Tomes of Nevermore: Shattering Light

Chapter Eleven: The Students of Omi Hall

Ty came rushing at Omi scraping the five long swords at the ends of his fingers against the ground, leaving a trail of flames dancing behind him as he ran. Omi was shielded behind a thick layer of bright emerald animus that he had formed in the shape of a knight holding a massive shield, standing nearly twenty feet tall. Ty's one hand slammed into the outside of the armor leaving five deep and flaming claw marks on the outside.
"The higher ground always wins." Omi said flicking Ty away with his giant knight's hand mad. Slowly the animus began to close up the five claw marks Ty had left in the armor.
Alister, saying nothing leapt up into the air as his legs turned into a wispy ghost tail and a red animus radiated off of his hands as he prepared to throw his spear made of lightning,
"Too slow." Omi said as he swatted at Alister like a fly. "Don't forget even your ghost powers cannot phase through animus without someone's permission."
Tarah was standing back watching the boys get thrown around. For a second Tarah thought that she'd managed to go completely undetected by Omi, but after about the twelfth time Alister and Ty were thrown back like sacks of discarded meat Omi raised his sword of green energy and slammed it down nearly crushing Tarah as she leapt out of the way in the nick of time.
Dust and rocks came flying up into Tarah's face as she leapt back, propelled by her grav shoes. But Omi was waiting for this. Omi pretended as though Alister and Ty were not even attacking him and instead turned his sights on Tarah, smashing everywhere she landed with his giant sword made of animus.
Blow after blow Omi smashed at Tarah who just continued to leap further and further back. "He's trying to back me into a corner." Tarah realized before it was almost too late. "It's time to stand my ground."
Tarah raised both of her arms up in the air. "Focus." She told herself taking a deep slow breathe as Omi's animus sword hand came smashing down above her head. Wisps of purple energy rose up from the ground and began to wrap around the giant green energy of Omi's knight.
"I'm holding him!" Tarah shouted as the knights arm was ripped back by the half formed wisps of purple light she'd manifested with her animus. Both of the giant knights arms were ripped back. Beads of sweat formed on Tarah's brow. "This is your only chance to attack! Hurry I can't hold him for long!"
"Ho hum!" Omi shouted as he tried to force his knight's arm free of Tarah's animus. "The girls a tactician! What a wonderful team I have made."
"Don't tell me what to do Tarah!" Ty shouted laughing as he leapt up slamming down the five sword fingers at the ends of his long bony hand scraping deep into the first layer of Omi's animus knight. "This is so awesome!"
Alister was flying around above Omi's knight going completely undetected. Or at least he was until he began flying around the knight with the bolt of lightning from his spear striking the outside of the armor. Cracks stretched around the outside of the knight.
"See?" Omi said laughing hysterically as his giant knight avatar broke apart around him. "Isn't working together better than trying to beat each other to death?"
Alister and Ty both smiled continuing to mash their attacks trying to break through the armor.
"Very well." Omi said as the armor of the knight began to vanish leaving only a giant skeletal figure in it's place, thus freeing the now skeletal animus knight from the purple strands of Tarah's Animus.
The skeleton's giant hands stretched out around Alister as he flew around the skull of the knight. The hands both closed in ready to crush Alister beneath their strength. At the very last instant Tarah used her animus and blanketed it around Alister to shield him being crushed.
Without the armor protecting the knight the skeletal insides were taking a great deal of damage as flaming claw marks cut deeper and deeper into the bones made of animus wrapped around Omi's body. The skeleton form began to slowly fade as Alister raised his spear up the sky and lightning ran down from a cloud through him. Screaming at the top of his lungs, a red animus formed around both of his hands.
"Very good." Omi said as the lightning spear came racing down in trail of white electricity. The ground exploded and Ty was sent tumbling back falling apart as Tarah blanketed herself in her animus to protect from blast as even more of the ground was ripped apart.
A cloud of black smoke billowed up from the ground where the lightning struck. "Did he really kill Omi?" Tarah thought.
"Very, very, good." Omi said appearing at the top of the steps with his arms crossed behind his back. "I must say honestly I am impressed with where we all stand skill wise. Alister, very good show, but you need to learn to manifest your animus for more than just to help you throw your spear. Tywin, you need to use your animus in the first place and do more than just run in hacking and slashing. The ability to not be killed is an extremely great one, but if you just run in with ten blades swinging every which way you will never hit anything, choose your attacks very carefully. Tarah you need to stop holding back. You have a lot of power that you can channel through you. You are very aware of combat, very observant, trust your gut. It is your gut after all. Who else's gut can you trust if not your own?"
"I think I did great!" Ty shouted as he sat down and crossed his legs on the steps.
"You did do great. But there is always room for improvement. Even I still take time out of everyday to try and harness my skills." Omi said. "Tywin, Tarah, please take a knee. Alister please go and retrieve our mechmount. It is almost time that we made our leave from this place."
Alister shrugged his shoulders and turned toward Tarah. "Thank you for helping me." He said giving her an icy cold stare as he flew off. "But I don't need anyone's protection."
"What a jerk." Ty said as Alister walked away.
"I think he's just sad." Tarah said. "Besides you get mad when I need your help too. Besides can you blame him for not liking us? You did try and kill him this morning."
"Why are you defending him?" Ty said in curious tone practically able to read his sister's thoughts.
"I'm not." Tarah said blushing. "I'm just... He doesn't seem like such a bad guy."
"Obviously you're a very bad judge of character." Ty said. "I mean really the dudes possessed you can't trust that."
"Say the skeletal boy with flaming sword hands." Tarah said.
"Please shut up and bow your heads before me." Omi said ignoring the fact that they were talking. Tarah and Ty knelt down three steps below where Omi stood.
Tarah and Ty shared a smile with each other and then bowed their heads. "Yes, Master Omi." They both said.
"Master." Omi said with a smile. "It warms my old heart to know that I may be able to still help the future of this world. Through the two of you and Alister I will become immortal. To you I vow to pass on everything that I can teach you until the day that I die or you are all officially made knights. Is that understood. Very good now repeat after me and do not say anything that you do not truly believe. This is an oath before the gods and men alike. It cannot be broken. Is that understood?"
"Yes." Ty said.
"Yes." Tarah said, putting a lot more thought into her words than her brother.
"By these words," Omi said.
"By these words," Tarah and Ty repeated.
"I vow to protect truth, justice, and the laws of gods and men alike." Omi said.
"I vow to protect truth, justice, and the laws of gods and men alike." They both said.
"Until my weapon is broken, until fire does not burn, until water is no longer wet, until the light has been forever extinguished from this world," Omi said.
"Until my weapon is broken, until fire does not burn, until water is no longer wet, until the light has been forever extinguished from the world," They both said.
"I vow to stand for what is righteous and true no matter how or where this life shall take me. For this day, and everyday to come. I vow to learn and to grow to better this world. I vow to protect the weak and always defend what is truly right in my heart." Omi said.
"I vow to stand for what is righteous and true no matter how or where this life shall take me. For this day, and everyday to come. I vow to learn and to grow to better the world. I vow to defend the weak and to always defend what is truly right in my heart." They both said.
"I vow to squire until the day I am made a knight, until my life is at its end or until my duty is at its end." Omi said.
"I vow to squire until the day I am made a knight, until my life is at its end, or until my duty is at its end." They both said.
"Rise then." Omi said as he clicked a button on his wooden cane and pulled out a long this silver blade. He placed his blade on Tarah's shoulder. "I, Sir Omi Hall Knight of Heroes dub the Tarah Weird Squire of Wisdon and Tactics. May your title guide you through the trials of life." Omi placed his thin blade on Ty's shoulder. "And I do hereby dub the Tywin Weird Squire of Skull and Bones. These shall be your names and titles until such time as you are knighted. Otherwise they shall remain with you until time has finally reached its end."
"Squire of Skull and Bones." Ty said looking down at his skeletal hand and sword fingers. "It has a nice ring to it might need a change by the time I make knight."
"Squire of Wisdom and Tactics." Tarah thought. "I hope that I can live up to that."