Andrew Rowe - On the Shoulders of Titans

And I was not leaving him behind to die.

I glanced at Tristan with my attunement active. His aura was still Sunstone. If he’d been hiding his power like I’d expected, he hadn’t made any move to change it.

When I looked at Mizuchi, I saw something far more interesting. Her shroud was shimmering, with several colors, which I recognized as being multiple layers.

Much like me, she had the equivalent of multiple attunements. Or at least multiple shrouds.

Several of them. I couldn’t count the number; it was too much of a blur.

Sera acted in the moment while Mizuchi was distracted. “Wall.”

A wall of ice appeared, crossing the entire room between us and Mizuchi.

“Wall. Wall. Wall.” She layered more walls in our way, knowing they wouldn’t last long.

I turned to Tristan. “Can you beat her, since she’s weaker than usual?”

Tristan raised a hand to his face and laughed hysterically. “Goddess, no. I was bluffing. We don’t stand a chance.”

“Then can you get Keras to us?”

Mizuchi finished her rune, turning toward us and taking a deep breath.

I saw something interesting then, since my attunement was still active; one of the layers of her shroud vanished as she inhaled.

That was fascinating .

“Not from here,” Tristan replied. “Only from the sanctum. There’s no time.”

Mizuchi exhaled, blasting a jet of flame straight through all four layers of Sera’s wall.

Tristan jumped in the way of the attack.

For an instant, Tristan was engulfed in fire, and my heart sank.

Then the flames twisted and converged into a single point — his right fist.

He stepped toward Mizuchi. The flames surged upward from his hand, enveloping his sword. “Thanks. I needed something that could hurt you.”

Mizuchi growled and lunged at him, moving faster than I could follow.

Tristan could, though. He stepped out of the way, swinging and hitting Mizuchi with his burning blade. The flames exploded on contact, and Mizuchi flew backward, cracking into the ice wall.

Sera pointed. “Wall.”

Another wall appeared in front of Mizuchi and curved around her, effectively trapping her between two walls.

Tristan stepped forward as Mizuchi began battering the wall with her fists, snarling as ice cracked away.

I reached back into my bag. “Retrieve: Healing Potion.”

A healing potion appeared.

Mizuchi burst through the ice.

Tristan jabbed at her again, but she evaded this time, and his sword hit the ice. She slammed him in the chest with a claw, and he flew backward, disarmed.

Mizuchi lunged at Tristan, but Sera raised another ice wall. Mizuchi crashed into it.

Tristan clutched at his ribs, stumbling back. I tossed him my sword.

He caught it just as Mizuchi burst through the wall, then swung it in mid-air and projected a shockwave.

The wave of ice slammed into Mizuchi with no effect.

Then she was right next to Tristan, swinging at him again.

Tristan barely managed to step backward and avoid the blow.

I stopped watching. I had work to do.

“Retrieve: Mage’s Folly.”

The herb appeared. I opened the healing potion and tossed it inside. The liquid changed from red to black.

“Retrieve: Queen’s Crown.”

Another herb appeared. I tossed it in. The liquid bubbled and sparkled.

I replaced the stopper and looked back at the fight.

Tristan was down on the ground. Mizuchi was right on top of him, holding his arms. She was laughing and squeezing, probably with enough force to break bones.

I ran just a few steps closer to make sure my aim was good, then threw the potion at her.

The glass bottle exploded across her back.

She let go of Tristan and screamed .

Mage’s Folly reversed the effect of a concoction.

Queen’s Crown greatly amplified the effect.

I’d hit her with a reversed, amplified healing potion.

Tristan struggled to get out from under her while she screamed, but she was still pinning him with her body. She swiped a clawed hand downward, and I saw blood splatter as it gouged across his face.

Sera hit Mizuchi with a blast of wind, and Mizuchi was sufficiently distracted that the air knocked her away.

Mizuchi was rising again in a moment, though. She took a breath, and flames burst from her body, evaporating the potion before it could do more damage.

That was bad, because I’d hoped the potion would continue to burn through her and deal more damage.

It was also enlightening, however. One of the layers of her shroud vanished when she inhaled, just like when she’d used her breath attack.

That gave me something to consider, but I had something more urgent to worry about.

Scales were beginning to appear across her skin.

She was changing forms.

It would take a few seconds, but that wasn’t enough time for much.

I reached into my bag again, trying to think.

Sera ran toward where Researcher was standing in the doorway. She said something, but I couldn’t hear her.

Tristan was still on the ground, clutching at his face. Selys-Lyann lay nearby.

Think, Corin. Think!

“Retrieve: Keras’ blood. Summon Keras Selyrian.”

Nothing happened.

I’d hoped that being inside the spire, maybe the additional mana and the short distance would be enough to let the box work. But that hope had been in vain.

That was fine. I had other options. “Store: Keras’ Blood. Retrieve: Silverbrand.”

A silver dagger appeared in my hand. I knew that, at least according to Keras, it was a powerful magical item that had once belonged to Wrynn Jaden.

I hurled it at Mizuchi.

It bounced off her scales and fell to the floor without effect.

Note to self: Foreign magical items are not always as useful as the Jaden Box.

After that, Mizuchi was done transforming.

Wings and a tail burst from her back. Horns emerged from her head. Her entire body was covered with scales now.

“ Now,” she turned toward Sera, “ You’re the weakest one, Summoner. I think you’ll be first.”

Sera whispered, “You’re wrong.”

“ What was that, dear? Speak up.” Mizuchi floated a few feet off the ground, then reached up and formed a ball of flame in her right hand.

“I said, you’re wrong.”

“ About which point?”

“All of it.” Sera reached out her right hand. She was wearing her bracer, the one I’d given her that enhanced Summoning spells. “I’m not weak. I’m not going to die. And,” she grinned, “I’m not a Summoner. Not anymore.”

Her bracer glowed for a moment, then she brought her hands together in front of her. “ Vanniv, I invoke your power.”

Sera’s entire body began to glow as mana burned in the air around her.

Then wings of stone appeared behind her, merging with a suit of stone armor that formed around her body from the neck down.

“An ascended attunement.” Mizuchi tilted her head downward for a moment. “You’re an Invoker now. That’s very interesting. If ultimately meaningless.”

Mizuchi hurled her sphere of fire, but Sera just raised a hand and pointed at it. A gust of wind blasted the sphere, detonating it early.

The blast was large enough that it hurled me off my feet, and I landed several feet away. My silver phoenix sigil protected me from the heat, though.

Tristan wasn’t quite as lucky. The explosion hit him on the ground, and I could see that he’d been badly burned.

I pulled myself to my feet and reached into my bag.

Sera soared upward. Mizuchi followed.

I ran to Tristan. “Retrieve: Healing Potion.”

Tristan sat up, and I shoved the potion at him.