Chapter 10:

Theo sat against the Grove Tree contemplating what he had learned about the energy called ‘mana’ so far.

The rules of it are super open ended, which is both interesting and kind of terrifying. If it’s all based on desires and how much one is willing to sacrifice to accomplish that desire… well, I haven’t seen it so far, but I’m expecting people that can create explosions similar to artillery at the minimum. Though for that level of destruction what kind of sacrifice is needed? Also can you use others as the sacrifice?… let’s not go down that rabbit whole. For now lets sit in blissful ignorance and believe it’s not possible.

He had been experimenting with the energy in between their spars. Not just trying to use it to enhance his own physical abilities, but to accomplish more ‘traditional’ mage spells as well. He’d had some minor success in this aspect actually. Calling upon his mana he willed it into the palm of his hand, he could feel the energy as it gathered within him. He brought heat to the forefront of his mind and the energy in his palm ballooned into a small flame, visible to the naked eye. He could already feel sweat building on his forehead from the action.

He had tried to utilize the flame, and other ideas in their spars, but had no success so far. He was never able to maintain the level of concentration that was necessary. Any spell that he was able to conjure up just as quickly dissipated as soon as his concentration was broken.

Looking up he saw Markus approaching him. The man looked a lot better than when he had first entered this Grove. You could tell he was well rested and full of energy from the way he walked. His skin had regained its color. The biggest difference was definitely his shoulder however. When Theo first saw it he wasn’t sure the man would ever have full use of the limb again. Now, while it wasn’t fully recovered, it no longer fell listlessly at his side.

“Theo, Trish tells me we will be ready to leave by tomorrow.” The man called.

Theo nodded “That’s great news. Do we have everything we need to prepare for the trip?”

The man nodded. “We should be okay for the trip back. By the way it may not be a bad idea to gather more Caarsi berries or other rare herbs you know of before we leave, if you truly plan on coming to the city.”

Theo held his chin in thought. “That does sound like a good idea. Would I be able to...”

Just then five figures entered the Grove. The group was an assorted lot with no similar pattern between them. However, they all looked like melee fighters to Theo, and all had weapons visible. Let’s hope there friendly? Though from the look on that guy’s face it doesn’t seem likely. As the group entered the Grove he could feel a part of himself grow agitated.

Standing up he took in the group. Two of them already had swords drawn, and were clad in a mix of leather and chainmail. One of these was a mountain of a man, easily a head if not a head and half taller than Theo. Next was a smaller figure wearing similar attire to his companions, sporting a full leather setup, and short swords. The last two figures of the group were the most unique. The first wore a similar getup to the two swordsman however he also had platemail covering key parts of his body. The chain and plate of his getup was engraved and decorated. It looked well polished, and almost gleamed in the light, which slightly hid the fact that it was quite scratched from use.

The final figure wore a mixture of dark leather and black metal armor. They also sported a long dark cloak and hood shrouding their face. The armor was heavily scratched, and had obviously seen a lot of use, but it was not worn. Laying at their side was a sword still nestled in its sheath. The most striking feature of the figure was of course the mask which covered their entire face. Can they even see?

Theo peered over at Markus, and he could see the man tense as he took in the figures. Well that’s another strike against them being friendly.

“A spirit’s Grove?” The short sword wielder nervously questioned.

“There’s three more out of sight” Markus told him in barely a whisper.

Theo gave an almost imperceptible nod in return. The two began edging there way toward the rest of the group, who had in the meantime all stood and were keeping a wary eye on the new comers. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife.

“...House Odola?” Theo heard the man mumble to himself.

“Ah, so here is where you ended up miss Elana.” The man in the decorated armor said as he stepped forward. “It is so good to see you. I hope you are unhurt? Though you do appear to be injured.” He asked with false concern. Unpleasantness wafted off the man.

“Malik, why are you here?” Elana asked in lieu of an answer.

“You truly found a nice place here,” The man continued seemingly ignoring Elana’s question. “It was quite difficult to find. Truly.”

“Why are you here Malik?”

“Well we came for you of course, Miss Elana.” Elana didn’t seem to like that answer as a small frown appeared on her face.

“You came for me?”

“Indeed, your a very precious person. So of course we came for you.”

“That doesn’t really explain, why, you came for me Malik.”

“The details don’t matter, now if you’d simply come with us, we will escort you back.”

“Well we are planning on leaving tomorrow morning, we would welcome you. There will be more safety in a larger group.”

“That won’t do, we were told to bring you as soon as possible…”

Theo’s agitation continued to grow while the two talked. It was as if something within him found their presence in the Grove to be unwelcome. A nagging feeling told him to remove them at once!

An angered shout brought Theo back to the present. “What the hell Smith!?”

“I had no choice! You’ll understand soon enough.” Turning he faced the new group. “You’ll honor the agreement right?” He got a simple nod in response, then he turned to Trish. “Trish let us leave. Trust me. This is the only way.”

All he received in response was a hate-filled glare.

“Trish, please! You will die if you stay here!” Smith continued, stepping toward the woman.

“Enough stalling Malik, we have wasted to much time as it is. Deal with them.” A voice so scratchy and grating that it caused one to wince spoke. Theo looked around for the source of the voice and found a figure walking out of the treeline behind the new arrivals. They were covered from head to toe in a large red robe, and stood with a hunch in their back. The only major defining feature, a small embroidered Lotus on the robe over their heart.

“Well you heard the man Elana, so what will it be? Will you come with us willingly?” Malik asked.

Elana’s only response was to draw her bow and point it at the man. Seeing this the rest of their party also took up defensive positions.

“Oh I was so hoping you would make that decision.” A cruel smile spread across the man’s face. With a wave of his hand he ordered. “Kill them.”

Now every person in the Grove drew their weapons.

“Wa-Wait! What about our deal?” Smith shouted in panic while fumbling with his weapon.

“Ah, Sorry, but we’re going to have to save some time here. You didn’t really think we’d let you go did you? You’ve seen our faces and know what we have done after all. Can’t have anyone tip off the Margrave.” Malik apologized with false sincerity.

An arrow shot out from the tree line aiming straight for Markus’s head. With incredible reflexes Markus slashed the arrow out of the air. As if the arrow was a gun shooting off to signal the beginning of a race, their opponents charged. At least one archer in the forest. If Markus is right that leaves one enemy unaccounted for.

The mountain of a man rushed forward like a bull, charging directly at Elana. Steve and Mike moved to intercept him blades swinging in tandem. The giant simply bulldozed over them seemingly unconcerned with their attacks. Their weapons swung towards his chest ready to cleave it in two, but as their weapons were about to make impact a thin transparent barrier popped into existence.

“Barrier magic!” Steve yelled.

An arrow soared at the giants head, Theo swore he could make out thin wisps coming off of it. The arrow impacted the barrier just inches in front of the man’s eye. The sound of broken glass range out, and for a split second recognition ran across the man’s eyes before the arrow continued onward as if it had never hit anything before sanking several inches deep into the man’s skull. The mountain of a man’s forward momentum stopped as if he had run into a wall, and he flopped to the ground, unmoving.

Holy shit. He’s dead! The thought echoed in his mind. Looking around he saw that none of his companions were phased by the death. Well either I’ve grouped up with a bunch of psychopaths or this isn’t an uncommon thing in this world.

“Tch, idiot!” Malik swore, “Don’t underestimate her! She’s a Rooke ya bloody moron!” His sword came up in haste as Markus advanced on him. Their swords clashed, and the two pushed against each other with all their strength. The older man seemed to easily overpower the younger, and with a twist of the wrist his blade was racing toward the younger man’s neck. Markus would have taken his head if the masked figure hadn’t appeared seemingly out of nowhere blocking the attack. A kick to the older man’s chest sent him flying across the Grove. However, Markus was back on his feet in no time, then a pressence settled upon the Grove. Everyone froze for a split second.

“Are you sure about this? Does House Odola mean to make an enemy out of the Kingdom?” Markus’ voice was cold.

“Malik go deal with the target.” The masked figure ignored Markus’ question, and instructed in an androgynous voice. They then adopted an offensive stance as a second presence fell upon the Grove.

“So be it.”

Both people squared off taking in their opponent. Then they moved, and Theo lost track of them completely. The only thing giving away their location was short bursts of sparks, and the clanging of swords clashing. I knew he was holding back this whole time, but holy. Just how fast are those two moving?

Shifting his focus Theo saw the short sword wielder slowly advance on him. The man had a cautiousness to his approach that put Theo on edge. He dropped into a defensive stance, and waited as the man approached. The man leapt directly into a coordinated set of attacks. His weapons flowed from one attack into the next, never leaving even a single opening. Sweat poured down Theo’s back as he tried to put his full focus on dodging every attack. However, that nagging feeling continued to draw his attention away, seemingly unconcerned with his current opponent.

The man’s attacks were swift and precise. Each one was a set up for the next, pushing him off balance, and forcing his body into uncomfortable positions. The nagging feeling refused to leave, and continued to grab his attention. It demanded that he remove those unwelcome in the Grove. Every time he would get distracted his opponent would instantly exploit the opening. Every wound he took caused his anger to flare. Anger at himself for getting distracted, at that nagging feeling for existing! At the man in front of him for getting in his way!

A feral growl leapt from his chest as a sword pierced his skin once again. The growl seemed to shock his opponent for a split second, however the man quickly recovered, and flowed smoothly into a follow up. Theo watched as the other weapon slashed out at his shoulder. Mana rushed into his body as he moved to dodge it. Anger fueling him, his fist shot out in the same motion as he evaded, catching his opponent in the chin. The man staggered back dazed, but appeared to recover quickly. Tch, why couldn’t that have just taken him out.

A scream of pain drew Theo’s attention. Steve was holding his shoulder, an arrow sticking out of it. That’s not good. Smith, Mike, and Scott had gotten into a defensive formation around Trish. The now injured Steve retreating behind them. They were facing off against the other swordsman in chainmail who had been next to the mountain of a man earlier, and Malik. Elana seemingly had vanished, nowhere to be seen. Maybe she went to deal with the archer?

“Poison!” Trish shouted, “Be careful the arrows are poisoned!”

He looked back at his opponent and saw the man just standing there, not making any aggressive moves. No, he’s not unfocused instead he looks concerned. Well if he’s going to just wait and watch. Keeping one eye on him, Theo checked on the fight between Markus and the masked figure. The two had slowed down at this point, and Theo could actually keep track of their movements. Markus was looking worse for ware, sporting multiple superficial wounds along his arms and legs. His chest heaving as he took in deep breaths. Concerningly, his opponent seemed to be having no issues. Blood was running down the figure’s hand and onto their sword, but that seemingly wasn’t actually an issue for them. They moved as if they were out on a light jog, not in the middle of a battle to the death.

He watched as the two engaged once again. In terms of skill they appeared to be quite evenly matched from what he could tell, Markus may have even been better. However, every time Markus appeared to attack an opening, a barrier would appear to block the attack. The damn barrier mage…

Theo’s thoughts were interrupted by another scream of pain, this time from a scratchy and grating voice. Looking over he saw the Robed figure had an arrow sticking out of their chest. That should have pierced their heart? How are they still alive. He watched in horror as something wiggled and writhed under the robe, and the arrow was pushed out. Then the smell hit him. Vile. It was was the most disgusting thing he had ever smelt!

Everything seemed to be drowned out as the nagging feeling from earlier manifested itself again. However, this time it was vastly stronger, and with it came rage. It was as if he was experiencing someone else’s rage, a foreign emotion distinctly not his own, yet still holding sway over him. It mingled and stoked his own anger. His own rage. There was one thing that was for sure, the robed figure needed to be removed. As the rage flowed through him it lit a fire within every cell of his body.

Mana exploded out of him causing those close by to stumble. All fighting came to a halt as every head turned towards him. The energy enveloped him. He felt more energized than he had ever before in his life. Mana radiated off him like a maelstrom, visible to the naked eye. Magical brands covered his body illuminating his skin.

Then a weight encompassed the Grove, the trees around them seemed to grow taller. As if they were leaning over them, scrutinizing everyone within the Grove, and they had been found lacking!

He felt something embrace him from behind, and a feminine voice that was carried on the wind whispered.

“Let us remove them from our Sister’s Grove, little Brother.”

Audible gasps erupted throughout the Grove. Hanging off of his back, arms circling his torso, was a small translucent green skinned woman. Her eyes were a beautiful emerald green. Her hair, a reddish brown, looked as if it were vines or roots that grew out of her skull. Her head rested on his shoulder, their cheeks touching.

Theo and the woman opened their mouths at the same time.

“Trespassers, you are unwelcome here. I will only tell you once. Leave.” Two voices overlapped as they spoke, one feminine, and one masculine.

The short-sword wielder, who Theo had been fighting, instantly put away his weapons.

“I have no quarrel with you Spirit. Grace be to Queen Thumtia.” Bowing his head, he slowly made his way out of the Grove in the opposite direction from the party he arrived with. The rest of the man’s party looked concerned, but made no move to leave. One figure in the Grove however, looked positively ecstatic at the sight.

“Ohh, now this trip may actually be worth it. Devouring a Grove Spirit! Who would have guessed I’d have this kind of luck.” The robed figure babbled.

“So, you will not leave.” Dual voices stated, although you could almost make out happiness coming from one of them.

“Leave? Why would I leave?” The robed figure responded before breaking into manic laughter, “it would be a waste to leave!” They then bounded forward, a staff appearing in their hand. The staff swung out at Theo’s head as they got close.

The translucent woman waved her arm, and wind blew across the Grove ripping leaves off the trees. The wind threw the bounding figure backward, crashing them into a tree trunk. Their hood fell from their face, revealing a withered old man underneath. Thin wrinkly arms peaked out of his large sleeves.

The leaves floating through the air started to glow a faint green before shifting as one to point at the old man. With a downward swing of her arm the leaves shot off. The old man regained himself quickly, dashing to his left just as the leaves reached him. The woman simply waved her arm again, and the leaves changed trajectory midair. The old man moved with speed that betrayed his fragile frame, barely staying out of range. He continuously moved in a zigzag manner, even dodging out into the tree line and back, but the leaves relentlessly hunted him.

“Now, now Malik. You shouldn’t be getting so distracted. This is not how one of the Assembly presents themselves.” The old man said in a conversational tone. “You have a task to complete do you not? Have the rest of those mercenaries deal with them. Find the woman.”

Shaking his head as if coming out of a daze, Malik regained himself, and quickly gave orders before splitting off to search for Elana, vanishing into the surrounding woods.

“Hmph, little Brother. Will you just stand there until night falls?” Theo jumped as his mouth moved on its own accord. He looked to the side and saw the translucent woman giving him a pouting look. “This vile creature is quick. Care to deal with that for me?”

Theo gave her a small nod.

“Really? Your sending that greenhorn to deal with me?” The withered man cackled, “He could barely deal with that two-bit mercenary.”

A small frown made its way across Theo and the woman’s faces at the same time. He shifted his weight forward slightly before shooting off like a bullet. Appearing next to the withered man in a flash, he threw his whole body into a haymaker that smashed into the old man’s face. A sickening crunch echoed throughout the Grove as the man was flung backwards, leaves chasing behind him. He bounced on the ground once before up-righting himself mid-air. The leaves made contact then, and slashed through him as if they were blades of steel. Light flashed causing Theo to squint, his vision momentarily blurring. He felt heat wash over his skin, and when he next opened his eyes there were several new piles of ash within the Grove.

The man’s face had taken on a sick shade of purple and he had multiple lacerations running up his arm. Black oily blood dripped out of the wounds, and an acidic hissing sound rang out as the blood fell on the ground. Displeasure passed through him as the liquid melted the grass of the Grove.

He watched as the man’s skin writhed and small worm like tentacles of flesh drew together. Cracking sounds range out as something under the skin of the man’s face shifted. Theo stared in horror as the wounds closed in front of his very eyes, and the bruising on the man’s face simply vanished.

“Ah, much better.” He sighed, “Well color me impressed, maybe your not entirely a greenhorn. Now then as interesting as this has been it’s about time we finish up.” The man slammed his staff onto the ground and a shock wave shot out. The ground trembled from the impact, and Theo flailed as he tried to keep his balance. As he caught himself, Theo watched as the old man pointed his arm in his direction. Instincts screaming at him, Theo jumped to the side just as a torrent of flames rushed out. The flames spread out, and it if it wasn’t for a gust of wind that redirected them he would have been burned to a crisp.

“Keep moving!” the overlapping voices shouted as he felt his mouth move. Theo continued his momentum and began dashing. He turned his head as the flames came to an end to see the withered man standing there as if he had not a care in the world. The rising heat was the only warning he got as with a flourish of the man’s arms a pillar of flame erupted under him. Heat licked at him, but gusts of wind spiraled around him keeping the flames at bay.

Theo’s mind raced as he continued to dodge the bursts of flame that the withered man threw at him in a seemingly lazy manner. I need to close the distance or I’ll just be slowly burnt to a crisp. “Sister, can you protect me if I make a beeline for him?” He whispered, a small shiver ran through him as the warped overlapping voice spoke instead of his regular one.

“Easily. I will make a opening.” The same voice responded.

The wind around him picked up as he felt energy be drawn into the figure hugging his back. The woman brought her arm down in a slicing motion, and the wind around him abruptly stopped. He swore he could make out distortions moving through the air between himself and the withered man.

“Go!”

Theo made a hard turn, dashing straight at the withered man. He made eye contact with the man, and only saw contempt within the pitch black bottomless abyss that he saw. With a snort his opponent brought his arm up and a burst of flame shot out. The fire expanded until it looked as if it was an all encompassing wall that Theo would never be able to cross. Then the wall split apart as if it had been cut by a blade. More cuts appeared and a thin gap within the wall opened, just large enough for Theo to fit through. Calling upon more of his mana he put on as much speed as he could.

The heat bit at him as he passed through the flames, he suppressed a moan of pain. The man shifted summoning a ball of flame in his hand, Theo could feel the heat coming from it even though he was a couple of meters away. As the man moved to throw the fireball, the distortions in the air slashed through it and into his chest. Black blood spurted out of the wound, and Theo’s nose twitched at the horrendous smell. A small explosion range out as the man lost control of his spell, adding burns to the laceration that ran from his shoulder to hip.

“Do not let him make distance again.”

Theo was upon the man now. He smashed his fist in a downward strike into the injured shoulder. A pained moan escaped from the withered man, and he followed up with a strong kick to his left knee. Just as the kick was about to land, a thin transparent barrier popped into existence. His foot smashed into the barrier causing cracks to spread across it, but the barrier held. A pained cough echoed out from somewhere within the forest. The cough was quickly followed by a pained scream that was cut eerily short.

The withered man used the moment of respite to regain himself. He jumped back swinging his arm in a wide arc, flames spewing forth.

“Push through them!”

Theo braced himself as he dashed through the flames. The wind storming around him kept anything from touching his skin. Passing through the flames he saw shock pass through the withered man’s eyes. As soon as he closed the distance, Theo threw all his strength into another kick aimed at the man’s knee. A sickening crunch range out as the knee bent at an angle it was never meant to. Blood sprayed everywhere as the bone escaped from its confines. The man fell forward screaming.

Theo groaned in pain as the oily black liquid landed on his skin. It felt as if everywhere the liquid touched was being struck by a branding iron. He used the pain to drive him as he threw a knee into the face of his falling enemy. More blood rocketed out as the man’s nose was crushed. At the same moment an arrow embedded itself in the man’s uninjured shoulder. Theo fought to suppress a groan of pain as more of the vile substance landed on him. The liquid now splashed over almost every part of his body.

“Get back!” The overlapping voices yelled in panic.

A supernova of flame expanded in all directions from the fallen man. Theo leapt out of the way a moment to slow as the heat skyrocketed. He screamed in pain as the flames ran up his legs. The pain was like nothing he had never experienced before, as the burns from the flames and the acidic blood overlapped. His vision began to go white as his body writhed.

A soft wind blew across the Grove, and his pain began to dissipate. As his vision began to return to normal his eyes landed on the withered man, who was laying on his back. Fleshy appendages wiggling as they worked to heal his wounds. Disturbing cracks and crunches range out as the bones under his skin violently righted themselves.

Theo watched as the arrow sticking out of his shoulder was pushed out. Horror overtook him as the shoulder continued to shift and morph as a large tentacle like appendage grew out of it. The appendage began taking shape, scales grew along it, and the end of it morphed until it looked almost exactly like the head of a serpent. An angry hiss range out as the creature finished forming, its body still connected to the shoulder of the withered man.

“What is that thing!?” He heard the chainmail wearing mercenary exclaim, panic and terror laced his voice in equal measure.

The serpent shot out at an alarming speed directly at Theo. He stumbled as he tried to regain his footing. His legs refused to do what he wanted them to. The serpent’s mouth opened wide as it closed in on him. Viciously sharp fangs glinted in the sunlight, and he could make out the reflection of a liquid coating them. The serpent impacted a wall of wind just inches away from Theo’s face. Markus appeared next to the creature a moment later, sword slashing straight through the long body like appendage. The serpents head fell lifelessly to the ground, and immediately began bubbling and sizzling as it melted into a oily black liquid.

The appendage almost instantly formed a new serpents head. The sound of blade slashing into flesh, and a distinctive sizzling sound drew Theo’s attention away from the serpent. Standing above the withered man was the chainmail adorned mercenary, his sword held ready to strike, black blood dripping off it. The withered man’s intestines hung out of his newly opened stomach.

“Die!” The mercenary screamed.

His blade moved aiming straight for the neck. Just as the attack was about to find its target, the masked figure appeared next to the mercenary. Their sword flashed out, and the mercenaries head fell to the ground with a soft splat.

“H-help me stand.” The withered man ordered, the words almost unintelligible, blood spurting out as he tried to talk.

“How are you holding up Theo?” Markus asked in a whisper.

Theo struggled, but was able to get back on his feet. The pain had subsided to a much more bearable degree. “That is only temporary Brother” The wind whispered. “I have only stopped you from perceiving the pain you are feeling. I’m sorry I cannot do more in my current form.”

Theo nodded. “I will manage.” Looking at the man, he saw that Markus now sported a large gash along his forearm. Luckily or maybe unluckily it was on the opposite arm to the shoulder he had injured.

“Good. Elana took out the barrier mage and their archer, she’ll support us from out of site. Steve is pretty much out of commission. Scott, Mike, and… Smith” The last name came out of Markus’ mouth as if it was venomous. “will protect Trish. They won’t be of help against these two.”

Theo opened his mouth to respond, however both of their attention was pulled to the tree line as Malik limped back into the Grove, an arrow sticking out of his left leg. Another was embedded in his right shoulder. Well he’s pretty much taken out of commission. Good he shouldn’t be a threat then.

A frown formed on the withered man’s face. “So you were unable to capture the target Malik?”

“I-I apologize, Master Fane.” Malik got out with difficulty. As the man turned Theo could see there was an additional arrow embedded in his back. “She ambushed me! If you give me one last chance I promise I will deal with her.”

The withered man sighed, then an evil glint entered his eye. “Oh well. Your timing is almost perfect Malik, and do not worry you will be truly joining the assembly soon.”

Theo watched as the serpent appeared behind Malik. Its jaw unhinged, mouth opening to an obscene degree.

“Devour!” Master Fane chanted.

The serpent swallowed Malik from the waist up. His body withered until it was nothing more than a skeleton donned in chainmail. Everyone in the Grove watched in a mixture of disbelief and terror as the withered old man seemed to age backwards. His skin tightened, and lost its ghostly complexion. The burnt flesh was replaced with new slightly pinkish skin. His stomach knit itself back together. He stood up straight and tall, losing the hunch. His shoulders broadened, and he visibly put on muscle. His gray hair was replaced with golden blond.

“Ahh, now that is much better.” A deep and smoky voice, coming from the newly young man, broke the silence. “Now then shall we finish this little party we are having?”

“Well this is not good.” Markus peered over at Theo, “We need to take the Odolan out first, that monster has to much regeneration to be able to overwhelm him and…”

A pained scream cut Markus off. Quickly locating the source of the sound Theo’s mouth dropped in shock. The Odolan stood behind the golden blond man. Their sword was sticking out of his chest from the back. The blade piercing his heart. A mixture of red and black liquids coated the blade.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Master Fane screamed in pain.

“You killed the client.” The androgynous voice answered simply.

Then they made a hand gesture, and red crystalline spikes sprouted out of every part of the man’s body. They tilted their sword downwards and the man slowly slid off it, toppling to the ground. The lifeless corpse was so full of holes it reminded Theo of Swiss cheese. With a small flourish the figure flicked their blade clean and sheathed it.

“I no longer have any quarrel with any of you.” With that they turned, and headed out of the Grove.

Theo, Markus, and everyone left in the Grove just starred at the retreating back of the person as they left.

Bright white flames erupted encircling the entire Grove. “You think you can just leave?” Everyone in the Grove jumped as the voice range out. “You should have done that earlier if you actually wanted to kill me. Now you will die here.”

Filled with trepidation, Theo turned to see what should have been the corpse of the blond man hanging in mid air as if he had been picked up by an invisible hand. The blood that once flowed out of his wounds now flowed backwards, rising from the ground and returning to his body.

“Oh shit.” Theo whispered.

With seemingly no input from the man, three serpent heads sprouted from his back. They shot off like rockets, each aimed at a different person.

“Move!” Theo and the Spirit shouted at the same time.

Jumping to the left, Theo was barely able to dodge the serpent. It smashed into the ground causing an explosion of dirt. A sizzling sound from behind told him that Markus had been able to dodge his own foe. Doubting his fists would be of much use against the serpents, he turned to dash at their source. Before he could take more than a step in the blond man’s direction he was forced to leap out of the way of a burst of flames. These flames were white hot, and he could feel his skin singe even as he dodged the attack.

As he came to a stop he looked at their opponent. The man now stood on his own once again, however he did not look as if he was fully recovered. All the outwardly obvious wounds had regenerated, but he stood with much less vigor than before. His skin had returned to a pale sickly shade, and his breathing was deep and labored. Okay we need to push him before he has time to fully recover. Those flames are definitely stronger than before, and I really don’t want to see what he’s like at full power.

“Sister, can you deal with these flames?”

“Mmm yes, but it will put a large strain on you little Brother. I’ve already put to much of a strain on your Seals as is.”

“If it’s that or death, then do as you need. I don’t think this guy will just let us all leave.” Theo quipped

then turned to Markus. “Markus! I’ll make an opening.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Drawing upon his mana he raced toward their opponent. He watched as the damaged serpents reformed, and as if in response to his actions, two charged to meet him.

“I’ll deal with the one of the left.” The wind whispered.

As he closed in on the serpents, the wind picked up, and smashed into the one on the left throwing it into the ground. The other serpent paid this no heed, and moved to slam into Theo’s chest. Sidestepping the creature he smashed his fist into the top of its head, sending it crashing into the ground. Markus immediately followed up slicing through the things neck.

With barely a pause Theo continued his mad dash. In no time white flames encompassed his entire view. “Sister!” He shouted.

“Brace yourself!” A wall of wind formed in front of him parting the sea of flames. At the same time Theo’s brand’s flared briefly. Theo could feel sweat run down his back even as the winds fought to keep the heat off him.

Gritting his teeth he closed the distance with the blond man, sending a punch at his head. His opponent dodged out of the way in such a lazy manner it caused a growl of annoyance to escape him. As if everything was one motion the blond man flowed directly into a counter attack. He moved with such speed that Theo was unable to react. Just before the blow landed Markus’s sword flashed upwards. The man’s arm retreated before the blade could make contact, and he perfectly flowed into a kick that slammed into Theo’s side. He felt a sickening crunch as his feet were lifted off the ground, and he went flying across the Grove.

Skidding to a stop he struggled to his feet, waves of pain radiating out of him with every breath. “Sister any chance you can do something about that?”

A soft breeze passed over him. “Mmm, nothing punctured your lungs, so its just pain from your ribs. I’m sorry, but I’ve already done everything I can for your pain. It’s a wonder that you are even able to move as is.”

Turning his attention back to the center of the Grove, he watched in amazement as the Odolan and Markus combated the blond man. The two moved with coordination that you would have expected to come from years of practice. One would attack, and the other would defend any openings. However, there opponent appeared to be having no issues with the coordinated front. He was always just a hair faster, every time it looked like one of their blades would land he’d dodged out of the way by the smallest of margins. It’s like he’s toying with us…

“Sister any ideas? This isn’t looking…” Theo trailed off as three arrows came flying out of the woods. The space around the arrows seemed to be distorted, and Theo could feel the mana coming off of them. If I can feel that just how much did she pack into those?

Dodging a strike from Markus the blond man tilted his head forward perfectly letting the first arrow pass him by. The arrow crashed into the ground kicking up a minor explosion of dust. Markus followed up with another strike as the second arrow came barreling in. The attacks and arrows flowed together perfectly as if they were a coordinated dance leaving no room for their opponent to do anything but dodge.

But they aren’t actually able to get any hits in at all! Theo couldn’t help but be impressed both by his allies and by their enemy. The barrage of attacks would have left him dead he was sure. The fact that he can dodge even this though… I need to come up with some way to give them a true opening.

As the third arrow slammed into the ground, Markus followed with one last attack as he disengaged. “Get back!” He yelled to the masked figure.

The three arrows formed a perfect around the blond man, and as soon as the third had landed all three started to glow a bright blue. Glowing lines appeared along the ground connecting the arrows and trapping the man inside. A triangular magic symbol formed above his head before a huge beam of magical energy slammed into him. The amount of magical power coming from the beam caused a shiver to run down Theo’s spine.

“Oh now that is impressive.” The wind whispered. “That level of archery might even compare with some of Tanyth’s best. What did they say that woman’s name was again? Elana something?”

As the light show came to a close it revealed the haggard figure of their opponent. He’s still standing after even that!? The blond man stood but looked raddled. His left arm was lifted above his head and completely gone from the elbow down. He wobbled on his feet as if he couldn’t get his balance, and his chest thundered as it fought for oxygen.

Theo could see the fleshy appendages trying to repair the missing arm, but they appeared to be unable. The man brought his arm down, and for a split second made eye contact with him. Theo was spooked by the manic gleam that he saw.

“That’s still not enough!” The smoky voice called the voice now laced with hate. “You can’t beat me! And now I am more sure than ever that I need to get rid of you all. Were going to need to re-evaluate our plans for Ororia…” The man trailed off at the end as if he was not actually talking to them.

As the man was talking the Odolan appeared behind him sword flashing out to lop off his head. Before the sword was even half way to its intended target white flames flared up under the figure sending them jumping away. A flick of his uninjured arm caused the flames to veer mid air catching one of the Odolan’s legs as they retreated. However, not a sound escaped them.

“Let’s finish this.” The man spat. He then raised his staff above his head bringing it down with an echoing crack. A magic simple flashed in front of the man before white flames started to licked at his feet. The flames began to grow and grow until the formed a sea of flames. The sea of flame completely surrounded the man. Oh no, what I think is about to happen isn’t really gonna happen right?

“Die.” With a sweep of his staff the flames began advancing in all directions.

Shit! It did happen! “Sister! We need to stop those flames now!”

“Very well, but you will not enjoy the aftermath.” The winds kicked up into a tornado, sucking the flames up into itself. At the same time Theo’s brand’s lit up even brighter, and a burning pain ran through his body adding to the many he already had all over his skin.

Shock seemed to pass through the golden blond man as he didn’t respond as Markus appeared to his side sword slashing through his body. At the same moment an arrow punctured his left shoulder. He screamed in pain as the attacks made contact, and black blood erupts out of him forcing Markus away.

The Odolan rushed in seemingly unconcerned with the blood, their sword lashing out making two deep strikes before a staff intercepted them. The two coming to a standstill as they push against each other, neither able to get the upper hand. A serpent from the man’s back lunging out forced the Odolan to retreat.

“Don’t let him recover!” Markus yelled.

Another arrow came flying in from the tree line embedding itself into the blond man’s thigh. A groan of pain escapes him, and he tries to summon flames to ward off the two swordsman that are on his heels. However, the wind instantly picks up as a pained cough echoes throughout the Grove forcefully dissipating the flames.

“Argh!” A growl of frustration escapes the man. “I won’t forget this!” A flash of light radiates out of the man. Yelps of pain echo out as everyone is blinded by the bright light. As they come to their senses the blond man is no where to be seen.