Connection

The battle before me was fierce, like wild animals clashing with one another. Dente swung his axe ahead of him with no particular rhythm while dodging every thrust of Verit's halberd. Verit held his shield high, blocking every incoming swing from Dente. Sparks flew as metal clashed on metal, and the screeching of their weapons against one another's filled the large chamber. Fesha tried to line her shot, but withdrew knowing she would possibly hit Dente as well. I had also thought to intervene, but Dente's swings seemed far too wide. He attacked not like he had before, but like a wild beast desperate for survival. His eye was full of malice, unlike the Dente I have known. I wanted to have my doubts but I felt in my heart that he was barely hanging on after he had collapsed. If I were to rush in with him he would definitely hit me by mistake and not bat an eye.

They continued trading blows until finally they had forced themselves off each other and created distance. Fesha and I took the opportunity and prepared for our aid. Fesha took a shot, the glow of the yellow beam trailing the air. I burst forward with full energy, my spear pointed at Verit. Fesha's shot hit Verit's shield, sending him backwards as he slide across the ground, his feet still planted. I continued moving forward, removing any fear I had in my mind. My spearhead contacted something hard and rigid before flying off to the side. My hands could not keep their grip and the spear left my fingers. I had already known that no ounce of my self training would suffice against an enemy such as this. I began to fall expecting my vision to get pushed back as the man within me took control. Instead I felt a warm tingling on a part of my left hand. I turned my gaze from my free flying spear to my hand. Liquid red dispersed throughout the air from the base of my pinky and the top half of my ring finger. The glistening of a black surface shown just behind all the flying crimson. Verit had taken a swing as he parried my spear. 

I fell to the ground as I heard my spear clatter on the ground in the distance. I had not fully processed what had happened until I lifted my left arm into my eye sight. Blood continued rushing down my arm before I applied pressure to it with my other hand. I screamed in pain, finally realizing how easily I could have died instead. Verit lifted his halberd into the air, ready to swing down on me, before Fesha had landed another shot from afar. Dente in his insanity leaped over me, paying no concern to my injury, and continued his barrage on Verit. I kept a firm grasp on my hand, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. "Why did the man not come out to help?" I asked myself in my head while blaming him. 

As I continued agonizing over my first battle scar, my vision had finally pushed back, leaving me out of my body's control. My hand let go of my bloodied fingers as if it were nothing. My body got up and ran straight for the spear. Without hesitation, my hand reached for the spear and charged back in, blood now staining the shaft of my weapon. As Dente got pushed back by a bash of Verit's shield, my body rushed inward and leapt high. My spearhead positioned itself to strike above Verit's shield. Verit, with a face of shock at my sudden agility, lifted his shield as quickly as possible. My spear lifted and my feet planted themselves onto the surface of the shield. My legs kicked with immense force, sending Verit backward a smidge and my body higher into the air. My hands unsheathed the sword from the base of the spear. The spear twisted as my bloodied wrist flicked it into a throwing position with the three remaining fingers. Suddenly, my arm moved and the spear went flying threw the air. Verit attempted to dodge, but the odd crescent shape of the blade clipped his shoulder. He yelled in pain, his deeply cut shoulder forcing him to drop his shield. The spear hit the hard stone behind Verit as my body landed and began to rush forward. Verit readied his halberd to clash with my sword. Sparks flew as we traded blows, Verit's moves now much more dexterous without his large shield in the way. My body got behind him, picking up my spear and plunging it into Verit's side. He turned to me just in time, barely preventing a deep wound.

As my body set up for another attack, Dente had gotten behind Verit, his axe high in the air. Verit turned as Dente swung down. In that instant, both of them could not take back their actions. Dente's axe pierced through the shoulder my spear had already cut, sending Verit's arm flying, while Verit had reverse griped his halberd, sending it straight into Dente's chest. Verit stood over Dente as he fell hard.

Dente looked up at Verit and simply ask: "Why?" in a nearly lifeless voice.

"So that I may have saved thee and Serrum, but it seemeth thee hast only sought to hinder the sovereign void rather than accept it." Verit responded.

Verit turned to Fesha, pointing his halberd at her. "Thou darest adorn thyself with the tooth of an akin dragon, yet fights against I. Does thou not knowest the weight thee carryest?" 

Her face turned to that of anger. "I have no clue what thee speakest of, but what thee has done here is unforgivable. The corpses piled for thy rituals is for a nameless god isn't it?"

Verit's expression changed to one of surprise. "Ah, so thou does knowest. I should've known thee was with another god." 

Verit looked up toward Serrum. "Oh Serrum, forgive me. I have slain an old friend." His words quivered.

As the words left his mouth, the blood that had been flowing from Verit's shoulder began to run black. Suddenly, dark tendrils shot out of his gaping wound and twisted upon themselves. Another group of tendrils shot from his still attached arm and wrapped itself around his halberd, grafting it to his arm. Fesha fired a shot but it was no us as the tendrils effortlessly deflected the shot midair, dispersing light everywhere. The growth now covered the entire top half of Verit's head. He turned and faced Fesha, ready to kill.