In the dark and dusty corridor of Klington civil hospital, there was a mysterious figure standing upright in front of a teenager who was on the verge of collapsing, the teenager's last words before fainting were "Harold, is that you?"
The mysterious being approached David and took a closer look of David. After observing for sometime it said calmly
"You must be David Marsh, there is nothing phenomenal about you but...." the mysterious figure slightly smiled and continued in exhilaration "...if you are here then he must be here too! Finally, someone who can entertain me a little!"
Then the mysterious figure which was none other than the Zarden which resided in Harold, Klubius made his way to downstairs but then he stopped and looked back. 'I will deal with David Marsh later, he seems weak and I don't think he poses a significant threat, first I should deal with that monster!' Klubius thought then he turned around and continued his way to the ground floor.
Here on the ground floor, Henry and Dylan were desperately waiting for David's return, atleast Dylan was looking desperate. Henry was sitting calm and composed on a chair which was a few steps away from the hospital's main entrance door and Dylan was trying to communicate with David but as expected he wasn't replying. Dylan was so nervous and scared that his legs were trembling, he was doing his utmost best to not curse loudly. Henry was keenly looking in the darkness trying to analyse the possible escape routes if something or someone attacked him. He looked at Dylan who was standing near the hospital's main door whispering curses to himself, Henry sighed and asked indifferently
"Dylan, have you ever used a gun?"
Dylan responded with a side eye and then answered with a wide grin on his face "Of course, I have! Infact, I'm a sharpshooter, you know!"
Henry covered his forehead with his palm sighing heavily and said while shooking his head "I'm being serious, Dylan. Let me rephrase the question, have you ever used a gun in real life?" Henry appeared very serious while asking this question so Dylan just looked away and then replied "Nope."
Henry narrowed his eyes "No offense but if that's the case Dylan, then you should focus on hiding instead of fighting if someone attacks us" suggested Henry. "What will you do Henry? Will you fight something paranormal?" asked Dylan biting his nails nervously.
"Thank you for worrying about me but someone has to divert enemy's attention and don't worry I'm not planning to die, neither me nor David." Henry answered in his usual calm and composed tone.
Dylan wanted to say something but didn't instead he just kept trying to communicate with David but he soon lost his patience and kicked the door which made a loud voice in the hospital. When Dylan glanced back after realising his blunder he noticed that Henry was standing beside him with an irritated expression. "I apolo-" as Dylan was apologising to Henry they suddenly heard someone's footsteps, Henry quickly reacted by putting on the night vision glasses but couldn't see anyone or anything. He signalled Dylan to run towards the left corridor which was nearest to Dylan. Dylan didn't even hesitate for a moment and sprinted towards the left corridor. Henry didn't run instead he just stood there indifferently glaring in the darkness where the sound originated from. After a few moments of eerie silence, a greyish figure dressed in clothes of a patient emerged from darkness and came closer to Henry but as soon as the figure covered a certain distance Henry's facial expression changed from the usual indifference to astonishment but soon he regained his composure. The figure stopped a few metres away from Henry, it was now visible to Henry but Henry didn't react. The figure was obviously Klubius who seemed exhilarated by the presence of Henry.
Klubius massaged his temples and then shapeshifted into a human form which was flawless and the most surprising thing about it was that the form didn't resemble Harold even a bit instead it seemed like how Klubius would look if he was a human. Henry didn't seem to care though almost as if he was expecting it, seeing Henry uninterested Klubius burst out laughing and then introduced himself
"Nice to meet you, you must be Henry Tyson. Your resolve is admirable and I must admit you have a lot of untapped potential."
Klubius anticipated a response from Henry but Henry just remained silent glaring at Klubius with no particular expression on his face. Soon Klubius's amusement ran out and with a serious expression he assumed a battle stance which Henry had never seen so he showed a little bit of astonishment. After lingering for a few moments, Henry said
"It's a pleasure to meet you, prince of devotion."
Upon hearing this Klubius's eyes widened with unexpected anger and surprise. 'So it's really him, it seems like David and that guy was right' Henry confirmed his suspicion while he also assumed a battle stance. Klubius seemed angry and hostile with a deep scowl on his face, his battle stance looked very defensive and hard to counter. Whereas Henry's battle stance wasn't bad too infact it was near to perfection, his body didn't tremble at all which pointed out towards Henry's firm resolve and courage to battle against something which wasn't human.
"Your eyes....reminds me of those bastards." Klubius snarled. "How many people have you killed, Henry Tyson?" Klubius asked spitefully.
"One"
Henry answered evenly without losing his composure.
"I see..."
Klubius blinked a couple of times after lingering for few moments and then Klubius suddenly lunged towards Henry with tremendous speed but the speed was still within human standards.
'Despite being infuriated his movements doesn't get sloppy.'
This thought crossed Henry's mind while trying to sidestep his enemy's attack.
'Seems like I can't evade it'
Henry thought when the enemy slickly got near him within few moments. Klubius kicked swiftly with his left leg targeting Henry's right thigh but Henry barely managed to grab Klubius's leg but before Henry could tighten his grip Klubius reacted with immense speed and precision and rotated his whole body breaking free. Using the angular momentum, Klubius launched one more kick at Henry but this time it was targeting his head. Henry was a seasoned combatant, his father made him battle against countless martial artists so he obviously had far superior reflexes than an average human. Henry instinctively jumped back, Henry was panting and sweating a little but Klubius looked absolutely fine, it seemed like his rage was quelled now. He was staring at Henry with pure coldness in his eyes, his human version was certainly dreadful if anyone closely paid attention. It wasn't his looks or physical body that was terrifying but it was the darkness behind the shapeshifted human eyes. Henry assumed the battle stance again but then stopped and asked curiously
"Why did you target my right thigh?"
Klubius lingered for few moments then shrugged and said "It's because you put majority of your body's weight on your right thigh" Henry looked up for a while and then lowered his gaze on Klubius and asked coldly
"So, did you infer this just by seeing my battle stance?"
Klubius seemed uninterested to talk but still nodded. Henry desired to talk more but held back his urge and assumed a battle stance, Klubius did the same eagerly awaiting Henry to attack. This time Henry didn't hold back at all while using this battle style and attacked Klubius with a series of punches and kicks, Klubius didn't hold back either he splendidly dodged or blocked Henry's well timed kicks and punches.
'How is he so perceptive? He looks sort of bored by my way of fighting but I don't mind this, at least I'm stalling him well.'
Henry thought while attacking Klubius constantly. Soon Klubius's boredom peaked and he jumped back and let out an exasperated sigh. "This won't do! I need more passion. Ugh....what to do?! Oh! Henry Tyson, if you don't fight against me in "that" way then I'm done with you. Maybe I'll deal with Dylan Marsh first!"
Klubius threatened Henry with an irritated and cold expression on his shapeshifted human face. Henry scowled, he didn't expect the situation to turn out to be like this. Henry's scowl deepened when he thought about what Klubius meant when he said that he wanted Henry to fight in "that" way. According to Henry's father, there existed three fundamental catalysts that drove individuals to unlock their ultimate potential in combat. Some warriors found fierce strength in the sheer exhilaration of battle, reveling in the chaos and adrenaline. Others were fueled by an unyielding desire to crush their enemies, their will to kill stronger than anything. And then there were those who fought to safeguard something or someone precious to them, their love and camaraderie forging an unbreakable resolve.
Henry's father had always believed that warriors who fought for the thrill of battle were the most formidable but Henry's perspective had shifted irrevocably since his encounter with David, leading him to challenge his father's beliefs and ideals.
However, Henry had begun to question his father's beliefs and ideals that the former group possessed unparalleled strength, his doubts sown by his friendship with David. Not everyone could feel pleasure upon battling someone but everyone possessed someone or something dear to them which they wanted to protect which led them to reach their utmost battle strength and that's what Henry believed after meeting David.
"What's wrong? You heard me, didn't you? If you're not going to fight with everything you've got then I'll just go after that weakling." Klubius broke Henry's chain of thoughts while pointing towards the left corridor with a devious grin on his face.
'I expected this to happen but I really despise using that fighting style, I just can't bring myself to use it again.'
Henry thought remorsefully. "So I take it as a no the-" "Wait!" Klubius was about to turn away when Henry interrupted him. "Fine, I'll grant the wish, your highness!" Henry sneered. After hearing Henry's response, Klubius laughed for a while and then assumed a battle stance and grimaced.
"Big words for a human!"
This time Henry didn't assume a battle stance and straight up lunged at Klubius with boundless darkness in his eyes, Henry didn't perform any pointless movements and showered Klubius with a flurry of punches and kicks which were turning more and more precise. Initially Klubius barely dodged them but eventually it became impossible to dodge so Klubius started blocking but even that didn't seem possible anymore because Henry's punches and kicks got more precise and lethal.
'This is what I needed! It's been almost 5000 years since I have batted someone so skillful, ahh...what a nostalgia! Henry Tyson, you are truly a combat genius!'
Klubius was drowned in his thoughts while blocking Henry's lethal kicks and punches which were aimed at his neck, face, chest or abdomen. Although Henry's offense was putting Klubius in a tight spot but it was nowhere enough to injure or immobilize Klubius. Henry changed his strategy from constantly punching and kicking to deceit. Henry stopped his constant offense and jumped back, panted for a while and lunged at Klubius again. Henry aimed a punch at Klubius's neck, Klubius's response was an obvious block but before he could block it Klubius noticed that Henry had launched a sidekick on Klubius's knees. Henry had lowered his body in a mere second and invested all of his strength in a bone crushing kick aimed towards Klubius's knees.
"So the punch was a feint, huh?"
Klubius could neither dodge this agile kick nor block it, before Klubius could even react Henry's kick landed on his knees and sent him flying on a stretcher which was just coincidentally present in the vast hall of Klington civil hospital. Henry fell down panting heavily and leaned his back against a wall. Henry wiped his sweat off from his face and closed his eyes trying to contemplate the intense battle. Henry felt that he had at least bought a couple of minutes for himself, Henry smiled slightly and thought
'Atleast Dylan is safe, Maybe I fared well against him.'
However, Henry's joy was short lived because after few seconds of rest...he suddenly saw some rusty pieces of iron thrown towards him! Henry barely dodged all of them because he had let his guard down.
"Your skills have dulled, perhaps David's naivety is rubbing off on you, isn't it?"
As Henry's eyes locked onto Klubius, he was met with a picture of tranquility. Despite the intensity of their clash, Klubius appeared completely unfazed, his natural Zarden form now on display. The knees that had absorbed Henry's powerful kick showed no visible effects, a testament to Klubius's remarkable resilience.
'What a monster...'
Ignoring the verbal jab, Henry rose to his feet showing signs of exhaustion, once again he assumed a battle stance. Klubius observed him with an air of disappointment, his eyes analysing his enemy's condition. As he finished his assesment, a look of dissatisfaction washed over his face, accompanied by a resigned shrug.
"Enough of messing around, it's time to break some sweat!"
'It's really aggravating to know that he was just messing around.'
Henry thought while barely managing to hold back a scowl to appear on his face. Klubius also assumed a battle stance but this one seemed more offensive. Klubius launched an attack with fierce speed and precision maneuvering himself behind Henry. Henry was exhausted, it had been around 15 minutes since he was fighting this monstrosity without any significant breakthrough but he couldn't give up so he was now just barely blocking and dodging. Klubius was now behind Henry, almost ready to launch a fist chop on Henry's neck but he stopped when he saw Henry looking back at him with a wide grin on his face. Klubius was a little bit astonished but his eyes widened in utter tentativeness when he heard what Henry had said while dark crimson sparks began emitting from Henry's body. Those words were...
"He's all yours, Cerebius!"
To be continued....