Tsugi had been kicked across his face and flew to the opposite end of the cell, effectively breaking the hallucination.
“Damn it!” Tsugi quickly got to his feet. He didn’t know anything about the area, so he only performed the hallucination in the immediate area just in case she had decided to kill him. He had hoped that no one would enter, but it seemed he wasn’t that lucky.
The male elf shook Yumanea out of her trance. He pulled her onto her feet and began to pull her out of the cell, putting himself in between her and Tsugi.
“Y-you’re…” Her eyes were wide in shock like she just discovered something, making her breathless. The male elf pulled her to her feet and charged toward Tsugi. “NO!” Yumanea screamed, stopping the elf in his tracks. “The kid is-” Only gurgles could be heard. The male elf whipped around and saw a bright silver blade pierced through her gaping mouth, with blood pouring down her neck. She blinked widely and struggled to breath. The blade sliced across her face extending her mouth to her ear. The top half of her head folded over her shoulder like an opening chest and she dropped to the floor, revealing a very pissed off Yamo.
The elf charged at Yamo and they fought throughout the cramped walkway, sending sparks flying through the air.
“Come on Enron!” Volgan appeared around the door of the cell with all the panicking women. Tsugi quickly ran after them, looking back at Yamo who was fighting alone. The commotion had drawn attention to the other elves and more had arrived. “This way quick!” Volgan yanked on Tsugi’s shirt and Yamo disappeared out of sight.
“We can’t leave him!” Tsugi yelled. “We need to go back!”
“NO!” Volgan roared and continued to drag him by his shirt. “He can handle himself, we need to go now! The girls won’t make it, if we don’t leave now!”
“Then you take them!” Tsugi wiggled himself free of Volgan. It wasn’t because Volgan didn’t hold onto him strong enough, it was because the back of the shirt ripped where Volgan had grabbed. Tsugi took off and went back inside the dungeon.
“Enron! Get back here! You won’t survive!”
“Neither will he, if we don’t help! You take them and get out! We will be right behind you!”
“DAMN IT!” Volgan threw the piece of the ripped shirt onto the ground and ushered the women out of the dungeon.
Tsugi ran back through the halls just in time to see the elves shoot a blast of fire at Yamo. As it flew through the air, it morphed and changed into that of a raging dragon as its mouth opened and roared, prepared to swallow him up.
“NO!” Tsugi yelled and ran toward him.
“STOP!” Yamo screamed at Tsugi. He waved his hand through the air and the dragon dissipated into nothingness. He swung his arm through the air and a powerful wind blew all the elves back down the hall. Yamo quickly turned toward Tsugi and they ran back the way he came. “You shouldn’t have come back!” He scolded.
“I couldn’t just leave you!”
“I would’ve been fine!” He painfully grabbed Tsugi’s arm and pulled him along as they ran. Elves popped up around the corner in front of them and they were pinned. They quickly darted down another path and ran as fast as they could, trying to find a way out.
Another fire magic flew their way and Yamo waved it away, pushing Tsugi out of the way. “GO!” He screamed, but Tsugi was hesitant to leave him. “I’ll be fine! GO!” He clashed swords with the elves. Tsugi stared at him, how could he leave when there were so many of them and only one of him? Surely two are better than one. Wielding the sword with one hand, Yamo fought beautifully and still was able to wave away the fire magic with one hand.
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Yamo threw a hard back kick into Tsugi’s chest, sending him flying down the hall. Confused, Tsugi looked up and realized Yamo just saved his life. There was an arrow flying right at him, when Yamo kicked him the arrow pierced Yamo’s knee instead.
Yamo was getting pushed back, but nonetheless, he left a trail of elven bodies in his wake. “DAMN IT ENRON GO!” Yamo’s voice was so menacing that even some of the elves were startled by it, but it didn’t phase Tsugi. His feet refused to leave. Yamo swung his sword to hit an arrow that went straight for Tsugi again, except this time, Yamo caught another arrow in his shoulder, which slowed his movements slightly. No, his movements were already slowing since the first arrow to his knee. Tsugi’s eyes widened and filled with dismay, that’s when he realized the arrows were coated with poison.
There was no way Tsugi was going to leave him now. If he left, it meant certain death for Yamo. Tsugi closed his eyes and reached into his dark magic. He was engulfed in darkness and time slowed immensely to the point where there was almost no movement at all.
A dark portal appeared next to Tsugi and he stepped through it. Looking back, the portal remained and he could see the faint light emanating from it, just like a flickering flame.
He turned back around and he couldn’t see anything but darkness, and faint shadows of objects. He wandered around feeling lost, he forgot why he was there in the first place. Whispering moans floated through the air like a creeping wind.
…“Feel for the pull.” A whisper echoed in his ear.
‘Right. I’m here to find a soul to fight with me.’
He took a deep breath and reached deep inside of himself. A sense of longing moved his feet forward and he followed it. He didn’t know where he was going, but his feet just took him. After walking for a long time trekking through the darkness, the pull got a little stronger and he finally approached a smokey figure. There was no shape to it, no noise, nothing, just this sense of pull to it.
“I need a soul to fight with me. Are you willing to join me and come when called upon?” Tsugi’s voice spoke, but it didn’t seem to be him speaking. It was like something was speaking through him.
Tsugi turned around and started walking back to the portal with the smokey figure right behind him. Reaching the small flickering flame he stepped through and came back to reality, although he wasn’t fully in reality yet. The time was still slow, but Tsugi was gone in that dimension for quite some time, and Yamo had already begun to fall. Tsugi held out a hand to the smokey figure.
It stepped through the portal and instead of a smokey figure, it emerged as a giant jagged silver broadsword with a purple hazy glow to it. Tsugi grasped the hilt of the sword and time resumed.
Shouts echoed through the narrow hallway and Yamo was starting to stagger.
The sword was big and heavy, but Tsugi charged, swinging it through the air. The blade was so sharp, it halved all the elves within reach on the first swing, even slicing into the stone wall on either side. Tsugi spun and swung the sword again and again. The frightened elves started to back up, but the sword shifted and folded over itself into a long-sword to be able to reach them, not wanting to let anyone escape. After clearing that group of elves, they could hear more rushing footsteps echoing down the hall.
The sword folded and retracted back into itself. Tsug turned around and saw Yamo on one knee panting tirelessly. Black veins crept up his neck from the wound on his shoulder and he sweated profusely. Tsugi ran past the bodies of the elves where purple flames engulfed their bodies, slowly turning them into nothing, not even ashes were left behind.
Tsugi helped Yamo to his feet and pulled him down the hall. Not knowing where to go, and with the elves right behind them, Tsugi just kept running.
“This way!” A small voice called from the dark hallway to his left. Without thinking Tsugi darted in that direction. “Over here.” Continuing to follow this unknown voice, he ended up at a dead end with a silver haired child, standing only a little taller than him.
Tsugi raised his sword up to the child’s neck, and it quickly raised its arms to show innocence. “I’m just trying to help.” It placed a hand on the stone wall and it folded open. “Hurry.” With nowhere else to go, Tsugi helped Yamo and they stepped through with the child following right behind them. It touched the wall again and the wall folded back on itself closing the passageway.
“Follow me.” The child pulled its cloak over its head and continued down the dark corridor. “Your friends have already made it out. I already put all of your items in the carriage with them.”
“Why are you helping us?” Tsugi pulled Yamo along, who was starting to lose consciousness.
“Because you saved me.” The child pushed open the stone wall and led them out into the dark forest, lit by moonlight, with a soft cool breeze blowing in their face.
“You’re the child from my dream!”
The child tilted its head and looked at Tsugi in confusion before turning around to place his hands on the mountainside. A spiraling black cloud began to form. “This portal will take you right outside the entrance.”
“Thank you.” Tsugi quickly led Yamo through and turned around. “Wait! What’s your name?!” It was too late, the portal closed behind them.