Bladewarriors Book 1: Refresh

The rhythmic sound of splashes echoed after Myst as she dashed across the room, encroaching on Ilayda's Serpent, the Aqua Saber clasped tight in her hands as she made her approach. The nymph's eyes focused in on the beast as the monster prepared herself, shifting her stance backward slightly in preparation for the nymph's attack. As she closed the distance, though, the blue-haired witch wasn't entirely sure what she could actually do against the beast. Even with a Mystic Blade in her hands, what good she really accomplish? After all, this creature before her was master of the same element she wielded. Would any of her attacks even have any sort of effect?

There was only one way to know for sure.

The nymph held out her blade, channeling her own strength through the sword. As she moved, the sodden earth behind her shook, rising and falling as her power wrapped its influence around the liquid the ground contained. The water pulled up, following behind the Aqua Sabress, drawn to her call as it built upon itself – growing bigger and bigger with each step the nymph took.

The distance between the two growing increasingly small, the nymph launched her assault. With one last step, the witch beckoned the water beneath her foot to surge up, launching her into the air as she swung her blade in front of her. Urged on by the woman's slash, the surge of water that had trailed behind the girl burst forward, pulsing out with all the strength of a tidal wave, barreling down upon the beguiling serpent as it passed beneath the water witch.

The Serpent's expression remained the same, though. The nymph's attack evoked nothing more the a lifting of the creature's arm as she faced her palm to the oncoming onslaught, eyeing the waves like little more than a disobedient child. As the burst of water reached her it crashed out, striking an unseen wall as it was bent away from the beast, pushed irresistibly to the side.

The water nymph splashed back to the ground, frowning at the display. Of course that was the result. After all, if she could do something like that, why wouldn't The Serpent be able to accomplish the same? She had expected as much, but actually seeing it was still disheartening. Even so, she couldn't afford to relent just yet.

As she stood, Myst swung out with her blade, once more exerting her power over the liquid beneath her by focusing it through her sword. As the weapon slashed through the air, a circular, liquid razor rose from the floor, growing to nearly match her own height as it cut across the small gap that still separated her from The Serpent. The nymph wasn't content with just one, though, quickly following the slash with three more.

But it was useless.

By doing little more than continuing to hold her palm out in front of her, the water was once again repelled, crashing harmlessly against some unseen shield before bounding away. It was as she thought: her powers were all but useless in this battle. But still…

A miniscule smile edged its way onto the Divine Beast's face as she pulled her arm back before quickly swinging it out in front of her. In response, a shower of watery needles burst from the sodden floor at her feet, spiraling through the air toward the water witch. The blue-haired girl paused, raising her own hand as if too counter, but it was not the nymph's power that halted the assault.

A wintry chill swirled past the Aqua Sabress, sending a shiver down the young girl's spine as an edge of ice spread across the floor beneath her feet, quickly curving up to create a thick barrier in front of her. Myst blinked, eyeing the icy wall as she heard the shower of needles strike the other side, resembling the tumultuous sound of rain that often filled the Water Realm.

A moment later, as the pattering of liquid death ceased, the arctic structure shattered into dozens of razor sharp crystal shards. Myst took a quick glance back, spying her white-haired ally as the warrior swung his blade through the air, commanding his glacial daggers to fly forth.

The Serpent reeled back a step, slashing her arm upward, summoning up a massive swell of water from the ground to intercept the crystal blades rushing toward her. Each tiny icicle splashed into the liquid as it swirled around the beast, being instantly halted by the pressure swelling in the mass of ocean as it spun around the beguiling beauty. As the last of the needles crashed into her shield, the beast followed the example Frost had set, sending the entire attack hurtling forward, back towards its target.

Frost grinned, lifting his sword as he pointed the tip of the blade straight at the oncoming surge, letting out a brief yell as the stream of rapids grew near. A glacial glow burst from the tip of his weapon moments before the pulse of liquid crashed against it, sending out a chilling aura that instantly froze the leading edge of the attack, turning it into an icy barrier. As the rest of the water crashed forward, billowing over and around the chunk of arctic deterrent, it too froze, creating a half-sphere of ice that completely blocked him from The Serpent's view by the time the attack had concluded.

Myst blinked, staring back at the fair-haired fool, impressed with the boy's abilities. Even after taking a beating, the idiot was somehow managing to stand against the Divine Beast that was antagonizing their group. Despite all the teenager's floundering and whining, he was still standing strong. She would probably never admit it if he asked her, but Myst honestly hadn't expected the boy would end up being so formidable. Juxtaposed against the fool's normally ill-advised judgment and dull-witted personality, it made the young nymph feel as if she was watching someone else entirely.

The errant child's skill wasn't lost on The Serpent either, as the beast stared down the partial dome of frozen water that now obscured the boy from her view. This boy… he was proving to be more of a burden than she had anticipated. From what The Sentry had told her, this child was supposed to be an ignorable fool – a minor annoyance among the group of wayward warriors. And while an annoyance he surely was, to classify him as minor would be the greatest of errors. His sword was proving to be far too problematic. She needed to address this issue immediately.

The beast's scheming was disrupted by the grating sound of crackling ice. But it was not from before her – from that icy dome – that the intruding sound came. Rather, it was from behind the monster that the clamorous sound of shattering crystal resounded.

The Serpent spun, an unmistakable expression of surprise caught on the Divine Beast's face as she laid her eyes upon the form of a massive frozen sword crashing towards her. The base of the attacking edge emerged roughly from the floor – the frozen sheet of that boy's power being torn apart behind the blade as it slashed toward her. She couldn't dodge this attack, moving as quickly as it was. And while the water witch was present, her liquid form was as good as locked – not that taking it was a viable option in this situation either. Only one choice remained.

Clang!

A splintering sound echoed out through the room, reverberating off the mystical walls of the realm and enclosing spongy dome, but it was not the sound that Frost expected as his blade was forced to pause. He grunted, the strain of the strange impact sending reverberations up and down his arms as his ears rang with the odd echo. It almost sounded as if the Jotunn's Blade had smashed into something – something large and sturdy, like a wall. But he knew for a fact there was nothing like that.

The arctic child gritted his teeth, gripping tighter to the hilt of his blade, the edge of it plunged into the icy dome that half covered him as he tried to drag it forward. Still it wouldn't budge. What the hell was-?

"Frost, look out!"

The frigid fool had little time to ponder what Myst was trying to warn him about, let alone react as the crystal shield he had just crafted shattered, blown apart as a pressurized liquid spear pierced its thick barrier instantly. He gasped, pupils fearfully drawn to the tip of his approaching demise, watching its procession as if time had slowed around him. He could see it – the water that made it churning and foaming at the bit, each little particle of the liquid fighting for the right to be the first to stab into his flesh. He tried to react – tried to get his body to leap away, but it refused to move quick enough, caught in that same strange pocket of slowed time. He was sure that was it for him.

The fool might have been right, too, if not for the unnoticed sling of green that spun its way around his waist at the same moment. Before Frost even realized the plant was there, gripping tight to his body, it had yanked him away, tearing him from his spot with an even greater force than that of The Serpent's watery tendrils from earlier. The air in his lungs seemed to be caught off guard by the sudden lurch, dawdling behind as the faire-haired warrior flew away through the air. He coughed, struggling to breathe as his eyes tried to make sense of what was happening.

Time returned to its normal pace as he flew away, his dome crashing to the ground as a long pole of water stretched nearly thirty feet across the room, shooting from the palm of the realm's Divine Beast. He could see the pole breaking apart, forced the opposite direction as the water witch thrust her own palm forward. He wondered what had taken her so long to do so.

Tracing the disintegrating pole back to its source, the warrior laid his eyes back upon The Serpent, her cold pupils somehow still managing to follow him on his hasty flight sideways through the air. Slightly behind her, the fool could see the shattered remnants of his attack – a small pile of ice and snow. But there was something odd about it – it wasn't resting on the ground like it should be. He blinked as he slowed in the air, the vine around him bringing him to a gentle stop. The snow and ice… it was as if it was resting against some invisible structure – a wall that held it at bay from the mighty Serpent.

"You alright?"

Frost blinked vacantly, turning his gaze almost unwillingly from the Serpent toward the moss-headed woman who had just saved him. The inhibited exhibitionist stared back at him, her eyes showing a bit more concern for his well-being than he was used to, leaving him a little at a loss for words as he once more absently blinked.

"Fine." He said after a moment, turning to look back at the beast they were fighting once more. "Thanks."

Ivy allowed herself a moment of relief as the fool finally replied, mentally willing the outstretched vine that had sprouted from her sword to quickly retract into the spiraling blades as she turned her attention away from the Arctican. In the distance she could see Myst deflecting torrential spray after torrential spray as The Serpent continued her assault.

A flash of white carved its way into her periphery as Frost took off, back toward the battle, sword hefted at his side. Part of the tomboy wanted to call out to him – to tell him to stop, and that it was suicide – but she held back on those words, finding them far too cowardly to say aloud. Once more, she was beginning to feel useless here. But unlike before – unlike their battle at Sentry Bay – she was determined to do something that would make a difference.

Even if that difference was her death.

Chewing on her bottom lip, tightening her grip upon the Mystic Blade she clutched, Ivy bolted forward, following along behind the arctic warrior. If that fool could put up such a good fight, there had to be something she could do.

Myst strained, her muscles recoiling as the force of The Serpent's magic collided with her own. Even channeled through the amplifying power of the Aqua Saber, she was only just barely managing to hold of the beast's attacks. What was worse was that the monster didn't even look tired in the slightest. Despite everything the beguiling monster had endured and thrown out so far that battle, the creature didn't even look winded – rather, she looked like she had uncovered an even stronger well of power.

"Watch your back!"

The water witch paused, shifting her focus around as Frost called out to her, her eyes landing on a watery tendril that stretched out toward her. Myst began to swing a hand around to deflect it when a frigid blast of air acted first, solidifying the offending tentacle before she could knock it away. Not wanting to waste her momentum, though, the nymph tugged at the water being launched her way, swinging it around her as she pulled it under her own will, warping its path to match her own desires before flinging it back towards The Serpent.

Without a second thought or allowing a moment for anyone to protest, Frost leapt into the churning blast, taking a deep breath as it wrapped around him, propelling him straight toward his target. That beast might be able to reflect the water, but she wouldn't even see him coming. Grinning inwardly, the fool did his best to aim the tip of his blade in the same direction as his water, hoping that Myst would understand his intentions.

Whether she did, or whether she simply didn't see the idiot leap into harms way, it didn't seem to matter as the water witch empowered the frothing stream on its way, pounding it down on the same demon that had thrown it toward her. The stream obscured The Serpent, herself, from view, but the mage could clearly see the water spray away from the monster as it drew close, reflected by the creature's own magic. Myst had expected this, but what she wasn't expecting was the loud, resonating thud that echoed out a moment later over the tumultuous sound of the breaking wave.

Frost grunted, his face twisted into a bemusing expression of confusion and pain, staring – eyes only half open – at the open palm of The Serpent as the beguiling beast grinned back at him, looking on the verge of laughter.

"What an interesting ploy…" The Serpent chuckled, her grin widening as the water witch's stream kept the frigid idiot trapped in place, pinned up against a force none of them could see. She could see the panic and confusion the mired the poor fool's eyes as his body was inexplicably pinned in place, seemingly hanging in the air as the force of his ally's own attack kept him pressed tight against an unseen barrier.

"It might have worked if you had tried it a few minutes ago." The Serpent stepped forward, approaching the child – it almost looked like the boy was being pressed against a piece of glass as his eyes stared bewildered daggers at her.

"Too bad for you." The Serpent's levity evaporated as she pulled an arm back, extending her hand like a knife, the light glinting off the sharpened tips of her nails.

"No!"

The sudden shout caught the beast's attention, the sound reaching her before she could even start her attack. The Serpent spun her head to the side, spotting the Plant Bladesman as the weak girl rushed toward her, the green helix of her blade the focus of The Serpent's gaze. The beast tsked, spinning on the heel of her foot as she stepped toward the girl, thrusting the previously deadly hand forward as a flat palm. The skin of her hand and the tip of the girl's blade struck the unseen barrier that surrounded the monster in the same instant, causing the invisible structure to flash and shake momentarily. The snake grunted, pushing forward suddenly, causing the barrier to bounce out and reflect the green-haired girl's attack.

Ivy stumbled back a moment before falling to the ground, her butt slamming into the still frozen surface of the room. Pain shot through her tailbone and she let out a small yelp before frantically kicking her feet against the floor, trying to push herself back – away from the Serpent. For whatever reason, though, the beast did not pursue her, instead turning back toward Frost.

Still trying to bide with the pain, Ivy flung her eyes to the white-haired idiot, studying the strained expression the covered his face. She wasn't sure what he was pinned against, or what her sword had just struck, but she did know she needed to help the fool.

"Myst! Stop your attack!" The tomboy shouted as she swung out with her sword, sending a winding vine of Wisteria spiraling out toward the arctic child. The tip of the blade crashed into the still pounding river fueled by Myst's magic, somehow digging its way through the torrent to quickly snake its length around Frost's wrist. With a quick tug – funneling as much of her strength as she could into it – Ivy ripped the fool away, tearing roughly from the then diminishing stream just in time to help him avoid an untimely demise at The Serpent's hands.

"I grant you a few extra moments of life, and this is how you waste them?"

Ivy's pupils flicked to the side as Frost still flew through the air toward her, her gaze quickly focusing in on the silhouette of The Divine Beast. The tomboy gasped, her pupils quickly flicking back to where the snake had stood not three seconds earlier – the monster's speed was incredible.

"Did you think you held the power of the goddess? Or do you just wish to die?" The Serpent turned a malicious glare upon the green-haired girl. "If you're so insistent, then I suppose I can oblige your death wish, little girl."

The beguiling demon raised those same razor sharp nails, poised to strike as Ivy let out a startled shriek, unable to manifest any other reaction as those organic daggers plunged toward her. Like a frightened deer, her green eyes stayed transfixed upon those unnatural portents of death. For a moment, she thought time had slowed down or stopped for her as the inevitable demise approached, but after a few moments, the young girl realized the truth.

The Serpent's attack had stopped.

Myst dug her heels into the icy ground, trying her best to find a source of resistance on the slippery surface her arctic ally had created across the room. Her muscles strained as she groaned, pulling back on the hilt of her sword with as much force as she could muster. From the guard of her weapon sprouted not a sword, but an extending, liquid whip – much like The Serpent's only watery tentacles. Tugging back on the Water Whip, the nymph fought to keep the beastly woman across the room from skewering her friend. Narrowing her eyes, the witch pulled back harder as The Serpent's arm struggled against her might, the other hand of her aquatic whip wrapped tightly around the monster's wrist.

The Serpent seethed, twisting her head around to follow the tendril that gripped tight to her – a source of water that refused to bend to her will. As she expected, it was the water witch that stood at the other end of it, struggling to prevent her strike. The transformed serpent spun her head back, eyeing the still frightened gaze of the green-haired coward that was sprawled on the floor in front of her. This girl was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, despite the risk she posed – she could wait.

Steeling her own nerves, the snake decided to take a small gamble against these children. The next instant, the beast's body began to fall away, crashing down into a puddle of water across the artificial tundra. As it did, the whip that had bound the monster snapped back, startling the woman on the other end.

Myst staggered back, her force turned against her as The Serpent suddenly liquefied once more. The nymph panicked, knowing full well what was coming, but unable to do anything about it as she fell backwards toward the ice. She couldn't see the vicious beast as her back moved toward the ground, but she could feel its presence – she could sense the welling of water behind her. She tried to extend her magical influence back – to keep The Serpent from fully forming.

While the act did not prevent the assault, it surely kept it from being lethal. The aquatic spear that had been The Serpent's arm was pressed back slightly – dulled by the nymph's power as the girl fell. Despite that, though, the blunt end of the beastly arm still struck the falling girl with more than enough force. Myst felt the air knocked from her lungs as she was struck from behind with surprising power. The force sent a ripple through her own body, shaking her being to the core. As the wave of power rushed down her arms, the startled mage could do little to maintain her tight grip on her sword. Spurred by the rough assault, the girl's fingers loosened, releasing the Mystic Blade grasped in her hand. Even as she struggled to breath, knocked back up by the blow, the nymph's terror soared – her eyes shooting toward that liberated blade. She had no time to react as a watery limb stretched out, wrapping around the hilt of the sword.

There was not one of the three humans in that battle that could fully comprehend what happened next. In little more than an instant, the entire state of the battlefield had changed – morphed into something nearly beyond recognition. The ice that covered the floor and the patches of snow and frost that were piled here and there vanished in an instant, consumed by the swell of water that filled the room, as if the liquid that composed those frozen pieces had all at once decided to melt. A torrent of rain began to fall from on high – from a sky that could not be reached or seen – as if the ceiling of the room no longer existed. The chaotic downpour came down like sheets, like the ocean it self was swelling into the room from up above. As all this happened, the gathering waters spun into turbulent currents, creating a world in which none of those Bladewarriors could tell what direction was up, or down, or even where they were. The waves dug across them like nails, leaving scratches and gouges from unseen blades that mingled in the torrent before finally flinging them all in opposite directions hap hazardously.

Frost sputtered and coughed as his head broke the surface of the water, still caught in its grip, unsure even what happened. Around his waist still hung the torn end of Ivy's vine, its grip still tight about him, but its source no longer attached. He struggled to stay above the waves as they forced him to follow their chosen path. He spun about, unable to see where the water was taking him – unable to prepare as it slammed him against the Mystic Barrier of the realms edge like a rag doll.

Frost coughed again as he crashed into the immovable wall, feeling the overwhelming energy that flowed through it once more flow into his body. He clenched his eyes tight, letting out a wail of agony as the waves held him tight to the barrier. Like this, he once again didn't have the chance to see what was coming. Before another moment had passed, the pain suddenly multiplied to nearly unbearable levels as something sharp pierced his free hand, driving through him palm, seeming to wiggle as it dug further and further into him before finally stopping. The pain almost blinding, Frost forced a single eye open, twisting his head to look at the wound.

As he spotted it, for a moment, he was sure he was imagining what he saw – positive the pain had caused him to begin hallucinating. Sticking out from his palm was the hilt of the Aqua Saber, its blade driven deep into his hand, pinning it tightly against the barrier wall as the mystical structure's energy poured into his body like an electrical current, nearly paralyzing him. As he struggled to stare at it – to make sense of the sight – the fool realized it was not Myst's hand that was wrapped tight around that weapon's handle. It was The Serpent's.

"I'll be borrowing this."

As if from nowhere, the demonic woman raised his own Arctic Blade in her opposite hand, her smile glimmering in the chaotic light of the room. Frost grunted, only then realizing he had released the weapon as the pain had overwhelmed him – only then realizing what fate was sure to follow.

The Serpent released her hold on the Aqua Saber, leaving it embedded in the Arctican's hand and the barrier behind. At nearly the same moment, the chaos of the room gave way, the chaotic rapids the beast had summoned with the blade's power receding, the storm it had called down ending just as suddenly as it had began. A second later, the room was back to how it had been when they had first entered.

Turning, the sinister beast rested her eyes upon the water witch as the young girl pushed herself up, coughing and hacking as she tried to expel the water from her lungs. Without her blade, the girl was just like the rest of humanity – weak and pathetic.

Myst struggled to take a proper breath, the water still trying to escape as she tried to breathe. Her body shook – quivered. She stared at the ground, taking deep breaths, trying to regain her composure, trying to ready herself – to fend off the panic and fear that had overwhelmed her a moment before. She had been stuck beneath those waves, unable to find the surface, or the floor. Just water, all around her. Even now, with the rapids gone, she couldn't shake that terror of knowing she had nearly drown – nearly died. It was only as a shadow fell over her that the nymph was finally able to pull herself free of its grip – her survival instinct taking over.

Before she was even sure what was causing the shade, Myst pushed away from it, sensing the danger that it bore. She was glad she had, as an instant later a translucent blade stabbed into the spot where she had kneeled the previous moment. She flung her eyes up, finding the form of The Serpent hanging there. Without thinking, she thrust her hands forward, willing the water around her to attack. The liquid swelled from the ground, surging toward the beast, but it never reached its mark.

A burning cold gripped Myst and her attack and the water all around her suddenly froze. The nymph gasped, taking in a deep breath of the frozen air. Instantly she began to hack and cough all over again, the cold burning her lungs as it entered. She gripped at her chest, supporting herself with one hand on the ground. So consumed by the agony in her chest, the nymph hardly even realized the ice around her shattered. By the time she did, it was too late.

Myst shrieked, as a sharp pain pierced the back of her hand, that same burning cold swelling around it at the same moment. The nymph quickly reached out, wrapping her hands around the strange semi-transparent object that was now running through part of her body. As soon as she touched it, though, she regretted it. Her palm exploded with pain as a cold so chilling enveloped her hand that she could almost literally feel the skin burning away. The nymph tried to pull her hand back, but found it stuck there, a layer of ice quickly bonding it to the object she had just grabbed. The witch screamed out again, trying to make sense of what was happening. As she stared at her hands, following the strange glinting structure that bound them upward, she realized what – exactly – was pinning her down.

The Arctic Blade.

The nymph gasped, raising her eyes up, spying the terrifying visage of The Serpent standing over her, the beast's cold hands clasped around the hilt of the magical weapon. She spun her head around, twisting each direction until her eyes finally fell upon the alarming sight of Frost, writhing against one of the barrier walls, his hand wrapped around the hilt of her own sword. She could see him struggling to remove it – to free himself – but he was unable to muster up the strength to dislodge the weapon from his hand and the wall it pinned him to.

"That's better." A malicious smirk drew itself across The Serpent's face as she stared down at the anguish plastering the water witch's face. "I said it before – the weakness of you Bladesmen is the very swords you carry."

The nymph turned a pained face up toward her, the girl's eyes narrowed in a pointlessly defiant glare. Did the dumb girl really think such a rebellious stare would be enough to stave off her death? The Divine Beast chuckled to herself, raising her hand while extending the dagger like nails that decorated her fingers.

"I'm afraid I'm done playing with you all, now."

The Serpent moved to plunge her hand through the nymph's throat when a familiar sensation wrapped about her wrist, halting her attack. The beast slowly turned her head, staring at her wrist. This time it was a vine that gripped, as opposed to the water whip the sabress had used earlier. Slightly amused, the snake followed the vine down its length, until her eyes fell upon the panting face of the Thornian at the other end. The green-haired girl gripped tightly to her blade, grasping it with both hands as she pulled back on it, the vine amplifying the force she was providing to ensure the beast couldn't attack. However, it was obvious to anyone watching that that foolish green speck hadn't a clue what she was going to do next, or what she was even doing at that very moment. Once more The Serpent chuckled as she fell away, her body splashing to the ground like water.

"Ivy, look out!" Myst screamed out over her pain, terrified as she spied the liquid form of the beast rising behind her friend, trying to alert the girl to the danger that dwelled behind her.

Ivy spun her head about just fast enough to see The Serpent's hand as it stretched out and wrapped tight around her throat. A moment later, the hand constricted on her, narrowing the passage air used to reach her lungs, forcing the girl to struggle to breathe as the beast lifted her from the ground, dangling her in the air.

"All in all, it probably would be best if I killed you first anyway."

Ivy kicked and flailed her legs pointlessly as she pulled one hand from her blade, stretching up to try and remove the hand that gripped her throat. It was no use, though – The Serpent was far too strong. Ivy's mind began to flood with dread and terror as she stared down into the cold eyes of that beast, her stomach turning at the horrifying sight of that monster's sadistic grin. Somewhere in her mind, she knew it was useless, but her body acted out anyway, plunging the sword toward The Serpent's chest in a vain attempt to free herself. But as it moved toward the beast, The Serpent's chest pulled apart, becoming liquid once more in order to open a safe passage through which the Thorn Cutter dove.

"Stubborn to the end, eh?" The Serpent laughed, raising her free hand. "I think it's time my nails finally tasted someone's blood. And lucky you, you get to be first."

Ivy felt her body tense as the beast drew back her arm, preparing to plunge it forward, but yet again, the lethal strike didn't get a chance to launch. As the Serpent coiled her arm back, a burst of orange light suddenly engulfed the room – the resonating sound of a thundering explosion shaking the area as an intense wave of heat burned across the floor, washing over Ivy and The Serpent. The blast wave struck the two with enough force to shatter the liquid form of the beast, sending the creature's form splashing to the ground as Ivy was tossed roughly through the air. The tomboy prepared to strike the ground, but just when she was sure she was about to, something soft and giving broke her fall, gripping her tight. As she blinked, staring up at it, it took the girl a few seconds to realize it was…

"Flare!"

The tomboy blinked, staring in disbelief as the boy's hair waved about wildly in the chaotic winds that followed the blast wave. The scratches and gouges that had dotted the boy's face from The Serpent's first strikes were gone without a trace, other than a few stray trails of dried blood. The girl quickly turned her eyes downward, to the redhead's chest, staring at the blood drenched hole in the boy's shirt. Beyond that hole, though, was unblemished skin. The nearly lethal wound had vanished!

"What's…?" Ivy had trouble even forming the question as Flare set her down, returning her to her feet. "What the hell is going on!"

"Sorry." Flare stated calmly, eyes focused past the young girl, on the reforming visage of Ilayda's Serpent. "I didn't mean to take so long."

"How are you not dead, boy!" The Serpent screeched the question that was on the tip of Ivy's tongue. "What happened to your wounds!"

"Wounds?" Flare answered, smiling mockingly at the beast. "Did I have wounds? Or are you taking about those little scratches you gave me?"

"Don't mock me, boy." The Serpent seethed, narrowing her eyes at the unruly child.

"Ivy…" Flare stepped forward, placing himself between the green-haired girl and the beast at the other end of the room. "Go help Frost and Myst."

"But…" Ivy tried to find a proper protest to the request, but the word 'but' was the only thing her mind could come up with as dozens of questions clouded her thoughts. How was Flare okay? What was that blast? Did he really think he could hold off that monster on his own!

"I'll be fine." Flare stated calmly, lifting the Mystic Blade in his possession. Ivy blinked, staring at the edge of the sword, seeing the familiar red and orange hues and flame-like shape of the weapon had fully returned. "Go help them. Go heal them."

"But you can't-!"

"Trust me." Flare interrupted, not breaking his focus on The Serpent. "Trust me, and go."

Ivy's jaw hung open slightly as she stared at the redhead, pondering what to do. She knew she and Flare wouldn't be enough to take down this monster alone – they'd need Frost and Myst to even have a slim chance. But she also knew there was no way this flaming idiot could stand against her on his own!

But… despite that…

"Alright." Ivy stated as spun, taking off toward Myst. "Just don't die!"

"Right!" Flare shouted back, grinning. "Just try not to take as long as I did to get back!"