Thought Acceleration!
Rushing headlong towards the building as I swung towards it I struck out at the first Elemental I could reach with my newly empowered water blade. Moving within the glacial slowness of slowed time Thought Acceleration granted me, I positioned myself perfectly. The strangely solid and shifting edge of my dagger cutting into the elemental with a hiss as the water bubbled and steamed. I’d expected an easy strike on the Elemental’s core but for the first time an Elemental responded to my attack as if it had actually felt pain. Stumbling back away from me in slow motion on the side of the building as I landed fully on the building proper. Hanging from my still extended grapple I didn’t give the Elemental a chance to get away as I struck out at it again.
One more cleave was all it took for the Ember Elemental to start dissipating. The notification for its death coming and going as I refocused on the other Elementals that had noticed me. With my left arm maintaining the grapple I let loose some slack on the line as I slowly dropped a few feet, far enough it would take me out of the way of the next two Elemental’s attack. As they made their glacial swipes at me I whipped out my dagger at both of them. Strikes that would have only inconvenienced the Elementals just a few minutes ago now made them reel in pain as one immediately died and the other lost cohesion as the part of it I’d cut didn’t reform.
The last one seemed enraged at the loss of its brethren and started to charge down the side of the building at me. Reeling in the line of my Grapple and pushing myself upwards by jumping off a window ledge I met the Elemental before it was even close to ready enough to take a swipe at me. With a glacial precision I sliced through it at the shoulder. Dragging the blade down through the flames until I hit its core and the watery edge came out the other side. Bisecting the Ember Elemental as it started to fall away in two separate pieces that dimmed and died before they ever hit the ground.
With the immediate threats eliminated I dropped Thought Acceleration and snapped my Grapple loose from its hold. Standing on a precariously exposed portion of the burning building as I reeled it back in. Once it snapped back into place and I rechecked my shimmering Heat Reduction Layer, my new empowered blade, and of course Pyga. “You good?”
“Yes!” Pyga said determined. Water Ball hovering next to him.
I looked upwards at the sheer amount of building we still had left to climb. At the angle I was at I was too close to the wall to see the water tower. I had no idea if it would even still be standing by the time I brought Pyga up there to work his magic. All along the way Ember Elementals wailed as they poured out of the building’s side and took notice of the duo that had been dispatching Elementals so far. I’d have preferred if they’d all just stayed inside the damn building so I could go straight to the top without issue but hey, that was life. Even in another world it just didn’t seem like it was ever gonna give me a break.
“Alright, let’s go!” I shouted. Partly for my own encouragement as well as Pyga’s. Aiming my left arm upwards I surged mana through the internal magical mechanisms of the Sigmata’s design coiling the tattoo tighter and tighter until I shot it up with the force of a harpoon. Feeling it embed itself into the wall of the building about halfway from the top of the burning apartment building. Which was about five floors above us. Reeling in the line, I half ran half climbed up the side of the building, fire licking at my boots as Elementals started coming out of the woodwork to attack at me and Pyga.
“Come on!” I heard myself yell as I closed on a group of Elementals coming down the building. Reeling a bit faster on the Grapple I jumped over the first couple of Elementals trying to swarm us and came back down right on the Grapple point. Yanking it out of the wall before any Elementals could get at me I dipped into Thought Acceleration once again as they raced towards me. But there were Elementals on all sides of me. Above, below, and to the sides. I felt a wave of mild panic fill me as I froze for a split second trying to single out a target to hit first but I didn’t have the time. Even with Thought Acceleration, the Elementals were still moving closer. I needed more time.
So I made some.
Synaptic Surge!
Immediately the colors brightened around me, the clarity at which I perceived everything around me sharpening as the Skill activated. It was supposed to give a boost to mental acuity and focus. I’d panic bought the thing while trying to fend Rykas off from taking my mind over not too long ago. I’d used it in conjunction with Thought Acceleration back then but that had been during the most stress I have ever felt, period. I’d barely been able to hold up Thought Acceleration at the time either so the benefits I’d gotten from the two Skills working in tandem went unnoticed by me. But now that I’d upgraded the Skill?
The differences were…Wow.
The moment I’d activated the Skill the Elementals around me, already slowed by Thought Acceleration. Went from slow motion monsters to what could barely considered a crawl. Their flames almost seemed frozen in the air as their movements went from a slow dance to a meandering waltz. I felt something else too. An almost painful mental pressure that built up in my head, but I couldn’t focus on that now.
There. I thought with certainty as I focused on two Elementals that were coming at me from the side. With my sharpened senses and freshly acquired focus I could see that those two would be the path of least resistance. Leaping through the air towards the two Ember Elementals I marveled for a moment how it felt like Gravity had been suspended as I almost seemed to float towards the monsters. Arm extended back behind me with my blade I approached the Elementals and swung at the two in an arc.
They were already dissipating even as they reeled back. Without turning back I flew through the opening their deaths created, their kill notifications coming at the same time as I pushed them away. Planting my foot on a still intact window sill I jumped up and fired the grapple at an angle along side the building so I could build some distance between me and the Elementals behind me as I made my way to the roof.
Synaptic Surge went offline as time accelerated from a crawl to the slow motion of Thought Acceleration. Reeling in the Grapple’s line I almost missed the Elemental dropping in from above me, before I could try to turn around in the air to try and take it out Pyga reacted. From the ball of water he was maintaining over my shoulder a line of water arced out from it to strike the falling Elemental from the air. Causing it to hiss in pain as the water almost sputtered out the flames of it completely.
“Thanks Pyga!” I shouted over my shoulder as we rode upwards. If I could have I would have taken the easy route straight to the top. Fire the Grapple over and over again until we got to the roof. Simple. Only it looked like we weren’t going to be able to do that.
“Wait!” Pyga yelled as he gathered more water from the air. “There’s too many!”
He was right. Above and below us Elementals were massing together to fight the enemies in their midst. Namely us. The Elementals that had been about to head towards the ground had all changed their minds and started pouring up the side of the building like rising fires. Above where larger sections of the upper floors had caved in Elementals poured out.
“What do we do?” Pyga asked. Gripping my neck tighter as the ball of water returned to its larger beach ball size.
“We thin the herd!” I shouted back as I let loose on the grapple a bit and landed on one of the exposed floors of the building with a large opening to the air where the walls had fallen away. I didn’t want to do this. I’d rather just bring down the water tower as soon as possible and get this whole nightmare over with but that just wasn’t feasible. Even if we did make it to the roof we’d be swarmed before we’d be able to do any good at all.
“Save your water and only fire at Elementals that are coming at us from behind! I’ll take out any that get in front alright?” I shouted.
“Okay!” Pyga said. Shouting back at me as the first of the Elementals from below swarmed over the ledge of the building and made their way onto the exposed floor. Right at the same time that Elementals from the upper floors above us and those inside the building made their way towards us.
“Here they come!” I gritted my teeth as the wall of living fire raced towards us. With a force of will that seemed to increase the amount of pressure in my head even more I pumped excess mana into the Heat Reduction Layer covering Pyga and me. Making sure I still had enough to activate both of my Aces.
Thought Acceleration!
Synaptic Surge!
Immediately my focus heightened even as the pain seemed to double at activating Synaptic Surge so soon. If it weren’t for the other Meditation Skills I’d acquired to keep myself from falling out of meditation that might have been the end for us both. But it wasn’t.
The next few seconds devolved into a storm of attacks and swipes with my blade. The empowered edge easily cutting through Elementals and dealing damage to them in a way I hadn’t been able to before with my plain unenhanced dagger. More and more Elementals fell as I got a handle on how best to strike with the water blade. Turning almost every attack against an Elemental into a one hit KO. I could sense more than see the condensed streams of water Pyga fired out from his ball of water. I felt like the tide was shifting. Even as time crawled by and my mana burned to sustain my Meditation Skills. The number of Elementals was slowly turning from overwhelming to something that I might actually be able to handle.
So of course that was when something had to change.
Synaptic Surge’s duration had expired and the world sped up to normal as I let Thought Acceleration drop. The pounding pressure in my head lessening as looked around me. I was in the middle of a noticeably thinned out pack of particularly determined Elementals when some at the back seemed to be enraged at the sight of so many of their own being destroyed. They roiled and roared as it happened. Then one of them started attacking another Ember Elemental. I was initially thrilled by the sight. I mean if you were going to save me the trouble of taking Elementals out by turning on your buddies there was no way I was gonna stop you.
The fight between Elementals seemed to escalate as several more Elementals jointed together. Turing a one on one into a five man free-for-all. The moment one Elemental caved in to the other’s pressure they all collectively pounced on it. I was grateful in that moment that these things were made of fire and not flesh and blood. Because I was certain if they had, gore would be splattering the whole floor and walls like a blender with the top off.
The Elementals tore into each other, their flames overlapping as they dissipated one by one. Until only a massive ball of dark red and orange fire burned on the floor. A fire that seemed more solid than the other Ember Elementals somehow. I was content to write it off as a pretty funeral pyre for cabalistic Elementals until the fire stood up on two alarmingly solid legs of flame.
In the time it had taken to form I’d cleared a small space around myself free of Elementals and took a second to spare some sliver of mana to power my Identify Sig again. Hoping and praying that…
[Cinder Elemental]
[Rarity: Uncommon]
[Threat Level: High F Rank]
[Description: The amalgamation of several Ember Elementals joining their fires together to burn brighter. Unlike their former kin, Cinder Elementals are more tangible and become capable of forming crude claws or even sword like blades. Alone they are competent opponents but in greater numbers they become a true threat. Do not let them join together.]
The small smile that had formed hoping these last Elementals would all just eat each other slipped off my face as the Cinder Elemental rose to its full height. The top of its orange and red outline of a head was at least a full foot above my own. I stared at it uncomprehendingly as I felt the pang of my Danger Sense going off in my head. Not very loud of course. It had taken a literal bomb seconds from going off to actually get Danger Sense to notify me of anything wrong at the time. Even now it felt way too quiet for the current circumstances. Burning building? Monsters made of fire? Hanging off a ledge a dozen stories off the ground? Nah.
The sense it gave me was less of an outright warning and more of a-
Hey. You see that guy over there? Yeah. That one… You should just let him have this one m’kay?
“Motherfu-” I started but I never got the chance to finish. I wasn’t even sure if I was cursing out my own Danger Sense for being so shitty, this situation, or the big bad Elemental. Before I could think about how swearing with Pyga on my back might not have been a good idea the Elemental moved. And that fucker could move. One moment it was at least twenty feet away, the next it was sailing through the air as it leaped towards me, arms extended and forming burning red claws like he was channeling Wolverine.
Panic spiked in my thoughts as I slammed down onto Thought Acceleration. Everything slowing around me seemingly except for the Elemental sailing towards me, which seemed to move as fast as I could. I danced to the side as the Elemental swiped at the spot I had just been standing and without wasting a moment immediately pounced on me again. The Heat Reduction Layer covering my arms sparked and hissed as the Elemental kept after me with a vengeance. Almost catching me off guard as I went completely on the defensive.
I watched helplessly as one of Pyga’s arcs of water missed the Elemental completely as it sailed past. I heard Pyga try to say something as he tried and failed to hit it again but with the slowed down time I was experiencing I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I could barely focus on anything at all except for the monster trying to cleave my face off. Jesus, this wasn’t working. My entire strategy for fighting on Kanaan had just been using Thought Acceleration and my higher Attributes to brute force my way though fights. But I wasn’t a fighter. That was becoming abundantly clear even with my Small Blades Skill. It was one thing to try attacking an opponent when you can plan out how you’re going to hit them and have the speed to back it up. But relying on these new Skill derived instincts to make split second decisions? That just wasn’t me. Had never been me.
The onslaught finally came to a head when I thought I’d been clear of a wide swing of the beast’s flaming claws but the arm making the attack changed as it came towards my head. The claws flowed together, lengthening and extending the entire end of the monster’s arm into a crude imitation of a blade.
I didn’t have time to move back, or anywhere else that wasn’t in the path of that flame sword. I brought up my own water empowered dagger to block. Bracing my other hand along the weirdly solid flat of the water making up my dagger. I was prepared to try deflecting the attack but when the blade connected with mine it hit with the force of a sledge hammer.
My boots left the floor entirely as I flew backwards. Directly towards a small group of waiting Elementals. reeling from the blow that felt like it would tear my arms from my shoulders. Mercifully, I was able to hold Thought Acceleration through the pain and had the presence of mind to twist in the air even as I fell. The Cinder Elemental might have been terrifyingly fast but its lesser Ember kin were still greatly slowed compared to me.
I took out one Elemental immediately as I fell on it and through it. Like a cat landing on it’s feet I righted myself in the air and landed on the blackened wood of the floor, skidding backwards as I bled my momentum. Coming to a stop I almost automatically took out the two Ember Elementals flanking me as I refocused on the real threat.
It was standing still after its swipe at me. Instead of charging at me the Cinder Elemental cocked its head to the side, like it was confused that I wasn’t dead.
“I can’t hit it!”
“Ah!” I started as I turned my head enough to see Pyga out of the corner of my eye but still keep that Cinder bastard in my field of view. “What? What were you saying earlier?” I said my voice a bit shaky as the Cinder Elemental began to stalk back and forth like a panther eyeing up its prey but hesitant to commit to an attack.
“I’m almost out of water! What do I do?” Pyga said. Sounding too much like a scared little kid for my liking. The naked fear in his voice just hurt to hear.
“Save your water until it gets close.” I said quickly. Crouching as I moved, ready to spring in any direction I needed to not get cooked by the beefed up Elemental. “Can you spray water out in a cone? That should hit it but the closer it is the better.”
“I think so.” Pyga said uncertainly as he eyed the Elemental. “I’ll need more after this!”
“Duly noted.” I said as I saw the Cinder Elemental tense. If that was even possible for a living fire monster, and I did the same.
“Get ready!” I shouted as the Elemental pounced and I rushed forward to meet it’s charge.
If there was one thing video games ever taught me about boss monsters it was pattern recognition. The Elemental leaped in almost exactly the same manner as before, only now it was flying towards me with it’s elongated blade arm pulled back and roaring. Rushing towards the monster I was able to slide underneath it as it sailed above me and slash out with the edge of water, cutting into the monster with a hiss of evaporating water even as the blade only went a few inches deep. A cut that would have been the end for a simple Ember Elemental didn’t seem to be enough to take out a Cinder’s thicker flames. Once I was behind the beast and it hit the ground I rose to my feet and dashed towards it again. Trying to put it on the defensive.
I actually forced the thing to try and block my attacks as I went at it again and again. Grudgingly grateful that Rykas had bought upgrades to Small Blades for a second before I cursed the thought and cursed him as well. Now that I was going at the Elemental again I had to admit that the thing wasn’t as blindingly fast as I’d believed. Thought Acceleration still slowed it noticeably and my Attributes helped me keep up but anything faster than slow motion to me was still way too fast. I should have been able to handle this thing with all my advantages but I was struggling. Fear rippled through me in waves and stabbed at me whenever the Elemental was close to cutting me. I was hesitating, I realized with shame. Pulling back when I could have dealt damage to the thing.
My mind mentally hovered over the Synaptic Surge button in my brain. Desperately wanting to slow down the fight to something safe enough for me to handle. So I wouldn’t get hurt, wouldn’t feel pain. But the mental pressure that had built up when I’d used it so recently held me back. It felt like I was on the verge of a migraine. Just one more time, one more and then I’d stop. Then we can head up to the water tower and end this. I knew it was wasteful. That I should have been saving such a powerful boosting Skill but I couldn’t help it.
Gathering up my will I focused and activated the Skill again.
Synaptic Sur-
Instantly the pressure in my mind doubled until it hit the breaking point. Reaching some inner threshold that I wasn’t aware of and crashing through it like a freight train, the shock of the sensation reverberating through my head like a gong. I fell out of Meditation and Thought Acceleration all at once. My vision blurred and darkened at the edges as I lost my footing and fell to the charred wooden floor. I could hear Pyga calling out to me in fear as he splashed the Cinder Elemental with the last of his collected water. The beast roaring in pain as it fell back and tried to recover from the splash. I tried to get up but my head was on fire. Like in the space of a second I’d gone from a headache to a late stage migraine and fever wrapped up into one.
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[Status Condition: Neural Overload]
[Your neural pathways and nervous system have sustained damage as a result of being forced to operate beyond their limits for an extended period of time.]
[Increased susceptibility to Psionic attacks. Decreased ability to maintain fine motor control and standard cognitive functions.]
[Meditation has increased from level 2 to 3]
[You have 5 Skill points available]
“Toby!” Pyga called out as he shook me. “Toby get up! I’m out of water! Wha- What’s wrong?”
I struggled to my hands and knees, my limbs jerking into place without the smoothness Dexterity normally granted them. The bare palms of my hands heating up as they absorbed the heat of the wood. Without the protection of the Heat Reduction Layer. I needed to move. To get the Spell Splinter running again before I cooked. But it felt like I’d set off a furnace burning in my skull. The embers of it racing along my whole nervous system. Leaving my whole body twitching.
I stared in horror at the Neural Overload status I’d just inflicted myself with. That I would have been able to avoid if I hadn’t just tried using Synaptic Surge one last time. I turned my head expecting to see the Cinder Elemental capitalize on my mistake and end me and Pyga both but, unexpectant it hadn’t done that. The Cinder Elemental was waving its arms about as the part of it’s body that was quenched tried spurting back to life. It was almost what you’d expect someone to do once they caught fire, except the inverse. Only instead of trying to put the fire out it was trying to bring it back to life.
My mind raced as I went over the last few seconds. What I’d done to myself and what I could do to save myself and Pyga. The Neural Overload status had come from abusing Synaptic Surge in conjunction with Thought Acceleration. One more thing to add to the endless pile of things I’d never considered I’d needed to know about. I’d just assumed the mental pressure I’d felt was nothing more than strain. Like the kind you’d get from exercising a muscle during a workout. Did that mean that Thought Acceleration was out? Not just Synaptic Surge? Had I just blown my only trump cards to take down one beefed up Elemental?
I threw those questions aside as I tore open the Skill List available to me with the desperation of the damned. Grateful that I had spent enough time Meditating in my free time and utilizing Meditation in the past hour to push it close enough to the top that it could level with my failed use of Synaptic Surge.
Pyga was panicking as I tried to keep my eyes on the Skills and not the Cinder Elemental shaking itself back to burning life. There had to be something. There was always something. What did I need? Small Blades Skills? Meditation? I needed to fight. To fight I needed to move. I needed-
There. I thought the moment my eyes landed on it.
[Endure: The strength of will made manifest. Force your body to continue operating despite pain, physical limitations, and debilitating status conditions should your will be sufficient.]
Without any hesitation I picked up the skill. Leaving me with four Skill points left. I tried getting up with Endure but my arms failed me and my head fell to the floor as I became unbalanced. I felt Pyga’s continued shaking as my forehead scraped the splintering wood. Gritting my teeth with effort, I gathered my will to push myself to my feet. Endure wouldn’t force me up on its own. It would only help me power through if I had the necessary will.
My thoughts flashed back to all the times I’d been called lazy in my life. Uncoordinated, undisciplined, useless. The doubt and fear that plagued me my entire life. The same doubt and fear that had kept me from ever taking any risks in my life on Earth. For myself or anyone else.
Get. Up.
In the space of an instant I flashed through all the people I’d met on Kanaan who’d actually given a loser like me a chance. From Gregor to May. To Grima and Falisa and Pyga.
I felt my twitching fingers slowly curl into a fist as I used it to push myself to my knees. The Cinder Elemental reigniting as it seemed to take in how vulnerable I was and rushed forward to end us both.
Get up!
I couldn’t stand yet. The nerves in my legs felt like they’d been hooked up to live wires with the spasms they were racked with. But I forced myself to move. Wrapping one arm around Pyga I raised and fired my Grapple to a point on the floor twenty feet away. Feeling the heat of the Cinder Elemental close in I reeled on the line, hard. Dragging my failing body across the burning wood, splinters and friction burns stabbing into my skin as I bought a few precious seconds away from the Elemental.
We came to a stop at the grapple point and I slammed a fist into the floor to kill our momentum and tear the Grapple from the wood. At the same time, buying a new Skill the instant the description entered my mind.
[Mana Infusion: Infuse your body with mana, increasing the effectiveness of whatever bodily systems are infused with mana and providing a small amount of protection from damage. Effect increases depending on level of mana infused and focus of Meditation.]
Mana flooded my body in a wave as Mana Infusion gave my muscles the boost they needed to rise and put myself between Pyga and the approaching Elemental. I felt the world slow for a moment as cool mana soothed my aching nerves, giving me the moment of clarity I needed to spend my last three Skill points to upgrade my best Skill from level two to three.
Thought- My brain stuttered as I reached for the Skill, almost buckling under the Neural Overload but Mana Infusion and more importantly, Endure, helped me push through.
-Acceleration!
If I’d have to judge, the Elemental was almost equal to me in speed. That was what had thrown me off earlier. Even with Thought Acceleration boosting my reaction speed I had been too scared to commit. Afraid I’d be torn open with flaming claws.
With the next level in Thought Acceleration it was like having a lesser level of Synaptic Surge active. The Cinder Elemental’s movements were still frightening but with the lead the Skill gave me on anticipating its movements I was able to begin moving out of the way of its attacks before they even began swiping at me. I could still feel the buckling pressure of Neural Overload as it begged me to let up on my abused nervous system but I couldn’t stop, not yet. I was on a time limit. Endure and Mana Infusion were working in tandem to keep me going for now but I could feel the longer I held the Skills the closer I was to reaching a point where my will would buckle and I’d be rendered too damaged to keep up the fight.
In a way I was almost grateful for the pain racking my brain. It hurt so much I couldn’t think about being afraid of the Elemental or getting cut open. I got close to it. Wanting to activate the Heat Reduction Layer but intuiting in an instant that holding that Spell Splinter active with my newly leveled Thought Acceleration and Mana Infusion would be too much for even my prodigious mana regeneration to keep up with. So I spun around attack after attack in an almost dance like rhythm. I couldn’t rely on attributes alone to overpower the Elemental I needed an opening.
With one fluid movement I ducked a swipe of burning claws that left the Elemental overextended enough for me to take advantage of its mistake. Sweeping low I drove the watery edge of my dagger almost to the hilt into the side of the Cinder Elemental. Grateful that Pyga’s Skill covered my hand in a protective layer of water that kept my skin from instantly scalding getting so close to the Elemental’s hide.
I wrenched the blade through the Elemental as it reeled back, like I was trying to carve through one of the toughened hides in Grima’s shop. Pulling the blade back out I moved in close and leaned on Small Blades to drive the blade home one last time. Feeling the Critical Strike Skill Rykas bought so long ago itch, I let it guide my strike into a spot in the Elemental left of its center. Feeling something hard and dense break under my blow.
[You have slain a Cinder Elemental]
I fell to a knee breathing hard as the Cinder Elemental disintegrated. It’s flames sputtering to nothing as I dropped everything except for Endure. Which was the only reason I hadn’t already keeled over. Mentally, I gauged how close I was to reaching my limit before I succumbed to the Neural Overload. A minute or two of sustained Thought Acceleration before Endure broke down? I frowned darkly. Maybe less.
Before I’d fought that Cinder Elemental I’d thought I might have a shot at taking out all the Ember Elementals in the building. They were dangerous living fire monsters sure, but with Pyga empowering my dagger and Thought Acceleration they were basically fodder. Well, maybe a bit terrifying fodder. But those Cinder Elementals? Jesus, that was one scary bastard. What would happen if that thing had made it to street level? I didn’t wanna think about it.
“You did it!” Pyga shouted as he ran towards me. Hopping a bit as he tried to keep off the heated wood. A sight that was way too adorable for the current circumstance. He slowed when he saw my face up close. “Did it hit your face? You’re bleeding.” He said with concern.
With an unsteady hand I wiped my face and stared numbly at the blood staining my hand, trickling from my nose in a red river down my chin. The wet taste of iron just now registering on my lips.
“I’m fine.” I lied. Mentally clinging to Endure like a drowning man holds onto a life preserver in a storm. “We need to hurry.” I said looking out at the remaining fire, already hearing the keening cries of more Elementals being born in the building’s blaze. And the wails of things that sounded deeper, more tangible than mere Ember Elementals.
“I don’t know how many more of those I can handle.” I said wearily. Picking up Pyga like before so he hung off my back like a koala. Reactivating the Heat Reduction Layer to keep the worst of the heat off us both.
I felt so tired all of a sudden. Like I’d gone without sleep for days instead of hours. Had all of this really happened in one day? One night? Even though I was currently on the exposed floor of a burning building I had an almost manic thought of just lying down amidst the blackened and burned wood and going to sleep.
I think I broke my brain again. I thought idly. Maybe I should start keeping count. I might have found my calling.
Pushing my dark humor aside. I closed my eyes for a second as I deliberately reached for Mana Infusion. Shaking my head as the cool rush of mana invaded my overexerted muscles and hopefully, only temporarily damaged nerves.
Right, the roof. I reminded myself. Then we open up the water tower, I let Falisa flay me alive for using her only child as a water gun against flaming monsters, apologize to Gregor for not noticing the bomb that ruined his daughter’s night out, and let Grima know I’m going to be absent from work until I sleep off my brain damage.
“They’re coming back!” Pyga warned and I couldn’t even bring myself to sigh. I saw mostly Ember Elementals but in the back where the fire seemed brightest…
No rest for the wicked huh? I thought with a pang of tiredness as I saw another Cinder Elemental come out of the fire and-
I didn’t need to see any more.
I just started running.
Each step hurt like a bitch but I ran all the same. Reaching the edge of the building I shot out the Grapple and it fell just shy of the roof by a few floors. With a running jump I arced out over the street in a rising curve as I reeled in the line and Pyga drew more water from the air. I could see the flickering lights of the Elementals as they poured out of the burning openings in the building and raced after us.
“Aim for the Cinder Elementals if you can!” I shouted over the whistling air as I landed on a nearby window sill and pulled my Grapple from the wall in one smooth motion.
“What are those?” Pyga shouted at me.
I paused for a split second as the question threw me before I understood. Pyga wouldn’t have any way to look at the description of monsters. He didn’t have any Sigmata at all.
“They’re the bigger, faster, scary ones.” I said as I began preparing to fire one last Grapple shot onto the roof. I Reeled the Grapple tight and aimed over the edge of the roof
“Hit them before they get too close to-”
The Cinder Elemental came flying out an open window above me and fouled my shot as the Grapple left my Sigmata. It hit the Elemental and lodged inside of it as it fell down towards me. I almost reflexively reached for Thought Acceleration before my mind stopped me. I didn’t dare waste that skill needlessly.
Leaping to the side I narrowly dodged the falling Cinder as it fell with the end of my grapple still lodged in it.
I had a single moment to realize what that meant before the line connecting the monster to my arm snapped taught. I was barely able to stab my dagger into the wall before my left arm was yanked downward and pulled me along with it. The only thing saving me and Pyga from an early end being the empowered dagger digging a furrow in the weakened wall that went down two whole floors. My fist holding the handle tight in a Mana Infused death grip as I looked down. My legs scrabbling against the bare wall for purchase as the Cinder Elemental flailed on the end of the line, hanging in the air as the wind picked up and carried it away from the building.
“Pyga!” I groaned with gritted teeth as I kept us from falling. “Shoot it!”
“Which ones?” he asked with worry as my eyes moved from the dangling Cinder to the Ember Elementals clawing their ways out of the flames of blackened windows and balconies.
“The ones coming towards us!” I strained to shout as I tried pulling up my left arm to no avail. Triggering the release on the Sigmata for the Grapple without any luck as the tethered Cinder Elemental raged and I tried to shake it off. Pyga went to work spraying out more precise and controlled streams of water that outright killed most of the Ember Elementals climbing the walls to get at us.
The wind that had carried the Cinder Elemental away from the building died down and despite trying to hold my arm out to keep it from grabbing on it clawed onto part of a window sill and began orienting itself to pull itself onto the building. As Pyga kept most of the Ember Elementals away one cheeky bastard came from the other side as Pyga was distracted. With one arm incapacitated holding a skewered Cinder Elemental and the other holding on for dear life I didn’t have time to warn Pyga as it came near.
As the Ember came near and without any immediate weapons at hand I levered my body with my Acrobatics ability to whip my leg at the Elemental while pumping an extra helping of mana into the Heat Reduction Layer covering it. The result was a brightly sparkling red boot making contact with the Elemental and sending it falling away. Hopefully to its death.
The Cinder Elemental roared as it clawed its way up the building towards us. With the Ember Elementals Dealt with Pyga raised a hand and gathered the soccer ball sized ball of water above it as he stared down at the approaching Elemental determination in his eyes.
“Wait for it.” I said as I watched the Cinder approach. Knowing that if Pyga missed with his attack we would be in a very bad spot. For his part Pyga didn’t even reply to me. The only acknowledgement of what I’d said had been a tensing in his limbs as he held onto me.
“Wait…” I said warningly, judging the distance the Cinder Elemental had left to move until… “Now!”
With a roar of his own Pyga hurled his attack at the Elemental. Despite the beast being on the side of a building and its options limited in terms of movement it tried moving to the side to get out of the way of the condensed water ball. It would have cleared the attack entirely if I hadn’t reeled in the line attaching me to the Elemental hard enough to yank it back into the path of Pyga’s attack. With a scream of pain and a hiss of steaming water the Cinder was engulfed as the water put the Elemental almost completely out. The remains of it separating in mid air as they fell to the street far below.
After freeing my Grapple from the monster making the trip to the roof almost felt easy. It would have been easier if my nerves weren’t actively roasting and I could let go of Endure and Mana Infusion without the threat of dropping unconscious, but hey. I’ll take what I can get.
The roof was a mess of collapsed sections still spitting fire that had risen from lower floors and weakened looking portions that I wouldn’t trust to bear my weight. The part of the roof with the sturdiest looking portion remaining was where the water tower for Pyga’s building stood. It was huge compared to what you’d expect on top of an Earth building. Standing on three sturdy looking legs it probably could have held hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. Even with the Beast folk’s difficulties getting a secure source of water I’d bet the thing was at least half full. I felt a stab of indignation that the thing still had the nerve to be standing after so much of the building it was a part of had burned away. Rationally, I had to admit it made sense for the heavy structure to be standing on the most solid part of the roof to prevent it from falling over but come on. Was it too much to ask for the thing to fall over on its own and solve my problems for me?
“There it is!” Pyga shouted excitedly as I carried him to the base of the tower. “What do we do?” He asked. “I can feel the water inside it but how do we get it out?”
I placed Pyga down on at the base of the tower and looked it over. It probably sounded stupid but I was honestly expecting some kind of large red valve we could turn to dump all the water out. And the more I looked the more I noticed the utter absence of brightly colored valves, or any kind of valves at all.
“Is there a magic valve or something we can turn to open it up?” I asked.
“I dunno.” Pyga said looking as confused as I felt. “The adults never let me play up here.”
“Well…” I said before trailing off. “There has to be something we can do to open-”
A massive crash inside the building almost rocked me off my feet as I caught Pyga and kept him from falling over. It felt like an entire floor, maybe even multiple floors had finally given way and fallen in on themselves underneath us. Above, the sound of water sloshing inside the water tower rolled across us at the same time part of the nearby roof caved in near one of the base supporting legs of the water tower. Causing the leg to groan in protest as it held the tower up. Once the shaking subsided I looked up at the tower rocking back and forth slightly and got an idea. A very terrible idea.
“Pyga.” I said projecting confidence. “I have a great idea.”
“What is it?” He asked expectantly.
So I went ahead and told him my idea.
Pyga’s foxlike features grew more and more distressed the more I told him about my plan. “There’s no way I can do that!” He shouted over the sound of still crumbling and collapsing building underneath us as the roar of Elementals grew louder. “I’m still a level one! I’ve only leveled my Skills twice! I’m already running low on mana, its- its too much water for me to control.” he said with tears of frustration forming in his eyes.
“Pyga.” I said steadily. Projecting an air of authority in my voice and tone. Kneeling down and forcing the trembling out of my hands as I placed them on Pyga’s shoulders. “As your magic teacher and tutor, I can say without question that out of every student I’ve ever had…” I said with a smile that I didn’t have to fake in the slightest. “You have the most potential. And it has been awe inspiring seeing how much you’ve done with your Skills and abilities tonight. You’ve practiced moving water around before remember? This is just like that only a bit bigger.”
A wailing cry from an Ember Elemental clawing its way through the open pits in the roof drew my attention for a second before I refocused on Pyga. I had to, the entire plan relied on him after all.
“I know you’re scared. That’s perfectly fine, but don’t let that fear control you. You’re a brave kid Pyga. Way more than you have any right to be.” I stood up and brandished the still empowered watery edge of my dagger, flourishing it with a casualness I didn’t feel as I forced down the pain and pointed a thumb behind me. “Just leave them to me alright?” I said before pointing a finger at the water tower. “And I’ll leave this-” I paused before pointing meaningfully to Pyga. “To you.”
Turning away from Pyga I rushed the first Ember Elementals to make their way to the roof as Pyga began his work. Ending them as quickly as I could before they could join together in numbers great enough to combine into Cinder Elementals. My head ached and vision blurred as the minutes wore on but I kept going. Making sure that any and all Elementals on the roof were solely focused on me and left Pyga to his work.
Then the first Cinder Elemental made its way to the roof. Clawing through a weakened patch of roof it snarled and focused almost immediately on me. Bracing myself for what was about to come I crouched low as the Cinder came charging forward. I waited as long as I could, right before the Elemental reached me before I flipped my switch on.
Thought Acceleration!
My entire brain was racked with pain as the Skill activated and I focused hard on Endure to keep my overloaded mind from buckling under the abuse I was putting it through. With Mana Infusion pulsing through my muscles I moved inside the Elemental’s reach after a flurry of swipes. Slashing it’s upper chest apart in a combination of slashes meant to send it reeling. With its arms up protecting its face and upper body it left it wide open for the piercing stab at its navel that pierced deep into it and through it’s core.
[You have slain a Cinder Elemental]
Gasping and spasming with relief I released the Skill immediately and stood shakily as I turned to survey the field. The fresh Ember Elemental’s spawned from below and the two forms of Cinder Elementals reaching the roof. One from the holes to the lower floors and one from the side of the building.
Gathering my will I fell into Thought Acceleration again in as many seconds as the two Cinders fell on me like sharks at the sight of blood. My focus shrank as I struggled to hold the Meditative state and the two Elementals at bay. Trying to find gaps in the defense of one only led to the other trying to take advantage of my split attention.
Unable to finish either off I lacerated each one with water empowered cuts and danced back as more Cinder Elementals appeared with Ember Elementals as well. As though every spawned monster in the building had finally made their way to the roof together.
Cut up and seemingly wounded the two Cinder Elementals leaped into the safety of the large pit in the roof, leaving me too damn tired but relieved all the same that they’d given up fighti-
A tremor shook the roof as Cinder Elemental after Cinder Elemental joined together in the conflagration. Stepping back warily I eyed the hole with a sinking feeling in my chest at the sight and the memory of a portion of the Cinder Elemental’s description. Do not let them join together…
“Pyga?” I called out in worry.
“I’m working on it!” The kid called out grunting with the effort as he continued working on his part of the plan.
A hand rose out of the hole in the roof and meter long claws dug into the roof as something massive pulled itself to the roof. It was a swirling mass of black ash. Lit from within by a hellish light as other Elementals spilled out of the hole. I looked at the giant monster. Only seeing its upper torso as it moved both it’s arms to hover over the roof as it’s gaze seemed to narrow on me. Dread filled me as I filled my Identify Sig with enough mana to read the creature as a-
[Ash Elemental]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Threat Level: E Rank]
[Description: This-
I didn’t even look at the description as I was forced to cover my ears at the Ash Elemental’s bass filled roar of challenge. I was already spent. I’d hit my limit. Dozens upon dozens of Ember Elementals, too many Cinder Elementals for me to even think about taking on injured as I was.
“Pyga!” I shouted in desperation. “Pull it down! Pull it down now!”
“Almost… There…” Pyga cried out through gritted teeth.
The kid was clearly straining with the effort as he moved his hands back and forth in a wave like motion. As the water inside the water tower responded to his will and rocked back and forth. Swaying the entire tower more and more as it leaned more heavily on it’s strained and damaged leg.
The Ash Elemental bellowed so loudly that I felt the sound of it vibrate in my bones as it lifted a massive claw the size of my whole body and raked it through the entire part of the roof I had just been standing on. Diving out of the way with the other Elementals trying to swarm me and lock me down so their leader could finish me off. I didn’t even try to kill any of the Elementals any more, if that tower didn’t come down in the next few seconds we were done for. Dodging through a series of slashes by newly formed Cinder Elementals I danced out of the way enough to fire my Grapple at the side of the water tower. Puncturing the metal and lodging it firmly as I braced myself, flared Mana Infusion in my legs and pulled. Screaming with effort and the pain of working through the Neural Overload as other Elementals closed in.
With a desperate yell of his own Pyga wrenched his hands forward as the water inside the water tower leaned all its tremendous weight on a single damaged leg.
A leg that buckled like crumpling tinfoil.
With a groan of tortured metal and hundreds upon thousands of gallons of water the water tower fell. The gargantuan Ash Elemental could only look up in surprise as the water tower came down and smashed itself over its head like a wanton god’s shattered beer bottle. The entire elemental disappearing in a wave of evaporating water and exploding steam as water raced across the roof and doused so many elementals like they were nothing but candles. The wave of water was big enough it almost washed me away too. Over it all, even the pain of my Neural Overload condition one notification dominated all.
[You have slain an Ash Elemental]
[Congratulations. Your level has increased from 2 to 3]
[You have 3 Attribute points available]