No. 27 PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
This is an on-going BBC Merlin Whumptober series.
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Merlin had fought other magic users before. More than he'd like, for a variety of reasons. But right now, what he was dreading the most was the amount of effort it would take. Magic might be as easy as breathing, but even breathing got difficult if you ran for too long. And Merlin had been working out all day. Saving Leon from the collapse of his horse. Tracking down the bandits and the sorcerer earlier. Healing Leon had taken an enormous amount of power, healing always did when it worked right, and he's just done another sprint by turning the knight invisible.
The older sorcerer though had also cast several spells in the last hour, and Merlin was hoping the man was equally taxed or that Merlin's energy reserves were much deeper.
Merlin dodged another spell, trying to figure out the other's strategy. Spell battles between sorcerers hadn't been uncommon back in the day, but the more the battle went on, the more tired the spellcaster became, the more they relied on what Gaius called an affinity. Spells that came instinctually to a sorcerer's fingertips.
Merlin's own affinity, like he told Leon, tended to get messy. It was better if he could muster the concentration for a proper spell instead of reaching into his pool of magic to make something happen. It hadn't rained in weeks; if he brought down a lightning strike the forest might catch on fire, and he wasn't sure if he asked for a powerful attack that it wouldn't be a lightning strike.
He needed to practice more.
He relied on physically dodging the other sorcerer's spells. Merlin couldn't make all of them out, but they were less complicated body spells. One-word commands that would break a bone, cause a deep cut. Nothing Merlin wanted to get hit with, that's for sure.
Merlin tried to cast a sleep spell at his opponent, but he knocked it aside with a shield and followed up with a spell that slashed Merlin's cheek. The cut stung, a reminder that Merlin couldn't keep dodging forever. He had to do something.
Except the sorcerer wasn't holding a sword, so Merlin couldn't heat up the metal. And he held the center of the road, away from overhanging branches. But now, Merlin hoped, from roots.
Merlin concentrated on the trees around them and pulled up. The roots were slow to respond, large and heavy, but also reluctant to leave their water sources. The kingdom had seen no rain for weeks, leaving the topsoil parched. Only one tree answered his call, something the sorcerer was able to defend against with a cutting spell, but other root systems had responded enough to buck the ground upward.
The sorcerer lost his footing with a yelp, and Merlin called up the wind, hoping to smash the older man against a tree. The other man was faster with his spell, so even as the sorcerer was blown back, Merlin felt his shin break. He screamed and toppled to the ground, breathing heavily. Merlin watched as the sorcerer got to his feet, and knew he was in for a world of pain. His ability to dodge was severally hampered by a broken leg. He pushed him self up by his arms, preparing to roll or crawl.
From the woods streaked Leon, bloody sword ready for a swing. His mouth was open, but no yell came from the knight's mouth. It worked to his advantage, as the sorcerer didn't hear him coming.
Leon's slash caught the sorcerer in the side, blood streaming from the wound as Leon continued past him. The sorcerer choked, pressing a hand to the wound before whirling on Leon.
"I refuse to be taken down by a knight of Camelot," he shouted. He held out his hand and cast a spell.
Leon, in the process of pivoting around for another attack, wobbled as it hit him. Merlin couldn't see where, and Merlin had a brief thought it was a pity the sorcerer was about to die because learning a spell that could slash an enemy's skin while they were wearing chainmail might be useful at some point. His more important thought was now, while he's distracted.
Merlin dug into the pool of magic that lived in his chest and called out to the Earth itself, still wary of summoning lightning to a dry forest. It was quicker to come to his command than the trees were, the road under the sorcerer's feet buckling and then rising up to trap the man in hard-packed earth to his knees.
"Leon, now!" Merlin shouted.
Leon ran the sorcerer through.
Merlin could vaguely make out Leon's lips move as he stood there, sword sticking out of the sorcerer's chest, but had no idea what he was saying until Leon's voice suddenly shouted out "Thirty-six!"
Right. Good. Spell lifted. Sorcerer killed. Arthur…Arthur was safe. Wherever he was. Somewhere on the road, Merlin assumed.
Merlin let himself collapse forward. Leon shouted his name in concern, and between one blink and the next, Merlin found himself looking up at the knight's face.
"Are you alright, Merlin?" Leon asked.
Merlin blinked. "Tried."
"You were right about your magic being messy. The road's ruined. Arthur is going to have to send workmen to fix it before winter sets in. Once the ground freezes, it'll be impossible to work until spring, and then the rains might get in the way."
"Uh-huh."
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"Tried," Merlin said again. The adrenaline from the fight was fading, and Merlin could feel the edges of magical exhaustion creeping up on him. This was not the place for it, they still had to find Arthur somewhere on the road to Camelot. Merlin guessed it'd be a three-hour walk on foot, something he'd not be able to do with his newly broken shin.
"Can you carry me?" Merlin asked.
Leon sputtered. "Just because you're tired-"
"Oh no, my leg is broken. Can you carry me? You got hit with one of his cutting spells."
Leon pressed his lips into a thin line. "If I have to. But can't you heal it?"
Merlin patted Leon's knee, the easiest part to reach. "If I cast a spell that powerful, I'm gonna pass out. I'd rather save it for later. In case Arthur needs it."
"What if you…call our horses?"
"Your horse is dead, if you recall. Not far from here, actually."
"What about your's or Arthur's? If we ride, we can find Arthur faster, get to Camelot faster. And even if you do pass out, I can tie you to the saddle."
"Maybe."
"If you don't, the likelihood of us getting to Camelot before dark is zero and we have no camping gear."
"Why are you sensible?"
Leon smiled. "You usually are too, you know. Even if you hide it."
Merlin stared up at the man. Huh. He didn't think Leon had picked up on that. Arthur certainly hadn't yet. "Blood loss."
Leon rolled his eyes. "I've lot more blood than you today."
"Yeah? Well I-"
Leon placed a hand over Merlin's mouth. "Can you summon the horses or not? Even if they take a while to get here, it'll give me time to break the earth around the sorcerer's body."
"You can leave it. It's obvious what happened here is magic. We can say it was a sorcerer battle. That we know because of the evidence and not experience or witnessing anything."
Leon sighed. "We should still bury him."
"You sure?" Merlin asked. He held Leon's eyes the entire time, making sure Leon knew exactly what he was suggesting by the offer. Sorcerers didn't get burials in Camelot. They got burned and their ashes were left to the wind.
"He's human," Leon said softly. "Like you."
Merlin gave him a lopsided grin in thanks. "I'll see if I can summon the horses first and if I have any leftover magic help with the earth prison."
Leon nodded and Merlin closed his eyes, reaching into the land to feel life itself. It didn't take him long to find Arthur's gelding and Merlin's mare, he was familiar with their life forces, and they hadn't traveled too far in their fright. He nudged their brains to head toward him and Leon.
When Merlin opened his eyes to tell Leon the horses were on their way, the man was already using his sword to hack at the dirt mound around the sorcerer's body. Now that the danger was past, Merlin found himself feeling guilty. He knew Leon dealt the killing blow, but he'd played a part and he hated fighting other sorcerers at the end of the day. Hated how bitter many of them were. Lamented that so few of them could see the hope for a better future. Weeped at how many deaths he'd had a hand in, even if it was for Arthur's, and Albion's, sake.
Merlin's vision was blurry, he was for sure going to pass out soon, but called upon what he could to crack the hard shell of earth. He thought he heard Leon's shout of surprise before he let exhaustion take him.
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Galladrabbles!
More plane wreck shenanigans coming atchya! @galladrabbles told 100 words at a time. Thanks to @heyheyusedtobemynickname for the BEARD prompt. Read the master post here. Much love always to @energievie and @look-i-love-u for organizing and reblogging. 😘
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Finally, Ian sighs and scratches at his beard. He mumbles, “gonna fuck you,” and the next thing Mickey knows, he’s naked on his back amid broken tray tables and debris brought in by the rainstorm, with Ian, hot and hard, pinning his wrists down.
Growing flushed and sweaty, he eventually feels the slide of spit-slick fingers give way to a burning stretch that steals his breath away. And then Ian’s eyes flutter shut as his mouth falls open in a soundless whimper.
“You’re insane,” Ian grunts afterward and Mickey nods, swallowing dryly.
“Okay, but… what’s a little crazy between friends?”
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