Chapter 146: New Spells
Moments after the Earth Spirit appeared, it floated down until its feet brushed the ground. Immediately, the ground erupted, throwing chunks of earth and stone into the sky, Paving stones, boulders, and even clumps of dirt flowed onto the spirit in an inverted whirlpool. Dust billowed out of the rapidly growing caldera in thick clouds, surging outward and coating everything. But, moments before the wave reached me, the spirit thrust its arm out, hand clenched in a fist. The dust cloud collapsed inward, imploding on the elemental, condensing around the larger rocks, and sealing it all together.
Within seconds, a massive, fifty-foot crater had formed. The Earth Spirit stood at the bottom, its intangible body now clothed in earthen armor. Large, ten-foot spikes jutted from its arms and shoulders, ending in jagged tips capable of bisecting boulders. Its head, formless save two impressions that served as eyes, was level with my own. I backed into the shrine, allowing it room to claw its way out of the hole. Hopefully, the mages wouldn’t mind this little...pothole... in front of their shrine.
Summoning Magic was something I’d dreamed of since witnessing Korra’s majestic Water Dragon in the heroes’ tournament at the Divine Throne. Elemental Spirit worked by conjuring an intangible spirit of a certain attribute. The summon had near-perfect control of the chosen element, capable of using existing materials to craft or change its body according to the caster’s desires.
Summoned creatures possessed an animalistic sort of intelligence. While this increased with higher circle spells, even the most powerful among them was incapable of doing more than simple tasks without oversight. A mage could impose their will directly over the summon and control it directly but doing so required the mage’s complete concentration.
A band of runes appeared around my wrist, connecting me to the Earth Spirit. They rotated slowly as I directed the earth spirit to lower its hand flush with the ground.
Taking a short breath, I delicately stepped into its palm. The earth and stone were compacted into a near-glossy surface, stronger and denser than any steel. I staggered as the elemental raised its hand, dropping onto my knees and throwing my arms around a spike. The creature’s gait was anything but steady, and it was all I could do to maintain my balance. Its palms were wide enough that I wouldn’t fall directly over the edge, but just thinking of the thirty-foot drop to the ground had me cowering, eyes tightly squeezed shut. My fear of heights considered, perhaps summoning such a huge creature hadn’t been the best idea...
But the ground it covered was undeniable. As I adjusted to the rhythmic gate of the spirit, I dared to open my eyes and watch the darkened forest from above. Each step shattered the ground, effortlessly crushing trees and boulders. After witnessing the sheer destruction in the elemental’s wake, I decisively ordered it to avoid the road. The damage was done, but I was sure they would appreciate it if I salvaged the lower sections, at least.
Within a minute, we had crossed the trough of the valley and begun the climb up to the city. No, climb might have been too strong a word. The fifty-foot-tall elemental charged right up the side of the mountain, carving titanic steps with its feet. The rugged cliffs were not putty before it, collapsing inward at the first contact.
As we closed in on the city, I was able to get a good look at just how devastating the destruction was. The gates to the city had disappeared under a pile of rubble, brought down by the dragon’s tail at some point during the fight. Bodies lay strewn about, crushed, bleeding, and burned in the attack.