"DRAGONS, LEND ME THY STRENGTH!"
Trevor screamed out in an almost bestial roar, his brownish gold aura flaring up all around him and his veins rippling across his arms. Niss was stunned by what he saw causing him to be in a daze for a second as he took it all in.
'A trap?'
'A giant axe?'
'Trevor?'
'Gia!?'
'Oh Fuck!'
'GERARD!'
Looking at the sight in front of him it felt like reality was bending and he couldn't breathe. Gia was pinned to the far wall with a massive dwarven axe head buried in her stomach and part of her chest.
Trevor was screaming and pulling as hard as he could trying to unpin her. They were in their own world seemingly being ignored, while Gerard was out ahead of them vigorously fighting off three goblins that had wicked grins plastered on their faces.
"GOOO!" Siarra yelled and shoved Niss forward, she was readying a spell right away. Her fear was quickly replaced by determination and focus.
Niss in his jumbled thoughts started moving, his body going forward even though his brain hadn't decided anything.
'Gerard can't hold them off, he's getting surrounded.'
'If I go to Gerard will Gia die?'
'What's wrong with me.'
'All my training….'
'I can't choose.'
This was happening extremely fast, it had been maybe two seconds since Niss rounded the corner with Siarra.
Before Niss decided what to do his body acted for him, he was beside Gerard flinging a small burst of ice in the face of one of the goblins and stabbing his rondel dagger into the thigh of the goblin with his other hand. Gerard had a complicated look on his face as he fought and Niss had the look of someone who had completely disconnected their mind from their body. All his training was being put to the test and it had taken over his thoughts.
"Emberflick!"
Niss aimed his free hand forward and pierced the armor of another goblin, burning a hole through its chest and dropping it to the ground screeching in pain as it died. Niss had his aura flared up all around him flickering between gray and bright red feeding his magic and his body enhancing it dramatically.
Aura Infusion.
Just as Niss had killed the goblin closest to him he turned and jumped to the next one making sure he didn't use to much mana he infused his dagger as it quickly turned a deep reddish black color vibrating and seeming ready to explode with mana. Niss stabbed forward at the goblin, It raised its rusty sword to block, the mischievous grin gone from its face and replaced by focus.
SSHHING!
Niss caught himself as he fell forward rolling past blood and viscera. He had stabbed right through the goblins meager defense and blasted a large whole right in the middle of its chest even snapping its sword in half.
'Holy shit.'
The only thought that ran through his mind before he continued.
Siarra had finally finished her spell, her deep red aura flickering around her as she cast it on Trevor who lit up brightly in an orange glow, adding even more strength to his own aura. Body enhancing spells were not her strong suit but it was the most important thing to free Gia and save her she thought.
Trevor with renewed strength and this orange glow adding even more strength to his aura infusion he knew he'd been buffed by Siarra and gave it his all as he finally yanked the axe free from Gia.
Splurt.
Blood and even more than that was falling from Gia as her legs slid forward and she slumped to the floor. Trevor was panicking bad. He had seen people get hurt and even killed before but this was on another level entirely. The damage to Gia was….
Devastating.
What the axe hadn't cut through it had completely smashed, turning a majority of the front side of her body into a red paste. Trevor was on his knees beside her unclipping potion after potion dumping the red liquid on her body and in her mouth which hung open weakly crying out in agony.
Siarra was running over to Trevor and Gia as the last goblin was slain by Gerard and both Niss and Gerard bolted over.
The level of pain on Gerard's face was indescribable as he stared at his sisters now lifeless body and the mess of blood and red potion running through the cracks in the stone floor.
…..
Siarra was rummaging through her pack with thick wet tears streaming endlessly down her face as she did all she could to not look at the sight. She found a large blanket and brought it to Gerard.
"Here Gerard… I u-uh I'm….."
She trailed off but everyone was silent. The silence was deafening as Gerard knelt downing wrapping his sister in the large blanket and crying. His bright blue eyes looked as though they were an endless sea from which his tears poured.
Niss looked at his best friend and felt some of his pain, even though he couldn't imagine what it was like. He had know both Gerard and Gia for as long as he remembered and being pretty close with Gerard he had never seen him like this.
As the silence simmered even more the tension rose as nobody wanted to be the first one to speak after this horrible moment. Suddenly there was a voice, a strange voice that Niss had never heard before….
'Interesting.....'
The woman's voice was deep, dark and ominous ringing in the head of Niss. It confused him and not being able to think clearly...
"Huh?"
The rest of the group looked directly at him as he broke the silence that seemed to be unending.