I had no time to look for either Durandal or the jade writing brush. I yelled, “[Body Fortification]!” while flooding myself with the Earth mana from my core as I rolled on the invisible floor provided by the sword grounds screen, trying to evade her.
She was yelling, “[Titan’s Tread]!”
[Fortification] formed faster than it ever had before, courtesy the new mysterious power-up provided by my core. Physical motion required a lot more time. I wasn’t able to get out of the way before Mára’s foot, wearing that gaudy ankle bracelet that was now dense with Earth mana, came down on me.
I emitted an unspellable sound as a weight like a bull elephant’s step– or perhaps the bite force of a dragon– came down on my ribcage, cracking multiple ribs. But I had already flowed Fire mana into my hand, which I held up against the merciless force pressing down on me, with my fingers splayed and my palm pointed at my rebounding assailant.
“[Fireball]!”
Without the writing brush to focus the spell and using most of the Fire mana in my core, I produced a ball of flame the size of a compact car at pointblank range.
I heard her shriek as the titanic fireball formed around her. I could hear many people shouting in the stands. I could hear blood in my lungs interfering with my pained breaths. And in my mind, I could hear Durandal yelling from where he lay, My Lady!
But I couldn’t see anything at the moment. Actually, I could see, but couldn’t focus my vision. I think I banged my skull hard on the surface of the screen when she struck me. So I couldn’t see where either of my weapons were. The only thing I could do while Mára was occupied was get my wings grown and get back into the air.
My ribs screamed with pain as I beat air for altitude. My vision still wasn’t focused, but I could make out where Mára was. I could see she still had her [Victorious Blade] working and she was climbing back into the air.
I frantically drew all the mana resources I could, recovering everything I’d lost when my circulation stopped in the impact, and restocking my core.
The voice of Manlon’s younger disciple came to me again. “Master Miröen, I told her about my brush’s special power. She should use it now!”
The other disciple, Pasrue, said, “You didn’t say anything about it, Talene.”
I was beginning to get my focus back. Although I was doing my best to stay away from her, hoping to manufacture a chance to retrieve one of my weapons while seriously considering drawing my utility knife, Mára had a speed advantage on me. How someone with moth wings has a speed advantage on someone with bird wings, I still can’t fathom, but that’s the way it was. Her hair was smoldering and she had some wardrobe issues, but she was furiously driving toward me again.
“No, Senior Disciple, I’m sure of it. I told her, ‘My brush has a special function. The person wielding it needs only to say, ‘Starfire Jade Writing Brush, Return!’ and it will come flying back to them!’.”
I heard Manlon’s trademark chuckle, “Little Talene, have you been practicing the spell ‘[Sticky]’ that I taught you?”
While trying not to waste mental energy wondering what the heck a spell named ‘Sticky’ would do, I readied all the Aether mana I had saved up as I turned to face the incoming Mára. I pointed my index finger at her, hoping it would focus the mana enough, and chanted “[Aether Mirror]!”
Caught by surprise, she faceplanted into the sheet of hardened Aether Mana that formed right in her path. I had put a lot of mana into it. It was very hard.
What do you know? It really does work as a shield!
I had no weapon except my utility knife, but as powerful as Mára was, I feared it wouldn’t be enough to take advantage of her momentary stupor, so I flapped for all I was worth to put distance between us again.
Meanwhile, Talene was admitting, “Well, I might have stuck a [Near Voice] spell onto my brush using [Sticky] so it would transfer onto your niece’s hand when she received the brush.”
Sure enough, I could sense a formation similar to the one Kiki had stuck on me. This time it was in the palm that had initially gripped the brush.
As Manlon gave another deep chuckle, I held out my hand and commanded, “Starfire Jade Writing Brush, Return!”
Mára had regained control at this point, but I once again had some breathing room. I was above the sword grounds again. And now, a spinning object came flying up at me. I closed my grip around it as it smacked into my palm.
“Any other tricks you want to share?” I asked as I scanned the screen below me, trying to spot Durandal.
“I’m not going to tell you all my secrets!” Talene retorted. It sounded a little pouty. “This should be enough help for you! You’re clearly stronger than her!”
I wanted to contest that claim, but I held my tongue.
From the stands, Tenre’s amplified voice was declaring, “Lady Mára, if you continue to refuse First Blood, your continued actions may draw prosecution for unwarranted assault!”
She wasn’t listening. As she dashed at me yet again, she shrieked “[Golden Fire Lance]!” again and the three elements gathered in her bracelet.
This was the fastest charge she had shown yet. She came rushing at me like a bolt from a ballista. I flowed Fire mana, intending to do another fireball, but I had the writing brush the wrong way around and I had no time to chant. I just dumped all the raw Fire mana I could into the brush while swinging it in an arc as if painting a stroke across her face with the bristles.
A heavily mana-laden whip of fire lashed at her, striking with far higher density than the [Fireball]. The [Golden Fire Lance] in her hand broke apart, the spell interrupted as the whip attack also landed across the magic construct.
I launched myself into a power dive, aiming for Durandal. The brush was good, but I needed his shields and attacks against this implacable enemy. I braked to a flat-footed landing beside him, scooped him up, and sprang back into the air, fully expecting that the fairy juggernaut trying to kill me was right on my tail.
But I couldn’t see her in the air anywhere. With relief, I headed back to the grounds, thinking she had either finally lost consciousness or they had restrained her. I wasn’t naive enough to think she had given up.
Turns out, it was none of the above. She was standing in the middle of the grounds, ignoring the dire warnings from Tenre, staring up at me, waiting with wild eyes. I had destroyed her ‘cuirass’ halter top with the last blow. It was lying on the sword grounds, off to one side, where it had fallen. The topless fairy knight had wounds on both arms and across her chest where the fire whip struck her. I distinctly remember aiming at her face, so I suspect she had risen slightly at the last second.
She still gripped the [Victorious Sword], but I could not see her comb anywhere. Her off-hand, the one with the bracelet, gripped yet another [Golden Fire Lance].
“Lady Mára, stand down!” Tenre ordered again.
“Not without her head!” she howled, and sprang into the air at me.
I had already returned to air above the grounds. I was too close. I only had time to call, “Shield!” as she came rocketing up at me. The huge Aether magic circle created an even large round wall as Durandal poured as much as he had into blocking her. His failure to protect me before had amped up his motivation levels or whatever holy swords use for adrenalin. The ‘lance’ shattered against his protection, but the [Shield of Oranos] failed from the force, leaving me unprotected as Mára came in with a follow up swing of her Earth mana blade.
I yelled, “[Holy Rend]!” and swung to meet her strike. The [Victorious Blade] burst in an explosion of mana as the power of Durandal’s Wind attack overwhelmed it, and the shockwave slapped us in opposite directions, with her knocked down into the ground and me kicked farther up into the air.
My eyes widened as I saw the wave– definitely the most powerful shockwave I had seen in two lifetimes– rolling outward, making the screen visible as an upside-down umbrella shape. That wave spread onward to the mountain tops on both sides of the valley, and out across the forest both up and down the valley. I realized at last that this wasn’t merely a shield for the sword grounds. The mages had deformed the great defensive screen of Tëan Tír itself downward, putting the hilltop with the sword grounds outside of it entirely. Our combat was occurring in the unprotected air beyond the protected airspace of the canton.
Was that why Feraen had specified a mountain top? That mountain was outside the shield as well?
It occurred to me that I might be injured again, but [Body Fortification] was still working and I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t have any time to waste checking myself to find out. Mára was again springing into the air with yet another [Golden Fire Lance] beginning to form.
Running at her again, I pointed Durandal and ordered, “[Holy Smite]!”
The circle formed around the sword and the Earth mana fist flew outward, blasting into her and blowing her downward, into the ground. I didn’t see any point in waiting to see if she conceded. I ran at her, at the highest acceleration I could muster, pouring all the Wind mana I had into it.
Her enraged eyes grew wide and she sprang off the ground yet again. The lance didn’t manifest in time. Durandal plunged through her chest just to the left of her sternum, piercing the inner curve of her breast as her half-formed weapon burst in a spray of partially materialized mana. My momentum carried me onward, driving Durandal into the dirt beneath her, sinking until the crossguard pressed against her flesh, pinning her to the ground.
A shriek ripped out of her and [Magic Lightning] burst from the hand she put to my throat. The electric arcs played over my fortified body, seeking to overpower the Earth mana of my [Fortification] and get in. The pain they were inflicting on my skin was worse than [Purification]. Desperate to end it, I prepared to dump the Fire mana I had through Durandal into her.
