Paradigm Parasite

I - Rick - kept running, cutting down the approaching shadows from one end to the other.

Iger, who had turned into a demon, attacked me between the shadows.

I wonder if he has any human reason left in him, as he leaps about on all four legs and continues to aim at me, his prey.

There are too many enemies.

The mysterious shadow - let's call it a walker - is not a strong fighter, but it persistently reaches out to seize me.

Some of them attack me with swords and sticks that have fallen around, but they are not a threat because they cannot pull off the armor I am wearing.

But not Iger.

I look at the wound on the shoulder of my armor.

It's a mark where I was hit by Eiger's claws. A few times is not a problem, but if I get too many of them, even with this armor, it will be dangerous.

I turn around and cut down a walker that was trying to jump on me from behind.

I then stab the guy who tries to strangle me with his sword without turning around, pull it out of the ground, and throw it at the enemy closest to me.

The walkers fall over in a heap.

I use it as a springboard to leap. I look around me while I stay in the air, looking for Iger.

Where is he...?

I can't find him. I land on the ground.

A walking dead man catches up to me and hits me with a square block of wood, but I brush him off with the back of my hand.

--Rick!

"...!?"

A voice echoes in my head, and my gaze turns to the walker in front of me as if I've been knocked out of my mind.

There is something strange about the way he looks.

...The belly bulges unnaturally... no, no.

Iger has broken through the deceased's belly and is biting down on him.

"Kuh-oh."

Quickly, I twist and duck, but I don't make it in time.

I receive it with one arm. The armor that was bitten by Iger creaks like a scream.

He tries to pierce me in the stomach with his sword, but I kick him and break away. He disappears in the crowd of walkers again.

This........

Blood rushes to my head...

--Calm down. Look at your opponent.

The voice echoing in my head made me calm down.

Who is it? It sounds different from before... And I remember this voice...

Who is it? Who has been talking to me since a while ago...?

I decided to ask the question honestly.

--Rick, what are you talking about...?

--It's me. Don't you recognize me?

The first voice I heard echoed like a cover for the first voice, and my memory was stimulated.

What came to my mind was the face of my former best friend. And the other voice...

...Gervas? ......The other one is... the instructor?

--Oh...oh. It hasn't been that long, has it?

--I told you to wait until later because it would upset you... Anyway, now that you've noticed me, I can't help it. As you can guess, it's me.

--I just realized something happened. Do you know what it is?

--I...I remember the part where I was captured and tortured by Heretilt....

I continue talking as I run around.

...How much do you know about the situation?

--Oh, no. I just got settled in a little while ago. Seeing as how that Iger guy has completely quit being human ...... No, that armor-looking guy is Iger... right? I judged him by his voice....

...it fits.

--I'm from around there too. I don't understand why the Cathedral Knight Void is in such a mess, but right now we have to get out of the situation at hand.

--I see. I don't understand the situation at all, but I know it's bad. I'm here to help!

Gervas... you...

--No, look. I don't know what's going on, but it looks like you and I are on the same side. ...... Well, you know what? If you can't trust me for some reason, I'll keep my mouth shut so as not to disturb you....

I'll think about Refia... but as my instructor said, the enemy in front of me comes first.

Not that I've forgiven him, but I killed him too.

Besides, he gave me some information, and in his own way, he was trying to reciprocate our friendship...I'll do the same.

...Okay.

--I'm sorry. Thanks for believing in me. I don't know what I can do for you now, but whatever you need.

--You two have been at loggerheads? You can fight, but you need to settle things like that as soon as possible. You can't make up if you're dead.

Oh, by the way, the instructor didn't know.

--Oh, oh. Oh, yeah.

Why are you a little embarrassed?

--Well, let's just put that aside and focus on getting that son of a bitch Iger. Me and the instructor will look for him. You just focus on evading.

--I know he said it first, but Gervas is right. Rick, you just focus on what's in front of you. We'll find you the enemy.

...I understand. Then, please. By the way, how do you two know what's going on out there?

--I'm borrowing your view.

--That's right. I see what you see.

But why are they... well, I have a vague idea why.

It's that light. It must be because they were touched by it.

I don't know how they could do that, but it's convenient.

I move around, shaking my head as much as I can to get a better view.

--Rick! Down here.

I hear the instructor's voice and look down.

Iger bursts out from behind the fallen dead man, but I'm faster than he is because I can react.

Aiming for the neck, Iger fires a flash. Iger twists as quickly as he can.

My sword flash and his claw crossed.

The sword sliced off one of his legs, and the claw made a shallow wound on my chest.

Iger rolls on the ground with the momentum of his leap.

...let him go.

--Don't do it! Don't go too far!

I stay where I am because of Gervas's words.

Iger, who had fallen down, was not going to take it lying down and was spitting out what looked like smoke from his mouth.

I cover my mouth and step back.

As I do so, Iger begins to absorb the light from the deceased I have killed floating in the air around him.

Then the severed leg begins to regenerate.

It's going to heal after being exposed to the light. That's nasty.

--It's tough to fight for a long time.

--I agree. Rick. We'll get him next time.

I'm with you.

-I doubt how much reason is left, but Iger is not a very long-tempered man. If you rush him just right, he'll come at you in a heartbeat.

--If possible, draw him in. Concentrate on making sure you can cut the spot you are aiming for.

I'll be ready to move at any moment, so I'll be aware of what I'm doing as I cut down the walkers.

--There he is. To the left, diagonally behind me.

--He's probably going to attack when you cut down the one in front of you.

I cleave the torso of the one in front of me with my sword and cut him in two.

--He's coming!

He's out of sight, but I can do it if I know where he's coming from.

I turn my body with the sword that sliced the deceased in half. My vision also moves to follow the sword.

Half a turn later, my eyes meet Iger's as he leaps at me.

...here it is.

I caught it perfectly.

My sword entered through the open mouth of Iger and went inside his body, cutting him in two.

Iger, split in two, fell to the ground.

I approach it with caution, just in case, but Iger's corpse disappears as if melting without a sound.

Did it do it?

The surrounding walkers still remain, but their movements have slowed as if they have lost control.

--You did it!

--Ah, he's gone. Now we just have to deal with those around us...

"It looks like you're done, too. I guess I should congratulate you?"

Suddenly, a voice called out to me.

I slowly turned around and there was Roe.

He still had the same blank expression on his face that made me wonder what he was thinking.

...somehow just with a purple cloth-like thing wrapped around his waist.

"Oh, thanks to you. I'm grateful."

"No, don't thank me. I told you at the beginning, this was a deal."

--Rick. What the hell is he...

--I mean, why is he dressed like that?

"Well, it looks like all the vengeance targets are dead, so let's get my fee, shall we?"

Roe slowly approaches me.

"I understand. But first, let's get the guys around ......."

There are hordes of walkers walking around aimlessly.

It's not a good place to talk.

Roe looked around and nodded his head in understanding.

"No, we'll get to that later. . but this is not a good place to talk. There's a little square back there, as I recall. Let's continue our conversation there."

With that, Roe turned on his heel and began to walk.

His bare feet made a little silly footstep sound.

I followed his footsteps.

We walked silently without saying anything to each other.

As I watched Roe's back, I thought about the "fee."

What the hell am I going to be charged?

--Rick. What is he talking about?

The instructor asks in a puzzled tone.

... I asked him to treat my injuries. I am told to pay the price for that. If he hadn't treated me then, I would have died.

-Oh, so that's what he was...so he is your benefactor.

--You don't, do you?

Then Gervas, who had been silent, interjects.

--Gervas?

--That son of a bitch has got some balls. You saw his eyes. I've seen a lot of guys in my time as an adventurer, but that's not good. I don't know what kind of promise you made to him, but ignore it and run. You can get away with it now, can't you?

--No, Gervas. I don't think that's a good idea.

Gervas desperately urges me to run away, but I think it's a bad idea to run away without listening to what he has to say.

I shake my head inwardly.

I want to keep things quiet. Whether I run away or not, I have to listen to what he has to say before I run away.

--I guess so.

-- I get it. But be careful.

As we were talking, Roe, who was walking in front of me, stopped and turned around.

"Here's good enough."

I stopped a little distance away from him.

"All right. Let's make this quick. But first, I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"What happened to the giant demon that was summoned?"

I don't hear any sound coming from that demon that seems to have been rampaging around for a while now.

Thanks to that, the town is eerily quiet.

I got him. ... thanks to that, as you can see.

Roe replies nonchalantly and lets out a small sigh.

--You're kidding, right? He killed that monster all by himself?

-I can't believe it's so sudden....

The two of them are surprised, but I don't react, and continue.

"All right. So, as far as this city of Darzain is concerned, is it safe to assume that it has been wiped out?"

"I think so. We are the only ones alive in this city. The only others are... those strange dead people."

You mean the dead?

I look up at the sky, but the city is still shrouded in a thick blanket of clouds.

"The clouds in the sky don't seem to have disappeared."

"I don't know about that, but since the guy who made them is gone, they'll probably disappear if left alone, won't they?"

Roe said, "So? What else do you want to know?" He asked, but nothing in particular came to mind.

"No, that's enough. Let's talk about payment. What do you want me to give you?"

As I said that, I was thinking about what comes next.

When I get out of here, I'll fight with the instructor and Gervas against Darzain.

I see the devastation of the city. Perhaps there is no hope for recovery.

Sania and Refia. I feel anger when I think about the people who are gone.

We must not let this happen again.

Let's fight. Darzain and some of the corrupt Gnosis are my enemies, too.

"All of them."

My thoughts are cut off by Roe's words.

"I will take your life, your body, your soul, everything."

I didn't understand what he was saying.

"All of it?"

"Oh, don't worry. It won't hurt, and it won't take long."

Roe comes closer to me.

I involuntarily back away and shout.

"Wait a minute. Does that mean ...... you're going to kill me?"

"......, to put it bluntly, yes."

-- that's why I told you! You know what I'm talking about! Get out of here!

Gervas yells at me to run.

He saved my life. In a way, you could say it's equivalent...

I can't die just yet.

"I understand. But I need a favor. The payment. Can you give me a minute?"

As soon as I said that, the air changed.