Trial by combat

The star in the Anazi Prime system began its slow ascent, bathing the planet in warm radiation. A gentle morning breeze teased at the Spell Soldier, Air mage, Dragon Rider and Reaper Akamori Shinjo. The grounds surrounding the pyramid comprised empty grasslands. The half temple, half monument to death, the only landmark in the region. Air magic and tension were present in the aether here.

Akamori marched to the base of the marble white pyramid that rose on the horizon. He’d stopped flying a few miles back to recharge his AP. He’d spent more than he wanted fighting with Garuda and its thralls. The air crystal he’d taken from the fallen Icon pulsed with potent air magic. He could feel its energies linking up with the other crystals he’d gathered so far. Air, Water, Fire, Void, Light.

He let his aura unfurl, radiating around him. The grass and loose dirt whipped up in the torrent of unfettered power. He knew what he was walking into. This wasn’t an ambush, this was a planned fight. This was a fight to the death where the goal was his death. And he had absolutely no intention of allowing that to happen. So he’d flex his aura at them. Let them see what they intended to stop. Measure themselves against him and discover their wants.

Frank gusted into view, striding next to him, made of smoke and shadows. His bright red eyes scanned the pyramid. “You really pissed them off, didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t intentional.” Akamori said defensively, under his breath.

Frank smirked. “Don’t sweat it. We’re bound to upset people. It’s part of our soul path.”

“Pissing people off is part of our soul path?” Akamori asked, his brows knit, confused. That sounded like a short end of the stick situation right there.

“You don’t get to be the being deigned by higher powers to get in the mud and fix everything wrong with creation without making enemies.”

Akamori sighed. “That sounds tedious.”

Frank shrugged. “Sure. But it means we never stay bored. Plenty of people to fight.”

Akamori paused mid-stride for a moment, chewing on that. The Voidsent had a point. “Huh. You’re right. I hadn’t considered that.” He used to hate training and fighting, but the more experience and power he gained, the more he realized that deep down, a part of him enjoyed it. The challenge, the thrill. It felt odd to have a voidsent point that out to him.

“It’s not that odd. We are essentially the same being, just sharing shards of a soul.”

“Fair point.” Akamori conceded. He gave a nod up the pyramid. “Are we ready for this?”

Frank nodded with a grin. Pointed fangs giving him the look of a smiling shark with jet black skin. Thanaton simply purred at his back, ready. He took the nearly too long spell sword in hand and drew it from the anchor point on his back, willing his black armor to deploy from its bracelet. The Rider mob before him shouted protests about the armor.

“You lack the honor of facing us! Using cheats like this armor?!”

While technically he’d be right in that, he carried the armor in. They probably weren’t wrong either, in that it was dishonorable to use. He sighed. This was getting too deep into the weeds.

“Are we going to just skip to the part where you all rush me and I carve my way through you now? Because we’re wasting daylight.”

“You familyless curr!” One of the human riders growled as they all rushed forward. Something in Akamori snapped at the insult. Rage billowed out, but he kept a tight rein on his emotions and channeled the energy into fighting.

Thanaton hummed to action as the riders advanced. He wanted to conserve his spell use for the later mobs. This lot was trash, and he’d dispatch them on martial prowess alone.

Akamori kept track of which members had been most vocal in their insults, and ignored those first when it came time to decide. If a leader showed itself and led by example, so be it, but not until the end of this fight would he get petty enough to kill the underlings who were just following orders. It was that kind of day, after all.

He darted forward, letting his sword strike against the two men who blocked his path. Thanaton slid through both sides like water through silk. The warriors fell back, startled at the speed of his advance. His blade struck again and cut one warrior clean in half before another stepped in front of him. Akamori kicked out at the man, using his aura as much as physical strength. He still wasn’t quite used to being able to feel what he could do in combat yet, but his instincts were telling him he should have more raw power to work with.

Akamori heard Frank speaking behind him, “Not bad.”

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“Thanks,” Akamori replied. He leaped over a spear thrust and spun with a low sweep that sliced open a horseman’s neck from collarbone to chin. Another rushed up and stabbed down with a viciously curved blade that nearly impaled Thanaton’s guard. Then a third rider charged in on foot with a short sword and was easily dispatched by a combination of Thanaton slicing his arm off.

“I think I’ve got them all. Time for the proper show?” Akamori asked Frank.

Frank nodded, wings twitching excitedly.

A quick glance around him revealed this group had died. Little more than rabble with weapons. He looked ahead. These riders had spell weapons and make shift armor. He had a feeling the tempo was going to pick up exponentially.

“Good.” Frank said with a grin.

Both gauges were full of energy. He could Enshroud at will. Pure swordsmanship dispatched the first wave. He didn’t even use his damage buff ability. Mostly due to not needing it. Now though? He’d start needing every edge he got.

“Warm-ups done. Time for the real deal now.” He whispered to Frank.

“Be careful Akamori. The first wave is always the weakest, but you’ll find things get progressively harder from now on. Keimut needs you dead.” Astri’s disembodied voice whispered into his ear.

“I will.” He promised. A soft smile creasing his lips. “I still haven’t found those grapes yet.”

Slowly, he ascended the steps to the next level. He saw a mix of melee and ranged weapons on this level. He suspected they were at least semi competent but probably relied on overwhelming numbers for their victories. The pack of warriors waited for him to fully mount the level, eying him wearily. A gentle breeze teased at his hair. He’d cut it a while ago and already it was nearly grown all the back out. Had it come back with his infusions?

You are a divine being now. As you accumulate more power, your body will become what you want it to. Look how you want to. You are still in the infancy stages yet. But soon, trivial things like your exterior shell will be shaped purely by your will, Thanaton said with an annoyed tone.

The sword was right. He probably had better things to think about right now, but it wasn’t exactly like his training on Eryn had been worth much. It mostly boiled down to Cenine, bullying him into fitness. He twirled the obsidian blade in his right hand once before bringing it up close and assuming Bahumet’s stance. The warriors opposite him all taking up Anazi’s stance.

Several lightning bolts crackled out of spell rifles sizzling through the air at Akamori. With a flick of his wrist, Thanaton cleaved through the spell bolts neatly, the void saturated sword channeling its own magic and evaporating the concentrated air bolts. He wove three rapid void signs with his free hand, flicking a third level magnitude void bolt into the face of a rushing spell warrior. No scream issued as the man’s head dissipated into particles, the limp body tumbling off the side of the pyramid. A spell blade bit down into his Akamori’s left shoulder armor and the void magic infused armor phased, allowing the attack to continue and offering no physical resistance. The now off balance warrior stumbled, and Akamori spun around whipping Thanaton about with him. The first spell sword cleanly removed the warrior’s upper body.

Sensing the danger of engaging him in close quarters, the warriors formed a line and unleashed a volley of spell rifle fire. His gifted void armor from Kusinaki phased the attacks cleanly through him, biting into the magically reinforced stone of the pyramid behind him. The warriors ceased fire instead of burning more AP. Aggressiveness, Adaptability, Cunning. He was growing to admire the riders here. More and more, he could feel his father’s instruction and techniques rooted in his opponent’s own moves. He was home finally. The fact that his home was trying to murder him for no other reason than the fact he’d survived this far tarnished that momentary happiness.

His aura flared, and he surged forward. Thanaton sweeping and slashing so swiftly the blade couldn’t be seen. Invisible arcs slashed into the stone, carving furrows and canyons as they blasted through the mage ranks. Akamori’s favored wind slash spell. He disliked the gross expense of AP like that, but there was no denying the challenge and the stakes were rising.

“That’s two down.” He said to himself softly and glanced up the small band of steps leading to the third level. There were fewer gathered on the third rank, and they all wore spell armor in much better condition and brandished weapons that bore a few magic infusions of their own. These were seasoned warriors. Some of the best Riders that this world offered if he were to guess. Excitement sparked through him in anticipation.

The enemy squad ahead of him closed ranks, showing battle experience together. The lead held a spell blade that swirled with electricity. Akamori backpedaled as the point mage advanced. The opposing air mage moved as light as a feather, and no doubt as nimble. Two spell bolts sailed in over the shoulders of the point man. Akamori parried one, swatting it to aether shards with Thanaton using a warriors version of counter spelling. The other bolt sizzled by Akamori off into the distance. Then came the melee attack from the advancing air mage. Their blades clashed rapidly, leaving faint sparks in their wake.

As Akamori and engaged the warrior with the sword, the rest of the enemy squad slowly tried flank around him. Akamori maneuvered himself so that the air mage with the spell blade was always between Akamori and the mage’s squad. Frustrated, the enemy squad spread out. A lightning bolt crashed into the back of his thigh, muscle tissue locking up, but his resistances and the armor lessened the pain.

He channeled some void magic into the armor, using it to fly just above the ground, and pivoted himself around another melee attack. The offending mage’s sword scraped off his thigh armor and gauged into the meat of his leg above the knee. His calf and foot felt slick and warm. Bleeding from the injury no doubt. He didn’t want to waste his healing potions yet though. Akamori boosted back, weaving a trio of water signs with his off hand and flicking an ice spell at the ground near the ground mages foot. The suddenly slick ground knocked the mage off balance and a swift round house kick sent the man sprawling at the feet of his squad which closed ranks to help him back up.

Akamori stayed back, giving them a moment. An idea forming. Yes, that could work, Thanaton purred in his mind. The spellblades ancient soul reading his surface level thoughts. He channeled fire and air magic into his blade, mixing the two and shaping the spell with his will. He reared back, winding up, then released the spell. A magnitude four spell bolt that crashed into the melee mage.

All hell broke loose.

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