'Noxious Aegis'
The monkey Rune-Spawn slashed at the shield. It managed to destroy it, but its attack was deflected, causing it to lose balance in midair. The monkey Rune-Spawn wasn't as strong as its lion-like counterpart. The shield—a weaker version of Ioana's spell—had still managed to reduce its impact, a testament to the difference in their strengths.
Soplat was stunned. He knew he hadn't cast the *Noxious Aegis* spell. He wasn't proficient in it—a basic monobond spell primarily used for emergencies, as it was nearly useless against strong attacks due to its low rank. Like Ioana, those who could use it effectively demonstrated exceptional elemental control—something Soplat was still striving to achieve. Moreover, his master, engaged in an intense battle with the first Rune-Spawn, couldn't have been their savior. "So who could it be?" he wondered.
The Rune-Spawn remained unbalanced in midair from its deflected attack, leaving it vulnerable. A red ball of fire struck the beast squarely on the chest, sending it crashing into the ground a few meters from where Soplat and Maho stood.
"How is this possible? How can a child conjure magic she has only seen once?" Soplat was deeply troubled. To him, the girl was a phenomenon, perhaps even a monster. No one could master a spell after seeing it just once, let alone learn two. Not even the genius of magic could perform such a feat. Spells require considerable time to learn and even longer to master.
Maho, too, knew what she had done was far from ordinary. But for her, casting magic felt as natural as breathing. She could see it all—Ioana's formula for the ball of flame in the market square and the structure behind *Noxious Aegis*. She had grasped the concepts of these two spells with eerie precision, though she couldn't yet replicate others, perhaps due to the casters' incomplete mastery of them. None of this mattered to Maho. Bitterness and anger consumed her, and she needed someone—something—to blame for her father's death. The Rune-Spawn was an easy target, a beast devoid of emotion or reason.
"I hope you beasts have gods to say a death prayer to, for I shall end you here," she declared, walking toward the monkey Rune-Spawn, its chest marked with severe burns. Each step she took was heavy with conviction and determination.
The Rune-Spawn, recovering, leaped back into action. It unleashed a flurry of slashes, feints hidden within its attacks. Maho responded with a barrage of fire spells. The result was a bloodbath. Although the Rune-Spawn had no blood to spill, its body bore significant damage. Maho, however, was not unscathed. She bled profusely from deep slash wounds inflicted during the exchange.
Soplat, observing the scene, realized Maho was rapidly depleting her energy and breaking under the strain. He also noticed a more pressing issue—there had to be other Rune-Spawns lurking nearby. If there were two, more would surely follow.
Soplat watched as Maho staggered, failing to dodge a slash to her back. The beast began running circles around her, exploiting her inexperience and lack of battle knowledge. Yet, even for a beginner, she was holding up surprisingly well despite the creature's relentless assault. However, Maho's strength was waning. Soplat knew he had to act quickly, or the girl would succumb to blood loss and exhaustion. Gritting his teeth, he used his staff to lift himself off the ground, preparing to assist her. He staggered, the blood loss from his missing arm taking its toll. Still, he didn't need much time to finish the Rune-Spawn.
'Noxious shiv'
Before the Rune-Spawn could go in for the kill, a wind slash emerged from Soplat's staff, moving at incredible speed. The attack, though basic, was invisible to the naked eye. The slash severed the monkey Rune-Spawn's neck cleanly, killing it before it even realized what had happened.
As the Rune-Spawn's lifeless body fell, an unexpected wave of fatigue washed over Maho. Now that the beast was dead, and her anger had no outlet, she was left with only bitterness and sadness. She stared at the Rune-Spawn as the shimmering runes on its body faded away, leaving behind a hollow puppet devoid of life. 'In the end, I couldn't kill it,' Maho thought bitterly. Despite her extraordinary talent for magic, she understood that she was still far too weak.
"You did well, kid," Soplat said from behind her. He observed her battered and bleeding form, knowing she wouldn't last much longer on her own. He also knew they needed to move quickly to avoid attracting more Rune-Spawn.
"Here, drink this. We need to leave; this place is still too dangerous," Soplat said, handing her his only healing elixir. He'd already stopped the bleeding from his missing arm, and his injuries weren't as urgent as hers. Besides, she deserved it. To him, she had performed miracles, conjuring spells she had only seen once, and without a wand at that.
The two quickly left the rubble of what had once been Maho's home. They moved cautiously, trying to avoid the attention of the Rune-Spawn wreaking havoc throughout the settlement. From time to time, they stopped to hide from the beasts. The first Rune-Spawn they saw bore panther-like features. Others resembled various animals, and some had doll-like, faceless forms that eerily mimicked humans.
Soplat and Maho soon realized the Rune-Spawn didn't simply kill their victims. Instead, they seemed to siphon energy from them. To the pair, it looked as though the beasts were draining the very life force of their prey.
"This is bad," Soplat thought grimly. "If the Rune-Spawn are absorbing energy, they'll become stronger with each person they drain."
Every living being has energy within it, and this energy is often referred to by many names. This energy comes from the soul, and the more powerful the soul, the greater the energy it can store. Normal people without training or magical talent had little to no energy, which meant the Rune-Spawn was siphoning their very life force.
The Rune-Spawn felt even deadlier to Soplat now. He urged Maho to move faster. They were close to the forest that bordered the settlement, their best chance for safety.
Suddenly, a figure landed in front of them at blinding speed, kicking up a cloud of dust. Both Maho and Soplat jumped back in dread, certain they were facing imminent death. Maho, still recovering from her previous battle, had little energy left to spare for casting a spell. Soplat, on the other hand, was in no shape to fight.
"Were you scared, apprentice?" the figure standing in the dust cloud asked.
Soplat immediately recognized the voice. "Master!"
"Yes, student, it's me," Ioana replied, moving closer to Soplat.
"I'll need this to fend off the Rune-Spawn," she said, taking his staff from him.
"What happened to Agrilis, Master?" Soplat asked, referring to her powerful wand.
"She's out of commission and needs to rest a little," Ioana replied, turning to Maho and tossing Agrilis to her. "I never got your name, child?" she asked.
"Maho, my lady," Maho said, staring at Agrilis in her hands.
Ioana turned back to Soplat, her expression unreadable. "Tell Ellen to check for Camera Secretorum" she trailed off. "Alright, move along, children. I have some Rune-Spawn to slay."
With that, she hopped past them on her single leg and flew away at blinding speed, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.
"We have to move quickly," Soplat urged. They headed toward the forest, desperate to avoid any confrontation between the Rune-Spawn and Ioana.
Ioana flew above the settlement, attacking every Rune-Spawn she saw and directing the surviving residents toward the forest. She knew what she had to do but wasn't sure she had the will to pull it off.
As she descended, about a hundred Rune-Spawn lunged at her from the ground, their sole aim to devour her. Ioana fended some of them off by casting:
'Cavendish Bolt'.
Five compressed blue flame balls landed on the heads of three human-like Rune-Spawn, destroying them instantly. Before she could land, she dodged an attack aimed at her head and performed a barrel roll to evade a projectile, which ended up hitting a panther-like Rune-Spawn instead.
Seven wind blades sliced through four Rune-Spawn. The remaining three either deflected or blocked the attack. Ioana prepared another spell, but before she could complete it, an ape, Rune-Spawn, struck her, sending her flying across the battlefield. She struggled to stand, her missing limb making the task nearly impossible. It was a miracle she had fought this long with such a severe handicap.
Several Rune-Spawn lunged at her simultaneously, their emotionless determination driving them forward. Ioana didn't dodge this time, allowing them to pile onto her as they clawed, bit, and tried to tear her apart. Her life seemed to reach its bleakest point, and for a moment, it appeared as though she had given up.
'Cavendish Ulam'
A bright light suddenly erupted from the center of the mass of Rune-Spawn surrounding her. The air compressed violently toward the light like a black hole devouring everything in its vicinity. What followed was a deafening explosion as the compressed hot air shot outward, obliterating every beast in its path, damaging Ioana herself.
Meanwhile, Maho and Soplat hurried through the forest, escaping the settlement. A massive shockwave from the explosion hit them from behind, throwing them off balance. Soplat scrambled to his feet, turning to face the source of the blast. As if understanding what Ioana had done, he screamed, "Master!"