Elly’s first instinct was to check the Maiden’s Kiss for any signs of Sophia or Marcus. She knew that she would not find them there, but given that it was where Marjorie’s group had taken up residence, some clue to the Maiden’s whereabouts may have been present. Fortunately, it was not far from the Alchemist’s shop, and with wind Aether behind her, she was in front of the building in seconds. Before she entered the tavern, she looked back at her companions, first towards Leaf and Jahora, who were sprinting down the street towards the front gate. She felt a pang at her chest watching their figures grow smaller in the distance, knowing full well that their task was the most dangerous. A large part of her wished to go with them, but she knew that finding Sophia would be a large boon to the town’s state. A Healer with the power of a third circle mage would be able to save many lives, provided that Elly would be able to find her quickly.
She spared a glance towards Helbram, who was running towards the shrine. She could not see the expression behind his visor before their party parted ways, but she knew that there was a cold rage behind the warrior’s steps. She was also conflicted by his decision to go to the Shrine alone. While she had confidence in his abilities, the reality was that if he were to confront all of Marjorie’s party alone, there was no chance he would emerge from the encounter unscathed. There was also Helbram’s recklessness that she had to consider. If the man thought it necessary to save Southsheer, he would draw the Sword without hesitation, and none of them knew what would happen afterwards.
Elly shook her head, she was doing no one any favors by overthinking things.
A Circle appeared around her wrist as she brushed her hand across her face, enchanting her sight with a simple spell. Her irises shifted from gold to purple, and as they did her vision shifted, displaying everything as different shades of that same color. She paused as her vision fully changed, for contrasting against this monochrome backdrop were countless silver threads that wisped through the air, one of which was linked directly to her head.
The moment that she saw this, she became immediately aware of the cold, sliding feeling that trailed across the back of her mind. She reached out and grasped the thread with her fingers, but as she was about to sever the thread with a profusion of Aether, she stopped. She looked towards the Shrine, noting that the strings were spooling out of the building and across the town. All the threads were indiscernible from one another, but if she were to infuse her’s with just a small bit of Aether…
As she did, the threads spread throughout the sky started to flare with differing intensities. The one that fed towards her was dull, like most of the ones that were scattered across Southsheer, but a select few flared with a brighter, more pronounced light. Two lay towards the Shrine, and Elly could guess that these belonged to both Helbram and Majorie, but another pair flowed towards Cliffside, one of which matched the brightness of the ones at the Shrine. The other was far brighter, pulsing with waves of light that trailed down its length.
Sophia.
Elly moved towards the threads in the distance, the Circle around her ankle drawing in Aether from the wind itself. She guided the wind with her steps, letting the breeze carry her forward, lengthening her stride and speeding her through the town square. As she left the square she noted that two of the threads in the sky dissipated. Ones that were leading towards the town gate. Elly could only hope that it was Leaf and Jahora shaking off the Sword’s influence, but it was just as likely that someone had been killed in the ongoing conflict. Setting her jaw, she continued to rush towards what she presumed to be Sophia and Marcus’s location, dashing past the Salty Breeze and arriving at the edge of town, which sat near the edge of the sheer cliff, leaving enough room between the railing and the buildings to allow wagons to pass through. The threads towards this part of the town were more sparse, making the brighter strings all the more easier to follow.
They led towards a wide, flat building that, were it not for the threads leading her to this location, she would have not even known the existence of. Given the large size of the door, she assumed it to be a storage warehouse, which she admitted would be a fine place to hide someone away for the time being. As she approached the building, she noted that there was another, dull thread that fed into the structure, right into a large gathering of Aether. Energy that most likely belonged to whoever was guarding the two, and there was only one mage in Southsheer that she knew able to produce such power.
Elly made sure that her robes were tied tight around her and stretched her arms. She channeled Aether throughout her body, focusing it towards her hand and her ankle where her Circles were formed. It revealed her position to Geren, should the Mage be paying attention, but she did not have the luxury of time. There was a smaller side door leading into the building, but she elected to march up to the larger front doors of the building that were bound in chains. She stomped her foot into the ground as she arrived, jutting a thin spike of stone upwards and through one of the chain’s links. With a twist of her foot, a pulse of yellow aether surged up the spike, expanding it into a column of stone. As it grew, the chain link was unable to contain the size of the column and snapped under the stress of the expanding earth. The rest of the chain fell to the ground soon after. She noticed that the mass of Aether within had moved, and was now in front of the door. A gathering of energy was focused at its center, and judging from its red color Elly knew what spell was about to be unleashed.
Before it could, she slammed her hand against the column of stone, snapping it from its base as she channeled earth aspected Aether into its make. The column struck the door, throwing it open as it was forced through. It collided with a ball of fire mid flight, exploding into dust and dirt that obscure Elly’s vision. She clasped her hands together, channeling a pale white Aether into her fingers and then twisting them before pulling them apart. Images of her joined her at her sides, making her appear as four in total. A bolt of Aether surged from the dust cloud soon after, passing through one of the images. Elly pressed her fingers against her throat, channeling Aether into her vocal chords.
“I would rather face you out in the open,” she began, her voice echoing so it appeared to come from all of her copies, “The town has been through enough, no need to destroy their supplies in a magic duel.”
She was met by a wave of fire that surged from within the warehouse, wide enough to encompass Elly and her copies. She frowned and knelt down, slamming her palms into the ground before tearing them up, Aether at her fingertips. As she did, a wall of earth sprung forth before her. The flames collided with stone, washing over the wall and just over Elly’s head. The Weaver pointed her fingers at the flames, creating a small bead of fire at their tips. Heat surged through her fingers as she drew the flames towards her, expanding the bead into a large orb of flames. The air chilled around her as heat focused at the orb at her fingertips, and as the flames around the earth wall died a layer of frost had taken its place. She heard a rumbling come from behind the wall and , while moving the ball of fire to her palm, she skipped away from her defensive position with a burst of wind from her feet. Her earth wall shattered as another wave of stone tore through it. Geren followed after it, emerging from the storehouse with his three Circles orbiting around his head. His jeweled bangles flared with Aether, a focused light compared to the wild aura that suffused from the Mage.
“That’s better,” Elly said.
“It was foolish of you to come here alone,” Geren said. His tone was unworried and his expression was steady.
“Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of numbers,” Elly said, “But I believe we are an even match.
Geren snorted and flicked his hands forward, throwing out a spike of ice as fire flared in the opposite hand. Elly lowered her stance, her copies mimicking her movements as well as the orb of fire in her hand. She let wind carry her as she skipped to the side, dodging the ice spike, but as she did she funneled some of the gale into the orb in her hand. She flicked her hand across the orb, using the wind to mold the fire into a short spear. Geren followed up the spike of ice with another burst of flame, and Elly shifted from her fleeting dance to more rigid steps, driving her heel into and across the ground to produce a tall but narrow barrier of earth that deflected the flames away from her main body, giving away her position amongst her illusions. Elly spun the spear of fire, drawing in the flames that washed over her barrier. The spear grew in size as it absorbed the flames, its length matching Helbram’s own by the time the fire died down. A surge of yellow Aether burst through her cover, shattering the wall and spraying her with debris.
She skipped back, hissing as shrapnel sliced across the skin of her arms. By the time that she recovered, Geren unleashed another spell, sending a focused slice of green Aether that was centered on her. She caught herself on her toes and spun, bending back so the blade of wind passed right over her. As Elly reoriented herself she planted her feet, maintaining the hold she had over the spear of fire. The Weaver funneled more wind into the condensed flame and threw her hand forward, releasing the spell towards Geren. The Mage raised his hands, projecting a barrier of blue Aether in front of him. The spear struck the barrier, biting through the magic but stopping just before hitting Geren. Before he could respond, however, Elly raised her hand and snapped her fingers, releasing her control over the flames.
The spear burst, its explosion shattering the barrier and enshrouding Geren in fire and dust. Elly shifted position with her illusions and switched to a wider stance. The Mage’s Aether had not faded, but as intimidating as it was to look upon with her enhanced sight, its threat faded the more she interacted with it. Geren’s spells held enough power to be worthy of a Third Circle Mage, but she had met far more powerful, more proficient mages at his same level.
She clenched her hands and moved them forward, pulling a gale forward and unleashing it at the cloud of dust that still lingered over the Mage. As the wind billowed the dust away, Geren’s figure was revealed, his hands condensing a purple Aether between his palms. He unleashed the spell soon after, his magic taking the form of threads that twisted and surged through the air towards Elly. The Weaver clapped her hands, her palms also filling with the same purple Aether that was rushing at her. She opened her hands, unleashing a shockwave that struck the threads, shattering the majority of them. Those that remained stabbed into her illusions, all aside from the singular thread that pierced her temple.
Her limbs froze as the spell took hold, Geren’s magic bleeding into her mind and subverting her own control over her body. The Mage wasted no time in using the opening to prepare another spell, forming a large red glyph in his hand, which gathered a large ball of fire at his palm as frost formed across the street. Elly focused, forcing the little Aether she had control of through her body and towards the thread that was worming its way into her head. The Aether collided with the thread, cutting it and releasing her from the spell.
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She stumbled forward, her limbs limp as control returned back to her body, and she managed to catch herself from falling on the ground completely. She used the momentum that her fall gave her to break into a sprint, her images still at her side as she swapped positions with them. The Weaver kept her steps light, her weight carried by the wind that she directed with her feet. She gathered a small bolt of Aether in her hand and threw it towards Geren, her illusions mimicking her minor spell and sending four false projectiles with her own. The Mage raised his hand to project a shield in front of him, the ball of fire in his hand spewing gouts of flame as he attempted to manage two spells at once. The false bolts of Aether slipped through the barrier, but left no impact as they passed through Geren. The Mage, however, was not able to block the true projectile, which struck him at his center.
He heaved, falling to one knee as Elly closed in. The Aether maintaining his shield scattered, dissipating the barrier into the air. The fire above his hand grew more chaotic, its symmetrical orb bulging as the fire fought against his control. Geren ignored this and focused Aether into his free hand, unleashing bolts of energy towards Elly. His shots passed through her illusions, and as she drew close she skipped from side to side, the wind behind her granting her enough swiftness to continuously swap places with her illusions, which caused Geren’s spells to pass by her.
Elly let go of the wind, planting her feet firmly onto the ground as she drew yellow Aether toward the Circle around her ankle. Geren unleashed another both of Aether, his aim true as it flew towards her mass of illusions. She flicked her hand to the side, keeping control of the earth aspected Aether at her feet but drawing in enough ambient Aether to generate a small shield across her forearm. The bolt of magic struck the shield and bounced off to the side as Elly deflected it, and she released her hold over the shield as she finally closed in on Geren.
A distinct crack rang through the air as she drove her ankle into the cobblestone floor, jutting up another pillar of earth that struck Geren in the abdomen. The Mage gasped as the wind left his lungs, falling to the ground. Elly caught the hand holding the fireball, forcing Aether into the glyph that maintained the spell. The blow to his chest left Geren unable to maintain his grip on the magic, and his arm fell limp as Elly took control of the fireball. The magic was far too unstable to rein in once again, and she had to duck to avoid another gout of flame that burst from the orb. She ran towards the edge of the cliff and let go of the spell, tossing the ball of fire towards the sea. The fireball burst not long after it left her hand, sending forth a shockwave of fire and heat.
Elly raised her hands, projecting a barrier in front of her. It shattered as the shockwave struck, carrying her off of her feet and across the street. As she flew back she utilized what little was left of her focus to direct a burst of wind behind her, slowing her flight into the side of the store house. Her breath left her as she struck the wall, and she collapsed to the ground in a heap of heaves and coughs. The shock had rendered her numb, and she could not find the strength to put her feet under her.
She coughed again, pushing herself up enough with her hands to see that Geren was back on his feet. His arms hung limp at his sides, and his robes were both torn and burnt at the edges from the clash of their magics. He staggered forward towards Elly, Aether gathering at the hand that he could barely raise. The Mage still managed enough of an angle to aim the spell directly at Elly’s head, and the Weaver felt her muscles flex as she tried to push herself further up, their strength unable to do so. She grit her teeth and forced her palm against the ground, reaching towards the Aether within the earth. The moment that she felt it she pulled it up, ripping a small spike of stone from the ground and in front of her head. The spike shattered as Geren’s minor spell struck it, and he cursed as his hand felt limp at his side.
The spellcasters glared at one another, both unable to find the strength to move any further. Their bodies twitched as both searched for some measure of strength, and as far as Elly was concerned she was unsure if she would be able to do so. She focused all of her effort towards her feet, her legs twitching as she pushed herself upright with her hands. As she finally managed to push her feet under her, Geren fell to his knee. She looked down upon him as she finally managed to stand up and raised her fist. She was no physical powerhouse, but she was also unable to cast any spells, so her fist would have to do. The Weaver threw her fist forward, her punch veering off course as she jumped from the roar that rang through the air.
She looked towards the sky, seeing a pulse of purple Aether trail over the town, colliding with the silver threads over the Shrine. As the Aether clashed, a sharp pain flared through her mind. She caught herself on the wall behind her, but before her senses could settle her vision was overtaken by pure white.
Images flashed through her mind. The first was of green hands covering her vision, protecting “her” face as a man loomed over her, fist raised and ready to bring down on her head. Phantom pangs of pain rang through her body shortly after, and she could only feel panic and fear wash over her as she felt the imaginary blows land. The image faded, only to be replaced by another.
A sharp pain cut into her back as the image revealed itself. “She” was staring at the ground, the ground around her scattered in dried blood. The screams had left her long ago, only leaving resignation in her mind as the crack of a whip continued behind her, lancing more fire across her skin as the blows landed.
Eventually, the blows stopped, and the shadow of her tormentor had faded from her vision. It was odd, the stillness almost unnerved her as much as the pain did, and she felt panic as the restraints around her wrists were loosened. Finally, one of the restraints came off and her green arm hung limply at her side. A rough, peach colored hand wrapped around her chin and tilted her head towards the hand’s source, revealing a younger Marjorie to her eyes.
Warmth filled Elly as she looked upon the Hawk, upon the ferocity in the woman’s eyes, the strength that she possessed in such a thin, lithe frame. This was her savior, and she would be grateful to her for all of eternity.
Elly’s vision faded once again, and as it did she shook her head, removing the influences of thoughts not hers from her psyche. She staggered back and caught herself on the wall of the storehouse, her vision finally clearing enough to see that Geren was back on his feet, hand also on his head as he no doubt nursed the same headache that plagued her.
“I understand now,” Elly said, “why you choose to follow her.”
Geren said nothing as he lowered his arm.
“But, it still does not change what you have all done,” the Weaver said, “There is still time for you to stop all of this.”
Geren took in a deep breath, Aether dancing round him, “I am afraid I cannot do that.”
Elly sighed, “Then I have no other choice.”
She raised her hands, noticing a hollow feeling at the pit of her stomach as she channeled Aether into her feet and palms.
“You possess much strength, and the focus it took to develop such power is to be commended,” Elly said, “but you wield it as a wild beast. There is no focus behind your spells, no control, and one other, crucial difference.”
Geren frowned and formed a bead of fire in his hand.
Elly kicked off of the wall, closing the gap between her and Geren. The Mage unleashed his spell, the bead crashing against the pillar of stone that jut from the ground as Elly slammed her heel down. A burst of fire washed over the pillar, and the Weaver stepped around the stone as the flames faded. Focusing yellow aether into her foot, she slid it across the base of the pillar, separating the stone from the ground. It spun as she twisted her hands, narrowing the pillar into a spiked rod that she thrust towards Geren. The Mage raised a barrier, the tip of the rod only biting into the magic shield, but not through it. Elly twisted her stance, channeling wind aspected Aether into her hand. She slammed her palm into the rod, triggering a burst of wind that forced the rod forward, piercing through the barrier and into Geren’s shoulder. He cried out in pain as the rod was driven into his skin, and Elly pushed a hand infused with yellow Aether into the side of the rod. Its base snapped off and Elly took a hold of it, snapping her hand to the side and driving the broken stone into Geren’s jaw. The Mage crumpled from the blow, falling still as a heap on the ground.
“You were not trained by Agatha Toulec,” Elly said.
She faltered, staggering to the side as the strength in her legs faded. The Weaver let herself fall to one knee as she checked Geren’s pockets, locating a pair of keys in his cloak.
A groan left her lips as Elly forced herself back up. The spell over her eyes still remained, and she could still see the threads leading towards a room at the very back of the warehouse. The door leading into the rooms was locked, and with a disgruntled sigh she leaned against the door, slipping one of the keys into its lock and giving it a forced, irritated twist. She heard the lock click and forced the door open, revealing both Marcus and Sophia on the ground.
Marcus’s hands were bound behind his back with rope, and he leaned against one of the room’s shelves rubbing the rope against its corner. To her surprise, the rope was actually somewhat frayed, but the blood that trickled from the man’s wrists told her that he was more likely to rub his wrists off before the rope. His mouth was gagged with a cloth tied around his mouth, but that did not stop him from shouting something indiscernible as Elly entered the room.
Sophia was also gagged, but was much more quiet. She was also still, and Elly could see why from the Sealing Cuffs that were placed around her wrist. Elly moved to Sophia first, undoing the cuffs and then her gag before moving to Marcus and undoing his restraints.
“Thank you,” Marcus said, “They caught us unawares and threw us in here when you all left for the forest.”
“I’m sorry,” Sophia said, “I didn’t think they would…”
“Tis fine,” Elly said in a terse tone, “We’ve more important matters to address now.”
Marcus stood up, his eyes grim and filled with guilt, “The Trolls, right?”
Elly nodded and looked to Sophia, “We need to get to the front gate. Have you the strength to use your healing magics?”
“I do,” Sophia said, “We must make haste.”
“Of that, we are in agreement.”
They hurried out of the storehouse and into the street, passing by Geren’s unconscious body. Marcus glared at the fallen mage, but refrained from doing anything and continued to follow after Elly.
“Leaf and Jahora have gone to support the front line,” Elly explained, “Helbram went towards the Shrine to take care of things there.”
“Has he gone to draw the Sword?” Sophia asked.
Elly looked back towards them, “No, no he hasn’t, but we will have to leave things to-”
A shockwave blasted through the street, staggering the group back as it washed over them. Elly fell to her knee as her legs failed her, and her eyes darted towards the Shrine.
Only to see the pillar of silver light that shot into the sky.