Red and black lightning whirled around Lucius. It felt as though the energy of an entire storm was centered on this one boy. All the other magical affects and Arts that he previously engaged had vanished, so the enemies were able to move around like normal again.
"Oh, now that is interesting. Not even a fraction when we fought in the mist, but powerful indeed. Alright everyone, buckle down for this one." Shiyani shouted through the crackles of electricity and the constant rumbles through the sky above.
It was very rare for a storm to occur in a desert, yet the sky above appeared as though a torrential rain would begin at any moment. The once overbearing sunlight was gone, covered by dark, gray clouds.
"Shiyani, Mia, Paul, Lethen." When he spoke, the air itself seemed to vibrate. "Die."
Shiyani cursed to herself as she barely managed to sidestep a strike from the boy. He sailed past her and continued towards Paul. Just before the archer took a blow, Lethen dove in between them. "[Shield Arts: Bulwark]!"
Golden mana created a massive wall of light that stopped Lucius in his tracks, though the wall of light quickly began to crack.
"[Ventus: Air Step]" Shiyani cried out.
From her storage ring, she called out a bow of her own. It was a weapon she rarely used in front of others because Paul already fulfilled their group's needs for range attacks.
With her current level of Air Step active, she was able to take about two dozen steps into the air as though it were solid ground. It was a rare spell that many Wind Magic users would never be able to use. Honestly, it was her ace in the hole, but she had to use it now.
Shiyani climbed higher and higher into the air until she was one step away from the spell ending. If she held herself here, she could maintain her position for about two minutes. Taking a deep breath, she trained her sights on the boy below her, beating on Lethen's Bulwark.
Mia was behind him and making stab and slashing attacks, which Lucius was able to block and dodge. None of Mia's hits were going to land like this, but it did prolong the life of the Bulwark.
"[Bow Arts: Multi-Shot], [Bow Arts: Pierce], [Bow Arts: Powershot]"
Shiyani felt her vision blur momentarily trying to supply the mana required for all three of the Arts to activate. When she finally steadied herself, she released her breath in a steady manner, and loosed the arrow.
Shiyani sighed. "The world is more complex than you can imagine kid. Players play a game that we don't understand and sometimes to make a good move, they have to sacrifice a piece."
"So that's all I am. A piece in a game? A pawn?"
"Most of us are, Lucius. Unless you become a player, that's we will ever be, kid."
She witnessed something she never expected from Lucius. Tears welled up in his eyes and peppered the ground at his feet. "That's all I have ever been since I've been born. A pawn that people tried to get rid of... I won't accept it... no. Instead of play the game, I'll simply overturn the board." He growled.
From somewhere unknown, a strange energy began to fill the area. It was a familiar sensation. Paul and Lethen fell to their knees and it was all Shiyani could do to maintain her consciousness.
"Damn it... where..." she struggled to speak.
At Lucius' feet, Shiyani noticed a slight movement. Mia seemed to still be alive and she held in her hand, two small, gray crystals. The gray color started to fade and became white. The white light began to glow and the sound of cracking glass echoed.
Lucius recognized the sound and looked down. He quickly dove backwards towards the cliff, but before he could make it over the edge, Mia shouted out. "Nice try, Lucius. We win this one!"
A massive explosion, centered on Mia filled the space. Light, heat, and sound took up the space where she and Lucius once were.
Shiyani and her group dove to the ground in an effort to minimize the damage done to them. Flame licked over her back and scorched her armor and singed her beautiful hair. For the next two minutes, the heat of the air was unbearable.
When things finally began to cool down, they got to their feet. Where Mia and Lucius once were, there was a black crater. There was no debris, no dust, nothing. It was as if the entire cliffside was vaporized instantly.
"No doubt the Eroans had someone follow us. We need to go. Now. He's gone."
"Right, boss. Sorry kid."
"Grab Renton and Marie. They're still out of it. Let's go. Now."