"Okay. *pant* *pant* This thing has more energy than a cookie-fuelled Quatal." I wheezed, my divinity enhancements taking a toll.
The battle had already been going for twenty minutes, exhausting for a normal fight between men, this was a monster against a god, with each second came a dozen attacks and a dozen counter-attacks.
"For Black's sake why did it have to blo-... Eve, it was designed to kill Eve." The thought ripped control from me, my plans for trapping the humans faded from consideration and all that mattered was ripping the damn thing apart.
Caliburn, in-tune with my thoughts, changed shape, the dagger became a stake and the sword a hammer, both joined by a chain. "What the hell are you gonna do?"
I didn't answer just leapt and drove the stake into its body with a single hammer blow. I then removed the stake as the beast writhed and leapt clear. The battle quickly changed from a brutal one-on-one to a hit-and-run skirmish.
Large cracks began spider webbing between each staked point, some even spread out to the damaged tentacles and caused them to break off completely. The battle was practically over, I had one more centralised point to strike, then the beast would crumble apart I landed on its back, then my divinity ran dry and I stumbled, not much, but enough that two tentacles ran me through and a third lashed my legs, removing them from me.
"I don't need my bloody legs for this bit." I placed the spike and drove it in and as expected the monster shattered.
I groaned as I collapsed into the pile of rubble, skin shredded by the razor sharp shards. "You know if you survive this, Eve and the girls will kill you right?" Caliburn said.
"They'll be alive to and something that could harm my family is gone. They simply weren't a good match for that opponent, I admit I lost my cool at the end, that's the only reason I got h-" I then fell asleep, energy completely gone.
Whilst I lay asleep amongst the cutting shards of crystal, the others were desperately trying to reach me, they had seen my energy depleted and knew that meant I wasn't moving anytime soon.
Cosmael, the only one capable of wading through the shards unharmed jumped in to pull me clear. "Mum! He doesn't have the energy to heal, his heart is getting slow and he isn't breathing, we need to get clear of this place."
They carried me until the mana would listen, then set to work on healing me, but no matter what Eve did it wouldn't take. "Why isn't it working!?" She cried with grief and rage.
"The shards in his system must be blocking the mana, we need to get him to Fala, she has the best chance."
They didn't wast any time getting me back using a portal, Fala almost broke down when she saw me, as did everyone, but she snapped herself into healer mode in time. "Eve, I need to set up a blood line between you. You can't have any stray thoughts. Cosmael, Astrael, grab some tweezers and pluck ever shard you can find."
Whilst everyone focused on their assigned jobs, Fala set up the Halo system and began scanning me layer by layer with mana, setting it to pick up on the blank spots the ore's mana absorption left.
"Layaera, start healing him as much as you can, divinity shouldn't be effected but go easy, it might react in a different way, start with his legs to be safe."
"Right... Fala, what if I super heat the crystal shards? If they melt out of him and onto the floor or burn through the area will be easy to heal with all of us."
"It might react badly... Do it, no time to doubt, we have to stop the bleeding in case Eve's donation affects the baby. Adam would never forgive himself."
Layaera focused, sending her fire through me and targeting just the crystal. "AHHHHHH!" I woke up with the pain and began thrashing weakly until Astrael knocked me out with a punch to the jaw.
"Sorry Eve, guess I got the first punch in."
As Astrael finished speaking, the room was filled with the sound of super heated shards burning through the gurney and dinging against the floor.
After a few seconds of silence, they took me upstairs and began healing me on the lunch table with magic. The transfusion line was disconnected and Fala began focusing on Eve, trying to make sure she wasn't suffering. "Yes you will."
"Sorry Fala, what do you mean sweetie?"
"Oh... Sorry, I thought you called him a dummy and said you'd see him soon. I must be tired, that was stressful. Sorry, should I have one of the deva look at you?"
"No. You are my mid-wife you sneaky girl. Conspiring with him behind my back, but trust me, I'm calling him far worse than dummy right now, so I think it's time for fifty CCs of cookies for us both."
"No, I'm a healer, we rest when our patients can." She then refocused and got back to work.
A few hours later, after everyone had healed my body and the immortal group had donated divinity I woke up, still weak and the first thing I heard was "Adam, quick, fall asl- too late", then a hand found my face and sent me clear through the wall.
Laying in the street, jaw broken, arm broken, legs broken. covered in rubble. I gasped on my own blood, looking up to see Eve, crying and more furious than I ever had before. My wounds were healing visibly, but much, much slower than usual.
"Eve... Let... Me... Explain..." Eve was not stopping, she stepped out of the hole and fell to the ground floor like nothing happened. "Eve I... Was effected... Like you...Worse than... We thought."
She bent down and grabbed me by the collar before throwing me back through the hole to crash through the table, she was next to me in a blink. "You have one minute to make me decide not to make myself a single-mother."
"The sound-waves... brain... can you heal... my lungs and throat... or a minute... won't be enough." She begrudgingly fulfilled my request.
"The sound-waves, it was gradual but they were attuning themselves to my brainwaves luring me in to attack. That creature was designed for you not me, if you were close enough you would have felt it. Think, did you really not feel anymore pushed to charge in than you normally would have. No less certain I would win."
"Mum, I'm not just saying this, even I felt compelled to help him."
"Me to Mama, even though I knew he could beat that meanie and Papa always says. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." So why did he change how he was fighting suddenly?"
"Okay, good start... Why didn't you pull back?"
"Eve... He broke a promise to me by the time he realised." Caliburn added, making everyone gasp. "He said he would let me steal the spotlight, we both know he wouldn't break that promise unless something was seriously affecting his brain."
"I'm sorry everyone... Can I be alone?" I asked the question, but everyone knew it wasn't one, I had broken a promise and even though small that hurt me more than anything else that had happened. "She stole the weight of my words. Her death gr-... Empty words."
"Adam, I forgive you."
"NO! That is the one thing you can never do. Do not let this wound heal, make it a scar that I'm never rid off. If I start breaking promises, all realms are in trouble and there is no excuse."
Caliburn made his sarcastic, telepathic sigh. "Fine, you can't use me for a week, don't even talk to me. I want to stay with Quatal."
"QUATAL!" She came in sheepishly. "He asked to be out of my possession for a week, take care of him." I then created a portal to my storage space and gave her the casket. "Your mother will be able to open it if he needs to rest." Quatal nodded then approached to take them.
At the last minute, she grabbed me. "I'm glad you're alive Papa. I love you lots and life wouldn't be the same without you. Come on Cali." She then left, wearing the gauntlets so she could carry the casket carefully.
Then Eve stepped in. "Is the baby okay?" I asked immediately.
"We aren't even a hundred percent I'm pregnant, but my mid-wife said "Best I can give you is a clean bill of I don't know." Proving undoubtedly that she is still your apprentice... You should have seen her, sh-"
"Eve... I broke a promise. I need to do something that's going to hurt us both, can you forgive me?"
"Depends. Will you come back to me?"
"I will be back in three days."
"Will you still be you and in once piece?"
"I promise..." The tone I spoke with audibly changed, as though the word truly had lost its meaning to me. Promises made by me, were practically a law of nature, I made them, they were kept. "I'm going back, investigating the area and reinforcing myself."
"You aren't going there alo-"
"Let me finish please. I'm taking all the deva, our fight there isn't done til we can collect that corpse as proof and investigate the nearby area for any signs of more of them. I think they had all been merged into that thing, but regardless, we promised Cosmael she could revert after the fight and we need to fulfil it. The other two will be there as back-up in case any of us are affected. Wide-spread so nothing can get us all."
"Does this really warrant the fear I'm feeling?"
"Eve, sound can get louder. What if she weaponises it on a larger scale? We need knowledge and counter-measures."