II

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Arc II Chapter 16

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18^th of Anima Lunar 753 AAC

The wolf growled, while Aurora grumbled, her dissatisfaction written across her face. No weapon. No armour. A lone doll. A group of useless fluffballs as support. This was going to be highly troublesome. As it turned out, Iris was right, they were dangerous, but it was too late. The benefit of hindsight proved of little use in her current situation.

Aurora rebuked her aetherial companions with a trained glare. They were responsible for this unmitigated disaster, weren't they? Her playful friends poked the sleeping dragon, didn't they? “What did you do? I hope you didn't do what I think you did.”

“...” The purple sprites melted under her judgemental gaze. Aurora knew her foolish fluffballs, and her friends knew that she knew. They knew that she knew that they knew that she knew.

A sigh escaped her lips. “You poked him, didn't you?”

“...” The sprites trembled in fear. Sensing the danger, they took cover behind her protective figure, as their silence proved their guilt.

Accumulating aether, the raging beast attacked with brute force. Ripples of lightning coated his demonic body, polarising the very air. The calamitous forces of thunder aided the wolf. A pulsating orb of electricity gathered inside his jaw, feeding on the surrounding aether. The orb expanded and its aetherial density rose. The beast made his murderous intent abundantly clear.  

Little fond of the suboptimal prospect of dying, Aurora snapped her finger. A quick spell, a simple spell, activated. Fire was her element, her loyal friend and servant, ideal to delay the enemy.

--

A controlled explosion covered her retreat by creating a smokescreen, a wise decision ...

Her instincts proved their worth and made her roll sidewards at the last moment possible, allowing her to dodge her rendezvous with death. A concentrated beam of lightning cut through her cloud of dust. The stray shot missed. His aim was off, but his swift target acquisition caught her by surprise.

Quick reaction speed. No hesitation. No time wasted. Aurora bit her lip. The puppy wasn't green behind his ears. The enemy knew how to fight, which was annoying.

Forced to retreat, Aurora disappeared among the rubble, as every second counted before the dust settled. Her figure vanished from his sight and the beast roared in rage with his rightful prey escaping. In the end, her enemy was nothing but a brute driven by instincts. Fury and ire guided his emotions. Rampaging in a state of mad frenzy, arcs of gleaming lightning were lashing out in all directions, saturating the air, electrocuting anything in his path.

Peeking from the safety of her cover, little Aurora observed the enemy. A sturdy stone wall provided her with protection. Rubble and stone masked her position. Camouflage discipline was an essential skill on the battlefield or cute, little girls like her. Be illusive. Stay hidden. Keep your head down. Camouflage saves lives.

Her head disappeared again behind her friendly wall to consult with her trusted advisor, her doll. “A problematic situation indeed. We need to deal with our friend before things get out of control.” Her doll agreed.

A plan was needed. Direct attacks were patently a foolhardy endeavour. Physical melee would be ... undesirable. Not recommendable for an unarmed and unarmoured girl. Better keep your distance.

Her magic was the weapon of choice, but it was still far too early to play her best hand. Her magic would arouse suspicion, and lead to uncomfortable questions. Lambert and friends gave her the benefit of doubt after buying her amnesia story, but they weren't complete idiots. They were already suspecting her, as her cover was far from perfect. Quite the contrary. Not to mention her elven companions, Arwing and Nelaeryn. The duo was the very definition of troublesome. Not only were they were elves, but they were also scholars versed in the field of magic. They would catch her magic signature without a doubt, if she resorted to potent magic. Especially Nelaeryn. Meanwhile, Arwing provided her with a steady supply o cookies, her colleague kept an eye on her. His glances and his patent distrust didn't escape her. The guy monitored her movements.  

Aurora reassessed her options, which were rather limited. No melee combat. No magic. It seemed like retreat was the smartest choice. As such, Aurora made her decision. It was time to disengage. Lambert and company were more suited to the task than her. Let them deal with the problem. After all, they were experts by their own admission, gold rank adventurers something. No need to intervene and get her hands dirty ...

Her retreat was aborted, as her eyes identified an interesting find, a possible solution to her problem.“Crystals.” A mischievous glee flashed across her eyes, and her scheming mind sprang into action. An idea formed, and a plan was hatched. This was going to be fun. Her explosive fetish already trembled in anticipation.

Numerous crystals, predominantly lightning crystals, were lying scattered across the ground. Their purple glow of crystallised aether shimmered beneath the sun. Countless shards and fragments covered the ground, scattered by the beast in his violent rage. The crystals, they were waiting for her. They presented her with an ample opportunity. The wolf had surfaced from below the earth, likely from a subterranean complex. The dimensions of the hole testified such. The beast had broken through the ceiling and hit a rich crystal vein hidden beneath the surface, scattering the deposit in the process. The remaining crystals must still linger below the earth.

She wasn't familiar with their aetherochemical properties, but the crystals appeared ... promising, emitting sparks and discharging electricity. The crystals provided her with the critical mass needed. Their state was unstable. Their aether reactive. The beast's attacks supercharged the air with spades of additional aether.

Aurora exchanged knowing looks with her doll. “Are you thinking what I am thinking?” Her doll in crime nodded, seconding her idea. Bound by duty, her doll stood at her side.

“Thought so.” Her lips flashed a joyous smirk.

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