Ash. The Legends of the Nameless World. Progression Gamelit Story by Kirill Klevanski (ink book reader .txt) 📕

“Lari!” she shouted, feeling something warm fall on her face.

The swordsman collapsed to the ground, clutching the icicle that had pierced his stomach. Alice, holding back tears, knelt by him and began casting all healing spells she knew.

Tul, having drawn the bow back until it creaked, couldn’t release the arrow. The sorceress struck the ground with her staff, freezing the archer, unprotected by the healer’s spells, in place, taking with him the arm of the screaming Blackbeard who hadn’t had the time to move away from his teammate.

The berserker, whose right shoulder was covered with a strange black burn, continued to slice the air with his axes, looking for his opponent. At some point, he managed to find Mary. A sword, cut at the hilt, screeched. Mary ducked under the berserker’s arm and, twisting, plunged a dagger into the burned shoulder. The giant roared again and Mary watched in shock as flames shot out from the wound instead of blood.

The sorceress, having completed another incantation, created a fan of ice knives, which were instantly launched in Lari’s direction. They cut through the air with a loud woosh, but never found their target, having melted halfway to it. The idiot mage appeared in front of her, calmly holding his staff above the ground.

The berserker rolled his eyes and fell just as Mary slashed his throat, slicing through an artery. Choking on both air and blood, the giant fell to his knees and then collapsed to the ground, twitching and sullying the grass with his blood.

The sorceress was left alone, but there was no sign that she had any intention of surrendering. She couldn’t afford to back down in front of some pathetic jester dressed in beggar’s rags. If she could beat him, she was sure that she’d be able to beat the rest.

“Blizzard!”

With the staff, she drew a wide, wavy arc in the air, and a blizzard consisting of myriads of sharp needles rushed toward Ash. But he didn’t move. He hit the ground with his staff, turning the projectiles in front of him into droplets of warm water. The rest of the needles hit the trees behind him.

The sorceress, having had time to gather enough power for one of her most dangerous spells, just smiled. She drew a rune in the air with the crystal on her staff. The Word, frozen in the air, shone with a blinding blue. She then plunged her staff into the ground and waves of ice began to radiate from its base, freezing everything they touched.

Alice and Mary dragged the pale Lari to the cart as carefully as they could, looking at Blackbeard with anguish. He was screaming more and more as the ice bound not only his arm but also his legs. He was still clutching his ax as he couldn’t afford to lose it – he had to protect Tul no matter what as there might be someone else lurking in the woods.

Soon, the entire clearing turned into an icy tundra, and the trees into huge icicles. Among this wasteland was a small patch of green earth on which stood Ash. Not paying attention to the fact that her opponent had managed to survive another one of her techniques, the sorceress got ready to attack again. She showered him with ice needles, sent snowstorms and blizzards into battle that dusted the forest with snow, but she didn’t so much as manage to touch the idiot mage.

The cold made a cloud of steam escape from Mary’s mouth. Her hands were blue and trembling, but Ash, standing in his rags, didn’t feel the slightest bit of discomfort. He just kept hitting his staff against the ground, dispelling one spell after another.

The sorceress was breathing hard. Her legs were trembling and there was blood coming from her nose, a sign of magical exhaustion.

“Av-Avalanche!”

She slammed her staff against the frozen ground but nothing happened. She didn’t have enough power for another spell. She was coughing and wheezing, choking on her own blood, but she refused to give up. Clutching her staff, she straightened her back and tried again.

“Av―”

“Enough!” Ash shouted.

He plunged his staff into the ground; at the same moment, a wave of flames swept across the clearing, melting the ice and freeing Tul and Blackbeard from their prison. Mary’s breath was no longer visible, her hands were no longer trembling, and her nails and lips had taken on a healthy pink hue that had replaced the recent blueness.

“Please, calm down,” Ash practically begged as he walked over to the hunched girl. “Ten years in prison is better than death. You’ve no magic left in you, if you try to cast another spell, you’ll end up killing yourself.”

The sorceress collapsed to the ground and Ash knelt in front of her. He put down his staff and shrugged off his cloak, intending to cover her, but she waved him away.

“I know who you are,” she whispered, plump lips stained with blood. “You’re A―”

At that moment, she turned into a ball of blinding light. When the Stumps regained their vision, all they saw was a handful of ash being blown away by the wind.

 “She didn’t listen,” the mage muttered mournfully, getting to his feet. “For every magic, there’s a limit beyond which you cannot go.”

Ash walked over to his teammates, mentally cursing the sorceress. If she had only kept her mouth shut, she might’ve made it through the day. If only… But it was true that Helmer’s predictions always came true, even if the goddess of fate herself resisted.

While Blackbeard and Tul were actively drinking to keep warm, Alice shed tears over Lari who seemed to have fallen asleep.

“Lari!” she wailed, clutching his hand. “Come on! Wake up!”

The wound had already healed, but the warrior showed no signs of life.