Spell Weaver [Book 2 Complete]

Alex's head snapped to the left as chaotic sounds of combat erupted around the bend.

He stood overhead, frozen for a long moment of indecision. The unexpected element had thrown off his plan, and he watched as his window of opportunity closed beneath him.

Angela, James, Byron, and their armored fourth member roused themselves from various tasks and lounging positions to focus on the distant Rift.

Whatever was happening was enough to put them on their guard, however. They readied themselves, but didn’t immediately move toward the portal. Moving with care, their formation faced the bend and waited a few feet from the small crosswalk that led across the running sewage below.

From above, Alex could see that it was a tactically sound decision. It would allow them to use the crosswalk as a choke point, as long as those coming at them were walking and not using movement skills to cross the four-foot gap.

Alex looked up at his left hand, still gripping the pipe, intending to burst it.

He reassessed quickly and found the enemy’s new position to actually be more beneficial than if they were in their camped positions as before. Now, they were ready for a fight, but were clustered and still unaware of his position. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NoveI~Fire.net

Waiting seemed the best option, so he looked over his shoulder to the bend, eager to see the result of the combat beyond.

Tense moments passed as everyone except those in the cell below listened as the combat sounds gradually faded.

Even when the sounds of clashing swords and smacking of flesh on flesh ceased, several grunts and panting could be heard.

Quick, clipped conversation could barely be heard, though it cut off quickly as James called out. The man called an odd phrase, voice tense.

No response phrase came, though after another long pause, five individuals slowly made their way into view.

Alex’s immediate assessment of the group was that they were all fighters. Three of the five were injured, but all of them moved with a grace and confidence that he’d come to recognize.

The frontman wore golden armor that appeared to be made of a shiny, jagged stone. While he bled from a cut on his head, he seemed the least bothered by his injury. He faced Angela’s group calmly, though as he saw them, his shoulders shifted, and to Alex, he seemed immensely tired.

Scanning the man revealed his name to be Robert Mercer. Alex was impressed with his class and level. The System status readout indicated he was a level 38 Steelguard.

Behind him, he scanned the others. A lithe man in his young twenties was helping another brown-haired man who seemed to be in his forties. The older man was injured in two spots, but seemed more frustrated with the group they now faced than with the bodily injury.

A quick scan revealed their names and classes. The younger man was named Luis Ortega and had the class of Pit Fighter, with a level slightly lower than Robert’s. The injured man was named Anthony Russo, a Duelist, which immediately sparked something in Alex’s memory.

The fourth member was a woman who stepped confidently to the front of the group next to Robert. Aisha Davis had an extreme agility-focused class called Blade Dancer and seemed much more confident than her other female combatant she was with. The final member of the group was a Shiv named Danae Whitaker.

Despite their worn and injured appearances, it meant something to Alex that they were the ones to have stepped out around the bend.

Flicking his eyes toward Angela’s group, he saw most of them relax their postures when they saw the ragtag group appear.

The armored mage went as far as to laugh and cover his face before saying, “C’mon. Back into the Rift, little exp-bags. We’re really going to earn some points today.”

James’s small smile didn’t go unnoticed, nor did the subtle nod he gave to Angela.

“We won’t go back,” Robert said seriously. His voice carried effortlessly across the open space between them as he adjusted his left arm, armored in metal from shoulder to knuckles. His right arm was bare except for the lighter-looking gauntlet he wore. Both seemed to shine in the strange amber light that came with the rest of his armor.

Next to him, Aisha raised her daggers. The smile she wore made her look crazed to Alex.

Even the injured of the group stood their ground and drew weapons.

“Fuck me,” Alex said quietly. He looked up at the pipes overhead and knew that it was now or never. He altered his plan slightly, now concerned for another group of innocents that he had no way to protect.

Dismissing Mage, he felt his stats rise and the second consciousness flow through him. With the additional mind, he was able to maintain a hold on his currently formed spell and layer his final circle over it for an augmented effect.

With everything in place and no time to spare, he yanked hard on the pipe and twisted it at the joint. The metal screeched as the pipe turned, the harsh sound echoing through the chamber. He squeezed hard on the edge and watched as the bursting jet of water quickly changed to a spraying mist that spread over the space below.

The sound more than the water drew the attention of Angela’s team. Aisha let out a cry and lunged forward to cross the gap on the distracted opponents.

Alex couldn’t pay her any mind, activating the full effects of his trap. Both of the layered spell circles activated where they hung horizontally overhead. The area lightning spell generated a skin-crawling crackle of static as electricity branched through the air. The second circle, positioned just above it, activated and sent jagged bolts of lightning arcing downward in rapid succession.

It was his attempt to imitate his combination attack with Valtherion, and while the lightning itself wasn’t as strong as the storm Valtherion could make with his [Mana Breath], the mist and puddling water below amplified the attack tenfold.

The only member of Angela’s party to react in time was James. The Gladiator raised his arm with the same buckler in hand that had absorbed Mage’s attack on the roofs. However, the lightning storm raining down on him quickly overwhelmed whatever enchantment was on the gear, leaving him convulsing on the ground with the others.

Four seconds passed before the storm subsided. Alex’s ears were ringing from the high-pitched sounds and constant reverberation from the tight space they were in. He flexed his jaw several times while looking across the small gap.

All five of the bloodied fighters looked at the figures as they stopped twitching, their postures frozen.

Robert had been actively holding Aisha back, though Anthony looked like he’d pass out any moment.

His attention was drawn to blue windows appearing in his vision.