And with part six, this story comes to a close. If anyone has anything they'd like me to try to write for them, I'd be happy to, this was just a little experiment to see what I could write off the top of my head.
Obelis was considerable shaken by the encounter, but didn't know what he could do about it. He couldn't fight it. He couldn't overpower it. He couldn't do anything to it. The only thing he could do was run away. Get as far away from the alter as possible. As far of away from people as possible. As far away from-
His train of thought was violently derailed as he heard voices coming from the treeline. Unfortunately, he'd heard these voices before. They were the voices of the Redimet, an argument over "where she would have taken him."
Paralyzed, Obelis could only listen to the men approach, though by the minute he was growing more doubtful that they were men. It seemed an eternity before the leader stepped into the clearing, followed by two companions. "This is how you treat your superiors?!" one of the members raged, "You leave them to fight a dozen King's Guards on their own?! Because of you, one of our men has died today!" There was the word again, Obelis thought, "men." Miraculously, Obelis found the strength to stand.
"You are not my superiors. I am the master and you are the pawns!" Obelis' voice thundered and his eyes glowed.
All members of the Redimet appeared thoroughly humbled. "I am sorry. I had no idea this one would progress so quickly. You may slay me."
Back to himself, Obelis was simply dazed. "Why would I want to slay you?"
In less than a second, the Redimet was up from his kneeling position and had his hand around Obelis' neck. "Do it! In the name of the goddess!"
Aware but not in control, Obelis reached to his belt and drew his dagger in a reverse grip. In one smooth motion drove to blade under the leader's chin directly to his brain. Two acolytes down. Two to go.
The final recruit looked on in horror, he hadn't expected Obelis to actually go through with it. The leader, on the other hand, knew precisely what had happened and decided to...Speed up the process a bit. Deftly, he drew the black-bladed sabre from its sheath and effortlessly spun around to lop the surprised acolyte's head off. Not bothering to clean his blade, the leader sheathed the sabre in preference of the similarly colored claymore at his back.
And so two rivals stared each other down from across a clearing. One clad in silver and crimson to the north. One clad in black and gold to the south. "Yours weren't the only weapons recovered after the duel, Obelis."
"Eshro..." Obelis' voice was no more than a whisper.
Eshro heard nothing of Obelis' shock, but it was all to obvious on his face. "That's right. I'm alive. But you won't be." Unlike in their first duel, Eshro's gear was of impeccable quality. The blades were tempered and sharpened, and the armor was a different set altogether with golden claws digging into the ebony armor.
Before Obelis could even draw an appropriate weapon, Eshro was upon him swinging his claymore downward, reminiscent of his first attack. Obelis ducked under the blade and around the attacker and attempted to bury his dagger in the cult master's back. However, instead of a solid impact or even a glancing blow, there met no resistance. There was a target, but the dagger had passed straight through and Obelis fell flat on his face.
Laughing triumphantly, Eshro tapped his chest. "The goddess has blessed me. You cannot touch me!"
Determined and unchastened, Obelis stood and drew his hammer, simply dropping the kris. "I beg to diff-" before finishing the sentence, Obelis sprung forward, slamming the hammerhead into the claws in the center the Eshro's chest. In the short time they'd been 'allied' Obelis had learned a thing or two about being underhanded.
Thrown off balance, Eshro had to drop they heavy blade in favor of the light sabre at his belt. He swung the blade horizontally, hoping to end the worm before him the same way he did the acolyte, but steel met iron when Obelis intercepted the strike with his hammer. He used the momentum to spin and bring the hammer crashing into the claws at Eshro's back. Now that Obelis knew the key, there was no stopping him.
Enraged, the black knight struck again, this time at the shoulder. His blade struck the steel of Obelis' armor, but not where he had intended to. The knight had turned in such a way that the entire blade came across his back instead of one point of the blade in his shoulder. Due to the spread pressure, the blow simply glanced off and Eshro was once again foiled. That is to say bludgeoned. In the same turn that nullified the blow, he brought his hammer down on the claws at Eshro's collarbone.
Eshro made one last attempt to destroy the man who had failed him. He grabbed at the shaft of the hammer that was making such quick work of his defenses. His fingers found it and latched on, only for it to be twisted from his grasp. But it was enough. His sabre came down in another slash aimed at the defender's neck. Seeing red, he was sure his blade would find its mark, but felt no such satisfaction. The hammer that he had so fleetingly halted found its final target: The claws clutching at the bottom of the black night's ribs. It felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest and thorn into a vat of boiling oil. He collapsed on the ground, dead, before he could even revel in his death as other acolytes could.
Alone once more, Obelis truly felt alone. No acolytes. No redimet. No godess. He was free.
His train of thought was violently derailed as he heard voices coming from the treeline. Unfortunately, he'd heard these voices before. They were the voices of the Redimet, an argument over "where she would have taken him."
Paralyzed, Obelis could only listen to the men approach, though by the minute he was growing more doubtful that they were men. It seemed an eternity before the leader stepped into the clearing, followed by two companions. "This is how you treat your superiors?!" one of the members raged, "You leave them to fight a dozen King's Guards on their own?! Because of you, one of our men has died today!" There was the word again, Obelis thought, "men." Miraculously, Obelis found the strength to stand.
"You are not my superiors. I am the master and you are the pawns!" Obelis' voice thundered and his eyes glowed.
All members of the Redimet appeared thoroughly humbled. "I am sorry. I had no idea this one would progress so quickly. You may slay me."
Back to himself, Obelis was simply dazed. "Why would I want to slay you?"
In less than a second, the Redimet was up from his kneeling position and had his hand around Obelis' neck. "Do it! In the name of the goddess!"
Aware but not in control, Obelis reached to his belt and drew his dagger in a reverse grip. In one smooth motion drove to blade under the leader's chin directly to his brain. Two acolytes down. Two to go.
The final recruit looked on in horror, he hadn't expected Obelis to actually go through with it. The leader, on the other hand, knew precisely what had happened and decided to...Speed up the process a bit. Deftly, he drew the black-bladed sabre from its sheath and effortlessly spun around to lop the surprised acolyte's head off. Not bothering to clean his blade, the leader sheathed the sabre in preference of the similarly colored claymore at his back.
And so two rivals stared each other down from across a clearing. One clad in silver and crimson to the north. One clad in black and gold to the south. "Yours weren't the only weapons recovered after the duel, Obelis."
"Eshro..." Obelis' voice was no more than a whisper.
Eshro heard nothing of Obelis' shock, but it was all to obvious on his face. "That's right. I'm alive. But you won't be." Unlike in their first duel, Eshro's gear was of impeccable quality. The blades were tempered and sharpened, and the armor was a different set altogether with golden claws digging into the ebony armor.
Before Obelis could even draw an appropriate weapon, Eshro was upon him swinging his claymore downward, reminiscent of his first attack. Obelis ducked under the blade and around the attacker and attempted to bury his dagger in the cult master's back. However, instead of a solid impact or even a glancing blow, there met no resistance. There was a target, but the dagger had passed straight through and Obelis fell flat on his face.
Laughing triumphantly, Eshro tapped his chest. "The goddess has blessed me. You cannot touch me!"
Determined and unchastened, Obelis stood and drew his hammer, simply dropping the kris. "I beg to diff-" before finishing the sentence, Obelis sprung forward, slamming the hammerhead into the claws in the center the Eshro's chest. In the short time they'd been 'allied' Obelis had learned a thing or two about being underhanded.
Thrown off balance, Eshro had to drop they heavy blade in favor of the light sabre at his belt. He swung the blade horizontally, hoping to end the worm before him the same way he did the acolyte, but steel met iron when Obelis intercepted the strike with his hammer. He used the momentum to spin and bring the hammer crashing into the claws at Eshro's back. Now that Obelis knew the key, there was no stopping him.
Enraged, the black knight struck again, this time at the shoulder. His blade struck the steel of Obelis' armor, but not where he had intended to. The knight had turned in such a way that the entire blade came across his back instead of one point of the blade in his shoulder. Due to the spread pressure, the blow simply glanced off and Eshro was once again foiled. That is to say bludgeoned. In the same turn that nullified the blow, he brought his hammer down on the claws at Eshro's collarbone.
Eshro made one last attempt to destroy the man who had failed him. He grabbed at the shaft of the hammer that was making such quick work of his defenses. His fingers found it and latched on, only for it to be twisted from his grasp. But it was enough. His sabre came down in another slash aimed at the defender's neck. Seeing red, he was sure his blade would find its mark, but felt no such satisfaction. The hammer that he had so fleetingly halted found its final target: The claws clutching at the bottom of the black night's ribs. It felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest and thorn into a vat of boiling oil. He collapsed on the ground, dead, before he could even revel in his death as other acolytes could.
Alone once more, Obelis truly felt alone. No acolytes. No redimet. No godess. He was free.
