The spell fizzled out around the tips of Caitlin's fingers, and she could feel a sharp pain surge throughout her body. Each failed attempt was paid with a hefty toll. She gripped her shoulder worriedly, her thumb running over the small bloody wounds that Cevell had put into her. By now even if she got the spell to work she could be caught within the blast zone. That, and the high winds were starting to throw her around too much, forcing much of her concentration on just staying afloat. Falling back to the ship was a necessary embarrassment. She succeeded only in furthering her injuries during her time up in the sky; she would not fail back on the sea.
---
Caitlin leaned her hands against the doors to her room, catching her breath. She had fallen through her portal to return here, but even that was starting to make her body ache. There was maybe one good attempt left in her before she'd need to take a real rest. If Cevell wanted to go for a round two after this, she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop her... No, she had to. She was better than this. Hell, either of her parents would have had this whole mess done and buried in a nice little Cevel-shaped grave by now. She had been through worse !#%$ than this in her life (At least, that's what she was trying to believe), and that snub nosed, fashion starved !#%$ wasn't going to get the better of her.
Stepping out from her room and into the storm, Caitlin held her hat firmly in place against her head. Far in the distance she could hear another clap of thunder subtly over the howl of the wind. Straight ahead of her stood Sota, looking much calmer than she had earlier. "Welcome back, Captain," she smiled with a wave. "Giving it one last shot?" Caitlin stepped beside her, resting a hand on the railing in front of her room as she looked down at the first mate. "You're not worried?" she asked. Sota shook her head in response. "Why not?" With a sly smile she tilted her finger, pointing at nothing as the sound of thunder rolled by yet again. "Even if you can't do it, there's someone on stand-by who can take care of this." Caitlin frowned at the reply. She hadn't meant it the way Caitlin seemed to take the comment. Placing a hand on Caitlin's back, Sota spoke in a reassuring tone. "Hey, if he wanted to stop it he would have already. They're trying to let you take care of this on your own. He doesn't want to interfere just as much as you don't want him to." "If that was true he wouldn't be sitting around out there," replied Caitlin dissatisfied. "It's like neither of them have any faith in me sometimes." "He's your father, Cait. Of course he's going to be worried about you. You fret over Sunny and Rei constantly. I think, there might be something else to it though. Doesn't this situation remind you of something? Someone? ...Maybe I'm just..." Sota gave Caitlin a quick pat on the back, signaling her to get back to work. "Go on, get back in there. Hey, if you manage to pull this off, maybe Sarah will let you skip all the way to the 5th grade!" she smirked, finally drawing a smile out of her friend.
Shambling her way to the center of the ship, Caitlin spotted Sunny and Kimmy. She moved towards them, looking at Sunny with concern as she approached. "Hey Sunshine," she said with a small frown as she pointed to Sunny's bandages. "What happened? Are you sure you can...?" She paused, looking up at Kimmy before turning back to Sunny. "Well, if she's letting you try it then I guess you're fine. But..." Caitlin looked up towards the sky, pausing. The red was brighter than before. "Never mind. We'll talk later." She looked at Sunny's nervous face, trying to look confident herself as she spoke to the young mage. Confidence was hard to convey with her face scarred up from the Holy-Shells. "Sunny, it's alright. You're more than capable of handling this. Plus," she reached up, lifting her hat off her head. In the same motion her horns appeared, and her now red eyes were almost a light behind the rain. "I'll be right here, helping you. Between the two of us there won't be a speck of these meteors left." Taking the hat in her hand Caitlin placed it on Sunny's head. She placed her hand on her shoulder, just giving her a smile before taking a few steps away. Standing too close to Sunny's magic could have negative effects on her. "C'mon. I bet I can get more than you," she said playfully, trying to make the matter more of a fun competition for them. Whether it was to ease Sunny's mind or her own, who was to say.
Caitlin stretched her hands far in front of herself before raising them high into the air, preparing the spell she had continuously failed minutes before. Faint red lines of energy formed around her in a crystalline shape. Her voice was loud over the storm as she softly spoke in a commanding tone:
"Darkness beyond twilight Crimson beyond blood that flows Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand Before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand."
Her hair and coat rose as if a strong fan were placed beneath her, and the wind and rain seemed to no longer touch her. The lines that had surrounded her gathered in the palms of her hands, forming a red and black sphere of dark energy. Small sparks of electricity flowed from it as Caitlin continued, lowering her hands to her side as she readied her attack.
"In thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness Let all the fools who stand before me be destroyed By the power you and I possess."
Caitlin could feel the spell 'catch.' At last she could feel it - the power running from her fingertips through her entire body. Not against her like before, but for her. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Her fingers trembled at the very might of her own strength. The sphere continued to swell and grow as Caitlin recited the last words.
"DRAGON SLAVE!"
With the last of her might Caitlin threw her arms forward. The sphere shot straight towards the reddening sky as a same-colored beam trailed followed it along. A cone was somewhat visible at its front as it broke the air, climbing higher and higher. Caitlin fell to her knees as she watched her spell soar into the clouds. Over the storm and all its wind and thunder the crew could hear a deafening explosion. The sky flashed a bright red where the beam had disappeared.
That was the last thing Caitlin saw as she fell forward, blacking out...
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Last edited by Voice on Tue Nov 03, 2015 2:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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