The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)

Chapter Fifteen pt 3

At once, spheres, arrows, spirals all of black and deep purples came towards the elf. Before they could reach him, Eial stomped the ground with all his energy and the ground crackled, shook, and shot up and the nearest demons on the ground, planting them backwards. As soon as the guard in front of him lost his footing, the bindings on Eial and Drokn dissipated. Without a breath to spare, Eial conjured a strong, half spherical barrier around him and the demon, deflecting the remnants of their initial attack.

"I thought he was supposed to be an air elemental!" a confused guard shouted the question all of them had, but without discussing further, they continued to relentlessly attack, trying to smoothly transition their strategy of fighting to match.

Drokn was stupefied. Surely, they were there for him, too? They had to be. When he came out of his brief, mindless thoughts, he realized he was being protected by the elf, who struggled to keep the barrier steady with the inpour of persistent attacks that slammed and spread throughout the surface.

Conjuring two orbs of dark magic, he threw them past the barrier and onto the ground, creating a large dust cloud to form, spraying the debris onto faces, inside mouths. Wings flew in and out from the demon guards' backs, clearing the air over and over as Drokn continued to throw orbs. Changing strategies to be more on the offensive, he focused and blasted a thick, almost translucent purple wall forward, pushing the demons in front out of the way and seizing attacks from that corner just momentarily.

In that instant of interruption, Eial grabbed Drokn's wrist and sprinted forward, blocking attacks behind and above with crumbles of brown earth and stomping magic forward, creating walls upon walls and pushing back those who stormed back forward.

Somehow clearing the way enough to stand off to one side of the mob rather than the middle, Eial turned around and blocked incoming attacks with unfaltering precision, now not having to worry about his back. Even finding many moments to stomp his feet and trap the demon guards' legs or throw his hands and wrap their arms.

Air would have been easier to maneuver considering the air all around them. Earth magic required more time to draw up from the ground. If Eial didn't need to use earth magic to escape at the beginning, he wouldn't have had to maintain his image as an earth elementalist. But now he was stuck, pulling up, drawing, pushing, stomping, until sweat dripped down his forehead, down his neck. His breath growing heavier with each block, each attack.

He had to protect his demon.

Drokn did his best with attacks, but after the first large blow from the wall of magic, his magic energy had depleted quite a humiliating number. He wouldn't even have the time to have Eial supply him with more. When he threw a quick glance over, he could see Eial's magic again in full power, somehow keeping up with the loads of enemies against them. Against him. Because, truthfully, not many were focusing on the demon.

Meanwhile, what was he even contributing?

With a snarl, the demon threw forward magic upon magic, biting through his own frustration, hurling with abandon. Until suddenly, he noticed to his left, Eial's attacks growing slower.

"Eial!" Drokn shouted, catching the elf's attention. The elf quickly drew out a shaky breath and picked up his pace again. Even more rapid and forceful than before. Using as much energy as he had leftover to completely bind the front row of demons. The ones in the air were surrounded in an earth tomb and fell to the ground, their wings strained and tangled within.

Finally, the attacks became less and less rampant. Somehow, Eial managed to confine more than fifty demons within earth magic. The remaining demons either continued to attack forward or break open the earth cocoons of the others.

Slowly, the elf's foot lifted and placed back. And another foot. His focused mind ignoring his shaky legs. "L-leave," he managed to croak out with a dry and dusty throat, the sound more difficult than he imagined to break out.

"Me? I'm not leaving." The demon felt insulted, being protected by the elf as if he is not also attacking? Helping? Contributing? Does the elf think he's useless?

"T-they'll capture you. S-so go..." Eial's weary foot slipped on his next step back and he fell. In a flash, the demons took advantage of the moment to throw dark magic at his limbs, his points of power. Eial rapidly managed to dodge them, except for one attack that ended up trapping a foot in dark magic and chaining it to one of the demon guards.

A swing of his hand, Drokn sliced a thin disc of dark magic at the magic drawn chains. But his magic was not strong enough and it dispersed in contact.

Ambiguous feelings held him hostage. At the struggling elf. At the powers of his that were doing much of nothing. Without thought, Drokn wove blast after blast of magic at the demon guards. Managing harsh contact on the one in the air who had chained Eial, successfully distracting and vanishing the magic chains. To the side, Eial's body was limp and breathless. His eyelids drawing further and further closed.

["No hurting."] Eial's voice rang inside Drokn's head. Fuck that, he thought and decided not to be evasive with his attacks. Without care and full of dishonorable fight, he swung his arm, orbs rocketing forward striking heads, eyes. Slicing necks, arms. None too deadly, but a brutal, bloody sight nonetheless. And none of which fazed the demon.

However, soon the encapsulated demons started to break free and a commanding yell blew through the air.

The next moment, a large array of dark magic, enough to cover the skies and cast a wide shadow below rushed like a dooming wave towards him.

As the demon stared above at the foreboding spectacle of darkness, his body felt nonexistent, loose, empty as the air around him.

And at last, with his deadened gaze, he could no longer deny that he was

truely,

painfully,

helpless.