Jax's boots thudded against the ground, his breath ragged as he and Jane raced toward the river. The ghostly sister's golden light had dimmed, but her warning echoed in his mind: "Beware the traitor within." Above them, the Necromancer's airship roared, its red runes casting an unsettling glow through the trees. Behind them, branches snapped as the Necromancer's enforcers drew closer. Jax's chest ached, the Construct's hum a distant beat against his frenzied heartbeat.
"Faster!" Jane yelled, her backpack bouncing as she ducked under a low branch. Her stun gauntlet flickered, its charge low, but her eyes sparkled with determination. "If we reach the river, we can lose them!"
Jax wanted to have faith, yet his body was betraying him. The wound from the spy's dagger throbbed, and his energy was just starting to return. "Energy reserves: 13%," the Construct reported monotonously. "Host must conserve strength for combat."
"Combat?" Jax muttered, vaulting over a root. "I can barely run."
The sound of the river swelled, its dark waters visible through the trees. Beyond lay the Northern Wastes, a jagged line of cliffs beneath a tumultuous sky. Somewhere within those cliffs was the shrine, potentially holding answers about the Construct—and perhaps about him. But the sister's warning gnawed at him. A traitor? Who could it be? Jane was the only one he trusted.
"Jax, focus!" Jane grabbed his arm, dragging him behind a boulder as a black bolt of energy scorched the ground where he'd just been. The enforcers, two cloaked figures with glowing chains, crashed through the underbrush, their eyes scanning for them.
Jane crouched close to Jax, her breath warm against his ear. "They're closing in. Do you have any magic left?"
Jax felt the familiar itch for Flame Pulse but knew it would take him out. The Divine shield was a gamble—he'd barely controlled it last time. "Not much," he said softly, gripping the journal in his pocket. Its warmth steadied him. "What about you?"
She patted her backpack. "Just one smoke bomb. Maybe a trap. Not enough for a fight, though."
The enforcers divided, their chains dragging through the dirt. One muttered, his voice low but clear, "The mistress wants him alive. Kill the girl if she resists."
Jax's blood ran cold. He locked eyes with Jane, her jaw set. "They won't touch you," he vowed, his voice a fierce whisper.
Jane's lips quirked, a hint of her usual smirk. "Sweet but foolish. We both get out of this." She drew the smoke bomb, her fingers steady. "Ready?"
Jax nodded, his heart racing. The river lay fifty yards away, its banks slick with mud. If they could make it across, the cliffs of the Wastes might provide cover. But the airship's hum had grown louder, its shadow inching closer.
Jane tossed the bomb, and it erupted into a cloud of gray fog. "Go!" she hissed, sprinting toward the river. Jax followed, his legs on fire. The enforcers shouted, their chains slicing through the smoke, but the fog held—for now.
They reached the riverbank, its waters swirling dark and fast. A rickety rope bridge creaked ominously. Jax's stomach sank. "That's our escape route?"
"Unless you can swim," Jane said, stepping onto the bridge, which creaked perilously. "Come on!"
Jax followed, gripping the ropes as the bridge swayed beneath him. The river roared below, threatening. His energy ticked up—"Reserves: 15%"—but it was still insufficient for a confrontation. The airship's runes blazed brighter, its engines vibrating in the air. The Necromancer was watching.
Halfway across, a chain lashed out from the bank, snapping a rope. The bridge pitched, and Jane stumbled, clutching Jax's arm. "They're right behind us!" she yelled, her gauntlet crackling ineffectively.
Jax pivoted, spotting the enforcers emerging from the smoke. One raised his chain, targeting the bridge's supports. Panic set in; they couldn't let them cross. "Flame Pulse!" he shouted, thrusting his hand out. A weak burst of fire flickered, singeing the enforcer's cloak. He flinched but didn't fall.
"Energy reserves: 7%. Critical."
Jax's vision wavered, knees buckling. Jane caught him, her voice sharp. "Don't you dare faint on me!"
"I'm trying," he gasped, gripping the ropes. The bridge swayed dangerously, wooden planks cracking. A second enforcer charged onto the bridge, chain glowing black. Jax's knife was useless, and his energy was nearly gone. They were cornered.
The sister's voice whispered, soft yet urgent. "Blood is the key, marked one. Call us."
Jax felt a surge, golden light flickering. Confusion nagged at him, but options were limited. "Divine," he murmured, reaching for a warmth he recognized. His hands glowed, conjuring a faint shield that deflected the enforcer's chain. It held but splintered quickly.
Jane gasped. "Jax, you're glowing again!"
"Barely," he grunted, blood trickling from his nose. The shield trembled, energy fading. "Reserves: 4%." The enforcer bashed against it, sparks flying.
Jane rummaged in her pack for a small trap—a spiked disc. She pressed it into a plank, arming it. "Get ready to run."
The shield cracked, and Jax stumbled, spotted vision blurring. The enforcer lunged, but the trap activated, spikes piercing his leg. He howled in pain. Jane shoved Jax forward. "Go!"
They dashed across the bridge, splintering wood beneath them. The airship's shadow loomed, and a dark bolt crackled just past Jax. The Necromancer's voice rang out, cold and commanding. "Enough games, Thorne!"
The ropes of the bridge snapped. Jax and Jane dove for the far bank, hitting the muddy ground hard. The bridge collapsed into the river, the enforcers stranded. Jax lay gasping, his body protesting. "Reserves: 2%. Host at risk of collapse."
Jane pulled him up, her face streaked with mud. "We're not finished. Move!"
They stumbled into the shelter of the Wastes' cliffs, their jagged shadows swallowing them. The airship hovered but couldn't reach them through the tight paths. For now, they were safe. Jax's heart raced, the Construct's hum fading. He pulled out the journal, its pages softly glowing. A new line appeared: "The marked one walks the path of sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?" Jax whispered hoarsely. The sister's warning—"Beware the traitor within"—looped in his mind. Was it about him? The Construct? Or someone closer?
Jane checked her scanner, voice low. "No signals. We lost them. But we need to keep moving. The shrine should be near."
Jax nodded, though his legs trembled. "Jane, what if... what if I'm the traitor? This power—it's altering me."
She halted, turning to him. Her eyes were fierce yet gentle. "You're not a traitor, Jax. You're fighting for us. For answers. Don't let some creepy voice mess with your mind."
He wanted to believe her, but the journal's words weighed heavily. "Thanks," he managed with a strained smile. "Let's keep going."
They ventured deeper into the cliffs, the air growing chillier, the stench of decay stronger. The Construct buzzed: "Reach the sisters' shrine." Jax's energy climbed—"Reserves: 5%"—but he felt fragile, as if one wrong step could shatter him.
Jane stopped suddenly, her scanner beeping wildly. "Jax, look." She pointed to a cave entrance adorned with symbols matching those in the journal. The shrine. They had found it.
But before they could approach, the ground trembled. A figure emerged from the shadows—not the Necromancer, but the scarred man from the lab, his cloak ragged yet runes glowing brightly. Undead wolves prowled behind him, eyes fixed on Jax.
"Thorne," the Necromancer said, a twisted smile revealing his scar. "You've led us right to it."
Jax's heart sank. The journal flared with heat, the sister's voice urgent. "Protect the shrine, marked one. Or all falls."
Jane raised her gauntlet, but Jax seized her arm. His energy waned, her gadgets malfunctioning. The wolves lunged, and the Necromancer raised his staff, dark energy swirling.
Jax's hand glimmered gold, unexpected, the sister's power awakening. Yet his body shuddered, blood dribbling from his nose. He couldn't hold it.
"Jane, run," he whispered, stepping forward. "I'll hold them off."
"No way!" she shot back, standing her ground. "We do this together."
The wolves surged, the Necromancer's staff igniting. Jax raised his hands, flickering gold light, but a new sound flooded in—a resonant hum from the cave. The entrance's symbols brightened, and a wave of light erupted, forcing the wolves back.
The Necromancer stumbled, his runes dimming. "What—" he started, but the light flared, forming a barrier. Jax and Jane were unharmed as the Necromancer screamed, shielding his eyes.
The sister's voice resounded, clear and compelling. "Enter, marked one. The truth awaits."
The barrier pulsed, widening the cave's entrance, revealing a illuminated path. Jax's heart raced; the shrine was beckoning.
Yet the Necromancer's laughter filled the air. "You can't hide forever, boy!" he shouted, raising his staff. The ground quaked, and a massive skeletal beast emerged, its bones glowing with red runes.
Jane gripped Jax's arm, pulling him toward the cave. "Go!"
Jax stumbled, vision blurring. The beast roared, charged at the barrier. The sister's voice echoed: "Hurry, or the shrine falls!"
As they rushed into the cave, the barrier flickered, cracks spider-webbing. The beast's claws pounded against it while the Necromancer's laughter pursued them into the darkness.