lisa's heart pounded in her chest as she faced the oncoming horde of Shadow Mages and royal knights. The scowls and glares aid right at her were bathed in moonlight coming in from the glass doors behind lisa, making these guys look almost more demonic than she did.
[Fuck, this is bad,] she thought, her red eyes darting from one opponent to another. [Okay, okay... Let's be real, I can't beat them all. So I just need to hold out until help arrives.]
As the first wave of attackers surged forward, lisa, having grabbed her wand before coming down here, moved it in a blur, tracing complex spellsigns in the air.
She'd need to put all her knowledge to the test.
"Lumina aegis circumdare!" she shouted, her voice ringing throughout the house!
A shimring do of light materialized around her, just as the first Shadow Mage's spell – a sickly green bolt of energy – shot out from his palm and slamd into it. The impact sent vibrations through lisa's body, but the shield of light held.
[Okay, step one: don't die imdiately. Check.]
A knight charged forward, his sword raised high. lisa's tail lashed back and forth behind her as she prepared her next move.
"Glacies sub pedibus!" she cried, her wand weaving another intricate pattern.
From her wand, a sheet of blue spilled out. The polished floor beneath the knight's feet suddenly frosted over, turning into a slick carpet of ice. The armored figure lost his footing, crashing to the ground with a resounding clang.
"Agh!"
lisa allowed herself a small smirk, but the victory was short-lived. Three more Shadow Mages stepped forward, their hands moving in unison as they began a complex incantation.
[O, fuck fuck fuck!]
"Terra fumus obscurus!" lisa whispered, drawing a circular patter.
Thick, black smoke billowed out from the tip of her wand, quickly filling the space in front of her and obscuring her from view. She heard cursing and coughing from her attackers as they lost sight of their target.
Using the cover of the smoke, lisa darted behind a large armchair, fireballs and bolts of light, lightning, ice, and everything in between flying through the air like gunshots, her mind racing to co up with her next move.
[I can't keep this up forever. Co on, Mom, Dad... Bring Javir over!]
A gust of wind suddenly tore through the room, dissipating the smoke screen. lisa found herself face to face with a grinning Shadow Mage, his eyes glowing an unnatural purple.
"There you are, little nim," he sneered.
lisa's response was another rapid series of spellsigns.
She was pulling spells out from the depths of her mory, abilities she'd gone over. so self-taught, so taught to her by Javir, weeks months, and even years ago that she'd tucked into the back of her mind.
"Lux fulgur caecus!"
A blinding flash of light erupted from her wand, causing the Shadow Mage to cry out in pain and stumble backward, clutching at his eyes.
She kicked the side of his leg (wincing as her shin slamd into his) and the man fell. Then, he took a blue-fla sphere to the face.
But for every opponent lisa managed to temporarily disable, two more seed to take their place. The knights had regrouped, forming a tight semicircle around her position, while spells kept coming from the remaining Shadow Mages.
[I gotta make a break for it!]
lisa ran. But, a wall of flas suddenly erupted in front of her, blocking her path. lisa skidded to a halt, the heat singeing her eyebrows.
"AAAAH!" She cried out.
"Enough gas," a deep voice rumbled from behind her.
lisa turned to see a tall, imposing Shadow Mage step forward. Unlike the others, his robes were adorned with intricate silver embroidery, marking him as a leader of so sort.
"You've caused us quite enough trouble, Blackfla," the mage continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "It's ti to end this."
[The hell it is!]
"Terrae motus minora!" she cried, slamming her wand's tip against the floor.
The ground beneath them both began to shake violently, throwing her attacker off-balance.
lisa used the montary chaos to dash towards a side door, hoping to find a more defensible position. But as she reached for the handle, a searing pain shot through her left arm.
"AAAH!"
She looked down to see a throwing knife embedded in her bicep, blood already starting to soak through her shirt.
A Shadow Mage walked up and retracted the knife, about to use it again.
"Ilumi, nerca, var fal!" lisa used her blue-fla sphere at point-blank range. The man's scream was twice as loud as the one she just gave.
lisa's back pressed against the wall by the kitchen, her options rapidly dwindling. Her arm throbbed, and she could feel her magical reserves starting to run dangerously low.
[Oh... I... Not gonna lie, feels like I'm kind of...]
Just as hope seed lost, a flicker of movent caught lisa's eye.
A figure appeared in the doorway behind her attackers, cloaked in shadow, on the opposite side of the room from where the glass doors were.
lisa's eyes widened as she recognized the newcor.
[No fucking way...]
The figure shot a spell that struck a Shadow Mage in the back, sending a sphere of fla straight through his chest. They all turned, their expressions a mix of shock and confusion.
Zephyra Vortell strode deeper into the house, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Well, well... My guess was right," Zephyra drawled, her athyst eyes gleaming with barely suppressed amusent. "Isn't this a lovely little gathering? I do hope I'm not interrupting anything important."
Zephyra's eyes swept across the room, silently cataloging the number of enemies present.
The Shadow Mage leader, his face contorted with rage, stepped forward.
"What are you doing here, court sorceress? This doesn't concern you!"
Zephyra sighed dramatically, her athyst eyes gleaming with amusent.
"Oh, but it does. You see, I overheard a rather interesting conversation our dear queen had not too long ago. She was quite... distressed about a certain nim who had learned things she shouldn't have." Her gaze flickered to lisa, a silent ssage passing between them. "She practically begged a handful of knights to co here and... how did she put it?
Ah yes, 'eliminate the problem.'"
The Shadow Mage leader's eyes narrowed.
"And you decided to intervene? Why?"
Before Zephyra could respond, movent from the side caught everyone's attention.
Javir Folden strode into the room, her sunlight-colored hair practically glowing in the moonlight. Her eyes blazed with fury as she took in the scene before her.
"Likely for the sa reason I'm here," Javir said, her voice cold as ice, "lisa is under my protection. And, well, personally, I don't take kindly to uninvited guests in my ho."
As if on cue, another figure appeared from the opposite side of the room.
[Huh?]
Jaylin, her face a mix of determination and confusion, stepped into view. Her eyes locked with lisa's for a brief mont.
[What? Jaylin's been here the whole ti!?!?]
She didn't say anything, but it looked like she planned to fight. lisa couldn't believe it.
The Shadow Mages and royal knights suddenly found themselves surrounded, the tables turned in an instant.
"Now then," Zephyra purred, her fingers already tracing complex spellsigns in the air, "shall we dance?"
The room erupted into chaos.
Zephyra's wand, the one she'd gotten, moved in a blur, her voice ringing out clearly. Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire
"Tempestas fulgur catena!"
A chain of lightning arced from her fingertips, jumping from one Shadow Mage to another. The air crackled with electricity as several of their opponents convulsed and fell.
"AAAAAAAH!"
Javir, not to be outdone, raised her hands high.
"Terra spina eruptio!"
The polished floor beneath the feet of three knights suddenly buckled and erupted, sharp spikes of stone shooting upwards. The knights cried out in pain and surprise as they were thrown off balance, their armor offering little protection against the unexpected assault.
lisa, feeling a second wind at the arrival of reinforcents, pushed herself off the wall. Her wand moved in a complex pattern as she shouted:
"Aqua pressura explosio!"
A massive sphere of water materialized above a group of Shadow Mages. Before they could react, it burst, sending a high-pressure torrent crashing down upon them. The force of the water slamd them against the walls, leaving them sputtering and disoriented.
Jaylin, though clearly reluctant about whether she should even be there, refused to be left out.
"Celestia, vena surgia!" She called out, drawing a spellsign. From her hand, a burst of lightning struck a Shadow Mage from behind.
The Shadow Mage leader, realizing the tide had turned against them, raised his hands. Dark energy crackled between his palms as he began to chant, his voice growing in volu and intensity.
Zephyra's eyes widened.
"Oh no, you don't. Silentium vocalis!"
The Shadow Mage's voice cut off abruptly, his spell dying on his lips. He clutched at his throat, panic evident in his eyes.
lisa's eyes widened.
Zephyra noticed and smirked.
[... Was that a Silence spell? Those exist?] lisa asked herself. Perhaps she should have assud they would, but she hadn't encountered one yet. It was a whole new dinsion of defensive spellcasting she imdiately beca eager to learn about, right now, mid-fight.
Javir seized the opportunity, a spell of her own already forming.
"Vincula aeris constringere!"
Bands of shimring air wrapped around the Shadow Mage leader, pinning his arms to his sides and lifting him off the ground. He struggled futilely against the invisible bonds, his face turning red with effort and rage.
With their leader incapacitated, the remaining Shadow Mages and knights began to falter.
lisa, seeing an opening, decided to end things here and now.
"Ilumi, nerca, var fal!"
"Ilumi, nerca, var fal!"
"Ilumi, nerca, var fal!
Over and over again, she rapid-fire used all of her remaining Essence to burn targets with her blue fla.
In a matter of minutes, the battle was over. The once-imposing force of Shadow Mages and royal knights lay scattered across the floor of Javir's foyer, either unconscious or outright dead.
lisa leaned against the wall, exhaustion finally catching up with her.
"Holy shit," she breathed, her red eyes wide with disbelief. "We actually did it."
Zephyra approached her, a hint of concern breaking through her usual composed deanor.
"Are you alright, lisa? That arm looks nasty."
lisa glanced down at her injured bicep, the pain returning now that the adrenaline was wearing off.
"I'll live. Thanks to you all." She looked around at Zephyra, Javir, and, well, even Jaylin. "Seriously, thank you. I don't know how much longer I could've held out on my own."
Javir stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on lisa's shoulder.
"You did well, lisa. I'm proud of you." Her eyes hardened as she surveyed the unconscious intruders. "Though I think we need to have a serious discussion about what exactly is going on here."
Zephyra nodded, her expression grave.
"Indeed. It seems our dear queen has so explaining to do."
Before anyone could respond, the sound of running footsteps echoed from the staircase. Margaret and listair burst into the room, their faces etched with worry.
"lisa! Whoa, you all actually did it!" Margaret's voice sounded off.
lisa blushed.
Javir arched a brow. Zephyra licked her lips. Jaylin turned away.
"Huh?"
Margaret's eyes widened. She and her husband were still very, very naked.
For a mont, silence.
Then, lisa couldn't help it. She burst out laughing.
"Mom, Dad," she managed between giggles, "I appreciate the concern, but maybe put so clothes on before rushing into battle next ti? Imagine if we were still fighting!"
listair's face turned a deep shade of purple as he attempted to cover himself with his hands (unsuccessfully). Margaret did the sa (also unsuccessfully).
Javir cleared her throat.
"Right, well. I think we all have a lot to discuss. But first, let's get these intruders secured and tend to any injuries." She glanced pointedly at lisa's arm. "And perhaps so clothes for the elder Blackflas wouldn't go amiss."
Reviews
All reviews (0)