Chapter 14: The Daughters of Nix
II
Motes of orange sparkle in the purple sea. I floated about, half conscious, when something began to form in the ocean of chaos. At first there was a spark of orange, brighter than the rest, on the horizon but it soon began to change. A speck of light brown rock drew closer by the second. In less than a minute I was bobbing up and down in front of an Island, only barely large enough to house the giant stone structure which sprouted from the craggy rock.
A coliseum? My bleary mind wondered as it gathered its parts and started knitting them back together. I fell onto the beach of this island as the sea of purple I had found myself in evaporated, the last drops of that other dimension clung to me like molasses but were eventually pulled away; up, into nothingness.
The Island was now real, the beach genuine, and the sound of waves gently lapped behind me; a proper sun beat down overhead. I looked up as the last of my mind came together and saw that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I looked up the steps ahead of me, the entrance to the coliseum both inviting and threatening.
Suddenly my weight returned and I ceased to float; having not even noticed it was missing, I fell to my knees. White sand puffed up at the impact. I coughed out what little had made it into my lungs, the act was instinctive though superfluous. When my mind finally settled I was able to take stock of my situation. All that remained of my once splendid attire were the shoes, the rest were ruined. My doublet was torn to pieces, leaving my top half bare. My hose was more hole than whole, only just covering my modesty, what remained was stained with blood and viscera. Patting myself down I was able to find one more salvageable item. The belt to which my spatial pouch was attached. The leather was supple and black in colour. The buckle was silver and resembled a skull, ivy growing out of its eye.
I grimaced as I tried to stand, it wasn’t only my clothes that were in a state. My body was little better. My arm looked like it had just popped out for a quick walk on the sun. Moving it was difficult as it had crusted over, thanks to the Necrotic Healing spell I used - it couldn’t repair me decimated mana channels but it did begin healing the flesh. I might be able to transplant mana pathways from another with enough time and the right equipment; I had neither. The wounds which covered my body caused me to stumble back to the sandy beach. The thought of having eaten all those fluffy animal’s souls made me feel sick but it had completely recovered my mana pathways and boosted this body's capacity for magic. I would be able to use advanced spells somewhat frequently, I might even be able to use an expert spell. Still, it felt wrong - having gained strength in this manner. Humanoid experimentation I was all for but animals were innocent creatures, not burdened with higher thought. They were pure souls and to have defiled them so… I straightened my glasses and my newly healed back before taking a long, deep breath and recited:
“Amitabha.” as I let my emotions go with my breath the way my master had taught me so long ago; it helped, a little. Most of the worries which plagued me the night before faded as well and I decided to take everything as it came.
I walked towards the light coloured steps which were hewn from the stone. My skull patterned shoes crunched on loose sand which the wind had blown onto the stairs. I was walking slowly and carefully, checking for traps every few steps. This island seemed barren and I hadn’t seen nor heard any sign of life since being transported here. That said, the means by which I came to be here made me suspicious. Had I fallen into some trial. In my old body whatever this was would be trivial. Then again I had been overcome by some enraging effect and my mind was still the same as ever so perhaps it wouldn’t have been so easy.
Despite my vigilance, I hadn’t found anything by the time I made it up to the grand entrance of the coliseum. Not compelled by some mental manipulation I didn’t head straight for the obvious path. The Island wasn't much larger than the footprint of the main structure but if I was careful I could edge around the building along the cliff top. I chose to do so, looking both out at the ocean and in at the colosseum to see what I might find. The stone was carved into shape but bare of any decoration, or text, or anything of interest. The sea was a deep blue and there was no land or ships in sight. On the far side of the monolith I was forced to shuffle along a section no wider than my foot. Halfway along I found, plunged into the stone, a knife - the remains of a skeletal hand still hanging onto it. Evidently I wasn’t the first to have travelled this way, something had pulled my predecessor away from the wall with such force that a limb remained. I looked into the bottomless depths but saw nothing. I examined the remains and the truth became clear, there were teeth marks on what was left of the arm.
Deciding it probably wasn’t best to linger, I worked free the rusty knife holding it as a weapon, it wouldn’t be very good as the edge had long since eroded. I placed what was left of the hand in my velvet pouch; waste not want not. Since it appeared there was no other option, I went back round to the main entrance. I debated using my new warding spell but surrounding myself in flames would block my vision. It was better to go in with my senses in their best condition and hope to dodge any trap. I did however construct, within my mind, a number of mental barriers, I did not intend to lose control of myself again anytime soon.
With a straight back and squared shoulders I set forth, rusty shiv at the ready. It was eerie to walk in through the wide corridors, vacant of life. I could see the way from a thousand feet clear along the stone but not a soul was present any longer. Again I found the path suspiciously lacking in bedevilment which only heightened my tension further. I made it through the tunnel and the arena stretched out before me, the gate down several steps of seated stairs. I didn’t follow the obvious route, as had become my method. I liked to be meticulous so I doubled back around the tunnel, ascending the rows. The place was just as barren on its exterior as it was on its interior. I made several laps of the seats, starting at the top and working my way inwards with each spiral. Again I found nothing save the occasional blood stains in the splash zone and graffiti made in a language I didn’t recognize. There were marks and chips that showed the place was old and well used but I could gather little more from outside the arena. I walked to the entrance of the fighting stage, sand covered the ground; hiding any villany. I withdrew my wand and readied a spell as I set foot on the combat zone.
As soon as my sole came to a rest on the sediment the whole coliseum came to life. Iron gates clanged shut behind me, gates that hadn’t existed seconds before. The crowd cheered, a crowd that materialised with no mana signature to indicate magic. The announcer encouraged them, her magically enhanced voice booming around the arena.
“The combatant has finally arrived, this one likes to take his time!” she belligered. The crowd responded with a chorus of good natured booing before the sound dissolved into the energy of the stadium.
I was off balance, but I couldn’t show it. Whatever being was behind this, that could conjure an entire stadium’s worth of people without my detection, was someone I wanted to impress rather than disappoint.
“Letsss not keepsss the peoplesss waiting,” a second commentator added in sibilant tones, “I thinksss we ssshould ssstart the first match, don’t you sssister?” The stadium shook with the fans' excitement. Not wanting to appear to be merely a pawn in some god’s game I looked about for the ring leaders. I could make out two tall women, one with the face of a snake and the other with a deathly pale pallor. They stood high up in the stands in a private box. I raised my rusty dagger in their direction, a gesture of challenge.
“I think he’s ready to rumble!” the ghostly woman declared, riling up the people to new heights. The arena thundered with the sounds of cheers, I readied myself for a fight.
☠
“...Our first opponent shall be the Snow Adder! Native to the arctic plains of Khalcha, this magical creature has been raised by our very own beast tamer and she is raring for a fight. Let’s have a round of applause for Snowball!” The crowd erupted at her words and an iron gate on the far side of the arena rose.
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I looked about for some way out whilst maintaining a relaxed and casual air of confidence. There was a barrier around the floor, it wouldn't be as easy as hopping up into the stands if I did try to escape. I traced the source of the ward back to the pair, lording over the crowd as they commentated - with my current level of power I wouldn’t stand a chance against those two. The holy mana, for there was no doubt they were at least demigods, roiled and bubbled within the snake lady with angry orange radiance. The second lady was hiding her mana from my sight, when she noticed me looking she winked. I was slightly surprised, especially at the reaction her sister had. She unhinged her jaw and launched at the pale figure. I blinked and I missed it, but the snake lady was left hanging by her neck from the other woman's grasp. She didn’t look to have enough muscle to achieve the feat, but one could never assume with those of a divine persuasion. After a moment of dangling the snake lady calmed down and the two resumed their earlier stances as if nothing had happened.
She hated her sister showing me any favour; is it because my first match is a snake? I thought as I returned my attention to the other side of the ring. Something had spent the last few minutes slithering along through the dark tunnel which led to its side of the arena. When a great white snake serpentined its way out of the opening, hissing, the crowd was set alight anew. With my wand held loosely at my side, to give the impression I was not worried, I examined the creature with some internal hesitation. From the name alone, ‘Snow Adder’, one may have expected a cylindrical reptile the length of one's arm but the figure which slowly made its way toward the centre of the arena was nothing of the sort. To maintain my facade I likewise marched closer to the middle. The serpent was massive, truly an incredible specimen, It’s head the size of a carriage, its body as long as a Waffenball Court* and it had enough ice mana to use a master level spell, I gulped reflexively as it sniffed the air around me with its tongue, waiting for the signal to begin the fight. The spectators went silent in anticipation, we stood inches from each other at the midpoint of the arena waiting for the fight to be called. I used Identify:
Name: Snowball
Title: Identify skill too low to determine.
Race: Giant Snow Adder
Class: Tundra Hunter Lv.24
Age: Identify skill too low to determine.
Skills: Identify skill too low to determine.
Spells: Identify skill too low to determine.
Attributes: Identify skill too low to determine.
“Let the battle commence!” The pale woman declared, her voice ringing out through the stadium, her tone far too effervescent for her demeanour. Distracted by my thoughts of the godling’s vocal chords I almost missed the first attack.
It didn’t appear to react when the proverbial whistle was blown, the thing’s head still weaving slowly backwards and forwards. What I couldn’t see, so close to the beast, was the tail snaking its way behind me for a sneak attack. I caught the glimpse of something white in my peripherals and engaged my plan immediately. Using what all natural creatures fear, I activated Flame Ward with the directions the System had given. The spell blazed out from my right hand’s ring and enveloped me in a matter of seconds. Seeing the fire, the snake flinched away, rearing its head back. The attack to the rear of me was sent off course, the icicle which launched from the end of Snowball’s tail scored a bloody line along its own body. I took the opportunity to try and rush in close but the sudden pain made the beast push through its fear. Its eyes seemed to glow with an almost white blue as the thing’s drawn back head circled round for a breath attack. In the less civilised parts of my home world people thought giant magical snake adjacent beasts to be dragons and with the icy blizzards growing in the creatures gullet I could see why.
I backed up, reverting my forward charge, not wanting to be anywhere close to the epicentre of that attack. My world was tinged a fiery orange as the ward lagged an inch behind my retreat. The crowd, of all races and creeds, booed at my withdrawal. When the creature's head came back around to 12 O’clock it belched out a torrent of snow and ice. Filling the arena with particulates which rolled off the semicircular defence encapsulating us. The coldest region, a cone that pushed out straight from the Snow Adder’s maw. My Flame Ward spell was stopping me from freezing solid, but only barely, and I was currently standing out of line.
The beast must have had some other means of detecting me, much as I had Life Sense, because as the cold ray continued blasting, obscuring us from the onlookers’ sight, my foe turned it’s head, desperately trying to land me in the most frigid part of the spell. I ran to the side, although the creature’s head could track me easily and move faster than myself, the breath weapon slowly crawled across the stage. Several times it tried to aim ahead of my position but I was able to see it perfectly clearly and never fell for its trick. After 10 seconds the magic ran its course and the spell was over, but neither of us waited for the snowglobe to clear before making our next move.
Snowball tried to fend me off with a barrage of icicles while she waited for her main weapon to recuperate. She had driven me to the opposite side of the arena and thought to fight at a longer range, I could see from the sparkle of intelligence in her eye. For the last several days I had been devising some improvements I could make to the spellshape of Minor Finesse and it was high time I tried them out.
Congratulations:
* Minor Finesse has reached Lv.7
The magic surrounded me in an orange glow, seconds before the first icicle struck. It was as if time slowed, maybe only by 10%, but that was more than enough to slip the first attack. This version of the spell was far more effective, although the power I had added to its structure reduced its lifetime from a day to only 10 minutes - I was limited after all by the complexity of the spell, somewhere between 2nd and 3rd tier on my home world.
I ducked and slipped icy spears, each step closing the distance. We could both see I was going to make it to her before the spell recharged. She coiled, ready to spring at a physical confrontation. She had made a mistake, she assumed me to be a close range combatant. I skidded to a stop just outside her range and loosed the spell I had been forming. Conducted by my bone wand the sand about me congealed into a molten ball and flung towards her. Magma Lob struck the skin of the snake and began to burn. She wriggled and rolled in the snow, trying to rub off the lava but it stuck like napalm. Now she was distracted, I had my opportunity. Flashing in again, far faster under the effects of my enhanced Minor Finesse, I was able to finally lay a hand on the struggling beast, unfortunately I had misjudged the timing of her flailing body and was flattened against the ground.
Congratulations:
* Death’s touch has reached Lv.10
*Waffenball is a game - similar to tennis - played on a very long, very narrow court. Approximately 140 x 0.1 feet. The aim of the game is to have the fastest serve, however the ball must land between the lines. The opponent stands at the opposite edge of the pitch and the speed is determined by how much they flinch at the approaching ball. Taras Haiduk was the best player when Osseus was interested, briefly, in the sport at age 34, Haiduk never flinched. Osseus often talked about his prowess, long after his death, but never knew the man had been blind and could never see the ball coming.