Chapter 12 Part 4 of 6 (Patreon)

“Melee, arrowhead, drive through!” Roska yelled as the third and last group combined with the other two.

They drew their weapons and pushed forward.

The Rin unleashed their attacks, imbuing them with elements, creating spears of different elements.

Erik grabbed his hammers, feeling woefully unprepared.

Davos deflected a spear from Erik, as Erik called on the power of his body, he felt the shrapnel stabbing through him. The pain fueled his strike, hitting the Rin in the side, lifting him up with the sound of broken ribs.

Davos’ blade imbued with fire hissed as it stabbed through the Rin’s trap and burned through its body, leaving it smoking and unmoving.

Erik hurled a hammer at a Rin that threw a spear.

Davos grunted with the impact of the spear, stumbling into Erik who grabbed him with his now free hand.

Erik called upon the power of the elements, twisting them as he released lightning from his hand, it ballooned from finger-thin to the size of a fist, punching through the Rin.

Erik coughed and stepped backwards, someone behind him supported him and pulled him to the side. Erik held onto Davos who was groaning.

His vision cleared as he looked around.

Yang Zen had taken his position the team used elemental attacks, releasing the forces of nature with each blow, tearing through the Rin attacks.

Careful to not use any mana.

They had punched through.

“Alright, everyone aboard,” Egbert said, jumping onto George’s back as Davin flew above, watching the skies.

Erik moved close, a suction force fell over him as he entered the beast storage crate on Egbert’s hip.

He put Davos down, he pulled out revival needles, stabbing one into his leg and another into Davos. He had a spear through his right chest and out the back of his shoulder.

Others started appearing, entering the beast storage crates. Wounded from the teams.

“Osmo, I need your help,” Erik called out to a nearby team member, he lowered Davos to the ground and started pulling out medical gloves, he tore Davo’s IFAK from his back, pulling out a revival potion and stabbing it in Davos’ right peck above the spear.

“Tell me what you need.” Osmo said.

Esther appeared inside the storage ring with Harrod carrying her.

“Erik!” He yelled, running over.

Erik pulled out a mana stone and put it on the ground. This is going to suck.

“Assess her.” Erik said as he used organic scan on Davos.

Erik took out a potion, poured in a powder and shook it with his thumb on the lid.

“You! Hold him, Jin, be ready to pull out the spear.”

The team members moved to obey.

“Pull it.”

The Jin pulled it out in one vicious motion.

Davos gasped and curled, the other holding him down as I angled my thumb, the potion and powder came out in a spray like foam. It quickly coated the inside of the wound and started to fill out. Erik could see Davos’ body starting to repair itself.

“Jin get an IV line in, add in a shot of grade two revival potion.

Get him on his side Donnie,” Erik noticed the man holding Davos down. “Watch his breathing, he’s gonna have shit in his lungs, use mana spells to drain it out but keep him breathing.”

Erik pulled out a salve and put it under Davos’ lip.

“That will keep him under.” Erik put it next to Donny.

“Osmo!” Erik turned. “How she doing?”

“Nasty wound, elemental poisoning is spreading! Cracked skull and spine. Her upper chest is collapsed, heart’s under external pressure.” Osmo yelled as he worked.

Erik gritted his teeth, forcing back the blood as he called the power of the mana stone through the embedded shrapnel, that burned through his skin. Erik’s elemental domain spread out of his body.

I missed that.

Erik reached out, summoning the elements out of Esther and Davos’ body, using the elements he could control to drag the others out.

Erik was left panting and sweating, he blinked his eyes to get past the light-headedness, his latest meal of water and jerky threatening to make an appearance. He forced it down.

“That should deal with the poisoning, relieve the pressure on the brain, drain the blood, get her a revival potion in through her left shoulder, that will get into her heart quicker and up to her head. Get her armor off of her, and cut that tattoo on her back.”

Nymiria moved to assist him as Harrod sat nearby not knowing what to do.

Erik looked around wildly.

“Rugrat!” He caught his eye and looked at Harrod.

Rugrat moved over to him.

***

“Come on Harrod, lets get you over here,”

“But-“

“She’s in the best damn care in the ten realms. All of them are better than I ever was and Erik is an Expert healer, nearly Master, he’s got them.”

Rugrat pulled him away and turned him away from the sight.

“Come on, get your gear prepared, don’t know when we’ll get called out there.” Rugrat said.

“I,” Harrod started to turn and Rugrat grabbed him by the head, looking into his eyes.

“This is their fight, you would get in the way, let them do what they’re trained for,” Rugrat said.

Harrod hissed.

Tully stumbled in, bloody as she carried a team member.

“Team Two you’re up!” People stood up and exited the Beast Crate.

Harrod looked over.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Esther needs you,” Rugrat said.

He nodded tightly, gripping his iron gauntlets and then disappeared, leaving the Beast Storage crate.

Rugrat looked at where he had disappeared, he turned his vision to Erik and the others working on the wounded. Tully dropped off the wounded and disappeared.

Erik’s teeth were gritted in pain. Rugrat saw the mana stone on the ground crumbling as his eyes shone. He’s drawing on the power of the dungeon core, he’s fighting for them all.

He crouched down, he knew he would only get in the way of the team members working on the wounded.

Roska stumbled in, missing an arm. Rugrat steadied her as she poured a potion on her arm.

“Let me get you to the healers.”

“No, just need,” She gasped, using a healing spell, her arm weaved back together and she drew out a sword.

“Thanks.”

She disappeared.

How bad was the fighting to make her lose an arm. I thought that we wouldn’t have to fight anyone once we broke out from the Rin! Are they fighting the Dragons?i

Rugrat’s stomachs were doing flips and his body was filled with energy.

The wounded were being stabilized.

If death wanted to claim them, they would have to face Erik himself and fight him to claim them.

Kameela came in, holding her stomach that had been torn apart, holding her rifle like a crutch.

She dropped to a knee, Erik sent out a healing spell throwing out powder that covered her wound, she rose up, grunting, she stored her rifle, pulling out a loaded one and headed out.

Damn this all Rugrat crouched down, feeling tears burning in his eyes, the bubbling rage that shame. I’m sorry Dad, I’m sorry Antonio, I’m not strong enough.

“I wanted to be closer to you, I wanted to do you proud Dad. I wanted to be closer to you both.” The fiery tears blurred his vision as a screen appeared and he felt something shift in his body, he cried out, falling backwards as his body burned.

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Quest Completed: Why do you fight?

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You fight to be closer with your Father and Brother.

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Rewards:

Reformation of Will

Entrance to the Ninth Realm once you reach level 80

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The dungeon core fragments in his skin dissolved and spread into his body as a familiar golden energy, soothing mana and elemental energy.

It ran through his body, healing him, the flood of energy increasing his cultivation, surging towards his mana and elemental cores.

He felt like something unlocked in his brain as his senses spread out through his body and throughout the surrounding area.

Damn, like messing around with the radio dial and getting it just right.

Everything came into focus, his mind racing through memories.

He thought through his previous actions, joining the Marines, those inner moments when he was at his weakest, but a half-step away from giving up. How he’d drawn strength from knowing his father and brother went through the same thing and made it through.

Dad, Antonio A peaceful smile fell on his face as he he felt his mana cultivation surge, breaking through a barrier before it settled down.

His mana core shifted, and changed, five new mana veins, as thin as thread reached out and connected to his arteries.

Rugrat let out a shocked breath as mana ran through his body. Causing him to shiver like water upon fresh fields his cells vibrated with power, washing away their fatigue and flourishing. He looked at his shattered body while he had guided his mana in the past, but now he controlled it.

Rugrat reached inward feeling his will strengthen his actions, aligned with purpose as his body changed with his direction.

He had studied the damage hundreds of times, with others, or by himself, he knew the way things were meant to be. Now he remembered everything they had said, changing and altering his body, adding in his own alterations.

He altered mana pathways, maximizing their efficiency, it was as if he had a regular rifle after shooting it for years he was applying customizations to fit it perfectly to his shooting style.

Rugrat grimaced as he paused, the changes causing pain. He felt like a balloon that had reached its limits. I don’t have enough energy, my body is too weak for all of these changes. Need to increase my temperings.