Rune System: The Crimson Knight

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Huh,” Draàl uttered as he thoroughly inspected the empty room, which stretched farther than Valeria’s ballroom. Metal sheets lined every inch of the surrounding four towering walls, save for a rectangular section, high above the ground on the north wall, that had reflective glass instead. Despite its underground location, the room seemed well ventilated; cool, in fact.

“Impressive, is it not?” Zha’irah asked lightly.

“Not exactly the word I was going for, but that’s not far from the truth, either.” Draál stood still, peering at the large vents that lined both sides of the ceiling, over forty feet high. “How did you know about this place?”

“Valeria’s Rune System, as effective as it is, is not made for warfare,” she explained. “So it is not unusual for her to have an arena where she trains and hones her combat skills.”

“Yes, but…” Draàl looked up again. “We’re in an oversized bunker that’s hidden several meters underneath her mansion. Yet, somehow, you happened to know of its presence.”

“One may call it the bane of my existence. I am simply meant to know things, like I am being cursed with knowledge.”

“How helpful,” Draàl remarked dryly. As he continued to take in the enormous space, illuminated by fluorescent ambient lights, the elevator he’d emerged from slid open behind him, with Valeria slipping out. Wearing a silver-themed sleek dress with single shoulder straps, with her hair spilling over her shoulders in thick, curly locks, her heels clicked as she approached Draàl with an object in her grasp, stopping about two feet from him.

“My lord, your escorts from last night dropped this off moments ago. They insisted that it was a gift from their boss and it was meant for you.”

Valeria’s solemn tone was serious enough to prompt Draàl to turn around, his eyes settling on a chrome gauntlet with blue neon lights in her hands.

“Michael Craig made this when I visited his tower a few days ago,” he said, accepting the glove as she offered it with a slight bow. “I’d forgotten all about it.”

“And, with all due respect, I would’ve preferred to keep it that way,” Valeria commented with a straight face. “But, given the nature of the object, I’d say it’s rather useful. Especially for what you’re about to do.”

Despite Draàl’s questioning gaze, she made no effort to explain further. Instead, she began backing away towards the elevator, which began to slide open.

“The entire battle arena is yours to toy with, my lord. My team of specialists will be in the monitoring area, observing and ready to assist with whatever they can. Should you need anything, don’t hesitate to inform them. Enjoy your training session.”

Draàl thought he spotted a sly grin on her lips just as the elevator doors closed.

“Her neck,” he mused to himself. “There was a burn where I’d grabbed her. Now it’s completely healed.”

“No surprises there,” Zha’irah clarified. “Most rune sorcerers possess a tremendous amount of magic flowing through their systems, and their bodies utilize the energy in various ways—rapid healing being one of them. For other, more powerful sorcerers, like yourself, their bodies are so concentrated with magic that they become highly durable and almost invulnerable to attacks.”

Draàl released a small groan. “The more you speak about this… rune sorcery, the more I realize I know nothing about it. And it’s beginning to frustrate me.”

“Then allow me to educate you, Lord Draàl, as part of your training.”

Wearing a black T-shirt—which was labeled as “extra-large”, but ended up being tight enough to display every single muscle on his torso—and white cargo pants tucked into combat boots, Draàl set the gauntlet on the rough but even white granite floor, using both hands to peg his hair back with a small leather band.

“Alright,” he said with a deep breath. “Tell me everything I need to know about the Rune System.”

“Thousands of years ago,” Zha’irah began, “the term was actually known as Rune Sorcery. The original wielders of this power came from an ancient dimension parallel to ours, one that was plagued with the ruins of war and crumbled to extinction as a consequence. Bearing a similar appearance and biology to the humans who dwelled here on Earth, they easily blended in, procreating and spreading rapidly. Soon enough, the first generation of rune sorcerers rose, and a new era of magic and power was born.”

“Huh,” Draàl uttered again. “I’m assuming these first wielders are long gone by now.”

Zha’irah answered, “You’re both right and wrong. Rune sorcerers are capable of achieving immortality, thanks to the magic preserving their bodies from within. However, that condition is only fulfilled if there’s nothing presenting a threat to the sorcerer’s life. In this case, the threat was as old as rune sorcery itself.

“After making this realm their new home, it didn’t take too long for the enemy responsible for the destruction of their world to find them here. Known as the Curses of Modox, these monstrous creatures flooded the Earth in the hundreds of thousands, through a portal called The Rift. Operating through a massive hive mind, the monsters obeyed no leader and rushed to consume all in their path. It took the full strength of the first rune sorcerers, and their first line of descendants, to curb the threat. In the end, many lives were lost, and only three of the original rune sorcerers were left.”

“How tragic,” Draàl remarked. “So, what happened next?”

“People came to understand the importance of rune sorcery, accepting its role in protecting the world from ravenous forces. Soon enough, in the societies and clans that arose subsequently, rune sorcery became a common practice meant to prepare and guide the upcoming generations in the usage and control of supernatural powers. Originally, the major pillars of rune sorcery were rooted in the control of the elements: fire, water, air, and earth. Over time, more abilities began to emerge and branch out, almost like the magic within individuals adapted to more modern times.”

“Which explains Michael Craig’s tech-related powers,” Draàl noted. “I suppose that’s how the Rune System term came about.”

“Correct. A modern take on an ancient practice. Enough lessons for the day, Lord Draàl. Now, we fight.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” he said with a glance around the empty room. “But there’s nothing and no one to fight here.”

“Activate the gauntlet,” Zha’irah instructed.

Draàl spun around, facing the glove lying four feet away on the ground. “And how do I do that?”

“Give it a command. It is tuned to recognize your voice.”

Given Zha’irah’s infuriating habit of knowing everything, Draàl asked no further questions. He eyed the gauntlet like it was about to spring a surprise attack, trying to come up with a suitable command.

“Activate,” he finally said, feeling stupid at the simple order.

Surprisingly, the blue lights on the gauntlet sparkled brightly, and a soft, feminine voice echoed from the machine.

“Scan complete. Initiating duplication sequence.”

A holographic image projected from the gauntlet, forming a body that wore it like a glove. In seconds, the body became solid, made entirely of armored steel below the neck. Multiple fine threads appeared on its head, imitating a head full of long, white hair. The pale, rubbery silicone skin of its face seemed sculpted, with all the correct angles in place. Fully formed, the android regarded Draàl with a neutral expression, and the latter looked back in utter shock.

“A robot?” he asked quietly. Then, in a more demanding tone, “Why the hell does it have my face?”

“Quite unsettling, yes,” the android replied, using a voice so familiar that Draàl’s jaw nearly dropped. “But I like this.”

“Zha’irah?” he nearly screamed. “You’re the android?”

“Something like that. And, for the time being, I will be your opponent in training.”