From our perch in the hot-air balloon, the ruined city spread out beneath us like a desolate, broken maze, every corner filled with crumbling stones and twisted metal. Mahya adjusted her grip on the rifle we’d picked up in Tolarib, bracing herself against the basket’s edge as she took aim at the darting shapes below. A shriek echoed up from the streets as her shot rang out, and a monkey with its grotesque, doubled mouth tumbled out of view.
“Next!” she called, reloading.
As the balloon drifted over the shattered rooftops, we scanned for movement among the rubble, eyes trained for any flash of teeth or scurrying limbs. The creatures knew how to hide, slipping between collapsed walls and ducking beneath broken archways, but they couldn’t resist coming after us, chittering angrily and darting out whenever we were in range. Al released a wind blade with a flick of his hand, the sharp gust slicing through a group clustered on a crumbling balcony. They scattered, a few falling to the ground with a dull thud.
Hour after hour passed like that, our balloon circling the ruins as Mahya’s gunshots echoed through the empty streets, and Al and I launched blade after blade, clearing out the last of the creatures. The sun was setting when we finally saw only stillness below, the shadows deepening as silence settled over the broken city once again.
The next day, we drifted over to the section of the city known for those strange, shiny orbs. They dotted the ruins like a field of glassy marbles, gleaming in the morning sun, reflecting fractured rainbows across the ground. But as Mahya lined up her first shot, things didn’t go as planned.
She fired, and her bullet bounced right off, ricocheting into the rubble below.
“Alright, guess it’s my turn,” I muttered, loading a bolt into the crossbow. I took careful aim, let it fly—and watched as it clinked off the orb, deflecting harmlessly into the ruins like Mahya’s shot.
Al gave me a look, already summoning his magic. “Wind blades?”
I nodded. Together, we unleashed twin arcs of razor-sharp air, each slicing toward the spheres. For a moment, it seemed like we might have them—but then, out of nowhere, I felt a surge of energy rushing back at us, fast and furious.
“Get down!” I yelled, barely pulling Mahya and Al down as we ducked into the balloon’s basket.
Just as we ducked, a hail of wind blades shot back from below, tearing through the air where we’d just been. The mana-infused blades hit the underside of the balloon, and I held my breath, half-expecting to feel our ropes snapping under the assault. But the core held, its protective aura deflecting the hits, keeping our ropes intact.
Mahya let out a shaky laugh as we peered over the edge. “If this balloon didn’t have a core…”
“Yeah,” I agreed, glancing down at the spheres glistening innocently beneath us, like harmless baubles scattered on the ground. “We’d be picking ourselves up from the ground right about now.”
“Maybe fire will work,” Al said, his brow furrowing as he readied his spell.
We both cast Blazing Orb in sync, the fiery spheres forming in our hands with a crackling hum.
“Wait!” Mahya shouted, her voice sharp and urgent. She shot to her feet, arms waving, but it was too late. The orbs were already streaking through the air, leaving trails of blazing light.
I turned to her, frowning. “Why?”
Before she could answer, Al yanked me down with a quick jerk, nearly toppling me into the basket. Four fire orbs soared over our heads like fiery comets, one grazing a rope before splitting into harmless sparks. The rest fizzled out against the balloon.
“That’s why,” Mahya snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at the dissipating flames. “Identify them.”
“They’re too far,” Al grumbled, straightening and brushing off his sleeve. “My skill is not high enough.”
Mahya let out an exasperated sigh and adjusted her gadget, her fingers dancing over the runes. The balloon dipped lower, the ground inching closer beneath us. “There,” she said, pointing. “Try now.”
The readout flashed clearly in my vision.
Crystalline Reflectrix
Level 14
“I hate those,” Al said, scowling as his hand gripped the edge of the basket.
“I don’t get it,” I admitted. “Well, actually, I saw that it reflects magic. But what does the rest mean?”
“It means,” Mahya began, pinching the bridge of her nose, “that it not only reflects magic but amplifies it. And since it’s crystalline, it has a high physical defense, too.” Her shoulders slumped, her tone thick with resignation. “I have no idea how to handle them.”
“Let’s see its physical defense,” I said, pushing myself up and rising into the air from the basket.
“Be careful,” Mahya called out, her tone edged with concern as she leaned forward, gripping the edge of the basket.
I flashed her a thumbs-up, a quick grin to ease her worry, then turned invisible. Without another word, I soared toward the canine area, the air rushing past like a whisper of caution I ignored.
Below, one of the six-legged wolves was scrabbling at a pile of rubble, its claws raking the debris as it tried to unearth something buried beneath. The creature’s strange, angular form moved almost mechanically, muscles rippling beneath its slick, dark fur.
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Focusing my mind, I reached out with telekinesis, feeling the familiar push-and-pull of mana extending like invisible hands. The wolf stiffened as I lifted it off the ground, its six legs kicking wildly. A guttural growl escaped its throat, rising into a sharp yelp as it twisted and writhed in the air, snapping at nothing in sheer panic.
I flew back toward the area with the crystalline orbs, my invisible form slicing through the wind. Despite the wolf’s frantic thrashing, the telekinetic hold held firm—the practice at the gorge and swamp in Lumis had paid off. Wrangling a six-legged predator wasn’t all that different from subduing one of the twisting snakes.
As the clearing came into view, I hurled the wolf into the open space below. It hit the ground with a thud, legs splaying awkwardly before it scrambled upright.
The crystalline orbs reacted instantly. Three of them zipped toward the wolf in a blur of refracted light, their surfaces gleaming with unnatural brilliance. The wolf crouched, baring its teeth and growling low, but it didn’t back down.
Then, something unexpected happened.
The wolf planted its four hind legs firmly into the ground, muscles coiling with tension as it lifted its upper body. Its two front paws rose high, claws gleaming, and with a swift, almost practiced motion, it swiped down at one orb, striking it with surprising force. The orb flew like a polished cannonball, tumbling end over end until it smashed into the side of a crumbling building. Shards of crystal scattered with the impact, but the orb quickly righted itself, rolling back onto its short legs and scurrying back toward the others.
The remaining two orbs wasted no time. Razor-sharp crystal shards erupted from their surfaces, peppering the wolf with relentless precision. The creature let out a piercing howl and tried to bolt, its six legs scrambling for purchase on the uneven ground.
But the orb it had struck had other plans. It zipped ahead of the wolf, cutting off its escape. Trapped between the relentless crystalline hunters, the wolf had nowhere to go. A blur of crystal shards filled the air, and in moments, the wolf crumpled to the ground, its lifeless body surrounded by gleaming predators.
I hovered above, invisible but grimly impressed. These things didn’t just reflect magic—they were relentless killers.
I floated back to the balloon. Mahya and Al stood by the edge of the basket, their faces grim, eyes fixed on the clearing below where the wolf had met its end. Mahya’s brow furrowed as she crossed her arms, while Al drummed his fingers against his leg, his usual confidence noticeably absent.
“Ideas?” I asked, landing lightly in the basket and letting the invisibility drop. My voice sounded more hopeful than I felt.
They both shook their heads, the unspoken frustration clear in the lines of their expressions.
“Maybe we should try a Quicksand Sink?” I ventured, grasping at anything that might work.
“That won’t work,” Mahya said flatly, shaking her head again. “They’re too light. You need mass to sink into the sand.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, fingers tracing the tension knotting there. My gaze swept the ground below, searching for inspiration. The orbs darted around the rubble like mischievous phantoms, their crystalline surfaces catching the light in sharp, almost taunting flashes. Then, an idea sparked.
“I’ve got it,” I said, turning invisible again before they could ask for details.
I soared down, scanning the debris-strewn battlefield for something heavy enough to crush an orb. A large stone slab caught my eye—a fractured piece of wall, rough-edged and half-buried. Stretching my telekinesis to its limit, I tried to lift it. My mind strained against the sheer weight, the slab refusing to budge. Sweat beaded on my brow as I let it drop with a grunt of frustration. Too heavy.
Shifting my focus, I spotted a smaller slab nearby, weathered but intact. I reached out again, the familiar tug of telekinesis surging through me. This one lifted, wobbling slightly in the air as I steadied my grip. The effort made my head throb, and I could feel the invisible weight pressing back against my control. It didn’t bother me physically, but it pushed my ability near its limit. Slowly, deliberately, I ascended, the slab floating with me like a reluctant companion.
Above one orb, I paused. Timing the release perfectly, I let go.
The slab plummeted, the air seeming to split with the force of its descent. A deafening boom echoed across the clearing as the stone connected, flattening the orb into glittering shards. For a moment, I allowed myself a small, victorious smile—until I saw the aftermath.
The slab cracked in half on impact, its broken pieces scattered among the debris. The two remaining orbs reacted instantly. Crystal shards shot outward like a hailstorm, some embedding in my arms and legs. A sharp sting flared up where they hit, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. Gritting my teeth, I pulled the shards out one by one, their jagged edges glinting in the sunlight. Blood welled up briefly before a quick cast of Healing Touch smoothed over the wounds, leaving nothing but the memory of the pain.
I hovered in place, watching the remaining orbs scurry into the rubble like roaches fleeing the light. My mind churned, calculating the next move. The first step was clear. I needed more slabs—and more bait.
The sun arced across the sky as I worked, the heat beating down relentlessly, sweat dripping from my brow. Where was a good hailstorm when you needed one to cool the air? Clearing the area of those crystalline predators wasn’t just a grind—it was a battle of endurance. By the time I’d thinned their numbers, the rubble-strewn northern sector resembled a freshly plowed field of jagged stone shards.
I hovered above the wolves’ territory, scanning for my next unwilling participant. A six-legged beast prowled near the rubble’s edge, its dark fur glistening in the light. With a grimace, I swooped down, telekinetic threads latching onto its squirming body as it snarled and snapped in futile resistance. Its claws scrabbled at the air, but it couldn’t fight the invisible force lifting it higher and higher.
“Sorry, buddy,” I muttered, as if that would make up for what I was about to do.
I flung the wolf into an area densely packed with jagged rubble, the beast landing with a startled yelp before rolling to its feet. It shook itself off, snarling in confusion, but its growls turned frantic as the crystalline orbs converged on it. Their prismatic surfaces refracted the light into dazzling bursts, creating a kaleidoscope of chaos around the struggling wolf.
The moment the orbs closed in, I acted.
This time, I wasn’t straining with telekinesis. I’d gotten smarter. Instead of wrestling with the heavy slabs, I stored them in my Storage and dropped them with precision. One after another, the slabs plummeted from above, striking the crystalline predators with shattering force. Each impact sent shards flying, their destruction echoing through the empty streets like the chime of warped glass bells.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t turn the wolves into crystals because the deadly balls surrounded them constantly. I couldn’t turn the balls into crystals, either. There was no point in trying to condense the paste under the slabs. While it worked, it was slow, and the yield was far from profitable. Every step of the process felt like more effort than it was worth, but at least the area was getting cleared.
By the time the rubble settled, the operation felt more like a cleanup duty than treasure hunting. But at least I’d cleared the northern part of the city. That counted for something.
At some point, Mahya and Al stopped trying to help. Mahya gave me an apologetic wave as she and Al ascended into the air, their forms growing smaller as they flew toward home. “You’ve got this,” she called, her voice carrying faintly in the distance.
Left alone, I continued to work, each drop of a slab punctuating the surrounding emptiness. By the time I finished, the day was nearly gone, and the city’s silence felt heavier than ever.