The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016

Chapter 19 - Burning Bush (Part 1)

Amadeus let out a blood curling roar, one which he never thought he was capable of. Immediately, he felt the Lighvel drain of all its power. The power siphoned into every corner of his body, filling his entire being with overwhelming energy. It strongly contrasted against how weak he had felt only seconds ago. A shockwave pushed outwards from him, sending a bright flash and sparks flying in all directions. Lightning engulfed Gene, Lockheed and Willie and they screamed in horror as their bodies were tossed backwards by the incredible force of the shockwave.

No time to waste. Amadeus pushed off on his front foot and his body surged forwards towards Izumi. He moved along the landscape at an impossible speed, and looked like a blur of light to the naked eye. For once in his life, Amadeus felt free. His movements were fluid, and effortless. Am I flying? He asked himself as he floated past the fiery pit. Reaching out for Izumi, he pulled her close and cradled her in his arms. Simultaneously, he kicked off the walls of the island and landed swiftly on the other side of the pit. Laying her gently onto the ground, he took a frost dagger from her belt and severed her bonds in a single stroke.

*******

Izumi rubbed her sore wrists and immediately reached for the icicles on her belt. Amadeus gently put a hand over hers, causing her to pause and turn her gaze towards him. "Be careful," he said with a smile while looking into her deep blue eyes. Izumi bit her lower lip, and nodded back at him. She glanced over to Gene, Lockheed and Willie, and found Gene and Lockheed slowly getting back to their feet. Willie, who had taken the brunt of the shockwave, remained unconscious on the ground.

Good, one less Noble to worry about. If it's only the two of them, I should be able to manage. Having trained for many years for situations such as this, Izumi was confident that the odds of this fight were in her favor. She would help keep these two Noble's busy while Amadeus fought off the crazy one that couldn't stop talking. Eager to end this quickly, she drew two icicles and sprinted in Gene's direction.

*******

Behind Izumi, Amadeus turned his attention towards Waldo, who had already started chanting, causing flame licks to run up his arm. The licks swirled and gathered at his fingertips, forming the outline of a spear. As he continued to chant, his face became contorted and his nostrils flared up in rage.

The moment the flame spear took shape, he hurled it towards Amadeus who side stepped it with ease. It pierced the ground and blew up, showering the immediate area with fiery droplets. He's angry, but so am I, thought Amadeus to himself as he felt all the fear he used to have melt away, only to be replaced by a controlled anger. He tightened his grip on the frost dagger and rushed towards Waldo.

*******

On the other end of the clearing, Izumi tightened her grip on her icicles. "Ichi No Ta'me!" she cried as she launched an icicle at Gene. The icicle whizzed harmless past as Gene disappeared, teleporting feet away from her. Immediately, Gene reached out his hand to launch his counter-attack.

What is he up to? Izumi wondered as she felt the snow beneath her feet vibrate ever so slightly. Nice try, but I can feel the vibration from the energy of your spell charging the ground around me. I don't need to see it to dodge it. Her muscles tensed, preparing to move out of harm's way quickly. The ground beneath her shifted violently, and would normally have caused her to lose her footing. However, Izumi was ready. Rising up, large fingers forming a stony hand erupted upwards from the ground and closed in on Izumi, trying to trap her in its grasp. Anticipating this, Izumi quickly back flipped out of its grasp and countered with another icicle aimed at Gene's throat while in mid-air.