Fool of Knight 1: Strength

Chapter 12

The ground continued to shake.

"Why did I see that?!" My left arm popped free of the clay as I heaved forward, unable to proceed further. I raised it as far as it allowed me.

Four swipes widely split the ground, causing the clay and water around me to blow away in a whirlwind of cool air.

I turned to my side, huffing the mixed water from my lungs. "She found me?!" I wiped my eyes to Zelle standing over me.

Her sword swiftly circled us, making a barrier that partially deflected the rain.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me out.

"Don't jump 'straight up' Fool, use the trees," she yelled, pointing her thumb to the left.

I shifted my attention to her blades marvelous defense. "How is she doing that?"

"Run up the tree trunk first, 'then' jump!" She waved her hand, turning my attention to the left before pointing her finger.

The elephants screeched, hitting my eardrum harder than before.

She cupped her soft, cold hands to my ear again. "Do the same thing but with more energy, you 'gotta' go higher than that, I'll take you to the tree when we're ready!"

"Ready for what?!"

Zelle pointed to the eye of the storm.

"Can 'she' even jump that high?" I looked towards the sky, doing my best to break past the rain.

A white light illuminated from the center of its cloud miles above. Its three trunks swooped down, cloaked by the thick rain. Another harsh screech pierced my ears as Zelle's sword continued to spin around us, slicing into the elephant's limbs as they came.

I looked over to Zelle as she pressed her hands to her ears to block the sound.

"It affects her too..."

"You ready," she screamed, closing one of her eyes.

I took a breath, repeating the process of storing energy and feeding in more. Maneuvering my index finger to my thumb, I looped the energy, allowing it to remain in my network as I channeled. "Is this enough... or..."

Catching her blade, Zelle spun in the air, using the momentum to hurl it back out. The force shifted the rain into a spiral as it flew away, releasing the protective barrier.

Zelle waved me to follow, immediately vanishing into the rain.

The elephant's large trunk fell next to me, completely severed as it shrieked loud enough to overcome the entirety of the rains pour again.

My body vibrated as I shifted it to my legs. "Can I hold it all while running?"

The severed trunk burst into a frenzy of raw expanding meat fluttering on the ground.

"Come on!" Zelle grabbed my arm, dragging me behind her as I clambered to regain my footing.

She pointed towards the sky, catching her blade, and running us up a nearby tree.

"How did she see this?!"

I pattered my feet up its wet ashy surface, swiftly scaling the tree's massive trunk.

Signaling me to run higher, she stopped and jumped into the shroud of rain.

"How do I know when to jump?!"

Everything flashed in a mystifying shade of turquoise, followed by another screech.

"Now?"

In another flash, a turquoise wave of energy came from below, slicing through the tree. Kicking off, I jumped up, looking down on the massive creature as it stumbled backwards.

Her blade illuminating through the rain.

Catching it she turned her whole body turned as she swung, creating another wave of energy that sliced completely through the elephant's leg. Stabbing her sword into the severed leg she kicked off, pushing it away as she fell.

The clouds plummeted towards me, revealing its streams of translucent energy leaking from its bright center.

"This is it!" I reached for towards the clouds, ready to claim my salvation.

My body abruptly halted as a long barb skewered my chest.

"What just..." I helplessly struggled, screaming as it pulled me down. The vivid memories of its jaws plagued me into submission. "It's really not possible... How are we gonna do this?!"

Zelle swooped in from below, slicing its trunk off and using it to pull me closer. She chuckled into a smirk. "Keep advancing, don't think about what you 'can' and can't do!" Extending her arm, she slid me off. "Just keep advancing!" Her eyes illuminated with a bright blue flare as she grabbed my right arm, launching me back up.

The air in the dark cloud shook as I passed through its florescent eye.

"We... did it!" My face hurt from the strain of my smile. "We're really gonna make it out..." I felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

Thick liquid inside the cloud swallowed me into a warm current.

"This is really it...," I thought, holding my breath as I ascended higher. Water clouded my vision. "Where do I go when I get there... What if Troy's there... What do I do if he's not... what do I do if he is..."

The water turned ice cold , forcing my body to seize. I couldn't tell if my ears rang, or another screech sounded as everything went black.

"Am I drowning again?!"

#

The moon hovered brightly above us. Bathing the grassy meadow in a majestic ray of light.

I scanned the area. "Where am I now," I muttered.

Thick green trees surrounded us.

"My dear", she murmured, caressing my face with her velvet palm. "To explain an answer that can satisfy your comprehension would cause you to crumble into yourself."

The moonlight gleamed off her chestnut brown skin.

"Who is she... and why-"

Warm wind brushed past my ears as I knelt, stunned by the thick atmosphere of aura radiating from her.

"Those eyes..." My heart burst into a flurry of palpitations. "She's"

Her cold maroon eyes sparkled more than the night sky, trapping me in an enchantment.

Pretty misleading right," Zelle's voice echoed in my head.

"Why am I..." My neck strained as I took a dry gulp. "W-what," I replied. "So scared?!"

She curved her plump lips into a smile.

I took a deep breath, channeling energy in through every inch of my body. "I need to run!"

"Still," she commanded. Her words cut through the air, making a translucent stream that dispersed around my body.

My heart skipped, sending a chill down my spine, and knotting my stomach as the word echoed.

"*Still*"

#