A Guide to Kingdom Building

Adaloun charged towards the possessed Tristam once again, as he tried to cut his distance and challenge him into a close-range duel. But the possessed knight was far too cunning for him to catch. Everytime he caught up to him, the sly knight would have a trap blown up on his face.

He was again almost a few footlings away from Tristam when the serpent's tail came crashing down in front of him. The impact threw him away and gave him again the disadvantageous distance that he tried to close the distance.

The serpent slithered in front of him and hissed, showing its sharp fangs and corrosive saliva dripping from its mouth. Out from nowhere, Urfaal jumped in and held the snake to the ground, wrestling it down on the ground for his other comrades to attack.

"We'll handle this one! Go!" Urfaal shouted as he pinned the serpent to the ground.

Adaloun lept over his friend and the serpent tussling on the ground. He set his sights again on Tristam which was already out of tricks at this point. He shook his head and grinned.

"Are we going to play cat and mouse, all day?" He pointed at the possessed knight. "Because this is getting too cumbersome!"

The possessed knight laughed and unsheathed his blades. "I admit, it was getting a little boring."

"I would appreciate it if you won't use the poor man's voice."

"Why? Does it bother you?"

"No, not at all." Adaloun sighed. "I just hate it when I know the one, I am facing is a terribly incompetent god."

"How dare you!" Tristam launched his first attack.

Adaloun was able to dodge the first slash the possessed knight attacked him with. He pivoted to the side and delivered one of his own attacks, but Tristam proved to be faster. Whether it was his body's instinct or Zaduriel's godly intervention, Tristam caught Adaloun's wrist, made way from his attack and dragged him down to the ground before returning the favor with a downward blow.

Luckily, Adaloun caught the attack on time and used the scythe to block the incoming blow. He caught the sword in the nick of time, but the impact from Zaduriel's godly strength blasted the ground and created a crater with Adaloun buried at the center of impact.

The Zaduriel-possessed Tristam lifted the aehterium-filled gladius and struck another blow at him. But before it could land, Adaloun already rolled out of the way. The impact of the sword hitting the ground was devastating. The poor Adaloun was thrown around like a rag doll just from the sheer force of the impact.

Adaloun stood up slowly. Every inch of his body hurts like hell, but he couldn't give up; not right now, not ever.

Tristam hovered casually above him while whistling cheerfully. The possessed knight played with the swords he held, juggling them on the air while spatting insults at the downed opponent.

"Seriously, I thought you were the gods' champion." Tristam spat. "I can't believe I wanted to possess you at one point in time!"

Adaloun laughed at him. "I can't believe you'd tell me that, especially after seeing how incompetent you are!"

The remark angered the god hiding within Tristam and proceeded to harass him with a plethora of magical attacks. Adaloun ran, ducked and evaded a slew of fireballs, lightning bolts and air bombs while trying to figure out how to get close to the knight. He knew that the god inside the knight was of fragile ego, and more likely than not, would attack him head on if given the right push. But what would that push be?

Adaloun thought of it as he dodged through another bombardment from the egotistical god hiding inside the knight. He tumbled while evading a rain of rocks and that was when the idea came to him. He picked up the rocks on the ground and hid them inside his satchel; now all he needed to do was to find a way to get into Zaduriel's nerves more than what he usually does.

He initiated his plan immediately and began to annoy the god, commenting on his fragile ego.

"So, you're that afraid of my punches that you plan to throw stones at me all day?" Adaloun shouted as he took a stone in his satchel.

"How petty of you, mortal!" The possessed knight spat. "Do you think you could get me with those silly banters of yours?" He snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, the ground shook and plummeted him upward towards the knight hovering from the ceiling. Tristam was waiting for him with a fireball floating from his hand. Adaloun knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it, let alone block the magic spell. The knight gave him a smug look and winked at him as he was about to release the flames on him. It felt like time had slowed for Adaloun as he waited for his doom. He clearly saw the knight's hand moved as he was about to release the destructive magic spell.

But just before Tristam could scorch him alive, the possessed knight was swiped away by the serpent's body flung towards his direction. Adaloun looked down and saw the height from where he was. He knew that there was no saving him from this potentially life-threatening fall. Without his powers available for him to use, he knew that plummeting from this height could kill him.  He closed his eyes and wished for the best.

"Addie! Help is 'ere!" Ghwynmyr shouted.

Adaloun opened his eyes and saw Urfaal approaching towards him. The beastman leapt from a stone pillar that Ghwynmyr created and made his way towards him to avoid him from falling. Urfaal caught him in his arms and landed safely on the ground were the rest of them waited for them.

Ghwynmyr and Orphella welcomed them with a grin on their faces and a sigh of relief. However, Adaloun knew that it wasn't the end of their battle. The hair from his nape prickled as his feeling of dread worsened.

"Be on guard!" He said to them as he readied his weapon for the inevitable.

The lifeless snake began to move. Urfaal noticed it and shielded the three of them from a potential attack. The snake's body tore into two and Tristam emerged from the carcass angrier than ever before. His eyes glowed a tinge of ethereal green as he floated up in the air once again.

"Useless mortals!" Tristam spat as his face slowly morphed into the grotesque god that was hiding inside his body. "Do you think a simple attack like that would be enough to kill me?!"

"No!" Adaloun replied. "I was wondering when your ugly face would show up. Good thing you deliver!" He grinned at him, agitating the god even more.

"Fools! You think you—" Before the angry deity could finish, Adaloun cheekily threw a rock into his face.

"This talk is cheap! Come on, let's fight already!" Adaloun taunted.

The angered god's eyes glowed even brighter as he furrowed his brows and gritted his teeth, enraged at Adaloun's petty insults. He raised his arms and created multiple fireballs hovering above him.

"D'yah haf a plan?" Ghwynmyr whispered to him.

"No." Adaloun replied.

"We're fucked then." Ghwynmyr grinned.

"I don't think so."  Adaloun replied. "But for now…RUN!"

They ran and scattered at different directions as the fireballs began descending on them.

-----------------------------contemporary romance

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