"Fine," he muttered. "Let's not waste time." He raised both hands; another magic circle ignited, a crackling orb of pale blue light with angular runes etched sharply upon it, pulsing like tiny lightning veins.
The circle contracted violently. A lance of lightning erupted forward with a deafening bang that split the air in blinding flash. It tore through the frontmost monster; electrical surges raced through its mineral veins until they glowed white-hot before it detonated from within, shards of superheated stone blasting outward like shrapnel.
Sage exhaled sharply. The monsters did not retreat; they accelerated, and so did he.
Fire roared; wind screamed; lightning cracked. He advanced through the first floor like someone forcing their way through a collapsing mine, each spell tearing openings through converging masses of stone while every movement was calculated and measured; his mind already cataloging responses.
