"Flash!"
A young voice cried out and when I turned in her direction, the mage was no longer there.
SWOOSH
Crackles of electric static scattered in a straight line perpendicular to the outstretched pillar summoned by Cerise.
The sharp pillar of rocks, that rose from the ground to pierce diagonally upwards, cut through the air with resounding speed. The tree leaves somewhat far into the distance higher up were shaken free from their branches as a result of the shockwave.
It stopped after having extended several meters but the intended target was no longer in that immediate location. Has she still been there, death was all but certain, perhaps even with the barrier.
Not too far off to the side was the mage, whose oversized hat was still fluttering in the wind, revealing the slightly haughty expression she gave off with her well-defined features. A pretty face with a pompous feeling. She felt a little out of place among the rest of the seemingly well-experienced adults.
The light surrounding her stayed for a moment longer than it seemed it should've as if resisting the urge to disappear. It was evident that she was the one who caused those statistics to appear.
In her arms was the priestess whose long golden hair fluttered alongside the magician's. Her eyes were still closed, her hands still clenched around her staff, but her expression was at ease, the barrier enclosed around them with a crack on the edge, a scratch of damage so to speak.
It seems she prepared a barrier just in case, barely making it in time, leaving only a bit of a graze on it.
I wasn't able to see it in time but it is evident that the mage cast a magic spell of sorts prior to saving the Priestess. Although I'm not particularly familiar with these kinds of fantasy-like moves, I couldn't say that I haven't seen stuff like this before in movies or books.
However, seeing them in person gave me a completely different feel. It was... rather exciting. I'll have to continue watching to understand this feeling.
Putting that aside, the rock attack that appeared was most likely from Cerise. A dragon using magic? I was expecting flames to come out at least considering her red scales and everything. I guess prejudice is possible even for dragons.
If I am to survive in this fantasy world with swords and magic, prejudice like this, even for monsters, she is cast aside or taken with a grain of salt.
But something that came to mind immediately after witnessing this was how?
How did the mage realize the attack was approaching from underground? How did she react so timely? The speed of that rock pillar emerging and stopping was but an instant. A few seconds at most. To react to something like that so accordingly, with precision, quick wits, and courage was not something to be found so easily.
Surely such rare traits are not so common among people to be found so easily?
Not especially when that mage acted as if she knew when and where the attack was coming from and who it was targeting.
As I was in the middle of those thoughts, the battle continued.
Cerise remained rather still for the most part, apart from using her enormous tail like a whip, flinging side to side to further corner her opponents.
On her right, the green-eyed swordsman, who was originally in the middle of his advance, had reached closer but was abruptly stopped.
Spiral columns of flames burst from the ground up when he pressed his foot down. He briskly dodged backward with narrowed eyes, the fires touching the edge of his clothes.
Barriers or shields are rather prominent at the moment in this battle but it's unknown whether they are capable of defending against both physical and magical attacks or only one of the two.
While I can be rather perspective at the moment, it is only due to the favorable circumstances in which I can comfortably watch from afar without fear of any damage with a goddess by my side.
The screen projecting the battle also automatically tunes into individuals who are facing the most action it seems, like a movie. My understanding is still limited which brings no shortage of questions I have no choice but to keep to myself.
I considered asking Phaidra but we would possibly miss out on the action and I'm sure she wouldn't like that. Turning to my right, I noticed her petite figure sinking into her bean bag, soft crunching sounds an indicator that she was still watching.
Back on the screen, the green-eyed swordsman was adeptly dodging the constant stream of fire attacks, rendered unable to advance any further. To top it off, each backstep or sidestep he took to dodge was faced with an identical assault.
It was as if dozens of traps were laid surrounding Cerise who watched with cold indifference, a result she expected it seems. They were also done it a way that forced him to back away further from her. Although he managed to swerve in between the attacks fairly well, it was evident that he was on the defensive, completely unable to manage any sort of counterattack.
It was safe to assume that the shield was either unable to block magical attacks or unable to block Cerise's fire magic. Evidence pointed to the burnt ends of his clothes singed by the flames he barely managed to dodge.
My assumptions were not completely unbiased as Cerise wielded flames like they were second nature. They were especially frightening.
To further add to the assault, emerging from the columns of flames were additional attacks all encased in fire. Most prominent were spear or arrow-shaped flames which bombarded his every move.
Having felt the pressure increasingly add onto him, he wielded his sword swiftly, taking a brief moment to take a special posture, holding his blade close to his heart and encasing it in a thin, dark green light.
At the same time as when that light finished enclosing the tip of his blade, the barrage of attacks neared only a few feet away. With a sharp glint in his eyes, he adeptly slashed at and through each of them and continued to do so for the next ones heading towards him.
It is fascinating to see a swordsman hack away at a storm of flaming strikes heading his way. Even then, he could only remain on the defensive, counterattacking still difficult unless he was to make a bold and threatening move. Luckily, it seemed that Cerise paid no more attention than that to keep him at bay.
On the left side was a man with a lean figure, also adorning light armor allowing swift movements with ease. He had a keen look in his brown eyes with a stern expression which was partially covered by his dark blue hood.
With clothing and speed matching that of those rouges you see in fantasy games, he made impressively adeptly in between the attacks also launched at him. His maneuvering skills were evidently superior and acknowledging that, Cerise took it upon herself to use her tail against him.
Taking specific moments such as when he neared close enough to launch an attack, she swiftly launched a tail whip in his direction. With speed unusual for its size, even with his swift reactions and quick steps, the rouge found it rather difficult to dodge all the time.
At one such moment, he was caught in a tight situation, with attacks at all sides forcing him into a poor spot easy for an additional bombardment but difficult for escape without some damage. Understanding this, he was immediately on the move the instant his foot touched that specific location to make a tactical retreat.
However, taking advantage of such an instance, Cerise launched a precise attack using her magic to buy her an extra second for her tail to reach her target. a bright silver spear
Forced into an even tighter situation, he also encased the sharp end of his choice of weapon, a bright silver spear, in a similar light as before. His, though, took on a light orange which he used to slice through the attacks trapping him.
Having taken a moment longer than he could spare, it was inevitable to face the large tail headed his way. The rouge was now unable to dodge her tail, which she felt was insufficient as an attack and had thus burst into a fiery blaze on all ends.
Facing such impending doom, it seemed like he had no means of escaping without suffering severe injuries at the least.
Even if he could use magic, since he was not a mage, it would take extra time to cast, time which he could not spare. He is certainly nimble and could potentially become even faster with some support. Those, however, could not reach him in time to dodge.
Intent on minimizing as much damage as possible, even if it meant sacrificing his weapon, the rouge focused his efforts on taking the brunt of the tail whip with his spear now held straight in front of him.
Now caught on the edge of my comfortable seat, hungrily devouring my plentiful snacks, the tension was at an all-time high. Each member was caught up in their own troubles, even the mage and priestess who were also faced with relentless attacks.
Time seemed to slow as the screen focused heavily on his spear's end densely coated in that orange light faced off against the several meters tail and long tail. The gap closed suddenly as time resumed, demolishing trees in its path the whole way, sending leaves flying with the wind.
BOOM!
A terrifying aftershock momentarily stilled the battlefield, sending dust flying in every direction.
I couldn't help but hold my breath awaiting the outcome of the frightening, yet thrilling exchange. I had no idea a battle could be so engaging and fascinating.
With eyes wide open as I awaited impatiently, the dust finally settled revealing what I wanted.
On the side was a relatively uninjured rouge with a slight grin.
Facing the dragon's tail was the bulky man sent flying away not long earlier. Surrounding him were several layers of stacked shields, most of which were shattered to some extent but only after having accomplished their goal.
His greatsword was encased in a deep amber light, noticeably brighter and stronger as it had managed to successfully block the attack.