Chapters 30-33
Chapter 30 : Takuma Tends The Shop (2)
The next day and a half were spent in preparation, mostly mental. Takuma had a serious need to protect himself, his current class of Curse Meister left him feeling exposed in too many ways. There was one major downside for all of the benefits the class offered -- Takuma had yet to find any armor or weapons that he could use to defend himself.
He attempted to equip the most basic of items; daggers, leather vests, even accessories -- all to no avail. In fact, he couldn’t even lift a normal weapon. The system was so thorough in its policing of his equipment that simply arming himself with a stick as a makeshift weapon would play out the same way. The jolt of pain that coursed through his body was enough to make his teeth rattle, it was all consuming and debilitating. The sensation was enough to force Takuma to crumple to one knee every single time, in some cases forcing labored breathing. Ironically enough, his vitality points would not be affected, it just hurt like hell. Even more strangely, simply holding said stick, without the intent of wielding it, seemed fine.
Ultimately he decided he would have to do the next best thing -- attempt to cheat the system. If he couldn’t equip a weapon, perhaps he could further bolster his defenses. So far the Goddess Amulet had proven to be highly effective when it came to making Takuma nigh invulnerable to most status ailments. While mulling over his options he came up with a rather painful yet potentially overpowering experiment.
*What if...I can build my resistance against various types of damage?* Takuma thought as he stared down at the Amulet within his grasp. It was worth a shot, at the least. There were only two ways he could go about it, having someone else attack him or inflicting the damage himself. He opted for the second method and against his better judgement began to self harm as an experiment. Unfortunately, to his chagrin, there seemed to be no change in the Amulet’s status.
Takuma next attempted to use the elements to deal himself damage in the hopes that his resistance would increase. This worked out better, only if marginally so. By using an open flame he was able to cause his resistance to fire to rise by 0.5%. The main problem with this method was that he needed to endure a ton of pain over a long period of time for such a small gain. Once he made this realization, Takuma concluded that perhaps his physical resistance might rise as well under the right conditions but that there would be no way to safely or sanely trigger the growth. According to his experiments the only way would be...harsh.
Namely, injuring himself gravely. After roughly six hours of thrusting his hand into an open flame Takuma finally gave up. A 1.5% flame resistance increase in six hours simply wasn’t worth it in his opinion. Having had his hopes dashed for the first time in a while he reluctantly turned to his only other option.
“Dammit. I didn’t want to use this.” He mumbled to himself as he opened his ‘General Skills and Abilities’ menu. His intention was to gain some experience as an adventurer before allocating the skill slots but his options were truly limited at this point.
The way the G.S.A. menu worked was that it offered several categories of skills or abilities for a user to choose from. Rather than allocating points, each skill or ability had a certain number value associated with it. Takuma currently had 3 of 12 slots available. By slotting a skill or ability it would become permanently activated and claim the number of associated slots. This allowed an adventurer to further customize their class builds beyond their intended role.
Ultimately after some serious deliberation Takuma decided to abandon the idea of becoming an invisible tank. Instead he moved to do the next best thing -- acquire magic. This made the most sense given several factors. His mana could easily be replenished and if his hunch was right, his mana capacity far outmatched most adventurers. In fact, Takuma had no reason to believe there was a limit to his mana at this point. Learning and using magic would also make up for the fact that he couldn’t equip gear or weapons currently.
One thing Takuma learned well throughout his past lives was the art of aggressive negotiation. Like most in his early days he was attracted to the appeal of cutting, slashing or striking things up close and personal. Indeed, this type of combat held a certain charm that could rarely be replaced. However, the more he battled and learned of combat, Takuma slowly came to realize one singular truth. All combat boiled down to one single ideal -- strike your enemy without being struck. The simplest way to do that was with the most accurate ranged attack possible at any given time. Simple, elegant and effective. It also came with the realization that spending years to hone one’s body, while necessary, was actually more of a fallback plan than anything. With these things in mind Takuma considered his options.
“I wish there was a way to test each type before I invest.” Takuma said as he thumbed through the menu which was split into several sub categories. Luckily past experience also guided him here as well. Takuma spend at least two of his past reincarnations dabbling in magic use and he felt that magic generally fell into two categories, tangible and intangible. This line of thought was an original theory of his, but it held true enough to be called a law of nature in some sense.
Fire and wind magic were examples of intangible magic. Difficult to hold onto, yet still powerful in their own right. Because intangibles generally lack weight, shape or form Takuma felt they were more difficult to influence.
Earth, darkness and even magic that could conjure or create mana constructs were considered tangible. Physically these magics occupied space that could be touched and even influenced to a higher degree.
By thinking in this way Takuma found unintended uses for abilities or spells. Earth spires could be shattered at will and used strategically. Some magics could be rerouted or nullified altogether. The more he thought of the fun he used to have as a magic user, the more Takuma lamented his current class even with its benefits. Still he had to admit, his current situation was anything but boring -- exactly what he desired, a challenge.
Takuma was looking for specific pairings of abilities, though ironically enough he wouldn’t recognize them until he happened across them. It was the same in every world before this one, thus Takuma had no doubt that a second theory, one he called “broken pairing”, existed here as well.
Broken pairing revolved around the idea that Takuma used to great effect in most all of his past lives. The concept was simple and revolved around the fact that almost any ability could be powerful and at times overpowering if the right complimentary effects were chosen. For example, pairing dual wielding with ‘extra strikes’ or boosting the critical rate and critical damage to ensure 100% criticals and maximum power of a powerful weapon. These created obvious benefits with sometimes unintended consequences by adding a third or fourth ability into the mix.
Takuma intended to make full advantage of his pseudo ‘infinite mana’ by further developing a magic arsenal that would give him an upperhand in most situations. At the same time he wanted to abuse his new magic to the utmost limit. Unfortunately his hopes were dashed by limitations yet again. Rather than allowing him to learn specific magic spells, he would only be able to unlock the ability to manipulate various magical energies.
“Still, this isn’t all that bad if I’m reading this right…” Takuma whispered to himself as he finally settled on a selection.
He lifted his hand and held it at eye level as blue lightning crackled, surging across his fingertips. He could feel the mana within him stirring as it flowed towards the focal point of his desire. No doubt his experiences in past lives allowed him to grow accustomed so quickly and within a few more moments he was able to conjure a baseball sized orb of lightning energy. He played with the lightning, arcing it between his hands and finally zapping it outwards across the length of the general store several times.
“I’ll need to test this more in an open space.” Takuma sensed that he could push his powers much further, in fact he was inclined to believe that the more mana he focused into his lightning, the stronger it would become. He couldn’t help but smile as he thought about the damage he could potentially do if he went all out!
The option he’d chosen was known as ‘Lightning Manipulation’ and according to the description, one could improve their mastery over conjured lightning through practice. With two more free slots Takuma lingered between two different choices, both of which would further increase the potency of his new power.
Mana Efficiency , which would decrease the amount of mana required for magic use, or Lightning Dominion. Lightning Dominion allowed the user to precision control lightning magic of their own creation within a ten meter radius. The problem was that he couldn’t acquire both currently. Mana Efficiency required one slot space while Lightning Dominion required the ability to use lightning magic and two slot spaces. Before making the choice Takuma decided to do a bit of field testing.
After closing up Dot’s shop and making sure she was comfortable for the evening, Takuma headed outside the gates of Arnia and travelled towards a small clearing in the nearby forest.
“This should be perfect.” He said as he lifted up his right hand and called forth some lightning. The sensation, he imagined, was like a tarantula scurrying across the surface of his palm. Takuma could feel the lightning energy surging towards his hand from a central point, one he visualized to be his mana core. The mana core felt as if it was in the center of Takuma’s chest, just beneath his solar plexus and the more he focused on the ‘core’, the more energy issued forth. Soon his eyes took on a bright blue glow and the surrounding air popped and crackled. Takuma then flourished his hand forth, willing the lightning to arc outwards as far as he could manage. The resulting blast of lightning magic snaked through the air and blasted a glowing gash into an unfortunate tree just over a dozen meters away.
“Nice. The accuracy is extremely high as well.” He remarked. After checking his mana again he realized that he’s used roughly ten mana points. Based on his current vitality Takuma felt that a normal magic user would most likely only have a couple of hundred mana to play with at any given time. This thought made him feel even more secure in his choice.
It was now time to test his limits. Takuma once again gathered mana into his palm, this time pulling as much as he could possibly call forth. At the same time he rushed himself, the goal was to see how quickly he could amass his most powerful raw magic strike.He felt his body become charged as mana energy overflowed within it and began to radiate at a point just centimeters above his palm.
Soon the magic increased in intensity as it began to form a raging sphere of unchained lightning power. Within fifteen seconds the mass was larger than a basketball, by half a minute the sphere reached the size of a beach ball. At this point Takuma could feel a certain weight to the mass of magic despite the fact that he wasn’t actually holding it. Still he endeavored to continue beyond the current point.
For Takuma it wasn’t a matter of how much mana he wanted to draw forth, but rather how energy he could safely control. The “heavier” the mass became the more difficult it was to maintain its shape. The once perfectly formed sphere began to warp occasionally, a sign that the magic was becoming unstable. Takuma quickly felt his limit approaching but he did not stop. Only when the sphere of lightning energy hovered above his head with a diameter of three full meters did Takuma discharge the blast, sending it flying towards the trees at the far end of the clearing. For anyone looking on from a distance the impact was akin to a thunderclap, followed by a brilliant flash of light as the sound of tree trunks snapping roared through the surroundings.
Chapter 31 : Midnight Black
Takuma spent the remainder of the evening gaining a greater awareness of his new abilities. After about an hour of practice he felt more confident in his ability to survive.
“At least with this, I’ll be able to defend myself. Although…” He glanced around the clearing at the destruction left behind from his practice. Several trees were shattered at the base of their trunks, the ground had several gouges meters in length, he’d even managed to singe grasses in some places. He watched the surge of lightning magic crackle across his palm with a self satisfied grin before admonishing himself slightly.
“Maybe I went a little too wild.”
He was also down a significant amount of mana at the moment. Dot’s recovery as well as his training with magic managed to dip into his vast mana well.
“I’ll have to spend the night replenishing as much as possible. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” Takuma remarked to himself as he turned, leaving the clearing in favor of Arnia. It was getting dark and though he was tempted to stay a bit longer, experience told him that the wilderness at night was almost always a risky proposition.
Along the way he mulled over recent events, collecting his thoughts. Chloe contacted him earlier that morning and mentioned that within the next couple of days several people would be visiting Dot’s shop. This was largely in part due to her efforts along with some of her adventurer connections. Truthfully he was surprised, he half expected to make some great efforts to corral people but now with this his job would be much easier. At least in one sense.
“I may not look like it. But I’m a seasoned veteran. I even started my own guild some years back.” Takuma remembered that Chloe’s smile was a mix of melancholy and pride as she spoke those words. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was a story there.
*Who am I kidding, there’s a story beneath every rock -- if you care to look.* He thought to himself as he went about his way.
The other pressing issue on his mind was the delivery girl, Lilah. Takuma had only met her once, and briefly at that, but he couldn’t shake the strange energy of the encounter. Now that he had more hands-on experience with living curses, something was bothering him. He’d never been so in tune with negative energy in some of his past reincarnations. In fact, he made great efforts to be the supreme in every past life. As such he generally ignored negativity, dismissing it as whatever felt appropriate to him at the time. Ravings of the weak, or perhaps musings of those without influence or capability -- he had to admit he often found himself thinking this way.
Yet after being in this strange new world for less than a week, Takuma realized something. The power of energy was real and always persistent. Even the energy that living beings subconsciously create manifests ‘something’. The energy of that curse seed was cold, it sought to prey on the warmth of life energy -- perhaps to balance itself out and feed in the process. Now that he thought about it Takuma also felt the same type of sensation emanating from the young woman Lilah. For just the briefest of moments, it was as if he was staring into a void of black.
Within the hour Takuma found himself back in the inn, resting in his bed with dozens of cursed items on the floor as usual. He’d gotten to the point where his resistance to weak miasma was so substantial that he was all but immune to the levels within his room. Now, having eaten he drifted off into a deep sleep. One of the first restful sleeps he’d had in a long time. Thus, he should have known it wouldn’t last.
Takuma’s eyes popped open to the sound of glass being crunched under heel. The sound, accompanied by the cool draft of the night air caused him to freeze in place for a moment. He strained his ears, listening for the most minute of sounds before deciding whether to make a move. Sure enough the sound of footsteps, heavy ones split the silence of the room.
With his back facing the threat Takuma strained all of his practical senses, preparing to unleash a plethora of response attacks should he feel his life was in danger. From his position he craned his head ever so slightly in hopes that he might catch a glimpse of someone standing over him. But nothing, still the sound of broken glass cracking with each step remained.
*Fuck it. Hopefully I’ll still have the element of surprise.* Takuma took a deep breath and focused his mind to add extra speed to his next movements as he sat up and spun around in his bed. He gathered what he felt was a significant amount of lightning energy within his left palm as he did so and prepared to send it shooting forth -- only no one was there. His room was empty, save for the broken glass and indeed a now broken window. He scanned the dimly lit room cautiously, his senses still on high alert.
*Someone’s here. Definitely!* He thought as his eyes moved from the shattered window towards the door of his room -- and that’s when he saw them. A pair of neon green eyes. Takuma felt his body tense up, for he’d encountered many types of creatures in the past -- beasts, magical creatures and even what some might call ‘monsters’. None felt so feral as the gaze being directed towards him currently. The sheer amount of disregard for his life was apparent with one gaze as the pair of almond shaped eyes watched, unblinking.
*What the...hell is that?* Takuma now felt apprehensive to make a move, partially because all he could see was blackness. Darkness surrounded the pair of eyes which appeared to hover in the furthest corner of his room -- just near the door.
*Is it just me or...is that corner of the room much darker than the rest?* The moon was high in the sky and giving its light freely, albeit not a full moon. Still, Takuma rationalized that he should be able to see something, anything -- by the moonlight. It was as if light itself either feared to pierce the dark blotch which made territory in the corner of his room, or light was absorbed totally.
Just as Takuma began to formulate what action he should take he noticed movement, but not in a traditional sense. The “center” of the darkness was indeed the pair of eyes, along the corner of the wall and almost to the ceiling the darkness extended. In fact he saw it slithering, stretching upwards and outwards.
Something told him to move, perhaps a keenly honed mind and years of experience. By the time his eyes registered a second flicker of movement the attack had already bridged a significant distance.
“Holy sh--” Takuma leaned to his right, pushing himself as best he could as a long, extending spear of darkness issued forth and nearly pierced his heart. The sound of the strike piercing the wall and puncturing through was like poking a hole through fabric. Effortless and easy.
Takuma found himself now on the floor as he struggled to maintain his focus on it --whatever it was. He released the blast of lightning energy he’d been slowly gathering only to find that some of its force was unintentionally dispersed.
*Tsk. I had no clue that magic lightning responded like real electricity.* Takuma thought as he watched several branches of lightning trail off towards some of the metallic relics scattered near his bedside. There were enough that they drained a significant amount of the mana he’d called forth to power his strike.
Still, the lightning snaked through the air, mostly unimpeded and struck the corner of darkness with a flashing pop. The pair of eyes shifted slightly, averting themselves from being stricken and in the same motion the blackness began to gather, coalescing into a smaller form. Without missing a beat Takuma began the process of building more energy as he watched a strange, curious shape step towards him. A long, black beak-like shape extended from a sleek head. Two arms, which resembled wings with talons more than anything, took shape. The creature’s body was solid black -- darkness given a polymorphic form. It resembled some kind of bird, roughly 1 meter (3 feet) in height as it stood upwards on its two, taloned feet.
The shift in shape and size happened in less than six seconds by Takuma’s count -- he knew this because he was counting himself to judge the “strength” of his own gathering magic.
*Not nearly enough time to gather more.* He thought as the pitch black creature began to emit a reverberating sound which sounded more like echoing clicks filled with a menacing bass. The creature was preparing to attack.
Chapter 32 : Pilfer And Break (1)
Takuma strained his senses in preparation for the attack which he felt was impending. This was a sense of battle insight he’d honed dozens of times over, so despite facing an unknown entity, he wasn’t nervous. Rather, he was fairly sure he could handle the situation -- the only uncertainty was his new body. As the coolness of the night air wafted over Takuma’s shirtless form he began to focus his mind, pushing out all extraneous sensations or thoughts save anything that might help him succeed.
At present, Takuma lamented the fact that he was, by most accounts, completely normal. He wasn’t overly muscular nor was his current body trained for any form of armed or hand to hand combat. Still, even if his body had yet to be tempered his mind remembered it all. The uncertainty stemmed from the worry of whether his body would be able to use the most appropriate technique at the best moment.
*Unlikely..* He thought to himself and just within that moment, the creature chose to strike. It’s wings flared open, revealing that they resembled a bat more than a bird and in the process a rippling appeared. In fact, several and with each ripple the flesh of the creature began to cascade like the surface of a newly disturbed puddle. The same black, piercing spike which attempted to pierce his heart earlier jutted forth again, this time much quicker. Fortunately because Takuma was aware he easily shifted his weight and position this time. Being on stable footing didn’t hurt either.
Unfortunately the creature had learned from the previous attack, sending off multiple strikes. The result was a staggered trio of spear-like protrusions which punctured the bed in two places and the wooden frame in another. Takuma shifted his weight further, rolling into the motion and regretting it when a sharp pain prodded into his shoulder blade.
[-2 Vit]
He’d briefly forgotten about the dozens of relics scattered around on the floor. One of them had managed to draw blood from him and another was currently digging into his heel. Regardless Takuma forced himself up and continued moving -- he’d noticed several more incoming strikes and he refused to be caught unaware.
The room itself wasn’t that large but if offered enough room to maneuver, thus Takuma moved towards the window and the opposite wall of the room as he prepared a counter attack of his own.
[-2 Vit]
[-1 Vit]
With each step he left a small smear of blood on the floor as he stepped through broken glass and over scattered objects. The floorboards of the room were now being rapidly pierced, the sound of cracking wood made a snapping sound which reminded Takuma of a mix between crushing and piercing. There was enough force behind each spear of black to easily pierce bone and flesh.
*Just one shot in the wrong place will be fatal.* He thought as he started his own counter attack. He lifted his free hand, the left which was not currently covered in lightning magic, and called forth one of his equipped relics, in this case the Dream Gourd.
With a wave of his hand the small, blue and red colored gourd at his hip began to uncork itself as fragments of magical sand issued forth in a steady stream.
“Dream Gourd : Lullaby!” Takuma commanded as he subconsciously gritted his teeth due to the pain in his feet. He forced the growing cloud of magical sand to move towards the pitch black creature. He dared stop for the briefest of moments before shifting his position once more, this time back towards the bed. In such a small space being cornered would be tantamount to death.
The bluish sand moved like living smoke wisps as it circled around the creature and quickly began the process of seeping into its body. Much as Takuma expected, several piercing spikes struck his previous location, shattering the drawer of a nearby dresser. He fired off the currently charged lightning blast in his right hand this time opting to form the magic into the shape of a sphere. He lingered long enough to watch it make contact this time as well before diving towards his bed and rolling to keep up his momentum.
To his surprise the attacks stopped coming as the sphere of lightning energy impacted and sent surges throughout the creature’s body. Unfortunately the level 2 magic, Lullaby, was completely ineffective. Even though the magical sands still lingered in close proximity to the creature it showed no signs of stopping. Seeing an opportunity, Takuma quickly shifted his attention and removed the currently equipped Phantom Cloak in favor of the only other relic that might be of any use. He then dashed forward, using even more of his mana to sustain the shrinking sphere of lightning energy.
He bridged the distance in less than a second, and brought his left fist downwards with as much force as he dared muster. The Brass Dagger in his possession easily pierced the creature’s flesh which, surprisingly enough, was tender and soft to the touch. The dagger was embedded to the hilt and began to turn to dust in Takuma’s hand the moment he stabbed the strange black creature.
The Brass Dagger was immediately consumed and its curse effect began to take effect as well, causing the flesh surrounding the wound to become hard and brittle. The effect began to spread outwards from the wound on the creature’s wing, quickly taking over as petrification set in.
“That was weird. Maybe I overestimated this creature.” Takuma muttered to himself as he awaited full petrification to take hold. He stepped back, creating some distance between himself and the creature, mostly due to his own experiences.
* A wounded foe is often the most dangerous.* He thought, just moments prior to a sharp, searing pain sheering into his side. Takuma glanced downward, his hand gripping the black spike which was now embedded in his lower left side, just below his ribcage. He couldn’t help but grimace, his normally cool poker face crumbling as he staggered backwards a few steps more.
“Piece of shit!” He growled, shifting his weight even further as a second and third spear tried to reach him. His only saving grace was the active petrification which was taking over the creature’s body at an alarming rate, this caused the range of the protrusions to become severely hampered. In the moment Takuma was hurt his concentration also lapsed, causing the mana which fed his earlier lightning sphere to fade away. This in turn freed the creature from a state of perpetual shock, allowing it to resist against the ailment which had currently solidified over forty percent of its body.
With a pained grimace of anger painted as his expression, Takuma also took several steps back as well while he assessed the situation. He quickly popped a Vitality potion which near instantly closed the wound on his abdomen as he quickly glanced around the room. The creature was now shuddering and shaking in an endless loop as large pieces of its now porous flesh fell off in chunks.
*None of these are useful.* He thought as he quickly scanned from relic to relic. He knew as much before he bothered, but the realization just made things more vexing.
*I’ve only got magic. It’s effective but...I need more time to gather the proper amount of mana. Otherwise this could become a battle of attrition.*
His thoughts were forced to a standstill, by the sound of crumbling rock. The creature, in a desperate effort to avoid petrification, shook its body until it split into three separate pieces. Half of its body was now ripped asunder, causing it to lose a leg, a wing and roughly half of its face in the process.
“How is this thing even alive?” Takuma muttered as his eyes widened. The creature’s leg shattered across the floor on impact as it’s stone body began to tilt over. The living half flopped awkwardly, somehow managing to pull itself along the floor, reshaping itself in the process. Suddenly Takuma had an inkling of what was happening.
“Excuse me sir? Are you alright? I’m hearing a lot of strange noises, I just wanted to see if you’re okay! You’re a valued customer after--” A rapping sound at Takuma’s door was followed by the slow creak of the wooden door opening. The owner of the inn peeked his head in meekly, causing his face to go pale as he struggled to process what he was now seeing.
Chapter 33: Pilfer And Break (2)
“Shit..” Takuma muttered as he too struggled to judge the best course of action now. The innkeeper, by extension, was ghostly white as he fought to release even a whimper. To an eldely man the creature was huge, even though it had already lost most of its size.
*It must be dynamically reshaping its body.*
This was the conclusion that Takuma came to just moments earlier. It would explain the creature’s inability to pierce him through just moments ago as well as its drop in body mass currently.
“Close the door and get back! Don’t come in until I say it’s safe!” Takuma instructed as he began gathering mana. The innkeeper was snapped out of his confusion and quickly receded out of the room, nearly slamming the door behind him.
“Oh Gods! It’s a demon!” Takuma heard the old man shout as soon as the door closed.
*I’ve got to get rid of this thing while it’s weakened.* Takuma’s mind raced for an answer to his current predicament. Lightning magic proved effective but the best way would be to petrify it altogether. He could have done so -- had he another relic with a petrification blessing attached to it. Sadly the Brass Dagger was a one time use item.
Takuma was snapped out of his thoughts when the sound of moving air caught his attention. It reminded him of a vacuum cleaner which was strange, considering this world didn’t seem to have electronics as far as he could tell. The moonlight filtered into the dimly lit room allowing Takuma to take notice of thin wisps of black smoke flowing towards the creature.
*What the hell is that?* By tracing these numerous wisps back to their location Takuma realized the cursed relics were now being drained of their miasma directly. The realization also bought its own troubles as the creature seemed to be recovering some of its body mass , however little.
“Shit!” He shouted as he sprang into action, flinging another bolt of lightning towards the bird-like menace. This time the creature’s body morphed, turning into a semi circular sphere. The magical zap did little damage and the creature also countered in the same motion by causing sharp spikes to protrude from it’s morphed wing. Simultaneously the creature extended its wing outward, attempting to backwhip Takuma in the process.
Having been completely unprepared for the combination of attacks Takuma was lifted off of his feet as the dense, hard mass of black flesh smashed into him. The spiky protrusions, easily cut into his flesh and felt as hard as metal -- this was a stark contrast from just moments ago when the brass dagger easily pierced the creature’s skin.
Takuma grunted, lifting his arms in an X shape as he allowed the force of the strike to disperse against his guard. This required sacrificing his right forearm in the process. He planted his feet firmly as spurts of blood squirted through the air and splashed against his bedspread.
*Two can play that game though!* He thought as he forced his mana outwards, sending it surging into every part of his body simultaneously. Within seconds his body was charged and he focused the lightning outwards with no particular focus -- his goal was to blindly blanket the area in front of him with as many lightning strikes as he could muster. The creature’s shield and bash gambit was now working against it. The lightning surged into its body, causing its hardened flesh to contract sporadically. Having been knocked off balance the creature staggered somewhat, but nevertheless it continued absorbing the miasma from the multitude of relics spread across the floor.
*Dammit. I need something stronger. And with more piercing power!* Takuma thought inwardly as he assessed the current battle. As things stood he would be hard pressed to defeat an enemy like this without a significant amount of mana. The problem was that it required more time than he currently had to gather the mana.
*Unless!* Takuma felt as if he’d been hit by a lightning bolt, both figuratively and literally as he focused even more of his mana throughout his entire body. The lightning surging from him was now enough to randomly arc off of his limbs, legs and back -- popping anything with whip-like mini strikes of power.
Just as suddenly as he forced more mana out of his body he then shifted towards focusing it in a single place, his forearm. By gathering up mana in all parts of his body simultaneously he found a way to bridge the gap, but would it be enough? He aimed to find out.
The Relic Meister released the lightning magic, imagining a hundred lashing lightning strikes as he did so. In response to the mental imagery Takuma supplied, his magic ran wild as the brunt of the magic was directed towards his foe.
The creature’s flesh began to sizzle and bubble as the heat from the electricity caused severe flesh damage. The magic assaulted it in surging waves of increasing viciousness as Takuma poured more and more of his mana into ending the stalemate right then and there.
For a moment he thought that he would succeed, but his foe had other plans. Severely wounded and hurt by the sheer abundance of Takuma’s magical rage, the creature receded. It withdrew it’s spiked wing, forming a sphere shaped barrier of darkness around its entire body. What’s more this sphere began to shrink inwards until the creature was a mere third of its current size.
In this state the magic, while still effective, had been rendered less damaging. Still, Takuma refused to relent. His instincts told him to press the attack and though his mana was running low for his tastes, Takuma realized that this was the crucial moment in which the battle would be decided.
He focused his mana into both hands distributing it equally so that arcing blasts of lightning viciously zapped the black sphere. Meanwhile the creature was making its own plans. The more mana Takuma poured into his attacks, the more the mass of blackness shrank -- slowly but surely until it was little more than the size of a basketball.
Takuma took this transformation to mean that his attack was winning, but he couldn’t be further from the truth. With one final spasm the black ball halved it’s size once more then began rapidly expanding. The surface of the black sphere rippled ominously, an event that did not fail to escape Takuma’s gaze -- but it was too late.
The creature forced dozens of spear-tipped protrusions outwards in every direction. The sound of shattering wood filled the air, causing the old man cowering in the hallway outside to regret his decision to stay.
“What have I stepped into?” He lamented as one of the same spikes pierced through the wall just centimeters from his face. It then retracted just as quickly, the impact forcing wood splinters outwards through the hall.
Then -- silence. The innkeeper’s eyes widened as he strained his ears, listening for the slightest commotion in the nearby room. His heartbeat was the only sound he recognized for a time, that is until the sound of groans and creaking wood caused his ears to perk up.
Although he was afraid, the innkeeper felt compelled to look, thus he summoned what little courage he possessed and slowly got to his feet. After taking a deep breath, the elderly proprietor placed his hand on the badly damaged door and pushed it inwards.
So, what are your thoughts? Should I continue this fiction? If you think so, let me know. It will help motivate me in the future.
