Spell Weaver [Book 2 Complete]

“Kill them.”

Alex reacted instantly by creating a lightning spell circle over his right hand, prepared for a movement skill from Rylan.

Jonathan’s team moved with practiced ease. Damien intercepted another elf who emerged from the smoke, wreathed in a golden barrier, while Martin and Leila engaged two more who appeared from behind them. The coordinated defense created an opening for Alex, but he could see that they were outnumbered.

“Go for the ritual!” Jonathan shouted as he swung his hatchet at the nearest elf. “We’ll hold them!”

Alex nodded and dodged the charge he’d been anticipating from Rylan, the big man’s momentum carrying him into a stack of supply crates. The elf who had been holding Rylan’s leash stepped forward, and golden light swirled in his hands.

Alex’s eyes widened, and he changed his aim from Rylan’s back to the elf that was casting magic toward him. The bolt crashed against the elf’s shield, and though it clearly left cracks in the barrier, the lightning skittered across the surface and dissipated beyond. The elf barely flinched.

“Such a waste,” the elf said in a melodic tone that somehow managed to drip with condescension. “To think that the elders considered him worthy of the Pattern. Worse yet, a mage who can’t even pierce a basic ward,” he sneered. “Fight my dog instead. That seems more to your Level.”

Behind him, Rylan rose from the wreckage of boxes, and his eyes spun around wildly in his head. He let out a yell, and Alex danced to his left with [Feather Step], attempting to angle himself to see both Rylan and the elf while hoping to create a path toward the ritual behind them at the same time.

Feinting toward the ritual, Alex used [Feather Step] to close the distance to the elf and punched forward with his right hand. As he did so, he activated the spatial ring on his finger to place his sword into his hand and thrust it toward the elf’s neck.

As expected, it struck the shield, which held firm. The elf crossed his arms and watched with amusement.

“Is that truly your best effort, human?”

Rylan charged again, and Alex activated his movement skill once more. This time, he scooped up a huge fallen piece of wood and created distance. Rylan swerved to follow, and the elf moved with them as well, eager to watch blood spill.

Alex breathed heavily as he landed and used a strategy that had worked well against the large man before. He spun a weight reducing ritual in between the two of them and waited until Rylan was close to drop the feather into it. He timed the swing of the huge piece of wood to collide with the warrior just as he stepped into the circle. Grunting with effort, he used all his Strength and leverage to swing into an object with little to no weight and sent the man flying into a tent, collapsing the structure around him.

The elf laughed. “At least you provide good entertainment!”

Alex didn’t waste the opening. While Rylan was struggling against the thick fabric of the tent and the elf was distracted, he quickly laid a lightning spell circle on the ground behind the elf. It was an effort to snake his thread that far, but he managed it quickly. He used one of the spell circle bases that he’d only used through theory and not in practice, but he saw it as his best chance to catch the elf off guard.

When he charged forward this time, he expected the same reaction from the elf. He held in a smile as the elf said, “You’re persistent; I’ll grant you that,” and watched impassively.

Alex struck the shield with his fist, but this time, he activated his [Spell Storage: Ward Drain Spell Circle] against the shield and followed up with [Mana Siphon] to pull on the ward as hard as he could. The elf’s eyes widened as he felt his ward weakening.

“What are you—”

Alex’s front kick connected solidly with the elf’s chest and sent him stumbling onto the waiting spell circle. Since he’d used the base of the alarm ritual, which was activated as someone crossed its threshold, the elf triggered it without Alex needing to. The lightning erupted upward and traveled along the sinewy sun elf’s body, crackling with magical energy that caused him to twitch and spasm on his feet.

Not even bothering to activate his movement skill, Alex dashed the few feet forward and lunged with his blade once more. It sunk to the hilt in the monster’s chest. The elf stared at him in disbelief and began to pull magic into his hands, but Alex twisted his hips and leaned his shoulder into the swing as he cut from the middle to the left of the elf’s body from the inside, killing it and causing it to collapse to the ground at his feet.