I positioned myself in front and blocked the attack with Shield Strike. It was the larger barrier, and would protect the girls, too.
Thankfully, they’d had their shields up, too. Because mine shattered.
Ice gouged into my thigh. One thick spike stuck out, its jagged tip red with my blood.
Fuck, that hurts.
Since I’d taken the brunt of the attack, Clove and Jam were at least able to protect themselves.
“Luc!” Clove shouted.
“Hit its wings,” I snarled. “The stone spell, Clove. We need it on the ground among the trees, so it won’t be able to move as well.
“If that thing takes to the sky, it will have the advantage. We can’t let that happen.”
Her wild eyes stared at me. “You’re hurt!”
“We’ll die if you don’t do it,” I pointed out.
Her resolve hardened and she nodded. Her aim was flawless.
The drake screeched as the thin, delicate wing tissue hardened into gray stone. It tried to straighten it, but only succeeded in smashing into a tree and shattering the wing completely.
I used Light Dart next, though I doubted I’d succeed in stunning it myself.
My only hope was that all of our spells together would weaken it.
We could batter it to bits until it died. However, the more time we spent trying to kill this thing, the more opportunity it had to injure or kill us.
It wasn’t just me in this Tower. And Clove and Jam weren’t battle-drenched, immortal dragon kin, either.
If they died, no reincarnation magic would revive them or me, for that matter.
This kind of fear gave me a level of focus I hadn’t experienced in a long time. It reminded me of my very first battles, when I’d experienced true terror for the first time.
Mortal life was so finite.
So fragile.
It pushed you to give it your all. My desire for a long, full life in Ria was stronger than anything else.
Anyone could call me greedy, and I’d agree.
However, I refused to allow Clove or Jam fall before me.
The spear of ice still in my thigh, I hobbled forward as fast as I could manage. I wouldn’t give the monster another second to threaten us.
It opened its mouth, dripping teeth snarling.
What will kill it with the highest efficiency?
Clove’s scream pierced me as I charged straight toward the monster.
The drake’s gaze zeroed in on me.
That’s right, you frozen shit. Come and get me.
Then, it moved faster than my eye could track. All I saw was the deep blue of its throat before teeth closed around me.
There wasn’t any time to lose.
The wet cave of its mouth was glowing blue with mana. Hands against the roof of its mouth, in the complete darkness, I summoned all of my strength.
“Fire Flare! ”
Power ripped through my fingertips.
I tasted mana on my tongue.
Heat and light washed over me for a breathless second, almost scorching my skin.
All of my focus went into tunneling the fire into the drake. Again, the spell fought me.
But I molded it into shape, into a tight channel of power.
Time stood still, yet I knew only a second had passed.
That’s all I needed to blow the drake’s upper skull and jaw completely off.
The gray sky opened up above me. I was surrounded by the red, raw mess of its ruined head.
Before the drake collapsed onto the snow, I leapt off.
Jam and Clove were immediately at my side, touching me, reassuring themselves that I was alive.
Jam smacked my arm, pulling me out of a daze I hadn’t realized I was in. “You idiot! That wasn’t teamwork! That was suicidal bullshit!”
“You think I got myself nearly eaten without a plan?” I asked. “You wound me, Jam.”
I pulled Clove into a tight hug while she grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, “I agree with the cat.”
Jam’s gaze snapped behind me.
The drake’s body shimmered, and then it dissolved into smoke. Gold and silver pieces clinked as they hit the ground.
I lifted a hand. “Quick Collect. ”
The coins floated up and streamed into the pocket I held open.
Across the destroyed lake, the ice began to shift and creak, the huge pieces moving unnaturally and re-flattening themselves.
In the center, a shining key floated.
Together, we walked to the key. Clove reached up and plucked it from the air. It was smooth, dull iron.
Just like before, the familiar castle door appeared beside the one leading to the second entrance. As we approached, the key disappeared from Clove’s grip and the matching door opened.
“Until next time,” Jam said tiredly, saluting the dark corridor before following us out of the Tower.
The bright sun hit our skin. Fresh, warm air filled my lungs.
Satisfaction filled me to the brim. We’d beaten the first level.
* * *
My high spirits didn’t last long, however.
Reality was impossible to escape, and although the day had been a success, there was no guarantee the Tower could be saved.
By the end of the day, the Tower had stopped leaking those trails of dark mana.
It appeared as though sending a massive throng of adventurers and students in was a fantastic strategy.
To add the cream to the coffee, as Jam had put it, no one in our class or the other classes had died. Forty-two students in the entire Academy suffered major injuries. Two were unlikely to recover very soon.
But no one lost their lives.
Spirits were high throughout the city. However, victory would be short-lived unless we kept up with the Tower’s pace.
Even then, it wasn’t guaranteed that the Tower could be stabilized again.
There were too many factors. One being how much stronger the light mana spring continued to grow.
Adventurers always visited the Tower. Hundreds came in and out every day. And yet still, the Tower had dark mana leaking out of it.
“Hey, cheer up,” Clove said.
The Night Owl was full of celebrating students. Cazima was perched on the rafters above and giving a sparring performance with Elisa, a spider demi in our class.
Elisa didn’t have any extra legs. Instead, she had an extra pair of eyes on her temples. She also had a spider silk skill that helped her trap her opponents with incredible ease.
The two had an enraptured, slightly drunk audience below as they sparred and giggled.
“Can you tell me something?”
Clove and Jam gave me their full attention.
“How many demon attacks have there been lately? In the last year or so?”
They glanced at one another, considering.
Jam said, “When I arrived, there had just been one. And then two weeks later, there was another demon in the forest.”
Clove added, “I think we hear about a few every month. But now that I think on it, there have been more lately. Ever since the day you came to town, there hasn’t been one.
“But there were a few months where things got a little scary. We had three in a week one time. Thankfully, Amarantha has its fair share of fighters.”
Clove looped her arm around my waist, scooting closer. Her hip and leg lined up against mine, warm. “Worrying doesn’t change a thing, Luc. It’s not like any of this is your fault or your responsibility to fix. We’ll all do what we can.”
Jam smiled sympathetically and reached across the table to take my hand and lace her fingers into mine.
Clove leaned her head against my shoulder.
Death wasn’t something I was ready to accept. I’d save the Tower. Save Ria.
And I’d get the life I wanted.
“There we go,” Jam encouraged. “Let that strain go, Lucky. You worry way too much.”
I forced a smile. “You’re right.”
Inside, all I could think was that we should be much, much more worried.
This was far from over.