Molly St Clair

Through the barrier, she watched Phelian’s party chase after their reckless leader. Watching their endeavors was a mix of frustration and longing. The planner in her was distraught by the uncommunicated act. There may have been some logic in his choice. Perhaps it was even the right move, but how it was done bothered the witch nonetheless. Being an element of chaos on the battlefield could too easily become a lever of destruction in her eyes. Cohesion was the best, communication necessary.

The success Phelian led his people to did not lessen the offense nor the trouble caused.

She would not deny that it was a victory of sorts. A demon crane was done for and had been severely tested in the process. After all, there had been much to glean from that fight. The power brought to bear was also extraordinary and impressive. Her eyes dissected the workings of the Mana used precisely, yet still lacked the ability to understand much of it.

This was the first time Molly had observed Phelian in action. The white flames that burned from within him were a puzzle. A jumble of Will and Faith-based half-casting. He was somehow pulling energy directly into himself and expelling it with instinctive need. On top of that had been the dual casting. It was simply beyond her to parse. Harmonization amplified spells to a level beyond the scope of her mind.

Molly had to be honest with herself, under the anger she was jealous. Envious of both the glory and the moxie of the undaunted guardian. Staying in order wasn’t just a preference, it was a compulsion. A defense mechanism. Clinging to the protection that surrendering to a system provided. Once within it, you could control the flow. All you needed was an understanding of the written and unwritten rules. Observation always unlocked that. She had frankly been particularly good at that. Being powerless and unsatisfied often leads to acquiring unique skills or highly polishing the basic ones. The place where survival traits were born, to be able to escape or endure.

But, the witch wasn’t powerless anymore.

Through Mana, the world changed. She had changed. Once self-regulated to the shadows, Molly had claimed a position of leadership. The chains of the past were broken. Forgotten, finally, as they should have been years ago. In The Pit, she had found a second chance. To strive for a life that was hers to shape and not just good enough to accept. The witch would not settle anymore. That’s why Phelian was a subject of her envy. He lived in freedom. Cheerfully unbound.

Wouldn’t that be nice, sighed Molly.

She itched to do more than hold the line. To create a slice of victory for herself. The Sixty was currently turtling as the demon cranes circled. They seemed like children to her, surveying an ant’s nest before obliterating it. Every attack so far had just been nudges. Nothing serious. It was a mutual thing. Both sides tested each other. Quick skirmishes out of the barrier versus whacks at the barriers. The monsters were taking the worst of this, but didn’t seem bothered so far by the damage. That worried her. Made the itch grow deeper.

Purple Mana twirled around her fingers like loose strings. There was an urge to do more than throw confounding effects. Charging recklessly wasn’t an option. Not at all in her wheelhouse no matter who she was envious of, Molly would wait for the opportunity. Through a line of communication provided by Zariah, she asked Malachi for a chance to act. Though there was nothing concrete to express yet, her insight for patterns was tickled. The faint impression that something was being formulated against them. She desired to crush it and replaced that forming order with her own.

Her intention was clear, and the plan was ready. Malachi only needed to approve her movement. The demon cranes prowling outside would be made to fear them. One death was a fluke, but she would show them terror. With the upgrade, Molly had gained new insight into the power of curses. This power she had lucked into was at its core a restructuring of order. Twisting and bending reality to your whim. Debilitating spells were but the shallowest of effects. Bending The World To Serve by Witchqueen Desmona, the Breaker, this book had opened her eyes to the possibilities.

Reality was far more malleable than she had believed.

A pulse of thought came down the line and with it a great deal of information. Molly not only experienced a quick conference with Malachi through Zariah, but also detailed battle plans as a visual. The potential of that ability spread over the whole of the Sixty was astounding. All in a flash she knew what to do. Even with the party leaders connected, the efficiency of their cooperation had skyrocketed.

Molly spread the word to her party and smiled. She was free to make a mark on this battle now. The witch itched to escape the shadow of her past, to blossom into someone that stood in the light as easily as the dark. Warner was unforgiven, yet there was some detached appreciation there. His betrayal had spurred her to be in more direct control. She wouldn’t be used again.

The Sisters grinned back at her with the same eagerness for a more active role. They had made some short thrusts, but hadn’t been able to really dig in as they liked. So far the demon cranes had been relatively resistant to their cursed flames. Molly sensed the monsters had a sort of corresponding aura. Other than their wicked appearance, they hadn’t shown any sign of such power. It was one of the reasons she felt something was off.

Adrienne Rowe stood to her left, bow ready. To the right, Naomi Yatamoto prepared a series of curse-based projectiles. There to support them all in the back was their final member Norah Woods. The four of them would step just outside the barrier to work unrestrained while the Sisters lunged in. Distracting and punishing. A safe retreat would be just behind as they assaulted one or two demon cranes as the situation demanded. Several parties would act at once, but it was impossible to predict how the monsters would react to the switch in tactics.

Seeing her people ready, Molly reported in and the signal went out. With total confidence, her party strolled forward with death in their hands.

Their target was the closest demon crane loitering just outside the barrier in front of them. The moment the Sisters passed through to begin an attack, a change passed through the monsters. One gave a strangled cry and the rest stiffened. The stance of the birds snapped to aggressive. A red glare rose around the beak, like a shroud made from light shining through fog. The malevolent glare wasn’t bright, but still colored everything.

They had arrived at the barrier when the avian beast pecked.

It slid through the barriers without resistance. No cracks or failures. Just passed through and cracked against the ground. There was an explosion of radiance. Adrienne screamed as Molly threw up a desperate blanket of half-formed curses. Red met purple, dividing at the touch. Norah standing behind her was protected as was Naomi who had already passed through the barrier. The demon crane’s power spread out as if to fill in the space inside their barrier. Their archer wasn’t the only one of the Sixty to cry out then. The birds had attacked in concert.

Acting like light, the witch had created a wedge of safe space against the bird's cursed attack. Her power had been unable to undo the red power, but as curses, the two energies had resisted each other. Molly watched very carefully the reaction and interaction of the two twisted Mana constructs. Thoughts spun out from the observation, but the battle was still ongoing. There was no time to linger on the implications. Shoved to the back, she needed to make a quick decision as the red light faded. Her heartsong would keep processing as they acted.

The Sisters were a breath away from engaging the demon crane. Too late to call them back. Adrienne was down, looked unharmed, but glowed with light. Naomi and Norah looked panicked with indecision. It was a crystalizing moment for Molly. She understood what being a leader meant now. The burden of choices and leading lives. Her party rightfully expected the witch to see them through this. To save each one from death’s waiting grip. Everything was tilted, yet duty still stood.

Despite the tension of the moment, Molly didn’t hesitate. It was all clear to her.

A quick look from Norah to Adrienne gave the healer all that was necessary to act. The order was plain. Turning away from those two was hard, but there was nothing else to do. She couldn’t abandon the rest of the team because of concern for one.

Cursed flames brushed against the demon bird with little effect beyond the harm of physical heat. Feathers singed and withered without catching. The musky feathers looked oily, but were surprisingly flame-retardant. It was, however, effective at pushing the bird away from the barrier. Molly noted the Sisters were being abnormally confrontational. No doubt having seen their teammate fall, they were trying to create space for recovery. A kindness that put them at risk of being outflanked or simply being too committed to retreat to safety. She needed to slant the odds back into their favor.

She passed through the barrier, the outside sound rising in volume. Angry squawking came from every direction as the Sixty pushed against their besiegers. Naomi didn’t hesitate to join her. They rushed forward together to join the Sisters. The three melee fighters danced a triangle formation around the demon crane. Feints and light attacks to distract it into a clear holding pattern until the rest of the party moved in too.

“Naomi, we need your mist,” ordered Molly before casting Void’s Impression. She had doubts that her blinding curse would stick, but her teammate’s spell would place the curse in the air. The party would be able to see while the bird was blinded. An orb of pink smoke formed at the end of the chant. Exploding silently outward into a large dome. Her purple spell slammed into the monster at the same time the cloud cover rolled over it.

Through a pink filter, the witch saw everything as she expected. Red light burst from within the demon crane and Void’s Impression was deflected. Without an anchor, the spell dissipated. The red light pushed back Naomi's smoke screen, but only by itches. The monster was still blind to her party’s movements under the cover. It shifted blindly about as the light grew brighter in parallel to the rising agitation. The Sisters each threw one last empowered strike before disappearing into the smoke. Taking the opportunity to catch their breath.

The momentum of reinserting control of the battlefield had gotten Molly here and now new decisions had to be made. Their options were limited. The demon cranes had turned out to be a monster that was rather resistant to her team. Curses versus curses was a hard battle to win. Repelling each other, but could have explosive results should they mix. The witch reflected through her spell list while reviewing the memory of the new grimoire.

Revoke Death is out of the question for several reasons, she thought. On top of a deep interaction needed, it was simply too costly unless under the right circumstances. Our backs aren’t against the wall no matter the danger. Even just being a distraction until support comes would be a happy ending to this assault. But, I want a better record than that… Ok, what would work? Specimen’s Shackles should work since it lays atop… Not a finishing strategy either though. Just a binding. Buying more time… for what?

An idea occurred to her. It would take some time to set up, but her team was ready for that.

She confirmed that Adrienne was up and then the witch commanded, “Ground Zero, modify to Norah’s Wrath!” They moved instantly to enact the maneuver. Molly began the first part with Specimen’s Shackles. Taking the time to chant each word carefully, imbuing power into every syllable. Charging up the spell to be able to overwhelm any resistance.

The finished spell conjured purple strings in a frantic gush, unrelenting in their assault on the blinded demon crane. Its red aura clashed with the purple strings. A losing fight. The bird was steadily fettered. As planned, she avoided two curses inferring with each other. Resistance didn’t play a part in this, the red glare was simply impotent. The bindings continued to layer on themselves. Soon the monster was straining to stay standing at all.

With maneuverability stricken, step one was accomplished.

In one hand, Naomi held the smoky dome in place and the other moved two fingers in a swirl. The pink cloud began to circulate. It contracted around the demon crane, resembling a cross between a tornado and a cylinder. Mana traveling in the murk was arranged to focus and strengthen any force sent into the center. A curse upon the air. One that would drive their attack to higher heights. Step two, the field was prepared.

While the others began step three, Molly looked through her spell list to pick the best base for her deathstroke. An array of arrows rocketed into the sky. Adrienne showed off her mastery of arcing shots. Firing off one shot after the other with an altered course that would rise and dip to hit all at the same time. Streaks of light seemed to hang in the air before falling together towards the center of the pink prison. Norah began to glow. Her husky voice slowly spoke out her chant of retribution. A shaft of white light burst upwards and then struck down on the demon crane. Weapons imbued thickly with spiteful flames struck the bound monster from three different angles as the hanging arrows crashed down.

Lights and power flicker within the vortex of pink. Mana of several different varieties mixing explosively and erratically. The witch watched. Studying the chaotic concoction with her piercing eyes. Noting carefully how the demon crane was affected, and how the defenses held up. She saw the weaknesses and molded the spell in her hand to abuse those openings.

None of the spells in her list were a good base for what she had in mind. Instead, Molly created something new from a hodgepodge of components. Forming a multilayered attack that began with pure force. Empowered by the element of curses, but using a very simple concept. Destruction and ruin. The magical defenses of the demon crane were slanted to protect against Mana effects rather than physical force. She suspected that a metallic skeletal structure was relied upon to back up the deficiency. With the right application, that was exploitable. The first stage of the new spell did just that.

A beam of purple Mana shrieked from the witch’s hand. There were no words yet for this spell. It was entirely manual. Her mental faculties were entirely focused on both maintaining the integrity of the spell and controlling the activations of the stages. The first stage worked beautifully, a spear of power streaking deeply into the bound monster. Its Mana was thrashing chaotically due to Ground Zero and was unable to defend against her spell. The process ran smoothly as the power collapsed in on itself within the demon crane. Tendrils sprang forth to physically grow through the body. Mulitaling flesh and encircling metal. The core of the spell remained as a speck in the center of an internal garden of glowing veins.

Curses resisted other curses because the world could only be twisted so far. Still, their power weakened the fabric of reality too. This to a degree also made curses easier to take hold of. A contradiction that could be pushed to break rather than bend. The third stage bloomed in the aftermath of the party’s assault. Purple light thrummed with power and clashed with the demon crane’s red glare. Sparks began to roar to life from within the bird, lighting up the insides and glittering off the skin. It gave a mournful cry before falling apart. Flesh melted and burned. The two forces continued to destroy everything around them until Molly’s target was only metal debris in a soup of viscera. The body had been unable to hold up as reality broke down within it.

“Holy shit!” gasped Adrienne. Looked at everyone in disbelief before settling on the witch. Her eyebrow raised with obvious meaning. “Did we do that…?”

“Technically, to put it simply,” answered Molly. “The long answer involves an explanation of curse interactions and reality integrity theories. I will spare you the details, at least for now. We are not yet finished here.”

“O’ alright, yeah there are of those other ugly terror birds to fight,” nodded Adrienne. Like her mentor, happy to avoid a lecture. Though for different reasons.

“True, but not what I meant,” smiled the cool-eyed woman. “I am not finished with this one.” She snapped her fingers for a little flare and activated the last stage of her spell. The core of Mana shone like a star in the center of the mess. Light traveled through the channels of the tendrils and connected with the binding threads. They, by design, had endured the death of the demon crane. New commands and purpose were distilled into them. By the witch’s will, the threads and tendrils strung the skeleton up like a puppet.

Molly had been thinking long and hard about what she did to the corpse of the Goliath Ratsin. She desired to try again with better preparation. Reflecting often on how to refine the procedure. Planning out the best way to go about it when the opportunity struck again. The first time had been an epiphany. A reaction of possibilities. This time there was a plan to follow. As the skeleton reformed, the dusting process was hijacked. Metal bones were cut from the effect and the soup was allowed to crumble. The monster’s core was encouraged to half form around the spell’s center. Creating a natural balance in the construct. Instead of pulling each string as needed, commands could be relayed through her network.

A massive improvement over the first attempt, but still not where the witch knew it could be taken. Already she was writing up a mental report of improvements. Listing pitfalls and limitations to work around. Still, Molly couldn’t help feeling prideful as the metal bird moved to her whim. This was what she was meant to do. Pushing the bounds of her power brought forth a true thrill. The Council and concerns for the leadership had been wasting too much of her time. They were just weight and this was freedom. Chores before the excitement of Mana and acting out her own will.

Molly grinned. She aimed the metal skeleton at a monster and called her party.

“Come on, let us break these feathered fiends!”