Wielder's Fate (48 page)

Traven focused and formed the largest bolt of lightning he possibly could.  He yanked it into existence and sent it slamming down on top of the galdak wielder.  It wasn’t as powerful as the galdak’s, but it was strong enough that the ground vibrated with its impact.  He then tried to tear apart his opponent’s shield.  A few slight tears opened in the shield, but they were immediately closed back up.

The attack hadn’t necessarily been successful, but it did serve to give him hope.  If he had been able to tear small holes in the galdak’s shield, it would only be a matter of time until he could tear larger ones and eventually rip the entire shield to shreds.  His large lightning bolt also sent a reminder to the ancient wielder that even though Traven wasn’t as strong as he was, he was still powerful.

The galdak wielder must not have appreciated the two attacks.  Almost immediately, six ferocious bolts of lightning came crashing down on his six remaining shields.  The lightning was powerful enough that it shattered the shield farthest from him.  The lightning was followed by fireballs spraying outward from the galdak.  Traven held tight as his foe tried to tear apart three of his shields at once, including the one he stood behind.  All three sustained small tears, but he quickly solidified them.

A bright tongue of flame managed to slip inside his own shield before it was solid once again.  He disregarded it as it fell harmlessly to the ground and extinguished itself.  Sweat broke out on his forehead as he concentrated on holding all five of his remaining shields completely firm.  His strategy was working.  The multiple shields left his enemy constantly guessing where he might be.  However, he needed to direct the galdak’s attacks somewhere other than at himself.

Traven wrapped a column of flame around the ancient wielder and sent it swirling upwards into the night sky.  He commanded it to spin faster and faster as he increased its brightness and heat.  He didn’t expect it to be able to break through the galdak’s shield, but he hoped it would create a sufficient distraction.  As he began to feel the strain of maintaining the spinning inferno that was approaching the temperature of liquid fire, he collapsed the entire column in upon the wielder’s shield.  He then doused it immediately with water.

A blast of steam shot outwards from the galdak wielder with a loud hiss.  The old galdak’s shield had remained firm, but there were now fifteen invisible shields surrounding the ancient wielder in a large circle.  Traven had kept his shields in constant motion since he had first created multiple ones and was now close to being directly behind his opponent.  He felt more invisible with the galdak wielder’s back to him, but he knew the wielder was aware of exactly where all fifteen shields were located.

Traven smiled as three of his shields separated from the large, moving circle and began streaking in a direct line towards the galdak wielder.  The three shields were immediately attacked by lightning and fire.  They all dissolved well before they reached anywhere near the wielder.  As Traven had hoped, the old wielder had focused on the shields that appeared to pose the largest threat to him.

He concentrated as he sent three more of his shields racing towards the wielder from opposite directions.  The galdak once again struck at the three shields, but this time Traven was careful to keep one of the shields completely intact as the other two shattered and disappeared.  The galdak wielder increased the ferocity of his attack on the remaining shield that had slowed to almost a stop but was still inching its way towards him.

It took all of Traven’s strength and concentration to keep the shield firm under the barrage of attacks that were sent against it.  He maintained the remaining nine shields in a wide circle around the wielder but stopped their movement as he focused on the one shield inching ever closer to the galdak.  The old wielder took it as a sign that he had finally located Traven.

The galdak continued raining down thunderous bolts of lightning on the shield.  He tried to tear it to pieces several times, but Traven was able to quickly repair any cracks or holes that appeared in it.  Sweat began dripping from him as he pushed himself to his limit in order to maintain the shield.  He wanted to keep the galdak attacking the decoy shield as long as he possibly could.  The wielder was no doubt using up his reserves of strength with the continual, ferocious attacks.

As the shield closed to within several arm spans of the powerful wielder, the ancient galdak appeared to become more desperate in his attacks.  His bolts somehow became more powerful and began striking directly from the galdak instead of from the sky.  Each bolt knocked the shield backward away from its target.  There were then several strong attempts to shred the shield.  Each attempt was immediately followed by a blast of fire.

Traven quickly repaired the tears after each attempt while frowning at the thought of what would be happening to him if he really were hidden in the decoy shield.  Each blast of fire had managed to penetrate the shield to some degree.  He was sure he would have suffered numerous burns.  He wiped the perspiration from his forehead with the back of his sleeve as he refocused on moving the shield towards the galdak.

The ancient wielder immediately took another magnificent mental swipe at the shield as a monstrous bolt of lightning came crashing down on the shield from above.  Traven released his hold on the shield and let it shatter in a deafening boom as the lightning struck what was left of it and slammed into the ground.  Dirt flew through the air, bouncing harmlessly off the galdak’s shield.  Traven took several deep breaths as he returned his concentration to maintaining the strength of his own shield.

The galdak wielder stared intently at the gaping hole in front of him where the bolt had struck.  He then looked up at the black canopy above and let out a blood curdling scream.  The gnarled galdak then sent a withering glare all around him as he breathed heavily.

Traven smiled broadly from the safety of his hidden position.  His strategy was beginning to pay off.  The galdak wielder was frustrated and growing tired.  The ferocity of his recent attacks against the shield he believed to have held his enemy had no doubt used up much of his strength.  Traven stayed alert, but didn’t attempt to do anything else at the moment.  He was content to allow the armband of endurance to replenish his strength while he waited for the ancient wielder’s next move.

The galdak glanced between the city of Kavar and his own camp.  He then shook his head and grew very still.  Traven watched the motionless wielder for several moments.  He wasn’t sure what the galdak was up to, but he didn’t want to give him an opportunity to rest.  His best chance to win the duel was to continually force the ancient galdak to use his power.

Traven began striking at his foe’s shield once again.  He used lightning, fireballs, and spears of ice.  Every so often he would take a mental swipe at the galdak’s shield.  Several times he was able to tear small holes in it, but they were always immediately repaired.  He expected some type of counterattack, but it never came.  The galdak wielder appeared content to defend himself for the time being.

Traven wondered if the ancient creature had figured out what he was trying to do and was employing the same strategy.  What the galdak didn’t know was that Traven, with the help of the armband of endurance, could continue attacking at his current rate of intensity for hours without tiring.  Lightning, fire, and ice kept flashing in succession through the night sky, repeatedly slamming into the galdak wielder’s shield.

Every so often, Traven would create a more powerful blast or take a stronger swipe at his opponent’s shield.  As the night wore on, the attacks became somewhat monotonous.  He began to wonder if his continual attacks were having the desired effect or if he needed to change his tactics.  Then, after what seemed like half the night, he began to notice that his mental swipes at the galdak’s shield were beginning to tear larger and larger holes in it.

He tried to control the excitement he felt.  For all he knew, the ancient wielder was merely trying to trick him into thinking he was tiring.  He decided there was one way to find out.  Traven focused and tore at the creature’s shield as hard as he could.  Simultaneously, he sent a large fireball slamming into it.  The galdak wielder wasn’t quick enough in closing several of the large tears and flames burst inside the shield.  The flames were immediately extinguished, but Traven had been able to finally penetrate the galdak’s defenses.

He couldn’t help but feel an increased sense of excitement and relief.  The ancient wielder was beginning to tire.  His foe appeared to recognize his growing vulnerability as well.  Instead of remaining motionless, the gnarled wielder began walking slowly in the direction of the galdak camp.

Traven watched with surprise as his opponent grew closer to him.  The galdak no longer appeared concerned as to where his enemy was hiding.  Was it possible he was really retreating or was it some kind of trick?  Regardless of the galdak’s motives, Traven realized he needed to act quickly.  If he did nothing, the old wielder might shuffle all the way back to his army of hundreds of thousands of galdaks.  Once there, he could rest and prepare for another duel.

Tonight’s opportunity would be wasted if the wielder escaped.  Traven knew the current duel was his best chance for a victory.  Everything had worked out perfectly to level out the playing field between himself and the powerful wielder.  The galdak had already been fighting and using his energy when Traven had arrived.  He had obviously been unprepared for the appearance of another wielder, and Traven’s new found endurance in the ambience had no doubt surprised him.

Despite the armband of endurance, Traven was beginning to feel tired.  He was sure the ancient galdak was tired as well.  No one could have used as much power as the galdak had already without beginning to be drained.  Unless the ancient wielder had some special stone that nobody knew about, he could not continue to fight using the ambience much longer.

Traven quickly made up his mind of how to proceed and braced himself for the outcome.  He took a deep breath and prepared to act.  It was possible that the galdak had more strength left than he thought, but he couldn’t let the current opportunity pass.  He would never have the element of surprise again.  If the galdak wielder left the battlefield alive, he would return stronger and better prepared.  Traven needed to take the risk now.

The faces of those he loved and cared for most flitted across his mind: his grandparents, Blaize, Darian, Giselle, and finally, Kalista.  He was willing to risk it all for their safety.  As Kalista’s deep blue eyes faded from his memory, he cleared his mind of all distractions and acted.

The ancient galdak wielder was now only an arm span away from him.  The gnarled and wrinkled monster, decorated with precious stones and skulls, jumped with surprise as his foe suddenly appeared directly in front of him.  Traven immediately sent an immense lightning bolt searing through the air directly at his opponent’s surprised face.  The galdak’s shield remained firm, but he was knocked backward several spans.  The ancient wielder ricocheted off the side of his shield and tumbled to the ground.

Before he had time to rise, Traven sent several more bolts in quick succession and took a mighty swipe at his opponent’s shield.  Several tears opened in the shield just as Traven followed with a raging fireball.  It exploded against the shield, splashing flames inside.  The galdak wielder had regained his footing, and threw up his bony arms to shield his face from the flames.  His cloak caught fire but was snuffed out quickly.  Traven sent another large fireball at his opponent, but the shield was completely solid once again.

The galdak wielder leveled a withering glare full of hate at him.  A thunderous bolt of lightning came crashing down on Traven’s shield.  Before its light had disappeared, another powerful bolt struck directly from in front, knocking his shield back.  Traven leaped backward quickly and maintained a firm hold on his shield.

The ancient wielder began taking massive swipes at the protective barrier.  Each swipe seemed to open another small tear in his shield, but Traven managed to quickly repair the gaps.  The galdak wielder had more strength left than he had expected.  He was surprised by the galdak’s furor and tenacity, but also hopeful.  The furious and rapid barrage of attacks from the ancient wielder reminded him of a wild animal that had been cornered and was fighting for its life.

Suddenly, a gap opened in the top of his shield just as a lightning bolt came slamming down on him.  He quickly repaired the tear.  Most of the bolt was repelled, but a thin line of blindingly bright light arced inside the shield and slammed into the ground.  Traven bit back a scream as he felt a stinging pain on the back of his left arm.  The smell of smoke and burnt flesh assaulted his nostrils.  With his ears still ringing, he concentrated harder on maintaining the solidity of his shield.

He needed to end the fight before the galdak wielder got lucky again.  As he focused all his mental energy on keeping his shield firm, he began walking slowly towards his attacker.  Traven had an idea that he hoped would surprise his enemy and allow him to end the fight.  The galdak blasted his shield with lightning several times, stopping his progress momentarily.  However, the wielder didn’t manage to rip any more holes in his shield.  After each blast, Traven began forward once again at a quicker pace.

The galdak wielder’s attempts to shred his shield became noticeably weaker.  His opponent was tiring.  The attack would be incredibly risky, but the result would be worth it.  Traven’s breathing quickened as his heart began racing even faster.  This was it.  The time to strike was now.

Immediately following the impact of another lightning bolt, Traven took two running steps and launched himself forward, directly at the gnarled galdak wielder.  As he flew through the air, he simultaneously dropped his own shield and threw all of his strength into ripping apart the shield of his opponent.  The shield began to give way just as he reached it.  His momentum carried his body forward, crashing through the shredded shield.  His sword leapt to his hand and flashed out in front of him as he slammed into the ancient galdak and fell to the ground.