Chapter Twenty-Eight

"This was supposed to be a glacial area..."

Finn mumbled and I looked around at the greenery, spotting a few oddities that supported the theory that this was a glacial area... Was.

A few small plants are frozen, dying, and not being able to resist climate change.

"It was, some plants are dying... Also, there is something that way."

I pointed in a direction and the others looked there. Bete leaned forward and sniffed the air before his nose scrunched up in irritation.

"All I smell are plants..."

I nodded.

I grabbed my daggers and unsheathed them as we started walking. My throwing knives slipped out of their holsters and started floating around me.

The daggers turned in my hand, cutting through the air as I started playing with the deadly weapons, mana surged around my body, seeping into my muscles and bones.

As we finally left the heavy woods, we entered a clearing, spotting a large Viola, using vines to eat other, smaller ones of its kind.

"That one's huge..."

Tiona said in wonder, looking at the admittedly average-sized monster as we neared it at a sedate pace.

As we neared it, it looked over at us, which was weird since it had no eyes and the lower part of its caterpillar-like body bulged.

... Before it could do anything though, my throwing daggers surged forward, Blaze flaring around them and passing through the monster.

I stared at it unimpressed as the top part turned to dust, revealing a humanoid body with long green hair, with green skin.

The body of the worm bloomed two flowers right below the intersection where the humanoid body met the monster one, from behind six pink leaves extended as it grew in size.

My head tilted up as I stared at the large form of the now fully transformed monster.

I screamed, no, screeched and I raised an eyebrow at the sheer inactivity of the group... Were we not going to like... attack it? No? Okay, just checking...

While everyone was covering their ears, I looked over the monster, Vines as the main form of attack, the petals could be used for defense, and the two flower buds could be used to release spores probably.

"Aria!"

And it spoke, so spells could, possibly be cast if it knew any... Okay, got it.

"A spirit..."

Ais muttered, staring at it with a horrified expression.

Violas that were previously prepared to be eaten turned to us and started crawling.

"Alright, I'll go in first."

I muttered, ready to dash in even as my throwing knives were embedding themselves into the worm monsters.

"Wait."

I stopped myself when Finn spoke, glancing back momentarily at his as he narrowed his eyes at the monster that was a spirit, apparently.

"Somethings not right here..."

He muttered and then I heard it, Chanting. It wasn't Riveria and it wasn't Lefia. My eyes turned to the monster again, seeing a large magic circle spread on the ground.

Huh... Damn.

"Moan, mighty earth. Rise, rise, rise. Husk of the earth. Sheen of iron.-"

Okay, bitch, I use counter spell.

"Welf!"

Welf slammed his sword down into the ground and raised his hand at the monster.

"On it! Burn out, illegal work. Will-o-Wisp!"

Welf finished his chant faster, naturally, and there was silance for a split second, before the newly formed magic circles that were spinning around the Spirit exploded, by Welf's magic that messed up the magic circle formation.

Welf collapsed on all four, breathing heavily as Raul ran to him, handing him a mind potion.

I kept an eye on the fire, watching carefully. It dispersed, revealing the grusome sight of a scorched human half of the monster, revealing a burnt body, an exposed ribcage with what seemed like mucous dripping down from the bones, half of its face was gone, showing the skull under it.

"Hot damn, Smith, Good job!"

Bete grinned, only for it to die down as the monster healed, the skin and body parts regrowing in seconds under our very eyes.

"Oh shit."

I looked around as the Violas were slowly gathering around us. Retreat was not an option since we were essentially trapped by the vines that cut off our exit.

I sighed as Blaze flared around my body, the small purple flames that signified my boost in power grew in intensity, shrinking in size as I poured my mana into them. It wasn't long before the flames turned into a purple coating on my hands and legs, spreading to my daggers.

Blaze was pushed to the limits as the monster began chanting again, a different spell this time.

"Arise, flames. Rage, rage, rage. Vortex of fire. The crimson wall. Hellfire's roar.-"

Finn spun his spear in his hand, crossing it with the other one behind his back.

"Everyone, hold off the Violas! Tsubaki and Raul, try to delay its chanting until Welf recovers! Riveria, Start setting up a barrier!"

I breathed in, my mind hyperfocusing on the objective and my muscles, coiled like springs, burst into action. The surroundings blurred as I sped forward. Fire and lightning shooting from behind as Tsubaki and Raul tried using their magic swords to stop the chant to no avail.

I didn't know what the Spirits spell would do, and I would most likely not be affected, judging from the contents of the chant, but I could not say the same about the others.

The petals around its upper body closed just in time to block my dagger as Vinesclosed in on me, trying to wrap around me only to be burned away in an instnat.

My dagger sunk into the petal, Blaze burning a thin slice into the shell as I focused élenchos, forcing the Blaze that was contained at the tip of my dagger to explode. Whisps of purple flame came out of any slight opening in the shell as the Demi spirit screamed in pain, and the red magic circle dissapiered as the spell was disrupted.