Destined For Doom

Chapter 27 - Tiamat's Chosen

-27-

-Tiamat's Chosen-

Mordred stood his ground in the firestorm, planting his feet firmly to avoid being shot back. Akane needed to leap out of the way to avoid being burned alive, but at least he wasn't being hacked to death by the dreadknight. The emerald flames burned bright, but Abigail's strength was limited and they couldn't last for long. She soon fell to her knees, letting the fire die out as she used up the last of her strength. Mordred still stood, bracing himself against the magical maelstrom as the last remnants faded. The edges of his armour glowed cherry red, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.

"Is that the best you can do?" he snarled, breathing a little heavier, "A little light show? I hope you have a better endgame, because that was pathetic."

Sabbath growled as he grew to his full size, standing protectively between Abigail and the mountain of a man. He laughed as the sword came down, cutting through the air as Akane tackled into his shoulder. The blade shifted its trajectory by a mere foot, but it was enough to save Sabbath from being cleaved in two. While the two struggled against Mordred, Morgana had recovered and was on the offensive.

He staff cracked down across Abigail's back, knocking the witch onto all fours as she regained her aggressive stance. A blast of energy discharged between Abigail's shoulder blades, shot from the tip of Morgana's stave and taking her fully to the ground.

"You will watch," the sorceress growled, "Watch while they die."

"The only thing I'm going to watch is you burning alive," Abigail yelled in return, rolling onto her back and kicking savagely at the sorceress's leg.

Morgana fell to one knee, supporting her body's weight with the knotted staff as Abigail kicked again. The witch used both feet this time, striking at shoulder height and knocking her opponent back against the central pillar of the chamber. Morgana tried to bring the witch down again with a broad sweep of the staff, but was just too slow. Abigail was able to vault over the strike, and punch Morgana directly in the throat. It was a cruder form of fighting than she would have liked, but one she was proficient in nonetheless.

Morgana gasped for air as Abigail grabbed her wrist, slamming it into one of the manacles that had just recently bound Akane. It snapped shut, separating the sorceress from her power and evening the playing field. Outraged by the position she had been forced into, Morgana swept the staff towards Abigail with her one free hand. It stopped dead beside the witch's head, caught by one hand while she smiled dangerously. She leaned in close, as if to whisper something in Morgana's ear, and her smile widened. The headbutt she gave broke the sorceress's nose, showering blood over both of their faces and loosening Morgana's grip on the staff. It was wrenched out of her hand as the other manacle fastened, binding her completely and leaving her at Abigail's mercy.

Unfortunately for Morgana, Abigail had no mercy. The staff cracked down across the side of the sorceress's face, splintering the jaw and making her howl in pain. The witch's spare hand gripped Morgana by the hair, pulling her face upward as she dropped the staff. Her grin widened, dripping with blood as her palm flattened in front of Morgana's face.

"What would you prefer," she snarled as sparks flew across her hand, "A blinding flash, or a nice slow burn?"

The torrent of fire that engulfed Morgana's face was practically instantaneous, and hot enough to melt flesh and bone alike. She kept screaming as Abigail controlled the flames, keeping the temperature low enough to make the pain last as long as possible. The nape of the Morgana's cloak smouldered as the flames died, leaving something that may have once resembled a head hanging loosely from the shoulders. Tiamat stepped forward beside Abigail, staring curiously at the pair of spellcasters.