Descent Into Darkness

Descent Into Darkness Chapter 25

And lookie here! New chapter! Four chapters in four days? I think that's a record for me, ain't it? Enjoy, and don't forget to vote and comment!

Phoenix dodged the wave of black flame just in time, jumping to his right. He laid hold of the same flame and spun on the spot, whipping it back at Lian, his control of it turning it back to a burning red. The woman simply flipped out of its path and stomped her foot once she landed, a large stone leaping from the ground before her.

With a grunt of exertion, she laid a powerful spin kick into the face of the rock, and it hurtled toward Phoenix with dizzying speed. He had no time to dodge, instead rearing back to punch the projectile, hoping to stop it in its tracks. Just before it reached him however, the stone burst into a thousand tiny pieces, each one sharp enough to shred a man’s armor. With a gasp of surprise, he crossed his arms over his face, calling on the stone embedded in his armor to protect him. The sharp pieces pounded against the defenses he had mustered,  the emblem on his armor flaring to life with a bright blue glow.

“No,” Lindani said, her features not showing the frustration that her voice betrayed. “You must learn to fight without expending the energy contained in the stone. It may fail, and if it does you will be cut to ribbons, crushed under a ton of stone, drowned, or suffocated.”

“The stone burst into pieces!” he shouted. “What else was I to do?”

“There is always a way.”

Phoenix barely contained his anger, smoke rising from his body. “I have the stone, and it has not failed me yet. It is there to be used, to augment my power, and I will use it as such,” he hissed.

“How did you survive before you obtained it?”

 “We are here to learn, Lian, not for you to berate me.”

“Correct, but you are under the impression that you can learn nothing from me. In this practice, I could have ripped the life from your body numerous times and left you dead on this field.”

Phoenix decided to play her game. “Fine. How would you have evaded that?”

“By using my flame. I would have melted the fragments, using the fact that I am nigh on impervious to heat to not worry about the slag that would have no doubt coated me.”

Phoenix gritted his teeth, doing his best not to lash out at the woman. “You say to find the way that uses the least energy, but you would have me melt every single sliver of stone from that mammoth boulder?”

Lian raised a sculpted eyebrow. “No. Only the ones that come close enough to harm you.”

He nodded, and Lian moved back across the expanse of grass, stomping her foot once more. Another boulder sprang up, and with a kick from her started its path toward him. He prepared his fire, the blue flames licking his fingertips. He sent the wave of flame just before the stone was to erupt into shrapnel, but it was not to be so. His impacted the face of the still solid rock, slowing its speed a fraction. It wasn’t enough though, and the boulder slammed into him, knocking the air from his lungs and sending him flying across the field to land roughly, rolling in the grass. Stars danced before his eyes, and his chest felt so tight he could swear it was about to cave into his chest.

Only a wheezing noise escaped when he tried to take a much-needed breath. He rose to his knees, head down while he dry heaved, trying to clear his airways. He was finally able to take in a breath, his lungs lighting up in pain. Rising shakily to his feet, he swayed in place, glaring at the woman on the other side of the field. “You did not cause it burst like the other.”

“You were expecting me to go along with your plans?” Lian retorted. “This is a mock battle, and I will not abide by your expectations.”

Phoenix exploded in anger, his body lighting up in blue flame. He condensed the flames into a wave and pushed it forward, the fire rushing hungrily to taste Lian’s flesh. Her form disappeared behind the wall and Phoenix sneered, finally rid of the irritating woman.

The triumph faded a moment later when a black blur flipped over the wall, landing in a crouch on the other side, completely unharmed. Phoenix roared once Lian stood, one hand pretentiously on her hip. His hands lit up again, and orbs began filling his palms impossibly fast, aided by the stone’s power. He did not throw them, simply pointing his arms at the woman and willing the flame forward. Lian began flipping and twisting through the air, evading each with an apparent, practiced ease. Phoenix poured more power into his hands, making the orbs bigger, stronger, faster, and deadlier.

The woman did not seem to care, not a grunt nor groan of exertion escaping her as she twisted gracefully through the air, dodging every single ball of flame. Blinded by his anger, Phoenix did not realize that Lian had been working her way toward him until it was too late. He saw a flash of Lian’s leather-clad backside and the bottom of her boot as she wound up the spin kick, then an impact on his armor sent him flying backward, landing heavily on his back. With his eyes tearing, Phoenix struggled to breathe once more, his lungs not complying with his commands. A heavy weight landed on his chest, and he opened his wet eyes to see a black heeled boot digging into the workmanship of his armor. “If you are quite finished, my lord?”

Nodding his defeat, Phoenix was relieved when the pressure from his chest lifted and he was able to breathe once more, his lungs on fire. His throat hurt from the constriction, and but he was able to croak out, “I think that’s enough for today.”