As Darian crawled toward the pillar that was the furthest in the back, he was really slow due to his disability so Korr picked him up, dashed toward the pillar and came back in a matter of seconds. Then the temperature of the suddenly rose a few degrees, Cael looked around to try to see what caused this but he didn't find the the source.
So he asked: " What now, what do we do ?"
" There are three attackers, I will handle two of them, you'll need to survive the third until I come."
Then his tone became sombre: " Cael I am serious when I tell you this, this is the first one of many. You will have to be vicious, ruthless and sneaky. Murder is not a sport it's a necessity, you must not hesitate to take a life otherwise yours will be reaped. And most importantly you have to value your own life above anything else, if you need to flee do it, it's not a cowardly move."
" I will n…"
As he was speaking he finally saw them, two muscular men in light armor and a bald cloaked woman. The rock carrier looked like a colosseum with five gladiator circled by a bone cage. The tension was palpable, dust was getting blown by the wind, the silence was deafening and the moon was shining coldly upon them.
Korr broke the silence : " State your business or leave"
"Oh my, such a warm welcome. We are here for that boy behind you and we wouldn't mind killing his father as well." The seer answered
Cael's fist tightened as he heard the seer talk.
" Well I cannot let you do that, so turn back if you know what's good for you"
" And Who might you be to defy our Holy order ?"
" My name is Korr, and just to be clear there is nothing holy or sacred about you and your people"
"Korr, Korr, Korr why does that ring a bell? Were you a member of our church before?"
"That's none of your business"
When there discussion ended the mood shifted, it became electric, the fanatics were fueld by a disturbing sense of duty, Korr wanted to protect himself and his friends son. But Cael might have been the most motivated of them all because there was only one thing on his mind, VENGEANCE.
Then time accelerated one of the zealots seamed to have summoned two chains made of light and b lined towards Cael, while the other exchanged one of his arms for a limb made of fire and teamed up with the seer to attack Korr.
The chains whistled through the air with a high-pitched hum, moving faster than any whip Cael had ever seen. He threw himself backward just in time to feel one of them slice the air just inches from his chest. Sparks of light crackled where it touched the ground, leaving a scorched gash in the dirt.
The chain-wielder pressed forward, his movements sharp, purposeful, almost mechanical. His expression was dead calm too calm and his eyes glowed faintly with righteous fury.
Cael had no time to think. His body moved on instinct, the memory of his pain-fueled awakening still burning hot in his muscles. He ducked low under another strike and drove forward, fists aimed at the man's gut.
But the zealot wasn't untrained. One chain slammed into the ground beside Cael, exploding in a burst of light that threw him sideways. He rolled, came up hard, his vision flashing but he stayed on his feet.
He's trying to blind me, keep me off rhythm.
Across the field, Korr was already locked in battle with the other two.
The flame-wielder's arm roared to life as it shifted into a living inferno, clawing toward Korr with brutal force. The ground around him began to blacken. With every swing, flame and ash scattered through the air. The seer stood just behind, eyes wide and glowing, murmuring constantly, her mouth echoing split-second futures.
"Left!" the seer shouted.
Korr spun right.
"Strike now!"
Korr reacted instantly and caught the fire-wielder's wrist mid-swing and slammed his knee into the man's ribs, cracking them audibly.
The seer flinched but didn't stop predicting. Her visions kept their edge in the fight, warning of Korr's every move just a moment before he made it. But Korr wasn't slowing down he danced between them like a shadow, sword flashing like silver lightning.
Back near the bone cage, Cael grunted as one of the chains wrapped around his ankle. The zealot pulled hard, yanking Cael off his feet. Cael's back hit the dirt with a thud that knocked the wind out of him.
The zealot walked forward, chains whirling like serpents. "You're inexperienced," he said. "This will be brief."
Cael coughed, blood at the edge of his lips. But his eyes burned.
He reached inward felt the light and dark cores pulsing inside his chest. Heat and cold. Radiance and shadow.
The chains flew down to bind his arms
And Cael blinked out of existence.
He reappeared behind the zealot with a gasp, skin flickering between tangible and not, his shadow dancing wildly.
The zealot turned just in time to catch Cael's boot in his ribs. He staggered back, breath gone, and Cael pressed the advantage. He unleashed a flurry of punches, his movements stronger, faster, more precise than ever before. The zealot blocked most of them barely but for each hit that landed, the chains faltered. Their shine dimmed.
Then one wrapped around Cael's wrist again.
This time, he didn't try to pull free.
He let it bind him then poured light essence into his arm.
The chain shimmered, cracked and shattered in a burst of radiant energy.
The zealot stumbled back, shocked, but Cael was already moving.
He spun low, swept the man's legs, then surged forward and drove his elbow into the zealot's jaw.
The man dropped.
Cael stood over him, chest heaving, the glow of his cores flickering through his skin.
Across the arena, Korr was bleeding. Fire licked his coat. The seer had predicted a clean strike the flame zealot's burning claw had slashed Korr's side wide open.
But Korr wasn't falling.
He wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, eyes burning with fury.
"You talk too much," he said to the seer. "Let's see if you can predict this."
He hurled his sword not at the seer nor the zealot, but at the ground between them. The blade stabbed deep, and in the same moment, Korr unleashed a shockwave of raw essence from his palm.
A feint.
The seer turned her head too late just enough for Korr to close the distance, grab her robes, and headbutt her so hard that the womandropped like a sack of rocks.
Only the flame zealot remained now.
He turned toward Cael thinking that maybe he could take the boy and flee, so he ran, one arm fully aflame, eyes wide with righteous hatred.
But Cael didn't flinch.
He stepped forward, essence flaring around him in a corona of light and shadow. One of his eyes turned black while the other shone with a golden light.
"This is for the scars you gave my father," Cael said, voice low.
The zealot roared and charged.
Cael met him with a scream of his own, fists glowing, the earth shaking beneath his steps.