Chapter 73.2- Doom Days

I took my dueling stance, expecting Nicholas to say something, anything to begin the duel. Instead, he remained there, not moving an inch. Almost like he was meditating or something. Only when heard a rustling behind me did I realise that we had begun. I jumped to the side, rolling along the sand and jumping back to my feet a second later. A massive crab of all things had aimed its pincers at me from behind and almost got me in that attack. How the fuck had he managed to keep it so silent.

The sand around Nicholas swirled, forming several spears that shot at me like bullets. I turned to them, forcing a shield charm that blocked them first of all. Then the ground at my feet exploded upwards. I flew in the air with the motion, finding myself falling towards the waiting maw of some sort of worm.

“Fulgur” I snarled, bringing my all to bear. The lightning bolt struck bright and fast, flying straight into the worm’s gaping maw and force ing it to fall back to the ground, dead. A slash of my wand slowed down my momentum so I began landing slowly.

Only for two birds, each one the size of a horse, to come at me from either side.

‘Ventus’, I mentally incanted, using the blast of wind to push me backwards and out of the way of the approaching birds. And then I felt something slam into my stomach, sending me falling back to the sand. A cushioning charm was the best I could manage before I landed. I rolled to avoid the next spell he would send, but when I turned my gaze to him, he was there in the same position we’d started with. His wand still pointed straight downwards and making no movements. The sand around me swelled with his magic coming to life and trying to restrain me.

I blasted the first two tendrils to smithereens. And then I sent three blasting spells straight at Nicholas. Well, more like one right at him. And the other two at either side, expecting him to dodge.

He did not. The same crab that’d started the attack at me was in the way in a matter of seconds, taking the first of my blasting curses on its carapace and allowing the other two fly to the sides. I wrenched my wand to the side, taking control of the crab and sending it flying to the side. The sand exploded outwards from either side again.

Two snakes.

“Stop” I snarled in parseltongue, watching Nicholas’ intrigued expression. The snakes both came to a stop, but then both of them opened their mouths, unleashing what had to be hundreds of bees right at me. Fuck.

“Fiendfyre” I hissed, calling the flames from hell by instinct as much as it was with intent, and wrapping it around my body to destroy the bees. I still felt a few stings— each one hurting something fierce as they got into my range before I could cast the spell.

Argh. I hissed, spreading the flames outwards and incinerating the snakes as well even as the bees that had been too close to destroy kept stinging.