“Shut up Teddy” James hissed through gritted teeth.
Teddy and Kyra were either side of James, Kyra started humming the tune along with Teddy.
[Ok guys, anvil and hammers, we’ll start it off then James you bring it in.]
The communication came silently through their joined interface, not wanting to spook the Raptor from where it was standing, silently tilting its head, Teddy imagined it was looking at them each in turn and deciding its next move. Before it could make up its mind Teddy and Kyra erupted from the group dashing outwards and forwards. Kyra threw a conjured slice of mirror at the enemy, the small damage just a distraction but hoping the de-buff would take effect.
Ability: [Slice of Mirror] (Mirror)
Special attack
Cost: Low Mana
Cool-down: low.
Current rank: Iron 8 (90%)
Effect (iron): Fire a small piece of mirror at an enemy for low damage. Enemies hit with the mirror are afflicted with [7 Years Bad Luck].
[7 Years Bad Luck] (affliction, unholy, stacking): Wherever the enemy afflicted with this power steps finds mirror shards on the floor that deal minor damage. Enemies effected by this suffer an instance of [vulnerable].
[Vulnerable] (affliction, unholy, stacking): All resistances are reduced. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.
The attack was little more than a distraction, not expecting her de-buff to get through bronze rank resistances. Her diamond lantern familiar also appeared next to her firing disruptive force bolts at the Raptor as they moved. Using the same tactics at the same time on the opposite side, Teddy threw out his shard of darkness, again doing little damage to the Raptor but distracting it and separating it’s focus. Teddy’s shadow lantern familiar appeared next to him and fired its attack, a beam that had the chance to blind enemies for a short duration, but similar to the slices of mirror, unlikely to push through bronze rank resistances, however, the lantern could fire with impunity as the Raptor couldn’t do anything to stop them.
After the others made their move James took a deep breath and challenged the bronze rank monster.
“Hear me roar!”
The attack normally reduced resistances in an enemy making damage against it more potent. In this instance using it on a monster more powerful than himself James had just enraged it. He was now the sole focus of the Raptor. It ducked its head, lowering its body, it’s talons tapping the floor in agitation. It gave an animalistic roar back at James and started running towards him. Koda subsumed into James as the dinosaur was sprinting towards him making James slightly bigger. James’ combat style was very varied. A mix of fighting from a defensive position of power and also making sudden powerful strikes from a distance that put him immediately on top of the enemy, he also had the adaptability of shape shifting to find an edge in enduring battles. Right now they were counting on his standing strength, not normally possible to use against more intelligent monsters amongst which the bronze rank Raptor definitely counted, as a hunter and leader of iron rank monsters it had more intelligence than the average monster. The combination of confusing attacks from Teddy and Kyra and the obvious challenge from James had manipulated it to exactly where they wanted it. What they hadn’t counted on was the speed and surprising powers from the Raptor. It leapt from over a dozen feet away, seeming to not cross the space in between, this must have been the same special attack power it had used when it crashed into Teddy’s dimension rift circle. James caught the monster with arms outstretched, his prehensile tail whipping around from behind him to smash the Raptor in the head with what would have been bone breaking force to anything other than a bronze ranker. Whilst the Raptor was being held off the ground its rear legs slashed savagely at James’ torso, the only way James had not yet been disembowelled was his damage resistance from standing planted and fighting. Both Kyra and Teddy were still firing into the Raptors back, from an angle so they wouldn’t hit James if they missed while he was struggling holding the monster. After what seemed like forever of James holding the giant Raptor off the ground and smashing it with his tail while trying to avoid its back leg talons they all saw a notification from Teddy’s familiar’s attack.
(Shadow lantern familiar) has afflicted [Raptor] with [Blindness].
[Blindness] will last 5 seconds against enemies. Effects will be diminished against higher rank enemies.
They instinctively knew the blindness would only last for a pair of seconds against the bronze rank monster but they had practiced how to make the most of it. James headbutted the Raptor whilst letting go of its arms causing it to fall backwards onto the ground, confused and battered. Kyra shot a life bolt over the top of it at James and followed up with raising a small earth wall between it and James. The blindness quickly dissipated and the Raptor was up in a flash and attacking where James had been only a second before and crashed headlong into Kyras earth wall, shrieking with pain it whirled to where it had last been attacked by Teddy and Kyra, turning its back on the wall. James and Koda came around it from opposite sides acting as a hunting pair, lunging in and making small quick attacks whilst the other covered a quick retreat. Teddy lunged in with his dimension blade, keeping the attacks light but meaningful. Kyra was graceful as a fencer, dashing in with her diamond blade then diving and rolling away. They carried on like this, slowly whittling down the bronze rank monsters prodigious amount of health when the tables turned all of a sudden.
The battle changed when the Raptor spun at Koda, a spinning kick that was not anywhere near the bear familiar but the main slicing talon, as big as a dustbin lid came flying off and took the bear deep in his thigh. Koda crashed to the floor, the leg not taking any weight. the Raptor continued its spin, the long muscled tail hitting James square in the ribs as he had taken a step towards his fallen familiar, the bronze rank attack was no longer mitigated by the damage reduction from his standing stance power. They all heard James’ ribs crack as he was flung away. The Raptor finished its spin facing towards Teddy and used its rapid launch special attack towards him. Luckily for the team it was the one member who could deal with a rapid attack from a bronze rank monster, with his swift essence he was faster than any iron ranker that didn’t have speed powers and faster than most low level bronze rank monsters, he used two powers in quick succession, Eyes of the Swift allowed him to see everything in slow motion and he quickly fired off a few messages on the interface to the others, the second power he used was his dimension rift, putting a high amount of mana through it he ripped a slice into existence just in front of the Raptor and dashed through. Teddy had been drilled relentlessly at the academy annex that he had to perfect his timing. His most powerful abilities had an adaptable amount of mana and should not be wasted.
The Raptor smashed into the rift, a huge smoking scar and a chunk of flesh missing all down the side of the front of its body. It bounced backwards and, with a flash of light, its back bounced off the second rift, which was Teddy’s destination portal, this time the back of its shoulders had a smoking scar across them and half of its tail was sliced off.
Kyra had leapt into action straight away seeing Teddy’s message on the interface, Lucky had jumped from her hair to standing in front of Koda to protect him, facing the dinosaur with his legs braced, a low growl coming from his deep chest as his area affect started to heal Koda. Kyra fired a major healing spell at James while running towards him.
Teddy stepped through the rift, turned around and took a deep breath calming himself. Kyra was healing James, Lucky was healing Koda, all effectively out of the fight now and he had just mostly drained himself of mana. Looking at the still smoking Raptor he saw the damage, a slash down the length of its entire torso, deep enough fit a fist in, and its shoulders were similarly slashed. The stump of its tail forcing it to stand more upright to remain balanced, which pulled at the wound on its front and causing it to bleed more. Extremely low on mana and the only thing standing between what was left of this bronze rank monster and his team and family Teddy was resolute in his stance. He reached behind him with his right hand and into a rift he made which was his storage power, he pulled a spear and with all his iron rank strength and the boost from his Swift essence power Fly like an Arrow which caused items throw to be twice as fast, he launched it at the injured dinosaur. It was a plain iron rank weapon against a bronze rank monster and clattered away from its tough hide. His second spear stuck into the open wound on the front and the dinosaur howled and launched towards him. Teddy danced behind the fist sized rift to keep it between him on the monster, which the monster now had a healthy respect for the shimmering danger. Teddy danced out around it slicing the wound with his dimension blade, keeping its length short barely longer than a dagger and power low to preserve what mana he had left in the fight. They danced like this for a while, every opportunity he had Teddy backed off and launched spears from his storage at the monster, any time they were close up he used his conjured blade sparingly. He took some damage, but with only one rear claw the other was easy to dodge with all the attacks telegraphed well in advance and only suffered minor wounds from its arm claws.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Suddenly another spear was thrown, not by Teddy and stuck into the Raptors back, James was on his feet, looking strangely bulky under his travelling robes, his damaged armour had been removed and he now just wore his tunic. A badger was running away down the canyon as another was coming from the same direction with a spear in its mouth, James reached down and took it from the creature and stood and launched it at the Raptor. Using the distraction Teddy took a mana potion, he needed it to finish the fight. He used one of the expensive potions, knowing it would be a longer duration before he could take another. As the Raptor was distracted by James launching spears at it Teddy took an almighty swing with his conjured blade. The cut was swift but to Teddy’s powers it felt slow motion, he could feel the rapid expenditure of the mana he had just topped off, almost completely draining it as he sliced clear through the Raptors leg, high in the thigh on the leg that still held a wicked sickle claw.
It fell to the ground, unable to continue fighting, they all took a moment, knowing the fight was over, the monster still snarling and twisting on the bloody sand trying to reach them. James finished it, using his diving special attack, last shadow, he teleported just above the monster, driving through the wound on its back to the canyon floor silencing its snarling.
Ability: [Peregrine Dive] (Eagle)
Special attack
Cost: Low Mana
Cool-down: low.
Current rank: Iron 9 (10%)
Effect (iron): Limited teleport to above an enemy. User will be accelerated to terminal velocity to strike enemy. Chance to be used as an execute ability [Last Shadow]
[Last Shadow] (execute, holy): As an execute effect, damage scales exponentially with level of injury.
You have defeated [Raptor]
“How the hell are you still standing after that hit you took?”
James smiled and rapped his knuckles against his chest smiling, it gave an odd hollow echoing knock.
“Adapt and overcome brother.”
He pulled his tunic to the side to show the deep green turtle shell that was his chest.
“You transfigured your chest into a turtle shell to get around the broken ribs? The ninja turtles will be wanting you to join their band, we’ll get you an eye mask, you already love pizza.”
James gave him a flat look. Kyra came towards them with her shoulder under one side of Koda, the claw removed and the wound was closed.
“I think if you absorb him you’ll both heal quicker.” She said, passing the weight over to James
He immediately re absorbed his familiar. They looked around and all started moving over the carnage of the battlefield to the far end of the canyon, they were well clear of the monsters when they accepted the notification.
You have defeated 11 [Sand Dogs]
Would you like to loot [Sand Dogs]?
You have defeated 2 [Armoured Lounge-Lizards]
Would you like to loot [Armoured Lounge-Lizards]?
You have defeated 12 [Sicklecrows]
Would you like to loot [Sicklecrows]?
You have defeated [Raptor]
Would you like to loot [Raptor]?
Teddy mentally accepted the notifications for all of them. The plume of rainbow smoke that appeared expanded much quicker than any of them had anticipated. James jumped in front as the smoke came towards them, using his special attack Wing Sweep. He beat the air in front of them and the smoke was beaten back and upwards, dissipating without covering the team. As he turned back around his face was pale and he winced grabbing his still broken ribs.
“I had to give up the shell for that.” He said.
Kyra sent another weak bolt of healing magic into him. She had spent her mana stabilising both James and Koda and every chance she got she was trying to accelerate James’ healing.
[Amulet of Sand] has been added to (Theodore Mitchells) Inventory.
[Vambrace of Menagerie] has been added to (James Mitchells) Inventory.
[Ring of mild mana recovery] has been added to (Kyra Mitchells) Inventory.
1 [Monster core (bronze)] has been added to (Theodore Mitchells) Inventory.
25 [Monster core (iron)] have been added to (Theodore Mitchells) Inventory.
10 [Bronze] spirit coins have been added to each of your Inventories.
350 [Iron] spirit coins have been added to each of your Inventories.
110 [Dog] quintessence have been shared between your Inventories.
20 [Lizard] quintessence have been shared between your Inventories.
220 [Dinosaur] quintessence have been shared between your Inventories.
Sat on the floor where the Raptor had been dissolving was the remains of its skull, as it dissolved into smoke a dark blue cube dropped out. James walked over and picked it up.
Item: [Awakening Stone of the Furious Magus] (unranked, epic)
An awakening stone filled with the might of furious magic. (consumable, awakening stone).
Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.
Effect: Awakens an essence ability.
“Well this is exactly what we were after, how did the wraith dude know this guy had it?” James asked Teddy.
“I’m pretty certain his boss tipped him off, I’m not going to complain, felt like we earned it. Speaking of, I got an amulet that filters sand from the air around me, Kyra’s loot seems pretty self explanatory.” Kyra held up the ring, a blend of clear crystal and shining silver metal, light seemed to flow within it, swirling around the inside of the ring. “Very pretty, James, what did you get?”
James held out a piece of iron armour so they could all see it, there was a smooth round section that would cover the lower half of his right bicep, an articulating joint on his elbow then a section that would encase his forearm. It surrounded the arm and had five smooth planes along the length of it that were unadorned, it ended at the wrist with a loop for his thumb and a small plain plate that would cover most of the back of his hand.
“Well that looks… very plain, is it any good?” Teddy asked, looking unimpressed.
James’ eyes went wide as he read the description.
“I should bloody well say so! Check this out.”
He put the description up for the others to read.
Item: [Vambrace of Menagerie] (iron rank [growth], legendary)
Armour that when developed will increase the effect of transformation powers.
This item is bound to you and cannot be used by anyone else.
Effect: When engraved by a magical armourer (or mystical tattooist’s with the necessary skills) will grant the wearer benefits to transformation powers. Benefits will be limited to size and skill of engraving. Once an engraving is in place it cannot be removed. Engravers must be at least equal rank to the item, higher rank engravers will produce a stronger effect.
Growth Conditions (bronze):
Bound user must be at least bronze rank.
4 kilograms of low grade (bronze rank) star-fall silver
100 bronze-rank iron quintessence gems
100 bronze-rank magic quintessence gems
100 bronze-rank animal based quintessence gems (per engraving)
1000 bronze rank spirit coins
Silver rank Artificer
Ritual of bronze ascension.
“So I get it engraved with animal motifs and it makes the transformations into those animal parts quicker and stronger. It’s a growth item too, so I guess I take it to an armourer and he makes it bigger adding more armour, means more space for engraving.”
The intrinsic nature of understanding powers meant that James could sense what the item was capable of.
“I take it back! That’s incredible!” Teddy said, now looking on in envy. “Looks expensive to upgrade though, you’ll have to be careful how much work you get done on it before we go up to bronze rank.”
James took his right Vambrace off and replaced it with the new one. It was loose on his arm but as he turned his arm this way and that it shrunk to fit, he released Koda who gave a mew of greeting. James shrunk as he always did after releasing Koda and the Vambrace shrunk with him, he scratched Koda behind the ears and re absorbed him, as he did, growing and the Vambrace with it.
“Magically adapting armour, I’m so glad, I had to pay a fortune for the rest of my kit to do that.”
Kyra put on her ring and Teddy his amulet, the sand blowing over the canyon floor separating around him, not able to get closer than an arms distance. They made their way back down the canyon to the building that had started at and James waved at the vultures still circling overhead, they started flying back the way they had come to the edge of the delta. The team mounted their hydals and followed them back, Teddy humming a theme tune under his breath.
“…Heroes in a half shell…”
James punched him off his hydal.