Chapter 23 - Fight 1 (Part 3)

Kiyan held his sword firm as it burnt deep into the spider's head. Withdrawing its head, the beast bared its teeth at Kiyan who desperately needed to get out of his sticky situation.

"This is so frustrating!" He cursed. 'I do wonder if this goo can be melted by fire.' In the middle of his thoughts, a spike had stabbed him in the leg.

"ARGHHH!" He cried out and placed his arm on his leg. After the first one, more followed. Knowing it was no time to succumb to pain, Kiyan spun his blade of fire knocking off the spikes and as he did, he noticed some of them melted and fell on the goo on the ground next to him as a result of the flame's heat.

'How didn't I realize this sooner?' Kiyan knocked off the last spike. Taking a deep breath, and gritting his teeth, he tried to bear the pain all over his body due to the injuries he has suffered in the battle.

'I can do this.' He tried to concentrate and produced more flames on his body and thinly spread them around him till he was covered in flames. Reducing the flames on his arm, he concentrated them more on his feet doing his best to get released from the icky substance he was stuck in.

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"He had better have a plan other than this or he will lose." Raymond stated with attempted nonchalance. "He is suffering. His body is not strong enough to produce this much magic. To top it off, he's already badly wounded. Don't you think it's time for you to interfere?" He asked turning to look at the man who was supposed to be a father to the boys who could lose their lives at the slightest slip up.

"I don't have to. Not yet, at least. He has to defeat that creature and he will." Agnar shrugged, not taking his eyes off his son.

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Swinging his sword at the oddly, goo covered, hairy legs of the beast, Kiyan aimed to slice it off, as the beast was directly above him, while still trying to set himself free.

"RARGHHH!" The beast screamed and fell to the ground, thankfully not on Kiyan, as it lost a leg and flames still stuck to it, doing more damage to the open wound.

"I'm free!" Kiyan exclaimed as his plan was successful. Letting the flames flicker around his body, Kiyan drew his leg back and sprung upward on the beast, planning to go for another clean cut. A sharp pain coming from both his legs, especially the one which still had a spike in it, faltered his plan and he was brought to his knees with his sword holding him up.

Doubt was beginning to creep in as he felt his body go limp slowly, his consciousness slowly fading away. "I, I, w-will not die here!" He yelled breathing heavily. Pulling out the last spike in his body and dragging himself to his feet. The beast had risen to its limbs as well. The look it had on its face had changed. Its body began to vibrate again and its eyes were now completely black.

Leaping forward, Kiyan pushed himself upward with his flames and swung his sword down at the beast's other leg cutting it off cleanly which was only possible because he had increased the ferocity of the flames on his sword. "Did you think I would let you activate another ability?!!" Kiyan yelled as the beast fell with a loud thud and an even louder cry.

Looking at himself Kiyan could see it and he could feel it. He was exhausted. The flames were slowly leaving. "I am, I am almost drained." He said with hitching breaths. Truthfully, he would have been out by now if not for the adrenaline rush and the will he had to not die. "I have to end this quickly."

The beast staggering, trying to find its footing sent out more spikes at Kiyan who ran around ignoring the pain in his legs, ignoring the aches of his body. He avoided them all. "Don't you ever run out of those things?" He placed his foot on the wall and jumped off, spinning his body and slicing off cleanly another leg.

He had completely stopped the beast's movements with this strike as it now had three limbs missing in an uneven pattern and one almost lost leg forcing the creature to the ground unable to get back up. Even if it could, it would take a while to do so. Not giving the beast time and knowing his was limited, Kiyan trailed up the beast's body and headed for its head.

"ARGHHH!" He screamed unable to move further as the beast had formed spikes on its body piercing through Kiyan's feet and then retracting them causing Kiyan to fall off its body to the ground in pain. He bled profusely and could no longer use his legs. Well, he could, but it would be excruciatingly painful to do so.

He pulled himself up to his knees and looked at the beast trying to get back up. "I really should have stayed home." He had tears in his eyes, he couldn't tell why. Was it from the pain? Or was it because he was about to die? The flames on his body had reduced to just his sword. This was what his body could produce at the moment.

"Almost, I have almost drained my mana cells." He twitched, breathing heavily dragging himself up on the wall next to him til he got to his feet. He did his best and fought through the pain to rise to his feet. The beast did its best to get up as well, but could at most turn its body around and now it looked directly at Kiyan. "You took my feet because I took yours. How vengeful, you are." He chuckled to himself. Looking at the spikes that came at him. He didn't try to avoid them or fend them off.

What he did notice during the fight was the beast's spikes drastically reduced and now he could see just twenty, if he could guess from how little the amount he saw was. The reason he wasn't moving though was not because the spikes would completely miss him, but because he could barely move. The blood loss had gotten to him and he was trying to fight the drowsiness. Was it a fight he would win? He knew his body would give in soon as he stared at the spikes.

"Agnar, do something." Raymond spoke in a tone that sounded like a plea but his friend showed no change in expression. Looking back at the fight, he saw the spikes get closer to the boy.

"HELP HIM!" One-eye yelled this time. Still, Agnar did not respond. "THAT'S YOUR SON!" He said trying to remind him in case he had forgotten.

The spikes were now at Kiyan's head about to pierce through and both men glared at Agnar who still intently watched his son's, quite possibly, last moments, crack a smile.

"What do I do?" Kiyan questioned himself. He knew if he got hit, it would be the end of him. He struggled to make a swing with his or try to avoid the attack, but his body wasn't complying. Looking at the spikes approach him, Kiyan mustered the last bit of energy in him and spun his flaming sword at the spikes, disintegrating them. Breathing heavily, he looked up at the beast.

His legs wobbled and his vision got blurry. "Come on, you can do this." He tried to talk himself awake. At most, all he could do was one last hit before he passed out. He had to make it count, he had to make it fatal. Looking at himself and the slowly creeping goo that moved towards him, a small smile crept up his face.

"How will it be possible for a Teferi to lose to a beast?" The flames left his sword and coated his feet to avoid getting stuck again. "ARGHHH!" He ran forward avoiding more and more spikes that came at him. "This has to work." He mumbled and took a deep breath.

He circled the beast swinging his sword, sending out small flames that latched onto the spider's skin, burning it slowly. It began to shake and cry. The place began to rumble. Kiyan then scaled up a part of the muddy wall which had roots sticking out. He climbed up on it and propelled himself towards the already burning beast. The flames had left his feet and returned to the sword.

"IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO DIE!" He yelled and it seemed fire was being added from who knows where into his sword as he lifted it above his head and stabbed down into the beast's head. The flames then spread around the beast's head Kiyan on it was not affected by it and continuously stabbed the beast's head with his sword while trying to stay on its body.

"RARGHHH!!" The beast screamed, shaking its long neck, moving its body, slamming against the walls trying to stop the pain, but all to no avail.

"ARGHHHH!" Kiyan stabbed the beast one more time, this time the sword went in deeper. With one more cry, the beast fell to the floor dead, while its body was being reduced to ashes.

Rolling off the beast's body, Kiyan stood and watched the creature burn. His breathing was heavy and he had a smile on his face which faded almost immediately. He could no longer see where he was, neither could he hear anything. His body had gone limp. He lost grip of his sword letting it slide off his hand onto the floor with a clanging sound.

"It, it t-took so much to beat just one? Father will be disappointed." His vision went dark and he fell to the floor with his face.

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*Author's tears flowing incessantly..

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