Author Note:
Hi folks,
I realized the fluctuating follower number in the past weeks. Means, although it's still positive in net, many people are dropping this fiction, including they who previously marked it as favorite. Despite telling myself over and over that I'm writing for myself, I couldn't help but ask... why?
It would be great if people would tell me their reasons before leaving... I won't go as far as to rewrite the old chapters (I hate it when an author do this), but I won't mind having a throughout discussion, and if I agree with the argument I may implement the ideas in the future chapters.
but well, it's too much of expectation, I know. Most of times for most of people, even writing two words of feedback is too troublesome, because I'm like that too as a reader xD.
so... in order to understand my readers better, i'll try with a poll of what I can think of. Please do participate :)
Last but not least, if you happen to like the fiction, please help me spread the word; review it, rate it, or probably bump up the thread here
thank you m(__)m
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“Here will be forever remembered as the place of your fall, Dava,” Ethoria declared.
“... You’ve a lot of confidence for someone who has been running away for days. Very well, let’s see what your plan is.”
“Hmph, that annoying smile of yours will soon disappear! Halili!”
“Yes!”
Answering her master’s call, Halili raised her hood and came out from the forest protection with her two friends. The man holding Ehrisya on his shoulder dropped her to ground with a thud, causing her to groan in pain. However, with Halili’s staff pointed to her face and a blue flame conjured on the mage’s other hand, she had to shut her own mouth in fear.
I didn’t miss how Dava’s expression changed, from a confident smile into a shock and disbelief, and then into an inexpressible anger. “Release her,” he said with an authoritative tone. “She has nothing to do with this.”
“Or what?” Ethoria challenged, giving a hand sign to Halili, who then threw her flame near Ehrisya.
“Mmmmmmmhh!!” Ehrisya cried from the explosion that caused several strands of her hair to burn, she even wet herself. Watching all of this happened from behind the trees and bushes, I couldn’t help but feeling guilty.
(Really, what am I doing standing here…? I should help her, or just leave and catch up with Jiwa, not wasting time here hesitating.)
Dava gritted his teeth, “You’ll regret involving my sister in this, Ethoria, I swear.”
“Maybe, but not today,” Ethoria retorted. “Now get down here and put off your barrier!”
With another blue fireball ready on Halili’s hand, Dava had no other choice but to comply. The wind stopped blowing and the Guildmaster of Fantastica made a free fall, albeit landed lightly on the ground. The almost transparent sphere surrounding him had also gone. However, his eyes had never left the trio around Ehrisya, which I knew had given them a cold sweat.
Wondering why he hadn’t wiped them with earth spikes or any other spell yet, I then remembered what Tsalja had said long time ago. Rather than a precise small spell, stronger mages tended to use a big spell that covered a large area of effect, or something like that. It seemed Dava the Elementalist wasn’t an exception, seeing how he chose not to risk an attack.
“Good,” Ethoria said.
*ZAAAP!*
A flash of lightning split the sky and struck Dava within milliseconds, followed by a roaring thunder at almost the same time. Smokes were rising and hindering our vision. However, when it was clearer, it revealed the unmoving body of the redheaded mage that was lying on the the blackened soil.
“I see you are not so tough without your barrier, Dava,” Ethoria smiled victoriously. “But just to make sure…,” she added, pointing her rapier-like weapon to the body, and once again a lightning struck.
Dava didn’t react, not even a jolt. At least according to what could be seen from my standing place. Soon, Ethoria started to laugh like a madman.
“Ku… ku… ku… Ha Ha Ha Ha! I did it! Finally I’m able to rid Dava, Ha Ha Ha Ha!”
(... Is that it? The end of the said strongest of human race? Well, I know how deadly a lightning is, but it’s kind of disappointing...)
“Congratulation, Master,” Halili said.
“Ku… ku… ku… We no longer need that woman. You can kill her now, Halili.”
“... Huh? Kill her, Master?”
“What? You still can’t do such a simple task?”
“But…”
“Hmph, useless apprentice! You two, do it!”
With a stupid grin on his face, one of the man asked, “Can we have some fun first, My Lady? It’s a waste to just kill her…”
“True,” His friend nodded, supporting the idea.
“Scums. Whatever, do as you like,” Ethoria replied. “Come on, Halili, we need to spread the news of Dava’s death. I can’t wait to see their expressions, ku… ku… ku...”
*Thud!*
Because of the collapsing sound, both of Ethoria and Halili turned their head and found me. “Sorry,” I said, walking out from my hiding towards where Halili, the two men who were unconscious because of my mind-attack, and Ehrisya were. “I can’t let you harm her more than this.”
“... Who are you?” Ethoria squinted her eyes.
“Arz, what ar-”
“Arz? Ho~ so you’re the famous Dungeon Master,” Ethoria the Lighting interjected, observing me.
(Against a lightning bolt, should I make a lightning conductor? Hmm, I have some coins I can use, but will they be enough? Ah, too bad I can’t materialize items outside my dungeon.)
“This is a good chance,” the [[Quwwat]] royal mage said. “Halili, take him down.”
“M- me?”
“Yes, you. If you capture the main cause of this war, you can start building a good reputation among the people, especially in [[Dragora]]. What did I tell you about making connections, hmm?”
(Nah, even if I've enough materials, it’s unlikely I can have enough time to prepare one. What, then? A preemptive strike?)
“Uh-huh, understood. Hey Arz, no hard feeling, okay? I advised Arz to leave, but you wouldn’t listen. It’s Arz own fault,” Halili said while I was cutting the rope tying Ehrisya with a small fire.
Taking out the gag on the red haired woman’s mouth, I reached out my hand. “Can you stand?”
“Y- yes,” she took. “Dava… did he really…?”
“Don’t know. Stay behind me anyway.”
“Prepare yourself, Arz!” Halili yelled as she created some distances. The action surprised me, but at the second thought it made sense. As a mage she had to be uncomfortable fighting in short range. “
“
Although she clearly shocked, Halili moved fast to the next spell. However, I managed to sense the mana flow on the ground a brief moment before they materialized, allowing me to jump away with Ehrisya just in time. A firewall burst at where I had been standing a second ago.
(That’s it! That’s prove my theory of why the
“
(Missed. The delay for travel time is too great… I should think of something unavoidable. Hey, what if it comes from all directions like Maa’ did with his ice spears?)
As Halili summoned another pyros, I created stones at a dozen meters above her head. Yet, unexpected to me, keeping them float while creating the next stone was difficult and I had to release my hold at the fifth stones, which all she easily destroyed afterward. Then, her pyros spread out and came at me, with their arms became flamethrowers. Of course I quickly erased their existences with my coffin trap, although one needed two coffins as it slipped away the first.
All happened while the mage girl mumbling a long chant. Following it, a magic circle appeared in front of her, from where a series of high-speed fireballs came out nonstop. I grabbed Ehrisya’s hand and moved sideway, but the newly fired fireballs always aimed at my direction and they were really fast. Therefore, I overlaid my hand with a stone armor to receive the impact, added several layers of earth walls in front of me to intercept the newer fireballs and casted another spell at the same time.
“Kyaaah… What’s this?” Halili exclaimed. The rock had risen from the ground, enwrapping her to the neck height, restricting her mobility.
“Got you!” I said. “Now,
An idea from the failed stone rain, had a large damage area and often used as a high-level magic in various Role-Playing Games, the meteor. It wasn’t a falling rock from outer space, though, I built it in the sky instead. Once the round stone grew big enough, around a small house size, I coated it with flame using
“Hiyaaa…!! Mercy! Have mercy!!!” she, who couldn’t move, cried in panic.
*Blast!* *Blast!* *Blast!*
Several consecutive flamebursts from below struck my meteor, turning it into harmless fireworks. “Impressive,” the shooter said. “Your
(Ethoria! Here she comes! Pre-emptive strike, I need a pre-emptive strike! But with what?!)
“No one,” I answered calmly, masking my restless inner-self. “Other than the basic mana-manipulation from father, I mostly learned from book.”
“Ho~ To be able to reach this level without a teacher, I’m truly impressed,” Ethoria praised.
(Earth spikes? No, I’m certain it won’t hit, unless I can bind her first.)
“I know an excellent earth-elemental mage master who’s happen to look for an apprentice,” she continued. “Arret the Traceless, have you heard about him?”
“... Who?”
(And
“Hmm. Since he rarely left a trace like his nickname, I guess it’s natural for you who live in [[Alishine]] to never hear of him,” she remarked.
(What about
Continuing, she said, “He’s a good friend of mine who specializes in
“... Why would you do that?”
“Do you even need to ask?” she smiled. “Your value is much higher than I first thought. Killing you is easy, but investing some favors would definitely benefit both of us better. Oh I know, in addition to introduce you to an excellent teacher, how about I ask my king, the next emperor, to issue an imperial decree, giving your dungeon a special status as an imperial property? It should keep the pests away, hmm?”
(Alright, then.
“Thanks, but I’m done being used by others.”
(Fire!)
Unlike the loud firearm, the small bullet flew almost without a sound. Only when it made an impact and blood bursted out from her shoulder did Ethoria react. “Ack! What’s this?” she shrieked, holding her red soaked shoulder with a pained expression.
(It works! One more time… Target, the forehead. Fi- !!)
Sensing a familiar mana under my feet, I took Ehrisya and jumped while holding her. Once again I escaped a burst of firewall. Turning around, Halili was throwing a disapproval glare from her binding stone.
“My master is being kind, how dare Arz ambushed her!” she exclaimed.
“... So it’s you,” Ethoria’s smile had gone, replaced by an ugly rage. She pointed her rapier at me.
(Crap!
I shot first, but my bullet had to through her barrier this time. As it hit, the impact made Ethoria looked up. However, although the forehead was bleeding, it was anything but lethal. My bullet had lost its momentum and mass before it had connected, absorbed by the barrier.
“Not bad… Now it is my turn,” she smirked.
I hurriedly made a stone shell around both me and Ehrisya, hardened the shell several times, and went further by covering my whole body with stone armor - I had to be looked like a golem by then. We waited, but the fearsome lightning bolt never came. Venturing to know what happened, I made a small hole to peek outside.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Ethoria was still standing with her rapier pointed at my direction like before, but something was definitely amiss. Taking a better look, I realized she was reflecting the sun, the woman was covered by ice crystal, frozen. Except her head, the only body part that still free, which looked very uptight.
“You… Dava, how do you still alive...? I hit you twice without your barrier protection,” she finally opened her mouth, asking, as she unable to comprehend of what had happened. There was a hint of fear in her tone.
“Dava…?” I muttered, trying to get a better look at the overall situation outside.
“Dava? What about him?” Ehrisya asked suspiciously.
“Seems he’s still alive…”
“What?!” the bar-owner pushed me aside, taking over the hole for herself.
I created another hole to peek for myself.
The red haired mage, who was sitting, stood up slowly. He really took his time, shaking his hands for a long time before answering. “I redirected your lightning into the ground, I don’t need a barrier to withstand your attack,” Dava said composedly.
(... Into the ground? What is he? A living lightning conductor?)
“Then you... you pretend to be dead all this time…?” The fear became more obvious in Ethoria’s voice.
“No,” he replied. “I failed to completely negate the overload energy and was paralyzed. Your second lightning made me unconscious. If you’ve shot the third, I would be dead,” he admitted.
Ethoria struggled to break free to no avail. Even though the ice was melting, it wasn’t to the degree she could escape with sheer strength alone yet. Thus, she used a more extreme approach, creating a chain of small explosions on the ice, injuring herself in the process. Unfortunately for her, although she managed to release herself with the sacrifice, Dava quickly refroze her.
Walking casually to his captive, Dava stopped at one meter before her and raised his hand. “My hands still numb and my mana flow hasn’t stabilized yet, but I should be strong enough to end this fight,” he remarked.
*ZAAP!*
Another lightning bolt came without warning. It rendered harmless, however, as it couldn’t pass through Dava’s barrier at all.
“My turn,” Dava said and shot a tornado from his hand, blowing the woman away.
After flying for a kilometer or so, when she was about to fall, an earth pillar welcomed and once again threw her into the air. And it repeated, every time she would be refused to touch the ground and flew higher. Following the fourth pillar, a huge fireball came down from the sky, dragging her down with it and causing a mushroom-shaped explosion at where she fell, which its shockwave reached our place.
(This guy… Dangerous, just how far can he control his magic from?)
“Ma… master…,” Halili’s trembling voice came from a blind spot of my shell’s peeping holes.
“Dava!” Ehrisya called. Judging it should be safe now, I removed the stone shell, armor, and Halili’s binding with a finger snap. Ehrisya ran towards her brother right away.
“Oh dear, are you okay?” she asked, catching Dava who was losing his balance.
“I’m okay, Sis. What about you? Are you hurt?”
Shaking her head, she replied, “I’m fine. Arz helped me.”
“Arz…?” he looked confused. But when he saw me, he seemed understood something. “I see. That’s why I feel I’ve seen you,” he said, as he straightened his standing posture with Ehrisya’s help.
“Ah, right, even if you’re enemy, please don’t fight. He saved me,” she plead.
“Enemy? No, not a fight, I’m just going to thank him.”
While the siblings had a conversation, I turned my attention to Halili. Her appearance messed up from the shockwave, but she had no visible injuries. “Go,” I told, when our eyes met. “There’s no point in you staying here any longer.”
Resoluting herself, she nodded. The space around her began to distort and the next moment she had gone… to the ground several meters from her original position, lying. A man was on her, grabbing her collar while a short sword ready in his other hand.
“You’re not going anywhere, girl. Ay,” the man said.
“Executive Oki?” Dava confirmed.
“Ay, sorry for the late assistance, Guildmaster. Leave the rest on me,” he replied without turning.
“Uu… The Blinking Oki, why’s he here…?” Halili whispered, almost crying.
Feeling annoyed at the thought of what might happen if they captured her, I decided to intervene. “Let her go,” I said, releasing earth spikes at the man. Of course I made sure they wouldn’t touch Halili.
In a blink of eye the man had vanished and his face appeared so close in front of mine. “Ay, are you with her?”
“Wha-” I took a step back in reflex. It was so sudden, I wasn’t ready.
Another blink of eye and he was behind me, stabbing my back with a knife. “You should know better than messing with Fantastica, Young Mage. Ay.”
“Wait, Executive Oki,” Dava yelled.
Too late. I was already kneeling on the ground after a heavy kick from above, and it was unlikely the man could stop his swing anymore as the short sword had started to hack its way to my brain. Not that I need Dava’s help, anyway.
I caught the Executive off guard when his sword received a minimal resistance from my transforming head. Using the chance, I grabbed his sword arm and swept over his feet with the lump of hot liquid body of mine. His never ending screams when I melted his leather and metal equipments, skins, meats, and bones began to sound like a beautiful melody for me.
As I crept over Oki’s body to have more of the melody, a swirling hand-axe flew and cut a portion of my molten rock. Although I reabsorbed the part, it hurt nevertheless. Me, an inferno, being hurt by physical object, the axe had to be special somehow.
“HOW DARE YOU TO MY OKI!!” a woman holding similar axe with the thrown one approached with amazing speed. Sensing the danger from that woman, I, whose instinct had started taking over, responded without mercy.
(
The woman’s steps stopped as my first bullet welcomed her. Then, she took a step back. Then, another step back. After that, her feet began to leave the ground as my bullets kept digging holes after holes in her body.
“Thi… anna…,” Oki called weakly, as he saw the dreadful event unfolded.
“ENOUGH!!” Dava’s angry voice filled the place. At the same time, an earth wall emerged between me and the woman, blocking my bullets. “COOL YOUR HEAD!” he roared and a cold wind blew, forcing me to separate from Oki and splattering me everywhere.
It made me dizzy and, although I managed to gather my body parts, I couldn’t retain my shape for some time. I did hear a familiar roar of a certain demon from somewhere, though, and the loud explosion from the direction of Dava that followed. Then, sounds of people coming and metal clashes in a fight.
“Thi… na… help her… st,” I heard Oki whispered to someone.
“Father Jaa is with her,” a woman’s voice whispered back.
After I could control myself better, I saw a pair of priest and priestess were dragging the unconscious Oki away while healing his wounds. Losing an arm and everything below his stomach, which literally still in fire, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t make it. Him aside, there were healing rays that kept coming down behind the earth wall, they had to be trying to fix the woman called Thianna too. And a priestess next to Dava also worked hard on her guildmaster.
Not too far from the redhead siblings, Hazard fought a half-dozen people at once. Their well-coordinated move gave the reptile demon difficulties to keep up, although he obviously stronger than any of them. Annoyed, he spread his wing and took a flight, probably planning to shoot a breath from above. A grave mistake. Being alone in the open, he invited Dava’s intervention, whose various spells soon hit him ruthlessly from all directions.
‘Withdraw,’ I ordered through our link as I sent groups of earth spike to Dava and each of Hazard’s opponents before they could get him. Most of the spikes didn’t meet their targets, as expected, but I was able to disrupt Dava’s concentration for a moment, allowing the demon to fly away.
“
A shout and bright light from the earth wall of where Oki and Thianna were being healed quickly stole the attention of the rest, helping the winged-lizardman to arrive safely to my side. It was a priest, no, wait, his clothes was more grandeur, a high priest then. He was jumping from behind the wall and entered my sight with a bleeding arm, but soon a thread of some sort caught his leg and pulled him back.
““Father Jaa!!””
Another light, some stabbing and slashing sounds, and choked voices from the wall direction. Even though Dava’s underlings rushed to help, the culprit was faster. He ran from the other side of the wall towards me. The pursuers had to give up chasing after a group of earth spikes emerged in front of them, forming a barricade. I thought I saw some ice particles glittered around the horned killer, but something like that wouldn’t be able to stop him.
Ken came at my side with a vicious grin, bloodstains were all over his katars and fur.
‘Mind to explain what’re you guys doing here?’ I asked while the some of the pursuers went back to check on Ken’s victims and the rest stayed to watch us with wariness and hatred look. ‘I’m sure I told you to guard the dungeon.’
‘Apologize, Master. I saw an abnormal weather heading your place, so I decided to stay and see. When I found out one of the two strong beings behind the weather was the guildmaster of Fantastica, I called Ken over,’ the wounded dragonoid explained.
‘Keek, you can scold us later, Master, but your safety is our priority. Keek,’ added the rodent demon.
I sighed. ‘And?’ I asked, knowing there were more to it.
‘And… Our minions are heading here using the tunnels dug by the gi-ants. They should arrive soon. Only the ones fit the tunnels, though,’ Hazard replied.
‘You want to start a war or something…? Nevermind, tell them to stay out of sight. Hopefully the surprise element can be our trump if the situation goes out of control,’ I said, deciding to change my race into a human again.
Two of the people ran from the wall to where Dava stood and made their report. Not a good news, judging from their look. And Dava definitely tried his best to keep his rage under control, his face was as red as his flaming hair.
Now I had turned into human and didn’t have to worry about burning what I touch, I pressed my hand on Hazard’s chest and connected to his core, commencing the recovery of the demon’s state. ‘Good job on surviving Dava’s magic,’ I said.
“Arz, use this,” Halili called, throwing a piece of cloth she had taken out from her space-storage while looking away and blushing. It didn’t reach me, though, and I didn’t take it as I didn’t understand.
“What for?”
Her face became redder, she just pointed to below me without looking while muttering something. It was then I realized I was naked.
“Uwaahhh!”
I quickly casted a wind to blow the cloth closer. “Thanks,” I said, grabbing the piece and wrapping it around my waist. I supposed this was the weakness of changing race, my clothes would always end up torn or melted up.
“I think you should go now,” I reminded her.
“What about Arz? Are you going to fight?”
“I’m planning to talk first. But don’t worry about us, we’re demons and a demon lord after all,” I smiled.
“Demon lord…?” she cringed. “You know, I can take you and, um, your friends, with my
“Oh?”
I considered what she said. Indeed, the prospect of talking with Fantastica didn’t seem too bright after the many deaths. If we ended up being official enemy of each other, taking them within our own base would be more sensible than here. Moreover, I still had to save up mana to face Jiwa and had wasted too much for today already.
“Dungeon Master Arz!” Dava called over and stepped forward. The revelation of my identity caused unrest and murmurs among his followers. “Let’s have a good talk!”
“Are you coming or not?” Halili urged.
“We do,” I decided. “Let’s escape, I’m counting on you.”
“Grab my hand then,” she reached out. “Your friends too.”
We touched her hand as we were told. Dava, realizing what we were about to do, called again with a troubled expression. “Wait! We need to talk!”
At the same time the space began to distort, I sensed the guildmaster’s mana was gathering under our feet. There was nothing I could do but to hope we would transfer place faster than whatever the magic he was going to use. Then, all of a sudden, the gathered mana was dispersed, gone, like it had been disrupted, and our surrounding scenery became unrecognizable.