Savior
Chapter 29: Good Choice, Bad Choice

Save for the low purrs from the Albiore’s engine, the small space of the cockpit where Luke and Noelle had chosen to move was relatively quiet. The silence had crept upon them, slithering and waiting until the right moment when, like a snake, it lashed out and struck its victims. The silence was maddening – Luke sat with an elbow in the window, groaning impatiently as he bounced the ball of his foot against the ground.

His heart dropped as yet another attempt to reach Asch went unanswered.

He was sure that their psychic link was perfect – and it didn’t seem likely that Asch was killed. But still, no answer came from the opposite end of the spectrum. It could’ve been that he was in the middle of something. He’s probably trying to figure out where I’m at. …So he can kill me.

The faint silhouette of Grand Chokmah appeared in the far distance. They were almost upon the Floating Capitol; prisoner in tow and an officer who wanted nothing more than to report directly to the Emperor. Without information, the four of them were nothing more than a small group carrying out a deed on the side.

He was about to break the silence in the cockpit. He couldn’t take it anymore – it was too quiet! He wanted to turn, to somehow rouse Noelle into carrying another conversation. A sudden pain flared in his wrist, cutting his breaths short as he fell against the hard backing of his seat. He grabbed his limb at once, growling lowly at first, but shortly breaking into a painful scream.

That was more than enough to catch Noelle’s attention – she had almost leapt out of her seat after that yell. She glanced at him, shouting over his voice. “What happened?!”

Luke slouched forward, wrist gripped tightly in his hand. His forehead fell flat against the metal dashboard in front of him, teeth clenched almost in a death grip. “My wrist…!”

In between strained breaths, he could hear the pilot flicking and typing away at the consoles. For the life of him, Luke could not tear his attention away from his wrist, even though curiosity had lain with whatever she was doing. His thoughts were normally composed in emergency situations like these, but now they were jumbled with one lone exception.

There were no wounds on his wrist.

“Here, let me see.” She offered her hands to him.

He hesitated. Now that he didn’t trust her intentions. It was just that it had hurt so damn much that he didn’t even want to move it. He tried curling his fingers and achieved nothing in return. He groaned and painfully settled his hand into hers, deciding to let her work on him as best as she could.

“What happened?” she asked for the second time.

If he even knew the answer to that, he would’ve told her. But he didn’t know. And he said exactly that. She gave him a puzzled look that begged for an explanation; but there was no explaining it. Through grit teeth, he answered her coolly, “It feels like my wrist just exploded.”

It sounded strange coming from his lips, as he was sure it left her baffled as well.

Then, it just went away, disappearing like the end of a fleeting memory, until the next time it was needed to resurface.

Luke raised an eyebrow as he slowly pulled his wrist away. “What…?”

Noelle would go on to ask him about what had just happened. Truthfully, he didn’t even know. What that even real? Did he imagine all that pain happening? It hurt, so it couldn’t have been his imagination.

He continued to sit there, puzzled when Jade waltzed into the cockpit. “I heard a scream coming from here. Is everything alright?”

“I think so.” Noelle answered in place of Luke. “He’s just had a spasm.”

“I’m afraid that was much too loud to simply be a spasm.”

Luke had already tuned those voices out. There was something much more serious on his mind – he could hear him. Asch was finally responding, but there was something wrong with how things were presented. It wasn’t even a verbal reply that had caught Luke’s attention when the throbbing ended; he could only hear the heavy breaths coming from wherever Asch was at. The words that Asch tried to form only ended up coming out as broken.

He wanted to reach out to the rebel. But that changed with another message, this time a complete sentence from Asch.

‘Damn it all. Malkuth bastards.’

‘Asch? What’s going on?’

‘Be gone, replica. You’re distracting me.’

Though they were speaking through telepathy, Luke could sense that there was something happening with his other. Asch’s voice was hurried, demanding.

‘Where are you?’

‘I’m about to kill your friend, now shut up!’

Kill his friend? What was Asch talking about? Luke nervously tried to gather more information, sending a melee of questions asking what was going on. He wanted to know – he had to know what was going on. The silence from the opposite end grew; Luke swallowed hard, praying that by some way, he would get some kind of answer. He wished he could see through Asch’s eyes right about now, just to get a better feel of the situation that was grasping him. ‘Asch!’

There were no answers.

Luke swore to himself. His heart had dropped with the silence. He had to think. Think! Where would Asch be? He could be anywhere on Aldrant, thanks to those connections of his. But he mentioned Malkuth. So it would make sense to assume that he was fighting with some of Malkuth’s soldiers.

But where?

That could’ve still be almost everywhere. It obviously wasn’t on Keterburg. So, then where? And what was that about his friend? And then, it clicked. The only person that fit that particular description with the name Malkuth…

“Jade, where is Guy!” he asked, interrupting the ongoing conversation between the pilot and the soldier.

“I told him to report back to His Majesty. Unless he’s on another mission, that’s where we’ll find him.” The soldier stated.

His heart was pounding against his chest, fear for two people he was worried about putting him on a time table. He had to hurry. If Asch and Guy were fighting, there was no doubt that they would both fight until the other couldn’t fight any longer. The problem was Asch. Knowing him, he wouldn’t stop until either he was dead or his enemies were defeated, dead or alive. Usually, by way of the former.

“Noelle, how fast can you get us to the capital?”

“What?” She had to take a second to process the question. “I can get us there within the next 20 minutes.”

“Can you do that?”

“Sure.” She returned to her seat.

Jade settled into another seat. “In a hurry, are we?” his mocking voice rose above the powered engines.

“It’s Asch…he’s somewhere around Grand Chokmah.”

Jade could almost form a grin with that. Sometimes, it seemed even his own research on fomicry left him ill-prepared for the unforeseen wonderments that occurred between Asch and Luke. “Well, that makes things convenient for us.”

Luke shook his head. “No, it doesn’t…not if Guy or Asch end up killing each other.”

The very thought was frightening. He had to get there before it was too late to stop anything from happening. However worried he may have gotten, he couldn’t help but shake that feeling that something was going to happen.

---

The blood that splattered beautifully along the rock’s structure could almost paint a half circle if one were to see it as a design rather than evidence of a violent battle. Asch’s arm hung uselessly at his side, his ceremoniously black gauntlet now dripping with red. He still held his sword, though he doubted he could even lift his arm to defend himself.

His eyes scowled in anger as he stared at the results of his desperate effort. Guy’s sword managed to cut into his arm first, but the blood left on nature’s stone did not belong solely to Asch. The blonde held his sword defensively, crossing the bladed weapon over his body as though to keep from being surprised in the near future. His chest had a nicely carved wound that traveled from his shoulder to his sternum. That alone told Asch that he was at least making some progress in perhaps coming out of this alive.

But there were still plenty of soldiers left behind that survived the explosive assault, and more were probably on the way.

He grinned.

It was going to be difficult to repel the assault before he bit the dust.

“Enough. I don’t want to have to kill you.” Guy told him.

But a statement like that was hard to believe. A moment ago, they were trying to kill each other. They almost succeeded. Asch switched the sword to his left hand. He was still pumped with adrenaline, ready to jump back in action and perhaps finish as many of them as he could. If he died on the way…well, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t already lost his life before. And it wasn’t like he was going to completely disappear. He just didn’t like the idea of returning to that replica. If Hell was better than sharing a body with Luke, then he would rather go there. It was torment enough trying to guide his helpless replica through his romantic life.

It was insulting.

Asch looked up at Guy. “Yeah, you made that painfully obvious, didn’t you?”

The two men shared a hardened gaze. Asch knew what would happen if he surrendered. Even if by some miracle that the Malkuth justice system would let him go, that would take more than a month to clear up all the charges brought up against him. A month! He only had maybe a week at best, if that, before he lost his life to this accursed pull from the Absorption Gate. Unless the answers popped up soon, he would have to kill Luke at his first opportunity.

But he had to remove these pests first.

“Surrender and I can guarantee that His Majesty will listen to whatever you have to say in your defense.”

“Go to hell!” He screamed, lunging forward, smacking away the sword defending his opponent’s chest. It was time…to end the life of a former servant…of Luke’s best friend. He was counting on the finishing blow. The chest was open. He was already thrusting his sword towards that spot. He couldn’t have dodged that. Not even Van had the skill and ability to avoid such a close quarters strike.

But wait?

A flash of light blinded him. He felt a powerful burst of fonons exploding from Guy’s body, forcing him back several yards, his feet dragging through the ground. He cursed lowly, fighting to regain the balance that was suddenly taken away from him. His knees were almost buckling from the sudden pressure. He glanced up in the middle of his endeavor; Guy was rushing him, already swinging his sword. Asch had to parry the first two strikes, abandoning his errand. The third strike was coming at him, this time from the front.

No, it wasn’t a simple strike!

Asch crossed the sword before his face; the collision against his sword nearly ripped his socket right out. But he knew that the danger was nowhere near being averted. A flash of light erupted from below, burning his already aching legs, hindering his efforts to stand once more.

A rush of fear came quickly. He could feel the heat searing his flesh as he was lifted forcefully into the air, his body unable to comprehend what was suddenly happening to it. Asch could barely make out the flaming wings of what seemed to be a large bird. The heat was burning at his eyes as well, fishing small tears from his eyes. Within the bird, Guy directed the creature, almost as though the beast was in reality his sheath, and he was its sword and the hand that guided it.

There was a pause in mid-air.

It lasted less than a second.

The bird changed its ascent. They were headed towards the ground at a high rate of speed – so fast that Asch hadn’t even realized that he was standing on his feet when they collided with the ground. The burning was already beginning to subside when he noticed from the corner of his eye that something had begun to gleam. It was Guy, kneeling on the ground, prepared to unleash even more of his mystic arte.

The fiery sheath encased itself around Guy once more as the noble leapt as high as he could manage, the flaming wings dragging Asch along with its ascent. This, he didn’t expect. Once again, his own inexperience with Van’s former master caused him to be back on the losing side. By the time he landed on the ground, the bird was gone. But he was on his back this time around, clothes smoking from what he had just experienced.

The tip of a sword rested against his throat. “It’s over, Asch. Give it up.”

Asch glanced at his immediate surrounded with anxiety. There was not a single face that looked happy upon seeing him still alive. Twelve in all, each of them slowing closing in as though they were wolves making sure that their prey was useless in trying to fight them off.

“Take him into custody.”

“What, are you afraid to kill me?” Asch goaded.

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” Angry green orbs stared down upon him. “I’m only doing this because it’s not the Emperor’s policy to kill defeated insurgents while they’re done…and you know something about Luke.”

A shadow had passed over them, blocking the blindingly intense sun from view. Asch already had his eyes upon the source, having heard the noises just seconds before it had actually come into view. He almost had to gasp at the sight in the sky.

Hot fumes jetted out from behind the machine moving effortlessly through the air, distorting the oxygen caught in its blue inferno. Painted with a light hue of black, the Albiore began its descent to the violent plains below.

Amongst the individuals that could’ve been in there, Luke was definitely one of the passengers. A cold feeling washed over him, his heart dropping to the dark abyss of his gut. This was it. This was his chance to ensure his survival – he could end Luke’s life. He played out his scenario at the back of his mind; from the moment Luke left the Albiore to the point of his final breath.

Luke would get whine about seeing Asch. And he would eventually be allowed to see the mess that he had become. This battle-torn mess that he was…yes, Luke would see it. And the replica would probably start to feel bad for him. And he’d probably offer a hand, mentioning something about getting him some help. No…that was far too naïve, even for Luke. Asch was planning to kill Luke. They both knew it as a given fact. Lorelei’s little pawn would be on edge, though his intentions would be to help. But he would let his guard down to help Asch. That’s right. He wouldn’t be able to see the blood-stained blade as it veered towards his chest.

Asch shook his head.

He couldn’t convince himself. Even if he did go through with murdering Luke in cold blood, what would become of him? How would he be seen in this world? As a murderer? As someone who killed another for a chance to live longer?

As the person who killed the one person who possibly cared for him more than even Natalia?

No, stay focused!

The Albiore had just moved out of the sun’s way when Asch shot a look at Guy. The blonde’s eyes were still transfixed on the machine. Perfect.

He could’ve just lay there and wait for his moment to make his move as the look of surprise crossed the faces of Luke and Guy. He feared that the opportunity would not arrive as he wanted it to. Asch reached up and grabbed the edge of the sword, pulling it to the side of his head. The rewarding sound of metal digging into soil let him know that this was not anticipated. He thrust his leg up, kicking Guy in the chin as the blonde was suddenly fighting against his loss of balance.

The blonde fell to his back, his lip surely busted from the kick.

But Asch hadn’t escaped the pain either. An arrow still clung to the back of his leg. Nevertheless, he had to persist. He forced his knees beneath him, pushing his body upon he was upright. In the distance, the Albiore was landing on the ground, its side exit already propping open. He took off for the machine.

Asch hurried across the ample distance, ignoring flying arrows and wild threats that stirred from behind. He was sure that this was probably the craziest thing he had ever done, second only to his attempted suicidal motive at the Tower of Rem. With all the commotion going on outside of Grand Chokmah, it could’ve been suggested that Van had returned from the dead.

The run was, at the very least, tiring. But he saw Luke.

That was all that mattered in the end.

---

In his rush to touch ground, Luke nearly stumbled as he caught sight of a familiar figure clothed in black running at him. He did not pause to try and dissuade him from starting a fight; he simply drew his sword and prepared himself for the inevitable clash. Behind Asch, Guy was giving pursuit, along with three soldiers who ran sloppily. He was relieved to know that they were both still alive. But now, he had to deal with a desperate Asch.

At the last second, he swung up, parrying the wild swing that was no doubt intended for his head.

‘What the hell?’

Asch? With a wild swing? He’d never seen Asch do such a thing, even when he was rather upset.

The combat between the two replicas continued, with Luke and Asch battling much like they had done in their first encounter, their every swing off setting one another.

It was something during their wild exchanges that had given Luke a bad feeling about fighting. Something had set this particular fight apart from the others. Was it because they were fighting to survive? But Asch didn’t seem to want to end this fight quickly. Not this time. So, what could it have been?

They tore away from each other.

“Luke, stay back.” Guy intervened, stepping in between the two.

“Guy?”

The blonde looked only slightly over his shoulder. “Let us handle this. You’ll have your opportunity to talk with him later.”

“Move out the way,” Asch growled under his breath. “You don’t have a clue what’s going on.”

“Then maybe you can start by telling me why you killed those men back there.” Guy shot a look at the soldiers, nodding his head towards Asch. “Go ahead and take him into custody.”

Men? Asch had killed some people? “Asch, what’s going on?” Luke couldn’t help but ask the question. This was new information to him, something that he didn’t particularly want to hear.

“Yes, do tell why you decided to kill those men.” Jade stepped from the confines of the ship, pushing the rim of his glasses further up his nose, his tone darker than usual. He strode in Asch’s direction, hands shifting through his pockets. “I would hate to misunderstand the situation and learn that those men were under my command.”

Asch had stood his ground, eyeballing the five Malkuth soldiers who were now standing between him and Luke. His breathing had grown heavy, yet his eyes were locked onto the men as though he were prepared to kill them all. No…rather, he looked more like he was hungry for blood.

“Are you saying you’ll kill me?” Asch asked, mocking.

“If it comes to that, yes.” Jade replied. “I would prefer it if we returned to the capital without bloodshed.”

“Asch, we can figure this out.” Luke had to cut in. Things were already bad enough with Asch. “Stop it.”

“I’m not going to sit around a twiddle my thumbs, idiot! We’re dying! Can’t you understand that much?” he shouted. “And if I have to kill you to live, then so be it. I will not let you be the reason I die a second time!”

With his free hand, Asch ripped the arrow from the back of his leg, throwing it on the ground.

Luke’s eyes widened. This was how Asch was going to decide his fate. He was going to fight until the end.

Asch lifted the sword slightly.

Diplomacy was no longer a viable option. What could he do? Even if he tried to talk them out of it, which he highly doubted, there was no way that Asch would be able to walk away from murder. But he couldn’t get involved either. He wanted to scream out in irritation at that moment. Choices, choices. There were good choices and there were bad choices.

He drew his sword.

Definitely a bad choice.