Destined For Doom

Chapter 14 - Embers

-14-

-Embers-

Akane took a deep breath through the cloth covering his mouth, before leaping high into the air. Smoke trailed off his form as he partially dissipated, leaping twenty feet off the ground and tearing through the oncoming vines. Black smoke billowed out behind him like a shroud as he let out a loud cry, drawing Aloysius's attention towards himself and away from the witch.

The smoke he let out covered her as Aloysius focused his attention on the more present threat, allowing her to dart away and start sprinting towards the tree. Akane twisted and turned in mid-air, ducking around oncoming hits as much as he could. One hit came at him right on, and his only course of action was to grab hold of the root as it swung by. He managed to avoid a direct hit, sinking his blades in and using the momentum to swing across to the far side of the clearing. He managed to land on his feet, albeit a little too hard. He felt something snap in his foot, gritting his teeth and powering through the pain.

He was off again before Aloysius could pin him down, dashing across the clearing as fast as he could, making a beeline for the Dryad. He rolled to the side as a wave of roots ripped up from the earth, vaulting over another swipe aimed at his waist. He'd grown up doing drills like this, running through brutal deathtraps and fighting for his life. This was no different.

With one final leap, Akane closed the distance between them and got close enough to strike Aloysius directly. In the flurry of blows that followed, few did more than slice an inch or so into his wooden torso. Black ooze bled from the wounds, but he otherwise didn't seem to feel it.

"You accomplish nothing!" Aloysius shouted, striking out with a blow that glanced across the side of Akane's head, knocking him to the ground and making him drop one sword. "You're only delaying the end!"

"Actually, I was just stalling," Akane replied, a grim smile on his face and blood covering his teeth.

Green light flared on the other side of the clearing, and Aloysius's eyes widened. He turned to see his towering maple completely ablaze, the trunk bathed in an almost white-hot jet of fire, cracks widened as the wood crackled and burned beneath the torrent.

Aloysius's own skin began to smoke, and he reached out with one clawed hand towards the witch that was burning his home down. As soon as he took his attention away, Akane struck. Black chains burst from his free hand, shadows made solid, barbed and coiling with smoke that dug into the Dryad's body and pulled him back away from the tree. As the chains retracted, Akane drew back his sword and slashed at the Dryad. This time the blade found purchase, cutting through his hardened form much easier than before, With a dull thud barely audible over the crackling of flames, Aloysius's left arm his the floor of the clearing.

The Dryad let out an agonising howl as Akane continued to drag him backwards, cracks breaking his skin apart as embers burned within. Black ichor sizzled as Akane prepared for the final blow, releasing his hold on the chains.

"Abigail, pendant!" He shouted, dragging Aloysius down and throwing him to the floor.

The witch let up her assault just long enough to reach into her pocket and grab the necklace, tossing it like a baseball pitcher across the clearing. He caught it with his free hand, holding it aloft in one hand and driving his sword into Aloysius's back with the other in one smooth motion. Aloysius's open mouth gaped to the heavens, opening and closing as the magic of the pendant took over.

Akane said nothing as the Dryad's body flared with light, the Amulet humming as it drew the soul from the burning wood. With one final crack, the body fell limp and the writhing roots fell to the ground, quiet and still. Aside from the crackling of fire as the Maple burned, the woods were completely silent once more. Akane and Abigail exchanged an exhausted look, before exchanging a short nod and limping slowly out of the clearing.