Book 2: Chapter 69 (1/2)
Tafel clicked her tongue and stopped Alice’s charge with her sword. The guild master bounced off the blade and rolled backwards, bumping into a nearby rock. Tafel rushed forward, kicked the bound elf out of the way, and muttered under her breath while keeping her gaze locked onto Alice. The lion aura surrounding Alice roared as it stood on its hind legs. It stomped forward, causing Alice to fall onto all fours, her hands fitting perfectly with the aura’s front paws.
Tafel furrowed her brow. How did Auntie stop Vur’s awakening? She … she kissed him, didn’t she? Tafel thought before shaking her head. A twinge of annoyance poked her heart. No, no. It wasn’t the kiss. It was her aura beating Vur’s afterwards.
Alice launched herself forwards, turning into a blur of yellow. Tafel rotated the blade in her hands and slashed downwards, hacking at the charging lion with the back of her blade. Alice dodged to the side, but Tafel’s blade entered a portal and smacked Alice in the face, launching her into a tree. “Like a wild animal,” Tafel said and frowned. “How am I supposed to help someone awaken? I don’t have an aura of my own.”
“Subdue her,” a voice said from the side. It belonged to the elf that Mr. Skelly had brought over. “Exhaust her until she regains consciousness, then whether or not she tames the beast inside of her depends completely on her.”
“So I just have to beat her up some more,” Tafel said and nodded. Her horns glowed with different colors: some red, some green, some brown. A vortex formed in the air above her as the ground split apart. Flames blossomed in the sky, spiraling along with the wind while fragments of earth rose up. The rocks collided with the burning winds, turning red and melting into liquid chunks. The vortex of air spun faster, creating a ball of rotating lava in the sky.
“A, a combination spell done by one person,” the elf said with wide eyes. “How?”
Tafel pointed her sword at Alice, who had been circling around the demon. “I hope this isn’t too much,” she said and inhaled through her nose. The ball flew towards Alice, tracking the guild master’s every move. When she dodged, the ball followed at an even faster speed. The aura around Alice’s body bulged and expanded as she roared, charging at the lava head on. The yellow aura and the glowing red ball collided, casting orange hues on the surrounding woods.
A few skeletons oohed and aahed, cropping up only after the fight was almost over. Like a cat playing with a ball of yarn, Alice repeatedly swatted the lava. Her aura and the lava diminished at an equal rate causing Tafel to exhale in relief. When the ball was the size of a fist, Alice’s red eyes returned to their normal color as she shouted, “Ah! Hot! What the heck is this!?”
Tafel’s horns stopped glowing and the lava dropped to the ground, forming a puddle by Alice’s feet. “Are you alright now?” Tafel asked, still keeping her distance.
“I feel terrible,” Alice said with a groan. She clutched her stomach, causing her eyes to widen. “Why am I glowing yellow? Are these claws?”
“You’re in the awakening process,” the elf on the ground said. He had sat up and managed to undo the bindings on his arms. The material locking his legs together was a lot harder to deal with though. “Close your eyes and concentrate on your forehead. Try to speak to the beast inside your mind. Then…”
“Then?” Alice asked, her eyelids trembling as she resisted the urge to open her eyes.