Darkness cloaked the tunnel as I ran blindly, breath sawing in my lungs. Behind, snarls echoed my panic, drawing ever nearer in the murky depths. Conjuring a small wisp of light, no bigger than a firefly, I concentrated on willing it to glow brighter. I drew deep on reservoir far vaster than my small form implied, pouring more mana into the wisp until it swelled into a puffball hovering above my hand.Though they outnumbered me, I had no shortage of mana to confront the swarm, it was just that they seemed to be everywhere. "Take this!"Light blazed like the midday sun behind, momentarily blinding the swarm snarling at my heels. In that flash I wove bindings of simple darkness spell, ensnaring a few of them long enough to resume my flight.Once again, I drew deeply from my reserves, conjuring more glowing puffballs that exploded in blinding flashes.The tunnel blazed briefly, momentarily blinding pursuers enough for me to sprint ahead, dodging jagged rock formations.'Ugh, this terra

The approaching vermins seemed countless as they swarmed down the rubble towards Yon. But he still had strength even in his wounded form, and an immense amount of mana to fuel his spell. Rising, flames licked the ground, conjured by both hands in an all-consuming inferno.Points of ignition flared up around him in a circle. Creating the foundation, he connected these points, channeling his mana through them. The flames rose, forming a continuous ring of fire. He extended his arms, palms open, and began to twist his wrists, shaping the flames into a spiraling vortex.The air around him heated up rapidly as the vortex gained momentum, the flames licking higher into the sky.The searing vortex encircled his body, growing ever more intense. The front-runners of the vermin tide met the vortex head-on their tiny bodies igniting like kindling. Screams rent the air as they were immolated where they climbed, the flames tearing through their ranks.Yon concentrated harder, weaving the vortex