Book 2: Chapter 55 (Patreon)

Daniel’s words pierced the fog of Orrin’s thoughts. Too many people were in the small holding room. They had rushed in the front door and found Daniel tied to a chair. Ten empty cells to either side of him and only one other entrance. The sudden betrayal of the council in forcibly taking Daniel was a surprise. Finding them siding with their enemy was a completely separate issue.

“Daniel, we should run,” Orrin saddled up alongside his friend and felt his body take a natural defensive position as [Way of the Water] flooded his mind with knowledge. He didn’t know what skills or spells the four council members could use but the aura coming off of Lord Sanerris alone was enough to set his neck hairs tingling. “This isn’t a fight we want to be part of.”

Despite his words, he quickly made sure to buff Daniel and himself to the max. Madi, Leanthun, and Arandir were already holding the top increased stats Orrin felt comfortable giving.

“O, you didn’t meet all those volunteers I gave the Quest to,” Daniel spoke through gritted teeth. “When they were tying me to that chair, the other elven chick there said she blamed me. She said it was my fault they all died.”

Behind Gwynnestri, the other female council member hissed at him. “It is your fault. You escalated everything by coming here.”

“Sariandi, calm yourself,” Devdan held an arm out to keep her from charging forward. The elder that Arandir had thrown across the room before looked calm as he turned back to the party. “Arandir, surrender him. You and your nephew cannot hope to take all four of us.”

Daniel stood up straight and let Gertrude dip. “Is… is he ignoring us?”

Orrin closed his eyes and dropped his head. “Damn it. You’d think they’d learn, right?”

The female council member, Sariandi, raised her staff and pointed it at Daniel. Orrin swept his [Ice Sword] along the tip of Gertrude, pushing Daniel back a half-step. A bolt of green light twisted by his face.

“Andi!” Devdan knocked her staff down. “Incapacitate, not kill.”

There was a split second after the word ‘kill’ where nobody moved. The flurry of movement, magic, and mayhem that followed surprised Orrin with the intensity and violence it brought.

Gwynnestri and the other male elf advanced  on Arandir. Leanthun dashed in front of the older elf and caught Gwynnestri’s downstroke with his khopesh, twisting the longer sword to the side as it slid along the metal.

The other elf swung his two hammers in opposite directions, aiming to hit Leanthun’s outstretched left arm and his right knee at the same time. Leanthun’s spiked mace head detached, letting out a few feet of thin metal chain. A quick loop of his hand and Leanthun tangled both weapons. Hammer elf had to move to the side, as his own attack swung the spiked tip of the mace in his path.

Arandir ignored the two attacking him. He sent magic flying at Sanerris which fizzled out as it closed in on the human. Sanerris leaned on the broken door frame and faked a yawn as the various spells failed to hit.

Daniel had ducked under Orrin’s guard and attacked Devdan and the female with the staff. Madi was jabbing with her spear and sending her own spells at both in an attempt to disorient them. Devdan was waving his hands like he was at a rave, throwing her spells into the ceiling and deflecting Daniel’s attacks with bursts of air and ice.

Orrin cast inversed increase stat spells on the elves. He got Devdan and Sariandi with both will and intelligence, before hitting Gwynnestri with dexterity and strength. Her sword dipped for a moment but she powered through and caught Leanthun’s counterattack.

“That looks like a fun spell,” Sanerris said, tilting his head. “I must have it.”

Orrin felt a spike of pressure behind his eyes for a moment before [Mind Bastion] sealed his brain up tight.

“Oh, Arandir. What is this one?” Sanerris pushed off his bored perch and began to hop through the battlefield, avoiding the skirmishes going on. “Did you teach him some tricks?”

Orrin’s fighting skill was telling him to run. Run and not look back. Sanerris’ nonchalant attitude in the middle of a fight this intense was disconcerting.

Daniel activated his speedy-skill and pushed the two elves back. Devdan used his air magic to push himself back, sliding on ice to avoid the strikes. The woman dodged two strikes but grunted when Daniel stabbed when she expected a swing. Daniel’s sword came back red and she fell to the ground.

“You’re next,” Daniel threatened, pointing at Devdan. He activated [Gravity Well], trying to pull the elf in.

Daniel’s skill also caught Sanerris. For the first time, something affected him. Sanerris tottered to the side and made his first move.

He simply flicked his fingers at Daniel.

The [Hero] was thrown across the room. His head struck the metal bars of one of the cells with a clang that echoed across the room. Daniel did not get up.

Orrin was moving before Daniel landed on the ground, sliding on his knees to grab his friend and pour healing spells on him as he checked his health.

“Itsh all good,” Daniel slurred, blinking with one crossed eye. Several teeth were missing and the side of his face was crushed. His cheekbone was caved in but popping back out, making crunching noises as Orrin’s healing set the injury. “Jush need a minute or few…”

Orrin felt Madi rest her feet at his back, holding the rest of the attackers off with her spear. Daniel’s health was leveled but the injury would take a minute or two to fully correct itself. Time they didn’t have.

Orrin had dropped his swords as he rushed to his friend. He turned as he stood, taking in the room in a glance. Leanthun was bleeding and fighting Gwynnestri, while Arandir was standing over the still form of the man who used the hammers. Sanerris was smiling at Madi and holding the tip of her spear between two fingers. Devdan cast a spell that caught her under the ribs and lifted her up before slamming her to the ground.

Orrin knew this was going to end badly. He was not built for up-close fighting. His [Way of the Water] skill was about avoiding attacks. The best he could do was use [Toxic Touch] to do some damage but it was a cheap skill for a reason. It didn’t do much damage at all. Strangely, as the sleazy-looking elf advanced on him, he felt the calm in his mind still trying to find options.

He could use the Administrator Powers but against this many people, it would cost him everything. He needed to be stronger. He needed to hit these people back for everything they’d done. They were trying to hurt his friends and he was NOT going to stand for that. He would do it. Whatever the cost. Orrin moved to pull the skill up and spend the points.

A sensation that he’d felt only once before reared its head. [Blood Mana] darkened his vision, making everywhere he turned to look as if it was far away, down a tunnel. Instead of pushing back, the logical side of [Mind Bastion] embraced the darkness. Something clicked in the skill and Orrin’s vision came back in a rush. A new understanding of [Blood Mana] surged into his mind, connecting multiple thoughts into one possible chance.

Orrin’s smile froze Devdan, who was advancing on them. He pulled the stopper from a small glass vial he kept on his belt and downed it.

“Wha—?”

Orrin didn’t try to hit him, he simply reached out and touched.

[Blood Mana] activated, pulling Devdan’s health and turning it to mana. The elf’s constitution was high. High enough that such a spell should have done negligible damage. Orrin used Devdan’s own health as mana to activate [Toxic Touch]. Then, while keeping the cycle going, he pulled harder and used [Remetabolize].

[Remetabolize] – change the toxicity and structure of a toxin   (50 MP)

Orrin spent all his mana. He’d downed one of his regen potions and blood cycled. He had a blue screen up, watching his experimental attack in the middle of the battle.

The screen displayed his new chart from [Analyze], showing him how much more he could blood cycle before he killed himself. The numbers were moving much faster than he’d thought possible.

Devdan tried to hit him, but Orrin used [Way of the Water] to move around the elf, keeping a hand on him when he could. Every time he had to let go, Devdan tried to run and Orrin put himself back in front of the man.

“What are you?” Devdan screamed as black skin cracked where Orrin’s fingers touched. Spindly veins rapidly darkened from each spot he touched. The poison was only going so far within the elf but each tiny bit of contact exacerbated his condition.

“I’m the one you don’t fuck with,” Orrin said, feeling cocky. He reached and slapped the elf across his face.

Devdan opened his mouth and then started to seize. He stayed upright for a moment before falling back. He landed hard and coughed up blood. Orrin turned to Sanerris.

“You’re next.”

Daniel was getting to his feet and pulling Madi up. She gasped in pain and held her arm at a weird angle but slid-kicked her spear into the air and caught it with her other hand. Arandir and Leanthun didn’t speak or give Sanerris a chance. They’d taken out Gwynnestri and attacked the man from behind.

“Maybe next time.” Sanerris smiled and stepped gracefully around the elven attacks. “Come visit Odrana. Both of you. We should talk.”

Daniel pointed Gertrude at the man. “You think we are going to let you out of here alive?”

Sanerris tilted his head. “If I wanted you dead, I would kill you. You need to train harder, little [Hero]. You know what’s coming for us.”

Orrin felt a chill run down his spine. There is no way that he knows.

“I’m the one coming for you. Do you want to surrender or should we chop you up too?” Daniel was talking a big game, but Orrin could see he was still hurt. In fact, Orrin was the only one that hadn’t taken a lot of damage in the fight.

“I can leave whenever I want. I’m still here because this tactic seems to have failed. While it has been fun bringing these sniveling scum down a peg, I never cared for this forest. I wanted Arandir to help me but he refused. Now I’ll ask you. Come to Odrana and let us find a way to end the demon threat before it is too late.”

Daniel swung Gertrude at Sanerris. The man moved at the last second again, dodging like he knew where the sword would hit. He sighed and raised his hand.

“If you attack me again, I’ll put you down. It would be nice if you would come on your own volition but I do not have forever to play.”

“Daniel, please step back,” Arandir asked politely, leaning heavily on his staff. “Lord Sanerris, you have driven a wedge into our leaders’ hearts and destroyed relationships older than your family. Have you not done enough? Leave our lands and never return.”

Sanerris ran his fingers through his hair again. “Done enough? Old man, I told you. This isn’t about just me and Odrana. Everyone on Asmea will suffer.”

“You leave me no choice then. I will force you to go.”

“I’m not going yet. This young man here has some interesting new magic. I want it.”

Orrin couldn’t believe the audacity of this asshole. “Never going to happen.”

Arandir smiled at Orrin and smacked his staff down on the ground twice.

Sanerris glanced around, becoming more concerned as he looked at something only he could see. “What are you doing? That… That’s not possible. How?”

He turned and fled out the back door. Daniel chased after him, cursing him. Orrin chased his friend, cursing him as well. The back door let out into another street. Daniel was close on the heels of Sanerris.

A rumble in the streets caught Orrin’s attention and he stopped running to watch in awe as a tree root the size of a train came barreling toward them. It undulated as it broke free of the ground holding it captive, reaching for its target. A small blonde human against the Matriarch tree.

The tree root swung in the air and came down, smashing into the ground and lifting back up. A crater remained where it had hit but as Orrin came up beside his friend, he didn’t see a body.

“Where is he?” Orrin tried to catch a glimpse of the root as it pulled back and began to make its way back, sinking into the ground.

Daniel slumped to the ground. “Too late and weak, again.”

“Daniel, where is Sanerris?”

His friend waved a hand in the air. “I was so close, O. I could almost touch him.” Daniel sighed and hung his head. “He teleported out right before the tree hit him.”