Face Off

Reinhardt spent the next few days following the turmoil in his body. The drive was something he'd never felt before. It drove him relentlessly through the forests of Duzee, over the nation's mountains, and towards the coast. Without a map or any devices to tell direction he needed to follow that felling, hoping it kept him pointed where he must go. Trust in this seventh sense was becoming easier with every step. As a test Reinhardt turned from his course and began walking in another direction. Almost instantly he began feeling anxious and within a few hundred feet his body began feeling debilitated, becoming weak and sickly.

The setting sun made Reinhardt think about stopping for the night. Within a few moments he decided against it and continued on the correct path once more. Every night the Icilean required less sleep than the previous one. At first it had begun as only a few minutes a night, but over the few months since the death of his family that became hours. If this pattern continued he guessed he would never need to sleep anymore, he just hoped it didn't come to that.

Finally stepping out of the forest he had been walking since leaving Briccio at the campfire, Reinhardt watched a group of birds fly by above him gracefully. A gentle breeze rolled over the tops of the grass, pushing them back and forth playfully. Every color stood out compared to the hushed colors of the forest. It felt strange to him the even after the death of every man the world would continue to turn, continue to be so beautiful. Everything around him still seemed perfect.

Even though the thought was calming it didn't calm the fire burning in his heart. Not sure if it was the hatred for the people who took Briccio, the people who took his family from him, or the insatiable desire to reach the coast. He was beginning to see that everything was linked to the elementalists and the chaos they created with their unique gifts. Every day the gifted abused their power and drove the weak down underneath them.

Watching a large dog bound out of the grass and into the trees Reinhardt slowed and lowered to the ground. Carefully advancing towards the tall grass he made sure to not make too much noise. With the wind blowing as hard as it was he doubted anyone could hear him but it was better to be safe. The prior night a brief scent of fire and cooked meat found its way to him so others being nearby was a possibility.

Hoping against the appearance or an enemy troop, Reinhardt reached the grass and waited for a strong breeze to rush over him. When the wind began moving the grass Reinhardt pushed into it, using the wind to disguise his movement. Poking his head above the grass he could see patches of grass moving awkwardly, as if fighting the wind. Checking in a few more spots he could see many spots where people were approaching, and Reinhardt knew he was surrounded.

Before anyone moved too close to him the Dragon's Tail sprang to life, spinning through the grass. In addition to picking fruit, the Dragon's Tail was designed to cut down grass and other vegetation, Reinhardt laughed to himself at the thought. As he released the lock, the blade shot back to his wrist, ready to deploy again if he needed it. Whatever was near him would have to come out of hiding and into the open.

A small ball of fire erupted from the grass, blazing past Reinhardt's body. It hadn't taken much effort to dodge the attack and that worried the Icilean. He turned in time to see a much larger ball of fire come flying towards him. The grass where the first ball of fire had landed ignited the grass, giving the fire shifter more flames to use.

Flames jumped from the fire as it spread around Reinhardt. Not able to advance from where he had cut the grass away, it roared around him in a perfect circle. The air was becoming thin and he knew it wouldn't be long before the heat and lack of oxygen would make him pass out. Not being given a choice Reinhardt released his own power into the fire, covering the flames with a dark haze. Only a few seconds later the fire completely extinguished, having had it's energy ripped away by the Icilean.

Burning embers fought for life but Reinhardt had successfully managed to pull the energy from the fire. Whatever elementalist was nearby would been very surprised about by the event. Grass crackled as the embers smoldered on the ground. No other sound could be heard around him, whoever had surrounded him remained silent for a long time.

“Who are you?!” A voice called out from in the distance. Reinhardt hadn't expected such a soft voice to be the first sound he'd hear. The fire had managed to burn more of the grass away before it had been extinguished, almost doubling the area Reinhardt managed to clear by himself. Unburden grass parted and soldiers began moving into the clearing, slowly.

Each of the men had a long spear at their side, and strangely they all wore clothes similar to those worn by Briccio. Assuming he had found the group mentioned before his friends death, he decided to lower his guard and take on a friendlier pose.

“My name is Reinhardt, I was asked by Briccio Donovan to search for the soldiers he was working with.” A silence fell over the group, they looked to be searching him for any signs that he was lying to them. When they raised their spears to him, Reinhardt thought that he might have found the wrong camp after all and began planning an escape just in case these were enemies.

“Where is Briccio?” At least they knew who he was.

“He's dead.” And the relief faded as the soldiers, in unison, jammed their spears into the ground. Reinhardt could feel their power flowing into the ground, and seconds large spikes rose out of the ground. There wouldn't be enough time for him to steal all of the spikes but he could grab a few of them. As the spikes approached he deflected the ones he wouldn't be able to dodge, and Jumped over the next few. Ready to attack again the group begin a second round of attacks.

Lashing out with the Dragon's Tail, he split most of the rocks easily. Like other elementalists he had met before some of these men were considerably weaker than the others. Each would be considered a shifter but there were many factors that determined a mans strength. Focusing on the weapons first would help his chances in the fight. After having watched a few different earth elementalists in battle he came to the conclusion that their weapons made their shifting easier, or possible. He was willing to bet that they wouldn't be able to fight as well without them. Going on the offensive, Reinhardt used the heavy cord of the Dragon's Tail to wrap around and pull their spears away from them. A few minutes and half a dozen disarmed shifters later he discovered he was correct about their abilities.

All of the men he had managed to disarm were unable to shift as well as they had been. Reinhardt could feel their power as it exited their bodies and entered the ground. The impact created from connecting their spears to the ground loosened the element enough to move it without much effort. Those without spears needed to use double the energy and a few more seconds extra to create a useful attack.

When only three were left he withdrew the Dragon's Tail and raised his hands defensively. “I didn't come here to fight!” Considering his word, the Ental soldiers held back for a few moments. When the strongest of them began pushing forward again the other two followed, encouraged by their leader. Getting his weapon ready Reinhardt considered what disarming this level of an elementalist would do to their ability to fight.

“Enough!” Nearby the grass parted and a small woman stepped into the field. Surprised by her size Reinhardt couldn't help but chuckle. Her eyes reflected how serious she was and he stopped laughing. Barely standing over five feet tall the Icilean made her look like a child. As small as she was Reinhardt couldn't deny how attractive she was. Her tan eyes reflecting playfully against the mid day light. Soft pink lips perfectly fit her face with their color unrestricted by her beautiful hair.

Looking him over thoroughly she nodded to the three remaining armed guards, telling them to back down. Even though she was small she demanded respect and Reinhardt could assumed that she received it, without question. The red sleeves of her tunic stood out in contrast to the black of the rest of the outfit. Reinhardt knew what she was without being told. Even though he knew some were here it still troubled him that a flame elementalist would travel this far from Fatir.

“I've never seen a weapon like that before but you wield it with confidence. I understand why Donovan wanted you too join with us.” She pointed curiously to his left arm. “How did you manage to put out the flames? I've never felt anything like that before.”

“It's a little trick I picked up over the years.” Deciding it would be best to stay vague about his 'ability', he dodged the question.

“Is this something others can do? No elementalist should be able to have their power stolen from them like that. It's never been done before. Are there others like you?” She was worried that the enemy had people like himself on their side. That would be a serious disadvantage for them. Elementalists relied heavily on their gifts, and if they are taken away a key factor to victory could be removed.

“No, I am the only one like me, at least that I know of.” The woman visibly relaxed a little before continuing.

“Why did Briccio send you to find us? How did he die?”

“This would be a better conversation to have with whoever is in charge.” Anger flashed through her eyes like lightning. She had a temper, Reinhardt could use that down the road.

“I will decide if you talk to anyone besides your gods Icilean! If I feel you are telling us the truth I will consider bringing you to the council.”

Deciding this was a game he could win, he let his face show how he felt inside. The lightning behind her eyes was swept away by fear as he used his size to intimidate her, which was easy to do. Speaking calmly and clearly he made sure she understood his intentions.

“I will not repeat myself. If I am going to tell this story it will be just the one time. You cannot threaten me with force. Your elementalists will fail in a fight against me and you cannot best me in armed combat. I wont kill your soldiers but you continue to this fight I will. Bring me to your council and do what I came to do.”

Nodding she turned around and began walking, never turning back.