Theron shielded his eyes from the proceeding events happening in front of his eyes, unsure if his mind wanted to be exposed to what he assumed to be a… magical/sexual thing beetles did? If this was a treasure, why couldn’t the system just do it the normal way?
A squelch resounded as the golden one pushed itself into the soft, bulbous hole. The silver beetle shuddered, its elytra whirring to life, bobbing its massive head along to its wing beats before buzzing to a stop. Theron examined its abdomen with hesitant eyes, then noted its outermost surface hardening, turning its previous jelly-like texture to a rock’s coarse surface. Then, its thorax cracked, shattering into bits and pieces and unveiling a chest hidden underneath it all as it ceased to live. Theron ceded a happy sigh when the whole affair ended.
He yanked the chest away from the fractured remains of the beetle. Its golden-silver coloring brushed his eyes with its mild radiance, scintillating and glinting under the moonlight. Theron’s golden beetle lay limp before the keyhole, presumed to be dead. With a tug, the beetle shattered like its bigger counterpart, its body vanishing along with the silver beetle. At the end of it all, Theron’s party loomed over the presence of a smaller-than-usual treasure chest. The number of things he had to do to acquire this nudged his mind toward the path of pointless excitement, yet, he allowed himself to dream, to hope.
A gentle flicking of his wrist later, the chest opened. Within it all, a small stone and summon slot gem he was so familiar with. A small stone that read;
[Unique aspect core. Use to materialize a unique ranked aspect.]
Theron gasped, unique aspect core? Sure, he couldn’t find any monsters demanding such a rare item, but in his mind, there were a few candidates worthy of that title. First, whatever awaited within the final layer of this lair, and the other one… The spiked bear in the tutorial zone…
With his current strength and abilities, Theron trusted he had a better shot at killing that monstrosity. The image of its orange and blue carapace and shell hung fresh within his memories, its size and power still irked that sense of caution inside his heart. However, he wasn’t the same man compared to then. Now, he had Berys and more aspects under his command. With the extra summon slot gem, Theron had access to a fourth rank-two aspect, granting him even better odds not only against the bear itself, but also against the one type of elite waiting in the second layer.
Theron spared no second to crush the summon slot gem, unable to keep the mirth of his curling lips while he obtained the extra summon slot. Once done, he drew a blue potion from his satchel, browsing his entire compendium for Lux’s figure as he formulated a quick plan to dispatch the Troll-ridden chamber. The impression of his encounter against the basilisk elite caused him to shy away from it until he found a better method to deal with them—the blizzard, for one, Theron was unsure of the appropriate way of tackling. While the trolls were undoubtedly strong, he had ways to mitigate its damage; from his might-reduction aura to the taunts and his shield, he believed Berys could survive the encounter with Lux and Cuby as ranged support from the back.
Okay… Let’s do this. Theron walked away from the aftermath of two dead beetles, their corpses flowing with the breeze, a reminder of the events happening prior.
###
Theron skulked behind the curved entrance overlooking the troll pack, his eyes searching for the elite. Their numbers veered Theron toward the path of escaping initially, but after a moment of rethinking, he came up with a similar plan to the one he used against the lumbering treants, to pull their numbers behind the entrance and dispatch them one by one. He knew their speed would render this idea mute, but after noting the multiple winding curvatures behind him, he could surprise them with a savage slam and a barrage of projectiles as they swerved to meet their party.
Positioning himself behind the second bend of the burrow, his party took their positions; Berys hid its massive figure just before the arc of the path, its metal fists ready to crush anything rearing their ugly heads, his ranged aspects stood in the middle of the route behind, unafraid of a stray troll since taunt would be active. Trolgar, Theron willed to act as bait and lead the trolls here. It heeded his will by bolting toward the chamber filled with its own kin. Not yet, Theron ceased its advance, Let me prepare first.
Theron ran through the plan inside his mind again.
Taunt… Use necrotic aura when they show up… savage slam when they inevitably group up… then hold the line with Trolgar and Berys… Use my shield if necessary… is that it?
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
He drew in a lungful of air, then nodded. Let’s go.
Waiting behind the cover of Berys’ figure, Theron prayed as the raucous roars boomed when Trolgar pushed its figure into the midst of their ranks. Rumblings of heavy steps followed suit, and Theron gripped the wand in his palm tight as he felt Trolgar’s presence fast approaching. Chanting the words taunt and pushing his necrotic aura out, icicles erupted as Trolgar’s figure skidded past his vision, each projectile punching the trolls when they appeared in their sights.
“[Taunt]” “[Necrotic aura]” “[Necrotic touch]”
Theron cast three abilities in succession as their skirmish began. Two of the seven common trolls died from Berys’s attacks after they were wounded by the first volley of ice, and the next five bolted straight at Berys with the taunt’s effects working overtime. Trolgar supported Berys with its own series of punches. The trolls convened on Berys’ position, their advance trailed by their loud howls, silenced by a mightier swing crashing the entirety of the passage.
[Your aspects earned 240 experience points!.] x2
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 120] x2
[Your aspects earned 240 experience points!.] x3
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 120] x3
[Your aspect core - Silver-back Beast Troll leveled up! It gains +5 might, +3 speed, 1 toughness, and +1 resistance. +2 free attribute points.]
[Your aspect core - White scaled Basilisk leveled up! It gains +2 speed, +6 magic, and 2 resistance. +2 free attribute points.]
[Your aspect core - Silver-back Beast Troll reached its maximum le-
Not now! Theron shrugged those messages away—the ongoing battle required his full attention.
Three died from Berys’ empowered savage slam and Theron’s aura, whilst the other two crashed the wall athwart them from the aftershock. Two volleys of projectiles finished their wounded figures before Theron spotted it, lurching from the far end of the burrow, its silvery-mossy hide shaking as it made its presence known with a crashing roar, sending shivers down Theron’s spine as it entered the fray. Its eyes reddened with fury when their glares clashed. With Theron’s aura fully active, he prayed he’d dulled the Elite’s might enough not to lose Berys within seconds.
[Your aspect core - (Elite) Metal-clawed Bear leveled up! It gains +6 might, +6 toughness, and +6 resistance. +4 free attribute points.]
[Your aspect core - (Elite) Metal-clawed Bear reached its maximum level! Further experience gain is stopped. Evolve this aspect to allow it to progress further.]
Keep your guard up! Berys huddled its figure behind its metal claws, taking chip damage as the elite slammed both fists against it, skidding Berys backward from its brusque swings. Bombardment of ice supported their party from the back as Theron foresaw the elite troll using its ability—and proven right almost immediately when he noted its pulsating, ruddying fists. Alarm struck his heart as he lifted his shield and cast its active at Berys, gritting his teeth as the troll reared its limbs for a slam. Disrupt its balance, He willed Trolgar as it delivered its own attack aimed at the elite’s knees, curving its figure from the impact. That, combined with incessant projectiles aimed straight at the troll’s eyes, veered the swing path a little to the right.
Berys wasn’t one to perform swift and deft movements, heck, even if its speed doubled, Theron doubted something of its size could maneuver its way within a space unsuitable for it. But that never meant Theron ran out of methods to dampen the impact of the elite’s attacks. By altering its course and by adjusting how he defended against the troll’s attacks—in this case, to repel the strike sideways instead of taking it head-on—he reckoned he’d knocked at least ten or more hp damage from this move alone.
The troll’s crushing blow erupted, shattering Theron’s bubble, then slammed Berys’s slanted fists as it swerved a little to the right. That lone attack sent shivers down his spine as he witnessed its fists evaporating the soil beneath where the two monsters stood. Gusts of wild winds and speckles of soil and moss rained their position, clouding his vision for a second before things stirred to a halt. Theron shifted his gaze to Berys’ health, noting that it had dropped 20 hp from that one strike alone, instilling a deeper sense of urgency to finish this fight ASAP.
Trolgar’s fists rained the elite’s sides, followed by two barrages of icicles, showering the elite troll with frigid coldness as it shirked the encapsulating ice born from their projectiles. From a glimpse of its unsteady feet and slacked jaw, The elite suffered great wounds from their constant exchange—prompting him to go on the offensive. The mossy troll geared its arms to fend off Trolgar’s attacks as it lurched even closer to Berys, delivering a right hook in the same motion. Berys took the hit well, shuddering slightly from the quick strike, yet it held its stance, its upright figure never faltering. It returned with its own barrage of claw swipes, carving red streaks before the troll recoiled back, fear-stricken eyes reflecting when it regained its poise.
The combination of its present wounds, added by the icicles and Trolgar’s swings, topped off by Berys’ encompassing might, the troll elite suffered from the never-ending barrages of attacks, losing its ground as it began to retreat, but by that point, Berys’s savage slam was ready to be unleashed.
Another quake burst within the depths of the secret lair, its crushing blow entailed by the song of a dying troll. Its death brought multitudes of messages battering Theron’s screen, one congratulating him for the risks he had taken. Although, since every single aspect of his reached max level, no experience messages appeared this time… The extraction of the carcasses netted him two common materias and one elite. In terms of essences, Theron reaped 2 280 from this fight alone, an amount he never expected to get.
[You acquired: 2x R2 - Silver-Back Beast Troll materia.] x2
[You acquired: 1x R2 - Silver-Back Beast Troll(Elite) materia.]
Berys was ready for evolution. However, before Theron left, the quivering of the passage signaled another boon presenting itself, ripe for his plucking.