With his modest level of strength, Nick’s best pitch was only good enough to stun the creature for a moment, more out of surprise than any damage the rock inflicted. But on this occasion, a moment was all that Nick needed. He leapt forward just as the frog behind him struck again, its black-barbed tongue passing close enough that it stirred his hair like a lover’s caress.
As the hillside filled his vision, he tucked in his shoulder and rolled, mindful of the blade in his hand. For half a heartbeat, grass and dirt filled his view. The instant that the world righted itself, he oriented on his enemy and pivoted on one foot, converting his momentum into a vicious horizontal slash.
The heavy blade whipped around to whack the spear-tongue in the side of the head. The sword collided with the beast’s black plating, releasing a dull thud that reverberated throughout the bones in his arm and sending a fresh tide of adrenaline flowing through his bloodstream.
Fortunately, Nick hadn’t been counting on that strike ending the fight. He was just hoping to extend his stun for a few more seconds, which seemed to work as the beast hadn’t turned to face him yet. Aware that his back was critically exposed, he crouched low and stepped behind the dazed amphibian, at an angle that kept the other frog from being able to land an attack until it repositioned.
Knowing that he had only bought himself a couple of seconds at most, he took aim and pulled the hilt of his sword behind one hip. After a quick step, he thrust with the full weight of his body behind it, praying that the force would be sufficient to land a critical blow.
Half a heartbeat later, the tip of the blade threaded the gap between two plates shielding the frog’s underbelly, steel biting deep as he followed through with everything that he had. When the blade would sink no further, Nick reflexively twisted his wrist to widen the wound, which in the heat of the moment had felt like the right thing to do.
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Keeping a low profile, he yanked his weapon free in a gush of golden blood. He started scanning for the third spear-tongue, since it was clear at a glance that the beast beside him was already dead. He still had a handful of heartbeats before the final frog could reposition far enough to have a clear shot at him. Nick took the opportunity to come to a decision, determining how he wanted to spend the rest of his mana.
He could either conjure a swarm of mana darts or try out his new spell for the first time. The momentary paralysis that the darts inflicted was certainly useful. But the spell didn’t do enough damage to put the spear-tongue down, and sapping a portion of its vital energy wasn’t going to end the fight. Of greater concern, the beast’s black plating had the power to deflect the pure mana-based spell if it struck the strange material instead of living flesh.
Nick had a hunch that the frog would shift so that the mana dart hit its armor if it saw the spell coming, now that it knew to expect the attack. After all, countering and contending with magical abilities was a daily occurrence for the various beasts that called the bog home.
Thus, although it would cost him nearly all his remaining mana, leaving just a few drops to prevent mana sickness, he decided to take his new spell for a test drive.
Piercing ray, he signaled his intention. He immediately felt something forming in the space between his hands. A mass of churning, swirling energy started to coalesce, draining his reservoir of mana as it grew more intense. It was his first time casting a spell that used force mana, and the energy felt ponderous but potent. Difficult to set into motion, but even harder to stop once it was unleashed.
Now comes the tricky part, he began planning out his next move. Unlike mana dart, piercing ray took a full ten seconds to prepare and needed to be unleashed the moment that it was ready. Nick didn’t know what would happen if he was interrupted or couldn’t find a target in time, although he was certain that he would lose the mana that went into casting the spell. He had the sense that he could cast it using one hand if he had to, but that the magic would build faster if he used two.
Since he wasn’t sure what form piercing ray would take, he needed to know exactly where his opponent was. To lock down its movements long enough for the ray to land on target. This was the reason why he had removed his leather jacket just before casting the spell. He had one last trick up his sleeve he was saving for just such an occasion.