Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

169. Birth of a True Hero

Think, think, think, think, think.

She felt a soft breeze from the flapping of Greffin's large wings. Juliette hoped backwards in slow motion to better position herself. Without time to grab her staff that had been knocked away she reached inside her robes for her spare wand. The smoke was still blocking most of her view but the sparking of light from electricity told her Yamamoto was in action.

Vera looked down at the kobolds she was facing and the ones below still pointing their bows at her. She couldn't do much against the archers, but her feet moved on their own from her training with Anastasia. Instead of reaching for her sword she felt the rush of energy as her wings absorbed the damage inflicted on them and turned it into energy. The world still moved slower, but she found she was able to force herself passed her limits and moved in closer to real time as she lowered her stance and raised her hand.

Pouring magic into her hands she waved it like a wing and created enough pressure with wind magic that it substituted as a wing flap to send her spinning. The Kobolds didn't have time to react as she completed a full rotation as soon as time returned to normal speed. She reinforced herself with one of the fire abilities she could use, and her wings caught fire as they slammed into the kobolds and sent them flying backwards.

"Juliette, get clear of the archers and bring down that wall with earth magic, after that close up the entrance behind us." Vera ordered as she pulled out her sword and pointed at the far wall at the end of the pond above the edge of river just passed where the ladder-like bridges were propped.

"We'll be trapped!" Juliette argued.

"We're going on the offensive." Vera said as her sword glowed red before catching on fire. "Jasmine!" Vera called, "Take down their archers."

"B-but there are still monsters coming from the entrance!" Jasmine stuttered.

"Seamus and Greffin are enough to block one hole for a moment. We need you to stop another volley from striking them in the back." Vera said as she gave one of the ladder a kick to the side to send it over. A couple kobolds fell into the river, but more bridges were made and kobolds were flanking her from each side.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Vera let out a battle cry to grab the enemies' attention.

She couldn't fly properly yet, but she could kick up a good amount of speed with them. She launched to the left along the cliff and chopped a kobold and his friend in half with a single strike of her flaming sword. Then she kicked off the wall and created a wreath of fire as she spun from one end to the other, both blocking several arrows and knocking over a kobold in the middle. At the end of the dash she buried her sword in a Kobold and pinned it to the wall.

She had buried her sword so thoroughly that she couldn't free it in time to make it back to contain the flow of Kobolds that seemed endless. She let go of her sword and managed to catch the handle of an axe the kobold next to her swung down on her. she pulled it back and stomped the kobold off of it down into the drink.

At that moment time slowed around her but her body felt less sluggish thanks to the build-up of strengthening magics. She lit the axe on fire and hurdled it at a kobold crossing the ladder furthest from her. She watched as a large Kobold in the lower room ignored her and threw her spear at Jasmine.

Vera may have missed it if Seamus hadn't cast his spell. She would have tried to pull her sword free, but she didn't have time for that. Once again, she pushed off the wall and sailed toward the spear. She caught it in midair over the river and reached the far wall as soon as yellow cracks formed along it.