There was a moment when Alice believed she was going to perish. The ball of fire was streaming towards her at speeds that she couldn’t move, the intensity of its heat making her skin bristle. Soon, the only thing she saw was a bright orange, eclipsing her vision.
Then a curtain of black fire rose up and the fireball slammed into it. Alice stumbled back, shocked, but for the first time, the black fire didn’t draw back with her. Instead, it remained acting as a steadfast wall, protecting her from the fire attack. No, Alice realized with a chill. It wasn’t just a wall; it was absorbing the flames.
The black fire wrapped around the fireball, blocking it from view. There was a flash of orange light and the black fire withdrew, leaving only a puff of smoke in its wake.
Silence permeated the air as all parties concerned took in this predicament. Alice was baffled, her gaze drifting towards the black fire which had returned to smoldering around her left arm. She hadn’t told the fire to do that. . .did this mean the black fire was truly conscious? Alice leaned her head away at the thought. All of a sudden, the black fire seemed more like a rabid pet instead of magic.
“BATTLE FORMATIONS!” the Chief yelled. Alice snapped her head up, in time to see another fireball form between the palms of a dwarf. The dwarf ejected the fireball, sending it flying through the air.
Alice lashed out with her left arm, willing the black fire to depart. To her surprise, it did so, a wave of blackness coursing through the sky to intercept the fireball.
The black and red fire collided and the resulting phenomenon was an explosion. A bright light flashed, searing into Alice’s mind. Alice was blown away, sent tumbling across the ground. Heat rippled away from the collision point, spreading everywhere.
//First strike in war! Rewarded Skill Points!
[Anarchy Flare] Rank E, Level 3->[Anarchy Flare] Rank E, Level 4
Progress towards next level: 3%
When Alice opened her eyes, she was met with another pulsating migraine. Pushing herself groggily to her feet, she blinked rapidly, trying to get the black spots out of her vision. The ground felt uneven and constantly tilting, like a rollercoaster.
Alice shook her head, and when she opened her eyes again, the fields were a mess. The immediate vicinity in which the two fire attacks had collided was completely torched, with the grass having turned black. Patches of grass elsewhere were on fire, with several dwarves rushing to put them out before they started a bonfire.
Most of the dwarves had been able to back away from the explosion, but some weren’t as likely. Alice’s stomach turned at the burnt bodies laying on the ground, with the occasional convulsions. Other dwarves were beginning to carry them on their backs, calling for medical health.
However, if she was being honest, her attention was primarily on locating all the children. With each child she found and determined was unharmed by the explosion, her heart felt lighter. Eventually, her eyes landed on Lilah, who was laying on her back.
‘Go,’ the younger girl mouthed.
Lilah was right; the dwarves were busy right now, scrambling to rescue people and heal the land, but it was only a matter of time before they came after her. Already, she could see the Chief standing in the distance, talking to a large gathering of people and pointing her way. Now was the best time to leave.
Heart pounding in her throat, Alice spared one last glance at Lilah. There was so much she wanted to say to her and the other children: that she was sorry, that she was lying, that she never wanted any of this to happen. Alice tried as hard as she could to pass that through with her gaze, hoping Lilah would know.
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Lilah nodded firmly, before mouthing, ‘Go,’ again, more intensely this time. Alice’s window to escape was closing.
Alice turned and started hobbling away. The sudden movement was causing her headache to return with a vengeance, acting like a pair of spears drilling into her brain. She pushed through, eyes locked onto the forest. Alice could only hope the dwarves wouldn’t chase her past their village.
There was so much she was leaving behind…what would Tamara think of her? Jorgen? Fear shot through her systems as Alice realized a critical detail she’d overlooked: Blanche. He was probably back in the village! She needed to get to him!
Alice started turning around when loud shouts alerted her that the dwarves were finally done assembling. Grunting, Alice faced the forest again and continued stumbling, willing her legs to move faster. I’ll find Blanche later. In the nighttime, after she escaped, she’d return to the village in secret and get Blanche. At least, if he still wanted to. What if he heard about what she’d done and didn’t want to take her to the capital anymore?
Alice pushed those thoughts aside. She shot a look over her shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of the attack team and her heart stopped. They were wearing armor, with spears and axes. In the distance, they were practically glowing, the warm hue of the Sun reflecting off the shiny metal. They were relatively far away, a football’s length or so, but at the rate they were moving, it wouldn’t be long before they caught up.
“They’re wearing armor, why are they so fast!?” Alice grumbled, picking up pace. Her legs were aching like never before and her migraine was making it hard to remain on a straight path but she couldn’t give up. The hair on the back of her neck stood and on a whim, she looked behind her again.
That split second decision saved her life.
A streak of lightning was arcing towards her at breakneck speeds and almost no noise. Panicking, Alice flung her left hand behind her and screamed, “FIRE!”
[Anarchy Flare]
A blazing orb of black fire shot from her palm and flew into the bolt of lightning. Alice covered her head before she was upheaved by the ensuing explosion, cartwheeling through the air and landing unceremoniously on her back. Tiny shocks were running through her system, freezing her muscles up.
Rubbing her legs, Alice glanced up. She’d reached the end of the plains, and now the only obstacles that remained were the hills. But if she got flung off the hills because of an explosion, she’d probably snap her neck upon landing.
Alice searched for the attack team, almost falling again when she noticed how close they were. The lightning had already been upon her when she’d retaliated with the fireball, and she’d been the one to take the brunt of the explosion. The attack team had been completely unaffected and marched on while she’d been incapacitated.
Extending the index and middle fingers out and sticking up her thumb, she imagined an bow instead. Aiming at the group, aimed at the Chief and fired.
Luckily, just like she’d envisioned, the ‘arrow’ that was fired wasn’t a ginormous fireball like her previous attempt but a streak of fire resembling an actual arrow in size. Even from where she was standing, Alice heard the Chief bark an order.
The group halted, and several dwarves from the back moved to the front, each carrying a thick metal shield. Placing the shields next to each other in front of the team, the fireball impacted one of the shields. The dwarf behind it staggered backwards but the shield held. After a couple of seconds, the flames dissipated, leaving a few scorch marks behind. Lifting the shields a few inches above the ground, the team set off again, albeit at a slower pace.
By then, Alice was well on her way up the hill, being careful not to fall off. Grabbing a handful of dirt and grass and digging her feet in, Alice hung off the side of the hill and turned towards the team. A couple of seconds to aim later, she’d sent another fireball their way.
Not bothering to look back to see if they blocked it again, Alice resumed her climb. Alice concentrated on the edge at the very precipice of the hill, adamantly refusing to think about how high she was getting. The wind was picking up, her hair whipping into her eyes. Alice grit her teeth and forged on, unwilling to risk losing her balance just to bat her hair out of her face.
Noises at the base of the hill caught her attention. Angling her chin down, Alice saw that the group had reached the hill, seemingly content on staying there. Alice wondered why they weren’t making a move up the hill. One of the dwarves carrying a spear drew her arm back and hurled it.
Aimed perfectly to pierce through her body
Oh. That’s why.