07: Mystical Shadow Guy
Eastern Tradeway, Genesis Industries Outskirts, Talich
The dust kicked up from the dirt surrounding the somewhat dishevelled road that Coyle walked. Behind him, the glow of Genesis Industries. In front of him, time. He had done his best, yet he barely survived the cleansing of the Old World, and he wasn’t prepared enough for this situation. With a minor limp, he continued down the road as dull clouds hung heavy in the sky.
His old friends at Genesis Industries managed to patch up most of his most severe injuries, but Agent Coyle wasn’t ready to tell anyone what he was going through. Thoughts raced through his mind on what he could have done differently. Would it have even been possible to take out Sol before this happened? Would Cheryl have let him? What if he convinced Genesis to mount more aggressive automated defences? There were many to blame, but Coyle struggled to blame anyone more than himself.
A rustling of the wind against the dying brushes sent a minor shot of adrenaline through Agent Coyle’s system - something was wrong. Sparks began emanating from nothingness, and the air became thick with electrifying energy. The sparks took shape as the earth beneath rumbled slightly, and before him, a Rift opened, however, something about it was… different.
This wasn’t one of the Rifts that broke apart between the worlds naturally, and artificially it didn’t match the holy white glow of the Overseers, nor the blue electrical hum of Genesis Industries. This was… black. Darkness, manifesting as power, seemingly tore a hole between dimensions. No, even that didn’t seem accurate, as the rift began to open to another world, it seemed much cleaner, almost surgical in nature of how it formed and stayed open.
From the shadows, out stepped a figure seemingly cloaked in darkness itself, as well as protrusions/strange, gangly arms and tentacles that followed from the rift. Coyle let out a minor smirk, laughing to himself at how obvious the symbolism was - whoever this was, they were bad news. The figure stepped through, and with a wave of their hand behind them, the unknown protrusions retreated and the rift gently closed. His other hand revealed a crackling energy source as he raised it to his chest. Arcs of red electrifying power formed a blade-like shape that seemingly took shape from the being’s arms and hand. Agent Coyle readied himself, awaiting the figure to either announce himself or attack.
The being looked to his surroundings, pausing a moment to take in the sights of the glowing city in the distance, before fixing his sights on Agent Coyle once again. “I am sorry, Rift Runner.” A deep voice spoke softly, difficult to hear over the zapping shocks of their weapon. “This is easier than asking you to stop.” The Figure took a step towards Agent Coyle, as his weapon softened to a low hum, stabilising into a more consistent shape.
“Heh, well you-” Coyle was cut off from his sentence by the figure, who lunged at him with incredible speed, making decent contact with Coyle’s shoulder as a minor spray of blood let out. Coyle flicked his wrist against his belt, as a beam of energy shot towards the figure’s direction, narrowly missing him. Coyle forced his left blade towards his head - a move swiftly weaved by the figure who used the momentum of his pivot to bring his knee into Coyle’s chest, forcing him back. Coyle regained his footing and raised his Dual Energy Gunblades towards the figure, spluttering slightly to catch his breath.
“If you do wish to surrender, your life will be spared, but I am very prepared to kill you before you yield.” Looking at the mysterious being, he seemed to be wearing a cloak and hood, as well as relatively tight-fitting clothes. It wasn’t a material that made sense, refusing to reflect any light, also giving off a low red glow, similar to the glow of the stranger’s eyes. The rest of his face was barely visible, with minor amounts of light showing slight details and shape. This thing may not have been human, but he was certainly humanoid. He sounded cold, emotionless.
The Prime Agent retorted “Look, an hour ago I was in the hospital, and while I didn’t check in the specifics with my doctor, I don’t think he’d be very happy with me fighting some mystical shadow guy,” The figure tilted his head slightly, as Coyle let out a sigh. “I don’t know who the hell you are, do you want to start by fixing that?” The figure adjusted himelf, still standing firm.
“I do not need a name, though others have called me Medi,” Coyle thought for a moment, but the name was entirely unfamiliar. Who was this figure before him? “You meddle in things you don’t understand, and I’m here to stop you from making things worse. That’s all this is.”
Agent Coyle’s brow furrowed, seemingly irritated by Medi’s insinuation. “I was sent here on a mission to save these worlds. I don’t want to be judged by someone who doesn’t seem capable of reflecting natural shades of light, so beat it bub.” Medi waved his hand towards Agent Coyle, and dark energy began to spark from his left side. The sparks took shape and formed another rift, this one revealing a wasteland of dying trees and corruption, likely from Reish. Medi shot forward towards Coyle’s left with a slash that Coyle blocked successfully. Medi ducked and swept Coyle’s legs from under him with a powerful kick. Before Coyle could adjust himself mid-air, a dark chain wrapped around Coyle’s torso. With a forceful tug, Medi threw Coyle through the rift.
Coyle’s body shattered a decaying tree as he skidded in the dirt and mud. Medi’s speed was incredible. Coyle knew his best defence was going to be using whatever power this Medi had against him, but he was still weak and would need time. Medi stepped through the portal and waved his hand once more. Rifts flickered open around Coyle, however, they didn’t show anything beyond them - just as the rift Medi walked through when he first emerged. Suddenly, claws emerged from one of the rifts and swiped at Agent Coyle, who barely managed to block the attack. An arc of pure red energy struck the ground near Coyle as an arm emerged, holding a ball of energy.
Coyle took a moment between dodging attacks and realised that there were rifts located in every direction. Each one attacked with a different style. This was a trap and there would be no benefit in continuing to fight while staying put. A long thin arm stabbed towards Coyle, who parried the attack before dashing towards a gap between two of the rifts. A whip of energy lashed at him as he slid below it, but Coyle broke free and continued to make some distance between himself and the rift trap. The hairs on Coyle’s arms raised in panic as he felt the compulsion to thrust his blade into the air. Doing just that, he knocked Medi’s airborne attack off its mark as Medi landed next to him, his impact letting out a burst of energy and sparks into the ground. Coyle dashed back, wary of what Medi’s next attack could be. “Your instincts are on point, Rift Runner. I see how you’ve caused so much trouble so quickly.”
Coyle exhaled, already pushing through his exhaustion fueled by adrenaline and pride. “Instincts aren’t all I’m good for.”
Coyle hatched a plan. If he could get close enough for one decisive strike, that would be all he would need to use his signature ability to absorb whatever power Medi was using. Coyle ran forward and struck directly down from the air but Medi sidestepped with ease as the blade stuck into the ground. Medi drew his blade back and thrust at Coyle. Coyle released his grip on the stuck sword, rose and kicked his blade still mounted in the ground. Medi’s blade was caught in the motion, which threw his attack off. Now, standing tall with his hand mostly outstretched in front of the face of his unbalanced opponent, Coyle wryly smiled and delivered a one-inch punch directly to Medi’s head, stumbling him. Coyle felt a wisp of energy enter his body and integrate with him.
This was a power that was very new to Coyle, and he could feel his body taking time to adjust to it. Medi brushed his face and regained his composure. “So I take it that you’re one of the ones who aren’t interested in surrendering peacefully?” Perfect, an opportunity. Coyle lowered his guard a little, feigning sincerity.
“What- what would that entail?” asked Coyle.
Medi let out a minor chuckle. “Really? Well, you’d come with me through a rift to a new world completely disconnected from this one, and you’d be given the chance to start fresh in a world without dimensional war and unstable rifts. You’d put this chapter of your life behind you, and live out the rest of your days being just as important as everybody else,” Coyle placed his hand on his chin as if to think. Medi continued, “Honestly, the amount of Rift Runners I have to kill because they’re too proud to take the sensible option is shocking.”
A cold shiver ran down his spine. The idea of people making a living just jumping between worlds as nomads was not a popular one, and given Agent Coyle’s home, and his mission, it seemed logical that there weren’t any other Rift Runners that were really like him, but the indication that there not only used to be, but they had all been killed by the man in front of him gave Coyle a sense of dread. One that forced him to consider the option being presented seriously even if only for a moment.
Coyle picked his blade out from the ground, as Medi’s shoulders shrugged in disappointment. “That’s a shame. So be it,” Medi said as he waved his hand.
A circle of embers sparked along the ground around them both. Coyle began slowly approaching his opponent, his guard up, ready for anything. Medi threw his hand forward, as an arc of red thunder crashed towards Coyle. He jumped to the right just in time. However, before he could catch his footing, he felt himself falling. The air around him was noticeably warmer, and the acrid smell of long burnt forests hit his nostrils. Coyle stumbled and raised himself back to his feet, his blade drawn and ready. He pointed it at the very rift he fell through, waiting for Medi. But before he could take in his environment, a leg struck Coyle directly to his stomach.
Coyle’s vision blurred slightly as he felt himself enter a state of shock. This wasn’t good…
“You Rift Runners are all the same. You think you’re gifted, or you think you’re special.” Medi’s voice held no malice, but seemed so certain that it spoke objective facts. It struck fear into Agent Coyle deeper than any angry words could. He scanned his environment, unable to see the shadowy figure among the darkness around him. What he could see, however, was a single, healthy bush. It wasn’t close, but the bright green stood out in the charred ashes of what he realised was the Old World. A hand grasped around Coyle’s neck, and lifted him from the ground, holding him up. Coyle swung before realising he wasn't holding his blade anymore. He must have dropped it when he was getting away. A sharp pain shot through Coyle’s entire body from his torso. It must have been a crushed rib or something worse. Medi proclaimed “And now you’ll die, just like the rest.”
A bright light beamed down from the sky directly on Medi’s back, as he let out a grunt of pain, dropping Coyle. Coyle looked around, searching for answers. Seeing his energy blade, he crawled towards it, picked it up and stood up. He saw Medi’s back, and in front of Medi, a white light glowing brightly. “Who’s your friend?” A commanding yet feminine voice spoke.
“Cheryl?” Asked Coyle, followed by a cough. “Wh- What a-” spluttered Coyle, unable to catch his breath.
“Huh, an Overseer,” scoffed Medi, “We don’t see many of you where I’m from. I wonder why.” Medi looked towards the sky, the thick storm clouds blocking anything the sun could provide.
Cheryl’s hands rose, her angelic glow letting off a faint green as she charged her power. Medi waved his hand towards the floor, as red sparks began to manifest all around. Cheryl’s eyes darted around. From the blood sprinkled ground to behind the figure to left of Coyle. She was looking at the angle, checking for a pattern. She smirked and shifted her stance lightly, finding exactly what she was looking for. Green and golden sparks emanated from her hands as she charged. Medi’s red sparks began to take the shape of rifts. Cheryl flung her hands forward, releasing a bright beam of energy directly at Medi.
Medi crouched to dodge Cheryl’s attack, revealing a Rift behind him, which linked directly to a rift pointing towards Agent Coyle. Medi waved his hand and a chain shot through the rift on the floor. Before Cheryl could react, her arms were bound, and she was dragged through a Rift and fell to the ground now on her side before Medi. “Don’t overthink this, the ones who look behind them are just as vulnerable as the ones who don’t.” Medi placed a foot down on Cheryl’s shoulder and continued, “This must be painful, but to show my remorse, I won’t let you suffer needlessly.”
Cheryl looked towards Coyle, on his hands and knees with one hand clutching his gut. The coughing was gone. His breathing was calm. She smiled. Coyle rose to his feet, grasping at his Energy Blade, staring down Medi who turned to face him. Medi’s head tilted slightly in confusion.
“You’re a brilliant tactician, Agent Cheryl,” Coyle announced sternly, “thanks for the assist, I’ll take it from here.” Coyle readied himself, refreshed and healed from Cheryl’s Overseers magic.
“A Rift Runner working with the locals? Well, now I’ve seen it all,” Medi laughed, shaking his head in slight disbelief, “Maybe you’re different to the others.”
Coyle felt a tingling in his hand. It was a strange power, so incomparable to anything he’d seen before. Well, the only thing left was a trial by fire.
Coyle dashed towards Medi with a swift strike that Medi parried with ease. Dodge, slash, pounce. The skirmish was too fast for Cheryl to completely comprehend while she watched on. Coyle twisted around a strike, but Medi held Coyle’s blade down with his own. Red and yellow sparks collided and flew in all directions as the two blades collided.
An opening! Coyle gathered all the power he had left into his fist once more, including both the power he had stolen from Medi and the Overseers light power he had once mastered that Cheryl’s blast had awoken and punched at Medi. Medi tilted his head and body back just beyond Coyle’s reach. For a beat, everything was still. Then with a shake, the reality around the two fighters shattered, imbued with both darkness and light, breaking and reforming. A powerful pulse released, emanating from Coyle’s fist. Then, as the air became still once more, Medi fainted to the ground.
Coyle caught his breath, eyes still fixed on Medi. The red energy blade from his hand dissipated as he lay there, unmoving. Since the fight seemed to be officially over, Coyle moved on to go check on Agent Cheryl.
“Thanks for having my back there, are you okay?” Coyle kneeled at Cheryl’s side.
“I’m fine,” Cheryl shrugged as she waved her hand at the figure, “Who was this guy, anyway?”
Coyle stood up, offering a hand to Cheryl. “I don’t know. But he knew who I was, and wanted me dead,” Cheryl pulled herself up as Coyle continued, “He was making Rifts out of thin air like it was nothing, making things from his power at will, and darting around the battlefield in a blink. I still have no idea what that power of his actually is, either.”
Medi let out a moan and rolled onto his side, grasping at his head. The Agents glanced at each other, and braced themselves as they approached. Cheryl’s hands began to glow with light once again. Another groan of pain, followed by a sharp breath. The voice wasn’t as deep as it was before when he spoke. The two Agents stood above him, and Coyle lightly kicked Medi’s shoulder to roll him onto his back, before pointing his blade directly at him. “Woah, woah, hey! Easy!” Medi said as he spread his hands and shifted his body away from the Energy Blade pointed dead at his eyes.
“Alright buddy, time for the full explanation. Who are you?” Coyle commandingly questioned. Medi stumbled on his words for a moment.
“I- Sorry, I’m Medi. I know I look dangerous, but I don’t mean any har-”
“Bullshit,” Coyle interrupted, “You threw me through dimensions, damn near broke one of my ribs, and now you apparently only LOOK dangerous?”
Cheryl leaned towards Coyle and spoke softly, “You know, if they actually did do that, my magic would have only made you feel better without actually healing your bones, you might need a Doctor.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Coyle snapped under his breath. Cherly nodded, and refocused on Medi, who looked dumbfounded.
“I - sorry, I did what? To you?” Medi asked, his lip quivering. The Agents looked at each other, also seemingly confused. “I just wanted to be safe. But when they found out what I could do, they wanted to… they…” Medi’s glowing eyes sparkled lightly, as tears began to form. Agent Cheryl gestured with her head away from Medi, as Coyle turned away for a moment.
“Coyle, I don’t think this is an act. The voice change, the complete shift in attitude - I think you did something to them.”
Coyle apprehensively agreed, “Heh, it seems I have. Intriguing.” Coyle then flinched slightly, and lowered his hand to his rib.
“Look, you go get some rest, you look tired. I’ll talk with the guy and fill you in when you’re ready.”
Coyle nodded, glancing back at Medi who had now curled up into a ball. Not seeing him as much of a threat anymore, Agent Coyle agreed that rest was sorely needed. He left, walking towards the green bush before becoming increasingly tired as the adrenaline in his system began fading. He stopped, and collapsed where he stood, falling asleep almost instantly.
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Sunlight peaked through clouds of doom and gloom. Rays of light landed gently on Agent Coyle’s eyelids as he turned, groggily sitting up from where he had been sleeping. His eyes twitched as they took in the light, Coyle raises his hand to block the sun. “Hey, uhh, Coyle?” A shadowy figure spoke from the corner of Coyle’s peripheral vision. Medi sat on the burned husk of a tree, twiddling his fingers in his lap. “I’m sorry for what I apparently did.” Coyle’s vision cleared up, as he saw Medi sitting before him, head hanging down.
“Medi, what’s-” Coyle groaned and recoiled his body, placing an arm around his torso. Medi’s head jolted up, and he grabbed at something to his side.
Medi kneeled by Coyle’s side, who eyed down Medi cautiously. “It’s okay, you can trust me. Cheryl told me what to do.” Coyle lowered his guard a little and lay back down, attempting to get comfortable.
“Where is Cheryl?” Coyle stammered over his own shaken breathing.
“She’s getting food, she’ll be back soon.” Coyle flinched slightly when he saw the bulky needle that Medi was holding, but once he saw the faithful Genesis Industries logo he knew so well plastered on the side of the injector, he came to an understanding, and prepared himself. This was the part that he hated. “Hold still, and I’m sorry if this hurts.” Medi administered the injection with care and caution. Fortunately, it was one of the least painful surgeries Coyle had ever gone through.
“Oh good, he’s awake.” Agent Cheryl’s voice called out, slightly muffled. Coyle looked up and saw a Rift, with Cheryl on the other side of it holding an armful of fruits and cans. She stepped through the rift, as Medi waved his hand to close it behind her. “I’ve never even heard of a Wuuberry, but they look juicy, so I thought it’d be worth the risk, right?”
Medi let out a gentle laugh as he sat up, and Cheryl joined them on the ground. It wasn’t a very appealing landscape to be seated in, but Coyle hadn’t eaten in what seemed like days, so there were more pressing things to attend to. “I’ll eat almost anything right now.” Coyle smiled.
Agent Cheryl presented a bunch of what were apparently Wuuberries and passed them to Agent Coyle. “Alright, so I’ll break this down into dot points to make things easier to digest for you Coyle, and I’m sure you’ll have your own questions afterwards, but we’ll get through the exposition first, alright?” Coyle nodded attentively, with a face already messy with what turned out to be delicious food.
“Alright, so Medi here is like you, or at least he was. He was a Rift Runner at only twelve years old when he awakened a power that seemingly bends and shapes reality, and when he was practicing the use of this at the age of 15, he created a Rift to a new world, and went through it. When it shut behind him, he couldn’t go back. He would make a new rift, and it would just go somewhere else. This continued for a while until he was hunted down by people who didn’t speak. Medi just called them, well… ‘them’, lacking any better term,” Cheryl glance at Medi as he shrugged, seemingly embarrassed for his lack of creativity. “Anyway, one day they caught Medi, and when he woke up, we were there, yelling at him and pointing blades in his face.”
Medi held his arms out in front of him, “I’m glad most of puberty managed to take care of itself though, so that’s a plus.” Cheryl grinned at Medi’s remark.
“I’m thinking that there was a brainwashing or something, but yeah, he apparently has the body of a grown adult, I’m thinking late 20s, or early 30s, but short of cutting off a finger and counting the rings I don’t know if there’s a way to figure that out.”
Medi’s head perked up, “R-rings?” he sputtered. The Agents let out a minor laugh.
“So, Mystical Shadow Guy,” Coyle adjusted himself on the uncomfortable ground, “You’re a rift making physics altering kid in an adult’s body. You’re definitely one of the more interesting people I’ve met this week, even if you did almost kill me there for a moment.” Medi scratched the back of his head and looked aside sheepishly. “So. What do you fight for?”
Medi shifts, caught off guard by the question, “Fight? I mean… I usually don’t fight if I can. I spent the last few years I remember running away from fights and forces I didn’t understand.”
Coyle put down the remnants of his fruit, and began clawing at the opening tab to a can of something he couldn’t decipher,“With your power though, why?”
Medi’s voice went solemn as he spoke, “I just- I don’t like hurting people. All I’ve wanted was to get back home to my family, and once I came to terms with that not being possible, I just wanted to start a new home. Somewhere I could belong, you know?”
Coyle raised an eyebrow, and let out a subtle smile.
“Hey, I have an offer to make. No pressure or anything, but you might like what I have to say.” Medi’s head looked up to Coyle attentively, “So, I was sent here on a mission, and something the brainwashed version of you said helped me come to the realization that I can’t do this by myself. So, I need to build a team. If you’re willing to, I’d love to give you not only a home, but hopefully one day a group that you could see as your family. You think that’s something that could interest you?”
Medi looked to Cheryl, who smiled back at him. He lowered his head and rubbed at his eyes, coughing slightly. “Umm- Hm… I mean… Yeah, I’m definitely interested. I think I’d like that.”
Coyle placed his half-eaten can of seemingly random carbohydrates aside, and leaned towards Medi arms akimbo, before finally hugging him. Medi’s arms raised to his chest in surprise, however he eventually managed to work up the courage to return the hug, crying softly into Agent Coyle’s shoulder. Agent Cheryl joined them, wrapping her arms around both of them. Medi managed a response through the tears, “T-thankyou sir! I’ll do my best.”
“Please,” he chuffed, “Call me Coyle. Or bossman, that works too.”
Cheryl intervened,“You know, if you’re building a team up, I think you might need to start with a dedicated healer or doctor type, as you’re going to be spending a lot of time recovering from battle and I don’t think what I can provide is sufficient enough.”
Coyle chuckled, “You know… that isn’t a bad idea.” Before setting out, there was a half empty can requiring more thorough cleaning. Perhaps one more after that, in fact. Coyle looked up at Medi. Though light tended not to reflect correctly, he could make out the details of a smile beyond the shadow that was Medi’s face.
Story by JasonOCE and Agent Coyle
Art by Nick @459208185Nick