(Seriously troublesome.) Celes thought as she gets bombarded with lances.
"You're too much of a trouble, you know that?" Celes said while still parrying and blocking lances.
"I could say the same to you, you know? I would never fight like a coward like right now if we didn't need to buy time. Sigh, I just hope it works." Olivia said inside her shadow.
Celes glanced at Amy to tell if she was fine.
(Four more layers, that's good. I thought that I'll have to stay down here in case they planned to do something funny to her. Let's put an end to this.)
:MP:703/3103
Celes gathered mana from her surroundings and from her body and took the wind element to form her magic, spending 300 of her mana. With Amy at her back, she swung her dagger horizontally in a 300-degree motion. It was, however, blocked by…
"It's futile, that magic barrier is made by 10 advanced mages supported by the mana of all men here. You just sped up your demise." Olivia said with a smug.
"Is that so. There's something I wanted to try but couldn't because I didn't have any opportunity to."
(Magic Manipulation, I'll suck out all mana flowing through that barrier and use it for my own…)
Celes concentrated and focused on restocking her Magic supply while still parrying and blocking lances. However, her plan didn't go the way she wanted it to.
(I can control the flow of mana, but can't suck it out. Why is that?) Celes thought before getting grazed by a lance on the shoulder.
"No time to think about it. Just thin out the mana flow on one point and destroy it with the rest of your mana." Celes said to herself.
Celes did as she said, slowly controlling the mana within the barrier near Amy and thinning it until she was satisfied.
"With the rest of my mana, blow it up."
She then released all mana from her body, ignoring the lances hitting her back and dodging some. With all her mana, she gathered the ground and squeezed it to the densest her mana allowed.
:HP:1160/1249
:HP:1080/1249
:HP:998/1249
"It's no use, I tell you! You'll fall down here and be turned into one of our puppets!" Olivia said mockingly.
"Now now, just wait there and watch. Though you won't do that," Celes replied.
:HP:810/1249
"Go! Pierce through!" Celes shouted ignoring the fact that she suffered significant damage.
:MP:2/3103
The fist-sized rock flew with incredible speed, spun, and pierced through the speed of sound, causing a loud sonic boom that disturbed the concentration of the enemy mages, making the already weakened part of the barrier even weaker. The stone broke the barrier through like a toothpick through half molten cheese, making a hole just big enough for Celes with Amy in her arms to pass through.
Celes did so and turned on her Stealth.
"Tch Mages with water attributes! Freeze the floor along with everything touching it, including the walls and ceiling if you can! Men, dodge it the usual way!" Olivia said to the disturbed mages that got back to their focus once more.
(As long as I dodge it then I'll be fine… wait, the doors!)
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Celes didn't make it on time and the ice covered the door first entirely, then the ice spread through the floor and through every surface of the room soon reaching Celes' position.
Celes jumped on it, but to her surprise, the ice she landed on also froze her feet, locking her onto the ground for a few seconds. Celes jumped again and slowed her fall with wind magic.
(What was that?) Celes thought in confusion before looking the men's way.
What she witnessed was not out of the norm. Just them men with animal skulls as shoes.
(How does that work? Does magic not flow through bones?)
"Spread out, men! Mages gather and raise a barrier around yourselves! Mages share mana with those with spatial attributes and use spatial awareness! Men! If you saw something weird with the ice, slice it at will!" Olivia commanded the men.
(I should thin their numbers down.) Celes thought.
She then bit her thumb with her fangs and let out blood. The blood then burst out at Celes' command and formed multiple long arrowheads.
"Go." She whispered.
At that moment, only a few could parry or dodge the arrows but they too soon fell after a few seconds of struggle.
(My main objective here is to get the girls out, I don't have any more mana to play with you.)
Celes then proceeded to the frozen door and sliced on it with Amy at her back. Her dagger, created from magic, froze and broke after a few strikes.
"Hey, I hope you're not forgetting about me." Olivia appeared behind Celes with lances thrown at Celes' sides and her two swords swung from below and above.
Celes can't escape from anywhere with the frozen door behind her, so just turned around to keep Amy safe. She did her best to block them with blood, but unlike the lances, Olivia's swords passed through it and sliced at Celes' arms which were trying to block causing her hands to stiffen and lose strength to hold the broken daggers.
:HP:781/1248
After their exchange, Celes ran away quickly even though Amy is stuck with her.
"You really were a tough one, you know that? I would have not won against you if we fought fairly, sadly we don't do that though. Soon, Lord Galroe's preparations will be finished, and your blood might even enhance its effects. So be a good little girl and give up already, you're already way too exhausted. I also sent a telepathic message to one of my unders, stronger reinforcements will soon be here." Olivia said crossing her arms.
"Then I'll just have to finish it quickly," Celes replied in a cold voice.
"You say that, but can you do it? As I see it, you don't have any more moves except your Blood Manipulation though?" Olivia said.
"I don't know, probably because I'm also here," A familiar voice came out of nowhere and a black figure flew out of Olivia's shadow as it sliced one of her legs.
"Eek!? Who's there!? There's no way I wouldn't know someone is in my shadow, so how!?"
"Won't explain, you idiot. You doing good, Little Celes?" That voice belonged to the one and only…
"Livest— I mean, Orto? I'm fine, but why and how are you here?" Celes stuttered.
"Hey, you were about to call me livestock just now, weren't you!? At least be happy that I came to your rescue." Orto said jokingly.
"What a bad joke, I'm emotionless," Celes replied.
"… Right, you are… " He looked down and replied.
*****