"ELECTRONA DUAL SLASH!" I chanted; the blades grew hot as electricity surged up the silver metal. I slashed outward, my arms outstretched which released the X shaped attack. It crashed into the middle Rhinroy who cried out, its electrocuted body falling to the side.
I landed softly on the ground, using my air magic to cushion the impact. I got into my fighting stance, blinking my eyes to clear my blurry vision.
Damn. These swords take way too much energy.
My legs shook and my labored breaths made me wonder about how long I had till I reached an unbalanced state.
The two Rhinroys made their way toward me. I braced myself, ready to attack when a large fireball crashed into them, sending them flying back into the forest. I blinked before slowly turning to my left to see Hunter, an arrow notched in the bow in ready position.
He was breathing hard; his shoulders moved up and down while sweat dripped down the side of his face.
He noticed my gaze, lowering his bow and walking toward me. I took a calming breath in an attempt to slow my rapid breathing.
I called off my magic, giving a second for the dual swords that glowed a bright pink and purple to dim before placing them back into their scabbards.
Arielle landed in the nearest tree, extinguishing her flames.
"You okay? You're pale," Hunter questioned, worry etched on his handsome features.
I smiled. "And you're sweaty and out of breath. Shouldn't I be asking you if you’re okay, Hunter?" I used his name even though he hadn't personally introduced himself.
"Are you an alter ego or something?" he asked.
"Sia Rainbow. I'm the other half of Celestia. A pleasure to meet ya," I greeted.
"Hunter...you already know who I am," he realized.
"Somewhat. I can recall through Celestia's memories, but it's not like I'm sitting with a bag of imaginary popcorn, listening to your conversations. Just think of it as a fast forward play by play and I pick out the information I need to know. Like this is a stupid examination and that Celestia thinks you guys are a cute bunch of shifters. Oh, and I guess your names are somewhat important," I explained with a shrug.
"Intriguing. Is this a unicorn thing?" he asked.
"Who knows? They don't have a unicorn shifter manual available in Versa. Maybe in another dimension," I sighed dramatically.
Hunter nodded, still staring at me with a concerned expression. "Let's go back. You don't look well." He began to walk ahead.
"I'm rather beautiful, thank you very much," I called out. I heard him grunt, making me giggle.Phoenixes do have short tempers. He's hotter when mad, hmm.
I looked back around the quiet clearing, still feeling a sense of unease. I let my hand run through my tresses. I felt exhausted and the exam wasn't even over yet.I need a damn nap.
I glanced at the ground beneath me, noticing the slightest tremble.Huh?
A scream escaped me as I put my arms up, casting a shield around me; black tentacles shot out of the ground. My body shivered as fear crept through me at the over ten-foot tall blob of darkness slithering toward me.
"Forsaken? Fuck!" I wanted to pull my swords out, but my body wavered. My knees buckled and I collapsed to the floor.
"Dammit. Not the fucking time, unbalanced body!" I cursed. I glanced at the beads on my wrist, debating if I should switch and wake Celestia up, but this was the worst possible situation to leave her in. At least if I got out of the path of this forbidden monster she'd have a higher survival rate.
I fought to my feet, biting my lip and ignoring the wave of nausea that hit me. The black tendrils attached to the black blob shot out toward me.
"GROUNDA SHIELANDO!" I screamed, lifting my hands to block the attack. The impact pushed me back and out of the way of the black tentacles that shot out to attack me. I stumbled to my feet, creating shield after shield to block the ongoing attacks.
I clenched my teeth, anger flowing through me. I could feel my magic boil as my eyes stung with power. I took a deep breath, lifting my right leg up.
"Stillsandra!" I commanded, stomping my foot to the ground. The ground cracked, rainbow light peeking out of the crack that emerged; the ground crumbled around the beast. It began to sink into the ground. It made a chilling sound; the eerie noise made my ears hurt, but I fought the urge to cover them with my hands, already focused on the next spell.
"VINEASO!" I chanted; purple and pink vines wrapped around the Forsaken, emerging from the broken ground. I took a large inhale, lifting my hand up to my lips.
Windasleep!