I get a good night’s sleep that night and wake up bright, fresh, and ready to take on the day. Or, at least, that’s what I would say, if not for the horrible cramping that the goddesses have seen fit to bestow upon me shortly after I get out of bed. I sidle over to Chloe’s side of the tent as soon as she wakes to ask for a heal spell. As I expected, it doesn’t work more than to blunt the pain. Note to self: abandon all other priorities regarding glyph research and put studying glyphs on pain relief as the highest and most important objective.
I quickly abandon that notion. I don’t have the slightest clue what combination of glyphs can do something like that. Even if I did, it’s far too risky for me to even attempt trying to manipulate the human body to that extent. I might have done better with my physics classes than biology, but that’s because biology is an interplay between far more chemistry, physics, and organic machinery than I can wrap my head around.
It’s clearly not impossible. Whoever created me obviously knew how difficult it was to create artificial life, and yet they found a way to do so.
That makes me wonder. To what extent is that Seraphina, me? We share the same name and the same appearance, which I cannot dismiss as a coincidence. But I was born to human parents here on Planet Earth. As far as anyone is aware, including my doctors, I am a completely healthy and ordinary human woman, not an artificial lifeform created by Dr. Chotono and his researchers on a faraway planet. And yet, I am her, reborn as a human, through means that therefore exist, but are too far beyond my grasp to even attempt to begin unraveling them.
I therefore have no choice but to grit and bear it, with a little assistance from my good friend acetaminophen. It’s not the first time, nor will it be the last time I have to suffer such indignity.
Breakfast consists of more hardtack rations, augmented by strips of smoked venison jerky that Nicholas and Anna made last night. The hardtack is as dry, unfilling, and hard to swallow as one would expect from the most basic of field rations, but the jerky is quite tasty. It’s softer than most jerkies I’ve had, and probably not fully shelf stable. But definitely good enough that I’d gladly eat more if and when we make it back to civilization.
The second morning proves more eventful than the first. About an hour after we break camp and begin our daily march, we encounter another strange fiendish abomination. It’s similar to the Hellspawn we encountered a few days ago and have continued to run into throughout town, but it’s much larger. About as tall as Chloe and maybe two inches shorter than I. Considering it walks with a hunched back, it might be closer in size to Brent, though it definitely isn’t as tall as the absolute brickhouse that is Alexey.
“Alright, Sera,” Alexey says. “This is your chance to show what you’re capable of firsthand. Chloe, you’re with her. The rest of you all are on backup. It’s their fight first and foremost, and they need the levels more than either of us. Do not interfere until I give the okay, understood?”
Everyone nods in assent and falls back with unnatural swiftness. They’ve all definitely been prioritizing [Speed] more than Chloe and I have in addition to strength.
I pull out my blowgun and a handful of [Ether] bullets as we tiptoe around to the side and attempt to catch the creature off-guard. We make it a handful of steps before we’re spotted. Dozens of pointy, razor-sharp teeth emerge to greet us as two fiery red eyes bear down upon me. It charges, and I retaliate by charging forty points of [Ether] into my blowgun and launching a single lightning-charged projectile directly in its torso.
It dodges at the last second, turning my direct hit into a glancing blow. A portion of its chest is blown off, and I get to enjoy the unpleasant stench of fried Hellspawn guts as it thrusts its pitchfork directly in my face.
It’s my turn to dodge, tilting my neck at the last second. My dodge is a bit more effective, though I do manage to earn another piercing to my left ear in the process. Adrenaline blocks out the pain of my cartilage getting shredded as I grab my bat and slam down upon the devil’s neck. And it’s completely ineffective. Too weak of a weapon, and it probably has a natural resistance to my fire-based attack. I try once more to the same lack of effect.
The creature attacks Chloe, but she’s ready with her [Barrier] effect. She tilts it and herself slightly, turning a direct attack that likely would have shattered the weak spell into a glancing blow that bounces off the abjuration. The force of repulsion startles our enemy, giving me just enough time to fire another lightning-charged [Ether Bullet] from point-blank range.
It again manages to twist its body in impossible directions, avoiding the brunt of my attack. A portion of its right shoulder is blasted off, but then I realize that its wounds and muscles are shifting. The creature is growing smaller and more agile as its decreased body mass twists in on itself.
There are only two ways I can see to deal with this threat. Either I strike at its core or whatever other vital organs it has, or I have to keep whittling its mass down until it becomes a non-threat. And if I don’t actually manage to kill the damned bastard, neither of us are getting the Experience we both need. If even a point-blank projectile attack is ineffective, then my only chance is a melee weapon. Fire is ineffective, but perhaps…
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
“Chloe, I need you to buy me some time. Five minutes… no, three should be enough!”
“Got it!”
I trust Chloe to keep me safe, and I force the outside world out of my conscious thoughts as I turn my attention to the stiletto dagger at my side. In its present state, I expect it to do no damage, but enchanted with an inverted [Heat] glyph, it should be far more effective. My [Basic Glyph Manipulation] forms the glyph’s image in my mind’s eye, which I start tracing with a finger coated in a tiny layer of [Ether].
It works just like an abrasion knife, chipping away at the flat edge of the blade bit by bit. I have to stop and undo a bit of my work when my jittery hands take me slightly off course. Still, I’m able to correct my error with the assistance of my [Basic Ether Manipulation] skill, which smooths the etched surface that I had errantly marred.
As I finish my work, my hand starts to chill slightly. I fill out the remainder of the blade with additional sluice lines to help it more efficiently disperse the Ether of [Unheat] to the edges of my weapon. Two more larger ones slide up nearly to the knife’s tang, then fold across the hilt and embed themselves into my grip. I channel five units of [Ether] into my blade and feel a surge of cold fill the air.
I turn to the Hellspawn with scorn in my eyes. Chloe is alive, but on her knees and suffering half a dozen wounds to her thighs and chest. She attempts to block what attacks she can and heal the damage she can’t, but I know her [Ether] reserves are faltering quickly and she won’t be able to rely on her [Barrier] for much longer.
I rush into the fray, blocking the sweeping slash of its fiery pitchfork with a well-placed thrust. My [Frost-Tipped Dagger], as the System registers it, absorbs the heat of its flaming pitchfork and causes its fiery wreath to disperse. It looks upon me with a mixture of shock and horror. I don’t relent. I push the initiative, holding my new weapon in a reverse grip as I launch into a downward slashing motion. I miss, but its attempt at dodging causes it to knock itself into a nearby tree. With the brute staggered, I attack a second time, this time scoring a grazing blow upon its right arm. I try to parlay the injury into a disarming strike, but it moves its hand out of the way with unnatural precision and forces its way back to a neutral engagement.
The [Unheat] glyph is every bit as effective as I’d hoped. The skin and sinuous flesh of its body undulates and flows freely, but the last attack inflicted something akin to frostbite around the injury site. It remains static, and the creature seems surprised when it’s unable to properly block my next attack. My dagger again strikes true, though I suffer a burning wound on my left hand from some sort of [Flame Body] passive. It hurts like hell, but I have no choice but to endure yet more pain from this accursed weak body. [Vitality] only helps so much! Need more levels. Fast.
We engage in one more round of close-quarters combat. I block another thrust from the devil’s pitchfork, then bat its weapon aside and force my way inside its defenses. I channel more [Ether] into my weapon, helping to blunt the intense heat bearing down upon me from such close range. It headbutts me, and I headbutt it back. Its body is soft enough and my [Vitality] high enough that I avoid a concussion, but I’ll be feeling the attack for days to come.
One final upward thrust into its torso and the creature stops moving. I don’t relent. No System notification that it’s been slain, and I know its body is tricky and resilient to physical blows. I’d try a lightning-charged bullet, but I don’t want to allow any remnants of the creature to escape and deny me my kill. I slash and thrust its helpless body until I find an amber-colored crystal buried within its stomach. The instant I slice it in two, it shatters, and its body dissolves into dirt. I’m briefly afraid that we’ll have to deal with it again, but the kill notification finally calms me down.
[You have slain an Amoeboid Hellspawn (Level 16). You have gained a boosted 1,560 Experience (Experience reduced slightly due to having allies on standby.)]
[Level: 12; Experience: 6,890; To Next: 245]
Damn. Even that wasn’t quite enough to make it to the next level. Still, the next fight will push me over the edge for sure.
[Current Stats: [Health]: 331 / 789 ; [Ether]: 65 / 419]
[Current Stats: [Strength]: 15; [Speed]: 19; [Vitality]: 36; [Mind]: 40]
[Your [Basic Glyph Manipulation (Rank II)] has upgraded to [Basic Glyph Manipulation (Rank III)].]
Good to know that using our Skills in stressful combinations, especially in the midst of combat, is particularly beneficial for improving their rank and efficacy. I make a mental note of this for later.
I walk over to Chloe and help her to her feet. Her injuries are numerous, but she managed to avoid getting struck in any vital areas. I can tell from the way her face contorts that she’s still in pain, even after her healing spells have worked their literal magic on her. I pick her up and carry her to the rest of the group, ignoring my own pain as I do so. Redoubling my previous commitment. Definitely need more levels, as well as ways to defend myself so I’m not relying on our team healer to do it for me. On the other hand, we can’t protect Chloe at all times either, so it’s good practice for her to defend herself for brief moments.
Alexey gives us a small nod of approval as Jackie rushes up to heal her. Her brand of healing is different from Chloe’s. Instead of a brief rush of invigoration as injuries are swiftly repaired, Jackie’s technique is more like accelerating my body’s natural healing severalfold. The System interface confirms as such; instead of my [Health] increasing all at once, it ticks up at a rate roughly twenty times its natural recovery. The pain and fatigue subsides, though the headache from that mutual strike still throbs and begs me not to repeat it anytime soon.
Chloe gives me a nod and I set her down, allowing her to tap both me and herself with one small healing spell. As she does, Alexey starts speaking.
“So, ladies, how do you feel you did out there?” he asks.
“We survived and slew the monster,” I say. “We definitely could have stood to be much better prepared for the challenge.”
Chloe nods in agreement.
“That’s a good attitude to have about this sort of thing,” he says. “Far too many of my comrades over the years have survived their first battle and then let it all get to their heads. They make mistakes, get careless, and end up costing lives in their hubris. Let’s make some distance, have an early lunch for the day, and commence a full debrief and after-action review.”