Wind and darkness completely surround me as I fall to what I presume will be my doom. I mean, I know I could probably survive this fall. However, it never feels that way.
Instead, I feel my feet gently land on the ground and notice a faint glow in the distance. Humming statics across the darkness. Nothing like a creepy light to set the mood for your death sentence. Not that death isn’t a preferable option at the moment.
That light evolves to a woman’s silhouette. She is beautifully radiant, literally. But, when I look around, Genu is nowhere to be seen. As the light grows the darkness diminishes and the closer the woman becomes.
Before the light can completely absorb me, golden laces zoom all around me. They grab a hold of me and begin to drag me away from her.
“Perceive the unperceivable,” a weak voice whispers over the roar of me falling.
Instantly, I am completely aware of my surroundings as my mind snaps back into my body. The room is a complete platinum dome, at its center is a floating crystal sphere that illuminates the entire area.
Genu stands over me with narrow pupils and a raised eyebrows. He bends down, grabbing my arm, “I thought you’d fainted again.”
I smile as I get to my feet, “that does seem like a recurring action when it comes to me.”
“Interesting little object, isn’t it?”
“It’s a bit spooky,” I think aloud.
He glances over at me then proceeds to the sphere; once he is within ten feet of the crystal, a jolt of energy brings him to his knees. I see it darting through his body like an infection, so I run to him only to realize that was a terrible idea; as my fingers touch him, the energy surges from him to me. Yet, it’s different, almost as if my body is conducting the energy rather than being affected by it, nevertheless, it still stings. Genu grips his cane as he gets to his feet, then throws me off of him.
“Don’t get too close. You could get hurt.”
I nod, then look up towards the ceiling where the door is; the now cloudy sky brightens with lightning. He waves his hand in front of him trying to grab ahold of something that isn’t there. Well, for me it is, I see suction points of energy tightly packed in a fifteen foot radius around the ball.
“What are you doing?” I cock my head.
Genu turns to face me, “there is a protection spell around the ruvtag and I think I know how to break it or…at least how Asvarp intended us to break it. Nonetheless, we need Crystalline.”
I shake my head, then look back up at the door; Genu raises his hand and me along with it. He pushes me through the opening and onto the tower’s roof. I begin to grab the glaive at my hip, but stop when I hear a sudden boom far below us.
“Crystalline…?”
Without thinking ahead, I jump off the tower diving towards the courtyard. Wind circles all around me as I focus a vortex from the ground up. Landing on the miniature cyclone is like landing on a very soft bed, until I lose my concentration, hitting the pavement hard. Ow. Getting to my feet is harder than I expected; all of my muscles scream for me to lie down and rest. I really have exerted myself. And yet I am going to keep on going. I am an idiot.
When I look behind me, I see a bunch of guards standing by the recently destroyed doors. Not a single one of them has noticed that I have just fallen from the sky. I guess this works to my advantage.
Pulling out my glaive I launch a few fireballs at the closest guards, burning them to a crisp. Some of them notice that their friends have just become sparkly ash and decided to take action; they swiftly turn around and release golden beams from their spears. At the last second, I elevate the ground before me, shielding myself from the blast.
I spring onto the wall and leap into the air, extending the glaive above my head. Lightning streaks down in a fork that strikes both blades causing them to discharge a mass of electricity. I firmly dig the lower blade into the ground as I land. Upon doing so, a current booms forward and zaps a few more guards, frying them. The last two turn and let loose.
I sweep away a few blast but one catches my shoulder forcing me to drop my weapon. Quickly, I spin away from another beam before hurling a large stone spike into him. My smoldering injury glistens with a golden tint. That’s unsettling. I push through the pain by encasing my arm, from the shoulder down, in ice.
The remaining guard fires another beam, I block it with a giant ice shield; bringing my arm back then thrusting it forward forces the shield to shatter firing a mass of ice shards that spiral at him. He forms a glittery force field, blocking my attack.
Nevertheless, if I learned one thing from training with Crystalline, it’s that, deception is key to victory. With a boost from the wind I soar high above the guard, forming a blade from my ice arm; once he drops the barrier, I descend upon him like a falcon, slashing a deep gash along his chest.
Raising my head, I see a terrifying sight that makes me sick. Crystalline’s body hangs limp and bloody as a demonic creature holds her by the throat. All common sense is thrown out the window as anger and adrenaline rush through my veins. Immediately, I charge in after summoning my glaive on a gust of wind.
“Put her down!”
Chapter 10
The queen is clearly pissed that some little girl is kicking her ass. She gives me an eerie grin before her body gruesomely begins to morph into a grotesque structure. A green and black flame covered with iridescent sparkles whisk over her body; leisurely, the fire vaporizes to reveal her true vile nature.
At the center of her chest rest a beautiful red rose with a network of thorny vines that vein along Levouay’s body. Thick spikes shoot out from her shoulders and hips; shorter spikes extend from the sides of her black plated breasts and ribs. Her legs are covered with an infusion of black plate armor and rose vines that intertwine into her bear-like feet. Behind her front two bony arms, is an identical pair attached to an extended set of shoulders from the original; each of her four arms ends with obsidian demonic hands possessing eagle-like talons and spiky elbows. Around her wrists and ankles is a dark green flame haloed in black that goes almost unnoticed as it is seemingly transparent.
Queen Levouay’s olive skin is shaded an emerald green as its leathery texture gives way to the rose vines. Her face is free of vines but putrid nonetheless; her dark brown hair is streaked with grey, dominated by a tamed flow to its outrageous style. Topping it off are two long braids that slope down her back from the bottom of her hair, each tied off with a large spike.
“Tell me little one, how do I look?” Levouay’s forked tongue licks the edges of her fangs.
At least, her voice is still beautiful. Honestly, I like her better this way. It’ll be more fun to kick her majesty’s ass in her true form.
The banshee queen charges forward with thundering footsteps. Her arms moving in perfect sync with her body as she attacks.
Left arm number one tears at my feet; I jump onto her arm and punch her in the face. Right arm number two grabs at my chest but I flip over her hand, landing at her side, then kick the back of her knee. Levouay buckles forward but holds steady; she fails her arms around as she turns to face me. I duck and dodge most of them; until a stray talon hooks into my armor opening a small gash across my chest. Blood seeps through my wound but doesn’t phase me.
The banshee stands taller, her form and strength set a new bar for this fight. I hastily realize that my chances of beating her are decreasing. Nevertheless, I have to hold strong until the others can get the job done.
This time, I charge in with a radiating burgundy light in both hands. Levouay shoves her claws forward, aiming for my face, however, I lunge over her, completely evading her attack. My lights turn into long jagged daggers once I land behind her; I dig one into the queen’s left shoulders and, simultaneously, use it for my next strike. As I jump up, I slash a deep tear along her spine with my other dagger.
Levouay cries in agony but she shrugs off my attack. I kick off of her back before she can reach me. Claws fly in all directions as she furiously lashes out
at. Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I dance around her deadly strikes. Swiftly, I slide around to the back of her legs and cut behind her knees; little trickles of white blood drip from the wounds.
A dark cloud passes over her as her back straightens; Levouay turns to me, bright red-yellow eyes fix themselves on my soul. Without hesitating, I leap forth, raising both of my hands above my head; the daggers reconstruct into a single sword aimed for the queen’s face. Tainted spiritual energy paints over her front hands.
Speedily, her majesty’s obsidian talons bash against my blade; a flash of burgundy and topaz blow the both of us back. I slam into a pillar and witness the banshee standing her ground. I truly know now that this battle is over.
A monstrosity of black and green closes the distance between us in seconds; I rush to meet my inevitable end. I throw a left hook, she catches it with her front right-hand and twists my arm back; she throws a left hook into my ribs and uppercuts my jaw. I take a few steps back into another pillar and Levouay wastes no time; her back left-hand causes sparks to flicker on the floor as its talons tear through the earth.
Blood splatters on the wall when her claws rip through my chest; it pours down my body, soaking into my armor. My tan skin is drenched in amethyst blood.
Black claws squeeze my face as she slams my head through the pillar. The queen knees me in the gut and, as she elbows me in the back, her elbow spike jams into my back. I try to stand but she backhands me to the ground; grabbing me by the ankles, she tosses me like a rag doll. My body breaks through multiple pillars. I try to fight the urge to die by getting to my feet and face Queen Levouay, however, she releases an ear-splitting cry that makes my bones ache and my ears bleed.
Falling to the ground, I spit out more blood. The beast stands over my body and waits for me to make my move but there is little fight left; I roll over to look up at her disgusting appearance, my eyes water from her hideous face.
Levouay raises her foot to stomp me, yet I construct a shield over my body, the little good that it does; she easily breaks through it. I manage to roll out from beneath her before she can crush me. My blood smears all over the floor. I somehow ignore it. I will not give her the satisfaction of crushing me!
The mighty queen faces me, topaz energy surging over her fingers, she unleashes a barrage of corrupted spiritual power upon me; I counter with whatever strength I have left in me. The throne room lights up with our battle, however, it wasn’t much of a challenge, to begin with. Effortlessly, the banshee pushes aside my power and her attack pours into me. Helpless I drop to the floor, unable to move a single muscle.
I hear muffled sounds of multiple blasts striking the doors, forcing it to shake. Levouay grabs my body with her hind arms and heaves me towards the opposite wall; with her forearms, she unleashes a dark burst of magic that shocks my body, keeping me suspended in the air. The entire room looks as if it is about to cave in if it loses any more pillars but that doesn’t stop the queen from kicking me through another one.
The doors explode and chunks of rock fly in every direction.
Levouay walks around me before picking me up by the throat; her grip tightens as I feel her beginning to extract my power. My strength fails me, my eyelids drift shut and my life flickers before my eyes. Years of training, years of wondering who I am, years of Genu being my shield, years of pain and loneliness.
…Zarvick…
* * * * *
I rush toward the demon and quickly realize that it is Queen Levouay; her appearance undermines the beauty of Elvendora. Nevertheless, I dive forward. Glaive raised above my head, ready to cut her down.
Her majesty fiercely grabs my polearm, detonating a series of shock pulses that electrocute my body and soul; with her hind arm, she jabs the tips of her talons into my stomach before throwing me at one of the few remaining pillars. Tossing aside Crystalline listlessly, she focuses her undivided attention on me. This is good.
The queen discharges multiple yellow bursts, I oppose her power with an explosion of lightning. The two attacks siphon power from one another, I take quick advantage of this and rapidly conduct the energy into the ground.
That wasn’t pleasing to her at all, nonetheless, I instantly thrust my ice arm forward; frost glitters along the ground before erupting into a large spiky wall in front of Levouay. She immediately screeches, shattering the ice, as I roll out-of-the-way. Throwing my other hand up, a stone spike emerges from the ground, the queen catches it and rips it from the ground. She chucks it at me and I suspend it in the air above my chest. With my attention divided, the queen swoops in and grabs ahold of both of my wrist and ankles.
I try to summon my power, yet they are nullified; using her amazing strength, she starts to stretch my arms and legs. I feel my bones cracking as my appendages begin to rip apart from my body. I scream in agony.
Before any real damage can be down, her majesty suddenly drops me. As she turns around I notice a huge gash running along her back, seeping with white blood. Genu stands before her, holding the hidden sword from within his cane. His white attire shines as lightning flashes in the sky.
“Leave them alone Levouay. Your fight is with me.”
She merely smirks before sending a volley of claw strikes his way; Genu blocks each strike with the sword’s diamond blade and its scabbard. He moves in such an elegant flow, throwing the queen off balance just enough for him to pierce her in the chest; giving a low growl, she lunges for him, sinking the blade deeper into her torso. Shifting his body forward, a telekinetic wave pushes Levouay back.
I crawl to Crystalline’s body while they fight. She is lying on the steps at the foot of the throne; a pool of amethyst blood has formed beneath her. I feel helpless. I can’t do anything to save her or myself. I should’ve never had allowed her to be so stubborn and fight Levouay alone.
As I reach her lifeless body, I shake her, “Crystalline?”
A loud cry of pain comes from Queen Levouay as Genu chops one of her arms off, then, with a rapid slash, he slices the blade through her body. The queen’s blood covers the floor around her when she drops to her knees. Genu rushes over to us, immediately checking on her. Like any good father would. He stares at her for a few moments before meeting my gaze.
“She doesn’t have much time.”
“What do—”
“AHAHAHA!” Sinister laughter roars over my voice.
The red rose gives off a blistering light as the vines along the Banshee Queen Levouay’s body begin to move vigilantly; green light pulses through their black thorns. Some of the vines stretch down towards her detached limb; wrapping around it, the tips of the vines sink into her wrist causing tiny spikes to emerge from the hand. The arm rises to its stub of a shoulder slowly fixing itself into place as the thorns stitch the skin and tissue back together. The rest of her wounds seal shut as she stands.
Gagging, I turn to Genu, “now what?”
“Watch over Crystalline, I’ll take care of the hag.”
Before he can make a move, she raises her hands causing the flame around her wrists and ankles to flicker; their black silhouettes phase into the matter above them. As I look beyond her body, I spot green-black willow-o’-wisp hovering above the bodies of the dead guards.
“Seibod ruoy ot kcad sluos ruoy nruter, snoinim krab ym esir!” Levouay chants.
The flames merge with their chest, displacing across their frame; the guards rise with twisted demeanors as flesh melts off of some of their bones. All of them appear to have been torn from paradise as the last bit of happiness flushes from their eyes.
I feel every last bit of hope drain from my body, I’m not sure if I can continue watching.
Undead guards emerge around her, thrusting their polearms forth; a light emits as the spearheads unite. In perfect unison, all of the weapons release a combined golden beam. The pearl at the end of Genu’s swords shines as its texture swirls. He drives the shimmering diamond blade into the beam, forcing the blast to scatter all about us as the blade erects a b
arrier.
Genu twists his sword forward prior to swiping it through the beam, reflecting it back at the guards; together, they raise a barricade of their joined power. Their force field doesn’t stop him, at all, from charging forward at blinding speed. The vampiric-kaine slashes through the shield and tears through the guards like paper; effortless cutting them down before they can react. As they re-die, will-o’-wisp fade into thin air.
He digs his blade through the last guard’s chest before tossing him aside; Levouay shoots a jolt of dark magic his way but Genu waves the attack away with his sword. The queen throws her forearms forward, yet he jumps backwards, evading the attack; her hands break through the floor. He glides across the ground towards Crystalline and me, ready for more of a fight.
Queen Levouay takes in an extremely deep breath; when Genu looks back at me I know exactly what’s about to happen, this whole palace is going to fall apart. His pupils widen completely, covering his eyes entirely in black; golden laces flow from the corners of his eyes and mix together to form two pupils for his black eyes.
Exhaling, the queen, unleashes a powerful ear wrenching wail; covering my ears, I watch Genu counter her cry with telekinetic pulses radiating from his psyche. As their attacks clash, uncontrollable vibrations emit from the impact, forcing the ceiling to cave in on us; throwing my hands up I manage to grab ahold of the rocks before they crush us. Of course, it doesn’t take long before the debris continues to sink. An invisible force press itself against the ruble, helping to hold them up. I’m not sure if I can keep this up.
“Zarvick, I cannot afford to divide my attention.”
“If I…try to use my powers…any longer…I will faint from exhaustion,” my thoughts struggle to respond.
Genu was right, he couldn’t afford the distraction; once his attention turns back to Levouay, it’s too late. She pushes her screech through his reverse sound waves blowing him through the throne and into the wall; the rubble falls on top of him as he flies past me, taking it with him.
Dark Form_Book 1 of the Shadow War Trilogy Page 11