The wolf is now going towards the woman and the child. I got so stupidly into calling out my achievements in the game just to try to intimidate a lich that I forgot to take any method against it trying to fight my binding spell.
In order to break out of it, you need to fight against it with enough power to overcome the spellcaster's own magic. Either physical strength or magic. The lich managed to destroy my binds with ease.
I should have been more careful.
I try to cast every spell I can before running out of MP. Karina attempts to use her skills to stop it, but it is fast enough to dodge without issues.
And then it jumps, growling, aiming for the woman protecting her child.
"Hyah!" Someone screams.
The wolf, right at the last second, gets thrown with a loud thud back and flies by me. Both the lich and I are stunned when we see a man holding both firsts forward.
His grey hair, long and held in a tail behind him, waved with the rest of the energy from his movement.
He relaxes his position, back hunched, arms falling on his sides, and an unreadable expression. He is lacking an eye, with a big scar going through it, crossing through his left cheek.
That must be Ash.
"Dammit… he appeared now that this vulpin is meddling in our business." The lich complains.
"You should be more careful, miss… this woman could be dead." Ash says to me.
"I-" I am not sure how to answer.
The form when he punched the wolf was firm, and that is not counting the fact that he just sent it flying like it was made of paper or something light.
I turn my attention back to the lich, who is annoyed on the ground.
He tries to stand up.
"Hold up!" I say and point the tip of Bloodless at his face. "You are not moving a single inch of your pale ass, buddy."
"...you damn vulpins, always messing with our plans."
"You are the one that got in here to cause trouble… Why are you looking for this man?"
He stares at me in silence.
"I said, who sent you?"
"...if you believe you can intimidate me, that makes you a fool." The lich answers. The Ice Stakes vanish and he jumps back.
I get into position, while I feel an overwhelming sura coming from him. It is like I can sense a strong aura escaping from his body, a powerful release of his energy.
"I will take you seriously now." The lich claims. "I, Marketh the Lich, will be your sworn enemy from now on. So give it your all, Crystal Witch!"
Heh. Maybe he saw through my BS or, probably, noticed he has a chance against me.
His fall.
Ash, the homeless man, turns towards the woman and takes her away from the situation.
Without Aurelia or Lisa's buff I must be careful against an enemy like this.
The lich starts casting spells against me. The dark ball from before, fire bolts. Each one hits the ground, causing a small hole to appear and destroy the grass, killing it with dark energy or brazen fire.
I respond by throwing fire bolts in his direction, yelling the incantations with intense words. He is not even trying to defend, focusing on the offensive, so I am taking chunks of his remaining HP.
He is not even using Ice spells against me.
I throw a few wands in Karina's direction and she takes them. The lich notices them and tries to destroy them by summoning a fire pillar.
"Aaah!" Karina screams in surprise but, being a spirit, manages to save the items I threw at her.
"I have no idea how you are managing to use the wands without direct contact, but that ends now!"
I do not answer. Even when it is a Lower Lich, its magic reserves must be higher than me. I am only keeping up thanks to my speed.
His casts are becoming more and more desperate.
"[Hellfire]!"
"[Nether ball]!"
"[DEATH GRASP]!"
Several hands appear in the ground, attempting to hold me in place, but I see the dark mist forming at my feet, and I get out at the exact moment the hands attempt to reach me.
He is yelling his incantations and casts now, trying too hard to get a hit on me.
Karina zaps one of her wands. A bright light appears from the tip of the wooden item and shines towards the lich. A [Light] wand, weaker than the scroll I used some time ago, but enough to make him go blind for enough time.
"Aaagh! You damn mutt!" He yells, covering his face from the intense light.
Taking my chance, I step closer and press my hand softly against his chest with my other hand touching Bloodless's blade.
He places his hand in my face, ready to cast a spell.
There is a moment of silence at that point. With a strong and direct spell he can kill me in one hit. And he must be only one strong spell from getting defeated.
I won't kill him for good, but he will be away for the time being and not be a problem right now.
This is like holding a gun to each other's faces. Only the one that pulls the trigger faster wins this last match.
"Last chance, tell me who sent you."
I ask.
"Heh… Only because you are amusing me… he did not say his name, but I could not see his face. A human with an incredible power, hiding his face in a mask of darkness…"
I growl when he describes his informant. No name, but I was imagining who it was.
The Traveler.
"What else did he tell you?"
He does not answer. But he casts a spell.
"[Death t-]!"
Without saying the incantation, I cast [Inferno] directly at his chest before he could finish casting his spell.
I misled him with my casting previously, and now he is burning in fire, the damage increased thanks to his negative resistances. I managed to hide my Feat from him, casting silently also means you can cast faster than you can say the words of the spell.
He does not scream, for a moment I see his eye staring at me with determination. While getting engulfed in the hot flames. A red spot managing to cut through the blazing fire of my spell.
And, after a few seconds, one dark smoking spot is left where he stood.
I am sure we both know we are meeting each other again and he might be stronger.
I will make sure to be too.