Melody of Mana

The scream was decidedly feminine, and as all eyes turned toward the doors our blood collectively ran cold. What was the worst was that as everyone looked the illusions started to fall, bringing the room into night quickly. Even the lights that hung from the ceiling started to fade slightly, which seemed odd to me.

One of the men stepped forward, he had eyes like steel as he began to shout orders. He wore a silver jacket. "Men, cover the doors. Physicals in front, if you have a weapon draw it. Wizards provide covering fire and shields, priests and bards on the inner line with women and children, support where you can. GO NOW!"

Men blurred as they ran to the fireplace to grab pokers. The bar and it's stools were ripped apart with bare hands to form clubs. One man took a plate from a waitress and wrapped it around his fist like a gauntlet. I didn't know what was going on but these men had been to war, had fought for years. I was now going to see them when they defended their families.

As the chandeliers began to fail several sent up balls of light. When mine went up though I experienced something completely new. It felt as though the mana was being sucked out of the light as it hung in the air, pulling the power directly from me. I was not the only one to feel this.

"Somethings pulling away my mana!" A woman just ahead of me yelled.

"Three potential monsters, two potential spells. Do not cast directly at whatever comes through that door, suppress auras." An older wizened looking man near the first who'd given the orders for our orientation called out.

I pushed hard against my aura, pushing it harder down than I had in years until it was almost nonexistent. Jackson was just in front of me, looking forward as he pulled up a mace he'd gotten somewhere, his was nearly gone too. All the auras began to shrink down smaller and smaller, all but a few of the young, those who hadn't yet learned how.

Several of the older men were whispering to themselves. Most likely and worst case scenarios, battle and retreat plans. They were spooked, not much could mess with the spells of others, and all of those that could were powerful enemies.

We could all feel whatever was coming, it moved toward the front door of the ballroom. Inch by inch it got closer, draining our magic bit by bit as it came, everyone was on edge, everyone could feel their breath in their chest as something slinked ever closer.

The door opened.

There stood Armina, one of Quinta's friends. Her pretty pink dress and the bows in her hair marred by gouts of blood and black ichor that flowed down it. From her mouth, her ears, her eyes they flowed. When she looked up all that was where her eyes should be were a pair of black voids. She stood in the doorway looking at us.

The old wizened man didn't hesitate.

With a 'thwump' the wall nearest to the back line ceased to be. His other hand shot forth a light that flew through it. His voice was panic and despair as he began to yell.

"That's a mana-eater! RUN! Men, hold the line, hold if you want your families to live!"

Armina shot forward like a rocket towards the screaming old man, only to be met by the silver-jacketed man and he who'd wrapped a plate around his fist. Several of the men ran forward to slam into her with whatever they had on hand. The mass of bodies swirled as panic gripped everyone around.

It took me too long to move and a hand wrapped itself around my arm, pulling me away and towards the now missing wall. It was hard to run in a dress but run I did, terrified people were all around. I could hear a few cries and as I got near the hole a torso slammed into a pillar near me.

I looked up to see Dietrich pulling me along behind him, his face a mask of stone as we passed through the opening. We were one of the last and fortunate to be so. A series of twangs and thunks rang out and the first few of the women and children to flee fell.

It was unclear who or where the attack had come from but I paled as I realized that this surely was an attack. There could be no mistake, someone had loosed a monster on the ball and set to ambush any who fled. I didn't know who, or how, or why anyone sane would have done such a thing, but I wanted to weep as I was pulled into the bushes, past a girl no older than myself lying with a quarrel protruding from her chest.

I struggled to keep up with Dietrich as he ran, finally letting go of my hand. The outfit I was in was in no way made for running. I took some heart in the fact that this was his home and he probably knew it as good as if not better than anyone else.

Eventually he stopped in a small concealed alcove so that we could both breathe. I nearly fell over as the adrenaline pulsed through me. As I looked at the ground I saw my shadows doing strange things and pointed my eyes skyward. There high above us a light flickered through a series of colors, brilliant where it hung in the sky.

"It's an emergency signal, highest priority if I remember right. There'll be knights here within the hour, we just need to survive."

"What, what was that thing, that looked like Armina?" I stammered out.

"A mana-eater obviously."

"I don't know what that is."

"They're rare, and old... I'm not sure on the details, but they go after magic users. They're considered among the more dangerous of monsters."

"What do we do?" I whispered.

"Keep quiet, keep hidden, keep our auras suppressed"

I took his advice and we rested where we were, both trying to bring our auras into non-existence. It was a skill I hadn't practiced in awhile, something I resolved to change if I made it through this. We hid in the alcove, looking out a small hole in the bushes as we waited for help to arrive.

I saw two men moving through the courtyard. It wasn't big, and through our hole I could see them nearing a fountain. As they did another man came from the side. All moving toward the water feature. A hand shot forward pulling a form from the water.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," said the man as he pulled up what seemed to be a girl in her late teens, "Not gonna cast nothin'? Afraid our little pet might feel it and come out to play with you? I'm sure it will sooner or later."

I was frozen. If I used magic would it draw the mana-eater? If I didn't what would they do to her? Could I cry out, or scream? What might they do to me if they found me?

"We don't have time for this. Look at the sky." The man who'd come from the far side said, pointing upwards.

"I've plenty of time for a bit of fun." The first said.

I drew in my breath. It was hard to start pulling what I needed for a scream while keeping my aura suppressed, but I began the process. I'd wait until I was sure I had a good shot and I'd let loose on the bastards, damn the consequences. I could see Dietrich from the corner of my eye moving his hands forward to point at them, ready to loose his own spell.

The first man's hand reached forward towards the girl's chest but it never made contact. A small purple light smacked him in the back and he popped like a balloon. The girl fell as blood and viscera sprayed the other two men and their would-be victim.

The two remaining men turned and raised crossbows but never got the chance to fire. As soon as the girl hit the ground both Dietrich and I loosed on them. A wave of agonizing sound followed by a burst of wind that took both men to the ground.

Both men were down for the count. As I rushed forward to try and help the now quite in shock girl, the priestess from earlier entered the little clearing with it's fountain. Her face was a mask of rage as she approached the man nearest to her. Holding her hand up as he clutched at his ears.

"Those such as you do not deserve to live, perish." was all she said as she cast upon him.

It was not as explosive as her previous spell. It didn't need to be to have a profound effect though. I didn't think her target could scream, but his face said all it needed to about the agony that passed through him with the purple light she sent his way. It took a few seconds for him to die. When she finished there was little more than a pile of organic goo left behind.

Added to my note to practice suppressing my aura was another to never truly piss off a priest. They were terrifying when they let loose.

The final man was trying to rise from the ground. He had been the one to tell the other to stop, so he might not die quite as horribly as the other two. Judging by the look on the young priestess' face though, he was still absolutely going to die. He crawled away as she came nearer and nearer, walking towards the man.

A small figure emerged from the bushes in front of him, looking down. The man looked upwards. I'm not sure what was going through the mind of the mana-eater as it's void-like eyes met those of the would-be killer, but for whatever reason it made an errant swipe with an arm and his head turned with a sickening crunch, body falling lifeless to the ground.

"Oh, shit," the priestess said.

"Oh shit," I agreed.

The mana-eater looked up towards us. It had taken quite the beating. One of Armina's arms was gone, only a stub remained. Her dress was in tatters, bits and pieces ripped, cut, and torn away by whatever battle it had been in before finding us. Even it's face was marred to bare recognition as it turned and stared at each of us, as if looking for the next thing it would call it's meal.

"I do not believe we were done yet young lady. Wherever have your manners gone?" The large man in the silver jacket said as he strode out behind the mana-eater, a sword raised high above his head.