Who said a Fireball Spell had to explode at a distance? The Spirit Fur Knights had volunteered last time to help Ruger clear away the bubbles trapping him, but Ruger had wanted to test whether a Fireball Spell of that strength, at that distance, would hurt him in demon form, and how badly. At least by his reckoning, he would suffer far less than the immobilized female Wizard opposite him, so he had gone ahead.
This was also one of the drawbacks mentioned in the Fireball Spell spellbook when it used a fireball as an example: under normal casting conditions, a fireball traveled far more slowly than a fire bolt.
But at sufficiently close range, that was no longer a concern.
Ruger swooped down, and the Mushroom Felt Giant sprang out behind him, exposing most of its body as it reached out to swat him.
Ruger did not dodge. He had little room to dodge anyway, having already charged into the bubble-filled field.
Under the female Wizard's astonished gaze, nine of the ten Ash Bullets struck home. The shield in her hand, which had never failed her before, blocked only one.
In agony, the female Wizard summoned astonishing willpower to stir up two surges of spell fluctuations, but both casts failed. Another volley of Ash Bullets struck her, bringing her down completely, and she could no longer hold up that useless shield.
"Second formation! Charge for our master!"
Another squad of Spirit Fur Knights charged out.
This time, rather than simply having them clear a path, Ruger changed their column formation, making them spread out.
They resembled a shield riddled with holes, but they were enough to push aside the bubbles in front of him.
There was another reason for doing this: he wanted to get these Spirit Furs away