Capítulo 101: - Whispers and Wonders: A Secret Tune
The spear of ice flung its way through the air, rapidly approaching Lia's head, as she had barely the senses nor the time at that moment to defend herself. All she could see was the pale color of ice as it shoved its way through the air, before she saw her reflection in the mirror like frozen water.
She was speechless, and even with the founding agony of her senses exploding in her head and through her body, she could hardly move.
She was stuck within a trace, her pale gray and yellow eyes - eyes she had borrowed from Kal, reflecting his power, shimmered along the surface of the ice. It felt as though time had stopped, watching her, waiting for her to make a move.
But she made none.
It was then, as the attack was nearing her head, nearly an arm's length between her and death, the rune plastered on the back side of her palm began to warm, heat, and sear at the strength of power running through it. To Lia it felt as though a surge of fire and heat was tunneling through her blood vessels, rushing full speed towards the exit.
She needed little belief in knowing what happened next.
In a flash, the rune circle changed to that of a horned creature, similar to that of a dragon's face but missing it's features, Cain appeared before her, his arms outstretched on either side of him, coming betwene her and the sight of death that barreled through the air towards her.
He brought his arms back in, as if to clutch his own body in a hug, and it was then that Lia could feel the heat around them surging, feeding in on itself like a fire licking at the wood in the pit. It grew and grew, and in this slowed down perception of time she was experiencing, she could see the flames already beginning to draw themselves from thin air.
The flames spouted from his hands and in one quick motion, as he was bringing his arms back in towards his torso, the flames spiraled around one another, creating a shielded circle around them. The ice hit the flames with little resistance and in the fury of flames, Lia could see the ice turn to water in less than a second.
Time returned to her like normal, Cain already turning around to face the forest where the attack came from. Raising a fist, he punched out towards the darkness of the shaded woods, a spout of flames and fire shooting from his fist, barreling towards the unknown attacker.
The flames broke through branches and leaves, incinerating any object that came in contact with it, but eventually, not finding its mark, the fire evaporated into thin air, from which they were drawn.
Lia, seeing Cain attacking, snapped out of her trance of mezmerization, as many find themselves incapable of stopping once they see their life flash before their eyes. And she did not like what she saw.
"Back to back!"
Cain yelled to her, placing his firm and muscular back against hers, spine to spine, they locked themselves against one another, peering in the darkness for the unknown being that attacked them. From their eyes they could see nothing in the shaded wood, finding it more than difficult to trace the sound of the attacker in the large open woods.
Nature surrounding them, scents of the dirt, brush, trees and moss clouded their senses, and thus, made it even more difficult for them to find their enemy in the midst of leaves and branches.
"I don't see them!"
Lia barely had a chance to get the words out of her mouth before another ice spike, similar in size to the other, shot out from the darkness above them.
She raised her sword, which she had drawn once she napped out of her trance, and smashed the piece of ice to tiny fragments, watching as they shimmered across the dimly lit space.
"Duck!"
Lia dropped to the ground in a squat, just as Cain turned his body in a 180 degree angle and shot a similar line of fire like he had done before, aiming for where the attack had come from.
However, like before, the flames dissolved into thin air, hitting nothing, not even the leaves of the branches.
"Damn it! They're moving too fast!"
He turned around again to face his own side of the woods, Lia once again locking backs with him.
"What do we do?"
"Keep your head low and be ready. Use your fire, it's the only chance we have."
Through his words, Lia could have sworn she could just see the smile already forming on his face.
"Fire always beats ice."
With that, he punched different spaces in the air around him, each punch sending spires of flames shooting out into the darkness, incinerating leaves, branches, and even the occasional tree trunk, whose tough material caused the fire to meld around it like liquid metal.
The sound of fire shooting out through the air caused the sounds of nature to be drawn out, and with it, Lia was able to heighten her sense to be even sharper.
It was easier for her to drown out one loud sound, rather than dozens and dozens of sounds at different pitches and tunes. Unlike Cian though, who could do both.
She closed her eyes, Cain's attacks increasing the minute he realized what she was doing. He was hoping in his head that the constant attacks and rush of heat and fire could cause the attacker to lose his cloak of silence, letting Lia know exactly where he was.
And it worked.
The increase in attacks caused the attacker, who was currently running along various branches, bouncing off trunks and rocks, to lose their balance.
The sound of leaves brushing against their skin told her the attacker was to her left, a fair distance away, but for Cain that was nothing.
'Cain!'
"Got it!"
He halted his attacks so quickly that the flames that were currently shooting from his fist dissolved in mid air, before another similar spire of fire shot out from his fingers, aiming in the direction Lia had shared with him.
The fire lit up the surroundings, and with its travel speed and direction, Lia and Cain caught a glimpse of a fully covered figure leaning back to avoid the flames, before the darkness overtook them and they lost sight of the attacker.
"Was that…a person?"
Lia didn't turn to face Cain for a n answer, considering they were still neck deep in battle, but she could feel the emotions shift in Cain's mind.
"I thought it was a monster?"
"No, this isn't a monster."
His voice dropped low as his crimson eyes, glimmering in the darkness of the shaded opening, panned over their surroundings.
"This is a summoner."
"Great…"
Lia mumbled, facing the dark woods again.
However, just as their surroundings went quiet, and Lia began to think the hooded figure had left once they were seen, did a thought cross her mind.
The figure they had seen, barely catching a glimpse of in the dark woods, lit only by the spiraling fire barreling away from them, was different.
Strikingly different.
At first, she had thought the attacker was a monster, but when Lia saw them, her next thought went to the man she had followed in here. Only he couldn't have doubled back in time to catch her by surprise, otherwise she would have seen a second set of tracks.
But that wasn't even what baffled her the most.
The figure…was a woman.
Just as Lia turned to warn Cain of this information, did she by sheer luck or chance catch the district shape of a dark hooded figure, the same she had followed into the woods, barreling towards their unguided side for the bushes.
"Cain!"
The man noticed she had seen him, simply by a glance in her direction - his one luck or chance, but he was already too far out to stop suddenly and double back.
So, with a new found determination in his eyes at being noticed, the man shot forward at even quicker speeds, Lia's eyes finding it hard to follow his footsteps.
Cain however, much to the attacker's dismay, was faster then him and instantly noticed the man charging towards them, as soon as the words of warning had left Lia's mouth.
As quickly as the attacker was coming at them, Cain had bent his body forward, bending his back and spine in the process. The man, who had just drawn his knife at that point, was dumbfounded to find his dagger passing through the now empty space between them.
In the same motion, Cain twisted his body again, his arms outstretched to grab at the man's arm, which was now in open space.
However, in doing this, he was left vulnerable to the attack that had just shown itself, appearing out of the darkness like a monster detaching itself from the shadows. But, Lia saw it.
From her place having already half turned around, she could easily see the long and sharp icicle barreling towards Cain's unguarded back. With one swift motion, she brought her sword around her body, and threw its blade first towards the ice, piercing through the air just above Cain's head.
In the same moment, Cain's two strong and muscular arms wrapped around the man's, like a snake that wrapped itself around the wrist and elbow, pinning the man's arm against his torso.
Hearing the ice shatter and the sword thunk into the nearest tree trunk, Cain turned his head to face the second attacker - the female, as well as the now obvious summons - with the man's arm still clutched and pinned against his side.
While Cain was momentarily distracted by the audacious woman who dared to attack him while his back was turned, the man twisted his dagger in hand, attempting to stick it straight into Cain's rib cage.
However, Lia, who had now turned her focus to the man himself, kicked the dagger away, sending it out of the man's hand and leaving a red mark in the process.
"Gah!"
If the man could clutch his hand in pain he would, but Cain denied him that luxury, still focused on the surrounding woods for another attack.
And soon it came, another icicle firing itself from the darkness, straight towards Cain's head. However, unlike the last few, Cain simply moved his head to the side, allowing the sickle to pass by his ear, neither harming him, nor freeing the man he had pinned.
'So she won't harm her master. This makes things easier.'
With his hands currently occupied by keeping the man's one arm pinned against his side, Cain reared back his head, while Lia grabbed at the second and more flailing arm the man was using to attempt to free himself.
Lia barely had time to catch a glance at Cain, who, to her pure and utter amazement, whispered two words before all hell broke loose in front of her.
"Dragon's breath."
From around his head, the glowing outline of a dragon's head, horns and all, embodied his own. Dawning it like a crown, Cain's wide and open mouth matched the wide and open maw of the dragons, the red glowing outline of the beast lit up the surroundings in a reddish haze.
The man, who only had seconds to look upon the monster that Cain had now become, widened his eyes in disbelief.
That was, of course, before the surroundings rose in temperature, as if they were sitting inside of the furnace itself at a blacksmith's forge. The air became hazy, and Lia recognized the cause for this as the rising temperatures, Cain being the cause of course.
Even as her eyes widened in disbelief, similar to the man's, she had barely a second before a huge ball of flames formed out of thin air before Cain's open mouth, shooting out in a long and wide spire of flames, destroying trees, brush, rocks and even the dirt became uprooted from the blast of fire.
The sound was almost deafening, and Lia had to do everything she could to keep herself from covering her ears, in order to keep the man's one arm pinned.
The surroundings were lit up in a blaze, the fire spreading around them like someone had oiled the ground itself before the fire touched down on it, creating a large but somewhat sublime scene.
___________
(Sublime: Something dangerous but having a sense of beauty/awe within it)
___________
"NO!"
The man screamed out, thrashing around in their arms, causing Cain to end the attack just as soon as it had started. But even then, the damage had been done, a large and wide area of the words that seemed to stretch on for miles on end, was now nothing but ash and dust.
Apart from the occasional dark and charred stumps, rocks, and little piles of dirt, the entire ground was covered in a blanket of white and grayish ash. The forest was burned from root to tree top, and in less than a minute no less.
Cain returned to hold the man down, taking the other arm from Lia who was struggling as much as it was already.
Pinning him to the ground, using a knee on his back, Cain spoke to them in his right ear, his voice harsh and impatient.
"Tell me now, who are you, and where is your summons?"
"Gh…Gah!...Right there, bastard!"
The man, struggling to get his words out, made eye contact across the clearing with someone. Cain noticed this immediately and with the man's words, he could see the threat appearing even before it showed itself.
Reaching out, he pushed Lia back, who was huddled over them, believing the danger to be gone, before pushing off the ground sending himself back.
What happened next made Lia's heart lock up, as it could have been her who would have faced the full frontal assault of the woman, who launched herself from another cluster of trees barreling towards the man at full speed.
She landed beside the man, using her arms in a wide sweeping motion, sending a ring of ice spiking up from beneath the ground out towards Cain and Lia, who had just made enough distance to be unaffected.
Lia, who was without her sword, activated [Drifting Winds], using the momentum from her push off the ground to send her speeding off around the ring of ice, keeping the woman distracted as she sent several icicles flying through the air in an attempt to hit her.
"Now Cain!"
"On it!"
Cain, who had read Lia's mind and seen her plan without even needing to discuss it in words, pushed off a tree trunk he was currently heading to from his position mid air. This sent him barreling towards the woman, who was still focused on the blurring image of Lia, leaving herself vulnerable.
However, the man was well aware of what Cain was doing, and in an attempt to stop Cain, grabbed the woman's shoulder, turning her towards Cain.
But it was already too late. The momentum from the tree sent Cain over the ring of ice, which he then pressed his foot against the cold surface sending him above the two unsuspecting attackers, while he twisted his torso in a full spin, rings of flames and fire rotated around with him.
The fire spread through the air and the woman barely had any time to raise a shield of ice in front of her and the man, protecting them from the flames.
However, the damage was done and the ring of ice that surrounded them, protecting them, melted in seconds. Cain, twisting around on the ground in an attempt to keep himself steady, slammed a foot down on the ground, halting his motion immediately.
Lia, who was still running circles around them, appeared suddenly at their side, bringing her leg out from underneath the man, causing him to fall over himself, before shooting off in a blur of motion. The effect was almost immediately seen as the woman stopped defending, the ice shield shattering into thousands of pieces, before leaning down to help them as quickly as he had fallen.
Now it was Cain's turn.
Rearing his head back once again, Lia watched as the same glowing outline of a dragon's head surrounded his own. And like before, Cain adorned the head like a crown, the open maw of the dragon's mouth matching his own, before a large spire of fire shot out from the open maw, rapidly approaching the two figures.
The woman, who was still busy helping the man, brought up her arm in a swift motion, ice spreading out from her bare skin where the fire had burned off the clothing, forming a thick shield to protect them.
The fire spread around them like molten metal, drops of burning hot and liquid fire dipped to the ground setting the very earth itself on fire. Ice turned to water, water to steam, earth to fire and fire into magma.
The world itself seems as though it was dulled by the bright and burning sight of "Dragon's Breath."
Even Lia was mesmerized by the dangerous, yet awning look of flames that shot forward from the dragon's head. It was surreal. But soon, she snapped out of her trance, and turned her focus back on Cain.
'Any longer and they may die.'
Lia looked between the two, women and Cain, and came to a conclusion.
'Cain.'
'A little busy here Lia.'
'Doesn't matter. I need them alive for now. Alright?'
'....alright. Give me two seconds.'
Cain looked around the bright and blinding fire light, before his eyes caught hold of some loose earth beneath the two figures.
He smiled.
Using one hand to continue the fire spiraling in their direction, he canceled [Dragon's Breath], before using his other hand to telekinetically turn the loose earth under foot over them, sending the two, now on uneven footing, flying, dust and ash sent floating through the air.
The woman was the first to stand, Cain's fire no longer barreling towards her, and raised her shield again in anticipation for another attack.
However, Cain, who had different plans, used the densely packed earth to her side to send a large pillar of stone and dirt slamming into her side, causing her body to flail helplessly against the thick tree trunks.
Dropping to the ground, the woman again regained her senses, grabbing hold of the man to her side.
That was when a shadow passed overhead, but before the woman could do anything, Lia's sword was already at her neck.
Cain, standing behind her, snapped his fingers, the flames burning the forest brush around them disappeared, before reappearing in his open palm.
Lia didn't have many words to say to them.
One of the two looked practically broken already, while the other was weakened by her desire to protect her master.
Lia didn't care however, and spoke softly, but clearly.
She wasn't in the mood for many words at the moment.
And that, coupled with the awe imposing Cain behind her, tripped the effect it had on the woman.
"Now. Let's talk."
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