Fractured God

He stopped himself mid-air and threw his blade at her. She grabbed the chain and pulled him towards her. It seemed the magic he used on himself wasn't as strong as the one he used on her sword, as he soared towards her.

He stopped her and stopped himself, falling back on his feet. By the time he began running, she had another punch prepared. He stopped her the moment it touched his head, slightly concussing him.

He reached into his sack attached to his waist and grabbed something. He managed to throw it before Elizabeth rocked him backwards with another punch.

He stopped her as she chased him, and she noticed the sound of small pieces of metal hitting the floor.

(“He has more caltrops left.”)

It wasn't the end of the world but it would make the fight more annoying. She would have to constantly sweep her feet to push away the caltrops as she fought him which sounded mis-

(“!?”)

Elizabeth's eyes widened and she jumped back after noticing something far worse.

She tried to sweep some away with her injured leg but… they didn't move. It was like they had been glued to the floor. No, with how little give they had, saying they were a part of the floor would be more accurate.

“Stay over there, please. I just want to make ensure you don't interfere-”

With one leg, she nearly cleared the distance between them in a single jump.

He stopped her over the caltrops and she fell directly into one with her good leg.

He wasn't sure what she was thinking approaching him with such a dangerous floor, shoeless, and in low light conditions. Was she a masochist or plain stupid?

Given the fact she had been stopped in her tracks after stepping on one, he rested easy knowing he could run away and deal with her friends waiting in the dark like opportunistic hyenas.

He turned around and felt a hand grab his collar.

(“He believed these would stop me?”)

He stopped her again but could not get her to let go of his collar in time. He was flung to the ground but managed to stop himself, just barely floating above the caltrop-riddled floor he had a large part in creating.

(“...It's good that I didn't poison them.”)

He thought as Elizabeth pushed him into the floor, embedding several into his body.

(“I should also be glad they aren't barbed.”)

He stopped her again and managed to cut the part of the robe, she had grabbed, off.

He could have gone for her hand but he wasn't sure he could cut it off before she regained movement.

He backed up, awkwardly stumbling due to his caltrops but thankfully nothing pierced him due to his sabatons.

Elizabeth landed another punch on him while forcing herself to walk through the caltrops.

Just what was this woman made of to do such a thing without batting an eye?

She couldn't attempt to try to bring a foot up and pull out the caltrops, as she was supporting most of her weight using one of them. The lack of another foot, in a way, benefitted her. With caltrops embedded in her feet, she didn't have to worry about slipping on her own blood. They acted as sort of crude spiked boots giving her grip against the floor.

(“Bear through it Elizabeth, to defeat him, we have to go at least this far.”)

Noticing she was using the spikes to her advantage, he stopped the caltrops embedded in her feet. The fact they were even embedded in her foot was his doing and so, he fixed this miscalculation.

They were stuck to the ground once more and she stopped.

She stopped an attempted stab with her hand and used the other to throw blood in his eyes.

He backed away and continually used his magic on her the first moment he had the opportunity.

She got closer, her foot getting more and more punctured due to the caltrops on the floor and fought back.

This continuous start-stopping combat with Daniel inflicting new cuts and Elizabeth landing blows continued until he exited the field of caltrops he had laid.

He was so preoccupied with her, that the moment she stepped on the hard floor and slipped due to the slick blood that coated the underside of her foot, he went for his chance and used a more potent kind of magic to stop her. At a minimum, he believed it was going to be a second.

But he'd be defenceless without his magic for nearly thirty seconds if his estimation was right.

He swung the blade at her neck and hesitated.

Why? He was about to kill her, what cause was there for caution?

He heard the breathing of someone behind him.

“He noticed…” Elizabeth thought. Right behind was Nora. She had been standing in that spot their entire fight. Waiting for a chance to move in. She didn't think he'd move towards her, and made a mistake, breathing as she normally would.

He tried to save himself but the blade was already touching his neck. He managed to move an arm in the way of the blade, leaving both his neck and arm with new scars. Elizabeth grabbed his legs and forced him to the floor.

After falling Nora brought her sword down against his arm, over and over but she couldn't manage to slice or cut through his arm.

The grounded Elizabeth tried to drag him closer towards her and subdue his arms but he kicked like a mule trying to get her away, getting several hard shots in with his sabatons.

He moved his blade to Nora's foot, slicing it clean off and she fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

“AAgggHrrHHH!!!” She shouted, obviously not as well adjusted to pain as Elizabeth. She held onto her new stump and dropped her blade. Tears welled up in her eyes and Daniel no longer had her to worry about.

He continued kicking at Elizabeth, with the woman having a vice-like grip on his legs.