Closing a gate that was out of control was theoretically simple. Take away the mana, and the gate would starve itself out. Of course, trying to yank away the meal of an angry, violent and gigantic hole in the void was easier said than done.

Aldric saw Kedrin had corralled his students, providing extra mana for Lilianna to keep the barrier going. Lilianna probably had an even bigger mana well than Kedrin did, but she could use the help to maintain it. The void creatures were doing their best to batter away the shield, but the most they could leave were claw marks that would instantly reform. That wouldn’t last forever, though. Keeping a barrier over several people cost a lot of mana upkeep, and they couldn’t move while it was still up.

Zasia, gods bless her, was already working her stuff on any void beasts she could reach. Brilliant white fireballs too bright to look at were flying around the field. Any void beast caught by one didn’t just burn; it outright disappeared from existence in a flash of super-heated air. As impressive as it was, however, Aldric knew Zasia couldn’t go all out with other people surrounding her. Her place was as a solo fighter on the front lines.

Her frustration was obvious on her face as he approached her. “Hey!” she shouted at him, while simultaneously vaporizing a group of void beasts. “Feel free to jump in and help!”

Aldric already had two daggers out. “I’m thinking! You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Well, think and fight!”

Zasia was fending off a small horde of void beasts with a gout of fire while erecting an earth wall behind herself to cover her flank. One particularly smart one vaulted off its friends’ heads to clear the wall. It poised itself to attack Zasia, but caught Aldric’s thrown dagger in its torso. It screeched in agony as it tumbled backwards into the mob.

Apparently, wallowing in self-pity for years didn’t do Aldric’s old skills any favors. He’d been aiming for its head.

He drew his remaining blade across the face of one beast to force it back before driving it through the head of another. The black blood scalded his skin and forced him to relinquish his weapon, but two more daggers were already in his hands as he went back-to-back with Zasia.

“Just like old times, huh?” Aldric couldn’t stop himself from saying.

“Less reminiscing, more ideas!” Zasia snapped. She cut two beasts cleanly in half with a wind blade before turning the ground to mud beneath another that had tried to sneak up on Aldric. The creature shrieked in outrage as it was stuck fast, along with several of its friends. The sudden surge of creatures behind them mercilessly trampled them to death.