Cultivating Talents [LitRPG Mana-cultivation]

Hector's sandaled feet beat heavily against the cobblestone, each step echoing around the tunnels as he sprinted. The sound didn't make it far, though, as the skittering of claws and short, low roars drowned it out. The entire nest of those things had to be behind him.

He jerked right, sprinting down the turn. Behind him, an Earthen Mole, spiked back thrumming with energy, lost control and slammed into the wall with a crunch. A second Earthen Mole, following swiftly behind, crashed into the first, sandwiching it against the wall.

The rest that followed didn't make that mistake. Scrambling across the stone, the small horde of beasts rushed after him. Hector's heart hammered in his chest as he put more effort into running. His plan right now wasn't to escape; it was to thin the herd.

Whatever that door was, it was valuable. And, more to the point, all these moles held beast cores. They were valuable. Static sparked to life in his hands as he slowed his steps a little. Feeling the weight of the knife in his hands, he spared a glance back. It would be quicker to use [Blazing Arsenal], but he couldn't ruin the hide.

Pinching the handle of the knife between his fingers, he flicked it back. The knife cut through the air in a blur of purple. The earthen mole in the lead bared its front teeth, and the knife cracked into them before bouncing to the side, clattering to the ground, falling into the darkness beyond.

Well, damn. That's not gonna work. I'll need to get closer. They have to have a weak spot.

The Earthen Moles were creatures of muscle. Backs ridged with large spikes and paws housing foot-long claws, both of which pulsed with brown earthen light. They were dangerous, and if they had a weak spot, it wasn't clear to Hector.

Taking a breath, the tangy scent of his sweat slipped up Hector's nose. This was going to take some effort. He'd have to use [Volt Runner], but if there were even more moles than he could make out, then he'd be in a world of trouble.

He ran his tongue across his lips as his sandals skidded across the floor. Turning on his heels, he came to a stop and reached to the back of his mind, pulling on the [Volt Runner] Talent.

Static streamed to life, rushing down his legs and thrumming through his muscles. Faint pulses of power danced through his legs as his ratty breeches sparked in places. A second thought brought a bubble of static rushing off him and filling the surrounding air with snakes of tiny electric sparks.

He swallowed.

I just have to find the weak spot on the first one. After that, it should be easy enough to kill them. Though if I'm right, it will probably be the underside. It's always the underside.

Hector let out a sigh, a spark jumping from his lips. He'd get a few hits and get on the move. He was faster, yes, but that was only if he had space.

A calm settled in his chest, and he tensed, sweat trickling down the side of his forehead. Hector then exploded forward, kicking up a puff of dirt. He slipped by the first swipe aimed at his chest, raking the purple knife across the creature's forearm even as the knife formed in a surge of purple static.

Ducking by a second swipe from another mole behind, Hector moved past the two moles, eyes searching for weakness in their rear. A third swipe came from his side, forcing him to leap back and duck under a set of claws rushing by his head. This was a nightmare.

He slammed the knife forward as the creature stumbled again, puncturing the creature's throat. The knife sank through its flesh and sliced into what was perhaps its spinal cord. Like he'd cut its wires, it slumped to the ground.

Hector dragged the knife out and jerked to the side. But he was a bit too slow. Claws slashed past him, and one of the shorter claws bit into his arm before the rest of them crunched into the head of the Earthen Mole he'd just killed.

Hector rushed back in a blur of static, gripping his arm. The slash there wept blood, the surrounding flesh jagged. Pain thrummed from it in waves, causing Hector to wince. His eyes flickered back up, and the horde of moles that had briefly lost sight of him turned.

Alright, I'm getting somewhere. I just need to go for the throat. Though I need to watch my surroundings a bit more when I do.

Pulling at the back of his mind, Hector activated [Iron Skin]. His flesh practically hummed as a subtle, viscous energy sloughed through it, thickening, before a light undertone of grey shimmered to life on his skin's surface.

The blood dribbling from his arm slowed. While the bleeding hadn't stopped, he wasn't worried about bleeding to death—one bowl of Mirae's Talent-crafted soup, and it should heal within the day. The moles thundered towards him again, and Hector steeled himself.

Zipping forward in a blur, the static field crackling around him, Hector dodged swipes and used the spasm-assisted moments opened for him by the static field to stab his knife through the creatures' throats.

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He was a whirlwind of movements, ducking and stabbing. After a few moments, Hector stood in a pool of growing blood, the bodies of the Earthen Moles slumped around him. Some wheezed; his blade hadn't gone deep enough, while others lay still, life having left them.

Hector let out a heavy breath. He willed static to explode across the body of an earthen mole that tried to stand. The child-sized creature spasmed before a knife cut through the air and sliced through the rest of its throat. It collapsed in a splash of blood with a final wheeze.

"This…" Hector's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, the scent of blood curling up his nose. He wiped at the few dribbles on his hands, brushing them off on his tunic. "This was far too many Rank-One beasts."

"Hector," a voice called. Down the tunnel, a steady oasis of blue light moved towards him. Jodie moved within it, rushing at him. Worry coloured her features. "Where—by the Great Lake, what happened here?"

"Not much," Hector said, taking a step forward, wincing at the flood of pain from another cut he'd received on his arm. This one wasn't nearly as bad as the first. "I just found—"

The screech of Earthen Moles interrupted him. Paws beat against the stone, their echoes reaching him all the way down here. A lot of them were coming. "Let's get out of here first. I think I might have poked a nest."

—- —- —-

Hector let out a breath, resting his back against the wall of the side tunnel they had just run down. The wall's jagged and cold surface poked at his back, chilling him a little. He shifted. Had they lost them? Peeking into the darkness, Hector's gaze attempted to peel it back.

A light skittering of claws on stones. A distant call of anger for murdered kin, but no Earthen Mole chased them at the moment. Hector unclenched a fist he hadn't realised he was holding, shifting his focus to Jodie.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking the girl over. A frown pulled on his features as his eyes lingered on a scratch that snaked up her tunic. "Does it hurt?" Jodie glanced down, surprised, as if she'd forgotten about the wound.

"Oh, this?" Jodie said, jabbing at the tear. "It's only a light scratch; I'm not even bleeding." Her ginger hair slipped over her shoulder as she raised her arm to get a better look at the wound. "Though I'll definitely need some soup. If it could fix up Nyx in two days, it should have this done in an hour at most."

Hector nodded, his thoughts drifting back to the black-haired girl. She'd had not only the soup, but he'd given her the Talent [Vitality Resonance]. If it wasn't for that, her recovery wouldn't have been so speedy.

"So, what are we going to do? We can't exactly stay here. We still have the tanner's order to fulfil."

Hector nodded, dragging his hand down his face and letting out a breath. Such a simple task had gotten completely out of hand; all they'd needed to do was grab a few rats. Yet now they were here, hiding from a bunch of Rank One moles.

He brushed his hand across the jagged, cold tunnel wall and took a breath, the scent of rock filling his nose. A soft calm spread through him as he assessed their options. His [Volt Runner] Talent still had a good few minutes in it. So he could get back if he wanted to, but he couldn't leave Jodie behind. The moles would overwhelm her in an instant.

A thought bubbled in his mind, forcing back everything else. His thinking slowed as it became the only option. Hector glanced back at Jodie, lingering on her for a second as he organised what he was going to say.

"We've killed quite a few of them by now, right?" Hector asked. "I kinda lost count."

Jodie raised a brow, her eyes looking up as if she could see the thoughts in her head. She mouthed a few numbers before glancing back at him. "If I had to say, probably around fifteen to twenty, I think. Why?"

A smile curled onto Hector's lips, and he let out a breath. Pushing off the wall, he trudged over to the cave tunnel lip, exhaustion playing in his muscles, threatening to pull him down. He peered around one corner before checking the other.

Glancing back at Jodie, he nodded. "I think we should make use of [Blazing Arsenal] now. We don't need that much hide."

A smile of what seemed to be approval slid onto Jodie's lips. She pushed off the cave wall and brushed her hair over her shoulder. "So we just set a few of them ablaze and use that to scare the others off."

Hector nodded, gesturing for Jodie to move up. He glanced down at the scratches littering his arms—a faint shade of blue in the mana stone's light—some deeper than others. He'd probably have to use [Vitality Resonance] himself once this was all over.

With a last check, the two set off in a rush, running through the tunnels, aiming to get back to the hideout. The [Gentle Sanctuary] would keep most of the beasts, if not all of them, away. Hector had yet to see an Earthen Mole higher than Rank One amongst the ones chasing them. Throughout the journey, they would lead a group of moles into a tunnel in bulk and then unleash a fireball that would cook most of them and leave the rest injured. Though that was only if they caught them off guard. And thankfully, being in a group and frenzied made that task a lot easier.

After a few minutes of fighting, maybe even an hour—Hector couldn't be sure—Hector glanced behind him at the vacant tunnel and let out a sigh. The sound of skittering in the distance echoed through the tunnel, mingled with the cries of angry moles. Hector swallowed, putting the sound to the back of his mind. His eyes moved towards the blue shimmering light that emanated from a turn up ahead. The [Gentle Sanctuary] was doing its magic.

Jodie collapsed in a heap on the ground, her chest rising in a steady rhythm as she visibly cringed at every call of the moles. "I never want to see an Earthen Mole again," she said through staggered breaths. "Nothing has made me run that much in my entire life."

Hector raised a brow, a bubble of laughter threatening to slip past his lips. He lowered a hand, reaching it out for Jodie to grab. "I could have sworn that they were growing on you. I saw you smiling a little back there."

Jodie rolled her eyes, and with a clap, she took his hand and pulled herself off the floor, hopping to her feet. "I… you know what. It's a surprise. But all I will say is that I think I'm getting a little closer to understanding my Battle Intent."

Hector nodded.

If she can figure that out, it would be quite the bonus. Even if she could only activate it for a little while.

The soft, rhythmic tap of footsteps up ahead slipped into Hector's ears. He perked up, eyes peering into the distance. The white tunic and twin braids brought a smile to Hector's lips. Emela had arrived just when they needed to figure out how to get these bodies past a horde of angry moles and back to the hideout.

"Fancy seeing you here," Hector called out, stepping down the tunnel.