Chapter 47 - Two Snakes, One Stone

In the extremely lush forest within the center of the fortress, Timbur shot through like a bullet. The roots, branches, and leaves would coil back wherever he stepped, allowing him to move through without interruption.

Soon, he made it onto the stone path that led up to the Hex Den. Finally, he found his target.

Leiytning was hyper-focused on a seeing brew. Even though the leader would appear calm enough to the outside eye, Timbur knew him all too well, and he could see the borderline panic behind his iridescent blue eye. The fact that he went from a bored spectator on a training mission, to disappearing after seeming to hear something that no one else had, was a big enough hint as well.

"Okay, this is too much chaos at once," said Timbur. "Leiytning, what's going on?"

"No connection," Leiytning muttered.

"To what?"

"To Thundur."

Timbur looked shocked, his seafoam eyes wide. "How? That shouldn't be possible!"

"She was investigating an unusual white magic signal in these ruins, most likely elven, now she's not responding to me and I can't sense her. Something's gone wrong..."

Leiytning's smacked the potion bowl out of irritation, and it immediately shot out into the forest. Jem, who just made it up the stone path, narrowly dodged it. She trudged the final few steps into the den, pausing to breathe.

"You two are way too fast," Jem wheezed.

Leiytning ignored her. "Timbur, keep an eye on things, and don't-"

"No," Timbur argued stubbornly. "You need reinforcement, and how do you expect me to stay here while our spirit-walker is potentially being used as elf fodder?"

Jem's ears perked, but she looked uneasy. "What's wrong with our spirit-walker?"

While Leiytning went silent, as if contemplating, Timbur sighed, "It's nothing-"

"That's a lie," Jem said flatly.

"Look, if it's enough to put Thundur in trouble, it's too much for one of you. Stay here and make sure the others don't panic or do something stupid. That's especially important now, with the maggot infestation on our beach."

Jem crossed her arms. "Why do I always wind up being a babysitter?"

Timbur looked unamused. "Now you know how Leiytning and I feel all the time."

Before they could keep arguing, Leiytning cut in.

"Jem, you're with us."

While Jem stuck her tongue out at him, Timbur flinched. "Wait, what?"

"However..." Leiytning's words were firmer than steel. "Listen, and do exactly as I tell you."

\\\

The shift from a cold beach to a blistering desert environment was quite obvious. The heat was almost suffocating, and the thick sand was an annoying addition to the whipping winds, turning them sharp as they struck the ruins.

At first glance, there was no sign of Thundur, but Leiytning didn't slow down. Timbur was able to match his speed, but he was quickly getting annoyed by the conditions, even kicking over the remains of one pillar in frustration. Seeing Leiytning slow down at the sight of a half-sunken room, however, he became more alert.

Leiytning's eye narrowed. "Stay quiet."

Timbur just nodded. "Can you sense Thundur anywhere? I feel like we would've heard or seen her by now."

Leiytning didn't respond, and Timbur decided it was better not to press him. They kept going, around toward the open part of the half-sunken structure. Along the way, Timbur finally noticed something concerning. The harsh wind and sand hid it well, but it was unmistakable. The metallic tang of blood.

When they finally reached the open side, revealing the interior, the opposite wall blocked out the harsh wind and improved the visibility.

Although, the sight was shocking.

There was a surplus of blood, from splatter to an eerie pool toward the center. There was crimson in the mix, but most of it was black as ink.

Near the back, they just saw Thundur pushed to the ground, rendering her motionless as more blood started to pool around her. The last person they expected was stepping down on her back.

"Hm. Right on time..."

As Corelia turned to face the newcomers, she flipped her sword in hand.

"How do you like it, Leiytning?"

"You crazy bitch!" Timbur snapped.

Faster than either side could register, Leiytning vanished like a black flash, with a distorted sound between a growl and a hiss. Whatever it was, it was furious.

'BOOM!'

As Leiytning struck Corelia, she slammed into the wall, causing a large part of it to crumble into dust and debris. In her place, he stood on all fours like a predator ready to charge, with all his wicked traits on full display; a pitch-black eye, jagged black claws, and a venomous, bestial maw with black ooze that scorched the ground below. Dark aura flared around him like black fire.

His voice darkened to pure hellfire, with the fury of a thousand storms.

"MORTAL FILTH, ROT!"

He pounced into the debris, but Corelia was already gone.

'Shing!'

Corelia dropped onto Leiytning, sinking her blade into his shoulder. Despite an obviously broken joint, it did nothing; Leiytning reached black and gripped the bare blade, ripping it out, then kicked Corelia back into the sunken room.

The queen was battered and already showing signs of weariness, but as Leiytning charged again, she blocked his claws. She narrowly managed to swipe out his leg, then thrust her blade forward. Leiytning blocked despite the nasty cut to his arm, severing his gauntlet, and the force making him slide back.

Suddenly, though, a large rock pelted him from behind. His glare immediately snapped back as he whipped out his dagger, ready to slaughter.

Timbur had his machete up and ready to block.

"Don't use this," Timbur insisted. "You know I'd love to see her strung up like a pig, but killing Corelia is notour focus right now. Focus on Thundur."

Between his brother's plea and the sight of his motionless sister, Leiytning narrowly managed to suppress the darkness, the wicked traits fading into nothingness. Keeping an eye out as Corelia watched them with a murderous glare, Leiytning stepped back and knelt next to Thundur. As he swiped her hair out of the way, it revealed that her eye was closed, her breathing was faint, and her skin was cold and pale.

Timbur knelt on the other side of her. "Thundur? Dammit, Thundur, wake up!"

Thundur winced, and her amber eye barely flickered open.

Her voice was weak. "Leiyt..."

Leiytning gently turned her on her front. "Thundur, what happened?"

She coughed, blood dripping from her mouth. "Leiyt, quickly, we need to get out of here. It's a trap..."

Thundur exhaled roughly, then stopped talking and went completely limp.

"No, stay awake!" Leiytning snapped.

Timbur shook his head. "How can this be happening..."

"Focus, she's still breathing," Leiytning spoke quickly, keeping her wound covered. "Remember the plan, we need to get her back to the fortress as soon as possible."

"You can try."

Leiytning's glare snapped back onto Corelia, who kept a defensive stance with her blade ready. One thing was clear between them.

No more games. No attempts to barter. This was going to end in bloodshed.

"I'm done trying to reason with you," Corelia spat. "I was an idiot to think it was possible, and even more of an idiot to show mercy. But you know exactly why I had to, and you continue to use her as a weapon against me. So let me reiterate my terms to you, and I swear if you don't listen, I will rip it from your dead hands. Give her back. Open that portal, give me Kita, and stand down."

Timbur growled slowly, putting rage into every word. "Are you joking? This is all over that stupid maggot?! Take the little brat! Who the fuck cares about her but you, psychopath?!"

"No," Leiytning spat. "It's not going to stop her."

Corelia looked irritated, but taunted, "I knew you were cold, but cold enough to let your sister bleed out, just to avoid reasoning with an enemy? Maybe now you'll see why it's so easy for us to see you as a monster."

"As if you have a clue about anything out here!" Timbur snapped. "Stick to ruining the lives in your own kingdom!"

Corelia didn't even acknowledge him, tapping her blade. "I could just buy enough time for Thundur to finally die. You know what that entails, as her blood twin. But there's not much honor in that. Humor me with one last battle. Even if it is a futile venture, I want to see if I can finally make you feel pain again, for all your sick crimes."

Timbur lurched forward, seething rage and ready to charge, but Leiytning grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back. He quickly came back to his senses and focused on Thundur, resting her head in his lap as he analyzed her injuries.

Leiytning unsheathed his spear and stepped closer to Corelia.

"Don't look at me like I'm the devil in this situation," Corelia spat. "As always, this is merely retaliation. You've taken precious lives and attempted to take more. Well, I'll take something precious from you. See who'll be laughing then."

"Still not Maia," Leiytning said bluntly.

Corelia's eyes narrowed. "I solemnly swear..."

She charged, blade ready.

"You will die!"

As her blade came in range, Leiytning ducked, rammed her back, then lashed the spear in retaliation. It was enough to put a deep cut in her arm, but from there, it was a brutal parry that was hard to follow, even for Timbur. His master was fast with a deadly strike, like a vicious black snake, but as anyone had come to expect, Corelia was on equal grounds and almost constantly predicting his next attack.

Timbur's eyes were locked on the battle, making him cringe and wince with every other strike. However, as his hand slipped against the ground, he was horrified to find more of Thundur's blood. There was a lot of it, leaking from the very deep gash in her stomach.

Timbur wiped away as much blood as he could, then applied pressure to the wound. As he did, he noticed Thundur wince slightly, but she didn't fully wake up. It was a small, but incredibly encouraging sign.

"It's alright, Thundur," Timbur whispered. "We're going to get you out of here. Leiytning just needs to create an opening."

There was no response of course. Timbur focused on the fight, bracing to make a run for the portal at any moment.

When it came to damage, Leiytning had a gash in his left leg, while Corelia was bleeding between the armor on her shoulder and chest.

As Corelia lashed her blade up, Leiytning dodged, blocked her downward swing, then kicked her hard in the leg. As she stumbled, he jabbed the open spot in her gut, blood spewing from the fresh wound, then he and hit her back with a heavy punch to the face. A trail of crimson splatter was left between them. Leiytning threw the spear at her, but Corelia deflected it with her gauntlets. A snap of electricity -even though it was a small amount strained by the enchantments of Corelia's blade- connected to the weapon and immediately made it shoot back to Leiytning.

"Stubborn bastard," Corelia growled, huffing from exertion. "What will it take to kill you..."

Suddenly, she kicked one of the stray stones. It was sent flying, but came nowhere near Leiytning.

Instead, it struck Timbur. After seeing a narrow opening, he tried to take Thundur and run, only to be stopped as the stone cracked against his head. He immediately collapsed as a result.

"You won't save her," Corelia spat.

"Why don't you shut up and stop harassing my apprentice for once?" Leiytning retorted.

Contradicting the mood of hate and bloodlust, Corelia laughed, "It's me, you say? Who should stop harassing him? Oh dear. Leiytning, I think this is enough proof that age is failing your cognition or memory, possibly both. No matter..."

She twirled the blade in her hand. The runes, once hardly visible, pulsed with a bright white light before fading back. Corelia's cynical smirk turned back into a murderous scowl.

"In the end, none of you will be alive."

Blade ready, Corelia lunged for the demon. Even as Leiytning blocked, the sword left a noticeable dent in his weapon. He left a mere shadow of himself, kicking her from behind then lurched back. Corelia's rage grew, and she launched another onslaught of violent attacks, only wisps of light marking where she swung her blade. Leiytning, despite being able to avoid the hits, had no good chance to strike back.

After she nearly cut him, she wrought down her blade. Leiytning didn't move until the very last second, though. The blade missed, and Corelia stumbled. Leiytning jabbed his spear right into her collar.

Despite bleeding much, Corelia grabbed the shaft of the weapon and threw him back. Leiytning threw the spear again, but this time, while she focused on deflecting, he easily caught up and knocked her back with a cringe-worthy kick. He quickly grabbed his spear, then psyched-out her defensive swing and slammed the blunt end into her stomach. As she coiled over, Leiytning grabbed her by the wrist and threw her onto the ground, cracking the stone ground. He then stomped down on her; the cracks spread even further, and the runes on her armor flickered.

His spear was ready to slice through her throat, but Corelia knocked the weapon aside and kicked him in the jaw, forcing him back.

While she struggled to catch her breath, wincing from what was undoubtedly a couple of broken ribs, Leiytning carelessly snapped his barely-crooked jaw back in place. Despite the many hits he had taken, he reflected not even an ounce of pain. Something that made Corelia even more annoyed as the fight dragged on.

Corelia lashed the blade down at him, and Leiytning blocked.

"Just give up," the queen growled. "Can't you see that you're meant to die? There are only seven of you left; you may as well be extinct already!"

"But we're not," Leiytning spat.

Corelia pulled back, and despite Leiytning's snake-like strikes, she blocked all of them with her gleaming sword. With a final burst of speed, she forced his spear aside and kicked him on the side of the head. Hardly dazed, Leiytning retaliated with a slash to the face. Corelia finally let up, retreating one step.

She was bleeding from a slit over the nose and cheek, and one of her eyes was darkened from a heavy bruise. Leiytning's ear bled from yet another chip in his already-mangled ears.

As the parry of pure light and darkness went on, Timbur finally recovered just enough to wake up. He immediately scrambled to his feet, ignoring the burning headache and dizziness, and checked on Thundur, lying unconscious next to him. She had bled more, but the makeshift binding -made out of a torn piece of his sleeve and her own belt- was enough to hinder it.

Timbur cursed himself and picked her up, ready to run. Once he was sure that Corelia was wrapped up in the fight, he took off and finally made it to the edge of the sunken building. He hid behind a portion of the wall and watched out for his master.

After dodging an attack though, Corelia realized the change in headcount.

"That slippery little-"

She narrowly blocked Leiytning from hacking into her neck, pushing him back.

"Accept your fate!" Corelia snapped.

"Like Shira accepted hers?" Leiytning taunted.

Hearing that, Corelia looked enraged. Gripping her greatsword, she charged again. He blocked the attack, but she slid around his weapon, which led to another failed attack. She unleashed another flurry of stabs and slashes. Even these ones seemed sloppy, enough for Leiytning to counter, but she didn't care anymore.

In a burst of rage-induced strength, Corelia knocked his weapon aside and lashed her blade up. Leiytning dropped his weapon, but with a heavy punch to the cheek, Corelia was finally dazed and rushed back.

However, Leiytning realized that it wasn't the weapon that went missing.

It was his left hand entirely.

Black blood spewed out from the wound, and the visible end of a thick bone was snapped off, leaving it jagged.

Timbur nearly dropped his own sister, staggering back as he lost his breath. His seafoam eyes were full of dread and horror.

Still, for Leiytning, the surprise quickly faded and he just muttered, "Interesting."

Corelia charged again, ready to end this. Leiytning evaded, surprising her with a shockingly hard hit from his free arm. He swept out her legs, and while she collapsed, he retrieved his spear.

However, Corelia took her chance. While both Timbur and Leiytning were distracted, she charged to the end of the structure. She immediately staggered Timbur with a hard punch.

"Let her die," Corelia spat. "Or you can join her."

As soon as she pointed her sword at Thundur's limp body, Timbur jumped back, and a cluster of roots burst out of the ground to force her back a step.

Then, from behind, Leiytning grabbed her wrist. Even though Corelia saw that his eye had turned black, and he was enraged again, she couldn't react before he threw her with more force than any beast could manage. She crashed all the way into the opposite wall of the structure, causing another hole in the wall as she skidded out into the sand beyond.

Narrowly restraining another outburst, Leiytning stepped back. With his severely strained magic, he fired a bolt into the sky.

Corelia was struggling back to her feet, and Leiytning helped Timbur recover, even taking Thundur from him as he struggled a bit due to his size. The space between them was wide, but Corelia was determined.

Meanwhile, however, someone else took that signal and went with it.

Crossing the sands in a heartbeat, Jem jumped onto the top of the wall. She had been oblivious to the standings in this fight until now, with only a very strict command from her leader to keep her in place.

"'Stay by the portal and do not interfere with the fight until I give you a signal. I wouldn't normally ask this of any of you, but spare no expense, even if it leads to magic fatigue. This terrain is nothing but sand, dirt, and stone. Use it, and make it deadly.'"

On top of the wall, Jem already had her magic fueled to the brim. Her clenched fists and talons were spitting glowing gray and rust-colored smoke to the point it almost looked like flames, and a pattern of similar-colored veins illuminated along the muscles of her arms and calves.

Jem smirked. "Leiyt, I'll do what I'm best at..."

Her powerful legs launched her off the wall, and with a punch, she sent herself hurtling back toward the earth.

"SMASH!"

As soon as Jem struck the ground, an earthquake erupted. Both Corelia and Timbur were knocked to their knees, while Leiytning stood his ground. From her strike, a split also burst across the ground of the sinking room. As Jem flipped back, stone spires and geysers of sand burst out, widening the crack even more. Corelia narrowly avoided being launched by a spire on the other side, but the spewing sand ensnared her legs to slow her down.

Panting, Jem stepped back. There were burns along her fingers, and she was already panting, but she looked absolutely amped.

"Alright!" She cheered. "How was that for-gah!"

As soon as she turned around, she jumped back out of shock and fear. She didn't know what was worse; seeing Thundur limp and unresponsive, or Leiytning with blood pouring out of a missing limb. Instead of paying any attention, though, he was already storming off, leaving both Timbur and Jem scurrying to catch up.

"U-Um..." Jem rigidly pointed. "I think you're missing something there, Leiyt."

"Doesn't matter," Leiytning said blankly. "Thundur needs help."

Jem anxiously looked to Timbur, who just shook his head. There was no getting through to Leiytning when he was in a focused state, especially when it concerned his twin's wellbeing. The best they could do was keep an eye on him and make this trip fast.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the geysers and the spires, Corelia forced herself free. The sand was still loose, though, threatening to trap her again with each step.

Her fists clenched in pure rage, and she growled under her breath.

"Don't think you've won. Maybe I couldn't make things faster, but that was just to make a point. Your sister is going to bleed out at any moment, and when that happens, I'll have killed two snakes with one stone."