The Burning Flowers

Chapter XII

Having been paying very close attention to every match that had taken place that day, Abigail had begun to notice a pattern in the actions of the rock mages. Each and every one of them had been quick to use their mana to encase their bodies in a thick layer of stone armor, protecting their skin from getting touched by the pellets. Overall, it had been a very efficient and successful strategy, and Abi had yet to see a rock mage get knocked out unless the opposing team had one as well. That was why she had been certain that Faye would use the same strategy, and thus, she was wholly unprepared for the sudden incantation that caused the massive rock barrier to burst from the ground and split the entire arena down the center. Through pure instinct, she dodged to the side to avoid getting touched by the wall, but as she did, it truly processed in her mind what Faye’s goal had been.

She just blocked us off from Ryokumo and Album, but at the same time, she and Rennigan won’t be able to rely on help from Jessi and Hirokol! So what’s their play? Why would they do this? Are they that confident that they don’t need to work as a four…or are they simply trying to separate Nigreos and Album?

Abi wasn’t sure, and she didn’t have any time to think about the matter further. As it stood, Faye had prioritized this rock wall, which meant that her armor had yet to be formed. There was an opening, and if Abi could take proper advantage of it then there was a chance she could eliminate Faye right away and turn her full attention to aiding Nigreos with Rennigan. Clenching her teeth, praying that Nigreos would keep the water mage from launching any attacks her way, Abi extended her arms, sent her mana through her body, and shouted out her incantation.

“Vino!”

In a similar fashion to the wall of rock, the ground around Fayela seemed to explode as thick, dark green vines burst upwards, their plant-like tendrils swiftly wrapping themselves around Faye’s arms and legs, attempting to bind her in place while simultaneously yanking her hands off the ground to prevent any further spells from being cast. Rock’s weakness was its need to be in contact with the earth for offense, so as long as she could keep Faye held in place, Abi could take her out with ease. Using her left hand to continue supplying the vines with mana, Abi used her right to reach down into the leather pouch on her hip and pull out one of the pellets. More vines emerged from the grass to wrap around Faye’s neck, and despite her struggling, the rock mage couldn’t fight her way from the tight grip.

Here we go!

Faye was still only twenty yards away so Abi sprinted forward and hurled the pellet as hard as she could, watching as it soared directly for the girl’s head. But of course, she wasn’t up against a mere thug or bandit like she was used to. This was a mage that had earned her place in the Academy of Erika, so it was never going to be that simple.

Faye must have managed to utter an incantation, and just as the pellet was about to collide with her cheek, her skin suddenly hardened, turning into stone and preventing the attack from touching her body. Abi silently cursed her slowness, and that momentary distraction was all Faye needed to wrench herself from the vines, the stone spreading from her cheek to encase the entirety of her body. Her arms and legs were now a dark gray color, hardened by rock, and as for her head, the defensive armor had spread not only across every inch of skin, but even over her teeth and into her mouth. Her eyes could no longer be seen, and in their place were two glowing yellow orbs that had already fixated themselves on where Abi stood. As Faye rose to full height, she looked like she was a few inches taller, and her body was bigger and bulkier, leaving Abi facing down the defensive goliath that was a rock mage.

That’s right… Faye told me her mother works with the miners’ guild, so of course she would know of strategies that deviate from the expected. I was so certain she’d focus on armor first, and yet I allowed her to not only catch me off guard with that wall, but I failed to prevent her from putting up defenses, too. Darn it…

To her left, she could hear the sounds of Nigreos and Rennigan snarling incantations at one another, shadow and ice colliding as their battle raged. On the other side of the wall, Ryokumo and Album would be facing off against Jessi and Hirokol, leaving Abi alone to take out Faye, just as she promised the others she would.

I don’t have a choice. I told Nigreos I would keep Faye off his back while he dealt with Rennigan! I don’t have to beat her! I just have to keep her at bay until Nigreos wins and can come back me up! If I can do that, I’m certain his dark magic will be enough to take her down!

Within seconds, Abigail had recovered from her momentary shock and had regained her resolve to fight the young woman before her. And she was lucky that she was able to compose herself as fast as she did, for Faye didn’t hesitate to push off from the ground and sprint the distance between them, moving at a speed that was shocking given her size. The armor would almost certainly be heavy, yet Faye ran like she didn’t have pounds of rock encasing her body. In the blink of an eye, the goliath was upon her.

But an advantage Abi did have over the girl was that she knew how to defend herself without magic. Having traveled the north for much of her life, Abigail had learned handfuls of different defense skills, and though she rarely ever got into fist fights, she still knew the basics of how to handle herself in one. Combine that knowledge with her physical agility and despite Faye’s speed and close proximity to her, she was able to dodge punch after punch, barely predicting where each shot would land and moving her body to avoid it. This was made easier by the fact that Faye couldn’t go for her head or any vital points due to the rules of avoiding serious injury. Had the girl not been forced to pull her punches, Abi wasn’t sure how long she could have lasted.

But with the regulations hindering Faye’s options, Abi was confident she could manage a proper defense.

“Vino!” she snarled again, moving her arms to magically pull more vines out of the ground, directing them to aim for Faye’s limbs, and though the rock mage was successful in quickly yanking out of their grips, it was still enough to slow her attacks to allow Abi to put a bit of distance between them.

With the armor on, she’s gotten stronger. Before, the vines held her in place for a few seconds, but now, she’s breaking free almost instantly. I’ll need to be more strategic about this. And perhaps, I’ll call on a bit of aid…

Grinning to herself, Abi sent a more powerful surge of mana to her hands and shouted, “Vitacanis!”

Faye immediately propelled herself into the air with a powerful jump and it was clear to Abi that she expected another vine attack, but that wasn’t what the spell did. The incantation she cast was well-known among anybody that studied offensive nature magic, but those who weren’t of a nature affinity probably wouldn’t recognize the incantation at first, especially due to the fact that it had multiple forms. Abi was counting on that and her bet paid off as she watched the spell activate just behind where Faye landed.

The grass below them started to sprout upwards, expanding into thicker strands that began to entangle with each other, seemingly at random, until they took on a more organized and recognizable form. They took the shape of an animal’s paws, expanding into its rather bulky torso before finalizing in a head, snout, and eyes, as well as teeth that were created out of firm wood. There were two of these wolves created from the grass, semi-sentient beings that Abi could imbue with her will, and once they were finished, she silently sent a command to them.

Go after Faye! Do everything you can to give me an opening!

Whether she noticed Abi’s gaze flicker over her shoulder or sensed the presence of her constructs was uncertain, but Faye quickly glanced back just as the plant-made wolves rushed her, crossing the small amount of space between them in seconds before leaping through the air to try and clench their wooden jaws around her armored form. Naturally, being constructed of such brittle grass, Abi didn’t expect them to pierce Faye’s rock, nor did she expect them to hold out much longer than a few seconds. In fact, within the time it took Abigail to utter her next spell, Faye had already kicked one of their heads off, sending it flying from the rest of the body and rendering it inactive.

“Vino,” Abi whispered, sending her control back into the ground and using her hands to raise more vines from the dirt in yet another attempt to incapacitate Fayela. “Vino. Vino. Vino.” With every utterance, more and more thick tendrils exploded upwards as her opponent attempted to avoid getting overwhelmed while trying to take down the next wolf. The last construct seemed to have learned from its fallen partner’s mistake and was keeping a small distance, lunging at her and dodging away each time Faye tried to punch it.

She’s probably already figured out that they don’t have enough power to breach her armor, so I have to be quick! Just overwhelm her! Send as much as you can!

“Vitaursas,” Abi chanted between repetitions of Vino, constantly sending wave after wave of vines as yet another construct began to rise from the ground. This one had much thicker limbs and its body grew to twice the size of the wolves, instead taking the form of a bear. Like the others, its teeth and claws were made of wood, but Abi hoped its size would at least hold Faye’s attention. Already, her legs were tightly gripped by five vines each, rendering her unable to move as the bear rushed forward to aid its companion.

Abi was growing tired and she knew she wasn’t able to keep this up, but she feared getting any closer. Faye still hadn’t attempted any offense that wasn’t physical, leaving Abi on her toes for another attack that could potentially match the rock wall she created. With such a bombastic opening to the match, it was almost shocking that Faye hadn’t done it again, unless…

Wait… Unless she used too much energy to make the wall? It’s nearly two hundred yards and it is tall enough that only an accomplished wind mage would be able to propel themselves over. Yeah…there’s no way she could create something like that without using a majority of her mana supply. And even then, she’s fully armored up. Physical and direct attacks might be her only option…

Abi spared a quick glance over at Rennigan and Nigreos to find that they were still locked in heated combat, without either having given up any ground to the other.

He’s holding his own for the moment so I won’t have to worry about any sort of surprise attack! So long as Hirokol and Jessi can’t get over that wall somehow, I’m still good! I just have to crack open that armor enough to get the pellet through!

Turning away from Nigreos and Rennigan, Abi found that Faye had finally gotten an accurate enough hit to smash the wolf to pieces and the bear she had summoned was laying just at the base of the vine-covered rock mage. However, those vines had her legs, arms, torso, and even her neck in their grip and Faye, despite struggling, was still unable to break free.

I’ve got this. For one reason or another, she put all of her chips into that wall, so she won’t have the energy to beat me! I’ll take her out and then go after Rennigan!

“Arborous!” Abigail snarled, clenching her right hand into a fist, signaling to her vines to tighten the grip. If she put enough pressure on Faye, she should be able to crack the armor open like an eggshell. The vines tightened their hold on her, and Abi muttered off a few more incantations of Vino to make up for the ones that Faye was managing to snap apart. Cracks were already forming on her face and the parts of her torso that were still visible. Faye was screaming out in frustration but her arms couldn’t reach the ground, so she couldn’t hit Abi where she stood a handful of yards away.

“Custou!” Faye snarled, and immediately, a shiver went down Abi’s spine, for she recognized that spell—a spell she had heard numerous times that day. It was the incantation to form the defensive layer of rock, and the moment Faye said it, the cracks that the vines had created fused back together.

Then, with a second burst of energy, the vines holding Faye burst apart, releasing their hold enough to allow her to press upwards and jump away from the onslaught of attacks.

“Damn, you’re strong, Abigail!” Faye exclaimed with a hearty laugh. “Keep it coming! This is fun!”

And despite having just lost her best chance at taking her opponent down, Abi couldn’t help but to grin back at her.

“Right back at you, Faye! Bring it!”

***

Ryokumo Caeli was momentarily surprised by the emergence of the giant wall of rock, separating him from Nigreos and Abi, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but laugh at the strange decision. It was a ridiculously powerful spell, one that would almost assuredly weaken Fayela in her duel against Abigail. At the same time, it meant that Hirokol and Jessi were now unable to gain backup from their teammates. He was certain the move was done in an effort to separate Nigreos and Album in particular, but Ryokumo considered it a foolish move for two reasons. One was that it meant they truly believed they wouldn’t need Rennigan and Fayela to beat him and Album, which meant they were underestimating them. The second was because it practically screamed out what Hirokol’s affinity was.

With a wall that high, there’s only one magic class that would be able to get over it and join the others and it's one I know well! There’s not a chance in hell they would isolate Pafran and Yuahl unless they had a way to join back together once their fight ended! That means…

“Pafran’s of the wind affinity, Album,” Ryokumo warned softly, ensuring it was loud enough that the light mage, standing just to his right, would hear.

Then, with his information passed along, he shouted, “Proto” just as Hirokol did the same. Jessi, on the other hand, turned and sprinted backwards, an unsurprising move for a fire mage. Their magic was far too powerful and destructive to use in close quarters, so she would try to keep a distance from them for as long as she could. He wasn’t fully sure what Album could do with her light magic, but given that she was a daughter of Noctalus, he knew that he could trust in her power to aid him. That was why he put his attention on Hirokol and grinned.

“Condite!”

“Perkari!”

“Nex!”

As Ryokumo shouted out the spell that created brittle but invisible ropes of the air, hoping to yank Hirokol backwards from where Album still stood behind him, his opponent cast the spell that would send a burst of wind straight for Ryokumo’s chest, an attack he met by frantically throwing up a shield that only barely managed to block it. As he did, he watched Hirokol lurch away, clearly not realizing in time that Ryokumo had his same affinity. Proto was a rather common spell, but Condite was more specific to those studying wind, and knowing Hirokol’s affinity had given Ryokumo the briefest of advantages that quickly played to his favor.

Hirokol would break free almost as soon as he hit the ground, and knowing that a fire mage was just fifty yards ahead, Ryokumo spun in midair, manipulating the air around him to defy physics, and just narrowly avoided the rush of intense heat that barely missed him.

Yeah, I figured she’d change her target to me once I took her buddy by surprise!

And then, further solidifying his trust in his ally, two flashes of light zipped past either side of Ryokumo’s head, one slamming into Hirokol, who had just jumped back to his feet, while the other only barely missed Jessi, who simply got lucky that she happened to move the moment before Album cast her spell. For half a second, Ryokumo allowed himself to be in awe of the ridiculous speed that light magic presented. Her attacks were so fast that dodging it intentionally was next to impossible, and she seemed to have enough control over it that Hirokol was simply knocked back onto his ass rather than pierced through the chest.

“Nice one, Album!” he called over his shoulder, already in the process of removing a pellet from his pouch as he protoed toward Hirokol. All he had to do was use wind magic to enhance his throw and he could take his fellow wind mage out before the battle had even properly started. Then, if he and Album bested Jessi, he could use his magic to propel them over the wall and provide help to Abi and Nigreos.

“Augeir,” he whispered, enhancing the power of his throw and hurling the pellet straight for the prone Hirokol, but a wave of fire cut him off, burning the small sphere to ash.

“Hiro, plan alpha!” Jessi ordered as she waved her arms to control the flames burning between Ryokumo and her partner, which acted as a barrier that forced him to once again alter his direction and soar backwards, away from his opponents.

Damn it! I was so close! I figured Album would keep Yuahl distracted!

Ryokumo landed firmly in the grass and glanced back to see Album still standing in the same spot, a panicked look on her face as she looked between him and the wall of fire protecting Jessi and Hirokol. He impatiently waited for her to look directly at him, then mouthed, “Get Yuahl!” Praying that Album would be able to handle the fire mage, Ryokumo spun back around, chanted Proto, then soared toward the wall of fire. It was certainly hot, but he succeeded in altering the air around his body, using it as a shield to protect himself as he burst through the flames and emerged on the other side.

And when he did, he learned exactly what Jessi had meant by “plan alpha”.

Fire encircled Hirokol Pafran as he used his wind to control and bend the flames that his partner supplied, a joining of wind magic and fire magic. Jessi wasn’t far to her partner’s right, sending a wave of fire from her hands and into the massive blaze that Hirokol was in possession of. And, as if waiting for Ryokumo to appear, the fire was instantly hurled directly into his path. He didn’t have any choice but to cry out, “Nex”, once again shielding his body from the oncoming assault, but once it hit him, despite his protection, he still felt the searing heat touching his skin.

Right! Album said that the two of them were old friends, so of course their teamwork is going to be leagues ahead of what she and I can pull off! But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost! We have a light mage on our side! I just need her to get a clean shot!

“Proto!” he snarled, propelling himself directly into the air, repeating the incantation until he emerged through the top of the fire attack, and once he did, he let his defenses drop so he could put all of his focus into an attack of his own. He scanned the battlefield quickly, intent upon getting his bearings, only to find that the wall of fire had been dropped in favor of a more powerful attack against him, but Jessi and Hirokol were still in the same spots. Then, before Ryokumo could fire anything, more bursts of light slammed into the chests of them both, but unlike last time, neither lurched backwards.

Shit! Pafran’s shielding them!

“Put more power into it, Album! He’s using Nex!” Ryokumo barked the order out, wanting his voice to reach where the light mage was still standing.

Alright! I need to separate them! They’re a hell of a unit so if I can get Pafran to put his full focus on me then he can’t defend Yuahl from Album!

“Condite!” Ryokumo snarled, sending equal amounts of wind ropes at his two enemies, fully expecting Jessi to throw up another flame attack to cut them off.

And that was exactly what she did. Fire burst up around where Jessi was standing, defending her from the ropes but momentarily cutting her off from her partner as Ryokumo hoped she would.

There it is!

“Perkari!” he chanted, sending bursts of wind straight for Hirokol while also attempting to keep himself moving as he landed back on the field and propelled into the air yet again. The young man blocked Ryokumo’s attack, as expected, but his hope was that Album would take advantage of the momentary distraction to send a bolt of light through Jessi’s flames.

“Luminetta!”

The clear call of Album’s voice eased his concerns as a blinding attack flew across the arena and went into the fire, knocking Jessi backwards before her body skidded along the ground.

It was perfect. He couldn’t have asked Album to set him up any better than she did, for all he needed to do was jump at the opportunity to take Hirokol down while Jessi was incapacitated. If he did that, Jessi would be alone.

The reason he didn’t was because of the terrifying screech that followed Album’s incantation. The scream wasn’t one of anger or terror, rather it was one of utter pain, and despite the ideal opening he was provided, he couldn’t help but turn his head back to see what happened, only to find her outstretched arm covered in blood, as if something had burst out from beneath the skin. Album’s body was shaking and her eyes were wide with panic.

And with his attention turned away, the opportunity to take out Hirokol was lost, replaced by an opening for him to take a shot at Ryokumo.

Sensing the oncoming mana, Ryokumo just barely bolted off to the left, avoiding the burst of wind that was sent his way. When he looked back, Jessi was already on her feet, fire surging around her wrists as she recovered from the light attack. He was concerned for Album, but he didn’t have the time to go back and check on her as wind and fire combined yet again to send a blazing assault straight for him.

“Proto!”

This time, Ryokumo didn’t try to get closer to them, rather he went backwards to protect the wounded Album. Yet, to her credit, just as he spun around, he saw her raising her non-bloodied arm, her teeth clenched in pain as light formed in her palm and burst from her hand…

Only for that arm to explode in a spray of blood as well, as if it simply gave out.

Ryokumo landed back on the ground just as Album’s undodgeable attack slammed into Jessi, this time colliding with her face, snapping her head backwards with more force than was probably necessary. But unlike the first time, Album was barely able to fight through the pain of both of her arms seemingly self-destructing.

What the hell is going on?! Is this part of Pinner’s Syndrome?! Why would her body be doing this?! But Ryokumo knew he couldn’t dwell on the matter. He knew basic enough healing magic that would hopefully be able to keep Album in the game. I have to reach her and put up some defenses while I fix up her arms.

But to make matters even worse, just as he was turning to rush toward Album, the defensive incantation already on his lips, he felt another surge of mana behind him, indicating that one of the others had cast an attack spell. Finishing Nex, he spun around and threw the shield up in front of him to defend himself, only to immediately realize his mistake.

The attack wasn’t launched at him and it wasn’t a simple Perkari.

“Album!” he exclaimed, watching in horror as the pellet Hirokol launched hit Album square between the eyes, and just as they were designed to do, the moment it touched her skin, consciousness left her body and Album Luz collapsed into the grass, eliminated.

Ryokumo exhaled softly, sensing Hirokol Pafran and Jessi Yuahl already moving in to finish him off. It was then that he realized Album truly hadn’t been exaggerating. She wasn’t just weak by Noctalus standards.

She truly was magically crippled.

And now, he would have to finish the battle against this unstoppable team alone.

Oh fuck me…