The Rainlands: Grand Delusion

Chapter 39: What Are You Doing?

"Levi be careful!" Illios yelled, tumbling forward into a summersault which seemed unnaturally graceful for a man of his size. Mist threw herself sideways to evade a massive gnarled tree branch which fell from the sky like the arm of a god.

Whump

Levi stared around wildly. He didn't know what to do, everything was attacking, all at once. It was too much. Are they behind me? In front? What's going on! It felt like the whole forest had come alive, and the very grass beneath their feet began to shiver wildly, great swathes of it dancing and twisting, trying to tangle their feet up.

Thump!

Levi staggered back. Ringing filled his ears. Then pain erupted on his side. He barely saw the culprit. Just brown bark, a thick tree limb. It really is the forest! But how the hell are we supposed to fight a forest! In front of him, Mist was shouting at him, but he couldn't hear over the ringing in his ears. Everything hurt, but he saw the ground explode next to him. Saw the serpentine root thicker than his own body rip itself out of the loam and throw itself at him. Gotta dodge! He ignored the pain. Let the blood and adrenaline in his head take hold and rolled as Illios had. Stumbled as the edge of the root just barely shot by and grazed his boot. Even the slightest touch had bruised his ankle.

"What did you learn!" Mist's voice seemed very far away. Faint...ever so faint. "Levi! Stop dreaming! You must start fighting!" Her screams grew louder, but not nearly so loud as the explosions when more trees uprooted themselves and unleashed their branches upon the world. Illios was staring at him. Levi could see him, even if he couldn't hear Mist's voice. The man held his spear casually in one hand, and he mouthed the words to him. Every time Levi looked up, Illios was there. He couldn't make out the words on his lips until...

Run.

Run?

We can't fight the whole forest. He's right. We need to run. But not like this. We'll be torn to shreds like this. It's just like my dream. Yes...in order to survive I...

Levi's head cleared. The annoying ringing in his ears faded as if it was sucked away and the sound of the world returned. He could hear the tree branches whistling as they shot around seeking to bury themselves in his flesh. Heard the thumps as the roots slammed themselves back into the dirt from whence they had came, trying to smush him into paste. And he finally heard Mist's screaming clearly.

"Fight Levi! Run Levi!"

"I AM!" He roared back in reply, raising his sword in his right hand. Lightning crackled upon its length as he swung it at an incoming tree branch. The blade intercepted the terrible missile and sheered into it, smoke filled the air as chips of wood sprayed out and a different kind of scream pierced the evening.

"Good gods! That's hideous!" Illios shouted. Levi grimaced as he yanked his sword out of the tree branch which had dropped to the ground, writhing as blackened flames sprouted from the burning wound. He took a step forward. Swung again, slicing through flailing roots nearly as large as his arms. This time it was not screams, but more wailing which came forth. Levi hardened his heart, it was ridiculous to feel anything in this strange battle, but the sounds were not that of unliving creatures. Some part of him understood- This beast...plant...animal...creature, it has been given the ability to understand pain by the Shatterstorm. However, it is between me and Jasmine, so it must yield!