As Number 2 poofs away, his memories and mind flow into me. I instantly smile, copying Falgus’ old manic smile as I turn to look at him as a large Interface Window pops up.
“OutWolder this, OutWolder that. I’ve always preferred the name; Michael Hayes! The Australian!”
Everyone looks at me, my manic smile on my face and sudden demeanour instantly makes everyone wonder, makes everyone scared and worried about what has changed. But I ignore all that, focused only on the fight, on the plan, on the chance that Number 2 had created.
Two memories that Number 2 had given me were shot to the forefront of my mind, instantly making me aware of them, the first being a combat plan and the second being what the Breakthrough was that had created Alchemical Transmutation, Number 2 realised that;
1. Powers are made from Mana (Gamma Radiation) and in part by Power the god.
2. Gamma Radiation in phase with normal reality will affect active Powers either in their active or pre-cast state.
3. As Alchemy is the Power to control natural forces through magic, and that the out of phase Gamma Radiation and Powers can be considered “natural” forces then we should be able to effect Powers as well, if only in a limited way at first.
With the abilities of Alchemical Transmutation known and the battle plan that 2 had come up with, there is no way we’ll lose!
I rush forward, jumping up a little to send a kick with my right using Elemental Avatar, launching a sharpened pillar of stone from the floor and smashing it into the air/ice armour. Falgus is pushed back a little as he breaks off his attack on the others, I continue to run across the room and Falgus teleports away again into the air, hovering there for a moment.
Without having tested it, number 2 suggests that we keep 50% of our mana in reserve for the attack and the rest we try on defence. It also gives us the opportunity to practise a little.
He is behind me, I just need to touch him, just once! but not right now. I sprint straight towards the others, standing in front of the clone wall I clap my hands together and slowly bring them apart as blue lightning appears from my hands, arcing between them. The knowledge of what I need to do floods into me, everything I knew from Earth about atoms, physics and more are brought to the forefront of my mind.
Kneeling down I slam them into the ground, Ping Object activates and I instantly know the composition of the stone, it's not a concrete but some kind of natural stone, of what type I don’t know but this stone is comprised of light elements, the heaviest being Iron and that's only 2-3%. Most if it is comprised of Oxygen and Silicon, it’ll take a massive amount to make it, and I need to save my mana. 50% it is.
I send a mental command to my Power, Transmute Object and Change Atomic Structure are hard at work, forcing the elements in the stone to move closer, to combine and restructure, the mana in my body pushing at the elements, the individual atoms to fuse and overcome the strongly repulsive electrostatic force all atoms have that stop them from just fusing whenever they want. One atom, then another, and another fuse together. Each releasing energy, slowly the energy grows larger, and larger, and larger. About 10/15% of that energy looping back into the Power as mana with the rest of it going to waste, arcing with the lightning.
The process gets faster and faster, more and more atoms move, fuse, release energy, get collected and fuse more. I reach a critical mass where I am getting more mana from the fusion than what is needed, faster and faster, the floor is moving now, a massive chunk of floor lighting up and slowly moving behind me.
The floor dips down, threatening to leave a hole in the floor, it and a large percentage of the wall which apparently is also made of the same stuff lose mass as a small wall with a dull silver colour rises just in front of the clones and the ethereal wall, the thin wall becomes thicker and thicker the more i push into it until I reach that 50% mark.
The wall of Lead I had created took a lot to make and I slowly walk up out of the ditch I had made in the floor, residual lightning arcing along the ground and new lead wall. This, and the ethereal wall will hopefully stop the radiation from hitting again.
MP and HP Meter:
MP: 299 points. HP: 538 points
Falgus had stayed still in that time, about 30 to 45 seconds, only floating down to the ground and staring on but not paying too much attention…
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“What is that, what is that sound? Drums? And horns?” Mutters Falgus under his breath, concentrating on whatever phantom sound he hears for a moment before re-focusing on me.
“Well done OutWolder, that Power, I have never seen anything like it before!”
Standing up I silently look at him and through Voice Chat direct my clones to prepare to attack. From behind Falgus, Number 1 is there with the Kage ready to run out of harm's way. I must have tipped Falgus off with my eyes as he rapidly turns towards 1 and raises a hand to shoot radiation again.
A clone next to me sends a pointed pillar of stone horizontally through the air from behind him to the opposite side of the office at head height, effectively splitting the room in two but leaving a gap above and below it, the white stone remaining solid as it rammed into the far wall, cracking and penetrating it.
Number 1 books it, straight towards us as I rush forward towards Falgus, another clone runs past Number 1 and pulls on stone behind Falgus, this time blocking the space above him, creating a false roof of stone sticking out of the wall. To his left is the only natural place to escape to.
That escape is blocked off by yet another pillar, slamming into the left side of the office, causing a desk to fly as it slams into the wall, a single passageway between myself and Falgus.
He’s distracted by it, the quick succession of sounds causing him to whip his head around, eyes not focusing for a moment before locking onto me, the salty vapour from his ice armour flowing out of it and onto the floor.
I continue forward as Flagus focuses his attention on me, the full force of the radiation slams into me, but does not slow me down! I just need to touch him! I clap my hands again, ready to spend the final amount of mana I have!
“What is that sound!” Screams Falgus.
Lightning flows from my hands as I reach towards him, the information comes flooding back. Falgus attempts to teleport away but he coughs out more blood. My bare hands slam into the ice, protected only by a small layer of air, superheated to counteract the ice!
By pumping the leftover mana from earlier back into the Power I am able to excite the air particles, causing a rapid heating. Falgus looks shocked before grabbing my arms and holding them there, intending to break my concentration with the ice. I am not fast enough as the nearly space cold temperature seeps through my gambeson.
I send the mental commands to the Power as I mindlessly pump mana into it, a clone, number 3 rushes under the pillar on the right of me and grabs hold of Falgus’ arm with fire burning in his hands, number 4 on the opposite side doing the same, trying to wrench and melt the armour off of me.
Slowly, they pry the arms away from me, a small stream of green energy flows into my back, Dr Roselin and the reinforcements are healing me up!
As my skin is blistering, cracking and bleeding whenever he touched me, my Ping Object ability is in full effect, travelling through the slight barrier of air I have I make contact with the ice. It is definitely made of air. 77% Nitrogen, 22% Oxygen and a bunch of other trace gases, nothing unusual aside from the slightly different mix.
I send a mental command to my Power once again, Transmute Object and Change Atomic Structure start, slowly splitting the atoms in the ice armour, as the blue lightning moves further in I can feel it, there is definitely a layer of heated air moving just in front of Falgus, that's what's keeping him warm.
Slowly the ice starts to fill with bubbles of gas, the ice becoming hollow with the heavier atoms in the ice becoming smaller and taking up less space, becoming more and more hot and gaseous, the same is said for the swirling gas inside the suit.
“What are you doing? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Screams Falgus again, staring down at me enraged. I send a message through Voice Chat, telling 3 and 4 to move as far away as possible when I do so.
“You look cold Falgus! Let me help you a little!” I say in reply, the warm air covering my hands also transforming, becoming less dense.
I quickly sprint away, back the way I had come with 3 and 4 running next to me opposite of the stone pillars, leaving behind a trail of warm air in my wake that is lighter than before. I quickly turn around and from my hand comes a glow before erupting into fire! Elemental Avatar creating the fire, which ignites the trail of warm air.
The air which I have just changed to have a very high Oxygen and Hydrogen content, the same with the gas pockets in the armour and some of the air in the suit. Ever seen the Hindenburg?
A line of fire shoots outwards from my hands at speed, lighting up the room in a yellow blaze before it arrives at his armour. The 77% nitrogen in the suit had become ~46.5% nitrogen and ~30.5% hydrogen, all I could do in that short few seconds.
A shockwave erupts, easily cracking apart the stone and pushing me backwards into and through the thin lead wall, 3 and 4 poof, shredded by shrapnel from the pillars, the glass window shatters and ears burst…
It quickly dies down, the slight remaining echo of the blast far louder than I had expected, as it gets quiet a small breeze flows through the window sweeping away the dust falling from the roof. I quickly fall asleep, Interface windows popping up ignored as I welcome unconsciousness. My fight is truly over now.
MP and HP Meter:
MP: 2 points. HP: 12 points
Secret Feature #2 deactivated