Blue - 9

It was done, the dead in their place once more. There was a deafening silence as the golem returned to its station. A mere facade. 

Made for those of another occupation. For the merchants within their humid carts, made of wood that seemed to only creek with every tumultuous shake of the sand.

For this battle was not won. There had been a single appearance. And the golem master should know that. But when I looked to his young visage, his tensed brows that seemed to only glisten with sweat and effort.

I knew that he was not one to be relied on. For he would bring us death. A muttered word under my breath. A curse that seemed to be vindicated within the next moment. For there was a rumble below my knees.

A powerful shake that forced me to hold the ground. My fingers clenched against grains of sand. Grasped for any leverage.

I looked once more towards the visage of that corpse, where it had been swallowed whole. By the dunes of sand and waves of weight.

A glance back saw Irene - for once - get up and off of her ass. Her brows rolled with her eyes as she tore her wand from her side. What had been a simple aesthetic choice, it had turned to a masterfully crafted wand. Greater than I could afford.

And greater than would be ever given to me. Yet I scoffed. She cast no defense upon her person, nor did she even take a glance toward the horde of centipedes, their bodies curled together like some sort of grotesque abomination.

An eye of mine glanced towards that blue dragon. His visage disguised as a cute fox, and a sigh echoed from my mouth. For he would be a great help.

But then my eye glanced once more to the people, those who would carry us back to Ojun, where the academy was located.

Gust

The same spell, the same usage. As a wise man had once said - if it ain't broke, don't fix it - truly wise words. As even with the disorientation, the way in which it did its work, how it was barely even effective.

It still gave me enough time to maneuver against the wind. To cast another spell within that tiny fraction of a second.

Least Heal

A replenishing spell, closer to holy magic. Those that prayed to the God's for their favor and protection. Yet it was a minor difference. As our heal worked by imitation. Taking the formula of light and applying it towards our own spells.

Either way this recovered the stamina, the health I had lost with that Cocoon of mine. Only it didn't recover fully, so I was left panting. My eyes rolling within my head as I desperately calculated an angle of attack.

Acid flew from the sky, spit from the guttural mouth of one. It hit me.

I cried out in pain.

Only it did little to no damage. I thanked the God's that I had cast such a preemptive measure. For I would have lost a limb had I not.

Fireball

A burst of heat, one that tore through the sky, replacing the sun's glaring heat for one such moment.

"Damn it! Irene!" I yelled. My voice carried over even the explosion. She had drawn aggro where aggro should not have been drawn. For I had been able to withstand the attack, and what had she used her own unknowability for?!

She had used it to deal miniscule magic with an unranked spell. Damn her.

"What?" She smirked, "I just saved your ass, thank me all you want~!"

I grit my teeth as I dodged another glob of acid, my head ducking under the giant shadow it cast. It fell upon the sand, glassing it with the heat it radiated.

I looked once more to the conglomerate of centipede's only to find them unharmed. It was not surprising.

For they had long since given up their weakness to the sun. These were not some forest dwelling centipedes, given their size, obviously.

"Dammit" I ground out, "Cast fly and prepare a piercing spell."

"Gotcha" She sounded out, her voice just as carefree as it had been before this whole thing. Only I knew that this would not work.

But sacrifices had to be made. If only I were to live, it would be suspicious. Yes, but I would still be alive to tell the tale.

"Erryn…" A voice quietly echoed. From the side, a voice within my shoulder, like an angel whispering a symphony of comforting truths within my mind.

"I-" there was a hesitation within my voice, within the tremble of my mind. For I was looking upon death. Not only for the caravan we had commissioned but for my own life. And I- I had thought of abandoning them all.

To leave them to their fates after fighting what one might see as an impossible to change outcome. Death, a horde of this kind was unlikely, but it was known.

That within the depths between passages, between towns.

Those that encountered such disasters, such as this, there were few who survived and fewer still who had come out unscathed. Only those strong mages, who could defeat an army of their own.

Only they could stand a chance within these depths alone. Us, we were blocked by the mere dregs of creatures. Who had most probably been driven out by some unearthly creature.

And here I stood, with the apex of them all. In fear of unleashing that power for the good of the rest.

Blood splashed. A cry that echoed through the humid winds. A hand that fell to my side and my own pupils that dilated with them.

"Irene…" I whispered. My head whipped towards the girl. Her red hair matted with concentration.

Lesser Flame

Fire echoed through the surroundings, a vortex of orange flames, who ran hot enough to melt the armor off of the centipede's skin. Only that was the extent of its power. As Irene fell to the ground, her stump of an arm bleeding with each and every second.

"Please" I spoke, desperation within my mind. I… I had not wanted this to happen. So drunk on power, on the fact that I had taken a dragon for my own. That I had not considered the arrogance of my actions.

What was I thinking, traveling at this time, with subpar adventurers. Who took to their roles a little too well. A little too arrogant.