[To Be Named] - Chapter 16

[To Be Named] - by Ho-Oh16
A QuizUp fantasy adventure story.

Chapter 16.

   "Die?! So God help me, if you even think about hurting one of them, I'll-"
   "You'll what? Kill me?" Storm chuckled. "I doubt it."
   "You certainly won't be alive by the time I'm finished with you." I replied. "That family is my responsibility, and it's my duty to keep them safe, no matter how well they fight on their own. I've already failed one person. I don't intend to fail another."
   "I see."
   "You won't for much longer." I muttered to myself. I turned round and announced myself as a challenger.
   "See? I knew you wanted to fight." he sneered.
   "And I knew you'd accept. So, if you think you're so great, hit me with your best shot." I demanded. "Or are you too afraid you'll lose?"
   "Never."
   "Well, since you can still command lightning as a person, perhaps you should stay one. After all, you wouldn't want to make this fight completely unfair, would you?" I suggested hopefully and tactically.
   *The pen is mightier than the sword. Or at least, words are more powerful than weaponry...sure...*
   "Of course not." he replied, creating a ball of electricity in his hands.
   *And there's his first attack...*
   "I hope you know that I'm going to win." I remarked, preparing to avoid the attack.
   "I'd like to see you try."
   With that, the battle begun. Storm's first ball of dangerous volts zoomed towards me. I was able to dodge it, but only just. Rapidly, I loaded my bow with an incendiary arrow and fired it at him. It narrowly missed his arm, but he didn't even seem to acknowledge it.
   His next move was a lot more interesting. A collection of storm clouds appeared overhead. This confused me, as we were in an enclosed space, but the thought was interrupted by an army of lightning strikes.
    They battered the ground around Storm and I did my best to avoid them. It proved difficult to predict each strike, and before long, a nearby hit took its toll. My arm was back to stinging.
   "Electricity hurts, doesn't it?" Storm called.
   "I'm used it." I replied, firing another arrow at him. Unfortunately, before it was able to reach my target, it was intercepted by another lightning bolt.
   "I sincerely hope that that was not your best attempt at trying to kill me." he smirked.
   "That was just me warming up. Trust me, I'm looking forward to seeing you die.". My retaliation was to fire two arrows at once this time. Once more, neither hit its target, and I was now running out of arrows.
   Before I knew it, Storm was charging up another attack - one that resembled the previous one. This time, however, the lightning bolts halted before reaching the ground and were now midair.
   Somehow, Storm made them stop mid-strike and then proceeded to throw them straight towards me. With no real defence, I tried to get out of the way but one of the bolts brushed against my arm.
   "OW!" I winced. Now both of my arms were hurting to an extent.
   *I can't lose...not now...*
   "I think we are just about done here." Storm announced.
   With one final attack that resembled another ball of electricity, I was out. I fell to my knees in exhaustion and sheer pain.
   "What a waste." Storm said. "Not a single blow landed, nor a scratch inflicted. What was the point?"
   I began to think over my options. I needed to win this otherwise I'd lose it all.
   "Look at yourself. You're not brave, you're not strong." he stated. "Quite frankly, I'm disappointed. I was expecting great things. That's why I chose you."
   "For what?" I questioned, trying to regain my breath. I felt the hilt of my dagger, grabbed it, and kept it hidden.
   He didn't reply.
   "Did I mumble? I asked you a question."
   "You'll find out soon enough."
   "Wrong answer!" I cried, throwing the dagger at him.
   Naturally, he avoided it, but that was the idea. He looked to where it landed in the grass and it provided me with the perfect opportunity.
   "And there goes your only method for a close-range atta-"
   "You forgot one thing, Storm." I said, looking him in the eyes. "An arrow works perfectly fine without a bow."
   While he was distracted I had taken one of my arrows and had stabbed him in the shoulder. Without hesitation, I twisted the arrow, tripped him up and made a run for my dagger. I grabbed it and sprinted to the other side of the house, not looking behind me. I left Storm to his pain and let him attempt to remove the projectile. He had his priority. I had mine.

   The group was surrounded by six large dragons.
    "Six dragons..." Rashaun sighed. "Dragons with powers that outweigh our skills with our weapons..."
   "Anyone got any ideas?" DD asked the group.
   "There are four of us, and six of them. If we split into pairs, we can fight three each?" Anton suggested.
   "Perhaps." Shadow replied. "The question is, where is the other one?"
   "The other what?"
   "The other dragon. There should be seven of them. Storm isn't here." Shadow explained.
   "So who is here?" Anton asked his brother.
   "Which dragon has which power?"
   "These dragons are Fire, Ghost, Light, Water, Nature and Healing." Shadow announced. "If Anton and Dragon take on Light, Water and Fire, Rashaun and I can handle Ghost, Healing and Nature."
   "But-"
   "Hello again."
   "Ghost, my dear friend! We really need to stop meeting each other like this." I replied, approaching the outer circle. The dragons opened the circle so they could all see me.
   "Where's Storm?" called Dragon from the inner group.
   "He'll be here shortly, I'm sure." Healing remarked. She clearly had too much faith in her brother's ability.
   "But he won't be able to fight." I yelled back. "At least, not yet."
   "Oh? What makes you say that?" Fire questioned.
   "Let's just say, I rendered his left arm useless, and I imagine he's bleeding a fair amount." I smiled.
   "Bravo." Ghost sneered. "Perhaps you're not as weak as previously believed."
   "No, I guess I'm not."
   "Well, perhaps we ought to make this fight more fair." Ghost proclaimed. "I reckon that four one-versus-one fights and a single one-versus-two are perfectly suitable."
    "Like a tournament?" Rashaun questioned.
    "How is that fair?!" Dragon yelled.
   "I accept." I replied to Ghost, disregarding Dragon's comment. "I take it you want me to fight two of you, yes?"
   "Since you seem so confident, I think you'll manage. I will let you decide amongst yourselves who should fight who." he announced. "You'd better be quick though...I don't like waiting."
   I walked towards the others as the six dragons backed off and waited for an answer.
   "What are you doing?!"
   "The only way to injure them is with a clear shot or while they're not dragons." I stated. "Hopefully, Storm won't be able to fight, leaving just the six of them as obstacles."
   "Do you think this will be like a tournament?" Dragon asked. "After all, he mentioned five different fights."
   "If the fights are simultaneous, it's easier for us to help each other defeat a dragon. I have a feeling they won't allow that." Shadow pointed out. "A tournament looks likely."
   "So we have to choose an opponent carefully." Rashaun added.
   "Six powers. Fire, water, light, nature, shadows and healing. So, who is up for what?" I asked the group. "Choose wisely, choose quickly, choose one."
   "Why one?...Are you actually planning on fighting two of them?" Anton asked.
   "You can't be serious. Fighting against two at once is basically suicide!" DD warned me. Of course I knew the risks, but I had little choice.
   "...I talked us into this situation. Now I'm going to fight us out of it." I replied. "Now hurry up and choose."
   "If you insist...I want to fight Fire." DD announced. "I have some unfinished business with him that needs settling."
   "Ok, I think I'll deal with Nature." Rashaun suggested. "I reckon the sword will help with that."
   "Uh...I guess I'll fight against Light." Anton said. "I have no idea how, but I'll try."
   "And Shadow?". The dragon he chose also decided who I would fight. I figured that Ghost would be a good match as they both had similar abilities.
   "I agree." he responded. "I'll fight Ghost."
   "OK...So that leaves Healing and Water for me.". I began thinking of strategies for how I would even start battling two dragons. It wasn't going to be easy.
   "Wait."
   "What? What's wrong?" Anton asked.
   "Swap with me." Shadow demanded, looking towards me. "I'll fight Healing."
   "Are you sure?" I asked.
   "Of course. She can heal other dragons, and it would make your fight much more unfair."
   I muttered in response. "Right...so I'll be fighting Ghost and Water."
   *This ought to be fun.*
   "Have you made your decisions?" bellowed a voice from the dragon clan.
   "I believe so." I replied to Ghost. Now I was looking forward to my round.
   "Perfect. But, before we begin, I have a single request." he proclaimed.
   "...what is it?"
   "That I choose who I fight." Ghost answered.
   "And if I say no?" I questioned.
   "Perhaps I forgot to mention... This is your next trial. In order to complete the trial and ultimately escape, you have to comply to all the rules and conditions. If you don't, the trial won't start, and you'll never leave."
   "That's unfair! Why should we fi-"
   "Fine." I answered, interrupting Anton.
   "Good. I'm glad we could agree on something. We'll return tomorrow at midday, so be ready." Ghost ordered. "And just so you know, I'll be fighting her."
   "Me?!" Dragon exclaimed. "Wha-"
   "I accept. See you tomorrow." I replied, now having to think up new strategies. "I look forward to watching your downfall."
   *If Dragon fights Ghost, I will fight Fire and Water...so I could use them against each other...but how?*
   "What...what were you thinking?!" Dragon yelled, outraged.
   "Breathe! She wouldn't have said 'yes' without a reason." Rashaun explained.
   "Mhm. Assuming that you're happy to fight Ghost, that leaves me fighting Fire and Water. That plays quite nicely into my hand, as I can get rid of both dragons quicker." I remarked, already feeling triumphant.
   "So the question remains, are you OK to fight him, Dragon? If you're not then we need to know." Anton calmly added.
   "I'm sure... I can handle it...". She replied slowly, but I put down to fatigue. "Lots of rest...lots of practice."
   "Brilliant." I smiled. "I think we should all train, and preferably before tomorrow. After that, rest becomes vital."
   "I think we can do this." Anton commented, walking towards the front of the mansion. "We just have to try and not die."
   "That's the idea..." Rashaun sighed, following him.
   "Shouldn't be difficult." Shadow added.
   I figured that the three of them were going to the upstairs training room, leaving me and Dragon to use the outside space. I watched them as they disappeared around the corner.
   "So," I began to say, turning back to look at Dragon, "how are you feeling about all of this?"
   "A bit...uh...not...". She was unable to finish her sentence and collapsed to the floor.
   "Dragon? Dragon, can you hear me?!" I cried. "DRAGON?!?!"

   "You're getting cocky."
   "And you're getting soft. Tell me, why are all five of them still alive?" Storm asked the eldest sibling.
   "Where is the enjoyment in killing someone before the real fun begins?" Ghost replied. "Nevermind that...let me remind you that you practically allowed yourself to get injured."
   "That wasn't part of the plan, I assure you."
   "If you weren't stupid enough to engage in a fight prematurely, all of them would be a pile of ashes on the ground..."
   "How many times do I need to apologise? I wasn't expecting-"
   "That's the issue. You never do." Ghost interrupted. "You see, I look at this like a game of chess. You cannot just think one move ahead. You must think several moves ahead. It's the only way to succeed."
   "I-"
   "You're lucky you're not dead." Ghost interjected once more. "And you're very lucky that Healing isn't stupid enough to almost get herself killed."
   "Are we done here?" Storm asked, clearly feeling agitated.
   "So long as you understand one thing."
   "Which is what?"