[Omen of the Witchblade] Chapter 104 — The Serpent That Swallowed the Sun

Standing over the corpse of another Bloodtide member, Mel turned to the side and spit out the blood that was filling her mouth. The sound of slippered feet alerted Mel to a new danger. She twisted on the balls of her feet, bringing her twinblade to bear. She heard the sharp clang of steel meeting steel. A spark of light told her she had just parried a strike aimed at her back.

I didn’t even see what I was doing!

The sweaty man in green silk robes was baring his blackened teeth in a rictus of rage as he pulled back on the sinuous dagger and struck again.

Mel twisted her wrist and batted it aside with ease. “This all you got?” she asked with a laugh.

Yok’sal fell within himself, bringing to bear the most vile curse that branded his soul. The very curse of despair that had given the covenant its name so many ages ago.

He kept up a solid routine of feints and stabs aimed to keep her on her guard, unaware of what he was doing the entire time.

Before he could get the last syllable out and claim victory, her twinblade flashed out and speared him through the middle. She twisted, and a deep agony spread out from his middle.

With strength he didn’t expect in such a small frame, she lifted him off the ground. Every beat of his heart sent a wave of pain from the wound she held him up by.

“Can’t breathe too good when your diaphragm is pierced, eh?” Mel said with a bloodied grin.

Yok’sal strained to get the last syllable out. He was so close. It couldn’t end like this.

“Not gonna work, friend,” Mel said a little softer. She shook him off her twinblade and dropped him to the ground. He crumpled up in a private universe of agony. “Don’t know who you are, don’t really care.” She set her stance and slashed with all of her strength, using [Firestorm] to assist her.

Yok’sal’s head was cleaved from his shoulders, his surprised expression plastered to his face as it rolled to a halt several feet from his body.

You defeat [Yok’sal (Vile Covenant) (High Copper Rank)].

You gain extra runes of Divine, Mist, Blood, Serpent, and Omen aspect experience.

You gain extra Battle Points.

More Magi arrived. The first ones to appear were an unexpected trio. Mel could only guess that the shrub with limbs and yellow lamplight eyes hitching a ride on Charlie’s wings was Shrubley. Carried on the other wing was an armored man with a sword and shield forged from smoldering flames.

They dropped, joining the fray. Then more Magi emerged from…everywhere. Some Mel recognized, some she didn’t.

The green-robed bastards were mostly dead by the time the Magi arrived, but the surge of monsters hadn’t stopped. They cared nothing for the schemes of men.

If not for the other Magi, Mel’s position would have been overrun in seconds. Followed by Charlie, Mel approached Gwen, one hand holding her twinblade, the other holding her hand out in a warding gesture.

Please don’t make me attack you.

“Gwen, hi. It’s me, Mel. Remember? Sexy little thing that you wouldn’t hurt because she hasn’t done anything wrong ever in her entire life?”

The werewolf didn’t turn to face her. Mel could tell she was breathing way too hard and fast. The energy billowing from her fur was letting up, but she was clutching her wolf-like head in obvious pain.

The other Magi circled around them, but Mel waved them off. “Secure the wounded!” she barked at them. “Don’t touch her. Let me deal with Gwen.”

“Gwen!” Mel shouted. “Look at me. Just focus on me, okay?”

Gwen slowly looked over her bulky shoulder at Mel, shaking with restraint. Mel didn’t recognize the face she saw, but the silver eyes were the same. The guttural voice that came out definitely wasn’t. “Th…omas.”

Off to the side, Mel heard somebody say, “Komachi, give me that ring.”

“Machi!”

Sylvie?

Oh, great, just what we need.

“What is it?” said another voice.

“Orange magic,” an alarmingly familiar voice said. “Spatial magic. Break the jewel and he’ll come out.”

Hal?! Mel turned to see Hal and Sylvie looking at a ring with a citrine jewel. Before she could get over the shock of seeing Hal, the ring was carved in two.

No! Shit!

From the two halves of the ring, Thomas appeared on the ground, bleeding from the wound in his back.

Mel turned her gaze back at Gwen, unsurprised to find her friend’s silver eyes glued to Thomas’ wounded form.

Dammit.

“Get back from him!” Mel warned half a second before Gwen barreled into them. Hal raised his sword to fend off her blow. As Gwen’s slashing claws forced him back, he reached out and grasped Sylvie’s sleeve, pulling her and Komachi, behind him and out of harm’s way.

Gwen crouched defensively over Thomas’ body, claws dug into the hardened stone as if it were soft dirt.

Her howl of pain and soul-shredding anguish filled the entire martyr’s hall.

Charlie inched closer apprehensively, eyes wide. “Let me just get closer to our lovely werewolf, yeah? Totally not a death wish. Gotta save the dying man.”

Mel put a hand on Charlie’s shoulder and stepped in front of her. “Gwen, sweetie. We need to take a look at Thomas. He’s wounded.”

Gwen’s gaze slid to Mel.

She dismissed her twinblade and held both hands out. “See? I’m unarmed. Thomas is my friend too. I only want to help him, but you’re making that hard by teabagging him.”

Easing the noose from all their necks, Gwen shifted over, crouching beside Thomas. Still dangerously close, but not in the way.

Mel continued to slide herself forward, one foot at a time, until she was face-to-face with Gwen’s werewolf form. She gingerly reached up to either side of her red muzzle. “You want to vent your frustrations? You want to kill those who hurt Thomas?”

Turning, Mel pointed at the monsters pressing the ring of Magi defending their position. “Take it out on the monsters and let the healers save Thomas.”

“Prey,” Gwen growled in that guttural voice that made just about everybody uncomfortable. She took two trembling steps away, then took off like red lightning.

“Let her pass!” Mel yelled at the Magi.

Not that it mattered. Gwen leapt over their heads with ease and crashed into the monsters beyond.

Thomas’ eyes fluttered open. “Mel? Is–”

“She’s venting her frustrations on monsters,” Mel told him, dropping to his side. She looked at Charlie. “She’s going to take care of you. Don’t stand on her account.”

“Very droll.”

Charlie knelt by his side, bones darkly showing through her skin like she was going to the Day of the Dead festival as she used healing magic. “You’ll be alright, Thomas, despite how you feel about me. I specialize in healing from the brink. Ah, your spine…”

Mel looked over at Heath’s slumped form. Shrubley was already standing over him, his branch-like fingers spreading a glowing warmth over Heath’s body.

A pale lady stood beside him with ruby-and-green eyes and pointed ears. She watched Shrubley’s actions intently.

“Like this?” the small shrub asked.

Camilla nodded and dropped to her knees, spreading her hands over Heath’s chest. “Severe wounds require more intensive interaction. Place your hand on the head here, and the heart here. It helps to establish a connection.”

Shrubley nodded his bushy body and did as Camilla asked.

Mel took one more glance at Thomas, knowing he was in as good hands. She crouched at Heath’s side. “Is he–?”

“No,” Shrubley said. “He is a fighter. He clings tenaciously. Like a vine. He will be okay with time.”

Camilla looked up curiously at Mel. She couldn’t read her expression.

“This some sort of bring your kid to work day or what?” Mel asked.

Camilla’s tinkling laugh was like golden bells. “Any parent would be happy to have Shrubley as a son. However, I think he’s already claimed.” She glanced to the side.

Mel followed her gaze to a towering woman in leather armor laying about her with a black greatsword while a skeleton in robes beside her cast freezing magic from a staff.

“Another vampyr?” Mel asked.

Camilla shook her head. “The only. I am not a vampyr.”

Mel nodded by way of apology. She didn’t bother to refute it. That would be like somebody saying ‘but you look Asian!’ Only a hundred times worse.

Something started sniffing Mel’s ankle intently. A ferret-like face peered up at her, then inclined his head politely and scampered over to Camilla.

A golden light filled the otherwise shaded brim of Mel’s witch hat. The glow of the Champion’s Crown didn’t give a shit about physical barriers. Its golden glow probably went through the back of her head.

You gain the [Champion’s Crown].

Mel stared at it. She hadn’t expected to get the crown again once she lost it. She looked down with surprise and found that Camilla’s expression matched hers.

She patted Heath’s shoulder after checking it for wounds. “You did good, pig.”

Camilla’s brow crumpled at that, but Shrubley chuckled. Which was odd. Mel would have thought the woman might understand the Charlotte’s Web reference, but the shrub?

Interesting.

New BFF material comes in certified green packaging?

Mel summoned her twinblade and bounded through the ring of Magi to fight alongside Gwen. None of the other Magi dared risk her ire by getting close to her. She was ranging too deep into the hordes of monsters for Mel’s comfort.

Whether she meant to or not, Gwen was putting herself in serious danger. As reckless as Gwen usually was, her werewolf form didn’t give two shits about defense. She soaked up the damage as if she was immortal, but the wounds were mounting swiftly.

The flame red fur mixed with the armor made it hard to tell how severe it was.

Mel sliced a monster’s arm, aiming for Gwen’s back, severing it at the second joint. She spun her twinblade and cleaved its head from its neck and continued moving to the next monster, attacking Gwen’s back and flank.

It had nothing to do with getting more Battle Points. Mel didn’t know if she would lose her other friends, but she would be damned if she’d let Gwen self-destruct like this.

Even if she wasn’t aware, Mel meant to stand beside her until the very end.

She looked over her shoulder and watched Gwen slap the head off two monsters in one swing. “I’ll be damned if I lose you too.”

With Gwen and Mel attracting the monsters to them, the Magi moved their battle lines closer to provide what support they could.

The final tide of monsters gave way to a weak but overwhelming number of small creatures. Just as the hundreds of creatures washed over them, they vanished into a million motes of blue-green light.

The Convocation (G-League) [1st Echelon] Exile Trial has ended.

Final Standing: [#1] Exile (G-League) [1st Echelon]

Trial: Remnants (Elemental Plateaus)

Participants: Earth-Lormar

Duration: 2 Standard Months (56 days).

[Final Convocation Standings]

Time Remaining: 0:00

===(1) Mel + Gwen + Thomas + Heath===

(2) Charlie + Adam + Almace

(3) Jacob/Fenris + Camilla + Shrubley/Smudge

(4) Sylvie/Komachi + Miranda/Sose + Cal + Hal

(5) Ashera + Solomon + Victor + Aegis

(6) Cooper + Noah + Zoey + Sofia + Flynn

(7) Louis + Jean-Luc + Claudette + Simone

(8) Dovras + Pazhul + Bralak

(9) Zack + Tamara + Andrew

(10) Trevor + Joshua + Mike + Lukas

Congratulations!

You have placed First.

You find (1) [Exile Gold Chest].

You find (1) [Exile Silver Chest].

(1) [Golden Voucher] has been stored in the [Exile Gold Chest].

(1) [Revival Scroll] has been stored in the [Exile Gold Chest].

(1) [Kindling Branch (Legendary)] has been stored in the [Exile Gold Chest].

(2) [Fallen Realm Seeds (Copper)] have been stored in the [Exile Gold Chest].

(100) [Iron Rune Coins] have been stored in the [Exile Gold Chest].

(10) [Aspect Coins (Epic)] have been stored in the [Exile Silver Chest].

(200) [Copper Rune Coins] have been stored in the [Exile Silver Chest].

(10) [Health Potions] have been stored in the [Exile Silver Chest].

In the void of adversaries, Gwen fell to her claws and knees. An otherworldly sound ripped through reality, folding around like a multilayered curtain of heat to Mel’s eyes, mostly obscuring Gwen’s wolf form. When it cleared, the Gwen that Mel had grown to care about was back in her human form.

“We won?!” Gwen cried with heartfelt enthusiasm.

Enrollment for the next Convocation Trials will open shortly.

Standby for translocation to the Seabrim Crater.

Mel looked around, realizing that they were separated from their friends. She grabbed Gwen and hauled her to her feet, slinging an arm over her shoulder.

“…Oh, that’s a lot of blood.” Gwen winced with pain.

While she was kneeling, Mel grabbed hold of each chest’s handle and lugged them along with Gwen back toward the group. She could not lose those chests. They pushed through the parted ring of Magi and were nearly to Thomas, Charlie, and Heath when the world folded around them.

It started at the edges, like the world was made up of cloth. Edges folded in on each other faster and faster. Mel yelled, but her voice was lost to the overwhelming velvety hush that had descended upon them.

They were less than 20 feet away when darkness stole her vision away, a darkness that even her [Gaze of the Serpent] couldn’t pierce.

Her next adventure awaited.

[End of Omen of the Witchblade, Book 1]