The giant leaped backwards as the unexpected power of Bryn’s new form surprised him. He checked the hilts of his weapons to ensure the Shadowfire runes he had previously equipped were still attached. Once he confirmed they were, his anxiety heightened. From what he had heard, these adventurers were crafty but were not even level 10 yet. He looked over at the dazzlingly bright opponent ahead of him and wondered if his intel had been wrong, or if something leveled was happening.
The figure that stood before him was Bryn’s height and build, but his entire body was engulfed in white flames. His head remained the shape of a raptor, his jaw snapping and showing off razor sharp teeth. Just as the giant steadied himself, the flaming figure darted at him with incredible speed. He thrust his sword forward, narrowly missing the giants abdomen as he sidestepped out of the way. The giant smirked and pointed his finger down, launching the spirit sword from above right at his target’s neck.
Bryn opened his eyes, the setting before him looking unfamiliar. He was in room made entirely of metal, the only exception being the bed that looked about as comfortable as metal. There was only a steel door and round window, and as Bryn turned to look outside, he gasped and scrambled to get a closer look. Outside he saw a pitch black sky with hundreds of stars, but what caused him to gasp was the enormous planet that the building he was in floated above.
The planet was a massive blue and green sphere, and Bryn could tell he was hundreds of miles above it. Before he could process what he was seeing, the door behind him slid open, and he spun around quickly. In walked a young man, early 20’s at most, wearing a blue jumpsuit with a patch sewed into the breast pocket. It had a blue and red design, and appeared to have letters written in an unfamiliar language. His big smile and messy brown hair gave him a boyish charm, while his glasses and patchy facial hair made him appear even younger.
“Who are you?” Bryn asked.
“You can call me Scott. This is my base of operations for the moment. It would take too long to explain why, but while my power is fully controlling your body, your consciousnesses will stay here until I give it back.” He said, his smile never fading as he spoke. The happy demeanor Scott had would have been more comforting to Bryn if he hadn’t just admitted he could keep him trapped here as long as he wanted.
Scott noticed Bryn’s uneasy demeanor and laughed. “Don’t worry man I’m not keeping you prisoner here. As long as we survive this fight, I promise I’ll send you back. I chose you for a reason after all, it’s not easy to pull off a skill transfer.” He said, Bryn’s expression softening as he felt the stress leave him.
Bryn’s face twisted in anxiety yet again as he continued to process the situation he was in. “If we survive? You mean the fight’s happening now?” He asked, looking out again at the astonishing view from his window. “Also, how are you fighting if you’re here?” Bryn asked.
Scott shrugged slightly before answering. “Well technically I’m not personally fighting, but the Titan Ascendance Form is my source of power. Letting the form take over your body is as much help as I can give, but trust me it’s a lot. That being said, a level 14 Spirit Sword Barbarian is a big ask to solo, so we should keep an eye on what’s going on.” He said, swiping his hand in front of his face.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Once he did that motion, the window previously showing the planet below switched to what appeared to be a viewing stone. As Bryn looked closely, he realized one of the fighters was the barbarian they had been fighting, and he was engaged in combat with what Bryn assumed was whatever was using him to fight. The imposing cloak of flame that surrounded his body sent a chill down Bryn’s spine.
“Scott, what is the that force that you’re using on my body? You said it was something called the Titan Ascendance Form?” Bryn asked as he watched the white flames lick off his body.
“Yep, I was gifted the power of the raptor titan Amadeous. Once you received the skill I was connected to and used it correctly, you got a connection to the roc titan as well. Of course you wouldn’t be able to use this much of the power without my help, but over time you might end up getting there.” Scott said, as he walked over and stood next to Bryn, watching the battle with him.
Back on the battlefield, the titan moved with imperceivable quickness, dodging out of the way of the spirit sword. As it stabbed into the ground, the magical power it contained caused a shockwave of power to run through the muddy battlefield. The titan dashed backward, regaining its footing as it raised its sword. The giant roared and charged forward, the titan’s beak unhinging and letting out a battle screech as it dashed to meet it’s foe. The flames falling from each combatants weapon sizzled as it hit the wet mud below, and as their blades clashed again, rain began to fall.
The titan pivoted around the giant’s much larger frame, striking with its flaming sword quickly before immediately dashing to its next location. The giant roared in frustration as the cuts on his legs and torso continued to accumulate, swinging his swords in vain as the titan’s quickness was proving difficult to keep up with. It wasn’t long before he was beginning to feel weak from the various wounds, and his frustration boiled over.
“Enough!” The giant bellowed, stabbing his swords forcefully into the earth. He folded his hands and closed his eyes, a cloak of dark flames enveloping him instantly. The titan launched at the giant’s throat, but just before the blade found its target, it was forcefully stopped by the giant’s hand. He had moved with reflexes not befitting of a creature his size, and to Bryn it was clear the giant had used a skill similar to Jordan’s symbiosis.
The titan ripped away its blade and darted backwards, the giant becoming lost in a swirling cloud of black fire. As the cloud began to stabilize and form to his body, the giant began to walk forward.
“I think it’s now or never, your connection to Amadeus is weak even if you give your body over completely. Time for the heavy artillery, I’ll need to be at the reigns for this.” Scott said, closing his eyes and teleporting away as Bryn looked on in confusion.
As the giant approached the titan, the rain began to fall harder. Steam was constantly rising from both combatants, as the flames that coated their bodies reacted to the moisture in the air. The giant’s form finally stabilized completely to a form that resembled his original body, but the blaze that coated his skin obscured any details. If they didn’t know any better, someone seeing this scene would assume the giant to be pure, living fire.
As the titan gripped its sword tighter, it heard a familiar voice in its mind.
“Let’s take off autopilot, I haven’t gotten to stretch my legs in a few decades” Scott said, the titan nodding, it’s eyes closing as the flaming giant approached.
The giant knew victory was just ahead. The black flames of the demon realm were a skill that no one else in the guild had ever perfected to the point he had. His years of training allows his body to be one with the black flames, and no opponent had left behind a body after he entered this form, let alone put up a fight. Once he was within a few feet of the glowing bird, he rained a punch down, intending a one hit kill to be the result. Instead, he saw his fist pass through only empty space.
The next sensation was a stabbing pain in the middle of his back. He felt a blade remove itself from his back as he fell forward. Looking up, he saw that damn glowing bird standing over him, its blade ready to strike down.
“What are you?” He asked weakly, the blade piercing his throat before he heard an answer. As the life left his opponent, Scott breathed deeply. He hadn’t felt this exhausted in a few decades, but this experience confirmed his theory.
“I’m just looking for people who know how to have fun, and boy does this bird like to have fun” Scott said, looking up into the night sky as the consistent beating of the rain echoed through the marshlands.