THE LOW GROWL OF A lion filled the air as Courtney Willis gripped her spear. Slippery with sweat, her hands slid across the smooth surface of the carved weapon. Blood trickled down her cheek. She'd barely managed to avoid being mauled by the massive beast before her.
Next to her, the simulacrum warrior waited to strike another blow. Summoned from Vision Dust, the ghostly woman had more than proved her worth. Courtney couldn't have asked for a better companion.
All around her, the stone columns lay in ruins, more so than they had before the battle began. Even the small amphitheater at the one end of the square had been effect. It no longer resembled the smooth-walled structure it once was. Courtney felt glad, though, that the destruction didn't go past this part of the Ruined City.
Pushing a strand of loose hair from her face, the mage hoped the Fallen was as tired as she felt. The battle felt like it had lasted hours. In reality, it had only been about thirty or forty minutes. Still, it felt like an eternity since she'd watched Tyler and Anwen race away. That entire time, she hoped they'd reached the Gates of Eternity unhindered. Even if she failed, her sacrifice would make it worth it if those two made it inside the Mountain.
The manticore let out another roar as it finished licking off one of its more painful wounds. The wound made it difficult for the Fallen to maneuver as before. The blow had almost severed one of the back leg joints above its knee. But it was stubborn and spun around on three paws. Its scorpion tipped tail came down towards the fledgling dragon mage once more.
The transparent warrior blocked the blow before it could reach the blond-haired girl. But the thrust sent out a strong gust of wind, knocking the girl off her feet.
Courtney cried out in pain as a sharp fragment of stone pierced through her upper arm on the left side. While her companion blocked the continued attacks, the mage pulled the fragment free. She ripped off the bottom part of her shirt to create a makeshift bandage. The only good point she could see was that it wasn't her dominant arm.
Finished with her ministrations, Courtney hefted her spear, ready for the next attack. Feeling that time was against her, she decided on a drastic course of action. "Give me speed," she whispered as she drew upon her meager knowledge of dragon magic. It was a spell she didn't use often, as it was quite taxing, but speed was of the essence.
Feeling her entire body vibrate, Courtney launched herself at the manticore. Her spear thrust out to score the underside of its belly. With a yell, she thrust the point upward at the last possible second. It broke through the coarse lion skin, piercing the monster through the heart. At the same time, the dust warrior thrust her ethereal spear through its skull.
Another strong blast of wind threw Courtney backwards. She hit into one of many fallen pillars, the wind knocked from her. She could only stare like a fish out of water as the massive Fallen disintegrated into dust. Another gust of wind filled the shattered arena. It blew the ashy remains down the mountain path, and out over the Endless Chasm some ways away.
Looking around, Courtney saw only part of the manticore remained, the spiked end of its tail. Perhaps it was like the last drop of blood crystallized into stone as a trophy of conquest. Whatever the reason, she felt no desire to claim it.
Instead, she turned away from the massive stinger and looked around for the apparition. But no matter how hard she looked she couldn't see her. She sent a quick word of thanks to whatever corners of the earth the spirit had scattered.
Just as she was about to assess the final damage to her body, the ground rumbled beneath her. The few remaining pillars fell to the ground with resounding thuds, sending dust up into the air. Courtney had to turn and cover her nose and mouth to not breathe in the fine powder. After a minute or so, the shaking stopped, but she felt more than a little rattled by the sensation.
Then realization hit her, knocking her to her knees. "Anwen. Tyler," she gasped. Without another thought, the girl ran towards the long path leading towards gates. If the Mountain quaked, more so then when the Gates had been opened, something must have gone wrong.