--- <div class="content-box-sheet-alt-black"> <div img src="1735096181764.jpg" align="center" class="internal-embed" name="profile" > </div> </div> Aria let out an irritated growl aimed only very generally in the direction of her ire, a cloaked and hooded figure who had the sheer audacity to refuse to *die* when ***she*** willed it to be so. She spit out another string or syllables in the dead language she used to guide her will, arcane fire gathering into a loose ball in the air in front of her before streaking away towards it's target at her gesture. The crimson ball lanced toward the dark figure with a terrible howl, detonating on impact. Aria fought the urge to collapse in exhaustion, her arms trembling slightly regardless. That had been her last spell slot, if it hadn't been enough she wasn't sure what she would do. The swirling inferno parted suddenly, the glittering steel of the Agents blade missing her throat by the barest of margins as his form crashed into her a moment later. They tumbled together and Aria felt her feet go out from under her as their bodies collided in the dark. They crashed into the damp soil of the forest floor and she instinctively gripped her assailants wrist, struggling to keep him from bringing the weapon to bear against her. She made a futile attempt at casting one of her cantrips, her mouth barely forming the first syllable when his hand clamped down around her throat, crushing the spell before it even had a chance. Aria flailed in desperation, one hand desperately keeping the blade at bay her other raked at her opponents face. But where sharp nails would normally have wrought horrible furrows in soft flesh, more than enough to distract, but instead found cool unyielding metal. <div class="content-box-sheet-alt-black-right"> <div img src="1735096489830.jpg" align="center" class="internal-embed" name="profile" > </div> </div> Aria felt the darkness start to creep into the edges of her vision as her lungs screamed for air. Her hand brushed against the spell gem mounted into her belt, awareness of the spell she had stored in it instantly flooded into her mind. It was a simple spell, something she would normally categorize as a *"utility spell"* in most circumstances. The spell was used to fill a specified container with magically create food and drink, and absolute staple for the mage on the go. ***It was her only chance. Her last chance. Innovate, or die.*** <div class="content-box-sheet-alt-black"> <div img src="1735095514982.jpg" align="center" class="internal-embed" name="profile" > </div> </div> She gathered the spell, pulling it from the specifically prepared gem she had mounted on her belt. Her hand glowed with arcane light as the prepared spell gathered in a halo of mystic light. With a level of grace beyond the grasp of skill and available only to those in crisis, Aria gathered her fingers together into a point and forced her hand into her opponents mouth. Surprise alone granted Aria luck and her hand forced it's way past her wrist before she could go no further. Aria's eyes met those of her opponent, locking for a moment through the slits in his mask, wide in surprise at the unlikely circumstances they found themselves in. A moment stretched out as the prepared spell she held rushed through her as it triggered. The structure of the spell called for a *"container"* to be targeted, something that would not normally describe the average cultist, and Aria felt the spell start to writhe in her mind in rebellion. She called upon the only thing she had left, her will and her wits. With this will, Aria had broken death, she had bound souls, restored flesh, bent reality, and she wasn't going to stop now. She guided the spell through her, down her arm and threw her finger, the fingers that now perfectly sealed the tiny area, a container however temporary in duration. As she felt consciousness fading, Aria pushed every drop of energy, determination and sheer will into the spell, stretching it to it's limits. Where once the spell might have stoped when the specified container was full, Aria's mind demanded the full amount be produced. The full 45lbs of bland magically manufactured nutrient powder and the accompanying 30 gallons of water sprung instantly into existence in the space of it's temporary container. Aria gasped as air flooded her lungs, the hand that had been gripping her throat suddenly gone. Her eyes found the grotesque spectacle that was unfolding as a result of her spell. Her opponent appeared to have more than doubled in size, his clothing ripped and shredded from the sudden expansion. The Agent made spasmed in a gesture that evoked a sort of choking motion mixed with a sort of gasp one might see on a fish drowning at the end of a fishing line. Aria stood silently, waiting for a moment, unsure what was going to happen next. A thick stream of fluid poured from the Agents eyes, nose, and gaping mouth, appearing to be the powdered food created by the spell mixed with water and... Bits of the agent himself she suspected. She slumped to the ground, assuming that the fight was over and being tired enough not to care if it wasn't. Eyes closed in fatigue missed the movement in front of her as the agent defied all reason and managed to activate something on his belt. Her eyes snapped open at the high pitch whine the device made as it was activated, giving Aria just enough time to watch as the swollen caricature of a humanoid blinked out of existence.