Tales of a Shifter (P6) - Child of Sun & Moon

Chapter 19 - Immortal Hound

Chapter 19 - Immortal Hound

There was no way to prepare, just the instinctive need for survival saved Brandon from sustaining more grave injuries.

Like a burning black hail of bullet fire, the air was torn with the numbing buzzing sensation of Mana being flung at him from all directions, caught between standing up and getting hit by Mana whizzing by so powerfully that it was sure to brake bones or rip flesh, Brandon threw himself into a ball and tried to avoid being hit. The air vibrated all around him, the sharp hum of the Mana Users pouring a lethal barrage of projected power at him that clearly had no mercy attached to it. There was the horrifying sound of thick libs on trees snapping and twisting to pieces, bark bursting as Mana like thick black balls slammed into them and ripped away holes twice as big.

Whats the plan? Whats the plan!? Whats the god-damn plan!!!?

Brandon berated himself, a million regrets flashed across his mind accompanied with dozens of questions he just didn't have the time to consider, because all that truly mattered was that he had to act.

Suddenly the hail of dangerous volleys stopped, as fast as it had began. The rain of tree limbs and broken sizzles of busted tree trunks groaned and clacked around in the absence of the din of the attack. The air still hummed menacingly alerting Brandon to the fact that the Alchemists were still touching Mana, manifesting Alchemy, ready to attack.

For the moment there had only been the massive singular attack to the back of his head that had knocked him down into the earth like a canon to the back of the head.

Perhaps his collapse to the floor had convinced his attackers that he was knocked out cold because he was frozen there.

Brandon held himself still, letting his senses reach out, scraping deep into his mind trying desperately to come up with a plan

Then again... perhaps they were gathering more Mana to attack him again, Brandon didn't know, and even with his Druid sense blow wide open, all he could sense around him was the gaping voids of the other Mana Users standing all around him, but because they had their Auroras cloaking them Brandon found it all but impossible to easily read where exactly they were or which direction they were moving around him.

But easily coming to the conclusion that he only had a hand full of seconds to take decisive action Brandon quickly and nimbly rolled and deftly pressed up with his palms, so that he could flip awkwardly up against a tree beside him. With a grunt the Druid settled hard up on the bark, slumping as his stomach flipped and stars dashed past his eyes.

Too much blood, thick and hot dribbled profusely from the three thick gashes across the back of his skull, as Brandon quickly scrambled up onto his knees and he dived back behind a thick hard wood elm beside the place he had fallen.

He held down a agonized whimper as a hot lash of crippling pain broiled up inside of him, and warmth bled out across his injuries, his body healing with the help of the Acris, soon halting the gushing flow of his blood, and nullifying the electric arks of pain radiating from the cuts in his skin, but the weighty price of crippling hunger slashing over his mind and core was almost too much for Brandon to bear.

Panicked as the pain rolled over him like searing waves Brandon haphazardly stretched out with his mind and soul, sifting and feeling around for Ann.

Ann where are you!? Is she out there? Is she helping the Brotherhood again? Did she betray me!?

The questions rose unbidden and bitter to his mind and panting Brandon slammed a fist into the tree. Then he shook his head and swallowed as some semblance of denial took root in his heart.