"What the fuck, Sami?!" Lyra screamed, her voice filled with disbelief as she struggled to get to her feet. "How the fuck did you do that bookworm?"
Sami made a nervous chuckle as he rubbed his hands together, shuffling from side to side. Sami's form began flickering before fully becoming solid once again, as the spell he used wore off.
The Gbahali took a step back, its two red eyes glaring at Sami with a combination of anger and confusion, puzzled as to why its prey's scent kept disappearing. It took some steps to rethink the situation, in its long life this is the first time seeing something like this.
"Aye pretty cool right! Some old guy was like "I'll help you get stronger" Sami replied ignoring the monster in his excitement. "All of sudden BAM! A magic ring appeared that then put an idea in my head that worked." His arms moved animatedly as he finished explaining.
"YOU DUMBASS! THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" Lyra roared, her face full of anger. "You can't just grab random artifacts, some can be cursed! Ugh! Next let's not be dumb and trust random people." Sami winced at her outburst, but nodded in argument.
He turned toward the now very angry monster as a way to ignore Lyra who was fuming. Sami could feel a small pulse coming from the ring on his finger.
The Gbahali noticed Sami's distraction and wanted to capitalize on it. Charging forward, it became a blur as it rushed at Sami. Sami hurriedly raised his arms in a defensive position as a new spell came to his mind.
As the Gbahali went to land its attack on Sami, it bounced off something an inch before his head. Sami kept his hands up as the monster kept trying to attack him. A shield glowing blue would pop up every time. The attacks were strong, causing his feet to slide against the dirt as he held the defense.
The Gbahali was confused about what was happening, why wasn't it's strength enough. Every time it went to attack, it felt the shield scraping against its nails. Rage began to overtake the Gbahali as it continued to attack, trying to break through the shield so it could kill its prey.
"Duck now!" Lyra said to Sami as she began to chant. "Percute ferro, rege! Flue velox!(Strike with steel, rule! Flow swiftly!)"
Sami quickly activated his intangibility as a sword went flying through his head. The Gbahali tried to raise its hand to block the weapon. The sword cut the hand clean off. Blood dripped to the ground as the monster cried out in pain.
Sami ignored the cry as he ran to Lyra's side. 'How... what, um, I'm lost on what just happened," Sami lamely finished, as he tried to help Lyra stand.
Lyra slapped away his hands as she chanted once again, "Lux Sana, Ferrum Exsurge! (Healing Light, Iron Arise!)" Lyra began to wave her hand across her injuries as a small sword extended from her palm.
Sami stepped back and looked on with awe as he saw a golden glow envelop Lyra's body. Her skin began to slowly knit closed, as Lyra's face looked less pale as color returned to her skin. All of the injuries she suffered were closed.
"Done eyeing at me yet?" Lyra smirked, raising an eyebrow at Sami.
Sami quickly became embarrassed and stammered, "I... I wasn't, um, ugh. I'm not looking at you like that."
"Yeah, yeah, sure you weren't," she teased before getting serious. "So, quick rundown: I have the ability to summon weapons, as you can see. My specialty is summoning swords with special properties. In this case, I summoned one that can heal."
Sami just nodded at her explanation. In the background, the Gbahali was still screaming in pain. It was kneeling on the ground as it tried and failed to reattach its lost limb. The holy light of the sword used not allowing it to reconnect the severed limb.
"I don't know if you noticed it yet, bookworm, but magic can take a toll on the user. In some cases, it drains stamina. At the worst it can kill you if you're not strong enough.," Lyra lectured as she began to stretch her limbs.
"Wait, spells can actually kill you?" Sami asked.
"Yes,if the user doesn't have the strength for the spell then it takes life force. Though the majority of the time it'll just use stamina to fuel it." Lyra explained.
"So do all people have a chance at learning magic? If so, is it important to be able to chant spells out?" Sami questioned, since he used two spells without a chant.
A sword appeared in Lyra's hand and vanished just as quickly. "Summoning a normal sword like that is easy. Feels like picking it off the ground." she commented.
"The one you used to heal feels different though? I would assume it takes different chants?" Sami asked.
"Excatly," Lyra confirmed. "That's why learning to chant is crucial. The words help you picture the magic, to guide it precisely."
Sami nodded in understanding, "I get it so the words help in case you're thinking of multiple, you narrow it down so all of them don't get casted."
She elaborated, "If a spell is cast incorrectly, you could end up dying because the spell won't stop."
"Interesting," Sami chirped excitedly at the prospect of learning more about magic.
"Yes, it can be," Lyra acknowledged, her face settling on determination. "Anyways bookworm there's a monster we have to defeat. And I for one want to end its pitiful existence for killing my friends."
Lyra's eyes radiated intense focus as she turned and walked menacingly towards the Gbahali. She summoned a glowing golden sword into her hand. A gentle light emanated from the blade lighting up the dark forest.
Sami remained quiet, his heart pounding as he tried to process the upcoming fight. He glanced at his hand, at the dull ring that occasionally pulsed with a faint inner light. He found it strange that he wasn't tired at all after using the shield and intangibility spells.
The creature looked up, sensing Lyra's anger. Its eyes blazed with fury as it let out a frustrated roar that echoed through the darkened woods. Lyra didn't flinch at the sound. With a huge exhale, she drew back her arm before sending the golden sword flying towards the Gbahali.
The Gbahali was agile for its size,narrowly dodging the flying sword. The edge briefly scratched against its fur, sending sparks into the air as it moved out of the way.
With a frustrated snarl, the Gbahali advanced towards Lyra. The beast moved at an alarming pace, extending its obsidian claws from its only functional hand to attack. Lyra pulled her arm back, clenching her fist, as she locked eyes with the creature.
A wet, tearing sound punctuated The Gbahali as it stopped its charge at Lyra. The pain caused it to stumble as the sword plunged through its shoulder from behind. Lyra was able to change the direction of the sword by moving her arm. The Gbahali roared in pain as the sword disappeared.
Moving quickly, Lyra summoned a new sword to her hand. Rushing at the now-distracted monster. She jumped high into the air, bringing the sword down in a wide slash towards the creature's neck. The creature didn't react as the sword bounced harmlessly off its fur, sending more sparks up into the dark night sky.
The creature tried to swipe at her in mid-air, but its attack slammed into a barrier. Sami had pictured protecting Lyra, a shimmering shield materializing around her just as it had around himself earlier.Lyra landed safely on the ground, raising the sword up, readying it for another attack.
"How long can you keep the shield up?" Lyra asked, her eyes fixed on the monster, her sword still raised defensively.
Sami paused to consider before replying, "Um, I could hold it longer. As long as the monster doesn't keep attacking the shield, I don't really feel any strain at all."
"Got it. When you're getting tired, let me know," Lyra commanded, taking off again towards the monster in a near blur as she went to attack.
Sami didn't even have a chance to reply. He quickly summoned another shield around Lyra. Lyra ignored the creature's attacks, focusing on delivering strike after strike. Each slice of her sword bounced harmlessly off its thick fur, sparks flying into the night sky with every failed attempt.
The Gbahali also tried attacking, but like Lyra's blows, each of its strikes bounced off the invisible shield. The Gbahali then attempted a kick at Lyra, which she swiftly dodged. With Lyra being just as fast as the monster, neither side could gain a clear advantage.
Lyra finally broke the stalemate, jumping back near Sami, sweat pouring down her face as she tried to catch her breath. Sami still looked fresh, if a little out of breath. The creature looked worried, unsure how to kill what it had once thought was easy prey.
"Sigh, I hate using this," Lyra muttered to herself as she let the sword in her hand disappear. "De Finis Terrae, Surge Martellus Belli! (From the Depths of the Earth, Arise War Hammer!)" A massive, iron warhammer slammed into Lyra's hand.
"So you can summon hammers too?" Sami questioned.
Lyra quickly took a couple of practice swings before getting into a stance with the hammer resting on her shoulder. "Yeah, I can," she clarified, her voice sounding slightly strained. "I'm not a fan of using this spell, it takes way too much energy. Plus the weapon is really heavy. "
"Wow, there is so much you can do with magic!," Sami burst out, full of excitement.
"Bookworm, focus," Lyra sighed, shaking her head as she moved closer to the creature again. "Just keep your shields up, please. I need the extra defense."
"Yes, ma'am," Sami mumbled, raising his hand as he prepared the invisible barrier once again.
Lyra moved slightly slower with the warhammer, but still, to Sami's eyes, quickly became a blur as she reached the monster's head. The monster didn't have time to dodge as the hammer slammed into the side of its head, sending it tumbling backward.