“I don’t get it. It’s a hammer?” Freya asked, sitting on the stone stairs leading down to the arena.

  “What’s the small cylinder beside it?” Lilly added.

  Eli grinned as he ran his hands along the top of the hammer. It was a double-headed weapon, with a large flat square face on either side. The head itself was a little over 2 feet long in total, and the impact surface was about 8 inches across. The entire object – including its 5-foot long handle - was made from a gold-like substance, and had runes etched up and down its surface.

  Tracing his fingers underneath the hammer head, Eli found a pair of hidden buttons and pressed them at the same time. There was a loud click before the head itself swung open, revealing a hidden cylindrical compartment with springs on either side. He took a further moment to appreciate the workmanship of the runes etched into the inside, tracing them across the hidden compartment with his fingers.

  “Now you’re just drawing it out!” Freya teased him.

  Chuckling, Eli picked up the small cylinder from beside the hammer and slotted it into the hidden compartment between the springs. He then closed the hammer, his grin widening further as the runes across its frame began to glow with a bright blue light. With one tentative hand he grabbed the enormous hammer by its handle, thumbing a hidden trigger before lifting it out of the box and swinging it tentatively through the air.

  “Is…that arcanite?” Talaedra said incredulously.

  “It is!” Eli replied enthusiastically. “The entire thing is made from it.”

  Freya whistled lowly. “That must have cost a pretty penny.”

  Eli shrugged as he continued to swing the hammer casually back and forth, gradually moving faster and faster. “Gradumir and Ashni did it for me, as a favor.”

  “You also shouldn’t be able to do that.” Talaedra said, eyes narrowing. “As strong as you are – for a human – an arcanite weapon of that size should be far too heavy for you to wield in battle.”

  Eli nodded. “My thoughts exactly. Which is why I had this one enchanted with spatial magic to be much lighter! It weighs less than a pound, total.”

  “But doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a hammer?” Talaedra questioned. “I am no melee combat expert, but as I understand it the point is to hit something – or someone – with a large, heavy object.”

  Eli laughed. “Well said, and true. Which is why this had to be arcanite. It has a second, hidden set of enchantments. It uses a magical battery – similar to the one we found in the Demonsbane Blade – and a pair of springs to make sure that the second enchantment only activates when the hammer hits something. They make it incredibly heavy for a moment – not enough time to counter the weapon’s momentum, but enough time that the impact is given some serious weight.”

  “Can you show us?” Freya asked.

  Nodding, Eli turned towards the now-empty wooden box. He rolled his shoulders once and set his feet shoulder-width apart before bringing the hammer all the way back. With a final wink towards the women he swung, feeling the weapon sail through the air as if it weighed nothing.

  When it made impact, there was a loud crack as the blue lights along the hammer momentarily switched to red. Eli felt the impact of the hit, but before the increased weight registered with his senses the lights changed back and the hammer became blue once more. His arms naturally followed through, to the point where he had to stop his momentum before he overextended his reach.

  Looking down, he saw that the wooden box was gone.

  There was nothing left of it – no splinters, planks, or nails. As he looked up he saw that there was now a fine sawdust spread out along the floor all the way to the far wall of the arena, where it was still falling softly to the ground. As he looked closer he saw that there were several nails also embedded into that same wall – driven far enough into the stone that someone would need a large pair of plyers to even attempt to pull them out.

  With a flourish, Eli turned back to the three women in time to see their slack-jawed stares. “How was that?”

  “What… just happened?” Freya asked finally.

  Eli cackled before answering. “Physics. Big heavy thing going really fast makes things disappear.”

  “You didn’t just hit the box.” Talaedra said slowly. “You disintegrated it.”

  “Yeah, when you start dealing with forces of this magnitude, regular physics gets a bit wonky.” Eli responded. “Getting hit with this is like getting hit with a small train going about 75 miles per hour – and that’s in my human form. In my orcish form, I can probably bring that even higher.”

  “That seems dangerous to be swinging around then.” Talaedra cautioned.

  “There’s a hidden safety switch, here.” Eli said, holding it up for them to see. “If I’m not pressing this down, then the second enchantment never activates and it’s basically just a big paperweight.”

  “It’s such a strong enchantment though – 2 enchantments, in fact. How long will the charge last?” Freya asked.

  “I figure I can get 100 swings out of it, give or a take a few. But the real beauty is that once I run out I can replace the battery, which will give me 100 more swings. Gradumir and Ashni have a few dozen batteries back at their shop, and they’re working on ramping up production for me. I don’t think it’s going to be an issue anytime soon.”

  “My. You are full of surprises. May I examine it?” Talaedra asked as she stood.

  Shrugging, Eli moved towards the trio of women before handing the hammer to the ancient wood elf. She took it in both hands before carrying it to her desk, placing it down gingerly. She then ran her fingers along it in the same way Eli did only moments ago, muttering to herself as she did.

  Content to let the woman work, Eli turned back to Lilly and Freya. “Not bad, huh?”

  “Not bad at all.” Freya admitted. “But don’t think for a second that this is going to get you out of creating a new spell mister. You promised.”

  “I know, I know.” Eli said, holding up his hands in fake surrender. “I’ll do it. I could just use some inspiration, that’s all.”

  With a sultry look on her face, Lilly stood and stalked towards Eli before whispering into his ear. “Do this for us and the two of us will spend an hour sucking your cock…together. We’re going to make you cum until you see stars.”

  She finished her comment with a searing kiss – one that caused the blood in Eli’s body to redirect from his brain to between his legs. The way her hips swayed back and forth exaggeratedly when she moved back to the stairs drove the more primal part of his brain wild. He shook it slightly to clear it before moving to the middle of the arena and sitting in an effort to focus on the task at hand.

  Lilly and Freya. He thought to himself, closing his eyes and trying not to picture them naked next to him. What do they mean to me? I love them both deeply, but in wildly different ways. Their personalities are so different – what do they have in common? And how does that translate into a spell that combines both ice and life magic?

  Slowly, he let his thoughts drift. He worked backwards, settling on particularly strong memories of either of them. He recalled the first time he told them he loved them – Lilly after a battle against skeletal creatures in a wood elven realm, and Freya after fighting against rogue lizardkin impersonating orcs. He remembered the relief he felt at the fact that they were safe after each battle, his mind making a connection between the two events.

  But I feel that way every time we come home after a battle. He recalled, stopping himself. And I feel that way about everyone in my life too – not just the women I’m romantically attached to.

  Feeling his frustration rising, he cast his mind back even further. He recalled the first time he met them, standing to either side of Aria in a ruined hallway after having fended off an assassination attempt. He remembered the way they were willing to give their lives to protect Aria, then the way they diligently nursed him back to health after he killed the assassin.

  They protected Aria. He realized, a loose idea forming in his mind. Then they protected me. That’s what their love means to me.

  With that idea in mind, he recalled the torrid date night the three of them had in Paris together. His mind anchored on that memory as he let the mana flow within him, causing a golden glow to form behind his still-closed eyelids. He heard Lilly and Freya yelp in surprise and scurry backwards as the golden magic coalesced into a ball around him, swirling and undulating in wild patterns.

  Probably for the best that they back up. He thought to himself. I’ve got no idea if this is going to work.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Finally, he opened his eyes to see the wall of golden mana in front of him. With the memory of the three of them at the forefront of his mind and the feeling of protectiveness in his heart, he thrust both hands outwards. He concentrated for as long as he could, holding onto all the related thoughts before giving name to his new spell.

  “Protego!”

  A blinding flash filled the room before suddenly disappearing. In its place a foot-tall creature fluttered a pair of butterfly wings, hovering above the ground in front of Eli’s face. It was decidedly feminine in appearance, with a body made entirely of ice and curves that matched Freya’s – though without any of the anatomical features.

  “Uh…hi?” Eli said hesitantly.

  The creature summersaulted in the air before waving enthusiastically. To him, it looked like someone had taken a plastic doll, given it wings, and covered it in a layer of ice – it had enough human-like features to almost be human, but seemed to lack most of the details. It seemed to have at least some intelligence though, given that when he tilted his head in confusion it mimicked the motion.

  “What is that?” Freya asked, slowly descending the stairs towards them.

  In a fraction of a second, the creature spun towards Freya and summoned a wall of ice between them and her. Eli’s eyes went wide in surprise seeing how quickly the protective barrier appeared, and they went wider still when he realized the ice was reinforced with a lattice of tree branches running through it like rebar through concrete. Without thinking he reached out to touch it, only for the creature to fly in front of his hand and begin shaking her head frantically.

  “Uh…okay. Don’t touch, got it.” He said, uncrossing his legs.

  “What’s happening over there?” Lilly’s voice called. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah!” Eli replied while looking at the creature. “Were you…trying to protect me?”

  The creature nodded enthusiastically in response before peeking her head over the makeshift fortification. Seeing that Lilly and Talaedra were both approaching alongside Freya, she waved her hands to extend the wall upwards and around them, encircling the two of them together. She casted so quickly that by the time Eli moved to interrupt her the barrier was almost complete.

  “Woah, woah!” Eli said, waving his hands. “It’s okay! They’re friendly. They’re not going to hurt us.”

  The creature looked back at him hesitantly before stopping her spell. Her wingbeats slowed as she moved back towards him before finally sitting on his shoulder. Her eyes never left the opening in the wall though, and based on the look on her face Eli could tell she didn’t fully believe him.

  Shaking his head at the turn of events, Eli gently picked her up in the palm of his hand before holding her in front of his face. She was surprisingly heavy, and as he looked closer he saw flecks of golden mana moving slowly up and down her body. As he looked he racked his brain trying to figure out what kind of spell he just cast.

  Deciding to take the direct approach, he looked the creature in the eyes. “Hey. I take it you can understand me?”

  She nodded again slowly, causing Eli to smile. “Okay, good. Can you speak?”

  When she shook her head to that question, Eli nodded. “Got it. Yes or no questions only then. Do you have a name? Something I can call you?”

  As she shook her head in response, Lilly poked her head around the corner. “You okay?”

  The creature spun around and put its hands up defensively, but Eli cupped his hands around her and pulled her back before she did anything. “Hey now. She’s a friend.”

  “Who are you talkin-…oh.” Lilly said as she moved closer. “Who…what is that?”

  “I don’t know.” Eli said. “But she’s very protective over me, apparently. Back up for a second, and I’ll bring her out.”

  “Okay.” Lilly said hesitantly.

  Turning the creature around in his hand, Eli looked her in the eyes again. “Alright, we’re going to go out there. We are among friends though, okay? So there’s no need to create more walls or anything like that.”

  He waited until she nodded in reply before placing her back on his shoulder. Together, the two of them walked out to see the surprised faces of Lilly, Freya, and Talaedra. He felt the creature tense slightly at the sight of them, but to her credit she made no other moves against the trio.

  Talaedra’s eyes darted from the creature to Eli. “What exactly did you envision when you were creating this spell?”

  “I…didn’t have a specific vision, to be honest. More of an idea, a theme.”

  “That shouldn’t be possible.” Talaedra responded. “Spells require specific intent – custom spells doubly so. Otherwise, the spell could backfire or have strange, unintended effects.”

  “I’d say it falls into the latter category.” Eli said, glancing at the creature. “She seems friendly enough though.”

  “What do you mean she?” Freya questioned. “Isn’t this part of your spell? It’d be like me naming one of the icicles I throw in combat.”

  Eli furrowed his brow as the creature leapt into the air and held up both middle fingers towards Freya, fluttering her wings madly as she did. “I…don’t think so. I didn’t tell her to do that. I actually didn’t tell her to make that wall back there either.”

  Talaedra leaned in closer, tilting her head. “Do you feel a drain on your mana right now? Are you consciously maintaining her form?”

  Eli shook his head. “Now that you mention it, no I don’t. I feel a bit drained from creating the spell itself, but I don’t feel any more mana being drained from me.”

  “Incredible. I think you’ve created an elemental.” Talaedra said.

  “A what?” Lilly asked.

  “An elemental. A spirit. A physical manifestation of pure mana.”

  “Is that even possible?” Eli asked.

  “It’s been theorized, and there have long been rumors of exceptional spellcasters who were able to achieve the feat. It requires knowledge of life magic and at least one other school though – which limits the number of candidates significantly.”

  “How does it work?” Eli asked.

  “In theory – and I need to stress that all of this is theoretical knowledge – you use one school of magic to give the elemental form, and life magic to bring it to life. It works on the same principles as reanimating skeletons, though obviously you’ve given this creature a great deal more…personality. This is truly fascinating.”

  As Talaedra pulled out her ever-present notebook and began writing, the creature sat on Eli’s shoulder again before tossing her hair back and rolling her shoulders. Eli chuckled under his breath, examining her again while she crossed her legs and fluttered her wings animatedly. Finally, he addressed her directly.

  “Does that sound about right? Are you an elemental?”

  When she shrugged in response Lilly spoke up. “What exactly did you have in mind when you were creating this spell?”

  “I thought about how both of you are protectors by nature. You protect Aria, you protected me. That’s how you show your love to those you care about.”

  “That explains the wall.” Talaedra said, nodding to the structure behind him as both Lilly and Freya smiled broadly. “Your elemental thought you were in danger, so she protected you. You’re quite fortunate – that could be a very useful spell indeed. As a being of pure mana I wager she could cast powerful spells far faster than you, and she might see threats coming that you’d miss. Might I have a moment to examine her? I have a few- ow!”

  As Talaedra reached forward, the creature fired a blast of cold air directly at Talaedra’s face – not enough to wound her, but enough to push her backwards. Eli turned to look at the creature, then offered an apologetic look at Talaedra.

  “I…think we’re going to have to work up to that.” He said.

  “Very well.”

  Looking back at the creature, Eli addressed her. “Do you have a name?”

  She shook her head, causing him to furrow his brow. “Okay, we might have to give you one later. For right now though, I’m in a safe place. I’m not in any danger. Do you want me to find somewhere for you to rest? I’m pretty sure we could find some space in our wing of the-”

  As he spoke, she smiled and snapped her fingers before disappearing instantly. He blinked several times before shaking his head, amazed and confused by the whole experience. Looking back at the faces of Lilly, Freya, and Talaedra he could tell that they felt the same way.

  “I guess that answers that question. Talaedra, I think I’m going to need to borrow some of those books on elementals.”

  “Of course. I’ll have the library send them to you.”

  “I have a question.” Freya said.

  “Just one?” Eli teased.

  “Just one.” Freya confirmed. “If you made her with nothing but your mind and magic…why did you give her boobs and an ass?”