~Chapter 5- The Merged One~
Zantii had a bewildered look on his face as he looked at the figure who stood in place of Aero and Jirro, "What happened to you? Did you... merge?"
The Merged One stared at Zantii, confidence brimming from his eyes. He looked over his shoulder back at Corri, "Get clear out of here, okay?"
His voice was a strange blend of Aero's optimism and Jirro's intellect. What happened to them?
While this new merged being was looking at Corri, Zantii came forward with his sword. There was a single missed swipe of his blade, followed by an elbow strike to his stomach from the Merged One. The King staggered back, appearing breathless from the attack.
Corri didn't want to distract him again and fled. She noticed Temp, Nout, and Ruben at another end of the town square. She decided to head towards them while staying out of sight.
As she reached them, the bruised Nout asked her the same question she had on her mind, "What happened to Aero and Jirro?"
"I don't know... it's like they became one somehow," Corri said. She looked to Ruben who had part of its body missing. She knelt next to him, "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine. I can rebuild myself once this is all over," Ruben said.
Corri looked back at the town square. Zantii had attacked once again, this time much more ferociously. There was a flurry of lightning-fast swings; each swipe of the blade was so strong that the reverberations made the air unsteady. All the while, the Merged One effortlessly dodged the assault.
"Is that really your best? It's like you're not even trying!" The Merged one heckled while evading the King.
He grabbed the King by the throat, twisted his hips, and chucked him across the ground. Zantii grinded across the ground, forming a trench in the area he skidded across. He dropped the sword that he held so tightly up until now.
The Merged One walked to the sword and circled it. He squatted down, grabbed it by the hilt, and tried to lift it. But it didn't move.
Zantii stood, his footing seeming unbalanced. He composed himself and headed towards the Merged One. He had an amused look on his face as they attempted to lift the sword.
But then it budged.
It might've only been an inch at first, but the sword certainly moved. The Merged One continued to strain himself and managed to pick the sword further off the ground. With one big groan, he lifted the sword from the ground and over his shoulder.
"Whoa-ho! This thing is heavy!" The Merged One gave an excited shout as he tried to balance the sword over his shoulder, "No wonder this thing is so dangerous!"
"T-That isn't possible. Only a worthy Ranuulan should be able to lift it!" Zantii uttered. His face of bemusement was priceless to Corri.
The Merged One did a weighty swing of the sword, nearly losing his grip on it in the process, "Well, that's not true anymore. How come you're able to lift it when you're so weak?"
He was toying with him, mocking him even. Zantii's face twisted at every word, "Give it here!" Zantii screamed as he reached out for the sword, but a swift kick from the Merged One knocked the King over.
The Merged One took a wide stance and swung the sword over his shoulder, "This sword makes fights boring. Let's get it out of the way!"
With a broad lunge, he threw the sword into the air. It careened overhead before landing with a thud somewhere else in the city. The Merged One placed his hands on his hips, "That's better. Now we can fight for real!"
Zantii rose to his feet and screamed, "How dare you treat me this way! I am a King! The destined ruler of this world! And you are nothing but a-"
The Merged One darted forward and planted his fist in Zantii's face, knocking him into a building that crumbled apart at the impact. The Merged One bellowed, "You're so annoying!"
Zantii burst from the rubble and attacked with a series of quick blows, none of which landed. He only struck air as the Merged One moved at unparalleled speeds. He struck the King once in the side and again under the chin, and Zantii suddenly stopped in place.
The Merged one twisted his hips and drove his elbow into Zantii's chest, and the Ranuulan King fell back with a pained expression. His body twitched as he laid on the ground. He didn't stand back up.
"Did... Did he win?" Temp asked.
The Merged One turned to where Corri and the others were hiding and smirked, the same sort Jirro would give after defeating an opponent.
In that moment, Zantii sprung to action. He reached for the orb hanging from the Merged One's neck and squeezed hard. It cracked, and his body glowed for a moment. Aero and Jirro exploded from the Merged One.
The two boys appeared dazed and looked around to get their bearings.
Zantii rose from the ground with a slumped posture, "I figured out your trick! Your power came from that orb. Without it, you're nothing!"
Aero and Jirro put up their fists as Zantii composed himself.
"How could we be so stupid to let him do that?" Aero cursed himself.
"We!? That was you!" Jirro exasperatedly shouted, "I never would've let my guard down like that!"
"We were merged, Jirro! It's both our faults!" Aero barked back.
Zantii roared and charged at the boys.
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The Lands of Ralosia & Ranuulo (Books 1-3)
FantasyThe Lands of Ralosia and Ranuulo (Book 1-3) (218.5k words) The Lands of Ralosia & Rannulo series takes place in a world with individuals capable of incredible feats of strength, animals of abnormal size, and races of people with distinct anatomy and...