The press of Serra’s aura reached Erin, Sigrid and Liam at nearly the same time as the sound of conflict within the village. All three mages turned where they stood, looking toward the familiar flashes of light that Arthur’s sword produced.
“Do you think the Demons got past us somehow?” Liam asked, his tone doubtful.
“No,” Erin said with a shake of her head, already moving in that direction.
“Wait.” Sigrid reached over and grabbed her by the arm. “We don’t have time.” The fight continued and Erin became more certain by the second that Serra and Arthur were fighting one another.
“What the hell are they doing?” she growled through gritted teeth.
“I don’t know, but we can’t-” and then another magical aura washed over them, drowning out Serra’s by main force. It was as if they were breathing air saturated thick with hot oil. As one they all turned toward the source and Erin saw the creature stride out from the trees. It’s long, stick thin limbs giving it the appearance of an overgrown insect.
“Where’s the other one?” Liam asked as he stepped closer to Erin’s side. The creature turned its gaze on them, as the only people in sight on this side of the village wall.
“I don’t know,” Sigrid said, “but I’d rather do this three-to-one, so let’s get to it.” Her slit pupil eyes glowed a bright amber as she slipped into the Bronze State, Erin and Liam a half second behind. This was too slow. Runes were still forming on their skin when the demon was suddenly among them. It had crossed the 30 yards in a blink, its towering form and willowy limbs blurred with motion. Liam went tumbling, the force of the blow giving the lie to the weakness of those thin limbs.
“Shit.” The word was much as reflex as lifting her arms to protect herself, but she blocked too high and it whirled a kick into her stomach. Sent sprawling, waves of pain radiated through her body and Erin cried out.
Only Sigrid reacted in time to stay on her feet. Narrowly avoiding the blow, the thing aimed at her, countering with a chopping motion as she dragged a jet of water across the creature’s chest. This was as much as Erin could follow before she hit the ground with a muted thud, air driven from her lungs despite the layer of snow.. The force of the attack would’ve left any normal person dazed on the ground for several minutes, likely with some broken bones, but Erin and Liam were not normal. As one they surged back to their feet and rushed forward, to where Sigrid stood alone against the monster.
Erin couldn’t have been down for more than a second or two, but already Sigrid had retreated, bleeding profusely from a cut somewhere in her hairline, half her face crimson with blood.
Erin had seen Sigrid’s Jet spell peel the flesh off a monster in seconds, and for all that she had slashed the demon with it several times, it did no more noticeable damage than a water hose might’ve. Its long arm snapped out, seizing Sigrid by the throat and lifting her off the ground, her feet dangling as the monster raised her up.
A long spear made of stone, smashed into the back of the demon’s head, shattering into dust as it impacted its unreasonably tough skin. Erin decided against casting, instead she leapt for the arm that held Sigrid. She threw the entirety of her not inconsiderable strength into forcing the arm back down and was surprised to find herself successful. As Sigrid’s feet connected with the snow, the woman blurred into motion, somehow breaking the grip on her throat. Another spear of stone hit the demon from behind and Erin whipped a fireball into existence, preparing to launch it directly into the demon’s face.
Frustrated at their interference, Erin felt its aura flare up with the briefest of warnings before a shock wave roared out from its body. Erin, Sigrid and even the more distant Liam were thrown back, their barrage of attacks interrupted. Erin’s wings materialized for just a moment as she snapped them backward, planting her feet as she halted the momentum. This time, it was her standing alone against the monster. Even as she found her footing, the creature was there, swiping its long claws at her with blinding speed. She ducked and weaved, trying to find room to get off a spell as the demon struck a glancing blow, opening a cut across her cheek. Then another until she was forced to give ground. Giving up on the magic, a simple length of wood was pulled from her inventory, snapping into her hand.
Striking any part of its body felt like clubbing a stone wall. The shock of the blow trembled up the length of wood and numbed her hands. The pressure of its magic weighed ever more heavily on her as she continued to retreat. All her thoughts were of keeping its long, clawed hands away from her throat.
Another spear of stone impacted the demon’s side, and Erin was aware on some level that the creature didn’t even flinch from the spell. As if growing bored with the exchange, its hand blurred out and grabbed a hold of the wood as Erin moved to strike. Its long fingers gripped vice-like, and with a sound reminiscent of a gunshot, the length of wood snapped. Erin barely had time to register the top half falling away before the demon unleashed another pulse of magic that knocked her off balance.
A stream of water took the demon right in the face as the gap opened between them. The spray impacted the durable skin and scattered into the air, creating a series of tiny rainbows in the cold winter sunlight. Much like Liam’s stone spears, the pressurized jet of water appeared to do little more than annoy the creature.
What the hell is this thing? Erin thought in dismay after she found her feet and gathered herself to cast fireball once more.
[A demon.]
Lisa responded, her tone almost sad. As her first spell streaked through the air, the demon showed its impossible speed once more, flashing out of existence to appear in front of Sigrid. She dropped the water spell, and opened her mouth as the runes visible on her skin danced as she prepared to cast another, but the demon slapped her almost contemptuously across the face, forcing her head to turn. Rainbow flames poured from Sigrid’s open mouth, striking the ground around her feet. The months-old layer of snow and ice flashed into steam before Sigrid could cancel the spell. As Erin took a step in their direction, the Demon smashed its fist into Sigrid’s chest. Rather than tumble backward, Sigrid slammed hard onto her back, impacting the ground with an audible thump, and Erin could see the woman’s eyes go wide as the air was driven from her lungs.
How can it be this strong? Erin thought with despair. Lisa had no answer, and Erin didn’t wait for one as she sprinted toward where the demon loomed over a stunned Sigrid. It held its left arm up, and the magic that rolled off the creature shivered as ice formed a blade over its hand. And if it weren’t for Liam, it would’ve stabbed directly through Sigrid’s head. As its bladed arm descended, the large man tackled it, forcing it to take a single step to the side, and throwing off the attack. Sigrid was spared momentarily, though it looked as if her narrowly averted fate would quickly become Liam’s as the Demon rounded on him, blade arm pulled back, ready to strike.
If Erin had another second, she would’ve been in range, but she didn’t. She was going to be too late. Flame splashed all across the demon as Erin’s companion, Hax, made his presence known. The tiny dragon spiraled down through the air, bathing the demon in a cone of fire from its open jaws. Her familiar cut off the torrent of flames as Erin reached the Demon. She smashed what remained of her staff against its back. A resounding crack and a numbness in her fingers telling her it had accomplished very little. Yet Liam could move back, and Sigrid was rolling to her feet, and together they began again.
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Burk led a double row of Wardens up the road, six deep, with a wagon at the back and Dangole less than a mile distant. They could feel the demon’s oily presence. The magic pressure was astounding, and the commander could sense his men’s disquiet. The leading edge of an evacuation was coming into sight, and the villagers had spotted the Wardens approach. Waving arms and beckoning gestures. Burke rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen them, and to ignore the knot of fear in his belly.
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“Captain.” He said, and the young man was at his side in a moment. “Organize these people. I want you and them as far away as you can get them, as soon as you can get them there.”
There was the barest hesitation in the reply, but the salute was crisp, and then orders were being given. A dozen Mages, who were all he could afford to bring, began jogging down the road while the wagon was being pulled off to the side, to prepare for being turned around.
Burke loosened his sword in its sheath and heaved a sigh. His eyes flashed with a gold light and he leapt, propelled an inhuman distance up and forward. His vision enhanced by the Gold State, he could see clearly the three mages battling a demon in the distance. Their efforts were clumsy, but their coordination was passable. Still, it was clear to him the monster was toying with them, like a cat flinging a mouse into the air repeatedly before killing it. The pressure of his own magic clashed with the demons, and he could see the beast stiffen as Gold level power washed over it.
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Over the course of the fight, Erin had become certain that they were doomed. Had been since the moment they’d first seen these things coming down toward Dangole, following the trail of dead Qek. As she leapt back from the casual stroke of a claw that would’ve ripped her in half, she wondered if she would’ve been so foolhardy to suggest fighting the thing if she’d known it would be like this.
[Hopefully not]
Lisa snapped in her mind, but there was tension in her tone, and Erin knew she was frightened. Sigrid moved to engage. She was a blur of motion, a spear in her hand, the tip sheared away in an earlier attack. Sigrid was now using the length of wood as a makeshift quarterstaff, knocking away blows and lashing out with powerful jets of water in follow up attacks, none of which were having an impact. Erin thought they could all sense the creatures’ amusement fading, and they were getting desperate.
“Run.” Sigrid shouted to them as the haft of her staff made a dull clunk against the demon’s chest, before it batted it away. Erin didn’t have time to respond to that the way she felt it deserved before the demon was on top of her. Suddenly fast again. She tried to dance back, away, but she was moving in slow motion as the monster lazily aimed a killing stroke at her neck. She was recalled to another time she'd nearly died. Facing down one of the large white qek in the streets of a village whose name she hadn't learned before it was destroyed. She had felt helpless then, impotent. It had been awhile, and she had grown more powerful, she had trained at least a little and yet here she was again, helpless and impotent. About to die, but worse than that, her friends were going to die, the villagers and from there who wouldn’t die? She felt that shift in her soul, as if a pressure valve containing raw power had been uncapped, and it poured into her body with a burning rush.
[Hero Soul: Active]
Magic boiled out of her like a shock wave, radiating wide across the world, clashing with the demon's own magical pressure. Their magic mixed like oil and blood being shaken in a jar. She couldn’t have said at that moment which one was more potent, and she saw on the monster’s face a flicker of hesitation, of uncertainty. It couldn’t tell either.
“Get away!” Sigrid screamed at Liam , her voice a distant sound to Erin, lost in the thrum of pain and magic. Large wings snapped into existence and she propelled herself forward with her legs, wings scooping the air as she accelerated. Her eyes flashed with the bronze state, driven to impossible heights by the wellspring of power. The gap between her and the monster closed, and the creature was frozen, its eyes wide.
With no weapons left to hand, Erin pulled back her fist and threw a wild punch with all of her Bronze State strength behind it, empowered by the activation of the Hero Soul she didn’t understand. At the last moment before her strike landed, some instinct activated her rarely used Mirage Mage boon, in order to shape the fireball she intended to cast.
Mirage Mage (Bronze)
-
You can determine the shape of your spells prior to casting them. Once you have begun casting, the shape may no longer be altered by use of this ability.
Her knuckles impacted the creature's face, and for the first time she felt some give. The compressed fireball exploded at the point of impact, the blast shaped as best she could manage. The kinetic force blasting the creature backward. She felt a bone in her hand crack, and then something in her shoulder gave as well, her arm falling limp. At the same time her right ear flared with pain and all sound died on that side. The force of the explosion had ruptured her eardrum and she had no idea if that was going to be permanent or not. Without time to worry about it, or her broken arm. She did the only thing that was left and lifted the arm that still worked.
The demon, despite all the effort she’d put into her attack, was still alive, though looking worse for wear. Half of its face was blackened and sooty, and she saw blood, in the form of thick, dark ichor, trickling down its jaw. Still stunned by the wound, it was slow to react to the threat she posed, Erin poured everything she had into another fireball spell. Pain roared through, prickling at her soul and body both as her hand became a flame thrower, dousing the demon in a wall of fire and she realized her mistake.
Wings materialized into place on her back and she released her fireball at the same moment she snapped them forward with all her strength, magical and mundane. Her vision blurred, first with the speed of her passage, and then with the amber and orange flash that lit up the world as the massive fireball she’d unleashed broke apart. In the heart of the inferno, the demon screamed in pain. Erin would have cheered if not for her own agony. Despite her quick retreat and release of the spell, her arm was still cracked and burned up past her wrist.
As the flames petered out, she saw that her burns were nothing next to the horrific damage she’d inflicted on the monster. All over its body, its hardened skin was melted, twisted and shriveled, like plastic thrown into a fire pit. A gurgling scream echoed from its open mouth, head tipped back toward the sky.
Erin had nothing left. Though she’d held up better than than the first time the Hero Soul had activated, it was still not an easy burden to bear. Like fire made of lightning had formed a tornado inside her body, it took every scrap of will she possessed to keep herself from bursting apart. It left no room for careful control, inflicting damage on her even as she tried to use that energy.
Power washed over them in the form of magical pressure from a new source, and the demon's screams of pain cut off as it turned, sharp eyes focused on the sky; Erin followed its gaze. A pale blue streak of light was descending toward them, inhumanly fast. In the blink of an eye it was upon them. The demon snarled a challenge, and Erin saw a man, green cloak trailing in the air, one arm coated in ice up to the elbow, the other wielding a long single-edge sword, and then the impact of his arrival sent a wave of snow turned to powder rolling out in every direction.
Suddenly blinded, Erin touched down. She lowered her knees and leaned forward, her booted feet sliding across the ground until she came to a stop, some 10 meters distant. Unable to control the flow of magic any longer, she snapped it off and once again felt that momentary sensation of intense pain, as if all her bones were breaking at once. She choked off the scream that tried to claw its way up her throat, and the pain passed, leaving only the aches of her bones that were actually broken.
[Hero Soul: Inactive]
The man and the monster battled as shadows, blurs of motion flickering back and forth. Large grooves scoured into frozen earth before her eyes, layers of snow and ice peeled up by the sheer force of the attacks. It was a nightmare beyond anything.
Who the hell is that?
[Does it really matter? You should run.]
Erin turned, grabbing her vile of healing potion from her inventory and popping it into her mouth before swallowing its entire contents in a single gulp. A warm sensation, as if she were glowing on the inside began to spread outward from her stomach and she felt her pain lessen by degrees even as she forced herself to continue stumbling forward.
Then Sigrid was there, grabbing Erin’s burnt arm and throwing it over her shoulder, throwing out a muttered apology as Erin let out an involuntary cry, but she didn’t stop or otherwise complain. Pushing onward with Sigrid helping her, they fled away from the titanic clash of power and speed taking place behind them.