Legend of Parocaav II: Against the Darkness (rough draft)

Chapter XVI: Wrath of Vortex

Drayk continuously shoots fireballs at the Wind Mage, but they are all deflected by blasts of wind. Frustrated, Drayk flicks his wrist and the air around Yle explodes. The blast shoots him back several feet.

"You Fire Mages sure tick me off. I hate being burned," Yle tells him, "You will die at my hand!"

Yle moves his hands about in all directions around him. His body starts to glow with a neon green aura and the winds surrounding the area picks up. Rocks and trees are picked up off the ground and fly amongst the winds. As Yle keeps moving his hands, the wind speeds keep accelerating. Drayk's flesh starts to tear from the now razor like wind. He quickly places both hands on the dirt below his feet. The area glows golden yellow and a circular rock wall shoots up around him.

Yle laughs and starts to chant an ancient dialect of Wind. The winds howl as they rip through the rock wall. It crumbles down to the ground, leaving Drayk vulnerable. He tries dodging the winds, but gets slashed over and over. Blood splatters on the ground below, leaving a drip trail path of his movements. Suddenly, Drayk's body starts to glow with a dark blue and white aura. Forgotten visions of the cosmos come to his mind, and his aura glows brighter. The winds no longer cut at his skin, rather they ricochet off.

"That Ultimate Magic of yours is rather annoying, Bringer of Hope," Yle sighs, "Your power cannot uphold to that of Vortex!"

"Try your best, Yle. You stand little chance of beating me. I hold the power Lady Parocaav once used herself," Drayk laughs, "I'm just getting warmed up."

"As am I!" Yle shouts, "Prepare yourself!"

Yle lifts his hands high above his head, then slams them all the way down to the soft dirt below him. The air above Drayk starts to get heavy, growing heavier and denser. Soon, he cannot hold the weight and drops to his knees. Drayk's arms are locked at his sides, unable to lift them. Helpless to use magic, Drayk lets himself drop to his palms. He manages to draw a tiny alchemic circle with his fingertip, and touches it. Sharp rocks shoot up through Yle's feet, making him break his trance. Once able, Drayk blasts the old mage with a stream of fire, burning the man's robes.

Yle yells with anger and loudly chants in an ancient tongue. A spiral of wind encloses around Drayk, trapping him. Again he finds himself unable to move. Yle raises his right hand, which also raises Drayk up off the ground. Now, he cannot even use his feet to use alchemy. Yle makes a spear out of wind using a gesture with his left hand. He spins it around his body before throwing it at Drayk. It pierces through his shoulder, drawing more blood. He groans in pain as the blood runs down his arm, dripping from his fingers and getting caught in the windy vortex.

"You, like so many before you, have underestimated the power of Wind," Yle tells him in a calm tone, "Even your Ultimate Magic is not enough. How did you ever defeat Lord Xivaac? It's beyond me."

"You underestimate me Yle. I am not as weak as you may believe," Drayk says mockingly, "I will never misjudge the power of Wind either. Roku has shown me that."

"Big talk. You reminded me I have the pleasure of killing more than just you, Drayk. Roku and your sister will be next. It was rather foolish to agree to fight me by yourself."

"Indeed it was!" Roku shouts as she lands next to Drayk, "I cannot stand by and watch this anymore. This is my fight Drayk, and I'm tagging in. It's my turn to defend you."

"Don't be stupid girl. You will not do any better," Yle laughs maniacally.

"You're wrong. I was practically raised by Master Crito. I know you were his first pupil. I have been watching your fighting style, and it is no different than what he used," Roku explains, "I adapted his techniques into my own. Once I figured out his motions, I could counter them. Crito would hate to admit, but he never won against me after that. I will defeat you Yle, and I will tear you apart with the very blade he crafted."

"Even you are not realizing the power of Vortex. The technique may be the same, but the shear power is incomparable!" Yle laughs again, "See for yourself!"

Yle releases Drayk and throws him aside. He hits the ground and bounces against a fallen tree. Sammi runs over to his side to watch over him. She draws an alchemic circle into the dirt to raise a metallic barrier. With them secluded, Roku draws her twin blades from the crossed sheathes on her back. She spins them around with her hands, generating winds from them. She slashes in Yle's direction, sending wind arches shooting at him. Just as Yle moves out of the way, he gets blasted with a few more. He desperately starts moving around, using winds of his own to help parry her attacks.

"You do fight with the heart of Wind Mage, Roku," Yle says with a smile, "This is going to be fun."

Roku's face goes blank from any expression. She begins to concentrate on the sparring sessions she had done with Master Crito. Memories of the adaptations she had to make to his teachings to outwit them. She can't help but think back to the time she spent with Leon under his teachings as well. Certain words are lingering in her mind: 'Even the all knowing, do not know all. That is the very weakness of all traditional magics.' These words never held meaning to her until this point.

"I am a Ragnarok Mage, Yle. I will destroy you and the limited mind you possess," Roku speaks softly, "Wind Magic is not all powerful, even the power of Vortex is limited. Your closed mindedness will be your downfall."

"You talk tough Roku, considering Drayk has won most of the battles. You tend to fall back. Well, he cannot defeat me. What makes you think you can?" Yle asks with sarcasm in his voice.

"There's one thing no one knows about me, except for Master Crito. I have a bit of a temper, especially when those dear to me are in danger. I couldn't save Leon or Crito. But I will stop at nothing to keep Drayk alive! I cannot and will not lose him too!"

Yle rides the winds beneath his feet up into the air. He moves his arms downwards, sending a spiral of wind at her like a beam. Roku jumps out of the way just in time. The wind carves several feet into the ground. Yle shoots another, and another, keeping Roku in a defensive state. Powerful winds bombard the earth below, blasting small craters into the rock and dirt. Roku does a backflip to avoid another strike. As soon as her feet touch the ground, she counters with a strong upward wind. Yle gets pushed off of the wind he is surfing, sending him back towards the planet.

Yle spins in the air as he falls and lands upright on his feet. The instant he lands, he claps his hands together. Winds from both sides of Roku clash together, slamming her with immense force. Her breath is knocked right out of her as she gasps for air. Yle starts to spin his hands around in front of him in a small circle. A rapid spinning tornado shoots up around Roku. It spins so fast it makes a small vacuum enclosed around her. Roku cannot catch her breath and starts gasping even harder.

She curls up into a ball and quickly pushes her limbs out in scattered directions. A circular wind explosion breaks the tornado off of her. Roku drops to her knees, finally able to catch her breath. Her eyes never lose sight of the old mage, watching and waiting for his next move. The confidence she holds is slipping away from her and finds herself over evaluating the situation. She takes a deep breath, but the anger is building up inside her. Winds circle around her, lifting her red hair slightly. Her body begins to glow with a soft golden aura and her eyes a light up bright white.

"What is this power I'm sensing?" Yle inquires with slight panic in his voice.

"Crito used to call it a rage that cannot be extinguished. I.... will not remember what's about to happen," Roku says breathing heavily, "So I'll say goodbye now. Farewell, Yle."