Chapter 109 - Hollow Crystals

– Aaris - PoV –

'Training? What do you mean by training?' I looked at the captain and she sat there unbothered by what I just said, 

"When I say training, I mean training now, get your ass ready!" She thrashed another punch on my knuckle and sat down with a long breath…

"Listen, Hollow Crystal Magia is an extremely dangerous magia. I made our raiding plan considering duke Diesswrin was off to the capitol, but if knew he was still in his mansion, I would never let any of us go there." She crossed her arms and bit her lips.

'Just what is this Hollow Crystal magia? And why is it so dangerous?' I crossed my legs and just stared at her, I know we haven't spent much time together but still watching her anxious like this, is kinda depressing.

"Hollow Crystal magia, this magia enables the user to create crystal which can be either parasitic and can be deformed to create weapons 1000 times harder than diamond normally, now just think, what would be the density of crystal created to protect oneself." 

She looked at me with sweating dripping from her face, 

"Not just that, Hollow Crystal follows, Elemental Earthen Origin, but it was later hybrid by forbidden trait dark elemental wind origin, which gave Diesswrin's a special trait of using Crystal which can be induced with pressure on air around and create a crystal that indirectly affects one's organic body." 

'Inorganic? What do you mean by affecting organic bodies indirectly? You said it was a parasitic magia, then how come it doesn't affect organic bodies directly?' I stood up in awe, I was already studded listening to her and couldn't even think of a single way to defeat him but now this could be our hope.

"Yes, it can't affect organic bodies directly, even though it can create forbidden hybrids.

the crystal can only be created on inorganic substance, see this is the biggest disadvantage of Hybrid of Dark Origin and Elemental Magia's, 

that it can't affect any living thing directly, it needs a medium which has to be nonliving to connect the mana dispersion of its hybrid part, 

For example, hybrid magia of Elemental fire and dark water can be created which can create, one of its diverse traits Inferno Oceania magia, water got enough to melt anything and can change its matter forms, but with normal elemental magic you set anything into flame in touch, but an Inferno Oceania user, won't be able to harm you if he touches and activate spell directly!" 

She explained that doodling on the soil with a stick wasn't that difficult, but it looked like a complex magia, I don't know if it was my brain or just her drawing was freaking weird.

'Captain question!' I raised my hand, 

"What?" She looked at me, 

'What is this ugly cat looking like the fish? And this more ugly cat looking like the devil?' I pointed at her drawing, she stayed silent.

'Anyway, So why is it so strong? I mean, don't we have an advantage now if we maintain distance with him and fight?' I picked up a stick and doodled an arrow pointing at her down, I looked at her and she was fuming in anger, she raised her stick and started beating me around, 

"You bastard! How daring you call my drawing ugly! That ugly cat is you and that more ugly cat is Diesswrin! Just because I drew a horn on that more ugly cat doesn't mean it's the devil! I drew it to show its evil!!" She continuously beat me with that stick until she was out of breath.

'So…sorry' I felt smoke coming out of my body, 

"Phew, where was I? Yes, what makes him a formidable enemy with such a disadvantage you ask? The answer is because he is a freaking strong and impressive mage, for my generation Diesswrin lineage wasn't able to completely harness the power of Hollow Crystal until Diesswrin was born.

While studying in the academy at the age of 20, he was found and successfully created another way to create Hollow Crystal, it was by compressing the air around that enemy, using Isotopic elemental magia,

That is, to combine two elements of the same origin, is extremely tough for a normal Saint class or nearly impossible you can say.

But Diesswrin used Wind origin and Dark wind origin together to create crystals in mid-air, though nobody was able to figure out how, though we know his main weakness was mana deficiency, Hybrid magia is already a high order spell and using Isotopic magia with it, but still, he never lost any battle with a bad injury, now you can imagine how freaking strong that monster is."

I sat up and recalled my battle with him, 

It was just as she said, at first it was really suffocating when I tried to fight him, then those crystals appeared and he never touched me directly to subdue me.

'So, how will we defeat him?' 

She looked down and drew a circle on that ugly cat, she said is me,

"That I am going to tell you now!" She raised her gaze and smiled.

***

Meanwhile, in the town of Copperlin, Zia and Styrmir were already up but were startled with a surprise.

They were unconscious for a whole day just like Aaris and Historia, due to injuries and mana exhaustion.

The maid in the Riger mansion treated them and took care of them for the whole day.

"Chief Isn't there?" Styrmir, all wind up in bandages, sat in front of the maids of the chief Riger, 

"Pipe it down idiot! Didn't you hear that he was on the border of Diesswrin territory before the captain wrapped us here!" Zia scowled at Styrmir, and he punched the desk in front of him.

"Can you tell us Fagin and Reigin, why did chief Riger decide to go to Diesswrin territory?" Zia was trying to keep calm and maintain her cool head.

One the maid who sat there in the room Fagin answered, 

"He isn't there to attack anyone, but actually he got a letter from Kingdom Seloud to attend the Diesswrin banquet, truth to be told Chief pulled some string from one of the nobles with the business relationship with us to get his hands on the invitation." 

"But wouldn't it be quite disgraceful and dangerous to go like this?" Zia raised her brow and leaned to them.

"There are no worries about that." The twin sister of Fagin, Reigin slid a teacup to her, 

"It could but, he is there not as a normal guest, he will attend the banquet as a political visitor with a just an interkingdom liable warrant against Diesswrin, your party wasn't sending any intel, about the confirmation or not, so he took this desperate measure, you see we didn't think it would take this long to steal pendant from Diesswrin." 

"What the fuck! Why did you summon us if you didn't have any trust in us!" Zia finally snapped and showed it to them, Styrmir grabbed her wrist and tried to sit her down.

"I don't like to raise my voice against a lady, but Zia's anger is reasonable, we put our life in danger and almost escaped from death while some of us probably are still fighting there!" Styrmir clenched his teeth, restraining Zia and sitting her down.

"We have our reasons master Styrmir and lady Zia…" Reigin lowered her gaze and looked at Fagin, 

"What kind of reason?" Styrmir glared at them, 

"I can't tell-" Reigin uttered but Fagin interrupted her in short, 

"Because the night after the banquet it's the cursed date for us, 

Nótt Höggormsins, the night of serpent." Fagin was trembling in fear and was clutching her apron to keep her hand stable, 

"Sister!" Reigin held her hand, 

"It's okay, they have suffered a lot because of our negligence, they have the right to know about this." Fagin clasped Reigin and hand back and nodded.

"What is this Nótt Höggormsins?" Zia was barely holding in her anger now, her rage was clear in her groaning voice.

"Nótt Höggormsins is the night we dwarf detest as the night of the birth of Jörmungandr, the second born of Loki, the world serpent. Which is also one the strongest origin spirits, it is the bringer of the calamity, and we dwarf celebrate this night praising our protector, the God of thunder Thor."

"Why is it related to the pendant?" Styrmir swallowed his spit in uneasiness.

"It is important for the ritual, a ritual used to forbid anyone to harbor authority to summon the Jörmungandr, without it someone may be able to summon it or possibly Jörmungandr itself choose a master, and it will a child's play for anyone with the pendant to manipulate spirit or spirit world."

"I see…" Styrmir sighed in stood up with a jerk, 

"Where are you going?" Fagin stood up following him, 

"To Diesswrin territory! Where else? My friends are fighting there!" Styrmir looked at Zia and she stood up too, 

"Don't! If what you told is true, then they must be-" Reigin shouted but Styrmir turned his back facing her with a wide smile,

"They are alive! I am sure! He won't die from this!"