Broken Blades Don't Sing (Tales of Ashkar Book One) (10 page)

Apparently sensing their presence, the head
turned left and right frenetically searching for the newcomers. The
flaps opened wide like a bloom, exposing rows and rows of sharp
thorns that resembled teeth—a gaping maw of death.

It let loose another piercing bellow, as if
beckoning its prey.

They continued to cautiously and quietly move
around the creature, which appeared to be unable to see. Evading
the snares proved to be no small feat, as the vines now littered
the ground. At this point, it was nigh impossible to ascertain what
was ground and what wasn’t. Erendil was forced to move with finesse
on the balls of his feet, lest he become plant food.

One step here… A slight hop there… If not for
the dire situation, this would be a fun game!

It wasn’t long until they were nearly past the
horrible creature—

The whinnying of a terrified horse drowned out
all other sound, followed by a familiar shouting of profanity that
originated from the other side of the rooted monstrosity. It
twisted its body and turned its head following the noise, then let
loose another screeching roar.

Again, Erendil watched in both awe and terror as
the unnatural creature lifted one of the horses into the air with
its long, serpentine arms. The unfortunate beast was coiled tightly
by several vines, and in an instant was swallowed whole by the
endless chasm that was the monster's mouth.

Next to him, he felt Serraemas spring into
action. The staff-wielder dashed forward and around the monstrosity
with grace, evading its flailing arms and grasping vines while his
hair and cloak fluttered in the wind. He then turned to face
Erendil mid-leap and offered a gesture with his hand, commanding
Erendil to follow him. Cautiously, Erendil moved to make his way
through the fatal traps.

One misstep, and he might end up in a bottomless
pit.

Serraemas vanished behind the monstrous plant to
where Erendil assumed Raxxil and the remaining two mounts were. At
this rate, Erendil could hardly keep up with the swift figure's
agility and speed, and he scrambled to follow.

Erendil managed to evade the coiling tendrils
that sought his flesh, making his way around very slowly without
alerting the foul creature. It continued to thrash its arms wildly
in search of more prey, and he wasn’t planning on meeting the same
fate as the first horse. As he made his way to the other side,
Erendil discovered that both man and beast were entangled heavily
by the thick vines.

The vines slithered up Raxxil's leg in an
attempt to ensnare him, though he proved more than capable of
handling himself. He kicked his legs and pulled at the vines with
ease, tearing them apart as they oozed thick liquid. However, the
two horses held no such strength, and relied on Raxxil to free them
from their bondage. Serraemas also joined the fray, utilizing his
elemental powers to cut swiftly through the encroaching coils.

Despite the efforts of the elementalists, the
vines proved relentless in their advances and countless in their
numbers. With every vine they severed, it seemed two more took its
place. The group’s misfortune didn’t end there either, for they
also seemed to have garnered the attention of the horror itself. It
reared its terrifying head in their direction and let loose a
shriek as it whipped its arms in the direction of where they
struggled.

Serraemas quickly stepped in the way, grabbing
his staff with both hands. He expertly lifted his weapon above his
head and brought it down in a diagonal arc, knocking away the
plant-like terror’s left tendril. Without pause, he swung to the
left and struck the right tendril, pushing back its second arm.
Serraemas’s defense only managed to enrage the monster further, and
it continued its assault with renewed vigor. Serraemas was forced
to dash about, but to Erendil’s awe still repelled the onslaught
with relative ease.

"Get the horses free, and go!" Serraemas
ordered, still focused on the assaulting monster. Erendil moved to
offer assistance, but attempting to liberate the animals proved
difficult with one arm—not to mention ensuring he didn't get caught
himself. By now, the poor beasts were brought into the ground and
almost entirely covered with coiling vines. They continued to
whinny and thrash frantically, but to no avail.

"Alright, forget this!" Raxxil vented in
frustration.

The fiery elementalist tore free from the snares
and moved with determination toward the source, clutching the
hammer that had been nestled onto his back with an empty hand. With
each step, new vines latched and sought to bring him down, but he
wrested free each time. Clearly, he was not going to be so easily
dissuaded.

Noticing the advancing figure, the monstrosity
shifted its attention to Raxxil, and thrust a tendril at him. It
whipped with stunning speed toward the hammer-wielder, who stopped
and lowered his stance. He brought his arms up and tensed,
seemingly bracing for impact. It struck him on the chest with such
power that he took a step back to regain composure, but he quickly
recovered and reached out to grasp at the tendril—

He narrowly missed, and the long arm was already
retracted before he could make another attempt. Raxxil looked down,
noticing that the vines now coiled both of his legs and crept up
his torso.

Raxxil bellowed furiously as he once again
wrested free from their grasp in one swift motion. He set his gaze
back to the creature and charged. The monster attacked again,
thrusting its left tendril much like it did before. This time,
however, Raxxil did not stop, instead bending his knees and pushing
off with his legs.

The force of the push propelled Raxxil, and he
soared into the air toward the attacking arm. With a resounding
smack the two collided, yet with a different outcome than before.
Raxxil landed on the ground hard, holding the tendril to his chest
as if to hug it. He struggled with it as the creature attempted to
wrest free from the grasp, but it was clear who was stronger. It
attacked with its other arm frantically, the tendril aiming to
strike Raxxil's head—

Serraemas leapt into its path, and with a swift
motion, parried the blow with his staff. Seizing the opportunity,
Raxxil tensed, then grunted with exertion as he pulled with both
arms. The monster lurched forward from the force, but recovered and
responded in kind by pulling as well. Raxxil slid forward slightly,
still maintaining his vice grip. Again a grunt departed from his
lips as he planted his feet and strengthened his stance. Twisting
to the side, Raxxil pulled with one swift motion, tearing the
monster's arm off completely. Its stem and head snapped back from
the force, and it unleashed a shriek of pain as the familiar thick
liquid spewed from its now severed tendril.

Raxxil threw the lifeless arm to the side, a
satisfying grin flashing across his face. According to the fiery
elementalist’s facial expression, however, it was clear that he was
not quite finished yet. The monster enraged even further, and it
thrashed its remaining arm and all of its vines at
Raxxil—completely ignoring both Erendil and Serraemas.

Despite the desperate attempt, the fiery
elementalist proved to be an unstoppable force, and continued to
shrug off the entangling roots with each step. The monster swiped
with its remaining tendril, but Raxxil ducked and it swung over his
head harmlessly. He sprang up, launching himself at the monstrous
creature. It roared in defiance and attempted to swipe again—

Raxxil was too quick. So quick, in fact, that
both Erendil and the monster were surprised.

The armored human evaded the attack and landed
just under the towering plant in a flash. He grabbed his hammer and
brought it forth, gripping it with both hands. With a swift kick
off the ground, he leapt up over the monster and swung down with
his weapon before it could react. The blow struck right on top of
its head, generating a loud, echoing smack that made even Erendil
wince. The creature reeled back from the force, but it looked as
though Raxxil wasn't going to give it a chance to recover.

He twisted his trunk, swung in an arc, and
released his clutch on the hammer toward the monster's head. It
opened its gaping maw and bellowed at Raxxil mockingly. The flying
weapon passed into its mouth and tore a hole as it blasted out the
other end, soaring passed the tree line and then crashing somewhere
beyond.

It roared again, but this time from pain as its
viscous blood spewed even more. Despite suffering the fatal blows,
it seemed as though defeating the overgrown plant would prove
harder than a hellhound; it continued its aggression relentlessly,
completely disregarding its grievous wounds. It swung once more at
Raxxil, but he lunged to the side and dodged the tendril. Erendil
could hear him laughing in glee, apparently enjoying the battle as
if it were his favorite pastime.

Such wanton zeal… though at least I now know
he isn’t just a mouth.

Raxxil readied to continue his onslaught,
widening his stance.

To Erendil's surprise, however, he witnessed a
power very much different than the brutish tactics he had seen the
man previously employ.

Raxxil leaned back and drew in a deep breath,
his chest and cheeks puffing out from the increased air filling him
as he held. After a brief moment, a torrent of hot lava spewed
forth from his lips. It first engulfed the monster's head entirely,
then made its way down the horror's thick stem. Cries of agony
reverberated throughout the woods as the blazing substance burned
and melted until what was once a giant, hellish plant was reduced
to nothing. The archer gaped, watching as all that was left was now
brittle rock and ash and cooling lava. Raxxil wiped his mouth and
laughed again, reveling in his triumph.

Erendil watched as Serraemas made his way to
where Raxxil stood. The larger man turned to his icy counterpart
and opened his mouth to speak—

Raxxil was greeted by a staff to the head.

The fiery elementalist winced in pain and
proceeded to rub the area where the blow struck. Serraemas shook
his head disapprovingly, and said something inaudible from where
Erendil stood. Raxxil responded by throwing up his arms in defense
and contorting his face in confusion.

"Yeah, let's not kill the giant flesh-eating
plant monster that swallowed a horse whole", Erendil heard Raxxil
yell in defense as the archer neared his allies, bringing the
remaining two horses along with him. The steeds appeared much
calmer now that they were free from unnatural grasps and scary
creatures.

Serraemas continued to hold his icy gaze. "If
you weren't careless then you wouldn't have been caught."

Raxxil guffawed, then pointed at their mounts.
"Tell it to them. I'm going to go get my hammer." He turned away
and marched to where his weapon fell, dismissing Serraemas’s
scolding entirely.

Erendil watched the reckless man stomp away for
a brief moment, before facing Serraemas. "So this was the final
obstac—?"

"Stop yelling damn it, don’t you see there's
nothing left to burn!" barked Raxxil, cutting off Erendil's
question.

Erendil turned in Raxxil's direction only to
discover that his ill-tempered ally addressed no one but himself as
he continued his trek to reclaim the hammer while muttering
inaudible words.

Oh, so he's insane? That answers a lot of
questions.

"Our bonds with elementals allow us to converse
with them, and Raxxil's in particular has quite the personality",
answered Serraemas, reading Erendil's confused expression
perfectly. "Have you spoken to yours since your battle with the
hellhounds?"

Master Sora had taught him the basics in regards
to elementals, though chose to withhold Erendil’s personal
development. As far as he could remember, the archer had never
interacted with another being inside him. In fact, he had yet to
even sense another presence within.

Erendil shook his head. "Perhaps I do not have
the potential as an elementalist."

"No", assured Serraemas. "Sora would not have
raised you if you didn't. Come now, let us see the witch."

With that, his shorter, more collected ally made
his way past the ruined ashes where their fearsome enemy had once
existed. This time, however, there was no need to be wary of one's
steps, and Erendil followed in tow.

A radiating pain seared his arm, and he looked
down at his mangled appendage. He had almost forgotten about it.
During the battle, the adrenaline had distracted him from his
wound, but now the pain throbbed once more. It wasn’t the pain that
troubled him, however, as the feeling of discomfort was due to
being unable to use his weapon. Falling behind, Erendil brushed off
the distracting thoughts, ushering the horses with his left arm and
following Serraemas.

I hope the witch can heal this troublesome
wound.

They continued forward for some time through the
dark woods and eventually caught up to Raxxil, who had retrieved
his weapon. He stood several dozen feet in front of them and waited
for them to catch up, and as Serraemas and Erendil neared, turned
and pointed slightly to the right.

Erendil looked in that direction, noticing a
unique opening dozens of feet away where light poured in. The trio
hastily dashed toward it, and as they drew near Erendil discovered
that it led to a clearing. It spanned a wide circle that welcomed
the questing fighters—yet trepidation filled Erendil’s gut—as if it
was too good to be true. In its center was a small wooden cottage.
It had a slanted roof, a chimney, one window, and a simple wooden
door. Behind it was a small area of tilled soil with what appeared
to be several crops growing.

What was most striking, however, was the image
of five angry, flaming hellhounds that appeared to be even larger
than before. The beasts stared at them with murderous intent, and
to his right Erendil heard Raxxil roar with delight.