“Golden lightning flow, let your sparks course through me.”
Tobey watched in despair. Renbao had made a shield-like dome of lightning for himself with his chant. He was comfortable enough just standing and watching, he did so with the candle in his hand. Tobey watched him yawn.
“Can you do it?” Bell asked as she stepped forward to Tobey.
Tobey glanced her a look before taking his eyes back to the current problem.
“You don’t have to help me…”
“I wouldn’t stand here if I didn’t want to,” Bell said as she grabbed her bow. She had no arrows. Her fingers held the wire-made bow string firmly as she narrowed her eyes at Renbao.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Tobey turned to see Finn who stood away, watching them against their supervisor.
“Are you coming?” Renbao called back, his hand on his neck. He yawned again.
“He’s not taking us seriously,” Tobey said squeezing his fist.
“Well, it’s not like we’ve done anything yet.” Bell smiled.
“I need to-”
“Close in on him, right?” Bell cut Tobey short as she began to pull the bowstring. “I’ll create the chance for you. You’ll be able to put out the flame…assuming I don’t first.”
“…What?”
Bell drew the string. She stretched it and took a long breath.
“Vortune, Roaring wind. Hear me, guide my string.”
Bell’s gauntlet shined with a sharp blue glow as did her eyes. Her fingers gripped the bowstring tightly. The mana around her condensed on the bow, forming an arrow. Tobey could not see the arrow, but the swirls of air around her bow and the sudden wind that blew back against her.
Tobey smiled. Just as he suspected, an elemental.
Wind? Renbao’s eyes narrowed.
Tobey turned to the man before him. Renbao’s eyes had changed. NOW, he had to take them seriously.
Tobey crouched, his feet digging into the grass beneath him. He launched forward, breaking into a sprint. His chance would come, Renbao was going to dodge the arrow, he knew that. He planned to extinguish the candle flame in the split second he moved to dodge.
His steps grew faster and quicker. His breath ragged, getting heavy. He hissed.
“Hear me, O Crimson Bone.”
Bell fired. The invisible arrow sprang from her bow in a straight, forward launch. It burst past Tobey and struck against the dome of lightning Renbao had made. Tobey dashed, his steps cracking the ground. Bell’s arrow screeched against the shield. Renbao’s eyes widened as the arrow pierced through his shield and ran straight at him.
“Hmph! Easy.” Bell grinned.
Renbao jumped to his left avoiding the arrow. Tobey lunged, he had burst into the dome through the space made by Bell’s arrow and now had the candle in sight. He stretched his hand. It’s mine!
Renbao disappeared.
Tobey blinked in all directions, shocked. The flow of mana was dominated by Renbao, it was impossible for him to pinpoint his location.
“You’re fast.”
The voice came from above. Before Tobey could turn, Renbao had kicked him. Tobey’s body landed on the ground with a loud thud. Blood splattered out of his mouth as he coughed.
Tobey grit his teeth as Renbao landed on his torso with both feet smashing him into the ground beneath him.
“Tobey!” Bell pulled another arrow and fired. And another, and yet another. All three arrows were dispersed by lightning without Renbao needing to turn to her. Bell cursed under her breath. “I put too much mana in the first shot.”
Tobey could not tell which hurt more. The impact on the ground, or the subsequent occasional flow of lightning across his body. Tobey lay on the ground vibrating minimally, struggling against the yellow flashes cruising and burning his skin. Red gradually grew over his hood; the stains of blood from his side. Renbao stood on him, for the first time looking at his body.
“…Morph magic,” Renbao said as he stared. Tobey’s eyes were deep red. Black lines crawled over his face and arms. His skin had become lighter, shifting from cool brown to subtle ash.
“Your magic boosts your physical abilities, or at least it’s supposed to. You intended to close in on me while she shot her arrows knowing you’d get shocked if you attacked my dome.”
Tobey’s vision slowly grew dim. He focused on staying conscious, or he’d be knocked out and he would fail.
“A poorly executed plan. What did you hope to achieve?”
Outside the dome. Bell called out to Finn.
“He needs help, Finn,” Bell said, sounding desperate.
“Why should I help him? He’s serving punishment for what he did.”
“You don’t have to be an asshole about this. He was given to us as part of our cell.”
“Fool. That’s because he’s an aberration. If not, it’d have been just us, in a two-man Cadre.”
“…” Bell fell quiet. She stared at Finn with rage in her eyes. “Is that so?”
Finn watched her turn away and walk towards the dome.
“If that’s true, then I’m glad he was sent here… I don’t think I’d have been able to survive the next four years here with you as a squad member. You’re nothing but selfish.”
Bell began jogging towards the dome. She drew her bow and began shooting. Blast after blast, her relentless wind arrows struck against the dome shield to no fortune. Finn watched her pull her string, continuously firing her arrows. He sighed and turned away.
Within the dome, Tobey grunted as he tried rising up from the ground. The candle was burning out, and fast. It was like the speed of the melting wax had increased from the surrounding heat.
Renbao stomped on Tobey’s chest. A wave of lightning coursed from his body and struck Tobey beneath him. Tobey squeezed out a choking cry. His eyes had begun to water. He tilted his head; he could see Bell firing shot after shot of wind.
“What are you looking at?” Renbao turned out to see Bell outside the dome. “You should not be concerned about anyone else at this point, but seeing as she is participating in this, I guess I should attack her as well.”
Renbao lifted his hand towards Bell “Golden lightning. Lash.”
Threadlike streaks of lightning flashed in Bell’s direction. Bell had no time to dodge them all. She fired the next arrow to the ground beneath her, springing up rocks from the small explosion. The lightning streaks hit the rocks, giving Bell her chance to bolt right.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.”
Bell ran across the field. There was no space to take cover. She could see the next streaks gathering at the dome, rushing towards her. She began firing shots at the ground. Rocks erupted from the ground intercepting the lightning streaks and dust began to gather. She gasped for air, coughing as she ran in the mix of dust, wind and rocks.
Bell kept running and firing shots of wind in random directions. Soon the dome was surrounded by a large dust cloud. The dust was so thick, it was hard to see through. Even harder for Renbao and Tobey who were in the dome.
Renbao almost felt his lips rise into a smile. “A makeshift smokescreen. Clever girl. Hmm?”
He felt Tobey’s hands beneath him, grabbing his ankle. Tobey wore a wide grin as he tightened his grip.
“What are you doing?” Renbao asked in confusion.
“Gripping your leg. It’d be a pain if you disappeared on me again.” Tobey grinned. “You should know better than to get this close to a Morpher.”
“You little-”
“Crimson Blade”
SHNICK!! Blood gushed out of Renbao’s leg, he gasped in surprise. Renbao tried lifting it, but he couldn’t. Tobey chuckled. From his skin, sharp bones from his upper arm had pierced through Renbao’s ankle. Tobey bled from where the bones shot from, but the pleasure from Renbao’s expression dwarfed the pain.
Renbao groaned; he stomped Tobey with his other foot. Tobey coughed. He definitely shifted something inside.
Tobey hastily let go of his leg. Renbao jumped backwards and staggered on his feet; the wound was worse than he thought.
Outside, Bell who had hidden in the dust tried to gather her mana to shoot again. She covered her faced with her hand, her nose was itching. The light in her gauntlet had begun to dim. She could feel her fingers ache. Her heart raced and she was panting.
How many times have I shot? Twenty? Thirty? I’m already… Damn.
“BOTH OF YOU, CALM DOWN AND LISTEN TO ME.”
The voice rang loudly in Tobey and Bell’s ears. A familiar voice.
“…Finn?” Bell whispered.
“IT WAS NOT SELFISHNESS BELL, IT WAS LOGIC.”
Bell’s eyes widened and she smiled. “What is this Finn?” Bell asked. “I can hear your voice in my head.”
“SPIRIT MAGIC. YOU’RE HEARING IT IN YOUR BEING. SAME AS YOU TOBEY.”
Tobey grunted on the ground. Renbao was still dazed. He stared at Tobey, who bled from either side of his arms, slightly below where he had wrapped with black cloth. Tobey could hear it, Finn and Bell’s voice ringing. Finn was a spirit magic user, a Spiriter.
“I’LL ASSUME YOU BOTH CAN HEAR ME. BELL YOU DID WELL RAISING A DUST CLOUD BUT IT WON’T LAST FOR LONG. DON’T WORRY, NOW THAT WE HAVE THAT AND WE’VE GOTTEN HIM HANDICAPPED, OUR ODDS ARE HIGHER.”
“What do you mean, higher?” Bell asked.
“I HAVE A PLAN. LISTEN TO ME.”
Tobey struggled to his feet. He was shaking all over, his body was crying in pain. But staring at Renbao, Tobey’s eyes widened and his grin turned into wild laughter. He glanced at the candle; it had burned below its mid-point. Renbao turned to the laughing Tobey.
“You’re laughing because you wounded me? Well, if anything, I should congratulate you on taking advantage of my memory. Morph magic is hard to come by. However, your position remains unchanged.”
“Not for long.” Tobey smiled and raised his bloodied arm at Renbao. “We’re about to fuck you up and you have no idea.”
Renbao narrowed his eyes at him. Suddenly, sparks shook at the side of him. The surrounding dome of lightning suddenly dispersed. He turned and in front of him Bell was in the air, her bow clenched and the string pulled. Poised to strike, she smiled and released the string.
“Bingo.”
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