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"I allow the breath of the Salamanders to flow through me." 

The curling Fire Bolt slammed into the wing of the diving harpy. When it fell to the ground beside me I pointed my wand at it and cast Ember burying it in hot ash. It was the second one that I had killed like that since I had fallen on Shawn's back. Blood flowed free from the wounds wrought by the creatures' claws down my exposed arms. Another tried to latch on: its claws digging into the rings of my chainmail. The tips of its talons poked at my flesh underneath as I wrapped my arm around the creature's neck, to hold it in place as I tore its throat out with my teeth. Its body slumped against mine, and I kept it there as another harpy dived down toward me. 

Its talons gripped my forearm: the curved points scraping against the silvery gauntlets before it beat its wing to fly away. 

"I allow the breath of the Salamanders to flow through me," I muttered. 

A loud screen erupted from its beaked mouth as it fell back, clutching its burnt face. I dropped the dead harpy on top of it and cast Ember again. The harpy underneath the dead one squirms, and I cast it again, and again. Burying them both under a mound of ash. A pair of harpies landed on the sand and drew their weapons: a dagger, and a scimitar, respectively. 

"Gnomes, servants of Gob the Magnanimous, I beseech thee to bombard my enemies."

It took a little while for the spell to activate, and a chunk of the building next to us tore out of the corner and flew toward the pair. The dagger-wielding harpy stepped out of the way, and the stone clipped the hip of the scimitar-wielding one. It fell onto its side and pushed itself off of its feet. I wish I could take advantage of the opening, but just putting pressure on my leg sent shockwaves of pain through it. 

The harpy beat its wings and dashed forward: the serrated blade pointed toward my throat. I raised my arm to defend my throat, and the blade skittered across the top of the gauntlets. With a quick twist of my wrist, and snatched the creature's arm at the elbow with my free hand, and let the staff fall into the crook of my elbow as I pulled the dagger from my torn hoodie, and jammed it up into the harpy's diaphragm. The curvy blade pushed up to the hilt: cutting through muscle as easily as flesh All the air in its lungs expelled all at once in a sickening exhalation as it slumped forward, and I pushed it to the ground. I slid the dagger back into my pocket, and 

Shawn's weight shifted slightly as he fell back on me. I glanced back. Blood oozed out of an open wound on his throat, and an arrow from a harpy on the wing with a bow stuck in his shoulder. 

"From the domain of Paimon, I call for you, thou daughters of the wind, dance around me." 

The dome of wind whirled to life just as another arrow was let loose. I pointed my wand at Shawn's throat. His skin was pale, and his eyes watched me, as I braced myself on the sand with both legs: gritting my teeth through the pain. What should I do? Heal? No. That would take too long...then….Shawn mouthed something and I remembered his wish. Water. That's right. 

"Oh you that dwell within the waters, form for me a bead."

Blue lights formed in front of the wand, and formed a bead of water and poured over the wound. The pure waters washed the blood out The flesh was stitched together in a horrendous matter, and Shawn took a deep breath as the color began to return to his face. He pushed himself off my back and swung with the weapon he had in his grasp — one of the short sword, at the harpy who had injured him, and had been pushed back out of the floes of wind. The harpy fell at him: its neck half severed by a single stroke that began the left ear. 

When the dome of wind died down, a slight sprinkling of water fell over the two of us. With the additional water, the rest of Shawn's many wounds began to heal, and a new incantation flowed into my mind. How did that work?

Cloudburst Unlocked

Magic +1

Came the notification from my Shard. How? I hadn't changed anything about the casting. Another arrow flew toward him, and he raised his shield. Two more landed on the sand in front of me once more. 

"Brace yourself," Shawn muttered. 

"What?" 

He hooked his elbow around one of mine, bent his back, and pivoted on his heel. My feet left the ground momentarily before he straightened out and deposited me in the direction he was facing. The harpy knocked another arrow, and let loose. This one punched slightly in through the chain mail and poked at my flesh underneath like a thorn. I raised my staff. 

"Gnomes, servants of Gob the Magnanimous, I beseech thee to bombard my enemies."

Another chunk of the building tore off and flew toward the archer. It beat its wings, and flew backward a foot or so, letting the stone sail through the air. It let loose another arrow, this time striking me in my broken leg. I nearly fell over, but Shawn strengthened his stance to support the extra weight. 

"I allow the breath of the Salamanders to flow through me." 

It let loose another arrow. The arrow struck the Fire Bolt and continued sailing until it struck me in the cheek right below my left eye. I hissed. 

"Ears!" 

"Wh…" 

He hooked his elbows with mine once again and spun me around to face the other direction. I barely had enough time to plug my ears before the air around me shook. I glanced back, and the harpy that had been using the bow had been blown clean in half as if a cannonball had struck it. Its legs fell to the ground. 

"Twelve left," Shawn muttered. 

Sweat stained his collar, and his shoulders rose and fell with his hurried breaths. My lungs burned, and my breath came out in short, hot bursts. The other harpies kept their distance from us, as countless dead lay at our feet. The world shook as one of the doors to a nearby building was blown off its hinges, and a wave of ruddy sand poured out from it like a wave of blood.