Swept

Rachel was frozen to the spot because she saw something in the Ambruce realm that should have never been there.

Many realms were born from the Trannisa realm. It had an abundance of magic and continually created more. This abundance caused an overflow which in turn caused new realms to spawn.

That said none of the new realms had the abundance magics as Trannisa or the multitude of types. None of them had a source of rainbow magic. They were just chips of Trannisa and did not have the fullness of it's resources or its possibilities.

But here in Ambruce there was an origin well. Not a regular well that fed a realm and kept it sustained so it could grow and learn and possibly become sentient.

Ambruce had a rainbow origin well.

Rachel had seen many realms and many of these realms had origin wells of magic but she had only seen one rainbow origin well and that was in Trannisa. The well there was massive. It was the size of a medium sized walled city and it was overflowing with rainbow magic.

The one on Ambruce was double the size of an average water well and, from what Rachel could see from her position, it was perhaps a quarter of the way full.

"This is going to be harder than we thought."

The tension in Rachel's voice caused the other three to tense.

"Everyone get ready. This realm wields rainbow magics and I am going to have to split my attention between here and Smral."

This news shook the other three but they still readied themselves.

Smral was in the midst of raucous laughter. He liked Ambruce. He was amazed by this but there was no doubt in him. He knew he liked this realm and he was finding himself trusting it more and more.

The manipulator in him was thinking fast. It was natural. He was always thinking of ways to achieve some end, some goal. But what did he want to achieve this time?

He smiled inwardly. He wanted Ambruce. But not as a conquest, not as a thrall. He was actually trying to figure out how to make Ambruce a friend or, at the very least, an ally.

Had he changed so much since he lost one of his souls? He had to admit he liked the changes. He was more powerful, his mind was clearer, and he felt as if he belong somewhere. He felt like he had a family and a home.

It was pretty insane. A solitary creature like a demon dragon of ailment wanting family.

It was hilarious, but that's not why he was laughing. He was laughing because he was genuinely enjoying himself.

'You have broken three of my illusions and you are not even trying.'

Smral quieted and just smiled at Ambruce. It was true. His innate abilities were continually chipping away at the illusions around him. He was actively slowing the process but he could stop it.

Ambruce sighed. 'I feel I should let you and the others leave, but I do not want to.'

'Why not?'

'Because that is not what I have done in the past.'

Smral nodded at this and let out a low snort. He had been the same way. He looked at Ambruce 'And have your old ways been satisfying to you?'

Ambruce looked into the rainbow sky. A seat materialize behind him and he set down in thought.

Smral didn't see anything because he was too focused on the rainbow sky. 'What is a rainbow sky doing here? Is Rachel destroying the illusions from the outside?'

Rachel, and Struns were casting spells, with Cramnal casting magics. There were runes of different colors and types moving in all directions. Not all of them were coming from the them.

The Ambruce Realm was fighting like a sentient being.

Cramnal was thrown back by a stream of earth magic that turned into an obsidian boulder just before it hit him. He landed heavily but rolled, stood back up, and went to re-engage without any hesitation.

Whirling winds were causing paper cut like slices to form on their bodies.

Struns was bleeding from a gash in his neck. They learned, too late, that whatever offense they used Ambruce sent it right back. Struns used his daggers and wind magic quickly retaliated and sliced his neck.

Rebecca sent seven spirit beings forward. Soul and spirit magics flowing between her and them. Feeding them and strengthening them. They moved forward and everything they touched withered and died. She strained as she sent more magics forth. Her mind reeling from excessive magics usage.

Rachel was bleeding. She did not like to bleed when it was not due to her intentional action and understanding of the consequence. Today she was bleeding because she had not fully understood. Her comrades were bleeding because of her miscalculation.

She spun through the air. The rainbow strands in her hair reaching forward and out around her seeking an enemy to devour. They were fighting spirit constructs. Not sentient sentinels used as defense for the realm. But they were being controlled by some type of sentience.

Rachel knew Ambruce was distracted but somehow it was either able to split its focus and consciousness more effectively than she could or it was something innate within its defenses.

It annoyed her that she did not know.

The constructs were made of a light that Rachel knew but never used. It was a spectrum of light that she had seen in the memories of the Milana. It was a strong ancient thing that only existed in the core of Trannisa but here it was, just as strong, and feeling just as ancient as in the memories she had been given.

She knew where to find it but many Milana before her died seeking it so she never really thought about it. Fighting these spirit constructs was proving so difficult for her that she was suddenly interested.

Learning specific light magics was understanding and knowing the light that it originated from. To truly know a light you had to embrace it and allow it to embrace you.

Much of this understanding could be gleamed by pulling the light from the rainbow of light that existed in specific areas of Trannisa, such as the rainbow falls on Azzit, but for more complicated or ancient magics you had to find a source of the specific color and add it to the spectrums you wielded.

Rachel now felt a need to start seeking out all ancient and unique spectrums and hues to add to her arsenal. The feeling was both exhilarating and foreboding at the same time.

She drilled her entire body through two spirit constructs in a boomerang type move. Her body actually passed through gaping holes due to her hair carving a space out for her. She landed behind Cramnal. She watched him use his traveler's magics. Doors opening and causing vortexes to suck things in, projectiles flying out, or even magics released in erratic streams.

She shook her head 'Cramnal needs to use other magics or learn how to incorporate different types of magic into his traveler magic. Maybe he needs to learn sorcery.'

Her hand was suddenly out stretched and a spirit construct shattered to the left of Cramnal in the next instant.

Rachel had kept an eye on Smral. At this point she knew Ambruce should have already been alerted, but it had not fully acted against them. When she saw what was happening inside the illusion she understood why.

Ambruce wanted to learn. He was observing and understanding. She was not sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing but she knew it caused the realm to pause, or maybe even hault its actions.

As they destroyed a spirit construct another one formed. She saw that Cramnal, Rebecca, and Struns were getting tired. She would need to end this.

She sighed… she was always sighing these days and she realized she would be sighing many more times in the next few days.

"Fall back! Fall back now! All of you! Struns this includes you."

As she watched them move to rear positions her skin took on a rainbow sheen. The blood she was loosing moved to her fingertips and the tips of her hair. Sparks soundlessly lit up around her like vibrant sparklers.

A sphere of sparks moved out from her. She stayed in her position as her blood continued to flow. As more blood moved to her finger tips and the tips of her hair the sphere grew larger and more powerful.

In an instant light streamed forth from her fingertips and hair. The sphere she sent out surrounded the origin well. The spirit constructs stopped what they were doing, standing motionless, one inches from Rachel.

Spheres of magics moved from her in rippling waves causing all the motionless constructs to shatter. Her magics then flowed into the origin well seemingly cleansing, or dominating it.

Magic quickly drained from Rachel and she collapsed.

Rachel's spirit body materialized in a beautiful meadow. She walked to a small area where a table sat surrounded by tall colorful flowers. Four chairs sat around it, two were empty. She sat next to Smral and looked at the tea laid out on the table.

"Would you like tea Milana?"

Rachel smiled. "Of course. Because of you I will need to sleep for several days. I want tea and some type of cake, preferably with goshen berries."

Ambruce smiled as he prepared tea and a spongy soft purple cake appeared on the table.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

She could hear the genuine concern in Smral's voice. She looked at him and said nothing. She patiently waited for her tea and cake to be presented to her. She took a sip of tea and sat back closed her eyes.

Ambruce looked to Smral. "She defeated all of my spirit constructs and she has sealed my soul well. She nearly drained her magic completely." Ambruce looked to Rachel. "You are quite extraordinary." Ambruce took a sip of tea, its eyes moving back to Smral.

Smral's eyes widened. "All that and the tethers never faltered and our connection is still strong and stable."

She opened her eyes and took another sip of tea. "What do the tethers and our connection have to do with my exhaustion." She looked to Ambruce "Would you like to be my Antrunie?"