Triton Prism

CHAPTER EIGHT: AVENGED

The city lights shone in the overcast night. The bay waters had shook under the droppings of the demolished fortress and the pieces vanished in the depths. Half an hour later, the black water was as smooth and undisturbed as glass. Lysander was gone, flown off atop his dragon. Away from the wharves and busy part of the city, a man crawled out of the water into mud-muck.

Reburn strained against the biting cold, gritting his teeth and pawing through the marsh. Drooping trees blocked out most of the minimal light. Roots stuck upward as little points in the mud. Reburn continued to drag himself, sliding across the filth, grunting and heaving. Weakly getting up and to his feet. He struggled and gripped a branch, working to catch his breath.

The elemental had used his weird dragon's eye to overload the crystal's power. The benefit to that seemed to be that after Cordaco's Prism shattered, his own energy levels were restored to a hundred percent. Without that, Reburn probably wouldn't have had the stamina to escape the ocean. Reaching up he wiped the grey mud from his face, he was coated all over.

Never did he imagine he'd outlive the artefact. He knew it'd never leave him until he died. He knew that with his newfound power, he'd forever be hunted for all of his days. He'd not even thought it possible that Cordaco's Prism could be destroyed. Lifting his head Reburn saw a shadow in the dark, his heart seemed to stop. The silhouette remained watching him, was it Lysander?

"Who's there!?" he called.

A woman with purple hair strode to the edge of the dry bank. A patch of light revealed her, she was carrying dual sabres. Her eyes were colourless and patterned.

"You must be Reburn. Had just enough power to escape him, huh?"

"You're too old to be one of the crushers..."

"Lucky me. My boss wants you dead. I still have a job to do."

She crouched for a split moment before flying at him, her blades held in an X. Reburn raised his arms, black arm-bands forming as he held his ground against her. His reflexes were just as fast as normal, he noted. As if he hadn't just been wearing himself ragged against an elemental. Black blades sprouted from both arm-bands and he slashed apart, the woman flew backwards away from him. As soon as she landed she threw one of her swords like a javelin. Reburn leapt aside through the mud and her blade impaled the tree. She pressed the button of a device at her belt, the circular hilt flashed blue before yanking free and returning to its wielder. She caught it.

"Neat trick..." Reburn murmured. He waded away from her, circling out of the mud so that he now stood on dry ground. The whole area was a mix of lumpy earth and mud puddles, an old abandoned temple of rotting wood stood further inland. He was still dripping with mud, the two fighters stood and appraised each other.

"Gloria?" the two of them turned at the newcomer. A teen in black stealth gear, dark hair and eyes. When he recognized Reburn beneath all the muck his expression turned murderous. "Reburn, so it is you." His eyes flickered, suddenly a bright yellow in the dark.

"Douglas? That's a nice new skill."

Gloria had her blades pointed at both of them, they stood in a triangle. Wary of each other. When Douglas saw his vision light up completely he knew immediately what it was: the woman about to paralyze him with the Kurei so she could continue fighting Reburn. Douglas raced forward, spawning his scimitar and jump-slashing. The big man blocked with an arm-blade, slashing back while Douglas stayed nimble on his feet, swerving and striking. The two of them turned as they fought. Gloria's white eyes flickered between their moving bodies before she scowled and darted forward with both blades at her side.

She jumped and cut the space between them, forcing the two to separate. Swinging one blade at Reburn who blocked and stepped back, turning the next second so her other blade sang close to Douglas's ear. He jumped aside and the woman lashed between both of them, blades clashed loud in the night. Dark flocks of birds fluttering off under the blanketed sky.