«[ Summoning Complete ]»
«[ -10 Mana ]»
The fox was still as small as he last remembered it, but he wanted to see the depth of its abilities. His eyes raced down to where Damien was, only to find him walking towards them.
"You're a summoner?" Emilia asked.
"Sort of." Quinn said, a grin tangible on his face. "And now, it's time we beat this paladin to the ground."
"It's such a lovely sight, to see a couple of teenagers showing of extraordinary skills." Damien said, running a hand through his hair, pushing it backwards in time to reveal his pair of silver eyes. "But....that won't be enough to defeat me."
Quinn new he was right. They weren't strong enough against him, but that didn't mean they could land a strike or two. Emilia on the other hand, drew in the air, creating another gate. Her magic was pretty simple. All she had to do was to create a gate that would work out as a doorway to the otherworld. That way, she could summon creatures to aid her in battle. And with her tiger already taken down, she only had a few beasts left to assist her. She had to make every moment worth it.
"Jinx...." Quinn mumbled. "....Attack."
Damien's grin held steady as he watched the fox rush towards him. But he didn't waste time, stretching his own hand towards the fox. Darkness began pooling beneath him, spreading like a pool of ink. Just before the fox could get closer, streams of darkness wrapped around it, holding it still.
Emilia didn't hesitate, chanting, "Breath of the wind, come forth, Vermillion!" A large bird with expansive wings emerged from the gate, flying upward before flapping its wings. A strong gust of wind blew, but Damien simply smirked, lifting his hand. The darkness wrapped around him like a shell, blocking the wind.
With a snap of his fingers, the shell exploded, creating arrows born of darkness that pierced through the air towards the bird. Quinn sprang into action, running towards the dark streams binding his fox. He took a deep breath, stretched his hand, and chanted, "Foxfire!"
«[ -20 Mana ]
A fox made of flames bolted towards the darkness, exploding in an array of colors and freeing Jinx. Quinn seized the momentum, chanting loudly, "Demon Lantern!" Something exploded from him, like a part of him was being stripped away.
«[ -30 Mana ]»
Quinn's eyes widened as he watched the ground crack beneath him. Skulls consumed in flames erupted before instinctively flying towards Damien. The air was filled with the sound of crackling flames and the stench of smoke.
Damien's grin faltered, his eyes narrowing as he raised his hands to defend against the onslaught of flaming skulls. The bird, Vermillion, took advantage of the distraction, swooping down towards Damien with its sharp talons extended.
Damien didn't waste time, laughing at the top of his voice before swaying his arm roughly through the air. An arc of darkness appeared, cutting through the air like a blade. The bird, Vermillion, tried to dodge, but the arc sliced through its wing, forcing it to collapse on the ground with a broken wing.
Emilia screamed, "Vermillion!" But Quinn didn't hesitate, screaming once more for Jinx to attack. The little fox growled, its dark fur exploding into flames. From these flames, more foxes made of fire started appearing, bolting towards Damien.
Damien yawned, "This is getting boring." He snapped his fingers, and time seemed to slow down around him. Everything froze in place, except for Damien. He strolled towards Quinn, placing a finger on his shoulder. "You're quite an interesting little guy, but you still have a lot to learn."
He walked towards Emilia, staring into her eyes. "If this were war, you'd have died already," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "And I'll just prove it to you that I'm more powerful than you can ever think. The good thing is, you showed me a good time, and now I think it's high time you fell asleep."
With a snap of his fingers, the darkness that had pooled on the ground began to melt away, as if being absorbed by the ground. Quinn, Emilia, and the foxes made of fire started collapsing, their bodies weakening as the darkness dissipated. The bird, Vermillion, lay motionless on the ground, its broken wing twisted at an awkward angle.
As the last of the darkness faded, Damien's grin returned. He stood amidst the fallen bodies, his chest heaving slightly with exertion. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the sound of heavy breathing and the faint crackling of flames. He thought, 'I guess I've made my decision...'
*
There was darkness that pooled everywhere, especially in Quinn's eyes. He could hardly remember anything, except for being in the middle of the fight.
«[ Quest Success: +30xp ]»
«[ Level Up: Foxfire 2]»
«[ Level Up: Jinx Lv2 ]»
«[ Level Up: Demon Lantern Lv2 ]»
«[ +20 Mana ]»
Quinn peeled his eyes open, feeling a little dizzy. As he fully opened his eyes, he realized he was lying in the infirmary. He was curious about how he got there. He didn't feel any pain, which made him feel a little worried.
Quinn's gaze wandered around the room until he spotted Emilia sitting on the other bed, her mane of pink hair falling down to her neck. She was cowering on the bed, crying. Quinn's concern got the better of him, and he got up from the bed, dragging the drip connected to him.
As he approached Emilia, he asked, "Hey, why are you crying?" Emilia looked up at him, her eyes red-rimmed. "You're the reason why we lost!" she exclaimed.
Quinn was taken aback. "Me? Why does it have to be me?" Emilia growled, wiping away her tears. "Just get back to sleeping, Quinn." Her tone was dismissive, but Quinn wasn't having it.
He cocked an eyebrow. "If you want someone to blame, it's gotta be you. You were just standing there while I did all the fighting." Emilia's eyes flashed with anger. "Are you for real? Two of my beasts were knocked out. I couldn't risk losing more!"
Quinn smirked. "Maybe if you actually participated in the fight, we might have had a chance." Emilia's cheeks flushed with anger, and she jumped at Quinn, dragging him to the ground. She was on top of him, her eyes staring into his. Both of them were flushed, and Quinn asked, "What exactly are you doing?"
Emilia's voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't know..."
Just then, the sound of heels clicking on the floor filled the air, and the door swung open. Quinn and Emilia looked up to see a woman standing in the doorway. She was wearing a flowing dress that molded her slender frame.
The woman's gaze fell upon the two of them, and she stopped in her tracks. "Aren't you two breaking the school rules?" Quinn looked up at her, still pinned under Emilia.
"And who are you?" he asked.
The woman smirked. "I am Vanessa of the house of Hudgens."