The Elementals | Book 1. The Cliffs of Immensi

Chapter 24

Lightning flashed as the clouds above the cliffs darkened. Thunder echoed around the hard granite cliffs.

Cascade knelt, jamming her sword into the ground, connecting with the storm around her. I'm lucky this storm is here tonight. Without it, the odds might have been better for Sephtis. Cascade didn't let her thoughts break through her calm and quiet demeanor.

Sephtis shook his head as he saw Cascade appear to settle down. He disappeared. Or at least he appeared to.

Cascade sighed as she lost sight of Sephtis. She left the sword in the ground and took a deep breath in, raising her hands.

Sephtis gasped quietly as he saw the colossal wave rise in front of him. He tried to force it back down, but he didn't have enough skill or energy to do so and maintain his illusion. He had used too much of his energy on controlling the Iscoren to do his bidding. He spun diagonally behind him and to his right to see if he could outrun the massive wave that was pursuing him. But then he saw it freeze and become a massive wall of ice. Sephtis quickly realized that he could not outrun the icy tsunami, and, in a fit of frustration, abandoned attempts to maintain his illusion.

Cascade suddenly caught a glimpse of Sephtis as the illusion vanished. At the same time, her wave was suddenly hard to maintain. She saw a crack form inside it as Sephtis increased the pressure around the wave. Cascade quickly melted it and swept it away, only to recreate it in the shape of fifty spears, which she launched at Sephtis. Icy blue lines swept through the air towards him.

As soon as Cascade released the spears, she yanked her sword out of the ground and ascended into the air on a pillar of water, spiraling into the air.

Sephtis shattered the spears against the ground and ducked as the shards shot across the area. He looked up to try and bring Cascade's pillar down once more, but there was no need to. It was already coming down.

Cascade shot downwards on the pillar, rapidly descending from high. The pillar crashed down on top of Sephtis.

Sephtis was thrown to the ground as a massive amount of water crashed down upon him. Cascade yelled as she landed over him, her sword descending in a deadly arc. Sephtis threw his swords up, crossing them into an X. His arms nearly went numb at the impact of Cascade's sword, which had all of Cascade's power and weight behind it. Sephtis desperately rolled out of the way as an icy spike rose up from the ground right where he had been kneeling. He stood and immediately had to force Cascade's sword down as its blade sped towards him. Sephtis lunged forward, hoping to reach Cascade with one of his dark swords, but an icy wall met his blade, locking it in place. Sephtis tried to yank it out, but it was no use. The sword was stuck fast. With a sigh, he released the handle and turned on his heel to run, disappearing once more before Cascade could attack him.

Cascade released Sephtis' sword from the ice. She threw it on the ground and shattered it. "He won't be using that sword anymore." Cascade kicked the remnants aside and created another set of spears. As they shot forward, Cascade ran with them, ready to lunge forward at Sephtis as soon as he revealed himself once more.

Suddenly, the spears all dropped and shattered on the ground. Sephtis appeared in front of Cascade, lunging forward with his sword, only to disappear right in front of her as she surged forward as well, running around behind her to attack.

Cascade gasped as she felt a searing pain in between her shoulder blades, Sephtis' sword sliding between them. She spun around and faced Sephtis' sword with her own, her power draining as she felt warm blood flowing through the gash.

Sephtis continued his merciless attack.

Flashes of light flickered across the cliffs as the lightning reflected off the clashing swords.