Rappelz: The Contrary Heart P3

Rappelz: The Contrary Heart - Part Three
by
N.C. Weber
Rappelz is © nFlavor

    Jyun and Raven climbed a small hillock to give them a height advantage over their pursuer.

    "I doubt it," said Raven.  "These kinds of creatures have no intellect.  They're driven by pure rage."

    Jyun looked back and was dismayed at the speed at which the skeletal warrior could travel.  It was starting to gain ground.  "What is it, exactly?"

    "The Presbytery call it a Paradise Lost," said Raven.

    "How poetic," muttered Jyun.

    "It was probably some wealthy noble who was the general of his militia," explained Raven.  "They say that when such a person dies, he feels that he was cheated of the best of his life.  His spirit cannot find peace and lashes out at the living because they have what he no longer can."

    "I thought you said they have no intellect," commented Jyun.

    "They don't," responded Raven.  "Just blind emotion and instinct."

    The two adventurers had reached the top of the hillock as the Paradise Lost began to climb.  "Well," said Jyun as he turned and stood firm to face this undead threat, "I think it's time we gave Mr. Emotional Instinct a reason to start thinking about leaving us alone.  Cover your eyes."

    Raven stared at Jyun.  "Whatever for?"

    "Do it!" snapped Jyun.

    Raven was taken aback.  This wasn't the polite and gentle man she liked to tease back at Katan.  This was a warrior prepared to fight.  She placed a gloved hand over her eyes, but allowed a small slit to form between her fingers.  She was nothing if not curious.  Jyun raised his right hand sword upwards, pointing it toward the sky.

    "God of Creation, grant me your strength.  DIVINE FLARE!"

    Jyun's voice reverberated with power.  Raven could feel it within her bones.  Her skin tingled with it.  It wasn't magic, but something else more ancient, more primal.  A column of blinding light broke through the clouds above the Paradise Lost and enveloped it.  Though it couldn't make a sound, Raven could see between her fingers as the skeletal creature seemed to writhe in agony, it's jaw open in a silent howl of pain.  The light spell was short lived and faded quickly, but Raven could see burn marks on the bones and smoke still emanated from places along the Paradise Lost's frame.

    "Shades, what was that?" whispered Raven.

    "Divine Flare," grunted Jyun.  "It does little damage, but it does blind and disorient your opponent."  He knelt to the ground breathing heavily.  "And it does take a bit out of me."

    Raven nodded.  "Then, it's my turn."

    She closed her eyes in concentration, raised her staff and performed a graceful motion with her arms and torso.  To Jyun, it seemed almost like dance.  Suddenly, a circle of power formed beneath Raven's feet.  It glowed a brilliant violet, but was not quite as bright as Jyun's spell had been.  As she brought her right hand up in front of her, a ball of purple light coalesced in Raven's palm.  Jyun could make out that Raven's lips were moving, though he couldn't hear the words she was speaking.

    Without warning, Raven's eyes snapped open.  "DARKNESS ARROW!"

    The purple ball of light shot forward at amazing speed, but not before fragmenting into several smaller, yet brighter, balls of energy.  Each ball impacted its target with pinpoint accuracy.  One managed to unseat the undead creature's helmet, while another crashed its way through the monster's rib cage taking half of its breast plate with it.  Though it was obviously damaged, the Paradise Lost still managed to make forward progress.

    "That was...most impressive," said Jyun clearly awed.  He had apparently recovered from his previous exertions as he was now standing and prepared to engage the enemy directly.

    "Don't congratulate me yet," remarked Raven dryly.  "I barely even slowed him down, and he's almost upon us."

    "Then, perhaps it is time to take the fight to him," offered Jyun.

    "Wait," cautioned Raven. She raised her staff and began to chant another spell under her breath.  Another circle of light colored a sickly blue gray appeared at Raven's feet, rotating as the power grew.  Finally, she looked directly at the Paradise Lost and called out, "WEAKNESS SKIN!"

    This time Jyun almost missed what had happened.  He was expecting another ball of energy, but instead the circle at Raven's feet disappeared and reappeared beneath the Paradise Lost.  Immediately after, the circle surged upward, covering the skeleton in its energy.

    Raven turned to Jyun.  "That will lower its defense for a bit, but it only lasts a few moments."

    Jyun nodded his understanding and charged the creature.  The Paradise Lost had anticipated the attack and raised its sword in readiness.  With snake like quickness, Jyun hacked at the skeletal warrior with both swords.  The Paradise Lost returned the attack with it's sword, forcing Jyun to defend.  Raven bit her lip as she watched.  She had never seen Jyun in battle before, and so was unfamiliar with his level of skill.  However, he seemed to be holding his own.  The Paradise Lost began to execute more complex maneuvers than the initial straightforward hacking it had started with.

    "I see," said Jyun to his opponent, though he knew the creature couldn't understand him.  "Whoever you were in life, you were a skilled warrior, and those types of instincts die very hard indeed."

    "Jyun," called out Raven, "stop complimenting him and kill him!"

    "He..."  Jyun struck two more quick blows aimed at the lower spine.  "...is already..."  Jyun dodged a low sweep from the Paradise Lost.  "...dead!"

    "Don't argue semantics with me!" snapped Raven.  She began to cast another spell.

    Jyun was feeling as though he was getting the upper hand when an unexpected feint from the skeleton caused him to misjudge its next move.  A heavy dull pain followed by a loud ringing in his ears informed Jyun that the Paradise Lost had landed a blow to the head.  Jyun staggered back to gain some distance and recovery time, but the monster pressed its advantage, each swing becoming more well executed and more lethal than the last.  Jyun tried to aim for the knee joints, but the Paradise Lost was too swift.  Another blow to the head managed to knock Jyun's helmet free, and while the danger to him was increased, it did improve his peripheral vision.  Jyun made a rolling dive to the side, catching the Paradise Lost unawares.  He snagged a nearby stone and flung it at the skeletal warrior's face.

    "DIVINE SMASH!"

    Jyun launched into a head on attack with the creature.  As he did so, both his swords began to glow with white light.  Jyun struck the creature across the breast bone with one sword, removing the remaining part of its breast plate, and then hacked through its left arm with the other.  The arm fell to the ground with leaden thud.

    "Jyun!" yelled Raven from behind.  "Duck!  FIREBALL!"

    Jyun T'Kel did as he was instructed and dropped flat on the ground.  No sooner had he done this than a ball of flame streaked overhead and crashed into the Paradise Lost.  The monster clutched at the flames that were charring its bones as if it were trying to grab them and strip them off.  Jyun took advantage of the distraction and scrambled back to where Raven stood.

    "It would seem," he panted, "that it isn't impervious to fire."

    Raven nodded.  "Those power infused strikes you gave it did a fair sight of damage as well."

    Jyun shook his head.  "I can't keep that up."  He was clearly out of breath.  The strength it took to block the skeleton's blows was wearing him down.

    Raven reached into a pouch.  "Here take this."  She handed to Jyun a small phial with a blood red colored liquid inside.  The glass bottle generated the soft glow of minor magic.

    Jyun took the phial and pulled out the cork stopper.  "Thank you," he managed before swallowing the entire contents of the phial.  He could feel the magic do its work as heavy aches were dulled and small ones disappeared.  His breathing eased, and his heartbeat quieted.  He returned the phial to Raven and looked back toward the battlefield.  The Paradise Lost had managed to quell the burning, but not before several bones were charred coal black.  "If we could take out the head, spine or knees, we'd have it down in no time."

    "Can you cast another spell?" asked Raven.  "A really strong one?"

    "After drinking your healing potion, I think I can cast two," said Jyun.  "One defensive and one offensive.  How about you?"

    Raven bit her lower lip.  "I...have another fire spell, but..."  She seemed as if she didn't want to go on.

    "But?" prompted Jyun.

    "I've never used it before," confessed Raven.  "Judging by the wording of the spell, it's a very powerful one.  I don't know what will happen."

    "Well, now's as good a time as any to try it out," suggested Jyun.  "Our friend is on the advance again."

    Raven looked up, and sure enough, the Paradise Lost was quickly making it's way toward the two adventurers.

    "It's time to finish this," said Jyun.  His face was resigned, and his eyes burned with certainty.

    Raven took heart from this silent assurance and nodded in agreement.  She began to prepare her spell.

    "I will attack first like before," said Jyun.  "You warn me when you cast your fire spell."  He performed a simple gesture with both arms, then put his swords together.

    "DIVINE CLUSTER!"

    Both of the Holy Warrior's swords glowed with an unearthly light.  He turned toward the Dark Magician and smiled.  Raven took in an involuntary breath.  Jyun then proceeded to meet the Paradise Lost in battle once more.  Jyun gave his enemy no quarter, and no chance to react.  He lit into the skeletal warrior with all his might, each swing taking bites out of the skeleton's frame.  Eventually, the enemy began to go on the offensive.  Even so, with Jyun's mastery of dual sword fighting he was able to inflict more damage.  The glow on Jyun's sword seemed to flare each time steel connected with bone.

    Raven knew that she was to wait for Jyun to cast his offensive attack before beginning her chant, but she was beginning to feel anxious.  When exactly was he going to do it?  The potion she had given him didn't fully heal him, and the counter blows he was receiving were going to wear him down quicker than before when he began the fight at full strength.  Then, she heard him call out his attack.

    "DIVINE CROSS!"

    A bright light flare up from the ground around Jyun and his swords glowed even brighter than before.  Jyun raised both swords up and hacked straight down shattering more of the Paradise Lost's ribs.  He then crossed his arms and drew both swords across the skeleton's chest like a giant pair of shears.  The swords left a lingering trail of light in the air as they passed forming a cross shape.  The Paradise Lost staggered back for a moment but managed to rally itself.  Jyun was showing clear signs of exhaustion.  The skeletal warrior aimed another blow for Jyun's head.  The Holy Warrior saw it coming and tried to dodge the strike as best he could.  The sword struck Jyun on the side of his head and sent him sprawling.

    "Jyun!" screamed Raven when she saw him tumble down the hillock back toward the road.  The Paradise Lost started to follow down the hill, sword raised to deliver the final blow.  Raven chanted as quickly as she could without making a mistake.  She raised her staff and pointed it at the Paradise Lost.  Sensing the impending danger, the Paradise Lost looked up at the lone Dark Magician and turned toward her instead.  He was shortening the distance between them very quickly, sword still prepared to strike.  Raven's panic gave way to fury.  Her eyes, brimming with tears, burned with anger.

    "FLAME BURN!" screamed Raven.

    In an instant, a cone of intense, spiraling flame consumed the Paradise Lost.  It stopped its advance as, very slowly, it began to crumble to ash.  Raven stared at the bonfire before her until there was no trace of the skeleton left.  Quickly, she half ran, half slid down the hillock until she reached the inert form of Jyun T'Kel.  Raven threw her staff to the ground and pulled Jyun's body over until he lay face up in her lap.  The hair on the right side of his head was matted with blood.

    "Jyun," whisped Raven.  "Oh Shades."  She turned her face skyward.  "God of Creation, I know I am not one of your children, but please give this one strength."  Raven's prayer was answered with a pained groan from the man lying before her.  "Jyun, you're alive!"

    "Ooh," moaned the Holy Warrior, "I must be.  A dead man shouldn't feel this bad."  Raven couldn't help but laugh.  "Stand me up, please," requested Jyun.

    Raven shook her head.  "You should lie still, you've been badly hurt.  I have a restoration scroll in my pack."

    Jyun was about to shake his head, but thought better of it when his vision began to swim.  "I have one more spell to cast.  Please, Raven."

    Raven very carefully helped Jyun get to his feet, vehemently protesting the sense of the action the whole time.  Jyun began to chuckle.  "It's not funny," argued Raven hotly.

    "Sorry," said Jyun still smiling.  "I may be a bit delirious."

    "Then why stand?" asked Raven.

    Jyun leaned his weight against Raven.  She was only a scant few inches shorter than he, but to Jyun, she felt equally strong.  Jyun raised an unsteady arm upwards in supplication.

    "MINOR HEALING," he announced quietly.

    Despite the softness of his words, Raven could still feel the power of Jyun's spell.  Green tendrils of light snaked their way up from the ground like fast growing vines.  The tendrils reached over Jyun's head and formed a halo which rained down particles of light upon Jyun.  Eventually, the halo disappeared, and Raven could feel Jyun easing off his weight and standing on his own, albeit a tad unsteadily.

    "That's quite the flashy god you worship," said Raven with a smirk.

    Jyun looked up at the bonfire that was only now beginning to dissipate.  Where the spell had touch the ground remained globulous sheets of glass.  Jyun turned to Raven with a grin.  "You're one to talk."

    Raven didn't know why she felt so giddy.  Perhaps it was the relief of the danger having passed, and they both had survived.  She felt she needed to concentrate on something mundane and collect her thoughts.  "Well, if you're feeling up to it, we should move on," suggested Raven.  "Who knows how many more of those skeletal warriors are out there.  Thankfully, there aren't as many as powerful as the Paradise Lost, but the weaker ones run in packs."

    "More like companies or platoons," mused Jyun.  "I suppose, even in death, a soldier is a soldier."

    "And people wonder why I became a mage," quipped Raven.  As Jyun gathered his scattered belongings, she pulled out the ornitho card and summoned the mount forth.

    "Well," said Jyun upon approaching Raven, "at some point I'm going to have to hammer this out with a stone until I can get to a decent smith."  He held up his helmet for Raven's inspection.  Raven let out a low whistle when she saw the indentation.

    "That's a nasty dent, there."

    Jyun nodded.  "It's no wonder my head was ringing through most of the battle.  I don't think I want to tangle with one of those again for a good long while."

    Raven pulled herself into the ornitho's saddle.  "Time to mount, warrior."

    Jyun looked up at Raven.  There was something different in the way she called him warrior.  Before, it had sounded almost like an accusation or a slur.  Now, it had a new tone to it.  A tone of respect.  Jyun smiled and managed to pull himself up into the saddle without incident or complaint.

Part Four