Ashes of the Fallen

Bringing both palms together and taking a lowered stance, with legs spread shoulder-width apart, I bent at the knees and began to cast a [Lightning Bolt]. It was all I had left mana wise… two more [Lightning Bolts] and I would be empty, gassed of mana and with only my shield and bow left.

It was no matter though.

The two remaining stragglers regrouped, with the shield-bearer standing front and center, defiantly raising his circular wooden shield in an effort to deflect the spell that was about to be cast at them. It was an effective strategy against spells, one that I had yet to employ but would do in the same situation. They weren't entirely unskilled and even showed some semblance of small-unit tactics. Unfortunately, they couldn't block what was about to come.

Unbeknownst to them, in the midst of the rainstorm that had been falling throughout our fight, puddles had accumulated in the low spots. There wasn't enough rainfall to create deep puddles but with the off-and-on rain over the past few days, there were already small pools ready and waiting.

There was a funny thing, about electricity.

They would learn in short order.

"Through power, darkness turns to light, render all to ash," I droned on with monotony as the balled lightning continued to increase in power. They stood back, believing in their defenses, waiting for me to make the next move.

"Lightning Bolt!" I yelled out quickly to startle them, as I thrust both arms forth and aimed at the ground beneath their feet. As the lightning bolt cut through the air leaving a trail of electricity behind, it nearly instantly hit the puddle underneath them as the electricity discharged partially into the ground and the rest up through their legs.

They both convulsed in place for a second, buying me time to pick up my shield and draw my dagger as I rushed towards them. Using a [Shield Bash] of my own, both shields clashed as he met my charge. The shock of the impact sent us both reeling while he lost his footing and slipped backwards. The spearman took advantage and attempted a [Heavy Thrust] that managed to pierce through my side, causing pain to reverberate throughout my body. It was a deep wound to my torso, but nothing fatal.

He pulled back, as the shield-bearer regained his footing and squared up once more. They intended to draw the fight out, to poke and prod… to whittle me down over time.

I wasn't a fucking carving though.

A two versus one scenario, they held their ground as I thought of my next move. My mana was slowly regenerating, enough that I could use another [Flash Step] and possibly another [Lightning Bolt] as well. My health was at 74% while theirs was at 48% and 63% respectively. The only problem, was one good hit could send me to the graveyard. It didn't take more than one solid hit to the head, or a direct hit to the heart to kill a man. We were only mortal, after all.

[Discharge] had a long cooldown, otherwise I would use it again.

A [Flash Step] combo into [Discharge] would easily win me the fight, but I had another thirty seconds to wait. They seemed to catch on though, as I was pacing around them, biding my time just for that. I needed mana, and my cooldown period was long.

They decided to split, attempting to circle me once more.

I kept the shield-bearer in front of me, letting the spearman get behind me. He was the real threat, but I wanted him to grow confident, I needed him to make a mistake. The shield-bearer couldn’t kill me in a one versus one, his equipment and skillset betrayed him. But a single well-placed [Heavy Thrust] would end me.

They started to grow impatient as I watched their every move. They circled, as I continued to shift my feet one step at a time, maintaining an angle appropriate for a counter. I still had my shield and my knife, and they were afraid of the unknown.

"He can't use those abilities again," yelled the shield-bearer to his friend. "He would have used them already if he could do it more than once. Let's get him before he recovers, follow my lead!"

"Talking in the middle of a fight?" I asked jokingly. "You underestimate me."

"You just got lucky punk," claimed the spearman behind me. "Caught us by surprise, you ain't shit. Don't get cocky you son of a bitch."

"Ah, is that so," I mocked with a haughty laugh.

Now was the time.

Slowly turning my head and focusing on the spot behind the spearman, with my body still facing the shield-bearer, I thought of two specific words, Flash Step. Without the need to utter a word, my body was sucked instantly through a vortex of light, reappearing directly behind the spearman faster than I could understand. Instinctively throwing my shield out with a [Shield Bash], it connected with the back of the spearman as he tumbled down to the ground with barely a sound.