Arthur's Point of View

Crawlana

Slowly, I floated back down to the temple’s stone. As I did, the High Elf kept her eyes locked on me. My gravity pillars were at the ready as they surrounded me in spherical shape. When I got close enough, the ice clones began to crack and shatter under the pressure. The stones quickly followed suit as I landed. I watcher her eye twitch as they darted to the temple for a moment before quickly returning to me. They continued to crack as I kept my defenses up.

“Are you done?” I asked in a bored tone. “Your use of magic is unique, but the male that I ran into in Dwardew was far more dangerous than you.”

Another twitch. “A male Aridian, you say?”

“Oh? Do you finally feel like talking now?” She didn’t respond, and I quickly gestured to her. “I’ve been trying to be understanding about this situation. I’m sure you have your reasons for taking Marina captive and attacking me on sight, but I am here to talk. In the name of peace, take five minutes to hold a conversation with me.”

“Peace?” She repeated with a scoff. “You don’t come here for peace. Your very presence here threatens my people with war.”

I held up a hand. “I’m not here to wage war against Crawlana.”

Her eyes hardened. “I didn’t say it was war against Crawlana.” She responded. “Do you really think I don’t know who you are?” The question was met with a harsh glare. “My people will not enter any war against the Demons of The Crimson Wasteland.” Water particles started to gather in front of her as they formed into strange swords once more. One for each hand. “Your ‘intentions’ will slaughter my people.”

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Cranking my neck to the side as my horns came into view along with the pulsing orb in between them, I spoke coldly. “And what’s to stop me from killing you?” I asked harshly. “If a deathmatch is what you seek, I’ll gladly give it to you. You High Elves have been-“

Disappearing in a teleportation, she appeared in front of me again, but it was her this time. “Do not call me an Elf, creature!” She spat as she glared up at me.

My eyes locked onto hers as we entered into a staring match. “Will you not hear me out for even five minutes? I might not even be asking your people to go to war. You don’t know.” I told her, and hoped for some manner of response.

“…”

“Do you really think you can kill me?” I leaned down to her as my face was a few inches from hers. “One of you ripped me in half. Another destroyed my heart with demon stone, and a Demon Lord tore me apart. Limb from limb and pierced me through the back of my head. Literally destroyed part of my brain, and yet here I stand.”

Although it wasn’t surprising to me, the woman slammed both her swords into my chest. The blades pierced my body a few inches and came to a stop. However, she promptly stepped forward as her wings spread and her magic flared. They skewered me through my back near where my own wings were. She huffed at that and looked at me.

I just stared at her unmoving. Her eyes widened at that and she quickly used her magic once more. Unfortunately for her, I knew she wasn’t focused on what I was doing anymore. She likely thought I would show my resilience by standing there while enduring her attacks. I did not. When her magic started to build, she was completely open.

My free claw slammed through her stomach and out her back like she did to me with her swords. The woman’s eyes widened as blood rushed from the wood and swirled around us. She coughed up a disgusting amount of blood as I lifted her off the temple ground and into the air.

However, she did surprise me as she didn’t act rashly as her magic ignited through the swords. Her magic ravaged through my insides, and I quickly swung her around before tossing her into the door that led into her temple. She fell to the ground and looked up in time to see my foot slam into her face. Everything shook as her head slammed into the door. I readied Defiance to kill her at this point, but she teleported and I heard her appear above in the air.

Slowly, I turned to look at her. Blood dripped through the air and down to the temple stone. She gripped at her stomach as her dress was now drenched in blood. Crimson covered her arms as she was slightly hunched over in pain. A part of me expected her to maybe want to talk now, but to my surprise, her hands glowed once more as she returned to her noble posture. There was a hole in her dress that revealed her wound had healed.

In turn, my wounds had already healed as well while her blood slowly evaporated off my arm and body where it dripped on me. Floating into the air, at a snail’s pace, I watched closely. Her magic reached out and I felt pressured on my gravity pillars as the water surrounding us started to leak in at some parts.

With my free hand, a small black orb formed as I watched her closely.