"{[Metallica]}"
The mist swirled around him, growing upwards in a spiral. The magik particles sped up, forming almost a tornado and for a while Zoe felt as if the entire ground was shaking with the force. The entire magik finally coagulated and settled down in one spot.
In Exi.
The man standing there however was unrecognizable. His body shone with a metallic glimmer. It seemed his entire body had been converted to one of steel. His eyes, previously behind his sewn shut eyelids, was now open fully, but there didn't seem to be any eyeballs or anything organic in there, just a metallic shine. Zoe thought that Exi as he was now looked more like a steel statue than a human.
In that moment Exi was more a manifestation of magik itself than a human.
The release of his Word of Power had created a small explosion which knocked back both General Fridt and Zoe in different directions. Zoe held onto the prone body of Famina and both of them were knocked towards the Tal Forest. Zoe shielded Famina with her body as they knocked against one of the large trees. After impact she immediately rolled over into one of the bushes, to get some cover from the incoming assault.
General Fridt, however, had no such advantage. He was thrown against the outer wall of the Caves and crashed against it and then fell down on an open space with no cover anywhere.
The metallic Exi turned towards the rising General Fridt, who had a hard look on his face.
"Regretting picking a fight with me, General?" He asked. Even his voice had changed to sounding more metallic, as if coming from a robot.
Zoe smiled grimly. This was one analogy she was sure no one in this world would understand.
"Regret? I regret nothing. All of you red cloak traitors will be killed off like insects. If not me today then someone eventually. That, you can be sure of." The General said, his voice still booming and clear, despite the obvious injuries on his body. Zoe had to admire the bravado of the man despite the fact that he was here originally to arrest her.
Exi laughed. "I like your confidence General. Too bad it will end with you here."
He jumped towards the General.
It was fast.
Faster than anything Zoe had seen in this world yet. Exi's body was a silver blur as he attacked the General, who somehow defended his first strike but was unable to defend against the follow up kick which struck him square in the chest. As he went hurtling back, coughing blood, Zoe could hear Exi's metallic laugh.
I need to help him.
Otherwise we are next.
But how?
Zoe hadn't learnt even her Inito. She was definitely outmatched against the Word of Power of an experienced combatant like Exi.
"We..should....run away." Famina said weakly, as she tried to get up.
Zoe shook her head grimly. " We don't know the way without Midir, and with you injured it won't take much time for him to catch up to us."
"Leave me."
"What?!" Zoe turned her head in shock.
"Leave me here. I will distract him, you should run and hide." Famina said a bit more firmly.
Zoe turned around completely, facing Famina and said, "Listen Famina, I won't leave you behind, and that is non negotiable. I don't care what you role you think I have to play in the resurrection of your Goddess but to me, saving your life is more important."
"But-"
"No buts child. Rest here, I will think up a way to escape this monster."
Pretty words, Zoe knew. She had no idea of how to even fight, let alone beat, the current Exi.
Meanwhile, Exi was advancing towards the General, who was slowly getting back up, still coughing blood. His battleaxe shone for a moment, and he aimed it at Exi. Two tendrils of light shot out at immense speed towards the Chianti Hunter, who didn't even move to dodge them. The light beams struck harmlessly against his chest and bounced off.
"Light and Physical. We are enemies you know. My Word of Power already makes me impervious to most magik attacks but I am especially resilient to yours." Exi was almost gloating at this point as he advanced.
"Sand Prison." Zoe intoned casting the spell and immediately running towards her right.
Her sudden movement attracted Exi's attention who looked back towards her, and General Fridt took advantage of this one moment to swing his axe hard at Exi's face.
This time Exi had to swing down to dodge the attack and prepared to strike back at the General's midriff.
However Sand Prison had caught up to him at this point and rose up around him as his punch hit the walls of the sand. The Prison rose up around him and captured him inside.
Zoe stood panting. The amount of magik she had used today had completely exhausted her. General Fridt on the other side near the Sand Prison also collapsed on his knees on the ground. He seemed to be on his last legs as well.
A creaking sound, caused Zoe to look up and stare in shock.
This can't be...
The Sand Prison inside which Exi had been captured was slowly turning silver and metallic. Finally the entire structure turned metallic, and then it shattered, revealing Exi in the middle, with a crazy smile plastered on his face.
"Unbreakable from inside, only as long as it is sand though right?" He said, looking at Zoe who was still looking at him in shock.
"[{Metallica}] doesn't only turn my body into metal, but it also allows me to turn anything I touch into metal, including the sand prison you encased me in." He further explained, looking once at General Fridt and then at Zoe.
"Come at me together both of you. It's no fun otherwise."
With a roar, General Fridt lunged. His attacks were now haphazard and Exi easily dodged all of them. It was clear that the General was moving entirely on adrenaline and anger now.
But if he dies then there's no way I alone can beat this monster.
Even though they were on opposite sides, Zoe didn't see any way of survival other than working with the General to take down Exi. Thus she started supporting him, by sending out random sand spells to either block Exi's punches at the General or try to entrap Exi's limbs to allow the General to hit him.
Exi however was both too nimble and too strong. His punches couldn't break through the sand walls Zoe created but he also couldn't be entrapped in her sand traps, and the one time she managed to catch his leg before the General's strike, he turned it to steel and easily shattered it.
After sometime General Fridt was on his knees again, huffing in exhaustion, while Exi stood nonchalantly a little distance away, as if he was still enjoying a game.
"That's all?" He asked in a disappointed tone. "I thought you were going to kill me like an insect."
General Fridt didn't even have the energy to respond back, looking straight at the ground with an empty look in his eyes. Zoe made sure to stay some distance away from the hand-to-hand combat, but now Exi looked straight at her.
"It seems like this is the end of the line for the General. So it'll be just you and me soon."
"Don't underestimate me just because I don't have a Word of Power yet monster." Zoe said calmly, even though inwardly she wondered how she would ever get out of this situation.
Exi laughed at the jibe. "Still feisty I see. Well after I kill the General, I will kill you as well as your daughter you are protecting and then finally I will be able to complete my mission."
Zoe realized for an instant that she had no idea what his mission even was except for the fact that he wanted to go inside the Caves of Bloodfell like them. But she had bigger things to worry about for the moment.
Exi put both his palms on the ground and it turned metallic where his palms touched. Then from that metallic region, spikes began shooting upwards and these spikes began travelling across the ground towards both the General and Zoe at breakneck speed.
Zoe was able to dodge out of the way at the last moment, once again thanking the agility she had developed as a model, but the General didn't bother to dodge. He stayed there on the ground as the spikes came near him and still didn't move when it pierced his armor near his knees, causing blood to gush out from there.
But Exi wasn't focused on the General any longer. He had immediately jumped towards Zoe after letting loose his spikes. As Zoe looked up after dodging she saw Exi's smiling face in the sky as he prepared to punch her in the chest.
For a moment, time slowed.
I can't dodge this.
Exi was too close. His metal tendrils were already extending out from his outstretched fist. They would pierce through her legs preventing her from running as he punched a hole into her face.
I can't block this.
Again too close. She didn't have time to raise a sand barrier or anything to block the strike. And his magik was already activated. It would take too much time for hers to activate.
Can I do anything?
Zoe searched desperately in her thoughts, in her experiences, in her memory but she could think of no plan to survive. She felt the ball of magik inside her, she felt it grow, she felt it move, she even felt something being released from there.
But time, time, time.
She had no time to use any of it!
Her son and husband flashed before her mind. The memories, the accursed trip which landed all of them here.
Raorka, I'm sorry.
Zack, I'm sorry.
It seems like I won't be able to meet with you guys after all.
Zoe closed her eyes, then opened them with renewed determination.
If I die here, I won't go down without a fight.
She willed the sand around her to rise up, even as she saw Exi's metal tendrils get closer to her and knew in her heart of hearts that all she was doing now was in vain.