Foxtails and Fairytales: Facades and Fables of the Phantom Prince

[Arc 3] Ch. 3 Crowned Sovereigns

Macsen

Lancelot chanted a spell and her body glowed a soft golden light. She flicked the magma off her and rolled her shoulders. "child's pla-"

She was interrupted when a small jet of frosty water shot up from the ground and went up her nose. She shook it off quickly and blocked a follow-up just with her shield while her eyes tried to pierce the heat waves. She saw Hyde finish a chant in the distance and he shot a torrent of water that curved to strike her and when she raised her shield to block it and charge the temperature dropped sharply dispelling the heat wave induced reflection and that Hyde disappeared with the torrent of water. He appeared somewhere else and now she was running face first into the icy water that knocked her back and chilled her body and her gear.

She tumbled backwards and felt the cold shock her body as she rolled to her knees. She was able to raise her shield in time to see Hyde holding a large icicle like a spear and cock it backward to throw it at her. Before it got close to her it burst into mist and when that mist came in contact with her shield it instantly froze it and she heard her shield creak as the water on her also froze.

"You bastard." She growled as a ring of fire surrounded her. He wasn't relying on his attack strength, he was going after her and her gear. Even with the defensive layer of light magic she could feel her body shiver. The next moment the temperature skyrocketed. A Hyde came out of the fire and charged her and instead of blocking him she dodged and slashed him. He maintained his grin and instead of turning to magma like she expected he turned to water and when he splattered on the glowing ground, he instantly evaporated in a burst of steam that partially blinded her.

Instead of staying in the kill circle she determined it might be better to try and assault the mage outside. Using her shield and betting on the still melting ice on her body she jumped through the wall of fire. The heat instantly melted all the iced and burned everything it touched as she jumped through the fire. On the other side she was met with the sight of ten Hydes still smile-chanting with a large reflective ice ring surrounding the fire ring she had just jumped through.

Lancelot rolled her shoulder as the Hydes cracked their knuckles. "Looks like your luck's run out, you all are locked in here with me." she said.

After only a couple minutes the wall of ice barrier was broken down by a battered Lancelot. Her shield was gone, discarded as little more than a hunk of metal. She slid on the ice on the ground around the kill circle but kept her feet under her.

She stared down Hyde who had been waiting outside the circle.

"If that was your trump card you had better do better." Lancelot straightened her back even though she couldn't decide what kind of shock her body was going through anymore.

"Nope, that was just a warm up." Hyde began to hope on the balls of his feet. He rushed Lancelot and even though she was still putting up some resistance every time she struck him or was struck by him it was like hitting an anvil. No, it was worse. He specifically targeted her vulnerable organs and hitting the same places over and over again.

But it was when she hit him in the neck with her broken sword and her forearm snapped unnaturally backwards that she knew she had lost.

Her legs that had long since reached their limits gave out on her and she fell to her knees and her sword dropped to the ground. She looked helplessly at that smug smile on Hyde's face. Here, she probably thought she was the best but this man, this rankless warlock, played her like a child.

"That's it, I'm calling it. Stand down, Mr. Hyde." Professor Watson rushed over.

Hyde put his hands up and stepped back.