Author's Note: Disclaimer: I do not own Wizard101 or any spells or enemies mentioned here. Miguel Spellblade is one of my characters.
I obviously took literary liberties with all of the characters and the spells. Look at this as a re-imagining of what the action could be like.
For this chapter I tried to follow review suggestions and slow down the action, and get more descriptive. Luckily, this situation practically lent itself to descriptive writing. Please inform me of success/progress in this minor issue of pacing.
Enjoy, and don't hesitate to review. Thank you.
The Adventurum: A Compendium of Adventures in the Spiral
No Such Thing as Untouchable
The Krokosphinx: a wonder of the Spiral, a masterpiece of ancient construction and magical architecture. Its network of arenas and hallways was extensive, and chilled as if caught in a perpetual blizzard. The Entrance Hall of the Krokosphinx especially served to showcase the craftsmanship of the Kroks. Beginning with a long hall of columns embedded into the walls, it led to a large chamber, the ceiling of which was shrouded in darkness. It was a central hub of the Krokosphinx, with large blue doors on both sides and a tunnel leading to the Grand Arena directly across from the entry hall. The top of the tunnel served as a platform for a third massive door, accessible by curved stairs on the left and right, hugging the chamber walls. Between the stairs and the Grand Arena tunnel were pools of frozen water, sparkling like diamonds in the soft blue firelight of the torches on the chamber walls. The pools encircled platforms that served as the foundation for a giant Krokotillian statue on each side of the Grand Arena tunnel, like massive and ever-watchful guards. A column of ice sprouted from the pools, curving towards the stairs to reach for Krok busts that once may have been water spouts, but were magically frozen for eternity.
In the center of the Entrance Hall was a pit ringing a circular platform, two wooden bridges serving as the only paths to the island. The outside of the pit was adorned with three braziers, and next to one of these braziers knelt a student wizard, fair hands positioning a statuette of a minotaur at the pit's edge. His face was concealed by the shadow of a deep blue hood with a wide yellow stripe down the center and gold tentacle designs on the sides. A yellow cape with blue borders fell over his back, crumpling on the floor.
The boy, Kane Darksword, turned when finished with the statuette to face a small pile of them, from which a dark sprite was currently straining to lift one. The violet-clad sprite beat her pointed fuchsia dragonfly wings furiously, managing to haul the statuette (which was likely as heavy as her) up and carry it beside the pit. A smile, small and subtle, grew within the hood.
"Remember Stella, the placement must be exact." Kane instructed, picking up another statuette and returning to the pit edge. Stella grunted out some squeaky noises in response. When the dark sprite fluttered off to grab another statuette, Kane swiftly adjusted the one she had just placed. The dark sprite was a good assistant and very loyal, but sometimes too impatient to attend to the minute details.
A ruby ring on one of his hands pulsed softly as he placed the next statuette. It was an enchanted ring, given to him by a bothersome pyromancer he knew. For once the oaf had proven useful, crafting him a ring that sent pulses of heat through his body at intervals; it was the only reason the perpetual cold of the Krokosphinx failed to bite into him as he worked in his battle robes, which were not designed for the cold.
After positioning the final statuette precisely, Kane rose and untied one of three pouches hanging from his belt. He loosened the tie on the bag, emptying the contents into the brazier before him. It was an ashen, dusty substance that glimmered supernaturally, power in every grain. When the last of it fell into the brazier, the substance ignited, casting firelight over Kane and reflecting off the dark violet eyes just under the hood. Kane moved on to the next brazier.
As he and Stella worked on arranging the materials for the other braziers, Kane thought about what he was about to do. Grumish Greataxe, a warrior so mighty that he had to seal himself away so others could have a chance at being arena champion. Kane smirked. Such an act showed sportsmanship, honor, and dignity; while Kane had dignity, he believed honor and sportsmanship had no place in battle. Neither did dignity for that matter. Kane fought to win, fought to survive, and playing fair just increased the likelihood of neither happening. With this in mind, Kane planned to end the reign of the king of the pit.
With the final brazier lit, Kane returned to where the pile of statuettes once lay, picking up a spear. The weapon was as tall as he, composed of a fiery orange shaft that gleamed with power. The spearhead was long and golden, ridged on four sides. As Kane walked with the spear over to a hunch-backed old Krokotillian, orange light pulsed over the spearhead intermittently, falling from the tip to the shaft in a cascade of light.
"Are you ready, wizard?" The Krok, Shalek the Wise, asked. The hat on his head shuddered as the graying reptile spoke, and Kane frankly thought he looked on the verge of collapse.
Kane crossed his left arm over the bronze chest plate of his armor in a warrior's salute of respect. The design resembled a face with amethyst orbs for eyes and a nose-like protrusion of bronze over his sternum. Plates of bronze with raised swirl ornamentation were strapped to his left bicep and both forearms. Where there wasn't metal, there was quilted deep blue cloth with a yellow border, falling below his waist to form a battle-skirt above the knees.
"I am." Kane replied confidently, Stella giving a squeal that almost resembled an 'oh yeah' beside him.
"Very well. Raise the hammer Thar, and I will guide the magic to summon him," instructed Shalek, raising one shaking hand towards the pit.
Kane handed his spear to Stella, who let the butt rest on the floor and focused on keeping it upright. Not looking to see if she was managing well, Kane picked up the large stone hammer, Thar. With a grunt, he lifted the hammer up over his head with both hands, the stone head glimmering with magic.
"Grumish Greataxe, I challenge you!"
Wisps of faded smoke rose from within the pit and began to swirl, causing the brazier fires to flicker. Shalek hummed behind the wizard, weaving his hand in gentle rotations, and the fires flared up, flames catching in the twister of smoke and being swept up to form a glorious triple helix of fire. The stone hammer glowed brighter above Kane, and soon the statuettes followed, ripped from the floor and dissolving in the tornado of flame and smoke. It continued for a minute more before the braziers began to disintegrate, getting sucked into the swirling mass. When the edge of the pit was empty the fires died out, the smoke cleared, and a spectral figure stood in the center of the island arena facing the entry hall. It turned to the left, facing Kane, who lowered the hammer to the floor.
"You're a minotaur…" Kane murmured, surprised. It did explain the statuettes, but he still hadn't expected the greatest warrior of Krokotopia to be a mythical creature like the minotaur. Grumish stood twice as tall as Kane, with thick burly arms clad in steel bracers sporting short, thick spikes and clothed in a blue toga. Large ebony horns sprouting from his head looked eager to skewer anything that flew past his head, and his hooves looked nearly as large as Kane's own head.
Kane would have to rethink his strategy.
The minotaur hefted a huge double-headed axe and swung it behind him, pointing his right hand with a thick, muscular index finger right at Kane. The hand rotated, palm turning toward the ceiling, fingers bending to beckon Kane with ominous slowness. Behind him, Stella let out a soft 'uh oh' like sound.
A lump of fear was lodging itself in Kane's throat. Not because of Grumish Greataxe being a spirit, however. Kane had learned early in his Death classes about spirits, and how their form upon the mortal plane was made of ectoplasm. This unique substance allowed them to interact with living and magical things, while simultaneously unconstrained by non-living material boundaries. The true problem was that this spirit was a minotaur.
He had never fought a minotaur before; couldn't even summon one. But he had challenged Grumish to a battle, he wasn't about to back down now. So he gulped down the lump and extended his right hand. Stella dutifully handed over his spear. Spear now in hand, Kane strolled as calmly as he could over the wooden bridge into the arena, planning out his spells. Greataxe did not move from the center of the platform as Kane approached.
Kane reached the end of the bridge and adopted a defensive stance, feet spread and both hands guiding the spear to point at Grumish Greataxe. He recalled Shalek the Wise saying that in the past, on one could even touch Grumish Greataxe in a fight. Kane's grip tightened on the weapon.
"There's no such thing as untouchable," he muttered to assure himself, as Grumish Greataxe bowed. Kane did the same, his hands beginning to glow golden with magic as he readied his spell. The warriors rose, and Grumish backed up as they proceeded to circle each other clockwise, searching for weaknesses, an opening, anything indicating they would have the upper hand.
The minotaur seemed extremely confident as they circled, holding his axe at his side rather than before him as if in defense. Kane narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth, focusing his magic and concentration on his readied spell, and planning his defense. Kane had one advantage in this battle, and that was in his size; it made him more maneuverable than Grumish, and in the confines of the large platform, would be a necessary component of his strategy.
As he suspected, Grumish opened, charging forward with a diagonal slash intending to cleave the boy from shoulder to hip. Kane responded with the unorthodox, charging forward and ducking the axe, the wind from the massive weapon flowing over his face. Wasting no time, he turned on his heel, spinning his staff into the air as a Myth symbol crackled into being before him.
"Troll, dod ataf!" Kane spoke the archaic language of the summoning as he brought the butt of the spear down on the stone floor, the Myth symbol blasting forth. A small whirlwind of smoke swept up before the wizard as Grumish turned to face his opponent once more. The column dispersed as a troll materialized within it, bringing its yellow eyes to bear on the minotaur and scratching its head.
Grumish snorted with fury (which caused his nasal ring to briefly levitate) at the sight of the minion, golden light beginning to dance around him and a Myth symbol etching itself in the air before his now outstretched palm. Upon its completion he slammed his right fist to the ground, and the symbol burst apart, the fragments of yellow light spinning towards Kane.
The troll, finally grasping the situation, charged at Grumish with club raised. The minotaur grabbed the club and hurled both club and troll to the side, charging at Kane himself. The fragments of light from the minotaur's spell were dancing around Kane now, and he knew exactly what they were; a Myth trap. Grumish raised his axe high, bringing it down in a vicious chop as Kane spun to the side, using his spin to add momentum to the thrust of his spear.
The troll minion had gone over the pit edge, but grasped the ledge at the last moment, and hauled itself up as his master's spear thrust into the spectral minotaur's side. Sparks of lightning danced out of the spear tip, coursing through Grumish and making his body shudder. The troll charged at the twitching minotaur, leaping onto his back and beating the club upon his head.
Kane withdrew the spear and retreated as Greataxe tried to dislodge the troll minion, quickly casting a Mythblade. His body became surrounded by a yellow aura of light as the spell was cast, and he began weaving another Myth symbol in the air with his hand, slashing the air with his spear and throwing his hand forward as he cast it.
When the spell burst to life, a small crystalline pyramid formed in the air and homed in on Grumish. It spun around the minotaur as he grabbed the troll, throwing it down onto its back and pinning it with one hoof. Greataxe ignored the crystal, now flashing purple and yellow, and brought down his axe on the troll's skull. The minion burst to pieces of light and was gone.
Kane cringed, his distraction lost, but quickly spun his spear in the air again, Myth symbol sparkling. Grumish was also weaving a spell, but it was a Fire symbol.
"Cyclops!" Kane brought his spear down, and the symbol disappeared. Grumish slammed down his fist and the Fire symbol burst.
It all happened so fast Kane wasn't sure entirely what happened. A tree grew from the pit, a cackling fire elf bouncing up it to the platform as a large figure burst from the other side, landing just beside Kane. The fire elf shot a flaming arrow at Kane, while the yellow light surrounding him siphoned off to the hammer the Cyclops was wielding high. Kane collapsed to the ground, yanking the arrow out of his left shoulder while the Cyclops slammed the hammer down, creating a crack in the platform that snaked toward Grumish, energy rushing out of it like a howling wind.
The small prism spinning around him zipped forward, the energy from the crack streaming into it. What came out was a torrent of electrical power, spewing over Grumish and sending him to his knees.
When everything cleared, Kane was on his feet, tendrils of fire and sparks of yellow light dancing around him. The flames heated the air around him to uncomfortable levels, reddening his skin.
Damn ring! He snarled, dropping his staff to rip the ring off his finger and throw it out of the arena. It brought only scant relief, and he would probably regret it later, but he didn't care.
Grumish was on one knee, axe resting on the floor. Kane hastily grabbed his spear, readying it as the minotaur arose. The combatants began to circle each other counterclockwise this time, with Grumish holding his axe defensively. Kane sneered victoriously; he had struck a hit vicious enough to make the champion weary. However, the battle was far from over, and the heat of the fire swirling around him made sure he remembered that.
Sketching a Myth symbol with his spearhead, Kane thrust the spear forward and through the symbol, the spell flaring into a yellow orb that circled him. Grumish had likewise cast a spell, and was now sporting a yellow glow.
They continued their circling, before Kane stepped forward, thrusting his spear out. A ball of fire surged out of the weapon, catching Grumish in the chest. He stumbled briefly before moving forward, sweeping his axe back. The yellow aura moved to wreath the axe in light and Grumish swung it brutally through the air.
Kane didn't try to dodge because Grumish was still too far away to actually hit him with the axe, but as his Myth shield flared to golden life, he realized the very air the axe stirred had been charged with magic, rushing over the wizard. The shield held strong, dispersing the energies, but some of it still leaked through, setting off the pulsing Myth trap sparks.
The explosive result sent Kane onto his back, hood falling off to release shoulder length, straight blonde hair that fell down into the pit, with his head hanging over the edge. Kane groaned and rolled over, getting to his feet. Grumish snorted, another Myth symbol forming before him and fragmenting as he slammed the floor, rushing to envelope Kane.
With a new Myth trap and the flames still swirling around him, Kane had to strengthen his focus as he twirled his spear around him and formed a Death symbol.
"Banshee!" Kane snapped, the symbol sparkling out of existence with the sound of bone chimes. For a moment, nothing happened, and Grumish gave an almost laughing snort. Kane heard Stella crying out from beyond the pit, and a shiver ran up his spine. Grumish stepped forward.
A low wail filled the air, causing the minotaur to pause, looking around as the wail grew louder. Both combatants looked at the pit; the noise was emitting from its depths and echoing off the pit walls. An instant later a ghostly woman floated out of the pit, circling the arena and watching Grumish with large, soulless eyes. She circled the platform once more before giving a soft chuckle that seemed to echo off the Entrance Hall walls, swooping down to hover in front of the conjurer.
Grumish turned his chin up at the banshee, grunting. She chuckled again, wrapping her arms around herself and curling, inhaling a harsh, raspy breath. Grumish brought his head down to ram both wizard and spirit, but he never reached them as the banshee uncurled and let out an ear-piercing screech. The axe clamored to the stone floor as the minotaur clasped his hands over his bovine ears, stumbling back. Beyond the pit, Stella glowed with dark energies, the sprite gathering her own magic to strengthen Kane's death power.
The dark sprite released the pent up energy, dark magic swirling into the banshee, whose screech condensed into a stream of power battering Grumish. His hoof caught in the crack created by the Cyclops and he fell backward, still trying to guard his ears from the banshee's head-splitting wail.
Kane gave the minotaur no chance to rest, immediately casting another prism after the banshee's departure. Another Myth symbol was shimmering in the air as Grumish got up, shaking his furred head with a grunt.
"Troll!" Kane practically shouted the word as he thrust out his hand, the symbol exploding into particles of yellow light. The magical dust swirled around the transparent yellow form of a troll, before flashing. The troll solidified as the flash subsided, took one look at the recovering minotaur, and spun in place, flinging his club at the beast.
The prism, however, took the hit, not Greataxe, and flared up in response, seeming to absorb the projectile. From the other side a javelin of lightning shot into Grumish's chest, sending the minotaur reeling back once more. The troll burst into golden dust.
Kane rushed at Greataxe, seeking to jab his spear into the creature's hide while he was still reeling. But Grumish recovered too quickly, and with a great sweep of his arm sent Kane sprawling through the air across the island arena. Grumish wasted no time in retrieving his axe and forming a Death symbol in the air, slamming down his fist.
Kane groaned, the flames that had been burning at his skin dissipating as he lay on the chilling stone floor. He got to his knees, wincing. That might be a rib. He wasn't sure, but it hurt. A rasping groan followed his own, prompting the injured wizard to look to the center of the arena.
A pale gray hand rose from the wider section of the cracks left by the Cyclops attack, molted and rotting. That grotesque hand hauled a whole being from the crack, a tall and lean man clothed like a Marleybonian gentleman. His chest and face were sunken in, exposing rotten teeth and degrading eyeballs. The ghoulish man held a shovel in one hand, dirt still freshly staining it, which began to glow a deep, foreboding blue as Kane rose and tried to ready an Ether shield.
The decrepit figure thrust his shovel forward, the dark blue light whipping out to pierce Kane's chest. The conjurer doubled over as the light enveloped him, his spell failing to form. The ghoul rasped with vile pleasure, lifting the shovel back as if removing dirt, the dark energies following it to shimmer around the shovel. Kane fell to his hands and knees, groaning again as he felt his own vitality leave him.
The ghoul moved its hand over the shimmering shovel, Kane's life energy transferring to its clammy palm, before it turned around and thrust out that hand, delivering the blue light to Grumish. The minotaur inhaled deeply, letting it wash over his spectral body while the ghoul decayed to dust before him.
Kane felt weak after the attack, but there was still fight left in him, and he picked up his spear, getting to his feet with grit teeth to stare down his opponent. Grumish bellowed back, and they proceeded to circle once more. A plan was forming in Kane's mind; he knew he couldn't take much more without healing, and a Pixie would take too long to work. Grumish would interrupt it before the effect even took hold, leaving it useless. No, he would have to use his own ghoul.
Grumish charged as Kane was considering his options, forcing the wizard to roll to the side to avoid the strike. A Myth symbol formed before him as he cast a swift Mythblade, rushing to the other side of the arena as the yellow aura surrounded him. A Death symbol followed, pinging as he brought his spear down to cast it.
"Ghoul!" His own ghoul rose from the crack created by the Cyclops, facing an angered Grumish. As the ghoul sapped energy from him Grumish appeared to fade, becoming more transparent. Kane sighed as the life force of the minotaur flowed into him like cool water, the pain in his chest disappearing and his burns cooling.
It wasn't enough, but it was sufficient for now. Kane quickly cast another Myth prism, smiling wickedly at the faded minotaur. Grumish responded by swinging back his axe, glimmering with magic, and slashing the air, sending another wave of mythical energy at the conjurer.
Kane was expecting this, and spun his spear with both hands over his head, Myth symbol burning before him. He brought the spear down just as the air reached him, a yellow shield orb forming and promptly flaring before him, spreading the wave of magic around the wizard as if parting a river's flow. However, the Myth trap pulsing around Kane flared at the attack, blasting Kane sideways as previously and causing him to nearly roll into the pit. He rose quickly, however, adrenaline coursing through him.
Grumish advanced again, trying to cleave Kane in two at the chest, but the wizard ducked and rushed the minotaur's feet, trying to jab at his chest. Grumish anticipated the move and kicked out, sending Kane spinning away.
When he stopped rolling, Kane focused his magic into another Myth spell, sending fragments of yellow light to dance around Grumish. Rising, he began to cast another spell, seeking to complete his plan, but Grumish had other ideas, and charged the wizard mid-spell with axe drawn back. It was an uncharacteristically dishonorable move, catching Kane by surprise and destroying his concentration on the spell.
Kane barely reacted in time to avoid complete disembowelment as Grumish swung the axe upwards, seeking to slice from groin to brain. But he was too slow to avoid the long steel spike at the end of the axe head, which tore through the quilted battle-tunic and sheared through the chest plate. Flesh tore and Kane reeled back, tucking his arm to his chest as he retreated with watering eyes. Stella let out a pained squeal in the background while Grumish had a look of satisfaction in his dark black eyes.
The laceration was not deep enough to damage vital organs (thanks to his armor) but his muscle was definitely severed, and blood was already staining his clothing and saturating the torn edges. He tried to cover what he could with his left arm, but with the cut running from left hip to right shoulder, he could only conceal so much.
The pain was like nothing he had ever felt before, each breath bringing new trauma to his body and fear to his heart. His vision swam as he steadied himself on his spear, glaring weakly at Grumish, who was casting a Mythblade in preparation to end the battle. Kane closed his eyes, putting all his focus into condensing his energy into a Myth shield.
Enraged snorts and high-pitched squeals caused him to open them mid-spell, dazed from blood loss and confused. He could barely make out the violet dress of his pet Stella as she buzzed around Grumish swiftly, diving and swooping to beat and kick at the spectral monster. She didn't know how to concentrate her Death energy into spells but stubbornly sought to help her master by beating her tiny fists futilely on Grumish Greataxe's head. Grumish was noticeably furious with the pestering sprite, swatting at the air with axe and open palm in attempts to get rid of her.
Kane knew her intention, and he wasn't about to use the distraction lightly. Redirecting his concentration he urged all the power he could muster into a different spell, a Death symbol materializing before him as he strained. The effort brought Kane to one knee, blood pooling on the stone floor beneath him and sticking to the hair that touched his shoulder. He shut his eyes and bit his lower lip, forcing the pain from his mind, thinking of only one thing as he maintained a death grip on his spear.
"Vampire…" he hissed, the Death symbol evaporating was if carried by a gentle wind, chimes ringing distantly. The wisps of darkness that had once been the symbol moved to the center of the arena, forming a shimmering column shaped like a casket.
Stella abandoned her attacking of Grumish when she saw the black thorn-vines beginning to grow out of the stone, rising steadily. She seemed to think it wasn't quick enough, and began to circle the cloud of Death energy, her own dark tendrils of magic bleeding into it.
The thorny vines reached as high as Grumish was tall, standing like a blockade between him and the center of the arena. When he tried to hew them apart with enraged slashes, they grew back quicker than before. Several more vines sprouted from the center, growing within the dark cloud and weaving around each other like rope.
When the vines had completely filled the space of the ominous cloud, they began to meld together, a white skull shimmering over them. A moment later and it was a coffin, not a cloud of energy, which stood before Grumish, towering over him. The top of the coffin creaked open, revealing blood red eyes on a sunken viper-shaped face. The vampire let out a moan, almost as if yawning, revealing two sets of long fangs.
Suddenly the coffin burst open, the vampire emerging with unholy speed. It was actually a bat in a suit, gigantic wings flapping vigorously as it loomed over Grumish, red eyes gleaming with wicked delight. The minotaur tried to swing at the vampire, hoping to destroy it, but the monstrosity backed out of range, sucking up air with raspy squeaks.
Grumish stumbled as he came out of the failed strike, collapsing as dark blue light seeped out of his body, forming two tendrils of energy that the vampire drank up greedily. Grumish was propping himself up with his hand now, axe resting behind him as he tried to remain steady.
The vampire whirled around and smiled at Kane, before spewing out the two tendrils of life force stolen from Grumish. The two tendrils combined upon Kane, washing over him. He closed his eyes in pleasure as more life force came from the vampire than the ghoul, a greater amount of vitality seeping into him. He could practically feel his muscles knitting together across his chest, feel the vigor wielded by the minotaur fill his bones. This was why he preferred stealing the life force of others over healing; that rush of another's vitality through his body was intoxicating, a high simple healing could not replicate.
Kane rose from his knee as the vampire returned to his coffin, which became thorny vines once more and receded into the floor. He had stopped bleeding, but his entire left arm was saturated with the dark sticky fluid. He ignored it as he took stock of the situation, while Grumish recovered from the attack.
He's weak; I have a Mythblade, Myth prism, and Myth trap. He has a Mythblade. If I shield first I can withstand it long enough to counter attack. He reasoned as the two combatants began to circle for what they both intended to be the last time. Neither of them was going to be able to carry on for much longer, and they both knew it well.
Grumish seemed unwilling to take the offensive, a Storm symbol crackling in front of him before bursting into a purple orb of light, spinning around the prism and sparks of the Myth trap. Kane smirked, knowing the shield would serve his opponent no use as he held his spear poised in both hands, gathering his energy. They continued to circle, cautiously gauging their opponent.
Simultaneously the air before them sparkled with magic, a Myth symbol etching before Kane as a Death symbol shimmered before Grumish. Kane sliced the symbol in half with his spearhead as he finished the spell, Grumish doing the same with his axe.
"Troll," Kane declared, and as a ghoul rose from the crack in the floor a third time, the golden yellow form of a troll was solidifying in front of it. The ghoul gripped his shovel with both hands, bringing it up to bash the forming troll upon the head.
The shovel did indeed make impact with the materialized troll, but resulted merely in the brute rubbing its bald green head, grunting in perplexity at the ghoul. The ghoul brought the shovel up again, trying to beat the troll out of his way, but the beast wasn't having any more of it, and swung the metal-studded club, sending the ghoul's lanky form careening into the pit.
Grumish watched the ghoul fall over the edge before locking eyes with the troll, then lifting his chin and jutting out his chest. The troll growled, the yellow glow moving from Kane to the envelope the beast in power. Grumish pulled back his axe, and the troll charged.
The axe would have chopped through the troll if it wasn't for the fact that the troll leaped into the air halfway through the charge, bringing the club down on the minotaur's head. The sparks of the Myth trap flared and would have exploded, but were sucked into the Myth prism along with the entire troll, the crystal pulsing between yellow and purple.
A moment later the prism burst, a torrent of Storm energy spewing out of it. None of it activated the purple orb that revolved around Grumish, however, as the stream of energy now burning through him was within the shield's confines. Grumish fell to his knees as the power of a storm surged through him, his axe imbedding in the stone floor. Finally, he fell forward, laying still on the ground, the last sparks of magic crackling over him.
Kane watched the scene with unwavering eyes, sympathy lost within the conjurer. The only thing that bit into him was the cold, a bitter chill that froze the hairs on the back of his neck. He quickly donned his hood again as Stella flew to him, a few blonde strands falling over his left eye. Stella let out a 'humph' at the minotaur, crossing her arms over her chest beside her master, who watched as Grumish's ghostly form dissolved in the air with narrowed eyes.
"That was quite the fight," said Shalek when Kane walked out of the arena and stood before the ice pool. "You are much stronger than I expected."
Kane wasn't quite sure how to take that, but he knew that he didn't feel very strong right now. He looked down at his left arm, still painted with his own blood. The wound was healed, but the edges of his tunic were still torn and ragged, the metal chest plate bearing a sharp edge where it was sheared, exposing his chest to the biting cold.
"I'm not strong enough, though." Kane muttered, shifting his gaze to the sparkling of the ice at his feet. He looked at the reflection before him in the ice, and wasn't sure if he liked what he saw.
"But you just defeated the greatest champion of all!" Shalek exclaimed, baffled. "That is not an easy task. You should be proud!"
"I nearly died!" Kane roared suddenly at Shalek, like the snapping of a cord carrying a great weight. Stella retreated, tiny hands to her mouth in fright at his anger. "If not for Stella, he would have finished me off, there and then." Stella slowly smiled, beginning to look pleased with herself.
"I got lucky. Luck is not strength. I need to train more, to ensure it doesn't happen again." Kane turned away from the puzzled Krok, looking back at his reflection in the ice. "Stella, come. We're going home." The dark sprite obeyed, fluttering over to her master and holding his arm.
With a burst of yellow light, they both faded out of existence, leaving Shalek the Wise alone in his contemplation.
Author's Note: The 'dod ataf' is a rough Welsh translation of 'come to me'. If I have any Welsh-speaking readers who wish to correct me on this, because language is a weakness of mine, please do not hesitate to message me the correct translation.
Also, I understand this one was quite long, longer than the others. I am sorry if this is a problem, but Grumish is a difficult battle so it was appropriate. The next chapter, however, is going to be all dialog and character interaction before a big battle in the chapter that follows it, for all those who want something other than action.
Again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't be afraid to review.