Chapter 86: Rising Flames
Ty's eyes blazed with a bright green fire as the cloaked man, bending to one knee and gasping for breath, remarked with a tinge of disbelief, "Well, this was a turn for the unexpected, huh?"
Suddenly, the arm that lay on the man's shoulder began to grip tighter, searing into his flesh.
The man's robe started to burn away, eliciting a cry of pain as he desperately slashed it off.
The fire around his shoulder dwindled and then surged back towards Ty, a blue cord of energy pulling Ty's severed hand back into place with a resounding click.
Looking down at the small metal object in his hand, Ty mused, "I wonder if I can make clothes with this." He then shook his head, redirecting his focus to the cloaked man before him.
"So, from the memories I got, you call yourself Thunder Clap? Pft, now that's a pathetic name." Ty's voice dripped with disdain. "I didn't get much of your early memories, but to call yourself Thunder Clap?"
"I assume that's because your weapon allows you to control 'Thunder and—" Ty's words were abruptly cut off as the blade, rattling along its chain attached to the other blade, came flying in. It sliced across Ty's jawline, stunning him for a moment with a jolt of pain and surprise.
"Wind. You know, I'm a skeleton. I can speak even with a broken jaw," Ty retorted, his voice unphased despite the injury. The orange flames in his hand slowly faded away, and the protective barrier that had been encircling his feet dissipated.
The man's smirk deepened, his bloodshot red eyes gleaming fiercely against the backlight of the sun. "You think too highly of yourself because you're some abomination of a monster," he sneered with contempt.
"Every creature has its weakness, and you're no different. Given the recent revelation of your true self, I won't allow you to meet Master Legato. You will be dying here," he declared coldly. With that, he dropped the crystal to the ground, where it clinked.
He then raised his foot, attempting to crush the crystal under his heel.
Ty, reacting with lightning speed, shouted, "NO!" He took a slight knee before stepping off, his skeletal foot pressing into the soiled ground and leaving a trail of small black flame residue.
In a swift motion, he attempted to throw a punch toward the man's head, aiming to throw him off balance.
However, the man's foot arced up quickly from its path toward the crystal, delivering a swift kick to Ty's jaw.
The force sent Ty rebounding upwards.
The man then clashed both his blades together, whipping the swords around in an intricate array of movements.
Each slash was precise and brutal, breaking Ty apart into a dozen pieces.
Furthering his attack, the man conjured a gust of wind to scatter the bone fragments.
Breathing deeply, he taunted, "Not so cocky anymore, are you?" The pieces of bone lay scattered across the ground, eerily silent, before they began to rattle and spin, meshing back into each other little by little.
As Ty was reassembling himself, ThunderClap noticed a bright golden orb at the center of Ty's chest, revealing itself halfway through his recovery.
Seizing the opportunity, ThunderClap instantly dived toward him, his blades aimed directly at the glowing sphere.
The jagged, ripped blade clanged against the side of the orb, only to bounce off, sending the man flying backward.
In a swift motion, Ty's skeletal arm lurched out, grabbing him by his robe, even as his skeletal head was still forming.
Ty brought his second hand up in a spear-like motion, aiming to sever the man's head from his shoulder.
But the man swung his chained sword up just in time, generating a gust of wind that slightly veered Ty's hand attack off course.
The hand instead stabbed him in the eye, splattering blood across the ground. The man's entire movements became slowed, almost halted.
"Wh-What's going on?" the man struggled, attempting to reach for his blade, but an invisible force pushed against him, blinding him.
Ty, now fully rebuilt but obviously wobbly and a bit disoriented, stated slowly, "I have more than one trick up my sleeve. How does the ability to slow things down sound?"
Ty got the idea from a random thug when he first arrived. The man looked up to find Ty's eyes burning a bright orange, his voice tinged with a crackling edge.
Ty grabbed the robed man once more, who was struggling to react, his movements impeded by the surging pain and loss of blood. "Kill him, absorb his soul," a voice echoed in Ty's head, insistent and dark. "It's only right; he attacked you first, after all."
Ty, hand over his skull, demanded, "Who the hell are you?!"
Thunderclap, looking bewildered, watched as Ty seemingly talked to himself. Then, with a swift motion, Ty threw him to the ground, picking up the crystal. His eyes gradually returned to their normal green, but exhaustion swiftly overtook his body.
"I can't let myself pass out here," Ty muttered, aware of the man's movements gradually speeding up as the slowing effect wore off.
Weighing his options, Ty addressed the bleeding man, "Don't mess with me again." His voice was a gasp, strained from exertion, before he quickly activated his barrier ability.
Using his black flames, he propelled himself into the sky, seeking distance from Thunderclap. His vision blurred as he flung himself into a nearby crater.
"Why didn't you kill him?! I fed you the bloodlust you needed," the voice in his mind demanded, frustrated and urgent.
Ty, maintaining control over his thoughts, retorted blankly, "Because I don't like being told what to do. And you seem like a jerk, so screw you." The green flame in his eyes dimmed as he passed out, his body lodged into the side of a snow-covered mountain.
The voice slowly growing weaker simply stated "All in due time" Leaving Ty alone on the edge of the mountain top lodged in as a pile of snow slowly fell over head
slowly he fell in a sleep exhausted from burning his energy source.