Chapter 36: Void
SHE ENDED UP BOUNCING OFF the soil like a ball, leaving her knife stuck in the earth above, and when she landed she cracked her head against the ground. The jarring stop sent shockwaves through her brain, so at first she thought it was the impact of her body against the earth that had forced her into the soil itself, till the ground started turning soft underneath her and she sunk like it was quicksand. Air against Earth is a bad match up. I can't blast my way out of here even with this power boost.
It started with her hands and legs, sinking down into a slimy bog. She tried to cut into the earth with wind from her fingers, but the Earth Adepts had somehow managed to seal everything underground airtight, like a vacuum. Her dagger was in the ceiling and her whip in her belt. She strained till the muscles in her abdomen burned and the earth trapped her hips like suction cups. If only she still had that enhanced hearing, then she'd be able to hear the sounds of battle outside her little dome, see if the others were okay.
The Demon girl's the first to get taken down, huh? She would've clenched her fists if she could. Not a bloody chance. I'm going to maim them when I get out. She was Conquest, for god's sake. If War-Calida beat people up, she could win this damn dome thing.
Her body was sinking even deeper – soon she might not be able to get herself out. But as the walls closed in around her, the air compressed, volume decreasing, pressure increasing. Soil crept up her neck and squeezed her chest when she took a deep breath. It felt like she was tensing every single muscle in her body, and then trying to sprint with her limbs in concrete blocks at the same time. It was utterly counterintuitive to try and do both together.
She had to channel her magic, except not through her weapons but through her own body, bring the remaining air in her prison down to her body, pushing her magic through every pore on her skin, making it turn the edges of the air sharp and hard, letting the wind shred her own skin and flesh. Another silent countdown and she shoved everything outwards like she was the epicenter of an explosion. The rest of the power she had left went upwards to bust a hole in the dome above.
Solid earth shattered around her, the unbridled Air magic rushing out to shove at the falling chunks of her prison and turn them into dangerous shrapnel. Startled shouts were the first things to reach her ears when she dragged herself to her feet in the crater that she'd formed, dagger back in her hand. But the Adepts regrouped quickly enough, and soon the ground turned to soft slush again, enveloping her feet and holding her to the ground.
She scanned her surroundings, trying to pull up her feet. There has to be something— Sharp metal dug into her shoulders, clamping on for purchase and then yanking her up into the air. Something popped in her left shoulder and she tried to not cry out. Enough lucidity remained for her to boost herself up with an embarrassingly weak gust of wind, and her roc slid smoothly under her to carry her up and away.
When it swerved to avoid missiles made of earth, she looked down and saw Daniel and Calida fighting back to back. Earth Adepts went to join the assault against them. They looked like they'd be overwhelmed soon. Daniel looked up at her, eyes wide, but shook his head as if to clear it and pointed to his left. Her roc flew that way without even a command from her, but when they went lower there was a thud, and the Demon screeched, flapping wildly. She looked over and a long shaft was stuck in its wing, arrow tip buried firmly in muscles so necessary for flight.
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Fantasy((Originally, Phoenix)) “Leave me alone!” Her form flickered in the dim light. The brothers shared a look. “All right,” one started. “Just let us say something first. We know you have powers; we can sense them on you. We can do this because we have...
