Mark of the Ranger

XXII. Attack on the Wizarding Guild

Maddie was brewing herself some sort of stew recipe that Minnie had given her(in truth, Maddie was unsure whether or not it was actually consumable) when the loud knocking came. Minnie, who was supervising her at the time, leaped up in the air with a cowardly shriek. "What the nelly is that?" Minnie muttered, using a word that she had learned from the Rangers at the ball. Maddie dropped her over-sized stirring spoon and glanced around at the walls. She hadn't been able to detect where the knock was coming from, so she had no idea where to look for whatever had happened.

The loud knocking continued. Maddie fingered the potions that were on her belt. She had procured it from some shelf in one of the rooms because she thought it made her look good when she stood with her hip to the side. Not to mention, it also held up to sixteen potions. That was rather useful for a witch. So far, Maddie had three: A Berserk potion, a Frogstomp potion, and a Lightfoot potion. She had only tested those recipes once, but she stood behind all her chemistry nonetheless.

"Let's get out of this room," Minnie suggested as large cracks formed on the ceiling. Maddie agreed with that suggestion, and they ran through the door that was behind Maddie, which led to the mess hall. For some reason, even though it was only four o'clock, there were many magicians sitting on the many tables there. Wizards and wizardesses were brandishing their staffs, and witches and warlocks were holding potions in both hands as they gazed at the cracks in the ceiling. Maddie and Minnie followed the suit of their kind, though Maddie could only strengthen herself, rather than weaken her enemies.

The ceiling, after enduring an impressive amount of stress, finally caved in, letting in a load of what Maddie remembered were Scorch Knights. Their shining silver armor and flaming plumes were what gave it away, truly.

The Scorch Knights fell onto the floor of the mess hall, landing on their feet effortlessly. Falling with them were magicians that had been fighting them on the floor above, but not all of them were able to land so smoothly. Quite a few of them were even disabled, and even more went to help them.

Maddie looked at the potions she had grabbed from her potion belt. The Berserk potion and the Lightfoot potion. The Lightfoot potion increased her speed immensely, and the Berserk did something similar with her strength. The Frogstomp potion was completely unnecessary, as the Scorch Knights were now on the ground floor. Unless Maddie changed her mind and decided to stomp some baddies, the best strategy was to just use the potions that she currently had in hand.

Maddie took a risk by drinking both potions, first the Berserk, then the Lightfoot. Did Maddie really have that good of chemistry skills?

The answer was yes. Maddie's arm muscles, from her biceps to her fingertips, bulged with strength. Even with the added muscle weight, Maddie also felt light as a feather. She used her awesome Cyomancy powers to form ice blades--or Cryosabers, as Maddie liked to call them--in her hands. Maddie ran foolishly and fearlessly into the fray.

Maddie ran, light as a feather, quick as a wink, and impaled one Scorch Knight in the chest. Immediately, the Scorch Knight, who was once a fiery warrior, began to turn to ice. Maddie looked at her mega-strengthened hand. Her blood vessels were pulsing with red power. Apparently, that power was enough to impale a Scorch Knight. Maddie continued.

Maddie slashed one Scorch Knight, beheading them completely. The magician who was fighting that particular Scorch Knight glared at her angrily, then found another one. The Scorch Knights seemed to be coming endlessly. Maddie thought about that. Were the Scorch Knights actual people, or were they just constructs of Pyromancy? In fact, now that Maddie thought about it, the stump of the neck of the Scorch Knight Maddie had beheaded hadn't squirted any blood. Maddie made the conclusion that they obviously weren't human, but they were mortal. Maddie could see that the Scorch Knights could be killed, even if they didn't bleed. Interesting.

Maddie kept on the frosty assault. Scorch Knight after Scorch Knight was slashed into frozen oblivion by her Cryosabers. However, she felt her extreme strength begin to wane. It would be a matter of minutes before her boosts disappeared completely, so she had to make the most of the powers while she could. Another slice, another Scorch Knight downed. A kick to the helmet of another, that one down. Maddie looked around. The Scorch Knights were definitely dwindling, and Maddie saw an end to the hopeless carnage. Just a few more slashes, and...

Maddie's arms lost all their strength, aside from that which they already had. She began to move at normal speed again. However, there was still one potion that she had: the Frogstomp potion. Maddie would have plucked it from her belt and swiftly downed it if it weren't for the flaming human-beast that fell from the ceiling.

The human-beast was easily seven feet tall, and it seemed to be made entirely from fire. The Scorch Knights may not have been Pyromancy constructs, but this one definitely was. It just stood there, and the magicians, the hundreds of them standing there, stood in response. The Pyromancy construct spoke.

"I am a Wildfire, created by Infernas, the Molten Emperor. I have come to warn you of the things to come. You will be destroyed by my king if you do not join him. That is all. No more questions," The Wildfire told the swarm of magicians, though there were no questions anyway. On that wonderful and cheery bombshell, the Wildfire flew up and disappeared into the sky before the magicians could say, "Now, wait just a second."

There was a short pause after the Wildfire disappeared. After about ten seconds, one magician mentioned, "Well, we're going to have to clean this up now."