Grey Aether Blades 15

The ground shook—more so than it already was—and a towering obsidian lance at least forty feet high thrust out of the base of the mountain less than a hundred feet away. It arced through the air above us before crashing down unseen in the valley beyond. Just behind the spike, a shadowy figure sped out of the resulting hole at impossible speed.

Perhata, who clutched her side, her face twisted in a grimace of pain and fear, didn’t make for the battle above, but veered south and flew at all possible speed. The air in front of her crackled with amethyst lightning, and Arthur appeared as if from nowhere. A cone of energy roared from his hand, and the Wraith dipped beneath it, unleashing a barrage of deadly spikes back at him as she flew past. But Arthur vanished, once again appearing in front of her, this time conjuring and slashing with a blade of pure energy.

Perhata screamed in frustration and rage as an armor of hundreds of small black spikes appeared around her, and she caught Arthur’s wrist while blocking his blade with her upper arm. The two remained suspended for an instant before Arthur’s blade reversed, the sword end shrinking as a blade grew from the other end of the handle and drove into Perhata’s sternum, sparks flying where violet energy impacted the black metal.

Black flames erupted around her, throwing Arthur back and sending metal spikes raining in every direction. Even as they fell, though, they were swarming together, combining, and building on each other to form shapes.