While I knew this conflict wasn't so simple, I couldn't stop myself from feeling elation wash over me. The reason was simple.
When was the last time I had such fun? This was simply the first true fight I had to take seriously. Granted, using my first authority might end this in a flash, but...
That was, first, no fun at all and, second, it was akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Nobody would be put in too much danger if I kept to simple and all would be happy at the end of the day.
"Come on," I shouted in elation, "I'm right here, you slowpokes." Their pace didn't increase at all at my provocation. It was as if I hadn't said a thing.
The three warriors attacking me directly turned into four doing the job just fine while the other three waited some distance away for an opportunity to mount the pressure on me drastically.
The arrows shot my way were totally unpredictable, making me happily wonder which speciality the next would be enchanted with.
It was like opening a silly surprise box where I only knew I'd laugh but not because of what. How I missed this simple fooling around!
"[Leaf Tornado II]," as if on cue, the warriors retreated in a flash, vacating my immediate vicinity. I came right after them, intent on not letting them escape so easily.
But it was practically the next moment I realised that the archers weren't simply there to annoy me. The next volley of arrows was enchanted with penetrative power and poison mist-like properties.
While it was possible to tank them just like that, the price to pay wasn't something worthwhile. So I backed off, preparing myself to jump into the shadows at any one moment.
The elf casting that spell panted madly, his face flushed and doused in sweat. I was sure he wouldn't cast another one anytime soon.
But there were still four others not at all suffering from mana deprivation. The fun could continue for a while more.
"...crooked winding ways, wherein it lives, to summon the crevices wherein it thrives, [Summon: Poison Bee III]!"
I felt like the gentle swaying breeze turned into ferocious stingers clashing against my scales. The ground I stood upon turned brownish and brittle, while the trees exuded a desperate kind of smell.
While I didn't know who this poison bee was that the elf was about to unleash upon me, the stars were not shining in my favour.
A slow humming noise came to my ears, very faint at first as if to ebb away the next instant. But instead of doing just that, the noise grew in intensity, until I felt it down to my bones.
Then, the summon broke through the thin fabric of this realm some odd tree away. Or should I state, summons?
Because this simple poison bee spell turned out to call upon a whole fleet of tiny stingers. Amidst the impressive swarm moving about erratically, I barely made out each individual.
Each bee was no bigger than a fingernail, slender and strangely aerodynamic. If not for a strap of eyes running parallel down the head on both sides and the single stinger almost the size of the rest of the body contracting slightly with each heartbeat, the bee would've seemed like a construct.
The noise intensified, robbing me of most of my exquisite senses. The bunch even had some misdirection abilities, I noted with surprise.
The greater the numbers, the greater the might this swarm could exhibit, which made me wonder what it would look like at the peak tier of a greater spell.
Each bee's quality seemed to depend on the grade and tier of the spell, which was rather common in Schools of Summons.
But this number? Not that much. Calculating the odds, I found that the variables deciding upon the outcome of this fight had grown exponentially.
Therefore, I had to cut them down simply by doing what would simplify matters the most. I leapt into the shadows, taking upon me the steady decrease of mana this required.
Meanwhile, the bees grew in the thousands, their thrumming wings feeling terrible to my poor ears even from within the shadows.
The middle grade of spells wasn't capable of cutting myself off from outside influences, therefore I had to endure.
So had the elves. Or... had they not? "What the... darn fuckers. Who takes earplugs to a fight?!" The fleeting glimpse also told me that the quality of their little gadgets wasn't low.
Cursing their shamelessness, I shifted my attention toward the summoner. The elf responsible for this spectacle was still offering his mana to the spellmodel, almost exhausting everything he had.
In other words, there was no need to fear him any longer after this, but the situation sure wasn't favourable to me.
The swarm of bees wantonly rushed into every corner with shadows, probably believing to find me there.
I could but laugh at the summoner's simple thoughts. I wasn't limited at all while this spell was active.
I could hide in the shadow created by a simple pine needle or that of a giant tree, there was no difference. But this didn't change the simple truth that I was trapped.
"Let's teach them something," I murmured, my heart thumping furiously in excitement. I wouldn't use my first authority since that would no longer be sparring, but a little spell that came very close.
Gathering mana from all over, I carefully infused the juice into a certain spellmodel roughly left untouched since my resurgence.
This was to check if I needed to chant or was able to simply release the spell I had in mind. The spellmodel etched upon my soul rocked slightly but otherwise held.
There were no signs of trouble, but at the same time, I also realised that this kind of spell was also the furthest I'd go without the stabilising properties of long incantations.
"A bit more, adjusting the rhythm... no, the frequency is too high. Now it's much better." I was sure I grinned demonically as I felt I was ready.
"Without further ado, [Globe Lightning III]!" The shadows trembled maniacally, threatening to eject me at any moment as the spell took effect.
Darkness and lightning the way I cast them weren't compatible at all. But I didn't need to hide any longer, right?
A swarm of tiny insects, no matter their numbers, was the best target practice. Because there was no need to actually target anything!
After emerging and feeling them closing in on me, I couldn't help but laugh maniacally as I released the spell. How would they react? I wouldn't have won just like that, no?