Bladewarriors Book 1: Refresh

Flare rushed forward, screaming, rage overwhelming his normal train of thought. The vision of Myst impaled on that monster's sword – her blood running down the sharpened piece of coral – it was enough to drive him insane with anger. He had failed – he hadn't protected her. He had sworn to himself that he would never let that happen – he had promised himself he would never let anyone die or be taken away as long as he was around. And this beast had caused him to break that promise. All Flare could do now, was seek vengeance.

Screaming, Flare dashed forward, crashing blades with the Sentry once more as the beast struggled to hold him back. He could seen the strain in the monster's face and muscles every time he struck – for all the creature's tremendous strength, it looked like a human like him was still able to match it. Though, Flare would have to admit, he wasn't exactly a normal human when he wielded that sword. Still, as the Sentry stepped back, trying to put some space between the two of them, Flare couldn't help but take a small bit of satisfaction. He had this beast on the run.

The Sentry swung an arm towards him, summoning up a jet of water from the ocean, but Flare paid it no heed. Before the blast from the sea struck him, the swordsman felt a wave of cold pass by his shoulder, instantly freezing the gushing water where it was. With the Arctican watching his back for those geysers, Flare was free to focus on pure offensive might.

The boy leaped forward, raising his sword up as the Sentry scowled. The beast raised his own blade of coral to block, knowing another blast of liquid would be met with the same arctic chill. The redhead simply smiled, swinging down with every ounce of strength he had as he summoned up a little extra surprise for the beast.

As the swords clashed, an explosion rang out, echoing from the human's blade with a mighty roar as fire spread in ever direction. The beast's sword cracked and exploded – pieces flying every which way as the Sentry was thrown back by the force of the blast.

The beast spun in the air, crashing back down to his feet in a display of his masterful agility. The squid skidded through the sand a moment before he came to a halt, briefly staring down at the shattered chunk of coral still grasped in his hand. He could hardly believe the demon child had managed to destroy it. The creature had no idea where the boy was drawing this sudden surge of strength from, but he didn't like it.

The squid's tentacles quivered, alerting him to the approaching danger of the white-haired warrior. His eyes darted to the side as the boy lifted his sword, swinging toward the ground. A wave of ice flowed out, and as it struck the beach, a diamond sheet of frozen water stretched toward his feet. The sentry leapt into the air at the last second, barely avoiding having his extremities coated in the magically made glacier, landing back atop it after it passed beneath him.

Before his feet reached the frozen land, though, the redhead was on the move again, rushing toward him. The Sentry no longer had a sword to defend with – he had to keep the boy from getting too close. But at the same time, he knew if he tried to use long distance, the ice child would simply negate his attacks. He gurgled, glaring at the approaching fire warrior, wondering how the boy was managing to match him despite his magic's elemental weakness. He had to find a way to hit the teenager.

The Sentry scowled, stepping back a few steps as the redhead rushed toward him, waiting as he held his hands at his side. His eyes darted to the arctic warrior momentarily, then back to his approaching attacker. He would have to time this just right. He bided his time, letting the fiery haired boy grow almost dangerously close before thrusting a hand forward. A spring of water around the Sentry's feet welled up, darting toward the approaching warrior. The Sentry watched the ice child swing his blade through the periphery of his vision, but the boy's supporting power wouldn't reach in time: the redhead was too close.

Flare eyed the approaching torrent angrily, not feeling the familiar chill over his shoulder as it approached. There was no well placed counter this time. That meant only one thing. Flare spun his sword around, pointing the tip of his blade to the side as he leapt up, lifting both feet from the ground. As he rose into the air, his sword let out a massive but short burst of fire, flinging him to the side, barely moving him out of the way in time as the jet of water passed over where he had just been.

Before the jet got too far, though, Frost's wave of cold finally struck the horizontal geyser, freezing it solider. The arctic warrior grinned, seeing Flare had still somehow managed to protect himself. That being the case, he decided not to waste the magic he had just thrown. The arctic warrior lifted his sword, pointing his tip at the giant chunk of ice as it hurtled through the air. A moment later, the block of frozen water stopped in mid-air. It shook for a second, then shattered into hundreds of razor sharp pieces. Frost spun his eyes back toward the Sentry, his grin widening, and swung his sword toward the beast. Responding to the boy's command, the razors of ice shot toward their target.

The Sentry grimaced as his attack not only missed, but was suddenly thrown back toward him in an arguably much more dangerous form. Eyeing the crystal razors flying towards him, the squid decided it was time to quit playing around with these kids. It was time he summoned up his full strength.

The beast lifted up both of his hands, focusing his mind as he manifested the entirety of his abilities into the two palms. He quickly thrust one hand toward the approaching shards of ice, summing a jet of water to sweep in from behind him and absorb the frozen razors. At the same moment, the beast thrust his second hand out, aiming at the still airborne redhead. As expected, the arctic warrior was quick to respond, thrusting his sword toward the attack that targeted the boy's friend. In the instant, the Sentry swung his first arm toward the white-haired boy, sending the stream of water filled with the child's own tiny, icy spears hurtling toward him.

The beast turned from the fire warrior as his other jet turned to ice, becoming a massive bullet flying toward the child. He realized now, if he wanted to take out the redhead, he'd have to start with the faire-hair. He flicked his hand out at the ice child, pointing his finger to the child's legs. In response, a tendril of water whipped up from the ground, swiping out to wrap around the boy's ankle as he turned his focus to the icy water suddenly headed toward him.

Frost gasped, feeling the cold, wet tentacle wrap around his lower leg, turning his eyes down toward the strange tendril. As he did, the Sentry pulled his arm back, and the tendril yanked his leg from under him. The arctic warrior fell back, eyes flipping up to the quickly approaching, frozen razor infused burst of water cascading towards him. He gritted his teeth, shifting his eyes to the ground below – to the sheet of ice that coated it. Spinning his blade in his hand as he fell, Frost pointed the tip of the sword straight toward the ground. As it touched the surface of the ice, it neatly and quickly slipped into the sheet. In response, a much more massive version of his blade began to rise from the sheet, directly between the boy and the torrent of deadly water.

The squid eyed the shield the boy created with only mild interest. In the end, it didn't matter. He now had his opening.

The beast spun back toward the redhead, finding the boy rushing toward him, having somehow managed to avoid the airborne glacier. The beast didn't care, though. With the arctic warrior otherwise occupied, there'd be no one to stop his next attack. He lifted both hands before him, centering the flame warrior between them. In response, the water covering the icy sheet they stood on rose up from all around, flying into the air. Despite this, the redhead didn't stop. The Sentry merely grinned as the boy drew closer. With a yell, the Sentry crushed his hands together, forcing the water around him to swell towards the Flame Swordsman. The boy tried to duck and dodge the approaching liquid, but as it came from all sides, pressing tight against his body, there was no way to avoid it. In a matter of seconds, a sphere nearly ten feet tall had formed around the child, trapping him in its depths.

The boy began to flail about in the water, trying to move toward the edge of the sphere – trying to find a means of taking a breath – but as The Sentry watched the child… he laughed. The boy kicked and swung his arms and legs wildly, without rhythm. The fool couldn't swim. The revelation brought a smile to the beast's face. There was absolutely no way for the redhead to escape.

Frost cursed to himself as the last of the Sentry's torrent fell harmlessly against his blade, watching as the beast trapped his redheaded companion. Even from the distance at which he lay, Frost had no trouble telling that Flare was now helpless – unable to remove himself from the sphere that bound him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed up, ripping his sword from the ice. As he did, the giant form of the blade shattered, forming dozens of razor-like pieces of ice. Frost quickly whipped his freed sword at the falling crystals, sending the tiny blades careening toward the distant squid-beast.

The Sentry turned his head at the familiar shattering sound, finding another wave of deadly ice flying towards him. He had the redhead contained, now to finish off the ice child. Pulling one of his hands away from the sphere, the Sentry thrust his arm towards the arctic warrior, sending another blast of water at the ice, and the boy that laid beyond. The beast wasted no time waiting for the inevitable counter – the freezing of his water jet – and moved straight into his next attack. Pulling his arm back, the beast slid it forward, then flung it upward.

As Frost swung out, freezing the blast of water flying toward the air at him, he failed to notice the wave of water crashing across the ice towards his feet. Once he did, it was already too late, as the water burst upward, flinging him into the air. Spinning around as he shot up, Frost glanced the Sentry long enough for the beast to thrust its arm out toward him once more. He continued to spin in the air, leaving him vulnerable as another jet of water from the ocean crashed into his back, sending him careening away through the sky.

The Sentry grinned, watching as the ice child was flung away. That would surely give him enough time to be certain the flame warrior perished. Turning his head back to his sphere, though, the beast let out a startled gasped. His water… was boiling.

Within the sphere, Flare slashed his blade wildly, sending wave after wave of fire into the water around him. Though the flames were being instantly doused, they were still doing their job – they were quickly heating the water, and causing it to boil away. He held tight to the remaining oxygen in his lungs, his body beginning to feel the effects of the lack of air as he swung with all his might, bubbles of boiling steam churning about in the aquatic sphere. He eyed the beast beyond, watching as he thrust both hands toward his container, spying the water from the ocean suddenly approaching to try and reinforce his cage. He furrowed his brow – it was now or never.

Summoning up as much of his swords power as he could muster, the flame warrior swung the blade down, toward the icy beach below. He grunted as he forced the blade through the oppressive liquid, slamming it into the ground. As he did, the weapon exploded, the burst greater than any he had created before. The force shattered the marine sphere, sending water flying in every direction as the boy fell to the ground. Just as he did, two bursts of water flew over head – the Sentry's attempt to keep him encaged missing their mark.

The Sentry seethed, watching as the boy broke his bubble, staring as the child pulled himself to his feet. Still, despite his disadvantage, this boy would not be stopped. The squid gurgled, turning his gaze toward the side, spying the still distant ice child as the boy rushed to return to the fray. He cursed to himself, spinning back toward the redhead. He had already decided not to hold back, so there was really only one option.

The Sentry spun around, bolting for the ocean. If he could reach the sea, immerse himself within it, his power would swell like the waves themselves. All he had to do was reach the waves. But those boys, they seemed intent to stop him.

Eyeing the beasts retreat, Frost grinned. If the squid was running, it meant they had him on the ropes. They just had to keep the bastard from getting away. Gritting his teeth, he gripped the handle of his blade tighter. The arctic warrior watched as the Sentry leapt out, trying to dive back into the ocean. With a grin and quick swing of his sword, a sheet of ice shot out across the bay, covering the surface of the water.

With a dull thud, the squid struck the frozen surface, his face skidding along the ice briefly before he collapsed against it. The Sentry moaned, lifting himself up to stare down at the thick layer of frost keeping him from the sea. Did the fool really think that was enough to stop him?

The Sentry looked back, spying as the two boys of ice and fire converged, moving toward him with swords drawn. If they thought that was enough to catch him, they were sadly mistaken. The squid let out a yell, thrusting both his hands into the air. In response, the ocean beneath the ice surged upward, bursting through the thick sheet of frozen water, swelling up around The Sentry before crashing back to the sea, taking the beast with it.

Frost and Flare slowed to a stop, staring out at the shattered ice floating on the sea, finding no signs of the beast they were fighting as the geyser's water crashed back down to the ocean. Rage swelled with the redhead as he stared out at the water – anger at the beast for what it did to Myst, and fury with himself for letting the monster get away. With a mighty yell, and a slash of his blade, the warrior sent out a burst of flames that crashed uselessly against the sea, partially melting some of the ice and creating a brief puff of steam.

"You coward!"

As if responding to the attack, the entire bay near the shore seemed to rise up, swelling into a massive ten foot wave that suddenly launched itself at the two boys on the shore.

"Crap!"

Frost yelled out, swinging his sword at the wave, trying to freeze it. As his icy energy struck the water, though, solidifying the wave, another surge of water pushed in from behind it, overtaking the ice to continue on its path. Frost and Flare clenched their eyes shut, preparing to be overtaken as the crest of the wave began to crash down toward them.

But the strike never came.

Flare opened his eyes, his vision filled by a wall of shimmering water, standing only a few inches before him. He glanced up, staring at the frothy head of the swell as it hung above him, not even dripping.

"What…?"

Flare began to question the strange event, turning to look at Frost. What he found beside him, though, was not the bewildered look of the arctic warrior that he expected. He found the scrunched up face of a blue-haired girl.

"Myst!" Flare shouted out in surprise, looking down to the girl's chest, finding only the gentle rise of her breasts as well as the hole torn through her blouse. While the piece of apparel was still covered in blood, there was no longer any clue to where the crimson fluid had come from. Her wound was gone.

"You're okay!"

"That's one way of describing the situation." Myst grunted, struggling to overpower the force of the wave through her magic alone. She strained her muscles, trying to push the surge back towards the ocean, but she could feel the not so gentle pressure being applied from the other side by the monster of the deep.

"…How?" was the only word Frost could manage to spit out as he stared in shock at the girl, leaning forward to examine her torso, then leaning back to examine her back. Not even a scratch.

"Turns out I can heal."

Flare and Frost both turned their gaze to the other side of the redhead as Ivy spoke, stepping up beside them.

"Don't think this is the time to discuss this!" Myst grunted, feeling her feet sliding backward through the sand as she struggled to hold back the wave. "You guys need to move back!"

The nymph's three companions dropped the conversation, eyeing the intense expression coating the girl's face, and bolted further inland. Myst turned her focus to them momentarily, making sure they were far enough away before she acted. Then, grunting, the nymph changed her strategy. With a mighty downward wave of her arms, Myst forced the swell before her to crash down to the shore. The familiar invisible shield of her power pressed the water away from the girl, keeping her from being absorbed in the surge as it still slunk toward the city along the ground, crashing around the feet of the other Bladewarriors.