Liyal/Merri/Aspel/Ash/Drake/Ari/Nate
Once more, and too soon, he felt his mana drop to a level that he could not keep up anymore, and he leaned over his staff to catch his breath, wishing that he had brought just one more bottle of ether with him. The serpent was not yet defeated, and the other monsters still flooded the beach and around Drake and especially Aspel, and Merri hated how useless he had just rendered himself. He couldn't help the captain before, and he couldn't help anybody here now.
Then he heard Ari's song, and he felt a rejuvenating rush that felt like he had had at least three elixirs. He glanced over at the bard to give her an appreciative smile, but she seemed too focused on her next song. He pursed his lips; no, they still had a battle to fight, and he did not intend to let her help go to waste.
Could he dualcast two Fira spells one more time? But as he considered his tactic, he saw Liyal cast everything he had at the serpent: the frog ghost, the acorn bullets, and the strange noises that made Merri cringe, all the while the red mage knew that he could hold nothing back now. Not if he wished to see his friends to the end of the battle alive.
First, two Fira spells at once, and he was astounded at how much easier they came to him this time. Then, giving himself just enough time to be able to recharge, he sent a Fira spell infused with Thunder at the serpent. Finally, he resumed dualcasting pairs of Thunder, each iteration growing slightly weaker than the last as his mana pool once again drained. If he had to, he had his rapier should he run out of steam; he would not quit the field as long as his friends and the city were in danger.