The group all remained still for a moment, then Eriana charged forwards, sword raised. Sierra cursed and chased after her, the rest of them following close behind. But as Sierra rushed forth, she glanced back to them slowing slightly, her face filled with worry.
[Go!] Kana said. [All of you. I can’t keep up]
“You sure?” Caleb said.
[Yes. I’ll catch up] she said. They nodded and picked up the pace, leaving her and the others behind. Sierra gapped them easily, moving ridiculously fast as Ryan began to create distant too, with great leaping bounds. Then Eriana met the scorpion spiders, swinging her sword wildly.
She cut through them easily, the spiders hardly a nuisance. And as Sierra neared the crowd, she began firing small blasts of magic, the orbs of light cutting through the monsters.
The others behind them all did the same, firing a barrage of magic missiles at the spiders, including the large one. They ripped through the crowd of smaller insects, but the large spider scorpion only screeched backpedalling as the spells burned momentarily against it's skin.
Caleb frowned, slowing as he reached the crowd of monsters. He fired at them with the spell bracelet, the monsters squealing as the orbs eviscerated them.
[You have defeated a grade 0 Hilaric threat]
[You have defeated a grade 0 Hilaric threat]
[You have defeated a grade 0 Hilaric threat]
[You have defeated a grade 0 Hilaric threat]
[You have defeated a grade 0 Hilaric threat]
[You have defeated a grade 0 Hilaric threat]
[You have defeated a grade 0 Hilaric threat]
Then he met the crowd and brought his sword down, batting the rest away with his shield.
The monsters fell easily, cutting them down barely an inconvenience. A slew of messages flew across his vision as he killed them all with ease. A few did stab at him but the stabs wouldn’t have pierced his skin even without the added stat point in strength.
The monsters were pathetic, maybe even weaker than regular scorpions. The only threat was getting swarmed, but even then, the monsters were falling far too quickly to gather in numbers.
He glanced back, to see the others making light work of the creatures too, then forward to see Eriana stabbing violently into the large spider scorpion's eyes as it squealed and scuttled around. Eriana’s sword glowed and she brought it down again, slicing easily through the spider-scorpion’s head.
It fell to the ground, dead, and a chorus of uncomfortably high pitched shrieks came from the smaller ones as they scuttled around, panic consuming their will to attack.
[I levelled up! And I get stat points?! Yes! Yes! This is incredible!] Eriana shouted loudly.
Caleb frowned, coming to a stop as he watched the pitiful creatures race around helplessly, crashing into each other.
Compared to the orcs, this is way too easy, he thought. Well, I'm not complaining.
Instantly, he felt a sudden shift and looked behind him to see another green portal appearing. His eyes widened as a trio of strange, shambling creatures emerged from the portal, each of their magic weights almost heavier than the portal itself. With lanky bodies and small heads hidden by dark and shaggy fur, the creatures lumbered into the field a low rumbling click shared between the triplet.
An aura of power emanated from them, one that outclassed him and all the other chosen present. Caleb knew instantly, even without his sense, they wouldn't be able to face them as they were.
“Run!” he shouted immediately. The others who’d heard all looked to him confused as he backpedalled, unable to take his eyes off the monsters. But as he backpedalled, the monsters began to move, their long arms dragging against the floor as they groaned, the dissonance of their vocals painful to hear. Then their horns began to glow, the magical weight around them growing even heavier.
A barrage of mana missiles and various magics – shards of ice, balls of fire, even chunks of rock - flew from the group that’d gathered at the rear, a mixture of skills and artifacts. But as they struck the monsters their furred skin only flashed briefly, and they remained unaffected.
The monsters’ skin and horns shared some kind of magical weight, a weight similar but far more powerful than his sunshield bracelet.
Crap. They can make shields, he thought.
“Stop!” Caleb shouted. “You’re wasting your mana!”
But the crowd couldn’t hear him over the chaos of the still scuttling spider scorpions and continued to fire, some even falling to the ground as the light from their magical weight dimmed slightly. They were exhausting their mana reserves and the ones who fell were getting attacked by the remaining insects.
Then he felt the mana from the monsters behind him build to an intense crescendo. An attack was coming, and he was far too late to do anything about it. A panic overcame him as he desperately cried out, trying pointlessly to put distance between himself and the monsters.
Then with a rush of air Sierra was at his side. She grabbed him and time around them seemed to slow as she held him and cried out, diving with him to the ground.
As they flew backwards, Caleb watched a blast of electricity and mana mixed together explode on the spot he’d been standing on, kicking up a spray of dirt and smoke. He hit the floor and turned wide eyed to look at the monsters, the front one’s horn smoking, as the other two’s continued to glow the intense crescendo building in theirs too.
Before he could react Sierra grabbed him again, time slowing around them and the edges of his vision greying as she leapt up and pulled them across the field. Caleb’s eyes widened as he watched another bolt of mana and electricity shoot out towards him, it’s magical weight unlike anything he’d seen before.
It was focused, directed like a jet of water. And as it arced through the air cleanly, it glowed a brilliant golden.
Caleb's mana awareness fixed upon it, entranced by it's beauty. He couldn't help it, even though he knew if it struck him he'd die.
It was strange how he found such an intense appreciation of the magical, especially when it was about the kill him.
Then the sudden moment of clarity was ripped away from him. Sierra gasped and the slight slow in time disappeared as she stumbled. The bolt shot forwards - faster without Sierra's skill in effect - and struck the ground just behind them, some of the sparks shooting off and zapping them.
He cried out and in an instant his wrist grew hot, a golden glow surrounded him before disappearing, his sunshield bracelet shattering like brittle brick.
He and Sierra crashed to the ground, skidding across the floor before finally coming to a stop.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
He quickly scrambled up as she groaned, still lying on the floor as droplets of blood dripped from her nose. Frantically he turned to the monsters, eyes wide as he desperately tried to help Sierra to her feet.
The third one hadn’t fired yet, instead turning to face Eriana and Ryan.
Eriana charged forward, sword raised as it began to glow and Ryan cried out, reaching out for her. Caleb cried out too, but Eriana was fast - almost as fast as Sierra - closing the distance impossibly quickly with a single leap. She cut at the beast, slicing off part of it's arm.
The monster cried out in protest shambling back, as it released a wave of mana from its horns. The attack slammed against Eriana and Ryan, knocking them back with the force of a car.
They flew through the air like ragdolls and crashed to the ground hard.
Even after a moment of silence, they didn’t get up.
Caleb’s hands began to tremble, his heart sinking. But he didn’t have time to worry about others.
The first monster had turned to him and Sierra, its horns glowing again. The second had turned to face the rear group as they struggled with the last of the insect monsters and continued their mana missile barrage, and the third shambled towards Ryan and Eriana's bodies.
He stared wide eyed at the hopelessness in front of him, frozen once again.
He only ever froze when things got really bad. Maybe it was just the way his brain worked, maybe it was because part of him when overwhelmed just thought it was better to give up. Or maybe it had something to do with his childhood, some kind of poor defence mechanism borne of trauma. Regardless, it kept him frozen, now just an observer of the situation; his mind distant from his own body.
Then suddenly Sierra clasped a hand onto his shoulder, jolting him back into reality. Before he could say anything, she wiped blood from her nose and in a rush of air and magic weight was gone, sword appearing in hand.
She zipped across the plain and launched her sword and shield through the air at the monsters. With the speed, the force of the weapons was enough to knock the one facing her backwards, the beast crashing into the other two as some of the magical weight faded from its horns.
Sierra skidded to a momentary stop, then charged for Ryan and Eriana as the monsters roared struggling to pull themselves up.
He watched, trembling as Sierra grabbed Ryan and Eriana, then raced away, slowing as her steps became uneven. Then one of the monsters released another, slightly weaker wave of mana, knocking her off her feet.
Caleb’s eyes widened as Sierra struggled to get up, blood seeping from her nose as the monsters stood behind her, two with still glowing horns.
He needed to do something, right now. But what? The mana missiles weren’t doing anything and he wasn’t as fast as Sierra or Eriana. He wouldn’t be able to get there in time. He needed to do something from here. Anything.
Oh right, my skill.
But how? The others had used theirs easily enough, but his was just a magic star in his chest that’d given him a few levels. There was no instruction manual, no guidance, nothing. He wasn’t even sure he could use it long distance. He clenched his fists tightly, forcing back the doubt and fear. He had to at least try.
He roared, rushing forwards as he tried with all his might to focus on his skill, sensing and feeling at the magical glowing star in his chest.
As he did, he felt his awareness of it grow, understanding it’s a nature a little better. Somehow, innately, he knew. It was a core, for power. A magic core made of his soul, for the singular purpose of focusing magical weight, harnessing its power.
As soon as he felt it, understood it, his understanding of the magical landscape around him shifted.
The things he'd been sensing, they weren’t weights, they were masses. Like black holes that bent the fabric of space, they bent the fabric of the magical all around him. They glowed dimly too, just like stars. Just like his core. Dimmer, but they still glowed. It had been harder to notice without knowing first given how faint the light was.
But now that he knew, the magical landscape became clearer; a backdrop of dimly what lit and distant, magical stars. For a moment he felt closer to he’d experienced during the transition, in the ethereal space beyond reality. And it was good. He could feel everything, their magic, their strength, their potential.
Everything had more to give. Especially the artifacts.
His eyes widened and he looked down at the dim star on his wrist. The spell bracelet stored more magical potential in it, a clear power he could use at distance. He focused on it, felt it’s connection to his mind, the switch to trigger it. He could feel it’s power in tandem with his skill and trait.
With them, he could make the artifact reach its full potential.
He grabbed a hold of the weight within his mind and felt a flicker of fire and heat from his core. The small flush of heat moved across an invisible barrier, and the weight of the star, the presence, it glowed brighter. Not nearly as bright as the star in his chest, but as bright as he could push it.
“Sierra! I’m attacking!” he roared, levelling the spell bracelet with the monsters. Sierra turned to look at him, and so too did all three monsters, roaring loudly. They could sense the shift in the magical weight too. But it was too late.
He focused on the weight within his mind then released, letting the star burn brightly as it acted for the last time.
The magical space around him shifted, the bracelet bending magical space like it had done so many times before. But this time the warped magic continued to grow, larger and larger as the bracelet’s markings grew white hot. Then everything went white. Caleb shielded his eyes as he felt the bracelet turn to ash around his wrist, and a ridiculous magical power shot toward the monsters.
He barely had time to process it before it vanished and then the thunderous roar of air and heat hit him, throwing him back.
[You have defeated a grade 1 Hilaric threat]
Then the light faded and he looked forward to see a crater in the ground, one of the monsters vaporized the same way the orcs had been by James’ blast. The other two lay on the floor as well, their horns smoking, emptied of all magic.
Sierra knelt on the floor by the crater, holding Eriana and Ryan as she coughed hard. Caleb felt a shot of relief flood him, glad they were ok. But the feeling was short lived, the other two monsters, although injured, forced themselves upright again, their dissonant roars quickly drowning out the shouts of the others. And this time, with a fury in their cries, they both turned to him.
Shit.
He turned to run as he felt the magical weight build, but stumbled clumsily and fell, his body heavy. A barrage of mana missiles shot out from the rear crowd again, barraging the monsters. One turned away to roar at the crowd but the other one continued towards him. Caleb stumbled and fell again, as it neared, the magical weight building around it as its horns began to glow.
He wouldn’t be able to run away. Ryan and Eriana were unconscious, and Sierra was busy trying to get the hell away from the other monster.
Nobody from the group at the rear would reach him in time, not that it stopped Kana from trying. Regardless, nobody could save him.
Is this it? Is this really it? he thought staring at the ground.
His eyes fell on the sword he still held in his hand, and his mind shifted to its magical weight and brightness almost automatically. His eyes widened.
Of course, it had more to give too. He gripped it firmly, both with his hand and with his skill, pulling at its magical essence as heat escaped his core once again. The sleeve grew hot on his arm, the runic markings across the leather growing bright all at once.
Then the sword began to glow too, a brilliant golden in its light. He felt the monster behind him slow slightly, but it was too late.
Caleb leapt to his feet, stumbled but managed to turn and jump. The monster shrieked as it tried to release a shockwave, but Caleb was faster, screaming as he slashed forwards.
The sword met the ivory of the horn and instantly both shattered in a spray of golden sparks and debris. He cried out as the shards peppered him and he landed atop the beast. In pain and panic, he held tightly to the monsters fur, waiting for some overlong finger to pierce through him, but the monster only stumbled back, the magic weight around and within it fading without the horn.
Then a barrage of magic missiles began striking it. In it’s weakened, practically non-magical state, they had an effect. The monster shrieked as the magic missiles tore into it, it’s natural magic shield gone without the horn.
Caleb held on to its strange wet fur for dear life as it shambled away shrieking as the magic missiles began to burn and scar at its body. Finally, one burnt through its skin and into the flesh of its leg. It fell to the floor and Caleb was thrown from it into the grass.
He scrambled away from the monster, then shielded himself with an arm, watching as the barrage continued the magic missiles struck it, the dimmer ones enough to keep it down and the brighter ones burning right through its skin.
Finally, it shrieked for the last time, then went still.
Caleb stared at it wide eyed as he heard the group cheer. Then the other monster shrieked loudly, the sound echoing in the physical and magical realms. Caleb winced and looked to the monster, the beast shambling around desperately as it reached for Sierra, releasing the occasional weak mana shockwave.
But Sierra - although slower - deftly raced back and forward, her speed and agility incredible.
She avoided the weaker shockwaves, and slashed at its legs as it shambled around uselessly reaching for her. Meanwhile a decent distance away, Ryan kneeled holding his head, as Eriana stood next to him completely still, her sword glowing as she held it.
A barrage of mana missiles began raining on the monster, but they were mostly useless against the mana shockwaves and its mana charged skin. A few nearly hit Sierra and she was forced to back away from the monster.
Caleb cursed, wiping blood from his nose. They needed to stop, or they were going to get her killed.
He tried to stand, to force himself up and join the fight. But his body felt even heavier before, his legs practically useless.
A fatigue plagued him, not his physical body, but his magical one. The star still shone brightly in his chest, but the small wisps of heat and flame it occasionally emitted had gone cold. He could barely keep his eyes open, let alone stand.
But the fight’s not over. I need to help, make sure that the others are ok.
But as he forced himself forward, he only stumbled and face planted against the floor. As his thoughts and sense began to drift away from his mind, he recalled everyone else that’d fatigued their skills, their dreariness and lack of coordination and realised he was probably going to pass out.
In the distance, as his eyes began to close, there was a flash of bright blue as Eriana cackled.
[Wave 2 defeated]
[Time to wave 3: 5 minutes]
The messages scrolled across his vision, but he was too out of it to read them. Still on the ground, he faded into unconscious, his body still burning.