Morth step back and the air around him crackled, thin tendrils of energy arcing from his fingertips as he began a deep, rumbling chant. His feet lifted from the cobblestone street, his figure bathed in an otherworldly glow that grew brighter with each word of the incantation. Amukelo's eyes widened as he reminded himself of when Pao had unleashed her strongest spell. A spell with a similar long casting process.
Amukelo couldn't let Morth finish. With a fierce shout, Amukelo broke into a sprint toward Morth. But Ovun stood on his way. With a single, powerful swing, Ovun brought his weapon down, aimed directly at Amukelo's path. The axe came down with enough force to split the ground, but instead of dodging to the side or parrying, Amukelo chose a different approach.
He leapt high, his sword raised above his head, his body angling to bring his blade crashing down onto Ovun. Amukelo was ready to end this obstacle, his sword poised to strike, but before he could make contact, a sudden barrage of arrows whistled through the air toward him.
From her vantage point, Ri had released another hail of arrows. At the same moment, Peles threw several daggers in a precise arc. Amukelo's jaw tightened. He knew that if he ignored the arrows and daggers to finish Ovun, the damage would be devastating, leaving him too weakened to face them. He couldn't afford such an injury.
With a sharp, swift motion, Amukelo twisted mid-air, his sword flashing as he deflected the incoming arrows and daggers in a flurry of sparks and shattered shafts. But this defense cost him precious time, and as he landed, Ovun took advantage of the moment. He swung his axe forcing Amukelo to jump back to avoid a crushing blow.
Amukelo tried to maneuver closer to Morth, but just as he made his move, Ovun lunged forward, his massive hand grabbed Amukelo's ankle. With a grunt, Ovun lifted Amukelo and hurled him backward, sending him crashing into the ground several yards away. Amukelo landed hard, dust rising as he slid to a halt. Though uninjured, he found himself back at square one, Morth's chanting continuing, growing louder and more intense with each passing second.
The arcane glow around Morth pulsed, casting eerie shadows across the street, his body now glowing with a powerful, golden light. Amukelo pushed himself up. Morth's spell would take time to complete, but Amukelo could feel the seconds slipping away.
He charged again. He aimed to dodge past Ovun this time, slipping to the side to evade his axe. But as he bypassed Ovun, Ri's arrows rained down once more, forcing him to duck and weave as he continued forward. He deflected the arrows with swift motions of his sword.
Peles darted from the side, slashing at Amukelo. Amukelo twisted, avoiding the initial blows, but he couldn't make it past the two of them without slowing down. Each time he dodged or deflected an attack, Ovun was given time to catch up, his heavy footfalls closing in behind.
With a growl of frustration, Amukelo shifted his stance, landing a forceful kick into Ovun's chest that sent him staggering back momentarily. But Peles closed in from the opposite direction. Amukelo's intercepted Peles's attack, giving Ovun enough time to recover, forcing Amukelo to fall back yet again.
As he backed away, the chanting grew louder. Morth was now levitating higher, his body engulfed in a bright, pulsating light that crackled and sparked with magical energy. Amukelo could feel the power of the spell building.
Desperation flared within Amukelo. He couldn't allow this spell to reach completion. He took a deep breath and threw himself forward in a desperate attempt to reach Morth. Ovun, Peles, and Ri scrambled to block his path, but Amukelo was relentless, using every bit of his strength and skill to bypass them.
Ovun swung his axe once more. This time, Amukelo ducked low, moving faster than Ovun could track. He slipped under the swing, his sword flashing as he parried Ri's arrows and knocked away Peles's daggers.
The arcane glow surrounding Morth intensified, his voice reaching a fevered pitch as he neared the spell's completion. His eyes were closed, his entire focus locked on the powerful magic he was summoning.
Amukelo pushed forward, every step bringing him closer to Morth. He was nearly there, ready to strike Morth. But when he was just a few meters away from Morth, his eyes snapped open, blazing with the full force of the spell's power. He extended his hand, his voice booming as he uttered the final words of the incantation.
The world seemed to freeze, every muscle in Amukelo's body tensed, his instincts screaming at him to escape, but it was too late. Morth's spell was complete
As Amukelo prepared to launch himself and close the distance in one final jump, the ground around him shifted, trembled, and then rose with unnatural force. An earthen wall shot up before him, blocking his path. He whirled, looking for another opening, but another wall erupted to his left, then another to his right. Within moments, walls of earth formed a thick box around him, the solid earth towering over him on all sides, cutting off every possible route of escape.
He barely had time to react before the entire enclosure shifted, his balance thrown as the box of earth lifted from the ground, suspended mid-air by Morth's powerful spell. Amukelo roared in frustration, swinging his sword at the walls, determined to break free. His blade cut deep, the wall cracking under his enhanced strength. But as soon as he created a gap, the earth surged inward, closing the breach as if magnetized, binding itself back together with unnatural ease.
The enclosure began to shape itself, the sharp edges of the box smoothing as the spell transformed it into a growing sphere around him. He continued to attack, gritting his teeth, his heart racing, but every cut he made was filled instantly, the walls thickening and growing in size with every passing moment.
It was a slow process, the sphere expanding as it floated higher off the ground, becoming larger, more reinforced with each rotation. He fought to keep his footing, his balance shifting as the orb rotated in the air, yet every movement felt futile. No matter how many times he struck, the earth closed back in, unyielding to his attempts to break through.
From outside, Morth's expression was one of pure concentration as he chanted, his voice rising as he poured his energy into the growing sphere. The entire street was bathed in the glow of the arcane light surrounding Morth, casting eerie shadows on the onlookers.
Then, as the sphere continued to grow, a sudden, intense barrage of fireballs launched toward it, crashing into its surface with a powerful burst of flames. Each fireball hit the sphere scattering debris across the ground and filling the street with smoke. But every time a section of the sphere crumbled under the blasts, more earth rushed in, restoring it as if the damage had never happened.
Everyone turned toward the source of the fireballs, confused but intrigued. Emerging from the shadows stood a young girl with striking blonde hair, dressed in elegant noble attire that seemed at odds with the chaos surrounding her. She was composed, her gaze steely as she stared at the sphere trapping Amukelo. It was Eliss.
Morth's chanting paused momentarily, his eyes narrowing as he regarded the newcomer. "Who is that girl?" he muttered, his confusion plain.
Ri, positioned a few steps away, lowered her bow slightly, studying Eliss with a mix of recognition and curiosity. "I think she was with that kid when they first came to Norton," she said slowly. "Seems like she might be important."
Peles, observing the girl's calm defiance, let out a small chuckle and began to approach her, his steps relaxed, almost amused. "What's a girl like you doing here?" he called out, raising an eyebrow. "This isn't exactly a playground."
Eliss didn't hesitate. Her gaze fixed on Peles, her voice ringing out with a fierce, unexpected confidence. "Do I look like I came to play?"
Peles stopped, taken aback by her directness. He glanced back at his companions, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, noting their collective shrug in response to the girl's appearance. They seemed just as surprised, though more amused than threatened; after all, they believed Amukelo's defeat was only a matter of time.
Turning back to Eliss, Peles raised his voice with a casual air, his tone almost dismissive. "If you came to help him, you're a little too late." He pointed to the massive earth sphere, now vibrating slightly as it floated higher. "As you can see, that spell's going to crush him. He doesn't stand a chance."
Eliss's eyes narrowed, defiance sparking in her expression as she took in the sight of Amukelo's trapped form. She looked back at Peles, her voice steady. "Why are you even attacking him?"
Peles sighed, as if she'd just asked a particularly inconvenient question, his expression one of mild irritation. He hadn't expected to explain himself to a girl who looked like she'd walked straight out of a noble's court, yet there was a strange insistence in her gaze that demanded his answer.
"Supposedly, he injured the son of our leader," Peles replied, almost as if reciting a rehearsed line. "Why they fought in the first place?" He gave a lazy shrug. "Don't know. Don't care." His eyes flicked back to the floating sphere, now pulsing ominously as it began to shrink slightly, tightening around Amukelo. "But your friend's about to meet his end. If you don't want to watch it, I'd recommend leaving now."
Eliss's hands tightened into fists as she watched the sphere, her mind racing. The earth had already begun compressing, its surface rippling as it moved inward in slow, rhythmic pulses, a terrible pressure building within.
Peles studied her reaction, something almost sympathetic in his expression as he shook his head. "Listen, kid," he said, his tone softening slightly. "There's nothing you can do here. Whatever you think you can pull off, it's not going to change what happens next." He gestured to the sphere, which continued to tighten, the sounds of Amukelo's sword hitting the walls within now muffled as the earth thickened.