Kal started taking out each piece of array equipment he had. It was a shame that he had lost the concentration array, he had only gotten the chance to use it a few times before losing it back on Fyborh’s Path. Not that it would have been particularly useful here but he could have at least used it for reference.
He mostly had some general array runes and several spare blank ones to use with his first custom array. The idea was the same as before. Create an abyssal mana free space for the two people so they don’t explode. He would have to figure something else after that but at least then he would have some time.
But where did he start? Going back to arrays after learning all he had about soul-forging felt clunky. He was pretty sure he could do it using his Unbound Will and Soul Forge skills but it would take longer purely because of how difficult it was to actually forge stuff outside of his body. At least for the most part the same principles applied.
Kal placed a total of nine manipulation runes down in a circle about ten feet wide. Depending on how much abyssal mana he was able to move he could make it smaller if needed. Of course, it wasn’t that simple. The problem with simply copying a concentration array and reversing the direction of flow is that it didn’t prevent more mana from just flowing in to replace the old.
All it really did was cycle the mana through the circle faster. Not at all what he wanted and would probably kill the people faster. He needed to figure out a way to either shield the area from the new abyssal mana or divert it somehow like the method he had seen at Mira’s bunker. But his memory of those runes was clouded at best so that's where his knowledge on arrays ended.
He would have loved to simply just ask her how it was done. But he didn’t have time to spend fixing her and pulling her out to simply throw her back into his dimensional storage would just bring her closer to death or destruction. She would be his priority after keeping the people alive.
System Trial: Lonesome Will Complete!
Kal frowned. Not because of the fact he had completed the trial but because of the few lines.
Rewards: Title, Two Mortal Lives.
Warning: Rewards must be claimed within the next 60 minutes or significant degradation of the reward should be expected.
Time Remaining: 0:13:31
“Great… Ok Kal, use your brain.”
Kal went with the next simplest thing he could think of and it was just adding more runes to the array but these were directed towards the sky in an attempt to prevent the atmospheric entering from above. Did it work? Sort of. The runes affected too small of an area to provide enough coverage to protect the entire circle even after carving several more runes. So his solution was to shrink it down to about five feet across. Nowhere near ideal but it had managed to reduce the abyssal mana in the circle to close to nothing. Kal just hoped it was low enough and that they actually landed in the circle. He had no time to change any of it now.
Time Remaining: 0:00:31
Kal prepared himself for the reward and readied his will to intervene if anything went astray then he claimed it.
Title Acquired: Disc-
Kal ignored the title notification and focused on the circle. The air in front of Kal twisted, gold and silver light piercing through dozens of tiny cracks before bursting through and almost blinding him. Then two figures fell from the light and tumbled to the ground.
A woman with long black hair tied back in a ponytail almost fell completely out of the circle but Kal raised a hand to arrest her fall just in time. The second was a young boy with brown hair and brown eyes. The boy tumbled to a halt inside the circle without Kal’s intervention.
Kal recognized both of them immediately, the “Stupid Kid” and “The Archer” from back on Fyborh’s Path. Apparently, they didn’t make it out with the rest of them.
[Nyx Velanoir | Shadow Archer 74 | Human]
[Ander Haln | Null | Human]
The boy was in tears as he climbed his feet and Nyx was pale and covered in burns but she regained her balance and turned to face him. Her face paled even further and she let out a gasp as she stepped backward toward the edge of the circle.
“Stop!” Kal said. Nyx froze, her mouth dropping open. Kal’s words came out more forceful than he had intended as he felt his soul flare in the presence of people. Kal reigned it in as best he could but judging by Nyx’s face she had noticed, “Damn it.”
“You can’t leave the array or you’ll die. Abyssal mana is everywhere here,” Kal said. This time his tone was more normal. It felt strange to talk to a real person for once.
She nodded, apparently speechless for a moment. Nyx seemed a lot shorter than we had first met her back in Hurius’s camp. She was wearing tightly fitting dark almost black leather armor. It was covered in burns all over one side and her back. Through the damaged armor Kal could see several deep red blisters, some having already burst revealing raw flesh underneath.
He didn’t think her injuries were too serious but they were clearly painful. Ander seemed unharmed but also clearly scared. Kal knelt down beside the boy, activated his Eyes of the Slayer, and inspected his core.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Looking very closely Kal could just barely make out Ander’s core. Without skills being actively used it was difficult to see any detail but he could see that it was intact at least. However, he could also see the slightest trickle of abyssal mana seeping into the boy.
It moved lethargically. Without skill channels to move across the abyssal mana struggled to make its way to his core. Kal would have to remove it but not right away.
Kal placed a hand on Ander’s shoulder,” It’s ok Kid. You’re safe for now.”
Ander uncurled from his ball and looked up at Kal’s face but his face twisted in fear again, “Oh…right. Idiot…”
Kal lowered his hood and the boy’s face changed immediately.
“It’s you!” Ander’s face widened into a grin.
Nyx seemed to finally recover, ”My lord… Thank you for saving us.”
Kal was a bit surprised by the drastic change in Ander’s mood but when heard “Lord” his mouth fell open, ”What? I’m not a bloody lord.”
Nyx paled slightly again, “I’m sorry-”
Kal raised his hand, ”Relax. You’re injured. Do you have any healing or recovery skills?”
She shook her head, ”No… I don’t have any skills like that. Even if I did I don’t think I could use them my- my mana and stamina aren’t replenishing.”
Kal frowned and focused his Eyes of the Slayer onto her. His frown deepened when he saw the damage. Her body was filled with various skill channels of different colors but mostly white and greens. Stamina specific skills for the most part but that isn’t what made him frown.
Almost all of the skill channels appeared frayed and thin. Traces of abyssal still remained clinging to sections of the channels deep within her and new mana was already trying to enter. She was deteriorating much faster than Ander.
“I will remove the abyssal mana in your body but I will need to find a more permanent fix,” Kal said the gold and crimson light of his eye shedding light over her face.
Nyx’s eyes pulled away from his face and Kal felt a twang of guilt. Was he the cause of her wounds?
Kal put the thought aside and placed a hand on her chest and with his remaining will tendrils drew out the remaining abyssal mana. It took some time but he was being thorough, he knew how terrible it felt to have foreign mana in your system, let alone something that was completely incompatible for this long.
Color slowly began to return to her face then her face reddened slightly. Kal wondered what that was all about for a moment until he realized where he put his hand. He pulled his arm away like he didn’t notice what he had done but her face reddened further, ”Great Kal, you didn’t just scare her. You had to go and embarrass her as well.”
Kal shook his head,” You should recover your stamina now at least. But tell me if it stops again.”
Nyx nodded, looking visibly better,” Yes it has. Thank you.”
Kal’s soul flared again and both Ander and Nyx flinched. It wanted to kill these weak helpless things. Kal felt his face twist but he clamped down on the false emotions with his will and pasted a smile on his face,” We’ll call it even. I owe you from Hurius’s camp.”
Both of them looked frightened again and Kal cursed his soul. If they were going to be constantly affected by his aura, doing anything with them would be difficult.
Nyx shook her head dismissively,” No I failed that day. We were supposed to extract with you my l-”
“What’s with all this ‘lord’ crap?” Kal said, cutting her off, “Just call me Kal, or Kalum alright?”
Getting called a lord felt wrong to Kal, even though he was technically a noble because of his father who was also not a fan of the title.
Nyx looked taken aback, ”But you are Him. The Slayer.”
“Right… I almost forgot she was a cultist,” Kal sighed, “Look. I am just Kal. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Fyborh’s prophecy told us of your coming. You have the birthright and we feel your wrath even now. It is you.”
Kal shook his head. He had forgotten that the cultists worshiped “The Traitor” but what was this about a prophecy,” Like I said. I don’t know what you're talking about. Never heard of any kind of prophecy and I’ve spoken to Fyborh a couple times now…”
The more he spoke the more Nyx’s face turned into a smile, ”Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned the talking to a god part…”
Ander had an equally large smile on his face,” You’re just like Dalen said. He told us you wouldn’t like the lord stuff.”
Kal smiled at that. At least Dalen knew what he was talking about,” How are Dalen and the others? I didn’t get much of a chance to talk with them.”
“Well haven’t seen them since walking The Fractured Path but before that Dalen, Melisia, and Leo have been working with the elders of our order to try and bring you back,” Nyx replied,” After the tear in Hurius’s camp my team escorted Dalen, and Leo to our camp.”
“Then I owe you more than just saving me from Dhinir’s prophet,” Kal looked over the two of them and a thought crossed his mind,” Ander, who are your parents?”
Nyx froze at words. He had kept his tone steady but there had been an edge to it fuelled by his own anger and soul. The cult was responsible for who knows how many kidnappings.
“He is-” Nyx tried to speak up but Kal spoke over her.
”I want to hear it from him.”
Ander looked sad for a moment but then he smiled, ”My mum’s name is Eliza Haln and she is a strong fire mage. I wish she was here, she would be sad without me…”
Nyx jumped in once he was finished,” Yes! Eliza was the fire mage in the retrieval team.”
Kal let out a sigh. He was glad at least this kid wasn’t kidnapped.
“Ok. I am glad-” Kal’s words cut off as his soul flared and a presence flooded over the area. Throwing up his hood Kal spun and drew his sword as the thing he had sensed came over the rise.
A pitch-black wave of shadow mana flooded down the rock and metal terrain to fill the gulley. Ander cried out as they were all suddenly rendered blind by the dense shadow mana. Kal recovered instantly as both his killing sight and mana sight activated and a huge serpent’s head rose over the rise.
“Seeker Serpent?”
Kal almost relaxed but then a second, third, and fourth head appeared.
[Seeker Shadow Hydra | Abyssal Spawn 83]