Up in Flames

The tree sent barrage after barrage of the razor-sharp leaves. Aggie and I switched between the two of us for shielding and attacking. I burnt up the leaves that I could, and he was able to snatch some of them up, sending them flying back at the tree. They rarely hit their mark, but those that did scraped chunks of bark from it, revealing lighter colors beneath. This was already becoming another fight of stamina, which meant it would be a losing battle for us. And of course, this tree had plenty of leaves.

“Is there anyway we can stop it from doing that?” I hissed between fireballs. A blaze of leaves falling to ash before us, then the other hand up and a shield in place. Flaming leaves formed its shape a moment later. This was already ridiculous, and it was just getting worse.

“I’ve never fought a tree before. I was kinda hoping ya could just light it up and that would be that, but guess it ain’t that easy.” Aggie let out a dry laugh. Yeah, it would have been nice if it was that easy, but we really weren’t that lucky. I wanted to focus on only the leaves in front of us, but this tree wasn’t playing nice.

Roots rose up behind us, but I was quick with my flames. I burnt them up in an instant, never letting them even close to us. I had been hoping it was done with the roots, but this wasn’t like a videogame boss where each stage was different. It could stack its attacks and that made it even harder to deal with. Even if we could find a pattern for its attacks, it wasn’t leaving any openings. It understood Aggie’s power far too well.

“Well, we got to think of something! At this rate, we’re going to get thrashed by a tree. At least losing to the troll would have been less embarrassing!” I shouted. I growled at another set of roots and lit them ablaze. They couldn’t burn fast enough for my taste. If only the roots could carry my flames directly to the tree.

I paused in my thinking. Was something like that possible? Could I force my magic into a root and send it back towards the tree? It seemed impossible, but who knew with magic. It was another completely crazy plan, but this time it relied just on me and not on the demon. He would be stuck on full defense and offense solo though if I could do something like that. Never having tried it before, I was sure it would not be easy.

“Hey, Aggie…” I brought up another shield. This wave of leaves burnt away. The smoke floated on the air as the ashes crumpled to the ground. It smelled heavily of burning leaves and wood. It actually was a comforting smell, but I preferred it when the trees weren’t attacking us. Not that any of this was normal.

“Ya got another crazy plan?” He flashed me a grin. Nice to see someone had faith in me. I certainly didn’t feel like there was much hope.

“Crazier than last time, even. Is there a way to send magic along the roots?”

“Hm, possible, but no easy task. Oh, I get what yer trying to do. I’ll hafta train ya on the spot. Better pay attention.”

Aggie snatched up a handful of roots as they targeted us. His magic flared to life and I followed it with both my eyes and my own magic. He jammed his power into the roots. It shot through the roots and splintered them as it exploded. He threw the pieces off to the side.

“It’s easier to do when it’s a short distance like that,” Aggie explained. He turned his attention back to the fight, bringing up another shield to block us from the leaves. “In my case, this is a tad easier since this thing is literally using my energy to fight us. Ya’ll hafta force it in, then drag it along to the tree. Of course, we can’t actually see how the roots line up, so ya’ll hafta be really careful not to sever the roots or go off course. Following one root will be too risky, so ya’ll hafta go after a chunk of them at a time for the best chance. Gonna be a lot of magic usage.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.” I snarled. Nothing was ever easy. I had to take a moment to figure this all out. It was a lot of information shoved at me really fast, but it wasn’t like we had time to really go through it slowly. I reviewed Aggie’s movement from his demonstration in my head. He made it look so easy, but the distance was a stark contrast to how far I’d have to move my magic to reach the tree. And he was right, the roots were underground. I couldn’t just rip them out and hope to burn the tree that way.

“Okay.” I nodded my head. “Keep us safe. I’ll do my best.”

I didn’t wait to hear Aggie’s reply. At least I understood the basics of how tree roots worked. Once when I was a child, I saw a tree upturned after a big storm. The roots were clearly visible, even though some still clung to the ground where the tree once stood. They splintered out like human veins, holding the dirt hostage beneath the tree. There was no pattern to them, but they ran deep and tied the tree beneath the earth.

I knelt down, trusting Aggie to keep both of us safe. It was my turn to enact the magic while he stood guard. I touched the ground, trying to find a good entry point. The whole area was thick with demonic magic. It sent shivers down my spine. Goosebumps crawled up my arms. Touching it amplified the eerie feeling. But this was Aggie’s magic, even if it was turned against us for the moment. I didn’t like the sensation of it, but I knew it as a comrade. I had to ignore my uneasiness.

I reached out with my magic and gently prodded it. It gave way, letting my magic slip inside. I closed my eyes, ignoring the world around me and instead focusing on the task at hand. The roots reached up towards me, trying to push my magic back. I grabbed at them, forcing my way inside. I let my magic break into small tendrils and snaked my way into several of the offending roots. First step down, but that was the easy part.

The roots and the magic pushed back against me. I felt pain run up my arms, past my shoulders, and all the way to my jaw. My head spun, but I kept pushing back. Like hell I was going to let some dumb tree push me away. Of all the things to die to, this was the lamest by far. I fought back with everything I had.

I slowly inched my magic forward, bringing up more of my magic inside of me as I did so. I let the fire burn within me. This stupid tree was making me angry, and I needed that anger to fuel my flames. The fire would burn it all the way. I wouldn’t let it get past me.

I felt my magic moving forward. I was careful not to go too fast, not wanting to destroy the roots before I reached the tree. The tree’s magic was split between Aggie and me, trying to keep Aggie away and push me back at the same time. I felt it falter. I took advantage of the opening and pushed in deeper.

One of the roots snapped. I silently cursed. I wanted to move faster, but I didn’t know how fast I could go without damaging the narrow roots. I was shoving fire into its veins; it was no wonder that it was hurting them as I moved. I had to keep going though.

It pushed back at me and nearly shoved me back. I held my ground with gritted teeth. The pain in my arms grew, pulsating up in a burning sensation. I shouted out and shoved my flames in deeper. I kept pushing back, acting as if the pain didn’t matter. The fire flowed out from deep inside me, reaching into the ground and snaking its way through the twisted pathways of the roots.

The roots were a maze in themselves, and each twisted in different ways with more paths splitting off of them. I kept going forward, pushing further in and fighting against the tree’s magic. The tendrils of its magic kept reaching towards me, now even stretching out from outside the roots. I could feel it trying to touch me, but Aggie kept it away.

Aggie stood over me, wielding his magic against the tree. He changed from shield to attack with natural ease, as if he had been fighting like this his entire life. Perhaps he had; I had no way of knowing. The air shimmered purple around him in my inner vision.

Though the tree was using his magic, the color was different. It was a dark green, dotted with splotches of blue. It flooded my vision as it slammed against me, managing to push my magic back. It felt like it violently shook my head, leaving me dizzy. I squeezed my eyes closed even tighter. I could worry about discomfort later. Even dizzy, my magic could still move forward.

I flung myself at the roots, forcing my magic deeper inside. It fought me and another root snapped, then another. There were still many left, but I didn’t want to break too many before I got too close. I slowed my approach, inching forward with my flames, trying to act like a wall, pushing back the impeding magic. My body ached with each movement, but I kept at it.

The roots splintered again. I guessed blindly as to which paths to follow, getting lucky on some of them while others ended. I backtracked as I could, but more of the roots snapped from the movement as they pushed back against me. I tried not to panic as more of them tore apart. I could do this. Just a little bit more to go.

The resistance grew as I neared the top of the hill. The tree turned more of its energy towards me, relentlessly trying to push me back. Its pressure on me allowed Aggie to take an offensive stance. He charged forward, throwing his magic at the tree in small projectile attacks. The tree had to split its attention, giving me another brief reprieve to keep pushing further in.

Snap. Snap.

More roots breaking. Sweat dripped freely from my brow. The pain in my arms and head was so intense I could barely focus. Just a bit more.

“Ya got this, Akari!” Aggie’s voice sounded distant, but his words were just what I needed to hear. I felt a renewed determination grow inside of me.

I let out a wild scream and slammed my magic forward. More of the roots snapped. It was dwindling down to the last few that I had managed to snatch. I was beneath the tree now, just a few feet from where I wanted to be. The fire drove forward, racing through the remaining roots.

Snap.

Another root gone. They were snapping more quickly as I sped up my approach. The roots snapped like threads until I was down to the last few. It was close enough, I could unleash all of my anger on this damned tree.

Another scream peeled from my throat, the flames burning through me and exploding out the ends of the remaining roots. The fire grew from the bottom of the tree, searing its roots and scorching its trunk. The leaves shriveled back. Though the tree couldn’t speak, I could feel its fear and pain as the fire engulfed it.

My own anger tore through me. All of the pain this stupid tree had caused, all of the magic and energy I wasted fighting it. It was just another obstacle in my way. It needed to be cleared away, to be removed from this world. The heat in my stomach grew hotter, and the flames turned blue.

“Aggie, now!” I tried to shout, but my voice was hoarse. It barely came out, but Aggie was already moving.

Aggie threw his magic at the burning tree and latched onto the tendril of his magic. He yanked it out, twirling it free from the bark. The tree tried to pull it back, but the magic knew its true owner and greedily clung to the Demon Lord. He swallowed it up, stripping it free from the tree in a matter of seconds.

The fire kept burning, hungrily licking at the tree. It engulfed it, eating away at every single piece of it. There was nothing to stop it from burning, and I made no move to put the fire out. I wanted to watch it burn. I stared at it with wide eyes, taking in the orange as it gobbled the tree up.

“Mage.” Aggie put a hand on my shoulder. “I think that’s enough. Ya can stop now.”

I gave him a look. I didn’t want to stop, but the look on his face told me all I needed. I sighed and pushed down the anger that was burning inside of me. “Fine.”

I took deep breaths and closed my eyes. Aggie’s hand was still on my shoulder, but I made no move to shove it aside. I used it as a way to anchor myself, a familiar sensation by my side. As much as I hated to admit it, I had learned to trust Aggie. Our relationship wasn’t as simple as mentor and student or even comrades…I would call him my friend.

I felt the fire in me flicker. It settled back down, slowly slipping back into my belly. The heat lessened, but it would never fully dissipate. That heat was always inside me, that rage that started this whole adventure. This anger fueled my every move.

The fire around the tree faded as I pulled my magic back. The tree was scorched beneath the flames, a burnt shell of what it once was. The bark was blackened with burns and soot, its brown now coated in grey. Fissures ran through the bark. The leaves were entirely burnt away. Branches were bent and snapped, tangled together in an ugly jumble. The tree was dying.

Aggie and I stared at the tree for a moment longer. It had lived so long, but unfortunately for it, Aggie’s magic found it and it in turn took it for its own. The power drove all things crazy, the darkness inside of them gifting them with an immense need for more power. Nothing, living or otherwise, could contain Aggie’s power. Nothing but Aggie himself.

Aggie lifted his hand off my shoulder and turned away. I followed him as he made his way down the remaining half of the hill. This was the most destruction we had done so far. I felt a little bad for what we had done, but what other choice did we have? Aggie needed to get his magic back, and it wasn’t like they would just pass it back to us if we asked nicely. Sometimes, life was unfair. Quite often, in fact.

We made our way off the hill in silence. The trees that stood guard at the bottom of the hill were still watching in silence. I offered them a silent apology, knowing that they couldn’t hear my words anymore than I could hear theirs.

We kept walking until the hill was little more than a broken shadow in the distance. Aggie slowed so I could keep pace with him, but the silence remained. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but I wished he would just tell me what he wanted to say. The silence was torture.

I finally broke the silence before it made me go crazy. “Aggie, is something wrong? Are you mad at me?”

Aggie sighed and turned to face me. He gave me a halfhearted grin. “No, it’s nothing ya did. Just thinking about how much of a mess we gotta make. Seems pretty cruel. And, I admit, Mage, ya scare me a bit sometimes.”

I rubbed the back of my head. “I didn’t mean to go so crazy, but I just sort of lost myself in the magic. Has that ever happened to you?”

“Yah, more than I wanted it to, especially as a kid. Lots of people got hurt ‘cause of me. The difference here is that ya at least got me to help reign ya in. Not trying to ruin the mood though. If anything, we’re doing great. I’ve already got five parts of my magic back. Just a few more to go.”

Aggie was suddenly grinning. He caught me around the shoulders and spun me around. My head was still reeling from the fight with the tree that it only made my head spin further. I shoved him off me and stumbled away, griping my head.

“Please knock it off, I’m already dizzy enough!” I chided him.

He just laughed and smacked me on the back. “My bad, Mage. Let’s take a break for now. We can continue on after.”

“Yes, a break sounds wonderful.”