Ali So Far: The Goddess Prison

Act I - Chapter 7: The Lake of Lintia

As Ali came to the ground, he struck the floor with the Aftershock; his downward momentum almost completely froze. It looked like it could have been the specific trajectory of his jump, or maybe a very highly calculated and precise force behind his swing, or maybe it could have been some sort of ma enchantment placed on the staff? There actually is not an answer, but it allotted him a peaceful landing, a silent step into the water, all eyes in the room transfixed on him. He took a step back.

Ranx began to speak, but the ground below him slowly unfurled upwards, arching towards him as if it pushed through itself to rise. Before he could scream: a violent snap of an explosion took his position—an eruption of light eclipsed his figured, a puff of dust like gunpowder, a crash like a volcano shooting out a meteor. A dithering yellow replaced Ranx's former position, and Ranx himself was now airborne. Sailing off into the darkness, his scream fading as he arced out of sight.

Ali's Aftershock could create delayed explosions wherever he pleased for them to appear.

Jesabelle and Nevra found difficulty sheathing their surprise, but after a step of hesitation each, and a glance to one another, they charged Ali.

Ranx had dropped his gun before lift off. I rolled to it, snatched it out of the water, and snapped a shot at Nevra all in one motion. She rolled away, averting her course from Ali, her attention now on me. 

However, despite my assistance, Ali still remained standing in place, preoccupied watching Ranx sail away—terrible combat sense? Just plain ignorance? He completely failed to acknowledge Jesabelle approaching him. Then, a half second before her swords would have connected with his chest, he dodged, likely losing a button on his shirt, or at least a few hairs. It was so close, and her attacks so quick, that his shouts occurred post-evasion.

I couldn't keep my jaw closed at the sight, and had to sigh and shake my head, despite being in the middle of combat.

A deafening explosion sounded above me. In a cloud of dust, I looked up to see the pillar I stood beside had been decapitated. I threw myself away as it topped downwards towards my position. I heard the maid squeak, immediately found her by sound, and then lunged back to her, now putting the both of us out of harm's way and into cover behind a fallen chunk of the ceiling.

Nevra's form took on a yellow glow a number of paces away, her hand extended, spiraling with ma current static as she very confidently walked directly towards us. Revealing myself by glancing to her earned another attack on our new position, but she did not target me: she fired a blast of yellow light directly at the maid—delirious and confused with fear, the girl had completely revealed herself. 

Again I dove, snatched her, and both of us stumbled out into the open water this time, only a light darkness to aid us as cover. My side burned—skin smoking, looking down: Nevra's attack had connected, but my nerves were numb to the pain.

Despite how wet we were, through the maid's trembling and shivering, I could feel tears streaming down her face. She shook so hard she almost rattled me. She clutched the ground beneath the water with one hand, the other one gripping my shirt, paralyzed by emotion, and me, at the very least, was mostly in front, covering her from Nevra who still approached with leisure, an amused smile radiating in the light from her hands, and a bit of a skip in the splash of her steps.

"You look like your protecting her," said Nevra. "Looks like someone might be infected with a little bit of that treasure hunter spirit."

I aimed and fired a shot at her as a return quip. Nevra's evasions were always so quick it was as if she had vanished. 

Her laughter echoed more than my discharge. The strike of lightning she dropped in retaliation overcame even that sound. It struck the water right between my feet. It was like fire threaded through the dirt, curled round my skin, coiled back and struck my every pore. My vision flashed white. A ring took to my ears. I could only feel the weight of the maid on my arms—her skin, her hair, her tears, all of my nerves now numb to it.