cleaving the fabric of dimensions apart around me. It didn’t cleave me apart, however. IT felt like I wasn't the dimension he was slicing.
It confused Ajax more than it confused me even. Ajax’s eyes were glowing, green orbs, and one opened wide while another narrowed. It was like he was raising an eyebrow at us,
“You’re not of this plane...You’re somewhere else, while being here...What are you?”
I charged at him, “Something that will kick your ass.”
Ajax raised a palm to me as he shouted, “Stop. I’ll do as you ask.”
I stomped my foot into the ground, extending my footing with telekinesis. The ground caved in around us. I stood up, my hands lowering, “You will?”
Ajax nodded, “Yes. I can’t dispatch of you quickly because of your...I don’t know exactly. You will live long enough to tell Yawm of what I’ve done. I’ll do as you ask and tell you all I know. We must leave now, however. Yawm’s wrath will level this entire city once he’s awakened. That army of yours is dead already.”
I gripped my hands into fists, “Fuck. Really? It’s that bad?”
Ajax leaned his head, giving me a Kubrick stare, “I will not reiterate my words again. He is death incarnate. We must run.”
I turned away from him, pacing behind Althea. I shouted at Hod, ”Hey, come over here.”
Hod walked up to us as I opened my status screen, writing out a message to Torix and Kessiah.
Dimension C-138(01/04/2 11:42 P.M.) - Abort mission. Get out with the legion. Elijah’s dead. Ajax is with us. It’s complicated. He may help us. Don’t count on it.
Althea guarded me the entire time as I wrote out the message. Once I finished, I turned towards Ajax,
“Alright. We’re running right now. If you can actually help us, then this is good. We could use a dimension slicing alien on our side.”
Before I finished closing my status, I poured all my points into endurance. Better to get the points in now then later. Before I finished doing so, a perk came up.
The Endless One(Endurance over 10,000, Genesis of Potential tree unlocked, Obliterator tree unlocked, Devotion to the Enduring perk unlocked) - Unlocks the Endless legacy. Only one legacy can be active at any time.
I didn’t really know what a legacy did. I didn’t have time to stand still and figure out either. I turned towards the others, “Let’s go.”
I sprinted away from the world tree, The rest of the group followed not far behind. I ran up beside Althea,
“Can you guard me while I handle my status points? I’ll guard you right after.”
She nodded at me before going back to staring at Ajax. The porytian alien kept pace with ease, his movements lithe and calculated. He didn’t feel or look hostile. Instead his shoulders loosened up in relief. He even sighed as we gained some distance from Yawm.
His relaxation only made me more nervous. He knew what we were up against. It didn’t look good. I glanced back at my status, trying to squeeze any advantage out that I could.