The Banthra drew a dark blade that was strapped to the side of his steed’s saddle and met the cavalier’s charge. Both animals came together hard, their strong bodies pounding into each other again, trying to position their riders in an advantageous position. The warriors’ blades came together again and again as they both fought for an opening in the other's defenses.
Jonas’s opening came when Tulari used his incredible strength and agility to counter the demon horse’s attack. The steed lunged forward with its thick armored head but Tulari pivoted to the side and bashed the demon horse on the side of the neck, causing it to stumble. The Banthra was forced to grab the horse’s mane with its free hand to keep from falling from the saddle.
Jonas capitalized on the distraction, swinging his left sword down in a powerful strike, completely cutting off the demon’s sword arm. He followed up the attack by lunging forward with his right sword, piercing the Banthra’s armor and spearing the black knight through the chest. The demon horse leaped backwards, ripping Jonas’s sword from his grip.
The Banthra screamed shrilly and brought its only hand down to the handle of the weapon that was buried to the hilt in its chest. The sword sizzled deep in the demon’s chest as it seared the howling Banthra. The demon’s hand also burned as it grasped the hilt of the blessed weapon, trying to yank it clear. Gray smoke drifted from the burning wounds bringing forth a horrid stench, like rotting flesh baking over a fire.
Jonas, remembering what had happened to his town, to his mother, to Gorum, the baker, brought forth all his anger and called on his God Fire. He felt the energy course through his body, his hand bright with a bluish glow. Jonas centered his hatred on the Banthra and sent the magical energy towards the screaming black knight. The blue flames burst forth with such power that they completely covered the demon and its horse. Jonas gritted his teeth and ignored his pounding head as he channeled more energy into the Banthra. He was close to losing consciousness by the time the blue flames consumed the demon, leaving nothing but a pile of ash with his unscathed saber lying perfectly in the middle.
Taleen was not faring as well. The spider scurried forward quickly trying to destroy the downed cavalier. She retreated, using her sword to maintain a defensive wall against the spider’s vicious attack. The spider, using its many legs like sharp spear points, attacked her with quick precision.
She frantically called on Helikon and brought forth her God Light, concentrating on making it brighter, hoping to blind the creature. She glowed so brightly that the spider could not penetrate the light. The creature backed up slightly, dropping its ugly head to shield itself from the burning magic.
Taleen used this brief reprieve to strike the spider across the head with her blade, the razor sharp edge slicing through one of the creature’s eyes. But the spider was quicker than anything Taleen had previously encountered. Two legs, like spears, blindly shot out, one deflecting off her breast plate, but the other managed to pierce the plate that protected her thigh, shattering her knee cap. Taleen stumbled to the ground as the spider leaped on top of her, eager to destroy the woman and the searing light.
Jonas, hearing Taleen’s scream, brought himself from his tired daze and jerked his attention from the charred remains of the Banthra just in time to see a bolt of red flame strike him cleanly in the chest. He flew off his horse and landed hard on his back. The flames had burned his exposed skin but his magical armor had protected most of his body. He struggled to stand and saw the second priest riding towards him, his magical lance angling toward the ground, the tip again glowing red.
Jonas’s head still pounded, and his body felt like it weighed three times its weight, but he didn’t have the time to fight this enemy sword to sword and he didn’t know what kind of trouble Taleen was in. So, again, he called upon Shyann to help him in pushing aside the pain and giving him the strength to use his powers. He felt renewed energy infuse his mind and body as he used his cognivant powers to lift the saber from the ground and send it flying towards the priest. The sword struck