The Castle Guard

Spirit Magic

Darien behind a tree at least from the large grizzly bear hunting him, steadying his breathes from their chaotic disposition he thought of his options mainly how get out of his current situation alive preferably with all his limbs intact he couldn’t shake an image of his body lying lifeless on the ground the bear ripping his leg off then eating it all bloody without it would probably eat his clothes too letting its belly dispose them later in some hole. “That thing swatted my spell like they were nothing!” he almost whispered sweat dribbling down his face. The bear had lunged at Darien hurling its razor sharp claws the moment it got close enough, Darien dived away inches from being decapitated. The bear attacked again with its other claws at Darien, he’d fallen down backwards away from scrambling to get up the claws scraped at his right thigh, feeling the flesh torn out of him and the pain that came with it he almost went down again. Instinct told him if he fell down again he won’t get another chance at escape, cursing he bit through the pain limping away in between the trees hoping the bear wouldn’t be able to follow or at least have a hard time doing it. The right side of his thigh  bled profusely three long large scratches had opened from where the bear attacked him his pants torn mercilessly, Darien glanced back amid running/limping the bear was on his heels, in fact the only reason it hadn’t torn off Darien’s head was because of feeling groggy due to its previous meal, barely bothered by the flapping tree branches it went on, its deep black eyes filled with determination its blood-lust had increased tenfold smelling blood from Darien’s wound made it want eat him even more despite just coming from eating moments ago. Darien concentrated or at least tried to, suppressing an urge to scream he uttered a spell and threw a fireball at the bear’s face. Using its momentary distraction to get as far away as possible which wasn’t really far but it was enough to find a hiding place. The bear bellowed with rage once the flame dissipated its effects left its fur singed along with some small patches of blackness on it that is besides irritating it even more. ‘What do I do?’ Dracenstark had disappeared, despite his current predicament Darien was amazed at the mage’s display of magic if it wasn’t for the gushing pain coming from his thigh, his would be motivated. Darien thought of his poor mother and sister crying after being told of his untimely demise at the hands of a bear, along with this huge debt they couldn’t pay even if they sale all that they have. Anger boiled inside of him, ‘Damned mage, damned bear this whole damned kingdom, stupid bear!’ he was angry unsure of whom or what just that he felt mad ‘What the hell was I doing the past few weeks? What suddenly I can do magic? Why did I have to have such foolish dreams!’ tears began welling up, he imagined Sarinn would she feel sad that he died? He imagined his father would he want to see his son die so pathetically “No!” he almost said out loud any trace of moisture disappeared from his eyes. He steeled himself suddenly feeling more courageous than he’d felt when he arrived “I am taking that bear down or die trying” he breathed in then out, his thigh started to go numb. He stood on one foot peered from the tree his head jutting out while hiding the rest of his body looking for the bear “where are you big bad bear?” he whispered playfully suppressing the fear raging in his heart, his breathe had slowed down to its normal rate “Maybe it got tired and left to terrorize some other unlucky soul?!” but the loud roar that came from behind him said otherwise, Darien could feel its huge body standing behind him, the weight forcing the underlying ground to crumble killing whatever insects lying beneath it. Darien could feel its large shadow looming over him, ‘maybe its just another large tree shadow’ he gulped turning back to face the bear, standing before its large structure Darien felt like a cornered deer “Do you know what animals do when they are cornered?” He shouted at the bear, as if in response stood up straight and roared spreading its claws ready to attack.

                                                                         UMRIC-FOS ASC'FA

 Moisture condensed its composition cooling hardening the condensed air to form three stalagmite shaped icicles in front of Darien “Take this you monster!” the icicle spikes shot at the bear going for its brown furry chest, the bear momentarily stopped staring at the crystalline ice hurtling towards it as if surprised at the sudden turn of events. Besides leaving its fur wet making it darker Darien’s spell didn’t seem to have any effect on the bear, it continued ahead bounding after him, it made booming sounds each time its body hit the ground that seemed to resonate throughout the forest, Darien cursed under his breath then limped backwards out of the bear’s reach hitting his hack on the trunk of the tree he’d been hiding behind. He slipped over a patch of leaves falling butt first onto the ground, the bear’s claws almost ripping his head off leaving large scratch marks on the tree’s trunk. Darien rolled away just in time missing another attack, the bear was getting more irritated it’d lunged at Darien when he fell probably wanting to end this hide-run-seek game, Darien rolling away had thrown it off its balance turning its momentum against it sending its body hitting the tree with enough force to c***k it leaving it bent. Darien used that moment to stand the wound on his thigh was punctured a bit by rocks as he rolled on the ground releasing waves of pure torture inside him. He bit through the pain and limped away seeing the bear dazed at its affliction it had gone head first on to the tree, it retracted back a bit its black eyes focusing on what happened. Darien took that chance to limp away as fast as he could he tried to not stretch his right leg unless absolutely necessary on the count of the searing pain.

      A deafening roar came from behind him its waves seemed to cover the entire forest, Darien glanced back to where the bear was. Meeting the bear’s gaze its black eyes pooled with rage deep red-black blood oozed from a gash that had opened above one of its eyes. The bear’s eyed Darien murderously its expression vicious with its bared out teeth in anger “So nothing’s changed huh?” he chuckled nervously “That thing is going tear me apart, at my current pace there’s no way I can escape.” He continued forward aimlessly looking for something that could possibly help him out of his predicament his face hit a tree branch, irritated he wiped sweat off his face, the bear lunged at him with a speed not proportional to its size, Darien unabated hoping Dracenstark would save him at the last moment from wherever his hiding amused as he ran for his life at the bear’s mercy. Darien could feel the bear closing in decreasing the distance between them, his good leg went as fast as it could, he felt more tired with each step feeling more dizzied it took much strength just to continue his thigh hadn’t stopped bleeding, Darien felt his foot tripped on a rock he let his body fall onto a patch of dried leaves, he felt relieved if not for the seven foot large bear coming to rip him apart. “Spirit magic huh?” he said remembering what Dracenstark told him, Darien concentrated trying to cut out the pain  the bear closed in for an attack  Darien muttered

                                                                            AMPLERIAN-TAIK

Suddenly the scene from the dungeons when Dracenstark opened the door, he’d  felt something tugging at him inside, now that thing whatever it was came out thrashing like it had been closed off barred away. And at that moment it came out its energy running wild with freedom spreading out inside him. A blue circle with a diamond shape inside it, its tips touched the circle’s outline formed under the bear, at its center a single rune shone bright representing the earth magic. Large strong thick vines emanated from the ground binding the bear’s hind limbs, the bear thrashed clawing at them to no avail the vines didn’t budge, instead continued to spread  moving up encasing the bear’s lower body restricting its movements like they had a mind of their own. Soon the bear was covered in vines it tried moving but couldn’t move anymore its entire body completely entrenched in vines at the center of the blue circle. It moved its head back and forth angrily roaring then stopped moving noticing that he could move anymore it gave up. The circle’s light disappeared along with the rune; the vine green color disappeared replaced by a powder brown tinge throughout the vines completely trapping the bear in earth brown vines.

     Darien blinked weakly upward Dracenstark’s face appeared above him “Congratulations Darien you just learned spirit magic.”