8 Battlefield

I hate snakes.In my brain they represent the epitome of evil.Satan himself was once a snake.They creep me all the way out,so it's safe to say I did a full on Usain Bolt transformation.At least in my head I did.In reality I'm not exactly athletic since my favorite past time is sitting in bed eating nutella and binge watching netflix.

Constantly glancing back at them slithering relentlessly towards me didn't help either but I felt like little mouse prey and these things were enormous, looking like they vacationed in Hell.Ulrik, meanwhile has his staff in the air,swirling it around as if he's mixing lemonade and doing a weird jig.

"Is this really the time to cut loose?!" I asked incredulously.What on earth is he doing? These things can probably swallow me whole and consider me an appetizer.Ulrik might break a few teeth though so I can picture that before I'm completely digested.Wait,do snakes even have teeth?

Ulrik ignores me and continues with his hop-skip-shake routine.Im hurtling towards him with my heart jackhammering inside my chest,adrenalin replacing my blood and my hair apparently trying to escape by filling my mouth.

The flowers can't part fast enough.

And Ulrik looks like a hippie bear trying to invoke the spirits.I catch up to him and immediately start screaming."S-S-Snakes! Ulrik what are you doing?! Do you know karate? Where are the stones in this place? Oh God,I don't wanna become snake poop!" I'm looking frantically for something I can use as a weapon and he's just there twirling,dancing and.... chanting? The snakes are raising their bodies,fanning out and surrounding us.They're like grotesque dark stains on the beautiful grass.I start to hyperventilate.

And pray.

Hard.

Ulrik is still oblivious,eyes closed,rod twirling,doing what looks like a slow break dance cha-cha and tango,repeating the same verse.

"To the dark I bring the light,fill me up so I might smite.Away from here,I bid you flee.As I will so mote it be."

"Is that some kind of spe-"

The flash of power struck me back ,right on my very skinny derriere.You'd think I'd have gained some weight with all the junk food I eat but nope,my body metabolises like the energizer bunny.

There's a flash of glittery,filmy purple and the snakes nearest to us dissolve into wisps of smoke and black ash.

"Way to go Ulrik!" I get up and bend to examine the flowers under the ash but they're remarkably unmarred.

He blows pretend smoke from his now shimmering magic stick.

"T'was nothing," he smirks at me.

Our triumph is short lived since the snakes he vanquished are replaced by dozens more that are closing in around us.

"Good,now do it again,"

I inch as close to him as I can without becoming an obstruction.He grunts and assumes a fighting stance-one leg slightly behind the other,knees bent,hands infront of him with the elbows bent at ninety degree angles.He shifts his rod from hand to hand and turn slowly in a circle.The hissing is becoming a cacophony and I'm literally quaking in my boots.I'm utterly petrified of snakes.My skin is crawling with the need to be anywhere but here.

"With pleasure." He lets out a weird,garbled warrior cry that sounds more like an angry monkey than an intimidating warning but I'll use that to annoy him later.If we live to see later that is.He leaps in the air,swinging his staff in a downward arc and another stream of purple glitter takes out at least five of the wretched serpents.He turns and does it again,yelling at me to stay behind him as the horrible black belly crawlers leap and strike at us.No problemo,as if I'm not already half plastered to his back.

Ulrik becomes a blur of destruction as he swipes and jabs his now pulsating stick while simultaneously blocking me from attack.I must say,for such a big dude he's pretty quick on his feet; I'm actually having a hard time keeping up with him and dodging creepy crawlies.

"Judah,"

I duck under his arm and step to the side right as he brings his stick down on a snake that was about to take a bite out of my ankle.

"Aren't you too busy for chit-chat?"

He grunts as he uses his forearm to swat away a couple that had sprung up at him,then twist and punches one square in the face.

"You have telekinetic abilities"

I'm busy giving the ones that were swiped away the finger.

"What?" I yelp when I feel cold slimy scales brush against my calf,look down and Ulrik ruthlessly kicks it away.I stick out my tongue as it slinks back towards the forrest.

"Telekinesis! Use your abilities!"

"You mean the abilities I have zero control of?!"

"You must find a way to harness your powers and assist me or we will perish! Look to the East."

I clutch some of his pants since I can't exactly get a good grip of his bark like skin and turn as he once again strikes out with his rod.In the back of my head I register the equally soft and silky texture and remember that I need to ask him about them.

If we survive.

Against the picturesque horizon I see a dark smudge that slowly grows bigger.I squint and narrow my eyes,my heart tripping over itself in my chest.No way.

"Are those....more snakes?"

He kicks,pivots then punches,followed by a swing of his staff.

"More Noir"

My head whips around and I take another look at the slithering vermin trying to kill us,as if seeing them for the first time.These....things are from Nazir.

Sent by Gargol.

To kill me.

A chill skitters along my spine,raising the hair on the back of my neck and I am struck with the reality of my own mortality.I could actually die.All my sarcasm and glib comments cannot help me now.This is real and I'm hiding behind Ulrik as he fights to defend us and preserve our lives.The feminists of the twenty-first century would be appalled.I mean,we murdered the proverbial damsel in distress decades ago so why am I-a self claimed ultra feminist-being one?

"Alright,let me at 'em,"

I rise from my half crouch behind Ulrik and step beside him,plant my feet and crook a finger at a snake about to leap,look into it's dark,empty eyes and issue a challenge.

"Come get some of this ass whooping you bastard," It does just that and springs forward,opening a seemingly vast mouth filled with razor teeth,aiming for my neck.

Well,there goes my bravado.Feminism is overrated anyway right? I let out a very damsel-in-distressy squeal, reclaim my position at Ulrik's back and cover my face with my hands.

"Judah!"

I peek through my fingers in time to see his hand lash out lightning fast,grap the snake and hurl it about ten feet away to my left.A second later he's batting away the ones coming at us to the right.

"Ok,ok, I'm sorry but it was like into the mouth of death itself.Ugh it was terrible," I shiver theatrically and notice that the number of deadly vipers has been significantly diminished.

I chance a look at the horizon and my optimism is crushed.

"Come on child,you must get it together.Our lives in this moment rest on your ability to take control of the power that lies within you.Concentrate and fight!" The black smudge is now a very big splotch and I can separate individual lumps.Its like watching an army of big lumps charge toward me.Beneath my feet I can feel the vibrations of the earth as they get closer.

I hear Ulrik's labored breathing as he swipes,blocks and shoot purple waves of glitter in rapid succession.

"Alright,can you finish them off before the rest reach us?" I turn and stoop with him as he stretches out a foot and bring it under the last of the snakes,vaulting them upward and into the waiting curve of purple.He straightens and looks back at me,one eyebrow raised in a silent,mocking response.Well then,I guess that answers my question.

Big show off.

The snakes are gone but what I can now make out as black panthers are sprinting towards us at a break neck speed and I know I have just minutes at best to find this so-called power,master it and use it or we die.No pressure,right?