44

The Nature of a Swamp

----------------------------------------

The awakening allowed for a circuit of magic to form in Alduin's body. Like the circulation of life, the flow of this energy, through his muscles and veins, increased his physical strength. Yet, this energy was contained inside his body.

Only when the sprouting tree bears its first fruit, could a person acquire an attribute. And it was this attribute, that allowed for magic to escape its confinements and transform the world outside.

And this first circuit, that strengthened Alduin’s body, erupted with a shining light.

“MIDGARD - THUNDERCLAP”

Like a spell, the shout of madness allowed the magic to cover Alduin’s body. Lightning coursed over his palms. Energy exploded outward. If the rising smoke was a beacon, this energy was a blazing star.

Thunder erupted. The air trembled. Mist exploded in all directions. The raging sound of collision shook their surroundings.

UGH, But with a loud grunt, Alduin was launched backward.

His body collided with a building. The lightning coursing over his arm had collected on his ash-gray spear. But only shards remained in his hands.

Bolts of lightning escaped as the thunder couldn’t be contained anymore. His breathing was erratic, his mind was in chaos, but most importantly, his body wanted to slump down.

“ALDUIN!” Alduin’s body flew right past her.

“LEON!” Ise shouted out. “Protect them!”

Hati barked as if his life depended on it.

A hissing voice replied with mockery, “Oh, there’s two of you?”

The creature stepped forward. A film of mud water covered its scales completely. Thick claws broke the ground they stepped on, and puddles of water remained behind.

A giant lizardman stood there waiting for them. Its bright scales were coated with sludge. But its straight stature and slender build showed it was different from any they had encountered before.

It happened in an instant.

Ise ran forward, Alduin was down for the count. They had no time to adapt to this situation. Her attribute started coating her body as she grabbed two daggers from her side.

“You’re the one that killed that one?” Two deep brown eyes, split by clear blue vertical pupils stared back.

“Midgard - Devouring Shadow!”

The circuit in her body erupted. It wasn’t the same as the Goblin Ruler’s, yet their manifestation resembled each other. The skill that Ruler had shown was devoured and manifested by Ise.

“Midgard - Prison of Water”

A second spear was handed to this lizardman. It had brought two regular lizardmen with it. Mocking eyes showed an intelligence the lower creatures weren’t capable of.

Its claw clenched the metallic spear. And with its shout, the magic broke free and covered the entire weapon. The spear, an extension of their body, became a conductor for the magic circuit. The magic that broke free completely covered the spear with a coating of water.

Two black daggers, swallowing all light that landed on them, struck forward.

A metal spear with a film of water countered this attack.

A long-range weapon versus a short-range weapon, the result was easy to predict.

“ISE!” Leon, who held his thick shield in front of Alduin and Veleda, shouted out in shock.

The body of their comrade was launched to the back as well.

***

‘What’s going on,’ Alduin sat against a wall. A sharp pain erupted from his side.

His hands tried to grip his spear, yet only ash-grey shards could be felt.

His mind was racing, the pain had made him lose focus, and the mist that dominated his surroundings made this feel like an illusion. But the metallic spear, embedded in the ground next to him, proved this was reality.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

‘We arrived where we started,’ Alduin remembered seeing the first lizardman killed by Ise. ‘Then-‘

“Alduin!” Veleda was checking his injuries, the collision against the wall had left cracks in the facade of the building.

‘Three lizardmen stood waiting for us!’ Alduin jolted awake, but he didn’t look at Veleda, the eruption of Ise’s attribute drew all his attention.

“ISE!” Leon’s voice cleared his mind.

Three voices were heard as a chaotic sight entered his eyes. ‘Right, they are ambush predators!’ The thought that was solidified by his intuition, these creatures were a swamp personified. And they had entered their territory on their own accord.

Hati was barking and growling in front of him. Veleda sat on her knees inspecting him. Behind her, Leon stood guard holding a shield. And two regular lizardmen were approaching closer.

No, they weren’t regular lizardmen. One of them carried a spear, and they seemed stronger than the ones they had hunted before. They were vastly different compared to the regular ones.

A hissing voice rang out. The language they had now become familiar with carried a clear intent.

“They’re out to kill us,” Alduin said, vibrations spread through his body. The adrenaline that made him intercept the sneak attack burned in his navel. His hands pushed him up, and the spear next to him was pulled out of the ground.

“Alduin.” Veleda panicked as she saw him stand up, everything happened too quickly. “What do we do?”

‘Right, it can’t get any worse.’ Alduin pulled Veleda behind him. The spark in his palm was completely suppressed as he touched her. But the viciousness in his eyes only increased as he stared at the tree creatures.

They had just gotten used to killing one Lizardman, and now they were facing three of them. And one awakened with an attribute.

“Drop your backpack, get ready to run,” Alduin said, his gaze landed on Veleda. His thoughts had become clear, ‘This fight will be our downfall.’

“Leon!” Alduin pulled the shoulder of the young man in front of him. “Get ready, we’re making an opening.”

The beating of his heart increased. Electricity jolted through his veins. His eyes showed a faint current. And his palms, coated in lightning, tightened around the metal spear. The same weapon that had assaulted them and destroyed his thorn.

“ISE!” Alduin yelled at the woman who had crashed into the ground. She had already recovered, but the shadow surrounding her body seemed to be disrupted. They had no time to waste, the moment he grabbed her attention he shouted, “Switch!”

His first step sounded out. The sound of lightning burning the air erupted. Thunder. The ground quaked with each step Alduin took.

“You survived?” The high-lizardman asked in a mocking voice. “Two. Two. Two. Your species is faster than I thought.” The repetition of its hissing voice felt even more nauseating than the clicking language of the goblins.

Two gazes met. Deep brown eyes with clear blue vertical pupils met Alduin’s. The figure in front of him stood higher and straighter than the lizardmen they had seen before, not only that, its jaw structure was completely different. Compared to the weaker ones, this one resembled a human much more.

“Midgard -“ Alduin’s raging voice erupted.

“Midgard -“ The lizardman awakened the circuit of magic in reply.

“THUNDERCLAP!” The lightning from his hands was conducted through the shaft of the spear.

“Prison of water” And a coat of muddy water mimicked his move completely.

Yet it was clear, even for Leon, the flow of energy was incomparable.

“PIERCE!” Alduin shot forward. His steps were like lightning. His form was anchored on the ground, and his arm stretched out like a bolt of golden lightning.

The collision resulted in an even louder explosion.

Thunder shook the air and mist erupted outward.

The last time Alduin was sent flying. But even this time, Alduin could only manage to hold on as he deflected the weapon of his opponent. The impact was stronger than he expected. Compressed water seemed to erupt to all sides and electricity connected to each individual drop.

‘I deflected i-‘

BANG

UHG Alduin’s legs were shaking as he reacted with a quick defense. His spear was held vertically by his side. The move was too fast for him to follow. A sudden pole strike had been shot out following the deflected attack.

His left arm felt completely numb. But following the sudden mist, Alduin managed to take a step back.

An overwhelmingly loud shriek rang out from somewhere in the mist. Darkness momentarily stole the light of day as a lizardman fell defeated.

‘Now!’

This was what he was aiming for. The teamwork they had practiced for now showed in full. The death of the lizardman’s comrade was his chance. And the steps that were taken were those of escape.

Ise, who stood on the corpse of the lizardman, evaded the tail smash from the third one. The darkness almost completely removed her presence in the pervading mist.

She didn’t need to be notified, the moment she felt Alduin run towards them she was ready to escape as well.

“Veleda,” Alduin, who had arrived, grabbed her hand, “We’re leaving!”

He had already warned Leon and Veleda. And only a breath after Alduin deflected the blow from the high-lizardman, the four of them ran. Their sole purpose was to escape.

But their steps almost instantly slowed down. The growls of Hati warned them.

‘No,’ Alduin, who started running in the direction of the army camp, slowed down as shock painted his face. ‘We are at the edges of their territory?!’

‘What do I-‘ The state of danger pushed his perception to their utmost limits. Behind him, a humanoid lizardman with a water attribute, but in front of them-

“There’s no time!” Ise shouted and pulled his arm. “What-“

Before she could even finish her sentence Alduin had decided. Hati had warned them. No, they didn’t need to be warned. They could all feel it.

The net that surrounded them had tightened.

The hole they had prepared had disappeared, and with it, their final chance of escape. The street where they had killed the first lizardman, now came back to claim their lives.

They realized it late. No, they couldn’t know. They weren’t given the most crucial detail about this mission.

They had walked in an ambush. There was only one path left for them. The alley where they had found their first target.

Alduin, who pulled Veleda’s hand, was the one that decided their fate. “Deeper!”

And their steps all followed Alduin. The alley where they had started, the place where they had covered the half-eaten woman with a white cloth. Now became the road to their future.

The nature of the swamp was one that sucked you in. And Alduin and his group, with the echoing sounds of gunshots of the military, had only a single path left.