Strena Animéga Part Ten

 Ittan-Mornan’s Plea

They had travelled a long and great distance and they knew that they were getting close now. Yet, fortunately, nothing happened until dusk came.

Yet, when it became dusk, they all saw a strip of cloth in the air. It floated and moved to and fro in the air like a ghostly flag. One that canned closer and closer. Yet this closer and closer and faster and faster. One dived at Strena and she dived out of the way. She pulled out her blades. Then another dived at her. She went to slash it but it weaved out of the way then moved behind her. She spun and flicked out the blades and it rose up. It moved down to wrap itself around her. Yet she swung her blade to where it was going to go. It moved back and came up beneath her. She dived back out of the way. She flicked them down rapidly, one after the other and she was about to cut it, but it moved back and another mover to her blades.

She pulled it back as one slithered to her. It went to wrap itself around her hands. When she flicked her blades at it as the other wrapped around her abdomen like a snake. She knew that she had to get that one off her but the other went to her arm. She went to dive back but she was held in place. She had to cut the one that came to her and had to drive her blade to the centre of the cloth. Yet it took this moment to wrap itself around her hands and arms. She then went to cut the cloth off but another wrapped itself around that arm.

Yet as she looked around her to see that the rest had their own groups of these strange cloths. Yet she was tempted to watch but then she felt the cloth around her become tighter and tighter. She closed her eyes and willed all of them to be set on fire.

They quickly flung off her and hit the ground. Then one made their way to her. She spun and dived back and flicked her blades out and went to strike it but it went to whip her. She dived out of the way then one hit her side. She rolled as she felt another hit her in the side as she rolled and rolled. Then she was able to stop and crouched up only to be hit in front of her, right into her face. She hit the ground only to feel a rock hit the back of her head as she saw one to the side of her head. She rolled to the side. Then she was stuck at the other end. She rolled to the other end. She went to get back up only to be hit in the back of her head. She flung forward. Then she felt one strike her back then her side. She then curled up as one after the other struck her again and again and again at all sides.

She closed her eyes as she willed the blades to move her to the side and wave in the air and she was able to strike the cloth. This caused them to be drawn back. She opened her eyes to see that it had worked!

So, this is what magic is capable of. She thought as she moved the blades at one, which caused it to be drawn back. Then she looked around the landscape for a vantage point but it was far too flat.

Fine, if there is no vantage point then I will have to make one. She thought, pushing the ground behind her. She saw one coming from above her head. She willed the one above her cut it and stabbed it. Then one struck her. She then was struck again and again and again. Even though she felt the pain, she knew that she had to get used to the pain. Then once she was used to it and focused upon the rhythm and when one pulled back she struck her blades out in a cross strike. It moved back. She then saw the shadow beside her. She ducked and struck up and heard the scream along with the tare. She smiled. Then she saw one coming at her. She went to strike it.

“Stop! All of you, stop.”

Then all the cloths stopped but they were not unscathed.

“You have passed out test. Which is surprising. Especially you girl-child.”

“What?”

“You were only testing us?”

“What kind of test was that?!”

“One to determine whether or not you were good at fighting.”

Strena nodded as she looked up.

“What were you testing us for?”

“To see if you are the ones that could avenge us.”

“On whom?”

“Dark Lord Gajellidor Darcrogh and Dark Lady Grasharlo and Kitsuné Ryu. They attacked us last winter and killed many of our kin. None of us stood a chance. Yet it did not end there, Dark Lady Grasharlo was able to collect their souls and used their cloth bodies to kill a tyrannical Lord by the name of Kurochi Yamishi.” 

Strena let her face darken and jaw clench.

“Why?”

“To use his power and the power of my kin to cast a spell. We do not know what it is but it takes two whole years to cast.”

She nodded. 

“And why were you testing us? We could have been anybody and why do you think that we will avenge you for that?”

“Because I know that you want to find out what the spell is.”

“Alright, well we were already doing that anyway, so why not?”

So they walked away from them and onto the next place.