Using every ounce of concentration he could muster, he used his time elipsing the obstructing gates to fold an enormous amount of mana in on itself so many times that when it materialized it appeared as a clear crystal, thin as a coin and as slick as a sheet of ice. He did this over and over until a bridge formed of glittering transparent quartz casting polychromatic reflections of the sun's setting rays.

    He, very aptly, named this spell “the rainbow bridge.”

    When the horses hooves hit the hard packed crystal they found no purchase even with their enhanced boots and began skidding about in a comical fashion seldom seen outside of a cartoon skit. The weight of the carriage increased the speed of its descent down the ramp until it overtook the horses causing them to spin around and face the receding sky.

     “So you should view this fleeting world,” Titanias recited, beginning to cast a seal to allow them to safely land back on the path. His voice cracked as he all but screamed the words into the listening air, shaping the manna web all around them. “A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream, a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,

A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.” His last words burst out of him in his panic and the spell solidified into a protective crystal ball that surrounded them.

     The horses continued their ineffectual mechanical automatic gallop, seeming like hamsters caught in their wheel as the ball slid down the end of the bridge and bounced back onto the overgrown forest path. Facing behind in the protective bubble, Titanias could see the dogged bandits who were quickly catching back up to the carriage. Sensing the ball losing momentum as it caught through the overgrowth that littered the forgotten road, he knew it wouldn't be long until they were upon him.

     He gritted his teeth and reached out slamming mana infused fingers into the crystal that surrounded them. It slowed the speed of the carriage as the horse continued running causing them to spin around until they were once again facing the forward, he then released the spell letting the carriage bounce harmlessly back to the earth below. The horses, relieved to feel the ground back under their hooves, resumed their gallop with gusto.

     While the horses seemed no worse for the wear, the last spin had been to much for Titanias' poor stomach. He threw his head over the carriage's side and emptied his stomach. Looking back as he wiped his mouth, he noticed two mercenaries, who had taken front runner positions directly in the carriages wake, begin to gather mana.

   “Not again!” He said to himself as the temperature around him began to drop in response to the accumulating mana. Titanias hastily threw together two simple pillar barriers but comppressed them until they were translucent as water. Too focused on casting their own spells while trying to keep up with the speeding carriage, the mercenaries had no chance of seeing limpid barriers. They crashed into them with a great clattering of shattering glass.  

   “Hmmph serves you right.” Titanias said turning back around to guide the barreling vehicle through the final twist and turns of the forest road. It wasn't until he'd relaxed into the seat that he felt the exhaustion begin to settle into his bones. He’d cast to many spells in quick succession. He didn't know how many mercenaries were left but he knew he wouldn't be able to keep slinging spells to fend them off forever.

    He looked down at the throttle in front of him with a grimace, “ell let's see how fast this thing can get.” He thought before shoving it as far up as it would go. The mana charged gems embedded in the artifact hummed to life and then glowed a threatening red. Titanias braced himself, but as the carriage reved up to its top speed a giant sword came flying out of the air and stuck into the ground a ways in front of them.

    Standing on the enlarged sword was a man far beyond his middle age wearing livery that only nobility had the affluence to purchase. He calmly straightened his lapels before casting a glare at the oncoming collision that was Titanias’ carriage.

    Lanester Heavens Tree had arrived.