The Turquoise Queen by Pedro Urvi (animal farm read TXT) 📕

Now, although the Rangers went on releasing, their arrows could no longer penetrate the protective spell.

“Use Poisonous Gas arrows!” the First Ranger shouted.

The attack which followed was not piercing but gaseous, and hence the protective spell had no effect. When the arrows hit their targets the containers shattered, creating poisonous clouds. Some fell under the effect of the poison, and most of them had to flee to avoid it reaching their lungs.

Several Semi-Giants realized what the Rangers were doing and pushed their way through to deal with the threat. Gatik ordered his people to release at them before they succeeded. They had no more special ammunition left, so they were forced to use plain arrows. These impacted those huge torsos, but the Semi-Giants simply went on advancing with the fixed idea of crushing the Rangers with their enormous wooden axes and clubs.

Lasgol was watching all this as he endured as best he could the tremendous cold in his legs. He did not know how much longer he could go on, but if he collapsed, the great spell would come to an end and they would have failed. He knew he had to go on somehow. Meanwhile Eicewald went on conjuring with his eyes shut, chanting words of power, invoking his ice magic. The other four Magi were doing the same. Lasgol looked up at the Snowflake and had to avert his eyes because the blue brilliance was dazzling.

Suddenly Eicewald opened his eyes and stopped conjuring, followed by the others. The spell was over. Eicewald pointed his staff at the Frozen Specter in the middle of the battle. A bolt of light shot out of the staff and reached it. Eicewald gave a command of power, and the Eternal Snowflake seemed to explode in blue light. A tremendous bolt rose to the sky, and a moment later it fell on the Frozen Specter.

The creature gave out an agonizing scream. It stopped in its tracks and stopped its attacks on the Norghanian soldiers, who were moving away from it in an attempt to stay alive. Its twisted face of horror became more terrible still.

Eicewald repeated his command of power, and a new explosion issued from the Eternal Snowflake. An instant later, a second great blue bolt rose to the sky. Lasgol followed it with his eyes as it fell on to the Specter, hitting it fair and square. The Creature from the Frozen Continent gave another roar of pain and bent double in pain, as if the blue bolt were torturing its soul.

The Norghanian soldiers and the forces of the Frozen Continent went on fighting with all their might, not realizing what was happening to the Specter. Nobody yielded a foot of terrain in the battle, and the fighting was ferocious. The battle had reached a crucial point. The opposing forces were finely balanced, and in a moment, victory would fall to one or the other side.

Lasgol realized that the spell of the Magi was working and the Specter was being defeated. All that was needed was to put an end to it. Once they had done that, there was no doubt that victory would fall to Norghana. Realizing that he would be unable to hold up the Snowflake for much longer, he called upon his Cat-like Reflexes and Improved Agility skills. There was nothing else he could think of, and they might give him a trace of extra support. He did not even worry about whether any of the Magi had noticed that he had called upon power. Two green flashes had run through his entire body as he invoked his two skills.

He clenched his teeth hard and held on. Time seemed not to be moving, but on the other hand the suffering went on. He made a final effort and noticed that the Object of Power was barely shining. Its energy was running out. Lasgol went from optimism to fear in the blink of an eye. They had to do it. He glanced at Eicewald, who was staring at the Eternal Snowflake with half-closed eyes. He too had realized what was going on.

“We’ve got to destroy the Specter,” Lasgol said. “I can’t keep this up any longer …” He was on the brink of collapse.

The Mage gave a command of power. There was a final blue explosion, and a third bolt of light rose from the Eternal Snowflake into the sky. The Snowflake died out, its energy exhausted. Lasgol could keep going no longer and collapsed. He could not feel his legs, and he fell as if they were made of crystal and had shattered. From the ground he saw the bolt of light fall on the Specter. He hoped that it would kill it once and for all. The being screamed in pain, a chilling sound that could be heard across the whole battlefield. It fell to the ground and was still.

It had worked! They had killed the Specter! Lasgol was so happy that even though he could not walk and his legs were in agony, he did not care.

“We did it …” he said.

Ona moaned, worried about him.

Don’t worry, I’m fine, he messaged to her.

Help? Camu offered.

No, stay close but don’t reveal yourself. I’m fine, I really am.

Eicewald was still looking at the Specter on the ground. The Mage looked drained; the spell had consumed him. Lasgol saw that the other Magi too were deeply affected by the efforts they had made. It was as if, quite apart from the magical energy they had consumed, they had given a part of their own vital energy to the spell.

“Wait a moment …” Eicewald said. He was leaning on his mage’s staff.

Lasgol turned to look at the Specter again, and his soul froze.

It was beginning to rise.

Specter not dead! Camu called in warning.

“No!” Lasgol cried in horror.

The Specter slowly got to its feet. It shrieked