Controlled Burn (BxB) (Werewolf)

Chapter 29: The Battle, Part 2

Green flames flickered on Callum's palms while blue electrical sparks ran up and down the enemy druid's arms. The two druids faced each other, but neither made the first move. The aura of their essences expanded into the environment around them and collided, each of them filled with killer intent. Birds, squirrels, and all other animals in the forest began to flee in all directions as they tried to get as far away from the ominous, dangerous feeling imposed on them as quickly as possible. Even the bugs, be they on trees, on the ground, or underground, started to flee, abandoning their shelters.

"I'm glad you've come back," the masked druid stated. "Now I don't have to track you down."

"You will wish I never came back," Callum responded coldly.

The masked druid laughed. "The Thorne bloodline ends today."

The eerie silence that enveloped them was punctuated only by the crackling of green flames and the buzz of electrical energy. The forest around them, emptied of its usual inhabitants, seemed to hold its breath in anticipation as the druids stared each other down.

After a moment that stretched like an eternity, the masked druid made the first move, thrusting his hands forward to unleash a torrent of blue electrical sparks towards Callum. The air between them sizzled with raw magical energy, illuminating the masked figure's intentions with deadly clarity.

Callum reacted instantly. Green flames danced upon his palms as he sidestepped the incoming assault, countering with a stream of his own fiery energy aimed directly at his adversary. The green and blue energies clashed mid-air, erupting in a dazzling explosion that sent ripples through the surrounding woods.

Each druid shored up their defenses by forcing their essence into the ground and rapidly growing walls of plant life to intercept the opponent's assault when dodging became too difficult. Callum noticed the masked druid's plant walls somewhat resembled cacti and contained abundant stores of water, making them more resistant to heat and flame.

In the midst of battle, Callum noticed the masked druid's essence moving skyward. He noticed the clouds twisting unnaturally overhead. Callum felt static in the air. The hair on his head and his arms stood up. Knowing what would happen next, Callum stopped his torrent of flames and jabbed the base of his conduit staff into the ground. Through his magical weapon, he pumped his own essence into the ground as fast as possible.

As lightning came down from the sky, a tree came up from the ground. Before the lightning could reach Callum, the tree grew high enough to cover Callum's head and intercept the deadly strike.

The resulting explosion knocked both druids off their feet. The shockwave shook the Claiborne house's foundation. Wooden splinters shot in all directions like shrapnel from a grenade, impaling both druids several times each.

Sitting up, Callum started pulling at one particularly large splinter sticking out of his shoulder, but after looking across the way to his opponent, Callum saw an opportunity to strike. While the masked druid recovered, pulled splinters, and healed his injuries, Callum decided to forgo doing the same for himself. Instead, he sent a blast of green flames in hopes of catching the enemy off guard.

Frantically, the masked druid dove out of the way, but Callum's flames managed to catch the wooden mask and ignite it. The enemy druid ripped off the mask and tossed it aside to avoid letting the flames spread to him. Callum sensed a mass amount of essence being destroyed and realized the mask was the enemy druid's conduit.

"Don't think you've won because you destroyed my conduit," the druid said. "I don't need it to kill you."

Finally unmasked, Callum looked at the enemy druid's face and immediately recognized him. Callum remembered back to the ceremony where he officially became a druid. The unmasked druid was Oliver's brother... Lady Stella's other son. The unnaturally bright blue lightning made sense to Callum now. It was a trait that carried over from Lady Stella's elemental affinity for light, which was always blue when Callum saw her use it.