Chapter 28: Rescue |
Ember had read about both of the skill options and knew all their merits and disadvantages. Unfortunately, being chased by an overgrown lizard did not make the decision any easier.
His father had Swordstride back in his time and had told him about all its features. Swordstride specialised in minimal movement, using the body in the most efficient way possible. It was one of the foundational skills for any swordsman. While that might sound excellent, it was also more difficult to master.
Whereas Blitz Steps was quite the opposite of it. It was known for its wild bursts of movement. It was more of an empowered form of Sprint Burst. With increased mana expenditure, it even reduced the physical act of running while only boosting the speed, though its biggest advantage was that it allowed quick shifts in any direction without missing a beat.
Well, Swordstride could achieve that too, despite lacking the same acceleration. Additionally, there was a chance of advancing Blitz Steps into Flash Steps or other elemental forms like Shadow Steps or Wind Walk further down the path.
So, although both choices were equally good, Ember went for Blitz Steps.
An electrifying current ran through his limbs; his muscles twitched, bones and joints snapping in cracking noises. There was also a blistering pain, as Ember’s form slowed down for a moment.
The demonic skink almost lunged on top of him, only for his body to blitz forward, escaping its grasp by inches.
Its piercing cry rattled his nerves. It clearly didn’t like that.
Ember sprang forward like a streaking arrow, each step carrying him over ten metres. His feet slammed against the ground, leaving deep impressions, as though his lower body had somehow strengthened. He didn’t have time to observe properly, but the muscles of his legs, bones, and ligaments felt far more robust and elastic at the same time.
Unfortunately, there was still a limit to his body, and it was far lower than that of the horrid spawn chasing him.
Before he could even cross half the distance towards the group, its heavy form bludgeoned into him like a battering ram.
Ember gasped, his chest heaving as a spurt of blood burst from his mouth despite the defences. Without it, he would already have been in two pieces. But even if it couldn’t end him in one strike, it seemed to have learned from its previous mistakes, pinning him to the ground with its heavy weight.
Letting out a mind-chilling screech, it hammered its head and jaws against his defensive shield.
Ember tried his utmost to spring away, but even his newly acquired iron-ranked movement skill could not free him from the crushing weight. The waves of kinetic force he mustered could only slow it for an instant.
Ultimately, his mind latched onto what felt like the only option left. He screamed. He cried at the top of his lungs. Much of it was lost to the creature’s screeching, but Ember held on—if not asking for help, he cried in misery.
The incessant ramming had already made breathing arduous, while the psionic attacks were breaking through his mental defences. The ward could only protect him against one of them.
Even there, each streak of mana within the bracelet was burned away under the relentless assault. The tier-6 artifact had been crafted in a way that it could recycle its energy when unobstructed. But now, with a monster pressing down on him—its claws plunging and its maw crushing unrelentingly—the mana drained with every passing moment. At this rate, it would only last a couple of minutes.
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If he had hoped the creature would lose interest after failing to breach his defences, it did not. Instead, it seemed to take it as a challenge.
His voice broke, but that discomfort was little in comparison to the existential crisis.
Tears streamed down his cheeks involuntarily as he poured every breath of mana into his bracelet. If that wasn’t enough, he would drain the mana from his ring as well—whatever it took to stay alive for even a moment longer. He was not giving up without a fight.
He clenched his jaw, enduring the psionic onslaught as he forced more mana into the shield. Barely a third of his reserves remained, and they were vanishing in a spree. Even casting spells continuously with both wands would not have drained him this quickly. At one point, he began siphoning mana from the ring, channelling it alongside his own.
The demonic force battered his defences without relent. If it couldn't shatter the ward, it would break his mind. The torment was already beyond anything he had ever felt. Even his death was but a fleeting memory. It was as if a burning needle was being pushed through his mind.
His face was deathly pale, blood spraying from his mouth as his body overheated from the strain of mana expenditure. His jaw locked as veins bulged at his temples. Darkness swallowed his vision, while his ears rang with that piercing chorus that made him wish for unconsciousness.
Still, he endured, because otherwise would be death.
Ember had no sense of how long he resisted. Each passing second stretched endlessly as he struggled beneath the monstrous weight. For one last time, he tried to spring free with Blitz Steps. He attempted to slip away from under it with a push of kinetic force. None seemed strong enough beneath its colossal form.
Then, suddenly, the crushing weight lifted off his chest. The relentless ramming faltered. Ember’s ears still rang with the monstrous shrieks as he blinked blearily. Vision returned, though only in fragments. He thought he caught sight of the monster being tossed away.
He blinked, unsure if it was his imagination. Then he glimpsed a wave of searing flames striking it head-on.
A lone figure stood, holding a flaming sword. She didn’t seem particularly tall, skinny, and swathed in a black hunter's attire.
Zephyr? That was his first thought, but then he recognised her to be much younger, perhaps about Rain’s age. Despite that, she seemed to have no difficulty dispatching the monster. With one clean swing, she cleaved through one of its limbs, her blade burning brighter than the sun.
It seemed to rise in length to contend against the lizard. With one of its limbs gone, she had no trouble keeping up with it. All the wounds she inflicted on its body accumulated, as the demonic monster finally seemed to feel some strain.
The sword wielder waited no more and plunged her blade deep into its neck, a blistering flame flooding out from the other side of its body, as the corrupt spawn finally sprawled, lifeless.
[Enemy Slain: Cursed Skink Level 68.]
[Skill Evolved: Sprint Burst (Copper) Max → Blitz Steps (Iron) +1]
[Skill acqui. . .]
There was a spree of notifications, but Ember had no mind for them. Finally relieved, he released the last of his will as darkness claimed his consciousness.
Illyana deactivated the enchantment of her sword as soon as the demonic creature fell. She had barely used it for a few minutes, yet it had already drained ninety breaths of her mana. Well, it was a tier-seven blade, especially crafted for high offence.
The sword probably would have drained her completely had she not managed to ambush the lizard with a critical strike while it was focused on the boy.
Oh, right, the boy.
Her thoughts sharpened as she turned to find him. He was sprawled on the rugged earth, no more than thirty paces away. Though he was unconscious, his ward continued to function, wrapping him in a layer of protection.
Without sparing a thought for her bounty, she hurried over. Scooting down, she attempted to deactivate the ward, only to feel her mana being repelled by a dwindling Will. The boy’s expression twitched, and somehow, even in his unconscious state, he was able to graft the last remnant of his will to protect himself.
Illyana was dumbfounded. If it were some residual will from his mad stab at life, she could have understood it, but this...
Unfortunately, she didn’t have the luxury of time. Fearing that forcefully breaking it would cause a backlash, she gingerly lifted him into her arms, keeping the ward intact. His face was already pale as a sheet, while blood seeped from his mouth and nose as she hoisted the boy onto her back.
At least the rest of his body appeared intact. The damage seemed limited to backlash from overexertion of mana and Will. With proper rest and some healing, he should recover within a couple of days.
Now she was worried for the unlucky souls. Who would have thought that a simple mission to gain some experience and levels from the low-mana zone would test her like this?
At level 37, she was hardly a match for an Iron creature, much less those powerful demonic creatures. Still, there might be others who needed help. If not by dispatching monsters, she could help by rescuing them.