Alex would’ve loved an opportunity to familiarize himself with his new mana type, but he had no time to waste. Gaining a mana type was an incredible boon, but it didn’t make him immediately stronger. There were no Achievements to gain, and his Mana Body wasn’t designed to make use of the new mana.
The good news was that his Drift had managed to slow the issue with Inspire’s impending dissolution, meaning that it would last for the remainder of his fight with Aldrek.
Alex heard the hiss of displaced wind as his dodge only barely avoided the fist that threatened to end his life. Aldrek had only grown faster during Alex’s breakthrough, and Alex had to lean heavily on his reaction Enhancement to figure out what happened while he dodged the follow-up.
Aldrek pivoted into a kick, bringing the momentum of his charging frame to bear. Alex was forced to leap over the kick, angling his body towards the approaching leg as he did so. He cleared a blow that would’ve struck him in the chest to catastrophic effect, putting himself behind his opponent.
Alex had executed the move perfectly, but he’d still broken an important rule of low-tier magical combat.
No high jumping.
Precious moments were wasted as gravity pulled Alex back to the dirt. With no method of self-propulsion, Alex could do nothing but continue examining the abomination and plan his moves when he landed.
The advantage of getting behind Aldrek would clearly be wasted. The undead had reacted smoothly to his kick being avoided, stepping forward to make space and then turning around to face Alex again. Alex could tell he would be right back on the defensive by the time he landed.
As Aldrek turned to face him, Alex didn’t let any time go to waste. His high Sensitivity let him examine Aldrek’s Mana Body despite what appeared to be an Enhancement designed to obfuscate his vision. His sight was a bit fuzzy, but he got a fairly accurate picture.
What he saw confused him, maybe the Enhancement was more effective than he thought. The abomination’s Mana Body was a mess, and his body didn’t seem to be doing much better.
Alex’s first impression was that Aldrek had entered Tier 2 while somehow messing up the breakthrough. The incredible power flowing through his body seemed even less stable than Inspire. It just didn’t make sense.
As he examined the mana Alex came to the conclusion that his initial assessment that he could see what was happening because of his Sensitivity was wrong. Aldrek’s Enhancement just wasn’t strong enough to hide the events unfolding in his chest. He also realized that things weren’t quite as desperate as he’d first assumed. What he’d assumed to be a scattered mess was actually a nearly functional system providing incredible benefits.
Of course, nearly functional wasn’t quite good enough where high-level magic was concerned. Aldrek was clearly trading his health for immediate power, and if Alex wasn’t also running on borrowed time he could win this fight by delaying it.
Alex’s Mana Baptism would definitely run out before Aldrek keeled over from internal wounds, so the strategy was rejected as soon as it entered his mind.
Alex landed on the ground lightly, smoothly twisting out of the way of an incoming punch. Whatever Aldrek had done gave him a power increase that kept him marginally stronger and faster than Alex after his Baptism.
The next punch seemed weirdly slow, giving Alex an opportunity to land a devastating counter. The opening was too obvious, and Alex declined to fall for what had to be a feint. A week of fighting unintelligent undead hadn’t erased years of practice against sapient opponents, Alex knew how to spot bait.
Even as he rolled out of the way, Alex noticed a disturbance in the mana near Aldrek’s left shoulder. The Ability that pushed his Agility so high seemed to be flickering.
This reinforced Alex’s thought that the cause was an unsuccessful breakthrough into Tier 2. The mana flowing through Aldrek was too powerful for his Body, causing his Abilities to buckle under the input. The obfuscation made it hard to identify just how powerful the mana was, but Alex could put things together from context.
A quick check of his status confirmed that it was impossible for Aldrek to have reached Tier 2. The quest to prevent his Attunement was still active, and there was enough time left that it was clear Alex’s fight would be won or lost before it became an issue.
Still, Aldrek had been a Neophyte at the very peak of Tier 1 who had spent decades improving his Mana Body. If his mana was causing problems, it had to be Tier 2 mana. Somehow, Aldrek had cheated.
The realization should’ve been alarming, but Alex was confident he could keep up unless the failed breakthrough was fixed. Aldrek’s power had increased, but it was still manageable currently.
Of course, that also meant that Alex’s assessment that he was being baited was incorrect. He would need to expect changes of pace like that going forward.
It was too late to capitalize on this opening, but Alex was able to watch as Aldrek fixed the problem with mana control, stretching the mana out so that there was less flowing through his veins.
Alex went on the offensive at this point. He didn’t need to aim for a crippling blow, he needed to aim to be in a better position when the next opportunity arose. There was no doubt in his mind that he would get a chance sooner rather than later.
Aldrek was forced on the defensive as Alex moved to attack. He unsheathed a second sword, knowing that his advantage in technique would remain even while fighting with a relatively unpracticed style. Aldrek was a brute, when it came to fighting, and two swords would let Alex overwhelm his opponent with repeated attacks. A skilled fighter would be able to find the openings Alex’s assault would leave, but that wasn’t a problem here.
The unbreakable left arm blocked Alex’s first strike, exactly as he expected. The dulled edge of his backup sword wouldn’t be digging particularly deep unless he landed a particularly powerful attack. This left an opening for Alex to attack the left side, and he drew blood with his second attack.
The move to dual wielding was justified over the next few exchanges. Alex’s change in technique allowed him to set a pace that forced Aldrek to allow minor wounds just to avoid major ones.
Aldrek repeatedly attempted to counter, but he found himself unable to regain any tempo. To Alex’s trained eye, it didn’t look his opponent was unfamiliar with dual wielding, if anything it was the opposite. There were several moments where Aldrek moved in anticipation of an attack from Alex, only to discover that the swordsman wasn’t where he expected.
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Aldrek had fought against enemies with two swords before, and they’d clearly been awful. His years of experience were working against him as the habits ingrained from fighting mindless monsters led him astray against a talented fighter. Alex was slower, weaker, and less tough, but so what? His opponent had spent years improving his Body, assuming that strength would overwhelm skill.
What remained of Inspire was instructing Alex as he went. The grip he held on the mana thanks to his Ethereal Drift let him push out useless, theatrical impulses so that he could focus on improving his swordsmanship through an application of David’s memories. He was only hastening the mana’s eventual dissolution, but that wasn’t important.
All that mattered was that he was winning.
Sure enough, after around a dozen rapidfire exchanges, Aldrek’s mana bucked once again.
This time, Alex barely caught a disturbance near the man’s right knee. Alex was keeping an eye on the legs to avoid any snap kicks, and it paid off as he immediately lashed out at the knee. Aldrek stepped out of the way, only for his knee to buckle as his legs moved at different speeds and his left leg suddenly bore his full weight unexpectedly.
Alex pounced. The power rushing through him was matched by exhilaration as he managed to knock the abomination to the ground. Aldrek went down, and Alex’s backup sword went straight through his stomach into the ground.
Mana rushed through Aldrek’s body to his left arm, which was raised to face Alex. Exhilaration was exchanged for foreboding, and Alex flung himself away.
Aldrek’s hand exploded. Shards of bone tougher than steel were flung in Alex’s direction, and several deep cuts were opened on his back as he hit the ground to avoid the worst of it.
Aldrek let out a scream of frustration, confirming Alex’s suspicion that the self-flagellation had not been intended.
Aldrek spoke as Alex approached, “Years of hard work, lost because I accepted a quest. It’s not fair.”
The undead seemed to have given up, but Alex refused to let his guard down, “But it would’ve been fair if you easily killed some weaklings?”
“I know what this trial is. Anyone foolish enough to enter a Hell Mode trial deserves what is coming to them.”
Alex smiled a bit, “You should’ve realized that goes both ways. Sounds fair to me.” There was blood flowing down his back, a major artery had been cut by the shards of bone.
“What is your name, child?” Aldrek rasped, “I wish to know the name of the one who will kill me.” Alex felt that the boss was playing it up a bit too much, was he expected to fall for this?
“Alex,” He answered, maintaining his measured approach. Slowing further would tip off Aldrek that he had seen through the gambit.
His opponent nodded, and Alex saw the mana gathering near his still whole hand. This time, the mana was being slowly moved towards the extremity. Aldrek wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
Alex made it back to the point where he was only five feet away. Aldrek moved so quickly that he might’ve caught Alex unawares if the swordsman wasn’t on guard.
Alex dove, avoiding the projectiles which rushed over his head. The undead had turned his hands into guns and his fingernails into ammo. Whether that was an Ability or free-hand mana control, it was disgusting.
Choosing not to think about the diseases he could’ve picked up if he’d been impaled by a zombie fingernail, Alex lunged forward on three limbs. His right hand held his sword. Aldrek moved to avoid him, but the sword in his gut kept him in place.
Alex’s sword went into Aldrek’s skull through the neck. The reinforced bones were strong enough to prevent the blade from reaching the brain, but even that wouldn’t have been an instantly lethal blow on a peak Tier 1 undead.
Alex could hear the sounds of his friends finishing off the lesser undead as he rolled away from Aldrek. Aldrek was grasping for the sword in his stomach, giving Alex plenty of time to extract his sword.
Aldrek was determined to get up, not moving to defend himself as Alex came back for another attack. He got the sword out of his stomach but lost an eye in exchange. Alex knew by now that you fought undead by crippling them.
Alex heard cautious footsteps as Jess approached. She wasn’t charging in, probably aware of just how outmatched she was.
Aldrek was clearly slowed by the damage he’d already taken, but that didn’t mean Jess could match up. Alex needed to further cripple the monster first.
Becca and Anthony were still engaging the final zombie, but that fight was effectively over. With Aldrek hobbled, the fight was as good as won. Alex couldn’t afford to overextend himself, but it was time to start dismantling Aldrek.
The boss tried to start another conversation, but Alex didn’t respond. The undead was sapient, but it was still clearly a monster. It took several minutes, even with the others coming to help, but eventually, the notification that signified the end rang in Alex’s ears.
Around him, Becca and Anthony were both panting from exertion. Near the end, they’d started to worry that Aldrek would somehow manage to last until the timer ran out. If that happened, they weren’t sure what would happen, but it couldn’t be good.
After a second, Becca moved over and wrapped her arms around Alex, “I’m so glad you’re ok. I was worried when the boss managed to start his Attunement.”
“He didn’t do it right,” Alex replied, giving her a hug in return, “The Mana Baptism gave me enough power to win and forced him to rush, I think.”
“No, he did it right,” Becca disagreed, “He just did it too early. He didn’t receive a Tier Baptism after he managed to link his Heart Rune with his Soul Aperture.”
Alex frowned, “How did you see that?”
Becca stepped away from him with a strange expression on her face, “Alex, it was obvious. Attunement isn’t exactly subtle.”
Alex winced at his mistake. Of course she would’ve seen it, tiering up was never unobtrusive. If Alex hadn’t been stuck in an Ethereal Drift, he would’ve noticed it himself.
“You’re right,” Alex tried to cover, “He had an Enhancement that obscured his Mana Body so I wasn’t sure you could see it. How did you find the time to watch?”
“The boss was micro managing the lesser undead,” Jess explained, “They were easy pickings while he was tiering up, and then later when you started winning.”
That explained why the fight had turned around so quickly. Before his drift he hadn’t expected his friends to clean up the lesser undead so easily.
“Why didn’t you see his Attunement?” Becca asked, not letting go of Alex’s slip.
“I messed up a little,” Alex admitted, “Entered an Ethereal Drift in the middle of my Mana Baptism.”
Becca, surprisingly, wasn’t upset by that information, “Oh! You managed to do it! Was it easier with the Mana Baptism?”
“I wouldn’t have pulled it off otherwise,” Alex replied.
It didn’t feel right to get excited, not with their group down a member. Alex still refused to believe that Muhammad was dead, but he still keenly felt his friend’s absence.
He clearly wasn’t alone, “We can’t leave until all rewards are selected,” Jess stated, “We get to choose between a few options.”
Alex opened his status screen at the news, looking through his options.
“Did you get the Achievement?” Becca asked.
“Yep,” Jess’s grin was obviously forced, and slipped off her face while she was speaking, “You’re looking at the group’s newest Pathstrider.”
The news that Jess now had a Legendary Achievement was important, but Alex’s focus returned to his rewards.
Your team has cleared a Hell Mode Trial of Zombies! You have contributed significantly to your team’s clear.
You may choose one of the following rewards:
* +2 to all attributes with the exception of Connection.
* Embryonic Soul Sword (Tier 0, Uncommon)
* Greater Mana Guidance
* Tier 0 Soul Aperture design for Refine
If all members of the team are agreed, your team may exchange their rewards for one of the following benefits.
* An Area Mana Baptism
* Tools and Skill Guidance to assist with harvesting monster corpses from this trial.