Chapter 23

"You all have stepped up a bit", Thorace said from his levitating board staring down at them, "but the question is, how far can you go before you finally break ?"

Dorvin unleashed a halo at Thorace which caught him straight, the flames cleared away unveiling a grinning Thorace still standing on his board, his armour glistening without a single scratch.

"You thought that could take me down, didn't you ?" Thorace laughed. "I don't blame you though, because I started it. But if you want to play the game that way, better know that it'll take more than that to bring me down, because now", his being raved with his eyes blazing gold, "I'm ready to fight."

Charging at them, his battleboard plunged him into the air, Countering the blow from Dorvin and Nord's swords as he unleashed a halo from his trident and sword at them. Striking its target, it sent them screaming. Swirling around, he parried Zorg's blow with his sword then deflecting Shev's blow with his trident. Propelling himself into the air, Thorace somersaulted, striking them down from behind, sending them staggering forwards, he released a wall of enflamed and radioactive lightning from his being. The resulting explosion making the foundations of the plateau quake as they screamed in pain.

The flames and dust cleared away and he stood, watching from his levitating battleboard. Those four coughed and groaned, their armours steaming as they rose from that crater of burning boulders. A grin stole Thorace's face, they bragged about beating him up when he was younger, how foolish they were, they weren't boys anymore, they were men and he was going to face them as a man. If they thought they could get into his head with their jeers and mockery, they were going to first of all break through a sea of steel and rock, because he had learnt to master his mind and emotions. Therefore, their remarks had no effect on him, rather, they were just blabbing their stupidity away only to end up in the very pit that they had dug, the pit of fury and anger. He had learnt to never battle with anger, it only sent you falling Into the trap that you set up for you opponent, stealing your focus from the main motive making you sink into the quicksand of revenge.

"I'm waiting", Thorace called, "If you need a nap I can give you more time."

"You're joking Thorace", Zorg sneered, "if you think we're going to let you win so easily, then you're mistaken."

"Zorg's right", Nord raised a shivering finger, "we aren't going t let you win !"

"You better do", Thorace replied, "because, from the look of things, I am already winning."

"Who told you that ?!" Dorvin scowled.

"Instead of prolonging this battle" Thorace suggested, "why not give me what I want and I'll let you go. You've suffered more than enough casualties for today. One which I'll gladly take responsibility for. Don't be scared", Thorace mocked, "you won't get spanked by the Feudal Order, you can always put the blame on me and I won't complain either, not one bit."

"Thorace !" Dorvin yelled charging at him.

Their blades clashed as Dorvin struck furiously, not giving Thorace any breathing space but fury in combat never pays. Thorace sidestepping him sent him staggering forward, striking his ribs with the base of his trident, sending him falling on his knees. Dorvin lifted his head to feel the tip of Thorace's sword resting on his neck.

"I could get this over with in one instant", Thorace said, "but it's not you I want," taking his sword away. "My request is simple, just give me the Trail Disector or I'll take it by force. And you won't like what happens whenever I take anything by force, so it's best you hand it over now."

Silence fell, silence accompanied by the darkened and charged astral skies now ignited in flames with those blackholes enacting themselves and their cores, unleashing those colossal pillars of enflamed lightning. And the first thought which came to Thorace's mind was ...

"Trident !" He gasped.

Staring at the quaking astral skies as enflamed waterfalls cascaded down it's clouds and those screeches piercing through the distance. The echoed heralding those flaring forms of condensed lightning, their wings steaming of cosmic flames and their beaks like fangs which snapped like the crash of thunder as they fell like meteors from above.

Catching that falling blade from the side of his eye, Thorace sidestepped his attacker sending him stumbling forward. Swirling around, he struck Dorvin on the skull with the base of his trident, then leaping onto his battleboard, he bolted through the distance in search of ...

"Trident !" Came the call.

*** *** ***

Trident stared fearlessly at that army of cosmic beasts as they fell like colossal curtains of flames from the astral skies, burning their way down like meteors. Antlers flaring and eyes ablaze, he knew he could on till Thorace was present to create his astral cage. Just because they were bigger than him at the moment, didn't mean he still couldn't take them down if he wanted to, he just had to rely on tactics instead of falling into a head on combat which would only result in him getting surrounded.

"Backing away Trident", Norgus remarked, "I thought you were the warrior of galaxies."

"Your words don't scare me Norgus", Trident replied, "I only take them as a challenge from a battle deranged opponent."

Launching himself upwards, his hooves landed on the air creating those vivid waves of concentric vibrations. He charged forward to confront the assaulting army of cosmic beasts, they were bigger, stronger and more in number but that didn't mean they were going to march over him like an ordinary flee. He was ready to show them what true strength was, even in his half evolved state.

His antlers cut through the hides of the beasts, not goring them completely, he got them fatally wounded, his sonic motion sending him cutting through their ranks like a cosmic blade. Their limbs and wings falling off their bodies as they were dismembered, one by one. Attacking them from their flanks instead of diving into their core, he took them unawares from their sides, sending scores of them falling to the earth, mortally wounded, squirming and screeching. Unleashing a halo from above, it fell like a thunderstorm and from every other point, his motion frayed like a dune creating a presence that was felt everywhere. The maddened screeches arose as those halos crashed upon them like thunderbolts with scores of them falling, burnt to ash and Trident still soaring triumphantly above them all.