Mythralis took aim. She barely had time to register the growing monstrosity barring her daughter's path as she released another blessed arrow. Like the one before it, this one sizzled and disintegrated upon hitting the shadow priestess' shield. It was pointless, and the archer quickly readjusted her target, this time aiming for the void behemoth's head. The bow let loose another arrow, and the monster stumbled to the side, the projectile sticking out of its ear. It recovered almost instantly however, and planted its feet, letting out a loud, hollow-sounding roar in Sylvari's direction, apparently unfazed.
A quick look confirmed Mythralis' thoughts: the twilight priestess was controlling the thing, her attention solely focused on it. The shield was still up, and she must have realized Kalendil was the only real threat among them. The old sentinel let panic seep into her thoughts for a moment. Sylvari was standing right in front of Kalendil, and she was already summoning more roots to keep the giant at bay. She wouldn't stand a chance in close quarters, nearly half the size of her opponent.
"Shal'nor! Attack!" she shouted to her frostsaber companion, the large cat still awash with Elune's protective light. He charged at the behemoth, and Mythralis released an arrow at its leg, trying to slow it down. The arrow struck, and the creature fell to one knee, its arm flying out to hit the saber in the side, knocking it a few meters away. Shal'nor stayed down, the glowing white shield flickering out.
The small setback provided the two younger elves time to regroup, and Sylvari and Kalendil both started summoning Elune's light. She heard her daughter's voice, "Keep him down!" and she obliged, drawing two more arrows from her quiver. Years of marksmanship experience showed, the first shot landing in just the right spot to pin two of Sylvari's more gnarled roots together, trapping the behemoth's foot in a vice grip. It would not last, she thought, and the second arrow flew at its hand, preventing it from ripping the tightening vines apart, if only for a little while.
The extra seconds were all that the druid and priestess needed, and as the giant tore through its bindings, two beams of moonlight materialized above it, the two elves' spells weaving together to form a mighty, luminescent spear.
Mythralis' heart stuck in her throat as she watched the behemoth charge at Sylvari while as the beam of moonlight was coming down upon it. Her daughter was flung over the cliff, disappearing from view, and the monster let out a mighty roar, finally falling down to the ground into a charred lump.
"Sylvari!" was all the reaction she was afforded. Suddenly, she was surrounded by dozens of voidling minions, crawling towards her. She reached for her quiver. Panic engulfed her entirely when her hand grabbed nothing but air. No, no, no, there should have been one more, she never lost count. They were closing in, one finally reaching her and throwing itself at her. She pushed it back with her bow, roaring and stepping back. There was nowhere to retreat, they had her surrounded and her foot touched one of them, the creature immediately starting to wrap its void tendrils around her leg.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, it was over. The creatures were gone, and she heard Kalendil shouting at her. "It's an illusion! Kill her!"
She regained her bearings and finally drew the last blessed arrow in her quiver, aiming it at the wretched cultist. Elune's light destroyed her void shield, and the arrow was released before Kalendil had time to give her the signal. "Now!" she heard the woman say, just as the shadow priestess' forehead was pierced by the glowing projectile.
It was finally over, and Mythralis looked around for her daughter. She was nowhere to be seen. Fright gripped her heart again when she realized that had not been part of the illusion. She threw her bow to the side and ran for the cliff, plunging into the murky water below.
The lake was deeper than she anticipated, the water darker, congested with dead vegetation and mud. Mythralis swam blindly, her visibility reduced to only a meter or so in front of her. Please, please, let me find her, she prayed to the Goddess.
She was heard, thankfully, and her hand finally grasped Sylvari's cooling one. A second later, she had her, and she started swimming to the surface. She could not think about the fact that her daughter might be dead, she needed to get her to safety.
They finally broke the surface, and Mythralis swam to shore. Kalendil was already there, hands outstretched to help pull the druid out of the water. Mythralis followed suit, and she knelt next to her motionless body. She looked pale, her mouth agape and her eyes half lidded. "No, no, no, Goddess. Sylvari!" She slapped her face, trying to get a reaction, but she was rewarded with none.
"Mythralis. Stop," she heard Kalendil say, and she did, leaning back, trembling.
The priestess knelt by her daughter, and her hands were on her head and chest in an instant, Elune's light engulfing them and the druid's body. Nothing happened for the longest time, and Mythralis thought she must have forgotten to breathe herself, her throat constricting while watching for any signs of life. She prayed to the Goddess.