Kenan twirled his blade. Cutting off countless twisting green spikes. Dion, on the other hand, exploded in violent teal fire. The heat withered away anything that came remotely close. They moved in unison, dashing forward at the same time. Noctis took a page from the dirsus' tome and sprouted a constant flame from his hands, feet, and blade.

Unconsciously he dipped deeper into his reserves of Qi. As a result of the large expenditure, dark red lines glowed on his skin. Similar to what happened to Roshu, but not quite to such an extreme degree. Also, his flames reacted to his emotions, drinking the anger and burning more red and brighter.

The hurtling vines did not stop. The duo continued cutting them down with ease. However, at the density and speed at which they were coming, it was going to a losing battle. They needed to do something before their reserves dried up.

In a brief respite, Kenan lit his sword with flame, swiping towards the ground. Making an arc of fire attached to the ground. Both Dion and Noctis sent mana to it, making it light brighter and surge stronger. Cutting off the room into two sections. Using the time, in a shared conscience they connected and formulated a plan. Soon a shared consensus was made.

Suddenly the wall of fire vanished, and in a mad dash Noctis and Dion raced towards the mutated creature. They raced against the pressing vines and cut down the ones in their way. Soon they closed in. Dion jumped while Noctis went down low. Kenan tried to slice the thing's leg, but a solid wall of vegetation took the blow. It didn’t matter, he did his job. The dirus made an effort to press his claws against the massive body of this odd creature. Same thing happened to him as well. In the next moment, they sprung themselves and went in the opposite direction, towards the exit.

After a few more seconds in the deadly race, they bounced in another random direction. Then again. They crossed the room multiple times. The only constant to the pattern was the two attacking the unnatural orc magic spawn at the same time. After four bouts of quick slashes, the set up was complete.

They met in the middle. Time slowed as hundreds of spikes reached for them, encapsulating like an iron maiden. Doom was soon. In the next moment, Dion howled. See, the entire time they had been running, they left a trail of fire slowly building in the room. Suddenly all the flame rushed to meet the dirus, once it did it coated his body. In the next moment, the fire exploded. Amplified by his mana, the swath of flame disintegrated the spikes and covered the entire room.

“Ahhhrg!” The human-monster mix yelled as his body started to wither at the flames. He took a step, but he was further set ablaze by four large explosions as Noctis released the concentration on the Afterburns he placed during the race.

In untold pain, the monster flailed about the room. Stomping, causing large vibrations with its power and setting huge chunks of stone to crumple away as it hit the wall. Kenan and Dion bounced along with it, avoiding its powerful swings. They danced in flame and withering vine. At each dodge the connected made a decisive laceration. Each cut was followed by a squirting of dark red blood. A piece of the monster dying and a body falling to the ground.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The flames were only further provoked by the new kindling. Eventually, the monster dwindled down so much it was nothing more than a heap of useless greenery and vegetation. Noctis looked to end it officially. He bounced from the ground and sprung towards the head of the man. He held out his sword. Time extended to a crawl. Just as the blade bit into the man’s neck. He suddenly came to life, flipping his hair back, revealing green eyes and a beaming smile.

Kenan had errored.

A green spike shot out, but it was smaller and separated. It wasn't enough to set Noctis off course, as he continued to cut the head off. But It still connected, digging deep into his right shoulder. Pain irritated, alot of pain, a raging and insatiable agony. It built and built. Driving rational thought from Noctis’ brain and forcing him to separate his conscience. As he landed, tumbling violently, he couldn't keep his eyes open as his morel sense was taken.

***

An odd gray formed. Looking as if they had the texture and feel of light clouds. They parted to reveal a scene behind them. In a stone room, void of details. Three people sat. Each had large dresses on and equally long veils. Yet there bodies were not clearly defined to be a sex. They sat in a triangle, facing each other. Each looked identical. Vaguely tan clothing, and minimal skin showing.

One of the three held out their arm. The skin on their hands was shown. It looked as if they had young and vibrant gray skin, but old and spindly fingers at the same time. In the middle of the three, sparking lights formed and expanded, into a picture of an obscured image.

“He is a challenger.” One said. They sounded male and female at the same time.

“He will change much.’ The second one said, sounding the same.

“He will undermine us.” The third said.

“But it is tradition.”

“But we shaped him.”

“But we can still change it.”

Suddenly a large, hungering growl came out of nowhere. Above the picture a string of pure black formed. Then it widened into a rift. A being came floating down. An old man, incredibly old. With blacker than black robes. Eyes that held solid darkness besides for a collection of white and blue dots swirling inside.

“You…”

“You…"

“You cannot be here!”

The old man simply smiled. He looked down at the picture, it turned dark and disappeared. “I figure it would be best to tell you now. While you still have the ability to watch him.” He took turns gazing at the three. “He was claimed.” The man saw the three were about to say something. He cut them off. “More accurately, he was chosen. You, not even Vetumor it’s self will have jurisdiction over him much longer. I suggest doing everything you can to possibly stop him. To make my job easier.”

The three exploded in angry whispers. The old man shifted his attention. He looked right into the gray, parting clouds. Laughed. Then suddenly the gray came together. Ending the scene.