Enmity of Atlas

Kiva sat idly in her bed, Millie already snoozing softly off to her side. She had been trying to get to bed for the last couple of hours, but had no luck. Every time she started to nod off, her blood would run cold, her whole body stiffening head to toe, an ominous feeling that she couldn’t quite put off bothering her. It was probably just in her head. Millie was sleeping next to her without a worry in the world, probably dreaming about water or something. She really loved water.

Kiva stood, stretching out her sore muscles. If she wasn’t going to be going to bed, she might as well try to keep watch. It would give her some time to think, ponder over the events of the last two weeks. She hadn’t been traveling with Trenton for long, but things were already chaotic. She’d had more excitement in the last 2 weeks than she had in her entire lifetime. Things weren't pretty back home, but it was somehow still more peaceful than what Trenton was caught up in, poor guy. He really had the whole world out for his head. That couldn’t have been easy on his conscience, but he’d been holding himself together remarkably well. He always faced obstacles with his head held high. It was honorable, inspiring even. Lost in her thoughts, Kiva started towards the simple wooden chair they’d been given, its uneven legs giving it a slightly slanted stature, but before she could sit, the door handle clicked softly.

Kiva crouched low to the ground, watching as a man in black robes crept in, a knife held close to his chest. In the rest of the desert, Kiva could barely use her magic, the arid air making plant growth difficult. But here, there was enough residual water hanging in the air from the artificial spring the complex was situated on to cast some rudimentary spells. Her magic was still weaker, but it would have to do. Several thick branches shot out from her body, piercing into the man's throat, eye, and chest, cutting his jugular, scrambling his brain, and piercing his heart all at once. He fell to the ground, dead before he even knew what was happening, Kiva’s methods quick and clean…mostly clean. Blood was currently seeping out of the man incredibly fast, staining the ground a deep crimson. It didn’t really matter. They were clearly going to be fighting anyway. Kiva ran over to Millie, gently shaking her awake.

“You need to hide. We’re under attack,” Kiva whispered, her voice intense.

Millie looked confused at first, her sleep still clouding her mind, but she seemed to understand after a moment, her entire body collapsing into a puddle of water, which seeped into the beds sheets. Good. In the dark they’d probably assume that it was a blood splotch, a solid decoy for what actually happened. First things first, She needed to find the others; she needed to make sure they were safe. She slipped out of the room, peeking out into the hallway. It was difficult for her to see, most of the lights having been put out when they went to sleep. She could see, however, a handful of the cloaked men infesting the hallway to the right and left.

She burst out of the door, casting several spells in quick succession. First, she sent out a wave of brambles to coat the floor, the spikes and thick vines slowing anyone from getting to her. Then she sent out as many vines and branches as she could, dragging some of the men through the thick brambles, killing them by ripping open the backs of their bodies. Other’s she managed to hit with her branches, dicing up their insides with ruthless efficiency. When no one was left standing, she stood, recalling the brambles back to herself, her eyes darting around to find a new path forward. She had no idea where everyone else was, but she had to at least try to find them.

***

Trenton eyed the dragon skull hovering above them. There was no doubt about it anymore. This was an attack by dragon’s maw. There might not have even been anyone left besides them. Trenton knew that the crimson eyed man wasn’t to be trusted, but it seemed that he put his faith in the wrong person. The man standing before them was the very one that chauffeured Trenton, Leo, and Garrote to their room, the one that he’d told about the red eyed man. If only he’d trusted his gut. If only he’d gone to Urime himself. But there was no turning back now. They needed to kill him. If he was here, at the center of it all, then there was no doubt he was heading this operation. The crimson eyed man might be around, though, so they’d have to be careful.

“Urime. Where is he,” Trenton demanded.

“He is dealt with. There’s nothing you can do to help him at this point. I recommend focusing on the enemy in front of you,” the man replied, pulling out a sword from his waist. “We’re only done here once everyone is dead. Most have been fed to the maw already, but not all. Once you two are gone, that should be the last ones left alive. I imagine your friends were already dispatched.”

Leo bristled next to Trenton, his whole face twitching, “Calm yourself,” Trenton said to him, “you need to stay focused.”

Trenton could tell from the man’s words that he was simply bluffing. He had no idea whether or not anyone was alive or dead. He had probably been sitting in this spot the entire time the entire time the attack was happening. Leo took a handful of deep breaths, his eyes locking on the man. He was holding himself together much better than he ever had in the past. It was remarkable. Leo raised his hand, fire erupting from him, surrounding the edge of the clearing with a ring of fire, an edge to keep their battle contained. The wall burned high, its heat forcing Trenton further inward so as to not to start burning. It was an incredible spell, one that Trenton had no idea Leo was even capable of.

Trenton stepped forward, circling around the middle of the circle with the man, both of them locked eyes. Without warning, the man raised his hand, tendrils of coalesced darkness launching towards Trenton. Trenton rolled out of the way, using his landing to summon a wall of earth, which blocked some of the tendrils. Trenton jumped to his feet, slamming his hammer against the stone wall, causing it to crumple and launch at the man in the form of a large, bounding boulder. Without moving, the man sliced it cleanly in half with his darkness, his tendrils holding the two halves of the stone aloft, before hurling it back at Trenton. Trenton knocked the two pieces of stone to the side, changing their path to careen into the building behind him, the man using this opportunity to dart forward, his sword wreathed in darkness.

Off to the side, Leo had managed to circle around to the man’s flank, launching handfuls of fire at the man, controlled blasts which flew through the air at remarkable speeds. The man twisted, dodging out of the way of the first barrage, the slight delay giving Trenton enough time to ready himself. They clashed, sword against hammer, the man’s strength nearly overwhelming Trenton. Even as Trenton tried to move forward, he was slowly being pushed back towards the fire wall, his wide swings knocked astray before they could reach their target. Trenton needed to make a change of pace.

Using the force from being pushed back, Trenton intentionally fell to the ground, his back and hammer colliding against the solid stone. As he did so, Trenton caused the ground below him to sink in, the ground beneath the man suddenly rising upwards, throwing him over Trenton, his back right against the fire. Trenton had turned the ground into the makeshift seesaw. Without standing, twisting his body around, Trenton rammed his fist into the ground, sending a flat pillar of stone to ram into the man, pushing him all the way into the fire. Trenton had learned from the blood crazed man. This wouldn’t kill, but it would deal some damage.

From behind the wall of fire, Trenton heard the sound of crumbling stone, his magic slamming the man through the walls of the building. Trenton quickly got to his feet, taking a position in the middle of the arena next to Leo, who was hurling fireball after fireball the size of carriages at where the man presumably was. From the fire, breaking through the wall and Leo’s barrage, a wave of darkness emanated out, snuffing Leo’s fire and blocking out the light of the world. The entire world around them was wreathed in a well of inky blackness. Trenton couldn’t see anything, but he could still feel it. A spell this massive must’ve taken a lot out of the man, so he’d have the advantage. Trenton sprinted forward, following the subtle vibrations to the man’s position, engaging in a more furious bout of blows.

The man was definitely slower, but Trenton was also struggling to gauge exactly where he was, the darkness throwing him off more than he’d anticipated. The man’s blade dug into Trenton’s flesh, slicing him open from head to toe, Trenton’s blood making the ground below them slippery. Even now, Trenton was struggling to actually best the man, his might barely enough to keep the man from stabbing him straight through. Without warning, the man feinted his blade right, drawing Trenton’s attention away from his center. The man’s foot burrowed into Trenton’s stomach, slipping clean past his guard, sending him flying a ways. Because Trenton couldn’t see it coming, he wasn’t prepared, dropping his hammer the moment he was struck.

Trenton slammed into the ground, using the force to send out a wide wave of earth spikes towards the general location of the man, but it wasn’t fast enough. The man was already on him with a reach and a weapon advantage. Trenton dodged as best as he could, ducking around blows and intercepting the man’s arm, getting close enough to land a couple strikes, even knocking the man backwards. It still wasn’t enough.

The man kept his distance from Trenton now, his whole body still. Trenton tried to find the man, but without the vibrations of the movement, he was lost, as helpless as a newborn baby. Suddenly, Trenton realized what the man was doing. He was charging a spell, one that Trenton wouldn’t be able to dodge. Trenton dove to the side, but he was too slow. Dozens of thick strands of darkness, each one even darker than the surrounding black, rammed into Trenton, ripping holes clean through his body, pushing him back hundreds of feet, his entire body plowing through the many walls of the building. Trenton was losing consciousness, his whole body cold and shaking, his eyes struggling to focus on the orb of darkness that he’d just been pushed out of. For a moment, Trenton saw complete darkness, a well of impossible black depths, but the next, he saw light, a brilliant, blazing light.