Book 2 Chapter 40

Torvus stood, grunting at the surge of pain he felt as he examined himself. He had managed to avoid a fatal wound at least, but it wasn’t something he could ignore either. He looked back up at the masked man who was staring at him and forced a smile.

“Hey, Odee, good seeing you again… Can’t believe Boris let you get this far away from him. What if he stubs his toe or something?”

“Funny as always Torvus, I’ll miss that about you…” The White masked figure replied calmly examing the blood along his blade. “The council decided the risk was worth it…. Guess you really pissed them off before you left…”

“I have no clue how…” Torvus answered sarcastically, he released his side as he took a stance, his knees bending slightly as he swayed. “So, I can’t convince you to just leave right?”

The white-masked figure snorted, his body crouching as he readied himself as well. “Obviously, I’ve been wanting to shut that mouth of yours for a long time…”

“Keep the fire guy busy for me!” Torvus yelled towards Nerida before disappearing in a flash.

“Kill the Priestess…” The white-masked figure said similarly before disappearing as well. The two appeared a moment later as the distance between them vanished, daggers clashing loudly before they disappeared once more.

Nerida grimaced at the sudden request before turning towards where the fire shard user stood, a cruel smirk on his face as he looked at her. It was obvious that Torvus hadn’t accounted for whoever the white-masked person had been, It seemed like things would be getting a bit more serious…

“Just you and me priestess… If you want I’ll make it quick.” Reynolds chuckled to himself as the fire around him grew brighter, “It’ll still hurt… but it’ll be quick…”

“I wanted to save my energy to help God more later on, but it seems like I don’t have that luxury anymore…” Nerida said plainly, ignoring Reynolds as she focused once more on the crystal shard that lay on her chest. She felt its power flow as she whispered a prayer to the Water Spirit and the stream around her churned, roaring as more and more water flowed around her.

“Good, wouldn’t be fun if it was too easy…” Reynold laughed fire gathering in his hands. He gathered it loosely before hurling it forward. It rushed towards the priestess burning everything in its path, fire spreading with no concern with the area around them.

Nerida hardly seemed to move as the ring of water suddenly split. It splashed down in front of her and crashed against the approaching inferno like a wave. The two forces struck, exploding into a mass of steam and heat until the remaining water streamed forward, rushing at where Reynolds stood.

He growled and raised his sword before swinging furiously towards the oncoming wave. The flames of his sword came lancing out to split the wave in half just before it reached him.

“So you’ve been holding back huh, well don’t think that means…”

“Are you an idiot? Nerida asked as more water flowed around her. “ I just said I was holding back so why are you asking now?”

“Bitch…” Reynolds called angrily, “I'm going to make sure you burn slowly..”

Nerida smiled, “You really are stupid aren’t you?” The water around her roared, thundering like a waterfall as it crashed into the ground and surged forward. “There’s no way a tiny candle like you could resist the power of the sea…”

Nearby, Torvus’s figure flickered, as he activated his shard again and again. The white-masked figure followed suit, and in the space of what seemed like a few seconds, they clashed a dozen times, each time striking with deadly precision.

Their forms flickered as they broke apart, each showing the resulting wounds of their battle so far. Torvus took the moment to breathe, his lungs screaming for air as he tried to recover. The white-masked figure wasn’t much better, but Torvus knew that wouldn't last for long. In normal circumstances, Torvus was confident that his control over the shard was more than a match for Odee, even if he couldn’t match his senior in sheer power. But the wound at his side continued to burn and he had already taken advantage of the shards abilities several times tonight...

At this point, it was only a matter of time before… He smiled to himself as he thought about how troublesome it had all become. He heard a roar and caught sight of a wave of water surging forward form Nerida and couldn’t help but chuckle. He couldn’t give up while she was holding up her side of the deal…

He focused as he turned back towards his own fight wondering how he was going to get through this. They rushed back at each other, each looking for some kind of advantage or chance to lay a finishing blow. Bodies and blades flickering as they sped around each other. Thanks to the Shard, the fight was less about physical ability then it was a test of timing and reaction.

Odee would flicker, his blade appearing only millimeters from Torvus skin. Then Torvus would flicker and the situation would reverse. Blood welled from their failures, a costly reminder as the fight went on.

Torvus could feel himself reaching his limits and knew he didn’t have long left. Just when he was wondering if he’d have to call the signal early, A burst of light rose from the center of the warehouse complex. Fire and smoke filled the air and a wave of pressure struck the fighters almost knocking them off their feet.

It was exactly what the former assassin had been waiting for and he called out immediately towards where Nerida stood. “God’s got him! Let's get out of here!” He Flickered back and away from Odee who chased after him furiously

“You’re not getting away!” The masked assassin yelled grimly

Torvus reached Nerida's side in a moment and the priestess raised a hand. Before the masked assassin or the battered Reynolds could act, the water circling her hissed as it transformed into a cloud of vapor. It rushed outward covering the entire area in a thick fog. The sudden loss of sight forced the white-masked figure to a halt as he readied himself for a possible attack. “Get this fog away!” He yelled out to Reynolds.

The fire user was breathing heavily, Having been almost overwhelmed by the priestess just moments before. He let out a roar, fire sweeping out and evaporating the fog around himself. Yet by the time the air was clear, the two were gone.

Minutes later, Torvus leaned against a warehouse wall as he clutched his side.

Nerida glanced at him, frowning slightly, “We need to move the rendezvous area is still a good distance away… Plus I don’t think your friend is planning on letting us get away this easily…”

“Yeah…” Torvus grunted as he forced himself up, “Let's go find the little god and get out of here…” They moved on, rushing through the warehouses towards the agreed meet up spot…