Norbert kicked his foot through the top of the dune, the dust instantly whipping behind him as the wind took it. He was happy to have his helmet covering his face, with the coat and gloves protecting his entire body from the sand that constantly assaulted them. He was also happy that the fox and Obsius weren't here, both needing to use him for protection.
They went down and up the dunes, Norbert seeing the city slowly grow smaller in the distance, looking up at the moon as it became closer to the horizon than before, and knowing the night would soon be over.
"Where exactly are you taking me?" Norbert asked Vivienne.
"You will find out when you get there." Vivienne said to Norbert.
Planting both feet on the ground, Norbert stood there, hands resting by his sides as he waited for Vivienne to give him more information.
"You're going to do this?" Vivienne asked him.
Norbert looked about, seeing nobody around them. He changed his vision to magic as he looked around, confirming that there wasn't anything in the dunes. Glancing at Vivienne, he saw a black shimmer surround her, changing his vision to average. Norbert took a throwing dagger out of his sheath.
"Do I have a chance?" Norbert asked Luck in his head, not wanting to voice it out loud in case Vivienne would somehow hear him and give the small amount of surprise he could muster. Not hearing a response from Luck, but it was too late for him to back out. Norbert opened his mouth to Vivienne.
"Can't I just have some explanation on what's happening?" He asked her.
"You will find out when needed, not before or after—for your safety, of course." Vivienne said to Norbert.
Nodding his head, he suspected that would be the answer she would provide him as he unsheathed his sword, he stared straight on at Vivienne as he watched her movements. He saw that she had already prepared a spell, holding the energy within her hand, ready to release it.
"And what if I didn't want to wait and find out now?" Norbert asked her, taking one step forward as he moved his weight to the balls of his feet, moving them around to ensure the sand wasn't gripping them.
"I will tell you this one thing, Norbert. Some people can join the tournament and chose not to." Levelling her head, she looked directly into Norbert's eyes.
Feeling the gaze send shivers down his spine, Norbert grips his sword tighter than needed, tensing his body as he sends energy around it like he was taught in the Halls of the Mountain King. Instantly, the feeling abates dramatically, still there in the back of his mind but no longer so overpowering to affect him.
"See, someone's not playing fair," Norbert said to Vivienne, taking another step forward. The sand was still not sticking to his feet. He was happy she had no power over what he was standing on, knowing that would be a complete nightmare.
"Playing fair is for them," Vivienne started speaking. Norbert threw his dagger in his hand towards the waitress, charging towards her as he blasted forward, kicking sand out behind him.
The dagger stopped in mid-air, a snake coiling around it. As soon as Norbert released the first one, he sent a second one Vivienne's way. The second one went wide, and the woman didn't need to do anything to dodge it.
Releasing the magic within her hand, Norbert slid down the dune, feeling the sand start to whip around him as he landed at the bottom of the dune. Vivienne had released her spell as a black-green lighting strike impacted against the sand, causing it to blow everywhere.
Norbert got to his feet, took a quick glance behind him, and saw the impact of the bolt start to throw up sand everywhere, the black and green grains painting this side of the dune. Norbert watched as each grain cracked with energy within it, sprinting forward, trying to get out of its effect, not wanting to find out what damage it would do to him.
Bringing his sword down, Vivienne's arm was snatched by a snake. The snake ripped through the leather she had tied around herself as it stopped the blade, and blackness started to seep around the blade where the snake contacted it.
Pulling it back, Norbert put all his energy around his body, feeling his very soul hum with power. Coming back, pulling his sword back, Norbert punched forward with his left hand. A white barrier flared up, barely visible as the rune network became apparent to Norbert.
Stolen novel; please report.
The barrier's failure to give around cancelled his momentum of the spin, leaving him wide open. In his moment of stillness, Norbert was swarmed by snakes bursting forth from Vivienne as she waited for him to stop moving.
Norbert forced his hand further down as he tried to break free of the snakes that started to twirl around and bind him in place. As he stood there, something started to smell strange. Looking down at his arms, Norbert saw holes being burnt into his clothes whenever one of the infected pieces of sand touched them, and smoke-smelling carcinogenic came out of it.
Holding his breath, his arms started to tingle as the infected sand made its way onto his skin, being healed straight away, knowing it was slowly chipping away at him. Watching Vivienne's barrier, making no change as the sand went through, cleansing itself and turning into normal sand just bouncing off her.
Starting to hear the sand start to gush forward, it pulling at his feet as it needed to suck up even more sand so it could eject it around the area. Knowing he would need to continue forward, Norbert strode forward, giving a bit of slack on the snakes as he ripped them off his body, and pieces of flesh went with it as he continued to make his way forward.
Seeing Vivienne start her next spell, remembering the last one he sent off, she started the sand geyser, not wanting to see what the next one could be. His left hand free, Norbert threw another dagger from his left side at her hand, it somehow able to pierce her barrier but slowing down enough so Vivienne could move out of the way, only scratching her hand in the process.
Norbert watched as the spell fizzled out before she could release it, a pang of annoyance showing on her forehead as a vein twitched slightly. She restarted the spell once again.
Throwing another dagger her way, Norbert stepped forward, the snakes attached to him breaking as he continued pushing forward on them. He swung his sword down towards her, feeling the impact on his arms as the sword rang, having hit something.
Moving the blade to the side, Norbert lunged forward as he felt something press against his shoulder. Unable to stop his movement, Norbert sent energy to the area to try and circumvent any damage that he would take.
A blossom of pain coming out of his left shoulder, Norbert pulling his arm down, hitting Vivienne's left arm that was in front of her. The leather strap wrapped around her came loose as Norbert cut through it, watching as it un-twirled slightly from both ends.
Pulling his sword back, looking at her deathly white skin, the bone exposed underneath where he hit it. Going over it a black line that joined up with the stitch seem on her skin. Breathing heavily, he looked down at his shoulder, surprised at what he saw.
Green puss coming out of the wound, a wave of nausea overtaking him as he continued to stare, the pain that he didn't know he was taking coming out over him as he continued to stare, paralysed as his brain started to fog over, the energy in his body slowing down slightly, using up and spat out by the wound on his left shoulder.
"Still standing there?" Vivienne asked Norbert as he started to see spots in his vision. Sending more energy to the wound, he looked down at it and saw it start to pus even worse than before. Norbert didn't know what Vivienne could have done to him, but his energy wasn't working.
Taking several steps back, losing the ground he made, Norbert took his dagger, stabbing it into his body as he cut through his clothes and flesh. Stopping the healing for a moment, Norbert viciously cut through the area, hoping he wouldn't need to cut out his heart, now wanting to invest the energy in repairing that part of him as well.
He was having cut most of it out; Norbert grabbed onto the piece of flesh and wrenched it from his body. The nausea that wanted to engulf him from the stench of his flesh. Chucking it away, Norbert saw it had turned green and black, reminding him of people who received frostbite to their extremities before they had them removed.
Turning back to Vivienne, the witch is watching him in shock from the actions he had just made. Staring down at his wound that was healing up properly before her eyes, the pink skin with purple veins near Norbert's left shoulder was the only proof of it ever happening.
Not knowing how many times he could go forward like this, Norbert swapped the dagger to his left hand as he removed the sword from the ground. Putting all his energy into his leap, he nearly teleported right in front of Vivienne.
The woman reels back in shock at Norbert's appearance in front of her. The damaged man is now all together and within arm's reach again. She sends snakes from both arms towards Norbert, a barrier in front of her as well.
Norbert dropped to the ground, letting both coils of snakes shoot over him, not wanting to be bitten again and have his flesh turn cancerous. Swiping up, Norbert felt it hit against the barrier, bringing the dagger to follow up afterwards, placing his shoulder, but still it glanced off.
Wondering what would happen if he used the exploding technique, not seeing a better time than now, Norbert swung the sword again at the barrier on the side. Watching as it flashed once more, he let go of the sword as it banged away, falling out of reach.
Pushing all his energy into the dagger in his left hand, Norbert leapt into the air and slammed it down above Vivienne's head. He imagined the pieces of the dagger going outwards, through the barrier, and peppering Vivienne inside of it.
At the moment of impact, a bright flash, half white and half purple, erupted from his hand, blinding Norbert as he felt the rush of his energy leaving his body through his hand.
Pain erupted out of it as he felt himself be blown away and peppered by the dagger fragments that were unable to pierce the barrier.
Norbert was breathing, fighting the battle to stay conscious. He had held a small amount of the purple energy back so as not to pass out, wanting to be still able to stand if it didn't knock out Vivienne.
Getting to his hands and knees, fighting the bile that wanted to come out of his mouth, Norbert watched as the dust settled where their fight had been.