Chapter 331: The Ice Spirit
Ripples of unease washed through the stone of Blue Canyon, a tremor in response to the gathering storm above. The sky above the city dimmed, not with clouds, but with an oppressive presence that blotted out the warmth of the sun. Frigid winds spiraled out of the magic circles in cyclonic gales, battering stalls, shattering windows, and tearing the rooves off houses. White fingers of frost crept across the streets and walls, encasing everything in a shining skin of ice. It was all I could do to cast an Ice Shield to keep from freezing.
In the heart of the spiraling storm, a serpentine shape emerged, obscured by the whipping winds and mists of ice. There was a flash of gold as a titanic, glimmering eye opened, staring imperious down on the city. My skin prickled as its gaze found me, singling me out among all the chaos of the city. Every hair on my body stood on end as my chest tightened and tail stiffened, and I found myself unable to so much as breathe.
A sharp crack echoed through the canyon and the snake’s eye faded, becoming translucent, less tangible. I gasped as it released me from its hold, pressing a hand to my chest a my thudding heart sent pulses of pain through the Sunpurge on my shoulder and side. Another crack followed the first, a sound like shattering glass, and I mustered the strength to look skyward again.
The magic circles warped and buckled, jagged cracks spiderwebbing across their once-pristine lines. The runes blazed chaotically, struggled to contain the absurd amounts of volatile energy crackling through the array. The sheer volume of mana eclipsed not only what was required for the spell, but also what I had cast into it, an unnatural conglomeration of my power and a foreign tide of infernal mana.
As the circle was consumed by entropy, the serpent within continued to fade. Whatever had just tried to come through the summoning circles was far stronger than the spell permitted, and even the extra reinforcement it must have provided was insufficient to support its tremendous presence for more than a few seconds. The aura alone had transcended the theoretical limits of an Elemental Spirit, touching the lower realms of eighth level.
All at once, mana began to empty out of the array, seeming to vanish entirely into thin air. The summoned spirit collapsed in on itself, shrinking and condensing until it regained a tangible form. Once the mana lowered to something resembling a normal sixth circle spell, the circles flashed once and vanished, resolving at last.
Where the titanic serpent had coiled, a tiny dot remained. It plunged downwards, blurring into a decidedly human form sculpted from flawless diamond, or perhaps the heart of a glacier. In less than a heartbeat, it came to a stop just inches above the ruined street, radiating waves of cold that cracked the paving stones for a dozen feet in all directions. The spirit was entirely a translucent, monochromatic icy blue, yet the detail was astonishing, far exceeding any spirit I’d summoned before. It took the form of a hulking man clad in full plate armor that shimmered like frosted glass. His face, framed by flowing, icy hair, was strong and handsome, yet a shiver ran down my spine as my gaze met his. His eyes, smoldering like molten pools of sapphire, were alive, radiating an enigmatic warmth and intelligence. His soul burned at the peak of sixth level, suffocating the air with the same intensity as the inquisitor standing openmouthed just a few dozen feet away.
Intimidated by the spirit’s presence, I stumbled back a step. A searing pain lanced up my side as I shifted my weight onto my injured hip, and the ravaged muscles collapsed. I cried out in agony as the world spun, another flash of black crossing my vision. When my vision finally cleared, I was staring into a translucent face creased with concern. A sharp gasp escaped me as I realized I hadn’t fallen at all, but was cradled in two strong arms. The spirit had caught me?
Before I could fully grasp the situation, a torrent of pressure tore toward us. Still holding me close with one arm, the spirit raised its free hand and released a channeled burst of mana, the air rippling as it parted the incoming aura like a river around a rock.