Mateo, unlike his ability implied, was not a very powerful person. Sure, he was strong when compared to any average elf, but that was true of anyone with an affinity. [LESSER ELECTROMANCY] had great potential, but at only stage one the most he could do was sparks. Very hot sparks, but still sparks. Which made them rather useless against the golem attacking him.
Why had he let the boss convince him to do this? After Tobias had told the Guild of all that had happened, it sounded like a great deal. Pledge yourself to a 'cause', and get incredibly powerful abilities and eldritch truths to use against all those who oppose you. The boss' story did not contain a massive wisp that made you earn the right to take the deal.
He scurried back from a stumbling punch, thanking every god he could remember that the golem was so slow. Mateo reached within himself and found that charged cloud that was his [ELECTROMANCY], and took it into his mental hold. Sparks poured from his eyes as tears, and rushed down his arms until they flew from his fingers. The golem might be immune to the damage, but it still needed to see. The light show gave him a few seconds to think and catch his breath.
Mateo again began the cycle of slowly chipping away at the golem until he needed to blind it, taking the breaks sparingly as the creature wised up to his actions.
The reward better be damn worth it.
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Geoff slowly stroked the [FIRE-BIRD]'s wings, letting it peck at some jerky he had given it. Anything was possible with bribery. If bribery failed, offer a bigger bribe.
He watched his friends and boss fight for their lives, and smiled down at the bird perched on his arm.
"I'm gonna call you Larry."
[FAMILIAR CONTRACT ESTABLISHED.]
[YOU HAVE BONDED WITH [FIRE-BIRD]{LARRY}]
[ABILITY UNLOCKED: A FAMILIAR SIGHT]
"Hmm. A stick of jerky for a magic familiar. Good doing business with you Larry."
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Sam used [DEMEANOR] to look defeated, drawing in the golem. He broke the act by rushing in and slamming the hilt of his dagger into its face. A small crack appeared, and the two combatants backed off to assess each other once again. But it wouldn't do to let it get a good idea of what he could accomplish.
The boy cycled through all the roles he could, trying to confuse his enemy as much as possible. Noble, beggar, guard, doctor, innkeeper, child, defenseless, strong, dumb, smart, afraid, arrogant, father, son. Just keep it up. He played every role he knew before rushing forward again to hit the golem, distracted as it was from his ability.
[DEMEANOR] had more combat applications than most originally though. When the skill was used, it didn't just change how he looked and sounded. It changed how he was perceived. So when he cycled it over and over again, it created a sort of mental backlash. On something as dumb as a golem, it was even more effective.
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This time he hit with the blade of his dagger, wedging it into the crack his last attack had caused. He still had a moment or two before it recovered, so Sam began to pry at the stone head to widen the crack. Fissures spread slowly, but the creature recovered. The boy was forced to back off, and [DEMEANOR] wouldn't work as well the second time.
All mental change abilities were like that. If someone was expecting something to go wrong, they would find out a lot sooner when it did. Same with the mind. If the mind was expecting an attack, it was easier to fight that attack off. Mental fortitude was sometimes just as important as physical.
He feinted a rush forward, and the Golem overextended while going for a grab. Sam swept its surprisingly light stone legs out from under it, before tackling its prone form. He wedged the dagger in again, and immediately put his full weight into shattering the creature's face.
It tried to pummel him with its fists, but apparently having your face pried off was rather distracting. With one final push, the stone gave way.
Sam held still as the energy flowed through him, settling in his soul. And then, the notifications began.
Four levels, in just one fight. Maybe this place wasn't so bad after all.
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Hendrick sprinted around the edge of the room, desperately trying to evade the flaming missile chasing him. It wasn't even trying, just lazily following him in circles around the chamber. It could catch up in a moment if it wanted to. It was playing with him.
Hendrick did not mind in the slightest. Over losing his life or his pride, he would choose the latter.
Why was he even here? All he had to his name was [TRANSLATE], and that didn't even work in this place. How the fuck something could completely negate the effects of a specialized ability he didn't know, but it had. What was it? There was no way the core could write. It was simply too young. He would be surprised if it even knew it existed yet.
But what else could be pulling all this off? The [LIEUTENANT] that had greeted them was intelligent, but it would only have command over its own kind. And what kind of [DUNGEON] already had three different kinds of creatures this soon? It was confusing, impossible, and infuriating.
Hendrick put on another burst of speed. The bird looked like it was getting bored. It might actually start trying soon.
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Tobias had to use every sliver of grace that [CORE'S SPYMASTER] granted him in order to avoid the bursts of flame. The [LIEUTENANT], Apollo, was mad. Not as in angry, as in insane. It just kept laughing. It laughed as a whip of heat almost took off a few of his fingers. It laughed as a burst of blinding light made his eyes stop working for a few moments. It laughed as a slow, graceful tone rose high into the air.
And higher.
And higher.
And higher.
Relax.
A voice entered Tobias' mind. He felt [FACT'S PERSISTENCE] flare up, likely guarding him from the brunt of the attack. It was all he could do to resist the voice as he dodged and wove between the more physical attacks Apollo sent his way.
And higher.
And higher.
And higher.
Listen.
The voice grew louder. But this time, Tobias responded. He sent the full force of his ability at the wisp, muttering under his breath to keep his focus.
And higher.
"Lorem..."
And higher.
"Ipsum..."
And higher.
"Dolor..."
Fall. Break. Shatter. Submit. Lose. Sleep.
Lorem Ipsum dolor sit amet...
The physic attacks hit at the exact same time, and all physical combat ceased. They just stood there. Tobias with blood dripping from his ears as he bore the burden of his own skill, and Apollo's flame slowly dwindling as the wisp poured more energy into his attempt.
They began again. Both desperate for the fight to end, they focused all their power into a single word each.
Yeild.
Dolorem.
The strikes proved too much for either combatant to bear, and they collapsed to the ground.