Deathmatch(2)
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Out of these six targets Lucas was undoubtedly the one I needed to get rid of the fastest, that shadow technique had the potential to single-handedly turn the tide of this fight against me. It was no doubt powerful, but I'd seen it far too many times to dismiss all the potential weaknesses that came along with it. The first was the fact that his technique heavily relied on ambient lighting, if there was no light then no shadows would be cast, that was why he’d been stuck inside Vreena’s shadow for so long without being able to make any moves. He couldn’t manipulate the ‘shape’ of his own shadow or other people’s shadows either, the most he could do was just use them as a medium to hide himself and wait for his chance to attack. The most dangerous part of that power though, was its ability to act as a separate space for storage, that was what they’d used to mask the presence of these two monsters when breaking into Zale. I’m not sure if there was any kind of limit to it, but there was always the chance that he could simply just shove all of his comrades into his own shadow and use that as a means of escape.
It was a possibility, but it wasn’t likely, I knew that much from the moment I watched him retrieve the basilisk from his shadow, in order to pull that off he was forced to make use of the light raining down through the clearing. That could only mean one thing, he needed to be directly under some significant amount of light in order to fully utilize the power to store things in his shadow, that was why he couldn’t just pull Vreena and Emma into his shadow earlier, the light being cast by the moon was too dim, and on top of that it was being filtered out by the treetops here.
Since it was already dark out, I could have simply just fought him whilst avoiding the bright spots in the forest, but that would put me at a disadvantage and open my defenses up to numerous blind spots. It was best I avoided that and in reality, that’s what the burning tree was actually for. Owen’s deduction wasn’t completely wrong, I had in fact heard something about snakes being sensitive to temperature but that was just a bonus if anything. The real reason I started that fire was to make use of the light it would produce, since those flames were burning at ground level, it meant that Lucas’ shadow would be cast behind him, and since he couldn’t manipulate its shape then it wasn’t feasible for him to use it as a trap. There was still the possibility of him using it to submerge himself though, so as a precaution I decided to pin him to the ground to prevent that.
All in all, it was his own arrogance that led him down the path of his own demise but judging by the all the killing intent now being directed towards me, it was blatantly clear that I wouldn’t be getting so lucky again.
The faces that were coated into confusion and fear just moments ago had instantly morphed into something far more sinister, their pent-up rage was practically being transmitted through the air and the first one to act on that unstable emotion was Gavin.
“Change of plans Owen, I’m killing him right now!”
Quickly lowering himself into a frog-like stance, he placed his palm on the ground to act as a support beam for his strange posture. After exhaling a short breath of the hate filled air inside his lungs, he applied mana to the ground by using his arm as a conduit.
A dull tremor quaked the small clearing I now stood in, the pebbles and plants danced in its wake as though they were being forced into submission by the power of nature’s whims.
There was a sudden shift in the stagnant air filling the space around him, it sent jarring cracks sweeping cross the ground before his body was abruptly launched into the air after the spot beneath him fragmented into a jagged rock that was forced upright by some unseen power, it flicked him away like a giant catapult.
My vision was locked onto the image of his body as it soared across the moonlit battlefield, but that wasn’t the only source of danger brewing in the works for me.
“Damn it!! Forget this, Wallace follow my lead – Gorgon Kill him!” Amaris barked those orders in rage, not sadness.
In response to the oncoming onslaught, I pivoted the entirety of my weight onto my right leg just in time to dive out of the spot Gavin’s stone clad fist had just made contact with. The crushing impact from that blow unleased a wave of pressure and debris in the wake of the large crater that had just been created. My body was sent skidding back after that crushing blow, the fragments of debris still coming my way were relentless and it was practically impossible to dodge them all so the best course of action was to deflect what I could with the sword in my hand.
Yet even that still wasn’t enough, the screeching hiss of a large predator echoed from beyond the dust cloud now blocking my view, without wasting any more time I immediately gave way to its oncoming charge and pushed forward with a leap, before instantly transitioning that motion into a twirl mid–air, and as my body adjusted itself to my now rotating motion, I felt a violent rush of the wind whiff pass my abdomen as the fangs from the Basilisk’s loose jaws ripped open the front end of the shirt I was wearing. A loud crash echoed from behind me, and although I was in no position to turn around, I could easily tell that the monster had chomped through the large tree that was once standing proud behind me.
Once again ignoring the sound of quaking timber I continued the charge, fully intent on taking advantage of the now dissipating dust cloud. What was left of my bloodstained shirt soon flapped off my body the moment I began putting more force into these small steps.
With a well-timed leap my body flew over the bending barrier of hard scales separating me from Gavin, the dust was still rising from his attack but that wouldn’t be an issue, I could still see the image of his soul flickering from inside the crater. From what I could tell, he was stuck, he’d gotten careless earlier with that opening attack and put too much force behind it so now his fist was buried beneath the ruins of his own creation.
I angled the horizontal edge of the jagged blade in my hand, fully intending to lop off his head but mere seconds away from taking his life an “X” shaped blast of frigid winds collided with my body, forcing me to change my approach and instead orient the blade vertically to dissipate the force behind the attack. It was somewhat successful, but my body was sent bouncing across the ground, I was only able to regain my position after jamming the blade into the ground and using it as a crutch to support my body.
“Tch! Just a little more” My tongue clicked in frustration.
Although I had blocked the attack just now, I didn’t exactly get off scotch free. Two thin lines had now been carved into my forearms, splitting them open and allowing another fresh batch of my blood to pour out. My breathing was getting heavier by the second and these eyes of mine weren’t holding up too well either, my vision was slowly being distorted. I guess this is what happens when you start losing too much blood. The sooner I put an end to this, the better it was for everyone.
After raising my head, I was finally able to spot the one who’d initiated that troublesome attack just now. Even with my vision now being stained red from my own blood, I wouldn’t ever mistake that face – It was Ulric.
“Not today kid!” He shouted through gritted teeth before lowering his stance and clutching onto the blade now angled at his hip, no doubt preparing to unleash more of those slashes at me.
In the midst of Ulric’s charge, the sound of quaking rubble came from the crater on my right and not long after, Gavin leaped out of the earthen dent in the ground. He knocked his gauntlets together as if to exacerbate the hidden meaning of the bloodthirsty look in his eyes.
Dead ahead, at the back of their formation, the mage known as Wallace had finished chanting his spell beside Amaris. He had conjured six flaming orbs that were dancing in the space in front of him. Without a doubt those orbs would be sent flying over here in a bid to destroy me and as if that wasn’t enough, the Basilisk had recovered from its charge just now and was now slithering around to position itself right in front of me.
Ulric, Gavin, Amaris, and Wallace huh.....
Owen was the only one here who wasn’t bearing any fangs at me, but I wasn’t particularly upset about that.
His time was coming.
I sucked a deep breath of air into my lungs in a bid to stave off the chaos being stirred up inside my body, my eyes were still focused on the targets in front of me but for some reason they decided not to attack me in those ten seconds. After what just happened to their comrade, they were probably being more careful this time around.
That was all I needed though, after releasing that breath of exhaustion my vision was beginning to stabilize. The best part about it was the fact that the mirror images I'd been seeing were now overlapping onto a singular figure. This temporary state of cohesion definitely wouldn’t last long, but I still needed to strike while the iron was hot.
“Let’s go.”
At my word the large serpent reared its head, slowly climbing higher and higher into the air as if to cement the staggering difference in our stature. The beast had once again loosened its large maw to reveal two jagged rows of bloodstained teeth that wafted with the scent of decay.
It wouldn’t be wrong to label the scene in front of me as being the literal ‘jaws of death.’
“Go Gorgon!” Amaris’ command had served as our starting signal.
In a flash, I sidestepped the bull-headed charge coming my way, only managing to narrowly avoid getting caught between the Basilisk’s jaws and the fertile soil. The impact was one so great my feet had been temporarily lifted off the ground but the instant I regained my balance I broke into a maddening dash.
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I wasn’t heading towards my foes but instead I chose to run parallel to the rows of sprawling trees on my right. It would be foolish to charge in there given the current situation and with things now being the way they were, Brunhilde was sure to chase after me. Before I could even clear my first twenty steps a shiver ran up my spine as if my sixth sense had just been activated.
Without even looking I could already tell that a large torrent of magic was now heading my way, and the only thing I could do in response was increase the dwindling amount of mana I had pumping through this body.
Ramping up the speed of my dash, I shoddily executed almost every evasive maneuver the human body was capable of in a bid to keep my body in one piece.
Running, jumping, ducking, rolling.... One after the other I switched tactic after tactic as the magical torrent of fire, wind and earth tore through the rows of trees I was now speeding past.
As soon as I'd gotten enough distance, I hastily changed directions, once again pivoting on my right leg and using the force generated from my abrupt motion as the means to propel myself up the large tree on my right. That initial leap only got me about a quarter of the way up, but it was enough, the second my feet made contact with the rough bark I defied gravity through sheer grit and effort, running along the tree’s surface like a small animal fleeing from its natural predator.
The magical torrent was slowly starting to subside given the distance I’d put between us, but a quick glance out of the corner of my eye alerted me of the oncoming approach of both Gavin and the Basilisk monster. The large serpent was already slithering its way up the tree bark and as for Gavin, he was once again getting ready to execute that crude catapult maneuver.
Right on cue, the dull ‘pop’ sound erupted from his direction, no doubt indicating that he’d already launched himself over here. He was surprisingly accurate with that technique because not only did he clear all the distance I'd put between us in such a short time, but he was also heading right for me.
Just as planned, I slowed the pace of my dash as I approached the peak of the large tree. The moment my body was perfectly aligned with his trajectory, I performed a hasty twirl and leaped towards him. Gavin’s eyes winced in shock for a second but through sheer rage he managed to overpower the brief surge of that emotion.
Now that we were both airborne and a good distance away from his comrades, I could finally follow through with what I was on the verge of doing just moments earlier. I knew he’d be the first one to chase after me given his nature and though it may have seemed like the optimum choice, it was a mistake.
None of his comrades could cast spells that boosted their speed like what Vreena had been doing, and his catapult trick was seemingly the only way to cut off my retreat. However, Gavin was an earth mage, one who couldn’t properly project his magic at that and right now we were both airborne, away from his comrades. There was no way for him to change directions midair or even effectively counterattack.
In this situation, taking his life was childsplay.
After ducking under the earth-shattering blow headed my way, I deflected the poor excuse for a punch coming from his left hand with the flat of Lucas’ blade. Though the attack itself was bad, it still sent a jarring amount of force up my arm, his lack of control over his own power was almost astonishing.
Still, now he was wide open, and the panic was finally starting to cement itself in his mind. That realization had come far too late. Tightening my grip on his comrade’s weapon, I jammed the jagged tip into his throat, ignoring the spurt of blood that was splashed on my face out of reflex.
Gravity had taken notice of both our combined weight and position and just like that we were both now falling towards the ground like a comet. Using my own body weight, I pushed the soon to be corpse over on its back in the midst of our descent, before climbing atop it and plucking the bloodied weapon from its throat.
Gravity was the least of my problems right now.
“KRIIIIEEEEK!!!!!!”
The now familiar screech of the basilisk rang in my ears before the monster ultimately revealed itself after coiling around the large tree like some kind of ancient guardian. It was still fully intent of killing me even if that meant snatching my body from the air.
The creature hadn’t slithered all the way up the tree’s span, but it was instead waiting for us halfway up its reach and extending its head outwards like a predatory branch, waiting for me to fall within the range of those lethal fangs.
This evasion would once again be close, just like what happened when it tore my clothes earlier, but this time, I was ready.
The moment we entered its domain, the monster's neck sprang out at us as if it were a spectral horror, but with the use of my new foothold, Gavin, I was able to evade the monstrous prowl just in time. Just as before, the scaly figure narrowly passed me by, but before it could devour the lifeless body now being thrown about in the wind, I took advantage of its own short-sighted hunger and jammed the blade into its eye socket.
“Vreaaaaaaah!!!!!”
The cries of agony coming from this thing were almost unbearable, but it was now or never. With the amount of mana I had, I could only use lightning magic one more time and I was saving that for later. I held on to the blade in its eye socket for dear life, ignoring its tossing and flailing about as the monster rocked the very roots of the tree it was now coiling around.
“Come on, Come onnnnnnn.......”
I clenched my teeth and forced my eyes shut in frustration, summoning the last remnants of power from the very depths of my being. As soon as my mana was spiking again, I switched gears and channeled it into the blade now in my hands, it sparked into a bright orange color.
The basilisk’s tantrum was ramping up, but I could feel the blade cutting through the marrow of its very bones. Whilst holding on to my weapon, I used my feet to push off the creature’s scales and channel the entirety of my bodyweight into the weapon now sparking with flames.
“HAAAAAH!!!!”
The more force I applied to the blade in my hand, the more I could feel my body sliding downwards as the blade cut through the creature's skull. Then, I felt it, as if I’d just passed some breaking point, the initial resistance I was feeling immediately disappeared, and my body began following the path of the crude cut now being carved into its frame. My blade was cleaving through its body like a river flowing downhill, smooth and relentless. The pressure vanished, replaced by the sickening ease of slicing through flesh and bone.
Before cutting through the tail end of its body, I removed the blade and leaped off what I could only assume to be a dead monster. The vigor of life had now left its limbs, so the basilisk’s coiled body abruptly loosened itself before falling to the ground in a tangled heap of scales and sinew. The impact from that fall was relatively tame compared to the ones from all the explosions that were being thrown around earlier.
“A-are you serious? Did he really just kill both of them...”
“No way...no way this is real.”
Muffled voices were coming from the stunned faces up ahead, but I wasn’t able to tell them apart thanks to all that screeching earlier.
Gathering my breath as I sped towards them, I angled the now chipped blade behind me as I prepared to even the odds.
“He’s coming back! Get ready to fire again Wallace, Owen and I will hold him off!” Ulric dashed at me with a thirst for murder in his eyes, but he wasn’t exactly a priority right now.
In response to my approach, he and Owen came storming at me from both sides, but just before they could get in my way, I stopped myself by placing my right foot in front of me and using it as an anchor. Then, I leaned my body back and channeled my fire magic into the sword I was now angling like a javelin.
It seems they’d both caught on to my intentions, but it was too late.
Ulric stooped himself and flung his head behind him at an almost unnatural angle, his voice teemed with angst as he spat a lethal order at the man standing next to his sister - “Wallace, protect Amaris, he’s aiming for her! You two hop on tyrant and get out of her-”
Before he could finish, I aligned the burning weapon with my shoulder blade before launching it towards my target with Herculean might. Ulric and Owen both attempted to get between the blade and its target, but they were both off by a fraction of a second. It shot past them in a brilliant glow of defiance, cutting through the air with heated precision as it locked on to the duo at the back of their formation.
Amaris squatted down, using her hands to cover her head like a defenseless child and Wallace, her supposed bodyguard, looked as if he didn’t even know what was happening. A ranged mage such as himself could never hope to counter an attack of such speed.
With a loud ‘BANG’, the burning blade was fragmented in a momentary flash of glory, sending its metallic fragments scattering across the battlefield. As for Amaris, she was still trembling in fear for a few seconds, but after barely managing to open her eyes and take note of her own body, tears of joy had begun gliding down her cheeks.
“He missed...?” Ulric absentmindedly uttered, embracing the crooked smile that was now starting to form on his face. But after realizing the true intent behind my attack earlier, that melodic expression soon began contorting into one of sheer horror.
His lips were quivering, and it looked as if he didn’t even know how to get the words out of his own throat, but after stumbling forward, he barely managed to utter his sister’s name.
“A-Amaris watch out-!!!!!”
SPLAT
A disgusting sound filled the air, it was the kind of thing you’d only hear when flesh was being crushed. It quieted the raging sounds of battle and had now filled the atmosphere with the somber melody of despair.
None of them moved, they were all staring in horror at the sight of their once haughty comrade Amaris....or at least what was left of her. The top half of the girl’s body had seemingly vanished, leaving only a crimson fountain of blood to spew out from her waist and soil what was supposed to be a silk white dress beyond recognition.
Now adamantly towering over her corpse was the giant wolf she’d been making use of this entire time; its fur was originally white but right now the entirety of its snout had been dyed in the same color as the fluids seeping from Amaris’ body.
After my last attack destroyed the collar previously keeping this monster captive, the vindictive gleam of hatred in its eyes had grown even brighter despite the source of it already being dealt with.
Ulric’s armored fist pounded the lush grass in disbelief, he was finally starting to see the true meaning behind my attack just now. In reality, I wasn’t aiming for her, but rather, the artifact being used to keep that monster prisoner. The fact that she’d even needed to use such a thing in the first place was an obvious warning sign, but one I was happy to take advantage of.
As the remaining three members of Brunhilde watched on in horror, I drew their attention back to me for what would now be the last time.
“That makes three.”