Chapter 49: [Aura: Flow]

  The Telemoon trio had been expecting us. We had assumed they could track our movements. Now proven true, we still had few—if any—other courses to take. I looked to Azwold, Relja, and DarkNeon, all frozen as if glued to the floor. Stun traps. If only our positions had been different, perhaps two party members with more combat ability would be free. Instead, a weakling duo faced three elite enemies.

And in typical Telemoon fashion, they took immediate action. Tect0n activated a metallic gyroscope device and threw it to the ground. But it did not clang on the metal floor. It hovered, defying gravity.

My [Spirit Walkers] drifted above the ground, and we all floated like astronauts.

Following through with a combo, Sprock3t zapped to me, swinging an arm-sized electrified wrench. With a crunch, I went careening down the hallway, floating like loose garbage in the wind. My health took a hit, blinking down to yellow.

My only hope was for [Spell: Barkskin*] to last the battle. Using [Spell: Slow Time] would only allow me to run away. Despite our ugly odds, moving backwards was not an option. And Barkskin* was not on cooldown just yet. I wondered if [Spell: Slow Time] might make Barkskin* last longer, but I saved it.

I looked at my spell list, grasping for something useful. I was at a near loss. I watched, spinning and trying to stabilize as W3dge made a beeline for Vick5. He slammed his flaming hammer into his former guild mate’s chest, sending Vick5 to meet me down the hallway. He was not faring as well as I, health taking a swift slide into red and critical.

“What can we do here?” I asked as Vick5’s limp body bounced from the ceiling and down to me. I caught his wrist.

“Our chances of victory have diminished exponentially in the past five minutes,” he said, tired mental wheels turning.

“Is there nothing you can do?” I said. “Your Telemoon class was stripped, but you must have some water spells?”

“Anything you can do would outclass my spells, without doubt.”

I considered an unspent skill point I had been saving. Banishing my indecision, I invested it into a new level 35 spell called [Spell: Spiral Vine]. It sent my vines slithering out to create bridges, or latch onto items, or climb, et cetera. At this moment, a utility spell could make the difference. I needed to stabilize. I selected it, cast it, and lashed out at the smooth metallic walls. And luckily, they stuck. Empowered by Barkskin*, my vines were stronger versus metal, and able to grip with viscous sap and hardened thorns. I oriented myself; a glimpse into a day in the life of a Skittering Lurker, I imagined.

“Level 10 is my maximum Water Mage spell level,” said Vick5. “I retain very few, disused and superseded by more efficient Chemist and tech effects. Telemoon devices and abilities are better than normal magic because they provide similar effects, or combine effects, et cetera.”

“Whatever they are, use them!”

“Affirmative,” he said, scrolling a flickering screen on his arm band. “Please stand by. As I said, they are disused. All but forgotten. Ah, here. I have located a level 10 Water Mage spell called [Spell: Wellspring]. An inferior version of my old [Ability: Chemical Energy]. [Spell: Wellspring] provides moderate mana regeneration as long as we stay within 5yards of one another.”

“Who would say no to free mana?” I said, preparing my next spell. Sprock3t, Tect0n, and W3dge were approaching in demagnetized formation. “Fire off whatever water spells you have.”

“We must focus the Electricity Combat Technician first,” said Vick5. “Defeating him may lower the stun traps.”

“Wise,” I said.

“Discovery! I retain another ability called [Aura: Flow]. It will provide us with cumulative bonuses for successful chains of ability usage.”

“I see,” I said. The trio were still under the effects of [Spell: Weaken III], but it hardly seemed to slow them. “You should have mentioned these spells earlier.”

“I am imperfect,” he said. “A miscalculation. I regret to admit.”

W3dge lobbed a fire bomb device, and with the antigravity, it sailed past me and detonated several yards behind Vick5. Though I could not feel the burning heat of the shockwave, I almost lost my viney grip on the walls. I rebounded back and forth like a fly in my own planty webbing.

I cast [Spell: Weaken III], to refresh the effect while the trio were still grouped closely enough. A “Flow” buff appeared.

Vick5 was panting behind me. “Keep casting or we will lose.”

I had two seconds left on the temporary “Flow” buff. So long as I cast something every 5 seconds or less, it would increase my casting speed by 10% each time. I cast [Spell: Fright Hand III], sending the three bouncing from one another, from wall to floor to ceiling, but little else came of it. Just extra time.

With my 20% increased casting and a constant regeneration of mana from Vick5’s Wellspring, I cast [Spell: Regen III], preemptively expecting incoming damage.

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The moment my fear effect ended, Tect0n came in with a seismic slam move, pounding me into the metal floor with a deafening bone crunch.

If I had not cast my regen, I may have been out for the count. I was left with a flashing sliver of health, and a reminder that they were unlikely to clump together for AOE spells again.

Sprock3t was charging up a lightning attack, and I had only a split second to choose my next spell before losing my flow state. [Spell: Incorporeal II] was the only play. I faded into glassy etherealness, and the combat technician’s zap shot past me and grounded to a little metal pushcart sitting outside a vacant laboratory door ten yards away. The beakers arrayed on it melted, spilling mystery chemicals down to the floor.

Vick5 was hanging onto a thread of health, but his aura and mana regeneration effects persisted. I noticed that my flow state buff not only increased my casting speed by 40%, but it also reduced my cooldowns by the same percentage. And then I knew exactly what to do.

As the Telemoon trio struck a formation, preparing what would certainly be a devastating combo attack, I cast a quick succession of spells. First [Spell: Calcify] giving me a thin shell of petrifying stone, and 50% flow bonus. Then [Spell: Thorns II], and a 60% flow bonus. My mana dipped down half way, but it was still climbing. I might have enough.

Next I cast [Spell: Vision Wisps III]. I did not need the extra vision, but I did need the 70% flow bonus.

Our enemies had combined three parts of a device together, and a progress bar was rising to full. In moments I would experience whatever their ultimate combo move was. But I had no intention of letting that bar fill.

“You must execute any plans immediately,” said Vick5.

“As you say.”

Targeting Sprock3t first, as he had suggested, I cast [Spell: Acid Spit III], hurtling a jaw full of my hot-green slime. Their progress bar took a momentary pause, but otherwise continued. But now, with my 80% flow state bonus—what luck, to be right about something at last—I could immediately cast [Spell: Acid spit III] again, with only a split second of cooldown time. My mana was fading, even with Vick5’s mana help. But by the looks of the elec bot’s health, one more damage spell—empowered by the last few moments of Barkskin*’s effect—might finish him off. So I did it.

Sprock3t’s eyes went wide and surprised, then his frame overloaded with electricity. Steam spurted from his backpack. He exploded in a ball-lightning of energy, tubes, and gears.

The progress bar halted altogether.

“Traitor!” W3dge hollered at Vick5, his echoes bellowing down corridors.

“It was the only way,” he replied.

“Our way is the only way,” said W3dge, angrily reigniting his hammer and preparing to charge.

But before he could do anything, there was a blinding flash, then a gust of wind so strong that it knocked Tect0n’s gyroscope against the wall. The device fizzled, then fell, ending his antigravity effect.

Red and silver daggers appeared and started stabbing. Lavender spirit magic swirled around the two remaining enemies.

Tect0n fell, rumbling the ground despite its solid metallic state. Amazed and grateful for the overdue assistance, I swiftly cast [Spell: Re-compose III], draining the two fallen enemies’ energies and preventing them from respawning for long enough to deal with Vick5’s old friend.

W3dge stood, seething, steam and flames roiling.

“Apologies,” said Vick5, still hanging on by a thread of hit points, “but Telemoon is on the wrong side of things.”

I utilized the last moment of my flow state buff and Barkskin* effect to cast another [Spell: Acid Spit III]. But W3dge aggravated his flame aura, burning my acid to mist. Vick5 cast some unknown water spell, and taking his queue, Relja joined his casting and together they created a fog-like effect. With the last of my mana, I re-cast [Spell: Acid Spit III], and together we created a poison damage fog. It enveloped the Fire Demolitionist. His own aura caught and detonated, sending me flying back onto dark patch of stonemetal.

When the fog dissipated, W3dge was a floor corpse.

“That was a close one,” said Azwold, kneeling. I saw boot rubber marking his skid backwards from the blast.

“Should have seen it coming, really,” said DarkNeon.

“I informed all present that Telemoon would predict our movements.” Vick5 gave a weak shrug.

“Hang on,” said Relja, casting [Spell: Healing Winds II]. The party’s collective health gradually returned as she channeled a sky-blue, glowing breeze at us.

“I’ll keep a sharper eye for traps,” said DarkNeon, “but we should keep moving, yeah?”

“I think so,” said Azwold. “They stunned us three, thinking they’d win. Looks like they calculated wrong odds. What was that, Eld?”

“Yeah,” Relja smiled and snapped her fingers, “that was pretty amazing for a lil’ ol’ skele boi.”

“I believe we have underestimated our Water Mage,” I said.

“I selected Water Mage as my base class because we synergize more readily with most other schools of magic. Much like water itself, we are the universal solvent.”

“Well alright,” said DarkNeon, “let’s get on with solvin’ it. Map says our goal isn’t far down thataway, right?”

Consulting our maps, we oriented ourselves post combat and continued on.

“How long has Telemoon been converting this place into a base?” asked Azwold.

“Quite some time,” said Vick5. “They have been retrofitting, engineering this location into a locus of activity behind the shrouded walls. I hesitate to estimate inaccurate timeframes, but more than months, less than years.”

“I’ve been wondering,” said Relja, sniffing the air, “isn’t this supposed to be a shadow mage city? Where are the shadow folk?”

“Wherever Ralos is, maybe,” said Azwold. “Hiding in the shadows.”

“Isn’t he trying to take over a command position or something?” asked DarkNeon. “You said there was a disruption in guild order?”

“I hypothesize Ralos intends to, or has already assumed an interim position within the Mentalist Troika’s inner circle.”

“When we find this quest objective, it should tell us more,” said Azwold. “It better.”

As we continued along the corridor, we passed by opaque windows, like two-way mirrors, and heavy doors with keyless locking mechanisms. Still, we tried to see in, and I got a sense that Azwold was searching for his lost Gremlin; mayhap more for his baby than for quest objectives. I sympathized. I had trouble imagining Relja without Fizzu or DarkNeon without Yolo, but I hoped that his loss would not impede our larger purpose. My encounters with the goddess-Belvan had imparted me with an indelible determination.

“How will we know this Continuum of Memory node when we find it?” asked Relja.

“It should be in here,” said DarkNeon, smooshing her face up against a room’s window plane. “So let’s pop the sucker open and have a look.”

Vick5 inspected the lock mechanism for only a moment. “We require clearance. Lockpicking abilities will be insufficient for this task.”

“Ummm, thanks for the vote of confidence,” said DarkNeon.

“Stop me if this is a bad suggestion,” I said, “but we have access to a Telemoon body back there on the floor. Would W3dge have something on him to allow us to pass here?”

“It is conceivable.”