Chapter Nine

Kexel slashes at Yasevl’s face, his claws carving deep cuts down his wooden flesh. Yelling out in pain, Yasevl grits through the pain, seizes Kexel’s wrist and tightens his grip, crushing the bones in Kexel’s wrist. Yasevl grins, expecting Kexel to pull back in pain, instead the goblin abomination smiles back and pulls his arm back, the skin pulling and ripping. Shocked Yasevl lets go of the wrist. Baring his teeth at the wood spirit, Kexel grabs ahold of the now dangling wrist and pulls it off, muscles, bones, and tendons snapping apart, sending congealed black blood splashing to the ground. Discarding the detached hand Kexel swings the snapped off bone at Yasevl, the bone hitting Yasevl in the stomach leaving a dent in the wooden flesh. Knocking Kexel’s arm away with a strong wooden limb, Yasevl grabs Kexel by the neck and squeezes and snarls at Kexel, “See if you can live without your head!”.

Kexel scraps at Yasevl’s arm, kicking the spirit in the chest, but Yasevl holds true. The bones begin to crack when Igneous’ voice pierces through the battlefield, “NELLY!”.

Yasevl whips his head around in alarm, he sees Nelly on the ground, Marigold running toward them, Igneous floating above her, Giblex fighting off abominations as they close in on the group. Then he feels a pain as if his entire being burned from the inside out, and letting go of his grip of Kexel, Yasevl looks down at his side and sees Kexel’s arm buried up to the wrist, a darkness spreading from the wound. Kexel darts his head forward and sinks his teeth into Yasevl’s neck. Fighting the pain, Yasevl presses an open palm on Kexel’s pulsing chest and forces mana through his fingers, forcing them to grow and change shape. Roots spread from Yasevl’s palm, shooting outward, growing till they begin to burrow into Kexel’s chest, the roots growing larger and Yasevl’s arm begin to lengthen and thicken until the roots begins to push Kexel away, tearing his teeth from Yasevl’s neck, and arm from his side, sap and black slime gushing out. The tree growing out of Yasevl’s arm, fueled by flowing mana, reaches ten times its original size. Kexel claws at his chest, pulling at the roots. Yasevl gives a small smirk, then stumbles, agony spreading across his face, before dropping to the ground on one knee. Bracing himself, he forces mana through his arm connected to the tree, causing more roots to grow and stretch to the ground; spreading before becoming large enough to stabilize the weight of the tree holding Kexel back, allowing him to relax his arm and body against it. As Yasevl tries to regain his strength, he redirects mana to his side to repair his wound. Fresh wood begins to grow, filling in the gaping hole his side, the new wood lighter, contrasting with the dark tone of the surrounding bark. The wound is halfway closed when a deformed goblin comes up behind Yasevl, flinging itself at his back, bringing is jagged limbs down over and over again onto Yasevl’s back. Yasevl howls and swipes at the creature with his free arm, failing to land a hit on it as pain flares from the partially healed wound. At the sound of Yasevl’s pain, other goblin abominations rushes at him, swarming him. With Yasevl’s concentration broken the roots in Kexel’s chest stop growing, allowing him to start pulling them from his chest.

Marigold kneels next to Nelly, pulling a vial filled with a red liquid, from under her robes. Tilting Nelly’s head back, Marigold pulls the cork from the vial and pours the contents down Nelly’s throat. Nelly begins to cough and spit up the liquid, Marigold presses her hand on Nelly’s throat and begins to rub it. With coaxing from the priestess, Nelly swallows and begins to breathe shallowly, before turning deeper and then balancing out. Marigold gives a shallow smile, before rolling Nelly onto her side, leaning over to look at the wound, her face going pale. Blood and black bile seeps from the wound. Marigold closes her eyes and offers a quick prayer, before looking back at the guards, who stayed behind in case of another sneak attack, and yells for them to help her get Nelly to the grove. Igneous watches Marigold work and pick up Nelly with the help of the elven guards. Moving to follow, Marigold turns to him and holds up a hand, her usual warmth and carefreeness lost, “You are needed here. Fight and make sure nothing gets to us. I got her.”.

Igneous opens his mouth to argue when he hears Yasevl howling, everyone present turning to the sources of the noise, watching as they lose sight of him under a swarm of abominations. Igneous looks back to Nelly then at Marigold, the priestess yelling, “GO!”.

Igneous looks to Korren for help, but the mage is busy fighting back the creatures, sending waves of crackling lighting at the attackers. Igneous glances towards Giblex only to see the shaman using Nelly’s staff to raise walls of flame in order to cover a group of fighters as they regroup.

Igneous looks back at Nelly, then at Marigold, “Please save her.”.

“I will. Now go.”, Marigold orders, as she and the guards rush Nelly away. Igneous faces the horde of abominations. They hurt Nelly! They are killing my brother! And they want to destroy everything that I called home! NO! I will destroy them! Igneous thinks as he rushes forward flames trailing behind him. Darting through the battlefield, Igneous holds out his hands, flames pouring from them and shaping themself into talons. Reaching down his talons sear through a wave of abominations as they charge at a group of retreating elves and goblins. The creatures’ flesh bubbles and melts away, Igneous absorbs the flames and energy being released by their demise. The energy feels sickly and, as if he had been dunked in slime, his entire body covered in a slick film of filth, but he carries on. He needs the all the energy he can get. Igneous dashes towards a large abomination that appears to have once been a bear that towers overf Mitch, cutting a gash through his bronze breastplate. Igneous pulls all the energy tight against his body, turning into a speeding ball of smoldering heat, leaving a hole in the abomination’s head. Mitch rolls out of the way as the creature crumbles to the ground, jumping back up and rejoining the battle. A roar thunders above the battlefield, and Igneous turns just in time to see Kexel ripping the last of the roots from his chest, the tree crashing to the ground, pulling Yasevl’s prone form along, with the abominations swarming him. Kexel stomps forward, heading in Yasevl’s direction. Igneous glares at Kexel and rushes forward, burning through abominations and absorbing their energies as he goes. Kexel hovers over the pile of monstrosities swarming Yasevl, and rearing his arm back, dark energy swirls around his claws as he prepares to strike. Igneous roars, crashing into Kexel, releasing all of his stored energy in a single wave of intense crimson and black flames. Kexel screams as the flames wrap around his body, searing through his deformed flesh, scorching him throughout until it reaches bone, as his flesh bubbles and drips, hitting the now burned soil with a sizzle. Igneous pulls the energy back into him, more dark energy being pulled back from Kexel, and pushes all into his hands forming twisting crimson and black claws. Igneous roars as he cuts through Kexel’s melting frame, what remains of Kexel splash on to the ground sizzling and with wet sloshing noises. Igneous looks towards Yasevl and attempts to head toward him as his vision begins to fade, he reaches out towards his brother, calling out to him, before darkness overtakes him and he passes out.

The flames rip through Kexel, searing his new body, not that he can feel it. His soul yells in rage as his body melts before him. Sneering at the sprite that had costed him another body, Kexel takes a step forward as the sprite hit the ground, its body dark and cold. He swipes at the downed sprite, his claws passing through it and the ground with no effect, he roars in frustration. He looks over the battlefield, at his abominations as they are pushed back by the elves and goblins. The souls from both sides rising from their fallen bodies, looking around in confusion. A shadow falls over Kexel, and barks over his shoulder, “I need more power! Help me!”.

When the usual hollow and sickly voice doesn’t answer he turns to see a figure with a cloak made of swirling shadows behind him. He growls at the figure, “You’re not him! Who are you?”.

The figure steps closer to Kexel, pulling back the hood of the cloak to reveal a face of a feline, short, dark fur covering the face, yellow eyes with narrow pupils, whiskers poking from a split lip, a pink nose, and black furry ears on the top of the head. The figure looks at Kexel with cold indifference and says in a female voice without passion, “No, I am not him.”.

Kexel backs away from the cat woman, insticially afraid. The woman strides forward pulling a silvery chain from her cloak and begins to twirl the end in a circle. Kexel growls weakly, “You can’t hurt me! I’m already dead!”.

The woman smiles for the first time, whipping the chain forward, it wraps around Kexel’s incorporeal form, his skin sizzling upon contact, and says, “That is where you are wrong.”.

Kexel screams as the woman pulls him closer with chain, before being stuffed into her cloak, his screams cut off. The woman surveys the battlefield and the souls wandering through it. As she does this two figures come up from behind her, one in a glowing white hood, and the other in a dull stormcloud grey robe. Without a glance she turns and walks way, saying, “The rest are yours.”.

The battle rages on, goblins and wood elves against the rapidly dwindling horde of abominations, but not without loses. Bodies of both goblin and elf lay strewn across, the valley’s burnt soil being stained red and black. The fighters hear the lead abomination scream, but they can’t afford to look away. A short time later, wave of energy pulses across the battlefield hitting everyone as it goes, knocking them to the ground. When they are able to get back up, they see that the abominations are down too, but they aren’t getting up. No, the abominations are falling apart, they’re dead. As realization rushes over the fighters they let out a collective yell of short-lived victory. A one eyed Heva helps a one-legged Nevil stand, taking but a moment to bask in their victory, Nevil looks to Heva and mutters weakly, “We did it.”.

Heva smiles and replies, “Yeah, we did.”.

“Now we need to see to our wounded.”, Nevil says then looking to Heva’s missing and cringes, “ Sorry, poor choice of words.”.

Heva smirks and replies, “Don’t worry about it, I’m just happy to be standing.”.

The two share a pain filled laugh, before ordering their people to see to the wounded. Heva drags Nevil over to the grove of trees that had been their field hospital and places him down on soft grass, before heading to the temple to get Corma and anyone with healing magic. Marigold grimaces when she sees Nevil’s leg and rushes to him, “That looks bad.”.

Nevil coughs then gives the priestess a small smile, “Really? Because it feels great.”.

Ignoring the elves sarcasm, Marigold pulls a pouch from her now blood-stained robes, opening it to reveal a fine orange powder. Marigold pours a small pile into her hand and sprinkles it on Nevil’s heavily bleeding leg, causing him to howl out in pain. Marigold apologizes quickly, pulling her rope belt off of her hip, removing the mace, and ties it around the top of Nevil’s leg. Then, placing her hands over the wound, she offers a pray to Dorean and utters a short spell as her hands begin to glow white hot, searing the flesh on the nub that was once Nevil’s leg. Nevil grits his teeth and eyes, his face contorted in pain. But the wound closes and the bleeding stops. When Marigold finishes her spell, Nevil opens his eyes in relief and spots Nelly laying a couple of paces away, her eyes closed. Nevil tries to get up but is pushed down by Marigold, “You’re not going anywhere.”.

Nevil cries, tears streaming down his face clearing away blood and dirt, “That’s my daughter. NELLY!”.

Marigold looks back at the still girl then back at Nevil , having to push him down again, “She is stable, now shut up.”.

Nevil stares at Nelly as the priestess begins to chant, a gold and white light filling her hands, placing one hand on the cut-off leg and the other on Nevil’s forehead. The pain in Nevil’s leg begins to disappear and soon he finds himself having to fight to keep his eyes open, soon succumbing to sleep.

The pounding on Yasevl stops suddenly, suddenly the abominations on top of him, become dead weight, bile and viscera dripping down on top of him. Fighting through the pain, Yasevl pulls is harm free from the tree and pushes himself up, slug and bones falling off of him. Fighting his way into a kneeling position, Yasevl feels a sharp pain in his side. Wiping as much of the slug away as he can from his dark brown wood, Yasevl sees a pulsing blackness crawling slowly from his half-healed wound. Focusing inward the spirit searches his energy and finds sickly dark energy, different from the energy used by the goblin shaman, fighting its way through his mana and ki, trying to snap at his spiritual energy. Moving mana around Yasevl creates a barrier of thick concentrated mana slowing down the energy, but the energy immediately begins eating away at the barrier. Yasevl had bought himself some time, but he’s not sure how much. Scanning his surrounding, Yasevl sees that that the battle was over, and his people had come out victorious. Then his eyes land on Igneous’ unmoving body on the ground, Yasevl calls out weakly, “Igneous!”.

“IGNEOUS!”, Yasevl yells louder, the sprite remaining unmoving. Fighting through his agony Yasevl finds his way to his feet. Limping to Igneous, Yasevl kneels down and sliding his arm under the now larger sprite, heaving him up. Igneous is hot, but no longer fire hot. His once orange and red flesh, now a deep crimson with swirling black tendrils. His body had grown triple in size, with two pitch black small horns with red tips protruding from his forehead. Shaking his head and frowning he cradles his proclaimed brother in his arms and limps toward the healers.

Igneous wakes to a splitting headache, something new for him, and tries to sit up, but his shaking arms fail him. Landing back down with a thud and groan, Igneous takes a survey of his surroundings. He looks to be inside Corma’s hut, the old druid talking to Giblex at the table. The goblin looks over towards Igneous, his eyes going wide when he sees that he is awake and rushes to his side, Corma not far behind. Igneous smiles up at the happy faces of Giblex and Corma, “Hey, did we win?”.

Giblex’s smile deepens and he nods, “Yeah, we did. Thanks to you.”.

Igneous chuckles but stops when his headache worsens. Wincing Igneous looks back up at the two spellcasters, “Is Nelly okay?”.

Corma and Giblex share an uncertain look, Giblex nods his head towards Corma.

“Is she-,”, Igneous starts, but finds the strength to asks his question, “Is she dead?”.

Corma grabs his hand and smiles sadly at him, “No, no, no, but--- you’ve been out a while.”.

Igneous pulls his hand away, “What are you doing you’re going to bur--,”.

Igneous stops speaking when he realizes his hand didn’t burn Corma. Lifting his hands up, Igneous studies his hands. They were no longer living fire, but flesh like the humans, goblins, and elves, that had taken on a deep crimson. At the tip of his fingers, black pointed nails glisten. Panicked Igneous looks back at Corma and Giblex, “What happened to me?”.

Giblex shakes his head slowly, “We’re not sure. After the battle with the abominations, Yasevl found you like this. We have been trying to wake you, but nothing has worked. We feared for the worst.”.

Igneous sat still digesting everything, the battle, Nelly being alive, the changes in his body. Fighting his way into a sitting position, Igneous turns to face Corma and Giblex. Coughing, Igneous clears his now fleshy throat, licking dry cracked lips, “Where are Nelly and Yasevl?”.

“They’re getting ready to leave.”, Corma says softly.

“Leave! Where are they going?”, Igneous asks as loud as he could.

“To the human village to get healed.”, Corma tells Igneous.

“Did Nelly’s wound not heal?”, Igneous asks, panicking. Giblex looks to Corma then to Igneous, “It’s probably best if we just show you.”.

“Show me what?”.