Chapter 152 - Fun In The Fog (Patreon)

Fire, and then lightning exploded into the beast as it lunged for Jiran’s back. Shadowy spikes and skin were melted revealing a clear path for chaotic electrical energies to invade the Rapacious Murker. Limbs popped like kindling tossed into a roaring inferno as the beast was torn apart from the inside. The beast's tier seven regeneration was nothing to scoff at. Flesh reknit and limbs reformed in fractions of a second. But Jiran’s third attack was his most trusted element. Understanding, intent, and mana fused into a frigid beam that the weakened beast had no chance to resist. Its struggles were instantly halted as what was left of its torso froze solid and fell to the forest floor.

Jiran was on the move before confirming it was dead. With his aura pushed out to hold the fog at bay, he couldn’t afford to pull enough of his manabody inside to activate Oneness, leaving him moving with only mana and muscle to speed his movements. He brought the full brunt of his intelligence attribute and multiple minds to bear, forcing every ounce of mana suffusing his body toward a unified purpose. He tore through the air at superhuman speeds, flying past spindly trees in a blur that still wasn’t quite as fast as the two tier seven beasts hunting him.

The original murker was torn into reality in a puff of black smoke as Jiran’s aura pushed away the fog that surrounded it. Once understanding dawned on it, the murker moved impossibly fast, racing toward Jiran. Three percent of his mana was converted by Elemental Castigation, and Ice far colder than the natural element blasted from his raised palm. Without time to rotate and compress the element, it was far too weak to kill. As mana and beast collided, the murker’s tough skin and claws emerged victorious.

Jiran’s beam was split into two halves that pierced through the forest behind the creature. Both sides proliferated exponentially as moisture was corrupted and converted into two massive walls of ice. Despite the double layer of mana protecting him, Jiran's hand turned black as the life within it withered under the chill of his own enhanced element. The beast didn’t fare much better, the smokey flesh of its entire arm turning solid and brittle before cracking and shattering.

Jiran wrapped his aura around the Rapacious Murker in an effort to slow it further. Its skin was far more slippery and resistant than he expected. Gritting his teeth, Jiran pulled on his soulwall, ripping enough of it through the tap in his neck to enhance his manabody. The creature’s advance paused and a wicked gleam flashed in its eyes. As quickly as it appeared and lunged, its arm regenerated and it leaped backward toward the fog, exploding into ephemeral mana.

Jiran ducked as the third and final tier seven erupted from the vaporous smoke to his right. It crossed the ten meters between him and the fog in a fraction of a heartbeat. If not for his beefed-up aura slowing it down, its extended claws would have done more than scrape across the graphene-reinforced sleeve of his upraised arm. His bones creaked in protest as skin and muscles were brutalized. Jiran dropped to one knee, pain flooding his senses. His eyes flashed and a feral grin crept across his face.

Having seen the creature circling him from the very start, he was long since prepared. The trap set by three minds working in unison erupted around him. Six balls of highly condensed metal released thick spikes that shot upward. They speared through the beast from every direction, easily penetrating its body and slamming its momentum to a halt right above Jiran. The beast screeched and convulsed as its incredible regeneration was unable to heal while the spikes were still inside of it. Each one released a dozen more smaller spears of metal that shot through it, exploding from its skin in a gory mess. Thick, smokey blood rained down on him as he blasted from his crouch. A blade of mana extended from his uninjured arm and slid through its neck, bringing its health to zero.

[Rapacious Murker: (Tier 7) (0/64,329) Highly intelligent stalking predator.]

The murker’s head rolled when it hit the ground. With its death, its mana was free for the taking and Jiran quickly refilled his reserves, healing his arm in the process. The impure beast mana flooded his body, causing him to grimace. His own mana quickly dominated the energy then expelled the impurities through his skin, coating him in vile, stinking filth. The first beast was back, hovering at the edge of Jiran’s aura. It no longer flitted about in anticipation of the kill. He could feel it gazing at him warily, despite the creature not having any eyes.

“What’s wrong? Don’t like it when your ambush fails? Screw you, creepy-ass ghost wannabe,” Jiran grumbled as he advanced on the creature, prepared to rip it from the fog once more.

When foresight began to blare a warning, he stopped instantly. He tried to cue into the warning and decipher it as he had done with Lulu but the attempt yielded no insight. Not wanting to tempt fate, he backed away from the beast, watching every direction with Mana Omnis. The second he moved away, the warning stopped. With a shrug, Jiran wrapped his aura around the headless corpse. When he tried to pick it up and found it stuck fast, he frowned before putting more effort into lifting it. His feet sunk slightly into the ground once he was supporting the creature's weight, which caused his brows to rise. With a begrudging nod of respect toward the powerful monster, he turned to leave the foggy forest.

Three chakrams of Elemental Castigation whirled around him, daring the last beast to lunge at his back. Jiran’s steps faltered as the expected edge of the forest was nowhere to be found. He looked in every direction, finding none of the forest around him to be what his memory claimed it should be. The damage his attacks had done was gone. The spindly, sickly trees had been replaced with new, completely different versions of themselves. Even the slant of the ground was different.

So whatever this fog is was screwing with me before. It can clearly still manipulate what’s inside it even when my aura is pushing it back.

He caught sight of another beast zipping its way toward him through the fog and his skin prickled. An alien jolt of panic tried to worm its way into his brain, bringing with it terrifying visions of being lost, surrounded, and overwhelmed. His Remalonian Constitution went to work on the invasive emotional attack, crushing it into dust before it could spread through his body and freeze his muscles.

“Seriously? No wonder they call it the Land of the Lost,” His voice echoed dully back to him. With a shrug, he leaped up, intending to fly straight up and out of the forest. He was immediately surrounded by fog on all sides and foresight once more began to sound an alarm that promised death was closing in. Jiran fell back to the ground, realizing he had only flown a few meters up even though he swore it had been dozens. He was on high alert, his arms up as he crouched defensively, wracking his brain for a solution to escape a forest that could manipulate not only its entire layout, but also his mind. “I don’t have time for this shrelkshit. Oh, would that work?”

Jiran pulled up the map in his interface and zoomed in on his position, quickly finding the forest's edge only a few feet away to his left. With the corpse in tow, he confidently marched toward what looked like nothing more than deep, dark, murky woods. A moment later, he emerged into the early morning light, First Mother not yet gracing the sky with her appearance.

The second he was free of the fog, two balls of challenger density slammed into his back, causing him to gasp. His mouth fell open and his eyes wanted to roll up in his head but he growled, spinning around to face the forest. The two beasts were still there, watching. Not wanting to assume they would stay in the trees as before, Jiran continued pushing against the nearby fog, holding it and the murkers at bay. Without Oneness, the sensations from the challenger density were nearly overwhelming but Jiran never took his eyes from the clumps of mana still stalking him.

When the pleasure passed and he could think once more, he flew into the air, cleaning himself off with a high-powered stream of water while checking his status. The flashing notifications did little to distract him from the desire to rush back into the fog and devour the delicious clumps of density that taunted him.

Mana Confluence: + 1

Elemental Castigation: + 2

Mana Omnis: + 1

Enthralling Touch: + 3

STRENGTH: + 3.7

AGILITY: + 3.3

ENDURANCE : + 3.9

DURABILITY: + 3.8

WISDOM: + 4.4

INTELLIGENCE: + 3.9

Challenger timer reset: + 8 hours

NAME: Jiran of Madra

RACE: Remalon

AGE: 0

WEIGHT: 3296 kg > 3299 kg

ACCLAMATIONS: Remalonian Constitution / Scion of Mana

TIMER: 127:57:42

TIER: 4

EXP: 200/200

GROWTH: 6 % > 7.8 %

MANA: 54

CONCENTRATION: 18

STRENGTH: 196.6 > 200.3

AGILITY: 196.6 > 199.9

ENDURANCE : 196.6 > 200.5

DURABILITY: 196.6 > 200.4

WISDOM: 196.6 > 201

INTELLIGENCE: 196.6 > 200.5

CHARISMA: 65 > 72

SKILLS:

Mana Confluence: 72 > 78

Elemental Castigation: 45 > 47

Mana Omnis: 13 > 21

Enthralling Touch: 15 > 30

Identify: 17 > 18

OTHER:

Adaptive Translator

Affinity System

Designation: Keynote Prime

Interface Map

Intermediary User Interface

Party System

Sanctuary 100%

UNIQUE: Foresight

Haven’t made much progress with my attributes lately. At least my skills are leveling well. I should be able to progress quickly now that I’ve confirmed a hunting ground for tier sevens. And this forest is more interesting than I thought, it's almost like one massive aura. The murkers didn’t use any aura, so maybe they pool it together collectively into this fog. How would that even work though? Maybe it’s something else entirely.

At least they didn’t use any mana attacks like the Graymin Enforcers. They weren’t very durable either, sixty thousand is nearly half the health of a regular tier seven. But they’re even faster than those annoying teleporting slayers and their claws would have cut right through me if not for my armor. Fast, ambush predators that rely on confusion and nearly instant attacks from close range.

As Jiran analyzed the encounter, the two murkers' unwavering gazes watched him from the safety of the fog. Their previous gleeful anticipation returned when another four joined them. The six of them bounced through the trees, eagerly awaiting his return.

“Yeah, we’ll play again real soon. You’re not going to enjoy our second meeting nearly as much as you did this one,” Jiran promised while fingering the rents in his sleeve.

Armor held up well but I’ll definitely be adding a few  more layers before I come back.

Jiran pushed against the framework with his aura, quickly racing back toward the Timberlings valley. He wasn’t spurred forward due to worry about Mayalyn and Niya. He was more than confident they could handle any Forkara that came, or at least run and hide.

How will the Forkara respond when they learn of their captured scions? How will the Timberlings react to my summons? What if their prophecy really is about me? Will I end up enslaving them in some way? Questions tumbled about in Jiran’s mind, all a distraction from the aching desire to turn around and kill more beasts.

He discovered Chokkra long before reaching the valley and swept the boy up in his aura. Chokkra’s eyes widened as he saw the smoking corpse being dragged through the air behind them. “You’re alive! You really did it! I-is… that?”

“Yup, they’re called Rapacious Murkers. Tricky bastards.” Jiran muttered.

“How did you kill it? What happened in there?” Chokkra asked excitedly, fixated on Jiran’s mouth as he waited impatiently for a response.

“As if I’d tell you. No, that knowledge is a bargaining chip I won’t be selling cheaply.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

Jiran redoubled their speed, leaving Chokkra groaning and unable to speak further. Twenty minutes later, the crater housing the Forest of Melodies appeared on the horizon. There were no trails of smoke snaking into the air or armies of furious Forkara come to smite him for his arrogance. The skies were beautiful as First Mother made her appearance, soaking the clouds in violet radiance.

The sphere containing the Forkara was still holding strong, crackling with energy when he landed. Mayalyn sat nearby, only her clothes visible as her Obfuscating hid her from view. Jiran tracked her with Mana Omnis as she hopped to her feet and padded over to him, “That was quick. It appears you were successful?” She asked, popping into view and momentarily taking his breath away with a brilliant smile.

“Yup, tier sevens all right. Pretty close by, too. Their forest was a decent size and I saw eight of them in the few minutes I was there. Looks like I’ll have plenty for my… needs.” Jiran gently pushed the eavesdropping Chokkra away and then blocked him from the rest of the conversation.

“That is good. Niya returned to check on me while you were away. She is very sweet, even if she pretends otherwise,” Mayalyn’s finger traced her lower lip as she adopted an adorable, thoughtful expression. The sight sent Jiran’s heart racing and he allowed himself a moment to enjoy the feelings of fuzzy clouds stuffing their way into his thoughts, banishing the last of the emotions from the challenger density. She suddenly pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him, “Jiiiiiiran,” She growled in warning.

He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck with a chuckle, “Ahh, yeah, so, uhh, nice weather, huh?” She smacked his arm playfully, huffing a held breath from her nose. Seeing as she wasn’t actually mad, he cracked a smile and winked, “What did you expect? You were already the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met and now that you’re off limits, you’re suddenly six times more attractive.”

She preened at the compliment, only to turn away a moment later, “Thank you, but this is much harder for me than it is for you, trust me. My instincts are screaming to rip off your clothes and pin you to the ground,” She practically growled at him while flexing her claws. Her gaze snapped to the side as she fixed her slitted pupils on several distant figures, “Ahh, a perfectly timed distraction.”

He followed her eyes to see a group of twelve Timberlings advance out of the forest. As expected, every one of them was tier three. Nine were young men. With how unfamiliar he was with their race, it was hard to tell, but they looked like teenagers. The cut of their jaws, the silver shade of their hair, their height, and even build were identical enough that the only way to tell them apart was the branches growing from their skin.

The boys followed behind three women who advanced with steady, fluid steps that spoke of long dedication to martial prowess. Much like the Matron, their pale skin was covered in thick layers of hardened bark. Every one of them held a spear, tips facing the sky. They marched purposefully toward Jiran, their chins held high and challenge ablaze in their eyes.

The leader strode right up to him, looking him up and down with interest. Her skin was cracked and gnarled, showing the thick bark that grew just beneath the surface. She sang, her voice clear and deep, “Hail, Great Spirit of the pond. My name is Frigoniaparuala, Matron of Conflict, and I have come to correspond. You would enslave us,” She shook her head sharply and the tip of her spear whistled to the side as she swept into a crouched ready stance, “That will not happen before you best us,” She finished her rhyme, drawing out the last word into a hiss that pulled back her lips in a soft snarl.

“Greetings, Frigoniaparuala. My name is Jiran, not Great Spirit. And I’ve no intention of enslaving anyone. We came here for a purpose that has nothing to do with your people or the hives. Before we get to that, we need to talk about how the hives were stopping beasts from invading your valley,” He waved his hand, indicating the couple hundred caged Forkara.

Frigoniaparuala didn’t take her softly glowing golden eyes off him for a second. A feral grin split her face and the grip on her spear tightened, releasing a groaning creak into the air, “Don't tell me the Great Spirit is a coward, that is not what I heard. Give me the fight I desire, sate my heartwood that blazes with fire. If you defeat me, I will support you, and if you manage to take my life, my second will stand beside you as your knife.”

Before Jiran could respond, Mayalyn’s splayed fingers landed on his chest. She stepped between him and the Matron of Conflict, matching the woman’s bloodlust and grin, “A perfectly timed distraction indeed,” She purred, her ears and tail twitching in anticipation.