“Ears!” Nox yelled. He released the longbow, letting it dematerialize, and clamped his hands over his ears. Caitlin made no such move. Her armor could shape itself to provide the necessary protection. He didn’t know whether the guards and civilians nearby heard him or obeyed, but it wasn’t the time to worry. A sonic blast exploded from Otis as he released his consumed essence glass shard.
Nox was particularly proud of the Spell Weaving piece. He had designed it while racing between dungeon break sites. Each released one or twin pair of Hogg’s Avatar clones, and his time in the dungeon had taught him that sound worked against the beasts. He had saved it when they found a specimen he and Caitlin could fight alone.
The pair’s latest foe was by far the largest they had yet faced. It had managed to get itself stuck in the tunnel connecting the dungeon and the city above. Only the upper half of its torso was above ground. Yet the top of its head almost reached the top of the three-storeyed bell tower on the edge of the market square. Each of the six eyes on either side of its head was bigger than a human head. Its arm length meant no melee fighter could get within its reach without suffering a clobbering.
The beast blocked an important escape route, but that was the least of the panicking citizens’ worries. The monster breathed vile green-tinged flames that rapidly caused everything to age. Wood rotted and crumbled. Stone wore away, breaking into dust and fragments. Metal rusted and sprouted corrosion holes. Any living being that came into contact with the time-bending magic was a pile of dust and bones. The few that were fortunate enough to be only grazed by it found the exposed area rapidly aging and withered.
Of all the fighters and mages that passed them in the last fifteen minutes, only Caitlin had the ability to survive the breath. In fact, her wood elemental armor seemed to benefit from it. Nox often forgot that it was born of a living fragment of Yggdrasil. The rapid aging made it grow bigger and more powerful than anything Caitlin had manifested before. The wood darkened and seemed more durable. Moss and vines clung to it too. She stood almost half as tall as the monster ahead of them. Unfortunately, the height and girth came at the cost of speed and flexibility, making it challenging to close in on the beast.
So, Nox and Otis created an opening for her. He had peppered Hogg’s Avatar in the face with sonic, light, and ice arrows. His most potent arrows struggled to penetrate the creature’s armor, and he only scratched the underside. So, he prioritized slowing and distracting the entity, creating opportunities for Otis to get close. It took the gremlin far too long to complete his mission, but he managed in the end, scaling the beast’s back and activating the spell right on top of its head.
Nox limited Otis’ detonation ability to control spells since, otherwise, it consumed obnoxious quantities of mana. The sonic blast shook the ground, further cracking damaged stone and shattered all the vicinity's glass. Despite the hands clamped over his ears and taking cover, his ears and teeth hurt. But it did the job. Hogg’s Avatar fell forward, smashing its snout into the ground. The spell also drained the familiar planet and took an additional thirty from Nox’s spatial star. Fortunately, he had mana to spare.
Crystalize Essence | Essence Animation
98/151 | 19/36
Essence Shaping | Arrow
12/63 | 0/20
Temporal Sphere | Spatial Manipulation | Temporal Manipulation
150/256 | 12/32 | 9/12
Spatial Familiar | Spatial Storage
0/40 | 23/23
Only Aria, Mou, Sapna, Ingrid, and the deans knew. Nox had completed processing the mana in his system and ascended to the low-Expert rank two days before the graduation ceremony. He wanted to keep the information secret until the Warmonger issue was solved. Nox now had room to improve and grow the Temporal Sphere spar and also add another planet to the mix. He hadn’t yet decided to do a general spatial shaping planet or dedicate it to Spatial Reversal. The spell had proven its usefulness, but Nox believed it was better suited for a moon, being instrumental to Liesel Wyrd’s defeat.
First, Nox needed to solve the mystery of the binary system’s planet limitations and add to Crystalize Essence. It was his primary source of defense and destructive power after all. He didn’t have the monster’s aging breath. Yet.
The giant wood elemental armor left monstrous footprints in its path as Caitlin barreled forward. She shoulder-charged the side of the monster’s head. Nox’s ears were still ringing, but he heard the sound of teeth shattering and the monster’s jaw cracking. She manifested a water sword almost as tall as her current thirteen feet and removed all of the eyes on the left side of the giant face.
Caitlin’s attack snapped Hogg’s out of its stunned face. When she attempted to turn her followthrough into a stab, a giant paw struck her left side and knocked her side. Despite all the extra mass, she didn’t have enough weight to resist the swing. It sent Caitlin staggering, and only the low center of gravity and sprouted support tentacles kept her from falling on her side.
Hogg’s Avatar spewed emerald flames, enveloping Caitlin in them. When it ceased, she had gained another handful of feet in height and widened as well. Unfortunately, her joints had fused together, and Nox knew she needed time to fix them and regain mobility. He needed to buy her time but worried their opponent was far too enraged to let distractions get in the way. However, Caitlin was currently in the beast’s blind spot. Its blind swipes and smashes hadn’t found her yet, and Nox saw no choice but to get involved at close range. Otis needed a short recovery period.
Fold Step brought him down from his perch, and he sprinted toward his target. Ratra’s Bow adopted its gauntlet form first. Next, Nox manifested the dagger, infusing it with a spell made of cutting essence and mana from his spatial star. The blade hummed and rapidly gained inches.
The move had the necessary effect. Hogg’s Avatar reacted to the powerful magical signature, twisting its neck around to focus on Nox. It swiped at him, but Fold Step got him out of the way and in the blind spot again. The beast wriggled a couple of more feet out of the hole and twisted around, trying to find Nox again. Unfortunately, it found Caitlin instead, leaving Nox no choice but to cast consecutive Fold Steps, worsening his headache and taking giant chunks out of his mana.
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When Hogg’s Avatar spotted Nox again, he was halfway across the square and well within range of the breath attack. The emerald flames filled his path and enveloped him, but he didn’t slow. A traveling dome of Crystalize Essence kept Nox young and alive. Essence glass rained around him, and he instructed Otis to collect them all as soon as possible. If it contained the essence of time as he suspected, they’d prove invaluable to his research and the development of new magic.
On reaching the monster, Nox used Fold Step again, launching himself as high as possible. Then he stabbed the dagger into the creature’s hide, activating the spell stored within. It didn’t just penetrate the scales and hide before detonating in a wide cross. The dagger held on to the essence’s effects for a brief moment, and Nox dragged it down as he fell.
A thundering roar burst from Hogg’s Avatar. Nox folded space to escape, but before he could take the backstep, the monster slammed against him, throwing him backward. A couple of slow fields helped manage the flight, but they weren’t enough. Nox painfully crashed into a wall along the square’s edge and felt his elbow shatter. His hips and backs suffered significant punishment too, and he expected pain even after brews and healing magic.
The damage to the beast seemed significant, and he had done his job. Caitlin used the opening to not only fix her armor, but charge into the beast with a water cleaver ready. She thrust the Shaped weapon into the wound Nox had created before freezing it. Hogg’s Avatar knocked her away again, roaring hard enough to shake the world around it. The creature threw both free limbs into the air before swinging its entire body downward. Caitlin just about escaped. She burst out of her armor and used water whips to fling herself away. Then, the armor moved independently, attempting to dodge. The bulk made it much too slow, and Nox heard the wood splinter and crack under the weight.
Nox’s knee failed him when he tried to stand. He popped healing and stamina recovery pools into his mouth, but it didn’t help. Worst of all, fresh blood and tissue bubbled around the monster’s eye. It wasn’t just bigger. The creature was much stronger than any monster they had faced in Hogg’s Lair. Two people weren’t enough for it. Only a handful of minutes had passed since Caitlin destroyed its eyes, but they were already starting to regenerate. It wouldn’t be long before the same happened to the torso damage the pair had inflicted.
Given the beast’s monstrous girth, Nox’s eight-inch dagger didn’t do much. It inflicted pain, but he doubted it had done much to the bone or organs underneath. Caitlin’s ice blade proved intact when it rose. Frost encased the surrounding tissue, and the damage continued to spread. Nox hoped the hastily created weapon would slow the regeneration in the area.
Since Nox couldn’t stand, he settled for the short bow and launched an arrow made of cutting essence at the damaged area. It expanded the wound but didn’t seem like enough. He saw no other options. The volume of civilians around the square had reduced. They had either found alternate routes or retreated to nearby shelters. It meant he and Nox could potentially retreat and find a professor or two to assist them. They needed the power to destroy the monster faster than it could regenerate. When Hogg’s Avatar tried to pull itself further out of the hole, Nox launched another cutting essence arrow but folded and stretched space around it to add to the power.
It disappeared into the enlarged wound before exploding, expanding the wound even further. Nox forced the giant wyrm to cease its efforts but also destroyed the ice construct, slowing all regeneration. Every passing second made retreat seem like the best option. Nox and Caitlin’s eyes met. She hadn’t yet manifested a new armor, and Nox wasn’t sure whether she had enough mana left for it. Caitlin appeared as hopeless as he felt. The woman raced toward him, moving only under the effects of Haste.
Howls thundered through the neighborhood, giving Caitlin pause. She stopped in her tracks, looking around. Her relaxed shoulders and soft smile suggested relief and hope. Nox didn’t know what to think until giant dogs raced into the square. One pranced to his side, wearing a goofy smile. It lapped a wide, wet tongue up his cheek, and all of his pain dulled.
Dean Myrina Woodson arrived on the scene with the biggest canine Nox had ever seen. Joey followed on a dog almost of the same size. He rode straight to Caitlin, and she hopped on behind him without a second thought. Nox wasn’t sure what he was looking at. The dogs differed in size, shape, color, and breed, leading him to the conclusion that they weren’t summons. Tales of druids claimed they had ‘totem animals.’ They developed the power to enhance the creatures and even grant them magical powers permanently.
It was similar to what Pudge had achieved. Nox believed the man had achieved the wizard title for emulating something almost unique to druids. He watched, amazed, as the canines piled on the monster and pinned him to the ground. Dean Woodson rode up to its face and spoke.
“What are you doing, Niddhogg? We had a deal.”
The difficulties Caitlin and Nox faced with the opponent finally made sense. They weren’t facing any random dungeon creature or boss but the dungeon lord himself. Since Niddhogg wasn’t a deity but a primordial creature, he didn’t follow the general rule of sacrificing his powers to command and grow the domain. Nox also thought it possible that the entity retained its magical abilities by gnawing on Ygg’s roots as it did in all the myths.
“You were to stay in your lair, and we shared the world tree’s power with you,” Dean Woodson continued. “What makes you think you can expand your territory and destroy my city?!”
Niddhogg let out a half-whimper that left the world vibrating. The tonal changes in its sounds left Nox wondering whether the wyrm had the power to communicate. A sharp pain in his elbow interrupted his train of thought. The playful sheepdog that was next to him had directly licked the damaged joint. He was about to reprimand the animal when warmth blossomed from the area. He felt an internal itch as the bone fragments returned to their correct positions and melded themselves together. It was uncomfortable for a moment, but then the pain disappeared altogether. Nox wanted to thank the animal but kept silent in favor of eavesdropping.
“I don’t want excuses. Return to your lair before I knit the dungeon close and separate the realms. There will be a lot less headache for me if you get cut in two halves during the process. One of your avatars can take over. I bet they’ll be far more well-behaved and eager to cooperate.”
An angry growl escaped Niddhogg. The monster’s gaze drifted from Myrina to Caitlin and then finally settled on Nox. The damaged eyes had already repaired themselves. During the brief silence, several professors and Perry, atop his giant owlbear, appeared on the scene. After taking a moment to study them all, Niddhogg grunted. Then, it wriggled, retreating into the hole. A puff of purple and green burst from the giant nostrils before Niddhogg disappeared from sight. Spatial Shaping was more intricate and intense than anything Nox could imagine occurred next.
Going by the expressions around the square, he wasn’t the only one shocked and amazed by the magic. Dean Myrina Woodson sealed the passage between the dungeon and the mortal realm before repairing the damage to the square. The druid’s abilities were of legend, but the term didn’t do it justice.
A soothing melody filled the square. Gold, emerald, and sapphire motes spread from Perry’s stringed instrument. The dean smiled, looking up at the pint-sized man.
“Herald of Maka Dee, it’s been a while,” she said. “You haven’t aged a day since we last met.”
“I wish I could say the same, young lady,” Perry replied. “Every second of the past two centuries shows on you, but you wear them elegantly. Who knew an old bat like you could still warm my nethers.”
“Charming as always, Peregrin Kanooks.” Dean Myrina Woodson looked two centuries younger for a brief moment as she giggled, rolling her eyes. “I need to see you and your newest pair of spiders in my chambers. There is much to discuss.”