TtOW! - Chapter 153 - The Test (Patreon)

[You have slain Felix Pluvia (Level 24)!]

[Gained 11XP!]

[Level up! You are now level 30!]

Taog exhaled his breath. He then took out his pack, and poured a potion over the scratch on his face.

This Felix Pluvia had been five levels under him, yet this was the closest he had come to death yet. Its ability to hide amidst the rain and the mist let it get the drop on him, especially as he traveled by a foggy bog. He was deeply fortunate that Miallói had once trained him utilizing the same technique, otherwise he wouldn’t have managed to dodge. That scratch could have been a lot worse.

But still, beyond its stealth, the monster had not been much of challenge, disadvantaged in levels as it was. Taog would not consider that as the test Mighty Victoria had told him about, dangerous though it was. So he turned north, and continued his journey…

***

Ateia focused on Taog, focusing on her desire to see him, and make sure he was alright. She then stirred up the Holy mana resting inside of her. She extended it into the world around her.

It had taken her a while to arrange her mana like Colleöne had taught. And longer still to extend her perception beyond her senses. But now…now Ateia began to move beyond herself.

She could see into the water, she could feel the Aelea beneath her, she could smell the air around her.

And…she could feel the subtle current of Holy mana, flowing through and between everything around her.

She gently reached out with her own mana…connecting to the stream.

But then, her heart began to pound. Information began to stream into her brain. She could see the rock each grain of sand beneath her had started as. She could smell which creatures had recently swam through the water of the cove. She could feel tiny bits of air bouncing against each other.

Her eyes began to widen. She remembered streams like this flowing into her. She remembered every inch of her body burning. Burning like her head did now.

She heard the Herald of Twilight cackle overhead.

She screamed and clutched her head as pain and information overwhelmed her mind. She lost control of her mana and the connection fell to pieces. Her cybernetic side suddenly shut off from memory overload, and she fell off her feet.

NSLICE-00P caught her before she hit the ground. NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered as she ran diagnostics on Ateia’s cybernetic half. Ateia gasped for breath as her components slowly booted back up. Colleöne made a worried frown.

“Are you ok, Ateia?”

Ateia closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. NSLICE-00P helped her cybernetic half reset its memory and return to normal. Ateia slowly stood back on her own feet.

“I’m…fine. Thanks Seero.”

“Acknowledged. Warning: NSLICE memory is insufficient to handle unfiltered Divination data transfer.”

Colleöne nodded.

“Even the Aesdes cannot perceive everything all at once, and must learn to focus our sight.”

Colleöne grimaced.

“It…is a bit early for Ateia to do so. And…I suppose in my joy in training you I had forgotten what had been done to you, and its similarities to this technique.”

But Ateia shook her head. She sat on the ground, a snarl on her face.

“No. I’m not going to let those monsters take anything more away from me. I’m going to break through this and find Taog.”

Colleöne blinked at that, and then made a sad smile. She whispered to herself.

“I applaud your courage, though I wish it was unnecessary.”

Ateia then rubbed her chin, and took a deep breath.

“Seero…those ‘emotional controls’...can you control them? Like, disable one emotion at a time?”

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered. Her original organization had not programmed such a capability, as they never intended for an NSLICE unit to operate without the full controls.

But despite that…it turned out NSLICE-00P did have protocols for selective emotional controls, put in place by her previous Commander upon her reprogramming. Apparently, her previous Commander had considered this case within the realm of possibility. NSLICE-00P just hadn’t noticed since until now she hadn’t seen a need to disable any part of the emotional controls.

“Affirmative.”

Ateia slowly nodded.

“Then…could you turn off my pain and my fear?”

Colleöne frowned.

“I see what you’re trying to do, but I cannot recommend it. Pain and fear serve a purpose, they inform us when something is wrong. This is a difficult technique that is not without risk. If you do not know when something is wrong, you risk even greater damage than you have experienced.”

Ateia shook her head.

“I’m just getting distracted by the memories, so I can’t grasp the right feeling. But if I could succeed at it just once, I think I could figure out how to move beyond those thoughts. I just want to focus on one thing at a time.”

“Suggestion: This unit could link to NSLICE Ateia, and monitor her cybernetic components for memory overflow, and so inform her before she reaches critical levels. This unit could also utilize her processing and memory resources to assist with the data filtering. Caveat: This would require NSLICE Ateia to link back to the NSLICE network as per her initial boot cycle, and so carries the risk of damage due to incompatibilities between preexisting organic memories and the techno-organic interface.”

Ateia frowned.

“…that was when my components tried activating emotional controls, right?”

“Affirmative.”

Ateia took another deep breath, then turned her head to look NSLICE-00P in the eyes.

“That…was unexpected, and not enjoyable. But…now that I know what’s going on, what it’s doing, and most importantly who is behind it…I think I want to try again. I trust you, Seero. And if it hurts…I’d prefer pain from you then pain from that stupid, Aesdes-forsaken cult.”

Ateia then flushed and turned to Colleöne.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any offense.”

Colleöne chuckled.

“None taken.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“And we have withdrawn our support from them to the maximum extent possible. ‘Aesdes-forsaken’ is not an inaccurate description. On a personal level, I cannot speak for the rest of the Aesdes, but I, at least, am not particularly fond of those individuals.”

Colleöne then turned to NSLICE-00P and rubbed her chin, and then she sighed.

“I…am not fully comfortable with this course of action, but I believe it has a reasonable chance of success, or at least may mitigate some of the risks. If you both are resolved, then I will say no more.”

Ateia nodded and then turned to NSLICE-00P.

“In that case, will you please help me, Seero?”

“Affirmative.”

NSLICE-00P began to connect to Ateia’s cybernetic components once again…

***

Taog continued his journey north, marching through the forest. But then, his nose twitched and he frowned.

It was a scent he had not smelled before, but one that gave him goosebumps. Something deep inside him was warning that he should not proceed any further.

He took a deep breath, and then took a step forward.

Mighty Victoria had stated he would be tested, and whatever this was was challenging him before he had even seen it. He needed to at least determine what it was.

Still, he crouched down, and began creeping forward silently. If his instincts were reacting to a scent he didn’t recognize, well some caution was still necessary, even on the Trial of Hunters. Or rather, overconfident Wulver often didn’t return from the Trial at all.

So he crept forward until he found a game trail…with several trees torn from their roots and tossed aside. He gulped and followed along. He found a small clearing in the forest surrounding a large cave. He frowned and rubbed his chin.

He couldn’t see inside the cave from his position…but there was no cover past the treeline. If he got any closer, whatever it was would see him as well. And worse…he could feel tingling on his skin, and could see small sparks and distortions in the air close to the cave, all indicating an abnormally high mana concentration.

And then…he felt the ground tremble.

Taog ducked down into a bush. He heard a growl that reverberated in his chest. The scent grew overpowering.

And then, it emerged.

First was a long and broad snout, covered in brown scales, with teeth the size of short swords hanging out. Then a massive, squat body with bulging muscles, and short, powerful legs that shook the ground with every step. A massive tail the size of a small tree.

Taog’s ears fell flat against his head as his eyes widened.

It was an Aelea Drake.

The drake sniffed the air, then let out a roar that echoed through the forest. Taog resisted the urge to bolt and run. Fortunately though, the drake snorted out of its nose, and then laid down in the clearing, apparently satisfied with its one roar. It closed its eyes as it took in the sun.

Taog was about to back away when he paused. He frowned, and shook his head.

This was an Aelea Drake! The one thing that could challenge the Ursanus for dominion over the forests of Turannia. A dragonkin! Whatever test Mighty Victoria had for him, it couldn’t be this.

Right?

And then he recalled Seero annihilating an Ursanus Natura like it was nothing.

He closed his eyes.

The whole purpose of this trip was to try and catch up to Seero and Ateia, the girls who now defied common sense. Seero took on an entire incursion while she was at Taog’s current level…and won. If he truly wanted to stand by Seero and Ateia’s side, he could not be frightened away by mere common sense.

He opened his eyes and rubbed his chin.

He put aside all the tales and warnings of the Aelea Drake, and tried to view the situation objectively.

This drake…was actually quite small, barely taller than Taog. For Aelea Drakes specifically, size was an indicator of age…and strength. This one had to be very young, and a fairly low level. It certainly would not match up to the Tyrant of the Beasts, for example.

Taog most likely would not surpass it in level…but he might be within striking distance of it.

Of course, that was just comparing the level number. It did not take into account the fact that this was a dragon, if a small and undeveloped one.

So did Taog have a chance?

His eyes widened slightly.

He realized…he was in luck. Of all the dragon types he could have encountered, an Aelea Drake was perhaps the best. Aelea Drakes were slow, and had no wings to fly upon, unlike the wyverns. Taog would be able to outrun this one if he had to. Aelea Drakes also lacked the deadly breath of their Fire counterparts, or the mystical powers of a more magical type. Taog wouldn’t have to worry about any special attacks that would extend beyond the reach of the monster’s jaws. Aelea Drakes didn’t even have the powerful regeneration a Nature attributed monster would have had, so if Taog could injure it he could hypothetically wear it down over time.

What the Aelea Drake did have was massive strength and rigid defense. Even the halberd of a Legion Slayer would struggle to pierce its scales, even a Legion Bulwark couldn’t hold against those mighty jaws. And Taog had neither the strength of a Slayer nor the resilience of a Bulwark.

And that…was why it was possible.

Taog had largely abandoned the straightforward approach, focusing more on dodging and evading. The Aelea Drake could snap him in two with a single bite, but that wouldn’t matter if he didn’t get hit. And he had the Dark Slash skill, an attributed-ability that mixed physical and magical attacks. So while there was no hope his short swords would pierce the beast’s scales, he might be able to rely on the magic.

It would be a long, and difficult battle. He’d be wearing it down with magical pinpricks, slowed down by his mana regen. And it would be extraordinarily dangerous. A single mistake, and he would die.

But…it was possible.

Taog gulped silently. But he narrowed his eyes, and gripped his swords.

Mighty Victoria said he would be tested. She said this was a path of danger and pain, where death was the most likely outcome. She said he would have to break his own limits to achieve what he wanted.

He decided he would not turn back, not until he had given it a try. Taog checked his mana, then took a deep breath.

“Well, here goes nothing. Hope this isn’t a terrible mistake…”

Taog shook his head. No, that’s not how he’d approach this. He was not going to go off and die, and leave Ateia alone like everyone else in their lives. He was GOING to return, no matter what.

And he would do everything he could to return with a victory.

Taog fixed his eyes on the drake, and then stepped out into the clearing…

Author’s Note:

FYI, feeling a bit abnormally fatigued the past two days. I *might* take another day off at some point. We’ll see though, Imma play it by ear, so I won’t call it just yet. I’ll let you know if I think it’s necessary.

I should probably do one of those ‘backlog’ things at some point. But meh. Six day workweeks are normal and sustainable, right? There’s definitely not studies revealing that even five is too much, right?

Well back to the story!

…eh I don’t really have anything funny to say on this one. Something about Taog fighting a cat monster? Eh.

Anyways!

Can Ateia overcome her trauma to master the technique? Can NSLICE-00P find a way to integrate Ateia into the network without causing her lots of pain? Can Taog defeat an Aelea Drake? Tune in next time, to find out!