Chapter 51: Battle Of The Warehouse
Chapter 51: Battle Of The Warehouse
The moon shone down through the open windows, casting a beautiful glow over the warehouse. The moon sent light down happily, not caring that a battle was about to begin.
On one side stood Ezra, Olivia, and Gen, watching their opponents with a scary intensity. Opposite them, X and Malachi lounged casually, ready to clash at any moment.
"Does anyone have a camera?" X asked. "I think we just had an anime moment. Gotta take a picture you know. Immortalize it. Wait a minute." X dipped his hand in the pocket of his hoodie and brought out a smartphone. "Everybody say cheese." He took a selfie with everyone in the frame.
He stared at the image for a second. "Okay. We can fight now."
Ezra's eyes narrowed as he tried dredging vitality from Valaren but got nothing. It was as if the dragon had no vitality. His tail lashed the ground with a force that sent tremors through the earth. Darkness began coiled around him, wrapping softly around his skin.
Olivia unfurled her white feathered wings, the moonlight reflecting off each plume. She grasped two feathers and yanked them out, holding them like swords, their edges sharp and gleaming.
With a flash, Gen's weapon appeared in her hand. She hefted her massive axe, the blades catching the light.
X and Malachi faced them, expressions blank or in X's case, hidden. X's red chains slithered around him, pulsing subtle power. Malachi's tentacles dropped out of his back, writhing and emitting droplets of black ink that hissed and sizzled upon contact with the ground.
"What are we waiting for? Let's fight!" Gen surged forward and everyone burst into action. Ezra leapt into the fray, his tail whipping towards X with frightening speed. X countered, his chains whipping out to meet the attack. The chains wrapped around Ezra's tail, halting its momentum and sending a wave of paralyzing energy through him.
Ezra growled, summoning a pillar of darkness at X who leapt away, abandoning the tail.
With a powerful beat of her wings, Olivia soared above the battlefield. She dived towards Malachi, her feather swords slicing through the air. Malachi's tentacles met her assault, their black ink spraying in arcs to intercept her.
Olivia twisted and turned in the air, dodging the corrosive ink until a tentacle caught her leg and dragged her down. In a flash, Olivia severed the tentacle, freeing herself. With a flap of her wings, she was out of the range of his tentacles.
Gen charged at Malachi, her axe whirling. "Block this!" She yelled as she swung with incredible force, infusing the axe with an Aura of unstoppable force.
Malachi raised his tentacles to intercept but they were sheared off like pruned plants. Gen grinned as sticky ropes shot from her open torso, latch onto Malachi's tentacles, binding them. She pulled hard, using her strength to drag Malachi closer, but he dug his feet into the ground, spraying ink directly at her.
Gen dodged, her movements swift and fluid, but some of the ink splattered on her arm, burning through her skin. She gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain, and continued her assault.
Ezra leapt after X, forming spikes of solid darkness that shot towards the masked vampire. X dodged, his chains swirling around him defensively.
With a flex of his hand, claws appeared on Ezra's fingertips. Ezra lunged, his claws extended, but X caught his wrists with the chains, stopping him mid-air. Ezra snarled, inhaling deeply before exhaling a wave of darkness that washed over X, sapping his vitality.
X staggered, his chains losing their luster for a moment before he regained control, tightening them around Ezra once more.
Olivia, regaining altitude, circled above Gen and Malachi. She saw an opening and dove, her feather swords aimed at Malachi's back. Malachi sensed her approach and unleashed a torrent of ink. Olivia twisted in the air, narrowly avoiding the spray, and struck. Her feathers pierced Malachi's tentacles, pinning them to the ground.
Malachi roared in pain, but his ink continued to flow, threatening to dissolve the feathers.
Gen took advantage of Malachi's distraction, swinging her axes in a deadly arc. They connected with his tentacles, severing them with a sickening crunch. Malachi fell back, his ink rising and forming a protective barrier around him as he retreated.
Ezra roared, summoning more darkness to encase his body. He broke X's chains with a surge of his vitality and lunged at him, his claws aimed for X's throat. X crossed his arms, moving to defend himself. Out of nowhere, Olivia's feather, thrown, caught him in the gut. He coughed and his crossed arms slipped.
Ezra's claws connected, sending X crashing to the ground. With a swift push, he rolled to his feet, dodging Ezra's strike at his heart.
On the other side of the room, Malachi's tentacles regrew, writhing with fury. The two vampires leapt towards each other and the Matten Coven circled them.
"You're weak." Ezra could hear the grin in X's voice. "Valaren has run out of vitality. You're strong but not so strong. You've still got a lot to learn."
"Come closer and say that." Ezra bared his fangs. "I dare you."
"You're all strong." Malachi rumbled. "It's been a while since I've faced second and third ring vampires with this much potential. And there's the first ring with the relic." He nodded at Ezra. "However, we are fourth ring vampires."
X spread his hands. "The world is our oyster." With a flick of his wrist, his chains glowed red, and in a flash of crimson light, he vanished.
Malachi followed suit, his tentacles wrapping around him as he dissolved into a cloud of inky blackness, only to reappear behind Ezra, already in a slash with a giant sword. Ezra rolled out of the way, his Aura warning him in time.
The Matten quickly regrouped in the center of the warehouse, their eyes scanning the battlefield. The air shimmered with residual vitality from X and Malachi's teleportation, making it difficult to predict where they would appear next.
"They can teleport now?" Ezra growled, flexing her claws.
"Stay sharp," Olivia warned. "They're fourth ring vampires. That's what they do."
"They can't hide forever." Gen grinned as she twirled her axe. "And I'll be here.... waiting."