Cassandra shielded her face with one arm as the ice flew. She was not as lucky with the ice as she had been with the broken glass and shards embedded themselves into her arms. Crimson blossomed across the sleeves of her dress, but when she looked up, she was flooded with relief to see Mikney still standing.
The fire was an oddly welcome relief. The warmth and heat renewing Cassandra's sense of purpose. Go! she urged the stray animals. Fight in the direction of the warmth. Stop that woman, she's bad. At least, she seemed bad. Cassandra couldn't judge well enough.
Her mind was still reeling two steps ahead. If Mikney could escape in the fight...well, she wasn't sure what would happen, but she'd feel safer. If he was connected to her and the other worldwalkers, she sure as hell didn't want him imprisoned and under the control of someone who could be potentially dangerous. She wanted him free. Vaguely, she wondered if he could hear her thoughts again, just like when she visited the prison. She would have to make a point of thinking the same thing over and over again once she was finished with the animals. Escape. Escape.
Elimyr doesn't notice the animals at first, too caught up in Mikney. She laughs again. This is so much more fun than torturing one person at a time. The fire stings a little. She doesn't like that. Is he trying to take away her water?
Silly druid.
He can't do that. There's water all around them. Doesn't he realize that?
Maybe she should show him.
The rain around Mikney stops falling down and starts falling in, drops rushing to his skin as though drawn by a magnet. She builds and builds until it's three feet thick all around him, the surface of the sphere rippling and shifting, quivering with the joy of her command.
It's beautiful and perfect and-- hey. Elimyr looks down at the feral cat by her leg, confused, and a the thin lines of red on her leg. Silly, strange looking little land animal. Just a little bit of the water doesn't head for Mikney, and instead heads down, wraps around her leg in a caress, then rushes against the cat and sweeps him away.
Bret's mouth falls open in shock at Gob's statement. It's like he's watching a movie and not in the middle of a battle. He almost wants to pinch him to prove that this is all real and all these people that are fighting and maybe dying and he shouldn't just sit there doing anything. Actually, he kind of wants to pinch himself.
He's about to say something (possibly 'Are you insane?') when he catches sight of Mikney, surrounded by a sphere of water. "Oh God." He should do something, but this seems bigger and more concentrated than the ice was and if he's not careful that girl might figure out that it's him that's-
Gob. Gob can help. "We've gotta help," he says, looking at Gob, and he tries to explain, "Good thoughts at Mikney."
The water draws close, and Mikney can feel its visceral joy, its pleasure at being commanded, being spoken to, even as it fills his nostrils, his mouth, binds him, paralyzes him.
Cho is still hanging back, and the more fighting she watches, the more her mind is screaming at her, wanting to hide, to run away. She can't, though - Kale and Bret and Niko and Cassandra and even Gob. She can't just leave, no matter how much she wishes she could.
She doesn't feel like throwing magic into the wind is doing any good, and then Mikney is drowning. He's just drowning in a lake that's spontaneously formed around him and Cho can't even imagine how terrifying that must feel. Help Mikney - she doesn't even know what she could do, but she turns to the girl anyway, tracing the symbol in the air and throwing it at her.
It's brushed aside without a thought, it doesn't seem to do anything at all, and then it's rushing back to her and slamming into her and oh fuck there's the ground tilting and wavering and then rushing up to meet her. Cho just lays there, in the rain, shivering and wondering what the hell they're supposed to do now.
Okay. And Barney fully realizes this idea is completely insane, and there's nothing but a weird insistence in his head that even remotely suggests that this could ever possibly work; but maybe this entire batshit crazy situation has affected his mind, because he kind of has a plan.
So this scary chick is totally killing the elf. If he could just distract her for like, a minute; give the guy enough time to get his bearings and y'know, not die, then maybe they'd have a shot.
He concentrates as hard as he can, throws his thoughts at the girl, because hey, it might work; doing his best to imprint the image on her, to bend the world to his thoughts (Christ, does that sound as weak as he thinks it is?). The elf dude isn't there. He's disappeared, and she's going to have to fight someone else.
Oh fuck, he really hopes it isn't him. He doesn't even know if he's doing anything, but he's focused as hard as he can.
Elimyr is watching Mikney inside the water, panicked and afraid. If only there weren't so many distractions. The animals still coming at her feet, while not particularly difficult to deal with, continue to remind her why she hates the land so much.
She can see the fear in his eyes. Pretty glowing eyes. She wants those. Then there's a shudder, a waver, and he's gone.
Elimyr stares at the water. No, that's not right. He can't get away from her. The water wouldn't let him go! She marches forward, dress ripping in the mouth of one particularly stubborn mutt, and lets go of her control on the sphere of water. It crashes to the ground, washing into the majiks around Mikney, knocking over the closest ones.
Oh, there he is, right where he's always been. That wasn't a good trick. She didn't like it. In fact, she doesn't like this place, and she doesn't want to stay here.
Elimyr reaches out, stops the storm, and none of the other water mages are strong enough to resist her. The water isn't falling any more. Now it's rising, highest where she and Mikney stand. It rushes around her ankles, her knees, her waist, and then the weightlessness comes back.
Yes, it's time she took her toy to play somewhere else.
The fire was an oddly welcome relief. The warmth and heat renewing Cassandra's sense of purpose. Go! she urged the stray animals. Fight in the direction of the warmth. Stop that woman, she's bad. At least, she seemed bad. Cassandra couldn't judge well enough.
Her mind was still reeling two steps ahead. If Mikney could escape in the fight...well, she wasn't sure what would happen, but she'd feel safer. If he was connected to her and the other worldwalkers, she sure as hell didn't want him imprisoned and under the control of someone who could be potentially dangerous. She wanted him free. Vaguely, she wondered if he could hear her thoughts again, just like when she visited the prison. She would have to make a point of thinking the same thing over and over again once she was finished with the animals. Escape. Escape.
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Silly druid.
He can't do that. There's water all around them. Doesn't he realize that?
Maybe she should show him.
The rain around Mikney stops falling down and starts falling in, drops rushing to his skin as though drawn by a magnet. She builds and builds until it's three feet thick all around him, the surface of the sphere rippling and shifting, quivering with the joy of her command.
It's beautiful and perfect and-- hey. Elimyr looks down at the feral cat by her leg, confused, and a the thin lines of red on her leg. Silly, strange looking little land animal. Just a little bit of the water doesn't head for Mikney, and instead heads down, wraps around her leg in a caress, then rushes against the cat and sweeps him away.
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He's about to say something (possibly 'Are you insane?') when he catches sight of Mikney, surrounded by a sphere of water. "Oh God." He should do something, but this seems bigger and more concentrated than the ice was and if he's not careful that girl might figure out that it's him that's-
Gob. Gob can help. "We've gotta help," he says, looking at Gob, and he tries to explain, "Good thoughts at Mikney."
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And he starts to panic.
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On the other hand, fuck, that little girl is creepy.
After a nod to Bret, Gob looks toward the sparkly guy (who he can only assume is the guy Bret was talking about) and starts to think in his direction.
Luckyluckyluckyluckylucky
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She doesn't feel like throwing magic into the wind is doing any good, and then Mikney is drowning. He's just drowning in a lake that's spontaneously formed around him and Cho can't even imagine how terrifying that must feel. Help Mikney - she doesn't even know what she could do, but she turns to the girl anyway, tracing the symbol in the air and throwing it at her.
It's brushed aside without a thought, it doesn't seem to do anything at all, and then it's rushing back to her and slamming into her and oh fuck there's the ground tilting and wavering and then rushing up to meet her. Cho just lays there, in the rain, shivering and wondering what the hell they're supposed to do now.
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So this scary chick is totally killing the elf. If he could just distract her for like, a minute; give the guy enough time to get his bearings and y'know, not die, then maybe they'd have a shot.
He concentrates as hard as he can, throws his thoughts at the girl, because hey, it might work; doing his best to imprint the image on her, to bend the world to his thoughts (Christ, does that sound as weak as he thinks it is?). The elf dude isn't there. He's disappeared, and she's going to have to fight someone else.
Oh fuck, he really hopes it isn't him. He doesn't even know if he's doing anything, but he's focused as hard as he can.
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She can see the fear in his eyes. Pretty glowing eyes. She wants those. Then there's a shudder, a waver, and he's gone.
Elimyr stares at the water. No, that's not right. He can't get away from her. The water wouldn't let him go! She marches forward, dress ripping in the mouth of one particularly stubborn mutt, and lets go of her control on the sphere of water. It crashes to the ground, washing into the majiks around Mikney, knocking over the closest ones.
Oh, there he is, right where he's always been. That wasn't a good trick. She didn't like it. In fact, she doesn't like this place, and she doesn't want to stay here.
Elimyr reaches out, stops the storm, and none of the other water mages are strong enough to resist her. The water isn't falling any more. Now it's rising, highest where she and Mikney stand. It rushes around her ankles, her knees, her waist, and then the weightlessness comes back.
Yes, it's time she took her toy to play somewhere else.
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