Aurelian set his stance when the Skarnids began their charge, and sought out Bahamut with his thoughts.
Are you safe?
Yes. The dragon confirmed. I am located far above this chaos, and out of reach.
Good. Aurelian sent back. Because I’m going to need your help with these things.
The Skarnids’ weight upon the marble, and their clicking limbs, caused the stone to tremble like the world’s most horrifying cavalry charge was bearing down on Aurelian.
Eight in total came for him, their mandibles clicking in rage, and fire still burning on parts of their wounded bodies. Had they surprised him, as had likely been planned, they might have been a hopeless obstacle for him.
As they were now, after the damage inflicted by his explosive tactics?
Well, he had a feeling things would be far less difficult than they might have been.
Shall I attack from above? Bahamut queried.
Try to drop branches on them. Aurelian instructed. Preferably ones you’ve put holes into first.
While they ‘spoke’, Aurelian started jogging forward to meet the Skarnid charge.
Why would… ah. You wish to use the branches as explosives.
Got it in one. Aurelian confirmed. Can you do it?
Aurelian’s pace exploded into a full sprint.
Leave it to me. Bahamut sent decisively, before going quiet with a sense of focus.
Aurelian grinned to himself and used the dragon’s residual confidence—and Dragon’s Resolve itself—to drown out the dregs of horror, and all-too-Earthling reaction of revolted terror at the sight of immense scorpion-spider monstrosities.
Dragon’s Resolve is now Level 4!
Dragon’s Resolve is now Level 5!
The mix of disgust, horror, and fear threatened to pull at his mind with every inch he closed between himself and the Skarnids; and he had no intention of allowing any of it to distract him in the heat of battle.
He had seconds at most to plan his attack, and as a variety of ideas raced through his mind, he came to a single realisation: simplicity would be best.
Moments before he would have met the first of the chitinous arachnid nightmares head on, Aurelian instead threw his weight down, and slid under the creature’s massive body in a screech of steel-on-stone.
The Skarnid shrieked when its mandibles and pincers swiped through empty air, and Aurelian grinned with adrenaline and savage triumph. His Runesword, humming with anticipation, was promptly thrust upward to slice through the soft carapace of the creature’s belly, while he simultaneously focused his mind on cycling his mana furiously..
“Firebolt!” he snarled out almost immediately, and then followed up with another “Firebolt!” while he continued forward.
The Initiate Tier runic steel of his blade parted the delicate flesh of the creatures readily enough, and with small enough resistance that it did not arrest his sliding momentum. Even better was that as it was torn open, and the black blood and viscous, combustible corrupting essence of its interior spewed forth: Aurelian ignited it.
The moment he was out from under the creature, he was pushing his Dexterity, Acrobatics Skill, and Agility to the maximum in order to get his feet under him and half-sprint, half-dive away.
A shriek of alarm filled the air behind him, and then heat radiated across his spine.
The Skarnid detonated in a concussive wave of liquid flame and body parts.
Aurelian was blasted off his feet like a ragdoll, and careened through the air with a string of invectives, before crashing down into a violent rolling slide along the marble flooring.
The other Skarnids, in the same instant, recoiled back and outright wailed in agony at the sudden eruption of liquid fire coating their armoured bodies anew, as well as at the sudden wave of force that punched them backward like the fist of an angry god.
Condition: Concussion (Minor)
Condition: Burning (Minor)
Condition: Bleeding (Minor)
That was also when Bahamut chose to drop his payload on their carapaced bodies.
Small logs of essence-leaking Manawood erupted within moments of making contact with the still-burning flames on the creatures’ bodies, and more Skarnids were thrown into shrieking disarray when more than one lost limbs or even eyes and—in one case—the stinger atop their tail to the improvised ordnance employed by the young dragon.
Bahamut, Aurelian realised while wincing against the ringing fading from his ears, had even had the brilliant—or perhaps vicious—insight to unleash a carefully targeted beam of flame against the most badly injured of the arachnids; melting through its carapace with dragonfire, and causing it to detonate just like the first creature Aurelian had felled.
Thrown as far away as he was, Aurelian had enough distance to only be treated to another few metres of disgruntled concussive push-back when the second creature exploded, and was able to push himself up to his knees, finally, while his enhanced health regeneration—thanks to the ongoing effects of the essenceloaf—worked to heal his burnt skin and battered bones.
A quick feel of his supply pack told him it had endured the damage with outstanding stoicism, and Aurelian breathed a sigh of relief.
Fire Resistance is now Level 22!
Tactician is now Level 10!
. . .
Tactician is now Level 12!
Congratulations, Tactician has reached Novice Tier!
You have gained Experience!
You have reached Level 19!
Aurelian tensed with remembered pain when the System energy hit him, but once again relaxed when he again recalled that single levels were actually rather pleasant.
Soothing, warm, and somehow cooling energy radiated through his body, and he felt himself change to account for the increase in his attributes. The percentage modifiers combined with his natural levelling bonuses meant that, while the Skarnids were notably distracted by the little dragon and the various pieces of biological ordinance he’d dropped on them, Aurelian was able to enjoy the level up and subsequent body alterations in a few moments of precious peace.
A shaky breath left his lips when the concussion, burning, and bleeding conditions abated and he felt himself grow more physically and mentally capable, all within moments he could actually identify with his mind.
Aurelian once again contemplated how much Earth could benefit from System healing.
He also realised, after snapping out of his rumination, that he had several more attribute points, and with only a moment’s consideration slammed all five into Agility. He would need the ability to weave between the attacks of the Skarnids, and make use of his smaller size.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Aurelian pulled himself to his feet, and then hesitated.
Agility was good, but there was another option as well.
He quickly reviewed what he had available and bit his lip.
He had 19 Skill points available, and Dodge was sitting still at level 22. It would cost him six points to push it to level 25, which…
“Fuck it,” he grunted mid-thought, and promptly willed the change to happen.
Aurelian groaned the moment he felt the alteration take hold, and an alert chimed within his mind like a victorious chorus.
You have raised Dodge to Level 23!
. . .
You have raised Dodge to Level 25!
Congratulations, Dodge has reached Initiate Tier!
You have gained Experience!
Would you like to Infuse the Dodge Skill?
Y / N
Aurelian immediately selected ‘N’, and felt a sudden pressure evaporate from his physical self. It had been akin to a soft, but persistent squeezing against every molecule of his body, and only relented when he’d chosen not to Infuse the Skill. He had been tempted if only to see what the effects of a Dodge-based Infusion would be, but he truthfully didn’t see Dodge as a nearly worthwhile enough investment.
Not for his First Temper foundation.
Perhaps for his Second Temper Infusions, if he survived long enough.
He chanced a quick look at his character sheet while he readied himself to move.
Name: Aurelian Lucis Imperius
Temper: Untempered Novice
Core: Calamity Core (Ignition Stage)
Chakras: 1/7
Level: 19 | Race: Elysean (L) | Origin: Nephilim (L) | Gender: Male | Zodiac: Dragon (L)
Health: 640 | Mana: 306 | Stamina: 163
STR: 61 (67) | AGI: 53 | DEX: 45 | VIT: 59 (64) | END: 33 | INT: 40 | PER: 23 | WIL: 77 (84) | CHA: 25
Mind Skills: Revelate (E) 11 | Linguistics (UC) 1 | Philology (R) 7 | Exploration (UC) 6 | Investigation (UC) 7 | Dragon’s Resolve (E) 5 | Tactician (R) 12 | Deception (UC) 3
Body Skills: Pain Tolerance (UC) 23 | Longsword Mastery (C) 23 | Running (C) 22 | Dodge (C) 25 | Durable (UC) 21 | Brawling (C) 21 | Fire Resistance (UC) 22 | Lightning Resistance (UC) 11 | Ice Resistance 9 (UC) | Breath Control (UC) 18 | Acrobatics (UC) 21
Spirit Skills: Mana Control (R) 24 | Firebolt (UC) 19 | Shockbolt (UC) 15 | Soul Sense (UC) 6 | Spirit Bond: Dragon King (M) 5
Traits: Fast Learner (E) | Dragon Force (E)
Titles: Elysean Reclaimer (U) | Survivor (R) | Mana Savant (E) | Dragon Rider (E)
Languages: Common | Elysean | Draconic
12% to Level 20
You have 11 Skill Points Available!
You have 3 Skill Upgrade Points Available!
You have 2 Skill Evolution Points Available!
The hateful shriek of the Skarnids snapped his mind back to the present and Aurelian almost cursed himself for his distraction, no matter that it had been barely a few seconds.
His body felt… better.
It was stronger, lighter, and subtly faster and more nimble.
It was exactly what he’d hoped for, and what he’d need for what came next.
Six of the eight Skarnids remained, and of those six, only three were relatively unimpeded by injury. He could work with that. He would work with that.
Distract them a little longer! He mentally sent to Bahamut, while sprinting forward quickly toward the thrashing and snarling arachnids. They were lobbing what looked like globules of acid mixed with corrupted essence at the flying dragon, though the platinum-runed and nimble body of his bond was too fast, and too naturally capable to be hit by them. He would swerve or bank at exactly the right moment to dodge, though Aurelian noticed the close calls were becoming even closer the longer the stalemate went on.
Hurry. His companion sent back with focused intensity.
The fact Bahamut’s pride did not impede him from urging haste was proof enough of the hatchling’s exhaustion, and Aurelian put as much speed into his charge as was possible for his new body.
The moment he reached the line of Skarnids, he selected his first target—one of the least damaged of the six—and threw caution to the wind. Aurelian’s Runesword almost sang when he slashed it outward to his left, and before the creature could properly react, he sliced clean through three of its legs on its right side.
The Skarnid’s reaction was much as he’d predicted: it released a shrill screech of alarm, and staggered at the sudden loss of equilibrium.
Aurelian, however, wasn’t done.
He rolled backward to avoid the monster’s weight crushing him while it staggered, and sliced aggressively and haphazardly upward with his sword; cutting through its underbody and, most importantly, opening up its putrid guts.
He felt the surge of Health flow into him from his Leech, and grinned viciously.
Aurelian had already dodged backward and away when the creature collapsed under the sudden blood loss, and pain of its wound, and his eyes started searching for the next target.
The other Skarnids had noticed him by then, and with the exception of two still attempting to harass Bahamut from the sky; the entire group of remaining creatures turned on him.
That included the last two relatively in-tact ones, and one of the wounded arachnids as well. By process of elimination, and with a quick glance of confirmation; that put the last two wounded monsters as the ones harrying Bahamut.
That was good in its own way.
Are you alright? He sent while maintaining careful distance from the converging Skarnids.
Yes. I will be able to retreat and recover my stamina. A pause followed. Thank you.
It’s alright to acknowledge your limits, brother. Aurelian sent reassuringly. Let me know when you’re ready for another round.
Aurelian finished the conversation and was about to start a rapid-fire plan of action when the sound of familiar wails slammed into his awareness. Only instinct and force of will allowed him to avoid turning reflexively to see what he knew had to be undead reinforcements, and a curse tore from his lips. Things were going from bad to worse.
With his options dwindling and no time to lose, Aurelian did the only thing he could: he charged toward the Skarnids.
His new Dodge skill flared to raging life the moment he made contact with the hulking monstrosities, and all thought of easy aggression went out of his mind within moments. The Skarnids were not merely seeking to kill him now out of duty or anger at his intrusion, but instead out of hatred—and perhaps even fear.
He could feel it prickling his Soul Sense like an oozing, and corrosive toxin that sought to poison his spirit.
Each rapid strike from razor tipped Skarnid limbs forced Aurelian to duck and weave, and to move with a surety of footwork that he would not have been able to muster prior to the slight but powerful increases to both Agility and Dodge. The investment showed its worth in every near-miss, and every narrowly successful evasion of the vicious attacks of his shrieking assailants.
Whenever he could retaliate, he did so; and with the intention of guiding the fight so the Skarnids were between him and the undead, instead of the other way around. A glancing blow or shallow cut was enough for him to ward off the worst of the assaults before they hit a true rhythm, and on occasion he even managed to cut clean through a limb or land a strike on hardened carapace, which parted like silk before his Crest.
When an opening on one of the Skarnids presented itself, Aurelian did not hesitate in taking advantage of it, and lunged in for a powerful strike aimed at the creature's head.
He had not had the wherewithal to suspect duplicity or cunning. He had dismissed them as malevolent, but fundamentally simplistic creatures; driven by instinct, rudimentary emotion, and bestial fury.
That had been a mistake.
The moment Aurelian moved to take advantage of what had seemed to be a critical opening, a flash of pain ignited along his ribs and he abruptly found himself smashed off his feet, and punted almost twenty metres away toward the burning trees.
The good news was that it was away from the undead and Skarnids both.
The bad news was what his status section showed him.
Condition: Bleeding (Moderate)
Condition: Concussion (Minor)
Condition: Broken Ribs (Moderate)