21

Spells that had some sort of restriction were more powerful. The initial mana cost was lower in those cases, but the more powerful the spell the more powerful the drawback had to be or the spell wouldn't have the desired affect. I created a new spell right then, and there. It was an instant version of the restoration spell. In that moment I wove the unique ability into my very being.

Weaving a severe drawback into the spell as I did. Similar to inscribing something straight into my soul itself. I wouldn't be able to do this twice. I named the spell Reset, and wove it into my being. This would become my unique ability going forward.

If magic wasn't working then I would use something far more powerful as I wove my mana into my body. Enhancing my strength far past my peak now that my body had returned to peak shape. My muscles burst as strength they couldn't handle coursed through them. My soul blade appeared in my grasp. I sliced away at the beasts before me with speed, and vigor that I hadn't had a few moments before.

My blade sliced them into dozens of smaller blobs of danger. What I was doing didn't seem to be working. These things fed on mana there had to be a way I could cut them off from mana or damage them in some way. I tried all the other elements. Light, fire, lightning, water, gravity, space, poison, earth, and air.

There were only two elements left. Time was too expensive of an element to use in this sort of situation since it simply wasn't a combat element. At least I didn't know how to use it as a combat element. That left darkness. My usually transparent soul blade turned to the darkest black I could possibly imagine.

It distorted the light around it as well giving the weapon an imposing air about it. If I'd been facing a living being it would have recoiled in fear. The spell beasts around me that numbered nearly a hundred weren't living creatures, and didn't care. Nearly all of them rushed me. I funneled divine energy into my blade, and Oblivion started to hum happily.

The joy of battle reached my soul blade. It oozed bloodlust as the grey twilight of first light peeked over the horizon. The spell beasts were no bigger then I was in my human form now, but their numbers were a problem. I wanted to pull my spatial awareness in, but I needed it to sense the movements of the spell beasts. Even if they were desperately attracted to my divine energy not all of them were headed for me.

I needed to pay attention to the group of people that Sekka was protecting. My steadfast little ally was in a great deal of danger now. I'd made a mistake in bringing him. There was a good chance he would die if I didn't finish up this fight quickly. My blade flashed faster, and faster as I entered a state of pure focus I'd never experienced before.

I hadn't been in mortal danger for an extended period of time like this in a long time. Usually the danger was either limited to a few moments or stretched out so far that I had time to rest. I didn't have time to rest, and the danger was only increasing as I fought the spell beasts. Their strikes were unpredictable, and I only had the one blade. I wasn't fast enough to deal with attacks on all sides.

Even if I was faster then any human. Even if I was faster then most elves. I still wasn't fast enough. Strength meant nothing to these liquid spell beasts. Even if I did punch them they would only fly away, and distort slightly before returning to their beast like form a few moments later.

To top it off some of that darkness would remain on my hand to burn it after I was stupid enough to use my actual hand. I was quickly getting exhausted once again. Punches kicks, and slashes appeared to do very little to the spell beasts from what I could see, but my senses told me something different. My soul blade was doing something. The number of spell beasts had decreased although it was hard to tell how much in my distracted state.

My body told me something else. It screamed that I wouldn't last long enough to finish this fight at this rate. Suddenly I found myself without something to slash at. The spell beasts all surged backwards at once. Fusing into a wall of darkness like liquid death.

Rising up to seal me within a dome of pure liquid darkness. I'd assumed the spell beasts didn't have any intelligence. I was wrong. I'd been trapped.

"FUCK," I shouted as the darkness came down on me.

I wanted to scream as the feeling of being on fire enveloped me. I could feel my skin being eaten away with what remained of my mana. Resetting myself had given me a nice second wind to fight with, but I'd wasted it by not knowing what the enemy was capable of. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. What the fuck was I supposed to do now?

Even now, on the verge of death, I had the will to fight. I just didn't know what I could do to survive.

"This creature is problematic for me," a quiet masculine voice whispered in my mind, "I don't like the idea of helping the origin of another world, but I'd rather pick the lesser of two evils. I won't give you any of my power. Just show you one you already have."

What? A power I already have? Information streamed into my mind. A spark ignited in my jaws. Setting my soul ablaze.

Flames of all colors burst from my mouth in a torrent. Consuming the mana that was deep within the darkness, and funneling it back to me. I knew instinctually that these flames would burn through my lifeforce the longer I kept them burning, but they pursued the single goal I'd given them with glee as they consumed the darkness that surrounded me. A battle between the darkness, and the rainbowed flames began. These rainbowed flames were consuming my lifeforce, but the liquid darkness would consume all life, and mana alike as long as it existed.