Chapter 13: Not so final battle.
"Good. Soon we will fight, and you will show me how much you have grown!" The spirit of darkness said solemnly. He put put his sword in the ground, and evidently wanted for me to do the same. I reluctantly followed. He raised his gauntlet, and a dark red book appeared. He opened it and stared directly at me. Then he looked down at the book.
"Any battle between one of the two spirits and a human must be done in a tasteful fashion, and should adhere to these rules:
First, the human shall deal the first blow. Second, the spirit in question shall use only their weapon of choice. The same goes for the human. Third, the spirit nor the human may not exit combat until the duel has ended. And last, no other person may intervene.
With that said, now we can fight. Show me the taste of your blade." The spirit said. I did not know he had rules, and was very surprised that he expected to follow them.
"Draw your blade first. I will not strike unless you have the chance to block." I said, trying to keep the fight from becoming unfair.
"You do not disappoint me with your strange form of honor. I will oblige." The spirit of darkness said in a tone that almost sounded like satisfaction. The old blade disappeared completely, and he drew a cruel looking white blade which had not a single imperfection. It glowed a strange purple aura. It did not look altogether evil, just... dark.
"This blade was forged in summerset woods by the greatest elven smiths in Terraria. Not even I know what it is made of, but it has had many owners. Some light, some dark." The spirit of darkness said, spinning the blade in his hand. I pulled my sword from the ground and swung it at him. He parried the blow and nearly disarmed me. As I raised my sword to strike again, he jumped in the air and brought his sword down on my head. Or so he would have if I hadn't knocked it aside at the last second. I grabbed my sword with both hands and swung it with all my strength. The spirit of Darkness ducked the blow, and I quickly dealt a second one, which he barely blocked. I stepped back and blocked an incredibly strong blow from his sword just in time. Before he could swing again, I kicked him in the chest and swung my sword down towards him. He rolled out of the way, kicking me in the shin at the same time. I growled in pain and walked towards him. We both looked at each other for a long time, neither of us making a move. Finally, I charged forwards, readying my sword. Bad idea. He laughed and hit me across the side with his sword. I tried to block his next attack, but he swung too fast. I was quickly brought to the floor, bleeding and bruised. He loomed over me. He almost said something, but I swung my sword at his legs. I created a huge gash in his right leg, cutting right through the armor. He didn't show any sign of pain. He also showed no sign of killing me. "Get up. I have better things to do than wait here all day." He said mockingly. He allowed me to stand, and I backed up.
"You were a fool not to kill me." I snarled, suddenly slashing at his stomach. He growled furiously and doubled over, blood gushing from the wound.
"I am bound by honor and tradition, mortal. You are not." He growled. I laughed and delivered a flurry of blows, only a couple of which he managed to block. I suddenly felt like I had the advantage. I suddenly noticed that when I hit him, I wasn't absorbing life. Weird.
The spirit of Darkness coughed loudly. I smiled and waited for him to make a move. After ten minutes of waiting, I was wondering why he hadn't attacked. Suddenly, I noticed that all the wounds I had dealt... were gone! This made me furious. More than furious. I charged forward, unable to control myself, and unleashed a series of blows so powerful and full of anger that the spirit of darkness himself fell to his knees. I put my sword at his neck. He made no move against me.
"You have defeated me. Quite a feat for a mortal such as yourself." He coughed. I smiled and, with one stroke, sliced his head off. The armies of crimson and the undead all suddenly began to explode. The goblins screamed and fled over the hills, their shining armor glowing against the rising sun. And I stood over the body of my enemy, my sword stained in his blood. Claps and cheers rang around me, and, for the first time since the Dryad had died, I felt truly content. Guide rushed to my side, smiling happily. Logrolf followed, riding his unicorn. The remaining forces of the hallow gathered around, and I felt like a hero.
But as our hopes rose, and Terraria seemed like such a great place to be, a dark voice boomed over the mountains.
"You have defeated me, and I believe you have earned my blade. But I am not gone. No, I cannot be slain here. I am still bound by a crimson altar. We will meet again, Vald!" It said. I smiled.
"And I'll be waiting!" I said, brandishing my sword. And with that, I walked over to the ruined village, and found that the houses were restored. Confused groans rang from every direction, and I suddenly noticed that I would have to see who was still alive. Maybe some people who I thought were killed were only buried alive, or trapped. With that in mind, I walked towards my village, and vowed to destroy the spirit of Darkness once and for all.