Tree of Life

Book II Chapter 16

TREE OF LIFE BOOK II

CHAPTER 16

A/N: The video on the side there is just to give a little indication of what Julian's really up against. Thanks! ^.^

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“This is your last chance, Julian. Stand down or…”

Julian charged him.

Brian sped off for the side of the arena, getting out of harm’s way.

Julian went to follow but the choppers cut in and stopped between them.

Brian screamed into the phone as he continued running. “Fire at will!”

The choppers let loose.

Streams of bullets zipped out toward Julian, fired off from the helicopters’ forward mounted chain guns in short, controlled bursts, at 300 rounds a minute.

Julian darted off to the side. The first shots missed him. The bullets and tracers ripped up the terrain by his feet, scorching the ground.

Julian whipped around. He approached one chopper from the side. Circling, the second chopper covered the way in. It fired off rounds at Julian. Julian retreated again.

Julian tried to come at this second one from the side but the first one covered for him, just as before.

The two choppers retreated a ways and fired on Julian together. He dashed off to the side and they missed.

Julian shook his head. This was going nowhere. He was fast and could dodge the bullets easily enough, but the way the aircrafts were covering for each other, he couldn’t even get close.

Julian put on a burst of speed and pulled back out of range.

At Brian’s signal, the choppers stayed put for a minute and didn’t pursue.

“Give it up, Julian!” Brian shouted at him.

Julian stood for a minute. He planted his feet. As the golden aura around him brightened, he gestured with his hands over the ground as before with the other soldiers.

Brian’s eyes squinted together. “Get ready!” He bellowed into the phone.

Julian snapped his hand at the choppers.

Roots shot out of the earth and attacked.

The choppers opened fire on the roots and shot the first set to pieces. The choppers pulled higher into the sky.

Julian tried again from a different angle but it was the same. Before the roots could get anywhere near them, the bullets from the choppers had already torn into them, shredding them up into wood chips.

Julian breathed out and let his arms fall to his sides. The roots stopped.

“It’s no use, Julian,” Brian shouted from where he was. “What do you say?”

Julian gave no answer. Taking a deep breath in, he closed his eyes.

“Willibald.” Nicole turned to the old man by her side. “What do we do?”

Willibald shook his head. “We cannot help him now. We can only pray that the master has been right about Julian and his abilities.”

She furrowed her brows. “Abilities? What abilities?”

He sighed. “The power of Life, the Tree…the power over the animate, at its most fundamental, is only a power for healing. It is the power to restore, to repair. It was never meant to be useful in battle…”