Chapter 57: Fracture - Twilight Maze (4) (Patreon)

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“Spread out!”

Aurora pivoted away from me as soon as I barked the order, but the caster classes, Sarai and Krag, were too slow in moving their feet.

｢Ice Golem [Sarai Benepir]  has cast [Dark Tendrils] ｣

“What’s this?!”  

“Shite! It’s got me!”

The staple CC spell for all mages, [Dark Tendrils] sprouted out of the ground.  The Ice-Sarai waved hers staff again and I saw it getting ready to cast another spell.

“Krag! Sarai! We have to-”  I managed to yell out right as my own clone slammed into me.

I saw the [Coin Toss] effect activate right above its forehead, an almost translucent image of a coin flipping end over end, then saw the dark blue outline of a debuff.  But it disappeared moments later, canceled out by its own version of [Arcane Masochism].  My Ice-Lock swung its katana at me and I met it with my own, immediately being forced back.

“It received the Attack buff.”  With that knowledge in hand, I activated my own [Coin Toss].

A faint yellow outline covered me.

My own [Coin Toss] had ended in a buff, my [Arcane Masochism] wouldn’t activate.

Cursing under my breath I backpedaled.  My clone fought with all my intensity and skill, showering me with a dazzling display of sword and shield combinations.  I backed away just as its ice jagged katana threatened to skewer me in the throat only to find that the Ice-Clone had baited me into stepping back, its shield slammed into me from below.  My vision filled with stars as my brain rattled inside of my skull, the stars evolving to red and black spots in my one good eye.

The shield was going to be a problem.

These [Ice Golems] were made in our imagery, a gimmick in the Twilight Maze.  Usually [Ice golems] were grade 7 monsters holding various weapons; but at times golem type monsters like these appeared in certain dungeons.  They weren’t boss-class, but just as difficult to defeat.  They retained all our spells, Core Abilities and in some cases, skills.  

Just like it was doing now.

I saw Ice-Lock glow a brief red before my jaw exploded in pain, the sensation almost overwhelming the needle-like focus I had managed to attain.  It made me remember how difficult the battle with the [Unjo] had been and how devastatingly painful its [Hateful Wound] ability was.  

My Ice Golem counterpart gave me no quarter, it rushed me again in a whirling fury of blade and shield.

Holy shit, was I this relentless?

It was all I could do to stay on my two feet, slowly backing away and then trying to parry its katana with my own.  But the shield was making all the difference, every slash and thrust was followed up by a shield slam or strike, which I had to receive on my person.  The shield slammed into my stomach, then my ribs and I received it on the shoulder one last time before my clone whirled, disappearing from my view.

Something tangled into my knees and I felt myself fall over into the snow; the fucking ice-golem had bent down and spun in place, entangling its legs into mine.

It’s Jagged Katana, made entirely of ice, pierced through my shoulder and I could tell from the sensation that it had run me through.

But now it’s shoulder was exposed.  “Perhaps I could-”

Even before I could finish the thought, Ice-Lock wrenched the katana out of my shoulder and kicked me in the head, then stomach.  I felt my body rolling through the snow and turned it into a panic roll.  There was no way I could get up before my clone.

Was I outmatched by my own clone?

I saw Ice-Lock running towards me.

“Mr. Lock!”  

Just in time, Aurora’s armored frame came into view and slammed her giant Tower Shield into Ice-Lock, sending it tumbling end over end.  I saw the clone move like a cat, bounding backwards and then landing on its feet.  Aurora’s strike had definitely damaged it –bits of ice had been chipped off– but it showed no sign of pain.  It slowly stood up again, and began to walk towards us.

Slowly.

Steadily.

Inevitably.

I swallowed.

“Where’s yours?”  I gasped out and the moment the words left my mouth, Ice-Aurora came charging at us like an angry elephant, its Shield an ice-replica of Aurora’s own.

Aurora didn’t answer, instead meeting the shield charge with her own.

The sound of ice and metal clanging against each other rang out like a chime, a note so clear and crystalline that it could’ve been from an instrument.  The result was less dramatic, the two were locked in a stalemate.  I should have expected it, a battle between tanks could last for hours.

“Mr. Lock! Now!”

I didn’t need to see what Aurora meant, her clone’s back was exposed.

My shoulder was mostly numb but thankfully, I wasn’t carrying a shield.  I quickly moved behind Ice-Aurora, attempting to behead it with one clean stroke.

Ice-Lock appeared like a ghost and knocked me away.

As I was flying through the air –how the hell was it so strong?-- Ice-Lock promptly turned and used Ice-Aurora’s shield as cover, darting out and in against the real Aurora.  It could’ve gather enough momentum to do any real damage, but each of its strike were aimed at the gaps in her armor.  Armpit, knees, neck and any joint that had a flex-point or opening.

Aurora did her best to turn and angle her body, deflecting the blows each time.  But Ice-Aurora doubled its efforts, jabbing with an occasional lance thrust and shoving her shield into Aurora’s own; the move kept the female warrior locked in one place while my clone kept looking for weakness.

“Goddammit! Lad! Some help over here!”

Krag had gotten rid of the Dark Tendrils but now was struggling against a cloud of smoke that seemed to cling to his body.  Sarai ignored the smoke and mirrored Ice-Sarai’s spell, bogging it down as well.  

Did she really not have a single offensive spell? In that case, Pyret might as well get rid of her and replace her with a Shaman or Witch Doctor.  Mages were so powerful because of their versatility; buffs, debuffs, spells that did damage and changed the environment.  Mages were the only outliers that gained a variety of spells for different situations, albeit specializing in one or two elements.

We were going nowhere facing our own clones.

This was why I had wanted us to share a little bit more about our capabilities, to come up with the best strategy.  Yet everyone had refused.  It was four-on-three and we, the four, were losing.

Something clicked.

The adventurers of this world, caught up in their petty squabbles and feelings were weak.  They didn’t understand the importance of working together outside of their own party or personal feelings.  Krag and Sarai were examples; they were children stuck in the body of adults.

Screw their attitudes.

I would have to take charge.

Even if they didn’t want to obey, I’d have to force it.

As soon as that clicked, our next steps became clear.

“Aurora! Leave them! Charge Sarai’s clone!”

The warrior didn’t even hesitate.  I saw her shield glitter with silvery mana as she channeled [Capsize] and moments later, Ice-Aurora flipped onto her back.

“Sarai! Dark Tendrils on those two! Now!”  

“I’m busy over-”

“I SAID NOW!”

All the frustration, annoyance and anger I had been holding in towards the elven mage came out like a firework into those three words.  I saw Sarai flinch and immediately turn her attention to the two clones chasing after Aurora, using Dark Tendrils to stall them.

“Krag! Heal!”  

I saw Aurora get awashed in light-blue mana and felt my own wounds disappear.  The hole in my shoulder was gone.

“Keep them busy!”  I ran past Sarai, who was stumbling towards Ice-Lock and Ice-Aurora while maintaining concentration on her spell.

“They’re strong! I have to re-cast and I’m running low on mana!”  

“Then drink the fucking mana potion!”  I screamed out, frustrated that I had to give an order for every little thing.  The mage’s earlier attitude could have been forgiven if she was as half as competent as her insubordination.

Aurora and I flanked Ice-Sarai, both of us taking position without speaking.  It was to prevent the use of [Dark Tendrils] hitting us all at once.  The Ice Golem tried to back away from us but it was too slow, Aurora reached it first and thrust her lance into it.  The mage’s copy tried to cast another spell, but I followed up  Aurora’s maneuver with one of my own, knocking its staff away with my katana.

｢Ice Golem [Sarai Benepir]  has cast [Shadow’s Sting] ｣

Ice-Sarai waved its arms and a curtain of darkness enveloped both Aurora and I.  I felt it sting my skin then dissipate, right as a familiar inky black sticky mana coalesced near my feet.

But there was no need to use it, Aurora crushed the Ice Golem’s head with her lance, her face changing expression for the first time since I’ve met her.

Extreme anger.

Then satisfaction.

On the other side of the battle, trouble was brewing.  Ice-Aurora was still stuck in the Dark Tendrils, the large weapons were already heavy enough without the spell dragging them down, but my own clone had cut himself free.

I saw Krag and Sarai prepare spells together.

Sarai was a mage who specialized in debuffs.  Krag was a priest, a role solely dedicated toward support.

“NO!”  I said it too late.

They both stacked debuffs on debuffs on Ice-Lock.

I saw as my clone got noticeably faster, multiple folds.

Aurora reacted much faster than I did, as soon as I screamed out the word, she was already splitting the snow with her running and managed to block the first of Ice-Lock’s strikes.

[Jackpot!]

I knew it was a Jackpot as soon as it hit her shield.

Aurora’s shield crumbled like a piece of loose leaf paper and the woman was thrown across the hill, slammed into the door and fell to the ground like a rag doll –her chest slowly rising and falling.  But she was awake, I saw a glint of determination beneath the locks of gray hair that had fallen over her face.  There was no way to tell if she would be able to get up, that strike could’ve caused any number of broken bones.

“Legs! Stop it from moving!”  I ordered as I ran over.

Sarai took a moment to respond, rattled by my clone’s strength and it was a crucial mistake.

As soon as Ice-Lock’s feet touched the floor he blurred from my sight and was already in range to kill Sarai, the first of his strikes aimed right at her heart.

｢Krag Mason has cast [Light of the Hearth]｣

Krag’s spell saved her.

The katana sunk in about two inches then was yanked out as Sarai’s body burst into brilliant light; since the Ice Golems received our stats accordingly, it must have received my weakness too.  The change in light was too much and it bounded away, shaking its head like a startled animal.  I knew I couldn’t let it recover, it had received too many buffs.  Luckily, Krag’s spell had been one of the brightest lights I’d ever seen –it pierced through my hands even through my own eye– but I recovered before my Ice-Twin.  I struck sideways, cleaving its head right off.

Except I didn't. I didn't even scratch it.

“What?”  

It was my turn to be stupefied, my brain churning and coming to the conclusion that [Arcane Masochism] must have raised its defense to abnormal levels.  The lifeless ice doll recovered and slammed the shield into the side of my head.  Soon after I felt cold snow melt under my hands, my vision spinning.

“Mr. Lock!”  

Krag must’ve been pumping his heals into Aurora and Sarai because the two were back up.  Sarai grimacing –but she hadn’t lost concentration on the Dark Tendrils spell which kept Ice-Aurora in place– and casting [Parasitic Mask] to no avail; Ice-Lock batted it out of the air with cat-like reflexes.  Aurora tried to keep it in place, positioning it towards the Dark Tendrils with her superior reach but my clone was too fast, it slipped past her and ran towards Krag and Sarai.

Right as it slipped past me, I snatched at its heel.

I felt my shoulder pop out of its socket; that was my sword arm goddamit.

But the sheer speed of the monster plus its weight as a veritable sculpture of ice worked against it, its momentum transferred straight over as it crashed into the ground, chipping and grating against hard rock while skidding towards the two.

Aurora jumped onto its back with a punitive strike, her lance landing on its back.  Still, it’s defense was too tough; even her colossal lance combined with her armored weight couldn’t pierce through more than a few inches.  I grabbed my jagged katana with my left hand, determined to do something.

“Krag! Heat Spell!”  

Krag obeyed without question; the dwarf priest was dripping with sweat and blood; a deep wound on his armpit.  I hadn’t seen him get it but now wasn’t the time to focus on it; he put his hands out like before and started using [Heat] on the Ice Clone.  

These Ice Golems might have received our stats and abilities but they were still weak to anything related to Fire.  Normally, [Heat] was a support spell that did minimal damage not to mention my Shadow Wolf Mimic Core should have canceled it out.  However, for an Ice Golem it did almost double damage.  Plus, Krag’s spell was still in the process of fading; Ice-Lock wasn’t covered in shadow.

As it melted, Aurora’s Lance sank in deeper and deeper until it finally skewered my clone through the stomach.

My Ice Golem struggled till the end until it was nothing more than a puddle on the floor.

With Ice-Aurora being the last one left, it didn’t take long to take care of it using the combination of [Dark Tednrils] x [Heat] x Aurora and my weapons.

One of them dropped a Core.

An Ice Golem Core, Grade 7.

As soon as the Core dropped, a clear Orb with a Ice Crystal contained within, I saw greed come to life in the Sarai and Krag’s tired eyes.  I saw them assess the mood and open their mouths.

“Not a word.”  I said, gasping for breath.  “Not a word.”

The two shut up.

We took time to rest, gathering the loot from the three ice golems near the Core.  The four of us set together, each dealing with the physical and psychological stress in different ways.

I saw that Aurora’s shield was back to normal and she caught me staring at it.

Unlike her usual self, she kept the explanation short. “It has a [Self Repair] feature.”

“Damn, that means it’s at least a [Unique]-class item.  I wonder how much it cost… definitely 10,000 gold at the very least.”

The more I thought about it, the more attractive Aurora was becoming as a potential party member.

She was cool-headed, knowledgeable and most of all, skilled.  I could see Kyrian and Skaris getting along with her no nonsense attitude.  But how would I go about recruiting her?  Her equipment showed that she had no need for money; the dungeons we’d be tackling would be pocket change for her.  What else drove adventurers besides money and loot?

“Tch… something else to think about.”

“Lad.”

I looked up at Krag.

He had healed his own wounds and was resting.  I knew from playing MSS that healing was one of the most mana extensive actions in the game.  Hence, why I had kept Krag from using up too much of his mana.

“You said you’ve been an adventurer for what? A month? Two?”

“More or less.”  I wondered if my time as a Samak Desert counted.  If it didn’t and only counted from the day I registered… It was less than a week.

Krag studied me and I was reminded of Yousef.  “You’re truly only Grade 6?”

I spread my hands in a half shrug.

“I saw that your party only had three members.  You recruiting?”

I barked out a harsh laugh and but Krag’s expression didn’t change.  I thought he was joking.

“No disrespect intended.”  I coughed into my hand.  “But… would your Church let you join us?”

Priests couldn’t be recruited by simple means like mages or adventurers.  They were always connected with a series of quests linked to the Church they belonged to.

“Not me.”  Krag spat blood on the white snow, staining it.  “Just… asking for a friend.  Never you mind.”

Silence reigned again.

“Mr. Lock.  The Core.”

Right.  The Core would only last a few more minutes.

“Magus Sarai.  Please put the Core inside of an incubator.  You do have one yes?”  

“Hm?! Oh! Y-Yes! I will.”

I saw her take out the metallic tube and use her mana to move the Core into an incubator.  The rest of the drops were nothing to look at.  An ice dagger, some ice crystals and plates and a few more coins.  All we had to do now was enter the gate.  I hoped that Kyrian and Skaris got through Phase One without too much trouble.

“If no one wants the Core, we can split the money from it four ways.  Of course, Magus Sarai will be compensated for her Incubator.”

“T-Thank you sir!”

What the fuck was up with her?

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