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The wind played with a strand of wispy white hair in front of Gerald's eyes as he stared at Jillian incredulously for a second at her response to his comment on her choice of spell. [I]More explosions than I can count? Does she mean... Rilon's thirst, the girl is insane.[/I] So not only did she intend to cast a spell that was projectile-based and difficult or impossible to aim with - so much so that she feared that she might not be able to avoid even hitting themselves - and for which the projectiles could basically shoot and hit anywhere, including among their own allies, but these projectiles were also explosive? And while he still did not know the properties or even the name of the spell in question, the witch's confidence in her choice seemed to suggest that the explosions would be rather significant, too. It was certainly a spell of impressive destructive power, possibly more so than any of the ones recorded in Gerald's spell book, but had she completely forgotten that they were supposed to be helping people at the moment? Were meant to protect something? This spell seemed like it was more likely to kill the Anaximite defenders and tear apart - and if it was fire-based, probably also burn down - most of the forest than to actually help turn the tide of the battle.
[I]Trust you?[/I] he thought as he turned his gaze onto the trees before him, where they would perform their magic. [I]I have known you for less than an hour, woman, and while you admittedly have demonstrated a notable affinity for magic and destruction in that time, you've also proven that you lack good judgment and have a disturbing disregard for others.[/I] The irony of him - a person that only days ago sacrificed most of the population of Shrubnest to save himself and his research - thinking that about another person was not lost on Gerald, but there was a difference between being willing to sacrifice others and not caring about sacrificing others.
So no, the warlock thought that it would probably be an extremely unwise decision for the time being to place any quantity of trust in Jillian until she had proven herself a little more reliable than that. Unfortunately he had no choice at the moment; they still did not have time to memorize a new spell, and if this was the best she could do, it would have to suffice. Maybe he could use [I]Electric Surge[/I]? No, its range was too short... [I]Kreshtaat.[/I]

And speaking of unfathomably powerful demons fated to wreck havoc and take countless of lives across the Planes, Gerald was startled just then by the sound of small pieces of clattering metal only several yards away, and which he turned his head to discover had come from a familiar-looking heavy iron chain, its links appearing half-melted and corroded, that had just fallen from the sky. Looking upward, he was rewarded with the sight of Diego trying desperately to escape from three wyverns and wyvern-riders at once, performing some impressive aerial acrobatics and employing his outstanding maneuverability to its very limit, yet apparently struggling. The winged demonspawn flew much more slowly now, he noticed, and his movements were getting clumsier by the second... and when he looked really hard, he could see that the other's right arm was practically drenched in (surprisingly) red blood from the shoulder and down. And as Gerald continued moving towards the tree line and looking up at the scene, another several wyverns joined the hunt, and it was not long before the deo'iel was completely swarmed... and then, once surrounded, he was shrouded by a greenish mist of wyvern-toxin.
The wyverns pulled away to save their riders from the deadly gas, but before it could get away, a pale hand burst forth from the mist and seized one of the wyverns' hindmost tail-spike so that as it flew away, it pulled Diego - now too weak to even beat his wings anymore - with it. He must have clutched at the spike with the very last of his strength, being able to hold on like that, but even that feat was nothing compared to what came next. Before the wyvern could shake off its unwelcome passenger its entire body seemed to start convulsing spasmodically, and so did its rider. A finger of lightning suddenly sprang between the vicious predator and the ground, accompanied by a clap of thunder.
And just like that the wyvern and its rider fell lifelessly to the ground... and the demonspawn, having relinquished his old on the creature, followed close behind it. [I]Good,[/I] Gerald thought, aware of how macabre it was to think such a thing in that situation. [I]It would have been harder to get their attention to focus on me if something else was attacking them. Me being the only threat will make it easier.[/I]
He also shot a look behind him, at the hulking giant of a mercenary from earlier, but he did not seem to be doing much, having left behind the wind-speaker and now being headed in much the same direction as him and Jillian. Their axe-wielding protector had broken off their course and had gone to intercept the dangerous crusader, so there was probably nothing to worry about.

Once they entered the inadequate shelter of the Anaxim trees, their thick boughs crisscrossing over their heads even as their leaves blotted out the sky, Gerald seized a mental image of himself in his mind and focused on it, picturing his viewpoint as being far above himself, using the entire visible surrounding area to reinforce the scene. He imagined the horizon, not in detail but simply as a line to indicate height, and hoped that the two pictures together would allow him to create his Shadow Image high up in the air despite of not being able to see or picture the destination of the spell.
"I am going to cast the spell now," he told Jillian quickly, turning to face her even as he continued panting from the run there. He began to repeat the incantation and gestures needed for the spell, and prepared his energy for spending. "When I do my body will go limp, but that is only because my consciousness will no longer be concentrated here. I won't be able to move or speak while I'm up there, so when it is time you will have to take my hand yourself..." He paused, thinking. "And if there is anything you want to say before this, now is the time; I can't guarantee that I will hear it once I cast the spell, and I definitely won't be able to reply."