Summoning Woes

Ch 13 - Niflheimr

It wasn't like she got to wield Lexida every day. She could hear it sing her name in praise for her bravery, though it knew that fighting was the last thing in Selena's mind. But with Arius in a desperate struggle against the thunder god, she couldn't just sit back and watch his people die.

"Your highness!" Lucina jumped in, still wearing the brown cloak that covered her body. "You shouldn't..."

"Lucina," Selena returned a cold stare. "Get the civilians out of this place. I'll take on this witch."

"Are you sure about it?" Will asked.

"Do as I say. I can't guarantee your safety if you don't."

"R-Right away, ma'am," Lucina tumbled away, beckoning Will and Themis over. "Be careful..."

"That's real sweet of you," Ulkina said, idling on her broom. "Putting your life on the line for the sake of others."

"Are you done talking?" Selena pointed her sword at Ulkina, leveraging the weight forward before bursting into a sprint.

She swung Lexida across, sending a wave of ice only for it to be melted effortlessly under Ulkina's black magic.

"I like that look of yours," Ulkina said, spinning her staff wildly, summoning a rain of meteors down on them.

There was no time to think. Selena danced about, evading the individual flaming rocks before thrusting her sword towards the somewhat defenseless opponent. But the smirk on Ulkina's face appeared to tell her that she was wrong; Ulkina tilted her head to the side, dodging the hit so narrowly that if Selena could alter the course of Lexida, she would have cut the head off.

But Ulkina was faster - she swung her staff across, smashing Selena's face so hard that it felt like she was rammed over by a hammer. Selena somersaulted back, landing softly on the ground, unable to take her eyes off the drops of blood that found its way down.

"What happened? You used to be so much faster and stronger," Ulkina said, resting the staff on her shoulder.

"It's none of your business," Selena replied, returning to her original stance.

She cursed under her breath. The god's power was something to reckon with. But she wasn't about to give up just yet. Selena dashed forward, swinging Lexida only for Ulkina to jump away in full anticipation of the attack. She turned around, unloading a wave of ice, a small part of it sliced her opponent on the side, but the wound was far too shallow to properly incapacitate her.

Ulkina flew high into the air, unleashing another wave of flames that covered practically every possible escape route open. She bit her lip, holding the sword close to her waist as she watched the inferno blazed towards her. She mumbled a spell under her breath, swinging Lexida with renewed strength and vigor, freezing the entire blast when it touched the blade.

"Can't believe that you fell for it," Ulkina's voice trailed behind her.

She turned around, fear finally taking hold of her composure. The mouth of Ulkina's staff lit as a fiery mix of molten rock materialized on it. Selena turned around, but it was already too late. The fireball burned onto her shoulder, vaporizing the armor and cloth to reveal a grilled part of her skin.

"Is this the finest of you humans?" Ulkina asked, raising her staff at her. The screams of her subconscious rung in her ear, but the burns had practically paralyzed her. She shouldn't have shoved the help Lucina offered. Now, at the mercy of the enemy, all she could do now was to hope that Lexida would perform a miracle. A deafening clash of metal filled her ears with a ringing silence, the wind above her head moved so quickly that it felt like it was a gust. She looked up, staring at a petite lady wearing a tutu-like skirt.