The Maelstrom (part 3)

I learned something new about Frost Nova that day. I learned something that the Naga have probably known for quite some time. It doesn't work like one would think it should under water. As one of the Naga swam toward me, I focused my magical energy on a spell that, on land, would send a wave of solidified air at the enemy. I had no idea how this spell would act under water and there was no time to test it. Thankfully, it worked well. In fact, it worked more powerfully than I had hoped. It shoved the attacking Naga back and knocked him unconscious. The other two were casters, so they stood farther back. When the wave of solidified water hit them it was nearly dissipated and they were only slightly struck in the middle of casting a spell. I calculated that they were just about as far as a Blink would take me. Thinking quickly, I surmised that a Frost Nova would create a circle of ice around me, capturing my enemies and floating them to the surface unable to break free. I Blinked between the two casters and cast Frost Nova.

And they stayed exactly where they were.

I was taken aback for a second... a second wasted.

I ended up behind one of them, so his spell was lost to line of sight, the other had turned, however, and managed to cast a Frostbolt. It flew surprisingly well in the watery atmosphere, and smacked me in the face. The other one, who was unable to cast his spell, had a missing tooth. I noticed because his tongue slithered disgustingly through the gap as he spoke unknown words of power to awaken his melee friend.

The three of them were locked in place by my Frost Nova. They were unable to move when they should have been floating to the surface. This had passed my mind, however, and I was now focused on defeating these three.

The Naga warrior, now awake, was still severely damaged. I surmised that focusing my efforts on him to remove him as a threat altogether was wise. That is, until I saw his wounds heal from a spell cast by the toothless healer.

Snaggletooth now had my full attention.

The other caster, clearly a mage of some sort, had sent another Frostbolt my way. The first had done only a little damage. This one was a peck on the shoulder. I winced, but then gathered my energy to attack Snaggletooth. This time, I accompanied the same atmosphere-hardening spell with a splash of fire damage and focused it on Snaggletooth. A wave of burning water emanated from my hands and attached itself to the healer, damaging him severely and burning his wounds over time. The same spell knocked the warrior free of the curiously static Frost Nova and he lunged forward in my direction.

Did I mention the fire that I added to that spell was a Living Bomb?

As the warrior brought his ugly-looking axe down upon me, I knocked it out of the way with a telekinesis spell. It still managed to take a chunk off of my elbow. Don't ask me how it got back there. The mage managed another Frostbolt. These mosquito bites were becoming annoying.

Finally, Snaggletooth exploded. Pieces of the healer flew as far as they could within the water, bubbles escaped him and fire jumped from him to the other two. The explosion also caused an unexpected shockwave in the water that stunned the mage and stopped him from casting another one of his annoying spells.

It was me and the warrior now. As I readied a new spell, he knocked me with his shield. As if this could stop the last Guardian of Tirisfal from casting a potent spell. Contrary to the warrior's wishes, a great ball of fire flew from my hands and landed a critical hit in his face. I stood in place watching him struggle. A simple Fireblast put him out of his misery.

When the mage came to, he saw his friends defeated and attempted to swim away. I disallowed that. I cast Frost Nova and the mage turned, unable to move from his place in space. With a threatening glare I approached him. His reptilian face betrayed his fear.

I had several questions for him. But one was foremost on my mind. I pointed to the ice that now surrounded his leg-less tail. I coughed a most uncomfortable cough as I, for the first time, allowed water instead of air to manipulate my vocal chords. Recovering, I emitted a low hum to prepare myself for water-speech. It was incredible. I could hear my voice muffled and mangled, but, in a sense, I could hear myself better than I ever could on land.

Once I was used to the water, I spoke to the creature. Again pointing to the ice keeping him still, I asked, "Why doesn't this ice send you floating to the surface?"

The Naga looked confused, but I knew he understood me. "You seem to be a powerful sorcerer," he said, "But you don't know the details of this basic spell? I think you have a lot to learn about magic."

I smiled. I suppressed the urge to break out in an all-out guffaw. Who knows what kind of havoc that could wreak on my tender, water-controlled vocal chords?

"Nevermind," I said, "I will keep you alive if you help me."

"Help you do what?"

It was a reasonable question. A question that deserved a reasonable answer. There was a time when I believed my visit to the Maelstrom to be a random, flighty adventure. But when I got here, I found a dire reason to push forward.

"Magic is strong down here," I answered, carefully scanning his face for a reaction to my deductions. "I need you to take me to what remains of the Well."