47

Breaking Through

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“There’s a limit to how often we can use our circuit,” Alduin said, he had just recovered from the assault.

Ise tied her black hair in a ponytail. Her face was drained of blood and her voice trembled as she replied, “I barely managed three times. And that was without the strain of pushing back another attribute.”

The four of them sat in silence in the convenience store.

“Three times should be our upper limit,” Alduin said, but he had something else on his mind as well. “But we should be able to improve. That high-lizardman managed to activate it around five times and still had the energy to pursue us. And you must have felt it as well, right Ise?”

She nodded with a cold expression.

Alduin smiled and continued, “The dormant state. The state without our attribute released hasn’t been utilized the way it should be.” Alduin described the sensation he experienced after the overexertion, “Each movement I took, the energy flow increased. It felt as if my body was burning, and I couldn't keep the energy contained after releasing it. But it made me realize...”

Alduin clenched his fists. “We should focus on magic circulation while fighting, and not just during meditation.”

It was something they did instinctively. Alduin’s heartbeat sped up. The warmth of his navel increased before spreading over his entire body. Each time this happened was because of his adrenaline spiking. He did it unconsciously, but this also meant he didn’t maximize this ability.

But more importantly, this also meant that all four still had room for improvement.

***

Each of them remembered what they had talked about. The limits of their abilities, the path of magic in their bodies, and the fact that they could improve their strengths quickly.

Another lesser-lizardman was found, but before it could even call out, a loud thud was heard. And this time, a blond-haired young man looked down.

“These ones are stronger than a Goblin Captain?” Leon asked in disbelief. The cold temperature seemed to diminish with the heat of his body. His hands cleaned the sword from its thick coat of blood.

“Don’t forget we’re growing stronger as well,” Alduin said as he patted Leon.

Ise already cut the monster open and added on, “They are lesser monsters, like the weakest goblins, the ones carrying weapons should be the same classification as the goblin captains.”

Her words repeated their conjecture.

“And those with attributes are high-lizardmen, at the level of the Goblin Ruler,” Alduin followed up, “Or at least, they should be.”

They had classified their enemies into three grades. The small black core was a lesser creature. The sky blue core was a regular one, they were the lizardmen carrying weapons but without an attribute. And the ones that did have an attribute were called ‘high-lizardmen’.

The problem was, only the lesser lizardmen would be suffering from hypothermia. At least, the effect in Leon, Hati, and Veleda’s body corroborated this conclusion. The longer they tried circulating their energy, the warmer they felt.

Leon put his sword in its guard and said, “What about the one that rules them?”

Silence descended.

“Don’t joke about that,” Ise said coldly, “It’s…”

But once the thought entered their minds, not a single one dared dismiss the possibility.

“Let’s get moving, we’ve already killed a lot of them, they should be on our tail by now,” Alduin said, there was no use thinking about that now.

“Alright. Hati, here you go,” Ise called out to the white wolf. Each black core they came across was given to this pup.

And Hati in turn grew more motivated as he went to look for a new safe zone.

And like this, their approach continued. Fires were still blazing in the distance, but the gunshots had slowed down significantly.

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‘Don’t die yet,’ Alduin now hoped for the military to last until they reached them. ‘Not until we use you as a distraction.’ They were their last hope of escaping here alive.

Running further down a winding path of death. Their group left countless lesser-lizardmen in their wake. Throwing knives left marks on each one they killed. A spear pierced their eyes and sometimes a sword pierced their weak points as well.

Each movement was optimized with magic, and not a single signature could be felt outside.

But the problem they experienced was rapid exhaustion, much faster than when they usually fought.

“Have they passed?” Alduin asked Ise.

They were hiding in a building to rest up. Every couple of streets they headed deeper was followed by regaining their strength. Even if they could continue, they didn’t dare take the risk.

“There are three lizardmen per patrol now,” Ise said, “The lesser ones are patrolling again, they know we’re close by.”

They were leaving an erratic trail behind. Combined with heading deeper into the colony, it was normal for the net to tighten around them.

“That’s alright.”

“We’re aiming for a big one, right?” She added.

“Yes, it’s about time we start breaking their encirclement.” Alduin stood up and started stretching. “I’ll wake them up now.”

They didn’t stay long in a single place. It was clear that they would find them if they waited much longer. But that didn’t mean they didn’t have options.

‘Hnn’ A small moan rang out as Alduin poked Veleda’s side.

“Veleda,” Alduin whispered in her ear.

“HA!” She suddenly jolted awake.

“It’s time to leave.”

“D-don’t tell me like that!” Her face was blushing as she stared at Alduin and Ise.

“How is it going?”

“I don’t know,” she said, “I haven’t seen that tree you were speaking of. But… I think I can feel its presence.”

Alduin smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ll get there.”

Both Leon and Veleda were meditating. They were trying to implement what they had learned. Continue the flow of energy while moving. But this sensation was more apparent for Alduin and Ise. However, with their feedback, both of them were becoming used to it at a fast pace.

The cold air once more assaulted them and the moon was their last source of light.

“The skies have been clear ever since that night, haven’t they?” Veleda asked.

“I can see small clouds forming, but it hasn’t rained for an entire month now,” Alduin said, “I didn’t even notice.”

“Do you think it will snow this year?”

“Hm, I hope not.” Alduin and Veleda both tightened their jacket as they left the building.

“It’s time to focus,” Ise said, “We’re getting three of them this time.”

This might be their last chance to experiment on those reptilians. Their movements were sluggish, especially now that they were forced to scout. Even the thick coat of mud was showing cracks.

‘We can get there if we want to but it’s better to lower the risk.’ Alduin looked in the distance. The army was caught in an encirclement. And while they didn’t have a road to escape to, they still had some room to move.

“They went left here, we’ll circle around them.” Ise followed hati.

‘Right, the more we can kill now, the higher our chances of escape will be,’ Alduin thought. This was what they had decided after their first attempt to escape.

And now they were going to ambush three lizardmen. An amount they wouldn’t have dared to face even a day ago.

Soft breaths rang out.

Loud steps crept ever closer to them but their slow frequency made it clear they had trouble moving around.

A grip tightened.

They waited in a small store. They didn’t dare enter full sight of the main street yet. But using the winding maze of the city, they had more than enough room to fight and escape.

A large crocodilian snout was visible.

Alduin waited on his own. Ise was in a house on the opposite side of the street and Leon waited further from them.

A second lizardman passed.

Alduin tightened his grip. The warmth of the magic flow was starting to come under his control. While he was able to release his attribute as he pleased, controlling the flow inside his body was significantly harder. But now, he didn’t need to get worked up to activate it anymore.

And finally, the third lizardman passed.

His heartbeat increased, but this time it didn’t overwhelm him. The current he was rotating now fully supported his limbs.

Blood retreated from his fingers due to the pressure of his grip.

His breath was released. A warm cloud that resembled a dragon’s breath flowed through the cold air.

Alduin took a heavy step forward. A yellow eye, with a dark vertical pupil, saw him. And he stared back with a serene expression.

‘Pierce,’ the thought turned into action. Like a bolt shooting forward, the spear cut through the air.

His arm extended. The creature wanted to hiss but blood erupted before its voice was released.

Alduin’s perception had increased to its limit. His eyes never closed as he watched the creature twitching in front of him.

“HA!” A voice was heard from his back, but not a single creature shrieked.

Three thuds rang out.

Alduin, who was ready to help them, stared back in surprise. Leon had almost entered the Lizardman’s embrace, and Ise stood on the back of her target.

Silence descended.

The thick clouds of mist they breathed out now returned to their regular size as their bodies cooled down.

“That was fast,” Leon said, before his full attention landed on the blood-stained sword.

Ise also started her habitual movements as a sharp knife entered a lizardman’s stomach.

And lastly, Veleda carried Hati out of an adjacent building. She walked closer with a beaming expression, “I could hardly hear a thing.”

“It’s going better than expected.” Alduin smiled in relief. The moon had once again blessed them and the cold couldn’t feel more pleasant.

“Alduin,” Leon said as he walked closer. “I think we’re ready.”

Ise, who had expertly removed three cores, turned to them. “I think so too.”

Alduin stared at his group. They were trying to help him shoulder the responsibility of his decisions. A smile replied as he answered, “Let’s go find one.”

The alleys and small streets were cleaned out by their small group. The net, surrounding the eye of the storm, was being broken.

Each kill increased their experience. And slowly but surely, their magic ability progressed.

They were breaking through in more ways than one, and Alduin’s heart beat with excitement.

A main street was waiting for them.