"Roaaarrrr!" The Taragree tried to escape but couldn't.
"Veer, you need to stay back now, go fight that thing, you were right, you are the only person who can take it down." I looked at Helen confused. "Alacryans are here, and they are controlling the mana beast inside of the tunnel, everything here was planned." I looked into the tunnel as different colored spells were going off.
I nodded my head, there was Alacryans in the tunnel, if everything here was planned, does that me we have a traitor in our midst. I formed wind, fire, water, and ice magic all over my body as I kept up my phase two and got ready to attack the Taragree. "I'll handle things here, then make my way into the tunnel." Helen shot me a disapproving look. "At this point, Helen, you need me." I could feel our soldiers dropping like flies, all the Twin Horns except for Helen were in the back trying to get to the front, and my team, my team was in the middle sort of.
Samantha was okay, I could feel her moving, but something felt wrong with Victoria, she was standing still doing nothing, like she was hiding out in the wall of the tunnel. Callias was in the back still, following the Twin Horns.
Like I was shot out of a rocket, I made my way to the Taragree and swung my sword and cut right through its arm, its armor completely useless against the force of my attack, and the arm fell to the ground causing blood to gush out of it. I landed on the ground and the Taragree stood back up, and attempted to stomp on me while I was underneath him.
I used wind to push me side to side, as I dodged his attacks one after another. I raised my hand and ice spikes grew into its feet; however, those weren't powerful enough to break the armor. My sword seemed fine; I don't think it will break if I attack again.
The Taragree stopped its attack, and just stared down at me with its blue eyes that were gigantic. I pointed my sword at the beast, and created illusions all around it, multiple copies of myself, hiding me, as I started to push water mana into its bloody arm.
I started moving my illusions all around it, each one using wind magic to dodge any attack the beast might through at it. I focused on more and more water mana flowing into it. The Taragree started swinging its only arm at my illusions as I stayed on the ground watching, but still moving.
The Flukets heading to the tunnel still avoided me, but for their safety I killed a few as they ran by me, scared of my aura. "Roooaaarrr!" The Taragree continued to roar as it swung through my illusions making zero contact with nothing. Was this thing just a brute? It hasn't used any sort of magic yet on me, as I thought about it, I knew I just jinxed myself.
Earth spikes grew from the ground under me, and I jumped to the side using wind magic and landed on another spike growing. All around the Taragree spikes grew like it was creating a new terrain to fight on, it even impaled the dead bodies of the Flukets. I hung onto the spike until it stopped, and I looked up at the Taragree, I needed more water mana to get inside of it.
I noticed that right underneath the beast there weren't any spikes, so I whirled around and landed right underneath it. The Taragree went to slam its foot right on me, but I stopped it in midair before it could, then launched myself at the other leg with the force of all my elements coursing through me again and slit the achilles of the beast making it topple over onto one knee.
I spun around and was met with a hand coming at me, luckily, I held it in place using blood magic, and used wind magic to push myself away from it. I then created more illusions of myself and hid within.
The time was now, I could feel the water mana coursing through its body, I needed to spread it out just a little more before I could use it though. I made sure everyone was alright in the tunnel, and it seemed like the Twin Horns got to the front line and started holding them back.
Helen was in the back of the tunnel shooting arrows, and watching me as she killed any approaching Fluket, which numbered maybe in the twenties now.
The blood got to where I needed it, and I gripped my fist and the blood inside of the Taragree exploded out of it, killing it, the spikes on the ground disappeared. I started to walk over slowly to where the pieces of the head were, and I cut the two horns off of the beast. When I did that, I sensed for the Taragree's beast core and retrieved it and stored everything inside of my mana ring.
I then formed wind magic under my feet and launched myself over to Helen, who was looking at me in shock and fear. That's when I felt the battle still rampaging on inside. "Don't go inside, Veer." Helen told me. "You know the rules you were given, so stay out of harms way."
I turned back and looked at the five approaching Flukets, the conjurers about to kill them stopped, as I caused their insides to explode. "Helen, you do know what I just did, right? I killed an AA Class mutated mana beast by myself, something you didn't think was possible before." I looked down the tunnel as I sensed the ten Alacryans shooting spells as Flukets attacked the front line. "What if Adam was to die in there, or Jasmine, because you didn't let me go inside."
"They won't." Helen told me as she grabbed my shoulder. "I can't let you go inside; I'll be going against my orders." Her orders, she says, I just noticed everyone in the back giving me frightened looks, even Helen.
"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" I said coldly, causing people to stop.
Helen, who was still holding my shoulder, gave me a concerning look. "Veer, you're covered in yellow blood, and the aura emitting from you is quite terrifying." I was still in phase two, and the blood lust coming from the Serpent made my aura even stronger. "If I didn't know you, I would be scared to even move or talk to you."
As I went to speak, I pushed her hand away from me and created an illusion of myself to stay and talk to her, as the real me, hidden from her eyes only, went into the tunnel. The conjurers in the back cowered against the wall as I walked by.
Commander Xander was the first to say something. "Veer, get out of here, it's too dangerous."
"Haha." I laughed as I continued walking and a fire spell was heading straight for me, so I brought up a wall of water canceling out the spell. "Everyone out of the tunnel! Now!" I shouted to everyone.
"You don't give orders." Commander Xander said shyly, as my aura scared him.
"Do you want anyone else to die?" I asked coldly as I turned my head at him, I could sense the Twin Horns twenty feet in front of me, there were about fifty Flukets and ten Alacryans left. "If not, let me handle it." I could see Victoria come out of the side of the tunnel wall, she was wounded, and she shot me a knowing look, then retreated into the cavern with the others.
I tilted my head at him. "Fine." He turned away from me. "Everyone retreat back to the cavern." The soldiers near the back started to retreat, and I made my way up to the Twin Horns, and as I did, I conjured an ice wall between the enemy force and us, giving them time to retreat.
"Let us help, you shouldn't have to do this." Jasmine told me.
"Yeah, you little demon." Adam gave me a weary glare.
"I'm about to end it in a matter of seconds, I won't need help, the mages over there aren't strong." I reinforced the ice wall as spells and weapons from the Flukets hit it. "It will be easier for me, if you guys aren't here."
"What about the Taragree?" Angela asked me.
"It's dead, now go." All four of them stared at me in shock. "Yeah, it wasn't as mighty as you made it out to be, Adam, killed it without taking a hit." I conjured wind mana behind them and started to push them away. "Just leave." I turned towards the ice wall as it got ready to break.
They ran out of the tunnel following the other fifteen soldiers, and I kept the blue flames coursing through me as I got ready to strike, I pushed my hand forward causing the ice to explode toward them, creating a mist. I walked up to the Flukets standing still looking at me in fear and the first five exploded and the blood went everywhere, then they all started coming at me.
I brought my sword up killing one and pushed wind magic out of me putting the Flukets near me against the wall, and then ripped their blood out of them. I swung my sword and cut right through the head of another, and then another, and slowly made my way to the mages hiding out, any spell they shot at me, I simply dodged or countered it.
That was until I slid my sword into a Fluket's chest and crippled each one of the Alacryan's mana core. The amount of Flukets was decreasing fast, and I was making my way to the defenseless mages in the back. I was running low on mana, but I was going to have enough to finish this fight.
"Hahaha." I laughed as I cut the head off of a Fluket, then spun and killed another, getting closer to my prey, this was enjoying, something I never thought I would say. It was the Serpent's Will, but I wanted it this way, right? Of course, I did. The flames covering me erupted even more, and I sliced through all of the mana beast, and got to the back.
The Alacryan mages were in black armor and were staring at me in horror. They all pointed their weapons at me, swords, axes, some of them didn't even have a weapon. I just stood there and took in the situation, then I used the blood in their bodies to drop them to their knees, each one fell down and looked up at me in fear.
"Listen, listen, I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to kill you, and to be honest I want to." The flames covering me, and their dim lighting artifact the only light coursing through the tunnel at the moment. "However, you ten might have information we can use."
"W-what makes you so certain we have information?" An Alacryan mage asked, he was in the middle of the right wall. "And do you think we would really tell you?"
My mask covered my face, but I was smiling. "Oh, I know you don't have information, or let me rephrase, the information you might have is meaningless to me, but handing you over might be the better choice here."
"M-meaningless to you?" The same mage asked.
I looked around and made eye contact with each one of them. "Yeah, I already know everything I need to."
"Oh, really?" Another Alacryan asked plainly, but still was afraid. "You know everything you need to."
I squatted down and examined each one again. "Are any of you guys' part of a Named Blood house, or maybe even a High Blood house." I tilted my head. "Do you guys think that the High Sovereign, Agrona, is just the best? Oh, maybe you were all sent here to distract us, as the ships you have are sent over here?" All their eyes were wide. "Yeah, I know everything, Retainers, Scythes, runes, strikers, shields, casters, and more." I stood back up. "Well, now I can't let you live, haha." I laughed.
"W-w-what? H-how do you know all of that about Alacrya?" The mage from before stuttered, I looked at the first two mages, and ripped the blood out of them, killing them. "What the hell?!"
"I'm in all of you." I paused for a second before continuing. "Hold up, I meant I can control all of you, I'm connected to your blood, I'm not in you, jeez." My eyes at that moment were large, from the adrenaline, excitement, the thrill, the power, and it was all because of the Serpent, I enjoyed it a lot, something I shouldn't be enjoying, I was enjoying. "Do you understand?"
"Yea--." He was cut off by me ripping the blood out of him.
"Holy shit!" Another Alacryan said, and I did the same to him, leaving six of them left.
"How about this." I told them and looked around the room. "I'll let go whoever tells me where another mutated mana beast is, you have my word."
"I thought you knew everything." As the Alacryan finished, he exploded.
"Anyone else got a sarcastic comment to throw at me." I looked around coldly.
"Do you want people too, or just a mutated mana beast." I turned to the voice and killed all the other mages without hesitation. "Ahh." He screamed. I probably shouldn't have killed them, but I wanted to feed the Serpent's Will.
"I won't hurt you, tell me where I can find anything, it doesn't matter." I walked closer to him. "But if I find out you lied to me, I'll hunt you down personally, and torture you to the edge of death."
"O-okay, but how do I know you won't kill me now?" I could see the fear painted across his face, as I held him down on his knees.
"What's your name, actually, I don't want to know." I placed my flaming sword above his head, so only little flames would fall off and burn him. "I think you should take the risk, it's the best chance you got as you see."
"The Sand Grotto." I lowered my sword slightly. "The Sand Grotto is where you should go, I don't know a lot, but I know there is an S Class mutant there." I closed my eyes and felt for any more mages that might be here, but this was it. "C-can I go?"
As I went to answer him, Helen called out. "Veer, are you okay, we're coming in!" She shouted.
I released my spell on the Alacryan. "Go, before they catch you." I turned my back on him and started walking away, the Alacryan got up and started sprinting down the tunnel, as he got a little further, I caused the blood in him to explode, and killed him, Helen appeared with the Twin Horns and Commander Xander. "It's taken care of." I released all my spells and felt fatigue rush through me, I leaned over and caught myself with my sword. Jasmine went to catch me, but I was her off. "I'm fine, I just used too much mana."
Callias came rushing down the tunnel, as Helen spoke. "Are you, okay?" She gave me a worried look. "I should bring you back to the Floating Castle for a while."
"Are you okay?" Callias asked me, before I could answer Helen.
"I'm okay, it's nothing I haven't had to do before." I turned back, and stared at red blood, which was all over me, plus the yellow blood. The tunnel was littered with dead corpses, who knew we were going to be fighting a final battle here today. "I am tired, so let's go."
Everyone looked at me concerned as they took in the scenery everywhere, I did cause chaos in here. "Come on." Helen put her arm around me, and we started to walk to the portal Commander Xander opened, the other soldiers were still inside the cavern looking down the tunnel or collecting beast cores. "Let's get you back to the Floating Castle, you can rest there, the job is done here."
All the Twin Horns were walking with me now, and Callias stayed behind, still looking at me with concern. "Alright." I told Helen, agreeing to go back to the Floating Castle for a little, before figuring out where the hell the Sand Grotto was.
I took one last look around at the carnage I created before I entered the portal.
What was I turning into? Why was I enjoying it?