CH368 Thera’s Perspective

“Isn’t this just a game over for us then?” Jake asked. “If our spells are just going to keep getting cancelled then we’re kind of fucked. Even if Amy has another sword and shield on hand, she can’t handle everything alone.”

“Well, if you’ll notice Thera’s success in keeping us all safe so far things aren’t that bleak,” Ben explained, not seeming as worried as it seemed like he should have been. “Magic nullification is definitely annoying, but it’s the sort of thing that only works well on purely magic-based attacks. Something like earth or water magic that controls a substance might have the mana put into it cancelled, but it won’t kill any momentum that’s already there so when you fire a spell it just needs to be fast and hard. Honestly, it’s manageable enough that I can only expect things to get worse. And only a few minutes left so stay on your guard everyone. Me and Yuzu should probably keep out of the way while you all keep us safe.”

It seemed like he was trying to be cute about it but Thera couldn’t help but worry. As they waited to see if he was right, she pushed her earth sense with all she had, trying to feel anything approaching, with something coming at the edge of her awareness at the same time Ben spoke again.

“Probably around now.”

Contrary to his expectation though, nothing emerged from the ground as the others waited with weapons at the ready, only because Thera had dealt with them before they could even try to emerge.

“Okay, I’m wrong, this is awkward,” Ben muttered while she spoke up.

“You weren’t. I handled them before they got out. Also, there were three of them this time.”

“Mmh, like that even less,” He grumbled while Amy turned to them.

“Okay, if the number is just going to keep going up then can we count on you for the time being Thera? We’d probably be better waiting till it becomes more than you can handle.”

“You got it.”

By that point, she’d planned on taking on all she could anyway. Her magic was powerful enough that she could put enough force into any attack that cancelling it would be meaningless, and the fact that she could sense them burrowing through the ground was enough of a benefit that there was no reason that the others should need to do anything. She understood in principle they needed whatever practice they could get, but Thera wouldn’t put that need above their safety.

From there, things moved uncomfortably smoothly. For the next twenty rounds she had been able to keep up with everything she’d felt, even if it did leave her mind a little strained as she pushed her sense to feel everything around her, while the others waited, each feeling a bit of guilt for how little they’d been contributing, even if it was better in the long run.

It was a strategy that left them not even seeing the creatures, keeping bodies from piling up around them as the sand blew all the harder outside of the area she was blocking off, but for the ten after that she couldn’t help but feel the strain of her limits being pressed as she tried to deal with enemies coming in from all sides.

I can do this. Just a bit more and then I’ll have to start letting some through.

She wanted to handle as many as she could. The more she could take, the less risk there was to everyone else. The less the others had to deal with, the less chance of something getting thorough and digging its claws into Ben, so she kept pushing, handling up to the fortieth wave at nearly five hours of constant casting before she needed to call out to the others.

“Okay, Amy and Jake I’m going to need to start letting a few of the ones on your side by for you to handle!”

“Got it!” They yelled back, standing on guard as the next battle began, Thera only letting two past her for them to deal with so she could focus on the rest, still crushing them before they left the ground as Amy cleaved one with her sword, the two halves of the beast falling to the side while Jake attacked with the earth in the same way Thera had at first, stabbing into the creatures while the life bled out of them.

As the first of the creatures that had made it through the sands to actually attack, it was their first time since the beginning to see what they were fighting against with their own eyes. Almost twice as large as the ones that started and with longer, thicker claws, the fact that they were changing warned of more dangers to come that they had to wait for as their fight continued.

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With each round adding one more monster she had to keep letting more and more through, both Amy and Jake picking up whatever extra they could while things continued on, and despite the exhaustion that was setting in she couldn’t help but feel confident. As things stood, they’d eventually be going against a hundred. It was going to suck, no doubt about that, but she was sure they would manage. She was killing hers fast enough that she would get a small breather between rounds, giving herself little mental breaks to prepare for what would be thrown at them next, letting her drink some water or eat some food before all of her attention was pulled to feeling the land beneath her for whatever would try to pop out of it next, letting as few through as she could.

I can do this. She told herself as she crushed dozens of creatures in the sand. Forty more rounds, a little less than five hours left, it’s doable.

Even as she told herself that though, it felt like time was dragging on more and more. Even if it was doable, she couldn’t help but look forward to leaving the floor and never thinking about it again.

Confidence was a feature the trial was happy to strip from her though. As she put all of her focus to the ground, a new threat came from the sky.