We Can Be Heroes ...?

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Mila split her Bobs up, sending two to attack the ghost that had killed Dave and keeping one with her, to attack the ghost she faced. Even as she did so, she swept up her hand, mid-battle, and her fingers moved in the air. A tinkling sound reached Shion's ears and Mila dismissed her parchment as the ghost reached out to touch her. Her health bar reduced significantly and Shion had to send her ranged healing her way.

"Use the resurrection stone! Get Dave back!" She tucked and rolled away from the ghost, the Bob that had stayed with her winking out as the ghost hit it. "Jova! The other one!"

Jova didn't even argue. She ran to the ghost that had killed Dave and hit it with her toppling strike, but the ghost did not fall back, as other enemies did. It was a 'Boss' monster and clearly had greater strength and resilience. Shion didn't know what to do. She didn't have a resurrection stone. Unless ...

She ran to Dave's body, one leg bent and tucked beneath the other, and summoned her parchment. There, flashing atop the main sheet, she saw a smaller parchment. 'Gift received'. A touch revealed the gift to her desperate eyes and she touched it. Again, the tinkling sound came to her ears, the smaller parchment disappearing and, there among her 'inventory' items, she saw the stone. A touch, a dismissal of her parchment, and she held the stone in her hand.

When she had 'died', she remembered Mila standing above her, holding something to her chest that crumbled to dust even as she awoke and Shion had no other option. She pressed the stone to Dave's chest, under the hovering, smoking skull, and felt the magic inside the gem-like object. It began to deteriorate, the edges cracking, pieces falling away until it started to become nothing but dust, the skull fading away.

"I've los' a level!" Dave sat upright, patting his chest. "Bollo's! Tha' means I los' my spin atta'!"

Shion fell backward, away from Dave, who seemed none the worse for wear. She had done something every healer wished they could do. Bringing someone back from death was the ultimate in healing abilities and so few had it that it had become nothing but legend. She looked at her hand and even the dust from the stone had disappeared, but Dave was alive. Alive and rising to his feet.

"A little help?" To the side, Mila ducked and rolled, trying her best to stay out of the ghost's reach, her health bar dangerously low. "If you wouldn't mind, NPC."

Collecting her thoughts with a shake of the head, Shion threw out her hand, sending a flash of healing magic Mila's way, but now Jova needed healing. Even with her new attack, her 'self heal', she still had a health bar that flickered close to becoming nothing but black. Shion tried to cast her spell again, but she had exhausted her supply of magic.

Dave pounced, flying through the air in an acrobatic move no-one his age should have a chance of performing. Even before he landed, his twin knives slashed outward, striking the ghost and catching its attention, drawing it away from Jova and giving Shion time to clutch for her staff behind her back.

The ribbon of magical energy erupted from the staff, striking the ghost facing Mila and drawing precious magical energy from it, even as the attack reduced its health. With magic back inside her, Shion reached out for Jova, touching her and giving her Shion's most powerful healing. With a wink, the newly invigorated Jova jumped forward, striking the ghost in the back that faced Dave and, together, they combined their attacks until the ghost's health bar blinked and winked out, turning the ghost to glittering dust.

That left one, but that ghost had backed Mila into a corner, her trio of Bobs tossed aside by the creature and it reared up, ready to strike Mila one last time. Shion was too far away for her ranged healing. Dave and Jova raced that way, but they, too, were too far away to attack. Mila was about to die and Shion had no more of those miraculous resurrection stones. In desperation, she turned to another attack. Her only true attack. The 'Life steal'.