His feet felt sore from running all over the place, a feeling that was foreign to him considering he was just a Support mage. However, Zeke still trudged on with Clara on his back, considering his next actions.
He’s been running for a while, but still found nobody he knew of. At the same time, he was fortunate to not run into any Bastion soldiers. Monsters were plenty, however, and he hadn’t had much choice but to take them down as quickly as he could once they started to go after him.
More bad news was that Brucey, their new batty companion, ran out of whatever juice it had to paralyze creatures. Brucey even started to pant at times despite resting on Clara’s back, proving that whatever resource it had was dried out and needed time to recover. At that point, Zeke went on the offensive to use whatever means necessary, and if things got too rough, he dodged and ran away, often taking an entirely different direction.
His mana hasn’t depleted, but he can’t say the same for his stamina. That also goes with his mental stress of making sure that Clara stayed safe.
The more time passed, dread filled every part of his soul. He didn’t like the absolute silence at times, making him nervous. But he also had to reassure Clara that she would be safe, and he knew exactly what he was doing.
He now found out how parents often feel. They ‘say’ that everything’s alright, but in truth they had no fucking clue on what to do. He started to respect that kind of mentality because it was absolutely draining.
“Bobo…” Clara said, grasping hard on Zeke’s clothed shoulder. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, of course,” Zeke lied as gently as he could. He even offered her a smile even if she couldn’t see from behind his head.
“But you look so worried,” Clara said, and that broke his smile a bit.
Of course she was going to notice, you fucking idiot, Zeke groaned inwardly, but he kept a steady face. “I’m just worried for Sissy. You know how she can be.”
“Everything’s okay,” Clara said, this time being the one to calm him down. “Just gotta trudge on. That’s what Sissy always says.”
He smiled, nodding to her wisdom. Makes sense that Mikella drilled into Clara that when life gets hard, you grow tougher in response. Still, he needed to get his act together even in this trying time. But just when he was about to get into gear, Clara tugged on his shoulder again. “Bobo, Brucey’s twitching.”
Zeke paused, moving Clara in a position where he could spot Brucey. His body twitched, then raised its head. To Zeke’s surprise, Brucey made some physical changes.
His nearly naked body now showed to have fur growing, however short it was. It had a grayish-black coloring, with some yellow tint across its sides. When he raised his head, he spread one wing over, the entire wing utterly black with the same yellow tint on the edges of the spiked wing. It pointed over to the left side, causing Zeke to pause.
“He’s… pointing at something?” Zeke muttered, then he turned to the direction where Brucey pointed with his wing. He gazed deeper into that direction, his higher level body capable of expanding his senses further if just a little bit more.
Eventually he spotted several bodies approaching to their side, or somewhat to the other side–going directly towards the fortress he was at. He widened his eyes, recognizing the colors on their armor and weaponry.
“That’s Zacharia’s retinue!” Zeke shouted, getting Clara to yelp in surprise. “Brucey, how did you manage to figure that out?”
Did Brucey have some kind of sense, like a hyper perception skill? He recalled bats being originally blind and used some type of sonar screech to find their locations, but Brucey never had that kind of issue, or used anything of the sort.
For now, he could only be thankful as he heard Clara giggling.
“Brucey’s the best!” She declared, and Zeke could only agree as he ran towards the group.
…..
Jackie breathed hard, trudging towards the fortress as best he could. Looking back at the others, they saw some of them limping, thanks to the injuries incurred by that psychopath werewolf that nearly killed them all.
Even worse, the beast was just toying with them. Jackie always knew he wasn’t exactly a good fighter, but he still felt bitter at the response. But what else could he do? That Zyler guy was a literal Journeyman, the same stage as the lords and General Zacharia. What could they do against such a man? The only thing he could be thankful for was that nobody died against him.
He also had Cacia, their ice healer, to thank. If she hadn’t intervened with that snow-pile when he was chucked like a broken doll, he probably wouldn’t even be alive at that point. Since then, their healers have been working hard to keep them moving, but their Mana was running low.
But they still had a mission. Like true soldiers, Zacharia’s retinue kept moving onwards to the goal, even after that strange light exploded near them. Jackie recognized that light, that explosion–it was the tower that the group had headed towards. When he and Philip explained what that was, everyone had that look of relief, figuring that the team that went there would be safe.
Unfortunately, they were at the fortress, by themselves, filled to the brim with Bastion soldiers. They luckily managed to take out any Bastion scout teams that found them, even if they were supposedly at the same level range as a Journeymen. Jackie couldn't believe it. Sure, they were certainly stronger than him individually, but they were taken out with their combined teamwork and strategy. Something that should’ve been nearly impossible for normal Experts.
He heard from Captain Val about how some folks can get desperate and try to break their level milestones too early, often breaking their foundations. He understood that feeling, especially during the times when training got too rough and things looked bleak at the town, but when he learned that it would just make them die sooner at a young age, he quickly gave up. He wanted to live, even if he was promised power beyond his station.
But to find out that the Bastion soldiers took that on, nearly all of them… he shivered. The faction was possibly forcing their soldiers to become a higher stage against their will. Or it was possible they were tricked, considering that none of them seem to realize the distinction, even showing off their arrogance when they believed they were facing just Experts.
He shook that feeling away. He looked over at the others, even noticing Basil being quiet. The poor guy, while he was absolutely annoying to deal with, fought the hardest against Zyler. He was beaten badly, but he kept going no matter the cost. That’s why his arm looked battered and bruised, unable to be used until the healers recover their Mana again.
It was the same for nearly every melee focused fighter here. Could they even be able to face the next group of Bastion soldiers like this? They needed help, and quickly–
“Hey!” A voice called out, getting everyone on guard. But when Jackie recognized that voice, his jaw slacked. “Hey, it’s me!”
Everyone around him turned up, ready to face a sudden threat before realizing who it was. What came running at them in full speed was none other than their support mage Zeke, carrying what looked like a little girl on his back. Jackie widened his eyes to find that it was Clara, somehow here in this area once again. He had multiple, actually dozens of questions as to why he and Clara were here, but right now he could only feel relief.
“Zeke!” Jackie shouted, and he along with Philip went up to him. When he approached, he frowned after seeing their state, his head swiveling.
“What happened to you guys?” He asked. “Were you attacked?”
At that point, Zeke and the others talked as to what had happened. Zeke frowned again after hearing about a powerful Journeymen that took them all on with no big deal. As for him, Jackie was relieved to find out that they managed to clear the tower with no casualties or even fatal injuries, but he felt his heart sink when he got separated from the others when the tower exploded.
That was strange, considering that everyone came out together the last time they were at a tower. Still, seeing Clara and how he explained that Clara was kidnapped somehow and ended up in the tower, he felt that he was trying to hide some of the things that occurred.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Jackie wasn’t stupid. Or well, he just didn’t want to think too much. He knew Zeke and Mikella had their own secrets, and how Clara is somehow tied to it all. But he couldn’t care less–after all the help they’ve given, Jackie can only be glad that they were fine, and Myra was still okay. He was also ecstatic to find out that not only did the rest of the team improved, including Captain Val, Myra had the most increases of them all, even having her attunement rank increased.
In other words, the group became even stronger than before, and he was right to have Myra head over there. She deserved all the power ups she could get.
“What about the General?” Basil asked, stepping up to Zeke. “And the lords? Are they separated too?”
“I suppose, I have no other way to know. I only ever managed to communicate with Mikella, Myra, and Piker,” Zeke shook his head. Basil’s lips thinned in response.
“Then what do we do now?” Rajin, the nature healer, asked, turning to the others. “We’re already on our last legs. Do we retreat and go back to the base?”
“No, we keep going,” Moars shook his head. He looked tired and exhausted, but he kept a hard face, putting on his leader-look once again. “It’s even more important now than before to keep going.”
“But Moars, we’re running low on Mana,” Cacia, the ice healer, responded. “Even if Zeke helped heal us, I think we would just get in the way of the others”
“But we can’t leave it all to the other group,” Philip said, his brows furrowing. “We’re talking about a crap ton of monsters and an army of crazy suicidal soldiers! Plus, there’s that wolf guy that almost trounced us. He could be as strong as the lords, or more!”
The other soldiers in the retinue debated now on what to do, each showing their opinions from different perspectives. To Jackie, it was strange to hear so many valid points, all the while showing no heavy emotions. Of course they wanted to help their general, but they also have to consider the possibility of being a burden in their current state.
Jackie felt the same way, hence why he opted for Myra to go on without him. It wasn’t just his fear of going into another tower, but because he didn’t want her to keep looking out for him at his current state. He may have maxed out his Sword mastery, but that was it.
Zeke remained quiet, looking distant as he tilted his head. He wondered what Zeke was thinking at that moment before he suddenly had his eyes widening.
“Oh shit!” He suddenly shouted, getting everyone’s attention. He gained the entire groups’ eyes on him, but he didn’t flinch at all as he smiled. “I forgot! I got the fruits!”
Zeke immediately put Clara down, to which Jackie just realized that she had something stuck to her back. It was some sort of … furry creature, just hanging on to her dress with its talons, but it looked like it was just sleeping in a bundle. He refused to ask anything about it–if it was important, Zeke would’ve pointed it out.
Then Zeke looked as though he was rummaging through his storage pack and pulled out a barrel full of… something, into the real world. He put it on the ground, opening the lid of the wooden barrel. Jackie frowned at the barrel, but when he looked at the inside, his jaw slacked.
They were fruits, but he couldn’t believe it when he saw that it was a literal barrel full of attribute fruits, something so valuable that Jackie never thought he could see even one of those fruits in his entire life. He heard Myra received some from Val after she showed her dedication to her training, which nobody could really complain considering the fruits were just that valuable, and hard to acquire.
So to find an entire barrel full of them… the others quickly noticed and immediately started salivating.
“Those are all attribute fruits!” One of the soldiers shouted.
“C-Can we…?” One of the others asked, hoping–daring–to have at least one for herself.
“Of course,” Zeke said, and it almost made everyone beam in a way that glittered brighter than the crystals of the biodome. “Oh, but be careful. These are enhanced fruits me and Cloud help make. So only take one fruit–and only one.”
His last words weren’t a suggestion, but an order. Despite his casual demeanor, his facial expression turned stoic from uttering those words. And like a well-trained unit, the soldiers nodded eagerly with one of the closest, Jackie, approaching first.
…..
Zeke watched as Jackie carefully picked up one of the fruits from the barrel, a blue apple, and hesitantly took a bite out of the surface. After a few seconds passed, Jackie’s face eased up from the sweet and tangy flavor.
Once Jackie’s eyes widened after seeing something in the distance, Zeke prepared himself. He practically coughed and almost choked, his mouth turning slack-jawed as he already ate the piece. Everyone waited with deep anticipation as Jackie loudly declared.
“Gods, I just got thirty whole points on every stat! And my attribute caps increased by a freaking 300 too! All of them!”
Once Jackie yelled out, Zeke promptly got close to Clara, keeping an eye on her as everyone, quite literally, turned wild as they ate their single fruits.
Not that they tried to take any more than one fruit, of course. Zeke’s orders were absolute, and nobody complained after they received their notifications.
Each one nearly screamed, whooped and hollered, practically dancing on their feet as their stats rose to an incredible degree. Clara even started to widen in surprise as everyone frankly lost their shit as some even went to their knees, tears running down their eyes.
“Bobo, everyone loves them!” Clara called out, looking frightened and excited at the same time.
“They sure do,” Zeke said, smiling. He was glad he took the extra effort to consolidate all of the stat points into one piece with Cloud’s help. Otherwise, he worried everyone might trample over each other for more of the fruits.
A few minutes of exhilaration and excitement filled the air, and as monsters were called over to them from their shouts, they eagerly showed their increased power by taking them all out. In the end, their job was supposed to take the attention from the army to distract them from the boss of the fortress. In other words, they’re doing their jobs just fine. Eventually Jackie ran over to Zeke, his eyes still widened as though he was high on pretty intense narcotics.
Wait, isn’t that pretty much what I gave them? Zeke thought in worry, wondering whether he might start some type of new attribute epidemic.
“Zeke! I don’t know how you did it, but you’re the greatest!” Jackie shouted, and everyone around him nodded in agreement. “Now we can be able to keep up with everyone!”
Zeke nodded back. “That’s good. I also got a favor to ask,” He turned to Clara, showing a frown as she looked back at him in confusion. “Can you take Clara for me? I need to head back to find the others, and I’m sure my barriers would be needed. But… I can’t bring Clara with me.”
“What? Why?!” Clara shouted. “I can help! Me and Brucey can help this time, right, Brucey?”
She tried to look back, but a resounding chirp from behind her got her to grin back at Zeke. He smiled warmly at her, knowing exactly how she felt. He knelt, wanting to see her face to face as she had the right to.
“I’m sorry, Clara. I know you want to help, but it’s just too dangerous. We’re gonna face strong monsters, and probably bad guys that want to hurt us for their selfish greed. I can’t bring you, even if you can help.”
“But… but you can protect me,” Clara said, her head lowering. Zeke felt a pang of guilt crushing his heart, but he steeled himself. It was easy, considering this was for her safety.
“I’m still not strong enough. I can’t protect you all the time,” Zeke admitted. “And if something happens to you, I’ll lose my shit. So please, Clara–stay with them. Follow their orders and don’t separate from them. Will you promise me?”
He hated having to hand her off to someone else, especially when they have to fight themselves. But being surrounded by more than thirty people is better than being at the center of the battlefield, facing Journeymen and bosses that are probably stronger than them. When he pleaded, Clara looked ready to cry, her eyes glistening. But she lowered her head.
“Okay…,” Clara said slowly. “Please don’t get hurt again. Don’t be a dingus.”
Zeke smiled. “I won’t, I promise.”
Zeke looked up to everyone, and he could tell that they were ready to do just that. They would protect Clara, even if it was adding more burden on them. First off, nobody would dare let harm come to a child. And second, Zeke just gave them lots of attribute fruits that increased their stats–they better damn well protect Clara.
“Jackie…” Zeke asked, still hoping for confirmation.
“Of course we’ll protect her!” Jackie pounded on his chest. “Promise on my core and to the system!”
Zeke felt the air around them shift, as though his words brought a sort of solemnity to the atmosphere. He realized that Jackie made an oath to Zeke, to which Zeke nodded. He didn’t mean to make Jackie swear an oath, but it proved how serious Jackie was. He only had Zacharia to blame for his lack of faith in the oath.
Thankfully, everyone else nodded in agreement, even Basil who Zeke thought he still had an issue with him and Mikella–especially Mikella since he kept hounding her for fights for some reason.
“Alright, then I’ll be off. I’ll let everyone else know how you’re doing once I find them. Clara, stay safe!”
“You too!”
Clara shouted with a wave as he smiled back at her. He turned, closed his eyes, and conjured two small round barriers near his feet. As everyone tilted their heads at him, he drew runes on the barriers with his floating pens with a quick flourish. After a few seconds of writing, he stepped on top of the two barriers, not losing his balance at all as he made the barriers affix to his feet.
As everyone widened at that, Zeke breathed, unleashing his rune buffs for Dexterity as he dashed forward. His barriers under his feet reacted as they spun in connection to his stamina and mana surging through the runes on them. They spun like wheels as he literally rode his barriers like they were skates on his feet, running faster and faster away from the entire group.
This was something he thought of after running around with Clara, as well as using the dome barrier around his party before entering the party. With this, he only needed to lose a burst of Mana for a short minute, then he can gradually recover his resources as he sped up thanks to the infusion of both his resources into the barrier skates.
He could also admit that he was starting to have some fun making new variants of his barriers as he dashed ahead, ready to find his teammates. Then, he felt a roar echoing across the entire biodome.
His senses flared. Something was coming up.