Fired In Anger (2)

"Concussive Pile!" The blood-red fairy releases a small ball of mana that lands softly on the apex of the pyramid. Immediately and one after another, several magic circles grow upwards from the space field. Taller and taller, it grows as the powerful spell stacks upon itself. Once the numerous circles have reached the top of the trees, the spell is ready. "Fire!"

Inari screams, and the circles collapse down on top of each other at an exponential rate. The highest magic circle lands softly on the one below it, and the two circles combine into one. The newly combined magic circle then falls quickly onto the one below it, making it fall even faster. What proceeds is a lightning-fast landslide that ends with an ear-splitting explosion at the top of the space field.

'BOOOOM!'

The explosion, caused only by an incomparable force colliding with the shield, blows several Mammoth Trees down and fills the air with dust. The world trembles at the power of the attack. Several cracks form at the peak of the space field.

"I thought this was supposed to be indestructible?!" the Duke cries.

"No, it just requires such an insane amount of force to break it; that's why it's functionally indestructible," Kobayashi explains. "Everything has its limit. Even magic can only do so much."

"Well, the guy who sold it to me said it was 'literally indestructible,' so I'll have to have a word with him when we get back." The Duke intentionally mentions returning home to help his men take their minds off the ungodly power unleashed in their direction. All they can do is wait for the leader of the fairies to get tired, and then they can continue onward to the dungeon without much difficulty. It's common knowledge that despite the fairies' near-infinite lifespan, they do not have very many ways of getting stronger, and almost all of the fighting power of the tribe is concentrated in the leader.

The back and forth between Kobayashi and the Duke helps calm the soldiers, which is no small feat considering the earth-shattering attack they just withstood.

"Leader!" Oog exclaims as Inari begins to sink to the ground. The purple-haired fairy shoots up to support her.

"I'm fine. I just need to rest for a while." She says as blood pours down her face. Considering how small fairies are, pretty much any amount of blood loss can be life-threatening. Inari floats back toward the village with the help of Oog but gives one last order. "Once that shield falls, hit them with everything you've got."

Foof is flying around a short distance from Inari when she gives the order. He glides down to the ground and stares into the magic shield the humans have set up. They stare back at him, but there isn't much either side can do unto the barrier drops. Foof creates a small magic circle, and a thin pillar of soil rises to about a couple feet in the air and carefully takes a seat upon it.

"What the hell is that fairy doing?" The Duke rages. No one responds as they're unsure themselves. One fairy in front of a whole army? Though they had just fought against a monster like Inari, the thought was still preposterous. From where he is sitting on the pillar of soil, Foof carefully begins constructing magic circles. Mana visibly pours from his hands and twists around into complex structures. After a few moments of work, a multi-layered spell is completed. Foof rests the completed magic circle on the air before him and begins constructing another.

The second spell is completed almost immediately. Foof points at the ground around the force field, which begins churning and spinning like a whirlpool.

"Someone tell me what the hell he's doing!" The Duke shouts.

"I didn't think he was still alive," Kobayashi calmly replies.

"Who wasn't alive?! What are you talking about?"

"I'd read about it in a history book from a few hundred years ago. A group of twenty knights all but exterminated by a single fairy."

'FOOSH!'

The boiling terrain begins glowing in deep red before finally finishing its transformation. Lava bursts up from the ground and consumes the land surrounding the Duke's forces.

"The Lava Fairy," Kobayashi says in awe as waves of heat rise from the molten moat.

Foof then flies up towards the top of the space field with the first magic circle he created and places it at the peak. The condensed magic circle bursts apart into a pillar of concentric circles, one all too familiar to the army below.

"It's that spell the other fairy used earlier!" One of the soldiers shouts. The concentric circles are lined up the same as when Inari used Concussive Pile, but the stack isn't as high this time. The spell might not be as strong as it was last time, but no one among the Duke's forces was willing to wait around to find out.

"I gotta get out of here!" another man screams. Duke Avaritan doesn't even try to stop him as the man begins pounding on the space field. He allows the current situation to sink in before moving to adjust his army's perspective.

"As you can see, we're trapped," Duke Avaritan starts, "As soon as this barrier drops, the Lava Fairy is sure to set off that spell, and I think we all know what will happen then."

Again, the Duke pauses to allow his men to imagine themselves being mashed into a fine paste by the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.

"We're going to prepare some spells of our own. I know the situation at hand is dire, but as long as they give me time to plan, we can't lose." The Duke sports a fierce smile as he pulls his troops up from the pit of despair.

"Leader!" One of the recently born fairies shouts to Inari as she sits down to collect herself. What remains of the blood dripping down her face has already begun to congeal. "Foof is facing the humans by himself! We need to help him."

Inari scratches off the hard chunks of blood around her eyes as she responds.

"He'll be fine. Let's take some time to collect ourselves while they hide."

"He's surrounded the human army with a pool of lava and cast Concussive Pile above them," Rom interjects as he arrives.

"See? He's got it under control."

"But, he's not as strong as you…" the young fairy trails off.

"He's not? That's news to me." All the nearby fairies widen their eyes at Inari's words. Even Rom can't help but feel shocked.

"You've never mentioned this before," he starts. "Why wouldn't you make him the next leader after yourself, or at least have him act as a second in command?"

"You think I haven't tried?" Inari glares at Rom, who quickly backs down under the pressure of her gaze. "He doesn't want anything tying him down."

"Then why is he here?" Another fairy asks quietly to avoid Inari's ire.

"He stops by the village every few decades to rest. The outside world is largely inhospitable for a lone fairy. He can build temporary shelters underground to sleep or surround himself with lava, but he'll always be hunted outside this forest."

"The Hermit Fairy. I've heard you talk about him before." Rom recovers some of his composure and re-enters the conversation.

"Yes, he's a good friend, even if he doesn't talk," Inari explains with a wry smile. "The last time he visited was slightly over a century ago."

"So that's why I don't know him; I was only born eighty-three years ago."

"Yes, sometimes I forget how young you kids are." Inari looks up as if reminiscing with distant memories. "I don't know when it started exactly, but a few millennia ago, Foof started looking for Elixirs."

"He was after the black mana stones," Rom says with a shocked expression.

"Exactly. As you know, a fairy only truly dies when their mana stone is destroyed. As long as that remains intact, their soul will remain."

"He's been collecting black mana stones from elixirs and absorbing them! That's why he's so strong!" Rom shouts.