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An Otherworldly Scholar - 185
🕑 Added 2024-12-15 07:02:08 +0000 UTCAll around me, the Thorned Saplings withered. The green pod throbbed, and the mana wave immobilized me as if I had fallen into a frozen lake. A shadow moved inside the hazy liquid. Mana currents swirled around the Warden’s Cloister, visible even to the naked eye.
Hallas collapsed, and his body rolled by the pod’s side, but the vines cushioned the fall. His face had the paleness of death, yet [Foresight] told me he was still alive. Whether the Lich had taken advantage of his state of mind or mental weakness, the damage was done. Whatever was inside the pod was about to awaken.
Suddenly, the temperature dropped, and the pod froze over. The shadow inside became trapped in a crystalline prison. I pulled Firana behind my back just as the pod cracked. My instincts told me to run away, but I suppressed it and raised my barrier around us. With a loud crack, the pod exploded.
A claw covered in black scales emerged from the cracked pod, and the foul stench of death made me recoil. Then, the rest of the creature hatched—the body of a snake, tall as a house, forged by shards of onyx. It had a wide jaw covered in sharp teeth, vicious claws like icicles, and hypnotic electric blue eyes.
Corrupted Forest Warden Lv.?? (Possessed).
The black dragon spread its wings.
Firana clutched to my back, trembling like a leaf. My mind and body were numb.
The beast opened its jaw.
“You are out of time, wizard,” the Lich said.
Sparks crackled on the sides of the dragon’s mouth. Environmental mana quivered, and [Foresight] set off every alarm inside my brain. I reinforced my mana barrier as the dragon spat its frozen breath over the platform. I braced for the impact. The barrier siphoned mana from my reserves so violently that it felt like a gut punch. A quarter of my remaining mana disappeared in an instant.
Firana didn’t wait for instructions. She grabbed my waist and jumped out of the way as my barrier shattered. We landed on the roof of a pavilion a few meters below. A trick layer of ice covered the entire platform of the Warden’s Cloister.
“Rob! What in the everloving System was that!” Captain Kiln called from the resin bridge below us.
I didn’t get to respond.
The dragon crawled over the platform’s edge, mana sparks flickering around its mouth. I channeled a mana blade, but the creature was out of the range of my attack. I needed to get closer.
“Prepare to jump,” I said, holding Firana’s shoulders.
The girl propelled us high as the dragon showered the pavilion with ice breath. We landed on an arch bridge just above Captain Kiln and the others. The sight of the dragon did not intimidate them.
“As we practiced!” I shouted.
The kids readied their rifles as the dragon dropped to the frozen pavilion in the center of the elven citadel. Still, instead of shooting, they retreated through the labyrinthic bridges out of the ice-breath range.
“You too,” I told Firana.
The girl hesitated for a moment but ultimately obeyed. Using [Aerokinesis], she jumped across the gap and landed atop a bedroom complex. The inner diameter of the Warden’s Tree was about a hundred meters, so we could only put so much distance between us and the dragon.
Luckily, the Lich remained focused on me.
“Be careful with his breath attack!”
Izabeka channeled her mana and wrapped her body with a radiant aura. Something was wrong with her. During the fight against Janus, her chains were stronger and packed with more mana.
“This is the end of your story, wizard,” the Lich said. “Surrender the Access Rune.”
I ignored his taunt and examined my surroundings. I needed to get closer, but the terrain played against me. My mana blades had limited range, and my other skills wouldn’t affect a super-high-level monster. The shotgun had been hanging lazily from my back throughout the trip into the Farlands, but its time to shine might have arrived. I snapped it open and put two of Ginz’s shells in the chamber.
I only had a couple of shells left.
Izabeka used her chains to climb the bridge to an upper level. The Lich seemed to detect the threat because it turned its head away from me as the radiant chains wrapped around his wings. Izabeka pulled, and the chains tightened.
Time slowed down. I aimed at the dragon’s head and pulled the trigger. For a moment, a cloud of acrid smoke blocked my view. I snapped it open again and chambered my two last shells. [Foresight] assisted my aim, so every single slug hit the dragon’s head. However, when the smoke cleared, my soul dropped. The slugs had barely scratched the facial scales.
The dragon turned to me. Mana surged from its chest and up its throat.
As the freezing breath hit the bridge, I jumped down the ledge to a pavilion’s roof. Shards of resin rained over my head, making the pavilion’s roof collapse under my feet. I landed on my back, and the blow forced the air out of my lungs. For a moment, my vision blurred. The shotgun left my hand.
Above my head, Captain Kiln tried to restrain the dragon. The radiant chains sparked against black scales as the mana fought each other. I painstakingly stood up and, between coughs, exited the collapsed pavilion. The kids shot a barrage, but the Lich was faster and raised an ice barrier. The MDBC bullets ricocheted off.
“You brought this upon them, wizard,” the Lich said. He pulled Izabeka out of balance and pushed her out of the platform with a tail lash.
The dragon crawled its way to the center of the Warden’s Tree, on top of the tallest tower, and unleashed his frost breath into the elven citadel. The kids scattered, but Ilya stood behind, still aiming. She took a shot, but the draining enchantment barely dented the Lich’s mana reserves. The frost breath hit the building just a few meters from her. Ilya speed-reloaded and unleashed four consecutive shots, each hitting the same spot.
Ice crept up the wood, but just as it would freeze Ilya’s boots, Pyrrah tackled her out of the way. Elf and gnome rolled down the roof and fell on the ledge at the base.
I cursed. Our strategy didn’t cover gigantic dragons with unlimited mana.
“Ilya, retreat! It’s no use!” I shouted.
“I still have fifteen rounds!” Ilya replied.
Captain Kiln swayed with her chains and landed on a lower level. Her face was covered in blood, and her reinforced jacket turned to shreds.
If we didn’t defeat the Lich, Corruption would snowball out of control, but I wasn’t sacrificing the kids in a senseless fight.
“Ilya!” I yelled, but the dragon’s roar drowned my voice.
I climbed to the central tower’s roof and drew the Mage Killer. Captain Kiln followed my lead, using her chains to climb the demolished structures. The Lich shifted away from me, but it was a feint. His tail attacked my blind spot, and [Foresight] slowed down time. I fortified my body with a mana barrier and blocked it with my sword. A shiver ran down my spine as my barrier siphoned mana. Not even Chrysalimorphs packed such a punch.
Captain Kiln channeled her radiant chains and, with a swift movement, almost like a dancer, she shackled the beast's tail.
I focused on the claws.
I pushed mana into the sword, and the blade grew far beyond the edges of the metal. A huge monster required a colossal weapon. The edges of my vision darkened as I focused on my target. I moved faster than any human from Earth, aiming at the dragon’s legs. Captain Kiln matched my movements and attacked with her radiant sword.
My sword clashed against the black scales, but the mana density around them was enormous. Even with the Mage Killer enchantment, I barely left a mark on the monster’s body. Captain Kiln didn’t seem to have more success on the other side.
“Did you think I would hand you a weapon capable of killing me?” The dragon opened his mouth, although the words echoed directly in my mind. “You sided with the wrong ally, wizard. I want you to know it was the Avatar who sent you to your death. Those punny enchantments won’t even scratch my new body.”
I clenched my teeth as I blocked the dragon’s attack.
A part of my brain knew the Lich was right. The runes the System Avatar had used during the vision of the past far surpassed what I was capable of. He had admitted to giving me low-power runes until I grew used to enchanting. I was playing with mere construction blocks.
The dragon broke Captain Kiln’s chains and curled around me. I activated the Wind-Shot Boots and jumped high, just as the serpent's body closed. The dragon opened its jaw, and I saw the mana particles gathering on the back of his throat. I cursed. Unlike Firana, I couldn’t maneuver mid-air. I activated my Wind-Shot Boots, but all I managed to do was to mess up my center of gravity.
“For a Scholar, you have very few tricks up your sleeve,” the Lich mocked me as he prepared his magic attack.
Suddenly, Captain Kiln’s chains wrapped around the dragon’s neck, diverting the frozen breath just enough for it to miss me. The trim of my cloak was frozen solid. Then, the chains shattered into a rain of golden sparks. Captain Kiln was hunched; her chest heaved heavily, and her shoulders trembled. It was too early for a Lv.50 combatant to be mana-exhausted.
I landed on the dragon’s shoulder and snuck a swift attack as it thrashed against the tower roof.
The kids continued shooting from afar, but the MDBC bullets barely lowered the Lich’s mana pool.
“Izabeka! Eat this!” I yelled, pulling a Holone Grape from my pouch.
Captain Kiln grabbed the fruit and ate it without asking questions. The healing effect coursed through her body, erasing the wounds and scratches.
“Prepare to give it the killing blow!” Captain Kiln shouted from across the platform.
“This body has no weakness,” the Lich laughed.
Captain Kiln removed the sheds of the leather armor and again exerted golden mana. Then, she roared. Her shoulders widened, and her arms bulged. Her skin tore. For a moment, I saw red patches of muscle, but her golden aura healed the wounds before even a single drop of blood could fall. Captain Kiln grew over two and a half meters in a painful metamorphosis. A cluster of chains dropped from her severed arm while her sword seemed but a dagger on her able hand.
The dragon still towered above us.
Captain Kiln shot forward, the chains wrapping around the dragon’s wings. The creature tried to slither from the restraints, but the radiant chains were faster, squeezing the snake's body down to the wooden platform.
I channeled more mana into my sword until it buzzed like a swarm of bees. Still, I failed to see the dragon’s weak spot. [Foresight] studied all the possible courses of action but discovered nothing promising. I couldn’t see the way for the kill.
Meanwhile, chains intertwined in the shape of an arm as Captain Kiln jumped on the dragon’s neck, trapping it in a leglock. Her fingers dug into the ridges of its jaws, searching for leverage. The Lich roared in defiance, his eyes oozing with anger, but Captain Kiln gritted her teeth and pushed. Her arms strained, biceps bulging like basketballs, as the dragon thrashed. Her knuckles paled under the pressure, and drops of blood dripped through her fingers. With a primal roar, Captain Kiln forced the dragon’s jaw open.
[Foresight] pushed me forward before I could even comprehend the scene. The Mage Killer gleamed with blue and red mana. The dragon’s mouth gleamed as it prepared a breath attack, but the Wind-Shot Boots shot me like an arrow.
I lunged, burying the sword deep in the roof of the dragon’s mouth. Ice crept down the blade. My hands burned like I had put them in boiling water. [Foresight] drowned out the pain, and I pushed forward until I was elbow-deep inside the dragon’s mouth. Then, I exerted all the mana I could muster.
The creature roared in pain.
“I can’t—” Captain Kiln grunted.
I pulled back my hands just as the dragon’s jaw snapped. The Mage Killer broke, and the enchantment misfired. I tried to raise my mana barrier, but the reaction was faster and the sword shards exploded in my face.
The Lich roared as the radiant chains shattered. Captain Kiln lost grip and fell to the ground like a ragdoll. Slowly, the mana abandoned her body, and she returned to her normal size. She moaned in pain. The change couldn’t be anything but painful. At least she wasn’t bleeding.
The world spun around me, but I dragged Captain Kiln away from the Lich as it thrashed the platform. Bright blue blood dripped through his scales, freezing everything it touched. I could feel the hatred in his eyes as he tried to dislodge the blade from its mouth.
Captain Kiln shivered by my side. The signs of mana exhaustion were unmistakable, yet [Radiant Knights] were one of the martial classes with the best magic stats. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.
I knew something was wrong with her, so I used [Identify].
Name: Izabeka Kiln, Human (Strong).
Class: Radiant Knight Lv.51
Titles: Captain of the Guard, Giant Slayer, Blood of the Giants, Folk Hero, Big Softie, Adept Orator, From the Brink of Death(7), Field Doctor(12), Field Surgeon (1).
Passive: Gambler’s Eye, Card Count, Dice Detection, Awareness, Riding Lv.6, Swordsmanship Lv.6, Spear Mastery Lv.5, Shield Mastery Lv.6, Interrogation Lv.2, Extortion Lv.1, Brawling Lv.4, Coercion Lv.1, Heavy Armor Mastery Lv.6, Archery Lv.2, Tracking Lv.2, Acrobatics Lv.1, Mana Manipulation, Knight’s Oath, Radiant Oath, Unrelenting Stamina.
Skills: Intimidate, Mark of Valor, Quick Step, Ghost Blade, Puncture, Radiant Chains, Radiant Aura, Bellow, Hero’s Heart, Taunt, Shield Bash, Guidance, Regeneration, Purify.
Status: Crippled. Mana Exhaustion(Mid). Mana Toxicity(Mid).
I examined the Crippled status.
Crippled. Permanent Status. [Identify]: Greatly reduces the recipient’s mana pool. Diminish the effectiveness of combat Passives. Diminish the damage output of Skills. At this point, it is better to retire.
My mind raced as I dismissed the prompts. The Crippled status wasn’t a real status at all. Why would her mana pool be reduced because she was missing an arm? Then, the pieces fit. It was an arbitrary debuff designed by the System's creators to force wounded warriors to retire. I cursed. The intentions were well-meaning, just like preventing little kids from getting a Class, but in practice, the status probably killed more warriors than it saved.
Captain Kiln knelt beside me.
“Retreat! We will cover!” Ilya shouted as she aimed the rifle.
The four kids were spread across the elven citadel, shooting from vantage points as we practiced.
The Lich spat out a shard of the Mage Killer and roared. We had only kicked the hornet’s nest.
“Everyone, get out of here!” I yelled.
The kids obeyed except for Ilya, who kept shooting in a last attempt to weaken the beast’s mana.
Suddenly, the spot of Corruption on my chest clung to my flesh as a dense black fog fell from the dragon’s maw. A moment later, the lower levels of the elven citadel were engulfed in darkness, and only the Cloister and the central tower emerged from the fog. I heard bullets whistling, but none of them hit the beast.
The fog suppressed my mana sense.
“Ilya! Retreat!” I yelled, but it was too late.
With a claw swipe, the dragon cut the vines holding the upper structures.
The platform where Ilya was standing collapsed, and she disappeared into the darkness. [Foresight] scanned my surroundings, but I couldn’t locate anyone.
“Ilya!” I shouted, but no one responded.
“I told you she would be the first,” the dragon turned to me, his claws leaving deep furrows on the wood.
My mind raced. Holone Grapes. I still had a few. If I could find Ilya, I would be able to heal her. The Lich wouldn’t let me. I had to eliminate him. I had done it before.
“What now, wizard?” the Lich laughed.
I channeled my mana to cover my body in Vampiric Runes but stopped at the last second. There was a Rune I hadn’t used. I activated it and hoped for the best.
Comments
Ben Bass
TYFTC! Things are getting real! I wonder if Rob is using the Access Rune now, and will ‘fix’ Izabeka’s crippled status. I also think Ilya is alive, she is a survivor after all. Let’s see how this plays out!
bcd051
Oh shit.
