The Storm

The withered one takes the form of the magician, the one that first showed me magic. It's adorned with that white flower crown from way back then. And that staff, still shining ever so slightly through the black of decay upon it. His grimoire left in tatters, there’s barely a book there anymore.

Almza, to be consumed by the withering… I never thought he’d lose himself to it.

I can’t quite tell what it's doing exactly? It’s just floating there in the middle of the pit. Shards of dirt and debris are being pulled in around him, like its making planetary rings.

I don’t believe it's seen me yet, although behind this glass me and his withered form are leveled with each other.

Although he’s withered, he was a friend… Was. He’s gone and become withered. I have to kill it… before he can hurt anyone else. My brothers would be safer in this world without Almza’s shadow in it. Almza would have wanted me to do this, to protect everyone.

It’s a sacrifice that I’m willing to make. One that I must make.

ZAP–

A spark clicks from my snapping hand, igniting the shovel’s blade. Adjusting my grip on it, and holding it with one hand over the shoulder.

I think [Static Spear] works best for this spell attack combo, a little alliteration goes a long way. I’m starting to think the naming thing is just something Eryth does, maybe it's a daystar tradition to name magic. I think it's fun, and adds character to something already as cool as magic.

Right now my signature magical ability is my [Voltaic Arc], the chain of electricity that arcs from creature to creature, and its distance can be extended with the help of other conductors.

But enough of this magical deliberation, it's time I destroy this thing before it destroys me.

SHZOOOM–

CRASH–

With a power crash of black lighting the shovel bolts through the glass window shattering it into a million pieces instantly. The metal bolt of static electricity zooms toward Almza’s withering body, but just before coming in contact with it, the shovel stops mid air, frozen in time.

All according to my plan. With the shovel frozen in stasis he’s focused entirely on the projectile!

SNAP–

The snap of my fingers closes the connective wire of electricity stranding from me to the shovel, pulling me towards Almza in an instant. With the forward momentum I slam a fist into his broken body, sending it flying–crashing into the walls of the pit.

The frozen time on my shovel regains its place and with it I begin to plummet.

My punch, while strong, was nothing strong enough to defeat the fiend in one hit. Looking up I catch a quick glimpse of Almza’s withered body waving his blackened staff above him. Large pieces of earth begin ripping out from the sides of the chasm, forming into spears of rock.

The drills of rock begin to spiral as his staff points downward towards me!

FWOOSH–

WOOOSH–

Its earthy barrage drills through the air. If I’m not quick enough I’ll be skewered!

Using the shovel I barely block the first of many, grinding against the flat of the shovel it scrapes up a small puff of dust. The force of the earthy drill would most definitely tear me apart, but perhaps using my signature [Voltaic Arc] I can arc across the barrage!

There’s bound to be a bit of iron in this dirt, I could use it to conduct my Static Spear’s electrical connecting wire, and maybe increase its range. Jumping towards the boss on falling debris, you can’t get more hero-like than that!

SNAP—

SNAP—

SNAP—

My snaps ring out, my rhythm of battle. With every snap my shovel flies closer to the withering magician, bouncing from earthy spike to earthy spike. Until reaching the end of the barrage and finally landing a clean hit!

“[THUNDER SURGE]!”

BOOM!

ZAP!

CRASH!

A large explosion black lightning engulfs the sight of the demon's body. That should do it!

But it didn’t, or it wasn’t enough…

As the sparks settle it is revealed to have… Missed?!

The withering magician caught the shovel before it even reached him; stopped it in time.

As my body loses its momentum and begins to fall again, it drops the timed stop on the shovel, and it falls too.

Except this time my fall is abruptly halted.

My body?…it can’t move!

Out of the corner of my eye the shovel plummets, jamming down into a landing far below.

There’s a much fiercer sight right in front of me… Almza, or whatever I should be calling it now, is pointing his broken staff at me, the one that blows stuff up…

That’s a big fireball…

It's getting bigger…

Oh god…

Why is it still growing…

When the expansion of red flames finally stops, I can’t even see the withering corpse that summoned it.

Does he expect me to deflect the sun? Shoveless?... Wait the stopped time, its an aura, and area of effect. Once that drops there’s a chance… I could dodge it.

I say this, staring down a ball of fire the size of my own house, unarmed, and unbalanced currently in freefall.

Yeah, I might be screwed…

…

Maybe, just maybe I can use my [Voltaic Arc] to pull myself out of this… But I can’t channel my magic, nothing is working, besides my mind and my eyes.

Why in the world did this guy have to become withered, time stop magic is overpowered!

The fireball terrifyingly blasts away from the staff!

OH NO!

The split second before burning me to a crisp the stopped time around me drops. With every ounce of skill that resides in my super cool and acrobatic magical body, I reach for the walls as if trying to grapple there with a rope of lightning.

I manage to do something…

But something was not the best outcome–the fireball did explode. And I was hit.

Burns scar half of my body.

My left side has gone and got completely torched, my left arm feels like it's going to fall off. The fire also left devastating damage to half of my face.

The worst burn I had ever experienced before this was accidentally touching a boiling hot pot…

I think this is as lucky as I was going to get though.

Th–this pain is unimaginable… At the very least my legs are mostly unscathed. I can still stand, I can fight… If I give up here, then that’s it.

But I can’t give up.

My escape, the grappling of electricity that brought me through this fight and escaping that ball of death. I felt something different with it just now. When I channeled everything I had within me to that one spot of my body, it all came out at once, it became a part of me for a moment.

If I can just replicate that power again. Be the electricity, become the lightning!

ZIP–

ZAP–

SHOCK–

Yikes, attempting to use the electricity this way isn’t working very easily. I can’t wield it without the shovel… well I could… My eyes drop downward to the shovel still stuck below. Jumping forward the withered one starts up again!

ANOTHER GIANT SUN FIREBALL ON ITS WAY!!

I’ll do it without the shovel; I’ll attune to the lightning becoming one with.

It burns yes–but the burns of touching the literal sun will hurt much much worse.

“AAAGH!”

It pains me, the lightning flowing through my skin, millions of volts shocking into my body with every slight twitch. The black lightning converging on my left burnt arm, merging into a gauntlet of sorts. The shocks counter the damage burns, the pain equals out.

Lastly channeling the lightning to the half of my face, forging a mask of dark magical energy.

It hurts–but I’m him.

I’m strong enough to withstand anything!

“THE WITHERING WON’T TAKE ME!”

Raising the gauntlet of pure energy, the fireball fires off.

“LET’S DANCE!”

~          ~          ~

Somewhere further down into the pit, two brothers run frantically as they hear the magical explosions above them.

“Look Gil–there’s a monster up there” Lala says pointing towards specks of darkness fighting far above.

Gil sat taking a breather, looks up catching a glimpse of the falling shovel as it collides with the ground.

“KING!” Gil’s call rings out.

Lala turns to him, with the sudden surprise. Looking up with greater inspection.

“What–Oh my goodness, it is him! We gotta do something, he’s in trouble!”

Lala looks to Gil, Gil looks to Lala. They were stunned. It's just like how it was back at the dilapidated mall. They’re unable to do anything.

“His shovel! We need to get him the shovel!” Gil says pointing over to the shovel that had just fallen over across the way.

“That’s right, that’s how he beat the other one! Good catch. We can’t fight, but we can do something… We will save him!” Lala reaches down for Gil’s hand as they begin making way toward the fallen shovel.

END CHAPTER 19