Chapter Twelve

Ambrose rolled under the big cat, slashing his axe upward, carried forward in an arc with his momentum. He felt the axe dig into the lion's fur…but nothing else. When he stood back up and whirled around to face the monster, it was completely unharmed.

It's fur must be like armor. Ambrose tugged his lips downward, bringing his eyebrows together. This wasn't a normal lion and Ambrose should have realized that.

Assumptions don't just make an ass out of you and me. They also get you dead, boy. Remember that. Ambrose twirled his axe and readied himself for another exchange with the lion.

Which was not at all what he expected. The lion opened his mouth and red light gathered in its maw before shooting out at Ambrose in a deadly beam that hummed and warped the air with power. Ambrose attempted to dodge it and succeeded, but the lion just swept the beam towards him, blasting off chunks of rock and superheating a part of the sand as it did.

It's literally a cat with a laser beam. Not the adorable funny kind, either. Ambrose thought as he rolled out of the way. The golden lion wasn't letting up. Either it had mana for days or the beam just didn't use much mana, either way it wasn't stopping and Ambrose couldn't keep dodging forever.

Ambrose had an idea, but if it failed, he was dead. Sometimes you'll have to gamble in a fight, son. Otherwise death is certain. More words of wisdom from his father. Ambrose tapped [Mana Infusion] and clear blue mana burst along his axe as Ambrose brought it around and cut into the red beam, splitting it down the middle.

Ambrose began to walk forward, splitting the red beam around him as it hissed and crackled, singing it's deadly intent to destroy him as the air heated and moved around him. Ambrose set his jaw and hardened his green eyes as he walked towards the lion that sought to end his life and eat him like an afternoon snack.

Every step brought him closer and closer until he could get in front of the lion which reared up, deadly claws flashing red in the gleam of the beams light. Ambrose activated [Smite], while still keeping the weapon infused with mana. Silver white fire danced around and licked the edge of the blade, given more depth by the mana than infused the axe.

With a rush forward and a mighty swing, Ambrose cleared into the lion, cutting deep into it's chest. Ruby drops sprayed outward as if Ambrose had triggered a bomb, silver white flames erupting against it, setting its fur alight as the lion yowled its pain and fury.

The golden lion ceased its laser beam, but crashed on top of Ambrose in an attempt to take its rage out on him. Ambrose had been prepared for a counter attack, but hadn't been prepared for the lion to attempt to body slam him. Nor did he think the lion would be quite so heavy. The axe spun out of Ambrose’s hands as he was brought to the ground where the lion attempted to maw him, saliva flying, and stinking hot breath in his face.

Not wanting to become a chew toy, Ambrose got his forearm in the way of the lion's mouth, its teeth attempting to chew his arm like a new bone. Ambrose actually heard the metal of his armor creak in protest at the pressure, dents bending the metal inward as if his armor were dental mold.

Ambrose brought his fist around and slammed it into the lion’s nose. It did not care in the least. Ambrose kept punching the creature in the face, and it kept not caring. Doing the same thing over and over again is the definition of insanity, boy. Take stock of your skills and experience, apply them in new ways. Out of the box thinking is a must for survival.

Ambrose grimaced as hot saliva hit his face. That particular lesson had involved Ambrose being stuck in a room, unable to eat or drink, unless he could escape it. It was two days of trying to force the door open before he even thought to look for the key. He had just assumed his father had taken it.

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Raylen was fond of little games like that. Of providing the easiest solution in a non-straightforward way. Ambrose allowed the world to slow as he focused and thought. Thus far he had used [Mana Infusion], and [Smite] as his primary way to deal with things. He could use [Sanctuary] here, as he wasn't currently taking a hostile action, but the skill took a lot of mana. If I hadn't leveled from the fight I used it in… He would be in trouble. There was still more to come and mana was the resource he most needed.

How am I using the skills, though? That was the question. So far, Ambrose had used [Mana Infusion] to infuse his weapon. Do I have to? Why couldn't I infuse myself or my armor? The skill had talked about infusing an object, that was why he hadn't tried to infuse himself.

However, his armor and the gauntlets he wore were objects. There was no reason he couldn't infuse them or even use [Smite] with them. Testing that out, Ambrose activated [Mana Infusion] and his armor lit up with clear blue mana, it seemed to cause his armor to glow with inner light, pulsing like an inner flame.

Suddenly, the lion had a much harder time digging its teeth into Ambrose. Ambrose’s eyes glittered as he split his lips into a satisfied grin.

He activated [Smite] allowing the now familiar white and silver flames to coat his gauntleted fist as he cocked his arm back and slugged the lion once more. This time the lion did care as the smite detonated in a blast of fire, the force of it sending the lion flying to the side and crunching into the rock.

Ambrose rolled sideways, picked up his axe, bounded to his feet with an agile bounce, infused his axe with mana and a [Smite] before flinging the axe in a throw towards the lions skull.

It tried to turn and bat the axe out of the air, but it was too late, the axe too fast. It lodged into the lions skull with a sickening splurt, as if the animals head was an old pumpkin being used for target practice.

Blood and pink brain matter splattered outward like paint from a burst tube. The lion twitched, a red beam firing from its maw in a final attack in its death throws. Ambrose wasn't expecting it and it caught him in the shoulder spinning him around and sending him crashing into the sand as pain crawled through him like a line of burning fire ants that had somehow marched inside him.

He groaned, but the consequences of not paying attention were short lived as a notification lit up his vision in a camera like flash of blue light.

[You have defeated the Golden Lion-Level 58 and have gained increased experience for defeating an enemy beyond your level. You have advanced to level 43. You may select two skills from multiple options.]

A familiar surge of power wove through and around him like a massage, good sex and a relaxing soak in a hot tub all at once. Ambrose stood up just as the lion burst into orange gold light, forming into a simple double edged blade that gleamed like polished glass.

Carefully, Ambrose picked it up. The final piece of the riddle was his.

We can finally move on. Ambrose thought as he made his way to the tunnels exist which had opened before him.

As Ambrose slid his axe into his belt, he considered where to put his acquired points. He had gained eight levels, and because of that he had sixteen points to spend. He considered simply dropping them all into willpower. More mana was always a good thing. Ambrose crushed the urge with a mental hand.

He put four points into willpower, bringing the stat up to sixty-one. That gave him six hundred and ten mana. He put four more into constitution. Next he put four into wisdom and four into intellect. Ambrose was growing nicely, his attributes and level reflecting a steady and healthy pace of power. His health was an even four-hundred now. Ambrose rolled his neck as he felt himself gain a depth of energy that hadn't been there before.

Ambrose marveled at the way increasing his attributes caused him to feel. As if he were being enhanced. Not made anew, precisely, but as if hidden parts of himself were being unlocked by a great cosmic key inserted into hidden gate that he would not have been able to find, otherwise. It was invogorating and it served his purpose.

I’m going to keep growing. One day, maybe soon, I will be powerful to destroy you and everything you have ever cared about, Eric. Mark my words. Ambrose clenched his fist.