Book 2: Chapter 106 (1/2)

A wall of flame burst into life, jetting out of Tafel’s palm and crashing into the six Fangs. The wind swirling around her picked up, causing the flames to grow even larger. Hints of blood-red light danced along the edges and interiors of the firewall, letting out faint phoenix cries instead of the usual crackling. Tafel’s eyes narrowed as she lowered her hand and leapt backwards as a red sword cut towards her from within the flames. She turned her body to the side, evading the slash, but Abel hurtled out of the fire with his upper body lowered into a tackling position. He shouted as he charged at her, a metal spike growing out of his shoulder. The spike stabbed into Tafel’s stomach and plunged into her body, but it didn’t come out of her back; instead, her flesh seemed to swallow Abel, and he disappeared from view.

“Gack!” someone shouted from within the flames as the sound of two armor sets colliding rang over the roaring. “Abel!?”

Abel’s voice pierced through the flames. “Expand the barrier! Stifle all the flames!”

Tafel held her hand out to the side and pulled her sword out of thin air. The red locks of hair that were wrapped around it fell to the ground, revealing Chi’Rururp. The sword’s eye flashed open as a single wing sprang out of the pommel and stiffened like a scythe’s blade. “Just one wing?” Tafel asked and furrowed her brow at her sword.

“Were you expecting more?” Chi’Rururp asked in return.

“Can you fly with just one wing?” Tafel asked, ignoring the flames that were being pushed back. The firewall gradually took on the shape of a sphere as Charlotte constructed a barrier from within.

“Swords don’t need to fly…,” Chi’Rururp said, its eye staring at Tafel as if she were dumb. “My wing cuts magic.” Chi’Rururp paused. “It’s retractable too. Like a cat’s claw.”

“Can it cut that barrier?” Tafel asked, pointing at the white light that was peeking out of her flames. Only the blood-red wisps of fire were still wrapped around the barrier, the rest having dispersed.

“Maybe.”

“Helpful, aren’t you?” Tafel asked and rolled her eyes before throwing Chi’Rururp at the barrier, hilt first. The sword’s wing stabbed into the white light, popping it like a bubble. The Fangs of Capitis screamed as the phoenix flames rushed in like a flood, bathing them in fire. Tafel held her hand out, and Chi’Rururp reappeared in her grasp.

“Calm down!” Abel shouted. “It might get a little hot, but your armor stops the worst of it! Charlotte! I said”—he raised his sword and bashed the back of Charlotte’s helm with its pommel—“calm down!”

Charlotte staggered forward, her flailing arms pausing before grabbing her head. “S-sorry,” she said as she took in a deep breath. A white light flowed out of her, enveloping the rest of the Fangs, and the red flames flickered while weakening. When the fire was extinguished, she exhaled. “Phoenix flames are frightening.”

“Really?” Tafel asked, raising an eyebrow. “Then have some more.” She pointed with her left palm, shooting out a jet of pure, blood-red fire. A clear phoenix cry pierced the air, causing the Fangs to wince from the volume, and a massive bird formed from the flames, extending its talons towards Charlotte.

“Mistle!” Charlotte screamed. “I know you’re watching! Do something!”

A thunderous sigh rang through the battlefield, and Tafel’s hair stuck to her skin as a white mist descended. The phoenix flames gave a weak cry as steam flew off of it at an explosive rate, its body shrinking until it disappeared. A giant octopus made of vapor and mist took shape in front of Tafel, a pair of crystal clear eyes staring at her from above. “You’re strong,” a melodic voice said from the octopus. “My name is Mistle, an ocean elemental. You wouldn’t happen to be an elementalist by any chance? I wouldn’t mind making a contract with you if you were.”

“Sorry, I’m not,” Tafel said, squinting her eyes as droplets of water rolled down her face. Her clothes were drenched, pressing down on her body. “And I won’t give up my subclass to become one.”

“Are you sure?” Mistle asked. “I can make you powerful. The flames of a phoenix and the water of an ocean elemental. Some people think fire and water don’t mix well, but they’re wrong. Combined properly, they can be just as strong as a fusion between wind and fire.”

“Hey, hey, Mistle,” Charlotte said, wiping away beads of water from her forehead. “What do you think you’re doing? She’s my enemy.” She emphasized each syllable. “En-e-my. I didn’t ask you to come here to make her stronger.”