The Obsidian Arrow

The Obsidian Arrow: Chapter 35

            The wood elf backed up to the warrior until both of their backs touched each other’s in order to fight both sides with their back well protected. They circled, keeping pace and rhythm with each other as they parried the many blows of axes that fell upon them. Even though the creatures outnumbered them, both Searon and Anaela were able to keep their own with poise. Each slash that came at them was easily deflected from harm and met with a flurry of offensive strikes. Their weapons moved with such consistency with each other and such attacks that complimented the other that they often aided in an assist to a kill. Anaela would twist an axe so it reared back at the creature before she continued turning her circle, leaving an opening for Searon when he met the foe that caught the lizard’s head.

            A dozen more fell around them before the draeyks became smarter about their attacks and soon both Searon and Anaela were finding themselves hurt by a flow of axe strikes that seemed to strike simultaneously with each other. Searon’s arms were battered and bruised from the strikes with a few deep wounds that began to throb with each movement. His claymore burned with such a high intensity of crimson that it seemed hot to the touch as it burned the scales of flesh from the creatures. Anaela watched in horror as Searon’s eyes seemed to transform from green to red, ablaze with a fiery hue that seemed to contain all of his hate and anger for the lizards.

            They fought on, still with perfect timing with each other, but Searon’s attacks so fierce that no longer were there any creatures that dared sneak behind them. Instead all of them rushed the two of them from the front, and side by side they bashed them away. Her attacks were more finesse while his seemed nearly savagely.

            After only a few minutes of his bloodlust, an ability it seemed, and yet one that he didn’t know he had, all of the creatures lay dead around him. His attacks were more careless and yet their speed was nearly triple his normal, even surpassing the elf Anaela’s speed with a blade. While he was able to attack stronger and faster, his strikes weren’t as careful and considered as before and so his arms appeared a bloody mess. Cuts, scrapes, gashes, and tears scattered his arms where he was hit hard enough to puncture or points of their blades made it between his plate mail. Blood dripped down his gauntlets as he removed them that covered his hands in their entirety.

            His breathing slowed and yet he still kept his fists clenched around his weapon as he stepped forward to scout the area. Two dozen more creatures rushed out the forest in front of them which Searon proceeded to meet head on. He continued to pulse crimson over his entire body, including his weapon, and his eyes still blazed with fire. Anaela took a step back, both afraid of the unending force as terrified of what Searon had become. She didn’t realize the extent of his magic, faerie magic - that ran through his veins. He claimed he wasn’t technically part faerie, but the blood was given to his mother during her pregnancy with him, and so certain abilities must have transferred over. The wood elf knew that he could see and hear exceptionally, and now it seemed he had a hidden ability of bloodlust fury that came out… why? Did it come out because of how outnumbered they were, or had it been because of her? Had she provoked such ability because of his feelings for her, and need to protect her, or had it been simpler than that?

            Anaela pulled her bow out and grabbed an obsidian arrow from her never-ending supply of thirty-five. The enchantment the faeries put on her worked to her astonishment. As soon as one of her arrows hit home, another would appear in her quiver. It seemed a new arrow every time as the one she shot would stay inside the corpse, shattered inside the flesh and unusable. Obsidian arrows seemed more effective to the creatures than the steel arrows of the elves and the stone arrows of the humans. If she took aim for a weak spot between the scales it would penetrate between, shattering as it did, yet a good fraction of the arrow still making home into flesh. With steel and stone arrows, unless it was a perfect shot where it could fit, it would bounce away if the gap was too small, rather than shattering to a smaller arrow and piercing.