Chapter 33: Yoru

Yoru shook his head.

“That’s never going to work, Josh,” said Yoru.

“What do you mean Yoru?” asked Josh, “it’s perfect!”

“Sure Josh,” said Yoru, rolling his eyes. A few minutes ago Josh had proposed that they take the leader by storm. Yoru knew that would never work in a thousand years. “The leader is probably the strongest poet in existence.”

“Well… I still think we can take it!” Josh replied.

Yoru rolled his eyes, sure.

The two of them walked down the hallway and into the staffroom. There was a musty scent in the air and the desks could use a good dusting. The smell of mothballs stuck to Yoru’s tongue as he stepped into the room.

Inside were two Anti-magic poets sitting in desks, dormant. They were a little smaller than the Anti-magic poets he’d seen and they didn’t have all the artillery that they normally had. Instead they had skin tight armour that seemed to be more about mobility than defense. They also had a thin dagger on their thigh that was attached by a thread. When Yoru got a better look at them he realized they weren’t dormant, they were dead.

Yoru heard a crash, followed by a bang inside an office at the end of the room. Yoru stepped back and prepared for a fight, but it was quiet. Too quiet… a few seconds later the entire lodge shook and the office burst open. Inside there was the man with the fox mask fighting a giant Anti-magic poet, that was almost three times as big as the regular ones. Yoru instantly summoned his spear and tossed an axe to Josh.

“Braris!” he yelled, firing a bolt of fire that vanished before even getting within a meter of the giant poet.

The fox-masked man slashed at the giant poet’s head, but the blade didn’t even pierce its skin.

“Well? Are you just going to stand there?!” screamed the fox-masked man blocking a blow from the giant poet.

Yoru passed an axe to Josh and ran at the poet, spear in tow. He stabbed at the poet’s foot and a tiny bit of blood dripped out of the wound.

The poet looked down and tried to punch Yoru, but the fox-masked man slid in the way and blocked the punch with one of his blades.

“Thank’s!” exclaimed Yoru rolling out of the way and stabbing at the poet’s side.

“Your,” the fox-masked man dashed to the right of the poet and cut at its side, “welcome!”

Yoru glanced behind himself and saw Josh dashing toward the poet, when he got within a good range he jumped and brought his hammer crashing down.

“Josh! Let’s run the plan!” yelled Yoru.

“Got it.” Josh cut at the poet’s chest and Yoru imbued a lightning blast into his spear and stabbed them. But the lightning disappeared before getting within range. It didn’t work! But… but… that’s how we use magic on them!

“Don’t focus on magic, focus on taking its head!” screamed the fox-masked man rolling under the poet and stabbing it in the back. Josh side-stepped to the poet’s leg and cut it off like a lumber jack chopping down a tree.

The poet screamed in pain as its leg tumbled toward Yoru. “Shan Vri Ri’rion,” chanted the poet, its leg regenerating.

“Of course it can use magic!” Josh complained, getting back into the thick of it.

Yoru dashed forward and stabbed at the poet while the fox-masked man jumped onto its back, and started stabbing it.

The poet swatted him away and grabbed Josh.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!” he screamed as it raised him into the air. The fox-masked man sprinted up the poet and thrust his blades into its hand. It roared in pain and threw Josh to the ground.

Josh tumbled onto the concrete, his skin being scraped up and cut apart in the process. Yoru ran to his side. He tumbled to the ground and shook him once. “Josh?” he shook him again, “Josh?”

“Hey… Yoru… I might die here… but you, you gotta survive Yoru,” Josh’s eyes flickered shut, “you… got… this.”

Yoru started screaming at the top of his lungs, his voice rang out like a bell at noon. His mana emanated from his body and shook the ground around him. It covered his body and there it was, The Arcane State. It called out to him, it ordered him to take revenge.

“And at such a young age…” he had heard the fox-masked man murmur.

“Die,” said Yoru, “Lagra Elia.” A giant beam of mana burst out of his palm and shredded the poet. When the dust had settled there was a gaping hole in the poet. So it can be affected…

Yoru jumped up and dodged a weak blow from the poet by bouncing off its arm. “Ankst.” Force blasted the poet, ripping into its head exposing its insides. Yoru walked inside and fired a blast of mana, “Lagra Elia.” The inside of its body was being torn apart, its organs were bubbling up and exploding. It was collapsing on the inside and outside.

As the body hit the ground Yoru crawled his way out of the empty sack of skin.

His mana faded and his legs trembled. Yoru’s body crumbled to the ground, his fatigue had caught up to him and was eating away at him.

As his vision blurred and head rang he heard the fox-masked man speak, “Go to sleep, Wyrmling,”

End of Part Two