Rise From the Ashes

Chapter Fifteen: The Mysterious Swordsman

(NARRATED BY TRAVIS GUILDER)

We ventured down a lonely street illuminated only by the crescent moon's light. It would've been helpful if Lieutenant Sairo had given us directions beforehand. Cameron led the way, but I was sure that he, like the rest of us, had no idea where he was going.

"Cameron, I hope for our sake you are not leading us astray," Senti told him. "I confess, I am becoming frustrated with your current performance as leader."

"I second this," chimed Lamerio. "It is much too dangerous to be wandering aimlessly."

"If you two royal pains don't shut your traps, I'm going to beat the refinement out of your speech!" Cameron snapped.

"Behold. Witness the wrath of Cameron Setler," I muttered dryly. "He will make your diction... not good."

He pointed at the intersection ahead of us. "Turn left here. I think I see it now."

"Well, would you look at that," said Levi, gazing at the tall structure. "We finally made it!"

But, right as we entered the clearing around the clock tower, things began to climb their way out of the ground, while another appeared amidst a burst of flames. They all wore maroon cloaks with hoods that hid everything except the eerie red glow of their eyes. The figure that had appeared out of fire, on the other hand, was wearing a ruby red cloak with golden hemming. His voice sounded surprisingly human.

"Attack them," he said, pointing at us.

"Levi, Elli, Senti, you're all unarmed! Get out of here!" Cameron commanded. "We'll take care of this!"

"What was the point of us even coming?" Levi groaned.

"Just go!"

With only a little hesitation, the three of them quickly fled while Cameron, Sarah, Lamerio and I stayed behind to fight. I assumed this was going to be another difficult fight, but as I swung at the first Fire Eyes and he tried to block my attack, my sword cut right through his blade and body, turning him into a pile of ash. So, I went around slashing every Fire Eyes I encountered as though I were cutting through air, while Sarah operated with the same luck. Cameron and Lamerio, on the other hand, had to fight the hard way. And as I glanced over at Cameron, I spotted the Fire Eyes with the ruby red cloak sneaking up behind him while he was busy fighting another.

Recognizing that I had to act fast, I sprinted at the Fire Eyes swiftly but stealthily. However, when I raised my blade to kill it, he turned and blocked my attack in a flash. I was pretty surprised that my sword didn't cut through his like the rest. Cameron glanced over his shoulder for a brief moment, and then went back to fighting.

"Young hero, did you really think it would be that simple?" spoke the Fire Eyes, still pressing his blade against mine. "You thought your ancestor's weak blessing would work against me? Ha! Surely, he cannot do everything for you, can he? You must learn to fight on your own!"

My eyes drifted to his hands, which were human. And then I noticed the blade....

"Is that diamond?" I asked.

"Indeed," he confirmed. "Many know this weapon by the name, 'Ruby.'"

My jaw dropped. "You mean Aridus' sword?"

Pulling his blade away from mine, the Fire Eyes took a few steps back. "Prepare yourself," he said, then struck at me with such speed that I barely caught the blow. Shoving his blade off mine, I took a jab at him in return, but he curved his body out of harm's way with surprising speed and flexibility, taking a stab at my side. I hopped out of the way and made a hasty swing at his legs, but he parried my attack with ease. Then, he made a vertical slice at my head, swinging so hard that it sent tremors up and down the metal of my blade when I blocked it. Aided by a surge of adrenaline, I forced the Fire Eyes off me and made a stab at him with so much power that I figured there was no way he'd survive.