Curse Uncurse - ONC 2020 [Completed]

Chapter 10: Burning bright comes the light

After getting out of the Castle's expansive corridors, the first thing Plamen notices is the pressure. Heavy and tight, oppressive almost like a noose closing around his neck or like a discharged current, it pulls him in, tightening the hold over his body.

Rationally, he knows it's just a side effect of the tensions running high, and he's more receptive to emotions than others - Yana has explained it to him many times - but it affects him all the same, even when he's aware of it.

A narrow valley, fit between two small forested hills and a rocky outcrop, is literally blanketed in faint fog. It almost seems corrosive from his standpoint, but he breathes through it and tastes twisted magic. Not a fog then.

A swift glance shows that all of the Armsguard officers are engaged in some sort of combat, so the trio is left to their own devices.

Vid and Zima stand to his right, shaking, but holding off the onslaught the eerie night offers. He realizes, faintly, a curious thought - he always positions them on his right side and wonders if that's because he wants to keep them safe. After all, his left side is the dominant one, limbs quicker to react and stronger to defend.

But that train of thought is broken by another terrifying snarl, and he sees the Unnatural leaping over three Armsguard soldiers, landing on an elevated rock just a scant distance away, stout legs kicking off to another jump right toward them.

"Together," Plamen instructs his companions, allowing the bright fire to engulf his left fist, summoning his magic from depts inside, and punches toward the noisy creature with his Flame of Conquest.

Flames leave his fist, rapidly decreasing distance to their target still sailing through the air, unable to dodge. Then thin, but deadly strips of ice follow, curling around the flame, caressing the orange tips with pale blue fingers, and the flame lets it, recognizing it as its comrade.

The Unnatural collides with a loud impact, artificial wind forms around it as the flame burns brighter for a second. The creature falls down to the ground, unresponsive, limbs spread out.

Instantly, all the eyes turn to three of them just as Plamen wants. He carefully observes, but he can't distinguish between friend and foe. He grits his teeth when he acknowledges that the plan didn't work out as he wanted.

"Watch out!" Vid yells.

Plamen jolts from the plan-making, eyes flashing over the valley, but nothing happens. There are still those five officers dealing with the Unnatural that seems larger than the others, one of the three officers that were fighting the knocked out Unnatural joining them. On the other side, a smaller Unnatural is swift on its feet, jumping left and right and making the job hard for two Armsguard tailing it. And, of course, the two Armsguard locked into the fight among themselves.

Plamen then looks at Vid and almost plants on his ass in surprise.

Vid's yellow iris gleams with blinding light. The other one is unfocused, and Plamen realizes Vid is seeing a vision. Vid suddenly shifts, focused on who knows what and his arms spread in front of him.

Right at that point, the smaller Unnatural twists and evades the swords, slipping between the two officers, and runs toward them.

Its nimble legs dash across the valley, too fast for Plamen to do anything, yet he tries but the flames are slow to respond to his call. It's closing in too fast, he won't make it--

With a crashing noise, it comes to a stop maybe two meters away, trapped by golden stands of magic, holding it down on the ground where a magic circle bubbles up from the earth.

Plamen detects a movement in his peripheral vision, turning toward it just to see the same golden strands falling from Vid's outstretched fingers and disappearing into the earth. Entrapment magic. Not only that but a high-skilled spell at that.