As Bernar returned his gaze toward the portal, he saw a whole legion of Thran exiting the portal in droves, gathering just behind the still-subdued dericoed, with many more likely on the way. "You can have your little dericoed friends back. After all, they've already served their purpose in being the channel for us to arrive," the man said, tightly gripping the back of one of their necks and hucking it in Ryfon's direction with a wolfish grin.
As if catching a precious artifact, Ryfon caught the titanic creature with a few tendrils of mana, gently placing it on the floor behind him. The other two were thrown in quick succession, and just as before, Ryfon gingerly took hold of them, but was nearly caught off guard by the large man's spear appearing just behind them.
"Move!" Ryfon commanded as he steeled himself to block the attack, prompting Bernar and Taegin to dash out of the way and begin moving toward the Thran. Ryfon caught the spear between the palms of his hands, sending a shockwave rippling through the massive trees once more. "Not bad for an old wyrm," the large man said with a curled eyebrow. Ryfon's eyes reduced to slits as he knocked the spear upward and kicked the large man in the stomach, sending him crashing through the edges of a few trees.
Take care of the others. I'll deal with this one, Ryfon sent the others. Don't have to tell me twice, it's been a long time since I've had this many creatures to kill, Bernar said with a mixture of excitement and ravenous hunger. More like a few weeks, Bernar, Taegin corrected with a slight grin of his own.
As soon as the two were clear of the area, Ryfon dashed toward his target, trusting the two with him to take care of the legion without so much as a second glance. He found the large, pale man already recovered and dusting himself off from a few woodchips as he cracked his neck nearly fifty meters from his new position.
"Ah, Ryfon. I really hope that wasn't your best hit, because if it was, this will not end well for you," the man said, getting into a fighting stance once again. "I have questions that need answering, Halsek. It wouldn't serve me well to kill you before then, would it?" Ryfon shrugged, prompting Halsek to click his tongue. "Are you really going to fight me without a weapon? You're at a disadvan-..." Halsek trailed off as Ryfon's knee instantly slammed into his nose.
Halsek did his best to recover for the next flurry of blows that came for him, rolling backwards then dashing forward in a fit of rage. He thrust the spear, aiming for Ryfon's core, but with a quick sidestep and a push from the back of his forearm, Ryfon managed to deflect the strike, leaving the remaining force of the blow to flow outward behind him.
He might be younger than I am, but there is no denying the strength of his attacks, Ryfon thought, feeling the mana in the uprooted grass, bushes, and smaller trees grow increasingly distant.
Halsek gritted his teeth in frustration, sending another series of attacks aimed for Ryfon's stomach, legs, shoulders, and head in rapid succession, forcing his opponent to block, dodge, or deflect accordingly. "You fight well for one so young, but tell me: What did The Scourge promise you?" Ryfon asked, infusing his voice with an impressive amount of mana.
"Hah, neither the Voice nor the Words will work on me anymore, old wyrm, but I'm glad to see my master wasn't lying about having found a way to get rid of your control over us," Halsek scoffed pridefully, leaping into the air and driving the tip of his spear directly toward Ryfon's forehead. Moving his head just a little to the side, he grabbed the haft and immediately spun to pull Halsek and slam him into the ground.
As he moved in for a heavy punch, Halsek rolled out of the way of the crater Ryfon left where his head had just been. Pushing off the base of his spear, he tried to use both legs to kick Ryfon squarely in the chest, but the shrewd dragon gave a spinning kick, hitting the base of the spear Halsek used as his support. As he fell to the ground, Ryfon caught him with a series of hard-hitting kicks and punches to keep him off the ground.
I haven't been able to land a single strike on him, and I can feel my ribs cracking with each punch. If this keeps up, he's going to kill me. But how? How is he still so strong? It's been over a thousand years since he last fought, and yet he's completely overpowering me. Was my master wrong? Halsek thought, doing his best to keep what little defenses he could.
"Who do you think taught your master?" Ryfon asked, having heard the thoughts Halsek had hoped would stay private.
Wha-...? Halsek's realization was cut short as Ryfon gave him a swift kick that sent him barrelling into a score of trees, landing flatly against one of them, and spilling blood from the corners of his mouth. As he gasped for air with a cough, he felt a gentle shift in the mana, only to find Ryfon standing before him with a pitiful look on his face.
"D-Don't give me that look," Halsek groaned, his eyes glowing a little less brightly than before. "I suppose it's not without good reason you're a duke, but why haven't you killed me yet? Are you here to gloat at your pupil's long-lost student, or are you simply not satisfied that I survived that?" Halsek asked, spitting a wad of dark blood from his mouth.
The forest around them grew eerily quiet, save for the distant sounds of dying Thran at the hands of Bernar and Taegin.
Ryfon didn't immediately say anything, but squatted down to be eye level with him as he was slumped against the tree. "I still have questions for you, but I'm more saddened by the fact that you've been driven so deeply into the delusion that you could've beaten me, Halsek," Ryfon shook his head with visible frustration.
"That's it? After all these years, that's all you have to say?" Halsek asked with a hint of venom in his tone. "No offer to bring me home, no proverbial olive branch, no redemption? I'm flattered, really," Halsek chuckled weakly at the ridiculousness of the situation.
"Why did he send you? Tell me what he offered you, and depending on your answer, I may spare your life, though I will utterly annihilate the others you've brought with you," Ryfon replied coldly with a furrowed brow and a glare as cold as stone.
"There he is. Oh, how I've missed that disdainful, disapproving look of yours. It seems I've already answered one of your questions, but like the other dukes, you're too blind to see it for yourself," Halsek began through a weakened cough. "The only things he offered me were freedom from the Voice and Words, but someone in your position could never understand what that's like," he said, lazily wiping away a streak of blood.
Ryfon cast his eyes downward, his hair falling in front of them to hide the sheer rage contained within them. "I'm sorry, Halsek," he began, lowering his voice to just above a whisper.