The Elemental Chain Saga Book Three: Phoenix Blaze

Chapter Three: The Black Beast

One month. Everything can change in thirty days.

Breath heaving, he slashed behind himself, his blade dripping black blood. The intricate blade sliced sideways, snapping a steel chain.

Kleekleeklink!

A splintered wooden draw bridge snapped down behind him, closing the beast outside the castle. It roared, the guttural sound ripping into Max's bones.

Blood rolled down his arm, the deep gash making him wince. More red covered his brown eyes, running from just below his medium-length brown hair down the side of his face. His muddy brown robes were ripped and teared, the folds trailing behind him, sweeping across the gray flagstones. His breath came fast, sprinting up the stairs.

One month.

Max swung his body over the small wall, landing at the top of the stairs and sprinting down the hall, another roar exploding to his ears, chilling his blood.

One month.

In one month so much happened. As soon as he left the sixth Entral, the one with the arena, he had found himself in the seventh, a land in the clouds. Harpies had attacked him at every corner, forcing him to always be on guard, always ready. He was even forced to call on the power of the phoenix when a large swarm had attacked him in the Sky Ruins. Finally, he had made it to the Ring.

Rooooooooarghh!!!

The roar resounding off the walls of the hallway. He heard wood shattering, claws tearing. The beast had torn through the gate. Max dashed up another set of stairs, salty sweat mixing with his blood, all flowing down his face in rivulets.

This Entral was the worst by far. This giant beast, black tangled fur, fangs and claws of moon, eyes of bloody agony. As soon as Max had left the Ring, it disappearing behind him, a malicious roar broke the silence of this world and Max had immediately known he was in horrible peril. He had run for his life, but after almost four days, it had finally caught him on the coast, and their fierce battle raged for an hour, finally ending in Max badly wounding the creature, but at the terrible cost of his aura. He hadn't been able to do anything with it, not even sense for the Ring to leave this forsaken place. And after his one day hidden, it had found him once more, their might already clashing once more a mile or so back, ending with Max burning a section of a lively woods to escape it. He feared he had killed many defenseless creatures in the process, even though he had neither saw or heard any this whole time.

He heard it's heavy gait as he felt out at his aura, warmth around his body, noting the upward direction he had to take. He hit a dead end and he cursed and screamed in his head.

Rooooooooarghh!!! Thud!

Max turned to a door as the beast galloped down the adjoining hallway, it's claws slashing across the floor and walls. Max opened the door, a small closet, he slammed it shut, spinning so he faced the window.

Rooooooooarghh!!!

The beast slid around the corner, it's massive body taking up the hallway, it's matted black fur hiding it's eyes. Max yelled, his aura surrounding him, sending a fireball smashing through the window, his body following close behind.

The wind whipped outside, pushing the dark gray clouds quickly across the sky, the gnarled trees far below creaking in the wind, their long branches pushed to the breaking point. Rain splattered against Max's body, washing the blood from his face and down into his robes. His arm screamed with pain, whatever healing it had gone through tearing apart, the warmth rolling down his arm and the rain and wind slapping against his body as he scrambled up the castle wall, pulling his body up and towards the castle tower. Lightning flickered across the sky, thunder bursting behind it as the light from the bolt illuminated a window far above, his only chance of escape.

A cracking bang, the wall under him exploding outwards and a thick, black paw dragging a thick body out of the building. The thing growled, it's thick arms dragging itself upwards, it's massive claws digging into the wall, galloping up the side of the wall and after Max.

Max's fingers slipped across the wet stone face, clutching for hand holds. He pulled his legs upwards, pushing off his feet. The window was now only a few feet above him. He groaned as his arm burst with another jab of pain, and as the storm got worse, the rain and blood filling his vision.

The beast growled, it's paw crashing below him. Max kicked his feet off the wall and dragged himself onto the lip of the sill. His arms were folded under him, his legs dangling over the edge as the rain and wind battered his body.

His aura burst around him as the beast face leered at him, it's maw opening and a bestial roar shattering his eardrums. He shouted, his body erupting in flames, rolling through the window as it melted.

His robe fluttered as his body tumbled downwards, tumbling over himself. The ground rushed to meet him, his arm the first thing to crunch into the floor, followed by the rest of his body weight.

He yelped, immediately knowing it was broken. Blood swelled from the wounds on both his arms as he struggled to his feet, his aura pointing him upwards. Floating above his head high above, the blue light of the Ring shone across the walls of the tower. Max ran at his only way up, taking off up the narrow stairs, freshly wet from the water that splashed through the large window, sending water flooding down the small staircase, threatening to send Max slipping to his death.

Black. Tumbling stone blocks. Matted fur of night leaping forth at him. Max ran through the pain, his bloody legs and broken arms screaming in pain as he took off up the stairs, the large body slamming into the wall behind him, it's roar filling the room with Death's call.

Max stumbled up the steps, his hand sliding across the inner wall as he made his way up the steps, circling around the room, ascending towards freedom. The black-furred monstrosity trotted at his heels, biting at his cloak hems. Max gasped for breath as he reached the top of the steps, standing on a square platform that the Ring sat on, his boots sliding across the wet stone - and his foot slid out over the edge.

The beast slammed into him, sending his body over the side of it. His hand shot out, clinging to the lip of the platform. Max yelled as pain tore into his arm. Black filled his vision and moon white claws sliced across his forearms, red splashing down with water. Another slice, cutting open his chest, ripping easily through the robe.

Max yelled, taking one of his hands from the sill and pushing it upward. Flames, pure red in color, exploded around the beast, punching it to the other end of the platform, it's greasy fur spluttering with fire, only the water keeping it from bursting with red.

The teen dragged himself over the edge, gasping quietly in pain. He had no qualms hurting that thing. He'd kill it if he had the strength, but as it struggled to extinguish itself, Max ran at the Ring, the water rushing against him, the wind hollowing even inside the room.

His boots slogged through the water. The beast roared, the flames gone, leaping after Max as he reached his arm out to the Ring.

"Arma!" His aura twisted around him, the shield forming as a claw raked across it, sparking it. Max felt it give, the aura exploding into fiery shards before the shield could full form, and he fell, his head smacking the flagstone floor, water barely softening the impact.

He was knocked unconscious.
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DragonDog1: Whew, even I felt caught up in that. Sorry if there are a lot of grammatical errors, I wrote this chapter really fast because I had to get all my ideas out into words very quickly. Sorry if the ending is kind of abrupt, but, watcha gonna do? If you enjoyed, please comment and vote because your opinions matter to me greatly. Thank you!