Heavy footsteps pounded down the dark, cramped corridor, sending echoes bouncing off the stone walls. The owner of the footsteps growled aggressively, getting angrier with each passing moment.
“I expected you to run, but not for this long, Litvir. Submit yourself to me, and I will make your death quick. Agonizing, but quick.”
“I will not submit, Retvik. The Voidborn is controlling you. You submitted yourself to him. Willingly or otherwise.”
Litvir was unsure what to do. So far, all he had done was hide. He had managed to hide his position from Retvik’s senses, but that was as far as his plan went. Litvir knew he had to break the Voidborn’s telepathic hold on Retvik, but the workings of this form of mind control were foreign to Litvir, meaning he wasn’t making much progress. It didn’t help that Litvir had to occasionally dodge the occasional fiery attack, spewed out by Retvik seemingly at random.
“You cannot run or hide forever!”
Retvik was right about that. Litvir was currently maintaining a distance of ten meters away from Retvik, but he didn’t know the layout of these dark, damp corridors. He could run into a dead end at any moment.
“Face me, coward.”
“We both know that I do not want to fight you.”
“What makes you think I care?”
“Normally, you are the honourable one, one that would want a fair fight. What happened to that?”
“Hah! As if you deserve an honourable death.”
As Retvik continued to stomp forwards, Litvir tried getting another look into Retvik’s mind. There was new telepathic shielding that Litvir needed to work through, but something dark was making it very hard to break down.
“I thought we were friends,” Litvir exclaimed. “Perhaps more than just friends. We were very close.”
“Hah!” Retvik shouted. “Friends? I should have left you for dead. Left you to struggle on your own. You do not deserve anything. It disgusts me that I felt pity for you.”
“We had a true friendship, Retvik!”
“Lies! All lies!”
Retvik stamped his foot down, releasing a blast of fire and heat. Litvir tried to block the damage with a telekinetic shield, but he missed the bottom of his cape, which was now on fire. Not wanting to blow his cover, Litvir swiftly removed his cape and chucked it in Retvik’s direction.
“You try to distract me, Litvir, but I will find you and I will kill you, you swine.”
Retvik picked up the pace, scraping his sword and shield against the walls of the corridor, sending small sparks in all sorts of directions.
“Why do you seem to hate me so much?” Litvir was getting concerned now. He was no closer to breaking Retvik’s mind control, but Retvik was getting much closer to catching Litvir.
“I should have always hated you. Now I see more clearly.”
“Really?” Litvir asked. “Because I can see now, that Voidborn had blinded you with hate and anger. You do not hate me, not really.”
“NO!”
Retvik suddenly roared, powerful flames dancing across his body. A wave of heat tore through both the air and Litvir’s telekinetic shielding. Bubbles and blisters rippled across Litvir’s skin, while his fabric sash burst into flames, charring Litvir’s carapace plating. Worse, Retvik could see exactly where Litvir was now.
“I found you.”
Litvir stumbled backwards, scrawling across the floor, his body writhing in pain. Retvik seemed to smile as he approached, holding his sword at the ready.
“Retvik… Please…” Trying to maintain his senses, Litvir grabbed his gun staff and thrust it towards Retvik, only for the blade to bounce off Retvik’s armour plating. “You do not need to…”
Retvik leaned down, picking Litvir up by the neck, before hoisting him up into the air.
“The question is, do I kill you here, or do I take you to my master and execute you in front of him?”
“You… could… put me… down…” Litvir choked. “And maybe stop acting like Arkadin…”
Retvik spat at the mention of the name Arkadin, bringing back some painful memories of his former friend.
“I AM NOT LIKE HIM!” Retvik roared, pressing Litvir against the wall.
“You… are…” Litvir was struggling, trying to keep himself conscious. “He bottled up his hate and anger… caused him to hurt you… hurt his friends…”
Retvik hesitated for a moment, before slamming Litvir against the wall again. Litvir went limp, his eyes rolling back as he fell unconscious.
“You are right…” Retvik sighed, a fleeting moment of sense rippling over him. “But I must do as my master orders… I cannot fight my master’s will…”