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Yet I'd never really heard about a minotaur being able to swim.
Deciding why the hell not, I flattened my magic and sent it cutting across the beach, ironically, like a spatula. Not exactly the most intimidating shape, but I pushed it through the sand until it was right underneath the spinning monster. Gripping it as hard as I could in my mind, I built up energy higher and higher until it reached a snapping point within me. Then I let it go with fervor, pushing it up as high into the air as I could.
There was a fine line between the ingenuity of battle and a comedy of errors, and I found myself walking that line as the minotaur was flung up into the sky, ass over tea kettle. I'd never seen such a large cryptid get launched like a rag doll, and I got a feeling it wasn't likely to happen again, so I let myself enjoy the show.
My eyes went to another group of Vekan soldiers attacking my allies, and I did the same thing, widening my metaphorical spatula to be under more of their feet. It was trickier with several Blath soldiers around them, but I did my best to only target the enemy. Then I flung them into the air also. I was too far to catch the splash of them hitting the water, even with my wolf hearing, yet my mind supplied the noise anyway. It was ever so satisfying.
Thoroughly inspired, I started whipping out my magic as fast as I could, going for groups or even large, individual, enemy soldiers, where I had clearance under their feet. All of a sudden, the battle was filled with Vekan soldiers taking to the air, and not because they had wings or were using some advanced technology, but because I, Ayla Everton, mate of Kai Reed, and an orphan, a literal nobody, was throwing them up as high as I could. Some crashed down to the ground in sickening thuds while others went far into the water. I wasn't the best at controlling their trajectory, but that didn't matter. The important part was getting them as high as possible so even if they survived the sudden stop at the ground, they were most definitely incapacitated.
I really felt myself start to get on a roll when a shriek sounded from quite far away. Part of me thought there was no way that I was actually hearing it, but my gaze went to Darla, where she was dodging an attack from a Vekan soldier with fire coming out of their hands.
Wait, no. Their entire body was actually made of flames somehow partially contained within armor: an elemental. They must have seen her body heat through my illusion and zeroed in on her. While I’d been flinging soldiers into the air like pizza dough, Darla managed to get control of the captain of yet another ship and steer it into another enemy vessel. All on her own, the psychic had taken out three ships and no doubt caused mutinies on the other half. We were all so lucky she was on our side.
“Darla!” I cried out, even though there was no chance she could hear me. I wasn't surprised she couldn't influence the elemental in front of her. I didn't know if it was their biology or their magic, but I did know that those particular users tended to be resistant to most spells. Not immune, but resilient enough to complicate any spell or procedure done on them.
I had no idea how I was going to cross the beach in time considering there was a whole battle between her and me. But then possibly the absolutely, positively dumbest idea I had ever produced rose within my mind.
Well, if the spatula had worked on the enemy, there was no reason it wouldn't work on me. But I was definitely going to aim a little more nicely when it came to myself.
Focusing on where Darla was, I crouched low and solidified my magic beneath my feet. Hoping I didn't turn myself into a bug on a windshield, I let my magic build and build before snapping it right under myself.
I flew through the air, but thankfully not as high as the enemies I had sent spiraling, and much farther forward. I could still tell my landing was going to hurt, so I pushed my magic forward, thinking of a soft pillowy cloud.
I barely got in place before the force propelling me petered out and I was hurtling to the ground. I arranged myself into the neatest tuck I could, so that when I hit my cushy spell, I could roll forward into safety.
I pulled it off, only stumbling slightly as I popped to my feet and turned toward the elemental as it lunged at Darla again, its flames spitting all around it. I could see my friend already had a couple of scorch marks on her, and anger bubbled up virulently within.
“Get away from her!” I cried, shoving my magic out like a bludgeon. It slammed into the side of the elemental and sent him sailing a good few feet before he steadied himself.
“Surrender,” he said, with an awful lot of balls for someone who was now in a two on one situation. “Submit to Vekas and be shown mercy.”
“Mercy?” I repeated incredulously. “Like the mercy your armies have shown the helpless cities of civilians you've massacred? Mercy like what you showed two of my companions on my journey to my own coven? Mercy like the mercy you showed the only family I had left when you burned my coven to the ground? I want none of these things you call mercy! This is your chance to surrender, or I will pay you in kind for what your people have done to mine.”
The elemental had the good sense not to try to argue. Instead, an inferno blazed to life all around him, burning so brightly that I had to shield my eyes, and Darla had to jump backward not to get singed.
“Get to safety!” I ordered, and thankfully, Darla didn't waste any time arguing.
I could tell for a moment, with the way the elemental’s blood red eyes flicked toward Darla, that he was thinking about going for her while her back was turned, but I was more than happy to show him why that was a fatal error. I didn't have elemental magic like he did, yet that didn't mean I couldn't coax my energy into many different forms.
Holding out my hand, I willed ice to form in it, building on top of itself at a rapid pace until I had a large frozen sphere in my hand. The sheer cold should have burned me, should have sent frostbite to my fingers, but instead, my magic delicately cushioned my skin. In my other hand, I summoned a circle of ice to grow outward until it formed the closest thing I could get to a physical shield. While I wasn't the most experienced in melee combat, it most certainly had been part of my training at Fort Canid, so I wasn't completely out of my depth.
The elemental grunted, and a moment later, a flaming sword burst to life within his own hand, crackling with spite.
I let the elemental make the first move, and he didn't disappoint. He charged at me, weapon raised in a downward slash. I parried it with my ice spell, the air around us filling with steam as I did, then shoved my body forward to bash my icy shield right into the center of my attacker's chest.
He was knocked backward, and I could hear the hissing of my weapon’s effect on him even as he stumbled. As the steam faded, and he straightened, I saw the tiniest hint of gray ash against the enchanted armor he was wearing.
“This is your last chance,” I said with all the authority I could muster. “Surrender. Or even just go home. If you continue to fight, your life will be forfeit.”
What little I could see of his lips curled back in a snarl. “For Vekas!” Then he charged yet again.
This time, he seemed to realize I was more than capable and attacked me with a flurry of impressive moves. For a moment, all I could do was hurriedly dodge and backpedal, not able to move fast enough to get my shield into the proper position. But it was as he continued to push me farther and farther toward the water that I realized I was fighting like someone who only had a single weapon.
And I most certainly had other options.
I didn't dodge fully on his next attack, instead ducking slightly before forming my magic into the same flat tool below me. With much less force than before, I flung myself into the air, rising several feet, and whirling as I did so.
The elemental had to skid to a stop, his head whipping this way and that as he was no doubt looking for me. I landed behind him, and before he could spin around to face me, I thrust my spear forward with all the power I had, putting the force of both my body and my magic behind it.
