L.E. Miranda
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B2 Chapter 14: The Consumed Territory (4)
🕑 Added 2024-10-16 23:54:40 +0000 UTCThe darkness retreated as if it were running away, revealing the area around him. After doing so, some distance away, the shadows raged. They gathered up, becoming thicker and creating a veil of darkness, but they didn’t approach him. It was evidence that the Curse, at least this close to the outer edge, couldn’t cope with Illumination.
Things might change the deeper I go.
He had only just entered the Consumed Territory. There was much he still didn’t understand. It was possible that the Curse was stronger in the inner area. Silently, Michael surveyed his surroundings. He looked at the ground.
A path?
He blinked in surprise. The path was uneven, and some parts had been upturned, but it was still reminiscent of the path that led to Bluestone Village. It was still too early to tell, but did it mean that there was a Village inside the Consumed Territory? Or did the path lead somewhere else? He frowned. At that moment, the sound of footsteps reached his ears, captured by his improved hearing.
It’s fast.
The steps were light and rang out in extremely small intervals. Based on this, he could tell that the incoming creature was faster than anything he had faced. Every moment brought the sounds closer to Michael. He turned in their direction, chanting.
“Mana Shield.”
A layer of mana took shape above his skin. It was a precaution against a possible enemy that he didn’t understand. With both Illumination and Mana Shield active, his eyes kept darting around, trying to see through the veil of darkness.
A second dragged by as his focus reached its extremes. Barely a heartbeat later, something shot out of the shadows towards his right side. His eyes immediately zeroed in on it as he moved his body without needing to think. Even with Illumination’s empowerment, he only had the time to step back before the projectile grazed his Shield. The sound of the collision echoed. The Shield held on. The projectile continued on, much slower than before, flying through the illuminated ring around Michael and disappearing into the shadows on the other side.
That was the fastest attack I ever faced.
He had been focused and ready for a surprise attack but still hadn’t managed to dodge it completely. The projectile had been faster than even the Royal Griffin. He didn’t know why, but a grin made its way to his face as he looked in the direction the attack had come from.
Grow.
He focused on expanding the area revealed by Illumination. The golden light stretched out, forcing the darkness back as it writhed and pulsated. Tendrils of darkness approached the light, only to retreat at the slightest touch. There, under the lighting provided by his Heritage Skill, surrounded by the darkness as if they were loved by it, he saw his attacker. Then, he blinked rapidly, narrowing his eyes.
A dark elf?
[Analyze has failed. Target is too high Level.]
No matter how he looked at it, the creature pulling an arrow out of the quiver on its back and nocking into a black bow was a dark elf, possessing all the traits of the so-called NPCs in Bluestone. Skin almost as dark as the shadows around them, large, pointy ears, and a lithe, tall frame, alongside handsome features. The man’s hair was gray, almost covered entirely by the shadows.
However, Michael realized immediately that there were differences between this dark elf and the ones in Bluestone. This one wore leather armor, but it was torn open in the chest area, revealing three large gashes. They looked almost like claw marks. The wounds were deep enough to reveal bone, but the dark elf showed no signs of feeling pain or being hindered by them. Still, that wasn’t the thing that stood out the most. He looked at the dark elf’s face.
He was crying.
No, it couldn’t be described as that. A clear white, slightly-glowing liquid streamed out of the man’s eyes, seemingly endlessly. The ‘tears’ flowed down his face and neck, creating a clear path.
Before he could analyze the dark elf further, the man raised his bow and pulled back the arrow. Michael immediately lowered his center of gravity, thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant.
I can’t dismiss Illumination.
Without the Heritage Skill, his visibility would be completely compromised. He hadn’t had the time to test if Lightspeed and Cleansing could push back the darkness as well, but even if they could, he doubted it would be to the same extent as Illumination. Since he was still unable to use two Heritage Skills at the same time, he would have to fight without Lightspeed.
Energy gathered around the dark elf’s bow and arrow. The arrow’s tip became darker than the night sky. Michael shot to the side, but the dark elf moved the bow and released the arrow. It flew through the air as if it had been shot by a railgun.
Shit!
The arrow crossed the distance between them in an instant, hitting his right shoulder. His feet left the ground as the arrow kept pushing, trying to pierce through the Shield. He flew backwards, spinning like a top. With gritted teeth, he sunk his feet into the earth, grinding to a halt by upturning the ground. The Shield was unbroken, but the impact alone had flung him farther away from the dark elf. His now stabilized gaze zeroed in on the dark elf.
The glowing tears kept streaming out of his eyes as he nocked another arrow. Energy began to gather around the bow and arrow.
It can do that again!?
He felt as if he understood the enemies he had faced so far a bit more. Was this how it felt to face an enemy that could spam powerful Skills?
I can’t win without attacking.
He needed to dismiss the Shield and attack, but the arrow was faster than his current self. To succeed, it was imperative to predict its path and avoid it while attacking at the same time. Michael discarded the notion of completely dodging the arrow. Without Lightspeed, it was impossible. The best he could do was to minimize the damage. The bow was raised, the arrow pointing straight to his chest. It would be harder to dodge than if it had been pointed at his head, while both cases would be lethal anyway. Did the dark elf still have battle senses?
Focus.
His pupils dilated. Illumination’s empowerment coursed through his body. His muscles tensed up, ready to spring to action. The Shield around him disappeared.
Forty Points into Dexterity.
His body shifted, becoming more flexible and capable of more explosive movement. Every facet related to his movement speed improved. Michael and the dark elf moved at the same time. The man released the arrow and then immediately moved to grab another one from the quiver in a single, fluid movement. Michael shot diagonally, closing the distance between them to have better visibility while also attempting to dodge. His staff drew a circle in the air. A glowing sphere made of blue mana took shape.
Yet, the arrow was even faster. It arrived the moment the Sphere shot forward. Michael twisted his body the best he could as the arrow cleanly pierced through the right side of his belly. The energy in the attack invaded his body, widening the injury; however, his Constitution proved its worth. It was as if his very body was fighting back against the attack as his Dragonheart thumped. His bloodstream sped up. Blood flowed.
With gritted teeth, he watched the Mana Sphere’s movement. The enemy hadn’t walked away unharmed; the Sphere had found its mark. The dark elf’s right arm fell to the ground, severed. A liquid black as ink flowed out of the wound, reminiscent of blood. It wouldn’t be able to hold the bow and shoot anymore.
Fuck, it hurts.
Peace of Mind kept his mind clear, despite the suffering. He couldn’t even completely cover the wound with his free hand; a good part of the right side of his belly was missing. The only reason why he hadn’t yet fallen to the ground was his Constitution. His Dragonheart galloped within his chest, attempting to deal with the injury. Michael narrowed his eyes as the dark elf threw the bow on the ground and unsheathed the dagger on his waist.
The creature ran towards him, much slower than the previous arrows. This, he could cope with. The light around him intensified. Twin Mana Spheres coalesced above the staff, then flew towards the dark elf. One of them flew straight ahead, while the other flew in an arc, aiming for the elf’s left side. Michael kept chanting.
Dodge to the right.
To avoid both Spheres, the dark elf jumped to the right. Michael gave the elf a bloody grin.
“Earth Spike.”
The ground under the enemy rippled. He looked down, but it was too late. The earth rose as a spike, impaling the dark elf mid-air and piercing right through the side of his chest. Yet, the dark elf didn’t die. He contorted, hitting the Earth Spike with the dagger. The structure cracked and began to crumble, but it had bought Michael the time he needed.
“Mana Wave.”
Twin Mana Waves flew forward, one at the height of the elf’s chest and another aiming for his waist. The Earth Spike was destroyed by the dark elf’s sheer strength, but there was no time for the man to dodge. It happened in an instant. The two Waves arrived at the same time. The dark elf’s lower body collapsed as his upper half was bisected by the upper Wave. The shoulders and head were separated from the rest, falling to the ground.
[You have slain Lith, The Forgotten (Level 55).]
[You have reached Level 41.]
Michael let out a breath as he saw and heard the notification. Immediately afterwards, he started chanting. A halo appeared above his head, rotating slowly. The light he emitted was drastically reduced; the darkness flooded in as if it had been waiting for this moment, but it was still kept at arm’s reach by Cleansing’s light.
“Minor Heal.”
Waves of green mana kept flowing through him, two at a time, as he cast the spell repeatedly. As he did, he looked at his injury, watching the muscles, ligaments, and skin rebuilding themselves. For some reason, he grinned.
Maybe this would be harder than he thought.
