“Gah!” Chestor grunts as he shatters the hardened magic gel like an eggshell. The substance evaporates quickly, releasing his party members onto the sandy ground littered with small metallic debris. “Is everyone alive?!” Chestor gently kneels over Lewin to check her condition.

“What a ride!” Syleen shouts while her body takes on an orange-hazy glow. The glow pulled her body above the group without disturbing the sand around her. The light on her hands shifted colors as symbols were quickly drawn around the party. A second later, the magical lights vanish from sight as she softly lands next to Fin. “See anything?” She asks him while her eyes hold a hazy glow.

“It’s an enriched beach…” Fin mumbles as he lets fine grands of soft, silky sand slide through his fingers. A warm yellow with green swirls of mythical light lingers momentarily before fading away. “Magical.” He raises his eyes to look around, but the sight stuns him.

“Did we make it?” Peter asks aloud as his sharp glance travels around the group’s surroundings for any movement or possible threat. Blades are ready, and a profound red aura slowly flows like water around his limbs. “Wake up, Tanner!” He kills the unconscious man in the suit of armor.

“Aaahhh!…ah.” Tanner screams in fright after landing face-down in the sand. “I’m alive?!” He yells while patting down his body while kneeling in the sand. “Ha! I made it! Woah..” He struggles to stand up, only to topple face-first into the sand.

“Stop playing, seriously…” Davy sighed as he walked over to Tanner, stuck in the sand. “We told you, full body armor is pointless for you.” He grabs the suit by the belt and lifts it with ease.

“Fine, get me out of this thing…” Tanner admits to being in defeat as he dangles from Davy’s one-handed grip. Davy shakes the armor like a wet rag until Tanner plops out of it. The armor magically flattens into cloth-like strips of fabric before it recalls the pieces into a ball. It vanishes into an empty patch of metal on his vest before a sigil of a knight appears as a brand.

“Tanner!” Chestor shouts with a bit of rage.

“Here, boss!” Davy yells as he helps Tanner up and over to Lewin’s side.

“How is she?” Chestor asks with worry.

“She went past the limit, damn.” Tanner’s hands burst forth rich golden light. The magic spell weaves a cocoon of energy around Lewin as it begins to heal her visible wounds. “Physical, she is fine.” His eyes narrow as the spell scans deeper into the wounds. “Spiritually, she’s in a critical state.” Tanner’s body starts to burn with the same golden energy as needle-thin lights poke into her body.

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“Guys! Something’s wrong with Fi-” Syleen tried to shake Fin out of his stupor, but his unexpected movement caught her off guard.

“Ambush!” Fin yells as he grabs Syleen and dashes away. The sand exploded from their previous location as a massive spike of hardened stone erupted from the sand. “Range attacks!” He informs the others as he tosses Syleen high up into the air. “Zig-zag!” Fin yells as he pushes off the sand in a different direction, another stone pillar springing up to skewer them.

“Peter!”Chestor extends his big open hand toward the smaller man. “Need a hand?” He asks with a devilish grin.

“Thank you kindly, young man.” Peter replies with a similar grin as he hops into the waiting hand of the large Chestor. The red glow intensifies around his legs as he stands straight with locked legs. “Ready!” Peter chuckles in delight.

“Give them my regards!” Chestor yells as he uses his ridiculous strength to throw Peter across the sandy beach and into the bushy forest beyond. Peter streaks through the air like a red glowing spear. Flashes of light reflect around his body as he easily cuts various projectiles. The broken pieces land on the ground, fizzing and bubbling with magic. Explosions of stone, sand, and earth leave ugly craters behind on the beach. A wild cry from a creature unknown to them causes the woods to shake as Peter lands against a tree.

“Found you!” Peter yells out as he spots someone in the bushes below the treeline. “Shit!” He rolls his body out of the way as something pierces through the tree behind him. He deflects a few attacks using his swords as he jumps from tree to tree.

“I can’t get close!” Syleen flutters around the debris-filled beach as the attackers keep her pinned down. Her shields can barely handle more than two of those fast attacks. “How are they disrupting my magic!” She complains as her offensive spells get torn apart as they are built.

“Deflect them, don’t destroy the projectile!” Fin yells as he runs and flips around the many stones littering the beach while more spike pillars try to hit him.

“Fin, stop playing around and counter those archers!” Chestor shouts as he deflects an incoming magical projectile with his shield. The attack explodes into a pillar off to the side of Tanner and Lewin. He had used the many attacks to build them a little wall of stone as an extra caution. “Get Syleen in there!” He points to the battle in the forest as Peter flees for his life. “Davy, charge!” Chestor flicks another attack away.

“Yes, boss!” Davy shouts with pride as his glowing hands run along many branded pieces of metal hanging on his vest. “We ride!” He shouts as lights burst forth from each piece of magic metal. Ethereal wisps of smoke pour out over the field before Davy as a company of mounted calvary rises from the fog. A teal flame burns bright from within their mounts and armor as they cry as one and charge forth.

“Shot to kill or wound?” Fin asks Chestor as he pulls out his enhanced bow from magical storage. He deftly spun around while drawing the bow string. An arrow of solid magical power forms as he releases the bowstring. The attacks collide in midair, and the spell goes wild once more as it creates a large round boulder before it drops with a heavy thud onto the sand.

“Grr…” Chestor growls at the unseen attackers in the forest. “See if we can communicate first, then wound.” He flicks away two more annoying attacks. “Kill if they resist.” He reaches down and picks up a sizeable rock, one about his size. “I’m losing my patience!” Chestor’s arm glows slightly as his muscles bulge. He chucks the rock at the nearest tree, obliterating it.