Chapter 21: MIST

Bres' eyes emanate a bright blue as he takes in a deep breath. His blade begins to shake in his grip as it lights up with identical colour. He staggers backwards slightly as the new unbridled power flows through his veins. "You cannot keep me from what is rightfully mine," He declares but I do not know whether he directs it at the souls in Excalibur or the Danann king.

"What is power?" He asks as he stands firm. "Strength, status, reverence, respect, authority?"

Nuadu keeps his gaze focused on Bres as he speaks arrogantly, each word he spouts makes the Danann waver with annoyance.

"Power is all that and so much more, power is absolute. Danann is capable beings, gods if you will but they will never be truly powerful because they do not take what is meant for them. They leave every other animal that walks this forsaken planet to do as it pleases and they even accept human swine into their homes. A weakness."

"I cannot stand how self-righteous and entitled you are. You speak as you know no control, if so then what makes you different from them?" Nuadu retorts.

"Power," Bres replies as he charges.

He attacks fiercely, he is fast, every hit looks like two and Nuadu's gaze darts as it follows the attacks. He clenches his teeth as Bres turns and slashes horizontally at his chest. Nuadu bends backwards as he parries the attack over his head with both hands clasped tightly around his sword. The impact sends a wave of pain to his previously injured left arm and he winces in pain as he staggers back to distance himself away.

"Astounding, I can feel their power, their experience and knowledge coursing through my veins. Power is how much you can take." Bres strides in a flash, aiming for Nuadu still on the ground. Nuadu recovers to his feet and dashes back, he sees the warriors that were once surrounding them slaughtered as collateral from the battle, somewhere between all the energy blasts they were indirectly killed.

Nuadu rushes backwards as he blocks Bres' fierce attempts at his life. Nuadu channels energy from the corpses around and uses it to parry Excalibur into the ground and flips overhead Bres. Nuadu slashes at Bres' unguarded back and feels his sword hit against Excalibur with a loud clang.

Bres had already recovered and smirks eerily. He attacks once more, each hit precise and accurate that Nuadu lets them get through his defences slightly. Bres feeds off the knowledge and experience that reside within the blade and alternates his attack patterns and styles. He switches from Iaido, kendo, long sword and other styles so fluently that it is like watching his body speak in tongues and using Excalibur as the voice.

Nuadu feels multiple slashes tear through his armour one after the other. Each of Bres' vicious attacks land as he unsuccessfully tries to defend. "Weakness, I wonder who is getting bitched around now, dear King," He mocks as his blade continues to kiss Nuadu.

"I'm going to kill you even if I have to take you with me," Nuadu spits in pair as blood gushes from his wounds and stains his armour.

Brigit charges towards Elatha while dodging the beams of light emitting from the giantess' eye. She launches herself forward onto Elatha's gargantuan arm and releases a blaze so hot it burns up some of her fire-resistant armour as well as Elatha's Fomorian armour which melts onto her skin and she painfully wails.

"Music to my ears," Brigit says as she revels in the screams of the gargantuan.

"I will turn you into a candle for my toilet!" Elatha spits as her other giant hand falls onto her arm where Brigit stands.

Brigit propels herself forward using flames that burst from her feet like a rocket engine, dodging the incoming attack. She lands on Elatha's shoulders and unleashes a loud burst of flames. Elatha smacks her hard off of her shoulder into the ground beneath her. Brigit cries out as she pancakes into the dirt and spews out blood from her mouth. Her vision blurs and her ears ring with a whistling sound as if a gunshot went off right beside her ears. She slowly returns to her senses and turns her vision to where she was certain she burned the giantess. Elatha's skin around her shoulders had hardened into an impenetrable rock-like substance, the grey coloured thick layer began to extend and cover parts of her brown face and to the rest of her body. Her figure grew slightly bigger as spiky rocks protruded from her spine, her legs followed suit with spikes emerging from her knees, thighs and toes.

"Your fire is impressive, it burned through my skin. Never again," Elatha declared with her third eye fixed on Brigit, it begins to light up and unleashes a beam of energy at the Danann. Brigit swiftly rolls out of the way and onto her feet and runs faster than she ever has, trying to dodge the deadly beam. Elatha makes an annoyed growl and picks up her boulder, she hurls the large rock and follows it up with her beam.

Brigit launches herself off the ground towards the giant rock to avoid the eye blast. She charges up midflight and releases a burst of flames that do not affect the boulder, she braces herself for impact.

Ogma smashes against the rock, pushing it away from Brigit.

"She's not a good match for you, sister," Ogma says as Brigit sets herself on the ground next to her.

"I know, should have thought this through before I charged in, ey?" Brigit jokes as Elatha pulls back her giant boulder on a chain.

"You get excited easily. I may have the physical strength but my water is not a good match her Earth," Elatha observes as she assumes a battle position.

"Should you not be fighting Balor with Lugh?"

"He said he wanted to deal with his grandfather alone, besides, If I was going to die, I'd have it be with my sister in the heat of battle."

"Aww, however, I'd like you to make it out alive and spend your last boring days with Nuadu after we liberate our people," Brigit laughs.

"Then I would like to have you there to spend them with Abhartach," Ogma returns.

"The things we do for love and family," Brigit says as her hair lights up and her arms emit a slow burn.

"Back to back," Ogma asserts and the two rush in.

Ogma digs her arms into the ground and draws out a gust of water that she directs to her feet and glides on it across the field as she charges towards Elatha. Brigit flies right above her in sync.

"Another fly to swat," Elatha says as she grips tightly on the chain and spins the boulder around. She lets go, firing the large rock at the two Danann. Brigit and Ogma split up, letting the boulder pass between them. Brigit goes up and fires a blinding blaze as she drops toward Elatha's face.

"That does nothing!" Elatha swears as she flings her arm at Brigit.

Ogma douses the ground beneath Elatha, turning it into a muddy plain that slips the giant. Elatha almost falls to her feet and Brigit lands on her face and punches her third eye with a superheated punch. Elatha howls in pain and drops to the ground as Ogma turns the ground into a sinking mud pit. The ground floods as Ogma draws more water from the ground. Brigit sends multiple merciless jabs at Elatha's visage, each hit harder than the last. She pants as she pummels the giant, "Die, die, die, die already!" She screams as she sends more ferocious punches.

"You bitch!" Elatha swears as she cackles. She attempts to lift her right arm but Ogma forms chains out of the water and ties it down but Elatha quickly uses her other arm to grab the warrior attacking her face. Ogma shoots bolts of water at her hand in hopes she'd drop Bigit. Elatha crushes her in her grip, shattering most of the bones in the Danann that she forgets to scream as the agony is almost enough to knock her out for weeks or even kill her. Brigit attempts to weasel but Elatha keeps her grip firm and is careful not to kill her. Ogma glides to the other side and sends a chain of water that ties itself around the giant's arm. The water chain sprouts smaller chains that extend to the fingers and attempt to open the grip.

"Let my sister go!" Ogma cries as she tries her hardest but Elatha keeps firm. "You took my third eye from me so now I'll take the fire from you, sorry if that kills you, ok?" Elatha states dryly. She tightens her grip and squeezes harder.

Abhartach hears Brigit's howling scream of pain across the battlefield. He turns his gaze to her and focuses his vision through the slaughtering and bares his fangs. He dashes and cuts through anything in his path, his breathing is erratic as he approaches closer but she was a good distance away, Brigit had ridden her way on her horse. Brigit feels time slow by and her flames begin to fall off her skin like embers. She sees her friends, her family, her sister, her love, Abhartach. She mutters quietly, "This feels like this is it, funny, I thought I would see it coming or be prepared. I do not want to leave yet," She whispers as tears fall on her cheeks but quickly burn up. "I love you," she lets out with her remaining magic and a small fire falls off her hair.

Ogma grunts as she pulls harder, Elatha squeezes harder and harder until... Crack!

Brigit's struggling stops and her body slouches as it gives out. Ogma's eyes tear up as she continues to pull her water chains. "Brigit! stay with me, sis!" She demands as she continues to pull. "You agreed to stay with me!" Ogma yells. "You said you would watch my happiness as you enjoy your own, Stay, please!" Her screaming turns desperate as she watches her sister slip away.

Elatha pulls apart the water chains and brings the Danann in her clutches closer to her face. She grins then gives one more powerful squeeze and tosses the corpse aside like litter.

Ogma lets out a beastly growl and draws out as much water as she can from the ground and ties down Elatha's legs. The water chains sprout spiked barbs that dig deep into the Fomorian armoured layer but do not reach the skin. Elatha struggles to get to her knees and Ogma launches more chains that grab hold of the giantess' arms. Ogma groans as she holds the Fomorian in place.

"I will kill you if it's the last thing I do."

"Impressive but you forgot my eye," She says as the injured eye cracks slightly open and a beam escapes from the opening.

The beam is not as strong nor is it as wide but it is enough to disturb Ogma's concentration as she dodged the attack and Elatha quickly seizes the opportunity and frees her arms. She grabs the chain on her ankle and breaks it from the joint. She attempts to break from the last chain but sees two red eyes staring at her from the mist created by Ogma and Brigit's powers colliding.

The eyes hover as if they are not attached to a face. Staring intently at his target, Abhartach walks through the mist slowly. His fangs grow longer and his cloak turns from a black cloth to a dark mist that embraces him.

"This moment makes my soul restless, I saw her broken body tossed aside like it was nothing," Abhartach comments as we watch.

I have nothing to say to him that could suit what I saw so I kept quiet and let him show me his pain.

Abhartach dashed forward snarling like a creature of the night, his instincts and rage had captured him and taken him hostage. Elatha pulled away from the chain and sent a punch into the ground causing it to shake. Ogma planted herself into the ground to avoid falling but Abhartach launched himself, growing sharp wings with razor-like tendons on his back and glode through the air.

Elatha sent another punch but this was meant for the vampire, he wrapped himself in his wings and severed the hand of the arm leaving an opening with blood gushing violently out of the would and Abhartach groaned happily as the scent filled his nostrils.