Ashes of the Fallen

Left palm open, arm extended, I shot a thin pulsating tether of electricity out and connected the two of us. Stopped in his tracts as he started to convulse, I continued the channel while grabbing my one-handed axe with my right hand.

Watching his health get stripped before my very eyes, a holy light engulfed him and topped him off as my mana quickly depleted. Completely ruining my attempt to fell the man, I was soon hit with the warming light as well, and my injuries closed up and began to slightly heal instantaneously.

My arm was still gimp, as the chunk of flesh wasn't immediately returned, but it was enough. Switching hands, I let the man with the claymore charge at me as I stayed on my back, building electricity around my body with the intent to discharge.

Half a second through the cast, he was nearly upon me.

Then with sword raised, attempting to execute me once again, he dropped the sword only to meet a wall of static as electricity exploded outwards all around me, half into the dirt below me, and half into the charging man. Running straight into the wall of energy, the impact threw him back as he was stunned from the recoil.

Grasping his head in confusion as he tried to get back up, I slipped behind him and ran the axe-head along his throat, slicing it clean.

Now clutching his throat as he began to choke, a quick hack into the back of his neck severed his spine and sent the man directly to the floor, dead as can be.

Another fire blast hit me as they were too fast to dodge, and as I recoiled from the pain, I turned to my side and saw a scene that sent chills through my spine.

Surrounded by four rogues, Selene and Barkley were fighting them off in melee as Katherine was directly behind. Selene was obviously trying to stall them from attacking Kate… she was trying to pull her own weight.

Starting to run towards them, the distance of seventy feet was a lot to cover, and my enemies were aware. I was suddenly hit by a freezing rain that attempted to cut me off, covering the land between Selene and I.

Ignoring the rain and running through it, a frost bolt hit me in the side causing me to stumble forward. Regaining my stride, I kept running, nearly closing the distance for a flash step as a fire blast hit me once again.

Falling to the ground, shoulder partially lit on fire, I rolled once and got back up.

The rogues attacked one after the other, as Selene fended them off as best as she could, parrying and deflecting with her two daggers as the eight weapons converged relentlessly. Barkley jumped and landed his jaws on one of the rogues as he attempted to rip the player to shreds, but a second rogue side-stepped and plunged his sword into the back of the poor wolf.

Barkley slumped and fell to the floor with a whine as his body went limp.

Panicking, I rushed as another frost bolt clipped the ground in front of me and nearly tripped me. Ignoring the distractions, I immediately flash stepped thirty feet forward as I rematerialized ten feet away from them.

Out of mana, I threw my axe into the back of one of the rogues as he reactively flinched and retreated. Another rogue attacked Selene with a thrust as she countered and plunged her sword through his chest, only, it left her exposed.

And in a flash, horror struck.

Two swords pierced through Selene's back and out her chest, causing her to lock up and fall to the ground. They went for the finishing blow as I barreled through them, tackling two of them into the dirt, temporarily knocking one out with a blow to the temple, then stabbing the other once, up and under the chin.

Yanking the knife out of the dead rogue and planting it into the dazed one, I finished him quickly as I turned to Selene. Rushing over to her, she had fallen to four-percent remaining health and was bleeding out.

She only had eight seconds left.

Calling out for a healer, yelling for a priest, none responded.

I glanced at Katherine but saw she had spent all of her mana.

She was kneeling on the ground next to Selene, holding her hand as she silently wept. I gently wrapped my arms around Selene in the midst of the battle, elevating her head slightly so she could breathe easier.

She was down to three-percent now.

Six seconds.

I frantically looked around as the NPCs were too far away and too mired in conflict to react. Staring at Kate, her mana was recovering far too slowly, she would be late.

Selene turned her eyes to Kate and struggled to bring a smile to bear as she weakly spoke, "be strong Kate."

Then to me, she said, "take care of my sister."

Gulping down the lump in my throat, I hugged her tightly while Katherine squeezed her hands, with her tears rolling down onto the ground below.

As Selene lay dying in my arms, she asked me with a hoarse whisper that could barely be heard, "you're going to kiss me, right?"

I could only smile and nod, "yeah."