NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30: Arisen Myth
It charged.
Marcus called his gauntlet and retreated clockwise around the chamber. Sieg flooded the floor with as much ice as possible then went counter clockwise. The enslaver didn’t care, it charged right through the field of ice, ignoring both humans and launching itself at Leif.
The spriggan didn’t have time to run, he tossed aside his sack of mana shards and raised two sets of arms in a cross before him and triggered [Under My Protection]. The skill's golden barrier flared to life as gleaming black mandibles went for his throat.
The monster's natural blades sliced through the shield with minimal effort, the attack's momentum barely halted. But Leif was ready for it, he braced and caught the sword-lengthed appendages with the flat of two sets of hands.
Leif stepped in and amplified his weight using [Gold Iron Physique]. It was just enough to redirect the enslavers' attack, Leif twisted and ducked as the monstrosity barrelled over him. Now under the creature he jerked himself to the left to avoid a spear tipped leg. Leif grabbed the limb and pulled.
The ant buckled slightly and staggered to the side. Then to the surprise of everyone it tensed, then leapt into the air. It covered over twice its height in a single leap, landing sideways on the curved ceiling. Leif had let go of the creature's leg in an attempt to escape but suddenly found himself free. He shook out his hand, there was a strange twinge from where he had touched the enslaver.
The colossal ant turned, its six legs stabbing into the chamber’s wall. Purple light and a yelp came from behind Leif as he sensed Marcus’s sudden spike of fear. One of the stone coffins the enslaver had opened burst outwards sending shards of stone flying in all directions.
Purple arcs of light lit up the dust cloud as Marcus unleashed on the coffin's inhabitant. Leif couldn’t spare the man a second glance, the monster above him chittered, then spat a condensed orb of acid with tremendous force.
Focusing on his [Might] attribute Leif dodged to the side; he was only barely in time. Where he had been a moment prior was a sizzling and churning puddle, it rapidly ate away at the mosaic tiles below.
Another orb, this one aimed for where Leif was moving. The second golden barrier of the fight manifested with a flash, the acid impacted the skill's construct and immediately began to melt the working into dripping essence.
A third globule of spit shot from the enslavers mouth but Leif partially extended his conjured limbs and used them to pivot off the ground and out of the splash radius.
Cold burst from one side of the room. Sieg bellowed in response to a blade of silver that had lanced out from one of the closed coffins to spear him through the bicep. Cracks resounded from all around the chamber as the undead broke free of their tombs.
A skeletal figure clawed its way out of its confinement. It manifested a sword of shimmering silver in its hand. Sieg put an ice spear through its skull, it collapsed instantly. Marcus hastily backpedalled away from the coffins closest to him, firing off bolts of arcane power as he did so.
The enslaver screeched and dived from its perch, Marcus blasted it as it fell, purple arcs of power crackled up its left side and along several of its legs. The monster twitched involuntarily as its descent turned from predatory lunge to uncontrolled tumble.
Leif quickly stepped to the side of where it would fall and readied himself. Another blast of cold chilled the chamber but he didn’t have time to look. The ant crashed into the floor, sending mosaic tiles and shards of ice and mana flying.
The spriggan cocked back two fists, one real and one ethereal gold. Then he struck with everything he could muster. The enslavers' carapace dented inwards as the force of Leif’s blow partially lifted the creature's entire body. It screeched again but Leif didn’t care, he punched into its side again with his other fists, then again with the first set.
With each blow foul ichor and twisted energies flowed up Leif’s hands and into his body. He winced at the disgusting sensation, but kept launching blow after blow. Hostile intent flickered from behind and Leif broke off his attacks to duck to the side.
Too slow, a beam of silver light flashed down from above and into his upper back. One of his ethereal arms broke apart from the impact, his natural limb flared with pain but wasn’t severed. Motes of silver light floated around him as Leif reeled from the blow. Then they snapped into a hair thin line.
A skeleton with glowing silver eyes blurred towards him, a spear of equally radiant silver struck forward along the exact trajectory of the line of mana. It stumbled to a stop with the weapon plunged into Leif’s abdomen and out the other end. Leif hissed out air as he was lifted a foot into the air where he hung impaled.
There were certain benefits to not having the standard human suite of vital organs. The fact Leif didn’t die due to being stabbed all the way through was one of them.
The undead cocked its head to the side, as if considering a curiosity. Leif glared down, his amber gaze meeting its one of silver. Death energy crept up his arms, black veins appearing to mark their progress.
It was as if the undead had activated a skill on instinct but now had no idea what to do.
Leif panicked, unsure which threat was more urgent. The weapon lodged through his body or the foul magic turning his extremities numb. He sensed the giant ant begin to get back up and knew he didn’t have much time.
Since the undead seemed intent on using him as a makeshift flag Leif focused internally. The energy had entered his body as he had struck the likely undead enslaver.
[Blight’s Bounty] should only absorb vitality. But this is very clearly not lifeforce. Leif thought. He used [Grand Action] to focus on his [Spirit] attribute as he willed his amber blood to combat the intrusive death energy.
He pushed against it, trying to forcibly shove the corrupting substance from his body. Almost immediately he realised it wouldn’t work, so Leif changed strategies. Instead he willed [Blight’s Bounty] to convert the unlife-force.
It was a slow process, amber blood began to eat away at the encroaching death. But he wouldn’t have enough time. The enslaver reared up behind him, chittering with madness. Leif felt ravenous intent land heavily on his shoulders and began to struggle. The spriggan increased his weight and the undead holding him staggered.
Three more undead began to close in on his position and knew he wouldn’t be able to survive. In desperation he pulsed his aura with as much force as possible against the dungeon's malevolent presence.
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“Leaf!” Marcus called, as he preemptively ducked a horizontal swing from a one armed skeleton. The mages eyes darted from the impaled spriggan to the dozens of mana shards littering the ground beneath and around the giant ant.
He blasted the one armed skeleton with a bolt of arcane power, then he turned and fired at the mana shards. The energy from Marcus’s skill, infused with his will and intent, rapidly danced from one lesser shard to another. They cracked, then detonated in blinding flashes of blue light.
But he couldn’t check to see if the spriggan had survived, [Path of Fate] alerted him to imminent danger and [Nimble Steps] carried him away. And not a moment too soon, another skeleton, this one wielding a hammer of brilliant silver struck at the seeker with terrifying force.
The undead were the most bizarre creatures Marcus had ever encountered. He’d seen undead before, but there was something distinctly off about how these skeletons were fighting. They’re stumbling around as if drunk, but their attacks and skills are far too precise. It's like an expert warrior in the body of a toddler… Wait…
Throughout the Mythhold monuments and artworks depicting warriors of myth wielding weapons of silver. Mythical. He realised with a shock. These are the bodies of mythical class holders. They still have those classes!
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Sieg fought three undead at once, shards of ice surrounded him, orbiting him as if he were the centre of a great blizzard. They warded off the mostly mindless attacks but the undead were the most inconsistent opponents the slayer had ever fought.
One of the undead came at him, its unstable movements suddenly smoothing out into perfect sword strikes. It took all of Sieg’s attention to stay alive for the three seconds the skeleton pressed forward. Then it faltered, the mastery of battle and swordsmanship fleeing as if it were never present.
Sieg heard Marcus call out, and though he wanted to see why he simply didn’t have time. He bisected the undead and spun to face the next. Then a blinding flash of blue light came from the centre of the chamber.
Disorientated, Sieg willed his elemental powers to blast out in all directions. He instinctively rolled away from the closest skeleton. Sure enough, a sharp pain to his cheek confirmed that the monsters hadn’t been blinded.
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Leif sailed through the air. The spear of silver impaling him slowly dissolved as he flew gracelessly up and away from the now scattered remains of its wielder. It occurred to him at that moment that [Grounded Stance] only worked when you were, you know, grounded.
The spriggan would soon rectify that mistake as he crashed up against the curved ceiling and bounced off. He landed to the floor with a thud, his weight crushing tiles beneath him. Leif groaned and tried to get to his feet, but he couldn’t move.
The death energy was rendering him incapable. He couldn’t see the enslaver but he could feel its rage and unsated bloodlust. It seemed obsessed with him, and as hungry intent began to lock onto him from every direction he suspected something was making him appear like a tasty treat.
If pushing the death energy out didn’t work. And converting the energy is too slow… Leif hissed as he realised he would have to do something stupid.