Spell Weaver [Book 2 Complete]

The team moved at a steady pace through the dense forest. As the spinners guided them around yet another pack of four Night creatures, Alex ground his teeth. He crouched next to Mark by a fallen tree, moving his mana through his body to calm his nerves and do something—anything—while they waited. Val rode on his shoulders, trickling small amounts of mana into the amulet around his neck. There was a lot to discuss with the spirit about, and small things had interrupted the charging process more than once.

He forced down his impatience. Recent weeks had taught him that a clear head and planning before combat were essential. “Whenever we find her, we have to assume that she’s being hunted,” he said quietly to Mark.

His best friend nodded in response and looked up from the piece of bark he was idly breaking apart. “She’s tough as nails, dude. I’m sure she’ll be fine when we find her. Probably sitting on a pile of those bastards, smiling, and waiting to ask what took us so long.”

“I really could see it going like that,” he said with a weak smile.

“Why don’t you send your mirage out to scout with the spinners? Or at least let it sprint ahead and try to catch up to her?”

Alex shook his head. “The hunter that’s scouting said it’s too noticeable. The Night creatures are more likely to track a mana signature than a blood trail. The spinners do so well up here as scouts because they can completely suppress their mana. The mirage, on the other hand, is completely made of mana…” He shrugged his shoulders in resignation. A brief pulse of mana from the web beside his hand caught his attention. The light blue webbing stood out from the dreary surroundings. The small amounts of natural mana he could see were gray or black, devoid of their green and brown that the environment used to carry.

Alex held up his hand and waved quietly to Sam and Sarah. They all stood and reformed quietly. The sound of Sarah’s wooden arrow shaft clacking against her bow stood out in the silence, but was quickly drowned out as they began hopping over the tree to follow the silk trail.

Their pace was methodical, and the spinner leading them was calculating in a way that made clear it was devoid of the same motivations to reach Olivia. But Alex knew that was part of what kept them safe.

What good would it do to use movement skills to catch up to her faster, if it also dragged several packs of monsters on my heels?

The small amounts of brush in the dark forest made it easy for them to keep formation as they moved. They wove between trees and avoided potential natural terrain formations that might lead to an ambush. The branches above were largely devoid of leaves, allowing the moon’s light to illuminate their surroundings even to his mundane vision.

Alex activated the function of his left eye to scan the surrounding area. As he had when he combined the eye’s capabilities with his [Ritual Insight] skill, he extended its function of scanning, allowing it to stay active as he looked in every direction.

With nothing there but the dim signals of the mana-sparse environment, they continued on as the web turned further east and deeper into the heart of the Night’s territory. They fell into an easy rhythm following the spinner’s guidance.

They were “ambushed” once, though the scout ahead of them had spotted it early, communicated to the team, and set two explosive rituals and binding traps. Between that and the team’s increased capabilities, they made quick work of the three low D rank creatures.

It didn’t take long to find further signs of Olivia’s passing. They entered another gory scene, similar to the first, with several maimed and dead monsters. Some were missing limbs that were scattered among the black and red blood. The difference in this instance was that the red blood was still fresh enough to still drip from nearby branches.

Alex made the call to pick up the pace.

He sent the message to the spinner through their guiding line and activated [Feather Step] without looking back. Mark stayed at his side, with Sarah and Sam behind him, only a few meters apart.

They covered ground significantly faster, and in less than ten minutes, the team reached the top of a rise and saw her. Olivia sat atop a small black mound with her back against a rock. It was difficult to recognize her slight frame, covered from head to toe, as it was in dried and cracked blood. Only some of it was hers, but the bright red that was leaking from her side, despite the hand she pressed on it, was enough to send a spike of panic through Alex’s chest.

“Fuck,” he said. “Stay alert. Sam, check her out as soon as we get down there.” He led the charge down the hill with Mark only a step behind, and as badly as he wanted to run to her, he focused on their surroundings and started to spin a lightning bolt spell circle over his hand.

Seeing no immediate threats, he took a closer look at Olivia's condition. Her head lolled to the side, and he realized the black mound she sat on was actually several large, furry beasts of the Night.

Mark split to the right and Alex to the left, while Sam headed for the slumped form of their friend. But the healer was intercepted before he could reach the base of the black mound.

Nox appeared from the shadows beneath her body. He lunged forward and landed on the ground with a thud as his inky form solidified. The bond looked so different from what Alex remembered. His sleek feline body had changed, no longer a uniform black with shifting smoke around his head and paws. The small dot of sun elf magic that had started at his left shoulder blade had spread to cover all three of his left legs and most of his side and back. It didn’t appear to have spread to the companion’s tail or head, but it had expanded rapidly during their time apart.

“Nox,” Sam said, raising his hands.

“Get out of the way, damnit,” Alex snapped. “You know he can heal her.”

There was a moment of hesitation, where it looked as if he wouldn’t move. Slowly, the snarling lips receded, and the vicious growl that had been vibrating through the air lowered and turned into a single whine.

In real time, Alex saw the line of white light and small flames pulse and spread across Nox’s back. The bond flinched, and two of its back legs buckled before it recovered and held the powerful defensive stance once more.

There was another short pause before it stepped aside and turned to the creature under Olivia. Baring his fangs, Nox bit deeply into the wolf-like monster’s neck.

Sam moved forward, and Alex saw mana draining from the dying creature and transferring into Nox.

He scanned Olivia, truly worried at what he might see.