The flames allowed Alto to see straight through the darkness. Making out the shape of the dark figure.
The blade was shrouded in darkness. Only the flames behind that darkness gave it a clear sight.
Alto quickly used his slash attack, a red hue glowed at the end of the sword. It got deflected. The prince followed it up with a downward slash.
Knowing that he would be unable to block it. Alto instead shifted its angle by using his sword. Causing the blade to go straight through the ground. Then Alto jumped back. If he wanted to beat this guy then he had to change his strategy.
"So you want to be remembered? Don't make me laugh! No one's going to remember anybody like you."
The prince ran at him. With a sideways swing. Alto sidestepped it and used thrust.
The blade managed to cut into his left arm. The prince screamed in fury, then lashed out with a fury of attacks. Alto was barely fast enough to dodge them. Luckily his speed has increased by a lot since he got here.
The prince is also injured from the flame. Fighting with burned tissue is not a pleasant experience.
"Vile gremlin!"
"Daddy issues."
The clash continued. Alto only managed to stay alive by moving out of the way. While the prince continued to try and hit him with a fury of attacks.
Alto was waiting, waiting for a specific moment. Then the moment happened. The prince suddenly tried to do another downward slash.
'Got you.'
Alto's blade suddenly shined with a crimson hue. Deflecting the prince's blade into the ground. The light at the point of the blade began to die down. Then it pointed directly at the prince's chest and suddenly got enveloped by an orange hue.
That orange hue cut straight through the darkness. Then disappeared from strike. Hoarse breathing could be heard from the prince. Alto successfully pierced his chest. He was aiming for the prince's heart, though due to his lack of experience ended up missing.
The battled prince ended up kicking him away. Forcing Alto back a few meters.
"No.. how could I lose, to someone like you?"
A laughter began to fill the halls filled with flame.
"Oh how could I indeed."
The darkness dissipated. Showing the prince in full. He was smiling. The wound on his chest was closing.
'Healing!'
Alto was stunned, the burns were also gone now. His face was pristine.
"I shouldn't play with my food, sorry food."
'But how?'
"But how? Is that what you're thinking? Well I have the ability to shroud myself in darkness… and heal myself. Really simple if you think about it."
'That's scuffed!'
"Right, I should have mentioned. I am the strongest warrior among the sky people. I was just messing with you, it was funny up to a point since… you couldn't kill a baby worm. You know I really hate weak people. I hate them a lot. Well dear old daddy. What do you say? Make me the village head. Pretty please?"
"No."
"Shame."
The prince slowly walked to his father. Then cut him in half.
Alto was stunned at the sight. Then he quickly ran. Running out the hall. Running across the streets. The prince's voice followed him. Taunting him.
Eventually Alto stumbled across the entrance to the town. Running into a dome shaped cave. Then he was suddenly thrown against a wall.
"Well good, no one will hear your screams here."
Alto began crawling towards the exit. The prince pitifully watched until he made his way to the center of the room.
"So you want out? What do you say little doggy? You want out, huh, out? You can say out right?"
'What is this weirdo's deal.'
He was definitely a strange one. Alto looked directly at the prince's head while lying on the ground.
"Worm!"
"Did you just call me a worm?"
Then something strange happened. Alto suddenly started to float, then got carried hastily away. Back to the village entrance.
"Wha-"
A large flame erupted from the ground. Instead of red fire. This was one blue. The air around the flame grew hot. It felt as if the moisture was being disintegrated. Luckily both Gyan and Alto managed to get behind a stone wall in time. Blue flames erupted from the entrance.
Someone like Alto, overestimating himself? Believing that he could take on the strongest warrior in this village alone? Yeah right. He did that once already, and that was for a baby worm! Alto knew that the prince would simply mess with him. For one simple reason. He let Alto catch up while he was chasing him, making him believe that he would have a chance. Then crushing his hopes within a second.
That's just the type of guy the prince was. That single action can say a lot about someone's personality. Alto simply realized the type of dude the prince was. Then used it against him. Thinking that Alto was out of options caused the prince to play around with him a little. He expected the prince to kill his father. He also knew that he couldn't do a single thing to stop it.
Alto was an enemy of every single person in the village, people believed he killed his party member after all. So not even they would help him. Plus, he was very weak. Meaning that he would have to use some trap to defeat the prince. After that, the trap failed. Then he was simply out of options. Except of course. To try and escape. That's how the prince saw him at least.
The prince ended up underestimating Alto. He met up with his former party. Telling them what happened. At first they didn't believe him. Trace even tried lashing out against him. He didn't even try to defend himself. She talked about what kind of guy Glaive said he was. Then she pointed a dagger at Alto's throat. Alto didn't move at all.
After a long while they heard him out and chose to believe him. The plan was simple, draw the prince into a trap. Then Trace would be the one to activate it using a plethora of magic crystals she bought. Most of them were the same crystals that the party sold as well.
'She should get the final strike. It was her brother after all.'
The town seemed to have been in panic. There were several people using magic to extinguish the fire. Some people discovered the elder's corpse.
The fire began to die down. Soon it was gone. Nothing remained inside the dome cave. Only black charred stone.
Trace entered from the surface. She had bags under her eyes and looked drive stricken.
After the battle, some of Alto's white dye came off. Turning white with random black threads and spots sticking out.
Alto didn't know what to say to the girl. It felt like anything he could say would have been pointless, or would have made the situation worse.
Her and her brother were apparently the kids of an outsider and someone born here. As such, they were treated worse than most. Their father was the outsider, he was apparently killed while on the surface.
Glaive suspected the prince because he would often pick fights and taunt his dad. He volunteered surprisingly to help him slay beasts. That's when their father was killed.
'He was always a psycho.'
Glaive had no proof that the prince was the one killing people. Except for his fathers death. If someone murders once then why wouldn't they kill twice? It wasn't the sound of logic. It was just the type of guy Glaive was.
Gyan quickly gave Trace a huge.
Alto watched, unable to determine what to do. It felt wrong.
"I hope your brother res-"
Trace reached out her arm after interrupting him. The bags under her eyes were apparent.
"Here."
The three of them gave a group hug. They said their goodbyes, then Alto left.