Past and Future IV / No Matter the Odds

I sensed the weak magical veil coating my sword vanish, indicating Professor Anellia released her blunting spell on our weapons. Since she wouldn’t be able to fight with us, it was all she could do to help. At some point, I wanted to ensure she was alright, but for now, my focus was elsewhere.

Shina was my first priority. She was the only one on the far side of the arena, so the rest of us couldn’t support her from where we were positioned.

“You can count on me.”

The last time I replayed those words in my head, the situation was nowhere near this dire; regardless, I refused to let my promise ring hollow.

“Move left! You’re blocking me!”

I complied with the command bellowing from behind me without ceasing my forward velocity. A moment later, an arrow whizzed past me, striking a writhing purple mass sprouting from the sigil nearest Shina. Mara must’ve come to the same conclusion I had regarding who was the most vulnerable right now.

The body was jolted backward from the impact, but it had already developed a thick layer of scales that prevented any direct damage to its flesh. That armor, though splintered, started to reform again without delay. A second later, two other Fragments completed their emergence in the same vicinity.

Shina had not been idle, however. After muttering some kind of lengthy incantation, she punctuated her spell by stomping one foot into the ground. Emanating from the point of contact, a massive sheet of ice spread across the earth at an alarming speed, transforming half of the training yard into a makeshift ice rink.

Digging my heels into the dirt to stifle my momentum, I failed to come to a stop before sliding onto the glacial sheet. At first, I stuck my arms out in a panic, trying to maintain balance, but as my shoes glided smoothly across the frozen surface, I realized the properties of this ice were distinct from any I’d encountered before. Although there was little friction between me and the ground, my feet remained firmly planted onto the floor, as if it were somehow magnetic. It felt like a paradoxical combination, but I wasn’t one to question the feats of a great mage.

Conversely, the Fragments of Ames Nori, as winged beasts, avoided interacting with the ice entirely. Instead, they flapped several feet into the air and descended onto Shina, unencumbered by her spell.

“Shi—”

“Anfuniosor!”

A surge of intense wind exploded from the tip of her staff, and the recoil blasted her backward with great force. Utilizing the ice, she slid across the floor and away from the Anomaly Beasts at a speed far faster than she could’ve run.

In normal circumstances, I doubted anyone would be able to maintain their balance while moving this fast on an icy surface, but she showed no signs of slipping as she gently curved the direction of her feet to reorient her velocity in my direction. It almost looked like she was ice skating, except her soles stayed completely flat, not tilting upward so much as an inch.

Turning her head as much as possible without twisting her body, she yelled, “Hold still! I’m gonna grab you!”

Two seconds later, as she slid past me, she extended a free arm and linked it with one of mine, pulling me with her as she launched off the ice rink and back onto the familiar dirt of the arena.

“I didn’t expect you to get onto the ice. That could’ve been dangerous,” she said.

“I didn’t mean to,” I complained back. “You shouldn’t have made it so big.”

“I haven’t mastered every spell yet, okay? I’ve been experimenting with this recently, so it’s still not perfect.”

I turned back toward the three Fragments in that direction, which were charging at our new location. I readied my sword, and Shina moved a few feet back to give both of us space.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” I said.

“You too.” She took a deep breath before opening her mouth again. “Ablis pelyosves!”

A glacial bolt fired like a gunshot as the first Fragment neared me. The scales on its shoulder shattered, and it came crashing down toward the ground. As I prepared to intercept it and land a killing blow, a shout emerged from my flank.

“Everett!”

Interpreting the message’s intent purely on intuition, I leapt to the side just in time to avoid a Fragment slamming into the ground where I had been standing.

I had been so preoccupied with Shina that I stopped paying attention to the many other enemies around us. Just as I turned to scan my surroundings, however, I heard a powerful flap from behind me. I twisted 180 degrees and swung my blade to deflect a talon curving in at my neck. The Fragment bounced backward to prevent me from riposting, but it would be able to reengage within seconds.

Crap! There’s way too many of them!

I didn’t have time to count when the sigils first fell, but there must’ve been at least two of them for every one of us, if not more. We were at a numbers disadvantage in the previous fight too, but it wasn’t this extreme.

Spinning again to face the nearest sound, I kicked off the ground to propel my body forward, striking at a Fragment swooping down toward Shina. Its scales crumbled where they met my blade, but I had no time to capitalize on the advantage as I pivoted to block the swinging tail of yet another monster.

“A-are you alright?” Shina cried.

“For now.” I couldn’t give her any more reassurance than that.

Defending against them wasn’t difficult, but we were making no headway into thinning their numbers. The moment one’s flesh was exposed, two fresh beasts would take its place, and by the time they were beaten back, the original would have restored itself.

And it wasn’t just me. Intentionally or not, the Fragments were herding all six of us closer together as we were pushed back from each assault. At this rate, we’d be surrounded and have no space to move.

My back brushed against Akio’s, who I hadn’t even realized was behind me. Despite how brief our contact was, I could tell he was shaking. I glanced over my shoulder to see he was struggling to keep a pair of Fragments at bay. His halberd offered him superior range, but a long weapon like that was far less effective at parrying than mine was, which came with its own set of complications.

I considered helping him out, but something in my peripheral vision drew my attention instead. I darted past Akio and swerved around to cut off a Fragment gunning for Mara a few yards away. I had reacted late, so by the time I entered its attack range, I was at an immediate disadvantage. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to manage a proactive counter, I propped up the flat of my sword with my left hand and used it as a static barrier against the twin claws that sliced down at me.

The Fragments I’d fought thus far tended to prefer hit-and-run tactics, but this one seemed different. Rather than give way at my resistance, it chose to push down harder into my blade, aiming to amplify the strain until my defense cracked and it could tear me to shreds.

If a human from my world were in this position, their arms and legs would’ve snapped from the incredible pressure bearing down on me. The same might be true of someone from Aeresi, too. But as my arms creaked and legs buckled under the tremendous force of the unyielding monster before me, I had no choice but to remain standing.

If I fell here, Mara would be next. Without her covering fire, it would lead to someone else. Then someone else. And someone else. And then…

I couldn’t pretend like I cared too much about my own life, but that didn’t mean I wanted to die. And even more important than that…

There are things I need to protect! Promises I need to keep! I can’t die yet!

I let out a roar as pain surged through my limbs and crippled my nervous system.

Then, in an instant, the pressure vanished, a single, magnificent arrow repulsing the beast.

My appendages were screaming, but I couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. Erupting from the ground, I shot into the air to meet the Fragment. The armor on its neck and head had been destroyed, but new scales were already growing from the torso.

I let out another animalistic cry as I gripped the pommel of my sword with my left hand and swung down with every ounce of power in my body, beheading the beast before it could even realize it had been struck the first time.

And finally, after all this time, the Inheritors felled their first Anomaly Beast of the battle.