Everyone was being irrational, at least from Imri’s perspective. Everyone acted like nothing had changed, as if they could walk home and resume their normal lives. This was the new normal, and people needed to accept that.
Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one with some sense. Sylvi was a professional, and she approached the situation from a tactical perspective, outlining all the potential issues that came from a mostly abandoned city.
“All those tall buildings could give an enemy a superior vantage point, and we could be spotted from anywhere. Unless we had a larger team with better equipment, I don’t see a way to do this without hoping no one is watching. Our best bet would be a small team going in at zero hour,” Sylvi explained.
“I can see pretty well in the dark; anything with mana will be visible as if they were wearing bright reflective clothing,” Imri said.
“I was hoping you would volunteer. Hopefully, we don’t find anything unusual, but I think you’re the only one who could make sense of it,” Sylvi said. Imri nodded in agreement.
“I’m coming too,” Emelia blurted out. “I could heal you and calm down someone who might need help,” She added belatedly when Sylvi gave her a withering glare.
“While I appreciate the enthusiasm, I need your boyfriend focused on the mission, not you,” Sylvi pointed out. Emelia opened her mouth as if to protest some aspect of Sylvi’s statement, then closed it. Imri was also disappointed not to have her with, but he felt a childish glee when Emelia didn’t immediately refute the boyfriend moniker.
“And me?” Zhaire asked.
“I’ve seen what you can do in a fight. I would love to have you come with us, but I’m trying to avoid any confrontations. You and your sword aren’t exactly subtle and stealthy. I think you would be most effective deployed at the base, just in case some Chixel or Ulfr Hounds come snooping around, ” Sylvi pointed out.
“I’m fine sitting this one out, but don’t sideline me too often. I’m our strongest fighter, after all,” Zhaire stated. He probably wasn’t wrong, but his arrogance rubbed Imri the wrong way.
“While we’re on this mission, I have command. Our objective will be to secure a building with a high vantage point and observe for several hours,” Sylvi explained to Imri, who had no objections to that plan.
The news that only a small group would enter the city was immediately met with protests and complaints. One angry glare from Zhaire and most of the arguments died in the wind. The remaining requests were mostly for searching for loved ones or securing certain items. Imri and Sylvi made no promises, knowing it was unlikely they would find a specific person within the city.
Imri watched as Sylvi did one final gear check, ensuring they both had plenty of potions. She also checked her ammo store, a quiver with a dozen arrows. Finally, she checked her weapons; her bowstring was in good condition with a spare, and her dagger and scimitar had good edges.
The edge of the forest came into view, the city's outskirts visible. The sight reminded Imri of post-apocalyptic shows: cars abandoned on the interstate with no people within sight. All the cars and buildings showed signs of decay, as if they had been sitting here for years, not days, though it wasn’t so severe that anything had started to crumble.
“It appears the integration took some time,” Imri said.
“You’ve only been integrated for a couple of days?” Sylvi confirmed, receiving a quick nod in response.
“Everything still appears structurally sound, and the forest hasn’t overtaken the city,” Imri pointed out.
“Meaning what?”
“The city might have aged by several years but wasn’t here while it aged. If it had, we would see signs of the forest taking over. Time was passing while we were being integrated, but we just didn’t perceive it,” Imri said in awe. It was the final piece of insight he needed as a new spell came together within his mind.
New Spell Learned Tier/Rank Description Time Dilation 1F Slow down relative time for a target, allowing them to move and perceive faster than creatures not affected by time dilation. Time would appear to move at 1 / Amplitude for the target. Mana cost / second depends exponentially on the amplitude of the effect and distance from the target to the caster.
Quest Updated Progress Class Rank Up F to E Learn space or time spells 4/5
Imri studied his new spell. It was essentially an amazing single-target buff that would last as long as he supplied it with mana. The downside was that its cost skyrocketed exponentially as he increased the amplitude, meaning it would likely be more efficient to use it at the lowest level that still provided a noticeable improvement.
“This is interesting, but I don’t see any change to the mission,” Sylvi said, oblivious as to why Imri had stopped and started ruminating.
“Sorry, it’s not that. I got a new spell,” Imri said excitedly, describing in detail what it did and how he planned to use it.
They broke from the cover of the forest, moving into the ruins of the previous era. The downtown skyscraper stood in the distance, surrounded by the nearest residential suburbs. They decided to stay on the interstate, using it as a pedestrian walkway. Cars were interspersed throughout the road, though not consistent enough to provide constant cover. Imri adjusted his vision to see mana signatures, noting the utter absence of mana in the air until he adjusted to his most sensitive range, far less mana than the stone forest region. He readjusted to exclude the ambient mana, noting that even a non-mage, like Sylvi, glowed brightly from that level of sensitivity. If a monster or another person had a similar signature, he could easily spot them.
They had been traveling for almost two hours and were nearing the exit towards downtown when Imri spotted a glowing humanoid shape from his mana vision. He motioned to Sylvi, and the pair of them ducked behind cover. As it moved closer, it became obvious that it was a person. As Imri observed them, something seemed off in their movement. They wandered down the interstate, moving with a strange gait that made Imri think they were injured. He looked around for signs that this person wasn’t alone but didn’t see any. Something seemed off to Imri, but before he could voice his concerns, Sylvi left the cover of the car, getting the individual's attention.
“It’s alright; we’re here to help,” Sylvi said, holding up her arms to show she hadn’t drawn her weapon. Imri used Identify on them, something he should have done immediately, but he had hesitated due to the perceived invasiveness.
Heritage/Class Tier/Rank Level Description Azala 1F 2 An Azala is a species of parasitic psionic beings capable of controlling a host's body. Drone 1F 2 A drone is an early-stage integration for an unwilling host.
“They aren’t human; we need to go,” Imri said a moment too late. The thing let out a screeching yell that was too high-pitched to be entirely human. It rushed towards Sylvi, its gait still off, reducing its speed to that of a fast jog. Sylvi stepped back to the car, drawing her bow.
“What is it?” Sylvi asked Imri, though her focus was still on the creature who rushed towards them. As Sylvi got a better look, the creature definitely appeared human.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“It’s called an Azala Drone, level 2. It’s some kind of parasite that took over that person's body,” Imri explained as Sylvi nocked an arrow.
“Is there any way we can save the person?” Sylvi asked. Imri looked again, noticing a faintly more intense mana signature emanating from inside the person's body, close to where the core was located.
“Maybe, but we would probably need one of the doctors to remove it,” Imri said.
“Damn, there’s no way we’ll make it back with that thing trying to kill us,” She said as she sighted the arrow over the hood of the car. She waited until the creature was within ten meters before taking the shot. The arrow struck true, lodging itself into the head of the creature, instantly dropping it.
“We have to get back, now,” Sylvi said, loud and stern, brooking no argument. Imri felt slightly annoyed that he wouldn’t be able to study the creature or retrieve the core. However, with the noise the creature made, everything within a kilometer would have already heard, so Sylvi’s concern was certainly warranted.
They started jogging back in the direction they had come from at a much faster pace, not bothering to use the cars for cover. It was a mad dash back, but Imri held out hope that if there were any other infected, they were not in front of them. With their awkward gate, he felt certain they would easily outpace them back to the forest.
His hopes were dashed when he saw movement from the exit ramp that led off the interstate. A small pack of people was jogging towards them with the strange gait of the first Azala. There was also nowhere to run, as the interstate had high walls separating it from the residential area. They could double back the way they had come, but Imri was certain there would also be pursuit from that direction. Their only option was to fight through the group of Azala in front of them. Sylvi seemed to reach the same conclusion he had as she drew her bow and started nocking an arrow. Imri drew his mundane dagger, leaving the black steeled soul-capturing blade on his belt for now.
There were six Azala in total, making the odds decidedly unfavorable. They ranged in levels, some low-level, like the first one they encountered, all the way to level 9 at the high end. Some of the higher-leveled Azala hosts were beginning to show signs of strange growths, small worm-like tentacles writhing in the air.
As soon as the creature was within thirty meters, Sylvi fired an arrow, landing the shot in the gut of the lead Azala. Unfortunately, this didn’t even cause the creature to stumble, seemingly unfazed by a wound that would eventually kill a person. Slyvi quickly nocked a second arrow, sighted, and fired. This one struck true, hitting a second Azala in the heart, and after a brief moment, the creature collapsed to the ground, unmoving. Whatever effect the Azala had on their human hosts, they still required functioning physiology.
As the remaining Azala closed the distance, engaging them in melee combat, Imri used his newest spell. He targeted Sylvi with 1.075 amplitude Time Dilation, yelling out a warning so she was aware and didn’t stumble as the spell took hold. The effects were immediately obvious, Sylvi moving like a dervish as she drew her scimitar. Despite her incredible alacrity, she was still outnumbered five to one and could not completely occupy their entire attention, and a singular uninjured opponent engaged Imri.
Imri's opponent was a younger man, maybe in his early twenties, with the same tattered robe and knife he was wielding. Despite the obvious impediment to the creature's agility, it was still capable, and Imri’s lacking agility prevented him from capitalizing on the weakness. However, in endurance, the Azala was far superior, at least in the short term. Shallow knife wounds were easily shrugged off, seemingly with little regard for its host. Without warning, the creature abandoned all pretense of defense, stabbing at Imri with its knife. The knife sunk into Imri’s gut, impaling him but missing anything vital.
Imri cursed as the blade was pulled out of him, blood gushing as the pressure ceased. Knowing he had no choice but to go on the offensive, Imri pulled out his other weapon, the black serrated dagger. Instantly, the countenance of his opponent shifted from uncaring to terrified, despite them having nearly killed him. Only because of that terror was he afforded an opportunity, and Imri seized on it. The vile blade dug deep into the creature's chest near its core, and It died instantly as its soul was torn from its body and stored in the small gemstone.
As he finished his fight, Imri began to feel lightheaded, but more than from the blood loss. To his horror, in the brief time he had focused solely on his survival, he had burned through almost his entire mana pool. Sylvi had managed to inflict some serious damage, having decapitated two, dismembered a hand from another, and left a deep gash on the fourth. Unfortunately, Imri could hold the spell no longer, not even able to shout a warning as the spell expired.
Imri watched in horror as Sylvi stumbled when time returned to normal speed, presenting a wide opening. Her mostly uninjured opponent capitalized on it, stabbing a dagger into her shoulder. Sylvi screamed but kept fighting, dismembering the arm that had inflicted the wound. Imri tried to come to her aid, but the world spun as he tried to take a step, causing him to crash unceremoniously to the ground. As he hit the ground, everything went black.
As if no time had passed, Sylvi was helping him to his feet, pressing makeshift bandages to his gut wound. All six of their opponents lay dead on the ground, five in a bloody mess, and his opponent barely looked injured except the vacant eyes. A flurry of notifications flooded his mind, and he focused on them instead of the pain.
Base Constitution increased from 96 to 97
New Achievement Gained Rank Primary Stats / Rank Description Horde Slayer 3 .1% Slay a group of creatures that outnumbered your group. Rank based on the ratio of enemies defeated / group members, excluding enemies 5 levels plus 20% of users level lower.
Achievement Upgraded Old Rank | New Rank Total Primary Stats | Improvement Group Hunter 3 to 5 .25% (+.1%)
Imri Padar has reached Level 5 in Relativity Mage (1F) Imri Padar has reached Level 5 in Primordial (1F) Primary Stats Gained New Value +1 Strength 113 +1 Agility 85 +2 Constitution 98 +1 Intelligence 142 +1 Willpower 129 +1 Charisma 92 Secondary Stats Gained
+3 HP
110 +3 FP 83 +5 MP 188 +4 Mana Efficiency 203
Current Resources HP 11/110 FP 49/83 MP 6/188
“Can you move?” Sylvi asked as she finished applying the bandage. Imri took a deep breath and nodded when the world didn’t completely blur on him.
“It’s not just the physical wound. I completely drained my mana from the Time Dilation spell, and that seems almost as bad as having no health,” Imri explained, though his speech was slow and slurred like he was drunk. Despite his low mana, his health was the far more immediate concern, as it still ticked down from the bleeding. He uncorked the vial of HP potion and chugged it down.
“Can you make it a few blocks off the interstate? We’ll find somewhere to hole up and recover. Hopefully, the Azala don’t have the resources to search door to door,” Sylvi suggested.
“I should be able to make it,” Imri said, though he didn’t sound convincing.
“That Time Dilation spell was really helpful. I don’t think I could have held out against that many opponents without it, let alone defeat them,” she remarked. Though it was an obvious ploy to keep Imri lucid, it worked.
“Was the amplitude strong enough to have a noticeable effect? Imri asked.
“Amplitude?”
“I can make the spell's effects stronger or weaker at the cost of more or less mana. It has an exponential cost, so I want to keep the amplitude low enough to maintain it through the entire fight, but it had a higher cost than I expected,” Imri explained.
“It was definitely strong enough; if anything, you could dial it back, and it would still be decent. I certainly wouldn’t want it to be more pronounced without some training first,” Sylvi said.
“That’s good,” Imri said, his speech even more slurred than before, his eyes heavy.
“You stay alert, you hear,” Sylvi said, prodding him gently. Imri was vaguely aware of nodding, but moments later, he was drifting away, his body refusing to cooperate. His eyes closed, and he felt as if his body and mind were separated by a yawning chasm as he passed out.