NOVEL NEXT Chapter 118: Evolved
Water churned around Leif as he looked around him, searching for the serpent that had vanished from sight. He kept his footing easily enough, several skills working in tandem to maintain his balance. He pushed cultivated vitality into [Amber Aegis], unable to see or predict when the merfey would strike next he decided that shoring up his defences was a wise choice.
A moment later that was proven to be correct as a wall of scales and fangs shimmered back into visibility and lurched towards him. Leif raised his wooden spear, ready to throw the weapon into the monster’s maw and deal a devastating amount of damage to its internals. But the serpent wasn’t stupid, the overflowing water surged up around Leif, jets of condensed liquid cutting into the flickering barrier that appeared to protect him.
He fell into shadow as the monster descended, but having no desire to get swallowed by a big fish he pushed through the increasingly wild water and took a step. He vanished in a golden blur, shooting through the water back towards the two human adventurers. But something clamped down around him, as if trying to force the teleportation to destabilise. He focused his will and pushed against the foreign pressure, rematerializing in a geyser of foam as his appearance displaced water all around him.
Tollumi whirled, an arm around his wife. The human’s eyes were wide, hair soaked and plastered to his face. He nodded in the scion’s direction, then exploded upwards, carrying him and his partner out of the water and up onto the next step of the quarry. Leif turned, but the serpent had vanished again. A wave rose, threatening to crash down upon him as he dashed for the ramp. Every step was met with more and more resistance as the tide swelled to restrain him.
The golden barrier created by [Amber Aegis] flickered to protect him from the worst of the assault but the skill’s construct was beginning to strain. Leif took a deep breath, then he was submerged completely, but even the lungful of air felt wrong, as if he had partially inhaled water. Leif suspected that if he was a human, or any kind of creature with a more natural physiology he might be in more trouble, but as it was the sensation was uncomfortable instead of life threatening.
A dozen amber arms fanned out around him as dust and debris from the quarry turned the violent water dark and murky. He focused, changing the shape of the arms created by [Gold Iron Physique] into stakes. They drove through the water, stabbing into the ground with tremendous force. The stone around him cracked, even more rock and detritus joining the already chaotic swirl that surrounded him. Leif’s environment grew darker and darker as he dug his way forward like a spider. He couldn’t float, let alone swim, if he couldn’t get out of the water soon he would quickly find himself in a significant amount of trouble.
One step at a time, even as the world around him became nothing but raging chaos and noise. Another step, then another. After what felt like ages but in reality was only a few seconds he stepped onto the ramp. Now I just need to climb. He thought, a chunk of limestone crashing into the side of his head and crumbling apart. Where is the merfey? Is it hunting the others? Did it fly out of the quarry? If I could just sense-
Something massive whipped into his side, a mass of dark blue scales shattering Leif’s shield and knocking him off his feet as he was sent tumbling head over heels down into the quarry’s depths. His spear was gone, vanishing into the darkness as rampaging currents dragged it away. The light from overhead was dim and quickly vanishing. Something moved to his right, a massive shape gliding effortlessly through the debris filled water.
He lashed out, striking out blindly into the water with conjured golden limbs. They met nothing but the resistance of the water. A gleaming yellow eye circled around from behind, Leif spun and stabbed at the monster only for it to retreat. He couldn’t cast spells to increase his combat potential underwater, spellcraft required the ability to speak and letting out any air to attempt it would likely be suicidal.
But he wasn’t helpless, even if the merfey was treating him like prey. He just needed one good hit, get its attention magically locked onto him, then he could gut it like the fish it was. In an attempt to goad the monster closer Leif pushed out his aura, declaring his intentions to defeat the creature even as he pretended to physically slow. The serpent swam closer, eager as it sensed weakness, its yellow eye locked onto him as it circled him counter clockwise.
Leif’s breath began to run out, but his healing abilities kicked in to compensate. Even still he pretended otherwise, that he was on his last legs. Finally the monster’s predatory restraint slipped, and Leif sensed its intent to kill. It surged forward, a massive shadow among swirling eddies of dust and rock.
Golden limbs exploded out of the scion, a veritable forest of amber light branching out to grab, impale and crush. Leif’s cultivated reserves dropped as he pumped as much power into the skill as he could without risking destabilisation. Pain flashed through his soul, more than he had experienced in well over a month, but he ignored it. The merfey let out a shriek of pained outrage as its moment of triumph was brought short by countless blows. It tried to escape his clutches but it was too slow.
Clawed fingers penetrated dark blue scales and sunk into the flesh beneath, the merfey bucked in an attempt to get him off even as Leif felt its mental attention shift to resist the taunting effect of [Fists of Conflict]. The [Brawler] capstone skill finally getting its time to shine as the monster’s mental focus was pulled between escape and committing to the battle. Blood flowed from countless wounds as Leif clutched to the serpent, draining life-force with every passing second.
It was like drinking condensed energy, every drop like the kick of an ox as sea-monster vitality flooded into him. Leif punched down again and again, only to shift his attention to holding on as the monster shot upwards, they broke the surface and continued up, escaping the confines of the quarry in seconds as the serpent let out a howl of fury. But the merfey quickly discovered a problem perhaps more concerning than having its blood drained in an increasingly rapid manner.
The small, person sized being that had latched onto its side and was clinging there for dear life was far, far heavier than it should have been. Even as the serpent tried to fly away its progress was nearly brought short as it dipped in the air, barely skimming over the tips of pine trees as it struggled to stay airborne. The wind screamed as both monsters shot away from the quarry and the town it supported, the air tinged blue, water forming around them to keep them aloft.
Leif spat out a mouthful of water, then nearly choked as the serpent he was attached to dipped into a roll and tried to smash him against the ground. Amber arms stabbed into the creature’s side, allowing the scion to reposition like a spider. Even still, Leif’s shoulder grazed the tip of a boulder, the dull sensation of damage barely perceivable as he was almost launched off the scaled flank of the merfey.
He scrambled up its side, dislodging scales and tearing muscles as the serpent gave up on trying to liberate itself from him and instead focused on reaching the ocean as quickly as possible. The merfey dipped and bobbed in the air, but even still it picked up speed at a terrifying pace. What was previously a distant stretch of shimmering blue quickly expanded as both monsters drew closer to the sea. Leif cursed, redoubling his efforts to bring the monster down, if he fell into the sea he would have to teleport to safety, and that was if he could survive reaching the bottom.
Its form flickered, and for a moment it looked like it was no longer there, that he was flying through the air attached to absolutely nothing. Leif punched down into the monster, the impact sending a revealing ripple out from the point of impact. The merfey shuddered, its serpentine body shimmering in and out of visibility and it twisted and writhed. But it didn’t stop, if anything it sped up.
To the east Ahle-ho came into focus, the massive walls of the distant city and the towering spires that must be some sort of palace becoming clearer as both monsters drew closer. Another village came and went as the sea approached, Leif could hear the distant ringing of bells quickly fading as they passed.
They dipped, only to rise again once the merfey regained its composure, the monster was sagging but it was far from being fully drained. The vitality of a monster as evolved as it was was like an endless sea. Not unlike the seemingly infinite wall of aqua that stretched from horizon to horizon, the faint white caps of waves no longer so far away. Leif refocused, stretched his many arms, then brought them down in a fury of attacks.
Scales and blood trailed behind the merfey as its back was torn apart, one of its large sails was ripped apart causing the monster to screech in pain but Leif didn’t relent. They were seconds away from reaching the cliff-side, beyond salvation for one, and likely death for the other. Flesh was parted, and bone revealed. Leif grabbed the merfey’s exposed spine and yanked with everything he had. The serpentine monster bucking, then falling into a spinning dive.
The land was below them in one moment, the sea the next. Leif plunged every arm he could spare into the gaping wound before him, shattering bone and pulverising organs. He felt the moment the monster he was grappling die, and he really felt the moment it smashed into the ground, his grip slipping, his consciousness briefly vanishing before returning in a rush of wind and chaos. He was falling, even though they had hit land he was still falling. There was nothing but the endless sea, the infinite plane of blue stretching into infinity. In panicked instinct he reached back, and his hands almost instantly found the sheer rock of the cliff-side.
He scrambled and twisted, trying to halt his momentum with any means he could. Leif smashed through a stone ledge and kept falling, but his momentum had been partially arrested. Golden blades stabbed into limestone, slowing him further. Another ledge shattered under his descent, seabirds fleeing in every direction as he obliterated their prime seaside property.
Finally he came to a stop, bloodied and battered, though it wasn’t his blood, barely a handful of metres above the sea. Waves crashed against the cliff, the spray of their impact splashing him from below, he shifted and barnacles crunched under his weight. Leif’s head met the limestone wall as tension left his body. That had been far, far too close. He looked up, over a hundred metres of sheer stone met his gaze.