Tarragon

Chapter Thirty: The Swordsmith

-Mantis

Taking the opportunity to strike, I did. I launched a bolt of lightning into the assassin's back, and they tumbled over. They immediately got their feet, however, and did something unexpected-

They took off their mask. Their face was wrapped in countless bandages, and only a single pale gray eye was visible. Their head snapped to a diagonal angle, before leaping towards me.

I drew a solidified blade of lightning, and withstood a strike from their sword diagonally. They pushed down my blade, moving closer to the hilt, until I backed off, blocking a hit from the assassin.

(Writer's note: Graphic scenes following, be warned. Sintam's Legacy vibes if you will.)

-The Swordsmith

Strike, now. The boy is off balance.

I obliged to it, going for a diagonal attack against him. He blocked with his sword, pushing my attack away.

Sweep his legs, then behead him. Aim for the Achilles tendon.

I crouched down, trying to strike his ankles with my blade, all in one swift motion. He backflipped, and swung at my head with his blade. I leaned backwards, and the blade grazed just barely over my head.

JUST KILL HIM ALREADY! I'M GETTING TIRED OF THIS!

I saw an opening, and grabbed his shirt with one hand. He swept up his blade, and in one swift movement, cleaved my left arm right off.

Ignore your wound. You still have the advantage.

I was too tired to care about self-preservation at this point, going in for an attack one-handed. Before he could react, I struck in a sweeping manner with my sword, at his shoulder.

Impressive. Kill him, now.

I struck him in the neck with my sword. Almost.

-Mantis

How, no how, HOW-

The assassin swept its blade at me. A cold sensation flooded my body, as I anticipated my immediate execution. It felt like time stuttered, and for a brief moment, I almost accepted my death.

Two hundred years. I'm not dying that easily.

I pulled together every bit of Energy I could, and united the heavens and earth with a deafening bolt of lightning. My ears rang, and I didn't know how I had used my magic, but that didn't matter right now.

The assassin staggered backwards from the sheer impact of the lightning, before fleeing the scene.

I thought back to a story. Hundreds of years ago, there was a man. He felled a vine dragon, and bound its arm to his own body. It worked well.

Now, what if the same thing could be done with my own arm?

My hands shaking, I lifted it from the snow, trying not to look at it. I positioned it where it had been detached, and began connecting it all, step by step.

A few minutes passed, and my arm felt foreign, but it was back on my body. It still hurt a lot, of course, from being detached.

-Net

I didn't realize how terrifying it was to be chased by a Titan until he was barreling through the air at a hundred-fifteen miles per hour, breathing scorching blue flames at me.

I glanced back at him, staring into his eyes for a split-second. They were tinted orange- I felt something stir, like I had seen, or felt that before.