In the past few days Aldrich felt his skills reach a new heights. It was not an increase in strength or speed but more so the culmination of his experiences and skills.
So he spent these last few days preparing vigorously and resting, until this day. Though he couldn't guarantee victory and might even 'die' he had no intention of delaying anymore.
Still he didn't spend any orbs at all and was not planning to, at least not yet.
Aldrich removed the various things he used to seal the door of the common room leading to the staircase. As he climbed up, sword in hand, he found himself pondering.
He had always wondered why the armored husk never tried to come down? All this time it had remained remarkably quiet, if Aldrich didn't know that it was surely up there he might have even doubted that it was ever there in the first place.
Aldrich had always suspected that the armored husk was a little different but couldn't figure out why. It could very well be his own bias, having been killed by it twice. He may never know.
Aldrich climbed the staircase slowly and listened attentively but he didn't hear anything. Unlike most husks that lost their minds since the roar, the armored husk was silent and unmoving.
Aldrich found the armored husk standing at arms length to his left as he stepped on the last step of the staircase. He had thought that the husk returned to the room in which he was first sealed in.
However contrary to his expectations, the husk was standing as if to guard the staircase to the third floor. Aldrich didn't think much about what it all meant, he could not afford to.
The moment he looked at the husk, it looked back and Aldrich heard the distinct clash of metal at a great force. His body had acted before his mind could direct it and he blocked the strike that might have as well killed him.
Aldrich used the impact of the clash to change his position to the opposite of the armored husk, in the hallway of the second floor.
Dust lingered in the air for a moment before Aldrich charged and attacked, targeting the husk's left shoulder. He wasn't shaken when his attack was blocked as he switched targets to the hands holding the longsword but the husk advanced two steps forward causing him to lose balance.
Aldrich was in his defensive stance already, prepared for anything when he suddenly lost sight of the armored husk. At that moment he felt his hair stand on ends as a sword struck his right shoulder and drew blood as it destroyed his chain mail and hardened leather.
'W-what?! How?'
Aldrich suppressed his pain and shock to send a powerful kick to the midsection of the husk. Instead of pressing his attack Aldrich retreated because that monster took on his full power kick without staggering, it simply backed away to reduce the impact.
Aldrich was beginning to feel the sting of his shoulder, he recalled that moment just now.
How did that husk get so close to him silently? How did he lose sight of this hunk of metal? Was he careless?
Aldrich exchanged a dozen blows more with the husk and breathing was beginning to get harder because of his wound. But in return he had managed to inflict some damage to the armored husk in return.
Aldrich no longer cared about conserving his stamina, he charged and pushed the husk back, trying to spot an opening in its defense—
"—Hm?"
Aldrich was suddenly depleted of his stamina, abruptly, the short sword that he was used to wielding grew extremely heavy.
No, he was too weak so he was thrown off by his own swing and he couldn't do anything about it.
Aldrich could clearly see the husk's sword heading to his own neck, it was a very normal slash, under normal circumstances he would have easily blocked or deflected it. Hell, he would have at least dodged away.
And yet now it seemed like a godly blow that he couldn't even resist.
'Fuck!'
This was Aldrich's last thought before the sword sent his head rolling on the ground causing the blood to dye the floor red.
Aldrich woke up beside the seal of Tindalor with a resigned sigh. He lost again, this time his death was not unexpected.
Failure was within his expectations to begin with, that's why he acted recklessly at the end when he knew that he couldn't win.
He wanted to test out his opponent and see if he could find a weakness, a flaw.
On the brighter side, this time he had a real battle with the armored husk instead of being crushed instantly.
The difference between the two of them was not in strength and agility anymore, in that respect they weren't too different. And when Aldrich took the remaining three attributes to level four he might even come out on top.
The biggest problem was experience but even then Aldrich didn't feel like it was an unbridgeable gap. As long as he was a little lucky then he would be able to grasp victory.
Or so he thought, however when he remembered two specific moments in the battle he began to have second thoughts.
The first is the moment when the husk closed in on him, the second was when he lost his stamina and couldn't even lift a finger.
Something was obviously wrong, this was not normal, he knew his own stamina, he was completely capable of going for another ten minutes of intense battle. His perception and focus during battle was not that fragile either.
This can only mean that the armored husk was capable of bizarre abilities. If Aldrich is to have any hope of defeating it he must figure out a way to neutralize them or bypass them.
At any rate this fight wasn't hopeless because Aldrich had managed to figure out a weakness of the armored husk, if he managed to exploit it correctly then perhaps victory was not far.
The armored husk is indeed extraordinary, the proof was that even now when the door was wide open it had no intention of leaving its post. Unlike other husks, it had a purpose.
It was not mindless like it's brethren, it might not be intelligent but it definitely had a mission. That mission is to prevent anyone from accessing the third floor no matter what.
This was not just a conjecture, it was a result of his observations so far, it also perfectly explained the husk's strange behavior. It didn't allow its instinct to control it, rather it remained faithful and dutiful.
During the battle he managed to use his Eyes of Insight on it, he saw these words floating on its head, Elite husk : guard of the Unseen Hand.
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