Gods of War: Midnight

Chapter 28

The sand sword sped forwards, being propelled by Cactus aiming for Maria's heart. Five feet separated it and its target. Four feet. Three feet. Two feet, a crazy smile on Cactus's face, Maria's body burning from the constricting sand within her body, being controlled by Cactus. Piercing her muscles, preventing her from moving. One foot. Maria closed her eyes and braced what muscles she could for the sword to impale her heart, Maria felt sand pierce her lung, and then sand splashed against her clothing. She opened her eyes, a torn strange quarter-sphere was floating in front of her heart, Cactus had thrust two thirds of his sword into it and had fallen onto the ground, his sword remerging with the sand of the beach.

-

The ice cold blade was just millimetres from Blast's neck. Was that frost settling on his neck hairs? "You saved her instead of yourself. Why?" Lily breathed.
"She's my friend. I won't let her die before myself."
"Surely it must be because you see her as weaker than you? She's a girl."
"She just held her own with a God, she should of died, he's playing with her. I'm not though, I'm not playing with you either." Blast replied. His flaming wings shrinking so Lily could see Maria and Cactus behind him.
"You're a man. You're a Follower of a God, but I can't seem to hate you for some reason." Lily said. "Who are you?"
"Blast."
"Your parents and God?"
"My mother died giving birth to me, my father was a traveller. My God is Izanagi."
"A traveller..." Lily repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Left before you were born?"
"Yes."
"I'll sort out Cactus. I will ask you to refrain from joining in. This is a girl thing." Lily said, withdrawing her scythe. Blast felt a drop of water fall down onto his vest.
"What is your purpose for fighting?" Lily said as she walked towards Maria, Cactus was getting up.
"To create peace. It's a quest given to me by the Fates. Maria was also bought into the quest by them."
"That's interesting. That the Fates of all things have made you find this girl, and bring her with you today, because of her, we shall walk away from this beach together."
"We as in the three of us or just you and me?" Blast said with unease in his voice.
"Well, that depends on how I do in this."

-

Lily approached Maria and Cactus, Cactus raised an eyebrow before speaking. "You kinda missed something."
"I'm not sure what you mean. This will end one if two ways for you now though." Lily replied.
"Oh?" Cactus asked.
"You won't be able to join them on their quest, so you stay here and keep travelling around this world without killing these two humans today, or you get killed."
"I think I'll take that third option. I can take on the girl again, I can kill her now, and if you fight against me, you won't escape without injury. It's a fifty-fifty chance that I can win. I like that as an odd.
"Ocean Depths." Lily cast. Water surrounded Cactus, who quickly drew in sand from the beach, absorbing the water.
"Sand Scorpion Sting." A rod of sand impaled Lily's leg, and Lily didn't even flinch.
"You know what I'll kill you with?" Lily asked.
"Nothing. You'll be dead before me."
"You're soaked through." Lily said. "Absolute Zero." Lily cast, raising her scythe and turning it so the blade was turned away from Cactus. She then tapped his head, and his body cracked and fell to the floor.
"And to make sure you definitely go to the Heavens, unable to Descend for a year..." Lily said, placing her scythe on the sand beach, she then placed her second hand on the frozen pole, raised it behind her, and swung it forwards, sending Cactus's frozen head flying, into the sea, as it sunk, the sea froze where his head had landed.
Maria fell to the floor as the sand lost its enchantment, unconscious.
Blast walked over, Lily nodded to allow him to do what he needed to Maria.
"Fire Phoenix Reborn." Blast cast, Maria's body engulfing in flames, the puncture wounds left by the sand closed up with new skin, and a glass bracelet was around her arm when the flames dispersed along with Ka Ryu Ignite's flames. Maria's scythe also returned to water, soaking the sand as it fell.

-

Maria opened her eyes, for a moment she thought she was dead, the sky was a clear pure blue. Waves lapped nearby. There was a gentle breeze.
She sat up, in the sea, a long haired blond girl was swimming, Maria turned around and saw Blast sitting against a tree that somehow hadn't caught fire. Behind him, the charred remains sat still. Maria felt guilt for the destruction, the disruption of the life and habitats of the animals. She had cast Ragnarok, seemingly for nothing.
The swimmer waded out the water, somehow wearing a already dry coral skirt and sea green leggings.
"Weren't you fighting Blast?" Maria said drowsily.
"Yes, but he saved your life when he could of ensured his own survival. To a God like me..."
"You awake then?" Blast asked from across the beach.
"Yeah. Can you explain to me why I'm alive and uninjured speaking to a God and you at the same time?"
"In a few day's I'm sure he'll tell you. I think he's processing some of it too. Slow men." Lily laughed. It was a cute laugh too, sounding like it should come from someone that looked younger than her, a mature woman, possibly at the peak of her life, with wisdom in her eyes. The laugh could belong to someone slightly younger than Maria too though"
"First question then. Are you joining us?" Maria asked the God.
"Yes, I had a long chat with Izanagi and Loki before I could take a swim to heal. I must say that Blast would almost make quite a good husband already at his age." Lily whispered the last part.
Maria smiled in response.
"If you two are going to talk about girly things, I want a guy, human or God to join us so I can have man-time!" Blast shouted.
You have me
Blast opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it. Maria and Lily laughed as Maria stood up.
"Where are we going to now then?" Maria asked.
"Well Lily said there aren't any more Gods here on this continent, and Loki and Izanagi said that it's at peace. Where was your city again?" Blast asked as he got up.
"Up north and a bit and then to the east, I think. It's been a long time. I think we can go past it without visiting it. There's nothing good for me there now."
"Izanagi's army is to the west if I remember correctly, and further north than I thought a human could cope with." Lily said.
"So west or east?" Maria asked, walking towards Blast.
"I think the answer is simple." Blast said. "We'll go to where the trouble lies." Blast unsheathed Akaka, and extended it forwards towards Maria.
Maria then unsheathed Raiju from her scabbard, the yellow blade almost turning golden in the sunlight, and placed it on top of Akaka, Lily also came forwards. Materialising her Icicle Scythe, placing its white blade along both swords, creating a T like shape.
"To peace!"