Bomber had evaded the initial attack but he was very much still in the thick of the fighting. All the flowers around him had combusted within the magical fire, yet none of it had been able to reach him and so far hadn't thrown any damage messages. From my position at the edge of the flower field, the leash-wearing gemfawn was slightly downhill and visible... but coordinating with Bomber isn't going to be easy.

In a situation like this, there's another problem: the ground is almost impossible to see, which is keeping me from utilizing my doomspire of crystal's spell. All of my other magic should still work though; my staff flickers out of the Inventory, appearing mid-thrust of my arm so that it's pointing its crystal-strapped end right at the gemfawn.

Thornburst, Thornburst!

Casting twice forms the familiar magical projectiles immediately after the first spell fires, working like a queue to fling its deadly projectiles out through the field.

But while my staff is aiming at it, my direction is actually lower; the storm of thorns shreds and passes through the stalks of the flower field, snapping and sending the various shaded petals and stems sailing. The gemfawn turns its gaze in my direction and its antlers glow again, casting another spell. At first, I'm certain my attack might end up hitting it despite its low-aimed intentions.

Until a thick piece of bark materializes seemingly out of nowhere, its deep brown wood easily catching the thorns. The gemfawn may have been in the edge of my range, but it had seemingly stopped the attack midway; normally my attack penetrates or shatters, but this spell caught the first wave. The second wave of thorns cracked into it and the bark hued pitch black, erupting and bursting into cinders and dispelling all of the thorns at once.

Fire... but also nature? Why can this thing use fire magic and how does it have a spell that can make something combust without trave-... wait, is this still Basic Magic?

Bomber leaps into view and delivers a kick to the distracted deer's neck, pulling the leash to help pull himself into the strike. That attack staggers and sends it stumbling, seconds before it turns its body and swings Bomber by the leash. The ranbli squeaks and gets flung through the air, vanishing back into the grass.

Summon Bomber has sustained 2 HP damage.

At least it only looks comically bad instead of actually hurting him. If he were to strike that erupting bark shield or get hit by the spell, there's no telling what sort of condition he'd be in. Hell, I'm not much better off... and with the grass cleared between us, the gemfawn is already fixing its gaze on me.

This thing won't get in close unless it senses an opening, and even then I know it's a magic user. There's no reason to even think of using Thornguard unless I'm going to try and make a move on it. Given the Creeper and its mobility issues, getting close is going to already be difficult before accounting for it using Cinder. That narrows my options almost uncomfortably too low; I can either stay at range and try to overwhelm it with my maximum mana or I can try to get openings to either close in or rely on Bomber to strike. As a magic user, the gemfawn's stats clearly aren't meant for physically fighting. The spot Bomber kicked already looks stiff and the gemfawn is at a slight angle... it might be Bomber dislocated something with that leash-steered hit.

Remove Club.

Bomber's club materialized off to my side, my staff glowing brightly; rather than conventional casting or running a plan, I need to buy time. Even if it costs a lot, there's a solution.

Earthy Grasp, Earthy Grasp, Earthy Grasp, and Earthy Grasp!

Four castings is a lot of MP, with the base cost at 20 MP and 20 MP per minute. But the logic for it is a profound one that's logical when utilizing Basic Magic: stacking spells or using a simple spell for a basic task. All of my Thorn spells are best for harming whether or not it's employed offensively or defensively, but Earthy Grasp's core concept is something simple. It's probably why I wasn't able to merge the magics before; my vision on Thornshot, for example, was still using Thorntwist but isolating it to a single thorn that deals harm.

Earthy Grasp is a spell devised to hinder or trap.

The gemfawn lets out a low-pitched call, stumbling uneasily as rings of earth twisted and ringed each of its legs. Unlike the Boneback Bear where I used a single spell that was easily broken, this time I used four spells that isolated and divided the maximum force allowed.

[Notification] Advanced usage of Basic Magic detected.

Granting Ability: Magic Practitioner Magic Practitioner Learned Personal-type A step above Magic Theorists, Magic Practitioners have done more than mere theory. They have understood the basis of Basic Magic: a core concept, methods, and mana.

The user can cast 2 Basic Spells at once.

Unlocks secondary Basic spells for all affinities. [Notification] Two affinities detected: Nature, Earth.

Granting Bark Shield and Rampart.

These pop-ups are really picking a bad time to give me rewards; with combat going on, my mind instinctively closed the reader! I swear I-

Activating Anger Control.

... Huh. I actually don't feel angry.

Okay notifications, I'll forgive you. For now. You may have not let me see my new spells but I know exactly what one of those spells is since I've seen it used. I'm not taking my eye off the battle; I have to calmly push on and buy myself more time. And given the gemfawn is forming its own energy thorns, I need to act fast.

Bark Shield!

My staff's crystals all shimmer and pour mana, flooding outward and converging backward like a bubble. I don't see the thorns fire but I hear them striking the wood in front of me. The shield came at just the right time... but there's a difference between our shields.

Many of the thorns cracked right through, slicing at my body and snapping one of my precious branches clean off.

User Kaden has sustained 13 HP damage.

Fuck. It hurts and it's a lot of damage. Is this how unfair it is to fight me right now? If so, I guess this is partially karma getting around to me for killing that Boneback Bear.

Getting hit again is definitely not going to fly.

View new spells.

Bark Shield Acquired Nature-type A Basic spell; a secondary spell that seasoned Basic-level Mages utilize when they need to protect themselves. Creates a barrier of wood, shaped to the user's will, image, and knowledge.

Cost and strength vary based on the wood.

Can be summoned up to 20 feet away. Rampart Acquired Earth-type A Basic spell; a secondary spell that Earth Mages created so they could have greater control of where their spell is. Sometimes activated with a stomp or wave of the hand, the user creates a rampart of varying slope up to 60 degrees the spell originates on.

Can extend up to 10 feet.

Costs 20 MP to create, 2 MP per minute sustained.

I get why Bark Shield failed now. The gemfawn can make its shield combust but also has lived in Grey Valley its whole life, testing its antlers and breaking them off using the trees. It knows a lot about wood naturally.. whereas all I know is things like wood should be dry.

Without any idea of a specific wood or image, all I can do is use my will and shape it. Bark Shield isn't going to be a viable spell right now except maybe to create distractions. The previous barrier I made is still standing despite its damage and as wide and tall as myself, only costing a meager 4 MP.

Right now, Bark Shield is the perfect spell for supporting Bomber... while Rampart is most likely my defensive spell. Thorntwist and its deviants all have poor penetration when they hit the ground, which means that raising earth not only guards me against them but also the flames.

Bomber scrambles up out of the remnants of the field that hadn't been cut down in our exchange, hoisting his club up and casting a look between the gemfawn and I. He notices the damage I took and lets me know he cares; Bomber grabs the branch in his free paw, trying to put it on the snapped part with a worried squeak.

Don't worry Bomber, I'll be okay. The Omega Ranbi was far more dangerous than the gemfawn in front of us. It can use three elements but I just picked up two spells that should make bringing it down easy. I'll draw its attention and give you a window to get in close. You'll need to use that skill you picked up before... you remember the one I had you practice while I was gone?

The hare nods and hoists his club to his shoulder, dashing off and back toward the grass. Even though he can't talk, that nod is all the communication I need.

The gemfawn is done being patient with us, especially once Bomber charges back in. Both of its antlers glimmer and the cinders form again, but this time I'm ready.

Bark Shield and Rampart!

My new ability makes this feel weird. The best way to explain casting two spells at once is that it's almost like casting my crystal magic; the sensation of both Nature and Earth mana out, however, is different since normally it weaves together when leaving my body to create the crystal element.

The earthen ramp erupts out ahead of me and wood bursts out the side of it, cutting through the grass and walling off the flow of flame inches before it reached Bomber's fuzzy ears. The ranbli turns and rushes back out of the flowers, bounding up and out of his cover onto the top of the rampart. His agility being so high may be connected to his DEX, honestly; Ivy doesn't even come close to the agility the weaker of the pair exhibits. Although his stat total is lower, Bomber's focused stats make him ideal for situations where he can rely on his speed... and the earth-trapped gemfawn has no ability to step free yet with all of the Earthy Grasp still active.

Bomber lands and thorns flicker into view, yet the ranbli isn't bothered nor am I. My MP reserves are still plentiful for defense but the gemfawn's angle is only going to potentially hit Bomber with the rampart's height between us.

But hitting Bomber isn't possible for it anymore. Bomber flashes his grin at the gemfawn and his body wreathes in a golden hue, springing up so quickly that I don't even see him bend his knees. All that speed makes a simple jump seem effortless, carrying him through the air and beyond the range of the Thorns.

I'm never skipping another tutorial. Slowstep is definitely worth whatever setbacks I might have got if there is some sort of tutorial-restrictions placed on me.

Despite my confidence, of course, Bomber isn't completely free of danger. Descending so close to the gemfawn makes him extremely likely to get attacked with Thorntwist or potentially a similar spell like my Thornguard.

My solution to that is simple.

Bomber, now!

The rabbit, mid-fall, spins and swings its club with both hands. It might not be a kick but we don't need precision power like when we fought the Omega Ranbi. Right now, we need maximum strength behind a big stick.

... Can you guess why? If not, let me remind you that I use crystals on my staff to store extra mana.

Bomber smacks the gemfawn's sole full-sized antler, shattering it like glass and sending fragments flying everywhere. The gemfawn lets out a cry of defiance as Bomber flops on the ground mere inches from the still-snared creature, putting him in perfect range for its spells.

But when its destroyed and damaged antler glows... it can do no more than call out in dismay, neither of them able to muster the glow that they held at the start of all this. If it's a mage, then it's obvious: break its antlers so that its MP reserves are destroyed. After all that casting, there's nothing left in the remains of the antlers.

Just in time, too; I relax my spell hold on two of the Earthy Grasp and the deer starts rearing up and stomping at Bomber, forcing him to retreat.

I may have a metric ton of mana but using it all up isn't going to help us. This expedition needs me to preserve what I have left... and to do that, we'll have to finish the fight with a bit of a handicap.