Yipion - part 6

“It wasn’t a dream,” Yipion realized, waking up from the trance. A long gooey thread of saliva ran down from his lips into the floor.

Indeed it had been no dream, all those feelings. He found deep within his soul the thoughts and spirits of the voice. A voice he now knew was not what he had previously imagined, but more. Much more.

An image, a face came flashing to his mind. A man he had never before seen. Yet he knew him. He knew him like a brother. And then his face became a body, a soldier’s body. Yipion felt himself being dragged around, yet he was still. He felt like his body was coming apart, like his very spirit was being pulled and stretched about. It was as if he was being moved, but he didn’t see any movement.

With a thump he fell on his knees in pain and confusion. A presence came about him, touched him. He saw nobody. His whole body shook, and he suddenly became aware of the Flux around him: all the tiny little rocks in the crevice, all the shy leaves who dared to live in darkness, they all had a second life in the Flux. Yipion had never seen it. Not like that. And suddenly he saw the man again, his whited-out image flashed into his mind and as if moving towards each other the image crashed into him, and the two men fell on their backs.

He was there, the man. Not a whited-out image, but in the flesh. There was Hamut, his long lost enemy.

The soldier was no more than a man at first glance, with his spear and shield, and lightly plated armour. But Yipion could see his aura, and what a fiery and majestic aura it was. A pulse, emanating from his body like a thousand lighting storms. How would he ever hope to conquer such a powerful enemy alone?

“So it is you,” Hamut calmly said. “It is you who bested my behemoths. How?” he asked in a soft tone.

“I am not what I am,” Yipion salivated heavily now. “And nor am I what I once was or what I could have been,” this last word made the prince’s body shake as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger. A raging energy came about Yipion, and a shock, almost a disbelief struck Hamut’s face.

“You, what are you?” Hamut readied the attack. “I know that aura, and it is not yours. Where is your spirit?” he jiggled his spear in a precise manner, and the metal itself seemed to melt, waving around as if attached by a string to the pole. “Show yourself, OH BROTHER!”

From his pocket Yipion produced a small blue stone. A symbol engraved in it, Hamut knew, was the seal of the occultist temple in Aintra. A blue light came pouring out of the stone to fill the crevice like smoke as Yipion burst out in daft laughter.

“Cheap tricks, hey, oh brother? I am but a simple hunter, though take me by no fool. Did you have nothing better to do with your life than curse me?”

Thunder sounded around them and Yipion was at Hamut’s throat in an instant. With a flick of his wrist, the enemy’s blood poured violently on him. As Yipion released the slit throat, Hamut’s body turned into five snakes which jumped up on the prince, constricting him into paralysis.

“Once again, brother, you take me for a fool,” Hamut fell from above, and if not for a quick teleport spell, Yipion’s head would have been smashed like a melon.

Without even realizing what had happened, Yipion saw once again Hamut’s spearhead at his face. He had but a split second to react, and with the snakes still wrapped up around him, all he could do was duck. With fire he burned the snakes and then made himself invisible.

“You know, brother, I may not control the Flux, but if only your heart beats, I will find you,” and as Yipion quickly held his breath, Hamut struck with his shield and hit the prince, breaking his guard. A kick in the jaw brought him down, and he barely rolled to avoid a downward thrust of Hamut’s spear.

The blue stone struck out with lightning bolts, and the rock from the ground rose up. A symbol formed in the air amidst the blue smoke. From it slowly emerged an arm, slim and long. Then another, then a chest, and legs, then a whole body. It was a strange creature, almost humanoid, but with horns and spikes. His features were serene, friendly almost.

“Really, brother? Is your hatred so deep that you felt the pressing need to summon him?”