Chapter 6 - Blood Mage

“Incinerate the bitch!”

The voice echoed throughout the hideout as if it carried by the wind. Andros didn’t recognize it, but from Yukiko’s softening expression, he assumed this was the friend she was trying to rescue. Whoever it was, it was enough to distract Talai long enough for Yukiko to retaliate.

Arm stretched forward, Yukiko called forth her familiar. The creature dashed forward, cutting through the air, but suddenly froze. Yukiko’s body contorted, as did the familiar. As Talai’s spell took her over, Andros felt his muscles relax as he fell to the ground. His body was wracked with horrible cramps as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Now was their chance…

Gritting his teeth, Andros pulled a card from his pocket, and carefully threw it at the ground next to Talai. The card expanded, then shattered like broken glass. The pieces morphed together into void-like puddle as a pair of floating spectral scimitars arose from the void before flying upwards at Talai, fluttering around the mage like cyclones of death.

Talai was nimble, her lithe frame quick as she began to dodge the scimitars’ relentless assault with dexterity. Her focus on defense broke her concentration, freeing Kuana and Yukiko from her grasp. Like Andros before them, they collapsed, their bodies aching with pain. As Talai was distracted, Andros threw another card towards the ceiling. The card shattered into radiant moonlight, enveloping Andros, Yukiko, and Kuana with Lunar Healing.

Vigor. Power. Confidence. These were just a part of the feelings that now flowed through Andros as the spell enveloped him. Pain discarded, he and his companions were fully back in the fight.

“We need to keep her occupied!” Andros shouted to his companions. “If she paralyzes us like that again we’re screwed!”

“Got it!” Yukiko re-summoned her familiar, and sent it after Talai again. Having now to fend off an additional opponent, Talai was forced on the defensive. Dodging fire and sword, she began to fall back. One scimitar managed to get a good hit on her shoulder, drawing blood and rending flesh. As the blood seeped from her wound, Talai transformed it into a whip, quickly slashing apart the spectral blades and wounding the familiar. “Spring!” Yukiko yelled as her familiar was thrown into the wall, reverting to its smaller form.

Before Talai could revert her attention back to the trio, an over-sized arrow flew across the room, and pierced the mage straight through the gut, impaling her to the wall.

“Nice work, Kuana!” Andros exclaimed with a grin.

The giant nodded, lowering his massive bow.

Andros stepped towards the blood mage, a dagger drawn to finish the job. But as he moved towards her, Talai simply cackled. Despite her small frame, she somehow managed to pull the arrow from her stomach. Blood poured from her open wound, seeping into the ground as a black fog began to surround her.

The trio prepared themselves. Kuana began to draw another arrow, and Yukiko rushed over towards Spring, comforting him before sending him away. Andros conjured up another volley of magic missiles. His hand extended out towards Talai.

That same fog emanated from the corpses of Talai’s men as they slowly reanimated themselves, their movements strange and puppet-like. One surprised Kuana and began to slash and gnaw at his ankles. “What the- “Kuana yelled. “Get off me!” Another risen thug grabbed him as the giant grabbed the first one.

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“Help!” Came Yukiko’s voice. It appeared with her familiar out of commission, she didn’t have access to her magic. Armed with only a knife, she backed herself into a corner as three risen thugs slowly closed in on her.

“Die!” Andros loosed a volley of magic missiles at the blood mage. Tendrils formed in the pool of blood that was forming beneath Talai, swiping the missiles away before shooting forward towards Andros. One wrapped itself around his neck, and pulled him closer towards the mage, tightening its grip around him to suffocate. He tried to reach into his coat to grab another card, but a second tendril impaled itself through his wrist. He felt it slowly drain him of his blood.

His vision started to blur...

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Now was her chance…

A trail of spectral feathers trailed behind her as Akaja dashed into the room. She didn’t understand her new power, but she didn’t need to. Her mind brought them forth through pure instinct. Palms burning with crackling violet lightning, she charged straight for Talai, who was focused on the other assailants.

Dodging past the bloody tendrils which surrounded the mage, Akaja tackled her, hands gripping her shoulders as necrosis shot through Talai. The mage dropped her previous opponent as the skin and flesh around her shoulders burned away, as if soaked in some necrotic acid.

“How?!” Talai screamed

Akaja didn’t answer. Determined and enraged, she wrestled Talai to the ground, and pommeled her relentlessly. With every punch, Akaja burned away small chunks of Talai’s flesh, causing the mage to writhe in pain.

A bloody tendril wrapped itself around Akaja’s wrists, pulling her away from Talai, and throwing her against the nearby wall. The wind knocked out of her, Akaja fell to the ground, hurt, but still in the fight.

Suddenly, a bolt of magic energy shot through Talai’s chest, forcing a mouthful of blood from her mouth. The man who he saw grappled by the tendrils, the tall sorcerer with dark hair, and lightly tanned skin, stood a dozen or so feet behind Talai, palms crackling with magical energy as he prepared to lose another bolt.

Akaja felt as if she recognized the man from somewhere before.

The second magical blast came as six smaller projectiles, all flying towards Talai at incredible speeds. Each one hit their mark, piercing through flesh and crunching through bone. Amazingly, Talai was still standing, though Akaja doubted it would be for very long.

Two more people rushed over to the sorcerer’s side to support him. One, a muscular island Goliath, and the other, Yukiko. The two friends met each other’s gaze and smiled. Yukiko almost rushed towards her, arms extended for a big hug, but her new companions re-directed her attention back to Talai. Probably for the best.

The sorcerer prepared another spell, presumably to finish her, but Akaja interjected. “Wait!” She shouted, pushing herself back up off the ground. “She doesn’t get to die! Not yet…”

“Why’s that?” The sorcerer asked. “She’s dangerous… nearly killed all of us… kept you as prisoner for over a week, didn’t she?”

“Yes, but…” Akaja sighed. “She has information I need!”

Yukiko looked up at the sorcerer with large, pleading eyes. The man sighed and rolled his eyes. “Very well…”

Akaja couldn’t help but to smirk a bit. Let’s hope Ryoma likes this one, Yuki…

“May I?” The Goliath asked.

“Knock yourself out,” the sorcerer said.

“It’s the other way around actually,” The Goliath retorted, stepping closer towards Talai, who barely had the strength to keep standing. THONK. Talai fell, smacked in the head with the Goliath’s enormous bow. “Don’t worry,” He said. “Didn’t hit her hard enough to kill.” Whistling, he moved back to his group, giving Akaja a thumbs up.

“Thanks,” she returned his gesture. “Now to get some rope…”

“One more thing,” the sorcerer said, clearing his throat. “The orb you stole from me. Where is it?”

“Ah…” Akaja chuckled awkwardly. “That thing… you’re not still mad about that… are you?”

The sorcerer glared at her, not saying a word.

“Right… Yuki, back me up here!”

“Oh!” Yukiko giggled. “Andros, that’s all water under the bridge, right?” She smiled. “Don’t worry, Kaja! I promised that I’d pay for his tab at the Vagrant for the next two months. One month for stealing the orb, and another for helping me rescue you. Oh! Kaja, this is Andros and Kuana. Kaja, this is… you get it.”

Andros sighed. “Speaking of rescue… how did you escape anyway?”

“Well, it…” Akaja sighed as well. “I’ll tell on the way to the orb. Come on.”