Cool as a cucumber with one massive eye, he sticks to his guns and pumps out shield after shield, keeping up with the towering whirlpool of death as it desperately tries to prevent him from blowing it sky-high.
Actually, I just had a thought… It’s throwing out hundreds of litres worth of water… Is that weakening it in some way? If the water is part of its body, and I cause damage by burning it away, is it hurting itself by doing this? Then my mind is drawn back to the scene we saw when the creature first revealed itself. It had clearly dispersed its body and then pulled itself back together, so perhaps it can call that water back to itself if given the chance?
[Crinis! Try and destroy whatever water you can find lying about.]
[Ah! W-what? How do I do that!]
[Just drink it or something!]
Wait a sec…
[Don’t drink it—but do something!]
[Yes, Master!]
Hopefully, she can prevent the creature from calling the water back, making the loss of mass permanent.
[How are you holding up, Invidia?] I call to my pet, still focusing inward on piecing my spell together.
[I sssshall take all it can give meeee!]
[I like that confidence!]
He does seem perfectly capable. Good luck, chief! Keep up the good work! Because, as a matter of fact, I only need a moment longer to apply the finishing touches, and…
There!
The last of the condensed Mana slots into place and each of my brains sit back with a sigh, wiping metaphorical sweat off their neurons. This is possibly the heftiest piece of Elemental Magic I’ve put together to date, and I hope to heck it works against this stupid thing. If not, I’ll be forced to break out the bomb.
I skitter back from the monster, giving myself a little space before I rear up and unleash my spell. A wave of heat blasts into existence, flaring into life and chasing away the perpetual shadows of the second stratum. The spell takes the shape of a stream of pure flame that grows as it travels until it connects the ceiling of the tunnel to the floor. The temperature rises precipitously as I hear the monster scream its rage once more.
Gwehehehehe.
How do you like that, you stupid puddle? Get roasted!
The fire and water collide with a deafening hiss, steam billowing to an absurd degree, blotting out vision and causing my antennae to drip from the overwhelming moisture in the air.
[Invidia! Strike now!]
Preoccupied with battling against my fire, the barrage against the little demon has faltered at last. With a gleeful gleam in his eye, Invidia floats forward slightly, weaving together a devastating series of detonations that rock the tunnel and send debris flying.
Unsure what’s happening, I start to draw out chunks of Gravity Mana and squash it just in case I need it. Before I get far with that process, my antennae twitch in warning, and I sense movement all around me. It’s calling back the water! All of the dispersed water Crinis hasn’t managed to deal with is drawn back to the ball, which is still reeling from the torrents of magic. Unwilling to let it heal itself, I charge more Mana into my domain, spreading it further. I leap to intercept as much of the liquid trailing through the air as I can.
More hissing, more steam as the water evaporates when it contacts the domain. I keep the pressure on maintaining my domain and moving closer to the creature once more, relying on the constant burn effect to continue whittling it down. After a few tense moments, my patience is rewarded with the voice of Gandalf himself.
[You have defeated a Level 17 Aqua Spiritus.]
[You have gained XP.]
Nice! Finally got it! Eager to collect the spoils, I run forward into the drifting steam, casting my senses about as I attempt to find the core. Given how powerful it is, the thing practically radiates Mana. I leap on it with glee and seize it in my mandibles before I start looking around for the rest of the rewards. It takes a long moment of turning left and right for me to work out that the creature was made of water… and therefore wouldn’t have anything by way of Biomass.
No food! After defeating something like that? How is that fair!
I look down at the damp floor of the tunnel, the water now freely mixing with the dirt, rock, and dust… I think I’ll leave it. I’m not that hungry. Tired and weary from the difficult fight, the three of us make our way back behind the defensive line to find Tiny still sleeping with the pupa cradled in his arms.
Unwilling to wake him prematurely, we settle down for a meal only to find he immediately wakes the moment any Biomass is placed within several metres of him. We chow down, but I can’t help but bring my antennae forward to examine the glowing blue core of this particularly strange monster that we ran into. It wasn’t like anything I’d seen before, and I’m quite interested to see how it ticks.
86. A Glimpse of the Fourth
Travelling the wildlands of the uncultured south wasn’t pleasant, dear reader, not at all! The deprivation! The sheer lack of fortified beverages! I jest, readers, of course I jest. Who am I, after all? Tolly! The bold explorer of the unknown! Despite what I may have been led to believe by the general discussion amongst the ladies in my circles, the trip wasn’t nearly as terrible as I might have thought.
Rolling hills, green grassland, forests alive with birds and wildlife. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was picturesque, do not be confused, reader, the sparse population of those lands means that the monster population is high and we saw many such critters roaming as we flew overhead. I only mean to state that it wasn’t nearly so desolate as many might have you believe.
For the journey, I travelled by Skimmer, a lovely beast by the name of Skydaisy, and her handler, Barlon, who was more than accommodating on the trip. A lovely gentleman, who was himself born and raised in the wild country, he proved an engaging and informative guide as the kilometres vanished. It took several weeks of travel to reach the lands once occupied by the frontier kingdoms, small fiefdoms established a mere few hundred years ago by breakaway families who sought to carve out their own destiny on the edges of civilisation, battling against the monsters and the land.
There is a certain romance in it, reader, is there not? As a fearless and brave adventurer, I myself perfectly understand the wild, untamed spirit that would cause someone to leave behind the comforts and security of home to take hold of their own fortunes! The difference being, I would never do it. I would miss my sherry and the warmth of my enchanted hearth far too much to give it up entirely. It’s already as much as I can bear to be away from my comforts for the time it takes to satisfy my curiosity and bring back these missives for you, you can’t ask more of me than that, my demanding readers!
On a more sombre note, it was clear when we crossed the border and the devastation caused by the wave rolled out. Ruined towns and cities, burned farmsteads, and a flattened countryside were cold reminders of the tragedy that occurred here. It was such a sorry scene, I needed my guards to pass my smelling salts to dash away a case of light-headedness. I shall not dwell upon that which is past, though it pained my old heart to witness it. Instead, I shall return the focus of this travelogue to the bizarre present and the unknowable future!
For it wasn’t long after that we began to fly over the first signs of civilisation! Newly built farmsteads with smoking chimneys, freshly ploughed fields, and dark tilled soil. Such a sight was almost enough to bring a tear to my tired eyes. The unfailing spirit of the sapient! The hardy folk of the frontier, risen from the ashes like the phoenix of Avar! Although they did not do it alone… as you are well aware.