my magic for attack.
The closest one to me got a lightning bolt to the chest, and its awful screeching filled the air, so I hit it with another bolt, and it feel to the ground, shaking. As it stilled, I shot another one, but it threw its own shield up to block my attack.
“Dammit!” I hit its shield a few times before trying for another one, but it also had a shield up. Bastards were using stolen magic.
“Basil!” Hiro yelled.
I turned in time to see another insectoid piercing my shield and diving at me. It took me by surprise and hit me right in the gut, knocking me flat on my back. I threw my arms in front of my face, but that left my stomach open, and it stabbed me, its arm slicing through my armor like it was made of paper. Sharp, burning pain shot through my stomach, causing me to cough and groan as it stabbed me again.
It lifted its arm to keep stabbing, but Hiro went flying through the air, tackling the thing off of me. He landed in a tumble of limbs—human and insect—but grappled until he was on top of the thing. Hiro lifted his chakram—that round circular blade—and sliced it across the insectoid’s neck.
He kept chopping, but more of them were coming for me, seeming to give up any hope of saving their friend, or maybe not caring enough to save it, and no longer caring about Blaze now that he was down for the count. Jorah, Thayer, Toby, and their Bonded were all fighting the other insectoids, but I couldn’t focus on them with so many around Hiro and me. I was bleeding everywhere, but I concentrated on my magic anyway.
As I called on the storm above us, I felt the power of a familiar magic hit my own, and I gasped. It was Armina’s magic. The insectoid charging me had killed Armina and swallowed her soul and stolen magic.
I threw up another shield, then forced myself to ignore the stomach wound, sitting up and throwing a shadow fireball at the thing. It brought up its own shield to block my magic. I threw a lightning bolt at it, but the thing had enough stored stolen magic to block me.
Hiro stood and faced the others, the dead insectoid lying at his feet, and my viramore pulled out his special blade, the one that brought down shields, and charged. My heart was in my throat as I watched him cut down the shield of the one charging me and attacked. The thing was so shocked, Hiro managed to get a good slice across its chest before it retaliated, throwing a fireball at my viramore.
A scream wanted to make its way out, but I didn’t have to worry because Hiro had enough runes and spells on his body that the fire didn’t even singe him. As he continued battling the thing, I called on my lightning again and focused on the other insectoids. They didn’t have shields up because they were trying to attack Hiro from behind.
I started firing blasts of shadow magic at them to at least slow them down while I charged up my Three power. I needed to build up as much as I could so I could take them out at the same time, otherwise, Hiro would be hurt or—nope. Not thinking about it.
Thayer suddenly yelled in my head, I’m close enough to you, Bas! Let’s give them hell. Push!
So I did. I pushed with everything I had, calling on the storm that lived within me as I used whatever strength was left to lift my arm.
The wind picked up, hail began to fall, and when the three of us, when the Power of Three, brought down our arms together, lightning struck the insectoids behind Hiro, and the others surrounding my brothers. Loud screeching screams filled the air, so we brought another strike down.
The insectoid fighting Hiro was too close to my viramore to chance it, but I didn’t need to worry. He was a fucking badass and was slicing the shit out of that thing.
My brothers and I brought down two more strikes before they were all fried to crisps.
Hiro finished off the last one, then stood, covered in splattered blood. He stared down at the insectoid he just decapitated and kicked its head so it rolled away from its body. Then he turned to me, gross and covered in grime and cuts and bruises, yet beautifully dangerous, and