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Published at 14th of February 2023 12:36:54 PM


Chapter 38

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Riary’s flames compacted, tightening, becoming more like a drill. 

Or an Arrow. 

It pierced through the air and even managed to reach Vanessa, before seeming to part around her like water hitting a spoon. Blue flames went everywhere, turning the stairs behind her to slag. Tyler and Konahora were already on the move. 

Tyler rushed in, shield and sword combo ready, slicing at Vanessa. He rapidly slid the sword across her, cuts appearing on her clothing, but none on her body. All of the force was stopped the moment it touched her skin. At worst, it was giving her papercuts. 

She only smiled wider, before punching out. Konahora took that moment to try to bash her from her blind spot, aiming for the back of her head. 

It didn’t work. 

I saw the wood touch her head and the punch continued unabated. This time Tyler managed to dodge, not willing to take the blow directly. Konahora continued to try to beat Vanessa to death. And failing. To make matters worse, I could see small strips of wood falling to the ground from every blow. Vanessa was trying to control the staff and rip it out of her hands, but Konahora was too strong, and simply ripped apart her stupidly strong wooden staff. 

I looked around, thinking quickly. Just running up into that melee was just asking to be killed or get someone else killed. At the moment, Vanessa was at least a little bit locked down, having to constantly focus her power to prevent Riary from torching her. She was forming a natural barrier from the air in the room, something that was clearly getting harder with just how much fire there was. It was helping Tyler and Konahora keep within her bubble and not get burned themselves, but it wouldn’t last. 

The entryway was sparse, no weapons. Villagers had already run off at some point. I needed to do something now. To take advantage of opportunities, to make opportunities. I looked around… and saw Riary. 

Well, this was going to suck. 

I quickly ran over and had to shout over the sound of Fire Magic blazing through the air. 

“This isn’t going to be enough! We need to hit her harder!” 

Riary looked over at me, and I felt like I was being stared down by a wild beast that had gone utterly mad. Fire seemed to threaten to consume me, beginning to cover my body, before it was forcefully yanked back into the beam that it was. 

Riary didn’t answer me. 

“Riary! Listen to me! You have to make something stronger! Contained, condensed, like the arrows you hit those goblins with!” 

Riary still didn’t answer me, but her pupils, the inner flames of her eyes, seemed to grow when looking at me. The heat over my body grew worse. Riary opened her mouth and nothing but flames came out. The look on her face morphed, becoming so deeply entrenched with Rage that I felt like I was looking at an Asura from legend. The beam of flames destabilized more. 

“We’re all going to die if you don’t! You, Konahora, Tyler! You need to focus!” 

It was getting worse, out of the corner of my eye I saw Vanessa have the luxury of launching Tyler clear through the air again, breaking at least a few ribs. Riary was the only thing keeping Vanessa from just tearing us to pieces right now with her ability. 

“Damn it Riary you bitch! Are you really going to let us die because you got a little mad?! Focus damn you, focus! Stop acting like a brat for two seconds and save us! You got your mouth fucked?! Too bad! Where’s the woman who walked with her enemy for a week, who smiled as she caused my suffering, who swallowed her rage and hatred down and down?! Where’s that evil bitch that I use to know? Where has that look in your eyes gone?!” 

I might have spoken in the heat of the moment, and belittled the horrible experiences she had just gone through, but I was kinda panicking. 

Instead of burning me to ash, she seemed to go quiet and the blue flames seemed to double in size, forcing Vanessa to focus on her air shield for a moment and stop throwing punches out.

“I hate you.” I heard Riary’s voice, face now locked in concentration. “I hate you so much.” 

“Good! Feed it into the damn fire and listen. We can’t win. She’s playing with us, toying with us right now! We aren’t going to win a straight fight! She hasn’t even fucking moved! We need to do something different!” 

“And what,” She said with grit teeth. “Should that be?” 

“Hit her with the strongest flame arrow you can make. Condensed, condensed as much as you can into the smallest amount you can!” 

“I can’t do both.” Riary said, clearly referring to the blue flames she was using. 

“Don’t worry! I have a plan!” 

****

Tyler was losing. Losing badly. He felt the incredible heat from the flames burning his skin, felt the very air seem to constrict around him even as he barreled through it. He swung as fast and as hard as could but every time it felt like a fist hitting a pillow. His sword would suddenly feel light, nearly ripping itself out of his hand before he could swipe again. 

And all the while, the vampire just smiled at him, grin wide, casually throwing out punches that he could only barely dodge or deflect. Already he could feel his ribs break, again, through the shield. It felt like a mountain had punched him in the face, even through the shield. He couldn’t remember ever being hit harder, but he was moving faster. Faster. Reinforcing himself more, more. 

More. 

MORE! 

Bang!

He felt the force of a titan rip through him but he stayed standing, slicing more and more. The vampire raised her eyebrow, even as he put everything he had into attacking. He saw konahora hit her a dozen times, doing just as little as he was. Derek had been right, not that Tyler had doubted him. Force wasn’t going to work. 

But Derek had missed something important. 

Tyler was pissed. He had failed. He had watched, chained down, as Riary was-! As Riary was-! 

Tyler let out a roar and slashed faster, faster, faster! He was a tank, he was a tank, what kind of tank can’t defend!? What type of tank lets their companions be raped! 

The vampire rose both eyebrows as he slashed for her eyes and ran straight at her. She smirked and punched out and Tyler raised his shield and slammed it into the ground, breaking it. 

Bracing. 

BANG! 

Bones broke, then shattered to fragments. A shield exploded into scrap, the force of a Titan hit, and the floor cracked like ice. 

And yet Tyler still stood. 

A sword swung and a mind focused. 

This slash, this slash! 

The vampire moved for the first time, sending Konahora flying as she knocked her back. 

The flames exploded forward without resistance, burning their way through the mansion. Tyler stood, half his bones broken, already being covered in a healing light. His eyes were bloodshot, his shield was mostly scrap, and he looked like a crushed tin can. But his teeth were grit, his stance was steady, and his eyes were staring at his enemy. 

The Vampire stood back and for a moment everything stopped. The flames, Konohora’s attacks, Derek and Riary, no one moved. 

The Vampire stood strong. But a large gash ran across her face, right below her eyes. Blood dripped down. Her smile morphed from simply happy, to a true demon. Her whole demeanor seemed to change, licking the blood dripping off her face. 

“So, it seems the children can play after all. Let’s see just how far you can go! Entertain me!” 

Tyler braced but before he could do anything, Derek ran forward, attacking. 

The Vampire seemed taken aback, before laughing, dodging every single one of Derek’s haphazard swings with his claws and tail. 

Konahora wasn’t far behind, swinging her staff. 

Tyler grit his teeth, grabbed the largest piece of shield that was left, and ran to join in. 

 





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