Valanor screamed a battlecry while slamming his enormous shield with his warhammer, then charged the two new thunder drakes. Savilar paused his assault just long enough to watch where his brother was going, and his eyes widened. He stomped the ground suddenly, and his enormous earth elemental Familiar rose up, a vaguely human-shaped golem that gripped the wounded drake with powerful hands.
“Ethan!” Savilar called as he sprinted across the bowl shaped battlefield. “You and Selina have to finish off the weak one!” He didn’t say another word as he ran toward Valanor, who was already struggling. No matter how durable the knight might be, the monsters were simply too big to keep both in front of him, and he was being struck from both sides.
The Rift Hunter was with him in a seconds, raging into the back of one of the newcomers, which turned to face the new threat. Ethan’s mind raced as he looked back at the bloody, enraged mess of a dragon that he was supposed to fight. He knew Savilar couldn’t cycle if he left his Familiar here–the elemental was already being ravaged by the drake’s horns as is.
Ethan knew the stakes had just been raised, and there truly wasn’t any other option, no matter how ill-suited he might be to fight a creature like this face to face. Selina was already preparing her spells, but looking at him with understandable worry. He began to move, forcing his mind to work.
There was only one real option, and it was paradoxically both simple and complex: he needed to fight like a Hunter. He needed to cycle. He needed to be an Assassin.
Ethan had spent countless hours considering what that meant, as well as discussing it with Valanor, Savilar, and Tomo. Ultimately they’d agreed there was only one thing that really made sense, even if it meant recontextualizing his abilities–which weren’t yet complete. Just as his demon Familiar had once told him, he was a knife in the dark, and that was the essence of how he needed to fight.
The Ruinous sneak attack was exceptionally powerful, could be used while channeling any Affinity, and cost very little mana–but it was only possible when he was unseen. That was the crux to this, and how Ethan needed to adjust his thinking. As he raced toward the creature, he prepared himself. Checking Last Resort, he saw that it had two runes charged, but he didn’t draw it yet.
Savilar’s elemental was withdrawn as Ethan came close, and he reacted immediately. The drake was still glowing softly with the burning of [Internal Combustion], taking slow damage and making it more vulnerable to fire attacks. He tossed three daggers right beneath its enormous head, all charged with [Volatile Infusion].
Cara Fletcher had been right that he needed to understand how to use his traps as traps. While their explosions were useful in any number of situations, he’d learned that detonating them from the ground caused them to erupt in small pillars of flame. They did so now, bathing the monster’s face in a raging inferno.
The fire was short-lived, and the drake roared as it tried to attack the tiny Hunter, but when it regained its sight, it saw nothing. Suddenly it felt terrible pain as blades lanced into its side, horrible, slicing agony erupting from the wounds a split second after. It turned rapidly, despite its injuries and rapidly stabbed its horns into the man in the white coat.
It roared in confusion and anger as the horns somehow passed right through the man in flashes of blue-white light. It continued to stomp and slash, only for another terrible pain to stab into its underbelly. In fury it called upon its own fire to turn the ground beneath it into hot, melted rock.
It had a moment of satisfaction as the man it couldn’t hurt was caught by the attack, only to feel more confusion as he simply disappeared into more blue-white light. A moment later the drake was knocked to one side, forced to step through the lava itself as a black and red cat locked powerful jaws around its scaled throat.
Worse, it felt the now familiar pain of a blade stabbing once more into its already wounded side. It shook its head rapidly to dislodge the cat, only to turn and once again fail to find its attacker. Whenever it charged a lightning attack, water would rush over it like a wave, but moving toward the spell caster only opened it to more attacks from the terrible little blade.
Ethan was burning through his mana. He could feel his scars dripping blood, and his grip on the wakizashis was growing slick. Still, he was grinning as he felt himself truly cycling for the first time in real combat.
It was sloppy, and in some ways he could feel the gaps in his tactics more than anything, but it was working. His reflection had been destroyed by lava, but the distraction had let him become a Knife in the Dark once more. Revan hadn’t done much damage as the faithful Familiar clamped onto the monster's throat, but it had allowed Ethan to become a Trick of the Light, and his blade bit deep seconds later.
He used every trick he had, trying to capitalize on each moment that his Familiars, abilities, and Selina’s support managed to buy him. More daggers exploded. Deevee sent blasts of energy into the drake’s black eyes. Even Tomo made a rare appearance, slashing at the beast to buy Ethan one more attack.
It wasn’t one-sided though, and the thrashing, bucking, monster continuously spun, and snapped, and attacked with its horns, trying to be everywhere at once as the irritating bug continued to bite. Ethan was bleeding from a dozen wounds, and his left side hurt when he breathed from catching a kick from one of the powerful legs, but he just refused to stop.
After what felt like hours, he knew he was reaching his true limit. A glance at Selina showed that she was in even worse shape, having only her Soul Rune to rely on. She was on her knees, panting with a hand pressed against her chest. Ethan summoned Revan for another distraction, then quickly surveyed the battle.
Savilar had managed to bring his own drake down, and was now working on finishing the one pressuring Valanor. They’d clearly still be some time though, leaving the original monster to Ethan. He looked at the creature, which was somewhere between valiant and pathetic at this point, nearly every inch of the beast covered in wounds. It swatted at the Guardian Beast, but it moved sluggishly, and was clearly beyond any real defense.
Ethan looked back to Selina, then indicated his sword. She nodded, charging one final spell. Ethan looked down at Last Resort. Seven runes glowed red on its hilt. Ethan waited until he felt the burst of energy from the Runemistress, empowering his next attack, then made sure he was behind his target as he channeled Mystic one last time.
Revan disappeared at the same time as Ethan, who jumped high into the air. The drake seemed to know what was coming, having felt the sting of Ethan’s blades more than a dozen times now after similar distractions. It tried to move, but its wounds had left it too slow.
As Ethan drew Last Resort, [Knife in the Dark] pulled the final traces of mana from his body. The blade sang as it was released from its scabbard, the glowing red of its own power mixing with sickly black of Ruin as it fell downward, the air seeming to part in front of the swing. With the added strength of Selina’s Empowerment spell, and the drake’s weakness, Ethan didn’t even feel resistance as the sword completed its journey.
He landed lightly on the ground, his whole body screaming in pain as his prey’s head fell behind him with a thud. Ethan let out a long, ragged breath, which turned into a bloody cough. He could feel his vision blurring and desperately channeled Flare. It was an usual sensation, like drinking from an empty cup, but Revan heard his call.
The Familiar was likewise exhausted, but it still hobbled over to the drake’s body, which collapsed to the ground only a moment after its horned head. Light burst to life around both monsters, and Ethan smiled slightly. A flashing system message was the last thing he saw before passing out.
***
Ethan was nudged awake by an armored toe, and for a brief moment he was back in the tunnels where he’d met Valanor, but his mind quickly cleared. He still felt absolutely miserable, but could feel the smallest trickle of mana flowing through his body. He looked up through bleary eyes at the shield knight, who actually showed a couple of small wounds–something Ethan realized he’d never seen before.
“You’re the only one with a looting power,” Valanor said, indicating the three dead monsters that were already sparkling with light as their magic dissipated. Despite his gruff tone, the knight offered a hand to help Ethan up, which he accepted gratefully.
He leaned heavily on the solid man as they made their way slowly across a battlefield that had been torn to pieces. There were puddles of water, cooled lava, and countless displaced rocks, and they had to move carefully as Ethan was so wobbly on his feet. He touched each drake before the knight brought him to where Savilar and Selina were setting up a campsite against the mountain.
Valanor set Ethan down with surprising gentleness, then joined the Rift Hunter in starting a fire, and preparing food. Ethan took out his tea pot, and set it to brew as he placed his pipe in his mouth. He sensed Tomo’s long-dead master wouldn’t appreciate the combination of the two items, but right now he needed both relief from the pain and the tea’s renewing properties.
With only a moment’s hesitation, he opened up the system message, eager to see what this fight had been for.
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New Ability!
Ability: Volcanic Bolt (Dawn Rank 0: 0%)
Type: Flare, Spell
Incantation: Heaven’s judgment and earth’s burning tears, be joined forever in a symphony of destruction.
For a high mana cost, the caster may speak the required incantation to call upon the power of the Volcanic Bolt. The bolt strikes a single target, causing lightning damage initially, followed by fire damage as the target, or ground is super-heated with volcanic power. Renews and multiplies stacks of [Internal Combustion] if present.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
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Ethan blinked at the description, and Valanor seemed to notice his reaction. “Problem?”
“Not really? I don’t know what I was expecting but this ability isn’t really like anything else I have. It has a synergistic effect, which I haven’t seen before, and that’s awesome…but I think it kind of throws a wrench in what I’ve been working on with my cycling.”
Savilar and the knight both let out a good natured laugh. “Get used to that, Bishop,” the Rift Hunter said. “That’s what Dawn rank is for. Learn and learn again. You’ve got plenty of abilities ahead of you, and each will change how you fight.”
“Just wait till Dusk rank,” Valanor said, pouring himself some tea. “Your abilities will evolve, and you’ll have to figure it out all over again.”
“That’s part of the fun, isn’t it?” Selina asked, setting meat over the fire to cook.
“I suppose so,” Ethan said. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to drop the judgment of the heavens onto unsuspecting monsters, he had just grown to associate standing back and casting spells with the Runemistress. He shrugged. He’d simply have to try the new spell when he had the mana to cast it. For now, he enjoyed the pleasant aroma of dinner cooking as he looked at their loot.
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You have looted [Dawn Rank Thunder Drake] x 3
You have received:
* 43 Dusk Coins
* 2473 Dawn Coins
* 3 Thunder Drake Gems
* 42 Thunder Drake Scales
* Bracers of the Relentless (Dawn Rank)
* Staff of Thunderous Might (Dawn Rank)
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“Whoa,” Ethan said, pulling the new items out of his inventory. The others looked over eagerly as he held out a black staff with a stylized dragon head on each end. “Any objections to giving this to our brave support?” he asked. “Apparently it can both cast lightning spells, and unleash shock effects if you smack someone with it.”
Selina’s eyes widened, and she immediately tried to turn it down. “We’re not going to use it, Rune Mage,” Savilar said with a smile. “You did well, and put yourself in more risk than any of us–regardless of how much Ethan managed to get his arse beaten.”
Ethan couldn’t argue that point, but joined the others in smiling at Selina until she accepted the weapon. “Proof that this was more than just another story,” he said with a grin, and she beamed back at him.
He held up the bracers next. “These things seem special,” he declared, then read the description aloud.
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Bracers of the Relentless [Dawn Rank] Epic
Special Effect: [Mana Renewal]
Whenever the wearer cycles into a new Affinity, the bracers will provide a small burst of mana of the newly channeled type. Amount of mana provided increases depending on how much mana was expended before cycling.
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Valanor took one glance at Ethan’s scars, still seeping blood. “Just take them. Not only are you the only Dawn rank, but you’ll probably bleed to death in your next fight without them.” Savilar barked a laugh, despite his mouth being full.
“I won’t fight you on this one,” Ethan said, strapping the black bracers on over his forearms.
“Everyone eat, then rest,” Valanor commanded. “We’ll head down the mountain in the morning.
***
“Heaven’s judgment and earth’s burning tears, be joined forever in a symphony of destruction,” Ethan whispered.
Orange lightning arced down from the clear sky, the bolt of energy crashing into the aprum, a monster that looked like a wild boar the size of a pony. It froze in place for a moment as the electricity tensed all its muscles, then it fell over into the barren field at the foot of the mountain. Its body began to glow and sizzle as the fire aspect of the ability made itself known.
“Another successful hunt of a nearly harmless pig,” Glenn said. “You know we can’t even eat the damn things after you do that. It fries all the meat into grissle.”
Ethan smiled back. “I’ll buy you dinner when we get to the village,” he said. The rest of the party had returned to the city, but Ethan had wanted to stay out for another day to get a feel for the new ability. They’d met with Glenn and Maggie and handed off ‘the responsibility’ for Ethan, then gone their separate ways.
While waiting, the knights had gotten word of unusual behavior in Shawarma village, with traders being turned away. Ethan had agreed it was worth checking out, and it gave him a chance to try out Volcanic Bolt on the way. He was having mixed results.
It was undeniably powerful, and under the right circumstances, and with the right theatrics it could pass for Prince Calevaro’s own lightning bolt. Ethan just wasn’t sure how to incorporate it into his burgeoning fighting style.
Ethan quickly looted a handful of coins, then joined Glenn on the path toward the village once again. The smiling knight was aware of Ethan’s frustrations, and gave him a playful punch in the arm. “Don’t forget, you still have half your bloody power set to unlock still. This one might make more sense later, or really come into its own at Dusk rank.”
“You’re right, and honestly I’m not sure what I expected. It was just a bit weird coming off my first battle where I finally felt like I was fighting properly, instead of just floundering.”
Glenn rolled his eyes dramatically. “It’s really hard being you. For now you’ll just need to cry yourself to sleep, knowing you have a worthless power that only summons a lightning bolt and creates a pit of lava. Did you know one of my best abilities is that I swing my sword really hard?”
Ethan laughed out loud. “Quit bragging,” he said. “Some of us are nothing but trivial thunder gods, just trying to make it through the day.”
“Do not blaspheme,” Maggie said. It was her first time speaking in hours. “The Gods are not for your jokes.”
Ethan and Glenn shared a long-suffering look. Glenn believed in the Goddess as well–Ethan hadn’t found anyone who was willing to say they didn’t–but he was far less devout than Maggie. They still seemed to get along well enough, but Maggie appeared to see Ethan as a bad influence on the curly haired knight.
Considering what Glenn has said about his other powers, Ethan brought up his status, proud of the progress he’d made since he began training with Valanor and Savilar.
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Ethan Bishop
Class: Assassin
Rank: Dawn (Dusk Rank: 8%)
Familiars:
* Devee: (Dawn Rank 4: 12%)
* Revan: (Dawn Rank 3: 06%)
* Onitomo: (Dawn Rank 3: 85%)
Attributes:
* Mind of the Devourer: Dawn Rank 4
* Body of the Guardian : Dawn Rank 3
* Soul of the Mystic : Dawn Rank 3
Abilities:
Dimension: (3/4)
* Rift (Dawn Rank 5: 09%)
* Dimensional Mantle (Dawn Rank 2: 87%)
* Hydra's Reflection (Dawn Rank 1: 43%)
Flare: (3/4)
* Volatile Infusion (Dawn Rank 4: 32%)
* Internal Combustion ( Dawn Rank 3: 57%)
* Volcanic Bolt (Dawn Rank 0: 03%)
Mystic: (2/4)
* Trick of the Light (Dawn Rank 5: 21%)
* Many-Faced Blade (Dawn Rank 4: 11%)
Ruin: (2/4)
* Knife in the Dark (Dawn Rank 5: 02%)
* Fleeting Shadow (Dawn Rank 3: 62%)
* Gain 1 more abilities to unlock!
* Gain 4 more abilities to unlock!
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Ethan smiled. He’d made some remarkable progress with Deevee especially, prioritizing the Dimensional Devourer in meditations, and [Hydra’s Focus]. It had gone a long way in improving his ability to use [Hydra's Reflection], and aside from allowing the copy to sink into a pit of molten rock, he’d made excellent use of it against the drake.
His excitement for unlocking his next ability was high. Tomo had strongly recommended a Mystic technique, as it would help his Familiars to keep a balanced approach in building out his class, and ideally prevent his Soul Rune from trying to make up for a perceived weakness. The fact that he was ready to gain another Ruin power made it all the more exciting.
They still needed to find the right Notice, but Ethan was looking forward to getting home and putting up a whole new set of goals on his wall. First though, they had to find out what was going on in Shawarma village, which he could see up ahead. Hopefully they had some Oxsteeds the group could borrow as well, the trip having turned out to be a bit further than intended.
As they got closer, though, it became clear that something might be seriously wrong. The fields they passed were alternately overgrown or picked entirely clean, and two of the outer buildings appeared to have been torn down. The group looked at one another in concern, then hopped off the main road and began rushing forward as quickly as they could with anything resembling stealth.
They found the first dead villagers on the outside of the small wall. There was another dead man with them, though he was wearing animal skins and leathers.
The bandits had returned.