Academy of Elements: Earth

Chapter 44: Blood & Bone, Bloom & Blossom

Ice hits Adornaz from the back and he trips forward, the knife landing on the ground. Aira sweeps her hand up and Adornaz is knocked backwards. He halts midair, his staff glowing as he twists his hand. Fire soars from the gem as it shines with release. 

The Death Hunters swarm the hub as fire roars along the walls. A sword narrowly misses me and I bring my Aszor down upon it. Pushing the blade down I slam my head into the face of a short man. He trips back and I slash up with the Aszor. The blade slashes through his arm, cutting through bone. I roar in furry as I send a powerful blast of ice at him, ending his life.

Twirling around I switch the Aszor button and funnel my power into it again, shifting the sword into a smooth axe. I flick the button as it hooks onto a sword and I pull it from a tall, blond-haired lady. She goes to punch me and I duck, ramming my elbow into her stomach. She falls to the ground and I send a slash of ice across her neck.

I hear the gun click and jump as a gun fires. Bullets sting the air where I once stood, and as I raise a wall of ice to protect myself I risk a glance at Ella.

She twirls through the battlefield, her fire whips cutting through flesh and searing skin. I shatter the wall of ice and send the shards towards the gun user as Ella's whip wraps around a man's throat melting through flesh.

I don't wait to see how the man dies as fire flies towards me. I shield a blow, turning and jumping to amplify my momentum. The ice axe sinks into the man's thick forearm and he screams dropping his shield. I kick his side and push the blade further into his arm. Pulling it out I shift it into a sword and it sinks through his chest. I watch as blood blooms from the deadly wound, his black armour now wet.

Throwing my hand towards a Death Hunter a dagger of ice traces the movement sinking into the soldier's shoulder. I run as I dissolve the ice. Sliding under his swinging mace. I stop myself with the support of ice and the butt end of my sword hits the back of his head. He collapses.

Water engulfs six Hunters and I watch as Denen extends his arm, lightning crackling through the air. The men's hair is burned off as their bodies go limp, life draining from them. Lightning crackles through the area, and as Denen sharply pushes his hand forward lightning hits the ten people in front of him. A low rumble follows in result of the speed of the power. Aira faces Adornaz with Haley, the two best friends working together perfectly. Aira jumps over Haley's back and lands quietly as metal curls around Adornaz's ankles.

I have to look away from the fighting as I hear a scream. And there is Nora. A blizzard of blood and furry.

Men go down around the small yet powerful girl, blood now mist around. She jumps up kicking a man in the face. Pushing with her right arm from a block of suspended ice she twists behind a man and sinks her backwards held dagger through him. She lunges and the dagger swipes into a man twice her sides stomach. She doesn't seem to care about the blood and mess as his intestines are cut open and gore pores from him.

 Another wave of Death Hunters. I duck as a man with elongated canines swipes at me. Werewolf or Vampire. His skin rips apart as his nails elongate and cut through my shirt. The sting tells me the wound isn't deep, as I fall back sending a shock wave of ice to push back the weaker Death Hunters the man growls at me.

His neck cracks as his mouth elongate, the top of his head pushing back. His back legs twist and break, his arms shaking. The only thing he wears, dark cargo pants melt away revealing his nakedness as he shifts, the metal leg bracelet around his leg staying in wolf form.

I recognize it as a Tere, a band that sensed when Magic Essence levels raised in a werewolf that melted their clothes into a miniature pocket realm.