Quest for the Lyre of Orphaeo

[Breaker]

The ground shook with arcane reverberations as Breaker tore down the tunnel toward Philomel. He could feel the strength of her magic, taste the earthy tones of her wrath. The stranger's energies gathered in counterattack as Josh arrived amidst the battle. The faun thrashed upon the ground, her body growing and mutating. Horrid sounds tore from her throat, the bleat of demon-goats arisen from Haide.

The light. It blinded Breaker like the sun reflected in a glass, like a thousand candles in a box of mirrors. He reached for the Eternal Tap to counter the magic with his own brand, but his grasp fell short. The brilliance of the witch's spell struck his arcane voice dumb. But she could not alter his indestructible skeleton, nor sap the might rooted deep in his muscles. Josh dashed toward the sorceress, arm upraised to shield his eyes, and leaped across the chasm Philomel had opened.

The light-spell swelled and a mote of brilliance burst forth, a fireball as hot as the sun. Breaker intercepted it in mid-air, allowing the deadly attack to strike his hip rather than Philomel's chest. The force of the blow sent him spinning into the corner, slamming against the harsh stone wall.

The light faded, and only then did Breaker realize his other senses had been numbed. He could hear Philomel's rumbling breathing as she changed. He could hear the sorceress, cursing him as she gathered herself for another spell. He could hear his hip sizzling where the fireball struck it.

Pain did not greatly impede Joshua Cronen, but the heat of the spell forced a gasp from his lips. He rolled onto his good side and attempted to rise, finding his legs strangely uncooperative. The force of the blow had stunned him. It would have killed any ordinary man. It would have killed Philomel.

Protect the lyre bearer.

Josh crafted an ice-poultice on his charred hip and abandoned the idea of walking for the moment. He rolled to his front and crawled toward the sorceress. If he could lay hands on her, he could kill her in less than a second.