Ray

Ray walked towards the opposite wall hesitantly. The wall seemed normal, even to his mana vision, but that didn’t make any sense. So he lit it on fire. A typicall wall wouldn't catch fire easily, stone just wasn't the most flammable of substances.

But then there was this one. The fire spread across the wall, flickering and avoiding certain spots as it spread across some sort of film that was across the wall. The fire cleared away the block, revealing a large stone door.

"Void it." Anita said a wave of black bolts collided with the door. The door disappeared to reveal a large amphitheater -like room. A massive portal stood in the middle of the room, through which several Humans dressed in black were escorting scantily clothed, hunched and shivering Elves in chains through it.

A smaller number of non-Humans were huddled in a bunch of cages in a corner. But most of all, it was the emotions. A bit apart from the common cages, there was a pedestal. On which stood, bound by a dozen chains, a gag and more, a single cat. Norman wasn't thinking now, he was just angry and afraid. And Ray felt it.

The poor thing could barely figure out why he was bound before he forgot it again. A cycle of misery that Ray felt passed by in seconds. The Elven song appeared in his hand as yellow glitter appeared in the air, light blue on the floor. Ice spread out, restricting movement as Ray slid out, lashing out with the yellow glitter.

Tripping over his feet and falling down as attacks flew towards him, narrowly avoiding them. Ray got up again, suddenly regretting his attack as he slipped and fell down again. But not before unleashing another attack towards the Xnarthan.

Ray hadn't even seen snow before, let alone ice. The idea must have come from Norman. Was the cat remembering things? Ray had yet to figure out how Norman’s memory worked. At times, he would remember the most incredulous things, at other's he couldn't remember his own name.

But for now at least, he was able to tell Ray what to do. Mana rolled in the air as Anita and the rest resumed their attacks, targeting their disoriented enemies. The Xnarthan weren't used to the ice either, in fact they were doing worse than him, desperately trying to avoid the people out to kill them.

The panicked rushing made them even more likely to slip and fall, usually onto a dagger that had just shadow travelled there. Ray levitated himself into the air, attacking as he did so. Three Xnarthan fell to his attacks, as he stabilized himself on the ice. But the Xnarthan weren't done for.

The wind began to blow fast as a person started to float in the air, conjuring a typhoon and drawing attacks towards him. An image of pointed things made of ice hanging from the ceiling appeared in Ray's mind, Norman's next instruction.

Ray followed it, sending light blue glitter to the ceiling. The pointed things, icicles, Ray was pretty sure they were called, emerged on the ceiling, falling down quickly as the wind pulled them off.

The icicles fell on the Xnarthan agent's head, distracting him as the Shadow princess appeared behind him and decapitated him. Ray stopped mid-cast, shocked at the turn of events.

The attack might have failed, but it gave the Xnarthan the time they needed. A good amount had run off into the portal, the rest gathering there, as if guarding it. Ray had a bad feeling about it.

An attack after another headed towards Ray as he slipped and fell, desperately countering the attacks. The Xnarthan died by the dozen, but there were just too many to be killed quickly. The Shadow Princess was teleporting around, killing people while avoiding the ice. Anita was flying on some kind of disk.

But the rest of them were forced to stick in the back. Rena was sending birds and other objects of fire towards the Xnarthan, Torrin swords of light, a variety of projectiles were on their way from them. The real workers, though, were Anita and the Shadow Princess.

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The former was picking out the Xnarthan like they were sitting ducks. The latter assassinated them with such speed that the Xnarthan were sent scrambling. The core surrounding the portal, however, remained too hard to get into.

Anita could take a few shots at it, but the second the Shadow Princess teleported in, she'd get shot to death. Rena and the rest were exchanging long range fire with them, but the Xnarthan were clearly more focused on protecting the portal. And that was very, very suspicious.

Ray tried to get up again, sending a wave of yellow glitter towards the portal. But he slipped down and fell again. The place was just too slippery for any Human to keep their footing. The good thing was that the Xnarthan were having the same problem, the bad was that it still left them at an impasse. An impasse where one side had an active portal to an unknown area with an unknown number of enemies.

'What are you planning?' Norman said into Ray's head, his voice sounding worried for once.

'Just going to keep attacking for now, I don't see an easy solution to this.' Ray answered.

'No, why are you fighting like that?' Norman said.

"What do you mean? I don't have time for riddles, Norman."

"The slipping, the walking…why are you acting like you're a bag of flesh like the rest?" Norman asked.

"Norman, if there is some secret Fae trick that can help me, just tell me. I don't know Fae stuff, just tell me." Ray said, frustrated.

'A Fae doesn't walk like that… A silly Human goes around fighting alone, a Fae fights with the elements. Why are you not asking the ice you conjured for help?' Norman asked.

Oh great, Norman's advice was useless. What was new?

'Norman, I don't know what you're asking me to do. I can't control anything I conjure, and last I checked, ice wasn't sapient.' Ray answered, defending himself against an arrow. A Xnarthan member was targeting Ray with arrows, making him have to dodge. A hard thing with the ice restricting his movement.

'No, the ice will help you. A Human goes around forcing, a Fae need not even ask. The Fae are energy, we are a part of the world around us, and when the time comes, it will aid us. ' Norman said.

Norman's description was interesting, but Ray didn't have time to ponder over it. The attacks were getting more. Rena had blocked a couple, even Torrin had chimed in, but if Ray didn't get out of here quickly, one of these arrows would kill him.

'Norman, I cast like a human, now can you please give me some ideas? I am about to die here thanks to your idea.' Ray said.

'What. I cannot understand this…what do you mean that you cast like a Human? No, you don't. Just look around you, is anyone else using magic like you are? Human magic is restricted, Fae magic, on the other hand, is far more versatile. I sensed it long ago, you're using Fae magic through some other pathway, but it is Fae. A weaker version of your own element.' Norman said.

What? Ray had been doing Fae- an arrow appeared in Ray's face as he ducked, falling face first on the snow but still surviving.

'Just stop trying to control your body and let the ice take over!' Norman said.

Ray rolled to the side, dodging more arrows, 'What do you mean? I have to dodge! I will die if I do that'.

'Oh, come on! What was that exercise they had children do…how old are you anyway?' Norman vented as Ray rose to a kneeling position, conjuring an Earth wall and blocking a wave of arrows. The agents targeting him had turned to three now. Ray wouldn't be able to fight for long.

'I am fifteen, and if there is something you know then you better say it fast, Norman.' Ray said, conjuring a wave of yellow glitter towards the portal. Rena added to it with a wave of fire birds, Torrin added light arrows, Derrit added raindrops, daggers appeared out of the shadows as dozens died. Ray had a couple of minutes before the attack resumed.

'I really am dealing with a baby. Ok, now focus on what you know, what you want to do, and tell it to the ice. Just like you're telling me. Do not, under any conditions, tell the ice what to do. The elements hate it when you do that.' Norman said as the attacks resumed.

Ray was far from ready. The agents attacking him before were dead, but there were five attacking him right now. Ray countered, doing as Norman said. Just telling the ice what he was doing as he levitated himself standing. And then he slipped. Just a bit, but it was enough for him to dodge a blazing disc that instead cut his hair. Had the ice…just helped him?

Ray hesitantly skid forward, thinking to the System, Thirteen free stats to Combat. Ray would need all the help he could get to manage all these new attackers. Wait, System, could you please give me the mana that came from all the killing till now?

> Mana gained: 12,003 mana: a detailed explanation may be requested later.

> Tier 9 (41,569/51,200) (5,300 spent)