Chapter 243: Surpassing Limits
The dark grip of the shadowy tendrils grew tighter, squeezing until my body groaned in protest. My tail, the only part of me that wasn’t restrained, lashed furiously, but no matter how I struggled, their grip only tightened, refusing to let go.
Last we met, Vithrass claimed this spell, the Chains of Shadows, was his own invention. It specialized in capturing mages, binding their tongue and movements to inhibit their spellcasting ability. It was useless toward me in that regard, but Vithrass had other plans, leaving my mouth free.
A strange magic radiated out through my skin from the icky touch of the tentacles. My soul warmed as Adaptive Resistance rose to meet, it, battling off the strange, invasive power. Tingles erupted across my body, crawling over my body as the waves of encroaching magic increased, jumping up an entire tier of power.
The pattern repeated once more, but the third time, the ensuing burst of icy mana pierced Adaptive Resistance, sweeping through my body and driving the breath from my lungs in a gasp. It penetrated my skin, seeping deep into my bones and causing my entire body to shiver uncontrollably. The cold bit at my flesh, and I whimpered, my skin going pale, my lips taking on a subtle tinge of blue.
"Hmm, so that’s your limit."
Vithrass’ voice registered on the edges of my consciousness, for at that moment, the cold further intensified. My blood seemed to freeze, stabbing through my veins like jagged icy knives, drawing an agonized scream through my lips. I writhed in the tentacle’s unrelenting grip, the pain slowly building until my throat turned raw, my voice hoarse from screaming.
"Starlight!" Tana gasped, finally catching sight of me. The rest of the party had been consumed in their fight, leaving me helpless against Vithrass’ cruel desires, only now noticing as my voice filled the warehouse.
"Hang on, we’re coming!" Dyson called, gritting his teeth. He and Rasce were dripping blood from a multitude of shallow lacerations, fighting furiously against the cursed Dawn Blades. They’d taken a disadvantage early on, committing to subduing the adventurers without killing them, hoping we’d be able to remove the curse later.
Wait, the curse...!
My eyes, misted over with frozen tears, brightened, and I strained for my staff. A tentacle bound my wrist tightly, but the spell hadn’t accounted for the ability to will something into existence. Vithrass noticed the moment the flurry of stars appeared, stroking my cheek with his open palm. When I refused to respond, he grabbed my shoulder, digging his fingers into the glowing scars of Sunpurge. A wave of black dots crossed my vision, and I bit my lip, holding back a cry. My concentration faltered, my spells nearly failing, but I persevered, fighting against the bitter cold and blazing pain of the Sunpurge.
Removing his hand from my shoulder, he grabbed my throat, jerking forward until our noses almost touched. His red eyes burned like coals, filled with rage. I sputtered, gasping for breath, but his grip was like iron, slowly choking the life from me.