Chapter 243 - Shield (Patreon)

I'm so hyped for this chapter. It's one of my favourites ever so I really hope you like it!

With this, you're back up to 10 ahead. Now I just need to write a whole chapter tomorrow

The world became tinted in violet hues as Hump manifested his soul. All around him, the essence of the world became a storm of colour, most prominently, the sinister red of the dungeon core and thick green fog of caustic mist, surrounding the queen beetle before him. His own soul exploded around him, a storm of raging essence that forced back the dark energies and intents. Strength filled him. The heat of power rushed through his channels. His mind became more focused, his essence ready to jump to his will, his staff radiant with his strength.

With an easy motion, he slipped his spellbook from his belt and held it out in his left hand. The pages whirled, shining as they opened onto the spell in his head. The Compact Formation within absorbed his essence and his staff flared brighter. A Fire Blast would handle these acid fly creatures easily, but it would come with the unfortunate side effect of blowing himself up, along with everyone else around him. Even if it was only in the immediate area, Eva was stuck behind him. He needed alternative methods.

A loud hum filled the air as the flies flew closer, their wings a blur of motion. They were large, and Hump wasn’t confident an Essence Blast would be enough to take them out. Instead, he extended his will toward the crumbled hole between him and the flies, where the first beetle had risen at his feet, his essence seeping into the ground and mingling with the remnant power of his last spell. He took it back under his control, building on it, until the rocky and broken ground at the base of the hole gleamed with bronze light.

Seconds passed. The acid flies drew closer, approaching the trap he’d set. He was surprisingly calm despite the fight, but he forced himself not to become overconfident and treat every fight as if it could kill him. There was no telling what abilities these creatures might have. As spawn of a dungeon guardian, one couldn’t be too careful.

Just as the acid flies flew over the hole, Hump released his spell.

“Explode Earth.”

A shudder shook the ground as the earth and stone under Hump’s control shattered, sending a blast of shrapnel upward. It swept through the host of flies with a melody of thumps. The creatures exploded on impact in a rain of glowing acid, the ground smoking and fizzing where they touched. Hump drew back his staff, the pages of his spellbook fluttering as they changed to a new spell. He clutched at all the stone before him, pulling it back to him upon strands of bronze essence, building it up before the focus of his staff. A hundred pieces of rock hovered in the air in front of him, suspended by magic.

He thrust his staff forward, aiming at the queen. “Rockshot.”

It blasted through what remained of the flies. The queen beetle stopped in place, hunching her head forward and letting out a rumbling chirp. Its giant back opened and four wings twice as long as a person was tall appeared, flittering fast and shining green. A howling wind surged toward Hump, killing the momentum of his attack and sending it straight back at him. Behind it, another host of flies buzzed toward him.

Arrows whizzed past his head as Eva started shooting, taking them down quickly with her arrows.

Hump took a step forward, slamming his staff into the group. “Shield.”

All he wanted was a flat wall. The returning barrage of rocks battered it, ripples of white spreading across his transparent barrier like rain upon a lake. Then the flies struck it. He curled the Shield over him, forming a partial dome but not quick enough to prevent all the splash of exploding insects. It caught his battle robes, smoke rising from them along with a fizzing sound. He smelt burning hair and crossed his fingers they were resistant enough to keep it from passing all the way through.

Beyond his Shield the flies had either died or targeted someone else in the group. Still more beetles rose from the ground, likely drawn in by the queen’s fight. Hump wondered how many more would come then scratched that thought—kill the queen and it wouldn’t matter.

Nearby, the others were working together to keep the other beetles at bay. Many had already fallen. Vamir was alight with silver essence, his skin taking on red scales as he let his dragon blood show. Alir fought with a heavy mace, Kelec a bow, working in tandem with Celaine to target the softer underside of the great beetles.

Aurora roared as she barrelled into a beetle trying to aid the queen to the right, biting at its neck. The two titans went rolling to the ground, where the beetle screeched, unable to defend against wolf dragon teeth. She retreated as green blood flowered from its wounds, no doubt the same acid that plagued everything else here. Her throat shone red.

“Stop!” Hump instructed, activating the telepathy of his manifested soul, and sending a mental picture of the acidic fog exploding as it came into contact with fire. She glanced at him with confused eyes, seemingly surprised at the sudden communication, but the message was clearly received.

Suddenly, he sensed Nisha looking his way from all the way back in Drakalyn. Myra was with her, pouring over her with worry. He sensed it in Nishari too.

“Nothing to worry about,” Hump told her. He sent an image of the hunt, trying to feel thrilled through their bond. He felt excitement in Nisha as he stopped focusing on their bond. He’d need to practice to make sure he didn’t accidentally reach out to her again.

Hump was preparing his next spell when Finnian appeared. The keeper leapt into the air above the queen, giant sword held in a downward grip with both hands. Yellow essence engulfed him and was quickly focused into his blade, where it exploded into many chains of yellow lightning that showered the beetle. It screeched, its body going tense from the shock, legs collapsing beneath it. Its body struck the ground with a loud boom.

Finnian descended rapidly, the point of his blade extended beneath him where he quickly approached the queen’s armoured head. There was a thunderous crack as his blade struck, a ripple of sound and essence exploding from the point of impact. The beetle’s carapace armour stood no chance. It shattered, and for a moment Hump thought that would be enough, but from within the shell of its head a hundred smaller flies poured out, swarming Finnian. The man screamed as they exploded over him. He swung his sword with another boom, blasting himself into the air in an effort to escape. High in the air, lightning engulfed him, exploding any of the remaining flies and sending their charred forms back to the ground.

Hump drew more stone to him. He wished he had a stronger spell to assist, suddenly feeling foolish for focusing so much of lava magic and neglecting his earth. Rockslide was the only Tier 4 earth spell he knew, it wasn’t particularly versatile, and he’d stumbled upon it while using other magic entirely. There had been a few options in the Daston library that would have been helpful now.

He resolved himself to add one to his repertoire the moment he had a chance. For now… Rockshot would have to do. Enhanced by his spellbook and manifested soul, it would hit hard enough.

He took aim once more as a boulder formed in the air before him. The queen was distracted by Aurora now, who attacked from the rear, trying to rip the creature’s legs off. The beetle’s size combined with her long-spiked horn and pincered claws made for a dangerous adversary though.

A silver streak impacted its side as Celaine offered her aid.

“Finnian made a hole in its head,” Hump shouted.

“Buy me a chance,” Celaine called back.

Hump nodded, launching the boulder. It struck the queen in the side, sending it skidding and off balance enough for Aurora to get her teeth around one of its wings. She shook her head viciously, tearing the wing from the beetle’s back, a clump of green flesh carried with it, dripping with acid. The beetle screeched, ramming Aurora with her horn and sending the dragon dodging backward.

Celaine was in the air then, carried by Spring Step. She flipped over, pulling the string of her bow while upside down and shooting off an arrow like a silver star, straight through the hole in the beetle’s head. Silver light exploded within.

Celaine landed deftly behind it as the creature’s entire body shuddered. Its legs sagged, its strength giving out as it died. Around them, the entire core chamber erupted with the bellowed screeches of the other beetles.

“Nice shot!” Hump shouted. “Though surely there was a better angle to take it from.”

“I got it, didn’t I? Now we’ve got more beetles to kill.” Celaine grinned. Her eyes were shining green, the dragon blood in her let loose. She was breathing heavily and looked alive with excitement.

As she turned back to the fight, Hump let out a breath, letting his manifested soul fade and his channels relax. They’d slain a dungeon guardian, and none of them were dead.

“Thank you,” Eva said, approaching Hump’s side. “First time I’ve seen a wizard in action. You’ve got a lot of power in you for a smaller fellow.”

Hump snorted. “You’re welcome. Now we just need to clean up.”

With their leader dead, the other beetles put up little resistance. Unlike in Bledsbury, the dungeon core offered no aid to its monsters here. It must be significantly weaker after all. They cleared the remaining beetles relatively easily. Hump hardly had to do anything more, once again moving to a defensive role while the others finished them up. It was fascinating watching Aurora battle the giant beasts. While similar in size, she was faster, stronger, and far more intelligent. Combined with Finnian’s assistance, Hump was sure the two of them could have made easy work of the queen.

Once the fighting was over, the fifteen of them gathered around the dungeon core. There were a few injuries here and there, the worst being Astrid’s broken finger, and red welts that covered Finnian from being swarmed by acid flies.

“It’s yours, Cel,” Alir said. “Take it!”

“My thanks everyone,” Celaine said as she stepped forward. “Truly, I am honoured you would all join me today.”

“No need for that,” Finnian said. “We’re just happy you’re home.”

She glanced back at him with a smile, then proceeded to climb the pedestal of melted trees where the core waited. She placed a hand on it and tore the core from its fixture. Its light faded, and she held it up victoriously. Cheers went up all around as Celaine leapt back down, landing beside them with a smile, her offering to the Temple of the Everflame held in both hands.

Her mouth opened as if to speak, when a change came over her. One Hump had seen in Celaine before. Her eyes shone even brighter than usual. Power welled in her chest, radiating Owalyn’s intent. Her fist clutched it, and she withdrew her brilliance in an array of ethereal, flickering flame, a ghostly trail of essence connecting it to her chest. It was a fire of deadly intent that wanted nothing but to slay anything in its path.

Grass sprouted from the ground around her, twisting into her circles. Each one filled with her god glyphs—Hunter’s Instinct, Power Shot, Spring Step, Predator’s Intent, and Way of the Shadow Archer. With each blessing, the presence of Owalyn grew more powerful, until finally her sixth blessing, the last of the third circle, took form.

Hump’s spellbook shuddered as her new blessing completed.

“Something’s not right,” Finnian said.

Hump turned to him. “What?”

Finnian was already moving toward her. “Shit! Celaine? Celaine you need to snap out of it!”

And then Hump saw it too. The grass around her wilted, tainted by a purple power. It climbed her body, seeping into her legs and quickly rising through her. Owalyn’s intent was suddenly squashed. Celaine’s body spasmed and she collapsed to the ground, horrible gasping sounds escaping her as if she were suffocating. Hump’s stomach sunk as a fear like no other swept through him. In that moment, he really thought his heart might leap from his body.

“Mother’s mercy,” Alir cried, rushing forward. “Cel!” He turned to Finnian. “Finn, what do we do? Help her!”

Finnian stared at her with wide, panicked eyes. “I… I don’t know.”

Hump was at her side without a thought. He pressed a hand against her chest, extending his essence into her, trying to shield her brilliance—Celaine’s exposed soul—from the essence trying to overwhelm her with his own intent.

He heard footsteps behind him, Finnian approaching. “Get off—”

“Leave him!” Vamir snapped. “Unless you’ve got something you can do.”

Hump ignored them both. He sensed death in the power assaulting her. He was repulsed to his core. Every instinct told him not to touch this, and not to let it touch him, but he refused to pull back. The power was overwhelming. He tried to force it back, but the best he could do was hold it in place. It was a power he recognised.

The lich queen. But how could she be here and in Celaine?

He pressed harder, unable to even speak to warn the others, fighting with every ounce of strength he had. All he knew was that if he gave in, Celaine would be no more. There was no surviving power like this. Once it had her soul…

Hump’s soul manifested around him, fully exposing himself to the lich’s strength, but he would not back down.

You will not take her!

Every shred of his being was fixed on that sole intent. He would not let the lich queen advance one bit further. Celaine’s soul was protected. The world turned purple entirely as his own soul manifestation surged around him, every bit of essence he had thrown against the lich’s intent. He made an inch of progress, forcing the deadly power a little from Celaine’s chest, but he felt his own strength quickly dwindling.

No.

Cold surged from his core.

Please. Owalyn, you must be in there!

He felt like ice. His fingers were afire with pain, his chest torn open and burning. He pushed the lich back a little further.

Yet it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t hold. He—

A new power awoke within Celaine. Her chest flared brightly, the deadly intent of a hunter exploding once more. Hump fell back, his soul felt as if it had almost shattered just from being near it, but he didn’t care. He stared at Celaine as the light of the hunter continued to build.

Owalyn had answered.