Noble Arcana

Solomon gathered all of the blood that had spilled out of his coat as well as all of it that had splattered across the ground from the explosion, forming it into a half dozen spheres as he brought himself to his feet. He wondered how many of his homunculi that hit had cost him. If he was lucky it was just one, but given the force of the throw and how many things he’d hit, he couldn’t be sure.

The Lord of the Black Wood’s skin glittered with the shards of null-mana metal that had exploded across him and he tore at his own flesh in an attempt to remove them for a few moments before turning his attention back to Solomon. He raised a hand and Solomon began to run, thinking it was going to be a swipe. Instead, the shadows of the trees around him sharpened and extended off the ground and in his direction.

Solomon put one of the spheres of blood in the way of them, hardening it. The shadows struck it like spheres and stopped. He softened the blood back to liquid and sent spears of his own at the spirit. Several were unable to penetrate his thick hide and several dissolved back to liquid as they hit the null-mana metal, but a few struck true and buried deep in his hide.

Solomon kept moving, headed for more of the cover the ruins could provide. More shadows shot toward him and he blocked them with blood again, but they were simply cover for vine-like shadows to attempt to wrap around his legs, tripping him.

The Lord attacked him while he was down, lunging in his direction, but he solidified all of the blood together and slammed it into the monster like a hammer, knocking him to the side. He then used his free hand to cast light with all of the mana he could pour into the spell.

The blinding white light spread all around him, and the spirit howled as it blinded him. The shadow vines that bound Solomon’s legs vanished in the stunning light and he pushed himself back to his feet.

The lord swiped at him directly with his massive clawed hand, but missed, still blinded by the light spell. Solomon gathered his blood back and formed all of it into a mass of sharpened stakes all around him, flinging all of them at the creature.

It gripped a tree and pulled itself out of the range of the hit at the last minute, roaring as it whipped its body around and struck him.

Solomon was thrown into the air by the hit, but it seemed he had some homunculi left because he felt no pain as he tumbled through thick tree branches before landing without grace back on the ground. He didn’t bother to push himself back up, simply focusing on finding the spirit so that he could send forward his next attack. He raised the blood that was now behind the creature and had it shoot forward from behind it, slamming into its back. There wasn’t any of the null-metal in its back so the majority of the sharpened blood stakes struck true, causing the beast to roar in pain again.

He used that moment to push himself back to his feet and run for cover again. He was hurting it, but he had no idea how close he was to winning or losing. The null-metal seemed to be doing the majority of the damage, or at least weakening it enough that it could be damaged, but it wasn’t as if the beast bled or acted like a creature of flesh and blood might. On the other hand he had no idea how close to death he was. He was certain that he’d taken at least two fatal blows, but he’d never tested how much that kind of damage affected his homunculi. For all he knew, he had none left.

He reached into his jacket and began throwing more of his blood vials in the spirits direction as he ran, making them explode in glass and sharpened sanguine shards as he headed for cover, adding them to the mass of mana infused blood he already had in play.

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The monster gathered more shadows, forming them into snakes, rats, squirrels, wolves, and bears that it sent toward him as it started to move to cut him off.

He raised his hand to cast another light spell, deciding he’d rather face the shadow beasts rather than the spirit itself. As he completed the cast the wolves ducked behind the shade of the ruins, emerging as the spell finished and leaping at him with their maws open wide to tear chunks from him.

He threw coins from his coat with one hand while he began to gather his blood together again with the other one.

“Discus!”

The golden coins burned through the shadow wolves as they attempted to pounce. One of them made it through, slamming its teeth down on his leg. Luckily, he didn’t feel it, and he was able to dissolve it with another light spell, along with several lunging snakes. He looked around to see if any others were left, but there was only the Lord of the Black Wood, slashing at him with one of his claws.

This time he managed to throw himself backward, narrowly avoiding the strike, his coat torn by the closeness of the monster’s claws to his flesh. He reached into an interior pocket, pulling out a handful of silver coins that he imbued with mana, feeling intense heat start to radiate off of them. He threw them desperately before the god could attempt another strike.

“Discus!”

The god managed to raise one of its claws before the silver coins could strike him to block the blow, but deep gouges appeared where they’d hit.

Solomon ran back toward the ruins, throwing the last of his blood vials and making them explode as he gathered all of the blood he’d spilled across the battlefield.

He slung the blunderbuss off his back and gripped it with both hands. His head was pounding and his body screaming in protest as he forced himself to move as quickly as he could.

The dark god charged at him, too enraged to avoid his attacks, its abyss-like eyes now filled with hot white flames. It crashed through multiple ruined walls, sending the bricks flying everywhere. Solomon was grateful he’d managed to move them away from Felicity.

As the creature closed in Solomon brought together all of the blood he’d spilled so far, forming it into six massive spears and having them all coalesce at that moment.

The Lord of the Black Wood leapt at him, and at that moment all six spears pierced through him. They slammed him into the ground, pinning him down.

Solomon spun around, raising the blunderbuss and aiming it. One good shot, that’s what he needed.

He went to squeeze the trigger, when suddenly one of the brides was in front of him. Her gown of mist had faded away from her revealing the face of a young woman. He hesitated.

The Lord of the Black wood broke through the spears that had pinned him and lunged toward Solomon, his claw extending like a spear. It pierced the mist that made up the bride and struck him, launching him back, but not impaling him. He skipped like a stone across the ground before hitting one of the last walls remaining in the ruin.

The Lord of the Black Wood charged toward him, all of his brides suddenly appearing at the edge of their battle, as if to witness the decisive blow.

Solomon considered and dismissed a light spell, gust, discus, and spark as not having enough to stop the charge. His blood wouldn’t reach him in time to protect him.

The god roared as it closed in, its mouth wide open, showing the abyss within it.

Solomon grasped a mirror shard in his pocket, summoning the monstrous illusion of himself directly over where he had collapsed.

The god began to hesitate in its charge, surprised by the sudden appearance of the massive horned creature in front of it. Before it could fully stop, Solomon popped out of the illusion and squeezed the trigger of his blunderbuss.

Flame and jagged metal spat from the end of the gun like a dragon’s mouth. The force of the blow sent the god flying backward, null-metal embedding itself all across its body. It shrieked in terror and pain and began to writhe on the ground. Shadows began to bleed from it in clouds like smoke. It cried as the smoke left its body before settling in an awful collection above it. The Lord of the Black Wood gave a final terrible roar, and then the body was still.

Solomon stood up brushing the dust from himself as he walked toward the body. He could see the glint of null-metal across its body and the cloud above it gave him an impression of malicious evil. He raised a hand and cast gust dissipating it with a gesture.

He took a deep breath and let it out.

“As I told you. I am the only lord here.”