The Sage's Vow

23.2 || Under the Dome

Panic flared as Josh hurried to get around Mara. Had the beast canceled out her arrow? Or had she lost her hold on the magic somehow? If this dome could cancel magic, that would be a huge issue.

But that would be a problem for later. Josh shifted his weight to one leg and shoved off it, sending himself flying toward Mara at the same time she sent two more arrows flying. Were they thinner than usual, or was Josh imagining things? These arrows collided with the monster, but they might as well have had blunt ends with the way they shattered upon impact.

Mara threw herself backwards at the same time Josh reached her. The bipedal lion swung its claws, missing by mere inches. Josh sent lightning surging through his blade as he brought it up between the monster and Mara. The sword missed, but lightning leapt from the metal, singing the furred flesh.

Shrieking, the monster sliced with its other paw, but the claws caught Josh's armor and didn't pierce any deeper before he stepped out of reach. Two more arrows flew in from the side, missing the lion—

An angry roar erupted from the grass. Right. Two from each side. Josh needed to get rid of this one to focus on the other. Boomer's presence already mingled with his own, but he focused more intently on it as he pulled at the churning energy within him.

"Dragon's lightning!"

Josh brought his sword down in a decisive slash, and the lightning streaked forward from it. The blue light cleaved straight through the monster. It broke apart instantly against the force. He spun to find the next enemy.

No, wait, Josh, something isn't right. Boomer's mind buzzed with something, but neither he nor Josh could place what, just some sense of wrongness.

His stomach swooped with realization. They were in a pocket dimension, yet the monster broke apart. They didn't do that so quickly here, and had it been particles he'd seen? No, it had been something darker, more gunky, almost like the stuff that made up the creature's mane.

The tall grass trembled as the second monster rushed through it, but Josh ripped his eyes away to face the first. He was right. It hadn't been particles but the gunk that fell, and it squirmed back up, coalescing into the form of the bipedal lion. Forms. Because there were two.

They were smaller, their fur wilder and grey, but they were the same creature. When they snarled, the same substance making up their manes dripped from their maws. One took to the air while the other rushed forward.

Just as trying to decide what targets to focus on threatened to scramble his brain, Mara darted past. "Focus on the smaller guys. I'll get this one."

She had daggers in her hands. Not ice daggers, but two of the true ildium daggers she kept on her person. Before he could process the wrongness of the sight, the small grey lionoids were on him.

The grounded one struck low, claws swiping for his unprotected legs. Josh sidestepped easily enough. Boomer urged Josh's eyes up, noticing something there. The grey ooze making up the flying lionoid's mane roiled and spasmed. It spat out bullets of itself straight at Josh. He threw up his shield, wincing at the impact. The lionoid's body itself slammed into the metal surface right after.

Josh barely caught himself from toppling. Adjusting his stance, he focused his energy to his shield and surged. The lionoid roared as the lightning jumped from the metal to its body.

He saw the shadow of the grounded lionoid before its actual form. It rushed in from the right, avoiding Josh's sword arm. He wouldn't be able to pivot quickly enough, especially with the other lionoid seemingly glued to his shield from the static. Thinking fast, Josh fell to his knee and twisted at the waist. He yanked the shield down. Its edge slammed into the grounded lionoid. The flying one dislodged, falling into the other. All the while, lightning from the shield discharged into both of them.