Dypes The Soul Keeper. (2)

Chapter 24: Ground Shaking.

The floorboards of the great hall had been worn down by generations of mage walking through it. The great hall was a place the mage had lunch, made meetings or simply just gathered around to chat. Right now it was the place of a historic battle and a battle only one person would be able to tell. Forever who won there would only be one victor and one story teller. The glass in the hall was cracked and the great chair at the end of the room was growing larger and larger as the minutes passed, absorbing all the mana in the air and turning it into energy to grow the tree chair. The blood on Coext head was dry and the wound he recieved from Newt all but healed. His arm still dull and the burn mark on his hand slowed down his reactions ever so slightly. Sweat covered his brow and a smirk crossed his face. Holding his sword in his left hand he twirled around the hall avoiding lightning, fire and ice as they came flying out the four mana hands Tate had created. As Coext dodged his way through the hall every now and then we would glimpse Tate’s old eyes underneath the raven mana helmet. Coext wanted to approach Tate but he couldn’t the fact he had four extra arms made from mana and capable of independent movement made it impossible.

Tate stood still while his new hands fired out blasts of magic all aimed at Coext. He didn’t chant he didn’t need to; Tate had achieved a skill with magic so great lesser skills didn’t need to be spoken. As he stood watching Coext swipe through a fireball and cartwheel away from a bolt of lightning, he formed mana in his two real hands, just in the centre of his chest a blue ball began to form twirling with energy. Clenching his hands he pushed forward firing the mana ball straight at Coext.

Watching the ball zoom towards him Coext did the only thing he could, throwing his sword straight at the mana, on contact a great explosion erupted out and moved towards both parties. Tate clenched wrapping his hands around his body while Coext slammed his feet into the ground striking it up to make a wall. The explosion sizzled and burned all exposed to the outward force. Tate was left with burns across his legs and some of his chest steamed. Coext got most of his face charred and burned beyond belief. He screamed out in agony as the flesh baked and melted off his body.

“I do not wish you agony friend, but I need you to be stopped.” Tate said as his four hands shifted and twisted around Tate to form large bulk blue armour around his body.

Leaving no time and still screaming Tate ran forward picking up his sword from the centre of the explosion and charged forward stabbing at Tate. Swiping left and right Coext did everything in his power to cut through the mana armour, Tate used the ever changing mana to form small shields on places Coext strike. Tate knew full well he was never going to dodge Coext’s swings he needed to block them and wear him down.

No openings anywhere for Tate to cast a spell as all his concentration was on blocking the god like speed off the sword saint.

“This game of cat and mouse is getting boring!” shouted Coext as he smashed his sword down onto a mana shield protected Tate’s shoulder.

Tate punched forward trying to connect with Coext but was met with a counter and was thrown back onto his back. A moment of weakness in Tate, Coext pounced stabbing his sword down onto the leg on Tate. A scream echoed out the raven mask and pointing his finger at Coext, Tate spoke. “Bang!”

Coext could feel hollowness like air was going through him yet it wasn’t quite right, then the pain followed. He looked down at his chest and noticed a hole about the size of a finger in his left shoulder. Blood exploded out and Coext jumped back, his arm now limp and useless he looked at Tate crawl his way up to his feet, His mana that surrounded him all gone only his helmet remained.

“I missed, I was aiming for your heart but you staggered me with the stab to the foot.” Spat Tate as Coext watched blood spill from under his helmet.

Blood rushing out his shoulder and great burns moving across his face Coext just spat in response.

“The next move will be the last I am afraid old friend.” Smashing his hands together the room went cold and the ever growing tree stopped growing and began to wither. Coext could sense the manas go into Tate’s body and he watched as the body started to grow older and older as the seconds passed. Whatever he was doing he needed to stop it rushing forward at his fastest Coext swiped for Tate’s head and he struck with full force. The room burst with mana once more and Coext stood huffing and spitting blood as he watched Tate’s head roll on the ground.

“I win… old friend.” Coext said as he stabbed his sword into the ground. “Don’t worry I will bury you with a monument, If I wasn’t in this body I would be dead.”

He watched Tate’s body hit the ground and the mana on the dead slowly drain and move into the air. Coext watched to see his old friend’s real face under the helmet an old man with sad eyes looked back at the king. “Rest in peace.”

“I plan to.”

Coext tried to grab his sword but was gripped by a strong force, it was Tate, his arms were gripping Coext’s chest with intense strength and a great burning overwhelmed Coext. Looking down in panic he watched the body disappear into steam and the head soon followed.

“Illusion!” spat Coext as he gasped for air.

“My last, we die together!” shouted Tate.

The mana once again was forming inside Tate and his body began to glow blue and his eyes shown bright white as did his mouth.

“Suicide you coward!” Coext spat out as he struggled to get loose of Tate’s grip.

“Farewell!”

A great silence overtook the knights as they ran through the empty city of Gord everyone couldn’t help but stare at the great tower in the centre of the city. They watched in horror as a great blue bubble exploded out of the tower erasing it from existence. Knights gasped at what they were witnessing then gasps turned to screams as the wave grew bigger and bigger and moved closer and closer to all the walls of Gord. Everyone ran to try and escape not everyone was lucky all who were caught died and turned to dust, alongside the buildings and anything that was within range of the explosion. Knights ran through the only two openings of the city to escape, the main gate and the hole at the side of the wall. The knights at the over side of the wall watched as friends died  and the blue bubble growing ever closer, then as it reached the white wall it stopped and just disappeared, leaving behind nothing it its path but perfectly flat ground, no buildings no rocks. Just a flat plain of nothing was left. People looked in horror at the damage the great white walls of Gord now protected nothing. The battle was over but who had won?