The spear cut through the world like a bolt of silver lightning. Dazzling, yet ferocious.

Garrick's eyes widened. For a split second, his grip on Lucy loosened as instinct took over. He shoved her aside forcibly, her body tumbling into the underbrush as he brought his greatsword up in a desperate arc.

Metal met metal with a sound like thunder cracking the sky open.

Garrick gnashed his teeth together as the force of the impact drove him back several steps, his boots digging trenches in the muddy ground. Gungnir embedded itself in the earth between them, its shaft still vibrating from the collision.

Nero was already moving.

He closed the distance in three long strides, his hand wrapping around Gungnir's shaft. The moment his fingers touched it, he felt the connection surge through him like fire in his veins.

The spear practically leaped into his grip, trembling in excitement.

Garrick recovered quickly, his face twisted into a snarl as he hefted his greatsword. Blood trickled from his palm where the impact had split the skin, but he didn't seem to notice.

"You little bastard," Garrick growled. "I should have killed you when I had the chance."

Nero said nothing. There was nothing to say. Words were useless in this situation.

There was nothing he could say that would change the situation.

He shook his head.

He was done with words.

The rain began to fall harder, fat drops that turned the ground to mud and made the air thick with moisture. Thunder rolled overhead, a deep rumble Nero felt in his chest.

Garrick lunged first, his greatsword coming down in a brutal overhead strike meant to cleave Nero from shoulder to hip. The blade was massive, easily multiple times the width of Gungnir, and Garrick swung it with the kind of strength that could only come from being enhanced through supernatural means.

Nero sidestepped, letting the blade crash into the earth where he had been standing. Mud sprayed up from the impact. Before Garrick could recover, Nero thrust forward with Gungnir, aiming for the exposed ribs beneath his raised arm.

But Garrick was faster than Nero expected. He twisted, bringing the flat of his blade around to knock Gungnir's thrust wide. Then he pivoted, using his momentum to bring an elbow around toward Nero's face.

The blow connected with Nero's jaw, snapping his head to the side. Pain exploded through his skull as a bolt of white lightning cut through the sky.

He tasted blood as his vision swam, the pouring rain covering and drowning, making it all feel so distant.

Garrick pressed his advantage, following up with a heavy boot to Nero's midsection. The kick lifted Nero off his feet and sent him sprawling backward into the mud.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Garrick spat. He stalked forward, raising his sword for another strike. "You really are arrogant."

He turned to Lucy and sneered,

"This kid really isn't that special. What's got you all hot and bothered about the kid? He just tried to kill you too, didn't he?"

Lucy remained still and silent.

Garrick glared at her a few seconds longer then turned his attention back to Nero.

Nero rolled to the side just as the greatsword came down, the blade passing so close he felt the wind of its passage. He came up in a crouch, Gungnir held defensively across his body.

His ribs ached where Garrick had kicked him. His jaw throbbed. But beneath the pain, was nothing else.

He wasn't afraid.

Nor was he anxious.

It was as though he could already see the outcome of the battle.

His breath was heavy, rainwater pouring down his face and hair.

Garrick swung again, a horizontal slash aimed at his neck. He ducked beneath it, feeling the blade pass overhead, and thrust upward with Gungnir. The spear's point caught Garrick in the shoulder, not deep enough to disable but enough to draw blood.

Garrick cursed and stumbled back, his left arm hanging slightly lower than before. He reached up to touch the wound, his fingers coming away red before it was washed away.

The sight of his own blood seemed to enrage him further. His sword came at Nero in a flurry of strikes, each one powerful enough to kill if it connected.

Nero gave ground, using Gungnir to deflect and redirect rather than trying to block directly. The spear's lighter weight gave him speed, let him flow between Garrick's attacks like water between rocks. But each deflection jarred his arms, and he could feel his muscles beginning to burn with the effort.

He needed to end this. Garrick had more stamina and raw power. A prolonged fight would favor him.

Nero waited for an opening. Garrick swung high, committing too much to the strike. In an instant, Nero dropped low. The shadows curled around him, and for a second, in the eyes of all those who observed him, he vanished.

The next time he appeared, he was sweeping Gungnir at Garrick's legs. The shaft connected with the back of Garrick's knee, buckling it.

Garrick fell, landing hard on one knee. Nero reversed his grip on Gungnir and drove the butt of the spear into Garrick's face. Cartilage crunched as blood sprayed from Garrick's broken nose.

But even as he fell, Garrick's hand shot out and grabbed Gungnir's shaft. He yanked hard, pulling Nero off balance. Before Nero could react, Garrick's other hand came up holding his sword, the blade slashing across Nero's chest.

Fabric tore. Skin split. Nero felt hot blood begin to soak through his shirt, contrasted heavily with the cold rain as he stumbled backward.

His body trembled.

Garrick wrenched Gungnir from Nero's grip and hurled it away into the trees. It disappeared into the underbrush with a crash of breaking branches.

"There," Garrick panted, struggling to his feet. His face was a mask of blood, his nose flattened and twisted.

Nero's hand went to his chest, came away red. The cut wasn't deep, but it burned. He looked up at Garrick, then toward where Gungnir had vanished.

He reached out with his mind, feeling for the connection. The thread that bound him to the spear was still intact, still thrumming with energy.

Garrick charged again, sensing weakness. His sword came around in a wide arc, meant to take Nero's head off at the shoulders.

Nero raised his hand.

Gungnir burst from the trees like a missile, spinning end over end. It slapped into Nero's palm with perfect timing, and he brought it up to catch Garrick's sword on its shaft.

The collision sent shockwaves through both their arms. They stood locked together, faces inches apart, rain streaming down between them.

In the depths of Garrick's furious, red eyes, Nero could see it.

That unerring humanity.

The monster before him was no monster at all. This was a human through and through. And not even a special one.

Greed, lust, joy, fear, hatred, malice, love, compassion.

All of that was humanity.

Still, Nero could tell that the human before him was broken.

"Die!" Garrick growled.

Nero's response was to drive his knee into Garrick's stomach. The older man's breath exploded out of him in a wet gasp. Nero followed with an elbow to the side of Garrick's head, then shoved him away.

Garrick stumbled, barely keeping his balance. He was breathing hard now, his movements slower. The shoulder wound was still bleeding, and his face was a ruin.

But there was something in his eyes. A desperation so intense, Nero couldn't help but pause.

"Why?" Nero asked with narrowed eyes, his voice cutting through the immense pitter-patter.

"Why are you so desperate?"

Garrick chuckled then coughed out a thick crimson blood of mucus and blood.

He sighed then sneered at Nero,

"What would a kid like you know? You have never had to consume the flesh of your brothers just to live another day! A privileged rich brat like you can never understand."

Nero remained silent.

'He's too far gone.'

Movement caught Nero's eye. Through the rain and trees, he saw Obed emerge into the clearing.

He stopped at the edge, his hand on his sword but not drawing it. He simply stood there, watching them through the curtain of rain.

Behind him, Geor and Aisha appeared. Geor moved to step forward, but Obed put out an arm, stopping him. The larger man frowned but didn't push past.

Aisha's eyes were wide as she took in the scene. The blood, the mud, the two men circling each other like wounded animals. But she said nothing.

Nero locked eyes with her.

Then he turned his attention back to Garrick. The moment of distraction cost him. Garrick had used those seconds to create distance, to reach into his pack.

When his hand emerged, it was holding a vial.

The liquid inside was thick and dark, almost black. It seemed to move on its own, swirling within the glass with an unnatural fluidity. Just looking at it made Nero's stomach turn.

"You know what this is?" Garrick asked, his voice hoarse and grim. He was breathing hard, blood still streaming from his nose.

Obed's eyes widened when he say the vial,

"Garrick, you bastard! Stop it!"

"Shut the fuck up, Obed! Just stay put like the dog you are! Let me handle this!"

He held the vial up, letting the rain wash over it. An excited gleam flashed through his eyes,

"Enchantment elixirs are quite special. Most of them are slowly acting, taking a few months to a year to digest. This is all to offset the potential corruption and mutation that may occur. This on the other hand, takes just a few seconds to be fully digested."

For a moment, Garrick's gaze turned glassy.

Then clarity returned,

"Guess this qualifies."

Nero's eyes widened. "Don't—"

But Garrick was already moving. He brought the vial to his lips and drank.

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