Bladewarriors Book 1: Refresh

"Ivy's handling it."

Flare grunted his approval as Myst addressed his concern regarding Frost, slowly turning as the mage pressed her back against his. At least like this, it wasn't likely for The Serpent to sneak up on them.

Or so he thought.

It was Myst that noticed first, her startled shout forcing Flare to spin around to face the same direction as the blue-haired girl. Unfortunately, he didn't see anything there – not even Myst. Instead, it was the surge of water that caught his attention as he was flung into the air by a sudden eruption of liquid from directly below. The flame warrior shouted out in surprise, spiraling about in the air as the geyser finally flung him away after lifting him a dozen or so feet upward. It was while in this wild arc that the redhead spotted his companion striking the ground, dripping wet as she struck.

At least I wasn't the only one caught…

It was a fact that brought the warrior little solace, though, as another half spin brought him face to face with The Serpent, somehow hanging in the air even higher than he was, poised to attack, surging toward him as a jet of water was expelled from her backside. The redhead was quick to react though, using his own momentum to hasten his spin as he swung his blade around with him, bringing the edge of the weapon striking down on the sopping snake, yet another explosion erupting from the blade as he did.

Myst turned, looking to her side as Flare splashed down to the ground nearby, a shower of the former Serpent sprinkling over him as he did. This was getting old – it was time to take control of this situation again. She just hoped she actually could.

Myst paused, letting out a long breath, trying to focus her mind and her body, funneling every ounce of magical strength she had together into the pit of her stomach. She could feel the gentle flow of energy from her blade heightening her own mystical powers, quickly building a massive pool of energy from which she could draw.

"Enough!"

Myst shouted out, turning toward Flare as she threw her energy out around her, stretching it in every direction to its maximum limits. She could feel her muscles straining and her mind felt nearly overwhelmed as she tried to focus on every drop of water in the area – trying to wrap an intangible hand around each one. With a grunt and moan, the nymph tugged the droplets toward her, tossing her hands above her head as she pointed her blade upward. There, an inch above the sword's tip, every ounce of water suddenly began to gather, rushing through the air and from the ground to collect above the girl. Myst had thought that as her power drew back in – as all the water collected together – the strain on her mind would lessen, but it seemed the opposite was true. As that ball of water grew larger and larger, it taxed her facilities even more, sending a searing pain shooting through her skull. Despite it, though, the girl continued, determined to accomplish her goal.

The Serpent cursed herself and the damned nymph as she quickly began to realize she was trapped. Taking her liquid form allowed her to spread her consciousness through out any body of water, but the damned water witch had pooled too much of her being in that sphere – she was all but cut off from the rest of her body, in a way. The only option available to her was to retake her physical form – which was a problem given that redhead's pension for making things explode. Unfortunately, that was the only option – at least until she could eliminate this accursed witch once more.

Siphoning her power into a single point, The Serpent pulled herself from the mass of water the nymph had gathered, reforming in the midst of the massive sphere. She was quick to act as she did, thrusting her hands downward, sending tendrils of liquid snapping down, wrapping about the nymph's wrists. She could hear the girl's muffled shriek through the water as her tentacles quickly lifted the girl up, pulling her directly into the body of water she had just created.

Myst instinctively took in a deep breath just before her head was pulled unwillingly into her own massive sphere of water. She of course realized a moment later that the action was entirely unnecessary so long as she was holding the Aqua Saber, but it was hard to fight against nature like that. As she felt the rest of her body pulled upward into the brine, the nymph could sense what was coming – as if she was seeing a vision of The Serpent's plans. Though this feeling was distinctly different from her normal premonitions for one small reason: she knew how to counter it!

The mage flung her eyes open, letting the salt sting at her pupils as she focused up at the demonic woman poised above her, still dragging upward through the water, ready to strike yet again. But the beast had forgotten that this sphere was hers.

In all but an instant, Myst completely released control on the water she held, causing the bubble of liquid to instantly loose solidity as it hung in the air. At the same moment, she let one single thought pulse through her body:

I want to be dry!

The water around her exploded away, becoming a spray – a mist – that filed the air around her and The Serpent. The two of them began to fall as the fluid cleared away, no longer held up in its unnatural buoyancy, though the nymph's pupils could see this change was not deterring the monster poised above. The Serpent stretched out toward her, seeking to stab through the girl as they fell – as they landed. But despite taking a risk – counting on an action she – even still – was not sure would occur – Myst maintained her defiant glare, prepared for Flare's assault as she felt the ground return beneath her.

Flare rushed forward, sword drawn, ready to strike as a spray of water cascaded down upon him. As each droplet hit his sword, it sizzled, burning away in a puff of steam – each stomp of his foot sending up a splash to meet the falling mist. Before him, Myst crashed down, a spray of water kicking up as her body reached the ground, her eyes still staring fixatedly upon the monster above her. The redhead tensed, planting his foot beside her, tightening the muscles as he swung his sword, willing every ounce of the blade to flow out as it slashed through the air, toward its target: The Serpent.

The beast, still hanging in the air, turned an alarmed glare toward him as that blade swung through the cascading torrent of water that drenched all three of them. She was caught – was that what these children were thinking? That, hung in the air like that, the water witch below her, that she had no means of avoiding this attack? Did they really think they had cornered her!

Flare's sword struck, exploding outward with more force than even the redhead had expected, a swell of fire consuming everything nearby as it washed over him as well. He cursed himself, eyes flicking toward Myst as the flames swelled between them, quickly hiding her from his few. He could only hope the nymph wouldn't take the brunt of the attack as well.

But then, something strange happened. The explosion swelled back against him. Flare grunted as his own blast wave recoiled, striking full force against his body, flinging him backwards. The flame warrior did his best to keep his feet planted against the ground, struggling to not let his own power overwhelm him as he slid back across the floor, the flames attempting to burn him away. If only for the power of his own blade, though, the fire failed to do just that. As the heat and flames faded, the force dissipating as he came to a stop – only then did the redhead begin to remember the amount of power he was flinging around each time he swung his sword. It was all at once amazing and terrifying – especially when he realized…

"Myst!"

Flare swung his heat back at forth, staring into a cloud of steam his blast had kicked up, looking for any sign of the blue-haired nymph.

"Myst!" Flare screamed again, his panic rising as the heated vapor obscured his vision. He couldn't have—there was no way!

"I'm alright…"

Flare swung his head to the side, watching as a plume of steam swirled apart, revealing the blue-haired girl as she slowly stood, breathing a little heavily. The boy let out a bated breath as his eyes examined her, finding no signs she had been burned or harmed at all by his attack.

Myst tilted her head, looking to the redhead as a wave of relief flowed down over the boy. Even she had to admit she was surprised she was alright. She hadn't expected so much power to be contained in the flame warrior's swing. As his sword had exploded, she had pulled at the water falling around her, pressing it against her as a shield for the boy's flames and heat. But that spontaneous shield had burned away in less than a second. The fact that she was alright was amazing; her sword – The Aqua Saber – had acted on its own in that same moment, coating her in a protective barrier of fluid. She thanked the guiding spirit within for its help as she turned her eyes back to the swell of steam in front of her.

"Did you get her?"

Flare swung his head back to the plum of vapor, letting the guilty thoughts slowly drip from his mind as the girl asked the question. Had he gotten her? His sword had definitely connected with something, but his fire had obscured the actual strike. Not to mention, there had been something weird about how his sword had burst that time.

"Allow me to answer."

Flare and Myst both gasped in unison as two deadly streams of water shot from the cloud, appearing only a few seconds away from piercing them. Flare was quick to react, spinning sideways and dodging away just in time to avoid being skewered by the blast as it narrowly avoided scrapping across his chest. The nymph, on the other hand, pushed the liquid away reflexively, turning the deadly spear into a dull strike to her chest, knocking her away. As she flew back, she forced herself to concentrate, ignoring the thud of pain that rippled over her as she willed the steam to fall, pressing the cloud down with her to reveal The Serpent in its center, entirely unscathed.

"Impossible!"

It was a word Flare rarely – if ever – used, so the fact that he let it slip past his lips meant a lot as the shocked warrior stared in disbelief at the Divine Beast he had just attacked. The fact that he and Myst survived the blast relatively untouched was one thing – a tantamount to the power of their own sword. But he had surely struck The Serpent with a direct hit. The beast was at the center of that explosion, not to the mention the receiving end of a deadly slash of his sword. So how could she just be standing there now!

"To have to use this technique not just once, but twice against you all…" The Serpent sighed, angry at herself for letting the brats push her this far, "you all should be very proud of yourselves. So bask in your defiance while you still have a moment left to live!"

The beast's voice crescendoed as she spoke, becoming a nearly deafening roar as the whole room seemed to shake along with her. If one were to assume she was simply annoyed by these Bladesman before, then surely now she was boiling over with rage. The beast flung an arm up, a noticeable ripple spreading out across the floor from her before a wave of aquatic spears shot from the ground, moving quickly in their pursuit of that ripple across the ground.

Fortune smiled once more upon the redhead and his ally, though, as a sheet of ice shot beneath their feet at the same moment, coating the spongy floor in a thick layer of frozen crystal. Even with this, though, portions of the shield exploded upward, compelled to rise, even if they could no longer take the form of a spear, but only as shards of ice.

"You guys okay!"

Myst sighed, never so glad to hear the fool's voice as Frost and Ivy rushed up to join them, filling in the distance that separated her from Flare.

"We're fine." Flare replied, smacking a stray piece of ice away with his blade. "A little bit better now that you two are back."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Frost replied, grinning as he hefted his weapon. "This beast seemed like such I push over, I figured you'd be able to handle it on your own."

Flare laughed, the levity in the Arctican's voice somehow calming him. "Right. Sorry about that. I'll try to do better next time."

"Let's just worry about this time, for now." Ivy injected, standing a little further back than the rest of them – not that the flame warrior blamed the girl. This whole battle, well… he was surprised with just how much the girl had done, and that she still wasn't backing down despite it all. She was a little further along than even he had realized.

"Right!"

Flare pushed off, rushing toward the beast, his confidence back now that his friend's were as well. It gave him more freedom to be reckless knowing they had his back. And with that in mind, the first thing to do was figure out why his attack hadn't struck. As he dashed forward, ready to attack, though, the answer came much quicker than expected as he crashed unexpectedly into an unseen wall, his body bouncing off it and down to the ground.

The Serpent was not one to waste such and opportunity, waving her hand towards the boy. Seemingly from nowhere, a series of tiny spears shot out at Flare, originating from much too close for him to dodge. So, it was a good thing he wasn't wrong to put his faith in his friends. Raising his arms to shield his head, Flare felt a few spears begin to pierce him before they suddenly vanished, swept aside by what he was sure was the nymph's magic. At nearly the same moment, the redhead was pulled back, sliding across the ice as a vine latched around his stomach. It all happened so quickly, he barely caught a glimpse as Frost rushed past him.

The Arctican pounded across the ice, swinging his blade out as he got near where Flare had suddenly stopped. Sure enough – though he had certainly wished this was another time he was wrong – his sword met a powerful resistance, rebounding off an invisible force. It was just like what had happened earlier.

"Die!"

The Serpent screeched, thrusting a palm towards him as a stream of water flowed to join it. The fair-haired warrior took a single step back as he slammed his blade into the ground, summoning up a giant crystal mirror of the sword to act as his shield. The water crashed against it, but didn't stop, curling to the edges before bending around toward the arctic warrior once more. Luckily for the fool, he too could rely on his allies, a vine having already ripped him from danger as well.

"The hell is this!" Frost blurted out as the vine freed itself from around him, letting the boy slide to a halt.

"There's some sort of barrier." Flare replied, answering the rhetorical question as he stared out at The Serpent. "Whatever it is, I think it's safe to assume it can easily stand up against any of my explosions."

"Then let me give it a shot."

Before any could reject the idea, Myst burst forward, splashing across the ice as she tried to circle around to the side. The nymph watched as the beast raised both hands, pointing one palm towards her and the other towards her friends. She hesitated a moment, debating whether to turn back and help them defend. But a quick glance back showed the girl it was unnecessary – Frost could handle defense as he froze the attack mid air, knocking it away.

Gritting her teeth, Myst lifted her own palm, waving the pulse of water away from herself, throwing it off course as it shot past. The nymph turned, sprinting in towards the Serpent, trying to estimate the approximate location of the creature's invisible shield. When she thought she was close enough, the girl thrust forward with her blade, channeling her own strength through the sword, willing any form of liquid to move aside. Even, still, though, she could not penetrate the Serpent's shield. With a loud clang that shot up through the mage's shoulder, her sword's tip struck the barrier hard before sliding away to the side harmlessly. The mage grunted, raising a hand to place it against the invisible structure blocking them, trying to understand what it was she was dealing with. She didn't have long though as a vine wrapped itself around her, yanking her away an instant before the attack she had deflected moments ago finished circling back, crashing into that same unseen surface as she was pulled to the side.

"I can't do it." Myst stated as the vine released her, her body sliding back to rejoin the other Bladewarriors. "Whatever it is, my power can't penetrate it either!"

Myst held her hands up as she finished speaking, deflecting a number of different blasts aimed their way by their opponent.

"So… what then!" Ivy shouted, the terror in her voice clear as she huddled close to the nymph, seeking the girl's protection as the assaulting bursts of water increased, shooting into from every side.

"I… I don't…" Myst struggled to respond, her mental faculties stressed as the liquid assaults continued to barrel down upon their group with unrelenting force. She couldn't talk – there was too many headed their way!

"Frost!" Flare shouted out, seeing the strained look on the girl's face. Luckily for them all, the fool got the hint pretty quickly, stepping up to swing his sword in a full arc around them. From it shot a streak of white that crashed into the rebounding bursts of water, binding them together as a dome of ice.

As the frigid walls formed, Myst felt the strain on her body and mind lessened, allowing her to breathe properly as the tension drained off. Even still, though, she continued to extend her power, trying to prevent any burst from striking their icy shield at full strength.

"I don't know what sort of power The Serpent is using," Myst stated after a moment, finishing her earlier thought, "but it's too powerful for my magic to break through – even amplified by my blade."

"Is that even possible!" Frost questioned, worry managing to creep into his eyes as he did. "Can't you just slash it aside with your sword?"

"If I could have, I would have." Myst answered, shaking her head. "Whatever it is, it doesn't respond to my blade like water normally does."

"Are you saying it's not made of water?" Ivy asked nervously, hearing the dull thuds of The Serpent's assault on their dome.

"I… I don't know." Myst shook her head.

"No." Flare spoke up, his voice bringing the attention of the others upon him. "It's definitely water-based. It has to be."

"How can we be sure?" Frost questioned, shaking his head. "I mean, The Dragon King shared his powers with all the Divine Beasts after his rise, right? For all we know, it could be using Wind magic. Or Shadow. Or who the hell knows what!"

"No, it's definitely water-based. I'm sure of it."

The Bladewarriors paused, blinking as they stared into the redhead's eyes. The conviction in the boy's voice alone was nearly enough to convince the three that there was no chance Flare was wrong.

"How can you be sure?" Myst questioned, her mind beginning to feel taxed once more. The size of the blasts firing at them were slowly increasing – The Serpent was trying to overwhelm them. "Especially when my powers had no effect over it?"

"Because… I'm willing to bet she's using a power that was stolen from you blade." Flare turned, trying to look beyond the ice at the beast they were fighting. "But… I know how we can beat it."

"Do tell." Ivy replied, staring anxiously at the walls around them.

"Simple." Flare grinned, turning to look down at the green-haired girl. "You're gonna do it."

"What?"

"Huh!"

"ME!"

All three of the boy's companions turned to look at him, staring incredulously at the boy. Once more, Flare spoke with a tone that all but assured them he – at the very least – thought he knew what he was talking about. But as Myst and Frost turned to look at the panicked and terrified expression coating Ivy's face, any confidence the statement might have had was lost.

"You're nuts!" Frost shouted, shaking his head.

"I believe we've already established that." Flare nodded, still grinning. "But it doesn't mean my plan isn't going to work."

"How am I supposed to take down that shield!"

"No, no." Flare shook his head in response to Ivy's question. "Not the shield. You're gonna take down The Serpent herself."

"WHAT!"

"Okay, you really are nuts." Frost added as Ivy screamed in surprise.

"You think I'm the one who's going to bring down The Serpent!"

Flare simply nodded, the same assured grin still plastered on his face as he stared down at the girl.

"No disrespect to Ivy, but…" Myst paused, taking a few deep breaths as she held what felt like the entire ocean at bay outside their dome. "But… I don't think she's got the ability to so something like that. Sword aside, she's not really…"

"I know." Flare nodded. "That's reason number one why this plan will work."

"Huh?" Frost gave the redhead an exasperated glare as he shoved his blade into their icy shield, trying to take some of the strain off their mage.

"The Serpent's underestimating all of us, but I think Ivy is especially the case." Flare began. "And she has good reason to, really – Ivy has no experience, and – let's face it – her win over Medusa relied a lot on luck."

"Not seeing any reason why I'm key to this plan." Ivy sighed, frowning slightly.

"Because despite that, you're quick on your feet and your reaction time is great." Flare replied, smiling as Ivy blushed just a tiny bit. "You're not on our level yet with your sword, and your still lacking in experience—"

"Though we all are, really." Myst interjected

"But that's not to say you're useless." Flare continued. "Besides that, though – or rather, despite it – The Serpent has still been very cautious around your sword."

"What?" Ivy stared up at the redhead, confused.

"I saw The Serpent do something when faced with your blade that she hasn't done with any of the rest of us." Flare replied, his grin widening. "She actually avoided it."

"What are you talking about?" Myst questioned.

"It happened while I was still recovering, but I'm still sure I saw it." Flare answered. "At one point, you tried to stab your blade through The Serpent. With the rest of us, whenever we tried to hit her or slash her, she would just let the blade slide through her – despite the fact my blade caused her to explode and Frost's turned her into an icicle. She still made sure to avoid yours by pulling her body away from it."

"I…" Ivy paused, thinking back to the moment just before Flare had returned to the fight. He was right. She had purposefully opened a hole in her body to let Ivy's blade slide through, rather than just letting it plunge into her liquid form.

"Now that you mention it…" Frost paused a moment as well, thinking back to the last time he had seen The Serpent use the strange barrier. "When Ivy tried to attack her barrier before, The Serpent actually looked worried. With me or Myst, she just let us hit the thing – didn't bother with any hand motions. But when Ivy rushed in to help me, she specifically turned and raised a hand to defend against her strike."

"So… you really think Ivy's the key?" Myst questioned, turning to stare hesitantly at the girl.

"If you really think about it, it makes sense." Flare nodded his head. "Frost can freeze her and her attacks, but in the end, it's all still water. I can blast her apart, but in the end, the droplets or vapor just come back together. You can stop her, but you can't really eliminate the liquid around us. But Ivy… Ivy's the Bladewarrior of Plant."

Myst's face lit up as she stared at the girl, the redhead's words resonating with her. "And plants… drink water."

"Right." Flare nodded. "Ivy's sword… can absorb The Serpent, or at the very least her attacks."

"W-what! No it can't!" Ivy shook her head vehemently, positive the boy was wrong – hoping to the gods he was wrong.

"It can. You just haven't tried it yet." Flare stated, planting a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "Trust me."

Ivy turned her head up, looking into the boy's red eyes, cursing his passionate tongue. She didn't want to admit it – she was afraid to admit it – that what the boy was saying did make sense. Their blades – their powers – they were all bound to the properties of their element. And out of the four of them, she was the only one whose element was magically dominant to Water. Besides that, it made sense that she could absorb water with her blade – that's how plants survived. Every plant needed water – and while some could die if they had too much, others thrived endlessly in it. The bastard was right.

"Damnit… you're not allowed to use that line anymore!"

Flare grinned, nodding. "Fine. At least not until the next time."

"Alright then." Myst sighed, scratching nervously at his head. "If we're really going to put our fate in Ivy's hands, and she's okay with, then let's hear your plan, Flare."

"Yeah, we might as well." Frost sighed also. "Not like we've got any other choice."

"Alright then." Flare grinned, leaning in. "Listen up."