[Quest] The Black City - Part III

Ceri's mind swirled. There was nothing but assault, of chaos around her, and fear shot through the leopard. It was the rallying cry that barely held her together still, and yet she still panicked, eyes wide and heart clenching.

Would they win this?

Cerilaine's ears pinned back as she remained ducked into the crevices of ice, preparing magic to shoot into the Kraken again. Except, as she did, a dark tentacle swiped over her head, and her mind blanked.

Maybe not right this second. She tensed and ducked her head, redirecting that magic above her, trying to forma blockade within her hiding spot to protect her- and possibly make whatever tentacle come after her stick itself with the already existing spikes.

One second they almost seemed to be winning, and the next the kraken was going wild with rage, attacking with incredible speed. I think I'm going to die, Whale realized in a moment of startling clarity. Though she no longer felt as sick as before, and maybe there was magic at work there, there was no way she'd make it out of here with her injuries.

The others, though. They might have a chance, however slim. Either to survive themselves, or even to somehow bring down the kraken and save Artio. She could help give them that chance. The kraken was too fast, and the magic-users far away; but the ones who had gotten close to tear at the monster: those, she could attempt to save.

Spike-tipped tentacles lashed for the bright, two-headed creature, but Whale surged forward to meet it, to block the flailing blows with her own bulk. Survive, she thought, pushing the word along the link even as the spike-tipped tentacles lashed at her, sending her stone rising up around her. You can do this!

Despite the chaotic action around them, what should have been a frantic reaction from the feathered dragon seemed almost sluggish. There was just too much to take in, and they were having trouble processing it all. Eyes flicked this way and that: widespread panic, smaller Gembound withdrawing to the safety of their mother's ice spikes, the very water that seemed to hiss and laugh at their failures, and the kraken's utter and unrestrained fury.

The utter and unrestrained fury that was now barreling toward Ascent.

In a panic, they threw their arms and wings over their head, protecting their skull. They pulled at their magic, too, congealing the water around them into ice that would shield them from attack. Ascent might have added spikes, too, like their mother's spears, but it was too hurried and haphazard a spell to risk something that could backfire on them. Simple armor was all they had time for, and they could only hope it'd be enough.

She had managed to hit it! That'd make it just a tad bit harder for it to hit them, right? Or at the very least, hurt a ton. The great beast didn't seem to be happy about being down an eye at all. Turns out fighting without her magic was a lot easier than she thought! Maybe she should do that more often. She turned, preparing to strike the Kraken again the next time it came close enough.

Through the crowd, she spotted glimpses of her parents.

Haven, battered and bleeding and way too still, drifting by the cluster of icicles.

Electrum, paralyzed by his own magic, practically begging to be torn to shreds by way too many tentacles.

nonononONONONONO Panic, along with a heathy dose of feverish delirium, overtook her. MOM! DAD!

She'd sharply change directions to charge straight towards Electrum- or rather, any thrashing tentacles that threatened to hit him. She'd rip and tear and knock away those tentacles- even as they rip and tore and battered at her. The water around her felt hot- too hot, boiling even- and she swore the glimpses of light she saw in the corners of her eyes glowed like red-hot embers. Was this the fire-beast? Had it been lurking here the whole time? All the more reason to tear it to shreds, in any case.

Blood began to cloud the water, more than it had before. Was it black, gold, or crimson? It was hard to tell.