Azrael

Twenty Four

Adira appeared a few inches above the ground, and, completely unprepared, sprawled into an inglorious heap on the ground.

All around her was chaos.

A battle was going on, and she had landed right in the middle of it. An army of elves fought against a seemingly endless wave of multi-legged creatures. She recognized them as Spiders, as Venus had warned her about them earlier.

Adira struggled to get to her feet, stumbling to the left just in time to avoid an elven warrior grappling with a massive Spider. It took her a few moments to balance herself. Something was different about the space here, obviously. She felt a lot lighter, as though every motion had been simplified compared to the real world. After spending time around Vera, Adira had learned what elf magic felt like. They had a deeper connection with nature than Mages, and although she was far too inexperienced to take advantage of whatever spell was in use here, she understood its purpose.

The effects boosted the already impressive elf capabilities, allowing them to move faster and perform movements with much higher agility than usual. They fought with weapons and magic, spells and shields, at times too fast for her to track.

The last thing Adira remembered was Venus trying to teleport them into the temple. Vera had successfully gone in and out before them, so obviously something had gone wrong. She couldn't feel Venus' warm aura anywhere near, and already the shadows were starting to close in with that deterrent gone.

A shout rang out across the battlefield.

"Incoming!"

Adira had a short glimpse of its owner before they rolled away, although the voice sounded familiar. The sky above them flashed white, and Adira gasped as a giant ball of burning flames hurtled down towards the ground, exploding in a mix of fire a debris. More Spiders leaped out of the flames, throwing the battlefield into action once more.

One of the Spiders that crawled out and fluttered its antennae in her direction. Patches of its body were burning and dripping like tar, sending an intense rotten smell wafting through the air. Adira turned to run, tripping as she found herself mistiming her strides, going faster than she had expected. She fell over and a sharp pain shot up her leg as ne f the Spider's claws found its mark.

The Spider still had its attention fixed onto her, scuttling closer as the larger mouth on its opened and clamped its jaws in anticipation.

Adira tried to move, but the slightest bit of motion had her crying out in pain.

I'm going to die here. She realized. A stupid little girl with stupid dreams who never learns.

A red cape fluttered before her, and she looked up at its owner. He had gotten in between her and the Spider, and with both hands, he was holding back its clawed leg.

"Move!" He barked at Adira, not taking his attention off the creature.

It tried to use its other legs, but he freed one of his own, grabbing a hold of that one too. The Spider was bigger, and its height advantage gave it the edge. Adira could see the elf's boots slowly begin to slip back as the Spider overpowered him.

"I said, move!" He turned back slightly as he spoke this time, making it was obvious he was addressing her.

His silver hair, an uncommon colour even for elves, was knotted into a ponytail and topped with a golden crown that didn't seem to follow the laws of gravity. The boar mask with terrifying tusks made chills go down her spine as he glared down at her. The eyes beneath the mask glowed an inhuman crimson, and Adira found herself involuntarily scrambling back.

He took a step back, focusing back on the Spider, bracing himself. He then let go of the Spider, simultaneously using the foot he'd drawn back to kick it square in the chest. A spear made of light materialized in his hand and he ran it through the Spider's body. The Spider exploded into chunks of burning flesh half a second later.

The warrior spun to face her, scanning her from head to toe, lingering at the gash on her leg that was bleeding profusely.

"You're a Mage," he said, eyeing her, "but not a fighter, are you?"

Adira's gaze was stuck to his glowing eyes. The pain from her foot was so much that she was starting to feel dizzy.

He raised his head to glance around and then looked back at her. The spear in his hand disappeared, and he crouched next to her. He put one arm around her back and the other carefully under her legs, then hoisted her up.

Adira was barely conscious then, only half aware that she was being moved. He set her down some way from the main battle, under a tree.

"Drink this," he told her. "Spider venom is one of the most toxic substances in existence."

He held a glass bottle with a red liquid out to her. Adira reached for it, but the world tilted as she did, and everything went black.