[738] – Y03.038 – Rights III

[738] – Y03.038 – Rights III

Faool inhaled deeply as he watched as the pythons grew larger as they slithered their way towards them. He held his staff in front of him, holding it up with both hands, bowing his head to press his forehead against the cool wood. Kitool made an identical motion right beside him.

“Faool,” Kitool called.

“Yes?”

“You will not fall before me,” Kitool stated.

“I am not like you, cousin Kitool.”

“No,” Kitool agreed. “I wield Tigerstaff, and you wield a mundane staff.” Kitool pushed out the staff in front of her, with her cousin doing the same, the pair completing their stretches together. “When they hear the tale, they will hear how you kept up with your cousin even when you did not wield one of your family’s greatest weapons.”

Faool’s lip trembled for a moment, before he let out a low sigh. He held the staff from either end, holding it raised in front of him horizontally, covering the sight of the pythons for a moment. “I, too, am an Iyrman.”

“Yes,” Kitool replied, and the pair continued their stretches together.

“Uvajin would look good in dress made of python leather,” Uwajin said, swinging her blade around.

“I was thinking the same for Minakan,” Naqokan replied, swinging her blade around too, though in a different manner.

“I will kill one myself.”

“I will kill two myself.”

Uwajin turned to face Naqokan, raising her brow. Naqokan replied with a small smile, causing the tusked Iyrman to chuckle lightly.

“It’s warm today,” Laygak said, swinging his blade in the motions he had learnt to prepare himself.

“It’s almost the perfect weather,” Jaygak said.

“Almost,” Laygak agreed.

The ground shook furiously as the giant pythons, each at least fifty metres long, slithered towards the group. Their skin was no doubt as thick as an Iyrman, their large fangs easily larger than even the likes of Nobby. Just a single misstep and most of them would die, even Jurot would not come out unharmed.

Bavin inhaled deeply and let out an exhale. ‘I,’ the young Iyrman thought as the pythons were upon them, ‘am Bavin!’

The hiss of the pythons were quickly drowned out by the cacophony of Iyrmen roaring as they raged. The pythons sped up at the last moment, their jaws snapping as they tried to swallow the Iyrmen whole. Their nimbleness was not betrayed by their large, thick bodies, the pythons almost blurring as they began their assaults.

Laygak’s eyes went wide as he froze in shock for a moment, for where his cousin once stood, was now the tightening jaw of a giant python. A muffled voice called from within, before a blade pierced through the side of the python’s cheek, the bright light shining off the creature’s scales. The python hissed in annoyance, before another blade pierced into the side of its face. Jaygak forced her body to react, tearing between the two holes to form an escape before she pushed her way through, almost dropping to a knee before she turned, raising her shield in front of her.

Faool crashed his staff against the side of the python which had seemingly swallowed his cousin, though it bounced off against its thick hide. He spun his staff, before leaping up onto the python’s back, crashing his staff against its head once more, filled with his inner strength, though it didn’t even seem to register his blow. Faool’s heart pounding wildly in his chest before he inhaled deeply, forming a fist, before he punched downwards, almost like a drill as his fist spun, before he struck the top of the snake’s head.

Its entire body shuddered for a moment before it froze into place, before he spun to the side and aimed a heel kick to its eye, using the momentum of the kick to spin himself to land onto his feet. He turned back towards the frozen snake, while a shadow loomed across him, blotting out the sun as the spinning form of Kitool began to shower the large python in death. Tigerstaff blurred as the staff crashed against the same spot Faool had struck to freeze the creature in place, before she also forced a heavy blow into the python, finally hopping off to land beside the young Iyrman, readying to face the creature together with her cousin.

Uwajin and Naqokan darted on either side as the python tried to claim one, its fangs tearing up the earth as though it were bread. They grinned wildly in their rage, as Naqokan’s blade struck across the creatures side, flashing hot with divine might, while Uwajin forced her body into a deeper rage, reaching deep within her as she tore into the creatures side, the pair beginning their dance of death.

‘What are the hell are they playing at?’ Adam thought, staring at the combination of Iyrmen and the number of pythons. He had thought Jurot, Jaygak, and Kitool would handle one each, but that wasn’t the case. Even if they had decided to partner up with their cousins, with Nirot and Jurot facing one each, it made sense to allow Uwajin to handle one by herself.

Bavin winced in pain as the venom of the giant python sizzled against his side, but he tore into the creatures side with his axe, barely managing to slice out a scale as his entire body shook. He was not like the Rot family, who were able to deal with the venom of a python, his family’s way was similar to that of the Kan family. His axe flashed white hot with divine magic as he tore into it once more, though he had only managed to scar the creature.

Nirot managed to fend off her python by dancing around it, keeping her shield up to force away a fang before she hacked into its side. She was completely focused on the python she was facing, understanding even she couldn’t ignore its threat.

Adam stepped forward, feeling something strike against his side, before he turned, glaring at the tribesfolk elder. They raised a finger and shook their head towards him, before clasping their staff with both hands, slamming it into the earth. Adam’s eyes snapped back to the group.

The giant python which had aimed for Jurot, and the deliciousness of magic it could taste coming from him, snapped its head towards where Jurot had tensed his body towards, and yet it only found the earth. Its eye snapped towards the Iyrman, who hadn’t even taken a step to the side.

Jurot’s entire body was red hot with rage, and he raised his axe, slashing towards the creature’s eye. It let out a pained hiss as its entire body convulsed, Jurot expending every charge of Phantom, before he darted towards Bavin’s side. Though the snake made to move to strike at his back, its entire body writhed in pain from the blow which rocked its mind.

Jurot’s axe sunk in to the side of the snake Bavin was facing, trying to catch its attention. “Come!” The original plan was for the trio to handle the likes of the pythons, with Bavin taking the place of Uwajin in order to bring glory to his own family, and to allow Uwajin to fight beside Naqokan, where she preferred. Kitool, too, had thought to allow her cousin glory, and Jaygak did the same.

This was not a matter of winning, this was a matter of creating a good tale for their cousins, who had entrusted their elder cousins thus far. Yet, Bavin had taken such a heavy blow, so Jurot was forced to assist. If Bavin fell, the battle became twice as difficult, and Jurot wouldn’t be able to face his brother.

The rolls for this fight were insane.