46 - Recovery and Rematch

I had forgotten how it felt to wake up refreshed. My back was really stiff, but a few stretches fixed that quickly. It felt so good that I was up and about before most everyone else. I explored the clearing that they had made into our home - at least until we were able to reclaim the Temple of Swords. I conjured small barriers as in various shapes as I walked: square, sphere, star, then heart. To think I barely had the strength to make a monkey trap even the day before. Now I could most likely run a bridge to the river. 

As people woke up, I greeted them. Some greeted me back happily. Others were more despondent. No wonder. They had just lost another home.

After I made my rounds, I returned to where I had slept and picked up the Ancient. Then, I found Thomas directing breakfast. "I'm going back to have a rematch."

"But you just recovered. You can't be ready to fight so soon."

"I can't get any more ready. Plus, I'll have at least a day of travel to get things in order."

Thomas sighed. "I can't stop you. At least promise me that you won't push yourself to exhaustion before you arrive. 

"That's reasonable. I promise."

He put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "We'll be waiting for good news."

"Give me four days."

I set out after getting two days worth of rations. Dried meat that had actual flavor - rather different than the scorpi-snake meat we had brought on our first journey to the Temple.

*What are you thinking? Heading immediately back into danger alone after nearly dying?* The Ancient asked.

"I know how I'm going to defeat the Adversary."

*What could you have come up in a pain-induced delirium that I couldn't have in millennia? You aren't going to kill his wielder, are you?*

"Not if I don't have to. But that does lead to my idea." I let him glimpse the thought of my plan.

*That... I discarded something like that towards the beginning. He would certainly have countermeasures against it.*

"Would you rather I challenged him in the mental realm?"

*Certainly not. It would be suicidal - and worse, you would put me under his power when you failed.*

"Then I'll stick to the other plan. The Adversary was prepared for you. He's your brother. But he's not prepared for me."

With that conversation out of the way, I stepped into the air with my barriers, moving above the trees for a straighter path. 

I passed the river before midday, and got to the point where I could see the Temple of Swords in the distance before nightfall. Part of me wanted to sneak in under the cover of night, but the firelight near the Temple indicated that idea probably wouldn't work. The carriers might have human constitution, but the Soulblades were constantly awake.

I settled in the branches of a sturdy tree and asked the Ancient to keep watch. Thankfully, the night was uneventful.

The next morning, I approached the Temple from above. It appeared deserted, which made sense when it had a tenth of its normal population. What remained was demolished. Only the Temple of Swords remained undamaged. 

I gradually descended to land on the wall - or what remained of it. The northern and southern parts were entirely trampled, while the other parts seemed to have been smashed into as they were passed by.

Juliana slept in the open, wearing the golden circlet and low-cut red robes that marked that she was possessed by the Flame Sorceress, even in her sleep. Her body jerked awake, in a way that reminded me of zombies. I created a barrier box around the Flame Sorceress's blade, with the only hole being for Juliana's hand. She extended her other hand, blasting fire in my direction. I blocked it with a barrier suspended in the air.

Silence, Jack, and three Camerons funneled out of the Temple, their appearances completely disheveled. The Adversary apparently thought he didn't need to get involved personally yet.

I created a sloped barrier, and slid to the ground. Silence and the Camerons charged me. Juliana continued spewing fire from her hand, and I replaced the previous fire-blocking barrier with two parallel barriers, making a dueling strip. The Ancient tied off the walls and the monkey trap, so I could focus on the melee combat. I barely had room to extend one arm straight out. That way, I couldn't be surrounded. 

Cameron and his clones funneled in first. I batted away the first sword, and smacked my opponent to the ground with the Ancient's pommel. The second gave no regard to his fallen replica and continued the chain of combat. I parried his attacks with ease. Partnered with, and possessed by a magic sword or no, Cameron's body was still that of a teenager. 

The first clone - or the original, I couldn't quite tell yet - got up as if I had done no damage, and continued to attack.

When I counterattacked, I aimed for maiming wounds that Katie would be able to heal afterward. My opponents had no such reservation. Not only did they target my vitals, they did so recklessly. Cameron had me on the back foot, pressing the attack while I blocked three blades - thankfully all from the same direction. But each imperfect parry sent the swords into Cameron, who was in front. At least now I knew he was the original, since he bled from the cut wounds. Normally, in a many-versus-one fight, I would've used that to my advantage, but this case was different. 

Suddenly, the ground beneath us opened up. I caught the real Cameron's wrist and made a barrier to catch myself. He dropped his sword as I did, and the Twins fell with his clones into the pit. The clones impaled on spikes at the bottom and disappeared, and the sword stabbed point-first between spikes.

Cameron looked up at me with a snarl, his red eyes glowing with hatred. He struggled against my grip. I let go, but caught him with a box of barriers, and put a lid over it. The Ancient tied off the barrier. 

I felt a chill run down my neck. I barely put up a shield before we were blasted with ice. It filled the whole gap of my dueling strip, blocking off my vision, except for the fireballs that repeatedly slammed into my right barrier. I couldn't rejoice in my first victory yet. I still had five more to go.