The Raging Tides

The valley shook. A massive giant metal cleaver, infused with powerful Alchemy to slice apart anything it touches, was blocked by a sword made from a tree branch.

The shockwave echoed throughout the entire valley, shaking and cracking the walls, displacing the magma and boulders all around it.

Nasiah used his Magick with the tree branch's innate connection to the arcane to resist the cutting power of the cleaver.

He then began his true assault. The boy reached out to Jossel's armor, threading the strings around it to cause several miniature explosions to knock him back before he lunged at the knight again.

This strategy was not as effective as it could have been as the armor Jossel was wearing was forged by House Yussef's top men, able to resist the effects of Magick much like the wood from Sage trees.

The knight grabbed Nasiah's hand and threw him into the wall before he tried to impale them. However, the boy was much too fast in his recovery, jumping out of the way of the cleaver before it could strike him.

"You're so strong! You really should become my knight after this!"

The young boy began to go for Jossel's joints, manipulating the threads to slow his attacks down as much as possible.

This action built up over time, and the knight could feel his movements coming to an end. He knew he was already slow; that's why he could not even wound this boy, and this just made it worse.

It all culminated when he missed an overhead strike, allowing Nasiah to jump on his arms and grab his chest plate, blowing it, his cleaver, and his helmet off with an explosion.

He was sent flying backwards into a wall, crashing into it so violently that a crater the size of the mountainside was made.

He coughed up blood, trying to understand what exactly went wrong as his helmet fell down to the ground. It was cracked in half, now unable to hide his face.

Jossel had long black hair and a sharp look in his eyes. He looked rather gaunt and pale as well, with a weary demeanor as if he was tired of life.

He turned to look at his cleaver on the ground; it was shattered into two with many pieces littered on the earth. For a few moments, he was stunned until he saw blood dripping from his forehead and onto his hands.

Was this it? Would this be where he would lose? He called back to his life, a boy who wanted to be a knight to protect his kingdom. 

It took years of hard work to get himself this far, to reach where he was; many would kill, and many have killed for such a prestigious position. But it was not for money or wealth, perhaps not even for glory. It was to protect and serve!

And right now, he had a mission. It was to conquer this land and to find out where they were keeping Princess Myrym. She was just a princess by marriage, but he still had an oath to protect and serve them, no matter what!

So, it did not matter if he was beaten, broken, or battered. As long as he was able to take another breath. As long as he was able to stand and wield his weapon. As long as he could still fight for a few more moments, he would continue to charge and do his duty!

He took the remnants of the cleaver into his hands; the Alchemy would have already faded from it since it broke, so he was in no danger of cutting himself.

Jossel, with much haste, tied the broken pieces to his left arm using the leather straps of his gauntlet, and the remaining pieces on the handle would be used as a sword.

He charged ahead toward Nasiah, gritting his teeth as he slashed and thrust at the boy, who parried and dodged his blows.

"That's great, keep it up." Nasiah continued to match and even push back Jossel, unleashing a mixture of his Magick and sword fighting that he picked up on by watching the knight fight.

"You can really teach me a thing or two about how to fight. I hope you have more tricks up your sleeves later."

Jossel was too tired to respond, but a small smile crossed his face. Whoever he was fighting, he thought it was such a shame they did not meet earlier and on better terms.

It was at that moment he began to push himself further than ever before. If this were to be the battle he loses, he would have to give it his all. 

He stood his ground, planting both feet onto the earth and began to draw an Alchemical symbol upon his blade, reactivating the enchantment it had upon it to separate anything.

Magick had a unique attachment to symbols and gestures, as when properly made, the laws of the world seemingly followed through with the representation of the symbol itself.

Nasiah grinned; he wanted to see this application of Magick more. It was such a treat for his eyes when he saw how the threads would interact with each other, how they wrapped themselves around the blade and gave themselves the Name "Separation".

However, he had a job to do; he still needed to win. And so, with a smile on his face, he rushed ahead towards Jossel, raising his own sword to meet him.

The two of them smiled as the ensuing clash ruptured the valley, sending a wave of kinetic energy that cracked the walls and ground many times over.

It was then, in this battle of wills, that Jossel found himself losing consciousness, his own power no match for Nasiah as he found himself consumed by the ongoing force.

He was sent flying into the distance, and there, as he landed, he fell unconscious, for this victory went to the future king of the land.