chapter 13: a second encounter
Damia looked over at Ria, whose eyes had widened at the mention of another possible battle. She didn't think that the girl was up to another fight, not after how she had reacted to the first. She was about to speak when Elira's ears twitched.
"Down!" she yelled, and threw herself to the forest floor. An arrow whizzed over her, right where her chest had been a moment ago. Damia dropped to the ground a heartbeat too slowly for the next arrow, and it grazed her arm. She hissed in pain and tore a strip from her skirt to tie the wound as they crouched low.
Damia watched Elira's eyes scan the surrounding, scoping out a good vantage for a fight, she assumed. Knotting her makeshift bandage with her teeth, she flattened her wings to her back to keep them out of the line of fire. Looking around at her other companions, she saw Devon had drawn her plundered sword and Doku was imitating Elira's actions, appraising their chances on the terrain. Ria's eyes were scanning too, not in a cool, fighter's way, but in a panicked manner, as if she were looking for an escape from this nightmare.
Elira's eyes lit up. Must've found her fighting spot, Damia thought. The cat-girl motioned for the others to follow her, and began to crawl lightly on the pads of her feet and hands, inching slowly towards a slight hill that Damia hadn't noticed before. Trusting Elira's fighting knowledge, she followed, keeping low to the ground. Her arm throbbed under the pressure of her bandage, but she clenched her teeth and ignored the pain. She'd get Devon to fix her – once they were safe.
They reached the hill without mishap, and Doku's tongue flickered across her lips as her eyes scanned the surrounding tree line. She nodded at the unspoken question in Elira's eyes, and rose into her fighting crouch. As her head rose above the shrubbery, another arrow whizzed towards her, but Doku deflected it with her tough, scaled forearm.
"Fairy, I have seen your magic. Can you use them now? Can you shield us from the arrows?" Doku spoke simply and calmly, but her words spoke volumes to Damia. Of course, she thought. A shield spell. Why hadn't she thought of that herself? Quickly she nodded to Doku and stood to begin the spell.
Keeping her eyes on those she was protecting, Damia's hands rose slowly above her head, bringing up the hard shell of air around them to keep arrows out. Another arrow whizzed towards Doku and her arm flinched upwards to deflect it, but it bounced harmlessly off of Damia's shield. Good, thought Damia. She had regained her strength overnight enough to hold a shield spell. Around her, Damia's companions also rose to their feet and held their weapons in front of them, preparing for a secondary attack.
Elira eyed the fairy girl. "Will it hold them out too? Or just their arrows?"
Damia winced. Her shield was very target-specific. "I'd have to form a different shield for keeping out flesh. This is just tuned to arrows. I'm sorry, I don't have the strength to hold more than one shield without help from another fairy."
Elira nodded, satisfied with the answer. Damia felt a wave of relief that the Myr'l would not be one to expect limitless power from her fairy magic. The relief was closely followed by disappointment that she could do no more to help her friends.
Devon must have noticed her grim expression, for she put a hand on her shoulder and told her, "It helps, Damia. We have no arrows to fight that kind of battle, and no shields of our own to keep out their arrows; but we can fight them face to face."
Damia nodded her thanks at the Rogue's encouragement and turned her concentration back to the shield surrounding them.
Elira rumbled a feral growl deep in her throat as she saw a group of Myr'l break from the trees to approach their small party. "Ready weapons!"
More arrows rained down from the trees, but Damia's shield held firm, no cracks or holes to let them in. She could hear the faint cries of frustration from the foliage, as the Myr'l realized they could not remove this party of five on their own terms. Further Myr'l joined the group breaking away from the shrubbery that surrounded the hill that Elira had chosen as their place of battle, their faces in angry snarls as they raised their weapons against the fighters on the hill. Damia noticed that the Myr'l were pointing angrily at the weapons her friends held. They must be members of that tribe Elira said were friendly to those from the first battle... what were they called again? Angrily, Damia focused her attention back on her shielding. No distractions!
The angry faces began to swim before Damia's eyes, and she shook her head angrily to clear it. This was no time for a nap! She wiped her sweating forehead on her upraised arm and breathed deeply to clear her thoughts. The other four grouped themselves in a circle around the fairy, protecting her from the weapons the Myr'l held, as she was protecting them from the arrows that continued to pour from the tree tops.
Damia felt a warm trickle down her shoulder as she held her arms above her head, crossed in protection, and she allowed herself a glance. Blood had seeped through her makeshift bandage and was running slowly down her arm. Damia swallowed at the sight of her own blood and turned her head away, pointedly ignoring the new wave of throbbing emanating from her wound. As she watched the scene before her, the Myr'l began their attack on the group, cautiously, in case the thing that was stopping their arrows would stop them, too. They neared the five and it became obvious that they could hit where their arrows could not. Damia winced as Elira emitted a battle cry and launched herself at the forerunning Myr'l. Doku moved into position to cover Elira's back, and Devon and Ria readied themselves for the following line of Myr'l.
Ria glanced back at Damia for a moment, and Damia found she was unable to focus on Ria's face. As Ria turned away, Damia felt a huge wave of nausea well up in her, and she gritted her teeth, willing it away. Her knees began to weaken and tremble and she felt herself falling to the floor of the forest, to her treacherous knees. Ria looked back again as the fairy fell, but at that moment was set upon by a Myr'l and had to frantically defend herself with a sword she never learned to use.
Damia's eyelids began to flutter and her friends swam before her eyes. She tried to hold on to reality, but she could feel darkness begin to overcome. She heard Elira shout something as an arrow flew down from the trees to penetrate where Damia's shield once held. She could dimly feel herself being hoisted up into someone's arms, but unconsciousness took hold and her mind rushed to meet the darkness that had fought so hard to take control.
"Down!" she yelled, and threw herself to the forest floor. An arrow whizzed over her, right where her chest had been a moment ago. Damia dropped to the ground a heartbeat too slowly for the next arrow, and it grazed her arm. She hissed in pain and tore a strip from her skirt to tie the wound as they crouched low.
Damia watched Elira's eyes scan the surrounding, scoping out a good vantage for a fight, she assumed. Knotting her makeshift bandage with her teeth, she flattened her wings to her back to keep them out of the line of fire. Looking around at her other companions, she saw Devon had drawn her plundered sword and Doku was imitating Elira's actions, appraising their chances on the terrain. Ria's eyes were scanning too, not in a cool, fighter's way, but in a panicked manner, as if she were looking for an escape from this nightmare.
Elira's eyes lit up. Must've found her fighting spot, Damia thought. The cat-girl motioned for the others to follow her, and began to crawl lightly on the pads of her feet and hands, inching slowly towards a slight hill that Damia hadn't noticed before. Trusting Elira's fighting knowledge, she followed, keeping low to the ground. Her arm throbbed under the pressure of her bandage, but she clenched her teeth and ignored the pain. She'd get Devon to fix her – once they were safe.
They reached the hill without mishap, and Doku's tongue flickered across her lips as her eyes scanned the surrounding tree line. She nodded at the unspoken question in Elira's eyes, and rose into her fighting crouch. As her head rose above the shrubbery, another arrow whizzed towards her, but Doku deflected it with her tough, scaled forearm.
"Fairy, I have seen your magic. Can you use them now? Can you shield us from the arrows?" Doku spoke simply and calmly, but her words spoke volumes to Damia. Of course, she thought. A shield spell. Why hadn't she thought of that herself? Quickly she nodded to Doku and stood to begin the spell.
Keeping her eyes on those she was protecting, Damia's hands rose slowly above her head, bringing up the hard shell of air around them to keep arrows out. Another arrow whizzed towards Doku and her arm flinched upwards to deflect it, but it bounced harmlessly off of Damia's shield. Good, thought Damia. She had regained her strength overnight enough to hold a shield spell. Around her, Damia's companions also rose to their feet and held their weapons in front of them, preparing for a secondary attack.
Elira eyed the fairy girl. "Will it hold them out too? Or just their arrows?"
Damia winced. Her shield was very target-specific. "I'd have to form a different shield for keeping out flesh. This is just tuned to arrows. I'm sorry, I don't have the strength to hold more than one shield without help from another fairy."
Elira nodded, satisfied with the answer. Damia felt a wave of relief that the Myr'l would not be one to expect limitless power from her fairy magic. The relief was closely followed by disappointment that she could do no more to help her friends.
Devon must have noticed her grim expression, for she put a hand on her shoulder and told her, "It helps, Damia. We have no arrows to fight that kind of battle, and no shields of our own to keep out their arrows; but we can fight them face to face."
Damia nodded her thanks at the Rogue's encouragement and turned her concentration back to the shield surrounding them.
Elira rumbled a feral growl deep in her throat as she saw a group of Myr'l break from the trees to approach their small party. "Ready weapons!"
More arrows rained down from the trees, but Damia's shield held firm, no cracks or holes to let them in. She could hear the faint cries of frustration from the foliage, as the Myr'l realized they could not remove this party of five on their own terms. Further Myr'l joined the group breaking away from the shrubbery that surrounded the hill that Elira had chosen as their place of battle, their faces in angry snarls as they raised their weapons against the fighters on the hill. Damia noticed that the Myr'l were pointing angrily at the weapons her friends held. They must be members of that tribe Elira said were friendly to those from the first battle... what were they called again? Angrily, Damia focused her attention back on her shielding. No distractions!
The angry faces began to swim before Damia's eyes, and she shook her head angrily to clear it. This was no time for a nap! She wiped her sweating forehead on her upraised arm and breathed deeply to clear her thoughts. The other four grouped themselves in a circle around the fairy, protecting her from the weapons the Myr'l held, as she was protecting them from the arrows that continued to pour from the tree tops.
Damia felt a warm trickle down her shoulder as she held her arms above her head, crossed in protection, and she allowed herself a glance. Blood had seeped through her makeshift bandage and was running slowly down her arm. Damia swallowed at the sight of her own blood and turned her head away, pointedly ignoring the new wave of throbbing emanating from her wound. As she watched the scene before her, the Myr'l began their attack on the group, cautiously, in case the thing that was stopping their arrows would stop them, too. They neared the five and it became obvious that they could hit where their arrows could not. Damia winced as Elira emitted a battle cry and launched herself at the forerunning Myr'l. Doku moved into position to cover Elira's back, and Devon and Ria readied themselves for the following line of Myr'l.
Ria glanced back at Damia for a moment, and Damia found she was unable to focus on Ria's face. As Ria turned away, Damia felt a huge wave of nausea well up in her, and she gritted her teeth, willing it away. Her knees began to weaken and tremble and she felt herself falling to the floor of the forest, to her treacherous knees. Ria looked back again as the fairy fell, but at that moment was set upon by a Myr'l and had to frantically defend herself with a sword she never learned to use.
Damia's eyelids began to flutter and her friends swam before her eyes. She tried to hold on to reality, but she could feel darkness begin to overcome. She heard Elira shout something as an arrow flew down from the trees to penetrate where Damia's shield once held. She could dimly feel herself being hoisted up into someone's arms, but unconsciousness took hold and her mind rushed to meet the darkness that had fought so hard to take control.