Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Jonathan tried to visualize the power of his stamina, using the same techniques that he used when manipulating his mana. He did not have a stamina core, so it was much harder, but he could feel a faint red field of energy that swirled around within his body. It seemed like wherever his stamina came from, there was no one source. It resisted his efforts to do anything with it, and he remembered having seen it in flashes before when he was looking at his mana.
Back then he had assumed that it was simply some sort of optical interference, but it looked like he had an entirely different source of power within his body. He could tell that if he compressed it all down to the same size as his mana core, there would actually be more power contained within it, but in its current state, it was dissipated to the point where all actions that his body made used it equally. If he managed to find a way to harness it in any sort of refined manner, then he would be able to draw upon enough power to even the odds against this monster.
Trying to grab a tiny bit of his stamina, he was able to take it under control with his mind, and he grunted with effort as he moved it towards his fist. The area where he withdrew it from suddenly started to twinge and go numb, and a large chunk of his total store went missing, as the motive power that was keeping it moving started to disappear, but more of the energy rushed in from around it to repair the damage.
When the stamina reached his fist, he suddenly felt a new power blaze in the appendage, and he felt as if he could suddenly output far more force than before. The effects of his impromptu technique were starting to drain however, as the stamina fought to be returned to its rightful place. He darted forwards, wanting to test this out on the Drake before it ran out.
His feet carried him at hundreds of miles per hour toward the monster and he reached it in a matter of seconds, slamming his fist into its side. When it struck, it was as if a second wave of strength ran through his hand, empowering his blow as if it had been backed up by the strength of someone higher level than him. His non enhanced blow was able to actually leave a mark on the monster's sturdy hide, creating a small wound where it landed.
His hand throbbed as he withdrew it, but nothing other than that had happened, and at least he knew that it wouldn't break his bones every time he used the ability. A skill notification spiraled into his vision, but he pushed it aside for now, deciding to try enhancing his fist with multiple different energy sources at once.
However, the monster had other plans, and it swiped at him with one of its massive claws, forcing him to withdraw. Seeing its tormentor running, the Drake roared out loud and took off in pursuit, barreling across the ground after him. Edgar was mostly forgotten in its anger, allowing the man to barrage it with a steady stream of elemental attacks. However, his reserves were probably starting to dip by now, as the rate of fire was beginning to slow down. Still, as a mage, his regeneration rate was considerable, which meant that he would eventually regenerate it all back.
If Jonathan was able to distract the Drake for long enough, then Edgar would be back in fighting form before long. However, Jonathan intended to get some attacks off as well, with his new skills. It was not especially strong, at least compared to the effects of his energy skills, but he suspected that it would act as a force multiplier rather than a simple additive improvement as it was not of the same type of power as his Void energy, or his mana. As it was directly increasing his physical strength, it would have a greater effect than normal.
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Sending another package of the reddish energy into his hand, Jonathan started to layer his other abilities on top of it, creating a nexus of energy around his right hand. It glowed with a bright purple light, mingled with other colors besides. Jonathan did not admire his fist for too long however, and he turned around, ducking as a pair of massive talons ripped through the air above him.
Leaping up, he waited until the monster was low to the ground, and then hammered his fist into its chin, setting off a bomb of power. His fist slammed into it far harder than normal, embedding itself there before the rest of his skills went off. When they did so, the bottom part of the monster’s head was ripped apart, and it howled in rage. It seemed that his new skill allowed him to get deeper into the flesh of his enemies, which would mean that his other abilities would bypass their protections. It was not as useful against humanoids, but it was very potent against giant monsters with incredibly tough skins.
The creature seemed to be briefly stunned, and Edgar began to send more bolts of wind into the open wound, widening it. As they landed, the energy bolt started to dig into the creature’s flesh, turning into whirling drills of force that headed towards its brain. The monster returned to its senses a moment later, and howled, stamping its front feet in a fury. The ground cracked for hundreds of feet in every direction, and it kept at it, sending more and more cracks racing across the ground.
Jonathan grimaced and started running. He knew what was coming next. As he ran, the ground started to rupture, and molten rock began to pour out of the rock beneath his feet, boiling up like a volcano was erupting beneath him. Edgar was borne aloft on pinions of wind, but Jonathan had no such ability to save him. He could only run.
He tried to send some of his stamina to his feet, and he surged forwards, almost tripping over himself. He flashed forwards almost thirty feet, faster than he could react, and then righted himself, almost at the end of the lava field. However, it was too late.
A wave of lava carried him up, burning his flesh, and tossed him into the air. The only thing that saved him from imminent immolation was the fact that he was propelled up into the air, and away from the lava. However, burns formed across his body, and he felt his health draining away rapidly.
A few moments later, the lava cooled around his armor, with his resilient body wicking the heat away into himself. Plates of black obsidian weighed him down, but he kicked his legs together to break them as he fell. Intense pain raced up and down his nerves, but it was nowhere near as bad as the most severe burn that he had suffered, which was from the orb that Dalnar had tossed after him the first time he had cleared the dungeon.
The Drake roared in pleasure at seeing him falling, singed and dazed, from the sky. It rushed forwards, paying no heed to the lava on the ground, and reared up on its hind legs, preparing to stomp him into the ground. Its scaly flesh glittered in the light of the sun, but for the briefest of moments, its vulnerable underbelly was fully exposed, and Edgar took advantage. With a wordless scream, he emptied almost his entire remaining mana pool into his hands, creating what looked like a tornado that had been twisted into a spear. The full weight of his elemental mastery was contained within the attack, and he loosed it a moment later, sending it streaking towards its target. Edgar fell backwards a moment later, unconscious.